#they were technically childhood friends but it's Complicated

[abysskeeper]

How about "stop distracting me" for your Tav and whatever character they're romancing?

*looks at my growing list of Tav's* Uh...yeah. Sure. Seriously though, thanks. I should break the dam for writing in this game.

Five Ten sentence prompts. I allowed it only because extensive dialogue tagging doesn't really count...does it? Anyways, on the road to Baldur's Gate, my half-drow bard, Fiona, and Wyll...who I'll probably wind up writing more for because poor Wyll has so little content and Fiona hasn't shut up since I started playing.

***

The evening air was crisp with a growing chill, but he hardly noticed despite sitting far from the night's fire, enthralled as he was watching her practice a performance. She moved gracefully, her feet gliding through thr steps of a well-known dance, fingers plucking the notes of imaginary strings, and her voice humming a lilting tune all while she wore a face that haunted his memories--one not quite her own.

"Stop distracting me, I can feel your stare like the point of your rapier," she said, sing-songing to the melody she hummed. A moment later and her feet stopped, a hand went to her hip, and those silvery blue eyes pierced him with a combination of false accusation and twinkling humor.

"That is hardly my intention, though it does not bode well if one adoring fan is enough to drive you to distraction," Wyll laughed, "Especially when I am merely wondering at the necessity."

"The necessity is in the fact I am the only one who remembers what having an actual job is like, and if we wish to not sleep in the cold for our entire duration at Baldur's Gate then we need coin," Fiona answered, "It's just...been a while since I've has to focus on so much during a performance."

"That is the necessity to which im referring," Wyll said and rose, moving to stand in front of her. He watched as her disguise spell dissipated the moment he reached out towards her, brushing her hair from obscuring her face and trailing his fingers down her jaw, urging those eyes he loved to look back at him--one silvery blue, and one drow red. "I understand, but for your sake I wish you did not feel the need to hide, that you could trust the world enough to show the heart I know."

Those eyes softened considerably as Fiona smiled, leaned up on her toes, and--just before closing the distance between them with a kiss--uttered, "If only the world had half the heart you did.

[luludeluluramblings]

Smalltown!Neglected!Meta!Reader x Yandere!Batfam ☁️ Part Five

☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️

Part One ☁️ Part Two ☁️ Part Three ☁️ Part Four ☁️ Part Six ☁️ Part Seven ☁️ Part Eight

☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️

A/N: Starting to realize I need to slow down, things are really getting complicated and I want everything to be included. Including proper warnings and important plot details and to really keep things more polished.

A/N: Also, going through the doubts on my writing, but we is gonna persevere, y’all. I’m going to take some time to focus on Obsessions.

Warning(s): Yandere themes, Obsessive behavior, Kidnapping, Vomiting, Slight Stalking

☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️

After running Date’s life, Tim starts to investigate Reader full throttle. Before it was just something he did to relax between cases when he couldn’t shut off his brain. Now, he didn’t want to miss anything. Not a single detail. He’d also been having trouble digging up an information on reader’s small town.

Apparently, they weren’t up to date on their technology. Can’t hack computers for information if the computers don’t exist. Still, it was nice to find out about Reader’s childhood. (Making notes for Bruce to add certain flora and fauna to the Manor’s garden and looking up any restaurants in Gotham that he could possibly take Reader too. You know, as friends.) But, Tim was nothing if not stubborn.

Reader, having a bit of whiplash from Dick’s comforting and sudden departure starts trying to fill their time by hanging out with Cassandra, Duke, and/or Stephanie.

They also call back home informing Nana about the Date incident. Surprisingly enough, Nana was sympathetic. (Though Reader couldn’t help thinking she was using that condescending small town sarcasm. Maybe they’d just been in Gotham for too long?) Regardless, Nana lends a comforting ear and even talks about BFF and their older brother, Childhood Crush, to Reader in an attempt to distract them. Telling them what the two have been up to. (How much they miss you. They can’t wait for you to come home visit.)

Reader, however, is a tad more concerned with Younger Brother. Making sure to ask how he is fairing and if he could come visit them in Gotham for a bit. Just to give Nana and Grand Daddy a much needed break since their age is catching up with them. (Aren’t you so sweet? Caring so much for your real family.)

But, Nana brushes reader off. No need, he’s been hanging out with Childhood Crush and BFF. They’ve really taken him under their wing. (They’d make great a great partners. Don’t you think, dear?) It does arouse Reader’s suspicions, but when they call their Younger Brother, he sounds… fine… Said he was having more fun with BFF than Childhood Crush, but that’s a given. (BFF knows Reader best, and won’t let anything happen to him or Reader.) They’re probably overthinking things about things back home. (That pang of homesickness just doesn’t seem to go away.)

At school, however, things were changing.

Damian wasn’t lying to himself about scaring off Reader’s friends. A few started to avoid Reader suddenly. But, a few, mostly the wealthier ones, stayed close. Not at all bothered by Damian’s sudden campaign. Some even introducing Reader to their closer circles.

Reader’s happy to have more friends, but the loss of Date and Reader’s more down to earth friends weighed on them. Reader’s new group felt like an isolated bubble cage that encloses tightly around them (and wouldn’t let them go.)

Bruce has been pretty strict about who Reader spends time with since the gala. But, Reader, going stir crazy when Cass, Steph, and Duke, respectively, are to busy (have patrol and missions), decides to ask Barbara if they can hang out with her. (A stranger is better than nothing.)

Tim’s seems to be too busy with whatever he’s doing. (He’s technically spending time on Reader, rather than with Reader.) Reader loves Alfred, but they’re always helping him cook. Dick’s gone off on some errand in Buldhaven or Gotham (Reader can’t remember, they’re a bit annoyed by how finicky he can be with giving Reader attention.). Jason might actually choke reader if they suggest hanging out. And, Reader is still pissed at Damian for being a rude little shit (Plus, they suspect he has something to do with their friends leaving them. They just can’t prove it.)

Barbara agrees to bring Reader to work with her at the Gotham City Library. Fully expecting Reader to mostly stay to themselves or possibly sneak off. (As members of the family are prone to do.) She is pleasantly surprised that Reader actually tends to stay by her side. Of course, Reader goes and gets a few books to curl up with. But, they quietly chat with Barbara, occasionally assisting with task, and mostly just enjoy silent companionship.

Reader doesn’t expect Barbara to entertain them, they can entertain themselves. They just don’t want to be alone at the moment. (Reader hates being alone when they’re sad. Hate. Hate. Hates it.) Barbara finds the silent and soft companionship to be a balm for the soul, so to speak. There’s no pressure. No duty. Just companionship. (It’s eases her mind how Reader is willing to stay safe. They’re not being dramatic or doing something foolish. I can get used to this.)

After the day is over, Barbara reports how Reader behaved back to Bruce. (Didn’t wander, stayed close by, wasn’t rude or sarcastic. That Gala had to have been a fluke. It has to be those horrible friends of Reader’s corrupting them.) If anything, it builds a level of trust with Bruce that Reader can be cautious and they won’t have to worry about them leaving. (Running away. Ha!)

Bruce decides Reader deserves a little more trust. (He wants to spoil his child.) Giving them more leeway to spend time in Gotham. But, only with members of the family. Which would be fine, if they were available. There’s, unfortunately, been an Arkham Breakout.

The entire family is on high alert for the next few days, especially since Joker escaped this time. (Hell, no. The family isn’t risking it. They won’t allow it. If Joker does something to Reader he’s dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Batman won’t stop anyone for killing him this time if he dares.) The family prioritize his capture, even recruiting the Gotham Sirens and the Superfamily to get the job done. It’s probably the fastest Joker’s ever been caught. (Joker is definitely pissed over the matter. And, will be making it everyone’s problem next time he gets out. What are you protecting Batsy? What are you trying to hide from me? Are we not friends?

Reader gets a brief introduction to Clark Kent during this ordeal. Before, Reader had only seen Conner and Jon around the manor hanging out with Damian and Tim respectively. (Conner would always try to flirt, which annoyed Reader. And, Jon was avoid on principle of being near Damian. Though, Reader was nice if they caught him alone in the manor. Which was growing more frequent recently.)

Clark is charmed, surprised by the Reader having grown up in a Smalltown. For Reader, it’s nice to meet someone who understands the longing for simplicity. Though Clark personally felt like he had something bigger to achieve outside of his town. Still they appreciate each other’s mindset. (Clark also wouldn’t mind inviting Reader out to the Kent farm. It would be fun to annoy Bruce. Plus, Reader is clearly struggling in Gotham. He’s not wrong.)

With Joker locked up, the family relaxes… Somewhat. They still have the rest of the rouge gallery to catch and have to work overtime to do it. Hardly any of them are seen outside the Batcave, which Reader is eighty-four percent certain is in the library.

Reader spends a lot of time pacing the halls. Looking at the paintings and furniture. It’s lonely. It’s like living in a house that’s haunted by ghost you’re supposed to know, but don’t. (If I have to live in a house haunted by ghost, I’d rather be haunted by the ones that loved me. I wanna go home. I want Momma and Daddy. I hate being alone. I hate it here.)

Stephanie, however, having made plans with Reader, finally gets a chance to take them out into Gotham. It takes a nearly a week, but they do manage to get out into the city together. Stephanie showing Reader all her favorite sights, pointing out landmarks and fun things. It’s possibly the funnest day Reader’s had since coming to Gotham. Arcades, Ice Skating, food trucks, street performers, it’s all new and exciting.

Nothing good last in Reader’s life it seems.

In broad daylight, Reader is forcefully grabbed and thrown into the back of a truck.

There’s a massive down side to being Bruce Wayne’s child. You easily get taken hostage and held for ransom.

Stephanie is helpless. She can only watch it happen too far away to make it to Reader in time. The horror and fear on Reader’s face made her stomach turn violently.

She immediately called Barbara to start tracking the vehicle and the thugs, sending an alert out to the entire family.

Once done she couldn’t stop herself from letting the disgust and shame bubble from her gut out on to the pavement. Just the thought of Reader being hurt making her physically ill. (Give them back. How dare they take what’s mine? It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have left them alone. They’re helpless without me.)

[queenie-official]

‘First Kiss’ Modern!Anakin

main masterlist

word count: 2,525

pairing: Modern!Anakin Skywalker x reader

summary: 3 times you kissed Anakin + 1 time he kissed you

a/n: it's been a while since i’ve written but i got inspired so here's a bit of childhood friends to lovers with modern ani and reader

first kisses everyone has them, some later than others. in your case it was a little complicated, on a technical note you’ve had your first kiss- wether or not it really counted was completely debatable. which is exactly what you were doing with Anakin right now.

“That doesn’t count Ani” you huff, crossing your arms as you lean back in Anakin’s desk chair. spinning back and forth slightly to keep your eyes off of his scrunched up face.

“why not?” he pushes, not understanding why you refused to count the moment as your first kiss.

“we were five and didn’t even know the significance of a kiss” you scoff, stopping yourself briefly to look directly at him as if that would help him understand where you were coming from.

he didn’t look convinced however, sitting up from the spot he was laying on in his bed. now leaning his back against the wall, brows furrowed in what you could only assume was confusion.

“we’d just gotten back from a wedding y/n, i’m pretty sure that was enough for our little minds to grasp the significance of a first kiss” he mocked the way you said significance, putting air quotes around the word as he spoke.

Anakin’s uncle’s wedding, it wasn’t a big event yet they’d invited your family. your mom was practically an unspoken family member so that wasn’t a surprise. what was shocking however was that kids were allowed at the wedding ceremony and not just the after party.

why your mom and Shmi thought you’d both have the attention span for such an event was beyond you.

neither one of you sat still at all, thankfully it was a venue where the wedding ceremony took place in the same spot as the after party. which gave you and Anakin lots of room to run off to when your parents finally gave up on trying to get you to stay in your seat.

truth be told you didn’t remember much of what happened that day probably because of how young you both were.

you remembered hiding under the clothed tables and playing hide and seek with Ani. the words from the priest as the ceremony proceeded was nothing but background noise for you. both of your occasional giggles escaping loud enough for all the adults to hear.

At some point you and Anakin just stayed under one table in particular, probably talking about cars and ponies. poking your heads out every once in awhile to see if it was over yet.

it was one of those times you stuck your head out that you saw it, the bride and groom kissing. you knew enough from all the princess movies you’d seen that this was an act of love. that gave little you an idea.

thankfully the ceremony was early in the morning and the party ended in the late afternoon. which meant the second you got home- after insisting to your mother you guys go over to the Skywalker’s house so you could play together longer, you hosted a little wedding of your own.

Anakin didn’t own a lot of teddys but he had enough for it to work in your mind. it took a bit of convincing on Anakin’s end before he agreed to ‘marrying’ you but the promise of you returning one of the car toys you stole from him was good enough of a deal for him.

so the two of you worked together still in the clothes you’d worn to his uncle’s wedding, to push the dining room chairs into a line and place his few teddys in them as the guests.

once you had the fun of ‘walking down the aisle’ you grabbed both of Anakin’s hands in yours and planted a kiss on his lips just like you’d seen at the wedding.

“yea definitely not- we were just copying what we saw at the wedding it one hundred percent does not count” you say matter of factly, staring at him blankly. unwavering in your stance on this matter.

Anakin rolls his eyes “fine but what about that time you kissed me at the park!” he protests, pointing an accusing finger at you. giving you a look that said ‘try and deny this one’ so you did.

“We Were seven!” you throw your hands in the air dramatically. “that’s only two years after the last one” you groan, running a hand over your face. “our frontal lobes were barely developed”

“it’s not like they’re fully developed now either, that doesn’t happen till like twenty-five” he says frustratedly.

of course he’d know that fact, you lean forward in the chair resting your elbow on your thigh as you now lean into your hand. “i said barely not fully” you retort to which he rolls his eyes.

“it counts” he says firmly.

Tag, a game you always hated. Anakin on the other hand loved it- of course he did, he could actually run fast. he was one of the tallest kids in your second grade class, and then there was you. one of the shortest kids in the class, the odds were never in your favor when it came to tag. between being slow and clumsy you never stood a chance, the only reason you were even participating is because Anakin Managed to convince you to play.

it was always like that between you two. no matter what you were doing, even if the other didn’t want to do it you’d somehow always manage to convince each other to join in.

joint at the hip from the moment you’d learned how to walk, both of your parents always said.

how he convinced you after you swore you’d never play tag again was surprisingly easy, ‘i’ll make sure you don’t get caught’ he had said. no promised you. and yet he was nowhere to be found as you hid behind one of the trees at the playground.

the sounds of whoever was it chasing the other kids around as they all screamed with glee and fear of being the next person who was tagged. it spun throughout the air like a summer breeze, for Anakin it was a thrilling sound- for you it was a warning that if they found you hiding you’d be it for sure.

which wouldn’t be a problem in your eyes if only it wasn’t next to impossible to catch up to the other kids and tag them.

at the end of the day it was always Anakin who’d let you tag him, ending your misery of being stuck playing the tagger for the rest of the game. you hated it, not liking stuff being handed to you but it was better then having to run for fifteen minutes straight trying to catch whoever you could.

“Kenobi’s It!” you heard a kid yell from in front of you. oh no… in front of you- in a split second you see the familiar boy with auburn locks run right beside you, a wave a panic runs through you as he lunges forward to tag you.

just as quickly you’re tugged backwards by your hand, Turning to face your savior only to see it was the very boy who promised to keep you from being tagged to begin with.

initially you were mad, after all he’d left you to fend for yourself only to somehow manage to save you last minute. but that anger just melted into relief that you weren’t it.

he tugged you along running to one of the playsets, carefully pulling you to hide under the slide with him.

finally he turned back to you, a bright smile on his face that showed he was proud of himself for getting to you in time.

you’d lunged forward then, kissing him right on his cheek as a thank you.

neither of you had time to react before you heard some kid yell “Padme’s it!” and the familiar sound of feet running straight to your direction. forcing you out of your hiding spot and running alongside each other.

big toothy grins on each of your faces.

“it definitely does not count, i didn’t even kiss you on the lips that time” you say annoyed but sit up proudly thinking you’ve won the argument.

“a kiss is a kiss y/n” you can’t help but laugh at his statement. if that was seriously his only defense for that counting as a first kiss then you really had won.

“anything that happens in Elementary school doesn’t count, half of the boys in our class still thought cooties existed” you continue to push, and Anakin looked just about fed up.

“okay if elementary school not counting is your only requirement then i raise you this” he begins leaving a small gap in the conversation so you could give your input or add any other requirements to the mix, but you don’t.

instead raising a brow waiting for him to continue. “sixth grade. Padme’s Birthday party.” he crosses his arms, now sporting a smug smile of his own.

“that was a dare!” you shout, blushing embarrassed at the memory.

cake had just been served. honestly you’d never seen such a big cake served at a birthday party, perks of being rich you’d guessed.

there weren’t even that many guests, maybe eight people your age and the rest were padme’s family members. which only consisted of her mom, dad, two aunts and cousin.

you weren’t complaining though, the bonus of such a big cake and so little people meant you could help yourself to as many slices as you wanted.

currently you were on your third slice, well past being full and heading into food coma territory but this was the best cake you’d ever tasted and you’d be damned if you didn’t consume as much as you physically could without vomiting.

Anakin was well into his fourth or fifth slice himself, between the two of you Padme’s birthday cake would be gone within the hour.

“i don’t think i’ve even seen you guys breathe in between slices” Padme's soft voice pulled you and Anakin’s attention almost immediately.

“i thought you said we could have as much as we want?” Anakin spoke through a mouth full of cake, the hard consonants coming out more as f sounds making it hard to understand him. well you understood him just fine, but judging from Padme's confused and disgusted face expression it was safe to say you were the only one.

she turns to you for an explanation but you just shrug. “it’s good cake” you say simply as if that’s answer enough. finishing the last bite of your slice before she tugged you along with her to join the others leaving Anakin to finish his slice by himself.

“look who’s finally joining us” a boy with blonde hair said, he looked familiar but you couldn’t remember his name. maybe he was in one of your classes? either way you just rolled your eyes not caring enough to give his subtle jab any real attention.

“we were going to play truth or dare you want in?” one of the other girls your age asked you, she had long brown hair. you had absolutely no clue as to who she was.

Padme was friends with a lot of people you didn’t know, Anakin and Obi-Wan being your only mutual friends. of course Obi-Wan wasn’t able to make it to this party, so it was just you and Anakin.

“sure why not” you said with a shrug. but by the shared look they all had, you began to think you might regret that decision.

the second the dare left the mouth of the brown haired girl you now knew as Armani you were about ready to strangle Padme who looked proud of her for asking you to do it. this was definitely a set up- you knew you should have picked truth.

“come on y/n, you scared?” the blonde boy- jacob, teased.

oh it was on. normally you’d find a way to wiggle your way out of the situation but you were not about to be called chicken by some boy who didn’t even know you.

so you spun right on your heel, and marched right up to Anakin.

the poor boy looked extremely confused and almost scared? like he was afraid you were about to tell him off for something- which in his defense your determined face did come off as an Angry one at times, plus you were also annoyed.

leaning down you planted a kiss right on his frosting covered lips.

it actually hurt quite a bit since you did it so quickly, you smashed your head against his in the process. but hey you did the dare.

you groan in embarrassment, rubbing the same spot on your forehead where you’d smashed into his years ago. you did your very best to forget about that memory and up until now you’d done a good job at it.

“uh uh you said the only requirement was that it couldn’t happen in elementary school. and that was middle school” he countered your previous comment.

“you said it yourself that was sixth grade- we were fresh out of elementary school, that’s practically still being in it” you glare and he scoots forward now sitting on the edge of his bed. your knees brushing against his.

“it was almost the end of sixth grade, so actually it was basically seventh grade. if we’re going by that logic” he runs a hand through his hair as he recalls the memory.

“regardless, it doesn’t count.” you huff once more, wanting this to be the end of the conversation.

his brows furrow in annoyance. “why are you so insistent on all those kisses not counting” he says exhaustedly.

“why are you so insistent on them being counted!” you throw the question back at him.

“because i count them” he says it so casually but with full sincerity all you can do is blink a few times, processing his confession.

he counts them.

to Anakin Skywalker his first kiss was when you were five and pretended to get married. His second kiss was when you were seven and thanked him for saving you from getting tagged. his third kiss was when you were 11 and smashed your face into his after he finished his last slice of cake.

now here you both were at 18 years old, fresh out of high school and on a technicality the only person you’d ever kissed was the very boy in front of you.

“but we were just kids?” it came out as a question, your voice a bit airy as you were still wrapping your head around the revelation.

“oh for crying out loud” the next thing you knew Anakin’s mouth was on yours.

he’d leaned forward from his seat on the edge of his bed, hands now resting on your thighs as he kissed into you.

your eyes fluttered close almost instantly.

“did that count?” he asks smugly once you both pull away. a big smile made its way onto your face as you looked at him now.

wether you liked it or not Anakin was going to be considered your first kiss and he insured that.

hey huns 🤭 have you missed me? i’ve missed you guys! i’m taking a bit of a break from writing my bridgerton au ani fic solely because the burnout was getting real 😭 so any new fics that go out are probably gonna be one shots i’ve been holding off on writing 😗 anyway hope you all enjoyed 💋💋

[aww-canon-no]

Steddie (Deaf Steve) Pt 2

You asked, so I’m here to give you more.  This time from Eddie’s POV.

First kiss, sequel to Shoot Your Shot.

*** 

Soon Enough

Rated: T

Steve/Eddie

Modern AU, first kisses, Deaf Steve, ASL

(Content warnings: mentions of childhood neglect/abuse)

Eddie has never, ever once believed in conformity.  And he’s not about to start now.

(Eddie’s ASL fuck-up is translated in notes at bottom of this fic)

*** 

Eddie Munson’s life has always been…difficult, to say the least.  Born under a bad sign, Wayne liked to call it, but in a kind of affectionate way.  The way where he’s holding small Eddie who can’t stop crying and wondering why all the other kids in his class have really nice parents who buy them things and, you know, feed them.

Wayne stepped in when he could.  He never failed to show up with food and threats against his brother when he heard Eddie’s tiny, broken voice on the other end of the phone because his dad was too drunk or too high to feed him.  Eventually they struck a deal.  Eddie’s parents disappeared after signing some scary looking paperwork, and Eddie got to pack all his things and move to Wayne’s trailer which was small compared to where his classmates all lived, but nice.

So nice.

Like washing machine and running water nice.

He won’t have to be the smelly kid in class anymore.

He just didn’t realize how reputations clung in small towns.

So suffice it to say that Eddie abhors difficult things—including difficult people.  It’s why, when his little lambs started going on and on and fucking ON about their cool, badass older friend Steve who used to date Nancy, Eddie was determined to never meet him.

It wasn’t just the jealousy.

It was that Steve communicated on a whole other level.  Literally.  He was Deaf.  He went to the Deaf school that wasn’t anywhere near Hawkins and he knew no one, but somehow Steve and his perfect fucking hair was still popular amongst people who weren’t freaked out by the whole, he can’t hear shit, thing.

Yeah, it definitely wasn’t jealousy.

It was the fact that Steve was complicated and he used a whole separate language and Eddie just…had no plans to involve himself in that.

Never mind the kids were over the goddamn moon about being able to know ASL.  They communicated with it during campaigns whenever they didn’t want Eddie to know their plans, and—although Eddie actually did look up stuff online about Deaf people (all that stuff about capital D and lowercase d and the community and culture was all very overwhelming) he was pretty sure his little lambs were technically not allowed to make up sign names for all the creatures in their guides.

But they did it anyway and who was Eddie to stop them.

He ended up picking up a few things by osmosis, whether he liked it or not.

But he was determined, damn it.  He existed over here, Steve existed over there, and they all lived happily ever after.

Until the afternoon he walked into Scoops Ahoy.

***

Eddie had actually gone in to bother Robin.  They were sort of outcast friends.  Two freaky little gays at Hawkins High, though she was younger than him and had absolutely no interest in DnD, but they had a shared trauma bond of bullies and bullshit.

He came to a stop when he saw the absurdly good looking guy at the counter who was staring at him in ways no one had ever stared at Eddie.  The way that said he had no idea who Eddie was and it was always great to have a fresh start like that.

Then Eddie fucked up by not reading his badge and realizing exactly who was there.

And like Dustin had once predicted, the second he met Steve’s eyes, he was a gonner.  There was no resisting him.

He was smitten and the hole was too deep for him to claw his way out of.

He went home and looked up a bunch of videos that seemed suspect as fuck, so in the end he called Dustin who showed up at Eddie’s trailer with an arsenal of websites.

“Can’t you just get me, like, a book or something?”  Eddie had asked, feeling intimated and overwhelmed and already kind of tired.

Dustin had given him the bitchiest bitch face that ever bitched.  “You can’t learn ASL from a book, numbnuts.”  Then his hands twisted into the complicated shapes—all fast the way Dustin kept bragging about—and Eddie assumed he was repeating most of what he’d just said.

Eddie damn-well knew that if he actually wanted Steve to say yes to him, he was absolutely going to have to learn because while the kids said Steve could speak, he hated doing it.  And Eddie was the kind of guy who had been rebelling against forced conformity his entire life.

So yeah, he’d rather die than put that choice to Steve.

He learned enough to feel confident going back to the mall.  And Robin was once again playing the long game with Vickie who would literally drag Robin into the cleaning closet and rock her world if Robin only asked—but he knew she wouldn’t.  But it left the perfect opening for Eddie who walked up to the counter, panicked, and immediately forgot everything he’d learned about ASL in the time he’d been away from Steve’s ice cream counter.

In the end, he remembered a little, then tried to backtrack and tell Steve he’d ask him out when he was a little more fluent.

Which made Steve laugh, and Eddie wouldn’t find out until much later that it took at least seven years of immersion to become fluent so…

Yeah it was kind of hilarious.

For Steve.

Mortifying for Eddie.

The blow was softened when Steve touched him—like actually touched him without reservation or hesitation.  And then he told Eddie he didn’t want him to wait.  Eddie was fine as he was—that patience with his language could be a thing and Jesus H Christ Eddie was pretty sure he could die right then.

Except if he died he wouldn’t get the chance to touch Steve back, and kiss him, and make him laugh, and make him make other noises and Jesus H Christ he wanted that so bad he could taste it.  Because he’d been avoiding Steve for what felt like half his new adult life but he was head over heels smitten in two visits to the ice cream shop.

And he didn’t even like ice cream.

He was lactose intolerant for fuck’s sake.

Anyway, he got Steve’s number and he didn’t wait to text.

But the date did.

They planned for the movies and then…

Wayne got hurt at the plant.  He ended up being fine, but it scared the absolute fuck out of Eddie who staying at the hospital until his back hurt from the small chair, and his phone was dead, and he felt like passing out.

The nurses had to kick him out, and Eddie walked out of the room in a fog, and stumbled into the downstairs lobby where he came to an abrupt halt at the sight of a familiar, gorgeous head of hair.  Steve was facing away from him with big headphones on, bobbing his head to…music?

Eddie totally didn’t get it, but he couldn’t help himself from walking over and laying a hand on Steve’s shoulder.  He felt like shit when Steve jumped half a foot off the chair, but then his face broke out into a soft, sympathetic smile.

‘Hi.’  It was a simple enough sign that Eddie didn’t have to try for that one.  ‘You OK?’  He signed slow, mouthing the words.

Eddie swallowed heavily, then shrugged.  His fingers felt a little stiff and he wasn’t sure he had the emotional capacity to take embarrassing himself by getting signs wrong no matter how frantically he’d been practicing since the day at the mall.

Steve’s face fell a little more, and Eddie was pretty sure he’d never seen anyone look so…so soft at him before.  He walked around the benches toward Eddie, then yanked him into a hug.  It was so unexpected that Eddie just…melted.  His head pressed against Steve’s headphones which were blaring with music, and Eddie had about a thousand questions but instead he just lost himself in the way that Steve hugged.

It was…a lot.  

Of course, it was mostly that Eddie just never, ever got hugged and all the touching he did was imitated by himself and almost never returned, but that was a different trauma for a different day.

For now he just let himself have this.  Have Steve.  Have the body pressed to his and voiceless permission to kind of shake apart after holding it together for hours, and hours, and hours.

When he pulled back, Steve gave him a cautious smile and Eddie reached up, tapping Steve’s headphones.

‘Hurt?’ Eddie asked. ‘Loud?’

Steve frowned, then rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone, turning off his music before pulling them back and draping them around his neck.  He shook his head and shrugged.  ‘Can’t…hear?’  Eddie was pretty sure that was the sign for hear.  Not hearing, which was a little finger twirl under the bottom lip.  ‘Not hurt  Feel it.’

Eddie nodded and shoved his hands into his pockets before remembering—oh shit, I need those to like, talk to Steve, and pulled them out again.

Steve laughed—but he was maybe one of the only people in the world who didn’t seem like he was laughing at Eddie, and wow what a goddamn novelty that was.

Steve tapped his arm and Eddie looked up at him as Steve curled his hand into a C-shape and dragged it down his throat.  ‘Hungry-you?’

He was starved.  He mimicked the sign and remembered the lesson he learned online where he had to exaggerate the sign if he wanted to emphasize what he was saying.  So he ran his C-hand over his throat a few times, then added, ‘Eat, before, work.’  He met his left wrist with his right wrist once with heavy force. He knew that wasn’t right but maybe it was close enough?

Except Steve was suddenly all red in the face and making a choking sound.  Eddie took a step back, but Steve reached out and snagged his arm before he could get too far, shaking his head.

Eddie was pretty sure he was supposed to be mortified but right then he was mostly curious and uh…yeah.  Steve was touching him again so that was good.

Steve touched the underside of Eddie’s chin and he made an embarrassing noise which Steve must have felt because his grin twitched a little wider.  Then he shook his head.

‘H U N G R Y,’ he spelled very slowly.  He repeated his sign, then added, ‘S T A R V I N G?’  He made a little question mark motion with his finger.  It was weirdly cute, and Eddie didn’t describe things as cute very often.

He nodded. Yeah.  He’d been trying to say starving.

Steve made a noisy sort of huffing sound with some rumble behind it, then squared his shoulders and nodded before raising his right hand.  His left signed, ‘Watch.’

Eddie nodded.

Steve made an exaggerated face and dragged his C-hand down his throat with more force.  ‘Ok?’

Eddie nodded.  Okay, yeah.  He could do that.

Steve wasn’t done.  ‘W O R K?’

Eddie smiled and nodded his fist.  ‘Yes.’

Steve tapped the inside of his right wrist against the back of his left wrist.  ‘Work,’ he signed.

Eddie repeated the sign, and Steve nodded, giving him an enthusiastic thumb’s up.

‘Now- go-you-me.’ Steve signed—Eddie was...pretty sure? God he needed to practice more.

But he answered Steve with a happy, ‘OK,’ and didn’t mind at all when Steve took his hand.

Until suddenly he did mind because…

He dragged Steve to a halt and cleared his throat, pulling out his phone with his free hand and typing as fast as he could, ‘What did I say? Before?  What did I fuck up?’

Steve’s eyes got wide and he waved him off, but Eddie tugged on him until Steve let out a small groan, snatched the phone, and began to type.  Eddie had not one single qualm about reading over his shoulder, and in about five seconds, he wanted the earth to swallow him whole.

“I signed what?” he demanded aloud, forgetting himself entirely.

Steve looked over his shoulder, his face kind of…different.  Confused?  Full of pity at how fucking pathetic Eddie was?  Embarrassed to know him?

Was he…

Eddie’s thoughts came to a sudden, screeching halt when Steve cradled his face between his hands.  He leaned forward until his lips were practically brushing Eddie’s ear and he whispered aloud, “I’d be happy to fix that problem too.”

Eddie was already pretty sure spontaneous combustion was a thing, and now he was about to be living proof because oh my GOD.  Oh my... god oh my god oh my…

Steve dragged a thumb over Eddie’s lower lip, then raised his brows like he was asking, ‘Is this okay?’

Eddie nodded frantically and Steve began walking him backward until his back suddenly hit…oh.  It was a tree.  The bark was sharp against his bare elbow, but all of that ceased to matter the second Steve’s lips touched his.  It wasn’t a wild, desperate kiss of star-crossed lovers in the books Eddie secretly read.

No, it was soft.  It was gentle.

It was warm and it was fucking needy as hell but it was also the first kiss in a line of what Eddie was determined to have as many, many, many as he could.  As many as Steve would allow.

For the rest of their lives, God help them both.

Steve gently licked into Eddie’s mouth before finally pulling away, and the stress of Wayne being hurt and then him thoroughly embarrassing himself, he wasn’t hard or anything, but there was definitely a sort of humming desire under his skin which were as warm as his hands were because they...

Oh.

He looked down and realized that he’d rucked up Steve’s shirt and was digging his fingers into Steve’s bare hips.  ‘Sorry,’ he signed, dislodging one hand.

Steve laughed—a quiet huff mostly through his nose, and he shook his head before stealing a last kiss.  Eddie wanted to chase it, but he forced himself to keep his back to the tree as Steve dug into his pocket for his phone again.

‘For now,” he wiggled his phone.  ‘Until we can spend more time together and I can teach you more,’ Steve typed out.

Eddie swallowed heavily, then nodded.  ‘Why are you here?’

Steve frowned like he was confused why Eddie would even ask that. ‘Dustin said your uncle was hurt.  I didn’t want you to be alone when they kicked you out.’

Those words, that simple fucking act of kindness, was almost too much.  The emotions overwhelmed him and he wanted to laugh, and cry, and scream, and fucking sing until his throat seized up and he lost his voice.

He stared at the phone screen until Steve dragged a tender touch across the top of his hand, and he looked up.

‘Come home with me tonight.  Sleep,’ Steve typed before shoving his phone back into his pocket without waiting for Eddie’s answer.  He knew he should probably say no because they hadn’t even had their date yet, but then again, Eddie had never been conventional.

Never would be conventional.

He rubbed a flat palm over his chest.  ‘Please.’

Steve’s eyes darkened, just for a second.  Eddie panicked before he realized that no, he’d gotten the sign just right.  Steve was just maybe thinking of other ways Eddie might use that sign and…yeah.

Shit yeah.

Maybe not now.  Not tonight.  Not even very soon.

But soon enough.

Steve linked their fingers together and tugged…

And Eddie followed.

*** 

(Eddie’s ASL fuck-up.  Common mistake in ASL- Hungry=Horny.  Work=Fuck.  Steve is kind of okay with that idea too lol)

[ashe-smash]

Baby Talk | Chapter 1: Conception Ao3

Piccolo x Reader

Tags/ CW: Infertility, Themes of Infertility Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Alien/Human Relationships, Namekian Biology, Piccolo has a Diccolo (Later Chapters) Oviposition, Breeding Kink, Pregnancy, Alien Pregnancy.

Word Count: ~2.4K

Summary: You’ve known Piccolo and you reproduce differently since the beginning of your relationship- before you were ever really dating. You thought it was fine until it’s not. Piccolo and Reader have to navigate their reproductive incompatibility. (Aka Writer takes some significant liberties with Namekian biology)

Big thanks to @ginrastandsby for beta-ing and the DB reader discord for support with my fics ! 🫶

FYI, this it technically in canon with another wip. I consider them the same Reader Character- for context 1) Reader is a childhood friend of Videl, shes Pan’s godmother. 2) Piccolo and Reader can have sex. He had an “appendage” that’s sheathes thats similar to a penis. It produces lubrication, but no genetic material/ sperm.

Piccolo stares at your sleeping form. He knows you don’t like it, but he’s feeling things he’s not quite sure how to process. It’s not like he needs sleep like you, so maybe if the Namekian stares long enough the puzzle will piece itself together. 

Eventually you rouse from it, mumbling a reminder and beckoning him to join you under the warmth of your comforter. Ready to drift back asleep. He usually lies with you, meditating until you wake but he doesn’t feel like joining you right this moment. 

“You want a baby.” Piccolo says flatly. It’s not a question, because he knows it’s true. He hadn’t been trying to eavesdrop on you or anything, he simply has very good hearing. Chatting with an old friend who’d just had a baby during a chance encounter earlier that day. Something about you wanting one of your own if the cards were ever right for you. 

You’re much more awake now. “This isn’t a middle of the night conversation Piccolo.” 

Piccolo knows that, he thinks. Navigating a relationship is new for the Namekian, while he’s been friends or allies with earthlings for two decades- most of his life- this is his first romantic and physical one. 

But he knows he loves you. It feels a little foreign, unlike his love for Gohan or Videl and Pan and maybe that’s why this bothers him. He can’t even place the feelings he is having now: he’s not angry, he knows anger, he’s not scared- this seems a little silly to be scared over? Worried. He thinks he’s worried. 

Piccolo touches his throat, it’s almost absentminded. “I can't … do that.” 

“I know.” You sigh. Not disappointedly, he thinks. You’re just tired. “Lo I don’t know why we’re having this conversation.” He’s not quite sure why either. It’s just bugging him and he’s not used to that.  

You huff, a little grumpy at being woken up. He acquiesces and crawls into the blankets with you, attempting to appease his slight of having woken you up. You curl up at his side, body warm with sleep. Piccolo always runs on the cooler side, not warm blooded like humans. You change that tucked into his side. “Can we talk about this in the morning?” 

When you do fall asleep, it’s restless. Even in the deepest parts of meditation he can tell you aren’t sleeping well. You can’t seem to get comfortable, nor does it seem you ever fully fall asleep.Eventually when the morning is still silver blue, you give up and wake yourself up. “You know, there are human men that couldn’t give me a baby right?” 

“I don’t … want you to do… that.” 

“I don’t want that either. I mean, even if we can’t have a baby together it doesn’t change the way I feel about you. Even if I want a baby, I still love you.” 

He turns his head and kisses the palm you tucked against the side of his face. You love him regardless, even if he can’t give you it. 

You eventually roll onto your stomach to look at him.“Is it even something you want.” 

For him, it feels very complicated. Very few Namekians ever reproduce. He thinks it sounds horrific. Not to mention his own relationship with his own father- or lack there of adds another layer of complexity. 

You having your own child through whatever alternative ways would just mean there would be another human in his life that he would eventually outlive. However, he doesn’t want to take that away from you. 

The two of you are reproductively incompatible. Technically, you’re both the egg bearers. Sex is only possible because Namekians still have vestigial appendages that are similar to penises. 

“I don’t know.” 

If he slept maybe he’d dream of it. Silence hangs in the air between you two. If his hearing wasn’t so good, he might think you were sleeping again. 

“Are you sad?” 

You take a deep breath before answering, which almost is an answer in itself. “A little bit, yeah. I knew you couldn’t- we couldn’t … do that since we first slept together. But I guess it feels different when we actually talk about it.” 

You curl yourself back up to his side. “Do you want to go back to sleep?” 

You nod. “You can go meditate outside if you want.” 

He usually does around this time in the morning while you sleep in. Piccolo shakes his head. He thinks he’d rather stay here with you. 

He has a feeling this topic is only shelved for later.  It’s not like you’re going to stop wanting it, even if you also love him. He wishes it was simpler, at least for your sake. 

At least you sleep a little more peacefully after that. 

… 

It’s a few days later when Pan is over that it comes back up again. The two of them are training and you’re sitting under the big tree outside your home. Usually you’d sit in your office to work, but it seems there’s been a bit of unspoken clinginess between the two of you. Luckily you already work from home and can work from almost anywhere as long as you have your laptop. 

“Pico, why is Auntie crying?” 

Piccolo turns his head to see you slip back into your shared home. He doesn’t see your face though. 

Piccolo ruffles a hand through Pan’s hair. “Go take a lap, I’ll make sure Auntie is okay.” 

You’re in the kitchen and you duck your head so he can’t see your face. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m fine. I just-“ Your voice cracks, betraying your words. “Just need a minute.” 

“Why are you crying?” He steps up behind you, but he’s not sure if he should touch. 

You shrug. “It’s fine. Go- Go train with Pan.” 

“She’s worried about you.” Maybe it’s a little cruel to play that card but if it will get you to tell him what’s wrong. When a fresh wave of tears starts, Piccolo can’t stand it anymore and tucks you against his chest. Wraps an arm around your crossed arms. 

“It’s awful and I feel guilty for feeling it.” You sob. 

This is the worst part- when he doesn’t know what to do. Usually you’re there to help guide him through it, but that’s wildly inappropriate at this moment. 

“Deep breath, please.” It’s shaky but you manage it. He lets you take another one too. “I’ve heard some pretty awful stuff, I doubt you could say anything as bad.” He strokes your cheek with the back of his fingers. 

“It feels mean to say to you, Lo.” 

“Do you intend to hurt me with it?” You shake your head. “Then please tell me so I can understand?” 

“Pan’s an only child…” He’s aware of that fact. You take another deep breath. “T-that’s fine, I just… I always figured it’d be okay cause she’d have a cousin or two eventually.” 

Goten’s still pretty young- by the time he might have kids, Pan will probably be a teenager… Oh. “Because you thought you’d have kids?” 

He’d never thought about it. He’s technically an only child, Gohan and Goten are far apart in age- at least Goten has Trunks to play around with. Bulla and Pan are close enough in age but that hardly means anything. 

You want to give her a playmate. 

It makes sense. The two of you love Pan more than anything, probably more than each other. 

“I'm sorry.” You say wetly. “I’m not trying to guilt you or anything…  I’m just sad about it.” 

“What can I do for you?” 

“I really just needed a minute, Big Guy.” You squeeze at an arm that’s wrapped around you. “I think I might go lie down for a little bit?” 

He holds you for another minute then lets you go upstairs. He waits until he hears you get into the bed before he leaves

When Piccolo comes back outside, Pan is sitting in the grass poking at a bug. She’s more like her dad than one would first believe by looking at her. “Why was Auntie crying, Piccolo?” 

“She’s sad, bud.” 

“Are you getting a divorce?” 

“What? No, where did you even hear that?” Technically, the two of you aren’t even married. Can he even legally get married? 

“One of my friends at school’s mom and dad are getting a divorce. Her mom is very sad when I see her.” 

Oh, that makes sense. 

“We had a grownup conversation recently and it made Auntie sad.” It’s hard because Piccolo can’t exactly talk to her about the truth. 

“When Daddy makes Mom upset, he buys her chocolates and flowers! You should do that Picco!”

“Yeah? Auntie’s laying down right now, think we should go get her something to cheer her up?” 

Pan nods enthusiastically. She hops up to take off to fly towards the nearest store. Piccolo glances back at your home before he takes off to join her. Hopefully you’ll be alright for a little bit by yourself. 

…

It seems fine at first. Piccolo has an armful of treats (all picked out by Pan). She’s not worried anymore, eager to help Piccolo “fix” your sour mood. 

Until they walk straight in front of the baby section. Rows and rows of pastel baby clothes. Bottles and pacifiers line the adjacent walls of the section. 

Something curdles in Piccolo’s stomach. He’s assumed he’s been feeling this way because you’re feeling sad and upset about this. Maybe he does want a baby? As bad as you do. Especially with the realization that yours and his baby would grow up with Pan. 

Pan tugs on his gi. “What’s wrong, Piccolo?” 

He blinks. “Just thinking that Auntie’s up by now.” He shrugs the arm holding all of the snacks Pan picked out. “Do you think this is enough?” 

It’s a bit early for him to be dropping off Pan but he feels it’s necessary.  Videl seems a little concerned but mostly just surprised. He assures her that something just came up. He’ll make it up to Pan another day. Maybe you and him can take her out for a fun outing when you’re in better spirits. 

He takes the plastic baggie of snacks and heads home. 

You’re still lying down when he returns. Laying on your stomach, face practically smothered in the pillow- he really hates when you sleep like this. Based on your breathing, you’re not quite sleeping but not quite awake. 

He crawls on top of you being careful to not put all his weight on you, but enough. You once told him about weighted blankets- that it’s comforting to have the extra pressure sometimes.

“I wish I could give you a baby.” 

“We could.” You mumble. Your voice is scratchy from sleep and crying, probably. 

The Dragon Balls? So you two could have a baby together? It feels ironic that Piccolo hadn’t thought of that. It’d be relatively easy- Bulma keeps them constantly collected and protected to be used if needed. 

He lets you turn over but he doesn’t get off of you, his head resting on your belly. “Do you really want to do that?” 

You shrug. “What if they were needed for something… more important?” ‘Something more important’ goes unsaid. Piccolo nods. That would be an awful thing for your baby to have over their head their whole lives. 

“If you really wanted… what’s it called when another man fathers a child for someone who can’t?” 

“Donor?” 

“If you really wanted it… you could do that.” Piccolo really doesn’t like that. He’d love your child because they’re part of you but he’d still struggle. 

“I… I want your baby, Lo.” You pout. “It’s selfish but I want you to get me pregnant and I want to have your baby. I know it’s unrealistic to want that but I do.” 

“But we can’t do that and we can’t… make it happen other ways… So?” 

You turn your face away. “I guess we just …don’t.” 

He rubs your hip, he hates that you’re sad and he can’t really do anything about it. “You’re still sad about it though, right?” 

“I might always be sad about it, Piccolo.” You sigh. “But we have Pan.” 

He nods. “We have Pan.” 

“And I love you. You know that right?” 

Of course he does. It’d be awkward because the two of you are so interconnected in your lives but if you didn’t want to be with him anymore- he’d understand if you left him. Being with a man who looks like an alien has been quite the adjustment. 

“Please don’t cry again.”  He points to the bag of acquired goodies. It’s set on the edge of the bed, but he doesn’t move away from you to actually retrieve it. “Pan picked you out snacks.” 

“Yeah? That’s where you went?” You giggle, a little forced but it lifts the mood. “Can I eat them in bed?” 

Piccolo grimaces. He takes the sanctity of your bed very seriously, you sleep there after all. “... If you really want to.” That makes you laugh a little more genuinely. 

Ultimately you decide to go eat your snacks downstairs during a movie. Snacks for dinner, though Piccolo will insist you eat something more substantial. You think maybe you’ll entice him into a warm bath later. 

Your phone buzzes: 

>> (Del) Pan said you were upset earlier? Everything alright?? 

You expected this. Pan’s still little and likely can’t keep a “secret” especially from her mother. 

Truth be told, Videl and Gohan have been far too involved in your relationship with Piccolo. Sure, they are your respective best friends- Videl is the reason you’re together. 

The first time you two had a serious argument, the married couple seriously meddled into getting you to talk to Piccolo again- even though you both really just needed some time to cool off. You know they were just trying to help but you don’t need that now. 

You sneakily snap a pic of your partner. He’s sitting with your feet in his lap, holding a plate of your treats so they don’t spill while you’re texting. 

>> (You) Just having a hard day. Nothing >> Sorry Piccolo brought Pan home early. 

Maybe someday they’ll be told. Perhaps you’ll sob to Videl after one too many glasses of wine on your rare Girls Nights or Piccolo will confide in Gohan about it. 

But for now it can just be between you and him. You’ll have to get used to that now, after all.

[yanderestevenuniversewriting]

Could you do Steven headcannons?

I can't believe I'm just now getting to this- Sorry, anon, I know you sent this is like over a year ago-

You were childhood friends, so great for you- You have a trauma bond with him and Connie

He tells you stuff he would never tell Connie, because he doesn't think Connie would understand

He feels like he can talk to you without judgement

When he develops romantic feelings, he doesn't think they're different than his friendship feeling

But god, he loves when you smile and laugh

It warms something so sweet in him

When he does realize he likes you more than a friend and accepts the feelings, he's to scared to tell you

His fear of rejection overcomes his love for you

When his trauma really starts to get to him, he finds it hard to be around you

He shuts you out, because he doesn't want you to see him like that

"I feel like you're shutting me out," You exaggerate your hands, before point at him and then yourself, "And I don't even know why"

"It's nothing personal, Y/n"

It breaks your heart and you don't know how to get through to him

You'll try and talk to Connie [Bad idea] and she tells you you just need to give him time. [Yeah, you didn't want to do that, so you ignored her advice, even though technically that would have been the best thing to do]

You think about going to Pearl, but you know she'll probably say the same thing as Connie- So, you go to Garnet, because she can see the future

Expect, Garnet tells you that the best thing to do is let him come to you and you groan, which causes Garnet to laugh

"Not the answer you wanted?"

"Of course not. Thank you though, Garnet."

Garnet knows you're not going to take her advice, but maybe Steven needs someone to care enough about him to pull him back into reality

You try talking to Steven's dad, but that doesn't go well either. Steven's father is so out of touch with his son. You should of known better- Even though Mr. Universe is a good dad in his love, he's never there. You supposed it was complicated.

So, you go to the last choice- The one you were trying to avoid

Amythest

She's more than happy to help you. She doesn't give you words of comfort or anything, she's all about movement and action

You start to think you should of gone to her first, but this was a bad idea

You end up making Steven so angry, he yells at you

You're a little taken a back, but you finally back off

You give it a few days and he comes to you to apologize

"I'm sorry, Y/n. I shouldn't have yelled at you," He runs his hand through his hair, "It's just... Ugh, I don't know..." He looks over at you, a frown overtaking his face, "Difficult. I didn't mean it"

"I know. I shouldn't have tried to push you. I should have known better."

Thankfully you make up, but he still doesn't let you into what's going on

"You know, Steven, you can tell me anything"

"I know"

[helslastangel]

Why I've learned to take Goldilocks' approach to interpreting planet & house placements in astrology

Disclaimer: There will be some theory here, some anecdotes, and more than my fair share of yapping, but all I care about is that this makes a positive impact for even one person. Then I'll be glad I didn't leave it in the drafts. :) Also, it's almost 3 AM as I write this, so do with that information what you will LOL.

People tend to over-complicate or oversimplify the planets and houses in astrology. As someone who likes to produce and consume information at the same temperature Goldilocks likes her porridge, I've decided to abandon more pressing matters (my assignment due tomorrow and the 14 asks in my inbox) and talk instead about what approach to astrology I consider to be "just right."

One key thing to remember is that the majority of your natal chart is not actually about you. I know the lions, crabs, water bearers and maidens especially all squirmed a bit, but hear me out. The 1st house and the luminaries (Sun and Moon) are completely about you. YOUR ideals, inner self, core desires, and emotional needs. The way YOU present yourself to the world. These make up your character - the skin you're in, your core personality traits, and your favorite self-imposed customizations. The remaining inner planets (Mercury, Venus, and Mars) and angular houses (4th, 7th, and 10th) still pertain to you, of course, but if you think about it, they extend much further outside of yourself and into various aspects of life and society.

Mercury describes how you think, but also how you communicate those thoughts with others and what kinds of conversations or intellectual environments you thrive in.

Venus shows how you define and express love (or what expressions of love you're drawn to), but also tells you about the kinds of connections you may attract or want to attract (platonic, romantic, etc).

Mars describes how you express emotions like anger and excitement, but also how you move towards (or away from) different people, places and things in life.

The 4th house describes your approach and views on what home and family should look like.

The 7th house reveals what you desire in a spouse, a soulmate or a trusted business partner.

The 10th house describes your attitude towards career and how you "show up" in work environments.

Yes, these are all technically "you," but anything outside of your sun, moon and ascendant placements are less concerned with analyzing and describing you, the lone individual and more concerned with describing the personas you assume to navigate everything else in life. There is a reason why there is one house of "self" and 11 houses meant to guide you through the bigger world outside of you.

I believe fewer people would fly into a panic over things in their natal and synastry charts if they understood that many aspects won't affect them as strongly as they think, especially between outer planets or at weak orbs.

You know, out of curiosity, I looked up the charts of my childhood friends recently. First, the ones born the same year or so as me. Then I broadened my observations outward up to 10 years (I have had a few friends within that many years older or younger than me). If you love astrology as much as I do and haven't tried this yourself yet, you'd be fascinated by how similar charts can be between people all born within certain time periods. With my friend groups, most charts were nearly identical-looking from Uranus to Pluto. The closer in age, the more there were charts that looked nearly the same from as far up as Saturn or Jupiter right on down. Nearly all my age-mates have Uranus and Neptune in Capricorn, Pluto in Scorpio, Saturn in Pisces or Aquarius and Lilith in Taurus or Aries. Half my friend group has Venus in Libra or Scorpio and the other half in Aries or Gemini. I was even surprised by how many of my same-age friends have Lilith in Taurus and Juno in Scorpio like I do. Whenever we all let go of our masks and speak freely and openly, it's quite humbling and also soothing to realize that many of our experiences and struggles really aren't all that unique after all. Perhaps this isn't such good news to an Enneagram 4 (:D) but, generally I think we all do crave that feeling that we're not the only ones going through something.

I share this to illustrate one simple point: the chances are high that the placements/aspects associate with your outer planets will not have the strongest DIRECT impact on you individually. You and others in your peer group are likely in the same big boat or a bunch of matching lifeboats paddling away from the same generational shipwrecks. A similar thing can be said about the succedent (2nd, 5th, 8th, 11th) and cadent houses (3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th). They have more to do with everyTHING and everyONE else in your life and how you relate/react/respond to it all. This is why I'm so against the way many astrology explanations and observations are written. I'm not talking about posts meant to be more entertaining or personal than educational. I'm talking about the posts where you can tell the OP meant for them to be taken 100% seriously, but do little more than spook or scare those who know less than they do.

Last year I met a coworker who asked me to read a synastry chart for her. She wanted a 2nd opinion besides her own, as she had some 12th house synastry with the person and had been in emotional limbo for days because of it. I told her that the direction of the connection was up to her and the person - the charts only show the possibilities - what the beautiful, the good, the bad, and the ugly could look like within that aspect. What did she do? She went to see him, yelled at him for things he hadn't even done yet that she "knew" he was "going to do" because his moon was in her 12th and then blocked him. Came to work as sour as a lime yet excitedly telling me that she had set boundaries with him. Had to bite my tongue; I wanted to say the only thing she set up was an obstacle.

It is so easy to become obsessed with searching for highly specific answers or predictions for day to day life in astrology and that's just not what its for. At least, not in my opinion.

No one is immune to this either.

Let me tell you about the last major time I fell into this trap. This was around 2020. At that time, I noticed 2nd house synastry with my then-partner and immediately sabotage the entire connection. How? Oh, well, because my overstimulated and uninformed pea brain would assume all sorts of things, such as, "Oh they're just with me to eventually try to move in and then get lazy and expect me to pay for everything and drain all my resources." Do these things happen? Of course. Does it make any sense to assume this WILL be the case the moment anyone has their inner planets in my 2nd house? Nope. But I didn't know better and was "too busy" to do my research, so what did I do? Assumed the worst. All the while not really seeing what was going on in front of me. Stumbling over the evidence to pursue a theory instead. And I ended up hurting someone I truly cared about.

Had I slowed down and taken a balanced approach, I would have noticed that while this person had Mercury, Venus and Jupiter in my 2nd house, he also had Mars trine (0°) and Saturn conjunct (4°) my Moon, which to put it simply, would have led me to the bigger, more accurate picture.

So, yes, I had a boyfriend who admired my talents, felt attracted to my generosity and "expensive" looking style (even though I exclusively bargain shop).

Yes, he was very much drawn to the fact that I have an eye for opportunity and manage to be in the right place at the right time to take advantage of them.

However, I failed to notice the part where his Virgo Mars was in harmony with my Capricorn moon. He knew without needing to ask that I really didn't want to be running around handling things all the time the way I've had to for nearly all my adult life. He knew I wanted to feel secure with someone and taken care of at least part of the time, for once. I was too busy panicking over apparent "bad" synastry to notice any of that early on. I didn't notice either that, as the Saturn person, he felt a heavy sense of responsibility for me that cancelled out any reverse gold digging tendencies.

He rarely wanted anything from me and had a hard time accepting gifts or help, yet he offered me both all the time. I didn't always know exactly what things he was stressed about because he spoke another language with his family, friends and business partners, and he usually didn't want to unload it on me, though I told him he could always vent if he needed to and I'd be there to listen. Which I was. But my mistake was getting carried away in misinterpretations and misuse of our astrology information, assuming things like "oh he's saying all this but it's probably future faking," "'he's rarely, if ever affectionate, like on our first dates, I guess it's just a matter of time before probation is over and the money requests are gonna start coming in while he chases someone else" and so on.

Was my ex future-faking? Maybe. Maybe not. I'll never know because I fully assumed that he was. That showed in my behavior which eventually started to reflect in his behavior too, when he got tired of feeling like I would never believe anything he promised to me and that nothing he did would be enough to make me fully trust him. That would break anybody, honestly.

Was he really waiting around to get comfortable and start relying on me for money? Maybe. Maybe not. But he never did. Any money he borrowed, he returned without me having to ask. If I came over, he'd hand me his card for anything I wanted to order. If I used my own card instead, he was actually offended. In fact, he hated when we'd go out and I'd look for the cheapest of everything. The least expensive dish. The dress on sale. If he insisted on paying, I'd try to cover the tip or pay for something else later to keep it even.

But why? Why do that? Oh, well, I had seen that his Saturn was in my 8th house - the house of shared resources - and my overthinking hyper-vigilant ass decided that I needed to "prove" that I wasn't a liability or something. Never mind that the Saturn-Moon conjunction was RIGHT THERE to tell me to relax and not assume the worst outcome for the 8H synastry ...no, no, I just flew right off the deep end and assumed that if I didn't assert (micro) dominance in some way, he'd spoil me long enough for me to get used to it, then start controlling me financially and so on.

Years later, I wonder often if things would have turned out better if I had just calmed the fuck down. If I had let things play out naturally, keeping in mind what COULD happen without acting as if it was BOUND to happen. You know what the worst part about that is? I don't think most of us realize how powerful self-fulfilling prophecies really are sometimes. The negative (and positive) interpretations you can take away from planet and house interpretations are simply possibilities; potential outcomes that will only go that way if fed and watered. I won't step too far into territory I haven't mastered, but I'd like to think it's safe to say the same goes for tarot readings as well.

To sum up this mammoth post

I believe astrology is meant to be only a guide; a helpful resource as you go through the stages of life. It should be your training wheels, not the whole bike. Your driving instructor, not your daily chauffeur. The salt that brings out the flavor in a dish-not the whole dish itself. I think if more of us understood this, there wouldn't be so much fearmongering and generalizations about which aspects and houses are the "villain" in the astrology community.

𓆩♡𓆪

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[baalzebufo]

HIII. can i just say. absolutely ADORE your gravity falls stuff!! i'd love to hear more of your headcanons (especially abt gideon) (that's my SON)

yes yeeees i was part of the Original Wave of Gideon Enjoyers back when like, episode 4 aired and it was about ten blogs who didnt hate his guts. i mean, i still want to throw him out a window, but I also think he has really interesting character stuff going on that some people just didnt wanna look at bc they hated him! which like, fair, he's a villain, but that freaky little dude will always be one of MY faves, haha

this post got. very long im sorry I had to put a readmore here haha but I haven't had an excuse to infodump about this for ages so here's a couple Things I like Thinking About... also a doodle I did the other night to break up the wall of text below

ok ok to start i LOVE him so much as a foil to dipper (and to an extent ford too) as examples of what the journals/that kind of power and information can do to people. its why im so adamant that he does actually have albinism, even if its not Technically Canon. dipper and ford both have a like, 'physical oddity' about them (birthmark, sixth finger) i think it makes sense for gideons to be his albinism as something that set him apart. all three are 'weirdos', were ostracised to an extent by the world, had that longing for something special or important, and then found it. and its what they DO with that which sets them apart

especially as a foil to dipper like... from time to time in the show, he gets a bit gung-ho about abusing the journals power for his own gain. but he has friends and family to reign him back in. he has more of a moral compass about not wanting to hurt people, generally. dipper never became like gideon did

this is getting into headcanon territory here but, my general summary of gideons childhood is an isolated one. only child, fairly sheltered, had some medical complications early in life which led to a lot of time on his own in hospital, attended school briefly and was subjected to significant bullying. and without a real support network outside of his parents who were very doting to the point of spoiling him because hes their Little Miracle he wasnt exactly well-adjusted even as a kid

but basically, that kid ends up finding this journal and learns about spells and evil artifacts and suddenly he has the power to make people like him. not only that but Fear him. he goes from feeling powerless to an absolute ego-trip. and his only close relatives would never tell their little boy 'no' about something, so they're not disciplining him in any way. its a perfect storm for a disaster to happen

it stems from this childish desire to go 'look at me im important and special and everyone likes me' and hes become so embittered already by people being dicks that he doesnt care if he hurts people on the way

that only really changes when mabel shows up and is the first person in town to approach him from a like... normal level. shes nice to him but not in the overly-saccharine and doting way his fans are, just in the way a girl who wants to be friends is. she treats him normally and is nice and he thinks she's pretty and that ALSO becomes a perfect storm of 'well shes nice to me and i like her so i must be in love with her and she is with me!' and, of course. kid who has never heard the word No before. so the later rejection becomes a HUGE sticking point and grudge to the point of being flat-out murderous

later in life with a little Introspection i think he'd realize it was less love and more just. basically imprinting on the first person to be normal and kind at him in years

UM. I should wrap this up i have so much in my brain. gideon was one of my earliest roleplay muses i'd write and draw with my pals, so I subjected him to a LOT of personal characterization stuff and also making a thousand AUs for fun. (aus always come in two flavours either its 'im going to make you marginally more well-adjusted' or 'im going to make you so, SO much worse')

ive got a soft spot for con-men and fake psychics and generally shitty little weasels and gideon just stormed into the show being a jerk with an aesthetic i adore and i was like ahhh. i want to punt him. hes my favourite.

ok im going to shut up now. last minute headcanon. gideon got into wood carving in prison art therapy because using a knife to stab something in a non-murder way helps soothe his urges. he whittles little people figurines

✨

[madaqueue]

Practice Makes Perfect | Chapter 7

synopsis: you and yuji have been best friends basically as long as you can remember, and you made a promise to each other to stay friends and help each other be the best versions of yourselves for your future partners. but will things change when yuji finally starts looking for a relationship?

pairing: yuji itadori (18+) x f!reader

themes/content: modern college au (characters aged up to 18+). language, fluff, angst. alcohol consumption, jealousy, kissing (x megumi). 18+, MDNI

word count: 1.8k

a/n: guys i'm still trying to write the last chapter for this series rn bc i got hit with mad writers block but aaAAH she's comin along

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You’re back in Yuji’s dorm building, but this time your back faces the familiar room. He had just waved goodbye, whispering “Go get ‘em, tiger,” as he shot fake finger guns at you before shutting the door to his room. Now it was just you alone in the hallway, facing the construction paper cutout of “Megumi” that was taped to the door in front of you. You hesitantly raise your fist out before knocking.

A soft voice from inside yells out, “One second!” through the door before it swings open. In front of you stands the dark-haired boy, once again wearing a black t-shirt and black jeans. “Hey, it’s good to see you,” he says sweetly as his eyes meet yours. “You ready to go?”

“Yep!” you chirp. The warm scent of his cologne hits your nose as he steps next to you. You suddenly feel nervous, not sure if it’s because of the man standing to your side or the one who you just left. You push the feeling down as you walk to the cafe.

–

The space is warm, the hum of espresso makers and piano music filling your ears. The walls are adorned in floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, warm light casting over everything from the chandelier above.

With a mug in each hand, Megumi leads you to a table in the middle of the cafe. He sets one down in front of you with your latte and his, with plain black coffee, next to him.

“This place is beautiful,” you note, eyes glancing around the room taking it all in. “How did you find it?”

“One of my friends, Maki, suggested I try it,” he responds, taking a sip from his coffee. “She said it fit my ‘vibe’ or something,” he chuckles. “So, what do you have to study while we’re here?”

“I have a bit of bio to work on, but honestly, I’m just here for the company,” you try to say as nonchalantly as possible as you pull your laptop out of your backpack and set it on the table in front of you. You catch Megumi smiling out of the corner of your eye.

“Speaking of company,” he begins as he pulls a notebook out of his bag, “how do you and Yuji know each other?”

There it is. You were waiting for this question on the way over, but Megumi seemed to avoid the topic entirely. You knew he saw you with Yuji, and now you have to come clean. But what, exactly, is there to come clean about?

“We’re childhood friends,” you state. It’s not technically a lie, but it certainly doesn’t explain the complicated relationship you’ve developed with him over the past few weeks.

“Mhm,” Megumi hums quizzically. You could tell he wants to ask more, yet he doesn’t pry.

Silence falls between the two of you for a moment, and something about it makes you feel comfortable sharing more. “We met when we were kids, and as we grew up we were inseparable. He’s…” you pause, thinking about the weight of the words you’re about to say, “my best friend.” You sigh.

“But…?” Megumi guides, a small grin forming on one side of his mouth.

“But now it’s…weird,” you follow.

“Well, Yuji’s a pretty weird guy, and I’ve only known him a semester,” he agrees with a chuckle.

Something about Megumi puts you at ease. You feel comfortable sharing things with him you never thought you’d say out loud, which is why you continue explaining. “Yuji and I kissed,” you blurt out. “But now he has feelings for someone else, and I don’t know how I feel about him, and everything’s just messed up.” You put your head into your hands.

Megumi pauses for a moment, trying to think of what to say. “Oof,” is all he gets out.

“‘Oof’ indeed,” you chuckle through your palms. Suddenly, you lift your head up to meet eyes with the boy across from you. “Hey, please don’t tell Yuji I said any of that?” you plead, realizing the sensitive nature of what you just shared with him.

“My lips are sealed,” he responds through a smile, “as long as you get the next round of coffees.”

“Deal,” you agree, a grin spreading across your face.

This feels…easy. Talking to Megumi feels like how you and Yuji used to be, before all this emotional gunk got in the way.

The conversation flows smoothly as the two of you work through all of your studying for the next week, spending nearly the entire day in the warm cafe. By the time you leave, the sun has set and the sky is orange and purple as dusk settles over campus. Megumi asks to walk you home and you agree, thanking him for the kind gesture.

When you get back to your dorm, the caffeine from the coffees you were chugging all day finally wears off as you crash into your bed, the smell of detergent still lingering on your freshly-washed comforter as you settle under it.

–

The next week breezes by, especially since you finished all of your work at the cafe with Megumi over the weekend. You start looking forward to your biology class because you know it means you’ll get to see him. For a few hours each week, you get to watch his hands as he sketches page after page, sometimes of animals, sometimes of buildings, sometimes of you. Whenever you’re included in his drawings, he tears the page out and gives it to you without a second thought.

The two of you also started spending more time together outside of class trying out new cafes, especially after you found out Megumi was very particular about his coffee.

He sticks his nose up as he tries to hide the disgust on his face. “Yuck,” he mutters as he swallows, setting the mug down.

“No good?” you ask, putting your hand over your mouth as you try to hide your giggle. He just shakes his head in response. “Well my latte is delicious,” you respond with a smirk as you take a sip.

“How can you even say that?” he frowns. “That stuff is all sweetener, and you know it.”

“Mmm maybe, but I like things a little sweet,” you hum. You reach your hands across the table to pinch his cheeks, molding his frown into a forced smile. “And I bet you’d like it too, if you gave it a try.” He swats your hands away with a chuckle.

Things are…easy. Yet, for some stupid reason, you still find yourself thinking of Yuji, especially during these lull periods where you let your thoughts get quiet. It’s not like he’s gone, or even that he hasn’t texted you (because he certainly has, mostly pictures of his gross meals like fried rice with jam or a boxed mac n cheese he made using vanilla coffee creamer). It’s more that you are struggling to figure out what to say to him. How are you supposed to explain whatever these feelings are to someone you aren’t even dating that you know has feelings for someone else?

–

“Are you doing anything tonight?” Megumi asks. You’re both packing up your stuff after your Friday biology class. “I got invited to this off-campus party and I was wondering if you’d want to go with me?” he turns to face you. You don’t sense any hint of nervousness in his voice, as if asking was second nature. He had really grown comfortable around you.

“I’d love to,” you respond with a smile. “Meet at my place at 8:00?”

“Sounds perfect,” he grins as you both turn to walk out of the lecture hall.

–

Walking into a party with Megumi is definitely a new experience. For one, you were never a huge party-goer, so the loud music and conversations are an adjustment. Second, this is the first time you and Megumi have gone somewhere together. Sure you had studied plenty of times, but this feels like something else.

Truthfully, you don’t know what you and Megumi are to each other. Your relationship feels comfortable, like you’ve been friends for years, but sometimes you say something and you swear you catch him blushing.

It doesn’t matter, you try to mentally pep-talk yourself, tonight I’m just here to have fun.

The two of you step through the front door as the smell of stale beer hits your nose and the bass from the music causes your chest to vibrate. You tug on the bottom of your black dress as you gaze down at the tennis shoes you paired it with, hoping you don’t look too out of place. Looking up, you scan across the room for a familiar face but find none; luckily, Megumi waves at his friends and grabs your hand, guiding you to the middle of the dance floor.

You dance together for a while before one of his friends, who he introduces as Toge, comes back and hands you both full cups. The new white-haired boy pulls down the top of what looks to be a custom-made hoodie before chugging his drink. Megumi looks at you and knocks the top of his glass against yours before he moves it up to his lips. You follow his lead, taking in gulps of what tastes like the cheapest beer you’ve ever had. Both of you finish your drinks at the same time, the liquid sending shivers down your body as you smile up at Megumi.

The night continues smoothly, Toge coming back with drinks every so often as you let the music course through you while moving your body to the pounding rhythms. You slowly get to meet Megumi’s friends as you shout your introductions over the blasting noise around you. You are having…fun? You never saw yourself enjoying parties, but here you are, getting the college experience.

Suddenly, Megumi taps your shoulder. You turn to look up at him, but his eyes are focused on something behind you. Spinning around on your toes, you see why he got your attention: Yuji.

He’s standing on the other side of the crowded dance floor, one arm leaning against the wall. And below his arm, is a girl.

She has shoulder length brown hair and is wearing a dark blue dress that seems like it was made for her. This has to be her, you think. Dammit, did she have to be gorgeous, too?

For a moment, all you can do is stare, your eyes going back and forth between the two of them. You watch as Yuji says something and she shoves him in the chest, a laugh never leaving her lips. Your eyes start to water as you try to blink the tears away. No, no, no, this isn’t happening. You’re supposed to be having fun. This isn’t fun. Megumi sees your body tense and he places a hand on your shoulder, trying to get your attention back.

Suddenly, Yuji’s eyes meet yours from across the room. Your stomach drops, and you’re not sure if it’s the butterflies or the jealousy bubbling up inside of you. Before you can even think, you turn to face Megumi, hoping Yuji is still watching. You move your arms around his neck as you lean up to kiss him.

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[oddballwriter]

The Second

Summary: After going on an unplanned adventure with your best friend and crush, his host, and his host's wife to stop the end of the world, and ending up in an accidental love triangle... square...whatever shape it is, you go back to your hometown to clear your mind. It's a great success for you, helping you reconnect with your childhood friend and even bring him back to continue the fun and show him your life in London. But unbeknownst to you, it seems like it might just cause a rift that is born on one side of the triangle.

Warnings: Love triangle and unrequited feelings. The reader is referred to using she/her. Angst, it's soft but it's there. Third-wheeling. I can't think of anything else but I feel like there's more, if there is just tell me. 

Author’s Snip: This is sort of a pilot for a series idea that I have that involves all kinds of love shape situations, rivalry, and dragging friends into all kinds of avatar shenanigans on accident. So if you guys like this, let me know so that I can prep and have it ready for writing and planning.

Notes: This is not proofread before posting, if there are errors blame Grammarly for not catching it. I might fix them later.  

I’ll shut up now. Enjoy! And don’t be afraid to request.

Word Count: 2,892

Tag List: @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction

What an adventure you just went on. It all feels so unreal when you even try and think about it. Even as you stare up at the ceiling above your bed you find it hard to really digest fully.

Your good friend Steven turned out to be an alter for a person with DID who's named Marc Spector, whom you had not met, ever, throughout you and Steven's close friendship. In which Marc is the avatar and fist of justice for the Egyptian god Khonshu and was living his life while Steven was not fronting, unbeknownst to Steven, and has been playing a game of keep-away with a cult and their leader for a scarab. And you ended up finding all that out when some members of the cult kidnapped you to intimidate Steven and Marc. By the way, Marc is married and has been married, to a woman named Layla. And so you had to go on this whole adventure with all three of them to stop the end of the world, or something, nearly dying on several occasions, and now it's done apparently. Crisis averted. Also, there is a fucking third one.

You're sure that if you told someone outside of your journal and your new group of friends about this, then you would be thrown into a psychiatric hospital in record time.

And that isn't even mentioning all the complicated feelings you're having right now about the love triangle, that only you are aware of. Because of course, you're in a love triangle that the two other people have no idea exists. It's complicated. It was a little complicated at the start, and now it's so much more complicated because now there's another person involved.

Scratch that, four people involved. This is a love square.

Fuck it, now that Jake's here it might actually be a love pentagon now!

Either way, it all has to do with your feelings towards Steven. You had developed them pretty early on in your friendship with Steven because you just so happened to fall into your type. Dork, sweet, funny, and polite guys were your weakness. You tried to fight them off, not wanting to ruin the friendship that you honestly valued with Steven. But he just had this aura and energy that had your heart like a moth to a flame. Some might call it a slow burn. You'd say that it all was fast. But the warmth went to heat that got painful when you found out about Marc and Layla, and thus Steven and Layla.

You're not mad at Layla. Of course not! Why would you? She was there first, technically. It feels bad to say that. Both because you'd have to try and snuff out the feelings that you have, but also because it sounds wrong. It sounds like Steven's an object to be won instead of a person with his own thoughts and feelings. And you never once saw him like that. He was Steven. Nice, sweet, funny Steven.

You knew you needed to move on, even if it hurt. You know you don't have the guts and nerve to be 'the other person' even if you got the chance to be. It would be disrespectful to Layla, and Layla's a great woman. You settle on going back home, to your hometown, to see family and friends in hopes that it'll distract you, maybe even help you get over it if you're lucky. You call up your family who gladly accept the idea and will set up the room that you'll stay in by the time you get there. With that, you pack your bags, get ready for the trip, and head off.

You don't tell Steven that you're leaving to anywhere at first until you're just about to leave, figuring that if he tries to visit you and you're not there he'll assume someone else has kidnapped you and panic. You just send him a simple "As a heads up I'll be out of town for a while. I need a break.", at some point in your trip heading towards your hometown he texts you back with a single "Okay. Sounds nice.".

As it turns out, going around old loved ones really does help your blues. Matter of fact it seems like everyone from your life here heard the news that you'd be spending a few weeks in town and all got together to see you. Your uncle and dad actually threw a little family cookout so that everyone can come say hi to you.

Everyone had questions for you. What's London like? What have you been doing? How's life going over there?

Of course, you can't tell them about all the recent events and you also don't want to ruin your good mood by talking about Steven like you probably would have if this were a trip not spawned from him, in a sense. Overall, everyone's just happy you're back regardless.

You meet a really old face amidst the crowd of family and friends who've assembled. Samson. Sammy. God, you'd know his face anywhere and you know he'd know yours too. You and Sammy have been best friends since diapers. Your moms were friends. Apparently, the story goes that your mom and dad were at the courthouse waiting in line to sign the marriage papers and so were Sammy's mom and dad. Your mothers started talking and it turns out they have a lot in common. By the time both parties left the courthouse, they were in each other's weddings, to which they then found out that they both would be moving into the same area to settle down. Your moms swear that you and Sammy being close in age was just a coincidence but you always joked that it wasn't.

Sammy is hard to put into words. How do you describe the person who's been your best friend since both of you were coloring with crayons and all the way to high school graduations and beyond? The number one person you would talk to about things outside of your parents and through all of the other friends you've both had throughout your lives, the one that has always been the same. Sammy is just Sammy to you, in the most sincere way possible.

After seeing each other at the cookout you catch up on just about everything. What you've been up to, any life milestones you've gotten to while apart. You tell him about London and he tells you about his life here in town. Sammy's gotten up to a few things, had a few girlfriends, and apparently, he's developed his own business. Turns out he's a handyman and locksmith now and makes great money. Gets to make his own hours, so he says. Sammy teases you a bit and asks if you've been collecting British boyfriends. You know it's just a tease but it plucks at the still tender parts of your heart a little. You brush it off and say no.

"No?" Sammy questions, "Come on. Someone like you over there? You're kidding me. You've got to have some guys waiting like a dog for you to come back." he says. You decide to play along in the banter.

"Maybe I do. What of it, Sam-I-Am." you shrug, pretending like he's trying to compete and also pulling out old childhood nicknames. Sammy cringes and the nickname, "Oof, not the Sam-I-Am from kindergarten. You know only my dad called me that until you said it in class. Then everyone started calling me that till fifth grade." Sammy laughs. "Not you doing your shitty British accents when I said I had a thing for British boys back in seventh grade." you reference and make a call back of your own. "It made you laugh and that was my goal." Sammy playfully defended.

For a good half of your stay, Sammy was there, like always, and you would be talking about the old days. Referencing various moments and laughing or cringing together. It felt so nostalgic and good to just feel that bond again, have someone who knows all your little inside jokes and references because they were there when it was formed, and you both didn't want it to stop.

So when the day that you were to go back to London you threw out the idea that Sammy come back with you and continue the fun there. Show him what you've been doing and show him the little life you've created there.

Even though you live in a one-bedroom apartment you managed to accommodate your guest pretty well. You always knew that the pull-out bed extension of your couch that you bought second-hand would have a use someday. You two settled on rules and bases, along with where various things are in case they're needed.

After that, it was just more talking that made the time go by so fast and other things seem so minuscule. You hadn't really paid attention to the fact that you had a brief text conversation with Steven when you got back basically just telling him that you were back and what you're up to right now. It wasn't until he texted you something that sort of snapped you out of it.

You: I'm not really doing anything but my friend came back with me and will be here for a bit.

Steven: Oh that's nice

Steven: Can I meet them maybe?

You weren't sure how long you spent looking at that message, but it was long enough that Sammy noticed. "Something wrong?" he asks. "No," you reply, "Just one of my friends. He says he wants to meet you... if you're okay with that," you explain but hesitate slightly at the end, not really liking the sound of having Steven over right now after being able to get him off your mind. "Sure! I'd love to meet one of your friends here." Sammy responds, "If that's alright with you of course." he adds.

You take a second to weigh it out in your mind. On one hand, having the guy that you have feelings for over after you went on a whole vacation partially because he doesn't feel that way towards you doesn't sound like the best idea. But maybe having Sammy here will reduce that feeling of awkwardness since it can just be having your friends meet each other.

Taking the gamble, you tell Steven that he's good to come over.

The next few minutes are spent continuing to talk to Sammy, making jokes and having banter. When you hear the knock at your door you and a text from Steven that announces that he's arrived. You get up from the couch and make your way to the door, unlocking it and opening it up. And there he is, smiling at you and giving you his usual polite little "hello". You greet him back before stepping out of the way so that he can come in.

Sammy gets up from his seat on the couch and comes to shake Steven's hand. You see Steven hesitate briefly and sort of freeze up before taking the hand shake. You step in between them.

"Steven, this is my childhood friend, Samson. Samson, this is my friend Steven." you introduce them to each other and gesture to them respectively. "Nice to meet you!" Sammy comments. "Likewise," Steven responds.

You all take a seat, you and Sammy back on the couch while Steven takes a chair from your little dining table set. Sammy and Steven have some good small talk back and forth, talking the usual stuff when you meet new people. You can see Steven being a little fidgety, picking at his sweater sleeve, nodding along but having a small crease between his brows. All things that he does when he's nervous or concerned with something, you take it as Steven being shy about meeting and talking to new people like he usually is. You take it upon yourself to sort of help him by bringing up subjects that you know he's good at talking about.

"Steven loves Ancient Egypt and mythos. He knows pretty much everything," you mention. Sammy raises his brows in interest, "Really?" he questions. "Oh yeah," Steven confirms, "I would have made a bloody good tour guide if my superior wasn't out to get me." Steven remarks. You see Sammy hold back a laugh in the corner of your vision, you turn to him and light-heartedly scold him with a "Stop it.". Sammy looks towards you, his smile growing to a shit-eating grin. "Stop it," you repeat, "Behave. I told you not to laugh," you say as you struggle to keep your own laughter in. "He said the thing." Sammy squeaks out before letting a few laughs leave him. You lean in and bap him on the shoulder playfully, "Stop," you warn as you give him a few baps.

Steven lets out a small laugh that only you can tell is his fake trying-to-pretend-I-get-it laugh. "I'm sorry, Steven." you apologize, "Not even 24 hours in and he doesn't know how to act," you say as you look back to Sammy and give him a playful shake. "I'm sorry." Sammy says to Steven, "There's an inside joke to it I swear." he says.

"What's the joke?" Steven inquires. Your face drops, knowing what Sammy is going to say. "Don't you dare," you warn Sammy as you try to cover his mouth, but Sammy already knew that you are going to stop him and is ready to block your hand. You both spend a few seconds lightly wrestling as you try to cover his mouth and he blocks you in some way. "It has something to do with her-" Sammy says before you interrupt him with a "No!" in objection, "British boyfriend!" Sammy announces. "I don't have a British boyfriend!" you object through laughs as you hit him with a couch pillow. You both spend a few moments laughing. When you finally calm down you find Steven looking at the two of you like you've grown and extra head.

You sigh and look to Sammy, "Why don't you explain 'British boyfriend' to him since you want to talk about it so much?". "Okay, okay," Sammy submits. "This one," Sammy says pointing at you, "Had a thing for this one kid who was visiting family for the summer in our home neighborhood back in seventh grade, or seventh year, whatever it's called here. And so we have this joke that he was her British boyfriend. And I used to do a really bad accent to make her laugh and get all embarrassed.", Sammy looks at you and reassures, "I'm not going to do it, don't worry.".

The conversation goes on but you and Sammy can't help but say more jokes that you then need to explain to Steven, which leads to other stories and laughing fits between the two of you. You try to do the same with Steven in case he references something between the two of you, but you find that Steven just seems to sit there and listen, nodding along. You want to try and prompt something but at some point, you're able to sense this weird tension in the air whenever you do.

You aren't too sure what to do. You don't want to shoo Steven out since you've always said that Steven was always welcomed at your place, but the atmosphere is strange between the two of you for some reason. It isn't until Sammy gives something that would get the job done.

"You know, it's really nice to meet you, Steven. But I think the traveling is starting to catch up with me." Sammy says as he stretches his arms out. "Oh, no worry. I was actually thinking of getting out of your hair. You know..." Steven responds, "Since you guys probably had to get out early to get back here." he clarifies. Steven was already getting up to leave by the time he even started talking.

Sammy and you get up also, and you go in for the usual goodbye hug that you and Steven do when parting ways, Sammy shakes Steven's hand again and says his goodbyes.

Once Steven leaves, you and Sammy set up the couch so that Sammy can nap for a bit. You head to your room so that you can take one for yourself and reflect on the meeting. You still have a bit of that feeling of weird tension but figure that maybe Steven wasn't prepared for all the energy that you and Sammy created and all the inside jokes. Maybe a second get-together could help with that. After all, it might be great to have two best friends also be best friends with each other.

Meanwhile, Steven walks back, sitting in his thoughts quietly as he walks until Marc appears in a reflection along the walk. "What's with the long face?" Marc asks. Steven glances at Marc for a moment, "Nothing, it's just that..." Steven opens up with, "I felt like a bit of a third wheel over there." he admits. Marc shrugs, "Well it is her friend from her hometown, isn't it? I'm sure they'd be all chatty with each other.".

"Yeah, I suppose so." Steven replies, "It just felt a bit... off." Steven remarks.

[moonystoes]

Nurse? - Elisa De Almeida x reader (highschool students)

Summary: When the school has never felt this empty, you decide to escape the students by helping out the nurse. Only to find out you can't escape her.

Warning: yap sesh I'm sorry, confusion??(girl me too idk), an annoying guy x

Wc: 5.670k

A/n: Ugh writing the summary is worse than the whole fic wtf. Also finding pics and trying to make the coloring match is shit I'm sorry LMFAO. Apologies for the late post, I've been going through it in school. and as I said again, im pretty new to writing so constructive criticism or advice is needed :)

Part one

This is FANfiction. Please don't view Elisa this way.

-

“Do you know who you're going to prom with?” You turned to look at Sam, walking down the school hallway to your shared class. Prom has been a topic of conversations since they first revealed it two months ago. Now, prom will happen in two weeks, and all the young teens are procrastinating to look for partners.

“Ugh, no! I don't even know why our school decided to add this thing. We don't have to copy Americans, let them do their thing and we will do our thing.” She groaned loudly. You looked around you, noticing people glancing at her weirdly.

“Okay… but the students voted for it, not the school. So technically it's our fault.” You whispered, tugging her closer to remind her to lower her voice. You thought about who might ask you out. Xavi has been eyeing you for a while, but he was caught creating fake Instagram accounts to catfish girls. So there is no possible way of you agreeing to go with him. Edward was a year older than you, and you've been chatting with him at lunch. As much as you enjoyed the conversations with him, you didn't feel anything with him. He was the most attractive guy in his grade, his hazel eyes and dark skin made the girls swoon around him. For you, his personality isn't as attractive as his face, therefore you aren't crazy about him.

Then there is Paul, your childhood friend. You've known him since first grade, sitting together at the school park. In your head, you had imagined your friendship to stay forever, until you both get jobs and live close to each other. But after the both of you hit puberty, he started to act weird and felt uncomfortable around you. You hated it, but you knew it was bound to happen anyways.

It also didn't help you how attractive he grew to be, his short dark hair matched his brown eyes but also contrasted with his pale skin. His soft smile and attentive personality made many of the girls attach to his hip. You were never insecure about your looks, but now you started to question yourself. Did he stop our friendship because I was too ugly?

At some point, some of the girls came up to you and asked what he likes so they can ‘buy him a gift’. Your response was an easy lie, ‘I don't remember, it's been years.’

That doesn't make you guys strangers, he still comes and talks to you every once in a while, just like now.

“Hey y/n… can we talk privately?” Paul startled you. You turned to look at him with confusion, the last time you talked to each other was last month when he asked for the English homework (which you reluctantly gave to him out of kindness… and because you're a people pleaser). You glanced at Sam to check if she's okay with you leaving her, she gave you a small nod and left the both of you alone.

“So… have any plans for the winter dance? Or prom I don't even know what it is.” He awkwardly grabbed your arm and pulled you to the side of the corridor to not interrupt the people walking.

“Are you asking me out as your date?” You questioned slowly.

“What! No…i mean yes. Do you want to come with me?” He shook his head, obviously distracted with something. You stayed silent for a few seconds to think about it. You aren't a ‘party’ person, but the winter prom is a new thing and you wanted to experience it for once. Paul was a complicated guy, he wouldn't talk to you for months and then approach you like nothing happened. At least when he does approach you, he treats you right, or that’s what you thought.

“Sure…do you have any planning? For the dress or just the day as a whole?” You asked. Everytime you watch an American teen movie, you imagine yourself and Mr. Perfect together at a shop buying a dress, the shocked face when they see you going down the stairs all glammed up, going to dinner before prom, and having a soft kiss at the dance…. Although now you don't really feel like sharing your first kiss with Paul.

“Oh?... What thing for the dress? And no, I didn't volunteer for the dance so I didn't plan anything with the organizers,” And just like that your hopes were crushed, of course a 14 year old boy wouldn't know a thing about romance. He clearly didn't care about what dress you'll wear, or what the both of you would do before the event. You shook your head with a sigh, faking a smile and walking past him to your class. “Ohhh! I did vote for you for prom queen… you know? So we both can be like ‘famous’. You should vote for me, if that's what you mean.”

You felt disappointed, pretending not to hear him and walked into your first class. Great. He ruined your day and it just started.

-

Your parents were excited when you told them about Paul asking you. Of course, they've known him for years and his parents are in touch with yours. You were at the store trying to look for an ‘age appropriate’ dress. Your father is staying in the car, obviously fed up with the indecisive behaviors from you and your mom.

“Look, this is great!” You heard your mom cheer from the back of the store, she came up to you with a flower print dress and a bright smile on her face.

“Mom, it looks like I work on a farm.” You sighed, turning to the other side where there are dresses lined up.

“Are you serious? It looks amazing. I like it!” Yeah, you like it. You turned to look at it again, but the sadness in your mother's face caught you off guard. So you decided to lie. You grabbed the dress from her hand and turned it to see it ‘from every angle’.

“You know what? I think it's great. And it's not expensive like the other dresses here.” You faked a smile and looked at the cashier that was standing uncomfortably close to the both of you. You handed her the dress and both went to the checkout.

For you, making decisions isn't something you care about. Everytime you think of something, you'd agree with the others because at the end of the day ‘it's not that serious’. Sometimes, your friends end up scolding you for choosing people's happiness over yours. But when you turned to glance at your mother's happy smile, it was worth it.

-

Wed 19th of December 2012

The next week, Paul had thrown your prom ticket into your locker with no message or any indication. At least he bought you the ticket. Sam has gotten sick as well as the other two girls close to the both of you. She had sent you a message saying she probably won't be at prom, explaining in great details of her vomit and sickness.

You felt all alone and the class has never felt emptier. Fleur had a major knee injury from football practice, two guys were suspended for a fight. Students are calling this week a curse, considering that it's wednesday and prom will just be in a few days. The filled class now is almost half empty, making the class feel quiet.

“Okay…since most of the students are absent, we won't take a lesson today,” Cheers erupted from the class, happy to not have biology. “I'm not done! You will be partnered up to discuss prom preparations.”

The atmosphere changed from cheering to groaning in a second. You glanced at Paul, wondering if he would be your partner. You hoped that Paul would realize he has responsibilities for prom today when the both of you discuss it. But as the teacher started labeling the partners, you realized that it doesn't matter who is your date, she is randomly assigning them.

“Elisa and Marie you don't need to sit at the back anymore, the class is practically empty. Elisa, you sit with y/n. Katoto, sit with Adam.” You sighed frustratingly, why her? During the two months of school, she has been treating you like dirt. Ignoring you and always avoiding you. Whenever teachers put you in groups, she'd ask the teacher if she can be partnered with Fleur instead.

But she's been more open and relaxed now, and it's somehow freaking you out. She has made some friendships there and there with the other girls. She laughs louder, jokes more with her side of the class. And even if her ignorance towards you confused you at first, it wasn’t why you were freaked out. It's how she treats the girls in class. It's like the guys…but gentler? She stares at Amy the same way the guys do, with heart eyes. And all of this frustrates you, because why is she looking at Amy like that? She's not supposed to like Amy. And why is she treating every girl in the class sweetly except you?

Everytime you catch her looking at Amy, you remember that Quora comment. Admittedly, you've been thinking about it everyday for the past 2 months. When you’re near her, you stutter and avoid looking at her eyes. Because when Elisa looks at your eyes, she can read you. And although you know you're not necessarily hiding anything, you don't want Elisa to know how she affects you.

Elisa rolled her eyes in annoyance when the teacher told her to move to sit next to you. Of course it would be you. Your bubbly and nice personality makes her sick, because right when it comes to her, you become mute. It feels as though her sitting next to you makes you feel grossed out and disgusted. It doesn't help how Sam glances at the both of you everytime Elisa walks past you. It's like you have told her something about her, that elisa is some sick joke you told her about. Growing up, Elisa realized that not many people liked her. But she didn't care, until it was you.

You were kind and sweet to everyone. Whenever anyone asks for help, you're always there. Whenever you have to be surrounded by people you don't even like, you're still respectful and treat them well. But why is it when it comes to her, you ignore her? Every time she's near you, she sees your uncomfortable glance, she’s already used to it by now, but it still breaks her.

Homophobia isn’t something surprising, it’s everywhere. But again, the most non-judgemental person… you, she didn’t expect you to be just like everyone else.

She threw her bag next to your seat as she sighed. Of course she’s already groaning around you. You rolled your eyes at her dramatic reaction, pulling open your notes to write anything you need for the prom. You wrote ‘dress’ check, ‘hair’... you’ll just straighten it, ‘make up’ you’ll ask Sam to help you with it. You glanced at Elisa, a blush ran through your face when you saw the sketch of a woman on her notes. Does she have a date? Did she get asked… or did she ask a girl out? There is no way she’d go with a boy… just the idea of Elisa with a boy makes your stomach churn, and you don’t know why it would feel better if she would be with a girl, a person like you.

“Um… so, do you have a date?” You stammered, trying to act casual about the question, as if it hasn’t been on your mind all month.

She looked away from her sketch to glance at you, “no.”

“Why not?”

Elisa was silent for a moment, “Fleur tore her ACL so she won’t come with me.”

Fleur? Why Fleur? Your kind smile slowly turned to a frown, fuck I know I said it would make me feel better if she would ask a girl out but Fleur? Does she like her? No way.

Elisa noticed the way your smile turned into disgust. At first, panic started to get into her head, would you tell everyone that she wanted her date to be a girl? It’s okay, right? A lot of girls go with their friends? Fleur is her friend. But her panic turned into anger, fuck you and your disgusting beliefs. Of course you wouldn’t like the fact she’s into women, and although she never said she's gay out loud, anyone who glances at her knows about it.

“ACL injuries are really serious, tell her I wish her a speedy recovery.” You mumbled, you didn’t know why you’re acting this way, and why does it happen every time with Elisa. Elisa ignored what you said and continued to draw. You were looking at her sketch from the corner of your eyes, what else would she add? Big boobs? Blonde hair? Is her type in girls the same as the boys’? But suddenly Elisa stopped drawing for a second and took a deep breath, then she scribbled all over the drawing, ripping the page away from her notebook and standing angrily to throw it away in the bin.

When she sat back, she moved her seat slightly away from you. You lowered your head feeling shame, what did you do to deserve this from her? Your heart did the fluttering thing again around her, but now it’s because of the heartbreak of rejection. Elisa kept on tapping the pencil on the paper, writing nothing on her notebook. You glanced at Paul, realizing that he was partnered with Amy. Because of the panic of Elisa sitting next to you, you didn’t even think about Paul. Great, Paul is with the hottest girl in class and Elisa here hates your ass, you already knew Sam would be tired from the phone call this evening.

You glanced at the teacher quickly to make sure she's not looking at you. You grabbed your phone and opened the chats between you and Sam and sent her a message.

“Sam I'm sorry for the monster I'd be when we call today.”

Elisa noticed you using your phone, slightly surprised since you've always been the ‘good’ girl of the class. She saw you texting Sam, quickly diverting her eyes away from your phone. Are you texting Sam about the drawing? Is she seriously that grossed out by a silly drawing? Elisa's frustration has faded, now filled with sorrow. How can someone be filled with that much hatred? How can you sit here and act all cute and innocent to everyone but react this way over a drawing?

Right when the bell rang, Elisa grabbed her bag and left first, not even waiting for Katoto. You breathed out slowly, glad that she's not sitting next to you anymore. The rest of the school day was miserable, feeling all alone. At lunch, you sat on the ‘loner benches’, which are placed behind the school buildings near the football pitch. It's called that because nobody usually notices it, so it's always empty. For once, you were too tired to be friendly and socialize with people you can't stand.

When you were watching the football game, you noticed Elisa playing. Sighing, you got up and walked to the building, deciding to help out the nurse in easy tasks like bandages. She likes you, and had previously written notes to the teachers for you ‘to skip’ their classes. And after what happened in class with Elisa, you really didn't want to face her again.

When you reached the nurse office, you saw Ms. Eugene frantically running around her office to grab things into her giant bag. When she turned to look at you she gasped, “oh thank God! I was about to call the office to bring you,” She grasped your arm, pulling you to sit in her office. “My daughter… she's sick, they called right now. Can you please take over my place? You know we don't have other nurses, and I trust you. You're very smart, y/n. If anyone came here with something more serious than a cut, don't hesitate to call the ambulance.” She rambled, her face filled with stress as she grasped her keys.

“I can stay here, just let the office know so I don't get counted as absent,” You were getting more worried about her daughter the more you looked at her. Ms. Eugene is a single mom of a 3 year old girl, having to carry the responsibilities of both parents as one. She nodded at what you said, and pulled the door open. “I hope everything works out with baby Lee.”

She turned to look at you with grateful eyes, and left you alone. You were stressed about the new ‘job’ you got, but excitement started filling you when you looked around. The posters, the small medications, the tapes and bandages. You can now pretend to be a nurse! You pulled out your phone to text Sam about your new adventure, until a knock made you flinch.

You glanced at the door, yelling out a ‘come in’. When the door opened, you heard Elisa's pained voice, “Nurse Eugene?”

When Elisa glanced at you, she rolled her eyes and limped outside, making sure to shut the door as loud as possible. Usually, you would be hurt at this. But by the way Elisa was limping, you jumped up from the big chair and ran out to see what happened.

“Elisa, are you serious?!” You pulled the door open, finding her limping down the stairs. She looks up to see you and asks, “What are you even doing here? Where is the actual nurse?”

“She had a family emergency,” You followed her down the stairs, “Elisa you're limping! I'm just going to tape you and you will not see my face again.” Your voice cracked as you said the last part. Usually you're good at masking your feelings, but Elisa's pained face in front of you and the way she ran away from you broke you.

Elisa groaned loudly and took a step forward, holding onto the stairs’ railing and following you back into the nurse's office. When she got in the room, she limply sat on the bed. Glancing at the wall in front of her instead of you.

She had heard the neediness from your voice, and it made her heart throb quicker. Even when you clearly feel disgust around her, at least you were worried about her right? Did you do this because you cared about her? Or because you didn't want to get in trouble?

You brought disinfectant wipes, a cotton ball, pre wrap, and a tape. You placed them near her on the bed then turned to look at her to see what actually happened. Elisa lifted her foot up to show that the injury was there, and when you looked down you saw a trail of blood and a cut on her lower shin.

You pointed at the bed as your face scrunched in worry. Awkwardly, Elisa twisted her body towards you and layed down, resting her upper body on her arms behind her. You sat on the bed too, making sure the tapes were near you.

You grabbed the wipes packet, glancing at Elisa to make sure she knows it will be painful. But she was already looking at your face, so you panicked and just placed the wipe directly at the cut.

“Fuck!” She pulled her leg away and threw the wipe away. But you grabbed her foot and pulled it to your lap, using a different wipe and attempting to clean up the cut again. Elisa’s hiss was loud, and it involuntarily made your breath hitch and bite your lip for a second. You had to stop being inappropriate and dirty minded. It's disrespectful, so you tried to ignore it and continued cleaning up the wound. But when her defined and thick calf tensed up, you froze. Of course she will have muscles… She plays football!

“Can you be quick? It's burning me.” Elisa's frustrated groan pulled you out of the daydreams, so you quickly placed your right hand on a piece of cotton there and awkwardly tried to place the pre-wrap over it with your left hand. Elisa saw you struggle so she placed her fingers on yours over the cotton pad.

You quickly removed your fingers from her warm hand, and started wrapping her shin tightly with the pre-wrap. It was easier now to be completely focused on the injury in front of you instead of Elisa’s gaze or warm hand, it was your dream to major in a medical field and you didn’t want to harm Elisa or tape it wrong.

All Elisa was doing while you were taping her shin is look at your face. She was intrigued on how you knew how to do this. For her, she plays football and it’s mandatory for all of the players to know how to tape and deal with certain injuries. But for you, she wasn’t sure on how you knew how to do this… or how you’re good at so many things, you were just perfect in everything in her eyes.

She shook her head at her thoughts and looked at your hands instead, watching you bring the sticky white tape and securing her shin just like the physio at her academy. When you were done, you softly tapped her foot, indicating that she can lift it now. She removes her foot from your thighs and twists her body to sit on the bed instead, forcedly turning her head to look at you with a thankful smile, “you taped it well, thank you.”

You shrugged and looked down at both your feet, dangling them around as you bit your lip in embarrassment, “Thank you, I’ve always wanted to do this in the future so…”

“Be a school nurse?” Elisa asked.

“No, just anything with the medical field.” You replied. Elisa didn’t realize how close you were both sitting next to each other until she accidentally nudged your foot when she started moving her feet like you. She stood up, making sure not to put her weight on her foot, and walked to the door.

“Good luck with that, you’re smart and I think you’ll be able to do it.” You looked up to see her at the door, heart slightly warming at what she said. You smiled gratefully at her and nodded, before mumbling a short, “good luck with football.”

Elisa giggled with a shrug at your comment, and closed the door behind her delicately this time. You released a breath you didn’t know you were holding and hid your face in your hands. Why was it comforting to you that she thinks your hard work will actually get you to your dream major? Did she lie to make you feel better?...Elisa hates lying, you have noticed that because everytime she doesn’t like anything she’d stay quiet…not lie.

But the door was opened shortly, Elisa appearing again with a flustered smile, “I forgot to ask you for a nurse pass.”

You raised your face from your hands and nodded in her direction, standing up from the bed to the desk and writing a note. When you reached ‘time:’ on the notes, you turned to look at Elisa, “Hey Elisa… Do you want to go to class now or walk around the school? I can lie about the time and basically give you free time.”

She looked away from a random poster and turned to look at you with a bright smile, the ones kids do when they get offered candy. “Will you actually do that for me?”

You giggled at her reaction with a nod, she skipped happily and sat on the bed again. She turned to look at you with a grateful smile and pulled out her phone from her pocket, “thank you, I can’t stand the PE teacher or any of the students.”

You hummed in agreement as you sat there awkwardly. Elisa continued scrolling through her screen, while you were just looking at her. “If the teacher asks you why it took you so long you should say that you were dizzy and almost passed out because it is mandatory for nurses to keep students in their office for a minimum of 20 minutes.”

She looks away from her phone to look at you for a second before returning her eyes back, “yeah thanks.”

You didn’t like how she wasn’t really talking to you, even when you knew she didn't like you at all. For a second, it felt like all the tension that was there in the morning had oozed away, but you soon realized that you had to accept that the discomfort Elisa felt toward you will always be the same. As you thought of a topic to talk with her, there was a knock on the door.

You glanced back at elisa to signal for her to hide her phone, before calling out a ‘come in’.

When the door opened, you saw Elisa visibly grimace and you realized that it's Paul the moment he said your name, “y/n! Or should I say Nurse y/n?”

You turned awkwardly to Elisa with a confused look. Nobody knew you were there other than the office, how did he know? Your minutes of peace were frustratingly disturbed now that other students know. Elisa shrugged to show you she didn't know how he knew, but she didn't want to admit that she did text Katoto about you helping her skip.

“Hey Paul, do you need a bandage?” You fake smiled at him. After the whole prom planning that happened, you really didn't want to be around him.

“What? No, I'm just here so you can write me a note to skip class.” He laughed as he sat at the seat near you, grabbing a note from the desk and giving it to you so you could write him one.

“I'm not allowed to do that Paul, you know that.” You looked at him disappointedly and returned the pack of excused notes back to where they were. Paul groaned in frustration. He glanced at Elisa on the bed and pointed at her, “what about her?”

“Elisa is dizzy and has to stay here for a while.”

“Y/n do you seriously believe that! C'mon, I'm your prom date! She fell and bled a little, that's all. I was there. Look! She can stand and walk normally with it taped.” He cried out, pointing at Elisa's taped shin.

“Calm down weirdo,” Elisa calmly said. She didn't like the way he was yelling at you, and she was slightly worried if you couldn't think of an excuse to tell him about how she was dizzy so she tried to waste time.

In fact, Elisa didn't know why you were doing this in the first place. Taping her shin is understandable, but helping her skip class? Memories of first period hit her, and now she doesn't understand you.

Paul turned to look at Elisa after what she said, “weirdo? Did you just call me that?”

“Paul, stop acting childish!” You groaned. “Elisa got dizzy…when girls are in their…you know what, they can feel dizzy. Especially when they lose even more blood.” You mumbled to him as you pointed at her shin. It may not be the smartest excuse, but Paul doesn't know a single thing about women's bodies and you know he's going to feel weird and awkward when anyone mentions ‘periods’.

Paul looked down in embarrassment after what you said, turning to look back at you. “Um…sorry I forgot you guys get that, I'll just leave.” He talked under his breath, before opening the door and leaving you both alone.

Both of you and Elisa exhaled in sync, before turning to each other with a soft smile.

Elisa looked away from you to the door, “he's a dick.”

You sighed as you relaxed into the seat, “Yeah I don't know what else to do with him,”

You looked at your painted nails, avoiding Elisa's glance. You wanted to speak about this with someone, but you didn't like to put your problems into someone even if it was your best friend. “He didn't even…bother to ask me out properly like the movies.”

Elisa noticed the deep frown on your face. She never expected a day where the both of you are sitting down and talking about boys, but it felt slightly better to know that you're opening up now especially after the two months of ignoring and distancing yourself from her. Maybe you weren't as mean as she made you seem in her head, and she liked this vulnerable side of you. “Well… he's a guy, what did you expect from him?”

You let out a scoff, “it just feels like no guy is good enough. We always put the effort in everything, he couldn't even care about what dress I'll wear or flowers or anything.”

Elisa wanted to make a gay joke, but she still didn't trust you enough to joke that way. And considering the way you behaved around her drawing just a few hours ago, she didn't think it would be a good idea. “You're too pretty and smart for him anyways.”

You looked up to glance at her, but she was looking at her taped up shin. Did she mean it? A deep blush ran through your face, and you let out a soft giggle at the thought of her thinking you deserve better than the most handsome guy of your class.

“Yeah? Like who?” You questioned. Maybe Elisa knows someone she can set you up with for the next prom, or maybe she can help you find the love you always yearned for but the boys are too immature and inappropriate…Or maybe she'd say she's the one for you.

Elisa glimpsed at you and stayed quiet with no response for a few seconds. She shrugged, “none of the guys here for sure. Maybe somewhere else.”

Elisa didn't like the attention you just gave her. You turned a compliment into a questionnaire she can't answer. But who is there to blame but herself, she's the one who said you deserve someone better. Elisa loved the small giggle that came out of you. No matter how much she hated your behavior towards her, she always liked making girls realize guys are trash.

You crossed your hands in front of you as you rested your head on them, looking up to Elisa from your seat. She was deep in thought, and you started wondering if she'd ever date a girl in your school. Would she give her flowers every week? Would she receive flowers?... She's still a girl no matter how different she dresses, and she still deserves them. Would she be a physical person like the students that do PDA? Or would she pretend she doesn't know her girlfriend to not gain attention?

Elisa noticed you staring at her weird, the same glance she'd see Katoto has when she looks at Adam. Her ears turned pink and she pulled out her phone to complain to Marie about the ‘Voldemort guy’ interrupting what could've been your first ever sane conversation.

You were probably thinking about Paul, right? Maybe your ‘dream’ man since the both of you were talking about it.

You realized your thoughts were drifting too much, so you closed your eyes tightly and hoped sleep would come and take you somewhere away from Elisa. You shouldn't be thinking about her that way. And you also shouldn't assume her sexuality, like what that Quora response said…even after what she said about guys.

Elisa had noticed you sleeping, so she concluded that your dreamy stare at her was probably sleepiness making you tired. She sat there and scrolled on her Facebook and Instagram.

When she realized that it had been over an hour of her time in the office, she knew she couldn't use that excuse anymore and needed to focus on the other classes. She stood up and approached you, whispering your name.

When she didn't see you react, she knew she had to touch you. But she didn't know how, childishly afraid of tapping your arm. Your fringe had been covering your face, so Elisa lightly moved them away and placed them behind your ears, hoping you wouldn't feel her touch. Elisa always had short hair and she never wanted to grow it out, but she still loved the feeling of hair in her fingers. Fleur gets frustrated whenever Elisa plays with her hair, and Katoto has braids so Elisa was ‘not allowed’ to touch her hair no matter what (she tried one day and Marie yelled at her).

Your eyes scrunched at the feeling of soft fingers on your forehead, and when you opened your eyes you saw Elisa's horrified eyes. You sat up looking confused, worrying about why she looked like she had seen a ghost. “umm… sorry for touching your hair I tried to wake you up but you didn't wake up from my voice.” Elisa rambled quickly, stepping away from you towards the door.

“Wait,” you groaned out, “You're leaving me?”

Elisa smiled at your confused face, slowly speaking so you could understand, “I spent too much time here already, I can't miss more classes.”

She almost laughed at the way your face contorted, something deep in her is warming up and now her whole body is burning. She knows she needs to leave this room before her thoughts start spiraling, so she gave you a small wave and left the office.

Maybe it was the sleepiness talking, but for once, you finally knew that Elisa is a sweet person… and your heart break from the morning today came back, when you realized that what happened today was only a one time thing.

___

~ yes, the next chapter will be prom

~ fun fact, there are some countries in Europe that do prom nowadays. Maybe not back in the 2010s but this is fanfiction so xx

~ did you guys notice something about Paul's looks? yeah y/n has a type ;)

[katabay]

‘I thought you were in university to become a journalist,’ says Darren after a minute. ‘What happened?’

‘I found out that I liked teaching,’ says Andrew, looking out the window. ‘Then they killed my students.’ Silence. And a beat later:

‘You were a mechanic when I left. What happened to you?’

Darren’s seen this stretch of land countless times. He wonders what it looks like from Andrew’s point of view. They didn’t have a train station when they were growing up, the first time Andy ever rode one was when he left for university and never came back.

‘They took over the railways,’ is what Darren says, because it feels like it’s impolite to say I joined the resistance movement but only after they executed your brother because I was too much of a coward to commit before to someone you haven’t seen in five years.

so my last comic did the teacher reveal, but it was kind of ridiculous for Darren to not know about this before getting on the train since Andy’s technically here as his body guard lmao! there will be other dramatic things for them to learn about each other!

I’m debating whether or not I like the idea of the three of them being childhood friends or if I like the idea of Darren meeting Andy’s brother later in life and the three of the meeting up a handful of times before everything goes to shit, making them a little more than strangers, not quite independently friends, but closer to each other than anyone else from a shared grief which is also a point of conflict. I think Andy’s brother will always end up being a complicated point of emotional conflict. we’ll see!

thankfully Andy’s train window sniping scene stays, that one’s a constant

ko-fi⭐ bsky ⭐ pixiv ⭐ pillowfort ⭐ cohost ⭐ cara.app

[vertical-sekai]

Is Wonderland Sekai the same as in canon? And how did AURORA end up forming then?

"Is Wonderland Sekai the same as in canon?"

Yes and no.

Yes, because in canon, Tsukasa's SEKAI formed when he was a child according to the VIRTUAL SINGER World Link event— but also no, because his SEKAI isn't influenced by WxS in this AU, so certain details have changed.

For example, the Miku in Tsukasa's SEKAI doesn't speak using many onomatopoeias because that was a habit she picked up from Emu. Some other things are different (particularly the plushies) because of the fact that the other members of AURORA affect Tsukasa, which in turn affects his SEKAI.

"And how did AURORA end up forming then?"

It's complicated, to say the least. I'll try to summarize the events leading up to their formation as concisely as possible (assuming I don't eat my words and end up going on a tangent again).

All four of them discovered Vivid Street individually during their time in middle school.

Tsukasa started composing tracks at home, finding inspiration in the atmosphere there shortly after RAD WEEKEND. He never actually saw the event himself, though, nor did he ever perform much on Vivid Street (he was a little, uh... distracted).

Mafuyu started performing at livehouses by herself, venting her suppressed feelings and thoughts through street music— finding safety in this town where it felt as if no one from her school or her parents could ever confront her.

Honami became a regular attendee to various livehouses in Vivid Street, similarly moved like how Mafuyu and Tsukasa were. She'd often take videos of live performances and show them to the Tenma siblings as well as Kanade (since she's still her housekeeper and they have a common interest in music). Honami is also a regular at WEEKEND GARAGE, and is good friends with An.

I think now is also a good time to share that Honami never had her falling out with Ichika and Saki like in canon because of her relationship to Tsukasa. Their common interest in street music allowed them to become better friends (even though they were always technically childhood friends, Honami was never really close to him), and knowing Tsukasa he'd quite literally chase her down and make her talk to Saki if he absolutely had to (the last thing he wants is Saki suffering any more than she has to).

Shizuku got lost one day while heading to a store and ended up in Vivid Street, witnessing one of Mafuyu's performances on the street. She was so deeply moved by this performance that she wasn't able to forget about it, even during her time in Cheerful*Days as an idol. After she quit the group years later, the sound of Mafuyu's singing was still ringing in her ears...

These events set the stage for the formation of AURORA.

Thanks for sending in an ask, by the way!

[heyhihellosworld]

𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝'𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐈𝐈

Mason Mount x reader + Kepa Arrizabalaga x reader

Word count: 4.5k

Summary: Maybe Kepa isn't the one and maybe feelings can surface, even after fifteen years of friendship

Warnings: Angst, fluff, smut?

Notes: This is a whole mess because I started with so many ideas and landed with cero lol

Grateful for all of you who see and read this! x

When did things become so complicated?

You couldn't say but you knew the exact minute things had changed for the worse, the evening not leaving your thoughts.

The game had just begun again after halftime but it wasn't that interesting, or maybe it was you just couldn't focus with the storm that was raging in your mind. It felt like the storm had been going on for the last month, never calming down and never stopping. It didn't feel like it ever would.

Kepa was between the poles, the only reason you were there watching from the first place. He had done a good game so far and you were proud of him, you really were.

Mason wasn't playing, according to Chelsea he was out with some injury. Not that you would know from him anyway as he hadn't spoken to you since that evening. He had vanished and if you hadn't followed all his teammates and Chelsea on social medias you wouldn't know if he was alive or not. Not that they were providing you with much either way.

Maybe Kepa would tell you if he died but Mason wasn't exactly a topic you spoke about regularly. In all honesty you didn't speak much at all anymore.

You sighed as you felt yourself going into over-thinking mode.

"You-uh what?" you stuttered out, feeling yourself sit down on the floor at the revelation. It was not what you had expected, not at all and it took you with shock.

Mason looked at you intently, watching your every move but he didn't expect you to do or say anything. He just needed to say those words, utter what had been weighing him down for years because it had been too much lately.

He didn't expect you to jump up and say you loved him more than a friend nor did he expect you to kiss him he just needed to let it go once and for all.

You looked up at him with widened eyes making him move his gaze away from you and to the floor.

"Mason" you breathed, feeling a thousand thoughts spinning around your head. "Mason wh-what?"

Mason shook his head, he knew how it was, now he had uttered his thoughts and feelings and now he needed a break. A break to think and stop his feelings from drowning him whole. And that meant a break from you.

"You heard me, I like you. Now it's said so let's forget it and move on"

You had never thought about Mason in any other way than what he was. Mason was Mason, you had never thought about it more than that. He was your childhood friend, your best friend, your comfort and your safety, simply Mason. To label your relationship had never felt necesary which now put you in a hard situation.

You forced yourself to look at the game as the opponents went on pressing again, setting Kepa in action in the Chelsea goal.

Kepa was nice, sweet and hot. There was nothing wrong with him or your relationship, not at all. You loved cuddling with him after his late games, loved eating in the sofa, talking long into the night and the sex was awesome

But

Something had been off. Not with you and not with him but with it all. No matter how many times you had sex or made out he still didn't feel like your boyfriend. He hadn't technically been but he felt more like a friend than anything else. You didn't get butterflies from him like you felt like you should get, he was nice hanging out with and nice to fuck but that was it your feelings didn't go deeper than that.

The last two, three weeks had been a bit different too. Kepa had been off a lot since he had been traveling to Germany and had matches every three days but you felt like it was probably a good thing. Stuff had been rough and it had made you realize that you didn't like the basque in a romantic way.

It had ended quietly and peacefully one late evening at his place after a game at the bridge. Both of you confessing it wasn't working out in a romantic way and that had been it.

You weren't exactly sad it had ended because you had barely dated him but it did leave you even lonelier and even though you had both agreed on staying friends it wasn't like he was with you all the time.

You still couldn't really wrap your head around it, how would you handle this all if Mason some day decided he wanted to be your friend again. How did you act around someone who you knew liked you? Would he ever want to be your friend again or was that too hard now?

You breathed the thoughts away, you didn't even know how Mason was thinking so no need to stress one step ahead.

It felt almost like a bad joke thinking about these past few weeks. Only some weeks away you were over the moon over Kepa at your and Mason's regular movie-night, you had laughed eaten and cuddled up on the couch like always and now. Now you had broken things with Kepa and Mason, but the latter more involuntarily.

You wanted to scream at yourself for the negative thoughts spinning around you head, the thoughts never ending and it made you go crazy.

The game had ended, what a well spent hour and a half, not even looking at the game but being too wrapped in your own head. You cursed yourself as you looked at the scores, 2-1. Chelsea had done one goal but you hadn't paid attention enough to see who had done what.

You sighed, running your fingers through your hair in a stressed manner as the arena started to move. The fans starting to exit whilst the player greeted each other and thanked the fans who had came to watch.

Your heart almost fluttered out of your chest as you saw a familiar head of hair walking onto the pitch. Applauding the fans and shaking hands with some of the opponents. Your eyes followed him like he was a fridge and you had magnets for eyes.

He hadn't played but apparently been sat on the bench. He smiled softly as he went around in the arena, his eyes moving over the stands.

His eyes suddenly met yours, probably feeling stared out which he was. His lips pulled up in a small smile as he watched you before walking out the tunnel and to the changing rooms.

You felt like crying as his hair dissapeared, your heart wanting to run down to catch him before he left but your mind stopped you, knowing it wouldn't be the smart thing to do.

You stood at Kepa's car, waiting for him to emerge from the changing room as you had promised to hang out with him and a couple of his friends after the game. You would usually wait outside of the changing room but since Mason would be there and he had made it pretty obvious that he didn't want to see you right now, that he needed a break you wanted to respect that.

Stood outside you regretted your choice bitterly, it was fucking freezing outside and you were freezing your ass off as you stood there and waited for the basque who took forever.

"If you're styling your hair in there i'm gonna fuck you up" you muttered into the darkness, picturing the Spaniard standing there with his stupid brush, not knowing you stood here dying.

"What did you say?"

You thought you had a heart-attack for a second, yelping out as the dark shadow approached you, squinting to be able to see in the darkness

You took a deep breath "Fucks sake! What the hell" you scolded, hearing the guy chuckle as he came into eyesight.

You felt yourself choke as you saw Mason looking down at you, your bain racking for something to say.

"Uh-a-I-"

He shook his head with a lopsided smile, stopping on a appropriate distance from you.

"Hey" he smiled, your smile mirroring his as you returned the greeting.

"I didn't know you were in the squad tonight" you admitted, watching him shake his head "Don't dwell on it, you should't have to avoid places you love because of me"

You shook your head promptly, "No I don't need to but I want to respect you and your feelings"

His soft eyes smiled down at you, his hands in his pockets as he rolled on his heels.

"Is that why you are standing here in the cold?"

You nodded, pursing your lips as a shiver ran through you from the cold.

"Come on, let's wait in my car" Mason offered, nodding at his car only a few meters away and you more than gladly jumped into the familiar vehicle.

He quickly started the car and turned on every heat button possible as you shook, trying to get yourself warm

"You're really stupid you know?" Your eyebrows raised in mocked hurt "excuse me?" "Standing outside in this weather isn't exactly smart" he grinned, your heart constricting at his beautiful smile.

Mason felt at peace talking to you again. Seeing you on the stands didn't make his heart tug, it made him smile. He had missed you terribly, not being used to not hear and be with you everyday.

"Yeah yeah, slander me for trying to be nice" you huffed, loving the smile you pulled from him yet again.

"What are you even doing here?"

"Waiting for Kepa" you shrugged, immediately noticing the change in the atmosphere as you mentioned his teammates name.

"Right, I forgot" he muttered through clenched teeth, making it clear he had never been as okay with you dating his teammate as he had made out to you in the beginning.

"Mason-" you begun but he shook his head harshly "No no, it's fine"

You sighed, tempted to roll your eyes at the stubborn man beside you but you restrained yourself from it "Me and Kepa, we are not together anymore, well we were never officially together, has Kepa not told you?"

Mason blinked at you, swallowing hard, almost looking embarrassed as he fiddled with his chain "to be honest i may have avoided Kepa lately" he confessed, your eyes not being able to stop from rolling this time. "Why-why are you not?"

You shrugged, meeting his startled gaze. "We gave it a try but neither of us felt romantic feelings towards each other so we decided to just stay friends instead"

Mason nodded in understanding, not being able to hide the relief that washed over his body, his eyes swimming over and shoulders relaxing. "I'm sorry" he forced out

You scoffed before chuckling at him, resting your head against the neck of the seat. "Sure you are Mase"

Mason didn't answer but his grin told you everything you needed to know.

A soft silence settled in the car as he fiddled with the heat buttons before he broke it, his voice soft as he spoke

"Ben is having a get-together on Wednesday, do you want to come?"

Your eyes met his face, his eyes staring down on his hands, hair messy over his eyes. He really needed a haircut soon, his stubble had also grown noticeable since the last night you'd seen him

You nodded, humming softly "Yeah sure, as long as this come from you"

He nodded, meeting your eyes with tenderness "maybe it could be the re-start?" You smiled, feeling like you would explode with happiness "I will be there" you nodded, looking as his face lit up before turning to look out the window, he looked utterly gorgeous in the late light.

"Kepa is here" Mason announced snapping you out of your thoughts, "Text me the details?" you asked as you climber at the car "sure"

"Oh and y/n?"

You turned back to look at him again, a questioning expression on your face "yes?"

"Nice shirt"

You laughed, turning your back to him to show it properly, it was your Mason shirt you had gotten last season with the new design. "I know right"

The grin he gave you in return was etched in your mind for the rest of the evening.

You felt almost nervous as you stood outside of Ben's gigantic house. You pursed your lips before opening the door. Last time you had been here everything had changed but now it didn't feel like it could be any worse than that time.

The night was very similar last time you'd been at Ben's, the boys playing fifa and joking around. The only difference was that this time you weren't hooked on Kepa. You were more a part of the group and specifically you hung out a lot more with Mason.

Mason, sweet Mason sat beside you, murmuring in your ear all the gossip and fun stuff you'd missed out on. He had missed you just as much as you'd missed him and he was giving his all to catch up, make you feel like old times again.

He would never loose feelings for you but he had time to think and now it didn't feel like he wanted to die every time he saw you. It stung, but he didn't wanna die and that was enough because he loved you too much to let you go. Even if all he could ever be was your friend he would take it.

"Did you know Ben hooked up with that girl last week?" Mason hummed, eyes glistening as he gossiped about his friends.

"Hey, stop telling on me" Ben whined from the other side of the couch, giving Mason a bad glare "You did?! Wow this is huge news Ben, finally getting laid huh?"

Ben's eyes rolled "You know what, I haven't missed you at all actually"

"Hey, that's mean Benji" you pouted, trying to keep a straight face at his unimpressed expression but you failed miserably.

Mason was a sweetheart all evening, making sure you had nice company, made sure you got the food you wanted, got you drinks and drove you home when the time had come. It felt like nothing had happened and you knew it took a lot of him but the fact that he did it meant the world to you.

"Thank you Mase, it was really sweet of you" you smiled softly at him, locking eyes with him as he parked outside of your flat. "Don't worry" he smiled, bidding goodbye as you hurried up the stair, your heart fluttering as you catched his smile as you waved him goodbye.

His eyes sparkled as he waved up the stands, he looked genuinely happy and it warmed up your heart, making you feel happy for him. Finally things started to look clearer again, Mason's career looked bright, he got to play regularly and he seemed to be enjoying it for real. The smile never leaving his lips as he went around thanking the fans at Stamford bridge who had cheered them on their first win in what felt like forever.

You caught yourself smiling like an idiot as he waved up at you, your heart stuttering as he looked at you.

The last couple of weeks had been amazing. Mason had kept on his words to restart what had been a little fallout and it felt like nothing had happened. The more days that went the more you liked the British joker. He spent more and more time with you and soon it was regular again, it felt natural and normal, the old habits coming back. Your feelings grew and grew but it felt like they never stopped growing, growing stronger everytime you laid your eyes on him, your heart fluttering and a smile forming on your face. It went beyond frienship and that scared the shit out of you.

-

He looked at you as you fixed with the tv, changing to Netflix and getting cozy on the sofa. When you met his gaze he smiled at you, his lips tugging upwards in an warm loving smile. "What?" you giggled, watching him shake his head and raise his hands "no nothing"

You giggled as he plopped down next to you, his arms immediately wrapping around you and keeping you close, your head resting on his chest.

You tilted your head up to him as you felt him watching you again, his soft eyes almost catching you off guard. It felt like you were drowning in his eyes, swimming in the emotions he displayed so openly.

It felt like magnets were pulling you closer until his nose bumped yours but then insecurities took over him. His eyes looked hesitant, scared to move forward. You smiled softly at him, your hand landing in the nape of his neck, gently pushing him down in a soft sweet kiss.

His lips moved slowly, softly and almost carefully against yours, savoring the moment as you let yourself go, melting into him. One kiss turned to two, three and soon the tv was long forgotten as he kissed you more intensely, no longer scared to cross a line as you made it pretty obvious what you wanted.

When you didn't have any air left in your lungs you pulled away, resting your forehead against his, thumb stroking his cheek affectionately as he gazed into your eyes.

He looked conflicted, like he didn't know what to feel or say. "Tell me what you're thinking" you begged. "I'm thinking I don't know what just happen, I-I thought you didn't like me more than a friend"

"I didn't"you answered, seeing him wavering "But I don't know, these last couple of weeks I have gotten other feelings, strong feelings. Like when I look at you I get butterflies, when we kissed right now it felt like I was gonna explode" you tried to explain, his face-expression impossible to read.

"So, you have feelings for me? More than a friend?"

You nodded slowly, looking at him apprehensively, "I don't know how you feel but I-"

He cut you off with his lips on yours you immediately answering it, tongues intertwining, hands grabbing at each-other both on the line to desperate but it didn't matter anymore.

"Hii Ben" you smiled, hugging him as he led you into the living room. Mason was right behind you, his hand on the small of your back as he walked behind you, listening to what Ben was telling you about as you stepped into the living room, greeting the others.

You felt Masons hand grip your waist tightly as you hugged Kepa, smiling as you turned back to your boyfriend, kissing his cheek with a teasing grin.

Mason guided you to the sofas where the rest of the guys were sitting. Kai had his girlfriend Sophia next to him but other than that it was only the boys, all you'd met before.

It was easy to be with them, all kind, funny and welcoming. Nothing felt awkvard or stiff. You did feel a bit awkvard though sitting next to Mason, because you didn't know how you should act with him in front of his friends. It had been almost two months now since you'd kissed for the first time and after that everything had just moved on, smoothly and quickly.

You'd decided to give it a go which was both terrifying and amazing. It scared you to not know what would happen if Mason suddenly stopped feeling for you, what if he had thought about it so much he had became hung up on it but when you made it to reality it wasn't that fun?

You worried and Mason knew that but he also knew that his feelings wouldn't stop. He wasn't hung up or obsessed with the thoughts but he truly loved you and that wouldn't change overnight. It was a scary step to get over but he had never been happier.

The discussion about you as a couple hadn't been long, you had just went with it, tried it and felt it out without too much discussion and questions. That had worked really well but that meant that you hadn't discussed about publicity. Did he want to be open in front of his friends or act like you were just friends? Did he want to sneak around or go about?

Mason's hand on your thigh snapped you out of your thinking, you quickly flashing a smile at his frown. "Are you okay?"

The words were low in your ear, his closeness making you shiver as you nodded "I'm fine" you smiled as convincing as you could.

He nodded, giving you a small glint between narrow eyes which made you laugh. His arm came behind you, pulling you closer to him which pulled a smile to your face.

Something you loved about Mason and always had done was his ability to read situations and people. He knew what you needed or what the situation needed without a single word.

He declined playing the first round of FIFA for the night and instead opted to sit and talk with you, Kai and Sophia who had also turned down the offer. Mason seemed to have no problem at all behaving around his friends but you still felt stiff. You overthought every move you did and every word you said.

Soon it felt unberable, like it was to stiff and awkvard but you couldn't make sense of how you should behave. When the boys went out to the kitchen to fetch some more drinks Mason took the opportuinty to ask you again, demanding the real answer.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he hummed, his eyes staring into you making it feel like he was looking through you. "Yeah I'm sure" you tried but you already knew you wouldn't be able to crawl out of this one without telling him the truth.

"Y/n" he repeated, tearing a groan out of you to which he chuckled. "Fine, I feel awkvard as hell, okay?"

"No not okay, why? I thought you liked them? Do you want to leave?" Your head shook, smiling at his concerned face "I do like them it's not them that make me awkvard it's us"

"Us?" he asked in confsuion, a small tension growing in his chest

"Not us us but... ugh" you groaned "I don't know how to act around your friends" you finally admitted, making his worry melt away and a small smile making it's way on his face instead.

He looked at you, prompting you to elabrotate your thoughts.

"Well I dont know, I mean we agreed to try this but we never talked about others. I don't know how to act around the others because I don't know what you want"

"I still don't get it" Mason admitted making you groan out a chuckle at your bad explaining skills.

"I don't know if you want us to act like friends, if you want us to behave like a couple or what you want and it makes me stiff as fuck"

Mason's smile made you frown, not liking the way he found your misery amusing. "Don't worry so much" he tried but you scoffed "I suck at being social, you know that"

Masons laughter echoed in the room, lightning you up "Don't hang yourself up on it, you don't have to hide anything because we are trying a relationship and we are both serious about it so why would you even think to hide it"

"I don't know, we haven't talked about it" you muttered, looking down in your lap. "I know we haven't but we are both serious about this, right?" "Of course"

"Then there is nothing to hide" he smile, his fingers tilting your ching up so you looked him in the eyes. His lips met yours softly, catching you off guard at first but soon you melted into him. Kissing him back with a small smile on your lips, feeling the worries melt away.

"Okay okay" Ben gagged out as they walked into the room again "enough"

All of them were grinning at you, wiggling their eyebrows and making your face flush. Head turning away from them to contain your embarassement

"Aww did you get shy now?" Ben mocked you, teasingly smiling at you, giving you the impression he already knew about this.

"Stop being an ass Ben" Mason scolded his friend but he still smiled, finding amusement in your flushed face. "Let her be" Sophia scolded, flicking Ben away

"When did this happen?" Reece smiled politely, breaking the teasing "Uh, two months ago?" Mason hummed, giving you a small squeeze as you gained your cool back.

"Are you together?"

"Is that the hottest you kissed?"

"Have you fucked?"

Your eyes widened at Ben's question, spread laughter filling the air as you hid your face again, not being able to take this awkvardness

"Ben fuck off!" Mason chuckled, hugging you into him "It's so fun to make her that flustered" he argued, your eyes glaring at him.

"Not to be rude or anything but wasn't you just with Kepa?" Christian asked, your eyes fleeting away again as Mason gave him a stern look but luckily Kepa answered for you

"Nah man it was nothing serious and we ended it a couple of months ago"

Your eyes sent him a thankful look which he only smiled at, making sure you knew it was fine. You had told him about Mason after you'd kissed him for the first time, feeling you owed it to him after everything and he had only been happy for you, telling you about a girl he had met in Spain when visiting the last month making it easy to maintain friends.

No more questions was asked and the boys went back to chatting, laughing, drinking and eating as someone had ordered take-away.

"See, it's all fine" Mason smiled, your eyes slimming "Except for Christian thinking I go through the group" you hummed, his eyes turning soft "He didn't mean it like hat and even if, it dosen't matter, does it? Me and you both know that it isn't like that"

You smiled, nodding at him "Thank you Mase"

His smile mirrored yours, lips coming to meet yours again in a sweet kiss, going in for another Ben interrupted again "Come on guys, no no no"

"Just don't look you sensitive ass" Mason joked, pecking your lips once more before pulling you into him, thumb gently stroking your hip as you smiled contently at him.

_____________________

@xjval @sessgjarg

[wedreamedlove]

Hi dear can you tell how the Mc met all LN guys , their interactions. I am curious since i haven't played the game . Love your writing❤

Osborn was mistaken as a thief at the warson prize competition and he teasingly scares the heroine on the rooftop.

Sariel is complicated because of the timey-wimey. for all intents and purposes, the heroine "first" meets him as one of the judges at the warson prize competition. in reality, she met him when he was a child, was his little sister for a time, and he was her inspiration to become a fashion designer. he met her when she was a child too.

Evan helps the heroine out in a coffee shop when she ran into there after being chased by people.

Charlie kidnapped the heroine on his private plane and made her prove her determination to be free by choosing between two pills (spoilers: they were both sleeping pills).

Jesse and the heroine technically met when they were small because they were neighbors and childhood friends. the heroine "first" meets him in the game when he returns to the country after 7 years and his agency was deciding on the designer for his next play and the heroine was one of the candidates. he panicked and disguised himself by wearing a strawberry head though because he thought she was still angry at him for leaving when they were children.

[stygiansun-totaleclipse]

Character Introduction: Alektis de Celestys

Age: 17

Height: 5’ 4” (163 cm)

Pronouns: She/her

(Non-RO)

The youngest of 8 children, Alektis’ siblings and mother—the previous queen of Celestyl—were slaughtered in the coup that brought Kieran’s father to power when she was just 6 years old. Why she was spared from the slaughter has been a source of much speculation and controversy, with the most prevailing theories being that perhaps Kieran’s father wanted a trophy of sorts from his conquest and a reminder that even the demigod ruling classes are not untouchable, or that perhaps he spared her at the behest of his child’s pleads in some rare show of affection. Whatever the reason, Kieran’s father has left her alone for the most part, preferring to ignore her presence—which is for the better, seeing as Alektis makes no secret of her intense hatred for the new Lunar king. 

Her older adoptive sibling, Kieran, took on the role of raising Alektis during her childhood as her extreme anxiety and terror made her skittish and wildly temperamental and soon the palace staff gave up on trying to care for her. During her youth, Alektis was very attached to Kieran, but as she grew up, their relationship became increasingly strained. While Kieran is very fond of their little sister, Alektis’ feelings toward her adoptive sibling are rather complicated. She has quite the competitive streak with Kieran, often growing frustrated when she fails to outperform them in most subjects. She takes great pleasure in the fact that she excels where Kieran struggles at horseback riding and artistic pursuits, however. 

While she is technically disinherited, Alektis is still treated as a pseudo-princess, with almost all of the perks and responsibilities of royalty but without the legal title. Most people in the palace still refer to her as Princess, however. Her experiences have made her rather bitter and hostile to most everyone, the exception being her retainer and closest childhood friend, Nihm, who often has to step in to calm tempers and mediate when Alektis’ harsh tongue has gotten away from her. 

Alektis has a soft spot for her horse and never leaves her room without her dragonfly hair clip—two of the few things she has left from her mother.