#this was fun to do 💕 it kept me busy which is what i need rn

[queen-of-the-boos]

Paper Queenie...

[ashdreams2023]

hello dear! I don't know if you are accepting requests, but I would like to request a five hargreeves x fem!reader

where the reader is a psychic, and she works in the more "chic" part of the commission and she is interested in Five because of some visions she has of him and nananananana

Anyway, I hope you understood :))

a big kiss from Brazil MWAH!

I reached Brazil?! Y’all I’m worldwide now 😩💕

Five hargreeves x fem reader

Watching

There’s many characters in the commission to say the least, everyone got their story and how they got there, much how you ended up there.

But you weren’t that special, you don’t think so at least, not with your coworker having the head of a cow and speaking fluent Spanish and French.

You didn’t usually interact with other employees there that weren’t in your department, it wasn’t because you thought yourself better than them but everyone other than you moved too fast, worried at lot, but you suppose the calmness comes from knowing what your future is and how very little it takes to change your fate.

It was also noted that your department tended to stay to focus on appearances and self expression, you’ll be mostly found in different outfits and fun makeup, it clashed with the usual uniform but it was fine because in your case, it mattered what you said rather than what you looked.

In your years there you’ve predicted deaths, wars, fallouts and whatever you can think about.

It was your job anyways and no one knew your face to point fingers at who is telling on their little failed schemes.

Although….there has been a change of atmosphere since you began seeing some interesting visions about a certain agent.

Five Hargreaves.

An oldie he was, yet surprisingly this was the first time you’ve seen him do something so….unexpected.

End of the world? His family? A new threat from within? Interesting.

You find yourself watching him, from your department, from the windows, he always walked with a purpose and heading somewhere.

Your coworker likes to tease you about this…sudden interest of yours calling him a call for help and that you need to get laid or something along those lines.

"There’s a thin line between sliver box and a grumpy git sweetie"

"Oh come on, aren’t you even a little curious? He’s so…mysterious"

Your staring had led to some rumors spreading around but nothing crazy, you weren’t the first to show any interest in five but it did become slightly embarrassing when you caught him staring at you during a New Year’s party.

Then you were surprised to find him up in your department looking for you.

"I thought I’ll drop by instead of our regular routine of you staring down at home like a hawk and me pretending I don’t see you"

"Oh…sorry?"

"I’ll accept good coffee and a conversation as a form of apology, meet at six outside."

Did he just ask you out? You weren’t so sure about it but it did happen and there were cameras, and to say the least, you became everyone’s business within a few hours.

"Care to tell me why a woman like you was staring at old me? I know your job here and what you’re capable of" He was so calm it made you shiver but you still kept your professional face on.

"You know as much as me that if I let something out both of us would be counting our days here"

"I see the rumors are true" He smirked

"Which ones?" Your curiosity peaked.

He took a sip from his cup "that’s a subject for another day with a much filling meal"

You bit your lip and chuckled "Are you asking me to dinner?"

The older gentleman eyed you so intensely you could almost feel the blush creeping at the back of your neck "I know a good restaurant in 1987 France"

"Hmm, it’s a date then"

"Only if you keep wearing that red lipstick of yours"

So he was watching you too "don’t tempt me I might rebel off and put something else, mess with you a little"

"I thought your department was too much of a bunch of goody two shoes"

You smiled at him then moved your under the table and kicked foot making him wince in pain.

"Pick me up at 7:30pm and a word of advice, watch out for chainsaw at your next mission" You stops leaving him stunned and clearly interested.

"Will do, will do."

[nocturnalrat]

Hear me out…

1610! Miles comforting reader after she get jealous because of how much he’s been around Gwen and he’s just touching and kissing her in all the right places and makes sure that reader knows that he loves her and only her 🙈💕

Thank you for the great prompt! I had lots of fun writing this. :p <3

---

It was truly infuriating.

You hadn’t seen each other in a week due to school work keeping you busy, and there had been a surge of criminal activities in New York, which is why Miles had been occupied most of the time as well.

And now, when the two of you were finally able to hang out again, he kept talking about someone else entirely.

You were lying on the bunk bed in his dorm room, listening to him ramble on about the adventures he had lived through last week.  

“You should have been there, the way Gwen incapacitated the guy was like something out of a movie.” He gesticulated frantically with his hands as he vividly described last night’s care chase.

"That sounds really fascinating," you grumbled.

After hearing your unfazed (and slightly sarcastic) tone, he looked up from his chair. "You don't sound very impressed, though."

How could you have told him that his constant stories and songs of praise about Gwen were starting to annoy the heck out of you?

Jealousy was an ugly emotion. To confess to it was shameful, exposing; you wanted to be the easy-going, cool and confident kind of girlfriend, but Miles was making it really hard for you to not seethe with anger and discontent.

"Everything okay?" he asked, and you avoided his gaze. Lying was easier when you didn’t look him into his eyes. They always were too honest and seemed to notice too much.

"Sure," you said.

He saw through your charade immediately, and climbed onto the bunk bed to be closer to you.  "There's something bothering you. I can tell."

"You can't tell shit," you said before you could stop yourself. There was anger in the pits of your stomach threatening to take over.

"Did I say something wrong?"

Yes.

"No."

"Then why are you frowning like that? It looks like you’re ready to kill someone. It better not be me."

Fuck. Were you really scowling that obviously?

"You and Gwen get along great, huh?”

"We certainly do." He tilted his head. You recognized that look on his face – it was the same one he had when struggling to solve complicated math problems. "Why’d you bring her up?"

"Why do you keep bringing her up?" you snarled. "We weren’t able to have a single conversation in the last few weeks without you mentioning her a dozen times. Not to mention the fact that you spend way more time with her than you do with your actual girlfriend.”

Shoot. Now you had done it; you had shown weakness.

Miles stared at you incredulously. "Wait a minute - are you jealous?"

You crossed your arms and looked pointedly at the ceiling.

"Absolutely not."

"Nuh-huh. That's why you're pouting." He grinned, and his lighthearted reaction only intensified the nauseating feeling of jealousy. "You know, part of me wishes you could come with us when we're patrolling, just so you could witness how much I talk about you when I'm with Gwen. But the other part of me is terrified of you being with us, as it would be incredibly dangerous for a civilian.”

"Yeah." Biting sarcasm. "I'm sure that's what you talk to her about."

"It is!" He scrambled over to you and leaned in close. "You don't have the faintest idea how important you are to me, do you?

"Can’t be that important, judging by your behavior.”

"Not that important!" he repeated indignantly. "I think about you all the time. How you're doing, what you're doing, if you need anything - always. You're the first thing I think about when I wake up, and the last thing when I go to sleep!"

"Well, you sure as hell don’t act like it,” you mumbled.

“What do I have to do to make you believe me?” He brushed an unruly strand of hair from your forehead, and the gentleness of his touch loosened the knot in your stomach the jealousy had caused. You had only recently started dating, so every little touch of his felt all the more exciting.  

You looked at him, and his wide eyes were filled with worry.

“Do you guys have to hang out so much?” you asked reluctantly. “How would you feel if I suddenly spent all of my time with an attractive guy who was single?”

He furrowed his brows. “Well, I wouldn’t be thrilled,” he began slowly. Then he shook his head. “Okay, scratch that, I’d be really pissed.”

You almost laughed. He was just like you.

“Then you know exactly how I feel.”

He kissed the corner of your mouth. "You really have no idea, do you?"

The almost-kiss had distracted you, and it took a moment for you to reply. “No idea about what?” you asked, a little breathless.

"About the things I'd do to make you happy." With a tender gesture, he took your face in his hand and caressed your cheek. "I love you more than anything in this world." The kiss that followed made any doubt you had disappear in an instant. He was telling the truth, that much was evident. “Next time, you can just straight up tell me what’s bothering you. Although I have to say, I kind of like it when you’re acting all jealous and cute.”

“Fuck off,” you said, but it was with a smile. You playfully tried to push him off of you, but he buried his face in your neck.

He was stronger than you, and his weight was pressing against you in a way that made it impossible for you to escape. Not that you wanted to - not when his lips had found your neck and left a sensation so new and good that you couldn't help but let out a sigh of contentment.

“I love you,” he said, His voice was so full of affection that it warmed your heart. “Only you. Always you. I won’t be patrolling with her as much in the future, I promise.”

At times, you wondered how someone as great as him had ended up with someone like you. The room was bathed in the warm glow of the afternoon sun. His eyes shimmered with an amber-like hue; the smile that graced his face was a breathtaking image.

He appeared radiant in the sunlight, and in his presence, you felt a profound sense of peace and trust overcome you.

[angelbaby-fics]

Safe Haven

Pairing: CG!Steve Harrington x Little!Reader

Word Count: 1.4k

A/N: my first stevie h. fic!! my wonderful ♡ anon inspired me not just to write for him but also to rewatch season 3 which i forgot how much i loved 💕 i wanna start writing for robin because even the little bit that she appears here was so fun to write tbh!! warning for an almost swearword lol but other than that i hope its super fluffy and that you guys enjoy!!

You didn't mind the days that Steve worked. Most days, you called up Dustin and the gang, or Nancy, or Eddie, or you just stayed home by yourself and kept busy with any number of hobbies and activities. Today was different though; lightning ripped through the skies of Hawkins, rain spitting down so hard it nearly drowned out the cracks of thunder that interrupted your every thought. You could feel the anxious regression creeping up on you, and although you'd normally be fine being in little mode unattended in the safety of your home, but with the storm outside turning the daylight black, home didn't feel so safe anymore. Before you could get too little and before the storm could get too heavy, you were grabbing your bag and pulling on your heaviest hoodie, tucking the laces into the sides of your shoes to avoid the stress of tying them as you set out on your journey to Starcourt Mall. 

Just the walk from your house to the covered bus stop had you soaked through to your shirt, and you shivered in the seat as the bus trundled down the slick streets towards the mall. You blinked your eyes, and repeatedly made fists and unfurled them, desperately trying anything to distract you from crying before you could make it to the back rooms of Scoops Ahoy. Normally you didn't like to bother Steve at work, no matter how many times he reassured you that you were always welcome there, but you felt this was rational option for you given the situation. 

When the bus pulled up to the front of the mall, you lined up with the other passengers before sprinting the gap between the bus and the covered entrance. Once inside the dry safety of the indoors, your body mindlessly guided you to Scoops, the illuminated sign shining like the sun you needed so desperately today. Despite the weather being anything but summery, it seemed like everyone in Hawkins was getting ice cream this afternoon, and with your fear of being a bother far stronger than your need for comfort right now, you opted to sit at an unoccupied table in the front corner of the shop, furthest away from the counter.

Opening your backpack, you pulled out your notebook and a gel pen, hoping to distract yourself until the crowds died down. You could hardly keep your attention on the page for more than 15 seconds, flicking your eyes up to the counter and hoping to catch Steve's sooner rather than later. Your prayers were answered as he handed a double chocolate cone the next woman in line, his gaze scanning the remaining customers just as you'd popped your head up to check on him for the fiftieth time. His eyes got wide when he saw your distraught face silently pleading for his attention, and he intended to give you just that. Steve gave you a reassuring nod before holding a finger up to the next customer in line, and then disappeared into the back room. Moments later, he returned with Robin, who took over cash register duty while Steve circled around the counter and speed-walked over to you.

"Honey bun, you doing alright?" He asked softly, already recognizing your fragile state and not bothering with pleasantries as he slid into the booth next to you. 

"Yeah," you nodded, "just wanted to see you, that's all."

"Are you sure? Is there anything I can do to help you?" Steve took one of your hands in his .

"No, its okay." You lied. "You can go back to work, I'm alright just sitting here."

Steve saw through you instantly. He knew exactly what you were feeling and exactly what you were needing now. He looked up at Robin, capably handling the next customers in line, and stood up with your hand still in his. 

"Yeah, no, that's bull, come on baby." He started to tug at your hand.

Not wanting to argue, nor to be left without the warmth of Steve's grip, you gathered your things and stood up with him, letting yourself be led to the back room of Scoops Ahoy. 

You'd never been back here before, and although you didn't really have any expectations to begin with, they certainly weren't exceeded. The employees only break area was bleak and grey, a single table in the center of the room, a big industrial sink, several humming freezers and fridges, and wiry metal shelves were the only things there; but it was quiet, and it was unoccupied. Steve brought you over to sit in at the table in a cold metal chair, digging through your bag and setting out all of your pens in a colorful array, and opened your notebook to a fresh page. Then, he went over to one of the fridges and pulled out a cold water bottle, as well as a bottle of apple juice, and he set them both on the table as well. Finally, he crouched next to you, taking your chin softly in his hand. 

"I gotta go back to work now, okay baby? But I'll be back before you know it."

You nodded, and Steve continued speaking to you.

"We close at 8:00pm." Steve grabbed one of your gel pens and drew a little picture on the corner of the notebook page. "So when the clock looks like that, we can go back home and cuddle all night long. You can even help me lock up the shop if you want, how's that sound baby?"

"Okay dada," you whispered, and Steve pressed a soft kiss to the tip of your nose.

"That's my little bumblebee. I'll just be through that window right there if you need me for anything at all."

And with one more kiss, Steve was back to work. After a few more reassuring glances from him through the partition window, you finally felt at ease enough to start drawing in your notebook, now comfortable passing the time until Steve was off work. With the tension finally released from your anxious body, you lost yourself in your art, coloring little animals, stars and planets, flowers, bugs, and ice cream cones. Before you knew it, you heard Steve's voice call out to the customers still enjoying a late evening treat.

"Alright everybody, Scoops Ahoy is officially closed. You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here!"

Sure enough, the clock on the wall matched the picture Steve had drawn. Your attention was drawn to the door as Robin walked into the back room, grabbing her bag and a soda from the fridge. 

"See ya, kiddo!" She said, flashing a peace sign at you as she went back out to the front of the store, waving to Steve as she exited. "Thanks for closing up."

Steve waved back as Robin mingled into the crowd of shoppers all on their own way back home, then turned to you. 

"I just gotta clean up a few things before we go," he said, leaning through the window, "but before I do, may I take your order?"

You grinned widely before turning back to your notebook, scribbling out a drawing of your favorite ice cream flavor absolutely covered in toppings. You ripped out the page and handed it to Steve.

"Coming right up baby!"

You happily munched on your ice cream while Steve closed up boxes of toppings and stacked them on the shelves. When the back room was clean, he helped you put your pens away and carried your backpack and ice cream out to the front of the store so you could stay close to him while he wiped off each of the tables, mopped the floors, and closed out the cash register. Finally, Steve helped you throw away the trash from your ice cream, hoisted your backpack onto his shoulder, and held your hand as you slid out from the booth. You walked together to the front of the store, where Steve stopped and turned to you. 

"Would you like to do the honors, honey bun?" He asked, motioning towards the big light switch that controlled the fancy neon sign in the entranceway. 

You nodded, reaching up on your tiptoes to flip the switch, and suddenly the empty mall became a lot darker around you. Steve noticed you tense up and immediately, his hand was back in yours. 

"Don't worry baby. I've got you. You're safe with me." He said, holding you tight as he led you to the garage, and not intending to let go of you for a very long time. 

[majesticwren]

this is part II of this previous smutty one-shot. That one is still a stand-alone but, after this point, it is officially a multichaper. part III to come soon. edit: part III is done. be advised, this entire project is done solely for my pleasure, I am indulging myself so much with this. the angst that it carries (because yes there will be more coming - I am very good very evil) it's the energy I crave please don't come for me and trust the process I'll feed you smut. it is edited but not proofread. enjoy. a/n: hi :) me again back at it. I didn't like the first draft of this so I finally went back in and made it a little extra poly/gay with some more chemistry between kyle and will because I needed it. thank you bye 💕

trigger warning/s: angst angst angst, poly relationship dynamics, reference to sex, reference to threesome, smut, oral f receiving, shit loads of misunderstandings and miscommunication, swearing, OFC is unhinged and is her own trigger warning.

<- part I | part III -> prequel part I -> | part II -> | part III -> | part IV -> Masterlist

Erika sat still and collected. She had already been told off a few times because she was too fidgety so, now, it became a game of control on her own subconscious and nervous system. She was releasing her frustration on biting the inside of her cheek and lips instead. It was just as bad as bouncing her knee or just generally being unable to sit still and empty handed for longer than thirty seconds, but it was better manageable when her nail technician required her absolute stillness to work.

Not that she was winning. Not at all. Her mind was too busy. But, at least, it was fun to pretend she had everything under control. Everything was fine. Erika kept repeating it to herself like a prayer. She truly believed if she did it for long enough it would have become true. Because the alternative was heaving a breakdown, and she couldn’t afford one of those. Not when it risked to jeopardize the precarious balance her life had.

She was happy. She had been happy for a very long time. She had no right to suddenly feel like her very lucky, very privileged life could be somehow tight. And yet, she couldn’t shake her the claustrophobic feeling of being trapped in a small box. Which was exactly why she spent every waking second feeling guilty and every sleeping moment being tormented by her subconscious painfully reminding her about everything she didn’t have.

It wasn’t fair. And not because she thought the universe was torturing her, but because she was aware she was the problem. 

She was a wild card; which was all fun and games until she got to moments of her life like that one when she decided she needed a revolution. 

When she was younger, she tended to act out. Sometimes she thought her family was too nice, so she went and created problems. Sometimes she hated being pretty and how easy life seemed to be, so she would become nasty. Sometimes people would assume she was nothing more than a pretty face, and she would think about the smartest, cruellest way to get revenge. Sometimes all Erika craved was attention and would indulge in sex, alcohol or drugs abuse to get what she wanted. It started when she was very young, some may say too young to understand the consequences of her actions. Her brother helped her out of most of the shit she found herself drowning into even before she was eighteen.

And then she met Kyle.

He had been different from any other guy or girl she had ever interacted with. She knew since the very beginning he was special to her; she was attracted to him like a moth to light. It was impossible for her to stay away. But he too became a rebellious act she did in spite of Mark when her brother noticed her interest, assumed wrong of her intentions and suggested her to stay away from Kyle because he had no intention of seeing her breaking his heart. So, she took him literally and proceeded to do exactly what Mark had asked her not to. She broke Kyle’s heart. And it took her time to understand her mistake and fix it. 

Thing was, she wasn’t a teenager anymore. She hadn’t allowed herself to act on a whim in a very long time and she wasn’t about to justify herself to risk to ruin her perfect fairytale life. 

She got to do the job of her dreams, having a career many would kill for, not only that but she was also making good money for her skill. And she got to travel the world side by side with her amazing, beautiful and talented boyfriend, making many friends along the way. It felt nothing but privilege to her. Some may had been deserved, but privilege all the same. 

The idea that she was going to possibly ruin it all was terrifying.

But, everything was fine, she reminded herself.

“So,” Regina, the girl working on her nails, sent her a curious look from the other side of the table. “You look very pretty today. I see you had your lashes done?”

“Just this morning,” Erika nodded, “and my hair too.”

“I see,” the girl’s look became suddenly cheeky. She was a proper chatter-box who lived for the scandalous gossip her clients brought to the salon. They all were. There and at the hair salon just across the way. Which was mostly pleasant and harmless, but Erika had a feeling of what was coming and didn’t have the patience to hold a conversation. “Any special occasion?”

She shrugged. “Just a little party between friends.”

“Oh?”

“My brother is coming back from Australia after a month,” Erika decided to give in a little, “we organised a small gathering for him.” 

“You are an awful lot beautiful for just a casual event.”

“Can’t change perfection, sorry darling,” Erika giggled, finding some soothe in the distraction that conversation brought.

Regina chuckled too. “And what about your dashing boyfriend? Is he gonna be there?”

Erika grinned proudly, knowing very well how pretty Kyle was and how much attention he always got. Thankfully she wasn’t the jealous type. “Of course. You might be in for a treat actually,” Erika raised her chin, basking into her own bragging. “He is around and will pick me up when I’m done.”

“Oh,” Regina shook her shoulders, all excited, “You just made my day. Girls!” she called referring to the rest of the salon, “Erika’s boyfriend is popping by!” A small burst of celebrations occurred between the girls present, someone clapped, someone tapped the work surface and a few howled, just for everyone to then cheer joyfully. Erika too, giggled to herself allowing herself to let go of some of her concerns.

Thinking about Kyle made it better. Mostly.

“You will understand what we mean as soon as you see him,” Regina hinted to the girl sitting next to Erika, who was giving everyone very suspicious looks. “I tell you these Australians are something else.”

Erika shook her head, rolling her eyes. “What can I say, eh? We are the best country in the world, after all.”

“Well, tell me about this party, girlie,” Regina continued, focusing back on the final details her nails. “Are all your famous friends going to be there?”

“No,” any trace of joy left Erika. She huffed as enthusiasm washed off her. She was just exhausted. “Just a couple,”

“Well? Cheer up, love, what’s that sudden long face for? You can’t be all done up like this and be sad. Not on my nails.”

“I’m sorry Regina,” Erika sighed, “I am just tired, it’s been a long day and I haven’t slept at all well.”

“I bet. With a guy like your boy, I’d struggle to sleep every night too.”

Erika chuckled. She knew exactly how to respond to keep that little chitchat going, just to occupy time, but she didn’t say it. She was done talking. Not because she didn’t enjoy it, only because she was done holding up a mask. Her social battery was running out so quickly and she still had to deal with the last bits to get ready for the party and the event itself.

It wasn’t like she wasn’t looking forward seeing her brother after so long. She was so happy he was coming back to the UK; she missed him so much. But the idea of a party with all their close friends was enough to make her feel exhausted already. To be precise, it was the idea of a party with Will present that made her feel completely overwhelmed. 

Will was her problem.

Her chest still ached thinking about how cold and awkward it had been between them ever since the night they spent together. He didn’t seem to have any problem with Kyle, they kept spending as much time together as they could. Which wasn’t a surprise. But with her he was a completely different guy.

They hadn’t talked since the morning after. And ever since, Will had been plainly avoiding her. If they were so unlucky to cross paths, the words they exchanged were brief and distant. No eye contact.

Saying she was heartbroken wasn’t enough. 

Erika was aware they only had sex once and no one had talked about feelings. Yet, she wasn’t prepared to be treated so awkwardly. Especially after what they had. It meant something to her. It meant something Will stayed that night and they all slept snuggled on each other. It meant something that she now knew the scent of his skin or how he snored when he was on his right side. 

Being aware of what they shared and that Will now took part of her away, even if he wasn’t willing to accept it, was the only thing she had been able to think about. And it was her burden to carry. Every time she had to remind herself how things were going to be carved a deeper hole into her chest. And at the same time there was a need, a hunger, gnawing at her bones, leaving her feeling cold. And alone.

The most shameful part of it was that she didn’t have the heart to open up with Kyle about it. For the first time, she found herself keeping secrets from him. 

She felt dirty every second and she knew Kyle was trying his best to understand her and leaving her space, although she also knew he was hurting knowing something was happening. It was a price she was willing to pay, though. She had no intention of being the reason to slip any doubt in between him and Will. 

Erika had tried to soothe whatever was going on between them in the second-best way she knew how to be close to Kyle, since she had decided not to talk with him, and that was through sex. They had a way of always finding each other when they were intimate. It created a connection that was able to reassure her and take away some of her pain. Although the thought of Will was never gone for long.

She had thought about it long and hard. For some time, she had even started to get extremely concerned, wandering whether or not she had made the biggest mistake of her life and had cheated on Kyle right in front of him. But then she pretty quickly realised that wasn’t the case. The worth Kyle had to her was unchanged, Kyle still owned her heart. Only now it also ached for someone else too. 

“Oh,” Regina cooed, “heads up,” the moment she hinted to the entrance door, the bell ringed, announcing someone’s arrival. 

Erika followed Regina’s gaze and immediately melted into a warm smile as she recognised Kyle. Her body relaxed, her skin warmed up and her spirit shone a little brighter for him. 

“Hey,” she chirped.

The salon seemed to fall into an awe. Erika was hoping it was only her impression, although she didn’t miss the awkward, timid look Kyle sent all around. The more eyes set on him he found, the more his cheeks blushed. 

He held his half empty gym bag in one hand and was still wearing his gym gear, which was composed of baggy shorts and an unmatching old hoodie he had ripped the sleeves off only so he could show his arms. It was incredible how effortless his prettiness was. He could still look so attractive even in the lowest maintenance circumstances. It was mind blowing.

“Hey baby,” his voice broke her train of thought, “you ok?”

“Your girlie here seems to be very tired,” Regina looked directly at him, sending him a challenging look, “she said you keep her up all night.”

“Pardon?” Kyle blushed violently. His pale eyes glimmered of interest as he looked back at Erika, puzzled but amused as a timid smile peeked on his lips. 

“Nothing. Ignore her, please,” Erika sent a warning glare to Regina, hoping she could behave herself.

Kyle cleared his voice and nodded, “Right. Are you almost done?” He wondered leaning in to give her a quick kiss on the lips.

Erika looked back at Regina who nodded, looking at her own work on her nails. “Almost. Ten, fifteen minutes?”

Kyle’s attention didn’t move from Erika. “Do you want me to come back?”

“No,” Regina replied instead, offering a kiss-ass grin, “stay, have a seat on out booth, we got lovely colourful magazines and fresh cucumber water! Just ask.”

To his sudden confusion, Erika chuckled, leaning her head back as she looked up at him. “You are very popular in this establishment baby, you might want to consider switching career.”

“Oh, yeah?” he wondered leaning in for another kiss, causing some of the women around them to ooh them. “And what would you have me do, ladies?”

“Just stand there and be pretty. That’s more than enough.” Erika explained. 

Kyle offered a large smile to everyone present. “I see. Well, I’ll be sitting over there where everyone can easily look at me while you finish up.”

“Thank you,” Erika cooed and looked at him as he crossed the small salon and dropped himself on the small booth by the door. 

“Will says hi, by the way,” he casually began, opening up a random magazine. 

Erika choked. 

She turned towards Regina, as if hiding away could somehow shoo off the feelings that hit her like a landslide of heavy boulders rolling above her chest. So many questions crowded her mind, but, above anything, she was outraged.

What did it mean that Will said hi? Just like that? Casually? Like nothing happened? Was that the next step? From the awkwardness of knowing they saw each other naked and had sex to the complete denial it even ever happened? Was she that forgettable? And why would Kyle just say it like that? Like it was the most normal thing in the world? Did he think nothing happened too? That night meant nothing to him? Was he truly so blind not to notice how she was hurting and how Will hadn’t talked to her in a week? 

Or did they simply just decided to continue hang out with each other without her?

The room around her felt suddenly too small to breathe. The low murmur surrounding her and the ambiance music became too loud to bear. She felt like she was falling into a black void and sit there, unable to move, was unthinkable.

“Are you ok?”

Erika ignored Regina, shaking her words with a shrug. “Yes. Can you hurry up?”

“I mean I have the last layer of polish to do,” Regina frowned, “are you not feeling well?”

“No, I am ok, thank you. Just finish up, I just remembered I have something urgent I need to do.”

Erika barely managed to sit after that. She felt uncomfortable in her clothes, under her own skin. When her nails were finally done, she had never bolted out of that place as quickly as she did. Generally, she’d indulge in some small chit-chat and a drink or their flavoured water, just as courtesy. Not that time. She didn’t even stop to give Kyle the time to get up.

“Hey,” he shouted at her as she went through the door, “Hey, Erika, hold on,” he continued and when she didn’t stop for him, he grabbed her arm, bringing her to a hold. “Baby, what’s wrong?

She hissed, shaking her head. “Nothing is wrong. Let’s just go. Mark will land in a few hours,” 

“Yes. I know. I am the one who needs to go pick him up.” Erika tried to escape his hold, but Kyle held on, his grab was gentle but solid. “Will you stop one second? What happened? What did I do?”

Her heart was squeezed between guilt and regret. Erika raised a hand to him, cupping his cheek. “Nothing.” God, she wished she could pick him up and press him into her chest, “You had done nothing wrong; I just want to go home.”

How much she wished that could be enough. She wanted to drown into his eyes and disappear.

Kyle hesitated. His eyes cruised on her face, trying to read the answers he wanted from her features. And still, he kept his tongue tied.

He knew. She was aware Kyle knew something was up. He had known since the very beginning and she knew he was smart enough to connect the dots, only he never dared to overstep. Even though she desperately needed him to shake some sense into her.

He let her go, releasing a soft huff. “Ok.” He raised his hands peacefully, “Let’s take you home.”

“I’m gonna be late,” Kyle pushed his face in the crook of her neck, brushing his lips on her collarbones. 

She released a soft giggle, bending underneath him. “Passport control always takes ages,” Erika argued, wrapping her legs around his waist and keeping him exactly where he was standing in response. “Mark can wait,” she purred, her hands were all over Kyle as she sat back on her vanity table surface, pulling him closer.

He caught her lips in a heated kiss, unable to deny her. His big hands moved on her sides and down to her thighs. As soon as his palms touched her skin, Erika purred, melting under him. He easily lifted up the soft material of the silk shift she was wearing, exposing her.

“You are so bad,” Kyle pressed his smile on her chin, “you’d let your own brother wait all alone in the airport after the longest flight ever just to have some more sex.”

“Yes,” she pouted, ready to beg if necessary, “you should take it as a compliment.”

They had been going at it ever since they came home. Everything that was supposed to be said, everything that they were supposed to talk about, that Kyle wanted to ask and Erika needed to say, was forgotten once more just so they could find their connection skin on skin. 

It was blissful. Selfish, maybe, from both parts. And yet tremendously sweet. When she was between Kyle’s arms her mind was quiet and she felt safe. There was nothing threatening to hurt them. Nothing wrong.

And she simply couldn’t let go.

They had sex already twice in the midst of getting ready but it didn’t seem like they were done. It was easy for her to forget she was supposed to concentrate on doing her makeup and let him finish to dress up to go and pick up Mark. 

Kyle followed her neck, down to her chest, kissing, licking and nibbling on her soft, sensitive skin. When he continued down her sternum, unbothered by the thin material dividing him from her direct skin, Erika understood his intention and encouraged him with a soft whimper. 

He kneeled in front of her throwing her legs over his shoulders. His hands traced to her waist, surrounding her like a belt and holding her steady. His attention was only for her as he looked up, pale blue eyes glimmering with hot lust. 

“I do not have time,” he reminded her, bending his head and pressing his lips against the inside of her thigh, “but I can’t leave you knowing you are so needy.”

“No, you can’t,” her breath was hot and heavy as she looked at him move. “God,” she dared to chuckle, pushing a hand into his hair and keeping balance with the other. “You are so pretty in between my thighs it fucking hurts.”

“Yeah?” He wondered, only pretending not to be aware of the effect he had on her. The smirk he pulled gave her a shiver. He kissed higher up on her thigh. His lips were close to her core she felt his hot breath on her exposed flesh, and yet not giving her the satisfaction yet. 

She whimpered, nodding and stretching, feeling her need to find pleasure becoming an inconvenient ache pressing on her abdomen. “Please, Kyle,”

He didn’t let her waste anymore breath. Holding her steady, he pushed his face into her, and ate her up like she was made of honey. Erika almost lost every faculty as soon as his tongue caressed her folds, and she was completely gone by the time he started sucking her flesh. A moan vibrated through his chest, sending her to another planet.

The air soon filled by the obscene noises of Kyle’s mouth wrapped around her sex, accompanied by her moans. She wasn’t even trying to keep quiet by then. 

Pleasure started to build up inside of her stomach, sending electric shivers all across her limbs. Erika barely managed to balance herself up with an arm, but she didn’t care, she craved to push her fingers deeper between his hair just to hold him. In response, he looked straight up at her. His blue eyes were astonishingly beautiful. Making eye contact in such a moment was ravaging, so powerful her skin crawled with goosebumps, as pleasure only built. 

Erika didn’t take long to reach her edge and didn’t do anything to try and hold herself. She let herself go as her pleasure took over, growing through her, tensing her muscles as shivers crawled on her skin. Kyle skilfully guided her through her pleasure, following the movement of her hips and the quickness of her breath to know when she got close reaching her orgasm and then, he gave her exactly what she wanted, exactly what she needed, accompanying her through her release. She unravelled against him, her body shaking uncontrollably between his arms, as she called his name, lost in yet again another wave of pure bliss.

She then watched him rising to his feet. They were both out of breath. Erika felt pure electricity flowing in between them and under her skin and when he cleaned his chin and mouth up with his hand, she quivered, biting down on her lower lip not to beg him for more.

She needed another shower. A freezing cold one.

Erika slid her hands across his bare chest, looking at the scratch marks she left on his skin with extreme pride. “I wish we could just be like this all the time.”

“What? Having sex instead of being responsible and do adult things?”

“Precisely.” She looked away hiding from him, herself and everything else. The moment he’d leave her she would have only gone back to go insane again.

Kyle smiled softly. It was like he caught a glimpse of her sadness and, cupping her face, he made her look back at him. “I wish you talked to me,” his sweet request hit her right in the middle of the chest and ripped her apart. “You know I am here for you and I will always give you what you want. But I wish you’d tell me what’s wrong.”

She froze. Erika wished she could quit being that way. She wished it was just easier; she wished she let herself accept it could be easier. Instead, she pushed him away. “Yes,” she murmured sadly, “I know.” Erika attentively got back on her feet, still feeling her legs weak underneath her.

Kyle nodded. Her closing up to him once more was clearly something that hurt him. She saw it, she knew him well enough, and just wished she could be different.

She tried. For a moment they looked at each other and she truly tried to make her thoughts and emotions into words, but the knot in her throat silenced her. Her hesitation costed her their moment because Kyle was the one who broke eye contact and let her go.

He moved across the room and in the bathroom, quickly making himself presentable before slipping into the clean t-shirt he had already put on twice before and that had been promptly removed and thrown on the floor twice over. Then, he quietly picked a pair of white sketchers and sat on the edge of the bed to put them on.

Erika wanted so bad to pretend everything was ok. They just spent a couple of hours having fun, ignoring responsibilities to just fool around with each other, yet the air between them was suddenly frosty. She still faked it. She was so good at it. She pulled her stool back in front of the table and sat back down, looking at herself in the mirror. 

She was a mess. Her makeup needed to be re-done. She needed a thick mask to cover up all the hurt showing in her eyes.

“Is it Will?” Kyle finally broke the silence. “Actually, don’t answer to that. I know whatever is going on with you is connected to Will. I am not stupid.”

Erika closed her eyes and looked away, hiding from her own reflection and Kyle’s gaze in the mirror. “We don’t have time for this.”

“We do. Passport control takes ages,” Kyle reminded her. “Erika, please, it’s me. Tell me. I need to know if I did something wrong, somehow?”

“You didn’t. You never would,” Erika turned over to him, “But please, I am begging you, I can’t deal to talk about Will.”

“Did he hurt you?” His voice was suddenly so severe it scared her.

“What!?” She shook her head, “No! Of course, not.” Despite the fact that he hadn’t acknowledged her for days now and that distance between them was hurting more than she could ever say.

“Then what? What happened the other night that made you have such a change of heart? I thought you enjoyed yourself.”

“I did,” Erika needed to reassure him. Now more than ever she noticed the frustration he felt in his inability to reach her. There was something tormenting him in and now he wasn’t hiding how desperately he wanted to fix whatever was hurting her.

Erika got up and quickly moved to him. Her hands moved around his face without her even thinking about it, she needed to touch him to make contact. “I did enjoy myself. I wanted it.” Erika had to fight not to let memories flood into her mind.

“Then what is it? I left you your space and I don’t mean to overstep, but I thought you’d take a moment and then you’d look for me. But you haven’t. You are shutting me out.”

“I am not,” she knew he was right and still proceeded to deny it, “I did look for you.”

“When? You are over there and I am over here, I feel you slip away through my fingers.”

Erika took his hand and pressed it against her own chest, letting him feel her taking a deep breath. “I just did. I do it all the time.”

Kyle shook his head. “Sex isn’t enough anymore, Erika. I need to know what’s going on in your head. In your heart. I can’t take it anymore, please tell me what’s wrong. Tell me how to fix it.”

“You can’t fix it,” she shook her head, “It will pass. It doesn’t matter.”

“It clearly matters. It matters to you. It matters to me. And it matters to Will.”

Erika chuckled sarcastically, shaking her head. “Well about that I doubt.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means nothing. Kyle, please,” she huffed, trying to regulate her emotions in a way that wasn’t falling into an argument with the only person who didn’t deserve any of what she was throwing at him. “Go and pick up Mark. Let’s get through the party and then,”

“Then what? Will you talk to me then?”

“If I say yes?”

“I want to believe you.” Kyle looked up at her, defeated, “I need to believe you. But I don’t.”

“Ok, I can deal with that. What I can’t deal with is talking about Will now.”

“You will have to deal with him sooner or later, he is going to come over.”

“Yes, I am aware.”

“I just don’t understand what happened. You just shut both of us out.”

“Kyle,” Erika shook her head, “please, I am begging you.”

He looked so hurt. And so precious. Erika felt the need to scream and break something. It wasn’t fair, he didn’t deserve being treated that way. And yet she couldn’t bring herself to do anything different. In her chest guilt and shame vibrated, twisting her stomach painfully.

“Right,” Kyle dropped it, “fine.” He got up and leaned in, softly kissing her forehead. 

“I am so sorry,” she whispered, looking away, trying to fight her tears and her own pain. She hated to put more weight on Kyle’s shoulders, especially since she had the impression he felt somehow responsible.

“When you are ready, I’ll be there,” he left her. “Get ready. I’ll be back soon.”

“Ok,” she whispered and watched him leave the bedroom feeling suddenly so lonely and lost.

She hated herself sometimes. She knew why she acted the way she did. She understood her ways and yet she wished she could snap her fingers and just stop being a prick. Especially with Kyle.

He left without saying goodbye and when she was left completely alone, Erika stood in the middle of her bedroom for an ungodly amount of time, just looking at nothing, spacing out into her own doubts and despair.

When she realised she was so cold she was shivering painfully, she decided it was time to get a grip. To not let her brain take over and ruin her completely, she put some music on letting the living room speakers play loud, as she hopped in the shower, hoping to wash her problems off her skin.

An hour later she had all the arrogance to lie even to herself and think she was stronger than ever. Able to tackle anything. Everything was fine. It was still her favourite prayer. 

She had decided to melt her nerves helped by a shot of tequila to get her going. Her make up was done. Her hair fixed. She looked pretty, expensive and unbothered, just like she wanted. A perfectly executed mask. She only pretended she was wearing a cute outfit she casually picked, when she had the specific plan to be looked at.

Will was going to be there and she had every intention of getting his attention, one way or the other. It became a matter of pride. If he was doing everything in his power to ignore her and pretend nothing happened, she was set to make it as difficult as humanly possible for him. She needed to win. It was easier to think it that way than sulk. She was done being passive to her own pain. She wanted answers and she would have got them by the end of the evening. 

She even had the time to get the ambiance around the apartment just right to host a small gathering and just double checked with the catering that they’d be on time to set up before their friends arrived. 

When the doorbell went off, she gasped with surprise, fooling herself she could act completely cool. Everything was fine.

She hopped across her apartment on her tippytoes, still not wearing shoes. She was hoping it could be Kyle and Mark already even though she knew it was way too early. After picking Mark up from the airport, which was a potential forty-five minutes’ drive in traffic, Kyle was supposed to drop Mark back at his own place before driving him back there. It couldn’t be them. Plus, Kyle had the keys to get in the house. But she still answered the door with the same enthusiasm and expectations. 

“Hello,” she chirped, “come on up. Fifth floor,” she explained, realising it was probably the much less exciting catering guys coming in to set up.

Erika was still fiddling with her golden hoop earrings when she opened the door, ready to welcome their hired employees with a big smile. In the background played Rich Girl, by Daryll Hall and John Oates. “Hi, welcome,” as soon as her eyes set on the person standing by the entrance, she choked. Her smile hanged on her lips, and slowly froze when she realised, she wasn’t going to welcome Kyle or her brother and neither it was the catering. 

“Will,” she frowned, her throat sealed shut. It was the first time she saw him in days. She hid behind the door, trying to hold herself up. She had been doing such a good job, she couldn’t crumble the first second they interacted. “What are you doing here?”

He had his hands dug deep into his trousers and was looking straight at the floor, doing everything in his power to avoid eye contact. “Mark’s party. I was invited, remember?” 

The monotone in his deep voice drove her insane, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to slam the door in his face or choke him out more.

She rolled her eyes. “Yes. I know. I mean this early.”

He shrugged. “I can come back if you prefer,”

Erika widened the door, sliding to the side and signing him to come in. “Don’t be stupid. Kyle and Mark aren’t here yet though.” 

She did everything in her power to maintain her decorum. If she wanted to survive that evening, she needed to rise above. And yet, she already couldn’t think clearly. 

As Will entered her home, awkwardly looking around, she inhaled deeply his scent. She was taken by a primal need for her to know what perfume he was wearing. But it went deeper than that as she realised what she was looking for was the smell of his skin, bare, sweaty and marked by sex.

It was beyond her. Memories hit her stronger than ever. She felt his callous hands on her skin, his ghostly fingers traced her body, making her doubt what was reality and what was dream. She could still taste his mouth on her tongue just as clearly as she could feel his curly hair in between her fingers. Just like she was still in his arms, she could feel the pressure of his hold, or the weight of his body on hers.

It was excruciating. Unbearable. Made her want to rip her hair out and run away, never to come back. But mostly, it made her feel so small and insignificant. She wouldn’t have made it. 

She wanted him so bad it hurt in places she wasn’t aware could hurt for a person.

Will still didn’t look at her. “Do you have any booze?”

“Fridge for beer or wine, and mixers, don’t touch the bubbly. Freezer for vodka. Wine rack for more wine and tequila. Knock yourself out.” She turned around, pretending she didn’t care. Maybe she could have hidden in the bedroom until someone else arrived? 

No.

She had promised herself she’d stop being a coward and a prick and would handle the situation. And that was actually the perfect occasion to get what she wanted.

“I’m gonna finish getting ready. Mind letting the catering people in when they arrive?”

“Sure.” She heard him pop a beer open.

She wondered if he was looking at her then. She hoped he was. She was ready for a fight. She was ready to get it over with because she couldn’t take to have that awful, awkward situation hanging above her life, shaving off happiness from her current relationship. But, deep down, she was still naively hoping to get what she wanted. Which was Will.

She turned around, deciding to get to her best weapons immediately. First artillery fire. She leaned against the bedroom doorframe, looking directly at Will, ignoring how intensely he was studying every title in Kyle’s collection of pop-punk vinyl CDs. She didn’t know him to have ever been that interested in that music genre before.

“Do you like my dress, Will?” She wondered casually and watched his reaction with a dangerous, magnetic smile printed on her lips.

She watched avidly how he stiffened, raising his head and widening his shoulders, which only made her ego grow. Will didn’t move for the longest couple of seconds as his eyes traced up on the wall in front of him. He didn’t dare to look back but his eyes did move on the dozen frames patching up the wall retracting professional pictures of wrestling matches. Only the best of her work, exposed like in a gallery. Will had more than one spot on her wall. Now she was starting to understand why she liked to portray him so much.

“Don’t ignore me.”

He hissed, clearly bothered by her voice. “I am not.”

“So?”

“I dunno. Doesn’t matter what I think, does it?”

“It does if I am asking.”

He huffed and then hid behind his beer, taking two good gulps of it before just shaking his head. “Sure. You look very nice. But you know that. So, why bothering asking me?”

“How would you know? You haven’t even looked at me once.”

Will tutted and let his head fall back, releasing some of his frustration in a huff. He was still not facing her. “I am not playing your game, Erika.”

“Look at me, Will.” She ordered, summoning all her strength not to let any of her desperation show. She wanted to sound authoritative and not like a little scared girl who just wanted to be held. Somehow it made sense in her mind that that could be her best plan.

It seemed like he was willing to fight her. For a split second he held his position, without daring to move. He was holding his breath. But then, something gave in and he did turn. Not completely, as if he was still trying not to expose himself to her. But he did. And when he did, his eyes sliced through her like daggers, severe and detached. She didn’t recognise the cold in his gaze and kept stumbling in the fear that she was continuing to make mistakes.

That moment was the first that Erika realised it wasn’t only about the sex anymore. She wasn’t only looking at a man that couldn’t recognise being the same who held her so tenderly. But she also couldn’t recognise the Will she had liked and respected for so long from before. Before everything, they had been friends for a long time. Years. They shared trips, work, holidays, accommodations, moments of their lives that will always connect them. And yet, she was now cut out of it.

She was hurting so bad.

But, for the life of her, Erika didn’t dare to show an inch of it. He didn’t deserve it.

If that’s how it had to be, then she was determined to make him regret his choices.

Will shrugged. “So? What am I supposed to look at?” She was the one who was hit. But Will wasn’t done. “Let’s do this like civil adults, shall we? I am here for Kyle and Mark, let’s get through this. In a couple of days, I’ll be on the road again in Japan.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Knowing he was going to be gone fairly soon disheartened her. It didn’t seem like she was going to prove any point, let alone win at anything. And he was going away soon, maybe that was it, that was her answer. Let it go, for everyone’s sake. 

“You know what I mean.”

“No.” Erika crossed her arms, willing to appear as defensive as possible, “I do not know what you mean, William.”

The smile he whipped out was pure scorn. He took her words like a cheap shot, shaking his head. “My, my, you must be very upset. I rattle you pretty bad, don’t I? Don’t worry. You stay out of my way and I’ll stay out of yours and everyone lives happily ever after.”

“You are such a cunt.” Erika scoffed, raising her chin high, “I wish I never met you.”

“Oh, don’t you worry darling, the wish is mutual.” 

He went right to the jugular. His words slipped her throat. She felt something severing inside of her. Her chest was empty and squeezed, she was unable to breathe.

She closed herself in her bedroom, leaving Will alone. 

What was she supposed to do now? 

That was answer enough. Will gave her exactly what she thought she wanted, and in the meanest way he could possibly think to clear any doubt she may have had. Only, it was nothing like what she had hoped for.

She wanted a drink so bad. Somehow, she thought alcohol could fuzz her rational thoughts and soothe her. The only problem was that Will stood between her and her booze and she had no intention to look at him ever again.

Damn it. Damn him.

Erika cried in silence, huddled on the floor like a desperate little girl who couldn’t even take rejection on the chin like a champ.

She had ignored hearing Will moving around her apartment, turning on the tv and even talk loudly on the phone. It didn’t matter what he was talking about, to her it mattered the way he laughed and chattered like nothing bothered him. Then, when the catering showed up, she still ignored him when he tried to ask for direction – again acting like nothing happened between them. He even knocked on her door a couple of times, and she still didn’t respond.

By that point, Erika's only concern was to pick herself back up, fix what Will had just broken and keep pretending. For Mark. For Kyle. For herself.

By the time she had fixed her makeup for the nth time that evening, the first guests started to arrive and that was her queue to waltz out of the bedroom and be the perfect, prettiest host. She could only hope Kyle and her brother would arrive soon.

[megidonitram]

Everyone's Running From Something (ch.3)

A Baldur's Gate 3 University Professor AU

Rating: M

Quick Summary: Astarion and Gale are two University English professors precariously mentoring a troubled 19-year-old and falling in love.

💖Main Pairing : BloodWeave,(Astarion/Gale) 💕Side Pairings: Shadowheart/Nocturne, Karlach/Dammon, Wyll/The Dark Urge, Tav/Tav 💔Past Pairings: Gale/Mystra, Astarion/Sebastian, Astarion/Tav

<=Previous Chapter | Master List | Ao3 | Next Chapter =>

**Please see Master List Entry for Full Content Warnings**

⏰Chapter Warning⏰ None

Astarion took a lap around the building to cool off before returning to his office- The last thing he needed was Gale asking him how he was doing after that little shit-show. Korrilla had also given him something of a runaround after he left Raphael’s office. She accidentally printed his requested forms on legal-size paper (because she forgot that she didn’t restock the printer before break) and then wasn’t sure if being in the wrong formatting would invalidate the paperwork, so Astarion had to wait for her to go get a fresh package of printer paper from the supply closet in the basement, which made him feel like a dick because she had to climb four flights of stairs to do that.

The problem with Korrilla was that Astarion never knew if she was in on Raphael’s torment or if she was just making a series of human mistakes because he made her nervous- though neither answer made the interaction any less annoying.

When Astarion got back to his office, Gale was still there. He was flipping through a heavily marked-up handbook on technical writing for business communications, staring at the pages as if he were either heavily engrossed by the reading -unlikely- or trying to light the damn thing on fire. It only made sense once he stepped into the room and saw Xenia posted up in the corner on her phone.

“Ah, Miss Bellona. Exactly who I was hoping to run into.” Astarion said, snapping the tension in the room like a loose thread. Gale nearly jumped out of his skin. “You look terrible.”

Xenia looked up at him with narrowed eyes, chewing one of her nails on her good hand. “I’ve had a rough few months.” She replied in that flat, desperately-trying-not-to-care tone that made her so fun to tease.

“I’ve heard. What do you need help with?” He slapped down his stack of paperwork on his desk and sat at his computer. Astarion saw Gale watching him wide-eyed, and he wondered how much Gale had pried while he was gone.

“I wanted to get the assignment sheets for my missing work from Survey of Gothic Literature,” Xenia said. Gale casually turned in his chair and pretended to rearrange the books on his shelf, giving them the courtesy of at least pretending to check-out of their conversation. “I thought I should get started on finishing that before the rest of my classes start…”

“Of course, you dropped off around Project… 4, was it? I think I kept a folder with your missing assignments somewhere.” With a few keystrokes, Astarion’s computer lurched back to life, fan buzzing as the machine recalibrated after being shut off for a month straight.

“I think the last thing I turned in was the 2nd character study…” Xenia replied. “…or maybe I just finished it- do you recall reading a paper from me about Miss Jessel?”

“I don’t, but I’ve read nearly a thousand bad-to-mediocre composition papers since then, so it’s likely I just forgot.” Astarion clicked through the expired Canvas shell to skim the grade book and determine which assignments he needed to pull.

“Oh, so my writing's mediocre?”

“I’m sorry, your 1200-word sophomore-level essay demonstrated a pure mastery of your craft. How foolish of me to forget when the beauty of your words brought me to tears.”  Astarion scoffed. He found the file folder he was looking for and printed it off. “Gale, I know you’re terribly busy, but could you grab those papers from the 2nd floor breakroom?”

“Absolutely!” Gale was on his feet and heading for before the request had fully left Astarion’s mouth. He gave Xenia a friendly smile. “Back in a flash!”

“Take your time.” The comment came out a lot more passive-aggressive than Astarion meant it. He watched Gale leave the room and listened for the stairwell door to open and close. Astarion turned back to Xenia. “What did you say to him?”

Xenia shrugged. “He asked about my dad, and I told him that I stabbed him to death.”

“Did you happen to… elaborate on that?”

“No, he didn’t ask.”

Astarion sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “You know, if you want people to stop treating you like a freak, you’ll have to stop acting like one.”

Xenia crossed her good arm in front of herself and pouted. “It’s not like someone wouldn’t have told him anyways.”

“Probably, but even a complete stranger would make you seem at least a little saner,” Astarion replied.

Xenia went quiet for a moment, her lips twisting into a disgruntled snarl. Her eyes drifted to the water-stained ceiling tiles. Astarion sort of understood her twisted logic. There were a lot of people on campus who treated her like a ticking time bomb, regardless of whether they knew her exact circumstances or not. If people would be convinced that she was a monster regardless, perhaps it was better if she was the one doing the convincing- at least then she was in control. It hurts less to meet someone's rotten expectations than to try your hardest and fail to prove them wrong.

“I suppose you want to know what happened last semester?” she muttered.

“Tell me or don’t.” Astarion shrugged. “I could not care less.”

Xenia rolled her eyes. “You’re such a dick.”

“What I am is a mandatory reporter, so think carefully about what you want to tell me- unless you like filling out copious amounts of paperwork,” Astarion said. “Do you need the reading materials? I could just lend you my anthology since you’re the only one left in the class.”

“I’ve still got my book from last year…” Xenia replied, mind still very clearly elsewhere. “…Do you have siblings?”

Astarion paused. “Yes. 6 of them. Why?”

“How do you refer to them… like in your mind? Do you call them your siblings?”

“I don’t think of the much anymore, honestly. But I suppose when I do, I think of them as their first names.” Astarion sighed. “Is there something you actually wanted to talk to me about?”

“I’m having trouble figuring out how to think of my sister,” Xenia admitted. “I guess she was never really my sister, and she was never really to blame, but…”

“You’re allowed to be angry at her,” Astarion replied. “I think you should be, frankly.”

Xenia mulled over his words for a moment, and Astarion could see her run her tongue along the inside of her cheek, absent-mindedly tracing the contours of her scar. She opened her mouth to say something, but the door in the stairwell creaked open, and she clamed up, wary of being overheard.

***

Gale felt horribly selfish for wanting to bolt out of the office as badly as he did. He wanted Xenia to feel comfortable and safe around him -the poor thing seemed like she’d been through enough- but he’d locked up. It wasn’t difficult for Gale to surmise that she probably didn’t commit patricide for the fun of it- those kinds of actions are usually born out of extreme desperation. However, whenever he thought about trying to relate to her or lift the mood, the impulse was killed by some strange insistence that he was being too personal, too forthcoming, too intimate.

He envied the ease with which Astarion had struck up a rapport with her- it seemed that despite his posturing, Astarion did, in fact, have a few soft spots. Gale told himself that it was because Astarion had leagues more experience in these departments than he did, but still, he worried. This was the first time he’d been on a college campus purely as a professional, and it felt a lot more daunting than he’d ever imagined.

It took Gale a hot minute of wandering around on the wrong floor to figure out Astarion meant “second floor” in the standard British English sense of the phrase, and the break room was actually located on the third floor. He collected the small stack of orphaned papers from the tray next to the copier and returned to Astarion’s -his- office.

Xenia was still there, Idle chatting about the books she’d read while in involuntary hold. “Do you teach V.C. Andrews? She’d gothic lit, isn’t she?”

“I’m not much of an Americanist,” Astarion replied. “If I’m forced to teach Southern Gothic authors, I tend to gravitate towards Falkner.”

“Not Poe?”

Astarion gave her a derisive look, but Gale handed the stack of papers before he could respond. He flipped through to ensure everything was in order and handed them over to Xenia. “You’ve got two more plot summaries, a thematic analysis, and a comparative essay for the final. Work on them at your leisure.”  

Xenia took the papers and tossed them in the tattered messenger bag she’d brought without a second glance. “Thanks!” She said. “Is there anything else I need?”

Astarion put a hand on the paperwork he’d brought in with him, thumbing over the corner before he shot a scrutinizing look over at Gale. “Yes… but we’ll talk about it later.” He said.

“Alight, see you around then.” Xenia shrugged and slung her bag over her good shoulder but didn’t quite get it, and the strap slid down her arm, catching hard in the crook of her elbow. She let out a frustrated groan.

“Here, allow me.” Gale stepped forward and looped the strap comfortably over her shoulder.

Xenia cocked her head and gave Gale a thoughtful look, her dark eyes piercing right through him. “Thank you…” she muttered before she turned and hurried out of the office.

“She seems…” Gale trailed off. He wasn’t sure what Xenia seemed like; he’d never met a murderer before- at least not to his knowledge.

“Shorter than you’d thought she’d be?” Astarion asked flippantly, reclining in his chair. That was fair; Gale had a hard time imagining how someone as little and frail as Xenia could overpower a full-grown man, boxcutter or no.

“Did she really-”

“Self-defense,” Astarion answered several questions ahead. “I don’t suggest asking her anything else about it. She didn’t have a particularly pleasant home life.”

“I’d imagine not,” Gale replied, sitting back down at his desk. He tried his credentials again- still nothing. “-do you know how long it should take for me to be put in the university’s system?”

“Surely you should be in by now…” Astarion replied. He moved to look over Gale’s shoulder. He was so close Gale could feel his breath tickling the back of his neck- he had to suppress a shiver.

Astarion said something, pointing at the computer screen. He had such striking eyes, such a warm brown that they were almost red.

Gale completely missed what. “Sorry?”

“Try logging in without the server address,” Astarion repeated a slight edge in his voice. “Everything after the ‘at’ symbol.”

“Right.” Gale deleted the back half of his username and tried again. The computer loaded and loaded and loaded.

“That’s typically a good sign. Computers on campus take forever to log you on the first time.” Astarion said. He picked up the picture of Yenna and examined it dispassionately. “Cute kid, is she yours?”

“Ah, no… that’s my niece.” Gale felt suddenly and incredibly self-conscious. “I’ve always wanted my own, but it wasn’t in the cards, I’m afraid.”

The admission shocked him slightly, but he supposed it was true. Mystra had never wanted kids, and Gale wanted to keep her pleased, so he went along with that. But Gale had always loved kids. He’d been so excited when Yenna was born that he could hardly put her down. Still, when people asked him and Mystra if they were planning on having kids, he’d just nod dutifully while she explained that he was too focused on his career to think about kids.

“Shame,” Astarion said, setting the picture frame back down.

Gale’s computer screen went black, and then an empty Windows desktop appeared. Success!

“Just in time to log out for the all-hands meeting!” Astarion exclaimed looking at his watch.

“Naturally…” Gale sighed.

[lubelzoldyck-artworks]

👁SOMEBODY'S WATCHING YOU 👁

"Illumi, having been born into the post-apocalyptic world, was a mutant. His skin was blueish with rougher, almost scaly-feeling patches. He had pointy ears, large, deformed fangs, and the right side of his face was covered with several extra eyes, as if his very large black eyes had not already been unsettling enough. He also had sharp claws and a tail which somewhat looked like a rats tail. "

...

HELLO HELLO 🌸 It's been a while hasn't it? I realized I did 0 serious fanart in April for some reasons. Nothing but that Gamzee WIP 😔 sowwy...

My mind has been everywhere lately! I still have to continue Homestuck, I also started rewatching Versailles and being extra frustrated at how badly they represented Philippe d'Orléans... I also went on vacation! T'was great 🌸 but now I have to get back to art!

I believe I have been unconsciously paralyzing myself by putting pressure on myself. I kept thinking "you have to do This Specific Artwork you have to finish it you have to do this you have to do that... I realized I really should just draw whatever I want to draw in the moment! I mean, as long as I don't habe commissions, I can draw whatever the heck I want, after all!

So today I remembered my dear friend and RP partner @forbiddenseason (check out her art blog @forbid-art !) drew my version of Illumi in our nuclear apocalypse AU! We agreed on doing a little collab witg me coloring her lineart, so that's what I did!

In this AU, a nuclear war happened and the whole world is now an apocalyptic wasteland where the remaining human beings ended up severely mutated by the now omnipresent radioactive radiations. Illumi, in scavenging duty for his family, meets Hisoka, a wandering merchant who has access to precious and much needed medicine. Illumi wants to do business with him, but since Hisoka doesn't need the services of an assassin, he ends up trading... something else. 👁👁

I had fun coloring this piece and I am really happy with it 🌸 someday I'll draw him in my style :))

If you like this fanart and / or my art in general, please consider tipping me or commissioning me! 💕

Likes, reblogs and reactions are greatly appreciated! Thank you 🙏🏼

[randominagines]

An ouat Peter Pan X fem reader in which you're both too proud and stubborn to admit you like each other

Pairing: Ouat Peter Pan X fem!reader

Warning: language

P.s. if you find any mistake please correct me, English is not my mother tongue and I want to improve. Reblog, if you can, it helps a lot, thank you💕

P.p.s. gifs belong to the creators

Liars

Being best friend with Peter' second in command had many advantages: one of them was getting to decide which task you wanted to be assigned to. Y/n exchanged a look with Felix, the two of them immediately understanding each other, but after all they were best friends. The blonde boy looked at Peter. -- I'll give the new recruits a tour of the island and I want y/n to assist me. -- he said and she tried to hide a smile: taking care of showing the island to the new boys was such a pleasurable task; no physical effort, no stress, not too many hours of work needed and the advantage to show how beautiful Neverland could be. Peter nodded but Colin, another boy belonging to the veterans, puffed and threw his hands to the sky. -- What the fuck, Felix. I need y/n to teach those stupid children how to shoot an arrow. -- he said. His task that day was training the boys arrived a couple of weeks before, those who were still trying to fit it, and when it came about these kinda of things all the boys always wanted to be assisted by y/n, because she was patient and very good at explaining and teaching stuff. She raised her eyebrows, but before she could speak Felix turned his head toward Colin. -- Stop trying to spend time with y/n, she won't fuck with you in any case. -- he said and y/n widened her eyes: was that the reason why Colin always came up with excuses to be with her. She had been so busy in the last weeks she didn't even notice that he was flirting with her, and that was so unlike her since she always was able to tell that kind of things. After all, she was the only girl on an island crowded with boys, she had learnt to understand them very well. Peter looked at Colin, all of a sudden he looked triggered. -- You like y/n? -- he asked, his voice severe but amused. Colin's cheeks turned red and he swallowed his own saliva. -- Ehm, no... -- he lied; Peter walked toward him, his arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his face. -- You're lying. You wouldn't stand a chance anyways. -- Peter whispered at his ear, Colin bit his lower lip and looked at y/n. She felt sorry for him, he looked so embarrassed: she always found him funny and a pleasurable company, but she never thought about getting into a relationship, so she couldn't look at Colin in any other way than as a friend. Life was hard enough in Neverland without having to deal with teen dramas, she wouldn't have complicated things with the idea of a boyfriend.

Nevertheless, she decided that she wanted to get him out from that unpleasant situation, because she couldn't stand Peter's attitude of arrogance: y/n walked toward him and looked at Peter. -- Oh, just leave him alone. -- she defended him and the boy gasped in surprise, he probably didn't expect her to challenge Peter. The leader raised an eyebrow. -- Lost Girl, are you implying you like him too? -- he asked. She nervously licked her lower lips and looked at Felix: that bastard was having fun, perfectly aware of the fact that she was doing that just because she couldn't help but hating Peter when he acted like that. She puffed. -- I am not implying anything at all, I don't give a shit about relationships but who told you that he couldn't stand a chance with me? -- she challenged him, regretting what she had said a second after her words left her mouth. She was probably giving false hopes to Colin. She kept it cool anyway, her eyes stuck into Peter's while he frowned. -- Because he's not your type. -- he chuckled while lowering toward her, she shook her head and laughed. -- You don't know me that well, Pan. Who's my type in your opinion? You? -- she asked. He gasped as if she had just slapped him, his smirk disappearing.

He actually liked her a lot, she was so strong and indipendent and she knew how to keep everyone in line. He had admired y/n since the moment she arrived on the island, he just never thought about telling her because she seamed so uninterested in almost everything except training and organising the battles. The sudden thought that she could like Colin, that she could like someone other than himself made Peter perceive the cold stab of jealousy. He got himself together wearing the usual "I'm a careless person" mask and nonchalantly smiled. -- I'm everybody's type, but you're not mine for sure. -- he lied and she raised her eyebrows, that bastard! She chuckled. -- How will I ever recover from this terrible terrible news? -- she joked and pretended to cry, her hands wiping away imaginary tears from her cheeks. He gave her a cold smile. -- I don't really care about who you decide to screw. You can do whatever the fuck you want.-- he concluded. The boys around them went silent, the atmosphere filled with tension. Y/n chuckled flashing him a defiant eye. -- Finally something we can agree on. -- she said and turned. Peter watched her leaving, wondering if he had done the right thing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Of course, Colin took y/n's kindness for a real interests started to make quite clear that he wanted to date her. She was flattered, of course, she always was when some of the boys showed interest in her, but she was simply not interested, she used to refuse everyone. She never really considered that boys as eventual partners, just more like brothers and friends. Besides, since she had that fiery vis a vis with Peter she couldn't stop thinking about him. He was obviously a great leader: powerful, smart, absolutely handsome, clever as no one else, skilled. She always respected him for his qualities, but she was a sucker for brilliant sassiness, the type that makes people have interesting, amusing, stimulating conversations and she felt that she could have something like that with Peter. She puffed remembering how clear he had made he didn't like her and kept sharpening her last arrow, her quiver on the ground almost filled. She was outside her treehouse and could hear the noise of the Lost Boys chatting in distance. They were celebrating around the bonfire the arrival of the new recruits but she was not in the mood and even though Felix insisted for her to stay, she preferred leaving to finish sharpening her weapons.

Suddenly, she perceived a hand on her shoulder and turned: Colin was standing in front of her, his red hair quite messy and his big brown eyes surrounded by dark circles. She frowned. -- Colin, why are you not at the camp? You look... -- she tried to say but he chuckled. -- Shitty. -- he finished but she shook her head while putting her arrow in her quiver. --, I was about to say tired. -- she said and he nodded. -- Since Pan found out I like you he keeps assigning me the hardest tasks. I think he's jealous. -- he confessed while sitting down on a overturned tree trunk, she sat next to him and chuckled. -- Jealous of what, exactly? -- she asked and he took her hand, she immediately tensed up. He smiled not noticing that. -- Of the fact that we are dating, of course. -- he simply said.

Y/n sighed and bit her lower lip, Colin knew how to be insistent. She removed her hand from his and he looked quite hurt; y/n tried to ignore that and explain her position to him. -- Look, Colin, I'm flattered, I seriously am, but I don't see you like that. You're a friend, that's all. I'm sorry. -- she tried to be as much kind as she could but she thought that she was probably failing since he looked quite mad, all of a sudden. He squeezed his own knees with his hands. -- Why do you push everyone back? Are we not enough for you? -- he asked, half angry, half frustrated. Y/n took a deep breath and ran her hands through his hair. -- It's not like that, it's just... -- she stopped, what could she tell him? "I like Peter fucking Pan probably but he's never going to notice me so I want to be alone thanks bye". That's what she thought, but saying it out loud? No. He tried to calm down and reached his hand again to take hers, but she stood up this time. He immediately did the same and looked at her, she was getting mad. -- Colin, stop forcing me into this. -- she scolded him, her arms opened, her eyes reproaching. He puffed. -- Oh come one, just give me a fucking chance! -- he insisted and walked toward her; she instinctively took a step back and she felt like she could snap and punch him any second.

Before she could answer back, Peter flew down, his body now standing between the two of them but he was facing Colin. -- You must have some kind of comprehension problem. I'll explain to you in a much easier way, so you can understand, -- he whispered while walking toward him, his face now standing centimetres away from Colin's. The boy looked frightened but didn't move while Peter crossed his arms and lowered toward him. -- Leave. -- he concluded. Colin flashed her a look filled with anger but left, he would never had the courage to oppose to Peter's will.

The leader smiled in satisfaction and turned toward y/n, she rolled her eyes. -- I had everything under control. -- she puffed and he frowned. -- A simple "thanks" will do just fine, you know. -- he joked and smiled, but she didn't. -- Why should I thank you? You certainly didn't do this for me. -- she said while crossing her arms over her chest, he raised an eyebrow. -- What? -- he asked, confused and curious. Y/n looked at him in his green eyes. -- You did this because you like to show off, to prove that you have power over anyone. You certainly didn't do it because you give a shit about me. -- she explained, her voice calm and her expression not showing a single emotion. He couldn't believe how beautiful she looked even in that moment; he used to find her even more sexy when she stood up to him. He shook his head walking toward her, she didn't move. -- Who said I don't give a shit about you? -- he whispered at her ear, she felt shivers down her spine but imposed herself not to show it. -- You did, literally yesterday. -- she reminded him and he smiled, a mischievous, warm smile. -- Maybe I lied. -- he confessed.

She widened her eyes and looked at him, confusion and surprise mixing on her face. He looked amused but she was just filled with doubts. -- Why would you lie? -- she genuinely asked and he shrugged taking another step closer to her. She didn't feel the urge to step back, as she did with Colin; she actually enjoyed having him that close: she could finally see his little dettails, such as the shade of the green of his eyes or the little freckles on his nose and cheeks. He kept smiling. -- Because I never know what's inside that funny little head of yours. -- he said brushing a lock of her hair behind her ear before going on. -- I can understand every single person on this island, except you. You bite back and I love that, you're indipendent and don't relay on anyone and I can respect that, but you are just inscrutable and this, this drives me crazy. -- he explained, his hand now behind her back. She perceived his touch, his fingers on her spine, and held her breath. She hadn't been touched like that in a long time. Physical contact was something so rare on that island. Of course she sometimes used to exchange pats on the back or high fives with Felix and hand to hand combat was everyday stuff, but an intimate, tender kind of contact? She had almost forgot how it felt like.

She looked at him, her y/e/c fixed into his. -- I'm not that complicated, Peter. -- she whispered and realized she had called him by his first name. She wondered if he would have punished her for it, he never allowed anyone to call him like that. Peter heard his own name coming from her lips and it actually didn't bother him, he liked the sound of it. He chuckled. -- You are, Lost Girl, you're an actual pain in the ass. -- he joked pulling her closer, his eyebrow raising and his smile getting mischievous.

She opened her mouth and gasped, desperately trying not to smile. She put a hand on his chest. -- Well, you're quite arrogant, if we have to be honest. -- she said and he rolled his eyes smiling. -- Said the most presumptuous person on this island. -- he said, his nose rubbing against her neck. She bit her lower lips. -- Windbag. -- she said, he gave her a quick kiss on her neck and felt her body attaching to his. He smiled raising his head, his lips now centimetres away from hers. -- Stubborn. -- he said and she crossed her arms on his shoulders, her fingers caressing his hair. -- Insolent. -- she said barely touching his lips with hers. He bite her lower lip. -- Annoying. -- he concluded before crushing his lips on hers. She immediately kissed him back, her mouth opening to let his tongue in. He felt her hands running through his hair, her fingers gently pulling his locks while he caressed her back. He deepened the kiss by licking her lower lip, she moaned on his lips and he grabbed her by her waist, his fingers sliding under her shirt. Y/n' skin was warm and smooth and he couldn't stop caress it.

She smiled on his lips while slowly opening her eyes to look at him, their foreheads now one against each other. -- For being someone who can't stand me, you're kissing me kinda like you're couldn't wait to. -- she teased him, her lips still on his. He smirked and squeezed her hips. -- For being someone who doesn't give a fuck about relationships you kinda kissed me back instead of pushing me away. -- he teased back and she shook her head chuckling. Her hand caressed the back of his head and he smiled at her touch, feeling like he could really develope feelings for her. She shrugged. -- Guess we're both liars then. -- she concluded and her hand touched his neck, travelling down toward his chest were her fingers caressed his bare skin under his shirt. He smiled on her lips. -- Here's something true: I like you, y/n. -- he finally said, his voice firm and clear. She smiled, a warm, pure smile. -- So, it turns ou I am you type, after all. -- she joked and he rolled his eyes while shaking his head, she chuckled and kissed him again, happiness exploding inside of her. He immediately kissed her back and for the first time in centuries he felt his heartbeat fastening.

[venivivividi]

headcAnon ✨ here! “you have no idea how much i appreciate that we can ramble about rnm and our dumb alien cowboy and just have fun!” 💕 I feel the same way💕 I was thinking about teen Malex and started wondering about any interactions Michael and Alex might have had before the guitar incident and what they thought of each other. Do you have any headcanons about that? They attended the same school for a few years, they were aware of rumors about each other. That’s all I remember being canon.

I've thought about that and I have to preface this by saying that I have no knowlegde of how US schools actually work, almost everything that I know comes from movies and tv shows.

I did my researches and, despite RNM desperately trying to sell the idea, Roswell is not that little of a town, or - at least - it's not in my opinion; I come from a much smaller town myself and, incidentally, went to a high school in a Roswell-ish sized town.

Let me tell you: there were something like 900 students in the whole school, roughly 400 in my branch and I know like 50 of them (at best). Not only that, but in my elementary/middle school (which I attended in my own town) there were less that 60 people in my year and I only interacted with 20-ish of them.

That being said, I realize that a school system where you switch classroom every hour is vastly different from my experience of sitting in the same classroom with the same 25-ish people for five to six hours every day for nine months.

Informed by all that,

Michael came back to Roswell at 11, peak middle school weirdness time; he was already carrying the weight of trauma and abuse and was very wary of everyone, even young Isobel and Max. He decidedly tried to make himself scarce and avoided making eye-contact with anyone at school.

That doesn't mean Alex didn't notice him. His young self was as alert and observant as his present self: he noticed the new guy as soon as he stepped foot at school and kept observing him till lunch; then, Kyle showed him the new issue of the comic book his dad wouldn't let him buy so he had more pressing matters to attend to. New Guy can wait.

By the time Michael reunited with Max and Isobel and the Pod Squad™ was established once again, he had started to notice Alex too; I mean, where Liz goes Max follows, and these days where Max goes Michael begrudgindly drags himself along, but most importantly, ever since Kyle started hanging out with the sports guys, where Liz goes Alex is starting to power walk along too.

Then high school came around, Pod Squad was still going strong, but the Kyle&Alex-no-girls-allowed alliance was now frayed at the roots: one could say it was now Alex-and-sometimes-Kyle-(until he said something stupid); soon, Alex&Maria&Liz would take over. Michael and Alex had started to nod at each other and maybe roll their eyes knowingly whenever Max would sigh while making moon eyes at Liz. They had yet to exchange a single word with each other, though

They were grouped together with other people, in sophomore year, for a school project, but Michael showed up for the first meeting, jotted down which part was he in charge of, and then brought it done at the following meeting to never return again. They got an A. Maybe Liz had a point, after all.

Once junior year rolled in, so did Alex on his new board; he needed the practice, though, so it was imperative to find empty parking lots or less busy streets to stroll around; you know, the same parking lots and/or streets a 16 year old with a newly acquired (busted) truck who wanted to hide from his last wreackage of foster family would seek. An incident occurred involving Alex, music blasting from headphones, the mastering of turning a corner in a cool way, and a very tired Michael who ironically got crashed into. They will laugh about it one day, but in the moment Alex was mortified and Michael was very confused. For days after that, Alex would ask himself where was Michael coming back from, given that he was caught in the rain?

The first time they were forced to actually interact one-on-one was framed as punishment: Alex is a smart guy, ok? But physics just makes no damn sense and he was really struggling during the exam; what was Michael supposed to do? just let him fail? The guy's okay, what's wrong in angling his answer sheet so that Alex could take a peek? A lot is wrong, according to Ms. Miller, who also added "If you're feeling so generous, Mr. Guerin, why don't you help Mr. Manes out after school? And the both of you can bring me a paper on light refraction through three different mediums of your choice by next Tuesday. You'll share the grade."

The week they spent working on that paper was surprisingly good; awkward at first, but then they bonded over making fun of Kyle and the jocks, and they actually worked very well together. Michael has a way of explaining stuff that's very easy to follow without being condescending; Alex has a hunch that he's even smarter than he let on, but honestly? that's his business, he's not gonna comment on that. Plus, that one day Alex was running late and forgot to take the nail polish off before meeting with him (it's a new thing he's trying out), Michael didn't comment or anything, so he's okay in his book.

Sadly, after the paper was submitted and graded, Kyle made a snickering comment about his new friend, so Alex had to shut that door very quickly, not that Michael went out of his way to reach out to him. They're back to polite nods over Max and Liz's shoulders.

With senior year came the eyeliner and the septum piercing and spiked hair (for Alex) and the weird feelings (for Michael). Of course Michael's aware of the rumors about Alex, Isobel is the queen of gossiptown, but honestly, who cares? What if Alex likes guys? It's not something Michael's bothered by, he'll leave the bigoted views and stupid nonsensical "rules" about mating rituals to the humans. Stupid humans. He's better than that.

The fashion glow-up was not the only change Alex did during the summer, though. He came back hardened, he's now all alone at home facing his father and the "family vacation" he was forced to take with the Valentis so that Jim and Jesse could do whatever it is that they do together (apart from drinking and fighting with each other) definitely took a toll on him. He doesn't care anymore about anything. He's angry, he's tired, he just needs to power through this last year and then he'll be free to leave his father, his house, the whole town behind and never look back. After all, nothing good has ever happened to him inside the city limits, and it won't definitely happen in these last few months.

Michael, on the flip side, for the first time in his life feels powerful: he's a few months away from 18 (and legal emancipation), he has a good chance of ending up in a good college and make a name for himself (always on the down-low, obvs, but still.), he's teaching himself guitar by reading books at the library and practicing on a wood board he fixed himself at Sanders' and his last trip to Foster Ranch scored him three new iridescent pieces for his side-project. This is why, during a free period at school, walking by the music room, he thought he could practice on a real guitar, for once; I mean, Alex Manes' one was right there. He's cool, they're cool with each other, he might not be all that friendly anymore with anyone that's not Liz or Maria, but even if he does find out and comes after him, Michael will crack a joke and they can laugh about it, they're sort-of-friends by proxy. Honestly, what's the worst that could happen?

[ahsxual]

heyy, how r u doing? can i request a hc where jake and reader meet at a party of a mutual friend and its like love at first sight?🥺 thank you!!

Youuu guysss, this is what I was looking for! Your ideas are so interesting!! This one was definitely one of my favorites to write, so thank you for sending me this request, sweet anon 🤪😆 And yes, I'm doing great! I hope you're doing well too, honey 💕

A/N: In this fic, I will write Tom Holland as your mutual friend, since he's one of Jake's besties, and well, because I love that cutie!! He is such a sweet guy 🥺 So I hope you don't mind it. If you do, you can always message me and I will change it 😁 Also, I apologize for any mistakes! My best friend is still busy, so there are probably some spelling mistakes. I hope you like this, loves! <3

You and Tom were great friends for a few years now: the moment you two met, it felt like you already had met each other in another life, since you two had an immediate strong connection. He was the kindest guy you have ever met, so it was almost impossible for you to not become friends.

Truth being said, that friendship lead you to meet a lot of famous celebrities, which was an extra for being friends with one itself. He often invited you for parties, knowing that you secretly loved to go out, have some fun and meet wonderful people.

This time, it wasn’t different: he invited you for one of his parties you actually asked him to take you with him, however on this occasion, it was to celebrate the success of his recent movie: Spider-Man - Far From Home, which meant all its cast would be there.

You had seen the movie before, so you would recognize each person who would be there, which made you less nervous... and excited at the same time, since you loved the toxic friendship between Spider-Man and Mysterio. Yup, Mysterio was definitely a great villain.

Tom told you that the party would start at 7:30 pm, so that everyone could talk to each other before dinner.

You applied a little bit of makeup, did your hair, and wore your favorite red dress with a pair of golden high heels that had a few outstanding diamonds on it. You felt so gorgeous and powerful.

However you knew that, since you weren't part of the cast, people would mistake you for being Tom's girlfriend.

You arrived at the party at 7:37 pm, which meant that you were late. You immediately felt bad with yourself since everyone was already there, but you tried to remain calm and optimistic.

"Y/n!" Tom called for you, noticing that you were feeling lost in the crowd.

"Oh hi, Tommy! Gosh, I think I never felt so happy to see you!" you nervously laughed, making Tom and his company to laugh as well.

"There's no need to be nervous, Y/n. These guys are amazing and I'm sure you will love everyone!" Tom said, trying his best to make you feel more comfortable. Of course he understood why you were feeling shy: everyone already knew each other and you weren’t even part of the cast, just one of Tom's closest friends.

"Don't worry, I will make sure no one kidnaps you." a tall, older guy promised, his appearance being surprisingly amazing for his age, and his eyes being more blue than the beautiful sea itself.

When you realized who he was, your cheeks became extremely hot instantly: Jake Gyllenhaal, the man who played Mysterio. And if you were honest, you weren't expecting him to be so good-looking in person.

Jake didn't dare to look away from your stunned face, enjoying the strong effect he had on you way too much.

"I'm Jake Gyllenhaal, by the way." he introduced himself while taking one of his large hands from his pocket to shake your smaller one, realizing that if he didn't say anything, the awkward silence between the three of you would persist.

"Yeah, sure... I'm Y/n! Nice to meet you." your voice was slightly shaking, yet you kept a confident smile on your face and shook his hand gently in return, receiving a firm grip from him.

"So you and Tom..." Jake pointed for the two of you: you quickly looked at each other and shook your heads at the same time.

"No no, she's just a close friend of mine." Tom explained, smiling at you while you nodded your head in agreement.

"Oh, that's great!" Jake's smirk seemed brighter and larger: when he said that while checking you up and down, your body freezed right then and there, and your eyes widened instantly.

"I mean... I'm glad you guys are good friends, that's awesome! I bet Y/n is an amazing woman." he tried to hide his amusement, yet you could definitely understand what he really meant. You couldn't even believe that the only one Jake Gyllenhaal was flirting with you!!

"Oh absolutely, she’s a real sweetheart! Whenever I need it, I know she will be there for me, and that's truly soothing." he kindly smile at you, making you blush furiously in front of both men.

"Tommy, stop it!" you playfully punched Tom's arm and pretended to be extremely shy, making all of you laugh at your great, yet funny performance.

"Guys, I should probably help Zendaya with the food. I will be right back!" Tom excused himself and left you two to help Zendaya with dinner... leaving you and Jake alone, all by yourselves.

"So... how long do you and Tom know each other?" Jake asked curiously and analyzed your features in more detail, taking that chance to be alone with you to know you better.

"Oh, ah... like 3 years ago.” you then paused for a moment. “Wow, time passes so fast! I can't even believe that I met that silly kid for 3 years, damn!" you both laughed at your sudden realization, already starting to enjoy each other's company.

"3 years ago? How can I met you only now?? I really need to talk to that kid." he pretended to be mad at Tom and then looked at you, admiring the way you shyly laughed at his playful behavior.

"You need to ask him then! Because I wouldn't mind to meet you sooner at all." his cheeky smirk made you regret your words instantly, since the last thing you wanted was to give him the horny type of girl impression on your first meeting. "I mean... you seem like a really nice man."

"Yeah, sure.” he laughed at your inconceivable excuse. “Well, I could say that I have the same impression of you, so maybe we should... you know, know each other better. Only if you want to, obviously." you could sense his eagerness for your answer, true hope being written all over his face.

"Sure, I would love to!" you both smiled proudly at each other, realizing that the interest you had for one another, was definitely mutual.

"Have I told you how absolutely stunning you look tonight?" the way he seductively whispered that in your ear, like it was a dangerous secret that only both of you could know, made your legs tremble in excitment. 

When you were about to answer him, after a long time staring deeply at each other's eyes and lips, you heard Tom and Zendaya calling you for dinner.

Should I say that once you sat at that huge table full of people, you couldn't take your passionate eyes off each other? You literally looked like two teenagers who only cared about their lovely romance and nothing else, whose chemistry was immediate and strong like no other.

Since you hadn’t talked to the rest of the cast yet, this was the opportunity to know everyone better and talk more about yourself. Of course everyone thought you were Tom's girlfriend, but that wasn't a problem since you explained them the reason why you were there.

Whenever you talked about yourself, you could feel Jake's eyes burning in your skin: he truly seemed to be the most interested person in hearing all of your life stories, that bright glow in his ocean eyes always present.

When the dinner came to an end, everyone got up to have some drinks and dance to the music that was being played.

It's needless to say that you spent all night with Jake, hearing to his life stories and work experiences, his jokes, and his best moments with Tom and the other cast members. 

You also drank, danced and sang to several songs with him and others: that night was definitely the best you had for a long time.

When the song was romantic, Jake would pull you to dance with him, even when you didn't want it because of your shyness. However, once your feet stepped on the dance floor and he softly pulled your body closer to his own, you couldn't be more thankful for overcoming your timid side: you could feel, and almost hear, your hearts beating fast in sync... and the moment you put your arms around his kissable neck, it felt like you were dancing with the man of your dreams.

That's when a beautiful and powerful love story began: thanks to your friend Tommy and, of course, thanks to the incredible Spider-Man.

[emjiroki]

Anonymously message me (3) things you want to know about me.

1. What's your favorite breakfast meal and drinks?

2. What's your favourite book genres?

3. Your top choice/s for a new tattoo and which part/s of your body?

Hi emi!! So sorry to ask this but did tumblr ate my ask again? :(( I sent you an ask in the past (when you gave me a compliment, I replied and once again thank you so much it made my day <3) and well it's okay! I understand!! and you were not feeling good that time so I was hoping it made your day somehow!! I had also sent an ask earlier, just a small enji thirst!! I'm not forcing you to answer my asks!! I'm okay with you reading my asks and hoping they made your day! Just double checking if you had gotten them! Please know you're not obliged to always reply to my asks!! I'm very thankful for your time reading them!! I'm sorry for being redundant, I just don't want to seem rude! >< (im too shy and awkward to send you a private message 🙈)

Hope you have a wonderful day ahead <3

-☁

Dont be sorry about anything lovely! I have gotten your asks! (I just answered one actually hehe) but thank you for checking in because my ask box does get wonky sometimes and asks get eaten by the tumblr demon! Ive also just been super duper busy lately and havent gotten on as much 😅

Also im one of the most cringe people i know so nothing to be shy about lol if you ever want to send me a message please do!

Onto the game questions!

I really like french toast or waffles! I really need a waffle maker OH and greek yogurt and berries 🤤 Orange juice or Lemonade is what I usually have to drink in the morning, Im really not a huge coffee/tea person

HORROR! I live for a good horror book. I've read some pretty intense dark reads over the last couple of years and I have a whole To Be Read list (I need to get a new bookshelf first thought lol) but im also really into dystopian/sci-fi! I havent found very many fantasy genre books that have kept my attention though

I already have a tiger tattoo on my upper left arm that ive had since middle school (Yes my mom let me get a tattoo at 14, thankfully I didn't pick something stupid) but I really want some sort of minimalist anime tattoo, Ive got like a whole pintrest board of tattoo ideas! I think I'd stay on my arms and maybe upper back/shoulders (only because i've got scars all over my legs and it would hurt super bad to tattoo)

thank you for the ask lovely! this was fun! 💕