#trying to figure out what they were actually going for

[sp0o0kylights]

Sometimes I think of a Steve Harrington that is absolutely exhausted by all the horror and bullshit and trying to keep the kids alive through said horror and bullshit, who watches Eddie rock up to him at the beginning of S4 with a dead eyed, flat stare.

"Steeeeve Harrington." Eddie taunts and peacocks and twirls around him, and all Steve wanted was for a couple months to process the trauma, maybe feel safe enough to start thinking about the future instead of stuck in a never ending anxiety loop of what might happen to Dumbass Near-Deatherson, should Steve go to college or move out of Hawkins (bc all the bad nicknames in the world won't erase the fact that Dustin's family, now. They're all family. And when they need help, they go to Steve.) and now he's suffering the unjust ordeal of being haunted by the high school drug dealer.

"His highness has come down from his castle!" Munson will crow, making a show out of Steve picking up the kids like this is a great battle of wits, a scoreboard between them and not like Steve is half dead on his feet, head aching, dreams full of too many teeth. "Quickly hide behind me, he'll try to cut off your heads!"

"Wouldn't he just cut yours off too?" Lucas asked, though the tone was slightly timid, Sinclair unsure if his joke would be well recieved.

(Steve doesn't care if the kid outright insults him. He still recalls the junkyard, the fight with Billy, the blood staining the kid's headband. Lucas lived, therefore, he can be a shit if wants.)

"Mine? Oh, the King wouldn't dare." Munson tosses his head, full of cartoon energy, too big for his body and grin both. "Many have tried you see, but no one had ever succeeded!"

Steve, equally, does not give a single shit that Eddie Munson has decided to play these games with him--until he realizes he's maybe been a little too exhausted and depressed and morose around the kids.

Watches them getting worried over him, whispering urgently and making dramatic gestures and talking to Robin and suddenly, playing a little tug of war over them the way Munson seems to want feels like a good idea. A way to hide all the rough edges, a way to be fine so they can be fine.

"How about you guys skip the dork brigade tonight," Steve taunts back the next time they're all together, standing like the man he used to be, wearing a dead personality. "And we go do something actually fun instead?"

Eddie laughs, lights up, is all too happy to match him tit for tat, and it's so easy to fake this kind of interaction, rolling his eyes and snapping his gum. Steve could match this energy in his sleep, and never once does Munson catch on that Steve's not doing this for him.

That he's not even looking at him half the time, eyes askew, locked on the kids. Seeing them relax as he banters, seeing Dustin glow as he returns to his favorite position, being the center of attention.

So long as they think he's okay, Steve will be okay. If that means putting up with Munson, then so be it.

Its not like he'll catch on.

Eddie doesnt.

(Or rather, he does--but Its months and several deaths later, when they're in the RV, chasing what feels like literal demons, does it dawn on Eddie what Steve is doing.

Has been doing, the whole time.

Steve, sassy, ridiculous, jock- brained Steve makes the mistake of doing it again, using the same trick he had on the kids to convince them he was fine on Eddie. To further convince Eddie that they were fine as a group.

That they'll survive, they'll figure it out, they'll make it.

Loudly bantering with dead eyes, smiling with a mouth robotically locked in. Jokes on jokes on jokes and all of them making the kids take their minds off VecnaHenryOne to screech ineffectively at their babysitter. Winks tossed to the girls, who both roll their eyed at him. A sly look given to Eddie, to include him.

Its then, that Eddie decides to cement his life with Steve's. Because this loyal bastard of a paladin is too good hearted to die, too protective to not try it anyway. The idiot is cutting himself to ribbons to tie them all together and Eddie can't undo the damage but he can grab all the pieces he can, loop them together.

He can make those dead eyes light up again.

And he does.

This time when things are over Steve finds himself unable to pull those little tricks of his. Every time he slides the mask over his face Eddie rips it right back off again.

They fight, a lot, until they start kissing instead and for a while that also, somehow, feels like fighting but Eddie's real good at this. The emotional part, not so much the kissing, but he knows how to draw Steve out. How to break down walls, and annoying his real personality out.

The kissing was just an odd little side benefit.

A thing they don't talk about.

There's a benefit to it, one he doesn't look very hard into, until strangely, one day, Eddie wakes with Steve's head pillowed on his shoulder and comes to the abrupt conclusion that he's screwed.

Or so he thinks--until bright, loving eyes blink awake, and turn on him, and Eddie realizes just how long it's been since they looked dead.

He wonders, vaguely, how long it'll take for Steve to catch on, that this just got serious.

Will laugh at himself when he learns that Steve already knew.

Guess that's what he gets for finally paying attention.)

[saintclay]

1) the first thing that you find strange (other than this whole dimension hopping thing) is that your chat isn't actually visible. they're not audible either (except for when someone sends a TTS message. those are audible inside your head). instead it feels like you're just... aware of everything that your chat is doing and saying.

its a strange sensation, but you get used to it.

2) from what your chat tells you, you surmise that your stream is still being broadcast. you're not entirely sure what would happen if the stream went down, but you're not super eager to find out. your gut tells you that the answer is 'nothing good'

you're not fully sure exactly where the stream is actually being broadcast from. you're also not sure if you want to know the answer to that question.

3) before you dimension-hopped your streams tended to average around 20 viewers. from what you've gathered, that number seems to have stayed the same. from what your chat says, you've deduced that they see you from a fixed point about a foot behind your head (diagonally). 4) people tend to think you're a lot more observant than you are. you don't notice shit half the time, you just have the advantage of a few dozen extra eyes on everything you're doing.

after the first few times you got sick enough of explaining it to people that you bought some costume jewellery and started telling people that it was a family heirloom, attuned to you by blood, that let you run multiple streams of thought at once. anyone who cares enough to ask normally buys that.

5) chat convinced you to join a low-level adventuring group. your cousin used to do archery professionally, so you bought a crossbow and agreed.

turns out, you were NOT cut out for adventure. like, at all. at least, not when you started. but you could cook a decent meal (thanks to chat's help), so the group let you stay until you actually got decent with your crossbow.

you still didn't like it very much. you parted ways with your group after the tavernkeeper who hired them found out that the reason his barmaid wasn't coming into work was because she got mugged. they stop by every now and then and it keeps re-affirming your decision to bow out of that whole 'adventure' thing. last you heard they were going off to fight a dragon.

6) it isn't uncommon for you to wake up and have your chat inform you that they researched things while you were asleep. it is, however, rare that you can actually do anything with that research.

you keep telling chat that it doesn't matter if they know how penicillin was made if you're not sure if penicillin can grow here. you've made trying to figure that out into a side project to get them to stop hassling you

7) your stream had (and still has) three people who have mod status; BlueLuna, Devilsound, and taiLwhip (yes, spelled like that). they're the only ones where you can tell that they're talking. the rest of chat feels almost like a single entity to you.

(you chose your mods for a reason, Luna and taiL because they're your friends, and Devil because they've been in your chat since day one. from what you can tell, they've been keeping your chat in order)

8) you want to go home you want to go home you want to go home you want to go home you want to go home you want to go home

as far as you can tell, there is no way to get home

9) someone in your chat apparently brews alcohol as a 'hobby'. they seem intent on teaching you, with the reasoning that, at the very least, fermentation can't be too different here.

you'd rather not know if there is a different way of making wine here, honestly.

10) you keep waiting for it to get better. for the homesickness to fade

it doesn't.

[phantom-dc]

Vivisection Deception

“Yes, dad. I will vacuum the living room. Yes, I will also do my homework. No, I won’t forget the Ecto-filter. Love you too, say hi to mom and Jazz for me, bye!”

Danny hung up the phone. Sitting back into the booth at the Nasty burger, he got back to his burger. Tucker took a big bite, before talking with his mouth still full:

“So, your parents and sister are all out of town for the whole weekend? They had no problem leaving you alone unsupervised?”

Sam looked at Tucker with disgust, warning him to empty his mouth first. Danny nodded, agreeing with Sam:

“Yeah! Jazz wanted to explore different universities for when she graduates, even though that’s still a few years away. Still, mom and dad agreed to drive her if they could combine it with a visit to a convention for the Occult. Pretty sure they’ll be the only “scientists” there again, but that’s not my problem. Mom decided that she I could stay home alone. A sign of trust, Jazz called it. Something about "improving through positive reinforcement", I guess.”

Sam finishes her salad, and looks jealous. Danny invites both her and Tucker over for a weekend of gaming and fast food, but both decline, to his surprise. Sam groans, frustrated:

“I would love a weekend with no parents! Mine are forcing me to this, rich people yacht party. Mom keeps saying I might find a nice boy there, so I know it will be a weekend full of mom trying to play matchmaker with snotty rich boys. YUCH!”

Tucker apologizes as well. His parents are taking him to visit his grandma this weekend. He hasn’t seen her in a while, so he can’t cancel it, either. Danny looks a bit sullen about that, but smiles through it:

“Guess I’ll have the weekend to myself then! Maybe I can actually get this book report for Mr. Lancer done… Or I can even play a bit of Doomed!”

Friday evening, Phantom is flying back home. He has just seen Sam & Tucker off at the airport, and was looking forward to a weekend of peace and quiet:

“Man, sometimes I just forget how rich Sam is! I didn’t know her family has a private jet-“

Suddenly his Ghost Sense goes off. Getting into a battle stance, Phantom looks around. He is just in time to dodge a pair of claws heading straight for him! Turning around and shooting an ectoblast, Phantom tries to figure out who the ghost is. When the ghost taunts him at becoming slower every day, Phantom recognizes his voice:

“Bertrand! I am SO not in the mood for you!”

Bertrand laughs, and says that he was hoping for that. He attacks Phantom again before flying off, taunting Phantom to chase him. After a few hours Phantom lost his trail, and heads home. De-transforming before going inside Fentonworks, Danny is annoyed he’ll have to deal with Bertrand, but at least Spectra wasn’t with him. She’s the real threat.

When Danny steps inside, he finds the house is a mess! There are cannisters with Ectoplasm throughout the house, and the temperature is set to near freezing. Confused and suspicious, Danny goes to the lab. There he finds the cause of the mess:

“Mom?? What are you doing home? Aren’t you supposed to be with Dad & Jazz on her University trip?”

Maddie turns to Danny and quickly puts a strange gasmask on him. She is wearing one as well, along with her safety goggles:

“Hello sweetie! Quick, put this mask on! The samples we managed to collect give of Ectoplasmic fumes, so you’ll have to keep wearing it in the house, ok?”

Danny follows her advice, and puts it on. He again asks her what she is doing home, when Jack enters the lab as well, also wearing a gasmask and his safety goggles. Danny thinks the fumes must be pretty dangerous if his dad is wearing the goggles. He usually forgets to put them on. Jack gives Danny a big hug that would cause many regular humans severe backpain:

“Son, you’re home! We were worried sick when your mother and I got home early and you weren't here. Jazz thought we were “hurting her chances” to get into the school of her dreams, so she sent us home.”

Danny rolls his eyes, knowing exactly what kind of antics his parents could get up to when left unsupervised. He asks Maddie what is up with all the cannisters in the living room. Maddie apologizes, while turning the heat down even further:

“We managed to find a way to extract even purer Ectoplasm from the Ghost Zone! We took so many samples we can’t even fit them in the lab, this will be great for our research! Oh, but I am sorry, sweetie. The samples need to stay very cold, so we can’t turn up the heat. If you need, I can get you more blankets?”

Danny sighs frustrated, not looking forward to a weekend of cold. He declines Maddie’s offer, instead opting to go to bed. It is very late after all. Which is when Jack blocks the way upstairs:

“Don’t think you can distract us that easily! Or did you honestly think we didn’t notice?”

Danny is confused, but before he can answer Maddie interrupts him:

“That’s right, it IS late! In fact, it’s 2 hours past your curfew! Now why do you keep doing this, Danny? We’re not asking much of you, only that you come home at a reasonable time! Just because we weren’t supposed to be home yet, doesn’t mean you can stay out until who knows when! You are grounded, young man! You’re not allowed out this weekend, and hand over your phone!”

Danny tries to protest, but it’s in vain. Handing over his phone, he heads to bed, dejected. As he lies in bed, freezing, he wonders if things would be easier if he could just tell them what he was doing. Judging from that time with Freakshow and the Reality Gauntlet they would accept him, right? If they knew he was Phantom he could just tell them he was hunting Ghosts…

Saturday turns out to be the worst. Danny is woken up forcefully by his dad, who tells him he isn’t allowed to sleep in as long as he is grounded. Sleepily, Danny goes downstairs, a blanket around him and that stupid gasmask on his face. He asks Maddie how he is supposed to eat breakfast with that thing on. Maddie seems to think for a bit, and says that he is right. She will allow him to go out to get himself something to eat.

Danny quickly races upstairs, a bit confused about that break of curfew but not wanting to lose the chance to get out off the house. After getting dressed Jack tells him to get home back after immediately, or else he’ll be worse then grounded! That was a few hours ago. Cursing his bad luck, Danny races home:

“Please, please, PLEASE be too busy in the lab to notice I’m late! Of course the Ghosts also decide to ruin my weekend! First Ember doing an impromptu concert at the Nasty Burger, which means I can’t get breakfast. Then Johnny & Kitty are fighting it out at the food court in the mall, so I can’t get lunch either! If mom & dad send me home without dinner…”

De-transforming and entering Fentonworks, Danny looks around. The living room is still a mess of cannisters and the place is freezing, but he doesn’t see his parents. That means he might be able to bluff he was home for a while and they didn’t notice. If he can just get his chores done before they come upstairs…

“DANNY! COME DOWN TO THE LAB, NOW!”

Hearing that, Danny groans. This weekend is going from bad to worse! Putting on a gasmask, he heads to the lab. There he finds Jack & Maddie preparing a table with a big drill attached to it. Danny lies that he going to do his chores quickly while they are still busy, and empties the Fenton Thermos into the Ghost Zone without them noticing. When he turns around, he is not prepared for what happens.

The next moment he is trapped in a ghost-proof net, shot from a Fenton Net-bazooka. Confused, Danny asks what is happening, but receives no answer. Instead, Jack electrifies the net, causing Danny to instinctively transform into Phantom to protect himself, before passing out from the pain.

When he comes too, he is in hell. His parents saw him transform outside on new camera’s that Danny didn’t know off, and denounced him, both as a human being and as a son. They see his act of releasing the Ghosts back into the Zone as a sign that he too is evil. Danny is cuffed to an examination table and his powers are restrained. He is truly trapped as Maddie makes the first incision. Hours pass and Danny wonders how he can still be alive and conscious. He wishes he wasn’t. He didn’t know what was worse, the pain or the constant venom coming from his parents mouths, calling him all sort of horrible things. They must truly hate him. Danny, now terrified of every move his parents make, can only think of one thing:

Escape.

He must get out of here or they’ll kill him for good! He needs to get as far away from here as possible! For once, it seemed his Fenton Luck decided to show mercy. When they reached his Core, Jack had grabbed a remote. Shouting with a sick glee that he had the drill ready for this, he pushed a big red button. Maddie looked up, shouting that was the wrong remote, but it was already done.

With a loud noise, the cuffs popped open and Danny was free! Not thinking for a second, he shot into the roof, out of Fentonworks and towards the horizon. He need to get out of there! He’s never looking back!

Inside the lab, Jack & Maddie look at the spot Phantom fled through the ceiling. Suddenly Maddie begins to laugh:

“HAHAHAHA!!! It worked! That was absolutely delicious! He’ll be miserable for the rest of his life!”

Taking off the gasmask and goggles, ‘Maddie’ reveals herself to be Spectra in disguise! Next to her, ‘Jack’ morphs back into Bertrand.

“A brilliant plan, truly! Not only are we rid of that little Freak, but the misery of his little friends will be a great dessert!”

Spectra takes out Danny’s phone, seeing several missed calls from the real Jack & Maddie. Throwing it on the Ectoplasm and blood covered table, she decides to go celebrate. Heading into the Ghost Zone to get Ember and Kitty to repay the favor, neither Spectra not Bertrand notice the Portals Ectofilter beeping dangerously, since they had inadvertently prevented Danny from replacing it.

Outside, the Fenton RV rolls up. Jack, Maddie and Jazz are worried sick since Danny isn’t answering his phone. Jack is about to open the car door when the Portal explodes, taking Fentonworks with it. Months later the Fentons still blame themselves for leaving their son home alone. Police reports will later say that the only casualty is Danny Fenton.

Several states away, homeless boy Danny Nightingale attracts the attention of several heroes and villains alike…

[beloveds-embrace]

same anon btw

i can just imagine the guys taking turns feeding wet-cat!reader during mealtimes to make sure they don’t starve themselves, subtly snacking around them and offering them some, pretty much anything to make sure they get some sustenance

and it becomes a bit of a routine, something they don’t even think about until johnny makes a joke about it in passing and they’re suddenly reevaluating every little word, every little action from the 141

Original Post

Ghost doesn’t think much of it at first. Some soldiers have weird eating habits- superstitions, routines, whatever keeps them going. But with you, it’s different.

You always take your standard-issue MRE like everyone else. Always accept whatever rations are handed out, no complaints about how they taste or what flavors they are. But Ghost rarely sees you actually eat them. Instead, they disappear into your pack, tucked away like something to be saved for later.

He starts noticing the patterns, then.

You always have something on you- an extra protein bar, a spare pack of nuts, an untouched meal shoved into your vest pocket. He’s seen you slip them into your bag, seen you hoard them away like a scavenger preparing for winter. But not once has he ever seen you take one out for yourself.

Instead, you give them away.

The first time he notices it is during a long mission in the mountains. They’ve been hiking for hours, waiting on exfil, and Soap mutters something about being starving. Before anyone else reacts, you’re already holding out a ration bar, wordlessly passing it over like it was always meant for him. No hesitation, no second thought.

Soap doesn’t question it- just grins, takes it with a quick “Cheers, soldier.” And Ghost watches as you go right back to scanning the horizon, your own pockets still full of untouched food.

The second time is on base, late at night, when he spots you slipping an extra MRE onto a younger recruit’s bunk while they’re asleep. A quiet, unseen gesture, like it’s second nature. Like you weren’t even thinking about it. Like it was never originally meant for you.

That’s when he starts really paying attention.

You never eat in front of them unless someone directly prompts you. Even then, it’s slow, hesitant—like eating is something you have to remind yourself to do. You pick at your food, taking small bites but never finishing a full plate. The only reason the food on your plate lessens is because he can see you seperating what parts can last longer and wrapping them in tissues to pocket.

When the team eats together after a mission- when John makes a point of ordering extra portions, a rare comfort- you never take more than what you were initially given. Even when everyone else is going back for seconds, even when Soap jokingly piles extra on Gaz’s plate, nudging him with an exaggerated “C’mon, mate, eat up!” You just sit there, nursing whatever small portion you allowed yourself, quietly watching but never joining in.

It isn’t just frugality. It isn’t pickiness.

It’s habit.

A deep, ingrained instinct- hoard what you can, give it to someone else, take only what you need (if that). It’s not just about food. It’s about utility. You’ve carved out a role for yourself, a quiet, invisible way to be useful, even if it means sacrificing your own well-being.

Unacceptable.

So they- because bit by bit, the others notice as well- begin fixing it in a simple way.

During a stakeout, Ghost opens a protein bar and hands you half without a word. He doesn’t even look at you, just keeps his eyes on the horizon like it’s the most natural thing in the world. You stare at it for a second before taking it, chewing slowly, like you’re trying to figure out what the catch is (there isn’t one).

Gaz tosses you bags of trail mixes, always saying it’s too much for him so now you have to finish it before him- the spirit of competitiveness.

Soap and John? They basically stare you down until you actually eat everything on your plate. They don’t order you, or pressure you verbally- just this expectant air around them.

And they pretend, for your sake, that they don’t see your tears when they make the food for you themselves- a warm and home-cooked meal after a tough mission.

(My brain frizzled out for the last part sorry anon 💔)

[leam1983]

To answer the initial question, men are so angry because a cadre of grifters figured out how to create a problem where there wasn't any.

Dig into Andrew Tate and the guys in this particular stripe, and you'll come out of it with the understanding that Manosphere gurus bring nothing to the table. Their much-vaunted business sense is typically rooted in MLM structures, with added focus on crypto. So very few "sigma" types actually have any real skills on offer; they're taught that being a man, biologically speaking, entitles you to leadership.

So who takes the bait? Anyone dissatisfied with their own lives and looking for an easy scapegoat. Career not taking off? You can't have managed your skillsets improperly; it has to be some woman's fault, or that of a weaker man. Pair that with the earlier PUA movement and you get this... strange ersatz of a man who thinks wealth and power is owed to him; that expertise is just something you innately have, or that it's attainable through some sort of online course.

And what is it that's pushed forward? Crypto, AI scams, drop-shipping - even NFTs used to feature as previously "optimal" means of generating income. If you're lucky and you spot one that has a shred of cleverness, he'll suggest day trading - assuming this isn't just a grift and he pushes his subscribers towards bad stock for his own benefit.

I'm reminded of Billy Coull, who was made famous by last year's Willy Wonka Experience fiasco. A YouTuber who's become known for haranguing scam artists and PUAs got one brutally honest statement out of the man:

"It's their fault for buying into this, all the signs that this was a scam were there."

And it's the same thing with the Manosphere influencers. It's why you see new ones crop up and most of them have to carefully astroturf their image, as they're not as successful as they make themselves out to be.

One of my local examples is Julien Bournival, who used to upload YouTube seminars about how to be a "better man" - all the while swimming in debt and being hounded by credit recovery agencies.

If you're thinking about picking up one of Tate or Bournival's introductory seminars, think again. Unsubscribe, cancel all recurring payments you might've set up - and ignore the FOMO hook they'll try to use on you. They have nothing on offer.

If you're looking to grow as a person and need something that serves as a roadmap to follow, go see a therapist or a career advisor. Don't trust idiots bragging about their cars or their net worth.

[plaidcowboy]

rafe cameron 𓂃 getting high with you in the room

⟳⠀ rafe spilling sober thoughts ⟳⠀i know nothing about smoking

୧ ׅ ࣪ ⊹ ۫ . ♡ ⊹ ۫

“haha” rafe chuckled dryly at you wincing. you gave him a hard stare, not appreciating him laughing at you.

“told you not to do it” he rose the blunt back to his lips. you shrugged, settling back into the bed. “i just wanted to know what it felt like” you blew slightly on your finger that just touched the lit end of the blunt.

rafe blew a ring, peeking at you out the corner of his eye. “if you’re not gonna try it, don’t worry about what it feels like” he rasped out.

you rolled your eyes, sitting up and settling closer to rafe. “so then, what does it feel like?” you looked up at him with wide, curious eyes. you loved how rafe looked when he smoked. and how chatty he also got. and how easily you were able to get things out of him.

rafe turned to you, looking to see if you were serious. he paused his laugh when he saw that you were. he sighed, leaning back to lie his head on your lap. you ran your fingers through his hair, waiting for his answer.

rafe slightly coughed out a chuckle, his eyes crinkling in the corners. “uh.. feels good? what d’you want me to say?” he smiled at you upside down.

you shrugged innocently. “like.. does it make you think differently.. about things.. or me?” you glanced away shyly.

you looked back in time to see rafe scrunch his eyebrows. “huh.. i guess i do, actually..” you could see the gears turning in his head.

you leaned down, hands on the side of his head, and whispered, “then tell me.” you could smell the decadent scent of the substance.

it was a second before he spoke again, “i start thinking weird poetic stuff about your eyes.. like comparing them to sunsets.. exotic scenery.. whatever..” he pulled from the blunt again.

“mm hm,” you traced around his face, intrigued by the answer he gave you. “what else?”

rafe turned his head, mumbling into your stomach. “i don’t wanna say” you heard him murmur.

you grabbed his head, raising it slightly so his chain sat on your sternum. “it’s okay.. i won’t judge..”

rafe looked off to the side. “when i do it alone.. i start thinking about you..” you rose an eyebrow, inclining him to continue when he paused.

“..about how i want you touching me like how you are right now. i like your hands on me, like you’re claiming me even when no one’s around..”

you scratched at the back of his head and rafe’s eyes fluttered closed.

“’s stupid, but it makes me feel good. better than this stuff ever could” he referred to the weed.

you bit your lip, stopping a frown from forming at how sweet it was to see rafe this vulnerable. “not stupid. i like doing it.” you ran your hands down his shoulders as his eyes opened again and trailed down your figure.

“i also..” he took a drag before continuing, “.. start hallucinating? like seeing tripped out stuff..”

you rose an eyebrow, stalling your moment. “what? wait, do you feel okay?”

rafe nodded sluggishly. “yeah.. i just start seeing this pretty girl.. and her clothes start getting shorter.. and her face just.. i don’t know how it does it, but it gets prettier.. and her eyes start pulling me in..”

you held your breath, waiting for him to finish.

rafe rose his hands in mock surrender. “and i let her. i go willingly. whatever she wants, goes”

you poked him in the arm. “mm, so funny.. you think i’m pretty?”

rafe dropped his arms, steeling you with a bewildered expression. “baby, i don’t think. there’s so many girls out there that i get upset at for existing while i have you.”

you giggled at his silly words and he rambled on, “like, do they know i got the prettiest girl coming home to me every day? why would they be outside? i don’t wanna see that”

you shook your head, “yeah, that’s how i feel about the boys i see”

rafe paused, looking up to you. he gripped your chin, eyes narrowing slightly, mostly due to what he was inhaling. “what boys?”

you quickly remembered. “no boys, just you” you fixed him with another innocent wide eyed look, it always working.

rafe let go of your chin. “it better be.”

𝜗℘　゜・

[profundcherrylady]

Thinking about yoichi isagi dating an Itoshi, Sae and Rin's little sister who is for sure someone unique. Contrary to popular belief, she's very sweet (to him); she just has a bit of a rough exterior. Her nonchalant attitude and piercing teal eyes, along with her unfiltered words, often come off as rude to most people, but Isagi knew better; he had managed to crack the walls she set up protecting her real personality, and he couldn't be happier with what he found inside. People would often stare amazed at how he could read the slightest change on her blank expression, praising how well he knew her to always know exactly what she needed; from just a warm cup of coffee to fight her tiredness to a soft hug to lift up her spirits. Now they were 24 and 22, celebrating two years of being together.

Or at least what she understood by celebrating, which was essentially staying home and skipping her responsibilities by laying down on bed and relaxing like a lazy cat.

A cat. How could he ever need a cat when he has her? He smiled sweetly at her figure comfortably resting; hair tousled and a shirt of his put on to, as she stated before, 'smell his scent' while he was away practicing or training. She could not care less about football or the fact that he couldn't skip his responsibilities to stay with her today, she would just wait until he came home.

"Honey." he called, earning a soft mumble as a response. "Let's go out."

"Why?"

"'Cause it's our anniversary."

"So?"

"So I want to do something nice for you. 'Cause that's what couples do on anniversaries, y'know? We give each other stuff and go out for dinner or something. Do you wanna do that?"

"No." to anyone else that answer might've seen cold and cruel, but not to him; he knew she was just too comfortable to get out of bed, and that saying 'no' to his invitation was her way of saying 'stay here with me'. But she was too stubborn to ask him directly, that he also knew, and yet he felt like teasing her a little.

"What do you wanna do then?" she opened her eyes, finally, and looked at him silently. Her usual blank stare was piercing through him, like trying to non-verbally communicate what she wanted. And it did, he knew, and she knew that he knew, and she also knew that he wanted her to say it. But just like a stubborn cat, she didn't say anything else. She adjusted herself on the bed, changing positions slightly, and stretched; a yawn that almost resembled a meowl escaping her lips. And then nothing else; the message was clear. She wanted him to join her in bed and cuddle, because she missed him while he was out, but fire would fall from the sky before she said that out loud even though they were in a long-term relationship. Typical Itoshi, he thought. It was like Rin calling him 'lukewarm' all over again.

"Just do whatever then..." she finally said, still refusing to admit what she wanted. "I'll sleep.."

"Wanna cuddle?" he could almost see the imaginary cat ears on she had on his head twitch in alert, and the thought almost made him chuckle. He silently walked towards the bed and layed down next to her, where almost instantly she trapped him on her arms. Head laid on his chest and his arm used as a pillow, she became inmediately relaxed as she took a deep breath of his scent.

"You stink." yet she made no effort in pulling away. He could almost hear her purring like an actual cat.

"I'll go take a bath if that's the case." he said it as a joke, and then laughed when he heard her mumble a complain.

"No." he didn't actually stink. He did just return from training, but he took a shower previously right after he came home.

He then placed his free hand on top of her head and started playing with her hair, and she let out a sigh as he felt his fingers scratching her scalp softly, yet just right.

"Better now?"

"Yeah..." she purred, finally letting down her walls again. "Missed you."

"Missed you too." he placed a soft kiss on her head. "You still don't wanna go out?"

"Hmm... too tired..." she murmured. "It's comfortable here..."

"Alright, then. We'll celebrate lowkey this year; let's just chill... you hungry though? We can still order takeout or whatever."

"Noooo... just stay here." she gave him a bite when he tried to sit up. An old habit she (according to Sae) had ever since she was a kid. To bite people she likes; she would apparently always get in trouble for bitting Rin or him when they were little. Their parents would discover the bite marks on their arms and ground her because she isn't an animal, or her teachers would call home after she bit some of the classmates or teachers she particularly liked. It was weird, Sae stated, like Rin's strange habit of drooling and sticking out his tongue. Seems none of the Itoshis can be normal members of society.

"Ouch." the bite didn't really hurt but it was always funny to pretend it did. He didn't mind it; he thought it was cute. "Okay, I'm staying in bed. Happy?"

"Yes."

"You still want your anniversary gifts at least?"

"I don't need gifts, nor anything else; I just want to stay like this." he smiled before moving his head down to press a kiss on her lips, which she recieved happily, his own lips moving in experienced synchronization with hers. He stayed there, refusing to pull away for a while, because she was right. This was too comfortable to do anything else; it was better to stay like this.

Oh, well, the ring on the gift box he had prepared would have to wait another year, but this moment made it all worth it.

A/N: I love Isagi too much y'all 😭🙏

Btw this was inspired by an oc of mine, that's why it's so specific; I was just thinking about her and wanted to write something.

[gothamrain]

I MARRIED MY STALKER —more on page 4

Tim Drake x reader || part 1 || 1760 words

a/n: okay so some context, this is supposed to be an isekai’d reader. only been in this universe for a month but knows dc lore. also i wrote 90% of this literally 2 years ago lol i stay silly

It was a strange situation. Laughable, in a twisted kinda way. You knew you had a stalker. You hear him follow you home every night after work. Or, well, morning technically. You get off that late.

You've never been one to write something off as paranoia. Especially now that you lived in Gotham. Especially especially since you lived in the Narrows. Like you're not stupid.

Whenever you would turn around, checking your surroundings, you wouldn’t find him. The footsteps weren't on the ground, you've elicited. He was up in the rooftops, doing parkour. Great.

You really hoped it wasn't a supervillain. Imagine that, you're given the miraculous opportunity to carve out a new life for yourself in a big city and you almost immediately get killed horrifically by a guy in a halloween costume before you even get a chance. Actually, with the way your luck goes, that checks out.

It was becoming increasingly clear the predator didn't just know your work schedule, either. When you'd go out for groceries, or to a diner, he’d often find you then too, following you around town. It was like he was studying your behavior patterns, which actually is pretty typical of a true old fashioned stalker, now that you think of it.

Even so. He never got any closer than he always did. Never actually attacking you. And eventually, you got used to his presence, thinking nothing of it when you heard the occasional scuff of boots against the concrete and metal of the city.

But the strangest thing happened as you shambled home from your second job tonight, eager to get on with your evening.

You see him.

Or, at least, you see his shadow. His form silhouetted against the wall, standing bold as he eclipsed the red glow coming from some sort of neon sign.

He doesn't move, as you stare at the shadow on the wall. Which strikes you as odd, if not terrifying, because you had gotten the vibe that this man knew what he was doing. It was like he wanted you to know he was there.

And you recognize the silhouette. That's Red fucking Robin.

You take a deep breath. You are relieved, truthfully. Even if it was clear he thought of you as some sort of target.. Or maybe he was protecting you from the real stalker, and the supervillain theory was truer than you'd hoped…

“I don't believe I have any information you would want,” you call out, trying to figure just what the hell he thinks he’s doing.

“That’s not necessarily true,” his voice is different than you expected.

“So like. You gonna beat the shit out of me or can we go up to my apartment and have this discussion over a pot of coffee?”

“I— I would never hurt you,” his calm and deep voice cracked for a second, like he couldn't believe what you just implied. You know as if he hadn't been stalking you almost the entire time you'd been in this goddamn city.

“So my place it is, then,” you confirmed.

“You’d invite a dangerous vigilante into your home?”

“Are you saying you don’t have the ability to ‘let yourself in’ at any time you please?”

“Well, no,”

“Then I don't see how me voluntarily letting you in is any less dangerous.”

And that's how you wound up in this situation, nervously pouring a mug of coffee for one of Gotham's infamous vigilantes.

You were glad that he for some reason took this softer route. As you recall, whenever a Bat wants to have a talk with someone they usually just appear in the shadows of their home or office, scaring the bejeebus out of them.

You couldn't completely tell, because of the mask, but you got the feeling he wasn't looking around. He'd already studied your apartment, most likely. His eyes were trained solely on you.

"Room for cream and sugar?" you ask. You know the answer. You're a barista in the daytime, and you've served a certain Wayne Ent. CEO more than a few times already. Which, now that he could be your stalker, makes sense. He was scoping you out. Great.

"No thanks. I prefer it black."

"Dark like you, right?"

He cracked the smallest of smiles as he took the mug from your hands, like he was holding back from outright grinning. Strange. That was a really lame and overdone joke. Maybe he doesn't get out much.

"I like it black too," you ran a hand through your hair,

"I know you’ve been following me around," he looked a little guilty at your accusation, "but I don’t know why. I haven’t done anything suspect—“

“I’m protecting you,” Tim butt in.

“I’m in danger?”

He shifted uncomfortably.

"…I can’t say that you aren’t.”

“Goddamnit," you set the mugs down on the table a little too aggressively, "So what am I looking at here? Joker? Poison Ivy? Condiment Man?”

Tim looked sheepish as you poured the coffee into the mugs. As much as he could with that mask, anyway. He grabbed a mug and took a long sip, swallowing loudly. Ah, it was a little too hot, but he was trying too much to act cool to let on to the fact he just burned himself. He let out a breath to cool off his tongue, but played it off as a sigh.

“I can’t tell you.”

You sighed deeply, yeah, that’s what you thought he’d say.

Well. As much as you didn’t like the sudden interruption of your new life, you had been wondering when you were going to be pulled into something like this. You knew it was inevitable, otherwise you wouldn’t be here.. Right? People don’t get sent to other dimensions for no reason, right? And besides, now that you’ve settled in, you’ve started to get bored.

"So what’s our game plan?” you asked as you took a sip. Ah, a little too hot.

“Game plan?”

“You know. The part where you’ve got an overly complicated plan to catch this criminal and you need my help as bait,”

He smiled at you, incredulous, “You’d want to be bait?”

“Not. Necessarily. No,” you took another sip to cover up your eagerness, “I just want to help,”

“Helping is my job, Sweetheart,” he took a long sip to look roguish, “you’re a civilian,”

“Yeah but,” you tried not to sound put down by his reluctance to let you into his world, “You— I… I’m interested in not being a civilian, if you know what I mean…”

Tim stared at you, trying to compute what you were asking of him. Feeling silly, you put up your dukes and mimed punching someone to make your point. It was really cute, actually. He grinned at you.

He did not expect.. this. He thought you’d be scared. He thought he could metaphorically take you to a scary movie just so you’d cuddle into him out of fright. He did not think your brain would’ve picked the ‘fight’ option out of ‘fight or flight’. Maybe he underestimated you. Miscalculated his moves. Albeit, this might be way more interesting…

“Train me,” you tried not to sound too desperate.

You held your breath, waiting for his answer.

Tim focused on the coffee, letting what you just said linger in the air. This was a dirt cheap brand of grounds, burnt and acidic. He’d have to get you some real coffee soon.

“Okay.”

You released the air in your lungs with one big huff. Hopefully your breath didn’t smell too bad, as you basically washed his face in it. Even a strand of his bangs fluttered. Real smooth, dumbass. But you quickly forgot that insecurity as your brain caught up with what he said.

“Really?”

“Yeah, really,”

“No interview or anything? Not that I can’t be trusted, but how would you know I can be trusted?” hey stupid, stop trying to talk him out of this.

“Well I already uh,” he coughed awkwardly, “I already know a lot about you,”

“Ah, yeah, you were stalking me, weren’t you?”

You had no idea what the fuck kinda info he could have considering you don’t really have a background to check in this universe, but okay.

Tim scratched the back of his neck, “Yeah.. Sorry about that. It was all for your safety, I promise,”

You giggled, “Thank you, Mr. Robin, I do feel safe now, knowing it was you,”

“Oh uh,” you could see a blush start peeking out from under his mask, “My pleasure— I mean uh, it’s my duty to you. —As you are a citizen of Gotham, I mean.”

“So when do we star—“

You were cut off by his communicator beeping. He put a hand up to some earpiece he had.

“On it. Be right there,” Tim told someone over the line.

He looked back at you guiltily. You waved your hand in a “it’s fine” gesture.

“Go be a hero Mr. Robin,” you stood to start taking the mugs to the sink.

He held up a finger to ask you for a second as he basically dumped the entire mug into his mouth and gulped it all down. He parted from the mug with a gasp of satisfaction, and you snickered as you finally took it from him.

He stood and brushed himself off while you busied yourself at the sink. You didn’t really worry about whether he was about to disappear into the night like he was never there in the first place. He’d be back. Watching you in the shadows like he had been every night you’d been here...

Did he know you weren’t ‘native’, so to speak? Maybe whatever trouble you’re in now is apart of how you got here in the first place. You’ll have to ask him later…

A hand found its place on your shoulder, and you turned around to him fumbling with his communicator with the other hand. You felt a buzz in your pocket.

“Here’s my number, I’ll text you later, okay?”

You noticed how he didn’t even go through the formality of asking you for your number. Guess we’re a little past pretending this is a normal interaction between two people who want to get to know each other better. You smiled at him as he started making his way to your door.

“Bye Mr. Robin,”

Chuckling at the nickname, he turned back one last time as he held the door, “Bye Y/n,” he grinned at you before making his disappearance back into the shadows of the night.

[terrestrialnoob]

Can I write more? Physically? Probably. Write angst? I had a bad day, so I don't think I have that in me at the moment. Have some hope, motherfucker.

John was going to kill himself for real this time. He'd summoned a teenager! Not a protector spirit who looked like a teen to get people to trust him, not a trickster spirit who looked like a teen to get people to underestimate him, but the actual ghost of a teenager who probably hadn't died that long ago given the outfit he was in. He'd summoned a kid and ordered him to fight a god. John just killed another kid.

John could feel it. The magical contract wrapped around his heart as thick as it had wrapped around Phantom and through it he felt Phantom failing to keep his end of the contract and fading from existence. There was a flash of light and John was certain he'd see the chain fall to dust, still visible and solid since the ghost king wanted John to watch as Pariah crushed a child in his hands. But it didn't.

"What's this!" Pariah suddenly shouted and John looked to see - everyone was back! John looked and saw Wonder Woman with Fright Knight tied up in her magic lasso under her foot and his sword held high above her head, glowing with energy as she released everyone it had touched. Phantom had distracted Pariah enough for Diana to beat Fright Knight!

Pariah snarled at her and, thank the stars, threw Phantom aside to pick up his sword and fight the entire Justice League. Sure, some of their returned team mates looked worse for wear, but with them back and the Fright Knight handled, it wasn't hopeless. Not for them anyway.

John wasn't paying much attention to the fight other than to get soldiers out of his way and stay out of the way of the big hitters now that they were back. He got to the rubble Phantom had made with that screaming attack of his. The ground was unstable and whatever buildings stood around him wouldn't be standing for long. He followed the softly glowing chain that was quickly dimming. He wasn't sure if that's because Pariah wasn't powering it anymore or if it was because Phantom was...

The chain vanished and left John frantically looking around for the spirit. He couldn't see him or sense him or... John felt his throat close up and his tongue go heavy. As he tried to push the burning of tears from his eyes, he caught sight of something. He stumbled around the ruins and found someone. Short and thin, wearing torn up jeans and someone had written "Fenterd Stinks" on the back of their white shirt in marker.

They looked like a civilian. Civilian's shouldn't have been there, they'd been evacuated hours ago, and no one would have been stupid enough to stick around after the Justice League got there. Even the paparazzi had fucked off to safety.

But as John got closer he could slowly start to feel it. Something was off about them. It was him, it was Phantom! John could sense it was him. He could feel the spirit hiding inside... no that wasn't right, this was something else. He had the same face in different colors, maybe rounder ears and not as many visible freckles, but it was the same and John could figure it out later.

John pressed his hand into the kid's neck and found a painfully slow pulse, his breathing was shallow and harsh. "Alright kid, new deal." John said and re-positioned the kid in his arms. "If you die, I die too. But if you live, you tell me how you beat this guy last time and let me take care of the rest."

John moved his hand slightly, making Phantom - or at least the body he was in - nod in agreement. John waited, and as death didn't over take him, he sighed in relief. This was salvageable.

After another moment, the kid opened his eyes and looked dazed. "What happ-"

"Hey kid, sorry, but we're still in the middle of things." John said, trying to sound urgent but not scare the kid. It didn't work. His eyes went wide and his body went tense. "How was Pariah beat before?"

The kid swallowed and his voice was scratchy. "I - I had a battle suit, my parents made it, and it gave whoever was inside it a hundred times more power, but it drained them like a battery. I was able to get Pariah back in his Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep, but I - I almost died. The suit almost killed me."

"Alright." John nodded and sighed to reset his thoughts. "First thing's first, get you to safety."

Vaguely inspired by that one post where Danny gets summoned by the JL and keeps throwing his shoes and stuff at them bc HE might not be able to leave the summoning circle but his clothes sure can!

I think the twist for that was that the circle doesnt effect him at all because hes a halfa and he was just goofing with the JL.

But imagine if the summoning and containment WORKED.

Like, he gets summoned and its startling, but once he realizes hes been summoned hes mostly annoyed.

Its a school night! He has work to do! Sure he wasnt DOING it, but it was still a possibility!

And hes trying to banter with the JL. Which for him just means being vaguely-obnoxious-but-somewhat-charming.

But then he tries to leave.

Maybe hes worried about his friends reaction to seeing him disappear.

Maybe the JL are saying some anti ghost/demon/whatever they think he is nonsense.

Maybe he changed his mind about doing that homework.

But either way, it doesnt work.

He drags his hand along the edge of the spell. It doesnt give, and he realizes hes not sure what this spell is supposed to do.

Its all along the floor beneth him, he cant fly through the floor.

He tries to get away from the walls and floor, worried whatever spell makes up the container can be triggered to hurt him or brainwash him or SOMETHING.

Its not his best guest, but he has never been summoned before, at least not with this type of barrier, and he doesnt know what to expect.

He barely gets a few feet off the ground when he hits the spells invisible roof.

And he is trapped.

And now this fourteen year old child is caged in a room with clearly dangerous adult strangers.

After hes been more or less kidnapped.

He’s suddenly regretting insulting them.

And its not his first time beimg kidnapped. Or his first time being in danger in general (obviously).

but its usually some ghost! Or Vlad “Loser, I hardly know her!” Masters!

Both of whom explain literally everything they plan in long ass evil monologues! It usually takes danny five minutes tops to learn their entire life story Dr Doofenshmirtz style!

He knows most of them personally! They hang out sometimes! Heck! even the local ghost hunters are either literally related to him or someone he’s dated!

He knows their powersets, their strengths, their weaknesses.

Most importantly, he knows their goals

But now hes trapped. In a room of clearly superpowerd strangers. With magical abilities strong enough to trap him for real.

And has no idea what they want

And Danny just freezes up

This could be super angsty if the JL were told that he was evil and think his panic + young features are only done to manipulate them.

You can also add angst with a language barrier/translation issue

I imagine the JL would be trying to get information about ghosts/ are trying to get someone to fight a villain they can’t defeat

Its going to scare the shit out of Danny either way- like imagine fourteen year old you gets kidnapped by strangers and they start asking you about your weaknesses or say they will only let you out if you agree to fight this monster.

And if Danny doesnt know this villain or how tf hes going to fight them he might feel like hes being sent off to get his ass kicked.

I can just imagine Danny being told he has to fight this supervillain and being like “…if i like..die…trying to fight this guy…what are you going to do with my body? Like will you send me home? Cause my family will freak if my corpse is teleported into the living room”

JL would not be happy about any of his responses.

Im begging someone to write this please have a nice day

[strwberri-milk]

How do you think the lnds boys would react if mc breaks up with them, and later, they find out the motive was that mc thinks she isn't good enough for them?

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Also, girl, how do you get the creativity to write so many requests? You're amazing! 🙃

i dont really have creativity im just good at following guidelines when people send requests and i can see how it plays out in my head lolol ty though <33

He's angry, upset, anything and everything. His mind is spinning as this revelation hits him. Rafayel and Sylus fought like crazy to try and keep you, ending up in even more arguments that just cemented in your desire to leave him because you hated that you were hurting him so much. Zayne and Xavier were stunned when you brought it up and just tried their best to delay the actual breaking up until one day you just up and left them with nothing but the memory of you.

He texts you and calls you immediately - even if you're blocked he has his ways of getting around it. Zayne is fairly calm about reaching out, sending you a message asking you to speak. In reality, he was losing his mind over this, wanting you to reply and desperately wanting to beg but also knowing that if he pushed too hard there was a good chance you wouldn't reply.

Rafayel is a spammer, of course. He keeps messaging you until you finally end up replying to him. Xavier and Sylus are in between - Sylus' messages are firm but he isn't blowing up your phone. Xavier is sending you more messages then Sylus, but they all sound so hurt you can't look at them without feeling like crying.

He will secure a meeting with you and this is going to be one of the few times you see him genuinely angry. He's quiet, watching your every move as his hands keep themselves busy. Thankfully, you don't feel like he's going to hurt you or yell at you but you do feel bad about how mad he is, weakly trying to explain that you were trying to do what would be best for him.

He shuts it down right away, telling you that he doesn't care what you think about yourself. He loves you and he wants you and if you're going to sabotage the one good thing he's been given he's not going to give up that easily this time. You know internally that he didn't really even give up easily the first time so you just kinda stay quiet, trying to figure out what you want to say to him.

Eventually he'd manage to convince you into giving the two of you a second chance. However, he does also tell you that he can't handle you self-sabotaging to such a drastic degree a second time. He's been running himself haggard since the first time you broke up with him and if you're insistent that you're not good enough for him to this degree he's going to start insisting on counseling in some form. He also does his best to show you and tell you how much he loves and appreciates you - even more so than before. You will be drowning in affection and there's literally nothing you can do about it.

[revelboo]

Oh my gosh, The “Everything is Alright” drama just slowly ripling outward is so so juicy. Devouring this! Ur writing is so good. Every fic being gently connected is so fun. TY for the food!

I’m glad you enjoy my nonsense!

The pointy cryptid arrived!

Everything Is Alright Pt 121

IDW Starscream x Reader, Soundwave x Reader, Megatron x Reader

• Watching Soundwave inspect your soft hands, turning them over in his and rumbling unhappily at the sight of your bleeding knuckles where you’d lashed out at Starscream, Megatron lays back on the berth. Unable to watch those two fussing over you, unable to deal with the problem of your lifespan along with your sparkling. And someone has to be full size and ready to defend their family. That thought catching him off guard. Is that what they are now? Fragged over by the universe into the most dysfunctional family ever. “Someone needs to teach you how to throw a punch,” he mutters. “You’re awful at it.”

• Almost laughing despite yourself, you hate that you want to relent. To bury your face against Starscream and soak in the warmth and familiarity of him. But know it’s a trap. “I can’t do this again. I won’t.” Glancing at Megatron, you tug your hand from Soundwave. Why can’t this be simple? Because you’re greedy and want more than you should. Because something is wrong with you and you can’t decide. “No more lying. No more plots.” No more not taking your voice into account. “Please.”

• Grimacing, Starscream’s aware of Megatron sprawled on his back, head turned to watch them. Watching him. And you’re asking him to stop trying to seize control, to ignore all the wrongs, the mistakes. The pain. Hand cupping your cheek, he ignores Megatron and Soundwave. Aware suddenly that you’ve given him the ultimate immunity against Megatron by fully bonding the warlord. You’d protected him for life from Megatron’s rage. “I only look to the future.” Sees you frown and nudges you with his head. “Our future. Together.” Knows he’s neglected you, focused on protecting you without stopping to even ask if you wanted to be protected, but he couldn’t risk losing you. Still can’t.

• Still upset, but your mind is calming as his servos curl around your upper arm, finding skin to strengthen the connection. Megatron had told him to bond to you again, but he can’t. Not when you’re still off kilter and unsure of everything. Hurting. Doesn’t want to take this time, wants you to reach out to him. “I don’t know if I can trust you. Any of you,” you mumble and his spark constricts. Because he’s had as much a part to play in this as the other two. He’d tried to manipulate you and Megatron, had done it to protect you, but had never thought about what you’d actually wanted. Though, apparently you had wanted Megatron. More than him. He’s trying so hard to not think about the fact that you held back with him, but submitted completely to Megatron. Wanting to believe that it hadn’t been you, that you’d unconsciously been offered a chance to survive and has seized it without being aware what you were doing. But it still hurts.

• “Trust is earned,” Megatron growls, servos pressing against his own chassis over his spark. Can barely sense that weak spark nestled inside him, that impossible life a way forward. How long has it been since there’s been a new generation? Well before the war began. Wants to hang on to that anger at what you’d done to him, about the inevitable complications and questions it’s going to cause, because at some point the spark will need to be transferred to a protoform. And that’s going to be noticed. And a sparkling will be even more helpless than you are. Staring at you rubbing your eyes, his spark constricts. Because you’re a problem. Vulnerable, helpless, and his life is dependent on yours. On no one figuring out that he’s fully bonded to you and deciding to take him out by killing one ridiculously fragile human. “I don’t see that we have much choice but to work together. Because anyone gunning for me will target our helpless little mate.”

• Mate not pet. You feel Starscream stiffen against you and you don’t know if it’s that he doesn’t want to get along with Megatron or even try or if he’s just now realizing that you’re going to be a target. It’s definitely not something you’d considered. But it really shouldn’t surprise you, because of course things can get worse.

Previous

[insidekatmind]

Your Brother's Best Friend- Noni Madueke

Wearning: slight smut

Request: yes!

Being Levi Colwill’s younger sister wasn’t always easy, especially with how protective he was of you. Ever since you were little, Levi had always kept an eye on anyone who came near you, which made you feel safe but sometimes a bit suffocated. Now that he played for Chelsea, his life was a whirlwind of training sessions, matches, and, of course, his teammates.

Among them was Noni Madueke. His radiant smile, contagious energy, and the way he joked with you every time he came over were impossible to ignore. You found yourself looking for any excuse to spend even a few minutes with him whenever he came home with Levi after training.

“Y/N, are you really staring at the wall, or are you watching someone?” Levi’s voice snapped you out of your thoughts as you sat on the couch. Noni had just gone into the kitchen to grab a drink, and, of course, your eyes had followed his every move.

“What? No! I’m just… thinking!” you replied, trying to sound casual. Levi raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. “Uh-huh, sure. Keep your eyes off my teammates, okay? Especially Noni.”

“Oh, come on, that would never happen!” you lied, trying to hide the blush creeping across your cheeks.

Right at that moment, Noni walked back in with his signature grin and a couple of jokes ready to go. “What’s the topic? Hope you weren’t talking about me, eh?”

Your heart did a somersault, but you just laughed nervously. “Nothing important, we were just chatting.”

He gave you a curious yet kind look, the kind that made you feel like you were the only person in the room. He asked you about your university course, and as you talked, it felt like the rest of the world disappeared.

When Levi noticed that Noni was paying you just a little too much attention, he stepped in. “Alright, enough chit-chat. Noni, let’s go. We’ve got clips from yesterday’s match to review.”

Noni chuckled but, before following Levi, he glanced back at you. “See you later, Y/N.”

And as your heart raced, you couldn’t help but hope that “see you later” meant much more than just a quick chat.

The next day Noni shows up at your house.“Hi, if you're looking for Levi, he's not at home right now,” you say, trying to act normal.

Noni’s cheerful smile widens upon seeing you.“I know, I came to see you, actually,” he replies, his voice oozing confidence.

Your heart flips. He came to see you? Why?

A hundred thoughts race through your mind, but you try to hide the excitement bubbling up. “Me? Why?”

Noni takes a step closer, his eyes never leaving yours.“I figured I needed a break from all the football talk. Plus, I wanted to spend some time with a beautiful girl.”

Your cheeks flush at his compliment. It’s hard to think straight when he’s standing so close to you.Clearing your throat, you manage to stutter out a response. “Wh-what do you want to do then?”

Noni grins, enjoying the flustered look on your face.“I don’t know… maybe we could have a quick chat? We’ve never really talked much just the two of us, have we?”

You nod, feeling a mixture of nerves and excitement. Spending time alone with him is both thrilling and terrifying.“Sure, yeah, we can chat.”

You let him into your house while you try not to freak out and close the door.

Noni follows you inside, his presence filling the room as you both find a place to sit down. He flops onto the couch, completely at ease, while you perch nervously on the edge of the armchair opposite him, trying to slow your racing heart.“So,” he begins, a playful smile on his lips, “What shall we chat about?”

Your mind goes blank for a moment as his piercing gaze fixates on you. You’re used to seeing his carefree smile and hearing his jokes and banter. Being alone with him feels different. Suddenly, your brain can’t seem to come up with a single topic of conversation.“Um… I don’t know… you tell me,” you say, attempting to sound casual.

Noni leans back on the couch, one arm stretched out across the back, still gazing at you intently.“Well, let’s see… what’s your favorite color?” he asks, with a smirk.

You smile in amusement at his question. "Do you want to know my favorite color?"

Noni chuckles, enjoying the exchange.“I do. It’s a very important question.”

You roll your eyes, but there’s a hint of a smile on your lips. You can’t believe he’s asking about something so trivial.“Fine. My favorite color is purple.”

Noni raises an eyebrow, pretending to consider your answer.“Purple... interesting choice.”

You can’t help but smile at his exaggerated response. “What’s yours then?”

He pretends to think about it for a moment, though you’re sure he knows his answer immediately.“Mine is whatever color your cheeks turn when you’re embarrassed.”

You blushed at his words and looked away, biting your lip to hide the smile that was breaking out of you.

Noni watches you intently as the blush spreads across your cheeks. He clearly enjoys the effect he has on you.“See, that’s the color I’m talking about,” he grins, pointing at your flushed face. “That’s the prettiest color there is.”

You try to regain your composure and look him in the eye.“You say that to every girl, don’t you?”It’s a half-joke, but there’s a hint of insecurity in your voice. Noni’s smooth with everyone, why should you be any different?

Noni cocks his head, his smile faltering for a moment. He seems to pick up on the hint of vulnerability in your tone.“You think I say that to every girl?” he asks, a flicker of seriousness in his expression.

You shrug, trying to play it cool. “I don’t know, you seem pretty charming with everyone around.”

Noni leans forward, his eyes locked on yours.“Maybe it’s different with you.”

Those few words send a shiver down your spine, but you keep your cool and raise an eyebrow skeptically. “Oh really? What makes me different?”

Noni contemplates his next words for a moment, his gaze intensifying.“It’s just… when I’m with you, it doesn’t feel like a game. It feels different. Real.”His words hang in the air, making your heart pound even faster. You’re not sure if he’s just flattering you or if he really means what he’s saying.

You try to keep your voice steady, not wanting him to realize how much his words affect you.“Real how?” you ask, searching his face for any hint of insincerity.

Noni takes a moment to reply. When he does, his voice is softer, more sincere.“With you, it’s not just about the football or the banter. I like talking to you. Genuinely. It feels like we’re actually connecting, and I don’t feel that with just anyone.”

You smiled softly at his words and you could feel the butterflies in your stomach.Seeing your soft smile, Noni's gaze softens further. He leans back against the couch again, watching you intently.

"You know, I don't think you even realize how cute you look right now," he says quietly, a hint of a smirk on his lips.

Your heart skips another beat at his compliment. You quickly look down, trying to hide the redness in your cheeks that you know is giving you away."Stop it," you say with a shy smile.

But Noni’s not finished. He moves a little closer to you, his voice dropping to a low, intimate tone."No, seriously. You're so damn cute when you're flustered."

You can feel his eyes on you, making you feel a mix of nervous and exhilarated. His proximity is intoxicating, and the air between you feels charged."I... I'm not trying to be cute," you stutter, still unable to meet his gaze.

Noni chuckles, clearly enjoying the effect he has on you."I know you're not trying. That's what makes it so adorable."

You finally muster up the courage to look at him, and when you do, his gaze pins you in place. It’s intense, almost overwhelming. But there’s something else in his eyes too – a hint of desire, and a flicker of something deeper.

As he speaks again, his voice is barely above a whisper.“You drive me crazy when you blush like that, you know.”

You gulp, feeling the truth of his words sink in. The way he’s looking at you sends a shiver down your spine."I..." you start, but your voice trails off. You can’t form a coherent thought with him so close and his eyes on you like that.

He notices your struggle, and a slow, languid smile curls at the corners of his mouth. He obviously enjoys having you at a loss for words.

The tension between you grows more intense by the second. He slowly reaches out and places a hand on your knee. The touch of his fingers on your skin sends electricity through your body."You know," he murmurs, moving his face closer to yours, "I'd love to see just how red you can get."His words are like a flame igniting a fire within you.

You can feel your heart racing in your chest as he inches nearer. He's so close now you can smell his cologne, a perfect mix of spicy and musky. All your rational thoughts seem to disappear, leaving only the pounding in your chest and the burning desire in your veins.

"I..." you begin again, but he cuts you off with a knowing smile.

"Shh," he whispers, bringing his fingers to your lips delicately."Don't overthink it. Just let me do this." His other hand moves up to caress your cheek, the pads of his fingers soft against your skin. You’re lost in his eyes and the sensations he's evoking within you that you barely notice him leaning in even closer."Just... relax," he murmurs, his breath warm on your face.

He's so close now you could count every one of his eyelashes. Your breaths mingle together, and you feel as though the world has shrank to just the two of you.With a tender yet firm touch, he slides his hand behind your neck, pulling you even closer. The way he touches you is electrifying, sending sparks through every nerve in your body.

"You're trembling," he whispers, his lips so close to yours now you can almost taste them. "Are you nervous?"

You nod. It's a lie. You’re not nervous. You're overwhelmed, excited, yearning.

"Good" he says, the word a hot breath against your mouth. "That means you want this as badly as I do."

And then, finally, his lips brush against yours. It's a soft, hesitant touch at first, as if he's testing your reaction. But as soon as your lips respond eagerly to his, he leans in further, deepening the kiss.Your mind goes blank, consumed by the feel of his lips on yours, the taste of him on your tongue. Every nerve in your body is alive and on fire.

The hand on your neck tightens, pulling you against him. Your bodies are flush now, molded to each other. His free hand slips from your knee to your waist, pulling you even closer. The contact is almost dizzying.

He breaks the kiss momentarily, his forehead resting against yours, eyes still closed."You have no idea how long I've been wanting to do that," he whispers, his voice hoarse with desire.

You let out a shaky sigh, your head reeling from the kiss. Your hands find their way to his shoulders, gripping them tightly as you try to ground yourself."You... you have?" you manage to ask, your own voice sounding foreign to your ears.

Noni opens his eyes, his gaze intense as it locks with yours."For weeks. Maybe months," he admits, his fingers idly tracing patterns on your waist.

"I've wanted you from the first moment I saw you."His confession sends a thrill through you, making your heart pound even louder. You can’t believe he's been harboring this kind of feelings for so long."But... why didn’t you say anything?" you ask, searching his face.

He smiles at your question, but there’s a hint of sadness in his eyes."Your brother would've killed me," he laughs quietly.

The mention of your brother snaps you back to reality for a moment. It’s true. Levi would absolutely lose his mind if he knew about this.You bite your lip, not wanting to think about that right now. Right now, you just want to be with Noni and forget everything else.

Noni seems to pick up on your concern, and he gently tilts your chin up, meeting your eyes.“Don’t worry about him. For now, just focus on me.”

He leans in again, capturing your lips in another fiery kiss. This time there’s no hesitation, just raw, unfiltered passion.His hands move to your thighs, gripping them firmly as he pulls you up closer. Your legs wrap around his waist instinctively, and you find yourself straddling him, the heat between you almost unbearable.

Your fingers slide into his hair, grabbing handfuls as you kiss him back with equal fervor.His hands now free, they explore your body greedily, tracing up your back and along your arms, as if trying to memorize every curve.The sensations he’s evoking in you are unlike anything you’ve felt before, and you find yourself yearning for more, arching against him shamelessly.

He groans into your mouth, the sound sending shivers down your spine. His hands move down to your hips, anchoring you firmly against him. You can feel the evidence of his desire for you, pressing into your core, making you want him even more.He kisses along your jawline, his lips leaving a trail of fire on your skin. He continue down your neck, lingering on your pulse point, eliciting a gasp from you.

“God, you’re driving me crazy,” he murmurs against your skin, his breath hot and uneven. He nips at your collarbone, sucking at the sensitive flesh in a way that makes your head swim.His hands pull at the hem of your shirt, untucking it from your jeans, his fingers gently caressing the bare skin of your back. The touch of his fingers is like a brand, marking you as his.

The need to feel closer, to feel his skin against yours, is overwhelming. You tug at his shirt, wanting to get it off, but Noni stops you, his hands finding your wrists and pinning them to the couch cushion beside your head.He pulls away from your neck just enough to look at you, eyes fiery and dark with a hunger that makes you shiver.

"Slow down," he breathes, his voice gravelly. "We've got plenty of time."

You try to catch your breath, your body thrumming with unsatisfied desire. Noni notices and smirks, enjoying your impatient state."Slow," he repeats, this time emphasizing the word with a slow, deliberate roll of his hips against yours.

A strangled gasp escapes you, the friction of his body grinding against yours sending a wave of pleasure through you.

The smirk on his face grows as he feels the effect he’s having on you."Feels good, doesn’t it?" he murmurs, his gaze never leaving yours.

Noni does it again, grinding against you slowly but firmly, eliciting another gasp from you. You can feel him against you, hard and ready, and it’s driving you wild.

“I want to touch you,” you say, your voice a bit whiny.

“You are touching me,” Noni points out, still grinding against you tantalizingly. “Be patient.”

You bite your lip, trying to regain some control over yourself. But it’s difficult when he’s looking at you like that, like you’re the most desirable woman he’s ever seen.

He lets go of your wrists, his hands moving down to the button of your jeans.“Is this what you want?” he asks, hooking a finger in the waistband.

You nod, unable to form words, your heart pounding with anticipation. His free hand slides up under your shirt, splaying across your stomach. You arch against him, wanting – needing – more touch.

Noni unbuttons your jeans, his fingers sliding slowly down the zipper. His hands linger at the edge, teasingly not going any further. Each touch is like a taunt, making you ache for more. You squirm under him, unable to bear the torturous slowness of his movements.

"Noni, please," you whisper, your voice taut with need. "Stop teasing me."He chuckles, clearly enjoying the effect he’s having on you.

“But I like teasing you,” he murmurs, his fingers tracing lazy circles on your exposed skin. “Your body responds so beautifully when I play with you.”

Despite your protests, he continues his torturous pace, his hand finally sliding into your jeans, caressing the sensitive skin of your hip. You arch against him again, a small moan escaping your lips."God, you're so ready for me, aren't you?" he whispers, his voice rough with desire.

You can’t deny it. Every inch of your body is burning for his touch, yearning for more than the teases he’s currently giving you. You feel like you’re going to burst, like you need him in ways you’ve never needed anything before.“Noni, please,” you say again, your hands fisting the fabric of his shirt. “I can’t take this anymore. I need you.”

His answering smile is almost predatory. He can tell he’s got you exactly where he wants.“What do you need?” He asks, his fingers continuing their slow, lazy movements. The hand under your shirt slides up higher, just grazing the underside of your breast.

You can barely string a coherent thought together, let alone form a proper sentence.“You,” you manage to say, your voice breathless. “I need you. All of you.”

His smile widens at your words, and his fingers start to move a little faster now.“Is that right?” he asks, his voice a low growl now. “You want all of me, don’t you?

“Yes,” you breathe, your body responding to his every touch. “All of you. Please, Noni. Don’t make me wait any longer.”

Noni leans in to your ear, his breath hot against your skin. “Impatient,” he murmurs, nipping at your earlobe.

“Can you blame me?” you ask, your voice wavering as his fingers start to dip even lower. “You’ve been torturing me.”

He pulls back slightly, his eyes finding yours. The heat in them makes your heart skip a beat.“Patience is a virtue,” he reminds you, his tone almost chiding. “And I want you to beg for it.”

You almost let out a whine at his words. He wants you to beg? You’re already on the verge of begging, but you’re not quite there yet. You hold onto the last shred of pride you have left and shake your head.“I’m not going to beg,” you say, trying to sound defiant.

His eyes flash with desire as he leans in closer, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.“Oh you will,” he says, his lips right next to your ear. “I’m going to make sure of it.”

You were about to say something but you hear a door open, you quickly get off Noni and fix yourself trying to act normal.Noni is equally caught off guard, and he stands up, adjusting his shirt and trying to look casual.

Levi steps into the room, his gaze moving between you two. There's a moment of awkward silence as he takes in the scene before him.His eyes narrow slightly as they land on you, and then on Noni, who's standing a little too close to you for comfort.

"Everything okay in here?" Levi asks, his voice laced with suspicion.

"Yeah, everything's fine," you say, a little too quickly. You hope he doesn't notice how out of breath you are.

Levi's eyes flick back to Noni, his expression cool."What are you doing here?" he asks, his tone clearly hostile.

Noni responds with an easy smile, as if this kind of hostility is nothing new to him."Just wanted to stop by and say hi," he says smoothly. "Is that a crime?"Levi scowls at his response, his hackles clearly raised.

You notice your brother's look inviting you to go to your room and you nod, getting up. "Ok, it's getting late, I better go to my room" you murmur, giving Noni one last look.

Noni locks eyes with you, the intense heat still there, but you can also see a trace of disappointment at the premature end of your time together.You give him a small smile, silently communicating that you'd wanted things to end differently too.

As you walk by Levi, heading towards your room, you can feel his eyes boring into the side of your head, but you don't dare look back.You close the door quietly behind you, your heart still racing from Noni's proximity and your brother's unexpected appearance.

You flop down on your bed, not bothering to undress. Your mind is racing with thoughts of what might have happened if Levi hadn't interrupted you. You know you shouldn't, but you can't help but wonder...

[lilylushes]

Anything but a cliché

!!! making out, mentions of sex

You were always the single friend who never had anything going on in her love life. Had been on only a couple of dates and got the ick every time. But this guy, Luigi, was different. You really thought he was perfect for you. You couldn’t find something about him to twist into a turn-off or a reason for no second date. Your first date had only been last week. You two went to the beach in the evening to split a bottle of wine and pizza and watch the sunset. On your second date, you went ziplining. Now, you were on your third date with him, having dinner at an Italian spot he recommended. You wore a dress and heels and he had on a suit. Honestly, you were both quite out of your element in these clothes. But he was trying to be sweet and impress you. You told him he was impressive enough just like he is, but he insisted on doing this dinner for you.

You two would talk about anything and everything. You both loved to read, work out, travel, and be adventurous. You’d talk about philosophy, society, politics, religion, and all the topics that normal people stray from in the dating stage. He told you that he liked that about you, that you’re open, honest, and follow your own rules.

You enjoyed dinner, holding hands for much of it, and having your discussions that 99% of other people would shy away from. 

“Can I walk you home,” Luigi asked.

“Oh no, it’s okay. I live like a ten minute walk from here.”

“All the more reason for me to walk you home if it’s so close by,” he smiled, rubbing his thumb on your palm as he held your hand. “Please, let me walk you home.” You made a bit of a sour face, protesting. “I know you can get home just fine by yourself, y/n. I just want to spend time with you. You’re amazing,” he brings your hand to his lips for a quick kiss.

“Mmm okay, fine. But only because I really like spending time with you, too, Luigi,” you smiled at him.

“Okay, let’s go.”

You two walked hand by hand down the city streets until arriving at your apartment. You wanted to invite him upstairs, but figured that doing that on the third date would make him think he was getting something you weren’t ready to give. You had kissed already - something that wasn’t normal for either of you at this stage, but neither of you were ones to ignore your gut.

“Hey, um, do you want to come up and have a glass of wine with me? I just figured because it’s Friday night and neither of us have to wor-”

“Yeah, of course I want to,” he grinned, pulling you into him by the waist. You smiled back at him. Your lips meet for a gentle kiss.

“I know I’ve said it like 50 times, but you look so pretty, y/n. Not just tonight, every time I see you.” 

“Thank you,” you smiled back at him. “That’s really sweet of you. Come, follow me.”

You enjoyed more than one glass of wine on your couch. You were having all of your intellectual conversations that you always did. This time, you were talking about Walden by Thoreau and how solitude is not only a beautiful thing, but also important for people.

In the middle of the intense and deep conversation, Luigi starts smiling. More than smiling - he’s grinning from ear to ear.

“And Walden actually set the tone for oth- what is it?” you asked him.

“You’re pretty darn amazing, you know that?” he grabs your wine glass to set them both on the coffee table. He takes your hand in his.

“I never thought I’d find someone like you out there. I really just can’t believe it. I’ve been pinching myself every day.”

“Me too, Luigi.” you look into his eyes.

“I want you to know that this isn’t the wine talking, that I really like you, that I see you in my future. And that this is scary for me to say because I didn’t think I’d ever feel like this, let alone this early after meeting someone. You’re special, y/n. Not just special, perfect. I want to see where this goes with you, if you’re okay with it.”

“Yeah, I am,” you whispered. “I feel the same way about you. I really like you, and it scares me, but I want to like you for a long time to come.”

“Good to know we’re on the same page, y/n,” he holds your face, bringing you in for a kiss. He always kisses you so gently and so softly. Just when you think he’s going to pull away, he deepens the kiss. You grant his tongue entrance to your mouth, letting him explore. His hands remain holding your face. You can’t help but want more in this moment, and you know he’s waiting for you on this, because he’s respectful. You run your hands down his chest and over his abs before moving your leg over to straddle him. You place his hands on your ass, grinding over his growing bulge, eliciting a moan from both of you before you continue kissing. At one point, you break this kiss.

“Hey, I want you to know that I’m not doing this because it’s the third date, I’m doing this because I like you and it feels right. You know I’m not one for clichés.”

Luigi moves one hand to your waist and the other to tuck a piece of hair behind your ear. “You’re anything but a cliché, y/n. You're amazing. You’re perfect…but especially perfect to me,” you bring your lips to his for what you can only describe as the best kiss you’ve ever had. It was gentle, but you knew he wanted you in that moment.

“Now, can you show me where your bedroom is, because I don’t know how long I’ll last with you looking that pretty on top of me,” he smiles.

[marauder-misprint]

Friends

Series Masterlist

Sirius Black x Fem!Slytherin!reader

1.4k words

cw: fluff

When Regulus enters the common room, you emerge from your dorm, books and other study materials in hand. Now that you had your nap, you were ready to get all the homework you had been putting off done. Regulus debates telling you about Sirius now. But as he watches you spread out across a table with a determined look on your face, he decides against it. Instead, he stands at your side and leans over the table to see which subjects you’re working on.

“Divination?” he asks.

You nod. “Professor Traumine is checking our dream journals this week and I haven’t had any I actually remember… Care to help?”

“Help?” he asks hesitantly, not really sure what you’re asking of him.

“Making stuff up. What seems like something I’d dream about and then we figure out what it means using the book.” You give him a pleading look. “Please, I’m horrible at making the dreams up. I’ll figure out what they mean on my own.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Regulus pulls up a chair and reaches for the journal you have open.

“Just seeing what you’ve written before. Maybe you can have a repeat dream or something,” he explains.

Between the two of you and the occasional passing friend, you finish the dream portion of the homework fairly quickly. You laugh as you interpret the fake dreams.

“Apparently, there are several family deaths in my future. That’s what, an excuse to miss school or something?”

“Anything about relationships?” Regulus asks, testing the water. 

You give him a sideways glance. “Relationships?”

“Particularly with my brother?” 

“Regulus, I don’t want to talk about him,” you groan. 

He leans forward. “I think you should.”

“Why? What do you need to know?”

“The same question as always. What’s going on between you two?” Instead of sounding accusatory as he had in the past, Regulus sounds arrogant, like he already knows the answer but wants to hear you say it.

You shrug. “Some kind of friendship, I guess?”

Regulus doesn’t mean to, but he laughs. Loudly and uncontrollably. You stare at him with wide eyes. You can feel the eyes of other Slytherins on the two of you. You had gone from peacefully working on homework and chatting with those who stopped by your table. Now, he was making a scene.

“What the fuck, Reggie?” you hiss.

“Some kind of friendship?” he repeats back to you in between laughs. “You’re kidding, right?”

“No?” 

“Love, darling, dearest friend of mine,” Regulus starts to say, ever so slightly calming himself. “Sirius came looking for you. Pacing the dungeons, hoping to run into you. Friends?”

“Right. Friends,” you say naturally, as if you were simply confirming that there was a giant octopus in the Black Lake.

Your mind, however, starts to spin. Sirius was looking for you? After you called him attractive again, with many synonyms, to his face, in the purest tone of genuinity, without any sense of tease. After telling him he was a good time. After saying that you maybe should write to him… You curse yourself for having said so much.

“Friends,” you echo yourself despite Regulus not saying anything.

He cocks an eyebrow. “So you said.” Then he smiles wickedly. “Or are you trying to convince yourself that’s all it is?”

“Regulus,” you warn, your voice dropping low. 

“I wasn’t so sure about it before, but I think I’ve played matchmaker,” he says with a smile.

“If anyone has the right to claim matchmaker, it’s Dorcas. Or… or Lupin and Potter. Certainly not you!”

“Aha! So there is a match!”

Your face grows hot. That wasn’t how you meant for it to come out. There wasn’t a match. It was just you realizing that Sirius wasn’t too bad and you liked being around him and he was fun and attractive and he smelled nice and there was something about the way he always had cigarettes with him that he was willing to share and the way he carried himself and… Shit. 

You gather your things in a panic.

“I will, uh, erm, see you tomorrow? I… I gotta go…”

You return to your dorm and hide within the curtains of your bed. Regulus was right: someone had played matchmaker.

---

You avoid Regulus in the morning. If anyone mentions either Black or Gryffindor, you change the topic or leave the conversation. You’re more skittish than usual. You’re more flighty than usual. You can’t seem to focus on anything besides your current crisis. 

Yes, you’re calling it a crisis. 

You manage to survive the day and you’re feeling a little better. You think you’ll be able to hide in your dorm again until you completely sort out your thoughts. 

But then his voice rings down the hallway. Sirius calls out your name. 

“Hey!” he says, running up to you.

“Hi?” you reply cautiously. You didn’t know if you were ready for a conversation with him.

“I-uh, how have you been?”

“I’ve been good. Yeah… good. You?”

The air between you feels thick with things unspoken. You certainly aren’t going to acknowledge it though. You’d rather this be a quick conversation so you can keep your wits about you.

“Going a bit crazy, if I’m honest,” he says.

You raise your eyebrows and tilt your head. “Is that so? What for?”

You start to walk and Sirius immediately falls in step with you. You aren’t sure where you are going, but it feels more natural to be moving than loitering outside a classroom. Depending on where you went, it would also be easier to shake Sirius if you felt like you were actually going to lose your cool. 

“Been meaning to, wanting to talk to you.”

“Well,” you chuckle, “here I am.”

“Right. Here you are. And here I am,” he says, laughing at himself. 

You wait for him to continue.

“I… I… I’m just going to come out and say it. Yes. That’s what I’m going to do.” He swallows thickly. “I like spending time with you. A lot. And I’d like to go on another date with you. To Hogsmeade, to a quidditch game, to the kitchens, hell, I don’t care. I didn’t think I’d need to talk to Regulus again and I really want to, if you want to.”

You stop walking. You clutch your things tightly to your chest. Sirius took a few steps beyond you before realizing that you weren’t next to him anymore. He turns back to you with worry etched into his face. 

“You don’t want to, do you?” he mumbles, looking down at the ground. “I thought after what you said last weekend…”

You take a shaky breath. “No… Shit, no. I do. I mean, I’m not against it.”

SIrius looks up, his eyes sparkling with emotion. He moves closer to you as his worry slowly melts away. 

“You do?”

You nod, not trusting your words. He gently puts a hand on the side of your shoulder.

“Then why do you look like you’re about to faint?”

You take another breath. “Because… I meant what I said. After the party… And I was so hellbent on not caring for you, but, ah, here we are?” You let out a nervous chuckle and tighten your grip on your books.

“Here we are,” he repeats, his lips curling into a smile. 

“But you want to take me to a quidditch game, you’ll be waiting until next term…”

He barks a laugh. “Yeah, I’m not waiting that long. So, sneak to Hogsmeade? Picnic? Visit the kitchens? I’ll do whatever you want to. I just… I want to spend time with you.”

You press your lips into a thin line as you think. 

“How about a walk? Just like around the grounds or something. And we can stop by the kitchens after?”

He nods vigorously. His excitement is so palpable that you can’t help but smile at him.

“I’d love that.”

“Too bad Padfoot isn’t here to enjoy it though,” you tease. 

“D’you miss him?” Sirius asks with a smirk.

“I miss dogs in general. You do have a cute one though,” you say thoughtfully. 

Sirius chuckles and throws an arm around your shoulder. “I mean, if all goes well, maybe you can visit the Potters and hang out with Padfoot over break.”

“That’s… that’s some kind of wishful thinking, Black. Dunno if we’ll be there after a second date.” 

“Worth a shot,” he says. “As long as you write me.”

“With that quill you bought me? Let’s see how this walk goes first.”

“This walk? Are we doing it now?” He sounds flustered. 

“No. Salazar, no. I have assignments to do.” You pause and bite the inside of your lip. “Tomorrow after class?” 

“Tomorrow.”

tags: @2dloveshp, @yearninglustfully, @made-for-oliverwood, @ilovejamespottersomuch, @hisparentsgallerryy, @itsseaberri, @corawithfanfiction, @devilslittlehelper, @jllyunn, @barnes70stark,

tags: @crowleythesexydemon, @flow33didontsmoke, @navs-bhat, @louweenier, @l0g0phobe,

@ellouisa17, @theendofthematerialgworl, @marina468, @bmyva1entine, @ravisinghs-wife, @azure-drag0ness, @sunowee, @mysteriouslyperfecttiger

Just a warning for all of you lovely people: I think we are nearing the end of this series. I'm feeling like a max of two more chapters. Thank you for all the love y'all have shown this series - every comment/like/reblog means the world to me

[asterafroditis]

𐔌 . ⋮ 3 idiots in love .ᐟ ֹ ₊ ꒱

☓┆Ace Trappola x Deuce Spade x gn! reader

𓏵 1032 words

ᝰ.ᐟ 3rd Person POV, they/them pronouns used (once), fluff, polyfidelity!

first time writing 3 ppl together, hope I did well (-ω-；) feel free to like, reblog, or comment!

ᝰ.ᐟ masterlist

You were the ADeuce duo’s partner-in-crime; whenever they acted recklessly and caused trouble, you were always at the scene—whether reluctantly or not. It was practically a law of nature at this point. If Ace and Deuce were up to something dumb, you were either stopping them, helping them, or, more often than not, getting dragged into the chaos.

Which was exactly why you were currently seated in the Heartslabyul lounge, staring at them with mild suspicion as they fidgeted across from you.

Ace had his usual cocky smirk, but there was a nervous edge to it, like he was overcompensating. Deuce, on the other hand, looked like he was preparing for an intense training session with Vargas, sitting stiffly with his hands clenched into fists on his lap.

“Alright,” you said, folding your arms. “What did you two do this time?”

Ace scoffed, placing a hand on his chest as if you had deeply offended him. “Wow. Wow. Do you really think we’d drag you here just because we caused trouble?”

“Yes,” you and Deuce said at the same time.

Ace rolled his eyes but didn’t argue. Instead, he cleared his throat and exchanged a quick glance with Deuce—one that, unfortunately, did not go unnoticed by you.

You squinted at them. “Okay, seriously. What’s going on?”

Deuce straightened his back even more (which you didn’t think was physically possible), sucking in a deep breath like he was about to say something important. But just as he opened his mouth—

“Wait, wait, I’m supposed to go first!” Ace cut in, shooting him a glare.

“What?! No, we agreed that I would start!” Deuce shot back, looking scandalized.

Ace groaned. “Bro, rock-paper-scissors isn’t a legal contract!”

“It is when we both agreed to follow the outcome!”

You blinked. “What...?”

Ace turned back to you, suddenly looking just as tense as Deuce. “Okay, listen. Forget that. What I was trying to say is—”

“—That we both like you,” Deuce interrupted, crossing his arms with a determined nod.

Ace gasped dramatically. “Dude! You just ruined my build-up!”

“Why were you building it up?! We agreed to confess together!”

“Yeah, but in order!”

You stared at them, mouth slightly open, trying to process the absolute nonsense happening in front of you. “...What.”

Ace huffed, leaning back against the couch. “Okay, okay, let me explain before you think we’re total weirdos—”

“Too late,” you mumbled.

“—We both like you,” Ace continued, ignoring you. “Like, a lot. But since we both do, we figured it would be dumb to make you choose between us, and we didn’t wanna get into some tragic ‘best friends turned love rivals’ situation.”

Deuce nodded, looking serious. “So we came up with a plan to confess at the same time. That way, you don’t feel pressured, and we can just… you know, figure it out together if you like us back.”

You blinked again. “That’s... actually really sweet.”

Ace grinned. “Of course it is! It was my idea.”

Deuce glared. “We came up with it together.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Ace waved him off before looking at you again, the teasing glint in his eyes softening. “But seriously. We like you. A lot. And if you’d rather just be friends, that’s totally cool. But if you do like us back, we’d be down to, y’know... try this whole thing together. The three of us.”

Deuce nodded, his face tinged pink. “You don’t have to answer right away, either! We just… wanted to be honest.”

You looked between them, your two idiot best friends who had somehow come up with the most convoluted yet oddly heartfelt confession plan ever. And despite their bickering, despite the messiness of it all—there was nothing but sincerity in their faces.

You exhaled a laugh, shaking your head. “You two are unbelievable.”

Ace smirked. “Yeah, but that’s why you like us, right?”

You rolled your eyes, but the warmth in your chest was impossible to ignore. "I mean… yeah," you admitted, crossing your arms. "You two are ridiculous, but I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t like you, too."

Ace’s smirk faltered for half a second before it returned, bigger and cockier than before. "Hah! Knew it. I told you, Deuce, they were totally into us."

Deuce’s face went completely red. "Wait—really? You’re not just messing with us?"

You raised a brow. "Why would I joke about this?"

"I don’t know, maybe because Ace does it all the time?"

Ace gasped, clutching his chest. "Wow. You wound me."

Deuce ignored him, turning his full attention back to you. His hands clenched at his sides, like he was still trying to process everything. "So… you actually like us. Like, both of us?"

You let out a laugh. "Yes, Deuce. I like both of you."

Deuce blinked, his face still burning, but there was something soft in his expression—something like relief. Ace, meanwhile, had leaned back, hands behind his head, but the tips of his ears were definitely pink.

"Okay, cool, cool. So, uh, what now?" Ace asked, clearly trying to play it cool but failing miserably.

You tilted your head, amused. "Shouldn’t you two have planned that part out, too?"

Deuce groaned. "I told you we should’ve thought ahead!"

"Yeah, well, I was too busy making sure we didn’t sound like total losers, which, by the way, you nearly ruined by blurting it out early," Ace shot back.

"You were taking too long!"

You laughed, cutting off their bickering before it escalated. "How about this? Let’s just… keep things the way they are for now. We don’t have to rush into anything. We can just figure it out together."

Ace and Deuce both paused, looking at you.

"...That’s actually a really good idea," Deuce admitted.

Ace smirked. "See? This is why we like you. You’re way smarter than us."

"Not a high bar to clear," you teased.

"Hey!"

Deuce chuckled, and for a moment, all three of you just sat there, basking in the ridiculousness of what had just happened. It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t some grand, romantic moment. But it was yours—messy, chaotic, and kind of dumb, just like the three of you.

And honestly? You wouldn’t have it any other way.

[milliesfishes]

౨ৎ꣑ৎclark when you're stressed౨ৎ꣑ৎ fem reader x clark kent

On a good day, you didn't like to be in your head for too long. On a day like today, too many hours with yourself could be catastrophic.

Your arms were folded over a messy stack of papers, handwriting smudged, fresh ink staining your arms. The cool of your keyboard under your elbow was the only sense you were aware of. Whenever you were stumped, your hair was often the victim, and it resulted in painful brushing every night. Today was no exception.

The only light in the room was from the city through your window. You'd relied on the sun for most of the day, but your own frustration had caused you to give up and slump forward to your desk until it set, the room full of more shadows than anything.

Consulting your brain, you tried to make yourself get up to no avail. For the past two weeks, you'd been able to convince yourself but today it wasn't working. Frustration had you nearly vibrating, and you felt nearly faint. You'd been in a slump for weeks now, and it didn't seem to be going anywhere. Had you finally run yourself dry? Were you fresh out of ideas now, doomed to live off your former genius forever?

The doorknob rattled, keys jangling against it, but you didn't move. He'd find you eventually- he always did.

"Baby?" Footsteps clunked closer, muffled by his lack of shoes. "Hey- are you okay?"

Your answer was an unintelligible mumble.

"Ohh, hey..." Big, warm hand on your back. You instantly felt better. "Do you want to take a break?"

"I can't," you said dryly. "I have a deadline."

"You're worn out, huh?" Clark traced circles into your back, gathering your hair and smoothing it out. "Baby, let's put this away and-"

"No!" You sat up, folding your arms as tears began to spring into your eyes. Clark's pretty blue eyes were wide at your outburst, but he didn't react otherwise. You were too worked up to admire how adorable he looked, glasses slightly askew, curls and tie a little messy. "I can't. I've been trying all day to write and I can't come up with anything and I've wasted so much time figuring it out and I just...just..."

He was quiet for a moment. Then, "Just what, honey?"

You sniffled. "I don't know how to write anymo-ore." The last word trailed off into a cry, and Clark sat up straight, bringing you to lean against him. Your hands flew to his shoulders, clutching his shirt, but then trying to lean away. Tears and wrinkles would ruin the fabric.

"C'mere," he mumbled, bringing you right back to him. "It's okay." Clark paused. "Actually-" He stood up, big hands settling on your hips to lift you up, positioning you on his hip like a baby. You didn't fight it, tightening your legs around him and hiding your face in his neck. Even when he began to exit the room, you remained silent, letting him sit you on the kitchen counter. When you looked at him, his expression was soft, eyes concerned. He reached out, rubbing his warm hands over your thighs. Mercifully he didn't yet mention all you'd said. "How long's it been since you've eaten, sweet girl?"

"Umm." You tried to recall, swaying ever so slightly.

He nodded, tucking your hair behind your ears and brushing his thumbs over your cheekbones for a moment. "Can I make us something?" He asked so softly that you were nodding before the question was fully asked. Clark kissed your forehead, squeezing your thighs. "Okay. I'm gonna go change really quick, okay? Stay here."

You nodded, leaning your head back to rest on the cabinet while he went off into the other room. Indeed, it felt like no sooner than he'd left, he reappeared in just a sweatshirt and his boxers. Lip trembling again, you reached for him, and he obliged, lifting you back to sit on his hip with an "Alright, sweetheart. What're you in the mood for?"

Mumbling into his neck, you shook your head and he squeezed your side. "I know. But you've gotta eat something, angel." Clark opened the fridge one handed, peering inside. "Hmm. We should get groceries tomorrow, huh?" He shut the door and secured both arms around you. "How's pizza sound? We can get garlic bread." When your tummy grumbled, he smiled. "We'll get it from the place down the street."

Clark sat carefully down on the couch, shifting sideways so he was lying across it. While he dialed the number, he pressed his hand to your lower back, smiling when you sprawled yourself out on top of him.

As he placed the order for delivery, you smiled at the way his deep voice felt vibrating against you. This was the sound of home. He kept a hand on your back until he hung up, setting his phone aside and somehow snuggling you closer, letting his hand trail under your shirt and warming your back. "Pizza will be here soon."

"Mm," you sighed, cozy on his chest. You didn't know what you would do sometimes if you didn't have a big, warm man to lay on. Already, your mind was going fuzzy, and not in the way it'd been all day. No, with Clark it was more like you didn't need to have a survival instinct because he was there. He'd keep you safe.

When the food came, he gently eased you off to answer the door, and you hid under your fluffy blanket while he did. The smell of the specialty from the place Clark had ordered from tickled your nose, and your mood lightened even more. He'd known exactly what you wanted when you didn't.

"Sweetie?" You lifted the blanket to see him setting two boxes on the coffee table.

Springing to sit up, you watched as he opened the box to the glorious sight of fresh pizza. The garlic bread was somehow an even happier sight.

"There's my happy girl," he smiled as you reached for a slice. Clark settled in next to you with a piece of his own, and you cuddled happily into him, feeling miles away from where you were when he found you.

The two of you were quiet as you ate, and when you'd polished off the food, you were snuggling back into him. Clark positioned his arm around you, pulling you to lay back on his chest. "You feeling better?"

"Mhm," you hummed happily, reaching up to kiss his cheek. "I was just frustrated."

"You just needed some food, huh, cutie?" Clark smiled, kissing your head and pressing you to his side.

"Yeah," you giggled, nuzzling your head into him. He kissed your forehead, bringing the blanket over the two of you again.

"No more working for the rest of today, alright?" he mumbled, pulling your legs over his lap. "You've done so much, baby."

"Not really," you mumbled, but still you let him pull you in, make you forget about all that had ailed you previously.

And cuddled into him, it was harder to remember than not.