#vine fic

[choccy-milky]

exploring together 🔦

[eternalbuckley]

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ WISTERIA VINES. (an aemond targaryen series)

— chapter one: Your Romeo. Your Juliet.

SUMMARY: You and Aemond find out that you got the roles of Romeo and Juliet but didn't know yet about the other one. You only found out that Aemond will be Romeo through a phone call with Helaena. And Aemond got the news about you from his older brother. How do you both react to these news?

word count: 4,415

genre: just some tiny angst i think? | no specified reader, queer!reader, bipoc!reader and plus-size!reader friendly

warnings/tropes: modern au, Y/N and they/them pronouns are used a few times, english is not my first language, slightly proofread and edited — if I forgot something, please let me know!

a/n: i'm more than excited to finally share the first chapter of this series. i've been working on this whole project for a while now and i really hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as i enjoy creating it! this will be my last fanfic this year, so i hope you'll have a great start into the new year or had a great start (whenever you're reading this) <3 reblogs, feedback and comments are highly appreciated and welcomed! ♡

disclaimer: please do not repost or try and take ownership of my work or post this anywhere without my consent. i don’t give you my permission to use my writing for any ai related things, don’t do it. do not translate my work and post it anywhere — i give you no permission to do that. i only post my stories here, so if you find my work anywhere else please let me know!

dividers by saradika-graphics

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ navigation | wisteria vines masterlist | main hotg masterlist | series taglist

You nibbled nervously on your nails while you sat on your couch in front of your opened laptop, rocking with your leg as you waited for an e-mail from the production team that produces the ballet show of Romeo and Juliet of the upcoming ballet season. Ever since you’ve first seen a performance of this production, you wanted to be a part of the ballet as well, especially in the role of Juliet. You’ve always dreamed of it and worked hard for your dream.

You’ve already worked with the choreographer before and would love to be able to work with her again. You’ve worked with her on two different productions before; the Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty. You loved working with her and were fascinated by how she was able to put her visions into reality.

You first got into ballet shortly after you turned five and started having ballet classes. It didn’t fill you with joy in your early stage of being a ballet dancer, you sort of disliked it, but you grew to love the art of this dance over the years. One of the main reasons for falling in love with ballet was a performance you saw with your family in a theatre when you were almost seven years old. You were fascinated by the dancers, the costumes and the whole representation of the stage. It was magical for you and since then, you were determined to get better each day, hoping you’d be as good as the dancers you saw on stage. Eventually, you were allowed to use pointe shoes for the first time when you were thirteen years old – causing you to be the happiest person.

Officially, you have been a professional ballet dancer for a few years now. When you were seventeen, you had the opportunity to be able to dance in a bigger role in a Nutcracker production, which changed you into a better person and was a big step for your ballet career. It was one of your favourite times you’ve ever had, thanks to different people who were involved in the whole process.

“Come on…” You whispered to yourself and refreshed your e-mail inbox for the hundredth time today, hoping there would be an e-mail for the production. You wished there would be a positive message – a message which would tell you that you were a part of the production in the next ballet season. You’d be happy enough to be a part of the production in general, but your main aim was to get cast as Juliet. But after all, you would be happy either way.

You stood up with a sigh and walked into your kitchen to get yourself a glass of water. While you poured the water into your glass, you got a notification on your phone – an e-mail.

‘Casting Results for Romeo and Juliet’

You widened your eyes and immediately sat down your glass on the counter to sprint to your laptop and refresh your inbox to read the e-mail. Your pulse increased and your palms started sweating as your nerves almost exploded. You deeply breathed in, opened the e-mail and read the first lines.

“Hello Y/N,

we are more than happy to tell you that you have been selected as our Juliet for the Romeo and Juliet ballet of the following season. Congratulations!

The complete casting list will be released in the following days. The date for the first rehearsal will be sent to you with the official casting announcement – please make sure you’re prepared for everything!

Until then, relax as much as you can. We’re sure everything will be more than perfect this season! We’re very excited for it.

See you at the first rehearsal,

your production team :)”

You reread the lines multiple times, you couldn’t entirely believe it yet that your dream has just come true. “OH MY GOD!” You happily screamed out loud, jumping on the spot multiple times – you were more than happy. A few tears slipped out of your eyes while you unlocked your phone to call your best friend – Helaena Targaryen. Your hands shook a bit from feeling overwhelmed by the news.

You met her through ballet classes you took together when you were nine and ten years old, and you became best friends very quickly, grew up together and were inseparable. You were thankful to have her at your side. You were there for each other whenever you needed each other and built each other up whenever the other one wasn’t doing well. Especially when Helaena had a knee injury when she was eighteen and sadly had to give up on ballet. She wasn’t doing well mentally and lost her love for it. For a while, she tried to avoid it at every cost after her injury. Even you. You never blamed her for acting the way she did, you understood her. You would probably act the same way if you had to stop the thing you loved because of an injury.

It wasn’t an easy time for Helaena, but over time, she found other interests, and slowly got happier again when she discovered her interest in fashion and designing. It filled her with joy to create her own clothes and bring her ideas to life – it was Helaena’s passion. Being able to design clothes in the way she wanted brought her self-confidence back and gave her a voice. While you thrived in the world of ballet, she thrived in the world of fashion. You support each other in every step and success you’re able to make. Over the years, she had designed your costumes for different performances you were a part of. Seeing you in her creations whenever you danced on stage made her proud. Both of you moved in together shortly after your nineteenth birthday and had been living together for six years by now.

Your phone rang a few times until Helaena eventually appeared on your display. She wasn’t home because she was currently in Winterfell for a design job.

She smiled at you and leaned against the bed headboard in her hotel room. “Hi babe, what’s–“ Helaena began to speak but immediately sat up and gasped as soon as she saw your happy expression, “Did you get a part?!”

You nodded quickly while you walked over to the couch in your living room and sat down cross-legged. “YES! I will be a next Juliet,” you grinned proudly and excitedly while you put your phone against the plant pot that stood on the coffee table.

She clapped, “Oh my god, yes!! Congratulations, babe, you deserve it so so much,” she matched your excitement but then became a bit more serious for a moment, “Wait… Do you already know who your Romeo will be?”

You shook your head, “Not yet, the e-mail said that the complete casting list will be announced soon. I don’t know when, but I hope soon, and I hope it will be someone who’s…” You noticed her serious expression and how she nervously bit down on her lip, “Wait… What do you know?” You furrowed your eyebrows – you were confused.

“Nothing…” She cleared her throat to hide the nervous tone in her voice, but you knew she was lying because she wasn’t looking at you anymore.

“Helaena,” you said warningly, “Tell me what you know?”

She sighed and nodded her head. “Aemond just called me before you did,” she began, and your face faltered for a moment – you knew what this meant, “He will be your Romeo.”

“Oh… Uhh,” you cleared your throat in surprise, “That’s fine. Really. I’m sure it will be fine, I mean… He’s a wonderful dancer, and I adore his passion, but…”

“You’re afraid it will be weird between you? Considering that you’re not together anymore?” She interrupted you without a second thought. Her face showed sympathy as she asked you a question you tried to ignore for yourself.

Your shoulders were slightly slumped, and you nervously bit down on your lower lip. “Yeah,” you nodded slowly and shrugged. “But we’re professionals, and I’m sure we’ll be able to work through it in the next months. I doubt there will be any problems; we ended on good terms. In some way. We agreed to stay friends, remember?” You inhaled and put a few hair strands behind your ears.

“Babe,” she tilted her head, “You two can’t really be in the same room with each other. Every time you stare at each other like two lovesick puppies that obviously still love each other. When was it the last time you actually saw each other?”

You were aware that you and Aemond were extremely professional and wouldn’t let personal feelings ruin any experiences for your careers. But even if you agreed to stay friends and that you wouldn’t let any personal feelings between you, you had to stop dancing with him entirely. The weird tension between you was too heavy after your breakup. You and Aemond used to be dance partners, even before you got into a relationship. You only hoped it would end well.

“I don’t know. It probably has been a few months by now.” With an apprehensive sigh, you leaned against the backrest of your couch and placed a cushion on your lap to play with the fabric. “And besides, the moments you mentioned probably happened shortly after we broke up. I’m sure he and I moved on and can be professional. You know how important our careers are for us.”

Helaena hummed teasingly and nodded her head, “Of course, of course…. I’ll pretend I believe it now.” She chuckled as you rolled your eyes and huffed. If she were here, you’d have thrown the cushion at her. “Whatever! This only means that I’ll finally be able to design another dress for you,” she smiled and clapped excitedly. You chuckled and smiled at her through the screen, her excitement made you happier.

You talked for a few more minutes with her before she had to end the call because she got called by one of her clients. You sighed after the call ended. This was not what you had planned. This was not what you thought would happen. You weren’t exactly sure how to feel about it that you’d be dancing together with Aemond, especially in such a story as Romeo and Juliet. If you were honest, it didn’t bother you that you’d have to dance with him, but you were nervous. More than nervous that something might not work out in the way it should be.

You weren’t lying when you told Helaena that you and Aemond decided to stay friends, but she wasn’t lying either. You barely saw each other or were able to stay in the same room for long without staring at each other when the other one wasn’t looking. There were still feelings between you. Feelings that both of you tried to ignore and deny, even if it was obvious that they were still there. Especially to Helaena – she knew what you and Aemond still felt for each other. She deeply hoped that you would get closer again someday and maybe be honest with yourselves and each other.

You met Aemond and the rest of Helaena’s family when you were having a sleepover at her place for the first time when you were ten – it was like a little celebration of your friendship. During the first years of your friendship with Helaena, you barely talked with Aemond or any of her brothers, you barely knew them, only the things Helaena had told you about back then. The interests were too different, even if Aemond was into ballet and a ballet dancer as well. You couldn’t really find a way to connect with him.

Surprisingly, you had talked with Aegon more than with Aemond, despite the slight age gap. Aegon was like an older brother to you and treated you like a second sister – even if he technically had two already. He was happy to see that Helaena had someone who shared her interests and didn’t judge her for the way she was. You had met the other half of their family only a handful of times so far. Even if everyone tried to be polite with each other as much as they could, you were able to notice the tension between everyone – some had more and some had less tension, but it was there.

But over the years and the older you were, you grew closer to Aemond and became friends. You found interest in each other and realised that both of you had sides inside you that neither of you were aware of. You had been spending more time with him after Helaena had her injury and wasn’t able to dance anymore. Whenever you weren’t with her, you spent your time in the studio with her younger brother. You started to like him more after you got to know each other better. You trusted him, he trusted you. Both of you motivated each other for your dancing and after some time, you tried to dance together, and it was like you were made for each other. Dancing with him always seemed more than easy and the chemistry between you made it even more magical. You supplemented each other, which resulted in both of you being able to dance in a Nutcracker production together when you two were seventeen. It was the start of the best time of your lives.

Both of you were able to turn your hobby into your career and danced together in many productions, even the teams behind every production were mesmerised by the chemistry between you. Many times, you were asked by other dancers if you two were in a relationship – which you had to deny every time. Although, you had a crush on each other, but you never told each other, even if everyone around you seemed to notice the underlying feelings between you.

Especially Helaena noticed it, then and even now, and she loved teasing you about it. Even Daeron and Aegon seemed to notice something after some time. They cracked jokes about it many times before, about how well you’d fit together. Both of them didn’t even notice the glares Aemond gave them or how his and your cheeks heated up. Nevertheless, it took some more time until Aemond got the courage to officially ask you out on a date when you were rehearsing for a production. You didn’t realise in the first place that he was asking you out but once you did, you agreed happily.

You were the one who was able to bring out a happier and more cheerful side of Aemond, one he mostly only shared and barely let out due to different things that had happened in his life. Especially since he was ten years old and got into an incident with his younger nephew and lost his left eye to it. Since then, he has been wearing a prosthetic eye, which brought him his own difficulties from time to time. There had been days when the pain would be unbearable for him, and nothing could help him to ease the pain. Before he had been with you, he wanted to get through this alone and show everyone that he was strong enough, but he slowly let you comfort him and be there for him, the more he trusted you. But even then, there had been days when he pushed you away and wanted to be alone.

In your presence, he was mostly able to forget about his burdens and worries and could feel peaceful because of you. Especially whenever you danced together, he was much calmer and able to forget about his problems during these moments. He may have gotten rude comments about him being a ballet dancer from different people throughout the years, but he paid them no attention. Ballet saved his life in a way only you could understand.

Luckily, your relationship didn’t end because anything negative happened between you. It was rather a decision the two of you had made together almost a year ago, so both of you could focus more on your careers as ballet dancers without any distractions. You had been quite busy with your schedules and barely saw each other that much anymore, given that you and Aemond had to work on different performances and were busy with your training, classes or rehearsals all day. At the time, it was the better decision to part ways and stay friends.

Even if that worked in some way, neither of you wasn’t truly able to move on. Even if you had agreed to stay friends and act normally, it wasn’t easy to see each other afterwards. You kind of grew apart even more and only saw each other rarely. Before and during your relationship, Aemond used to visit you and Helaena a lot, but after your breakup, he rarely stepped into your and Helaena’s apartment. Only if he knew that you weren’t there.

It hurt Helaena to see her younger brother and her best friend growing apart like that, she felt kind of helpless. She didn’t want to get between you, but she understood your decision and tried to be there for each of you as much as she could. Even if it could be difficult for her sometimes – she tried her best, and so did you and Aemond.

After a while of thinking about old memories, you cleared your throat and got up from the couch to distract yourself. You didn’t want to spend the rest of your day thinking about your ex-boyfriend and what you experienced together. You wanted to focus more on being happy that you were finally going to have the opportunity of your life – you were a next Juliet in the ballet world.

You walked into your kitchen and took a sip from the glass you poured yourself before you received the email with the news of the casting. Your phone lit up with a message from Aegon – he congratulated you on getting the part in the production. You smiled and shook your head, Helaena must have texted or called him after her call with her client. You quickly opened the message and replied to him before you started to cook yourself dinner.

Meanwhile, Aemond cut some vegetables for his dinner and was on the phone with Aegon. He just told him that he got the part of Romeo and was more than excited to start the rehearsals – but Aemond didn’t know yet that you were going to be his Juliet. He hoped that the other dancers he’d work with would be as professional as he was.

“How was the first concert, by the way?” Aemond asked his older brother and got a pan out of his kitchen counter �� fully unaware that Aegon was texting you.

Aemond furrowed his eyebrows when Aegon remained silent, “Brother?” He placed the pan on the stove and continued to cut the vegetables.

“Hmm? Yeah?” Aegon cleared his throat on the other side of the phone, “Sorry, what did you say?” He changed the position of his body while lying on the couch of his hotel room, a quiet groan leaving his lips as he tried to find a comfortable position.

“Your first concert… How was it?” Aemond repeated his question with a short sigh and added the vegetables to his pan and turned on the stove. But he didn’t get a reply again, which caused him to snap slightly, “Aegon, are you even listening, or what are you so busy with?” Aemond hated it when his brother wasn’t listening or was only half-listening.

“I’m just–“ Aegon paused and thought about his next words for a moment before he continued, “I’m wondering… How does it feel for you to know that you’ll dance with Y/N again?” He furrowed his eyebrows in contemplation.

Aemond stopped his movements, and the grip on his knife tightened with Aegon’s question. “I have no idea what you mean?” He hoped that he just misunderstood Aegon, that it was just some mistake, but how could it be a mistake? Aegon used your name, he must mean you, it could only be you. The words echoed in his mind as he gulped with the consideration that Aegon was telling the truth – that he’d have to dance with you again after everything that happened.

Aegon chuckled nervously. ‘Didn’t he already know that he’d have to dance with Y/N?’ He asked himself and cleared his throat. “I uhh…,” he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, he couldn’t save himself anymore, “Helaena called me before you did and told me that Y/N got the part of Juliet. And you’ll be Romeo. So… They’re your Juliet. I thought… You already knew.”

Aemond stared at his cutting board, did he hear his brother correctly? You were going to be Juliet? No, he must have misheard something, right? This newfound information caused him to stay quiet for a few moments. He wasn’t sure what to do with that information. On one side, he was happy that he got the part of Romeo, but it meant to dance with you. He felt conflicted about it, he knew that dancing with you always felt magical and easy, but he wasn’t sure how it would be after everything that had happened. Even if it has been a year since the end of your relationship, he didn’t know what to expect. He should’ve expected that this could happen, but he didn’t.

“I certainly didn’t know that at all. I only got the news of my part…. They’ll announce the complete list of dancers soon, but I didn’t know about Y/N.”

“Sorry, I–“

Aemond cut him off and shook his head, even if Aegon wouldn’t see it. “Do you know if they know that we will... You know,” he cleared his throat, he felt somewhat tense, “Dance together?”

“I don’t know, perhaps?” Aegon replied, quite unsure of his answer, “If you already have told our sister about it, then I’m quite sure that Y/N knows too by now.”

Aemond hummed and pursed his lips. Should he text you and congratulate you on getting the part for Juliet, or should he wait until you see each other for rehearsal? But what if you didn’t know yet that he would be your Romeo and that you’d find out because of him? It could be strange. After all, he knew what the whole Romeo and Juliet ballet meant to you, so it wouldn’t be weird to congratulate you for getting the role you always wanted, right? But he wasn’t sure if he should reach out to you after all.

“We’ll talk later. I’ll prepare my dinner now. I’m sure that you… Must prepare for your show tonight. Bye,” he quickly ended the call and let out a desperate sigh. This wasn’t how he thought he’d spend his next months.

You haven’t seen each other in months, how would things be between you two? He was excited about the production if he was thinking about his career, but he was nervous about his personal feelings.

Later that evening, you found yourself sitting on the couch of your living room, one of your favourite blankets wrapped around your body while a movie was playing on the TV in the background. You shivered a bit, even if the room was warmed up by the fireplace. But you weren’t sure if you shivered because you were cold or because you were feeling nervous. You stared at the screen of your phone, eyeing the chat with Aemond – you were considering if you should text him or not. After all, you were about to spend your next months together, almost every day until the last performance at least. It wouldn’t hurt to text him quickly, right? But did he even know about you being his Juliet?

Your thumb hovered over the chat with him, your nerves causing your hands to sweat a bit, and your pulse beat strongly in your ears. It was just a simple text; it shouldn’t be anything you should worry about. But your pulse was still beating strongly, your mind flooded with a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions.

Little did you know that Aemond was in the same situation as you while he was lying in his bed. His blanket covered half of his body while only the small lamp on his nightstand brought some light into his bedroom. One arm was placed under his head while he held his phone in his other hand. His thumb hovered over your chat as well. He desperately wanted to text you and let you know how happy he was for you that you were going to be Juliet. He was happy for you, but the thought of dancing with you caused his nerves to hit him deep inside. Aemond rarely felt nervous, but if it involved you? Completely different. You made him feel things no one else could, even after your breakup and not having seen each other in a while. The thought of you increased his pulse immediately.

After some more thinking, both of you tossed your phones away, letting out a long and exasperated sigh. Both of you covered your faces with your hands while your shoulders relaxed. This wouldn’t be easy. If you couldn’t even text each other a simple ‘Congrats’, how should things go when you would dance together? How were you supposed to spend your days together in such intimate moments? You’d have to be close – very close with each other and trust the other one. You were sure you could trust each other, but you were afraid of what else might happen.

And that’s when it hit both of you all of a sudden – he immediately sat up, his shoulders tensed while yours did as well as you both realised what it meant to be dancing as Romeo and Juliet.

You’d probably have to kiss each other.

On stage.

In front of so many people who would watch the performances.

It would most probably be a part of the choreography, and neither of you could change it, even if you could – neither of you wanted it to be changed, either. It is such a delicate moment between the characters and displays the feelings between them – it would be foolish to erase that moment. The next months surely would be interesting.

[definedvines]

new chapter of my fic is out here's a better look at the phantom <3 give a shoutout if you know the lyrics; this song is pretty influential to the fic!!

[frost-queen]

Falling leaves (Reader x Prince Zuko)

Requested by: anon Forever tag:@missmelodramatic  , @merlin-dahlia, @alex--awesome--22 , @elllie-does-the-posts, @floatlosers  , @merlieve   , @queen-of-books  , @glimmering-darling-dolly  ,@denkisclown   , @wildieflower  ,@meyocoko   , @justanothercoco, @subjecta13-thefangirl , @m-rae23 , @harleyquinnswifeyfrfr  , @swampthing07  , @melsunshine   , @panhoeofmanyfandoms  , @venomsvl , @the-uncoordinated-house-cat ,@rosecentury  ,  @imagines-by-her  ,  @evilcr0ne  , @vviolynn   , @niktwazny303  ,@avada-kedavra-bitch-187  , @markive-m , @sweetheartlizzie07

Summary: Lu Ten and you used to be engaged untill the news fell upon you of his death. After Lu Ten's death, grow Zuko and you closer. Eventually falling for each other, but remaining too guilty in honour of Lu Ten. Yet a simple nudge of Iroh eases Zuko in the right direction.

Anxiously you were pacing around in your room. Unable to sleep. Barely even attempted to go to bed when you had such a heavy weight on you. Something was occurring. You could sense it. Ever since Lu Ten has been called out to war, you’ve had nothing but restless sleep. Yet this was different. Mostly you could call asleep at some point.

Now you simply couldn’t. Afraid that if you might go to sleep, you might miss something of importance. There hadn’t been recent notes from him for days now as it started to worry you. Pacing around as your thumb rested between your teeth. Trying, hoping there would be news from him.

Yet deep down, you feared that if you might receive news, it wouldn’t be the best news. Your feet having walked countless steps. Simply going back and forth. It had become a routine, you would do mindlessly. Feet never seeming to tire out.

The candles were almost burned out. But a little stomp with the smallest of flames. Their nature light having dimmed the room. Anxiety rose as you so hoped there wouldn’t be any news. Hoping that Lu Ten was alright and would return from war. If not for the sake of you, then for the sake of his father Iroh. Countless more steps you did. Not once tired.

The sound of sudden knock on the door made you stop. Staring still at that cold door. Swallowing nervously, you blinked rapidly to keep your emotions down. – “Yes.” – you spoke watching as the door opened. You had expected an officer, a soldier, anyone but not him. Iroh came in sight as he pushed the door further open. His gaze kept on the ground. It was enough.

You inhaled deep with a shiver, lip trembling. Iroh entered, closing the door behind him. – “Y/n…” – he started unable to lift his gaze up to you. You noticed a piece of parchment in his hand, slightly hidden behind his back. – “I…my son…” – he said finally lifting his gaze up to you. Eyes glossy with hidden tears.

You bowed your head to him, pressing your lips together to silence your cry. Iroh noticed how you haven’t even prepared to go to bed. Still in full attire as if you had been waiting for any news. Iroh moved his hand with the letter in it, trembling to the front. – “My son…” – he repeated too much of a burden to speak the words. You went down on your knees, laying down, bowing the lowest to him. Iroh sniffled touched by your gesture of respect.

“My deepest apologies to you Y/n.” – Iroh spoke as it made you lift your head up. – “You lost a son.” – you replied not wanting him to apologize to you. There was no need for him to apologize to you. Not while he was grieving so much of his son. – “You lost a love.” – he answered, moving his hands togethers to bow at you. Getting up, you walked up to him. Cherishing your hands under his to lift him up.

Make him stand up straight once more. – “I bow to you.” – you friendly scolded him with a saddened smile. Iroh smiled faintly back at you. He then retired to his own quarters to grief for his son whoever he pleased. The moment he left, you felt yourself unbalance. Wobbly on your feet as it made you bump against the cabinet.

Hand brought up to your mouth, to deafen out your sobs. For your fiancé Lu Ten had lost his life in battle. The shock finally entering your body like an explosion. Shaking you to your core as it made every fibre in you tremble. Tremble as you let out a scream of agony. Scream so loud it died out to grasp for air followed by loud sobs and cries.

The very ground from underneath your feet caved away. For that night and many more nights they would be sleepless. The news of Lu Ten’s passing roamed quickly through the palace. The ceremony in honour of Lu Ten came three days later. Giving Iroh the time to grief alone and in silence. Lu Ten’s ceremony was peaceful. Iroh sat down. Three more empty chairs beside him.

You stood upright to his right. Hands folded together. Many of those who came to pay their respects, only had eyes for Iroh and his grief. Bowing to him without a word. You didn’t need the attention as you were but Lu Ten’s to be bride.

Prince Zuko paid his respects to Lu Ten. He then paused in front of his uncle. Bowing to him as well. For a moment he was about to move on, till he decided to stay. Iroh’s gaze slowly going up as he noticed Zuko had lingered. No one else took the time to linger. – “When my studies weren’t going well and father was unhappy.” – Zuko began looking humble at the ground. 

“Lu Ten gave me this.” – Iroh’s gaze went down to Zuko’s hand. Clearly holding something hidden in his palm. – “He won it for finishing first in his officers class. He said it should belong to someone  destined to do great things.” – Zuko continued as Iroh recognized it. – “It gave me strength.” – Zuko spoke with clarity. With a soft breath, he knelt down, taking his uncle’s hand to place the medal in his hand.

Zuko rose once more. – “Lu Ten didn’t needed it.” – he spoke looking back at his uncle. – “Because he was the strongest person I knew.” – Zuko finished with a caring smile. His uncle closed his hand on the medal, blinking a few tears away. Zuko then surprisingly turned to you. Holding his hands together to give you a bow.

It made you blink surprised as he was the first person to acknowledge your pain too. – “He loved you very much Y/n.” – Zuko said to you before coming to sit next to his uncle. Showing his gratitude and support to his uncle in his grieving. After the ceremony, you excused yourself from everyone. Heading up to the balcony. Arms resting on the railing as you let the breeze blow your tears away.

You didn’t notice someone approaching till you felt a presence near you. – “Prince Zuko.” – you said surprised, turning to bow at him. Zuko held his hand up with a sheepish smile. – “Please Y/n.” – he said not wanting you to threat him so stiffly as all the others did. With a simple nod, you accepted it. – “What you did for your uncle was very warmly.” – you told him gazing at the view. Zuko came resting his arms on the railing beside you.

“I am sorry not one of them acknowledged your pain, Y/n.” – Zuko said with sympathy. – “It is quite alright.” – you replied in a soft tone. – “It is not.” – Zuko answered with fierceness. – “You loved Lu Ten. You have every right to be threated with respect.” – you could see that he was getting a bit worked up over it. It made you chuckle a bit.

Zuko curled up a smile as well from seeing you light up. – “Thank you.” – you whispered out, feeling as if your heart was lighter. Zuko moved his hand to his chest, bowing to you. You turned back to the scenery, breathing deep. – “I shall leave you now…” – Zuko began with a gesture, already turning his posture away. – “Please!” – you called out making him stop his action. – “Stay.” – you finished sweetly, not wanting to be alone.

Zuko moved back beside you, remaining quiet as he enjoyed the scenery with you. He stayed with you until it grew too cold. Zuko led you back inside, for you to seek out warmth once more. Zuko bowed his head when he had guided you up to your quarters. You bend through your knees to curtsy at him. Zuko kept smiling at you as you closed the door on him. Surprisingly that night you slept well. The moment your head hit the pillow, you dreamed off.

As the sun rose once more, were you greeted by Prince Zuko once more. Waiting for you in the hallways to join you. Give you comfort and set your mind of your grief. It was nice to share more than tears. Zuko and you started to share small talk. Speak about the most simplest of things to get your minds off it. There was still time for grieving, but there were also moments of joy.

As the leaves changed Zuko and you grew closer to each other. Having spend so many time together it was almost impossible to not share a moment together a day. Zuko was once again waiting for you. – “Y/n there you are!” – he exclaimed, taking your hand to pull you along. – “Zuko do you not have studies?” – you questioned. – “Finished early.” – he breathed out, tugging more on you to hurry up.

You raised your eyebrow questionable up to him. Zuko placed his hand on yours that he was still holding. – “Oh come on Y/n. You know what an excellent student I am.” – he let out, making you laugh loud. Zuko led you outside to the pond. – “You should not neglect your studies. Your sister does not.” – you told him.

Zuko groaned soft. – “Can we please not talk about Azula.” – he answered with a bothered expression. – “Alright.” – you gave in moving your hand up. In the pond was a little family of turtle duck as you awed at them. – “Would you like to feed them?” – Zuko proposed already revealing some bread. You looked at him, how clearly he had foreseen this. Zuko shrugged his shoulders, giving you a piece of bread.

You started breaking it into smaller bits, tossing it into the pond. The turtle ducks swam over to it, nibbling on the bread. One of the little one’s bit at the bread, using a bit too much force as he dipped down, head first in the water. It made you laugh soft at how cute that looked. Hearing you laugh made Zuko smile. You started to throw more bread in the pond as Zuko kept giving you crumbled bread to toss.

 “Neglecting your studies for low life pets?” – A sharp voice came through making you gasp. – “What do you want Azula!” – Zuko said firm standing in front of you. – “Oh zuzu you humour me.” – Azula responded with a sneer. – “Perhaps you should keep feeding stupid ducks, for I’ll be sure to out do you soon enough… oh wait. I already did.” – she finished with a devilish chuckle. Zuko got tense as he wanted to have a go at her, but you stopped him.

Knowing Azula wasn’t worth it. – “Right have our cousin’s hand me down keep you tamed Zuzu.” – Azula mocked making you clench your jaw. – “Do not speak about Y/n like that!” – Zuko called out. It only seemed to amuse Azula more. – “I shall speak to her how I like!” – Azula shouted back, readying herself. Zuko’s eyes widened when he saw his sister create fire. Sending it towards the two of you.

Zuko wrapped his arms around you, pushing you to the side as he dove with you to the ground. Azula’s fire blowing over your heads. Azula laughed manically before taking her leave. – “Are… are you alright Y/n?” – Zuko questioned, lifting his head up as he suddenly noticed how close he was to your face. You nodded with a soft hum staring with wide eyes at him. Zuko’s eyes flicked briefly down to your lips as did yours.

Heart pounding louder as your eyes got drawn to his lips once more. Wondering what it would feel like to kiss them. For over the past few months that you had been spending more with him, you started to fall in love with Zuko. The sound of your heart beating got overwhelming as in this moment you wanted him to kiss you. The thought seemed to have crossed his mind as well. He moved his head a bit down, already tilting it to the side, slowly closing his eyes.

You felt his breath tickle your lips, anticipating the kiss. – “I…I shouldn’t.” – Zuko said pulling himself away. You got up as well, nodding. – “We shouldn’t.” – you responded, feeling guilty. Guilty for betraying Lu Ten. Zuko helped you up to your feet as you didn’t speak a word. Leaving in separate ways, too ashamed for ruining the memory of Lu Ten.

Zuko made his way into the palace, sighing deep. – “Nephew!” – Iroh’s stern voice came through, startling Zuko. – “Uncle.” – he spoke surprised. – “Were you just outside with Y/n?” – he asked. – “No…yes… I mean…” – Zuko stuttered out not sure how to respond to this. Zuko exhaled deep. – “I know I spend too much time with her and I am sorry for it uncle. I won’t let it happen again.”

Iroh furrowed his brows.  – “And why would you want to do that?” – he questioned again. – “Because…” – Zuko started trying to make it obvious without hurting his uncle’s feelings. Iroh picked up on it, chuckling deep. – “If you worry about me do not. I see how the two of you are around each other. You smile more nephew. I like to see you more smile.” – Iroh said with a nudge at Zuko.

“I…I don’t understand uncle.” – Zuko responded confused. Iroh chuckled once more, laying a hand on Zuko’s shoulder. – “If you worry about me do not. I would want nothing more than my favourite nephew to be happy with Y/n.” – he teased him. – “I am your only nephew.” – Zuko joked making Iroh laugh loud. – “Go on.” – Iroh gave Zuko another nudge back in the direction of the gardens. Zuko smiled, hugging his uncle before running back outside to look for you.

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

Read more of my fics on my Masterlists!  

[deanofsam]

i fear i’m not as horny as some of you… what if i just want them to keep doing their weird not-doing anything forever. what if it was enough for me that they remain by each other’s side for the rest of time. what then

[wraithsoutlaws]

"I thought you were gonna clean your face for church. You're so handsome beneath all that paint, you know. Just like your father." "Don't remind me."

[kutpot]

So, I finally finished this. I found this old sketch when I was deleting old stuff. Then I talked to a friend and felt compelled to finish it. And then I remembered how much I love this story and finally, after so many days, I picked up my pen. That's how I work.

Inspired by a scene from a fic we love.

Then they just swayed together, slow and easy. Springsteen’s Secret Garden playing low on Matt’s laptop and the two of them moving in sync, like they’d done this a million times.

To The Vines by DarkCaustic

[fbfh]

hii :3 I just wanted to tell you how much I love your writing. it always makes me giggle and smile. and I also needed to tell someone (you🫵) that I need leo valdez butt naked, oiled up and spread underneath my christmas tree!

thank you for coming to my ted talk and happy holidays!!

Leo has no fucking CLUE how he ended up all moisturized and fully nude, tied up with christmas lights that twinkle in cheery rainbow colors, mocking him with their festiveness. He has no idea how or why he's wearing a santa hat, or why the fuck there's a giant tinsel covered bow stuck to his chest.

what he DOES know is that standing in front of him in the doorway is the HOTTEST FUCKING PERSON he's ever seen. He'd be embarrassed about being naked and festively tied up in front of a stranger - especially one as hot as you - if he wasn't so distracted by you. You take up all his attention in taht moment and he just doesn't have the brain space to be self conscious.

your eyes are blown out wide and your jaw hangs open in shock. you're in cute little christmas pjs and fuzzy socks. your skin is all dewy and your eyes are a little puffy, telling him you literally just woke up. if you wear a bonnet or sleep cap or smth it's literally slipping off your head but you don't care. if you don't, your hair is an adorably tangled mess. maybe there's a hair tie falling out of it, maybe it's all floppy in your face and sticking out at weird angles, maybe you look like a cat who woke up from a HEAVY nap or a bear that looks strangely like frank gallagher. regardless, the only thing that comes to mind is scrungly. he bites back an amused laugh as you take a step forward.

"Oh my fucking god..." you mutter. he starts to try and explain it even though he has no fucking clue what's going on either, but before he can, you catch him off guard.

"It worked."

You let out an amused laugh and his brow furrows in confusion.

"It what now?" he asks. you walk closer, crouching down to look at him as your eyes get a little misty. you're looking at him with such adoration it takes him aback a little. you start babbling about writing a letter to santa as a joke, asking for your favorite fictional character, and... here he is.

Leo's heart is warmed. he can't believe someone, especially a stranger, loves him enough to work some kind of wackass christmas magic. but regardless, he can tell it's true, you really do love him. he struggles for a response as your eyes roam over him.

"Do- uh," you sputter. "D'you want head?"

he chokes on his proverbial eggnog before blinking.

"Uh... yeah." he says with a breathy chuckle. "sure. Merry fuckin' Chr-oh, fuck!"

you're all over him, your lips your mouth your hands. he flexes his hands, fidgeting with the lightbulbs and cords restraining him as you go to town.

safe to say the night was not at all silent.

[depraveddame]

It had started off as an innocent enough conversation; just an offhand comment about being broke while absentmindedly chatting on the bench by the pond behind the church. The unseasonable warmth lately had meant they could continue their recurring conversations here well into the end of November, which Crowley had likely been a little too glad of.

Vine Slips of a Strange God is a Good Omens NSFW fanfiction I have been working on since the end of last November- part one is complete at 180k, and features incredible SFW & NSFW illustrations (including this one!) by the incomparable @zivilzz. Featuring a ton of kink, smut, angst, romance, and healing. More info below ⤵

When the gardener Crowley offhandedly mentions that his career isn’t fruitful, Father Aziraphale Fell offers to help him. Crowley jokingly mentions the concept of ‘sugaring’ to the priest, assuming he’d have no idea what that meant, but Father Fell is full of many surprises.

Main Tags: Human AU, Priest AU, Slow Burn, Smut, Angst, Romance, Inner DialoguesBDSM, D/s, Sugar Daddy/sugar baby, Religion, Sacrilege and Blasphemy Kink, Daddy Kink, Kink in general (so much kink, so many kinks), Trauma, Traumatic/abusive pasts, PTSD, Anxiety

I dearly hope you enjoy, sinners 🥀📿

[ohhcinnybuns]

Today's lunch thoughts: Corruption Chuuya...

[the-fastest-things-alive]

I ( @umbrenshadow ) now present to you, tFTA as vines!!

[eternalbuckley]

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ WISTERIA VINES. (series)

୨୧ — It's the idea of a deep, romantic and emotional connection you once shared with someone. Wisteria vines symbolize romance and connection. They grow slowly but steadily and represent the patient process of reconnection and understanding. Vines grow in an intertwining way and can reflect a bond between two people and how they grow stronger together. The flowers bloom in spring which symbolises new beginnings, meaning that two people can grow a once shared bond again.

SUMMARY: You have been selected to portray the role of Juliet for the upcoming ballet ballet shows of Romeo and Juliet, which are set to be performed in three months. Which means you have to find yourself in a position to portray your role at the side of your ex-boyfriend and former dancing partner, Aemond Targaryen. Whom happened to have been selected as the role of Romeo. Things between you have been left in a friendly but strange place and given to the circumstances you'll have to find yourself spending most of your time together with him. Old feelings for each other remained between you since your breakup and might find their way back to each of you. What happens if one of you puts your somewhat left friendship and the production at risk for unsaid left feelings?

warnings/tropes: 18+ mdni, modern au, best friends brother, ex lovers to possible lovers, yearning, tension, chapters may contain sexual topics, fluff, angst, smut, and more! it's implied fem!/afab!reader (especially the smut parts) but i try to be as gender neutral as possible, they/them pronouns are used if needed, english is not my first language! (each chapter has its own warnings)

Chapter 1: Your Romeo. Your Juliet. | tiny bit of angst, 4,415 words

Chapter 2: Title not decided yet // coming soon

….

taglist for this series — i won't be able to upload a new chapter each week but i try to post reguarly ♡ (I'm using an extra taglist for this series, so if you want to be notified when i post a new chapter, please fill out the taglist! You don't have to do that if you're already on my main taglist but if don't want to be notified for the series please let me know!)

a/n: i am certainly no professional or have ever experienced dancing ballet myself. all my knowledge is from research and interest in itself. so, there might be things that make no sense, aren’t completely correct or whatsoever — it‘s just fiction so don’t think about it too much, please. i came up with the main idea because of my obsession with classical music i‘ve been having for the past months and because of a post from my angel @peachysunrize made a few months ago about an ex lovers!ballet au, which is the background idea for this series, hehehe. anyways, happy reading! i hope you‘ll enjoy reading this series which is my precious little baby! xx remember that reblogs, feedback and comments are highly appreciated and welcomed! ♡

disclaimer: please do not repost or try and take ownership of my work or post this anywhere without my consent. do not translate my work and post it anywhere — i give you no permission to do that. i don’t give you my permission to use my writing for any ai related things, don’t do it. do not plagiarise or try to take ownership of my work. i only post my stories here, so if you find my work anywhere else please let me know! i do not own the rights of any characters are involved in this series (unless i created them)

dividers by saradika-graphics

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ navigation | main hotg masterlist

[definedvines]

a new chapter of my fic is finally out so here's my joker design for it, as much as i'm laughing at his goofy ahh dreamworks pose i will make something that looks actually evil eventually

[libraryofgage]

SpiderPool Steddie Part 3

Part One | Part Two

Welcome back to Steddie secret identity shenanigans ;)

This part is kinda long, but it's helping set up stuff for future parts lmao

As always, if you see any typos no you didn't

It's a beautiful day in the city: the birds are chirping, a nice breeze is blowing the smell of coffee over the streets instead of trash, and there are just enough clouds to create consistent patches of shade as they block the sun.

It's the perfect day for being out and about, the perfect day for Steve to meet Eddie at a coffee shop and flirt his way to lunch as well.

He just wishes Vecna hadn't gotten the fucking memo, too. And, if he had to get the memo, Vecna could have at least had the decency to cause problems in the evening. Seriously, it's just basic manners to not cause chaos and mayhem the same day Steve has a date.

Of course, to make it all worse, Vecna chose to let his demobats attack while Steve was on the way to said date. Not even the 30-minute buffer from leaving his apartment early will help him here, not when he has to knock the demobats out with his nail-bat, keep citizens safe, and not get himself eaten at the same time.

Maybe the worst part, though, is that Steve didn't get the chance to text Eddie that he'd be late before hastily ducking into an alley, haphazardly shoving his clothes into his backpack while tugging his mask over his head, and securely webbing his bag to the underside of a fire escape.

Steve thinks of his phone tucked into his backpack as he sends a demobat flying before it can attack a civilian trying to run away. He waves to the woman, returns the fist bump the toddler in her arms offers, and then dashes to catch up with the main swarm of the demobats. He shoots a web at a streetlamp and tugs sharply, using the momentum to send himself into the air. Once Steve is off the ground, he uses his webs to swing from building to building.

Fighting demobats is always the same routine: aggressively flapping wings, unholy screeching, claws and fangs tearing at Steve's suit as he tries to balance swinging past buildings and swinging his nail-bat. With each swipe of talons across Steve's suit, he tries to think of a plausible explanation he can give Eddie when he finally gets to the coffee shop.

A demobat dives into his face, resulting in a sharp pain across the bridge of his nose, and Steve is trying to figure out if walking into a doorway is a plausible excuse when he hears a familiar voice shout, "Yo, Spidey!"

Steve blinks, completely messes up the timing to web the next building, and suddenly starts to free-fall as demobats continue to swarm around him. He curses under his breath, catching himself on a streetlamp and wincing at the harsh yank to his shoulders.

"Oh, shit, sorry!"

Yep, definitely the person he thought it was. Steve swings off the streetlamp, landing in a crouch in front of Eddie. He spins around as he pops up, swinging at a pair of demobats that dove after him. "Hey, man, you should get outta here. You don't wanna get hurt," he says, glancing over his shoulder to look at Eddie.

Eddie just flashes a grin and shrugs. "I won't get hurt, remember?" he asks, holding up his hand and wiggling his fingers. Steve blinks, recalling the super-fast healing of Eddie's hand after he stuck a few nails through it.

"Right," Steve says, frowning slightly under the mask. He hears a shout a few feet away and doesn't think twice before sprinting toward it. There's a group of kids huddled together, trying to use their backpacks to smack away the demobats currently dive-bombing them. None of them look older than twelve, and the worst part is that Steve recognizes one of them as Dustin. He pushes himself to run faster, trying to ignore the guilt he feels at letting the demobats get near Dustin and his friends in the first place.

That guilt is for later when he can curl up under his blanket and try to tell himself that he's just doing his best and he's only one person and...man, being a hero is tough.

Dustin happens to look over as Steve is about to reach them. Despite the situation, he lights up, relief visibly washing over him. "Spider-Man!" he shouts, forgetting about keeping the bats away with his bag long enough to wave erratically like Steve hasn't already seen him.

"Hang tight!" Steve tells him, sliding behind the group and crawling up the side of the building there. He sticks to the side and takes note of the trees on either side of the kids, a vague plan starting to form in his mind. He just needs to get the bats to leave the kids alone long enough for it to work.

Just as Steve is about to throw himself into the fray as bait, he notices Eddie scramble up one of the trees by the kids, scoot out along one of the sturdier branches, and pull the guitar case off his back. He grins at the kids, winking at Dustin before swinging the guitar case like a bat. He's got a much wider range than Steve's nail-bat, and he manages to sweep most of the demobats away in two swings.

Steve sighs with relief; this is much better than the plan he had half-formed in his brain. He jumps off the building and lands next to the group of kids. "Don't just stand there!" he says, gaining their attention as he herds them toward an alley that lets out onto a street that isn't swarming with demobats.

And then, because Steve can't fucking help himself when Dustin walks by, he leans down and whispers, "Aren't you supposed to be in school right now?"

Dustin blinks. "We get attacked by demobats, and that's the first thing you ask?"

"Don't avoid the question, Henderson. I will tell your mother," Steve hisses, more upset that Dustin encountered danger in the first place.

His tension must be more obvious than he thought because Dustin sighs and raises his hand in surrender. "Geez, fine, we wanted pizza for lunch. But we'll head back now, okay? I'll even text you a picture of the school when we get there," he promises, flashing a grin from the edge of the alley before running to catch up with his friends.

It will have to be good enough. Besides, Steve doesn't exactly have time for arguing; his spider senses start screaming not a second later. He whips around in time to see the demobats attack Eddie and his branch. Steve feels his heart drop into his stomach as he runs back to the trees.

The branch breaks when he's a few feet away, and without thinking, he shoots a web at Eddie and yanks as hard as he can.

Later, Steve will look back on this moment and realize he might, in fact, be just a tiny bit dumb. If he took even a second to review the facts, he'd have realized Eddie 1) wasn't even ten feet off the ground and 2) could heal himself at an exponentially faster rate than Steve.

Steve realizes none of that in the moment, though. So what he gets is Eddie crashing right into him, his guitar case digging painfully into Steve's stomach and his elbow jabbing the side of Steve's neck and his boot just two centimeters from neutering Steve free of charge.

He lands roughly on the concrete, a dull pulse of pain beginning to radiate from his tailbone. Steve winces, groaning as Eddie rolls off him and hurriedly says, "Holy fuck, sorry, Spidey. Are you okay?"

Steve groans again, trying to shake off his disorientation. "Yep, all good, totally fine, quick question," Steve says, taking the hand Eddie offers to help him up, "What the hell were you thinking jumping in like that?"

"That some kids needed saving? I don't know, man, I didn't really think. It's not like they could really hurt me," Eddie replies, shrugging as he glances over at the trees again.

His subsequent frown makes Steve realize that, oh yeah, there are fucking demobats. He tenses and follows Eddie's gaze only to find absolutely nothing there. Steve blinks, wondering if he's hallucinating somehow, and walks over to the trees.

Broken branch? Check. Webs that will dissolve in a few hours? Check. Splatters of demobat blood on the concrete? Check.

The demobats themselves? Nowhere to be fucking seen.

"Where'd they go?" Eddie asks, looking at Steve like he'll somehow know, and Steve has to suppress the urge to reply with something snarky. Snark for the sake of being mean isn't nearly as fun as snark for the sake of banter.

Steve takes a deep breath and shakes his head. "Not sure. I'll patrol the area and surrounding blocks," he says, trying to hide how confused he is. It's not like the demobats to fly away before Steve has lowered their numbers by at least half. Something feels wrong, but he has no clue what the actual problem might be.

"Right," Eddie says, sliding a foot back and smiling apologetically at Steve. "Well, I gotta run. Got that coffee date with Stevie. But share all the fun details about your patrol the next time you're on the roof!"

And with that, Eddie rushes off, absolutely clueless that he's about to get a text from Steve apologizing for running so late that at least an hour will pass before he can make it to the coffee shop.

Steve sighs, pushes down the guilt that builds in his stomach for a completely different reason now, and scales the side of a nearby building so he can start swinging through the surrounding blocks.

----

Steve really did spend an hour looking for any sign of the demobats before swinging back to where he stashed his bag. Thankfully, Steve has become an expert at changing into regular clothes in mere seconds. There aren't too many wrinkles in his polo or his jeans, and his high-tops aren't bent, which is even more of a relief.

Once he's changed, Steve swings his bag onto his back and dashes toward the coffee shop. Eddie might have texted back after Steve's first message that he was okay with waiting, but that doesn't mean Steve is going to make him wait any longer than necessary. Plus, he can't shake the anxiety that Eddie might decide Steve isn't worth waiting for and leave.

At least he had plenty of time to come up with a believable lie.

Steve practically rams into the door of the coffee shop, catching himself just in time to yank it open instead. He tries to get control of his breathing, his heart pounding against his chest as he looks around the shop before seeing Eddie waving at him from a corner table, his guitar case slung across the back of his chair.

A wave of relief surges through Steve, and he walks toward Eddie with a grin. "Hey," he says, barely holding back a grimace at how breathy he sounds, "sorry for taking so long."

Eddie waves his hand dismissively before gesturing to the seat across from him. "Don't worry about it, Stevie. Is that--" Eddie gestures once again, this time pointing at Steve's face "--what held you up?"

Steve blinks as he sits, raising a hand to his cheek. He winces slightly at the burst of pain. Right. The demobats had managed to get a few hits in, not to mention Eddie crashing into him at the end. "It's, uh, kind of a funny story, actually," Steve says. He drops his hand to the table, only then noticing the iced coffees in front of him and Eddie. "How long ago did you order?"

"The coffees just got here," Eddie replies, nudging the one in front of Steve toward him once he's sat.

Their fingers brush together when Steve reaches out to take the cup, and he can't help noticing how Eddie's rings are surprisingly warm, like he's been fiddling with them. He also can't help noticing a speck of dried blood at the base of Eddie's thumb. He frowns slightly, forgetting about the drink to gently rub at the spot. "What happened? Are you okay?" he asks.

He misses Eddie's grin but not how Eddie twists his hand so he can grab Steve's, boldly lacing their fingers together. "How about this, sweetheart," he says, leaning forward to prop his chin in his free palm, "You tell that funny story, and I'll tell you about how I heroically helped save a bunch of kids."

Steve already knows about that, though, and he's flustered enough over their hands to almost say it.

Almost.

He stops himself at the last second, grateful that his blush can still be attributed to Eddie, and clears his throat. He picks up his coffee, takes an experimental sip, and relaxes some as vanilla and coffee coat his mouth. "I had to babysit last night and into this morning. One of the single moms on my floor, Carla, had an emergency shift, so I had her toddler, Miguel, until this morning. Carla was running almost an hour late to pick him up, so I started playing with Miguel to keep him occupied. And then he threw one of his Hot Wheels at my face and it cut my nose," he explains, gesturing to the slash across the bridge of his nose.

"Was it at least one of the cool ones?" Eddie asks, amusement obvious in his voice.

Steve snorts. "They're all cool, I'll have you know," he says, shaking their hands and hoping Eddie doesn't notice how sweaty his palm is becoming. "Anyway, Miguel apparently thinks my pain is the funniest thing ever because he starts giggling so hard he falls over. And once he finally stops laughing, he throws more of his Hot Wheels at me!

"So there I am, stuck in a Hot Wheels fight with a toddler and losing, when Carla finally comes to pick him up. She takes one look at the cuts on my face and immediately starts apologizing and trying to convince me Vix will somehow make them heal faster while trying to shove like three twenty-dollar bills into my pocket, even though I'd already told her she didn't need to pay me."

Eddie's grin widens, and he leans in closer, the ends of his hair brushing against the table. Steve has to fight the urge to tuck the strands behind Eddie's ear, which he does by taking another sip of his coffee. "What, did Carla somehow cop a feel?" Eddie asks, waggling his eyebrows playfully.

Steve barks out a laugh, almost choking on his coffee. "She almost did," he admits, "but she managed to get the money in my pocket first. I slipped it back, of course."

"Of course," Eddie says, nodding once.

"Anyway, I finally get them to go, but then they keep coming back because Miguel keeps realizing he left one of his Hot Wheels behind. Between finding, like, 30 Hot Wheels and trying to get ready to meet you and Carla being chismosa, as she calls it, I didn't manage to leave my apartment for another hour and a half."

Eddie hums softly, his smile having gotten soft while Steve was talking. "You know, I had a feeling you were good with kids," he says, and the statement would have caught Steve off-guard if he hadn't already heard it from behind his mask earlier.

"What gave you that idea?" he asks.

"Just something about you."

Steve finds himself wondering what, exactly, about him gives off that vibe, but he doesn't ask for now. "What about you?" he asks like he doesn't already know, "What's this heroic story?"

Eddie practically lights up, and Steve wonders how long he's been crafting the perfect retelling of the story in his head. "Well, first of all, how do you feel about Spider-Man?" Eddie asks.

"Uh, he's cool, I guess," Steve says, a little thrown by the sudden question. Though, when he thinks about the story Eddie is about to tell, the question does make sense. "He does a lot for the city, and his web shooters are really cool, but I don't follow him super closely."

"Well, yours truly helped Spider-Man save a group of kids from a demobat attack today," Eddie says, his chest puffing out slightly and his expression practically begging for Steve to look impressed.

And the image is so endearing that Steve can't help playing along. He widens his eyes, perks up a little in his seat, and says, "Seriously?! Wasn't that, like, dangerous?"

"Danger is my middle name, Stevie. I mean, it kinda comes with the whole heavy metal thing," Eddie explains, winking at Steve.

Steve raises an eyebrow at that. "Okay, you should definitely explain that next, but what about Spider-Man?" he asks.

That gets Eddie back on track, and Steve finds himself relaxing as Eddie talks. He plays along to the story, gasping in the appropriate places, looking awed when Eddie tells him about beating away the demobats with his guitar case, and laughing when Eddie plays up the comedy of crashing into Spider-Man.

And it's easy once Steve stops overthinking. Being with Eddie, laughing at his jokes and flirting back and holding his hand the whole time is wonderfully, blissfully, incredibly easy.

He could get used to this.

----

Tag List (there's still room, so let me know if you'd like to be added!)

@soaringornithopter, @suikatto, @murdblurdock, @starman-jpg, @somegirlsomewhere, @heaven428, @vacantwatchers, @sidebarre, @swimmingbirdrunningrock, @imjust-that-shy, @spookednsaucy, @7shrewsinatrenchcoat, @fanshipper4ever, @amrice, @spectrum-spectre,

[phoebepheebsphibs]

OK SO THE ENTIRE FIC HAS BEEN UPDATED!!

All chapters -- plus some bonus content such as the spore comics and a few other previous character interactions -- have been posted!

@boots-with-the-fur-club @daboyau @tmntaucompetition @littlemissartemisia @shiveagit @shiveagit-arts @thevoidbrothers @noval1t @kathaynesart @bluepeachstudios @amevello-blue