#we are so happy you are here and we need to do this more often
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
satellite-evans · 2 days ago
Text
farmers market
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Pairing: Harry Styles x pregnant!reader
Summary: Harry takes his pregnant girlfriend to the farmers market :)
Word count: 1k+
Warnings: fluff
A/N:
English is not my first language, so I apologize if I made any (grammar) mistakes. Feedback, requests, talks, vents, recommendations or just simple questions are always welcome.
Happy reading xxx
I do NOT give permission for my work to be translated or reposted on here or any other site.
Saturday mornings had become your favorite part of the week, especially now that you were six months pregnant. There was something about the air in the fall that made everything feel crisp, fresh, and alive. You breathed it in deeply as you and Harry approached the farmer’s market entrance, the golden sunlight filtering through the trees and creating a beautiful radiance on everything. The sounds of the bustling crowd, the chatter of vendors, and the soft rustling of leaves in the breeze all added to the charm. For you, this was the perfect way to spend the morning—slowly strolling through the stalls, picking out fresh produce, and taking in the delicious aromas that surrounded you.
Harry, on the other hand, loved watching you. There was a joy in your eyes every time you came across something that caught your attention—whether it was a basket of perfectly ripe peaches or a bouquet of wildflowers. He found himself smiling more, simply watching you enjoy the little things. Though his schedule was often packed with work, he didn’t mind these outings. In fact, he insisted on them.
"I can't believe you actually woke up early for this," you teased, nudging him playfully with your shoulder as the two of you made your way through the market entrance.
Harry adjusted his sunglasses, his hand still wrapped around yours. He squeezed it gently before responding, "Hey, I have my priorities straight. You, our little one, and fresh strawberries."
You grinned at him. "I knew you were just here for the food."
"And the company," he corrected, leaning in to press a soft kiss to your forehead. He lingered for a moment, his fingers brushing your skin. "You sure you're up for this? We could’ve just ordered everything online."
You rolled your eyes but couldn’t suppress a smile. "Harry, I’m pregnant, not fragile. I’m not going to break. Besides, I want to pick things out myself. You know how picky I get when it comes to cravings."
He chuckled, his hand gently resting on the small of your back, guiding you as you walked. "Yeah, I remember. The great pickle debacle of last month."
You groaned, covering your face with your hand in embarrassment. "Don’t remind me. I still feel bad for that poor store clerk."
"He survived," Harry teased, brushing a loose strand of hair from your face as you reached the first stall. "And now we have a whole shelf stocked with pickles at home. We're prepared for the next craving, love."
As you approached the stall, a burst of color filled your vision. Strawberries. Plump and bright, their sweetness practically radiated from the basket. You couldn’t help yourself. A soft gasp left your lips as you reached for a carton. "Oh my gosh, look at these strawberries! I need them."
The vendor, an older man with a wide grin and a straw hat, chuckled at your enthusiasm. "Good choice, dear. These are the sweetest berries you’ll find this season, grown just down the road."
Harry smiled at the vendor, then at you. "Perfect. We’ll take a few cartons, please."
The man winked at you as he handed over the strawberries. "Craving strawberries, huh? Must mean you’re having a sweet little one."
You laughed, resting your hand on your bump. "Seems like it."
Harry watched you carefully, his hand brushing yours as you inspected the fruit, a soft chuckle escaping him. "You know, love, if you keep eating them like this, our little one is going to come out looking like a strawberry."
You raised an eyebrow at him, a playful smirk tugging at your lips. "Should be no problem for you, since you only sing about fruit and... other things."
Harry’s face broke into laughter, shaking his head as he squeezed your hand a little tighter. "Alright, fair point. Guess we’re a perfect match then."
As you both moved down the market path, you spotted a stall selling honey, its glass jars glistening in the sunlight. Your eyes lit up, and without missing a beat, you tugged Harry toward it. "Ooh, fresh honey!"
The elderly woman behind the stand greeted you with a warm smile. "Well hello, dear! Looking for something sweet today?"
Harry wrapped his arm around you protectively, as if to shield you from the bustling crowd around you. He glanced down at you, his thumb gently caressing the back of your hand. "She’s been craving everything sweet since she got pregnant," he said, his voice soft, his gaze lingering on you.
The vendor’s smile widened. "Ah, a little one on the way! Congratulations, dear. I’ve got just the thing for you—this wildflower honey. It’s perfect with tea or drizzled over yogurt."
You took one of the jars into your hands, turning it over in your palms as you inspected it. "We’ll take two jars, please," you said with a smile. You could already imagine the honey paired with some of the fruit you had bought.
Harry leaned in closer, his lips brushing the shell of your ear as he whispered, "At this rate, we’ll have an entire pantry of honey, jams, and fruit."
You nudged him with your elbow, a playful glint in your eyes. "Says the guy who could probably live off protein shakes and fruit."
He grinned down at you, leaning his head against yours for a brief moment. "Hey, fruit’s good for you. And clearly, our little one agrees."
As the two of you continued down the market lane, Harry remained ever the protector, placing a hand gently on your lower back whenever the crowd got too dense or people brushed by too closely. He made sure to stay close, watching you like a hawk as you darted from one stall to another, carefully selecting items that would satisfy your cravings. His protective nature seemed to grow stronger with each passing day, and you couldn’t help but feel a flutter of love in your chest every time he touched you.
You stopped in front of a stall selling freshly baked bread. You picked up a warm loaf, its crust golden and inviting, and breathed in deeply. "Look at this bread, H!" you said, holding it up to him. "It smells amazing."
The baker, a jovial man with flour-dusted hands, beamed at you. "Fresh from the oven this morning, love. It’s a market favorite!"
Harry inhaled the rich aroma of the bread and nodded. "Alright, we’ll take two. One for you, and one for the baby."
You giggled, shaking your head at him. "You’re going to use the baby excuse for everything now, aren’t you?"
He shot you a mischievous grin. "Absolutely."
Next, you came across a stand selling handmade baby clothes. Harry’s eyes softened the moment he saw a tiny knitted sweater. His hand lingered over the soft material before he held it up to you, his voice barely above a whisper. "Look at this. Think our little one would like it?"
An elderly woman behind the stand smiled warmly at the two of you. "Oh, that one’s made from the softest wool, dear. Perfect for a little bundle of joy."
You felt your heart swell in your chest as you looked at Harry. Your voice wavered slightly. "I think they’d look adorable in it."
Harry’s fingers gently traced the top of your arm, sending a warm shiver through you. "We’re really doing this, huh?" His gaze softened as he brushed his thumb across the back of your hand. "Baby, family, all of it."
You smiled, your heart full of emotion. Resting your hand over his, you looked up at him with a soft, affectionate smile. "Yeah, we are."
As the morning wore on, your bags filled with fresh produce, honey, flowers, and baby clothes, Harry remained a constant presence at your side, his protectiveness never wavering. He kissed your forehead whenever you stopped to look at something, always keeping a careful eye on you as the crowds grew thicker.
You were about to make your way to the car when Harry glanced at the overflowing bags in his hands, a playful grin tugging at his lips. "Think we went a little overboard?"
You laughed, shaking your head. "No such thing when it comes to fresh fruit."
He raised an eyebrow at you. "You and your fruit obsession. I’m telling you, if this baby’s first word is 'peach,' I’m blaming you."
You shot back with a laugh. "Alright, but if their first word is 'kiwi,' or ‘watermelon’ or ‘cherry’ then I’m blaming you!"
Harry pulled you closer, planting a soft kiss on your forehead. "Alright, love. Truce. Let's go home and make something delicious with all this."
And as the two of you walked back to the car, the morning sun warm on your skin, you knew that these were the moments that would stay with you forever—simple, quiet, full of love and anticipation.
456 notes · View notes
Text
I am not EVERY autistic person so this probably won't be a total coverage approach, but here's what I have learned:
People like to feel that you pay attention to and remember little but important things about them. And when someone is "small-talking" with you, it is often because they either want to offer you some of that info about themselves, or they want to pearn it about you so they can "return the effort". I think of it a bit like call and response with my cats! They don't understand me, and I don't understand them, but when I walk into the kitchen each morning, Lup runs towards me excitedly making her tiny little squeaks and trills. That's kitty small-talk! Many words of all varieties just say "I love you! I missed you! I'm happy to be here with you today!"
So I answer her! Sometimes I mimic her little sounds, and other times I pretend we're gossiping like church ladies (*gasp* NO, you're KIDDING, he said THAT?? What a scandal!") But whichever I do Lup gets excited and continues her little "conversation" with me.
People are harder. I had to really take time and practice different ways of responding before I found appropriate "call and response" for small talk, but I found that there are genuinely more options than you'd think. And the same thing happened! As I learned how to "call and respond" to small talk, I found that people would excitedly approach me to have it, and gradually we got to know each other enough that the "calls" coming from both sides got less general, more tailored to our personal preferences and interests, and I didn't have to small talk as much (but when I did it wasn't as scary either)
This isn't just my personal theory either! A fair amount of research in interpersonal/social in-group dynamics suggests that "bids for attention" like small talk function in this way of call-and-response intimacy/connection building. I have found that a LOT of social etiquette gets less scary to navigate when I at least understand the function of it. It also gave me some understsnding of why people might be hurt when I visibly don't WANT to "respond" to a "call" they've made: I'm the same way about my "calls" I just use different ones! The way I feel when I ask someone "would you want to hang out with me in the kitchen while I make lunch?" (Sad, a little anxious or vulnerable, maybe hurt if they've said no to a LOT of recent calls, etc) is the same way others feel when I decline theirs! That doesn't change if it was MISSED rather than DECLINED, but it can be repaired! Ao another thing I've taken to doing is naming for people the calls I have learned I'm most likely to miss. I know I have a hard time understanding/recognizing small talk as a call to attention, so I let people know that! And generally the people I connect best with are the ones who notice I missed a call and offer me an explicit/direct opportunity to reject it before internalizing what I've done as a rejection. This isn't really an option for everyone! And while I'm always delighted when someone is compatible with me in that way, I don't get upset if they're not, and work to not take it personally as something I'm doing wrong either.
Anyway, this got rambly at the end there, but the point is, most social interactions have a FUNCTION and while being autistic frequently means that we struggle to learn and interact in these systems as they currently exist, but that doesn't necessarily mean that we don't also depend on those functions. I think it can be easy to forget that part of the "disabling" effects of social/communication symptoms in autism is how it cuts us off from systems of support, care, and human interconectedness (things we still NEED) and it can matter to our quality of life to be able to find compatible alternatives to fulfilling those functions even if the original mechanism (small talk in this case) doesn't suit us.
Being bad at small talk doesn't mean you don't need friends, but it will probably make it very hard to MAKE friends. And we each and all deserve to decide for ourselves what to do about that.
I'm trying to figure out a good way to say "you really should actually learn the basics of small talk" with sounding like I'm biased against autistic people.
27K notes · View notes
bqstqnbruin · 12 hours ago
Text
Always the Bridesmaid
Tumblr media
I'm interrupting my regularly scheduled programming (again)(please read this series) with a fic that I came up with when I was writing a happy ending for @laurenairay, which, considering that is weird for me, I had to balance out the universe with this fic instead.
This is reader insert and for the most part the reader is gender neutral, but does present societally more feminine (mention of doing their hair and makeup, wearing a dress).
Have fun!
Warnings: swearing, alcohol consumption, I was mean to Quinn
WC: 5528
______________
You were always told falling in love with someone would take every part of your heart and have you give it to someone else. Falling in love was supposed to be a whirlwind of joy, sadness, anxiety, excitement, fear, happiness, pain, and bliss. Your parents made you believe that loving someone meant your life would change, hopefully for the better, and you would be able to share your life with someone who wasn’t supposed to leave. 
He told you he was taking you out for dinner, to be ready when he got home. You knew you were going to one of the fancier restaurants in town, taking special care to do your hair so not a strand was out of place, do your makeup just the way you liked it, and wearing your favorite outfit that you took the time to steam the wrinkles out of so that you didn’t look like you had spent the entire day rotting on the couch, even though you did.
You knew what he was going to ask.
____________________
“What are you doing right now?” Quinn’s head pokes through your bedroom window, your boyfriend climbing into your room, trying not to laugh as he struggles to bend the right way to make it through without getting hurt.
You turn the page in your book, not bothering to look up. “I’m in the middle of taking over Poland,” you deadpan as he makes his way over to your bed, plopping himself down at your feet. “One day, you’re going to break your leg or something doing that.”
Quinn’s bedroom in your respective family’s lake house’s was opposite yours, allowing the two of you to see what the other was doing whenever the curtains were open. Since you were younger, that was your signal to each other that they could come over. You thought it would involve using the front doors, but Quinn took it as an excuse to truly act like a twelve year old, despite being older than that, and makeshift a ladder from the tree that was right there. 
He grinned at you, leaning against the wall and starting to fiddle with the fringe of the blanket sitting at the foot of your bed. “I want to go do something.”
“We haven’t even been here for seventy two hours and I’m pretty sure you’ve been active for seventy of them.”
“Please,” he whines, leaning over so that his body is parallel with yours. You try to ignore him as you attempt to focus on your book, feeling his eyes practically pierce your shin. “I want to go for a walk.”
“If you can scale the side of this house, I’m sure you can do that just fine.”
“I want company.”
“You have two brothers.”
“They’re asleep.”
“We both know if either of them wanted something from you, they would not hesitate to wake you up.” 
“But I want you to come with me.” You put your bookmark in to save your space, giving him an unimpressed look. “Please? How often do we get to do things where it’s just us?” He takes your hand in his, the calluses on his hands from using his stick in his driveway back home without his gloves surprisingly soothing to you. You roll your eyes, Quinn nuzzling into the crook of your shoulder as you can’t help but smile.
You pull him off the bed, your book all but forgotten, Quinn trailing you like a love-sick puppy.
____________________
You got ready way earlier than you needed to be, anxiously pacing around your apartment you shared with him. You could see him in every corner; it was his apartment first that you had eventually moved into. The furniture was all his, the decorations that were there were chosen by someone he paid rather than the two of you picking it out yourselves like you wanted, even the books in the bookcases weren’t ones you picked; half of them were just for show, those coffee table books on topics you didn’t care about, but looked impressive to those who didn’t know either of you. 
____________________
“This is how you decorate?”
You roll your eyes at him as he flops on your bed. As usual, Quinn was being no help to anything, but it was your first time being with each other since you left for college. “I’m going to be here for a year, why do more?”
“You don’t even have a picture of us in here.” He sits up to wrap his arms around your waist, pulling you into his lap. He kisses the top of your head, you letting your eyes flutter closed as you exhale against him, curled into his chest.
“My roommate keeps bringing guys back,” you tell him. “Four of them would see a picture of you and ask me to send you their highlights.” Quinn burst out laughing, throwing his head back and sending a shiver through your body. You missed hearing him in person, being with him and being able to touch him. 
You missed him. 
You pull away from him slightly to kiss him, his hands tightening, bunching up your shirt in his fists. Thank god your roommate was away this weekend.
“Leave room for Jesus,” one of your friends barges in, Quinn practically launching you off him. You could feel the heat rush to your face, convinced it was visible from space by the smirk on the intruder's face. “Party tonight at Kappa house.”
You exchange a look with Quinn, trying to get a read on his face before looking back at your friend. “Ok?”
“Are you two coming?”
Quinn shrugs, leaning back on your bed, the hem of his shirt riding up to reveal a sliver of skin that made  your heart race. That stupid smirk on his face told you his answer. “Sure.” 
Your friend squeals, launching into talking about you borrowing clothing, getting ready, making sure all three of you look as fantastic as possible for what was all, apparently, your first college frat party. 
Two hours later, you were in a different room down the hall, pre-gaming, cringing as your friend thrust a shot of rosé wine into your hand, immediately following it up with raspberry vodka. You nearly gagged after downing the combination that never should have existed, looking at the disgusted look on Quinn’s face that mirrored your own. “I wish I never drank that,” he sputters out, sticking his tongue out as if the air around him would get rid of whatever that lingering taste was. 
“I’m never drinking vodka again.”
Quinn shrugs. “You never liked it much anyway.” You look at him for a second, not sure if you were unable to see the connection he was trying to make because you genuinely didn’t know, or if the horrible alcohol was somehow already fogging your brain. “Remember a few summers ago when some of our hockey friends came up to visit? They brought vodka and you hated it.”
“Was that the night I fell asleep in your bed and your parents freaked out when they found us?”
“It was the night you fell asleep in the bathtub with Jack, actually.”
You cringe, biting your bottom lip, wishing that he hadn’t brought that night up. Nothing happened between you and his brother, but it was easy to see why Quinn was annoyed at the sight of the two of you. Actually, you remember telling him nothing happened, because nothing did. So why did he get mad at it? “Why would you bring that up?” 
Quinn shrugs, turning his attention to the group of guys cheering on another as he shotgun a can of beer. “Just made me think of it.” 
____________________
He texted you that he was downstairs, ready to pick you up, just as you agreed he would do that morning. He was late coming back from practice, letting you know that he took the time to get ready at the practice facility so he wouldn’t have to come up and do it. 
You felt yourself exhale, the anxiety in your chest dissipating ever so slightly. Him being downstairs gave you more time before you had to see him.
You didn’t want to see him.
____________________
“I want to see you, though.” 
You roll your eyes, thankful that Quinn called you instead of Facetimed you, knowing he would get upset over your reaction. You were having this conversation for the fifth time now, Quinn begging you to come see him when you told him it wasn’t possible. “I have four exams this week and I have a job interview. I need to be here.” 
“Where’s the job?”
You hesitate for a second, trying to figure out if you should lie or not. “New Jersey.” Quinn doesn’t say anything. “Q?”
“I thought you were applying for jobs here?”
“I am,” you say quickly, “But I need a job after graduation, regardless of where it is. I can’t move to Vancouver if I don’t have a job, too.” 
“I can take care of both of us.” 
You let out a loud sigh, pressing the heels of your hands to your eyes. “I don’t want you to have to ‘take care of me,’ Quinn, I can do it myself.” 
“That doesn’t mean you have to.”
“And what happens if we break up?” you snap. “What happens when you and I aren’t together anymore and I have nothing because you controlled everything? I’ll have no job, no experience, nothing to fall back on and I’m screwed.”
Quinn doesn’t say anything for too long, your heartbeat getting faster with every second he was silent. You didn’t know you were afraid of that. “You think we’re going to break up?” he finally asks, his voice barely audible. 
“Quinn,” you start.
“No, no, it’s fine. You’re right. You don’t want to bank on us being together forever.”
“Quinn,” you try again.
“Hey, I have to head to the arena, and you have to study. I’ll talk to you later.” 
The line goes silent before you can say anything else. You check the time, taking into account the time difference. You knew Quinn’s game-day schedule. He still had two more hours before he had to leave. 
____________________
You get downstairs, seeing your boyfriend leaning against his car. He was in a suit, one you hadn’t seen before. He bought a new one for tonight. It fit him well; you could see the curve of every part of his body, every crevice that you knew by heart, everything that was stashed in his pockets outlined. You could see the box in his pant pocket. 
He was looking down at his phone, a lock of his hair falling into his eye without even hearing you coming towards him. That sight of him used to make your heart skip a beat. 
He finally looks up, the grin on his face growing with every step you took towards him. He shoves his phone in his pocket, pulling you in for a kiss. His arms wrapped around you, his lips pressed to yours, you praying he doesn’t notice the slight sweat you felt forming over your entire body. 
He opens the car door for you, running around to get into the driver seat and take you into the city.
“You are gorgeous,” he breathes out, his hand resting on your thigh as he drives.
____________________
You stare at your phone, praying that someone would email you or call you. If you watched your phone enough, you could will them into getting back to you, right?
“You’re next,” your cousin’s hand finds your shoulder, making you jump out of your skin. “God, ok.”
“Sorry,” you mutter, putting your phone down and getting in the makeup chair. The person your cousin hired to do the bridal party makeup was talking to you about what you wanted, you barely paying attention while your mind wandered, trying not to be rude and check your notifications every time your phone screen lit up. 
“What’s with you?”
You look to your left, the makeup artist turning your head back toward them. “I’m supposed to be hearing back from that job,” you tell her.
“So why do you look like you want to throw up?”
You hesitate, a text from Quinn showing up on your screen to let you know that he was almost ready to head to the wedding venue. 
“Because it’s my dream job, but,” your voice trails off. She eyes you, the look on her face burning a hole in the side of your face. “It’s not in Vancouver.”
She nods. “So it’s not near Quinn.” 
“It’s in New Jersey.” 
“Are you going to take it if you get it?”
You exhale. The job was everything you wanted; in the field you studied in college, in a great place where you didn’t have to spend what felt like millions on rent, the people seemed great, the benefits were perfect.
It was just in the wrong country. 
“You know what? You’ve just graduated, we’re getting ready for my wedding, and your boyfriend is out there probably thinking about the day that this is the two of you, instead. Relax.” 
Before you could give an answer, it was time for you to get your hair done, your cousin being whisked away by the photographer to start getting some pictures taken. You didn’t even have an answer. 
Your phone buzzes, another text from Quinn, a new email in your inbox. 
You don’t check it, your thoughts lost in the whirlwind that became getting ready to join your cousin to walk down the aisle to who was supposed to be the love of her life. 
The bridal party ahead of you starts to enter, your cousin behind you pacing while the music continues to play. She calmed you down before when she was the one who was supposed to be anxious. What could you do now? 
You walk forward, the aisle seeming much longer than it did during the rehearsal dinner considering you were now in much higher heels, with makeup that you hoped wasn’t running down your face from the heat you felt. 
You catch Quinn sitting by himself, the smile on his face making your heart skip a beat. 
You felt yourself calm down, all the worries you had melting away as you headed toward the altar. 
You wanted to be walking toward him, to see him waiting for you, ready to tell everyone you cared about that you wanted to be together forever.
The entire wedding went by in a blur, your conscience focused entirely on you picturing yourself with Quinn standing at the altar.
When you finally get the chance to check your phone on the way to the reception, the email notification sits on your screen, unanswered. You open the app, your heart racing. 
‘Good morning, we are pleased to offer you the position…” 
____________________
The two of you fall into mundane conversation once you’re seated. He had asked for a table away from everyone, off to the side where the two of you had privacy, just as the two of you had liked it. You felt awkward being in the middle of any restaurant; he hated having people stare at him because they were sure they knew who he was and spent the entire time gaping at him once they realized who he was.
He asks about your day, about your job. 
You relay to him the events of the day, just as you did every single day the two of you had time to sit down and eat together. It was the same conversation every time, yet he seemed to love to hear about it. 
“I remember when I was excited about this job.”
“Do you still want to quit?” 
____________________
“How do we manage this?” Quinn’s voice comes through your phone, an exasperated plea. 
You hesitate, trying to figure out what to say. “I have no clue,” you admit. “Do we try long distance?”
Quinn sighs, the sound of his car starting up in the background. “We’ve been doing that for the last four years. Do we really want to keep doing it like this?”
Silence comes from you again, this conversation going exactly how you thought it would; neither of you sure what you wanted to do. 
Your dream job made you an offer that you couldn’t refuse. Your boyfriend was on the other side of the continent in another country. You couldn’t do both.
“It’s that or we aren’t together anymore.”
“Are you sure you want to take this job?” Quinn’s voice cuts you off before you can say more.
“Quinn.” 
“Is this job this important to you? Did you try to look for something near here?”
“You know that it is and you know that I did,” you reply, your tone getting defensive. “I’m supposed to be meeting my friends tonight and I still need to get ready,” you lie to him, giving yourself the best out you could. “I’ll talk to you later.” 
You pace around your apartment, pulling up the email chain with the offer letter attached. It was everything you could want. It just wasn’t close enough to the person you wanted. 
You end up falling asleep on your couch, waking up in pain from the angle you somehow thought was comfortable the night before, with someone pounding on the door to be let in. Your phone starts buzzing, your brain barely functioning to register anything other than the time, almost noon.
“I’m coming, calm down,” you rasp, hoping the banging would subside. “Quinn?”
“I can’t have this conversation with you over the phone,” he barges in, pushing past you. 
“How did you get here?” 
“I took the first flight out.” He sits down on the couch you were just asleep on, making no comment of your obviously disheveled state. “We can’t break up. I love you and I don’t want us to break up.” 
You sit down next to him. “I love you, too.”
“Do you want to break up?” he asks, panic in his voice. You study him for a second, knowing that the silence you were giving him wasn’t settling him in any way. He was clearly exhausted; his skin was more pale than normal, his hair poking in every direction possible. The bags under his eyes were darker than you had ever seen him, and you’ve seen him after he pulled an all nighter for a final, running only on energy drinks, french fries, and pure hope that he would pass the exam that morning. 
“I don’t want to,” you start, your voice trailing off. “But, Quinn, this job.”
“Marry me.”
You jolt back. “What?”
“Marry me. Don’t worry about the job. You don’t have to worry about anything. I want to be with you and I know you want to be with me.”
“Quinn,” you scoff, a laugh bubbling into your voice. “We can’t get married.”
____________________
“You could easily find a job somewhere else, though, right? If you wanted to?” he asks.
You nod. “But it was already overwhelming trying to figure everything out when I first started. Do I really want to do that again?”
____________________
“How are you settling in?” Quinn’s question made your heart ache, the first time you’re talking to him since you moved only able to be a few minutes over Facetime. “Has Jack helped you?”
You let out a laugh. “You know he’s only helped eat my food.” Quinn’s laugh matches yours, a tightness in your chest at the sound. “I miss you.”
Quinn lets out a sigh, closing his eyes. “I miss you, too.” Both of you stare at each other in silence for a moment, you looking away to pretend to continue unpacking. You were still trying to find everything in the boxes you hastily packed up, the start date your job provided you only giving you a week to pack and find a new place. Everything was in unlabelled boxes and just thrown together, meaning you were finding multiple pairs of underwear mixed into a box of dishes and books. “I wish we didn’t have to break up.”
You feel a sob creeping up your throat, the same sentiment you had being verbalized by the one person you wished didn’t feel the same. If this were a clean break, everything would be so much easier. If it were a clean break it would be easier to get over and move on. If it were a clean break, then you wouldn’t have what you were sure was a permanent pit in your stomach telling you that this was the wrong choice.
Before you can answer, someone knocks on your door. “Um, I’m gonna go. I think that’s Jack or Luke. They said they were going to come and help today.”
“Tell them to behave.”
You force a smirk through the tears that were brimming in your eyes. “We know they won’t.” You say your goodbyes, the tears finally falling down your cheeks when you open your door. “Oh, Nico,” you sniffle, Jack and Luke’s teammate standing in your doorway without the two boys who were supposed to be there. 
Nico’s brow furrows. “What’s wrong?” he takes a small step towards you, gently resting his hands on your arms. His attempt at comfort sends a shiver through your body, the attempt to hide your physical recoiling at his touch unsuccessful. It wasn’t one of disgust, it was more out of shock. “Sorry.”
“No, no,” you tell him, tugging his sleeve to pull him into your apartment. “I’m just,” you hesitate. Telling an attractive guy that you were crying over your ex seemed like a bad idea. Especially when that ex is the brother of two of this guy's closest friends. “I’m overwhelmed from unpacking.” 
Nico nods, looking around at the mess of boxes that are cluttered in what is supposed to be your living room. “When was the last time you ate?”
You stop and think, checking your phone to see it was closer to dinner than any other normal meal time. “Yesterday?”
  “Come on.” Nico holds out his hand to you, ignoring the uncertain look on your face. “Jack and Luke asked me to come because they’re doing god knows what, and we both know dealing with them when you’re hungry is going to end up with one of them dangling from that window by their sock.”
You can’t help but laugh knowing that you and Quinn have done something like that to Luke when you were younger over the summer. There’s a reason there’s now a small balcony outside Quinn’s window. The thought of you and Quinn makes your heart hurt again, the threat of tears coming back.
“Hey,” Nico’s voice goes soft, pulling you into a hug. You melt into him, the comfort of his cologne making you exhale. “Whatever it is, you’ll be ok.” 
____________________
“Remember that one wedding we went to, one of your college friends?” he reaches across the table to take your hand, his voice shaking as he abruptly changes the subject. He waits for you to nod. “Do you think about what it would be for us to get married?”
As soon as you hear the words starting to form in his mouth, you grab your water with your free hand, gulping it down to give yourself time. “Um, yeah,” you lie.
____________________
“Jack, you fucking idiot,” you scold him, grabbing the napkins and trying to get as much red wine off your white shirt as you could. It’s your fault, really. You’ve known Jack long enough to know how dangerous of a color it is to wear around him. 
“I’ll grab you something to wear,” Nico mumbles, glaring at his teammate. He heads to his room, the base of his neck turning bright red as he walks away. 
Jack looks sorry, giving you a puppy-dog pout that you were all too used to from your childhood. “It was an accident.”
“Yeah, yeah,” you mutter. Nico comes back with a sweatshirt, a Devils logo and the number 13 on the breast for you to throw on while you’re here. He plants a kiss on the side of your head once you pull it on, sitting down next to you. 
The rest of the night passes by, Jack spilling two more drinks all over Nico’s table that made Nico send his teammate home.
You settle in his bed, letting out an exhale as you sink into the soft mattress. Nico comes into his room, your shirt in hand. He tried his best to get the stain out.
“I think it’s a lost cause,” he tells you, tossing the shirt into his hamper. “I’ll see if the cleaners can get it out when I bring my suits in next time.” 
“I know better than to wear white around a Hughes brother,” you joke, Nico climbing in next to you and pulling you close.
You hear him sigh, tucking his arm under his head as he lays down. “Do you still miss him?”
The silence between you two is palpable. You never talk about your past with Quinn, awkwardly dancing around the subject whenever he inevitably gets brought up. You weren’t completely over him, but how could you tell your boyfriend that? You lived here, Quinn was in Vancouver. “I miss my friendship with him.”
It wasn’t totally a lie. Even before you started dating Quinn, he was your best friend. Now, you could barely talk to each other. 
“I get that,” you hear him say, not without you noticing the strangled tone in his voice.
Your phone buzzes, Jack tagging you and Nico in a story from your dinner, captioning it ‘taken moments before disaster (myself) struck.’ You can’t help by laugh, showing Nico the post. He smiles, the two of you taking in the photo. The way Nico looks at you makes your heart flutter. He loves you. You know he does. And you do love him. 
You look at the time, the late hour making you groan. “Ugh, fuck.” 
“What?”
“I’m only going to get, like, three hours of sleep if I want to make it home in time to get ready for work.”
“Why don’t you move in here?” Your head whips to him, feeling a pain in your neck, trying to hide your wince so that Nico doesn’t think you hate his idea. “I mean, you spend more time sleeping here than you do at your actual place.”
“Are you serious?”
Nico smiles, pulling you in for a kiss. “Of course.”
You mirror his smile. “Yeah.”
You eventually fall asleep, an excited feeling about a new chapter in yours and Nico’s relationship keeping you awake. 
When your alarm finally goes off, you let out a groan, Nico stirring beside you as he wakes up with you, despite not needing to. You see a text on your phone, sent not long after you went to bed.
It was from Quinn.
‘Does he at least make you happy?’
____________________
Nico is clearly nervous, his free hand rubbing against his thigh. You can feel the sweat forming on his hand in yours. “We’ve been together for how many years now? Three?” You nod. “I love you.” 
____________________
Every time Vancouver came to play in New Jersey, Ellen and Jim insist on you joining them to watch the game. They think of you like a daughter, despite the hopes of you actually joining their family dwindling down to nothing with every year that passes by with you staying in New Jersey.
Of you staying with Nico rather than Quinn. 
It doesn’t get easier any time you see Quinn. According to a drunken Jack, Quinn still loves you. You know you love Nico, but can you also still have feelings for Quinn? 
The Hughes parents weren’t there yet, you sitting alone as the two teams come out onto the ice for warmups. You see Quinn, the sight of him making your heart skip a beat, even after all these years of falling in love with Nico. He looks like he’s zoning out while skating in a circle around nothing, his stick in both his hands parallel with the ice. You know him well enough to know that this is how way of focusing, reviewing everything he could remember about the game tapes he had spent the last few days studying, as if this weren’t the third time this season he was playing against his brothers.
Against your boyfriend. 
The three brothers meet at center ice, taking a picture as they did before every game, the tradition somehow never losing its magic and never getting skipped over no matter how many meetings the two teams had. You feel your anxiety go up when Nico skates over and joins them, the smile on Nico’s face not being matched in the slightest by Quinn. 
The last time you saw Quinn, it was like you were two strangers who were forced together by accident, rather than being two people who grew up with each other, who knew everything about each other. His sentences and comments to you were short, his eyes never meeting yours.The only thing he said that really mattered to you was him telling you he wasn’t sure he would ever stop loving you.
You didn’t remember how that even came up.You had been talking about the wedding you were in, one of your friends from college getting married a few months before yours and Quinn’s last meeting. Quinn was invited, but, according to Jack, he couldn’t get himself to go once he saw you were in the wedding party. 
Your phone buzzes, a text from your boss. You can’t help but let out a groan, knowing that nothing good could come of him texting you on a Friday night when he knew you were at the game.
You skim the message, hoping that it was something that you could ignore for a few hours until you and Nico got home that night. One word catches your eye, causing you to choke on the sharp breath you took in. 
‘Vancouver’ is right there, your boss telling you that there was an opening in your company’s office there, that you would be perfect for it, that you would get a higher salary, a relocation fee, the company would take care of everything you needed to have you move to Canada.
You would be near Quinn. 
You let your boss know that you would think about it, reminding him that you were out with your friends at the game, just as you told him that morning. He sends back a simple thumbs up, as if that was a good enough reaction to letting you know that your dream job just got better. 
The Hughes finally join you right as the anthems begin, pulling you in for hugs. The game begins, your attention anywhere by the actual game. You were facing the ice, but your mind was back to your phone. During the intermissions, you’re completely anti-social, looking at the application your boss sent you that you would need to fill out. He was right, you were perfect for the job.
The game ends, you heading down with the parents to see the guys, Quinn the first one out. He talks to his parents, you awkwardly standing off to the side. 
He finally acknowledges you when his brothers come out of their locker room.
“So, how are you?” he asks, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking down at the ground. 
“Good. You?”
“Good. How’s the job?”
“Good,” you let out. “There’s an opening in our Vancouver office,” you blurt out before you can stop yourself.
Quinn’s eyes light up, the smile on his face one that you hadn’t seen from him in a while. It made you smile. “Really? Are you going to take it?”
You sigh, the smile melting from your face. “I’m not sure yet. I would have to move. I would have to figure out Visa’s and everything. I would have to figure out things with,” your voice trails off, both of you knowing what you meant without you saying it. “Nico.”
Your boyfriend appears behind Quinn, a sudden panic coursing through you. You remember the idea of being away from Quinn tearing you apart inside, the thought making you sick. The idea of being away from Nico didn’t have that same effect. 
____________________
“Will you marry me?” He asks, the look on his face hopeful and nervous while he waits for your answer. 
You hesitate, knowing that he was panicking, hating that you made him feel that way. Your phone buzzes with a text from your boss before you can answer, your eyes flicking down to the screen. ‘Still interested in Vancouver?’ You hadn’t told Nico you applied for the job. You told yourself you didn’t want it that much but that it wouldn’t hurt to apply. Seeing Quinn keping coming up in your mind each time you lied to yourself, how you would be back in the same city as him. 
You still love Quinn.
“No.” 
110 notes · View notes
utilitycaster · 12 hours ago
Note
i keep seeing people say that OF COURSE Bell Hell's haven't grown or changed, it's only been 3 months in campaign! and it's been nonstop! and every time I see that, I gotta admit 1. okay so you admit they haven't grown, cool. 2. that feels like a watsonian answer to a not-quite-watsonian complaint. iirc, m9 were only a few months longer than BH by the time their campaign ended, and it's been pretty comparable irl time. Both bell's bells and m9 had significantly less 'in world' time than vm and the m9 grew and changed plenty.
Because there's a discrepancy between 'time in game' and 'time at the table' for actual play, using 'in game' time as an excuse for...anything, feels thin. Because it still FEELS like three years both to us and the players! Does that make any sense or am i losing my mind? cause every time i see answers like that I feel a little crazy for feeling like it's almost entirely unrelated to complaint they're trying to address
No, it makes complete sense. I discussed this here as well but on some level it's like ok so they haven't changed! Turns out they suck, and the fact that they haven't changed means we have a party that still sucks. Like, if your point is "I don't like this character trait", someone saying "well it makes sense for them to have it" doesn't fix the core problem of you not liking it. This is a repeated problem in discussions in this campaign. I think Liliana dying would have been narratively interesting; I literally give zero fucks whether it's deserved, because she isn't real and I'm not a believer in Calvinism nor instant karma in real life and plenty of people die for unfair reasons and I happen to really enjoy exploring that and how people respond to it in fiction. You can't have a conversation with someone who, when you say "I'm not a big fan of vanilla ice cream, do you have chocolate?" says "but vanilla is literally a complex flavor made from orchids?" (Also yes, the Mighty Nein are a great example of a party who were already more closely bonded about a month and a half in, following Molly's death; the entire campaign was almost a year long though a bit shorter in terms of time together due to Happy Fun Ball time dilation. For reference, Bells Hells have been together 4 months and 5 days, and the Mighty Nein, at that exact same amount of time, were exploring the second Uk'otoa temple, and a number of them were already rethinking their whole deal at that point.)
I don't currently have any original posts to make re: criticism of Campaign 3 until next episode, most likely - I'm reblogging well-made posts I see, and obviously I'm answering asks, but I said this more briefly in the tags of another post earlier and I'd like to elaborate, but this has been a problem for me, at least, the entire campaign:
Campaign 3 has a small but loud contingent of fans who are utterly incapable of tolerating the idea that other people hold different opinions than they do and post them on their own blogs (often even not in the main tag). They respond to this with abuse and harassment; with a constant switching of direction to the point of self-contradiction; and with doubling and tripling down on statements I personally find to be bigoted. They are, in my opinion, small-minded, unintelligent, self-absorbed people who are so locked into, as I said here, an Us vs. Them mentality that so long as there is anyone who doesn't like them they will never be happy. They have gotten, narratively, almost everything they wanted thus far, but they'll never be happy so long as someone openly disagrees with them. Like, if the fact that your ship is the most popular one for this campaign on ao3 is so important to you, why are you so pressed about a few people disliking it? If liking Campaign 3 means you're a good anticolonial leftist and you're therefore allowed as a white person to mock the experiences of any nonwhite person actively dealing with the consequences of colonialism why do you need the support of The Bad People Who Don't Like It? If you can be broken by anything less than universal adoration, then, well. Break, bitch.
Essentially, think "the personality of Elon Musk in a broke 20-something whose main interests are cartoons aimed at a grade school audience, and a three sentence incorrect summary of Marxist theory that they use to justify whatever they already wanted to do," and you'll get the picture.
My advice therefore is that it's not really worth arguing, and frankly, there would be little to no discourse if they weren't so pathetically insecure that a post saying "The structure, pacing, and message of Campaign 3 are all weak and inconsistent, and Bells Hells have so little motivation they fail to be heroes, villains, nor antiheroes" sends them into an extended tantrum because the OP didn't append the words "I think" or "I feel" at the beginning of every statement, as most of us assume any reasonable adult would understand that a person posting on their own blog is posting their own opinions. (And, frankly, appending those words doesn't really help half the time because most of them are ultimately mostly outraged that someone would dare think or feel things that they don't.)
I am making posts about my thoughts on Campaign 3; I think most other people with criticism thereof are doing so as well. I will only be convinced otherwise by Campaign 3 itself being better, and I think it's probably too late for it to do so, and I will not be swayed nor intimidated by people who, see previous paragraphs re: my thoughts. My advice to you and anyone who's saying "wait a second" is to trust your gut; everything you said here seems like a pretty good assessment. If it helps, back away from the fandom and see what you feel without the influence of others (including me!) posting, and go with that.
45 notes · View notes
avifaunaa · 2 days ago
Text
these little regrets [ j.t. & s.s ]
Tumblr media
Pre-Fic: Um. Hey. This is my first post on tumblr and have absolutely zero idea what I’m doing. Be gentle with me while I figure out the works of it.
Masterlist
Pairing: Jackie Taylor x Fem!reader x Shauna Shipman
Summary: Your university’s soccer team, the Yellowjackets, crash land in the middle of the wilderness and you must all learn to survive. Unfortunately, this means things get messy when everyone’s periods arrive and yours doesn’t. Especially when Jackie and Shauna learn the reason why.
Content Warnings: Buckle up, my first fic here is kind of dark: A very obvious hint of pregnancy but it is not inherently discussed at large, periods, a pre-established dubious situation ship ( r x j&s ), obsessive and manipulative behavior, non-con, predator and prey dynamics, praise and degradation ( r receiving ), vaginal fingering ( r receiving ), cunnilingus ( s receiving ), some aftercare
Word Count: 4.8k
men and minors DNI
Tumblr media
The summer had started bleeding into fall and things were starting to get a little tense between the team. Nat was gone more often and returning with less — but Lottie insisted that they had enough to keep them all above water.
You weren’t so sure.
You were so nervous about the amount of food in the stores when you did the daily count — a job you’d been given by Shauna to do — and would return to her with your concerns.
Today she was in a bad mood, the knife stuck deep into the table and dripping blood into the same stain it had collected from in past months of use. She moved her gaze to you when you approached her, unreadable and detached.
But an eyebrow raised slightly, breaking the fortified stature of Shauna Shipman. She stood straight when you were only feet from her, the table keeping you both separated.
“You never look happy anymore,” you mentioned, breaking the ice as you glanced at the meat she had cut into sections. Rabbit this time — not large like the last one which meant less rations.
“Neither do you,” she replied, palms flattening on top of the surface to meet your gaze. “What’re we looking at?”
You swallowed, curling your fingers together in a locked embrace. “Not counting the rabbit you’re working on, we have the duck jerky left in five strips, two pouches of the berries, but they’ll need to be rationed with meals soon if we want to use them, some cut meats to cook, and three granola bars I found Krystal hoarding.”
“Where was she hiding them?” A dangerous twitch moved Shauna’s upper lip, her eyes getting a dark gleam.
You blushed. “She had them buried under a pile of — um - strips she’s using for her period. They were clean but —“
Shauna raised a hand, effectively silencing you to your great relief. You licked your cracked lips and unlocked your hands, rubbing your scraped up arm instead.
“Fine,” she finally sighed, pushing off the table. “I’ll ask Jackie to send Nat out again tonight. This won’t keep us for a week.”
“Okay,” you said, looking down and kicking your worn tennis shoe in the dirt. “I’m gonna go help Misty with the water bucket, but I’ll see you later.”
“Wait.” You look up before you can turn around, and see Shauna watching you carefully. “Are you cramping? Hungry? I can . . . Offer a couple of extra rations. But only if you’re quiet about it.”
You tug your lip between your teeth, cheeks starting to burn slightly. This was Shauna trying to care for you in the only way Shauna could, you supposed. She was the more emotionally conservative between her and Jackie when it came to you when you had grown close over the last year.
Her way of showing it had been acts of service, or being overprotective as a way to communicate her feelings to you. It didn’t fix that she didn’t open up to you in the same way that she did to Jackie, though.
“I should be . . . I should be okay. I don’t want to take anyone’s rations. Fairness and all,” you told her.
“I offered it because I think you need it more, not because it’s fair,” Shauna stated, pushing off the table completely and grabbing the shirt-turned hand wipe rag as she smeared the fresh blood off of her palms and onto it instead.
You wanted to deny her offer, but the look she gave you was a warning. You swallowed hard, feeling trapped by obligation to accept but drowning already in the guilt of knowing you’d get extra while your teammates starved a little more.
“I don’t want to make anyone mad.”
That earned her the tiniest of smiles from Shauna. “Oh, sweetheart,” she crooned, “you let me take care of that. Your periods are really bad from what I remember. You skipped classes an entire week once.”
“You remembered that?”
“Of course. Now — don’t worry about anything anyone says. Just take the extra food.”
Something about the offer felt terribly wrong but declining a second time would flame the already short fuse Shauna had these days.
“Okay,” you agreed, demure. You adverted your gaze again to the side. “Misty’ll be looking for me, so . . .” You trailed off.
“Sure.” A dismissal, but you felt her watching even as you turned and high tailed it away to find the curly haired blonde, heart racing in your chest as you made your escape.
Tumblr media
You got worried when everyone seemed to sync up but your period managed to evade you.
You got scared when the vomiting throughout the day started.
You had been so careful — the party before the team had left for their big game. It was a booze filled night of entertainment and fun and sex. The guy was lost in your memory — some frat boy who crashed the party with his friends but managed to snag your attention briefly.
You woke up the next morning and left before he could so much as stir in the sheets. You had been careful — you assured that even in your drunken lustful haze, demanding the condom before anything else further.
But now here you are weeks later, recovering from a spell of nausea and feeling the world spinning beneath your feet. Your breakfast was gone on the forest floor.
“Bunny?”
Jackie’s footsteps were loud as she approached you, a frown marring her freckled features.
“Hey, Jax,” you said, wiping your mouth and straightening up before your body was ready. “What’s up?”
“I was coming to find you, actually,” she said, rubbing her palms down her pants. “Shauna and Lottie said that today’s rag cleaning day if — y’know.”
“I’m — okay,” you quickly, too quickly, agreed. “Um, I’ve been throwing mine away, though.”
Jackie blinked owlishly at her, then pursed her lips. “That’s a waste, don’t you think, Bunny? Have you been ripping all your clothes up the entire week?”
Fuck.
“Mine are really bad. Super heavy. You’ve seen the tampons I have to use, Jackie,” you shoot back, hoping she’ll drop the matter.
She doesn’t. But she does stray closer. “I haven’t seen you ripping your stuff up, though, now that I think about it. You’ve only got the three outfits left. Not a piece torn off of them.”
You had nothing to say, caught foolishly in your own lie too quickly for it to have grown. “I-“
“You’re not on your period, are you?” she asked, arms crossing, eyes darkening.
You didn’t answer, a panicked heat coursing through you as you looked anywhere but at her face. “Please don’t tell anyone. I — I don’t know what’s —“ you broke into tears.
There was silence as you broke down, before Jackie sighed. “Oh, Bun,” and stepped into your space to wrap her arms around you. Soft hands carded through your hair, and despite yourself you curled deeply into the embrace.
“I think I’m —“ you choked, a sob echoing through your shattered heart and battered body. You didn’t have it in you to say it lest it be true.
“Mm, I know.” Jackie’s chin rested on top of your shaking head. “It’s okay, sweetheart. But we’ve got to tell Shauna.”
“No!” You wailed, face burying deeper into the jacket that smelled so starkly like Jackie and home. “No, anyone but Shauna.”
“Listen to me.” Suddenly, your comfort was gone and those hands fisted your shoulders in type grip as Jackie forces you back and stared hard at you, “You lied to my face and lied by omission to Shauna by not telling her you fucked someone before we left. You know how she is, Bun.”
“She’ll hate me,” you spluttered, thinking of the fury that Shauna can express at times.
“Hate you? Doubtful. She’ll be so pissed. I’m so pissed. We gave you rules that might, didn’t we Bun?”
“I don’t — I don’t know,” you sniffled. You don’t remember much of that night — most of it drowned in drinks and loud music and Shauna and Jackie before they left you to your own devices like they sometimes did.
“That’s alright,” Jackie said, hand reaching up to pet your hair again, “but you’re still going to have to answer for breaking them. A broken window can’t fix itself.”
Your brain was fuzzy with confusion and desperation as Jackie spoke. Why would you be punished for a set of rules set for one night weeks ago that you don’t remember?
“You told me nothing was —“ you began, than wisely shut your mouth before it got you into real trouble.
“What?” she asked, lips pulling into a thin line as she eyed you. “We told you . . . What?”
“Nothing,” you whispered and instead try to lean forward to seek out her comfort despite the unease that overcame you tenfold.
“Okay.” She let you back in, soothing your tears and promising you things you should have known would never have happened — mercy.
Tumblr media
You didn’t eat.
Jackie had stayed miraculously quiet the entire time when you both returned to the cabin, only offering Shauna that sly little smile of hers as greeting.
The look Shauna returned was nothing less than scolding, but you didn’t dare to ask what over.
Shauna set you up with a meal double the amount everyone else had. Marina made a noise of protest while Van questioned why you got more.
“Because the Wilderness allowed her so,” Lottie said in place of their butcher, quiet but presently watching with a curious look. “It wants her to have more — so she will.”
“Fuck that,” Tai said, glaring between you and Shauna, “that’s not gonna happen. We need this to last, Shipman. Remember?”
Shauna met her glare with a steely gaze that could make, apparently, even Taissia Turner back down ( but not without grumbling ).
Your stomach suddenly flipped into your throat as conversation rose around you, everyone finding it wise to drop the matter as though it never happened at all.
You played with the scraps of meat, pulling it apart and squeezing it between your fingers but not taking a single bite. The juice from them soaked your fingers with grease, leaving behind an oily sensation.
Jackie leaned over from where she sat close to you, lips brushing your ear, “Eat it, Bunny. You’re going to need it more than you think.”
Your eyes flicked upward, locking instantly with Shauna — who was across from you by Lottie, leaned into her as the other girl murmured something.
A glint — and she gestured to your meal with just a couple of fingers. Eat it, went unspoken, but was silently ordered.
You ate it slowly as your teammates came to a finish with their own, trying in vain to stall the inevitable. By the time you had finished it all under Jackie’s watchful gaze, everyone else had gone and gotten ready to bed down for the night and were chatting quietly amongst themselves.
“Bunny.”
Your attention focused on Shauna while you wiped your fingers slowly on your pants, wishing you had things like napkins.
Or space.
“Yeah?”
“Jackie told me something interesting earlier, before dinner,” she said quietly, leaning an elbow on her criss crossed knees and laying her chin upon her palm. “I’ve been asking Lottie what we should do.”
Your unease creeps back in like venomous snakes into a cradle, twisting your guts and tightening around you.
“Can we — please can we um, go outside?” you whispered, fingers making grooves into your the skin of your arms you hadn’t realized you’d wrapped around yourself.
“I think that would be best,” Lottie agreed, moving to stand first. “The Wilderness must be privy to this change.”
You had no idea what Lottie was talking about and you almost told her that you only wanted it to be you, Shauna, and Jackie, but you were silenced by Jackie wrapping her fingers around your wrist and squeezing.
The cabin had grown silent as the four of you got up and began moving to the door with a direction to outside. You refused to look at anyone, at anything, but your shoes — which you’ve become rather familiar with in the last few weeks.
Outside was colder than it was earlier in the day. The sun hadn’t completely set yet, but it was shaded behind the trees and no longer had warmth to offer.
Jackie didn’t let go of your wrist even when the four of you found a spot near Shauna’s makeshift butcher’s corner.
“So, Bunny,” Jackie started immediately, smiling like she was about to express something good, “we agreed to talk to Shauna.”
You shuffled closer, almost behind Jackie, clenching your fists in her jacket and closing your eyes. “Jackie, please.”
“Now, Bun,” Jackie said, tone losing some of its joy and taking a harder edge. “This is what happens, remember? You don’t get to be a slut and get away Scot free!”
A shallow breath escaped someone’s chest. You guessed Shauna, because Lottie was still next to her and eyeing you and Jackie thoughtfully but without much interest in the situation.
A laugh followed the breathy sound, “Jackie you just couldn’t help yourself, could you?”
Jackie pouted, nose turning into your hair, “She was taking so long to tell you.”
“She’s being punished.”
“Yeah, and I’d like to move to the fun part of the punishment sometime tonight.”
“You’re being a brat,” Shauna warned, but it held no merit. It was amused, if anything, in the way that Shauna always found amusement in Jackie’s antics.
Jackie’s eyebrows fluttered, “Then give me what I want and I’ll be on my absolute best behavior.”
Shauna snorted but turned her entire focus to you now. Your relief at being forgotten went down the drain and was lost as she regarded you with an icy stare. “So, you just bend over for anyone — is that it? Take what’s give to you?”
“N-no—“
“Because,” Shauna interrupted, stepping closer, into your bubble as if it didn’t exist in the first place, “I could have sworn that Jackie and I told you to go home when we did that night. We trusted you to listen to us and I don’t know — keep your fucking head on?”
“I don’t remember—“
“We know,” Jackie soothed, petting you again. The interrogation — the nice and mean — it was keeping you from thinking clearly. “But there’s still a price to pay, unfortunately. Right Lottie?”
Lottie blinked, jolting from whatever thought scape she was in. “The Wilderness senses an imbalance,” she stated, her head swiveling to look out into the darkening forest, “and it demands it be restored willingly before it starts taking it from us instead.”
“I — how does that have anything —“ panic began to rise, and your voice started to raise, but a hand slapped over your mouth as Jackie reeled around and pressed herself against your back.
“Shut up,” Shauna told you, lip curling, “and listen to us for once, you stupid little thing. Can you do that? Can you listen?”
Trying not to cry, you nod shakily. Anything to stay alive.
“Good girl. Here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to let you go and you’re going to run from us, yeah? Let’s play a game of hide and seek.” Shauna grins now.
Jackie hummed against you, hand still across your mouth, “Shauna didn’t want to, but I’m making her give you until the moon is all the way up — when it’ll be at it’s brightest. I think it’s more fun that way. To see you trying to hide in the shadows.”
Shauna tilted her head, seeing you tremble. “When we catch you — and we will — the balance will be restored. Now Jackie is going to remove her hand, and you won’t scream because then they’ll know about our game and I’ll have to cut your time in half. Deal?”
What choice did you have? With a nod so shaky that it barely came through, Jackie released you from her hold. The four of you stood there for a moment, and you blinked away tears as Jackie purred,
“Run, Bunny.”
You darted off into the forest, escape and fears of what happens if they capture you keeping you from thinking about much else.
Tumblr media
You’d been running for hours by the time the moon offers a harsh glow on the forest floor. You’ve ran through a river and tried your best to cover your tracks — but you knew too well that Jackie had been learning things from Nat lately.
It’s all to be used against you tonight.
You needed to find a hiding place and quickly — you may have a better chance of making it through if you were able to find somewhere to wait the rest of the night out and hope they passed you.
With a racing heart and a knowledge of the little time you had left, you sought out anywhere that was tightly packed but able to contain you even if uncomfortably.
Your answer was a fallen tree log, dug out as a nest by some animal long ago but since abandoned if the materials inside were to go by. You did your best to shuffle around and use the old shrubbery as a barrier to make it harder for them to spot you.
Time continued to pass by and now it was a terrible waiting game that you had no upper hand in. The energy you had spent playing it was exhausting and you were losing the effort to try and stay awake the longer you hid.
You were cold, too, and you recall Misty once telling one of the girls that falling asleep while exposed in the cold could easily kill you. You weren’t sure how much of an expert Misty was on matters of wilderness survival — but she had been right on a lot of it so far.
It didn’t take much longer for them to track you down.
They’d been quiet amongst one another, but they didn’t want to spook you if you were nearby. Jackie had ordered silence when she noticed how frantic your tracks became and she grinned at Shauna.
“Bunny found herself a hole somewhere.”
And so the search for the hole began, footsteps trying to be light as they sought you out in the dead of night when the moon shone at its brightest.
A red sneaker flashed in your peripheral vision — and —
Fingers curled around your ankle and jerked you out of your hiding spot — not gently — and Shauna was waiting to grab you by the hair as you fought them.
“Hey, Bunny,” she crooned, uncharacteristically soft.
Jackie shoved you down face first and the impact of your nose and forehead hitting the cold frozen floor had you seeing white.
Your head was pulled up again and when your vision cleared, it was Shauna who was there. “Sorry, pretty girl,” she said, sending a look over your shoulder, “We can count that little bump as points towards your punishment.”
You groaned, head swimming. “Don’t hurt me.”
Jackie laughed behind you. Your legs suddenly split open forcefully and you could feel someone settling behind you. “We’re not going to hurt you,” she promised. “As long as you tell us who bent you over and fucked you like a bitch in heat when you could’ve asked us like usual.”
“I don’t know.”
A deadly silence replied to your answer. Then your chin was grabbed roughly, neck twisting at an upward angle so that you had nowhere to go but Shauna — who appeared back to normal very quickly.
“You better know. You let him breed you like a common whore.”
You cried out when your pants were roughly jerked down your legs, exposing you to the cold air. Jackie breathed in when she saw you — staring for a moment.
“You’re going to want to tell her, Bunny,” Jackie finally said when your sobs weren’t enough to deter either of them, “or she may get really pissed.”
“Please, please! I promise I don’t know! I don’t remember so much of that night! I left when I woke up!”
Shauna’s grip remained iron tight as she watched you plead. Your tears were flowing at a rate she otherwise would be enraged to see — but it was her causing it. Her and Jackie. Nothing was more perfect than this moment.
“Okay, we believe you,” Shauna decided after letting you sob it out a few more seconds.
“L-let me go, please,” you whined, fingers digging into the frozen earth underneath you in an effort to gain some form of control. “The balance. It’s fine now. Please.”
Jackie laughed. “Yeah, that might be fixed, Bunny. But this is something else now. We’re going to reclaim what’s been taken from us.”
You closed your eyes, drawing your arm into you and burying your face in it to muffle the sobs as your panties disappeared next. With Jackie between your legs and forcing them to stay open and Shauna raking rough hands through your hair, you had no true way to escape.
“Next time,” Jackie starts as two fingers spread you open and find the shameful wetness there, “you may not be so inclined to seek things out that you already have.”
“Hey.” Fingers snapped in your face and Shauna tugged on your hair. You looked up at her and in that time she stuck her thumb between your lips. “You’re so fucking slutty that you couldn’t wait a day? You just took it from the first person who looked at you right?”
“No! No! I don’t know! I was sad!”
“I thought you couldn’t remember,” Jackie reminded you, nails digging into your ass. “Are you lying to us again?”
“No!” you squealed, trying to wiggle away but had nowhere to go. “I only meant — I do remember feeling sad! Because you left without me! Again!”
“So you slept with someone else?” she reiterates, nails digging into deeper.
“Stop!” You cried, overwhelmed and wanting this to end. They ignored you, awaiting your answer, “I did it because I’m tired of the mixed signals you’re giving me! I was sad, and needed to feel somethin’!”
Shauna growled low in her throat, grip tightening so hard it had you squealing again. She loosened it briefly, “So instead of being a good girl and coming to us with your feelings like you’re usually good at, you whore around?”
“I’m sorry!” You sobbed, beyond comprehension and unable to even clearly understand the situation anymore.
Jackie and Shauna shared a look between them that you missed — it held a satisfactory gleam that gave them endless pleasure.
“If you’re sorry, you’ll prove it,” Jackie cooed when she finally released her nails from your skin and let them drift back down.
“A-anything,” you whimpered, “please just don’t be angry anymore.”
“We’re going to take back what belongs to us,” Shauna told you, leaning down and brushing her chapped lips against yours. It was a tender kiss and your addled brain was fooled into the false sense of security.
It distracted you until two fingers pushing into your heat pulled you away, a gasp breaking from your lips and causing Shauna to chuckle deep against you.
“You were so wet already, so ready for me,” Jackie mentions, leaning her body across your back as her knees pumped in time with her fingers in your pussy. “I could be forgiven for thinking you didn’t want this.”
You went to answer, but the strangled noise you made is all you could offer as her fingers twisted and pushed. Her breath was hot and quick against the back of your neck as she worked you up roughly.
Shauna tapped your jaw with rapt energy. “If you want to come, you’re going to ensure I do as well,” she crooned as she unzipped her pants and worked them down. She stayed on her knees but drew your head close.
“You know how to please Shauna, Bunny,” Jackie murmured, teeth finding home in your neck briefly, then releasing, “so do it.”
You did as you were told and started nosing into Shauna’s thighs, tongue licking a stripe upward first — she needed her clit stimulated first in order to be receptive to anything else.
It was more difficult when Jackie’s pace kept getting rougher and she found it necessary to work in a third finger. You cried out against Shauna, making your displeasure known.
“You’ll take it,” Jackie said, kissing the bruise she left on your neck, “because you want to atone for your sins and this is how you do it. But you can cry. We don’t mind.”
Shauna encased you between her thighs when you started becoming a little shifty — something she’s done since the minute she had you in her and Jackie’s bed.
“Fucking — tongue inside,” Shauna ordered, now digging into your scalp. You did as she said, moving away from her clit and focusing on eating her out instead.
“Good fucking girl,” she gasped, pushing into your face, using it to ride against for more stimulation. “Yeah — you could’ve been doing this instead of —“ you curled your tongue, not wanting her to insult you further, “fuck!”
Unfortunately for you as Shauna’s pleasure increased, Jackie would increase yours along with it. She was grinding herself roughly against you, and her thumb had finally began to rub hard circles against your clit.
And then she found your g-spot. She felt it, stuttered in movement when you let out a noise of near ferocity, and began thrusting deeper in earnest.
It was unlike anything you’d ever experienced before — even with them. Your emotions were plummeting but your body felt entirely too good for you to ask for a reprieve you know you wouldn’t get.
So you let yourself be thrown into the pleasure you were given so you wouldn’t be forced to hurt at the hands of the two women you thought you knew and loved.
Shauna stuttered above you when you dragged your teeth lightly across her, not having meant to. She came with a low groan, shuddering through it as you licked until she finally came down.
Jackie had stopped inside of you to watch Shauna — and though you couldn’t see it, her eyes were glazed over with adoration as she watched Shauna in bliss.
When Shauna pulled away from you and pulled up her pants, eyes glazed over, she tapped your chin again.
“Are you going to make a mistake that horrible again?”
You shook your head. The moonlight reflected the wetness that remained on your face and it meant everything to Jackie right now.
Shauna looked up at Jackie. “Make her come.”
Jackie began anew, more forceful in her fucking than she was previously. She was brutal in pace and in effort: using all of her willpower to send all your nerves into overdrive.
You were a mess under her, crying out to stop, for it to never end, for —
Jackie rubbed your clit once, twice, three times and with a painful shiver that racked your entire form, the orgasm raced through you like a tidal wave coming to devastate an entire city.
You sobbed through the power of it, unable to handle just how much jolting waves were spasming through your body.
Shauna put your head in her lap and ran her hands across your shaking form as you rode it out, Jackie unrelenting and sending you straight into another.
Eventually, however, she slowed her movements until she was still above you. You shivered beneath her despite your shaded body heat and you were choking on your emotions.
“We love you, you know,” Jackie whispered into your back, closing her eyes to bask in the moment. “We love you so much.”
“I didn’t want this,” you whispered, but you sought out their comfort and their gentleness as it was given. You needed to flee from their cruel brutality and be welcomed back into their warmth.
“We know,” she said, pulling out slowly. She pulled your pants up. “But you needed to learn this lesson and understand that every action has a reaction that fits.”
“You did really, really good,” Shauna said suddenly, lifting your face again to kiss you.
“So good. Our good girl once more,” Jackie added.
They let you lay there for a while, soothing your hurts that they know to be the cause of but unwilling to accept.
“Let’s get you home, okay?” Shauna was the one to slide you into her arms once you were too exhausted to cry — too drained to protest.
You tucked her face into her chest, knowing that this was the truth: they will never let you go.
When they returned to the cabin around dawn, Lottie was still awake. You were asleep in Shauna’s arms and had been for a while. They let you sleep.
Lottie stood from the porch when the two approached. She smiled at them.
“The balance has been restored.”
47 notes · View notes
jsooly · 11 hours ago
Text
taken in by the sullys (7) / sully family x human!daughter/sister!reader
synopsis, you catch up on some home videos of you and jake while he was human, much to the delight and fascination of the younger sullys
thank you to @ashton-trashton for the idea!
+ can't wait to write the rest of your requests! enjoy this while i continue writing death in the family! <3
(1) / . . . / (6*) / (7- ur here! ☆)
+ chapters with an * beside it means that it’s following atwow plot line as opposed to disconnected scenarios
2165 (you were 14 years old)
as you grew older, you had more questions about the past
jake wasn't too happy with that, especially when you started showing interest in the memory of your birth mother
he was never misleading with you, though, and answered any question you had enthusiastically
he always knew you would be curious eventually, but to experience it just meant you were growing up... and possibly away from him
he's jealous
he just loves you so much and gets sad thinking about the future, one where you might not be as close to him as you were as a child
"why do you always get that look on your face when talking about her?" you swung your legs back and forth on the stubby rocky ledge near the river.
the quiet hum of the passing water didn't reflect the whirlpool of confusion within you. you would solidify your identity in your adolescence, a task that would prove difficult among your kind on earth, much less on pandora.
jake rested his arm beside you, leaning as he watched the younger ones play in the water. "what look?"
you scrunched your face, mimicking the way he cringed whenever you brought her up. jake chuckled softly at your impression.
"you've always been my baby. it's hard for me to think of you as someone else's." jake explained, picking a leaf from your hair and tossing it to the side.
you pondered on that idea. his statement would have irked you a while ago. you weren't his biological daughter, a fact that startled you when you were old enough to understand the weight of it. equating it with being an orphan, a burden to jake and neytiri, you stewed in turmoil for years until they loved the doubt out of your mind.
"that makes sense, i guess." your voice tapered off, responding to show him that you were listening more than to contribute to the conversation.
jake huffed a short chuckle, pulling you into his side and nuzzling into your head affectionately. "don't worry too much about it. you're ours, since the beginning and 'til the end."
while you understood, it didn't stop you from searching for remnants of the past, a task that was easy since the sully kids were allowed to pass in and out of the avatar grounds freely
when kiri was a bit older, they started connecting her to grace via the video logs
on one occasion kiri spotted you in the background, your scandalous laughter followed jake’s playful voice
"look!" kiri's finger jammed into the LED computer screen, tapping furiously as if she wanted to direct your attention to the every pixel that contributed to your image. "tsmuke, tsal's nga!" (sister, it's you!)
you squinted, looking past grace in the foreground and spotting yourself and jake rolling around. a smile snaked its way onto your face as you heard the background chatter, vaguely remembering moments like these. "huh. that is me."
"we need to look for more." kiri said, her golden eyes set with determination. she grabbed your wrist and pulled it towards the keyboard, silently urging you to search the video log collection.
you chuckled, amused. "okay, okay! i'm looking." you relented, scouring the files for familiar dates or settings.
so many. you didn't even realize the extent of these video logs. each member of grace's team did one, often multiple times a day, and you were always there in some shape or form. it hit you that the first 3 and a half years of your life were largely documented on camera and you didn't know about it.
you started to go through them methodically, starting from the very beginning. most of them starred grace complaining about the higher ups for lacking the competence to allocate resources better, now that she's stuck with a child. but within minutes, she was speaking about incorporating you into her routine with a warmth and softness.
you cringed when you witnessed how maladjusted you were to the mountain lab. you were cranky all the time, aggressive with your caretakers, and above all, lonely and sad. grace and her team had duties to do, and for the most part 'took care of you' by making sure you had stuff to eat and giving you a book to read.
you didn't hold it against them. they did what they could to look after you.
you were parked in front of the computer for hours on end.
"uh, y/n..." norm peeked around the corner, a towel slung around his shoulders. "your dad's calling. wants you home."
"uh-huh." you drone, shaking the mouse to life and catching a glimpse of the time left for the log. you fought the urge to grit your teeth upon seeing the number. "i got two minutes left, i'll head out after that."
"okay, be safe. night night."
"night." you hummed, wishing the progress bar would fall off screen to prevent norm from catching that there was actually about half an hour left for the video. what he doesn't know won't hurt him.
time ticked by and it was as if there were a gentle hand easing your head towards the desk, weighing you down and down until you had the sense to shoot back up again. you rubbed your eyes roughly, blinking wide to force yourself awake.
it wasn't much help. you finally settled down against the desk—gravity must be stronger, since you couldn't find the strength to get up...
it'd be a death sentence to trek back home now. jake appeared shortly after as if he knew.
"y/n..." he sang softly, circling around you cautiously. any annoyance he had at the late hour vanished when he saw your exhausted face. he poked your shoulder.
"hm?" you sprung up, eyes still half-closed. drowsiness gnawed on your brain, and for a moment you forgot where you were.
jake chuckled, squatting beside you and supporting you from falling off your chair. you fell onto his shoulder, mumbling a half-hearted apology for not coming home on time. his eyes flickered to the screen as he took a breath from his gas mask.
"huh." his head tilted a bit when he saw his human self on the screen. it had been so long, he was starting to forget what he looked like; the pale skin, buzzcut, wheelchair... he didn't feel any regret leaving that jake sully behind at all. "why're you watchin' this, baby?"
you smacked your lips, your senses returning to you momentarily. "why, is it bad?"
"no, no. it's not bad, just..." he struggled to find the words. "we were dealing with some pretty heavy stuff, kiddo. fighting and all that."
you frowned, shrugging. "but you won, so it's all okay. besides, you looked pretty cool, dad." you hummed, directing his attention to his tattoos on screen. "can i have one of these?"
"absolutely not." jake scoffed, playfully swatting your hand away from the screen. "hurts like a bitch." he swore, then froze up. "uh... don't repeat that. it's a bad word."
"you've said bitch on camera, like, a hundred times already." you deadpanned. "and some other ones, like—"
"we don't gotta repeat 'em, baby." jake's mind reeled hearing you swear for the first time, the urge to scold you or laugh at you battling in his mind. the confidence and ease with which you cursed made him think it was not your first time swearing at all.
jake's amusement was far greater, so he laughed and pulled you into a tight embrace. "especially not around your mother, got it?"
his hug was like a warm bath on an early school morning, just a few seconds in comfort was enough to knock you out. you dropped like lead.
"got it?" he repeated, peeking at you in his arms and resisting the urge to squeeze you affectionately when he heard your soft breathing. he leaned back on his haunches, preparing to get up.
but the bright blue light of the video logs snared his attention once again. his own curiosity got the better of him. with a drawn out sigh, he fastened his mask around his face just in case he dozed off, and pressed play.
needless to say, jake was not successful in bringing you back home
leaving the lab was a challenge since you didn't want to leave without seeing the rest
jake asked norm to make a copy the log vault, for both you and kiri to watch
ever since then, you were addicted to it and pulled many all-nighters (much to jake's dismay)
it was even worse when the other kids gathered around, equally interested
"awww," lo'ak giggled. "y/n was so tiny!"
neteyam and kiri snickered alongside him. all you could do was roll your eyes playfully. seeing a human baby was a novelty for them, especially since they were the size of a toddler from birth.
"you mean is so tiny" kiri grinned, clinging to your back as she peered at the screen. "not much has changed."
"ha ha." you deadpanned, giving them a teasing glare, turning your attention back to the video.
"no, no, y/n. don't put that in your mouth." jake glanced off camera, his eyes anticipating your next movement.
you slurred some vowels together off camera, snapping back at him in your own way. he gave you a look. "i mean it, kid. drop it."
there was some shuffling off camera and jake sighed, his hand darting out to grab the pen from you, tossing it to the side. "you're interrupting my log here, you know." he huffed a laugh.
you walked towards him, bumping the camera off center, the view now askew. it caught jake's grin, his arms opening up to catch you and set you on his leg. "now, if you're gonna sit here, you're need to be quiet. grace will kill me if i don't get this thing done. okay?"
you nod, your eyes already trailing over all the new papers and equipment on the desk.
"okay." jake grunted, straightening the camera before sitting back in his wheelchair. his hand was firmly around your stomach, holding you in place before you had the mind to wander off and fall somewhere out of reach.
a smile tugged on your lips watching the scene before you. your dynamic with jake hadn't changed much; in fact, he was even more of a sucker that he often let you do as you please. you, like his other daughters, had him wrapped around your finger.
"it is... june 15th, 2154." he sighed, wracking his brain for what he learned and accomplished during his drive. "i went hunting with neytiri again—"
"he's talking about mom!" lo'ak gasped in realization, even more eager to pay attention.
"—she's been teaching me everything. how to move, to listen, to feel... it's humbling. even more humbling now that neytiri has chosen to take the 'learn fast or die' approach. the more my training is pushed deeper and deeper into the forest, the more i hear that i'm like a baby. every time i do something good she somehow misses it. but every time i stumble, she's looking right at me as if i'm hopeless."
jake ponders for a moment, his features set with a soft kind of... affection. "neytiri moves like the whole world bends to her will. she's... incredible." he clears his throat suddenly, startling you in his lap. you give him a weird look.
the sully kids exchanged uncomfortable looks as they watched their father pine after their mother in real time.
"ew." kiri said simply, her nose scrunching. neteyam and lo'ak nodded in agreement.
"incredibly terrifying." jake revised his previous statement, his gaze flickering to you. "you know she calls me a moron? skxawng." he laughed to himself, running his free hand over his face. "i hear that word so much, i'm starting to think it's my new name."
the camera caught you rolling your eyes.
"yeah, see?" lo'ak jerked a thumb at the screen, accompanied by a soft snicker. "even baby y/n knows dad's on some bull—"
"dad's what?" jake entered the marui, raising an eyebrow.
lo'ak scrambled behind you, kiri shoving him away from her place of refuge behind your back as neteyam rolled his eyes.
jake sat beside you all, grabbing lo'ak's arm and pulling him into a playful headlock. "you making fun of me, son?"
lo'ak burst with laughter, using all his strength to try and squirm out of jake's arms. "dad, let go!" he complained between giggles.
"we're just listening to how you fumbled with mom." kiri explained.
"fumble?" jake pursed his lips. with him distracted, lo'ak popped out of his headlock and climbed on his father's back. "i did not fumble your mom. half of you wouldn't be here otherwise."
"sure, it worked out..." you gave your siblings a conspiratorial look. "but dad, i'm sorry, you were such a loser."
jake gawked at you, blocking out the gasps and giggles from the rest of the children momentarily.
you laughed nervously before pulling up your proof. you scrubbed through the video. "here's where you start taking about mom," you fast forwarded 15 minutes. "look, you're still rambling about her." you skipped through the rest. "actually, you never stop going on about her."
"so? she was the only part of my day that i looked forward to, obviously i'm going to have a lot to say." jake retorted, rolling his eyes.
"for someone who doesn't tolerate idiots, she picked a big one to mate with." you said lowly, earning a grin from neteyam beside you.
"hey, i heard that!"
"are they bullying you, majake?" neytiri gracefully ducked under the entrance of the marui, baby tuk in her arms.
"mom, mom, you've gotta see this." kiri beckoned neytiri over. she shook your shoulders. "put it back so she can see."
you happily rewinded the clip as the whole family gathered around the computer.
jake bounced you on his leg to calm you. he was nearing an hour on video, and you were growing restless. and yet, he couldn't stop talking.
"she's terrifying in the way you'd wanna sit up straighter when she's around. which i do. a lot. she'd scold me otherwise. she scolds me a lot, actually. for the most part, it seems like i can't do anything right around her."
he shook his head, cringing with embarrassment. "i even tried to make her laugh today. worst decision ever. flew right over her head."
lo'ak snickered. "dad has no game."
"dad has lots of game." jake corrected, huffing. "your mother is just very difficult to impress."
neytiri smiled, cupping jake's face warmly. "don't listen to them, jake. you are my favorite loser."
the marui erupted with giggles as jake dropped his head down, shaking it in defeat.
every time you feel outcast or shunned, you returned to the video logs.
you knew jake had no regret for his human body. he thought it was broken and useless. he had always felt more alive in his na'vi body.
but for you, the images of the past were a great comfort.
present day
jake must have forgotten the log was running, because eventually he didn't acknowledge the camera or speak about pandora.
you were upset again. upset you were stuck in this narrow tin can they called a lab. you never bothered them—you learned it rarely got you the response you wanted. they were busy, working adults. they tried their best.
never for jake, though. even if he did leave for hours on end, never once did he try to busy you with something while he did his tasks. more often than not, you were on his leg or in his arms while he was doing his logs.
he pulled you to his chest, patting your back as he hugged you tightly. "yeah, this place isn't exactly a dream for me either. i get it."
he sighed, chugging a canned energy drink before settling back down in his chair. "i know it sucks being on your own. but don't i always come back?"
he held you up in the air, smiling up at you. "don't cry, kid." he chuckled, wiping your cheeks. "you're making me sad, too."
you calmed down a bit, enough for jake to lull you to sleep.
he leaned back in his chair, shifting as he got comfortable to doze off with you. he yawned loudly. "it's you and me against the world, kid. promise."
the video froze as the log finished. you caught your dead eyes in the reflection of the dark screen, staring back at you. you shut the computer off as you hugged your knees to your chest.
the dried saline of your tears hadn't left your skin for hours. the only word bouncing around in your head was liar as you fought the urge to turn back on your promise to return for dinner. you didn't want to go back. you didn't think jake deserved a chance to fix your feelings so soon.
you weren't sure why you pulled up the logs in the first place. you were aware it would only grow your irritation. beneath it all, you were longing for the peace and comfort from your childhood. you found yourself back where you started all those years ago, alone and left behind.
. . .
thanks for reading <3
taglist (lmk if you want to be added/removed): @dae-dreamer @delirious-dolce @strawbaerriesvt @avatar-lover @ryiana @lxon-kxnnedy @zukki33 @chalahyung01 @ssc7514 @shmaptainbonky
© jsooly ‘25
35 notes · View notes
125storejuice · 7 months ago
Text
Tumblr media
#so im at my familys house#and im just sort of like okay i actually miss them so much#and like#idk !#for a long time is was kinda rough and i was seen as a failure and like i wasnt able to communicate at all#but like now im here and my aunt is like#we are so happy you are here and we need to do this more often#and i fully want to do it more often#for so long it felt like my family has completed abandoned me#some of them actually did lol but idk im older now and actually able to talk to them#it feels different#it feels like i want to be here#i will say some stuff is definitely coming up. Like earlier i started to feel some trauma feelings#the worst one i feel tbh#but like i just took a second and sat down and breathed#and it seemed like it passed ??#i definitely still feel weird and like i am on drugs even though i am stone cold sober right now#but i just am happy that i can be here with them right now#i wish my sister was here also#i miss her very much#but she heard who was coming this weekend and was like absolutely not lmao#i also talked to my family also about how i dont love my living situation right now#and they are all like please move near us#i dont know if thats an actual thing that i would for sure want right now#because one ive found a therapist finally that i ahsolutely adore and shes keeping me going lol#also even though im struggling to live where i live now#because of the 1 million events that have happened there and that have left me totally alone#i remembering loving where i live now#i remember thinking it was the only place on earth that i wanted to live#but without my best friends these days it just feels pretty isolating and lonely
1 note · View note
the-red-hoodlum · 26 days ago
Text
killing people who don’t get an animals consent before touching them &/or ignore when animals are visibly uncomfortable with being touched.
#MOTHERS FRIEND DOING THIS WITH OUR CAT RN IM PISSED.#SHE DIDNT EVEN GIVE TOFU ANY TIME TO SNIFF OR ANYTHING??#Sigh.#tofu came downstairs to see what was up bc person was in the house#But person just immediately started petting her#even tho tofu was visibly uncomfortable and clearly just wanted a sniff test or sm#went to my room asap after that and tofu followed quick on my heels#obvs I let her sniff as much as she wants before petting her (if she even wants fuss) so she had a sniff and very much seemed to want fuss#so I gave her a few strokes and then sorta checked in and she swirled around and bumped her head into my hand (all the while her tail was#pointed straight up with the tip quivering a little every few moments - a sign of happiness/excitement to see a familiar person)#so we had cuddles for a bit until she hopped off my chest to go get water or sm :3#BUT I DONT GET WHY MORE PEOPLE DONT HAVE SIMPLE WHOLESOME INTERACTION WITH THEIR CAT LIKE THIS??#LIKE. CATS ARE SENTIENT. THEY SEEK AUTONOMY - ESPECIALLY BODILY AUTONOMY. WHY TF WOULD YOU NOT LET THEM GIVE/DENY CONSENT??#like. if you aren’t willing to learn enough about an animal to understand when it’s unhappy at the very least *why* would you interact with#one?? (This person literally has a cat as well.)#idk man these are the same sorts of people that’d probably do the ‘awww just give me a hug! I’m your auntie(/whatever)! why can’t i have a#hug? 🥺’ sorta thing.. like. BRO. It isn’t my/the cat ‘s fucking job to regulate/look after your own grown ass feelings.#SIGH..#just. The fact this person has like.. met tofu once. Lived in the same house as her for maybe 4/5 days one time and thinks the cat is#obligated to put up with her or whatever.#(This is how I imagine people be acting around cats when they’re like ‘idk man cats just don’t like me! Cats are just independent by nature#I’m just stood there having to listen to them shit talk a whole species bc they don’t understand consent (or at least don’t universally#value it - eg; with children; with animals) ANYWAYS. CATS ARE A SOCIAL SPECIES WHO HAVE DEVELOPED TO LIVE CLOSELY WITH AND DEPEND ON HUMANS#THEYRE OFTEN VERY AFFECTIONATE AND LOVING AND FORM LASTING RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEIR HUMANS AND WILL MOURN THEIR DEATH PROBABLY MORE THAN#HALF OF THE HUMANS WHO ATTENDED THEIR FUNERAL.)#If tofu doesn’t like you I don’t like you mate. I am wholeheartedly willing to cut people off if they act wrong with my cat - like - BRO.#IVE KNOWN HER LONGER THAN I HAVE MOST OTHER PPL IN MY LIFE. SHES GOT ME THROUGH WORSE AND IS ALWAYS HAPPY N EXCITED TO SEE ME.#That cat has done more for me than you ever have! She loves me with her whole fucking soul and I her with mine. If she picks up the wrong#vibes from you/you break any of her clearly set boundaries we are DONE.#(Obvs /nbh - nobody here. & generally lighthearted but uhh yeah needed to rant abt this bc I care strongly abt it and other ppl should too)
14 notes · View notes
yanderespamton78 · 1 month ago
Text
when a regretevator headcanon pisses you off so much that you become a feminist
#i wish this was a joke i really do#but like. transmasc bive really made me think about why i was so happy to have a character like bive#and why it is so rare to find interesting/funny female characters in media#and how even when a female character isnt just pathetic and weak shes always still responsible or at least aesthetically pleasing#in a way that male characters dont tend to be a lot of the time#and that just got me thinking more about how women tend to act in mainstream media (indie projects often arent prone to this)#and why i worry about getting bullied for things like not caring about my clothes and not wearing makeup and allat#in a way that the boys in my school just. dont need to care about#and how nearly every girl i know cares about their appearance in some respect and none of the boys i know do#transmasc bive feels like someone saying “a well written female character who doesnt adhere to the expectations of society? nah thats a man#CANT I JUST NOT ADHERE TO THE EXPECTATIONS OF SOCIETY AND ALSO USE SHE/HER IN PEACE???? GOD#and im not saying that transmasc people go through less than women do because thats not true#nor am i saying that transmasc people dont deserve rep!!! i think trans rep is a great thing when youre not slapping it on a character that#is breaking gender stereotypes by being a woman#i just think. what a coincidence that people headcanon bive as transmasc more than any other female character in regretevator.#and why do they headcanon the canon she/her character as transmasc instead of transfemme. IM IN FAVOUR OF TRANSFEMME BIVE!!!#i cant speak on behalf of the trans community in general but like!! transfemme people deserve recognition too!!!#make prototype transmasc! make infected transmasc! make MR transmasc for all i care!#heck make mozelle transmasc if you want! we stan gender non comformity here!#but bive? BACK THE FUCK OFF#please dont take away my well written gender non conforming female character away from me#shocker! not all girls who dont care about their appearance or being feminine turn out to be transmasc! some are Just Like That!#i got carried away there#i typed all this out on christmas day but im gonna post it later because. rambling about feminism and bive isnt very uh. christmasy
6 notes · View notes
itsalwaysdark · 3 months ago
Text
its so embarassing likee. going to talk abt a feeling you have but you already know ppl will be like Oh that sounds like depression lol and its like. well yes . i know . trust me i am so aware i am depressed . but its still like a thing ive been thinking abt and wanting to talk abt but ik itll just be like Ok hun 👍. idk idk what response i would want tho ig FNFNFNF
#not anything serious i was just thinking how like. idk. this is gonna sound rly stupid#but for me personally like. sometimes. How do i phrase this without sounding rly evil#i think obv ppl can spend their money however they want but like. its kind of hard 4 me to grasp sometimes like. there r things that ppl#spend a lot of money on bc it makes them happy like umm. vacations or pets or hobbies or whathaveyou. and obviously thats fine but#i iust feel like its all so. temporary and like. idk. idt im ohrasing this right at all i just likee. the thought of working all year to#afford to take a vacation and then working again to afford another vacation just makes me feel like i want to die. like. idk... i like#vacations we dont need to go on them a lot but ig its just like. everything we do just feels like a waste of time. not in like a Ohh you#should be doing more work Obviously its just like. idk. maybe it is just me. but i feel like im just waiting until i die and can be done#with it i guess. and everything i do is just to fill time until that happens. yk ? which is silly bc of my whole. Thing i cant talk abt#but ppl talk abt like. going out and partying or going on vacation or whatever and i like. I like those things its nice when they happen#but they dont rly make me longterm any happier i guess. everything just feels like another thing im doing. idk. this rly isnt coming out the#way it is in my head. and Again i know this is just depression shit or whatever im just like. its all exhausting. it just makes me feel so#tired. to think abt working and working and working so i can pay to be alive and i can save to do one fun thing every so often to keep me#sane enough to keep working and working and working and i probably wont ever be able to retire itll just be. work. and then ill die. yk.#but i feel like the vacations and stuff dont like. refresh me very much. maybe its just bc ive only been on one 'vacation' as an adult and#it was just like. coming home to see my family. and realizing id have to move back home yk..#+ like. my mom nd my gran taking me out for a weekend when i lived up there#nd those things were nice and all but once its over its like. it doesnt fuel me to keep going it doesnt make me feel any better abt having#to work for the rest of my life#ik im being ridiculous bc im literally unemployed and i cant even get up off my ass to get my stupid fucking ged so i can get a job and be#Useful to my family its just like. idk.... i try so hard to be like Oh nothing mayters and thats why everything matters type thing like. Yes#all things end and the point is to just try to be happy until it does#but i feel like it just doesnt happen for me. i feel like any happiness i feel is so insanely like. it happens and then its gone. and its#back to just. the knowledge that im still fucking stuck here. and i will be until it happens. yk. i play video games tomoass the time until#i go back to sleep then i wake up and i make a spreadsheet to pass the time until i go back to sleep#and everyday just feels like passing the time until i go back to sleep and itll just keep going until it happens. and its nice to have nice#days but whats like. the point. yk. everything just ends#IDK. this is all very whiny im sry. ive just been feeling it a lot lately . i hope this doesnt feel like me being like Ohhh you ppl r so#dumb participating in hobbies and going out and having fun dont you know yr gonna DIE? thats not what im trying to be like#its just like. i feel like it doesnt make me as happy as it does other ppl like. none of it refreshes me or makes me want to keep going
2 notes · View notes
mizumuu · 3 months ago
Note
>Laughs Out Loud
I thought that piece was just about people focusing too hard on labelling Mizuki instead of letting them be themselves like they ask, not that it was transphobia ._ .
its ok to have ur own interpretation of that piece but its very clear to me that that wasnt ame's intention
#also i dont think its bad At All for ppl to 'focus too hard on labeling mizuki' is it bad that trans ppl are celebrating rep#if u find it annoying maybe distance urself from the fandom honestly. its So Ok i did it too after the debacle with the facts acc lol.#its so normal and common for queer ppl to be A little annoying about queer characters dude theres been so little rep for such a long time#ppl just end up feeling overprotective over the character bc they dont see their experiences reflected in media as often#its just so sucky to me to scold ppl over being happy and expressing their queerness#what is focusing too hard anyways? the argument just reeks of how cishets get annoyed at anyone openly queer for 'shoving it in their face'#and ame liking a post calling mizuki a he + her response to the backlash makes me think her threshold for 'too much' is way lower than mine#talking#mizuki5#asks#work with me here why do you think ame has to 'forbid herself from thinking about mizukis identity'#edit also how do labels stop mizuki from being herself like yeah labels can be limiting but as far as we know mizuki is a femenine tgirl#i dont think she'd find it limiting shes just scared atm to be openly trans around ppl she cares about in fear of being treated differently#in fact i think itd be super sweet if we eventually got an event where mizuki connects with other trans ppl and finds a sense of solidarity#with ppl who mirror her own experiences with gender#niigo going to a pride parade.. mfy finding strength in knowing theres other ppl out there that defy their family to be themselves..#i think knd would know the least abt queer ppl bc shes been so Composingbrain but eager to understand to make songs that can save ppl..#like how her dad told her she needs to be more worldly to make good songs#ena i think would know what the average person knows but sososo glad to see mizuki happy and comfy
5 notes · View notes
cluescorner · 2 years ago
Text
I doubt they would survive a day in their own communities. Like, have y’all ever interacted with LGBTQ+ people IRL?? It’s really cool. Genuinely was a wonderful experience for me. Met someone who went by it/its pronouns because it saw that as the only way to distance itself from the demand to fit into boxes implanted on it by humanity. Met someone who goes by any pronouns and faer does that for the exact same reason as the person above. He and it were besties, hearing their discussions on gender was really fucking cool. Made me question my gender, I found out I’m cis but it was still a good experience. More relevant to this post, you’ve also got a pack of wild lesbians who congregated once while I was volunteering: me the young’un (cis, she/her, femme lesbian, has sensory issues with penetration of any kind but isn’t ace), an elder lesbian (bacla, she/he/siya (no preference but one of those) likes penetrative and non-penetrative sex), and a lesbian roughly between our ages (trans, she/her, about 4 months into socially transitioning, asexual). We’re just...talking about being lesbians and our differing experiences. It’s great, we taught each other a lot in the day we knew each other! Siya helped teach me about ways to explore myself and my preferences without triggering any averse reactions, I helped the trans lesbian vibe with wanting to be more gender conforming and traditionally ‘feminine’ (teaching trans femmes the joys of spinning around in frilly dresses is so nice), and she helped our elder get caught up with modern gay news. We left our stations and I’ve never seen either of them again, but this shit is so fun and so much better than arguing with randos about whether or not they ‘count’ as a lesbian. Imagine if I did what tiktok does and spent that whole time saying that our elder couldn’t be a lesbian because siya doesn’t strictly identify as a femme-aligned person or that the trans lesbian was teaching him about the ‘wrong’ gay news because most of it involved ‘bad rep’. Say what you want about cheesy cishet friendly romcom fodder, but seeing my elder beam at the idea that non-LGBTQ+ people cared about our stories on a large scale made that mediocre movie worth existing. IDK, people need to get involved in their communities (online or offline) and meet gay people outside of their immediate bubble. 
TLDR; I’m 90% sure people involved in gay discourse have never actually spent time around gay people outside of their immediate bubble and that makes me sad. Talk to people y’all, it’s great. 10/10, would recommend. 
Tumblr media
people on tiktok would never survive a day on tumblr
#I do LGBTQ+ specific volunteer work in my area so it's kinda part of my job that I know so many people#it's also part of my job that I just kinda...roll with the punches in terms of people's identities#because IDK these people and they know their identities more than me#like 'oh you're a trans dude and you're bi and you use they/he/she pronouns and you let your kids call you mom?' coolio#here have a hat we just got it in I hope you stay warm friend#like?? this is so much better than just being rude to strangers on the internet??#I get to help my community AND learn more about sexuality + gender#this is an absolute win#I am very annoyed with this person on tiktok but more than anything I'm sad for them#imagine sticking yourself into a world where people have to fit into such specific boxes in order to be considered 'normal'#or whatever this person is implying because oh my gosh that's so sad#go meet people! go expand your ideas on gender and sexuality and other aspects of identity!#I want to shake them like GO INTO THE WORLD THE WORLD IS SUCH A COOL PLACE#you don't even need to go offline just go into different communities online and get out of your immediate bubble#'he/they lesbian' ok! I'm a she/her lesbian! Are we just sharing our pronouns with our sexualities now?#and if he identifies as such then sure he can have f*ggot tattooed on him! I hope it healed well!#I hope that they feel a sense of power from that and that it makes them happy#I hope that everyone who uses slurs in a reclamatory manner gains their power back!#Just because I prefer not to doesn't make those who do any less valid!#Hence why I haven't been using the word 'queer' that often I just don't like using it#but like...why would do people think I would be pissed at people who do use it frequently? People in discourse are WEIRD#IDK I just want this person to meet more people and I hope they get the chance to do so#because a lot of baby gays start off like this until they start meeting people#this turned into a rant lol#IDK I think I just feel passionately about the wonders of human connection
91K notes · View notes
miraclemaya · 5 months ago
Text
MADOKA - “I’m thinking I’ll order a beef udon bowl, since Sayaka-chan told me that they make those really good here. What about you, Homura-chan?”
CONSERVATION OF ENERGY - Food needs can be met with an expenditure of 1.23% of total magic. Proceed?
GRIEF SYNDROME [Trivial: Success] - MAGICAL GIRLS THAT IGNORE FOOD ARE OFTEN MORE PRONE TO GRIEF ACCUMULATION. MY ARMS WILL ALWAYS BE WAITING FOR YOU, HOMURA, BUT IT’S IMPORTANT TO BE HAPPY UNTIL THAT DAY. BESIDES, MADOKA WANTS TO EAT WITH YOU. DISAPPOINTING HER WILL FILL YOUR SOUL GEM WITH A HALF A GRIEF SEED WORTH OF DESPAIR.
TEA WITH MAMI-SAN [Legendary: Success] - Sayaka says the beef bowl is good? Maybe go for that. She knows Madoka’s tastes better than anyone — and if Madoka likes something, you will certainly like it too.
“I will have the same as you, Madoka.”
“I’m not feeling very hungry.”
[CALL AND RESPONSE - Medium 10] Come up with an order on your own
CALL AND RESPONSE - [Medium: Failure] - You’ve eaten here before, you’re pretty sure. Was it Loop 32… no, Loop 12..? No, wait, it was on the first Friday of Loop 68. No… that’s not right. You’ve never eaten here before. In a stunning display of incompetence, you have taken Madoka on a date to a restaurant that you have never experienced before.
THE ANGEL - It’s okay, Homura-chan! I don’t mind if you haven’t eaten here before. Remember what real me said, Sayaka thinks this place is good! And even if it’s not perfect, that’s okay, just spending time with you makes me happy.
THE CRAVEN MASSES - Sayaka has raised her blade against Madoka 16 times before. You should leave this restaurant and kill her. It would only take-
FALLING SAND [Trivial: Success] - 1528 seconds on average.
CONSERVATION OF ENERGY - It can be cut down to 1243 seconds with an expenditure of 2.7% of total magic pool.
THE CRAVEN MASSES - Exactly. Do it in front of her family and make it bloody. Kyoko would likely try and stop you, but even she isn’t immune to bullets. And if Mami comes for revenge, well, you know the exact words you could say that would destroy her, don’t you?
THE ANGEL - A-Ah, I think that’s a bit of an extreme reaction, Homura-chan!
HUMAN SHELL - Your heart rate is increasing. Stop that. You have absolute control over your flesh. Act like it.
MOE INSTINCT - AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH WHAT ARE WE GOING TO ORDER MADOKA IS GOING TO LAUGH AT US
WITCH’S NIGHT - Is… is this a trap? Walpurgis may be defeated, but you know that the stage witch never truly ceases its show. Perhaps this restaurant is a part of the stage?
MADOKA - “Um, are you okay, Homura-chan?”
MOE INSTINCT - OH GOD SHE HATES US
“I’m going to kill myself.”
“I’m so sorry. Would killing myself make you feel more comfortable?”
Isn’t there anything else you can say?
YOU - Isn’t there anything else you can say?
THE DEVIL - Come on, Homura. It’s high time you do it. Really, this is just another in the long, long chain of failures that make up your life. The only way to fix it is to kill yourself.
CLOCKWORK PRECISION - Target: Located on right ring finger. Target is not moving. Chance to hit: High. Plan: Retrieve pistol. Aim pistol at ring. Pull trigger.
THE ANGEL - Oh my god, please do not do that!
"I am going to kill myself."
"I'm so sorry, I'll kill myself if it makes you feel better."
"I'm so sorry. Should I kill myself?"
There. There has to be better options than this.
YOU - There. There has to be better options than this.
MOE INSTINCT - I CAN’T TAKE IT ANY MORE. THE ONLY RECOURSE IS IMMEDIATE SUICIDE. THAT’S THE ONLY WAY MADOKA WILL LOVE YOU AGAIN.
"I am going to kill myself."
"I'm so sorry, I'll kill myself if it makes you feel better."
"I'm so sorry. Should I kill myself?"
YOU - “I’m going to kill myself.”
MADOKA - Madoka’s face twists, her eyebrows raising slightly in shock. Whatever response she was expecting, it was clearly not this.
GRIEF SYNDROME [Challenging: Success] - IF MADOKA WAS A MAGICAL GIRL, HER SOUL GEM WOULD FILL BY A QUARTER HEARING YOU SPEAK THOSE WORDS. THAT WAS CRUEL, HOMURA.
MOE INSTINCT - WHY DID YOU SAY THAT?
MADOKA - “I’m so sorry, Homura-chan. Please don’t do that. I… I really care about you and so does everyone else.” Madoka’s eyes fill with tears as she speaks. She hugs you.
DAMAGED MORALE -4
CALL AND RESPONSE [Trivial: Success] - Quick, tell her you were making an edgy joke that didn’t land. You’ve gotten away with that before, you’re pretty sure.
SPACE-TIME MASSACRE - Twelve quarter shifts left and two up from your current space-time position, and there’s a Japan that it’s actually illegal to not commit suicide in.
FALLING SAND - You’ve been seated for 5 minutes and 32.5 seconds already and still have not ordered. Mami has requested your presence at her apartment in 3.4 hours from now.
TEA WITH MAMI-SAN - She wants to help you find a hobby. She’s really worried about you, you know.
STRINGS OF FATE - You can feel Madoka’s heart beat in sync with yours as she holds you. Everything will be alright, as long as you follow the beat.
THE ANGEL - Yeah! It’s okay Homura-chan. Just explain what’s been going on and Madoka will understand. And then order something, it’s important to eat a full meal!
YOU - “Ah, sorry Madoka. I was… overwhelmed with choice, and my… brain spit out the first thing it thought. I am not planning on killing myself.”
MADOKA - “Um, I think we should probably talk about this more, Homura-chan….”
CALL AND RESPONSE - Ask her a question to change the topic. It’s worked in three different loops, it should work here.
RATIONALITY COMPLEX [Trival: Success] - Ask her if she wants to try anything else and then order that for yourself. This will accomplish your goal of deciding on what to order, as well as showing Madoka that her desires are important to you.
YOU - “Is there anything else you’d like to try, Madoka? We can share our dishes.”
MADOKA - “Uh, okay Homura-chan. Maybe get some tempura?”
Order 10000 yen worth of tempura
Order 1000 yen worth of tempura
Order 100 yen worth of tempura
YOU - “Excuse me waiter, give me 10000 yen worth of tempura.”
HUMAN SHELL - Calories and magic are just two different types of fuel. Feed me and control me.
THE ANGEL - T-that’s probably too much, Homura-chan. Maybe you can sneak some into your cool shield, though!
MADOKA - Madoka doesn’t say anything, but her eyes do bulge out slightly. She gives you a gentle pat on the shoulder and smiles at you.
HEALED MORALE +1
RATIONALITY COMPLEX - Displays of wealth like this can broadcast value to potential mates. This will increase your value in Madoka’s eyes, furthering along one of your goals.
THE ANGEL - I think you should just focus on enjoying the food, Homura-chan. Take a break, everything is okay.
Thank you.
Why don’t you hate me?
YOU - Why don’t you hate me?
THE ANGEL - Because I care about you, Homura-chan! And besides, you hate yourself far too much already.
Thank you.
THE ANGEL - You’re welcome! Now, please, enjoy your meal with real Madoka. She loves you a lot too, you know.
11K notes · View notes
lxvvie · 1 month ago
Text
Simon who made himself your birthday present.
'Cause fuck it, nothing ventured, nothing gained, yeah?
It was actually a spur-of-the-moment thing, sweetheart. It was your birthday, he said happy birthday, you joked that you hadn't received your present yet, and Simon, smooth operator that he is not, responded with, "S'right here, luv."
Oh... shit.
Silence ensues. You blinked in surprise and Simon gave you an even stare. However, he was punching the fuck out of himself mentally because what the fook, Riley?! Didn't last long though because your surprise turned into interest and interest turned into... well...
...Simon naked, on your bed, and under you. Again. Bloody fuckin' hell, him and his mouth.
Not that he's complaining. Not really. Too busy fucking and sucking, and Christ, he's lost track of how much you used him, the things you did to him, the noises you pulled from him, and all the times he came; one thing's for certain, though, he won't forget you marking his thighs up (thank fuck for pants because his thighs are a fuckin' roadmap thanks to you) turning him into a Simon Sundae because you "wanted something sweet to eat", and just... goddamn, leaving him a sweaty, sticky, speechless, and well and truly fucked out mess.
Simon couldn't even smoke, he was so fucked out, but damn if it didn't feel good. Grumpy bastard would be riding this high for a bit. Not even Johnny and the rest of those fuckin' knobheads on base could bring him down. For long.
Simon finds himself the little spoon to your big spoon afterward; you're thanking him, running your hands over his sensitive body, kissing his temple, and praising him for holding on like the good soldier and slag that he is. Simon's fallen so fuckin' deep he's on his knees for you.
"We should do this more often."
A beat. Then he groans.
"Oh, fuck me..."
Simon felt your smirk against his skin. You didn't need to be told twice.
5K notes · View notes
ssahotchnerr · 23 days ago
Note
how do you think Aaron and reader who are married, react to both being called ‘Agent Hotchner’ and they both answer? That’s so cute, I could just imagine Derek smirking and Rossi having a proud dad moment
the hotchners
AHHH I LOVE THAT cw; bau!reader, established relationship, typical cm case talk, playful banter/fluff 🥰
"The unsub is devolving, they’re getting more reckless," Derek thought aloud, clicking his pen in hand. "He dumped the last victim in a public place, rather than the usual, secluded spot."
"They're losing control." You inputted in agreement, your eyes darting across the conference room table to him.
Aaron leaned down on the table, still standing, but with his palms pressed against the surface. He was next to you, and this stance allowed him to be ever so slightly closer. Your heart warmed by his proximity, as any displays of affection were at a minimum when in the field. You were happy he was just close by. "The next victim will probably be someone they can’t control-"
"Agent Hotchner?" A voice came from behind, hindering the conversation.
"Yes?" Both of you answered swiftly, out of habit, though it was a new habit for you. Your tickled eyes met Aaron's, your nose scrunched up slightly in amusement.
Derek grinned, swiveling back and forth in his chair in observance. Rossi raised his hand to his mouth casually, concealing a chuckle.
The voice in question, one of the local police department's officers, even hesitated himself, as if he didn't know which Hotchner he were to rely the information to.
As soon as you and Aaron got engaged, the discussion of whether or not you'd take his last name was on the table. To avoid confusing situations like these, or to prevent any reputable prejudices. It was rare, but every so often you received grimaces from bystanders, both in the field and in the office back home. Marrying your boss? Either tremendously romantic or something to be frowned upon.
But in the end it was unanimous; you wanted his last name, and as did Aaron. It was even more important to him. A symbol of a bond he couldn’t wait to share with you; an acknowledgment of the life you were about to build together. You and him. The Hotchners.
"Uh- sorry to interrupt. The victim's fiancé is here for their interview. They're waiting in interrogation." He stammered, his gaze switching between the two of you.
"Thank you. We'll send someone in shortly." Aaron replied, politely dismissing the officer. He kept his trained demeanor, but you could hear the laughter underneath his voice.
As his footsteps trailed away, you nudged Aaron, humorously bumping your shoulder into his upper arm.
He kept his gaze on the files laid on the table, his lips spread in a soft smile as he slowly shook his head.
"Wipe that smirk off your face, Dave." He didn't even need to look up.
"Hey!" Dave commented, his tone light as he spoke. He held up his hands in surrender, but that didn't diminish from the proud gleam in his eyes; it also happened to be the same one he had adorned on your wedding day. "I didn't say a thing."
"Oh, but it's written all over your face." You quipped also, raising an eyebrow in his direction.
"Just when I thought the two of you couldn't be any more married." Derek rolled his eyes, playfully as his lips pulled back into a grin. "What's next? Have you mastered the art of the ‘yes honey’ yet, or is that still a work in progress?"
"Please, that was perfected before we got married." Aaron remarked as he relaxed his posture, straightening up. He flashed a smile in your direction, speaking over Morgan's cackle. "Isn't that right, honey?"
2K notes · View notes
stevesherdaddynowlover · 7 months ago
Text
indifferent [s.h.] 18+
Tumblr media
an: heyyyy me again so yeah could not stop thinking about a pathetic steve so here we are!! enjoy and feel free to send suggestions, concepts, or just chat!!
side note i listened to i wanna be yours by arctic monkeys on a loop while writing this so do with thag what you will!
masterlist here!!
summary: you and steve are coworkers and while you try (and fail) to act like he doesn’t exist, he’s a little obsessed with you and would do anything to have your attention
(fem!reader x steve harrington)
warnings: angst, fluff, cursing, public teasing (nothing too crazy), jealous reader, dirty talk, f masturbation, fingering, biting, kissing, spit, handjob MDNI!!!!!
wc: 15.5k
When it came to Steve Harrington, you were indifferent. 
You didn’t fall in with the group of girls who fawned over him like some king, worshiping the ground he walked on and giggling at his attempts at jokes. But you didn’t fall in with the other group either. The ones that hated him, that called him names and rolled their eyes when he walked in the room with a smile on his face. 
So you fell somewhere in the middle. To you Steve Harrington was your coworker, someone you often had to pick up the slack for or cover for when he was running late. You wouldn’t call him a friend but wouldn’t say he was your enemy either. 
The arrangement the two of you had worked well for you. You’d cover for him or save his ass when needed, and in turn he’d leave you alone. Well sometimes he would. You didn’t mind him but sometimes it seemed like he could go on forever and you just…it drove you a little crazy, okay? He was good about leaving you be, making small talk for a little before the both of you quieted down and went about your shift. 
Part of this arrangement was you teasing him until his cheeks burned and his felt fuzzy, but that was neither here nor there. 
But sometimes you think he just couldn’t help it. He’d start going on about something and then it would be 45 minutes later and he’d still be going. You let him do this about once or twice a week. You didn’t mind him or his company, so if it made him happy to ramble on every once in a while you could live with that. He was a yapper and you were quiet. You would hum along to something you’d heard on the way to work and entertain his chit chat for a few minutes but that was really it. 
Did that mean you couldn’t appreciate that he was actually really pretty? Of course not! He had dimples that made him seem boyish and sweet, even when he was being a menace. His hair was perfect, especially after he’d spent the day running his hands through it a million and one times. His lips were pouty and pink and so what if you stared at them when he was droning on about something? A perfect nose that you’d admired the slope of more times than you could count when he was sitting beside you going through returns. 
He was pretty. You wouldn’t deny that. But that was it. No more, no less. It didn’t mean you liked him or wanted him or would fall to your knees for him like half of Hawkins did. Sure, you passed the time at work by teasing him and making him squirm, but it was only because you were bored and he was there, all pretty and willing. 
You were indifferent. 
              ****************************************
Steve liked you. 
If you were in the same room as him he couldn’t help but to watch you. He didn’t know if you saw him and he couldn’t bring himself to care. He’d watch the way you’d tuck your hair behind your ear once every few minutes. He’d watch you scrunch your nose when you were reading and pout your rosy lips when sorting through dvd’s. God you were just so pretty. 
He wanted your attention all the time, he craved it. He knew he looked like a little lovesick puppy the way he followed you around and hoped you’d smile at him or indulge his ramblings every now and then. 
Pathetic. That’s what he was when it came to you. Sometimes you were a little mean to him but he liked it, loved anything you’d give him. He would even show up late on purpose sometimes just to hear you scold him! 
“M’not always gonna be here to cover for you, Harrington. Be a big boy and get to work on time.”
His cheeks would be pink and he’d give you a shy smile, promising this was the last time but you both knew better than to believe that. You didn’t put up with his bullshit, you called him out when he needed it and you didn’t try and act like somebody you weren’t around him. He loved it. 
Like today, you’d barely come in the door before he was on your heels, going on about some party from the weekend before and how it was sooo lame and that he didn’t have any fun. He’s so occupied with his rambling he doesn’t realize you’ve stopped until he slams into your back, hands coming up to grip your shoulders so you don’t both fall over. 
Your hands grip the counter just in time and he expects you to turn around and gripe at him, scolding him like a toddler who’d been on your heels but you don’t. You huff a laugh and playfully shove at his shoulder, shaking your head. 
“Jesus, Harrington. Maybe I need to get you a leash, hm?” 
And maybe Steve likes that a little too much because he can feel the tips of his ears burning and blush working its way up his neck and covering his cheeks in a pink that makes him squirm. 
He watched you quirk an eyebrow at him, a knowing smirk on those lips he’s dreamed about for months and he wonders why he’s not more embarrassed, why his heart is racing and his cock is swelling in his pants. Fuck.
“On second thought, I think maybe you’d like that a little too much.” 
              *************************************
One thing you love about working with Steve is teasing him. You’ve done good to not let him get too close to you, staying neutral when it comes to his antics but you can’t help the giddiness you feel watching him blush and squirm when you’re mean to him. You’ve come to learn he likes when you embarrass him. 
You’re embarrassed to admit it makes you feel a little powerful, a little special when you make him this way. He’s not the big, bad, ‘King Steve’ he was in high school when he’s in front of you, oh no. You think he’s quite pathetic the way he’s practically attached to your hip and you relish in the way he hangs onto every word you give him, especially considering you don’t give him much. 
Like today you’re perched on a stool at the cash register, barely working oscillating fan doing little to cool you down when the ac is shitty, pushing around warm air that makes your thighs stick together and leaves a sheen of sweat on your forehead. You hate the heat, but what you don’t hate is the way Steve’s eyes are glued to your thighs, watching closely every time you readjust or a bead of sweat slides down your leg. 
“Careful, Steve, I won't be happy if you drool on my leg.” That snaps him out of it, shoulders thrown back as he whips his head up to your face and oh yep! There’s those red cheeks you’ve come to like so much. 
He opens his mouth to say something, probably nothing that would make sense but you spare him from trying to explain his wandering eyes, reaching down into your bag to pull out your next bit of entertainment for the day. 
This’ll be good.
Out of the corner of your eye you see him watching you closely and you can’t help the smirk you wear when your fingers find what you were looking for, wrapping around it and pulling it out for Steve to see. You don’t miss the way his lips part or the way he grips the counter in front of you. 
“They’re my favorite,” you wave the cherry blow pop in front of you like you’ve found gold, smirking at the way his eyes follow it through the air, “I only have the one but I can share, I guess.” 
It would be rude of you to not offer him any. You might tease and be mean, but you certainly weren’t rude!
Ripping the wrapper off you waste no time, sticking the sweet treat in your cheek, throwing away the trash and swinging your legs around so you’re face to face with Steve, knees pressed against his as your feet dangle off the stool. 
Maybe you could blame the way you make a show out of it on the lack of customers today. You’ve been here for 4 hours and only a handful of people have come in. Yeah, that’ll do. That’s why you pull it from your mouth with a pop that makes him flinch, lolling your tongue around the candy in a way that makes his eyes glaze over. You can hear him gulp when you hollow your cheeks and close your eyes, pretending like the taste of artificial cherry is what’s making your ears buzz and your heart race. 
Dragging the blow pop from your mouth you gasp, letting your tongue swipe against your bottom lip that you’re sure is shiny with spit. “Oh, where are my manners! Here ya go, Harrington, have a lick.” 
Not giving him a second to react, you surge forward, pushing the sucker against his lips before he has the chance to open, smearing the stickiness and your spit around his mouth and smiling wide at the sight of him, a tint of red around his pouty lips that suits him well. 
“Messy boy, aren’t you?” You swipe your thumb over his lips, collecting some of the mess and you can see the way his tongue peaks out and you know he’s dying to let it touch your thumb. You pull back before he can, popping your thumb in your mouth and humming around it as if it’s the blow pop itself. 
“Told you I could share!” 
You could be indifferent to him and still want to make him melt to his knees for you, right? 
             **************************************
Steve thought about the cherry blow pop incident for weeks. He was surprised he didn’t cum in his pants like a teenager when the spit soaked treat touched his lips or when he watched you suck on your thumb after it swiped across his mouth. 
That was just one example of how you tortured him, how he loved it. He’d had to go home that night and barely made it through the front door before he was pulling his cock out and picturing you on your knees in front of him, teasing him for being a “messy boy.” 
You had no idea. 
This shit would happen, these events that Steve was positive were chemically altering his brain chemistry, and he wasn’t supposed to fall in love with you? You’d do something like that, something so hot it was engraved in his mind forever and then five minutes later it would be as though it never happened. You’d smirk at him, go back to what you were doing and spend the rest of the day ignoring him or giving him one word responses while he begged at your feet for a scrap of attention. 
He really was like a puppy. 
So he was confused, beyond confused on if you were friends, if you wanted him…he just didn’t know what to make of it. He hadn’t seen you act this way with anyone else and it made him feel…special. God he was pathetic. 
The problem with all this was that he wasn’t entirely sure you didn’t hate his guts. I mean yeah, you’d tease and scold him when he was being an idiot and you were mean but never cruel or malicious. But you also never really went out of your way to start a conversation, never really cared to keep one up with him either. You rarely smiled at him, which killed him, because he saw the way you’d laugh at something Robin said or the amusement dancing in your eyes when the kids came in to raise hell. You never let him have it though, and fuck he wishes you would. All he got were teasing smirks and he wasn’t complaining about them, not one bit, but he wanted to see if he could make you all sweet and mushy like everyone else did. 
There’s been a few times he’s caught you staring but you never back down, never look embarrassed to have been watching him and he wonders if you were staring so hard to put a curse on his bloodline or something! He wouldn’t mind if you were, the feel of your eyes on him somewhat satiate the craving he has for you. 
He’s thinking about you again, just like always. In fact he’s so deep in thought, leaned forward letting his chin rest in his palm that for once he doesn’t notice you come up behind him. 
He wishes he would have noticed you because then maybe he could have prepared himself to talk you and then maybe he wouldn’t have fucked everything up the way he did. Maybe it would’ve gone differently and ended without you in tears and him feeling the world's biggest douche bag. 
“Dreamin’ about me, Harrington?” 
“Aren’t I always.” He meant for it to come out teasing—but it didn’t. Now you were staring at him and he was staring out the window, the tips of his ears burning and he wished he could swallow his own tongue. 
“Anyways, any chance you’ll cover my shift this Friday?” 
“Why? Where are you going?” Full on pouting now he finally met your gaze. You never missed a shift, in fact you were the only one that anyone could count on to pick up extra shifts. 
“Who are you, my daddy?” 
His fingers twitched on the counter in front of him and neither of you missed the way his throat bobbed. Jesus Christ you made him crazy. “If you must know, I have a date and Friday is the only day that works.” 
Wait—what? You had a date? With someone who was not him. Based on the way his heart dropped to his ass, he realized he might want far more than just your attention. His throat clogged as he looked at you, waiting as patiently as possible for his answer but fuck a date? You’d never gone on one as long as he’d known you—well that he knew of. 
“But…you don’t go on dates.” 
“And what the hell is that supposed to mean?” 
Oh he was fucked now. He’d opened his big mouth and pissed you off—not in the way he’d liked either. “Well I just, I just meant I’ve never seen anyone ask yo—I didn’t think anyone…or you…I’ve never seen you go on one so I just figured you didn’t.” His foot could not get any further down his throat. He was fucking this up royally, but he was flustered! The pretty girl he liked was going out with someone, god knows who, and his feelings were a little hurt, even if he didn’t have the right! 
“Forget it.” Any amusement you’d held towards him vanished, something else passed over you that he recognized as hurt and then anger. Lots of anger. 
“Wait! M’sorry, I didn’t mean it like tha—”
“No you wait, Harrington. I don’t care what you think or what you think you know, it’s none of your business. I didn’t ask for you to question whether it was possible someone could like me enough to take me out, I asked if you’d cover my shift. Which—by the way—is not a big ask considering I cover your ass at least two times a week! But forget it, asshole, I’m sure my date was a fluke anyways, right?” 
Before he could apologize or even blink you’d stormed away, slamming the break room door behind you. Shit he was an idiot! A huge, massive, blubbering idiot who’d made you more mad than he’d ever seen. His words got all jumbled around you anyways let alone when he was jealous over someone else getting to take you out. 
He’d fucked up big time and was just sure you were cursing his bloodline now. 
                 *********************************
Big, angry tears rolled down your cheeks in the employee bathroom you’d locked yourself in for the last twenty minutes. You were pissed, livid even, but more than that you were hurt. Which was only making you more mad, because why the hell did Steve Harrington have the power to hurt your feelings! He wasn’t anyone to you but a coworker, maybe an acquaintance, and yet here you were crying in the bathroom at work because he…what? Didn’t think you were pretty enough or cool enough or—whatever he fuckin’ thought—to date? 
Okay, sure he didn’t say that exactly, but how else were you supposed to take his blubbering. And yeah, for the most part you were quiet and reserved and didn’t give a fuck what anyone thought, but that didn’t mean you didn’t have feelings for godsake. 
At the end of the day Steve was a guy, a cute guy that you’d admired for his beauty and wouldn’t deny that he was overall sweet and kind, and you were a girl, a girl who apparently was not meant for dates. 
And that hurts your feelings more than you’d care to admit. 
A knock on the door had you wiping at your cheeks furiously, though at this point nothing would be able to hide your red cheeks and swollen eyes. “Who is it?” You cringed at how your voice sounded cracked and whiny. 
“It’s Robin,” Oh thank god. Thank fucking god it wasn’t Steve. “Dingus is out here looking like he’s about to have a meltdown but won’t tell me what’s up, just said you were back here and that I should come check on you.” 
Taking a deep breath you pulled the door open just enough for Robin to slip in, quickly closing it back behind her and trying not to let your bottom lip tremble when she turned to look at you and gasped. You weren’t even a crier! What was going on! 
“Woa—shit I don’t think I’ve ever seen you cry. Are you okay? What happened? Did they get Steve too, he seriously looks two seconds away from curling up on the floor.” Hands immediately covering your face you sigh, willing no more tears to fall until you can get out of here and into your own bed. 
“It’s not, I just—I really don’t wanna talk about it right now, okay? Do you think you could start early and cover the rest of my shift? I promise I’ll make it up to you I just…Rob I just need to go home.” 
“Of course I can, are you crazy? There’s nothing to make up. Go! I’ll tell Harrington you’re not feeling well and he’s stuck with me for the rest of the night,” giving you a reassuring squeeze as you gathered your things you’d grabbed on the way in here you gave her what you hoped came off as a thankful smile, “and when—if—you wanna talk about this, I’m here. Just so you know. I can listen sometimes despite what they all say.” 
You nodded, squeezing her hand and giving yourself one last look in the mirror, grimacing at the utter mess you saw staring back at you. Hiking your bag on your shoulder you fled the safety of the bathroom and all but ran to the door. 
Steve was with a customer, the polite smile he had on his face completely wiped off when he caught a glimpse at your puffy eyes and tear stained cheeks. You didn’t spare him one look, practically running for the door without uttering a word in his direction. 
God he felt like a piece of shit. He doesn’t think he’d ever seen you upset, let alone crying. He’d fucked up bad and didn’t know how to fix it when he’s sure you wouldn’t give him the time of day now. 
He’d have to find a way to make this better, the pit in his stomach growing when he thought of you being upset—hurt—because of him. 
He stood there staring at the door until Robin came up beside him, a concerned look on her face as she studied him. “Did she say what happened?” 
“No, she didn’t. Just said she needed to go home and didn’t want to talk about it. I’ve never seen her so upset though, I’m worried.”
He was thankful she didn’t call him out for his bullshit. It was obvious whatever happened had been between the two of you and he didn’t think he couldn’t take Robin ripping into him right now, even if he deserved it.
“Yeah, me too.” And fuck he was. 
             *************************************
3 days since Steve had made you cry. The more you thought about it, the worse you felt because if you were being honest with yourself, maybe there was a small, teeny tiny part of you that grew fond of Steve. Steve with his goofy smile and bashful grin when he’d tell you stupid jokes. 
It was one thing to be hurt because he’d been a jerk, but now you were dealing with feelings you didn’t want. You’d been hurt because you liked Steve and hearing him say…well you guess he didn’t say much, just stumbled his way through some sentences that all started pretty shitty, your feelings were all twisted up that he viewed you a certain way. 
But instead of thinking too hard about these newfound feelings you had, you chose to ignore it completely. Obviously! You didn’t have the time or energy to worry about what Steve Harrington thought of you, especially when you glance at the clock on your nightstand and shit you’re gonna be late for work! 
This is your first shift in 3 days and your stomach turns because you know you’ll be working with Steve. It also happened to be Friday, the day of your date that you had canceled in a fit of hurt and anger when you got home from your last shift. But based on how that jackass you couldn’t even remember the name of took it, you’d dodged a bullet. 
You’re pulling into Family Video before you know it, dread washing over you and it doesn’t help that the humid summer heat as your bare thighs sticking to your seat, it only adds to your frustration. You make no move to actually get out, but you know you can’t afford to miss a shift or risk this job so you get it over with, pulling yourself out and walking in before you say fuck it and head back home. 
Walking through the front doors you see him immediately, standing behind the counter with worry etched between his brows and a small frown on his face. He looks like a kicked puppy, staring you down as if you’ve wronged him. 
“You’re late.” 
You stiffen, spine straightening at his words and a string of curses are on the tip of your tongue, ready to lash out at him because how dare he. But before you get the chance he’s speaking again, effectively cutting off the tyrade you had going on your head. 
“And that’s fine, totally fine! You’re just never late so I was worried, but then again I know today’s Friday so I wasn’t sure if you’d be showing up at all…I didn’t get the chance to tell you the other day I’d already told Robin I’d cover her shift today but I talked to the boss and if you need to go you can, I can manage one night by myself, I swear!” 
You didn’t answer him, walking past and heading to the break room to hang up your things and try and mentally prepare for what was sure to be the longest shift of your life. The only thing you had going for you was that it was a Friday night, so hopefully you’d be busy and not have time to stress over being stuck with Steve. 
When you come back out he’s standing in the same spot you left him, staring around like a lost little kid waiting for someone to give him direction. Well you won't be doing it tonight. Wordlessly you take a seat on the stool, trying your best to ignore his stare burning into the side of your face. You’d snap at him if you didn’t think you’d have a meltdown. 
“Are you sure you don’t want to go? I know you said tonight was the only night that would work for your date and I swear to you I can handle it. The place’ll still be standing tomorrow.” 
Maybe you should go. You could go home and lay in your bed and wallow some more, eat some ice cream and try and forget the past week had ever happened. But you couldn’t. You needed the money and you certainly weren’t gonna hide from Steve when he’s the one that fucked up. So with all the courage you can muster you turn to him, doing your best to give a blank face so he can’t see the hurt brewing behind your eyes. 
“No, Harrington. I don’t go on dates, remember?” 
            **************************************
Steve watches you turn away from him and fuck, okay he deserved that. He was a major asshole who had spent the last 3 days trying and failing to figure out how to get you to forgive him. 
Then you walk in looking so pretty that for a second he forgets that you’re mad at him, that he had fucked up. But then he sees your eyes and they look sad, detached and that kills him all over again. 
If he thought you might have disliked him before then he had no idea how good he had it! He’d give anything for you to smirk at him, to call him an idiot or to roll your eyes and pretend like you didn’t care when he rambled on, even though he could tell you did care, your eyes always gave you away. 
“Can I please just—”
“No.”
“Please, I’m begging for you to just—”
“No, Steve.” 
“But—”
“Nope.”
“Goddamnit please just let me at least try and explain myself a little bit. I know I don’t deserve it but I hurt you and I never, ever wanted to do that. Please. 5 minutes, honey. Please.” 
He thinks he’s shocked you, eyes widening the tiniest bit before you shrug at him, casting a quick look his way before you turn back around and face away from him. 
“I’m listening.” 
Doing your best to ignore the fact that he just called you honey, he’s never done that, you turn to him and shrug, trying to act indifferent but on the inside you’re dying to know what he has to say. You want to know what he really thinks even though it goes against everything you’ve ever thought or stood for. 
Jesus Christ you were the pathetic one, hoping for the reassurance of King Steve. Highschool you would absolutely kick your ass if she could see you now. 
“I’m not…good at sorting my thoughts, especially around you and the shit I said the other day came out so wrong, so not how I meant it and I just—fuck I’m sorry. I never want you to be sad or hurt because of me…or anything at all,” He didn’t even know how to properly say anything without it coming out that he just liked you so much it made him a fool! “I was not trying to suggest people didn’t want to take you out, that came out all wrong. I’m sure there’s a line of people just waiting for you to give them a chance,” I would know, I’m front and center. “But I was just surprised because I hadn’t ever heard you talk about going on dates so I guess I just assumed…I don’t know. I’m an idiot who was also maybe just a little jealous and fuck it’s not even my business what you do! The point is that I’m sorry, okay? I’m so sorry that I hurt your feelings, it was never my intention.” 
It had been a few minutes with neither of you saying anything, the store empty and only the buzz of the crappy ac could be heard around you as he waited for you to say something, anything. 
“Do you want me to get on my knees and beg for your forgiveness? I’ll do it, I swear. I hate you being upset with me, it fuckin’ sucks.” He couldn’t help it, his skin was crawling the longer you stayed quiet and he thinks he’d do anything to get you to not look so sad. 
He hears a small huff from you and if he was looking he’d have seen it was a small laugh of disbelief. “I may be mean but I’m not cruel, Harrington. I wouldn’t make you get on your knees on this floor.” 
Relief flooded through him and despite the humidity swirling around in the air he swore he felt cooler, lighter than he did before. “Does this mean I’m off your shit list then?” 
Your laugh was loud this time and he felt his chest swell with pride that he had been the one to cause it, even if he hadn’t meant to. 
“What makes you so sure I have a shit list?” 
“Oh come on, you definitely do.” Things felt somewhat normal again and it eased the ache in his chest that had lived there for 3 long days. Maybe this whole thing would make you guys even closer, actually make you friends. 
“Alright, maybe I do. And you’re definitely on it, but not because of what happened,” He found himself smiling at you and if he looked close enough he swore he saw a ghost of a smile on your lips before you wiped it away with the back of your hand, “but about the other day, I…you did hurt my feelings. I know, it’s shocking I have them but every once in a while I’m reminded I’m just like the rest of you, unfortunately. Look, I’ve worked with you a while and you’re sweet, Steve. You’re a good guy and when you were saying those things…I know you didn’t mean it the way it came out, but it made me feel..fuck I hate this shit. It made me feel like you thought I wasn’t good enough or pretty enough or some shit like that and it just…it fucked with me, okay? But I know you’d never be cruel like that so I forgive you. We’ll forget this happened so I don’t have to talk about my feelings anymore and we’ll be good. We are good. Fuck I’ll even admit we’re friends if we can not talk about this ever again.” 
“You think I don’t think you’re pretty or good enough?” That was all his brain could think of. How the fuck could you think that? Had he not been obvious? He all but drooled over you every time you were in his line of sight. 
“Really, Steve? That’s all you got! I just said we were friends. I'd thought you’d be over the moon.” Your eyes were looking everywhere but him and he knew you were trying to deflect. You’d just been vulnerable with him and he should move on but he couldn’t stomach you thinking you weren’t good enough or pretty enough, let alone thinking that he thought those things! 
“Honey, I’d be lucky even if you even gave me a second glance. Good enough? You’re too good for me and every other sorry prick in this town. I fuckin’ swear it. I was caught off guard and jealous. Jealous that someone else had gotten you to give them the time of day!” You looked stunned but he kept going, “And I can give you all the dirty details about how pretty you are. How I spend all day practically getting paid to stare at you, what a job! How I’ve memorized every little detail of your pretty face, how I stare a little too long when you’re bent over in front of me. Or how I think about your cute little mouth wrapped around that blow pop and wish it was my—”
“Steve Harrington!” You’d slapped your palm over his mouth to shut him up and if he wasn’t enjoying how squirmy you suddenly were he’d nip at your palm to make you jump. It was nice seeing you all red faced and hot because of him for a change, even though he loved it when it was the other way around. 
Maybe he’d said too much, let his filter slip a little too far but he wanted—no needed for you to know how perfect you were. Not just to him but to anyone with common sense. 
Pulling your palm away he opened his mouth but you shot him a glare as he did, as if you could sense he was going to do it. He watched as you tucked a stray piece of hair behind your ear and cleared your throat bringing your weary eyes to meet his. 
“Smacking me around now?” He was a little shit, he knew it but he was sure you liked it anyway. 
“You love it.” And shit, you’d got him there. He’d let you do anything you wanted to him with a smile on his face and his heart happy. But just because he’d made you feel better didn’t mean the hurt just went away and he’d do whatever it took to fix it. 
“Caught me,” He threw you a wink that you ignored, rolling your eyes at him, “but seriously, there’s not one thing wrong with you and I’m sorry that I made you feel any different. I’m a dick. I’ll tell you till I’m blue in the face how pretty you are if that’s what it takes.” 
“Oh no, I’ve heard plenty, you perv. Now I know why you’re so quiet when I’m reorganizing the bottom shelves, you’re staring at my ass!” He shrugged at you sheepishly, not being near as embarrassed as he should be for admitting that. 
“But…thank you, Steve. This was just a misunderstanding that you’ve more than cleared up. We’re good, Harrington. I’m good.” And the relief he felt was seen on his face and felt throughout his body. He could’ve used the moment to be sweet, dragging out the conversation but you still looked a little uneasy about opening up to him so he thought it better to go back to territory you were comfortable with, him annoying you. 
“Oh I know we’re good! We’re friends now, remember? Don’t think I’ll ever let you forget it.” 
              *************************************
Things between you and Steve had been…good. 
There was a bit of tension between you, the kind that made your throat dry when you looked at him and your thighs clench when he whispered something in your ear if customers were around and he didn’t want them to hear. Maybe it was from the things he admitted or maybe it was because you were suddenly much more aware of Steve. 
You’d had your talk, if you could call it that, a few weeks ago and the time you’ve spent together since then had been mostly normal. Steve, getting on your nerves, rambling about nothing for as long as you’d let him, looking at you with those pitiful puppy dog eyes when you gave him some attention. You, teasing him relentlessly, even more now than before. Covering for him less, he’d been showing up on time almost every shift you had together. Bending over in front of him more just to hear him curse and see his cheeks flush. 
And maybe kind of developing a crush on him. 
It’s not your fault, it’s his! How were you supposed to resist him after he said he’d be lucky to go out with you, after he told you he’d been jealous someone else was, after he told you how pretty you were and how he thought about your mouth wrapped around his—
Fuck—no, you were not going down that road again. Every time you thought about what he said, how genuine and needy he seemed when he talked about you, your head got all fuzzy and your knees threatened to give out. It was all you could do not to pounce on him the second the words left his mouth. 
So yeah, you had a big fat crush on Steve Harrington. 
He’d also taken your comment about being friends to heart, bringing it up every chance he got and using it as an excuse for the two of you to spend even more time together. You’d walk in Family Video and he’d flash you that smile, opening his arms for a hug you pretended to hate but in reality looked forward to every day. 
“Hello, friend.” 
“As your friend I have to tell you how pretty you look today.” 
“C’mon friend, come to this party with me. It’ll be lame without you.” 
You’d threatened to revoke his “friend” privileges and he’d gasped, clutching his chest dramatically and pretending to stumble to the floor. It took everything in you not to giggle at his antics. You were quickly becoming obsessed with Steve, and even more obsessed with how quick you could get him to turn into a puddle at your feet. 
That was how you find yourself here at the Hawkins public pool with your bag strap digging uncomfortably into your shoulder and sweat dripping down your back, wearing what you’d bet was a grimace as you walked around the scattered chairs looking for Steve. 
One thing that remained constant and strong was the mid summer heat that took your breath away and put you in a less than pleasant mood most of the time. Poor Steve got the brunt of your frustration but he never complained. And that’s why you finally agreed to come to the pool with him, because he was sweet and patient and adorable, even when he was annoying the shit out of you. 
What you didn’t account for was the added heat you’d endure from seeing Steve shirtless before you, arms crossed over his chest and pale pink swim trunks sitting on his hips. 
When did Steve Harrington get chest hair and why was your mouth watering over it? It made him look sexy, older in a way that erased all boyish features you’d come to love. He looked…fuck he looked hot. His hair was slicked back and you knew he’d already gotten in, too impatient to wait for the 10 minutes longer it had taken you to get here. He had a trail of hair on his lower belly that ran down under the band of his swim trunks and you think you might have actually let out a whimper at the sight. 
You took a step toward him and cursed yourself when your legs wobbled a little bit. If he saw it he didn’t say anything, righting yourself quickly and making your way over so you could toss your bag into his waiting arms, trying not to look at the patch of chest hair just inches from your face and failing miserably. 
“My own personal pool boy, a girl could get used to this.” 
It didn’t take long to figure out that the easiest and quickest way to get yourself together was to turn it on him, to make his hands twitch and his stomach clench and to tease him until he was panting like a puppy. 
“At your service, ma’am.” 
Grabbing your arm he tugged you to the chairs he’d saved for the two of you, a cooler sitting between them with the lunch he’d made for the both of you. It makes your heart skip a beat and your tummy flutters. Your sweet Stevie. 
He sat your bag down between the chairs, laying back so his arms were stretched back and crossed behind his head, a twinge in your stomach tightening as you watched him stretch out before you. A fucking Greek god. You needed to even the playing field and you needed to do it now. 
Grabbing the sunscreen from your bag you put on the sweetest smile you could conjure while your body screamed at you to straddle his thighs and kiss him dumb. “Stevie, can you help me out with this?” He nodded without thought, that’s just how kind he was, sitting up to grab the bottle from your hands. 
Before he could make a move to get up you knocked his legs apart, pushing yourself down and back so that you were wedged between his thighs, your back almost completely pressed against his front. 
He cursed behind you, trying to scoot back but your hands dug into his thighs to keep him there, a silent plea. You’re sure if you could see his face he’d look almost pained at the feeling of your skin pressed to his. 
You heard him flip the cap open and squeeze some sunscreen in his hand, neither of you saying anything for a moment before he leaned forward, his lips almost touching the shell of your ear when he spoke, “s’gonna be cold.” You nodded wordlessly and straightened up a little, pushing back further into him. 
“Fuck.” You didn’t mean for it to slip out and hoped you could blame it on the cold lotion hitting your back, but you knew that was a lie. Steve’s big, calloused hands on your shoulders and back had you holding back whines and moans threatening to climb up your throat. Jesus Christ this felt good, too good. 
Any composure you had left flew out the window at his next move and you were quickly falling behind in the one sided game you’d started with him. 
You felt his hands move down lower to where the string of your bikini tied in the back, your thighs clenching hard when he slid them toward the front, following the line of your top and just barely slipping under the cup of your breast to tease the skin there before he was pulling back and going to your shoulders again. 
Holy fuck. 
He tensed behind you when your fingers dug harder into his thighs, but you didn’t even mean to. It was just a knee jerk reaction to his fingers gliding over the underside of your boob for Christ's sake. It wasn’t until you leaned back just a little, totally innocent you were just readjusting, that you felt it. 
Steve was hard. His swimsuit did a shit job of concealing it. And he was pressed up against you so tightly you could feel him throb against your lower back when you gasped. This was your opportunity to one up him, to move ahead a few spaces. 
Head turning to the side just slightly so he was in your peripheral, you needed to make sure he was looking and listening. You spoke as if you weren’t dripping wet yourself, thighs sore from how hard you’d been squeezing them together. 
“Poor baby, touching my shoulders and grazing a pair of tits has you all needy, huh?” 
He whined low in his throat, leaning forward to press his forehead against your back. You could feel little puffs of air against your skin as he tried to compose himself, not that you’d let him. 
“Stop. Don’t be mean.” The words were whispered against your skin and you smiled. 
“Don’t act like you don’t like it when I’m mean. Gets you hard, doesn't it, when I tease you?” You were being mean, so mean, but if the way he subtly tried to buck up against you was indication of how he felt, he loved it. 
You kept going, basking in the feeling of his hands grilling your hips tight and his breathing against your back was getting faster the more you talked. 
“You really are like a puppy. It’s just so fucking cute how whiny you get when you’re like this.” 
Both of you stilled when a whimper slipped out a little too loud and all of a sudden you remembered where you were, a fucking public pool. Steve must have realized too because he pulled back, scooting far enough away that you weren’t touching anymore and you hated how you already missed the feel of his skin on yours. 
Clearing your throat you shuffled over to the other chair, glancing at Steve to see his mouth shut and eyes looking anywhere but you. Maybe you’d gone too far. You opened your mouth to apologize but before you could he was up and tugging you to the edge of the pool, jumping in and practically dragging you in with him. 
The cool water actually did a good job of cooling you down, physically and mentally. When you broke the surface, gasping for air, Steve was already there looking at you. You couldn’t read the look on his face, couldn’t tell if he was upset with you so you bit the bullet. 
“M’sorry if I went too far, Steve. It’s just…you were…the sunscreen—you were making me feel crazy so I wanted to even it up. I shouldn’t have done that though, especially not here. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.” 
For the first time since you came up from the water he broke his stare, opting to look around you before he came closer, pulling you in so no one would hear your conversation. 
“Don’t be sorry, I’m not. I only pulled away because I was seconds from cumming in my shorts like a teenage boy and I was embarrassed.” 
Lips pulling into a smile you covered your mouth and he pouted at you, huffing like a child when he saw you trying not to laugh at him. “No need to be embarrassed, Stevie. You can’t help that you’re a needy little thing.” 
His hand swatted at yours that had come up to pinch his cheeks and you cooed at him to tease him further. “So mean.” He tried to look annoyed but failed and it made your stomach dip at how pretty he looked, drops of water falling off his lashes, lashes you and every girl in Hawkins would kill for. 
“You really are pretty, Harrington.” The tips of his ears burned bright red and he moved toward you instinctively, like he wanted to kiss you. God did you want to kiss him. But you didn’t want to do it in a public place where you wouldn’t be able to make a mess of him after so you pulled back and splashed some water in his face with a giggle. 
“C’mon big boy, let’s swim! I didn't come all this way just to stare at your cute face.” 
Although you wouldn’t mind it. 
          *******************************************
The next few weeks are quiet, work goes by painfully slow when you’re not with Steve and you hate it. Your shifts with Steve are filled with teasing touches and flushed cheeks and very little work. 
You’ve also been spending a good chunk of the time you’re not at work with Steve as well. He somehow almost always convinces you to come over to watch a movie or go with him for a late night ice cream run. You find yourself in his car or playing with his hair while you lay in your bed more often than not. 
And you love it. 
Trying to act like you weren’t obsessed with him was exhausting so you mostly gave it up. You’d smile at him more, laugh at his jokes more freely, and have become much more touchy with him. 
Neither of you could seem to keep your hands off each other if you were in the same room. He always had to have a hand on your hip or one holding your thigh and you couldn’t keep your fingers from rubbing at his neck or slipping through his hair if he was close. 
There hadn’t been a conversation about what was happening, but neither of you seemed to mind. You think that you’d become best friends who were just crazy about each other and that was enough for both of you. 
Until it wasn’t. 
If you were being fair, you knew that technically you and Steve hadn’t officially become exclusive or anything. The two of you probably weren’t even dating, even though you spent all your time together. Cuddling and teasing constantly. 
But you weren’t fair. Everyone who spent any amount of time in a public setting knew that you and Steve were, for lack of a better word, an item. If someone saw you at the grocery store or at the post office, or anywhere, it was a safe bet that Steve was two paces behind you if he wasn’t already at your hip. 
This was common knowledge. Or at least you thought it was. So it’s a surprise, a bad one at that, when you come back from your break with a smile on your face that is quickly wiped away when you see some blonde you went to school with hanging over the counter with her tits pushed at Steve, a devious smile on her face as she bats her eyelashes at him. 
All the blood rushes from your body and you’re not sure you can even keep down the sandwich you’d had for lunch. A sandwich that Steve had made for you, might you add. There’s a horrible twist in your belly and you’ve never felt such rage as you have looking at the way she toys with the collar of his shirt between her fingers and at the way he gives her a small smile and doesn’t pull away. 
You were jealous. So jealous it took the breath right out of you and made your brain go blank. One minute you’re standing there with your skin hot and heart pounding and the next you’re sliding back into your seat beside Steve with a glare so sharp it could cut glass. 
“Need help with anything or are you just gonna keep groping the staff?” If your glare was sharp your words were sharper, serious and stern and directed at the girl who was still touching Steve, your Steve. 
Both the girl and Steve’s eyes widen at your tone. She finally takes a step back and you feel like you can breathe again. You see the way Steve’s staring at you but you don’t look at him, you can’t or you might do something crazy like hit this girl, or even worse, cry. 
Once the initial embarrassment from your words wears off she straightens her back and narrows her eyes in your direction. “I think we had it handled, sweetie. Your coworker here,” You flinch at the way she emphasizes coworker and feel yourself shrink a little, “was just giving me some movie recommendations. But thanks for the offer.” 
“I’ll leave you to it then.” The words taste bitter on your tongue and you want to slap the smirk off her face so bad your palm twitches. Steve is quiet beside you and you can’t even begin to process how that adds to your fury, to the pain that’s bubbling up beneath your skin and threatening to spill out. 
You’ve taken one, maybe two steps away from the counter, ready to go back to the bathroom of shame and cry again over Steve fucking Harrington when a hand on your wrist stops you. 
The same hand, the one that belongs to the boy you’ve become enamored with, tugs you gently back to his side, hand leaving you for just a second so he can wrap his arm around your waist and tug you into his side. Your hips are touching and you feel a wave of relief wash over you, the pain and anger dissolving while his hand grips you tightly against him. 
A sick satisfaction runs through you as you watch the way her jaw clenches and her eyes dim as his arm curls around you. Coworker my ass. Steve clears his throat beside you, catching yours and her attention, “I’m afraid I’m all out of recommendations for you, but maybe my coworker here has some for you.” Before she can even think about speaking you cut her off with a faux pout, “I don’t think I do, sorry!” 
Deciding Steve isn’t worth the battle you’re more than willing to start, what an idiot, she turns around and pretends to look through the new releases for all of five seconds before she’s scurrying out of the store and leaving you both alone again. 
Steve gives one last squeeze to your hip before he moves to sit back down, the reality of your little outburst smacking you in the face. Well, this is awkward. You sit down on your stool, tapping your hands on the counter while you try and gather the courage to look at him. 
You hope he’s not upset with you and if he is well…fuck him! Just because you haven’t said it out loud doesn’t mean he’s not yours. You know for a fact if he caught you flirting with a guy he’d be pissed! All whiny and pouty and pawing at you for attention. So you were justified in being upset, totally and fully justified. 
Now you’ve worked yourself up to tell him off and give him a piece of your mind, and you turn to him to do just that when it all slips away in an instant. Because Steve isn’t upset, no, he’s staring at you with wide, bright eyes and a smirk so big and knowing you curse yourself in your head. 
Oh this is even worse! Now you’ve given him a big head, bigger than he already had! 
“So that was…interesting.” You can hear the amusement in his tone and you roll your eyes. You much prefer him all pathetic and whiny over this…cocky Steve. But really you don’t mind this either. 
“Shut it, Harrington.” You think if you weren’t so obsessed with him you’d have the decency to be even a little embarrassed at how you acted but you aren’t! You practically marked your territory in front of her and you can’t find it in you to care or regret it. 
“You were jealous. Over me! I’ll never shut up about this! I’m taking a spot in the paper for this, alerting the press as we speak!” His bottom lip between his teeth and he looked giddy like it was Christmas morning and he’d gotten the brand new shiny bicycle he’d spent all year wishing for. 
You could have denied it, but what was the point in that? Everyone already knew anyway how you felt, you weren’t exactly subtle about it. Might as well embrace it at this point. 
“And so what if I was? Figure you’re mine anyways, right?” Your cheeks tint the lightest shade of pink as you watch him take in your words, his eyes a little wide and a small shy smile on his lips. 
“I am?” 
God okay, maybe you hadn’t been as obvious as you thought the last months. 
“Well…I thought so. You take up all my time anyways, Harrington, might as well. Plus I like you—well a lot. I’m yours too, ya know. If you want I guess, I don’t know, I thought this was just unspoken between us and now you’re making me nervous!” 
His lips parted in what could either be shock or awe, you weren’t sure. He didn’t look appalled at the idea so that was a good sign, right? 
“I’m sorry I just…sometimes I’m not even sure you like me all that much so I’m just a little shocked but yes! Fuck—yes I’ll be whatever you want.” 
Maybe he was a little dumb or maybe you weren’t as good at showing your feelings as you thought but either way you’d make sure he felt wanted, needed by you. 
“Steve, if I didn’t like you I promise I would not be spending all my time with you. I’m mean sometimes because you like it and I like seeing you all messy and cute. M’kinda obsessed with you, you idiot.”
His grin widened, dimples popping out and your heart sped up at the sight. He was pretty, so pretty and despite how you acted sometimes you felt so lucky that he even wanted to spend any time with you, let alone all of it. Steve Harrington had wiggled his way deep into your heart and your brain and you think your life would be dull without him. 
“I’d ask you to pinch me but I know you’ll make it hurt,” Your hand reached out automatically towards his thigh and he swatted you away with an eye roll, “I’m obsessed with you too, have been for months. Since the first day you started actually. Want you to be my girl, wanna be yours too.” 
Leaning forward you pressed a quick peck to the corner of his mouth and you felt his head turn, trying to catch your lips. He wouldn’t get off the hook that easily, it took no effort to remember how it felt to see that girl's hands all over him. Even if it wasn’t his fault you don’t think he’d mind paying for it anyways. Add on the cocky grin he had earlier when he realized you were jealous and all of a sudden you had big plans for Steve Harrington, plans that made your thighs clench and had you pulsing around nothing. 
You cooed at him, pulling back just in time to see his brows furrowed and a cute little pout working its way on his lips. He had no idea what was coming to him and you couldn’t want to see how sorry he would be. 
“Patience is key, baby.” 
          *****************************************
It was a week later when it all clicked for Steve. 
A week of teasing touches and sneaky glances his way, even when people were looking. You’d leave a kiss on his cheek or the corner of his mouth or on the side of his neck right right under his ear. He was going crazy, body leaning forward subconsciously anytime you were near him. 
You’ve barely let him touch you and at first he was worried but you’d whisper in his ear about “payback” for making you jealous and while he was nervous, now he was just excited. And impatient, wanting and begging for you to just do it already. He couldn’t take much more teasing, his cock had been aching for what felt like forever and no matter how many times he found himself in bed, stroking himself to the thought of you, it wouldn’t ever be enough. 
He thinks you’ve finally decided to put him out of his misery, calling him earlier to ask if you could come over, that you had a special surprise that was just for him. He’d agreed without hesitation, telling you to come over whenever you wanted and that he’d be waiting for you. His parents weren’t around this weekend so he didn’t have to worry about them and he was thanking god for that. 
It had been 4 hours and 37 minutes since you called, not that he’d been counting, when he heard a knock at his door that had him all but jumping over the couch and sprinting for the front door. He practically ripped it open, grinning wide as he took you in with dreamy eyes and his stomach twisted in knots. 
You were wearing a sundress that reached about mid thigh and he had to hold himself upright with the door at the sight of your bare legs, tan and smooth and fuck he just needed to bite at the skin between your thighs. The dress had little strawberries printed all over and he’d bet money that you tasted just as sweet as the fruit. His mouth watered at the sight of your full lips all glossy with whatever you’d put on them and it took everything in him not to lean forward and suck your bottom lip into his mouth. 
He didn’t realize he had been standing there just staring until you cleared your throat, a knowing smirk on your lips as he shook his head to clear him from the daze you’d put him in. “S’pretty, you’re so pretty.” His voice was quiet and he wasn’t sure if he meant for you to hear or if he was just talking to himself. 
“Thank you, handsome. Can I come in or do I need to stand on the porch with you eye-fucking me all night?” He doesn’t think he’d ever get used to your crassness, even though he wasn’t complaining about it. He loved that you spoke your mind, no matter how dirty, and hoped what one day he’d be comfortable doing that too. 
“Right, right, yes come in,” Pulling the door open he stepped to the side so you could come in, knees wobbling when he caught a whiff of your perfume as you passed, “Are you hungry? I can…order something. I don’t have much to cool but maybe I could run to the store real quick?” 
He heard your muffled giggle as you walked through the house in front of him, hips swaying as you walked and he felt his cock twitch in his pants just looking at you. 
“Just hungry for you, Stevie.” 
You were teasing, he knew that, but he wasn’t sure you weren’t serious by the way you eyed him over your shoulder like he was your prey. And fuck did he want to be. He’d crawl around on the floor if you asked. 
By the time he followed your trail and made it through the living room you were at the foot of the stairs, lip between your teeth and hands together behind your back all innocent. You both knew better than to believe that. 
“Can I see your room?” Fuck this was happening. He nodded at you, grabbing your small hand with his and relishing in the way it felt to hold you. He led you up the stairs and was careful not to go too fast, to seem too eager. He knows you’d tease him for being so excited but based on the look in your eyes he thought that maybe you were pretty excited too. 
Pushing his door open he watched as you took in his room, eyes light as you scanned over the posters he’d hung haphazardly, some artwork the kids had drawn for him hanging above his desk. His bed was unmade and he cursed himself, as if you’d care. 
“Looks exactly how I pictured it.” 
“You pictured my room?” 
“Maybe.” 
He stood still, leaning up against the door he’d closed and locked behind him as you made your way around, lifting up papers and magazines, humming quietly to yourself. You must have been a witch or something the way he’d become so entranced with you, following your every move like he wasn’t meant to do anything else.
So when you turn around to face him quickly, he’s startled, eyes shooting up to meet yours like he’d gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar before dinner. 
“Alright then, on the bed.” 
The flurry of questions he has does little to deter him as he scrambles past you and pushes on the bed a little too quickly. He falls forward face first and hears you snicker behind him. He’s not sure where you want him so he hopes he’s right. He scoots back, flush against the wall, the headboard on his left and foot of the bed on his right. 
“You want this, Harrington? I’m not misreading anything, right?” 
He’s shaking his head furiously, eyes wide and mouth closed as he watches for your next move. 
“Oh now you have nothing to say? Months of knowing you and you’re hardly ever quiet. Use your words, big boy.” 
“Y-yes, I want this. Whatever you want.” 
The smile you reward him with makes his chest ache and the blood rush through him so fast he can hear it pounding in his ears. He thinks he wants you looking like that all the time, proud and pleased with him. 
“Good! It’s time for payback then.” 
        **********************************************
You really really hoped your nerves didn’t show on your face as you stood in front of Steve. You don’t think he’d notice even if they did, eyes glazed over as he waited for whatever you had planned. 
Now at this point you were over the whole jealousy thing from last week, really you were! But you played into it a little extra just so you could be mean to him right now. Although with the plans you had, you’d be being mean to him and yourself. 
Wordlessly you reached down, fingers toying with the hem of your dress and you watched as Steve’s eyes tracked the movement, throat bobbing slightly as you lifted it a few inches before letting it drop back down. 
This only lasted for a few minutes before you’d had enough, gripping your dress and almost ripping it over your head and letting it drop to your feet. What you hadn’t mentioned was that you had nothing underneath it, absolutely nothing. 
Steve drank you in, slack jawed with his eyes almost bugging out of his head when he moved from your face to your tits, staring at your already hard nipples that you would blame on the coolness in his room. His eyes moved down further and he groaned, a deep, guttural sound that made your clit throb under his stare. 
Was that some drool leaking down to his chin? 
“Take a picture, it'll last longer.”
“Can I?” You don’t think he even realized the words left his mouth and you fought the urge to laugh at how out of it he seemed already. 
“Not tonight, baby.” 
His hands fisted the sheets below him as the pet name slipped past your lips and you smiled sweetly at him. Pointing to the headboard you directed him with a quiet voice, “I’m gonna sit there,” moving your hand to point toward the foot of his bed he followed your finger eagerly, “and you’re gonna sit there, facing me.” 
He obeyed instantly, shuffling toward where’d you directed him while you climbed onto the bed and and situated yourself against his headboard with your legs stretched out in front of you. 
“Can I have your shirt?” It wasn’t anything special, a plain white t-shirt that hugged him beautifully, but you wanted it all the same. To have his smell surrounding you, covering you in him. He peeled it off so he was left in a pair of jeans that stuck to him in all the right places. Unsure of what to do he tossed it to you and you wasted no time in slipping it over your bare frame, pleased that it bunched at your hips just how you’d hoped.
You could see the disappointment in his face at the extra layer you’d added and you itched to lean forward and pinch his flushed cheeks in adoration. He was just so adorable it made you crazy. With everyone else he was strong and stern, the babysitter and protector and king of Hawkins.
But with you…with you he was soft and sweet, pliable in your hands like putty and you ate up every second of it. 
           ****************************************
Steve thinks he might have gone to heaven, you sitting across from him in nothing but his shirt with your thighs on display. 
His chest feels hot despite the cool air hitting his skin and he thinks if he doesn’t get his hands on you in the next three seconds something horrible might happen. You're giving him that teasing smile that makes his tummy clench and sends excitement zipping down his spine. 
He still can’t believe you like him, that you’re obsessed with him. It’s like a dream come true and he thinks he’s pinched himself at least 17 times in the last week. 
He’s pulled from his thoughts when you call his name softly, head snapping up to meet yours and he feels dizzy all over again from how pretty you look. 
“You’re gonna watch me, okay? No touching me or yourself until I say.” Wait—what? He gives you a nod and tries not to let his disappointment show in his face, and he knows he fails based on the way you smile and shake your head at him. 
But any disappointment he had is gone in a flash when you lean back and spread your legs to give him a glimpse at just how much you like him. He might black out, he’s not sure. You’re glistening for him, a little bit of slick on your thighs and suddenly he’s starved. He audibly groans at the sight of you on display for him. 
“She’s pretty—fuck so pretty.” He’s talking more to himself than you but he sees the way you twitch at him referring to your pussy as “her” and it makes him smile shyly, still not moving his eyes from where you’re dripping on his bed. 
He watches closely as your hand trails down, rubbing over your thighs for just a second before you’re taking two fingers and spreading yourself open for him, both of you too impatient to drag this out too long. Before he can stop himself he’s moving forward, going to his knees and crawling across his bed that feels far too big all of a sudden. He doesn’t realize he’s moved until your legs are closed and one foot is pressed against his bare chest, stopping him from getting any closer. 
One hand is holding him up and the other is holding onto your ankle as he pleads with his eyes for you to let him closer, just a taste, he just needs one little taste. 
“We’ve just started and you’re already breaking the rules?” The faux disappointment in your tone makes him pout, leaning down to press a small kiss against your calf and he hears you chuckle at his attempt at distracting you. 
“M’sorry, baby, you’re just so pretty, she’s so pretty. Let me have a taste, please? I’ll be good after that, I swear. Just one taste, honey.” 
He watches in anticipation, hope is swelling in his chest as you study him and he can see the contemplation in your eyes as you take him in. He’s so close he can smell you and it lights his whole body up, cock so hard pressed up against his jeans he could cry. 
“Hmm, no,” He hears the whine he makes but can’t be bothered to care, “what fun is payback if I give in before I’ve even touched myself! You can be patient, I know you can.” You have much more faith in him than he has in himself, body slumping in defeat before he’s moving back to where you directed him the first time. 
“Can I at least take these jeans off? It hurts, baby.” 
“Fine, but the boxers stay on, sneaky.” It takes him no time before he’s peeling his jeans off, sighing in relief when some of the pressure is released and he feels like he can breathe again. 
Well he can breathe until you’re spreading your legs again, fingers slipping back down to tease at your clit as your eyes stay locked on him. His chest is tightening as he watches you. Watching the way your legs spread wider when you notice him fisting the sheets beside him. Watching the way your head falls back against his headboard when you move down to circle your messy hole, a moan so lewd coming from your mouth he feels a bead of precum drip down his cock. 
Jesus Christ, he couldn’t decide if this was heaven or hell but he’s sure that either way he’d gladly spend an eternity here. 
He’s torn between watching your face or watching your fingers in your cunt, eyes flickering between the two every few seconds so he didn’t miss something important. He remembers how you compare him to a puppy and he’s sure he’s never looked more like one than he does right now. He’s practically panting across from you and you’re the treat that would be making his tail wag—if he had one. 
“Feels so good, Stevie. This is how wet I get just from thinking about you, ya know? Always have me messy and ready for you.” 
“Please let me touch you. Fuck—please, sweetheart. Need it so bad, need you so bad. I’ll be good, I swear. Never make you jealous again. God I swear I’ll do anything.” 
He knew you were getting close, thighs threatening to close on your hand and hips lifting from the bed eagerly. He could see it on your face too—you wanted to deny him, to torture him some more but he could see you giving in. 
“You beg so pretty, Harrington. Fuck, get over here. Now.” 
He didn't need to be told twice, launching himself across the bed and fitting himself between your thighs that had opened a little to accommodate his wide frame. He waited expectantly, and you smiled down at him fondly. 
“You know, you really look like a—”
“A puppy, I know. So can I have my treat then?” 
Nodding at him you swiped your fingers through your folds and held your hand out to him, fingers shiny with you and he opened his mouth quickly. His head moved forward and he took your fingers in his mouth, lapping his tongue around them greedily, determined not to waste a single drop. He hummed around them, eyes closed so he didn't see the way you were staring at him like he’d hung the moon. 
“S’good then?” You sounded breathless above him and he could only nod, not wanting to drop your fingers from his mouth just yet. God, you tasted good. He’d compare you to a nice summer treat but the truth is you’d be perfect for any season, any day. Fuck he’d stay buried between your thighs 24/7 if you’d let him. 
He finally pulled off just enough so that he could speak, “better than a blow pop.” The laugh that pulled from you made his heart warm. It was loud and genuine, shoulders shaking slightly as you grinned at him, teeth on display and everything. 
It was quiet for a few minutes, you pressing your fingers down on his tongue and even though he’d cleaned them up, the taste of you lingered and he would gladly sit here with your fingers in his mouth for hours. 
But you had other plans. 
“Need your fingers, Stevie. They’re bigger than mine and I’m already close from watching you lap at my fingers like a little greedy puppy.” His eyes fell from yours, cheeks red and ears burning as you teased him. 
“Can I use my mouth?” 
“Mhm, not today. I already gave in way too quick, you were just too cute to say no to.” He wants to pout, to protest and beg but he thinks just watching you fall apart on his fingers will be more than enough for him. 
You part your legs further as he slips down to rest his cheek against your inner thigh. His hair tickles the soft, sensitive skin there and you giggle. He moves just enough to press a quick, open mouthed kiss and dreams about the marks he hopes you’ll let him leave there one day. 
With a nod from you he moves his eyes to your cunt, swollen and dripping, and runs his fingers over your clit just to feel your thigh twitch against his cheek. He wraps the hand he’s not using around your thigh, clutching it to him tightly as he eases two of his fingers into you. They slip in easily with no resistance and the feeling of your warm, hot walls snug on his fingers makes him grind his hips down into his bed. 
“Shit—she feels good, hugging my fingers so tight.” Your hips buck up against his hand, urging him in deeper and he smiles against your leg. A groan slips out of him when your hand slips down to rub slow, loose circles on your clit, head rolling back so that all you can see is his eyes peeking up at you. 
He doesn’t think he’s ever seen something so hot in his entire life. He can see the little beads of sweat rolling down your forehead and how you’re panting and whining above him, especially when he curls his fingers upward and finds that spongy spot that has your mouth dropping open and eyes squeezing shut. 
“There it is, yeah? That’s the spot?” You’re nodding quickly, fingers that were circling your clit are now sliding into his hair and gripping it tightly. The burn of it makes him moan against your thigh, the sting of your grip making his eyes roll back into his head almost. 
“D-don’t you dare stop, Harrington. M’close, so so close.” He doesn’t think there is anything that could get him to stop. Not when you’re dripping down his hand and your thighs are shaking like they are. 
The final straw is when he moves his mouth down a couple of inches, teeth scraping against the skin where your thighs almost touch and he bites down, hard enough to leave a mark. He hears the thud of your head knocking against his headboard and the curse that flies out of your mouth as you clench down on him so hard you almost push his fingers out. He works you through it, licking over the mark he just left to soothe the sting and slowing down his fingers once you start to twitch and whine from the feeling. 
It’s not until you're pushing his hand away and letting your legs slump that he takes a peek at you, a lazy smile on your face and hair sticking to your forehead where you’d been sweating. He knows there’s a widening grin on his face as he looks up at you, placing one last kiss before he’s sitting himself up so his legs are under yours and his hands are resting on the tops of your thighs. 
“If that’s what you call payback then remind me to piss you off more often!” 
You roll your eyes, letting your body fall back against his headboard, “Don’t get smart with me now, Harrington. Not when I’m about to make you cum. I would hate to change my mind.” 
His ears perk up and honestly he hadn’t even thought about himself since he’d gotten between your thighs, content with watching you squirm and moan around his fingers. But he wasn’t gonna turn you down, hell no! Just the thought of you anywhere near his cock had him twitching in his boxers. 
He closed his mouth, fingers coming up to mimic zipping a zipper of his lips and tossing the non existent key far behind him. You smirked at him, hand coming close to pat his cheek, almost like you’d pet his head. 
“Good boy, now turn around and take those boxers off, please.” 
          ********************************************
Holy shit. You didn’t think you'd ever cum so hard in your life. You swear you might have actually seen stars for a minute there when he curled his fingers just right. And when he bit you? How the hell did he know you had a thing for biting. 
Keeping him at arm's length had been the hardest thing you’d ever had to do, especially when he was looking at you like you were a five course meal in front of him. He’d practically been salivating at the sight of you and it took everything in you not to give into him immediately. 
But now that you’d cum, all you could think about was him. About finally getting your hand on his cock and listening to the way he’d gasp and whine with your hand around him. Just the thought was enough to send another wave of arousal and need over you, your toes curling and fingers digging into his bed. 
He still hadn’t moved in front of you and you cocked your head at him, trying to figure out why he suddenly had that sad pout on his lips. “What’s the matter?”
His cheeks were red and he looked almost embarrassed as he tried to avoid eye contact with you and you worried you’d done something to upset him. Maybe this wasn’t as good for him, maybe he didn’t like you teasing him? 
“S’just…you haven’t kissed me and I just—I wanna kiss you so bad but I didn’t know if there was a reason you hadn’t or maybe you just didn’t want to or—”
You cut him off, gripping his shoulders and pushing your lips against his that were swollen and slick with spit. He moaned against you, sighing and relaxing in your hold. Fuck—how had you not kissed him yet? 
His tongue swiped against your bottom lip and you heard the little whine he let out when you didn’t let him in, laughing against his lips. He took the opportunity to move closer, hands moving to fist at your hair and you felt lightheaded from how good he felt, how sweet he tasted. 
When you needed to breathe you regretfully pulled back, foreheads touching and noses bumping into one another as you both took big, greedy gulps of air. His eyes almost sparkled as he looked at you, a shy smirk on both your mouths. 
“Better?”
“Perfect.” It was hard to ignore the way your heart thumped against your rib cage like it was trying to fight its way out. He was perfect. Everything about him and the way he carried himself drew you to him like a moth to a flame. Your mind was consumed with all things Steve. 
And while you wanted to be mushy and sweet with him, one glance down between you had your mouth watering and fingers twitching at your sides. There was a dark wet patch on his blue boxers and the outline of his cock was prominent. You think you know why he was so cocky in high school now, he definitely had the goods to back it up. 
“Kiss me whenever you want but if you don’t get your boxers off in the next 5 seconds I might do something crazy.” 
Your words snapped him out of his post kiss haze and you laughed softly as he scrambled off the bed to pull his boxers down his legs and practically kick them across the room. You gulped at the sight of him, of his pretty and thick cock already leaking and shiny for you. You motioned him forward, eyes kind and soft as you spread your legs for him. 
He smiled when you patted the space in front of you and he crawled back between your legs and shuffled so that he was sitting in front of you, his back pressed to your front, the material of his shirt clinging to his sweaty back. Your thighs stretched around his hips but you loved the slight burn it brought you. You laid back and brought him with you so that he was slumped against your chest, your feet hooked over his calves. 
His hands were on either one of your thighs, fingers digging into the soft flesh there while his arms were loose at his sides. You took the opportunity to slip your hands under his arms, hands reaching up to run over his chest, tweaking one of his nipples on your way and watching the way his cock twitched where it was resting against his lower belly. 
Steve looked like a dream, head thrown back on your shoulder, thigh thighs spread open with his pretty cock on display for you. As your hands made their way to his tummy you scratched softly, fingers sliding through the trail that started under his belly button and went down. He must have felt sensitive there because he turned his head to the side, mouth pressed against your neck as he cursed. 
“S’good, so good. Fuck, I swear anything you do feels fuckin’ perfect.” You pressed a quick kiss to his shoulder at his words, feeling the high of them as he spoke. 
Holding your hand out in front of him, palm up toward his face he hummed against you, not sure what you were wanting him to do, but willing to do just about anything if it meant your hand would be on his cock. 
“Spit.” 
All that was heard in the room was his quick intake of air, eyes fluttering as he leaned toward your hand. He looked back at you once, to double check that this was real or for confirmation that you really wanted him to spit in your hand, you’re not sure. But you nodded, throat bobbing as he turned back and spit, watching in awe. 
“Good boy.” 
Any strength he had left was gone at your words, head falling back to its place on your shoulder as you moved your hand down, taking hold of his cock and hearing him hiss at the contact. 
You think this might be the best thing that’s ever happened to you. 
His cock was hot and smooth under your touch, a mix of his spit and precum making it easy to glide your hand over his shaft, letting your thumb catch on the tip and relishing in the way he gasped in your ear. 
“Such a pretty cock for a pretty boy, hmm?” The feeling of his fingers digging into your thighs only spurred you on, hand tight around him as you stroked him quickly, loving the way his tummy would clench and he’d gasp at how slick he was, how good it felt. 
You’d never seen him so needy, so pathetic as he was right now, little whines and pleas against the shell of your ear as you gripped him. He was heavy in your hand and you wondered how he’d feel on your tongue, how he’d taste when he thrusted into your mouth. You’d add that to the list of things you needed to do immediately. 
“M’sorry, sorry fuck—you’re gonna make me cum, m’gonna cum—oh shit.” He was throbbing hard against your palm, breathing even harder against your neck and you cooed at him when his hips started thrusting up in time with your strokes. 
“Without asking? I don’t think so, Stevie. You haven’t even said please!” Your hand slowed and he moved so his hand was wrapped over yours, trying to get you to go faster but you swatted him away, scolding him with a pinch to his hip. 
Taking one look at his face that was still buried in your throat, you could tell he was out of it, so fucked out you weren’t sure he could even form words, let alone beg. But that didn’t stop you from egging him on, slowing down until he was so worked up he was on the verge of tears. 
“Oh fuck—please…baby, honey, please let me cum? I’ve been so good I just..shit I need it. You feel so good, perfect girl. O-oh my god, please. Please please please.” 
He was mumbling, a mix of curses and pleas as he left sloppy, open mouthed kisses against your throat. You think you’d give him anything he wanted right now with how pretty he sounded, all pathetic and fucked out for you. 
“Go ahead, pretty boy. Cum on my hand, yeah? Make a mess of us.” Your hand sped up on his cock, feeling yourself leak into his bed as he twitched against your fingers. You kept going, kept talking as his hips got sloppy and cock was red and begging for release. 
“Don’t know how you’ll ever fit inside me, Stevie. Gonna have to prep me for days I think.” 
“Next time you’ll have to use my mouth, yeah? I hate letting your cum go to waste.” 
“Y’look so pretty like this. My sweet boy thrusting up into my hand, gonna think about this for days.”
He thrusted up one final time, hips stilling and body going tight as his orgasm took over. His cum coated your fist that was still wrapped around him, reaching his belly and even spilling down onto his thighs. He couldn’t even see the way you pouted at how much had been wasted, cursing yourself for not letting him use your mouth. 
Slumped completely against your chest he mumbled something about his legs feeling like jelly and you giggled, cheek resting against his forehead. 
“Soooo, good then?” 
It took all the energy he could muster to squeeze your thigh, head moving to the side a fraction so he could look at you, smiling so big his cheeks had to hurt. “Are you fuckin’ kidding? I think I just saw god for a second.” 
Rolling your eyes and shoving at his shoulders, butterflies danced in your stomach at how pretty he looked. His skin was flushed and glowing, hair a mess where you’d both pulled at it, lips swollen and red from biting and kissing and holding them between his teeth. He looked phenomenal. 
As much as you’d love to stay here wrapped up in him for the rest of your life, your thighs had gone numb from being stretched around his hips and your back ached from sitting back against his headboard for so long. 
Out of the corner of your eye you could see him nodding off on your shoulder, eyes fluttering shut and little puffs of air hitting your skin. You tapped his cheeks with your clean hand, “C’mon, Stevie. Gotta clean us up and then we can go straight to bed.” 
He groaned in protest but leaned up enough so that you could slip from behind him, legs tingling when you stood on them, hobbling to the bathroom on shaky legs and flipping Steve off when you heard him chuckle from behind you. 
“Oh fuck off, Harrington.” 
          ******************************************
When Steve wakes up the next morning it’s slow and sweet, eyes blinking open and a small smile on his lips when he feels you pressed into his side. 
He looks down and tries not to laugh at your mouth hanging open, a little bit of drool on his chest from where your cheek is squished against his skin. Your hair is sticking up in every direction and he can feel your breath on him. It makes his heart grow in his chest, an overwhelming sense of joy and contentment washing over him as he stares down at you. He could get used to this, you attached to his hip and waking up to you in his bed. 
Thinking back to when you barely gave him the time of day, he smiles at your relationship now. How you’re just as needy as him, tugging on his belt loop to pull him to you if he’s not close enough for your liking, pulling his hand to your thigh in his car if he doesn’t do it first. He’s seen you use your foot to pull his chair closer to yours at work countless times, a little smile on his mouth every time. 
There’s a part of him that doesn’t know how he got so lucky. He feels that way all the time but especially when you laugh louder than you mean to, hand coming up to cover your mouth with a bashful smile. He feels it when you're humming along to a song you’d heard on the radio, head moving side to side and hips swaying to the beat in your head. He feels it when you randomly bring his hand up to your mouth, pressing a kiss to his palm and to his fingertips. 
He feels it all the time, really. 
And he loves when you're mean to him, when you tease him about staring at you too long or for getting all bashful when you do something normal like tuck your hair behind your ear or scrunch your nose. He loves that you turn him into mush. 
“Stop staring, you creep.” He’d been so lost in his thoughts he didn’t notice your eyes opening or how’d you had scooted closer to him, one leg coming up to tangle with his, wrapped together tightly. 
“That’s rich coming from you considering I’m gonna have to clean your drool off me.” You gasped, sitting up straight and smacking at this chest, appalled at the notion that you would ever—could ever—drool on him in your sleep. 
“Keep it up, Steve. Remember what happened the last time you pissed me off?”
As if he’d ever forget. Unfortunately for you, the idea of repeating last night, or anything like it, was hardly going to deter him from pressing your buttons in the way that only he knew how to do. Reaching out he tugged you back down to him, tucking you back into his side and pressing a soft kiss to the crown of your head. 
“Don’t tempt me with a good time.” 
4K notes · View notes