#what is this calm acoustic music

[dawn-the-rithmatist]

Listening to WTNV for the first time

Not-Cecil-Voice: “the future is what you make of it. just know, your supplies are limited.”

Me: hm, weird start to an ad

Not-Cecil-Voice: “Welcome to Desert Bluffs”

Me: WHAT.

[actually-safer-to-kiss]

ok im listening to a spencer reid playlist and "marry me" by bruno mars came on and all i can imagine is its like a week or so after spencer had proposed, and he comes home to reader dancing/singing to the song while cleaning or baking. i would love to see this as a fic 🥺

Sneak Peek

Summary: Spencer comes home from a case to find his new fiancée, Reader, in rare form.

Couple: Spencer Reid/Fem!Reader

Category: Fluff, kinda sunshine/grump

Content warnings: None

Word count: 1.2k

A/N: Here ya go, babes 🩵

Finally, Spencer thinks when he sees his front door. For work, hours on the jet to and from Quantico don’t take as much of a toll on him as one would expect. Passing the hours with debriefs, cards, reading, and sleeping is something he’s grown accustomed to for years at the B.A.U.

This week, however, was different. Before this last-minute case in Cheyenne, Spencer popped the question to you (with the team’s help with set-up and delivery). Of course you said yes. He barely had time to fish the ring from his blazer pocket before you burst out with your answer. But you barely got to enjoy the first 24 hours of being engaged before the team was called to Wyoming the next morning.

But now, it’s Saturday, so that means you’re home. He can already hear music on the other side of the door when he twists his key. Quite an upbeat tune, unusual for your typical taste. While he sticks to classical composers, normally you’re drawn to calm acoustic songs with minimal production. But what he hears when he opens the door is pure pop.

He couldn’t help but smile as he stepped into the apartment, as the familiar scent of home hit him with the smell of something in the oven. You never cook. And you never bake. But Spencer knows what fresh cookies smell like. He followed the sources, rounding the wall that divided the entryway from the kitchen. And there was when his heart skipped a beat. You were there, in a dress, dancing and singing along with the lively tune, completely immersed in a housewife experience of your own making.

This is nothing but out of character for you. You and Spencer regularly put work first before anything. It is expected in your fields that you prioritize work over each other at times. So your wardrobe was mostly pantsuits and black pumps. Prentiss often gave you suggestions on where to shop for your go-to outfits. Which is why Spencer was so stunned to find you in a dress, flowing around your calves as you twirled on the tile floor. Your hair swayed with every movement, and the joy in your eyes was infectious. The room seemed to come alive with the energy you were exuding. 

He drank it in, marveling at the happiness radiating from his fiancée. He didn’t think simply clearing his throat would be noticeable. But it was. And suddenly, your batter-doused whisk/makeshift microphone became your weapon of choice. “Spencer!” You exclaimed.

Spencer put his hands up in immediate surrender, his heart momentarily pounding for a different reason. “Woah, it’s okay. It’s just me.”

Your footing in the small space caused you to lose the rhythm of the music as you stumbled. Your socks gave you little friction, but Spencer was quick to save you from mild embarrassment. Granted, his degrees and experience in profiling didn’t exactly prepare him for impromptu dance saves, but he caught you with surprising grace.

“Careful there,” he teased, still holding onto you. “The team will have some choice words with me if they find bruises on you, no matter where they came from.”

You scoffed. “Wow, bruises. So romantic. What a way to greet your future wife.”

Spencer shrugged before lifting you back to your feet, making sure your feet were stable before letting his hands slide from your shoulders. They glided down to your palms as he extended your arms out. “Well, I can certainly say your greeting exceeds mine by miles.” He looks up and down at your dress; a plain green that hugged you at the waist. “I didn’t know you owned any dresses.”

“Hm.” You said. Your hands rolled with his, urging your fingers to link. “I managed to slip something past the genius in this house. Guess you’re not as observant as I thought.”

Spencer’s brows rose as his jaw dropped, instantly ready to roll with this. Sarcasm was something he had to pick up quickly with you, as it’s your default tone. And you have yet to stray after three years. “I’m observant.” The shock translates through his response.

“Clearly not as much as you like to think.” You untangle one of your hands from his and it creeps to cup his cheek, rough with little stubble. “Barely a week of being engaged and you’re already slipping.” You click your tongue as you shake your head.

“I’m very observant. I notice a lot, thank you.” He pulls you close. His now free hand snaking around your waist, just letting your noses brush. He notices how your mouth opens slightly, expecting a kiss as your exhale grazes his upper lip. He was planning to kiss you then and there, and whatever happened next, he was more than happy with.

But you called him out. So now he has to prove you wrong.

“You didn’t sweep up all the flour off the floor.”

Your eyes were half-open, one of the most vulnerable looks he gets to see. But it fizzles as the information clicks in your head. “What?”

“Your socks.” He gestures down to them.

And you look. Black socks were definitely not the wisest choice.

“How many times did you screw up the cookies?” He asked.

“I didn’t screw them up… too much.”

Spencer’s brow quirked.

“Just more flour than the recipe called for. But only because the bag was so difficult to open.”

So, you spilled it. But he kept that part quiet, as you were already turning pink. “How much salt did you use?” He asks instead. Because he’s not above being too gracious.

“Not much.” You bit your lips closed. “Just the standard amount.”

“The standard amount? Did you throw some over your shoulder for luck?” He brushes some grains he spots sticking to your collarbone.

You were still pink, and Spencer could feel the heat rise off your skin. “We… may need to get more sugar from the store.”

“What did you—”

“Not important. The cookies will be ready in three minutes. So, do you want cookies or not?”

“Hm,” He says, eyes glued to your shoulder again. “So if this is sugar…” And he leans down to kiss your shoulder. His mouth is warm against your skin as it scales across the center of your clavicle. His lips brush them before leading up to your neck. 

“This is the greeting I expected.” You say.

“Oh, really?” He follows the pulse point that he’s learned makes your knees equivalent to jelly. When he kisses there, but doesn’t let his teeth scrape the delicate skin just yet. He closes his eyes, to get lost in the moment, in you, a bit faster. The excuse of sugar on your skin has long been exhausted, but you indulged regardless, indisputable by the small sounds that escape you as he kisses more. The arm that holds your waist braces to take on your weight when he nips.

And down you go. But he catches you. Once again

“Does my future wife expect more?”

You say nothing. You swallow dryly, but Spencer understands that as a yes from you. He keeps you both still. Nipping again while his other hand takes free range around your dress. It makes you mewl, and he’s close to hoisting you to bed.

“The cookies—” You remind him. “Can’t let them burn. The timer says—mm—two minutes.”

“I have plenty to keep me occupied for two minutes.”

[starrystevie]

it was all supposed to be a joke. they were supposed to be in steve’s backyard with all their friends and family in shitty lawn chairs, holding cans of budweiser and jamming to whatever song eddie was in the mood for that day blasting through the speakers. steve was supposed to be in front of them all in a tuxedo t-shirt and powder blue dress pants, flowers in his hair that had been teased to high heaven and dark black sunglasses to keep out the bright sun. that’s how they had planned it all those years ago when they’d been high and drunk and young and in love.

but somehow instead, the yard is full of flowers and benches that hopper and wayne put together with spare wood for everyone to sit on and there’s an archway at the end of the aisle and soft acoustic songs spilling gently out of the speakers. steve’s still at the front, that was always supposed to happen, but this time he’s wearing an actual tux, light cream with a boutonnière and everything, and his hair is pushed back just so. there’s no flowers in his hair and no sunglasses but it’s cloudy enough of a day where he doesn’t really need them anyway.

they weren't even supposed to do this. there wasn't supposed to be a grand entrance and a walk down the aisle, no flower girls or ring bearers or anything remotely traditional. but what started off as, "well, i wouldn't mind walking down the aisle," and "i think exchanging rings would be cool," and "who cares if it isn't legal, i'm going to marry you anyway damnit," turned into this beautiful day of friends and family and love.

robin’s standing beside him in a tux of her own, pinstripe grey donning a pocket boutonnière that matches nancy’s bouquet, with a few notecards in her hands. and speaking of nancy, she’s heading down the aisle in a flowing dress, and when her eyes catch robin’s, she crinkles her nose before blowing her a kiss. she stands opposite of steve as eddie's not-quite-bridesmaid and grips her bouquet tightly, her eyes never leaving robin's.

and then there's dustin. he's in a tux that matches steve's and he has his curls pushed back with probably too much gel and a tie that suzie got him for their 3rd anniversary. the best thing he's sporting, though, is the smile on his face and the ring box in his hand and the joy in his eyes as he looks out at the crowd. having him there as best man and smelling the cheap cologne he wears so he seems more grown up calms steve's ever beating heart enough to where he doesn't think he'll throw up from nerves anymore.

all of their loved ones are surrounding them in clothes steve’s never seen before but he couldn’t care at all what they’re wearing because they’re all smiling wide and bright at him. he catches himself rocking back and forth on his feet so he shakes out his hands and holds them behind his back to distract himself. his stomach is rolling with waves or butterflies and when he catches joyce's eye in the front row, she mimes taking in a deep breath which he instantly copies. the soft grin she sends in return tells him that he thinks it could actually work to settle him. mothers have that healing way about them.

he’s never been good with weddings, always fidgeting in a too tight suit his mom picked out, but he never thought he’d be this antsy at his own.

steve's just about to give up and sprint down the aisle to get eddie so they can run away together and leave nerves and or butterflies behind him, but then the music stops. he sees lucas changing out the tapes quickly, giving a thumbs up to mike who throws one to will who runs back behind the shed to where he knows eddie is waiting and when will pops his head back out to run back to his seat, it hits him.

he's getting married.

steve doesn't have time to think about it anymore than he already has been for the last 8 years because eddie's coming around the corner of the shed.

'here comes the sun' is playing out over the speakers, soft and perfect, and eddie's smiling, wide and beautiful, and steve can't help but mirror it back to him. the clouds overhead seem to hear them, hear the song and hear their hearts beating in time with each other, because as soon as eddie gets to the aisle, bright warm rays of sunlight peak out and make the rhinestones he demanded line the lapels of his own black tux shine like real diamonds.

steve stops breathing. he swears he does, and he knows his family are all feeling the same way. he can hear a few gasps, hears joyce muttering what she thinks is a silent, "oh my god," in hop's ear, and watches how wayne stands up just a bit straighter from his front row seat.

eddie glides down the aisle like the drama king he is, soaking in the looks from everyone they care about and soaking in the sun that seems to come out only for him. it's like the sun knows he's a star, too, and wants to come out to be with one of it's own. eddie's always been sunshine and starlight and a blinding thing to look at and take in. he's the light, steve's the moth, and a few clouds on their wedding day could never change it.

"well, that was insanely good timing," eddie whispers to steve once he reaches him. his grin softens and he brings up a hand to wipe gently at the tear tracks on steve's cheeks. "hi, baby."

and steve can do nothing but choke out a laugh, catching eddie's hand in his own so he press a kiss to his palm. he thinks he can feel eddie's heartbeat against his lips and, even if it's his brain playing tricks on him, he likes the sentiment that it brings. "i love you so fucking much."

it's eddie's turn to get teary-eyed and the sun glints off the tears that fall down his cheek before heading back behind the clouds, dotting quick-to-fade sparkles on his face like a wedding present.

steve kisses him. he can't help it. it's nothing but a fast press of lips, watery smile to watery smile, and everyone is cheering except for robin.

"hey! it's not time for that yet," she says with a pretend scowl, arms pressing to each of their chests to keep them apart. it's enough to leave nancy giggling where she stands behind eddie, her laugh like bells bouncing off of the trees surrounding them. "just give me like ten minutes and we'll have you married and you can kiss all you want then."

steve swears he can hear mike groan at that which cause him to grin which cause eddie to grin back and then they're holding hands like it's the only way to get through the next ten minutes. and it might just be the only way to get through it. knowing them, if they didn't hold on tight, one of them would make a move first and there'd be hands around waists and fingers tangled in hair and robin would hate them forever because she wouldn't get to do her speech.

it's after vows are shared, after rings are on fingers, after kisses are pressed to lips and cheeks and temples and hands and everything else they can quickly reach, that the two of them get some peace. everyone is inside eating snacks and drinking cheap champagne, and it goes unspoken that they're going to take some time for themselves. take some time to bask in their new maybe not-so-legally real but as real as could ever be in their hearts marriage.

they make their way, hand in hand like they've always been meant to do, to a table set up for them. eddie pops a bottle of champagne that they pass back and forth between themselves as they share cheesy smiles and champagne-laced kisses. and it's as they look into each other's eyes, fingers lacing so their rings clink softly against each other, that the sun peaks out to say hello once more.

[marlynnofmany]

Singing and Other Noises

If you have to clean the bathroom on a multi-species spaceship, you can at least take the opportunity to annoy your coworkers with some high volume space shanties. The acoustics of most bathrooms I’ve been in are great, and this one was no exception.

“If you find snacks in high places, adhesive eyes making faces…” I sang, passing the sanitation wand over the floor. “Someone gives thanks to the void, and knives to the droid … Then you might have some humans onboard, onboard, you might have some humans onboard!”

Paint laughed in the hallway. “I don’t think anyone would miss the fact that we have a human onboard.” When I leaned out to grin at her, she continued, “You’re very loud.”

“This is the perfect place to sing!” I said, leaning back and switching to a different song. “You’ll hear us singing loud and proud, in halls and hulls and ventilation chutes. You’ll know us by our range and joy, and we sing better than you!” It echoed nicely.

Paint was shaking her lizardy head. “Are there any quiet human songs?”

“Oh sure,” I said, looking for spots I’d missed. “Calm melodies for a relaxing afternoon, lullabies to soothe babies to sleep, plenty of those. They’re just not as fun. I like the ones where you can really feel your lungs vibrate, you know?”

Paint was giving me that cocked-head look that said she wasn’t entirely sure what I was talking about, but didn’t feel like saying so. “Right. I think that one made the floor vibrate too.”

“Oh, you should meet an opera singer. They can shatter glass.”

“What!” Paint stepped closer, switching her tail. “You are making that up.”

“No, really!” I said. “It’s very impressive. A rare talent for sure.” I got to my feet and emptied the sanitation wand into the trash chute. “My voice is nothing special. Pretty good, I like to think, but no kind of superstar. Still, singing is fun.”

Paint seemed to be having trouble coming up with a compliment. “Your voice is very… clear? Low? Is that a good thing?”

“I like to think so.” I put the wand away and washed my hands. “I can sing the low notes easier than high, which is great, because I enjoy them more. I think that makes me an alto? Contralto? Something like that. Not a soprano, at any rate.”

Even with her orange scales, Paint’s expression was a distinct mask of polite blankness. She nodded, hands clasped together.

“Not much for singing, I take it?” I asked.

Paint exhaled and dropped her hands. “I just don’t see the appeal,” she admitted. “It’s only talking! In a distorted voice!”

I switched off the light and joined her in the hall with a head bob of agreement. “Yeah, I suppose it is. Some of it’s fast and good to dance to, though.”

She pointed at me in excitement. “The dancing does make sense! That’s fun! But I just cannot understand the noises that go with it.”

I shrugged. “Eh, don’t worry too much about it. There’s bound to be lots of things that any given species does that makes no sense to others.”

“Like those shiny rocks you insisted on keeping?”

“Hey, that’s not just me,” I protested. “Zhee and Trrili both wanted some too. And you’ve still got those smelly seed-things that you liked so much.”

Paint raised her snout in pride. “They remain beautiful. Coals, Eggskin, and Captain Sunlight will agree with me!”

“And those are all the Heatseekers on the ship, which is exactly my point.”

A high-pitched noise that I’d been barely aware of grew louder, drifting down the hallway all faint and screechy. I had no idea what it was, and judging by Paint’s expression, neither did she.

“Is that metal scraping?” I wondered.

“I don’t think so,” Paint said.

The sound continued, changing in tone like an alien violin. I turned in place, trying to locate it. “Is that music?”

Paint rubbed her earhole. “It’s unpleasant.”

“C’mon, let’s make sure it’s not actually a problem of some kind.”

“Yes,” Paint said with a sigh. “Ignoring a mechanical failure because we passed it off as horrible music is not something I want on my record.”

I started off down the hallway. “I think it’s this way.”

Ready as I was for a long and mysterious hunt for the quiet shrieking, I was almost disappointed to find it coming from the third door we reached. This was the door to Coals and Trrili’s translation workroom. It was shut. I hesitated over the opening panel, then knocked instead.

The noise stopped.

When the door slid open, it was to a vision of exoskeletoned nightmares, shiny black and red, with pincher arms, mandibles, and a pair of antennae angled into a very irritated expression.

“Hi Trrili,” I said. “Everything okay in there?”

Paint added, “We heard a noise—”

The door shut in our faces. After a moment, the screechy serenade resumed.

I blinked. “Rude.”

Paint had her hands over her earholes. “What is it??”

“Probably not a machine failure,” I said, wincing as the noise approached nails-on-chalkboard levels. “Let’s go ask Zhee.”

We walked very quickly away, and found Zhee outside the kitchen talking to Eggskin. The sound was faint here, but still audible.

“Hey Zhee,” I said cheerfully. “Can you tell us what in the seven spherical black holes Trrili is doing right now?”

Zhee threw his own purple pincher arms in the air. “Butchering a classic,” he exclaimed. “I’ve told her that she’s got the middle part backwards, but she insists it’s a regional variant!”

I glanced at Eggskin, who was just shaking their scaly head. “So it is music, then.”

Zhee folded his pinchers with a flare of antennae. “There’s a skreeking competition at Basal Station,” he said. “She’s under the impression that the judges there will enjoy regional variants that are wrong.”

“I see,” I said, wondering if I should ask the obvious question.

Paint beat me to it. “What’s skreeking?”

“Leg-singing,” Zhee said. “You know.” He moved a hind leg in a way that made a brief screech.

I knew I was staring, but it was either that or burst out laughing, and that was rarely complimentary. You’d think I’d get used to discovering ways that my alien crewmates resembled Earth animals, but you’d be very wrong.

Paint let out a gusty sigh. “I don’t understand that kind of singing either,” she said. “This makes even less sense than the other one!”

“Remember, there’s always dancing,” I told her. “And if it makes you feel better, I have no idea how to dance to the noise Trrili’s making.”

Zhee hissed quietly. “No one could dance to that. Not without tripping over every other limb.”

Eggskin spoke up. “Well, I’m certainly not going to try. Would you three like to help me settle on the primary meal for tonight’s dinner?”

I smiled. “Oh, I’m sure we won’t disagree on anything there.”

~~~

Keen eyes might recognize the shanty lyrics from a couple older posts. I even used one song in The First Time Traveler to Survive, which is a different storyverse entirely, but it's too much fun to leave there. I'm going to say humans invented it twice, and no one's going to stop me!

Anyways, this is the ongoing backstory adventures of the main character from this book. More to come! And I am currently drafting a sequel!

[thevalkyriesshadow]

@freyjas-musings - A drabble for you! Inspired by a couple Gwynriel bathroom headcanons of mine as well as this steamy Instagram reel

💖 Enjoy 💖

The House was quiet as Azriel entered the dining room. No one was in the sitting room. No one lingered in the halls. Though as he neared his room, he did hear the distinct sound of water running in the baths situated between his room and The House's newest inhabitant -- Gwyneth Berdara's room.

And of course after two days of her being here, the personal bathrooms went on the fritz -- well, just his and Gwyn's.

The House, the clever structure that it was, created a new bathroom between their rooms as it worked out it's own problem. (Don't ask how or why The House was able to produce a new bathroom instead of just fixing the old...it vexed Azriel to no end.)

Not that he minded having to share a bathroom, but he did like the solitary usage of his personal one...

As he passed the bathroom to get to his room he heard another sound amidst the trickling of water; something he hadn't heard coming from the shared bathroom before.

Singing.

And it was ethereal. Beautiful.

Was that Gwyn?

He stood outside the door for a moment, letting the sound carry over him and wash away the tension in his shoulders. His jaw unclenched and he took a deep breath. Music was often a way to unwind and shake off the stress of a job, but this singing was...transcending, divine.

There were no words as the voice carried through the wooden doors. Just 'oohs' and 'ahhs'.

That had to be Gwyn right? Nesta wouldn't use it. She had her own bathroom.

Then the voice dropped an octave, and words began pouring out. A language he didn't recognize, but a voice he knew.

The acoustics of the bathroom amplified Gwyn’s voice. Her cadence ebbed and flowed.

For the first time in three days since he left for his mission, Azriel felt...calmed.

He may not recognize the language she sang in and the power of its words, but he yearned for the sensation that flowed over him -- through him -- serenity. Stillness.

No anxious thoughts pervaded his mind. No fears or worries.

Only peace.

And as he listened to her belt out the words at the top of her lungs, not a care who heard, Azriel felt a squeezing in his chest. A tug.

Her singing faded into the steady stream of the water. There was a loud squeak, and the water stopped.

The silence broke his reverie. Azriel hadn't realized he'd closed his eyes. Hadn't realized he'd leaned against the door as he listened and lost himself in teal blue eyes. Lost himself imagining how her mouth might move as she sings. Imagining what it would feel like to sing with her....

Not wanting to be caught lingering outside of the bathroom when Gwyn emerged, Azriel hurried off to his room to change and gather his own things for a shower.

---

Gwyn thought she'd finally be getting her own bathroom moving into The House, but of course, fate seemed to have it's own ideas.

Fate or The House was pranking her.

She wrapped herself in a towel as she got out of the shower, looking forward to putting on the silky, light blue pajamas The House provided her. She had an exhausting day of training the new Valkyrie recruits, assisting in the Library, and conducting research for Rhysand. She wasn't tired, tired, so she would probably be staying up to rearrange her books - again -

When she had moved in a couple weeks ago, she had only ten books to her name. But every day since she'd moved in, she would return to her room at the end of the day to find The House had dropped a pile of new books for her onto her bed. Some books she'd never even think to read, like ones about dagger making and types of rope knots. There were books on the history of Prythian. Another titled Espionage and You: An In Depth Discussion of the Moral Code, and of course, lots and lots of romance and adventure novels.

Gwyn slipped into her pajamas, ate the small plate of cookies The House provided her, then grabbed her toothbrush and headed back to the bathroom.

She had just put the toothpaste on the brush when the door to the showers opened. A billowing cloud of steam and shadows poured out.

Gwyn balked as Azriel emerged from the mist, a towel slung low on his hips. His shadows darted out, twirling around Gwyn’s hair and toothbrush.

Azriel froze in the doorway as he spotted Gwyn. Water dripped from tendrils of inky black hair. It ran in little rivulets down his neck and shoulders. Some of the water pooled into the little divet of his clavicle. Other streams continued over the tattoos on his chest and trailed down...down...

Her eyes darted back up to his.

The smallest of smirks tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Gwyn, by some unexplained reason, continued to brush her teeth while casually staring back at him. She waited for him to say something first.

But he didn’t.

Instead, he watched his shadows dance around her before joining her at the counter. His tore his gaze from hers, only to catch it again in the mirror as he picked up his toothbrush and began his nightly bedtime routine.

She tried, and failed then, to ignore Azriel’s reflection.

But gods damned those muscles as he moved his arm to brush his teeth....

It was like they were purposefully tormenting her, begging her to watch them as they tensed and flexed with every movement he made and --

Her gaze caught his brilliant hazel eyes watching her watch him in the mirror. The golden flecks amidst the green hues sparkled with amusement as a blush crept across her cheeks.

Gwyn peeled her eyes away from him, focusing on her own reflection.

Damn. She didn't realize how cropped her shirt was, or how noticeable her nipples were as they poked through the thin fabric. Maybe Azriel didn't notice.

She chanced another glance.

Oh, Azriel definitely noticed.

His eyes were currently sweeping over her in the reflection before he bent forward and spit into the sink, rinsing away his discarded toothpaste with a quick twist of the faucet.

It was his turn to blush as his gaze met hers in the mirror, knowing full well he'd been caught checking her out.

So...Gwyn held his gaze for a moment, then lowered it, unapologetically, taking in the lithe muscles of his shoulders and chest, the way his body sloped to a tapered waist.

A sensual warmth spread from her lower spine and pooled deep within her.

Her gaze certainly lingered longer than it should have on the smattering of hair that extended above the low hanging towel perched on his waist.

She spit her toothpaste into the sink and looked over at him. Not in the mirror this time, but at him directly.

The Shadowsinger was already looking over at her, brushing his teeth lazily, as if his mind momentarily forgot what it was doing until she caught his gaze.

Normally, when Azriel stared at someone, it was with an icy coldness.

But never with Gwyn.

With Gwyn, Azriel looked at her with reverence.

A rare softness fell over his features.

Then he drooled toothpaste and was pivoting to the sink to spit it out. His blush spread further across his cheeks and ears as he hastily finished brushing his teeth.

Then Azriel, the terrifying Spy Master of the Night Court, tapped his toothbrush on the sink, dropped it into the holder, and with a wink and a devilish smirk Azriel finally spoke.

"You have a lovely singing voice, by the way," he said, his voice dark and husky. The sound sent shivers down her spine.

Gwyn's eyes went wide, and something in her chest hummed and tugged as she watched Azriel saunter past her, willing her to follow him. Her gaze dropped to the dimples of his lower back, reveled at the way his muscles moved as he twisted back around to flash her another more sheepish smile before ducking out of the doorway.

Forget reorganizing her bookshelf. Tonight, Gwyn was going to pick up the juiciest romance she could find from her new drop today and indulge in a little self-care.

[nickeverdeen]

Sweet Harmony | Ellie Williams x Fem!reader x Dina

Pairings: Dina x fem!reader (romantic), Ellie x fem!reader (romantic), Ellie x Dina (romantic)

Warnings: Eating out, dom!top!Ellie, bottom!reader, soft!top!Dina

Summary: The innocent moment when Ellie is playing guitar and you and Dina are resting changes when your hand wanders somewhere…

————————

It was a peaceful afternoon in Jackson, the kind of day that made the harshness of the outside world feel like a distant memory. Sunlight streamed through the windows of Ellie’s cozy little house, casting a warm, golden light over the room. The three of you had decided to spend the day together, simply enjoying each other’s company.

Ellie sat on the couch, her acoustic guitar resting in her lap. Dina was beside her, her arm draped over the back of the couch, fingers lightly brushing Ellie’s shoulder. You were curled up on Ellie’s other side, your legs tucked beneath you as you leaned into her. Everything felt right—calm, peaceful, and perfect.

You glanced at Ellie, then at her guitar. “Ellie,” you asked softly, “could you play something for us?”

Ellie looked down at the guitar, then back at you with a small smile. “Sure,” she said simply, adjusting her grip on the instrument.

She started to strum the strings gently, letting a soft, familiar melody fill the room. You leaned into her, closing your eyes and letting the music wash over you. Dina’s hand rested on the back of Ellie’s neck, thumb brushing lightly over her skin in a soothing rhythm. It was a moment of pure peace, the three of you completely in sync, wrapped in the warmth of each other’s presence.

As Ellie played, you found yourself absentmindedly sliding your hand under her shirt, your fingers brushing against the firm muscle of her abdomen. You sighed softly, lost in the moment, and Ellie’s strumming faltered for just a second before she caught herself. Dina’s eyes flicked to your hand, then back to Ellie’s face, and a knowing smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

Ellie kept playing, but you could feel a change in the atmosphere—something charged, a tension building in the air. Dina noticed too, her hand sliding from Ellie’s neck to your thigh, her touch gentle but deliberate. Ellie’s playing grew softer, the melody more subdued, as if she was struggling to keep her focus.

Eventually, Ellie’s fingers stilled on the strings, the last note hanging in the air as she looked between you and Dina. “You okay, babe?” Dina asked, her voice teasing but affectionate.

Ellie chuckled, setting the guitar aside as she turned to face you more fully. “Yeah, just… distracted,” she admitted, her eyes dark with something that made your heart skip a beat.

“Distracted by what?” Dina pressed, though she already knew the answer.

Ellie’s hand found your thigh, squeezing gently as she leaned in close. “By her,” she said, her voice low and rough, the simple words sending a shiver down your spine.

Before you could respond, Dina’s lips were on yours, soft and warm. Her kiss was tender, full of love and reassurance, but there was an undercurrent of hunger there too, something that made you melt into her touch. Ellie’s hand slid up under your shirt, her rough fingertips grazing your skin, making your breath hitch in your throat.

“Is this okay?” Dina murmured against your lips, her eyes searching yours for any sign of hesitation.

You nodded, your heart racing with anticipation. “Yes, please,” you whispered, giving them both the permission they were waiting for.

Dina was the first to move, her kisses trailing down your neck, her hands gently pushing you back against the couch. She took her time, undressing you with care, her touches slow and deliberate as she worshiped every inch of your skin. Ellie watched, her eyes dark and hungry as she leaned in to kiss you again, rougher this time, her teeth catching your lower lip in a way that made your toes curl.

Dina settled between your legs, her lips brushing against your inner thighs, soft and teasing. “You’re so beautiful,” she whispered, her breath warm against your skin before she finally pressed a kiss to your center, making you gasp.

Her tongue was soft, gentle, as she took her time exploring you, savoring every reaction, every sound you made. Ellie’s hand tangled in your hair as she kissed you again, her free hand trailing down to your chest, fingers brushing over your nipples, sending jolts of pleasure through you. Dina was relentless, her pace slow but steady, building you up until you were trembling beneath her, your hips moving on their own as you chased the high she was giving you.

Ellie’s lips moved to your neck, sucking lightly, leaving marks that made you moan louder, your hands gripping the couch cushions as Dina pushed you closer and closer to the edge. “Dina… Ellie…” you whimpered, your voice trembling with need, and that was all it took for Dina to push you over, her tongue working you through your orgasm as you cried out, your body shaking with the intensity of it.

You barely had time to catch your breath before Ellie was moving down, her hands gripping your hips as she positioned herself between your legs. Dina moved up, her lips finding yours again as she kissed you deeply, her tongue sliding against yours in a way that made your head spin.

Ellie didn’t waste any time. She was rougher, more insistent, her tongue diving deep, her hands holding your hips down as you writhed beneath her. Dina’s lips moved to your neck, her teeth grazing your skin as she sucked, leaving marks that would be there for days, marks that would remind you of this moment every time you saw them.

“Fuck, Ellie,” you gasped, your hands gripping her hair as she worked you over, her tongue relentless as she pushed you towards another orgasm. Dina’s hand slid down your side, her fingers brushing over your skin in a way that made you shiver, made the pleasure that Ellie was giving you all the more intense.

It didn’t take long for Ellie to bring you to the edge again, her name falling from your lips like a prayer as you came, your body trembling with the force of it. Ellie didn’t stop, her tongue still moving, drawing out every last bit of pleasure until you were a quivering mess beneath her, barely able to catch your breath.

When Ellie finally pulled back, her lips shiny with your arousal, you were exhausted, your body spent but completely satisfied. Dina was right there, kissing you softly, her touch gentle and loving as she held you close.

You blinked up at her, a sleepy smile on your lips. “I want… I want my turn too,” you mumbled, your voice heavy with exhaustion.

Dina chuckled, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “You’re too tired, baby. We’ll save it for another time,” she said softly, her voice full of affection.

Ellie nodded in agreement, pulling you into her arms as she settled back on the couch. “Just rest, we’ve got you,” she murmured, her voice low and soothing.

You didn’t need to be told twice. The exhaustion was pulling at you, your eyes fluttering closed as you snuggled between them, feeling safe and loved. Ellie and Dina’s voices faded into the background as they talked quietly, their words a comforting murmur as you drifted off to sleep.

“Think she’s gonna sleep through dinner?” Ellie asked, her voice low as she glanced at Dina.

“Probably,” Dina replied with a soft smile, brushing a strand of hair out of your face. “She had a big day.”

Ellie chuckled, leaning down to press a kiss to your forehead. “She’s perfect,” she murmured, her voice full of affection.

Dina smiled, leaning in to kiss Ellie softly. “Yeah, she is,” she agreed, her hand resting on your hip as she settled back against the couch, the three of you wrapped up in each other, safe and warm.

And as the sun set outside, casting the room in a soft, golden glow, the three of you fell into a comfortable silence, content just to be together, knowing that whatever the world threw at you, you would face it together.

[knightyoomyoui]

Dahyun x M/F Reader - "Die With A Smile"

NOTE: This story is inspired from the recently released song a week ago featuring a collab between two of tgreatest artists ever, Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga titled "Die With A Smile", just like the name of this story. Everything also that you're about to read are loosely based from one of the horror films I've watched and I thought about it as another fitting music video for this song if it features a storyline. So yeah, try to listen along while you imagine the story inside your head.

WARNING: Contains violence, expect gore and blood. 

(Ooh, ooh)

I, I just woke up from a dream Where you and I had to say goodbye And I don't know what it all means But since I survived, I realized

At the beginning of the song, a vivid image of hands separating from each other's grasp amidst the white foggy surrounding can be seen. The girl, revealed to be Dahyun, looks at you regretfully and heartbrokenly. She slowly lowers her hand just as her distance shrank.

You abruptly woke up from your bed, catching your breath. You rubbed your hair and face, groaning in reaction after having your precious sleep disrupted by that nightmare. The acoustic guitar from the intro is accompanied with soft "oohs" from Bruno Mars' sweet adlibs.

The next scene was you being alone in the dressing room, checking yourself out on the mirror with the exquisite tuxedo suit you got after what the tailor had made for the special occasion of your life. While straightening the fabric and the necktie wrapped around you, your face showed discomfort and fear after recalling those bothersome glimpses of the nightmare you had last night.

It was weird. Why did you have this a vision of seeing your woman, Dahyun, letting go and bidding goodbye to you? It's one of the worst things you wouldn't want to happen to you ever, especially since you and her are just about to embark into the next chapter of your love story together today.

You just shook your head to get rid of that ridiculous and unpleasant thought. It is better to remain focused on what's about to come today and only hope for the best, as you and her truly deserve it, just like every other wedding couple should. Calming yourself with a broad grin, you looked at the reflection of yourself in the mirror one more time before walking away.

Wherever you go, that's where I'll follow Nobody's promised tomorrow So I'ma love you every night like it's the last night Like it's the last night

On the pre-chorus, the scene shifts to the wedding currently being processed. The chapel was packed with lots of visitors. The priest was standing in front of the altar along with you, the bridesmaid, and your best man. Everyone present was looking at the door opening, revealing the bright lights from outside behind the figure of your lovely bride, Dahyun, in her breathtaking wedding dress and face covered in a white veil.

The next was you and her standing face-to-face in front of the altar. You kept on watching and listening to Dahyun give her oath for you, made from the words in heaven. Remembering what you just experienced a while ago before the wedding started may have gotten you curious about what it might mean, but you are certain that you'll do whatever it takes to prevent that from happening.

Adding another promise within your heart, mind, and soul, along with the oath you've taken before her, you swore that you'd be there by her side always.

The scene then cuts to the reception, where the visitors are now celebrating you and Dahyun being newlyweds. The married couple talked happily with your parents when suddenly the party was interrupted by a scream from one of the guests.

Your heads are directed to where it came from, and to your shock, one of your family's close-friend who is a veterinarian and an elderly guest of yours has his body now hanging dangerously on the terrace before he completely slips down, sending him down and crashing on the ground, which made everybody yell in surprise.

As the wife of the man who fell from the second floor came in a hurry to check on his condition, the man suddenly rose from the ground and pulled his wife closer. Everybody shouted in horror when the man started to bite his wife on the neck, which caused all of the guests to get back away from the strange couple. The beats of the drum at the end of the pre-chorus coincides with the shot of the man biting the bloody, torn skin and creepily staring at everyone who is looking back at him.

If the world was ending I'd wanna be next to you If the party was over And our time on Earth was through I'd wanna hold you just for a while And die with a smile If the world was ending I'd wanna be next to you

As the chorus began to play, everyone started running for their lives, which caused a stampede, which panickedly made you and Dahyun separate from each other. Both of you scream for each other's names in the middle of the chaos ensuing in the room. You ended up in the kitchen along with your cousin, Dahyun's sister, and the photographer for your wedding. Some of the guests who turned out to be looking infected with rabid behavior were located at the door.

The square glass in the middle of it got shattered, and Mr. and Mrs.'s hands started to sprawl out. You found a vent to hide in and intended to make everybody get in there before the door opened. After successfully entering the vent, you wondered why the photographer hadn't joined yet. Despite your panic, the photographer instead commanded the three of you to keep moving forward, as he confirmed that he couldn't fit inside the vent due to his size and that he'd be the one to block the infected off.

Appreciating his sacrifice, all three heads went on to escape. The three ended up outside and found a police car parked. Your cousin led the inspection, and it turns out there was a deceased policeman inside the driver's seat. While he did a closer look, the policeman suddenly sprung up and bit your cousin on the cheek, leaving you no choice but to cry in pity for your cousin and leave him there as Dahyun's sister forces you to continue escaping.

Through the final lines of the chorus, you and Dahyun's sister came to a halt when you heard Dahyun's voice speak over the speakers. The utmost joy and relief he felt after she ensured that she's currently fine was replaced quickly by surprise when Dahyun additionally announced that she's pregnant and she needs him right now as soon as possible. You proceeded to search for her afterwards.

(Ooh, ooh) Ooh, lost, lost in the words that we scream I don't even wanna do this anymore 'Cause you already know what you mean to me And our love's the only war worth fighting for

In the second verse, the scene then presents Dahyun on the other side of the story, being joined by the priest, her bridesmaid, and one of her closest friends. They hide in a surveillance room. As they discuss their plans, some of the infected guests arrive and see them through the glass panel on the wall.

They hurriedly left the room and were successful, unlike the priest, who had his coat caught by the hands of the infected. He hastily took it off from his body, but the force of the infected pulling the cloth made him slip while attempting to run, resulting in him facing the ground and looking at them frighteningly before he embraced getting eaten out by the infected.

Meanwhile, you arrived at the surveillance room 10 minutes later and discovered the mess that happened in here, and Dahyun is nowhere to be found. Viewing through the monitors, you and Dahyun's sister had a look at what seemed to be a festive and lively celebration transformed into a hellish, gruesome environment. You watched some of the lifeless guests get consumed by the now aggressive infected, and you have no idea how all of this became possible.

Realizing that this must be the dream he had now coming true in real life, you desperately wanted to come and save Dahyun immediately. Back at your wife's situation, Dahyun, her bridesmaid, and her friend stopped through their tracks when they unexpectedly met someone along the way.

Dahyun was distraught, recognizing her mother now being a completely transformed brain-eating cannibal. She stood there frozen, in disbelief at the horrid sight of her mother. It was about to charge at her, but the bridesmaid stepped up to snap Dahyun's senses back, killing the mother with a large branch of a tree.

Dahyun cried and begged for it to stop, but her friend came to comfort her. As the bridesmaid was about to be done, several infected people came towards her, and her distraction caused her to get bitten by them. They ran away, but the infected had their attention stolen when the speakers activated and played a familiar tune. Dahyun's expressed a tearful chuckle hearing their wedding song being played by you back in the room.

Wherever you go, that's where I'll follow Nobody's promised tomorrow So I'ma love you every night like it's the last night Like it's the last night

The second pre-chorus focuses on the scene where Dahyun and her friend locate a storage room in the middle of the woods, where they luckily find a chainsaw and a working TV. They switched it to a channel showing a news report about an ongoing contagious virus spreading through the main cities of South Korea.

Dahyun then learned that the virus was believed to originate from the combined effects of a hazardous chemical and strong signs of leptospirosis in a rat and rabies, which particularly were detected in a cat based on the statements of one of the survivors. Health authorities subsequently received a complaint about a certain veterinary clinic going wild, and the owner is currently being searched.

They found a huge metal lid beside the exterior of the room and opened it just as the infected spotted them on sight. They quickly opened it but had no other time to close it as they became closer. As they reached underground, Dahyun prepared herself by tearing off some of the cloth on the lower portion of her dress to help her move faster.

The drums from the instrumental hit hard and fast, matching the growing intensity as Dahyun and her friends stand on their places while they wait for the infected to descend one by one and launch at them.

If the world was ending I'd wanna be next to you If the party was over And our time on Earth was through I'd wanna hold you just for a while And die with a smile If the world was ending I'd wanna be next to you

The 2nd chorus plays right during Dahyun and her friend's killing spree through the infected, chainsaw slashing every limb, blood splashing everywhere, and an axe buried deep down through the bones.

Unfortunately, her friend got bitten on the shoulder while struggling to finish another one. As they managed to empty the sewer, Dahyun understood his request and was forced to kill him by slicing his head off with a chainsaw.

Meanwhile, you and her sister grabbed some armors and makeshift swords from of the displays inside the manor before sprinting as both explored across the hallways, avoiding the infected chasing you both along the way. Trying to fight them off with whatever foreign object could be seen, Dahyun's sister attempted to lure away some of the infected chasing behind but was overpowered as she got pulled and bitten.

Devastated, you complied with her subtle request to go after your wife. Dahyun saw a ladder through another lid, dropped her chainsaw due to its weight, and climbed it, but noticed that it was locked. She tries to bump it with all the strength she has, but is unsuccessful. Almost losing hope, you suddenly appeared in front of the lid, unknowingly ending up in the same area as her, much to her surprise.

Both of you said each other's names in delight but were cut short when an infected appeared below Dahyun. You quickly found a way to open the padlock just in time for Dahyun to exit and shut the lid to block the infected. 

Right next to you Next to you Right next to you Oh-oh

You and Dahyun exchanged stares and nodded in agreement. You took a few long breaths before removing your body weight to unblock the lid and gripping Dahyun's arm.

The instrumentals played loudly while you and Dahyun made a run for survival out of the estate against the horde of infected chasing your innards. Losing and decreasing some number of them with your defenses, you reached the garden together and continued your moment of rekindling with her, hugging Dahyun tightly.

A time like this will never allow anybody to have their sweetest moment to rest, not until this is all over. Dahyun got alerted at the approaching infected from your back that appeared on the corner of the bushes. She pushed you off and blocked herself with her arm as the infected lunged off for an attack.

She reaches off for your sword and slowly cuts her head off using it. She raises her arm and observed the bite wound she received and instantly demanded you to cut it off right away.

Despite your hesitation and concern, you grabbed your sword and smashed it through her laid arm, causing her to shriek and growl in immense pain.

If the world was ending I'd wanna be next to you If the party was over And our time on Earth was through I'd wanna hold you just for a while And die with a smile If the world was ending I'd wanna be next to you If the world was ending I'd wanna be next to you

At the final chorus, you and Dahyun have reached the front gate and noticed that all the metal bars are barricaded with plastic barriers. Both were fascinated to see that the authorities had quarantined the area.

As you stopped rotating after finding out where you had been led, what you discovered left you frozen in distress.

Dahyun glances at you with her crinkly lips, bleeding nose, pupils and eyes reddening, and teeth becoming grizzly. Based on the obvious signs of her infection, it means that your attempt to prevent the spreading of the virus across her brain has failed.

You lost any care anymore; she remains important to you just as much as the promise you made for her. Carrying Dahyun's weak and collapsing body in your arms, you walk ahead through the exit as personnel in hazmat suits watch the both of you make your way out.

The soldiers began aiming all their heavy guns at your emergence with your dying wife in your arms. Looking at her with pure affection and no disgust or terror, you shed a teardrop for her and kissed her on the lips.

It lasted for seconds until you felt a stinging pain in your mouth. Your eyes widen as Dahyun rips off your tongue. She stands in front of you, now posing in full infected form with amputated arm, yelling uncontrollably at the soldiers while you voicelessly suffer with your damaged mouth.

The soldiers immediately fire their bullets straight at both you and Dahyun. After they all emptied a half of their mags at your helpless carcasses, you and Dahyun crashed on the ground, front and back first, respectively.

Extending their arms one final time to crawl their fingers through the top of their hands and grab them with the last bit of strength left in their body. You and Dahyun held each other for a while until both finally died with a smile from their multiple wounds.

The song is already finished, and an extra clip features your eyes opening and rising from the bed again, cupping your chest and thumping fast. You stared at your hands, letting out a breath of relief, seeing the engagement ring on your finger.

Looking below to your left, Dahyun is still sleeping heavily beside you. You gratefully smiled at the sight of your fiancée being completely fine.

(Ooh, ooh) I'd wanna be next to you

Laying back down on the bed, you positioned yourself sideways to cuddle your soon to be wife in your arms whilst wrapping her delicate hands onto yours and kiss her crown.

You wished and prayed mentally for God's guidance that you can manage to keep her along with your future child safe and secured like this under your protection after the wedding tomorrow and so on.

Whatever scenario it may occur in the future, not even a virus that can cause an outbreak cannot oppose to the unbreakable love between them.

ADDITIONAL NOTE: Yes, it's a sequel to another one-shot featuring Momo from Set 4 titled "The Fight Of Our Lives", it shares the same universe and occurring at the same time as the predecessor. I know you are sharing the same name as your character with Momo, but let's just pretend that you're playing a different one with a same name as you.

[strawberryspence]

happy birthday @giiiiigiiiii! here's a tiny lil thing for my dear musician friend. 🥺💗

-

There’s music when Eddie finally comes home. There has been a schedule mix up at work, leading his coworker to come early. Eddie decided to take it as a little blessing. Maybe get some take out for Steve, they can lounge around the rest of the night.

They haven’t really seen each other a lot lately, Steve has been busy with school and work and Eddie with work and band.

Eddie tiptoes to the their master bedroom, ready to tackle his boyfriend with kisses and love. The soft strumming grows louder as he walks closer, he doesn’t really think anything of it. Steve likes putting on soft music as he studies, something about it calming him down.

He peeks his head, and gapes at the sight that he sees. Steve’s back is facing him, but he could still see him strumming Eddie’s old acoustic guitar.

Eddie stands and watches for a while, the sunlight streaming from the open window, the soft yellow dancing against Steve’s skin. He doesn’t know where Steve hid the camera, and he wishes he knew because he wants to keep this scene close to his heart, frame it for his bedside, print it for his wallet.

Steve doesn’t know how to play. Eddie knows this, they’ve been together now for almost three years, and he’s never seen Steve taken interest in playing. The melody he’s strumming is familiar, though Eddie can’t exactly pinpoint what song it is.

“Hey.” Eddie says, breaking the silence and making Steve jump a mile away from their bed.

“Oh my god!” He shrieks, the guitar instinctively turning into a weapon, “What the hell, Eddie?!”

“What the hell to you too. I didn’t know you could play.” Steve immediately sets the guitar down.

“I don’t know how to play.” Steve looks away, looking at anything but Eddie.

“Nuh-uh,” Eddie laughs, “Come on. How did you learn? Who taught you?”

Eddie fake gasps, “Steve Harrington, are you cheating on me?” He smiles right after, to let the other know that he’s joking, that Eddie knows that Steve will never do anything like that.

Steve glares at him, “Of course not!”

“Well tell me. What were you playing?”

Steve purses his lips at him, in the cute way he does when he’s contemplating about things. He sighs, plopping next to Eddie on the bed and taking back the guitar. They stare at each other for a while, as Eddie smiles encouragingly at his boyfriend.

Steve sighs, before finding the chords on the body, softly playing as he sings, “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you.”

Eddie breaks into the biggest smile, his jaw hurting and his teeth clenching together. Steve smiles back at him, his eyes soft and sparkling against the light. There’s nothing but pure love and adoration in his eyes, and Eddie prays that Steve Harrington will look at him like this for the rest of his life.

“Happy birthday, dear Eddie. Happy birthday to you.” Steve finishes his song, his hand reaching up to cup Eddie’s face.

“Was it that bad that you’re crying?” Steve pouts, wiping away his tears. Eddie didn’t even realize he was crying.

Eddie laughs wetly, “No, no. This is— this are happy tears, sweetheart.”

Steve sets aside the guitar, “You ruined the surprise, but that was supposed to be one of my birthday gifts for you. Max has been teaching me how to play for the last two months.”

Eddie stares at him, his eyes fleeting to Steve’s hands, calloused at the finger tips from learning a few simple chords just for him. He can’t even comprehend the fact that someone loves him that much to do that for him.

“I love it.” Eddie says, breathless with disbelief, “It’s the best gift I could ever gotten.”

Steve rolls his eyes, “It’s just one song.”

Eddie shakes his head, “No. I’m saying the truth. I love it, sweetheart. Thank you.”

Steve stares at him, his cheeks colored red from the praise. Eddie takes the guitar and puts it back on his lap, “Play it again.”

“You want me to sing happy birthday again?”

“Yes. Please. We’ll have to record it so I can listen to it whenever I want.”

Steve giggles, but he doesn’t say anything more as he starts strumming again, his voice soft as he sings the familiar words.

Eddie has always thought he wouldn’t live past 25. But right now, two days before he turns 25, the sun is warm on his skin, the soft strumming of the guitar filling the silence. Steve's smiling at him, the love of his life learning a few chords just for him.

Eddie's more than happy to be alive.

[virescent-v]

fluffy emily fic where readers having a bad day so emily cuddles on the couch with them and lots of face kisses cause they’re my weakness 😫

Bad Day

A/N: Hi bestie! I hope this fits what you were looking for! Emily would be the BEST with comforting I stg. Thanks for the prompt! Words: 873 Warnings: Uh, none. This is pure fluff. No smut.

If it could go wrong, it has today. 

You started the day quite literally on the wrong side of the bed, and you overslept by an hour. Thankfully, your work wasn’t too upset because you’re never really late, but it still threw off your morning. 

Then, you spilled your hot coffee all over your white shirt on your way back from the break room. You could feel your skin sizzling from the coffee, not hot enough to leave permanent burns, but enough to be uncomfortable and painful. After calming down and using a napkin to soak up what you could, you threw your jacket over your shirt to hide the stain. 

At lunch, you realized you left your salad and soup at home. So, you have a vending machine pop tart and a bag of chips and hope it’s enough to last you until dinner. 

Then, your computer crashed in the middle of your project and you lost everything you’d been working on for the past three hours. 

To finish out the day, you got a parking ticket for parking in the one spot in the entire lot that was open this morning, but apparently was a reserved spot. Thankfully, you didn’t get towed. 

Rush hour traffic meant it took you over an hour to get home. 

You just wanted to eat something, shower, and crash and forget this day happened. 

Opening the door to your place, you could smell the tantalizing aroma of a red sauce and garlic bread. There was faint acoustic music playing, a few candles lit around the room. You dropped all of your stuff at the door, slipped your shoes off, and went further into the house. 

Without shoes, you were able to basically sneak up on your girlfriend, Emily, who was standing at the stove, stirring what you assumed to be sauce. Her hips were lightly swaying to the music from the speakers, an off-tune hum coming from her lips. 

You could feel yourself melting, the stress and weight of the day finally lifting, sending you into a tailspin of emotion. Your lower lip started to tremble, so you brought it between your teeth in a nervous habit to keep it under control. The tears gathering in your eyes spilling over, your sniffles finally alerting your girlfriend that you were home. 

Emily turned to you, a smile on her face before she caught the look on yours. “Baby? What’s wrong?” She asked, putting the spoon down hastily and rushing to your side. Her hands immediately came up, brushing your hair from your face, her thumbs wiping away the few tears that had escaped. 

You tried to talk, to tell her how your day just wasn’t good, but it was like the words were stuck in your throat. You shook your head, frustrated that you couldn’t get it out and frustrated that you were crying. 

Emily, being the amazing profiler she is, shushed you, placing small kisses over your cheeks, the taste of your salty tears not stopping her. 

She quietly led you to the couch, turned on your favorite comfort show, and placed your favorite fuzzy blanket over your lap before disappearing back into the kitchen. You could faintly hear some noises, the sound of a cabinet opening and closing, silverware hitting ceramic plates. 

Your eyes were focused on the tv, but your mind wasn’t really comprehending what was going on in the scene. You could feel yourself slipping into an almost dissociative state, your mind an empty, hazy fog. You were broken from your reverie by Emily’s hand on your knee, a plate of hot food in her other. 

“Eat, love.” 

Getting a strong whiff of garlic, meat, and italian seasonings, your stomach made an appearance with a large growl. You felt your cheeks heat up in embarrassment. 

Emily laughed lightly, her body turned completely toward you. She pushed more of your hair behind your ear, twirling the ends of it between her fingers. As you ate, she scratched at the back of your neck, a habit of hers you take ultimate comfort in. 

When you finished, she took the plate, heading back into the kitchen. You could hear the sink running, the dishwasher being loaded. You sunk further into the couch, pulling the blanket up around your shoulders. 

Emily came back, lifted up one side of the blanket, pulling your legs across hers, almost settling you in her lap. You put your face on her shoulder, wrapped an arm around her, the feeling of her warmth settling you. 

“Wanna talk about today?” 

You shook your head lightly, as you let out a low, whispered, “later.” 

Emily hummed her acknowledgement, her lips brushing lightly against your temple. You turned your head more towards her, sighing as her lips continued to travel across your face, leaving gentle caresses on your forehead, cheeks, and nose. 

Each press of her lips were so light they almost tickled. It was cute, and intimate, without any pressure of becoming something more. You felt a wave of contentment, love, and happiness wash over you.

Wrapped in Emily’s arms was where you felt the most safe, the most protected, the most at home.  

With Emily, you could never have a truly bad day.

[itslouisan]

((@leticiachaos on twitter))

Time for Q!Tallulah headcannons!!

Fair warning: this post has mentions of depression, abandonment issues, trust issues, poor living conditions; all of the mentions of Wilbur are ONLY mentions to his character not the real person.

• Due to her abandonment and trust issues, Tallulah created a tough and cold exterior not opening herself to anything new, but, if you manage to break the shell, she's sweet, caring, loyal, nice, creative, the loveliest egg possible

• She likes Richas, but has jealousy, after all he came AFTER her and still has most of the island around him and ADOPTING HIM??? While SHE had to ground herself to an empty promise of a returning loving father and feeling alone most of the time "without" a "real" family to comfort her.

• Due to her time in the attic Tallulah developed anemia due to not having for a long time the necessary nutrients and surviving off of dirt.

• She hates the smell of moss, dirt and related things despite loving botany due to her time in the attic

Black: depression, extreme anger, sorrow or loneliness, it's her way of expressing she's REALLY not feeling okay

• When she finally accepted Wilbur would never come back or be the father she wished and dreamt of, she cut her hair that was long since "hair holds memories", painted her hair black since Missa is Philza's partner and is more of a father to her than Wilbur could ever be and she was tired of holding herself to a small memory instead of accepting change and happiness

• Can't really vent not because her family wouldn't listen, but because of her trust issues and before having to be the "cute innocent girl who's there for everyone" she didn't have the space to vent and put her emotions first

• She was tired of her original red beanie matching Wilbur, it was too dirty and old, deciding to pick a purple one who matched her and a few mushroom hats to express her emotions

• Each color of mushroom represent an emotion (in canon I think she only had black and purple, but I expanded it considering there's a lot more patterns and colors of mushrooms, especially in a sort of magic island)

purple: neutral, calm, it's the regular she wears all the time

Pink: love, happiness, she's feeling creative or excited over something, possibly wanting or doing stims

Blue: shows more of "little" sadness, not strong enough to be depression or despair, but just enough to show it, also can mean fear.

Red: anger, hate.

• Due to her autism, she carries a pair of headphones ALL the time as well as stim toys, comfort objects or plushies, a sketchbook she writes and draws what she's feeling to better communicate it.

• She can play maracas, flute, piano, guitar (acoustic), kalimba.

• Big fan of musicals and history, in late nights she likes to listen to Philza's stories of the old times and Chay loves his battle stories, so they share this cozy moment

• In the beginning she could only see ghosts, but with time she could see the deities. She can see and feel their emotions but can't talk with them much, she mainly can see Mumza and Rose, Rose in the sanctuary where her power is centered and stronger, Mumza all around her dad (Phil >:) ) and every time she's with the crows.

• Knows flower language to write better letters to everyone, adding a deeper meaning, sometimes saying secret stuff through the flowers and as an extra giving pretty flowers

• Tallulah sometimes paints her nails with Phil and Chayanne, every week with a different design

• When Missa is home back from his journeys, Tallulah sees how exhausted her dad is, so she speaks in spanish (their native languages) and makes him some food or brings fruit

• Before she officially forgot Wilbur whenever she would come with other residents and her siblings, Tallulah sometimes felt weak, abandoned, left behind, after all, ALL the others had their parents, had close connections, she hated it but couldn't help but feel jealous, in these situations Phil and Chayanne always reassured her the best they could that they would never leave her and that she wouldn't go back to the attic.

• Makes bracelets for her close family, always wearing one with PxTxC on her left hand (Philza, Chayanne and Tallulah), in the right one she has a TxCxR (Tallulah, Richas, Chayanne) or it could be TxCxP (Tallulah, Chayanne, Pomme) after all she doesn't hate Richas, she hates that he's immature and acts "entitled" and dramatic over his issues, but still tries her best to be a good sister to him, also loves pomme a lot!! Considering Pomme her bestie

Reminder: Tallulah is just a child in rp, children don't know how to control their emotions and in situations of abandonment, neglect and lack of a trusting bond with a caretaker, children can struggle even more with emotions, care, jealousy, trust, self-esteem etc, so don't call Tallulah "selfish" or "spoiled" she has every right to be that way after what she's been through

• Due to her depression,sometimes Tallulah can't take care of herself, spending days or weeks in bed or just not feeling like going out, or when she does she doesn't show much interest, in these cases Phil and Chayanne always cooked some nice food and drinks, went to the nests, and chatted and comforted her

• She became a great fighter after the events of pre-purgatory and purgatory, she NEEDED a tough exterior since she was without Chayanne, and that time worsened her depression severely

[chocsra]

general chuuya hcs bc hes bbg

he has long ass natural eyelashes and gets insecure cus of it (since he feels uncomfy bc of his height and feminine proportions), so he tried to rip them off once but koyo stopped him

i think its canon but genuinely practices in the mirror for anything and EVERYTHING AND ITS SO FUNNY

his smirk is 50/50, its either really attractive or really cringe (isa joke)

wears robes at home

hes awkward w kids

when he watches movies he overexaggerates everything and is extremely overdramatic

self conscious ab his fashion will ask for advice all the time

hes really fun to be w and most of the time he asks like an ass (affectionate)

^^ likes calling friends/subordinates affectionate insults like "dumbass" as u can see w dazai and mackerel

sometimes he can get rly mean tho 😒

hit him w the "why are you so mean to me"/"dawg what did i do to you 🙁" and he'll instantly feel bad

enjoys banter and finds intelligence attractive

wears elevated shoes

i feel like the way he talks can come across as flirty to some people, so like hes not a womanizer hes just being nice in a cocky way so its like, "hey ya look nice in that, wear that more, yea?" so sometimes yall just be talking and ur like "what are we"

his music taste is either romantic jazz or rock.

cracks his knuckles a lot

also always has back pain from his horrid sleeping positions??

hes a messy and chaotic sleeper

likes taking pictures of the sunset

his social media account is surprisingly normal - he def posts the most on instagram

^^ his captions to his posts would be smth corny like "what a wonderful evening"

sings when hes drunk to you

knows how to moonwalk

teen chuuya hcs:

tried to be a streamer when he was 15

collects jordans

caresses his motorcycle randomly

told everyone he was gonna start collecting wine and noone believed him

prefers calling over texting

before koyo knocked some sense (and fashion) into him he gave frat boy energy

genuinely loves guitar (electric or acoustic)

WILL SERENADE YOU

music is like one of the only things that can calm him down

but not like just the calming music, yk how sometimes theres sm noise so you need to put really loud music to drown it out? thats him

[redrobin-detective]

Simon Petrikov headcanons

Only child, had loving parents who supported him but often left him alone for long stretches of time. An eager, empathetic child, he craved relationships with others and struggled to find them. The people he cares for, he loves completely and with everything he has.

He and Betty were such an obnoxious couple. They were each other's first everythings and became attached at the hip from the moment they started dating. They did everything together, mostly because it was Betty helping Simon with all his books and expeditions and research. Dated 2 years before proposing and things fell apart not long after. Simon had his doctorate while Betty was finishing hers, they planned the wedding for after she got her degree.

Was in his mid-late 30s when he first put on the crown. He'd just gotten his PhD and proposed to Betty and was at the happiest point in his life. Secretly believed but never really acknowledged that the reason Betty disappeared is that he accidentally killed during during his first bout of crown induced madness. That lingering grief and guilt was a major driver of his later princess kidnapping mania, seeking out the princess his heart knew was gone. He calmed down again once he realized Betty was alive.

After Betty disappeared, he became a hermit to avoid hurting others and the War happened a few years later. He was affected enough by the crown's magic to not suffer from the radiation sickness. He met Marcy a few years after.

Always wanted children, even when he'd been a child. Was somewhat resigned to it never happening until he met Betty. One of their first big discussions as a couple was about their mutual desire for kids. They both wanted a big family.

Has a somewhat addictive personality which is one reason why he could never truly abandon the crown. Goes through phases with food where he'll only eat a certain thing for months on end. Smoked like crazy, he was trying to quit because it bothered Betty but never quite managed. Even a thousand years later, he still wakes up sometimes craving a cigarette.

Is actually quite different physically from modern humans. Future humans only have 4 fingers and toes, they also have a slightly different internal organ structure that evolved post-war. Simon and humans give each other slight uncanny valley vibes, facial/skeletal shape is mostly the same but a bit tweaked that they can tell something is off slightly. Oooans live longer, are more durable and have more flexible bones. Simon nearly faints when he sees Finn bend his arms in ways that's impossible for him.

Simon retains some effects of the crown. His dark brown eyes became a piercing light blue after that first time and never went back. While he loses all magical ability, he has a higher sensitivity towards it. Has a crazy high physical cold tolerance and can survive temperatures that would harm a normal person. However, his mental tolerance for cold is low. Hates being cold and bundles on layers whenever it's chilly.

He didn't keep memories well while as Ice King. When he came back to himself he found he remembered cold hard facts he learned as IK (names, events, general history of Ooo) but personal memories were only 'dreamlike impression'. People will tell him things he did and Simon will not remember, he finds it very upsetting. Every now and again, a memory will bubble up and no matter what he's doing he'll need to hide away out of embarrassment.

A musical prodigy, someone who can pick up and learn instruments quite easily. Could have done music professionally if he'd been so inclined but preferred it as a hobby. In order of proficiency it was piano -> keyboard -> harmonica -> acoustic guitar -> fiddle -> violin -> ukulele*. *Can only play his and Betty's song which he sang when he proposed.

Drums was never an instrument he learned pre-crown, it was never something he wanted. He learned as Ice King, a way to express his innate musical talent in a medium that fit the cursed king. Plays intermittently after being freed but it takes him years before he becomes comfortable with them.

Taught Marcy the basics of guitar while they traveled together. She'd already expressed an interest in music and he was happy to teach her and sing to her as a way to keep up her spirits. Often joked guitars weren't his specialty but they were easier to find/more portable in an apocalyptic world.

Every couple of months, he and Marcy will pick a venue and play together. Its never announced, they just show up someplace and start playing. The audience goes wild but they're just having having a little family jam session.

Goes grey early. He has a massive panic attack when he first noticed streaks of white in his hair. He thought he was turning back into Ice King before he realized he was just getting old. Its a concept just as foreign and frightening.

It took a long time for Simon to admit what Marcy was to him, it felt presumptuous to think of her as his own when he could barely provide for her and was slowly losing his sanity. Meanwhile Marcy saw him as a parental figure right away. They've since talked about it and acknowledge it but just call each other Marcy and Simon for simplicity's sake. Sometimes, when she's feeling fond she'll call him 'old man' and it makes him feel like a king.

Marcy has a serious fear of Hunson taking offense to Simon filling in the father role. Its one reason she doesn't call him dad even if she feels it. Hunson is cruel and apathetic and possessive. She won't risk Simon falling victim to his petty whims.

Worked hard to make up his past behavior to the people he'd hurt. Many were forgiving but some weren't and he had to learn that some people would never accept his efforts. Took a long time for he and PB to get on good terms. Bubblegum holds grudges and Simon was so ashamed over his actions he would've avoided her if not for Marcy. For her sake, the two of them painfully, awkwardly made peace with each other. They're now quite friendly and even hang out occasionally without Marcy.

Is super uncomfortable around Gunter/Ice Thing for a while. Takes him awhile to work up the nerve to go back to the Ice Kingdom. Ice Thing thinks of Simon as his father and refers to him as such which initially flusters Simon but he gets used to it. They're friendly, but not really close. Ice Thing houses the majority of Simon's book/artifact collection until he donates it to museums. Simon visits every now and again for research purposes and to see the penguins who mutually miss him. The more Simon feels separated from Ice King the easier time he has with Ice Thing.

Everyone but Finn realizes that Simon has basically adopted him. Finn continues to live with Jake until he dies then alternates between crashing at Marcy's, PB's and Simon's place and disappearing on quests for months at a time. Simon worries and dotes on the young human: making meals, keeping his place clean and generally being supportive until Finn is a bit more stable. Finn's obliviousness to Simon's paternal feelings makes him back off a bit more into friend territory but he still worries.

Simon not only moves out of his museum apartment but also out of the floating human city. It isolated him up there, being so unrelatable to the other humans. Moves back down to Ooo and Bubblegum gets him set up with a big house with plenty of extra bedrooms for his friends kids to stay in.

After the events of F&C, he throws himself into his third chance with a gusto. Still has bouts of depression and anxiety the rest of his life but its more controlled. He helps formalize education across the board and creates the first higher education institute in Ooo. Teaches not only about pre-war history but becomes the historian on the history of Ooo. Keeps records, writes books and does interviews that help capture the world which are referenced far into the future. While he will always be associated with Ice King, Simon makes a name for himself as well.

[slexenskee]

👀 New surprise acoustic album coming up in a chapter near you~

I think we all know what spurred this surprise acoustic album this time 😂

Disenchanted - MCR, Regular | Acoustic

Stay Together For the Kids - Blink 182, Regular | Acoustic

Iris - The Goo Goo Dolls, Regular | Acoustic

How's It Going To Be - 3EB, Regular | Acoustic

All These Things That I've Done - The Killers, Regular | Acoustic

I chose these songs mostly on the regular versions, but some of them have pretty great acoustic versions ngl. I really like that Stay Together For the Kids and Disenchanted renditions, which I think use the real ripped vocals over acoustic instrumentals. And I actually prefer the Boyce Avenue version of Iris than the actual acoustic version from GGD. But for How's It Going To Be and All These Things I've Done, I really adore the originals, even if they lend themselves well to acoustic versions.

Also yes instead of talking about his feelings in a mature and calm manner, Gojo instead runs off and makes an album about it instead 😂 tbf using art as an outlet is actually a very healthy thing to do, but so is talking to your partner about your internal struggles.

But I find it very in character of him to struggle to put his own feelings into words, or rather, to express them outwardly and actually speak and vocalize them to others in a normal way, and turn to music instead. Unlike Hawks - who is more of an action guy and even in his POVs shows how he feels through his actions rather than introspective monologues - Gojo's actually your classic Tortured Poet (see what I did there lol) who has a lot of Thoughts™, even if he's horrible about expressing them and regularly ignores them. So in his own way, he's trying to communicate a lot through this album - to the whole world, but also to Hawks specifically.

Tbh this album is probably Gojo's most 'personal', or at the very least, as personal as you can get when you never wrote the songs to begin with lol. But idk, my millennial is showing here but there was always something so personal to making mixtape CDs for yourself or for others. You might not have wrote them, but it says a lot that you chose them to define yourself, you know?? Anyway I digress, moral of the story this is actually Gojo reaching out in his own way. And tbh, it's kind of a summary of his life too. A lot of times I pick songs for this fic mainly just because I like the way they sound, with no real meaning to them, and that's canon too as Gojo picks his songs for the Vibes™, but for this album noooope.

Disenchanted - Going to be crowned as the quintessential 'Dabi' song. Literally all about being a disenfranchised and disenchanted youth who sings away his angst and the chorus is 'If I'm so wrong, how can you listen all night long?' This is basically the summary of how sad teenage Dabi felt and why he turned to both music and villainy

Stay Together For The Kids - So on the nose it's not even funny, but I adore that guitar riff in the beginning. And while Gojo's parents didn't divorce in either of his lives, I still feel this resonating with him because of the way his youth was ruined by the adults who were supposed to love and care about him, in both lives. And yes, when the Endeavor reveal drops people are going to be questioning this song.

Iris - Yes, this is his pining song. First for Suguru, but then takes on a new meaning with Hawks. Yes, it turns all the Sixwings fans into a sobbing mess every time. Really though more than being a love song about either Suguru or Hawks, this is hi trying to convey his own feelings with lines like 'yeah you bleed just to know you're alive'/'when everything's made to be broken, I just want you to know who I am'

How's It Going To Be - Known to Sixwings fans as the 'breakup/makeup' song. Like yeah it's about Sixwings breaking up, but it's also Ru-kun shouting to the world that he wants to get Hawks back. It becomes infamous for it. When No Scrubs finally goes on their massive Taylor Swift Era's-esque tour he'll play this and Iris back to back and have the whole stadium bawling. Ngl this is my favorite 3EB song, so it had to go in this fic somewhere. I love how it starts mainly soft and acoustic and at the climax the full band kicks in and Stephan Jenkins just starts belting 'I wanna get myself back into you, the soft dive of oblivion'

All These Things That I've Done - If Disenchanted is Dabi looking back on his life/past and all the anger and sadness he sees there, then the final track on the album is about coming to terms with himself and trying to accept who he is, and look towards the future. Huge theme for he next arcs/final fic in this series. I actually always thought the line was 'these changes ain't changing me, the gold-hearted boy I used to be'... but it's actually cold-hearted, which kinda totally changes my narrative for this song so I'm pretending it's gold-hearted 😂

[snickerduu]

What music do you like?

Any specific genre?

Any niche music that you'd recommend or think is underrated?

ooh, i listen to a lot of different genres at different times, so this answer might differ every other month HAHHA but for a very long time i've been a big fan of music that helps calm down my noisy brain -- usually folk/acoustic instrumentals! will never not love those

recently, i've been listening to a lot of hiatus kaiyote, alan gogoll, the oh hellos (their four winds albums are great and mean a lot to me), laufey, takashi kokubo (i always listen to their albums to sleep), and stray kids!

i'm also a fan of local filipino artists UDD and munimuni :)

and some other long-time favorites i always come back to are park bird, elephant gym, plini, erutan, haruno, khai dreams, again&again, ichiko aoba, and a bit of radiohead since my partner axl (who also makes music!! he's made all the music for my animations so far) is a really big fan of them HAHA i enjoy A Moon Shaped Pool the most out of their albums because it makes me feel so sad

for stuff i feel is underrated, i personally think more people should listen to elephant gym and alan gogoll!! genuinely surprised their music hasnt reached over a million monthly streams on spotify yet, they're very pleasant listening experiences 🐛 my earworms (side note i feel like axl has better answers for niche music since he seems to always find really good hole-in-the-wall artists, he's positively influenced the range of music i listen to since before uni! we were in a high school band back then HAHA)

also i listen to ABBA with my dad a lot! their songs and documentaries play every car ride we have so i know every song at this point...but their songs are all bangers so its ok (my favorites voulez-vous and gimme gimme gimme)

these are all off the top of my head so i might've forgotten other ones!! maybe if another music ask comes out next time i'll spew out another bajillion HAHA thank you for asking and for reading this block of text :) !!!

[lihhelsing]

you make me (a complete mess)

The curious thing about not meeting his new neighbor, though, was how an image of him was forming inside Steve’s head, even against his will. The sweetness of his gesture hadn’t gone unnoticed by Steve, of course. But the most interesting thing he knew about them so far was the constant music that came out of their apartment.

It didn’t matter if it was morning, afternoon, or evening, whenever Steve walked past their door he would hear music of some kind. Sometimes, especially at night time or early morning, it would be something more acoustic and chill. In the afternoons, though, it was like they were free to go wild and Steve would hear strong, angrier notes.

But there was never, ever silence.

Steve didn’t recognize most of the songs and it became part of his routine to just walk in and stand in front of his neighbor’s door to see if he would recognize today’s song. It had happened only two times, and on both times the songs were 80s hits that Steve only knew because Robin was absolutely obsessed with that specific music period.

Still, he wouldn’t be able to sing any of those songs anyway, but it was a fun game to play, even if he was the only one who knew there was even a game to begin with.

That night he was particularly tired from work. Robin had to leave early because of a big project she was doing for one of her classes and Steve had to close the shop all by himself. On a day a bunch of kids had showed up and messed up their entire fantasy section. So it wasn’t what Steve would call fun.

He considered just walking straight into his apartment and ignoring whatever his neighbor might be listening to, but at the same time, it felt wrong for some reason. He was just curious. What if today was the day they would be listening to something Steve actually knew?

He had to make sure, hadn’t he?

So Steve climbed the stairs and stepped in front of the door of 21B and he just stood there. It always took him a second to be able to focus on the sounds coming from inside the apartment but there it was. A soft, acoustic song Steve definitely didn’t know.

He stayed there, listening to it for a moment. He wouldn’t admit it out loud - hell, he hadn’t even said to Robin what he started doing - but listening to the songs actually calmed him. It made him force himself to stop and just be in the moment, if only for a minute or two while the song went on. And today, of all days, he could use a second to breathe.

So he did. Breathed in and out. Let the song wrap itself around him. It was soft, but the lyrics were a little sad and even a tiny bit angry. It made him feel better, anyway. Made him feel alive, like all those songs he heard through the door were speaking to him directly.

He never looked for the songs later. It would be a bitch to find out and it didn’t matter, anyway. The fun of it was listening to them through the door.

Steve was about to step away and just go on with his life for the night. He was dreaming about a bath. He could feel the slight tension building on the sides of his head which meant he was on the verge of a headache that would probably turn into a migraine if he didn’t take care of it. And then, the song stopped abruptly.

It wasn’t abrupt in the way someone hit the pause button and the song just stopped. It was actually more of a mess of sounds and a loud 'Shit' and that combined with the fact the song seemed to start over right away was what finally made Steve realize what he’d been listening to wasn’t a cassette or a vinyl but it was actually his neighbor playing the fucking songs.

So every day Steve would walk past 21B and he would listen to his neighbor play something on what, an acoustic guitar?

And that also meant the voice he heard was not some internationally renowned singer but just his front door neighbor and he sounded like a fucking angel?

“What the fuck.”

Keep reading on ao3

[ms--lobotomy]

Almost done with finals. Almost. Pretty merman on the mind. Aah. [Previous] [Next]

Summary: You and Mortarion go for your first swim together.

Word Count: 1044

Content Warnings: dad rock, scars, saccharine sweet content this time around

Image Credit: @squishyowl

You slid the wood-and-glass door shut with a loud THUMP. You held your phone in one hand, encased in a plastic bag, and a small speaker in the other. You felt his eyes on you, careful not to linger too long on your exposed skin. You looked down at him, a light smile dusting your lips. His eyes widened as they trailed up to meet yours, and his mouth hung slightly agape.

"Mortarion?" you asked, feeling your heart skip a beat.

"It's nothing," he said gruffly. "What's in your hand?"

"Oh!" you exclaimed, holding up your phone. "This is a phone, it's... it's a lot of things, really, but the battery on it sucks. But if I open up the right music app and turn on the speaker..." you said, pressing a button to light up your speaker before focusing on your phone to open up your music app of choice. You scrolled to one of your more calm playlists, and pressed play.

Mortarion's eyes widened as he heard the strum of an acoustic guitar. You dipped your toes into the pool. D-major-7 chord, followed by a B-sus-2, dropping to G-sus-2 before moving back to that D-major-7.

"I can... play the first chord," you said. "I'm still learning this one." Meanwhile, Mortarion was laser-focused on the sound coming from the speaker.

"Hello... I've waited here for you..."

You were knee-deep now, getting acclimated to the water. Mortarion's tail swished from side to side, and he leaned on the side of the pool. You stepped lower as the voice in the speaker crooned its next word.

"Everlong."

You stepped off the stairs and winced as the water came up to your chest, cold against you. Mortarion turned around, his face expressionless as he edged his way towards you.

"You're cold."

You nodded as Dave Grohl continued the first verse of the song, shivering as if on cue. "I'm sorry," you mumbled, folding your hands over your stomach. "Sometimes I just need a minute to acclimate to this pool."

His expression was as rough and cold as ever, but he lay a light hand on your upper arm. It almost engulfed it. His fingers ended in sharp, ash-dark claws that rested against your skin. His pale skin was slightly iridescent, dotted in some places with light yellow-green scales. You shivered again as you looked back at him. His hand was warm on you.

"Do you..." he started before clearing his throat. "Do you wish to come closer?"

You froze, blinked, and then nodded. "I'd like that," you said sheepishly. Before you knew it, his other hand was cupped behind your back and he rested your head on his chest. His skin was rough, scarred. You felt not one, but two heartbeats in your ear. You would have said something, but his two hearts was far from the strangest thing about him. He leaned back, putting his back to the water.

"And I wonder... when I sing along with you..."

As the song hit the chorus, you looked up at him. His eyes were still trained on the speaker, even though he was swimming around in the pool with you. It was almost uncanny, but... cute? You couldn't deal with those thoughts. Not now. You looked back down, and right next to your eye was a stitched-up scar. You tensed up.

"Your scars," you said, a lump forming in your throat. The scar was already scabbing over, and the sutures stuck out of his skin like skinny little spikes. You opened your mouth to say something, but he spoke up first.

"They'll heal," he rumbled. "I've dealt with worse."

"But you haven't washed up on shore..." you trailed off, looking up at him. "Right?"

You felt him shudder underneath you. "Oh--" you interjected before you felt him tense up. "You don't have to talk about anything you're not comfortable with," you said. "I promise."

"You saw nothing," he hissed, before his expression softened. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Fine, I guess I have no other choice than to trust you," he huffed, a hand on your back. You felt the claws against your skin, but he refused to let them sink in. "I will not be talking about it. Not now."

"Go at your own pace," you mused, as the last chorus of the song began to come into full force.

"If everything could ever feel this real forever..."

You felt a hand at the back of your head, pressing you into his chest. You felt his heartbeats in full swing, beating wildly. You didn't resist, wrapping your arms around him as much as you could. He was skinny for his size, yet muscular. You couldn't wrap your arms all the way around if you tried. You stayed like that for a few moments. He closed his eyes.

"Are you feeling okay?" you asked as the song came to a close.

You felt his twin hearts flutter. "I am doing fine," he said calmly. "I can ask the same for you?"

"Yeah," you said, shifting on him. "Yeah."

An advertisement blared out of the speakers, and Mortarion cocked his head. "This is... far less pleasant," he said, turning upright in the pool.

"Oh, right," you said, holding onto him. You couldn't reach the bottom where both of you were, and he wrapped an arm around you. "Oh, uh.." you started. "Do you mind if I swim over to my phone? I need to close and reopen the app."

His grip on you relinquished. "If that's what it takes," he said as you doggy-paddled over towards your phone.

"I promise I'm a better swimmer than this," you smiled, looking over your shoulder once you reached the side of the pool.

Mortarion was staring at you. Not as coldly as you normally had seen him, even though he hadn't even been in the pool for 24 hours. You felt your heart seize in your chest. You didn't want to admit anything to yourself, no, you hadn't known him that long! You felt your heartbeat calm down. This was just fascination, not real love.

"The... phone, it was called?" he asked.

You felt a lump in your throat grow. "Yeah," you said. "Let me stop this ad real quick."

Taglist: @bispecsual @justeverythingnothingelse @bleedingichorhearts @nekotaetae @historitor-bookshelf