#yet!!!! then season 2 is perfect. they peaked

[shesnake]

me trying not to explode with a rant about dogme 95 and cinema verité and the thick of it and multi-camera set-ups whenever someone calls succession an ugly show

[jo-harrington]

Promotion (Eddie Munson x Store Manager!Reader)

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader

Summary: You take a Tuesday night off to surprise Eddie at a Corroded Coffin show and you both get more than you bargained for.

Previous Part: Team Building

Warnings/Themes: AU where the Upside Down doesn't terrorize Hawkins. Reader works at the Claire's at StarCourt. Eddie works at TapeWorld. (Do I need to say this anymore?) Fluffy, a little angsty, culmination of a lot of big feelings on both Eddie and Readers parts.

Note: I have been working on this part. Since January 15th. This has always been (and if you've read Peak Sales Hours you know) the way they finally reveal their feelings for one another. DAMN TOOK THEM AND ME A REALLY LONG TIME. The idea has evolved a little, but I hope the wait has been worth it. (Really gonna suck when we go back to the 2 parts of the story where they...aren't together yet but I promise both of those parts will be worth it and it's gonna make a few things towards the end of this part make sense...) We're almost at the end.

You can find my masterlist here for more featuring our resident Store Manager and all of my other Eddie stories and writing.

Please do not interact if you are not 18+.

Enjoy!

---

“Nice fake, kid,” the gruff bartender scoffed, taking a quick glance over your ID. “Illinois huh?”

“Yeah, Illinois,” you insisted. “And it’s not a fake.”

“Whatever,” he sighed. “Enough of you kids home from college, I can’t keep up. In for a penny, in for a pound. What can I getcha?”

You ordered then turned to survey the ambience of The Hideout.

Bars weren't typically your scene.

You really didn't have a scene, if you were honest. Work and school had been your life for the longest time. If you had a social life, it was garage beers with your friends back home, or going out with coworkers after a really difficult holiday season or something. Your old Store Manager had certainly forced you to join her at dive bars and parties now and again. And now, you guessed...outings with Eddie and his friends.

When he had first told you about Corroded Coffin and their gigs, he said that the Hideout wasn't typically busy.

"It's like...like Cheers, you know? A place where everyone knows your name," he explained that first night you two had hung out. "Off the highway, used to be the local watering hole for everyone at the plant to wet their whistle after quitting time, according to Wayne. Lately, not as much.

"But the owner lets us play every Tuesday and it's good if we want to make it big someday. Even though right now it's really just...you know, a few regulars who tolerate us and clap if they're sober enough."

This, though, was most certainly not a few regulars.

Just like the bartender had said, there were a lot of kids home from college for Thanksgiving week, looking to get away from their families for a night. They'd already been milling about StarCourt; you'd seen a lot of unfamiliar faces. You wondered if this was just a convenient place to get a drink with friends now that they were back; it wasn't like the bartender was really taking anyone's ID seriously, real or fake.

Everyone was here for a good time, regardless. An old house-turned-bar with a few tables, mostly occupied, and a pool table that a group of guys were crowded around. Only a few open spots at the bar, one of which you had claimed for yourself.

It wasn't a club, it wasn't really even a bar.

It was just...kind of a shithole.

But if you were to remove all the people who were here tonight who didn't seem to fit in anyway, you felt it was the perfect venue for Corroded Coffin.

The stage was small and makeshift and illuminated by the many neon signs on the adjacent walls touting Coors and Old Style and PBR, and even though you were a little ways back you could easily enjoy the show.

You were actually planning to hang back anyhow. You usually closed on Tuesdays so you wanted to surprise Eddie.

He had mentioned, way back during your first Sunday night hangout, that you should come and see the band if you were ever free. You had brought up your schedule to him then, and immediately felt bad when he looked a little disappointed. And even more so the dozen or more times you tried to bring up the topic again, especially as you spent more time with him and his friends. Music was something you two had quickly bonded over, so you were hoping you could come and support him. But he never took the cue and never extended the invitation again.

It took a lot of bribery to get Mindy to take the Tuesday shift, and thankfully with the impending holidays, she had some time-off needs of her own. So a little quid pro quo and you had your night off.

Not to mention a covert trip to Tape World to grab one of the flyers for the show, disguised as a run to the bathroom, when you had lunch together a few weeks ago. Eddie's manager Kyle always let him have his homemade flyers on the counter when he was Manager on Duty, but they always went home with Eddie after his shift was over.

"I just have this bad feeling," he admitted to you once. "That someone would come in just to fuck with them, you know. At least while I'm there, I can...I don't know. Protect them." You understood, having been witness to how shitty some of the people in Hawkins were to him. You had dealt with bullies before, and it had gotten better for Eddie in the past few months but...he was still cautious and you didn't blame him.

So now, sitting here in this crowded bar, sipping kind of bad beer, wearing one of your brother's band tees that must have gotten mixed up with your shit from your last visit home, and waiting for the boys to appear "on stage," you felt happy that you'd be able to show Eddie just how much you cared for him. How much you wanted to be there for him the way he'd been there for you the past 6 months.

How worth...all of it he was.

And the other boys. Of course.

Eddie was the only one you wanted to kiss though.

He was the only one you wanted to do any of those sweet, sickening...ahem...sexy...things with. You really had wanted it all since you met him, and you'd gotten your taste and that was enough to smolder and turn your craving into an actual thirst.

Unfortunately, what you'd hoped was mutual attraction...never went anywhere, so friendship it had stayed.

You could always indulge in your little crush-fueled fantasies after you hung out. As pathetic as that was. Especially when you realized he was a touchy kind of guy. Hugs at the ready whenever you wanted them and even sometimes when you didn't. Hands always grabbing your shoulders to shake you when he was trying to make a point. He'd popped the arm rest up when you went to the movies so you could put your head on his shoulder. And then he would cover your eyes with his hand whenever there was something especially gorey or steamy on the screen.

"Otherwise, I’ll have to wash your eyes out young lady," he mocked with a very stern voice to mock your overprotective father, who Eddie had met once.

And on one of the toughest days of your life when his attention had fully been on you so how he remembered your dad enough to get his voice down like that...

You shook your head to release you from your thoughts as you noticed Gareth and Jeff haul in Gareth's drum kit from some back hallway and onto the ramshackle stage.

It wouldn't do to get lost in your daydreams when they were about to perform. Because yeah, Eddie was always doing things like that-- remembering things you said off-handedly, surprising you with things he thought would make you laugh or smile--and you tried to do the same for him, but coming to see one of his performances was gonna be different.

It meant more than quoting his favorite movie or getting him that snack he liked at the gas station.

This was his dream.

And you wanted to be fully present for it.

A couple people clapped kindly as all four boys took the stage and Eddie said a quick, slightly shy "hey" into the microphone, clearly unused to the crowd. You let out a tenuous whoop, and Eddie squinted in your direction and waved, but with the haze of cigarette smoke lingering in the air and the bustle of bodies that swarmed the bar to refresh their drinks, you doubted he could see who it actually came from.

So maybe you would need to worm your way up eventually. Maybe.

Once they started playing, though, you knew you would have to.

They were...

Well...

Ok they were not the best, but they were certainly getting there. They could be something great if they took the time, and you knew that was a high priority for the boys.

You didn't know what you expected though.

Certainly not like something professionally recorded or the one or two concerts you'd been to with friends over the years. Surely something closer to the bands that played during street fairs or the local venues back home.

Corroded Coffin was something in-between. Eddie's proficiency at the guitar and his overly confident stage presence once he got going, paired with Jeff and Dave who matched his energy with their endless strumming and head banging and enthusiastic vocals. And of course Gareth on the drums, who kept them in line as though he was simply amplifying the beating of his heart.

They were...one-of-a-kind.

It was a sight to behold and had you enraptured by their entire performance.

And you were surely not alone, as there was a good bit of applause after every song--none louder than you, you hoped--that caused the boys to preen with the attention. Especially Eddie, who would showboat if more than 5 people clapped.

"And now," he rumbled into the microphone, voice a little croaky, as the others set up a thrum of drumbeats and repetitive notes on their respective instruments. "Lend me your ear as I weave a tale of adventure and destruction."

You shifted on your stool with a grin, excited to see this. He'd explained it to you, how he and Jeff had been working on these little attention grabbers...stage patter...in tandem with his campaigns for Hellfire Club.

"Being a frontman is more than just singing, it's about...captivating the audience."

He told you it would make more sense once they had some more original songs and not just covers. But they were still working on it.

Thus, Eddie began talking about Lord of the Rings, of all things. Of a great journey with perilous consequences if the Fellowship were to fail, of the jaunts through Rivendell and encounters in Khazad-dûm and finally the terrible task on Mount Doom.

"And none of it would be possible without..." he started plucking at his own guitar strings, running his fingers up and down the frets, creating a haunting sound in place of a harmonica. "The Wizard."

You jumped from the stool and let out a whoop, beer sloshing over the rim of your glass and onto your hand. But it didn't matter, because when Eddie's eyes zeroed in on you, he beamed brightly and it was magical.

The moment would be burned into your brain forever, the way his big, void-like eyes got all round and soft and those lips stretched over his teeth to grin, lines carving deeper into his face in a look of sheer joy. And then glanced back down at his Sweetheart as he began to play his best performance of the night.

Or so you thought, but you were a little biased.

You were torn away from the performance as someone took the glass out of your hand and pressed some napkins over your beer-soaked skin.

"Here, watch out, you spilled some on the floor too," a deep, teasing voice said. "Jules, can you grab some more napkins?"

"Yeah. For sure."

"You Corroded Coffin's number one fan or something?" the guy asked as you kept trying to look back at the stage. You looked at him and felt uneasy. He was tall but unremarkable and had a plaid shirt under a denim jacket, a few patches similar to ones you'd seen adorned on Eddie's battle vest. He seemed like someone who might enjoy the music but there was a glint in his eyes and a smirk on his mouth that seemed...off to you.

"First time hearing them," you tried to dismiss. "Thanks for the help."

His friend or...maybe date returned with a stack of napkins and she handed them to you with her own tight smile, latching herself to his side.

"I thought it was music time, not story time," she joked snidely as you dropped the napkins on the floor to clean up the spill. "Are we gonna get out of here soon Mick?"

"Yeah don't worry," he patted her shoulder and then looked back at you. "So, not number their one fan. You dating Munson or something then?"

Jules let out a laugh.

"None of your business, who are you again?" You put on the hard city exterior you grew up with--the one that often clashed with your tight-knit community and customer service exteriors, each an interchangeable mask—and turned away from him, glad to put some distance between you.

You asked the bartender for another beer but there was already a bitter taste in your mouth and you knew you wouldn't enjoy the drink.

Mick and Jules…

---

You were happy when everyone gave them an outstanding applause at the end of the set, but the boys were quick to dismantle the stage after a stern look from the bartender.

Eddie had tried his best to have an encore performance.

"Come on Phil." He batted his eyelashes enticingly. "You know you love us."

"This isn't Madison Square Garden," Phil ran a finger over his throat. "You'll run up my electric bill."

"Make sure you tip your bartender everyone," Eddie quickly announced with a mock salute, then pulled the plug on their equipment and dashed offstage.

Dave, Jeff, and Gareth made their way back in sometime after they broke down their equipment, as some the crowd started to dissipate, and were ecstatic to find you at the bar.

"It's seriously so busy in here," Gareth exclaimed after he chugged his Coke and belched obnoxiously. "I don't think we've played a crowd like this ever."

"I don't think we've seen this many people in the Hideout ever," Dave gave you a hopeful grin and pressed his hands together in prayer. "You sure you don't want to buy us a round of beers to celebrate?" You pushed his shoulder good-naturedly but got them a round of the cheap, watered down stuff nonetheless.

"Ok and listen, I was supposed to do the intro to The Wizard," Jeff started, hand on your shoulder as though he was telling you a secret. "But I chickened out. I don't think I would have been able to do it with all of these people here."

"You would have crushed it," you reassured him. "Next time."

"No, because Eddie destroyed it up there," Jeff hollered. "I almost forgot the chords, he was so good. You seriously need to come to Hellfire one time...or Eddie can have a special session over Christmas break. That was on par with a Munson Death Monologue, if I ever heard one. Right guys?"

"Where is he anyway?" you asked.

Instantly, all three boys got nervous and it had you on edge.

"The bathroom."

"Just having a smoke."

"Had to restring his guitar."

They fumbled over each other with their excuses.

"Don't make me pull the mom card," you crossed your arms over your chest and glared at them. "You know I hate that shit."

"Only the freshman call you mom," Dave attempted to deflect.

You rolled your eyes and simply turned on your heel and exited the bar. You heard the three of them bicker as you walked away.

"Nice cover shithead."

"Me? What about you? Restring his guitar?"

"Fuck off."

When you got out to the parking lot, you heard talking. Bickering, much like the boys had been inside.

"...I'm trying to give you a compliment."

"A backhanded compliment isn't a compliment."

Eddie's voice. And another one.

You didn't want to interfere, but you were from the midwest and as a result, you were nosy.

And Eddie was your friend, if he needed help, you'd be there for him.

You rounded the corner of the building and saw Eddie sitting in the open side door of the van, cigarette smoldering between his fingers as he gestured wildly while talking.

"I don't know why you think you can just show your face here," he told the other guy.

Mick...the guy who'd helped you out inside.

"Come on Ed," he scoffed. "This doesn't have to be painful for either of us. I moved on, so can you."

"That's right Mickey, you moved on," Eddie argued. He dropped his cigarette to the ground and stomped on it aggressively. "You decided it wasn't worth it to be my friend anymore and you and Jack moved on."

Mickey and Jack. Eddie's old friends, the former members of Corroded Coffin.

He'd told you about them...in passing. You never really got the full story from him, you never wanted to pry. But seeing this guy...now...

"You decided not to be friends anymore, when we wouldn't throw our futures away for a stupid garage band! And look, two years later and you're still here? Heard my mom say you're still at Hawkins High too. Look at you, Ed. A waste of fucking space."

Well you didn't know whether to walk away or butt in and give the guy a piece of your mind.

It was a good thing that Eddie got to his feet and got right into Mickey's smug face.

"Go fuck yourself Mick." His hands planted on Mickey's shoulders and he shoved his old friend a few feet. Not to knock him down, enough to disrupt his balance though.

The aggression left Mickey then, and even from where you stood you could see his eyes go wide.

"Come on Eddie," he whined. "I didn't come out here for this. I've got friends in there and I told them I could get weed. Julie's in there."

"Julie fucking Williams," Eddie rolled his head back and let out a sardonic laugh.

You vaguely realized why Jules had sounded familiar. Jason Carver had mentioned her way back when, when he tried to play the macho protector act.

"He was sniffing around this girl Julie Williams a few years ago too..."

"She still got her claws in you?" Eddie continued. "You here to rub it in my face that you're still with her too? High School Sweethearts and all of that?"

"Stop being an asshole. I made them all come and sit through your stupid show, Eddie. You should be thanking me."

"Thanking you?" he scoffed. "You...you're just rubbing salt in the wound now Mick. Throwing me a bone thinking I’m hard up for cash. Bringing people along cuz no one would come to our shows way back when, so now I gotta know that the only way they would, is if you bribed them with weed? And Julie? Julie only fooled around with me, dated me, so she could get closer to you and you fell for her like an idiot."

"I don't know why you care Eddie, I saw your girlfriend in there. Besides, you two were never dating. So if anyone is the idiot here, it's you."

"Fuck off, Michael," Eddie muttered, turning his back to his former friend. "If you want weed, go to Rick."

There was a beat and you watched Eddie's still back and Mickey shuffling on the gravel drive, looking simultaneously like he wanted to say something, and regretting that he even said anything in the first place.

Finally, he stalked off, hands shoved in his pockets.

You ducked against the side of the building to avoid being noticed as he passed and headed back into the Hideout.

You didn't know what to do. You didn't...yeah you were nosy, but you knew you should have probably walked away when Eddie told him to go fuck himself the first time.

Still...then no one would have been out here for Eddie now. Even after all these months of getting closer to him, months of friendship and learning more and more about him, all it took was an overheard conversation to make the pieces click. You needed to make sure he was alright because that...that hadn't been good.

He'd already been in some kind of state of constant self-deprecation when you first met him, you didn't want him to fall back into it because of some asshole. You understood now why Jeff had been so protective of him at the start. You were that way now. You wanted your friend to be happy.

To see how much he mattered. That's why you came tonight in the first place.

At the sound of something crashing in the back of the van, you shuffled back around the corner and got closer.

"Fuck," he muttered pathetically. "Fuck, fuck, fuck."

There was the twang of a string on one of the guitars snapping, and then Eddie's heaving breath.

"FUCK!" He turned around and kicked at the gravel, and it sprayed across the lot before landing at your feet. He ran his hands through his hair and stopped at the sight of you.

You froze too, unable to stomach the sight of his red, tear-filled eyes and the wetness of his cheeks illuminated by the streetlamp overhead.

"So uh," he sniffed and quickly ran the cuff of his sleeve across his nose. “Dunno if you heard but that was my old friend. Who's dating...well I guess she wasn’t my girlfriend. So she’s not an ex either.”

He rolled his eyes and hung his head pathetically.

“I’m sorry,” you muttered and took a few steps closer. “I’m sorry that they did that to you. Both of them. All of them. You deserve so much more than that.”

“Do I?” He scoffed. “I’m a freak, a loser. Too stupid to finish high school or get out of this town.”

“Stop it!”

"No, Mickey's right. My stupid band, my stupid friends."

"I'm your friend, am I stupid?" you asked. You knew it was a little shifty, trying to turn this onto you, but you needed him to see that he was being...well...

Stupid.

"Maybe," he shrugged.

"And Jeff? And Dave? And Gareth?"

"Maybe."

"Fine," you pointed back at the Hideout. "But those people in there...they couldn't have all been Mickey's friends. They clapped for your stupid band. Are they all idiots too? Freaks. Losers."

"Maybe."

"That was a really good crowd, you were great up there. I was so surprised. So impressed."

"Well you shouldn't be."

"Eddie," you said in a chastising tone.

He mimicked you in a childlike fashion, said your name in the same tone, and then ran his hands over his face and groaned.

"I don't want to let him get to me like that," he shouted into the sky. "I don't...want my stupid, dumb, shithead old best friend to get to me like that. To act like it's some favor he's doing me by rolling back into town and bringing some people to my show. When it still should have been our show. Together.

"I had to very nearly give up on all of my fucking dreams because our friendship wasn't worth it to him. Because he pretended to grow up. He...he barely got accepted into a college. He was going to take classes at Tri County and keep working at Bradley's forever and we were gonna have this band and make it big one day and now..."

He trailed off and heaved.

"And now?" You pressed after a few minutes of silence.

"And now..." He waved his hand dismissively. "I don't know...nothing I guess."

You put your hands on your hips and scowled at him.

"And now you have friends in there that actually support your dream, who actually believe you've got a chance as a band. Jeff's a better best friend than Mickey. And you've got a job at TapeWorld and have Kyle and the guys there. They all believe in you. What did you tell me a couple weeks ago? Kyle wants to see if he can make you an ASM after you graduate?"

"Yeah."

"You've got...a future...and new dreams...just like Mickey does," you tried again. "Losing old friends is hard. It's a hole in your heart that doesn't ever go away.

"My high school best friend moved away and I don't talk to her anymore. We had...maybe one phone call after she went off to some out-of-state school. It hurt when I tried to call her and she never made time for me. But...then I made other friends. It's not the same as her, but sometimes it's better. Because I have Jen, and the girls at the old store and now this store and now I have...now I have you too.

"You're better than my high school best friend ever was. Tell me I'm not a better friend than Mickey...whatever his last name is."

Eddie's face went gaunt then, his eyes evaded yours and immediately went down to his feet, hands wrapped around his stomach defensively, like you wounded him.

You breathed heavily for a few moments and then softened.

Maybe you went a little too hard.

"Eddie, I'm sorry, I..." You backtracked a little. "I know I don't know the whole story. I just...I want you to know how much I value you as my friend."

"Stop saying that!" He shut his eyes and scrunched his face.

"What? You need to hear it! I know it's hard to hear how good you are--"

"No," he opened his eyes and took a step back, holding his hands out beside him, as though he was offering himself up for the slaughter. "Stop saying that you're my friend."

"But I am your friend!"

"But I don't...I don't want you to be."

Your eyes went wide this time and your mind raced.

At first you just...you thought this was him saying he didn't want to be friends anymore. Maybe you'd overstepped boundaries and had gone too far. The little insidious self-conscious voice inside of your head told you that you were dumb and too stupid to realize all the signs of him pushing you away. Overanalyzing every interaction for some indication that he didn't want you there.

But then he kept talking and you realized you were dumb just not dumb in that way.

"I...I have...kind of always thought you were pretty," he let out a dry laugh. "Well...actually I thought you were awful...way, way back...at the beginning before I even knew your name. I thought...wow it's another mean popular pretty girl coming to tease me and make my life hell. Only...you didn’t. You’re not mean and you're not a popular girl."

"And I'm not pretty," you joked.

"But you are," he disagreed. "And you didn’t make my life hell. You're everything I...well...I know this is gonna ruin everything. So fuck it. But I have the biggest, stupidest crush on you and everyone fucking knows about it and won't stop teasing me about it and I thought...after that night at the trailer that maybe...you know, you felt the same way. That we were just two dummies. I got my hopes up. I was coming to ask you out that Friday. I even skipped school."

Your heart skipped a beat, thinking about that night.

About that kiss and about...

"And then your grandpa..." he trailed off. "And how could I bring anything up after that? I just needed to be a good friend. Be there for you, like you're always there for me. Just like you're here for me tonight.

"Sweetheart, do you know how fucking happy I was to see you back there?" he asked, eyes big and round and wet with tears. "Shit you took a Tuesday night off?"

"Of course I did," you laughed. "I told you way back at the beginning I could move things around."

"Yeah but..."

"I get it," you nodded and then felt your heart ache with longing. "Eddie..."

"So no," he continued sadly. "I don't want to be your friend anymore because I just...want you."

He backed away a little, on weak legs as though he had been wounded. Especially when you took too long to process all of your thoughts and he probably took it as rejection. He turned back to the van to try and finish packing everything up.

And your mind finally caught up to your body.

Eddie liked you and he wanted to...not be your friend anymore because he wanted more than friendship.

Right? Was that it?

Fuck, why had you been so...

You walked right up to him and grabbed him by the sleeve and turned him around.

"If you're an idiot," you told him, vulnerably. "Then so am I."

You surged forward and captured his lips with yours.

It was...admittedly not like a John Hughes movie. It was sweet for a second and your heart was soaring and then his nose bonked into yours and you both broke into a little bit of laughter.

"You're not that good at kissing," Eddie teased.

"Me?" you guffawed. "It was your nose."

"Maybe we're just both out of practice," he suggested.

"Yeah." You reached out and shook him by his vest. "One uh...maybe extra high kiss on your couch two months ago is not the warmup we needed."

He smiled at you.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"Are we both just...stupid?"

"Yeah I think so."

"How long has Mindy been mocking you?" he asked.

"Pretty much since Day 1. Kyle?"

"Before Day 1," he ran a hand through his hair and blew a frustrated breath through pursed lips. "He was the one who told me I should go up and ask you out."

"No he didn't!" You slapped a hand against his chest and stared at him incredulously.

"Scouts honor." He crossed over his heart. "So uh...you wanna try again?"

Eddie waited for your little nod before he pressed a kiss to your lips. His hands sought your waist and pulled you closer to him, body flush with his as your hands became trapped on his chest. You grabbed him by the vest and held him to you.

It was sweet exploration at first, lips tentative and pliant. Then tongues got involved, painting your tastes sweetly to the seams of each other's mouth, taking turns until they gained the courage to dance together.

Before long though...you both got a little impatient and you were pressed up against the side of his van, one hand in his hair as he kissed down the side of your throat, fingers plucking at the neckline of your t-shirt to gain more access to skin.

"Didn't know you liked Pantera," he muttered and licked back up the length of your throat then lightly bit the softness of your jaw. "S'this Jimmy's shirt?"

"Please don't say my brother's name right now."

You gently pulled him by the hair and led him right back to your lips to shut him up.

Sweetness turned into impatience, where 6 months of friendship and unrequited feelings were released--for real this time. Eddie's body slotted between your legs, hands roamed, giggles turned into moans, and just as he was about to scoot you into the van for some private time away from the elements of the Hideout Parking lot--

"Whooo..."

"Mom and Dad, sitting in a tree..."

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G."

--the guys exited the bar and found you in your...compromising position.

Eddie, ever the gentleman, made sure your shirt was on the right way and your hair not...too disheveled before turning to shoot his friends with the most scathing glare.

"Alright you fucking pervs," he shouted. "Nothing to see here."

"Are you kidding?" Dave exclaimed. "This is like...Christmas."

"Yeah, about time Eddie," Jeff clapped a hand on Gareth and Dave's shoulders. "We were about to start a bet to see if it was even gonna happen."

"It was Wheeler's idea," Gareth confessed.

"Of course it was," Eddie rolled his eyes. "Little rat."

"Mike's nice," you poked Eddie in the side and he jumped. "Stop picking on him so much."

The guys all started their whooping and hollering again until you sent your own dead stare their way to shut them up.

Eddie shouted for them all to pile into the van, and once they were all inside he turned to you and awkwardly stuck his hands in his pockets.

"So," he ran his tongue over his lips nervously. "Uh...I mean...that was nice."

"It was," you beamed. "Changed your mind about if I'm a bad kisser?"

"Yeah, oh," he nodded vigorously. "I...yes...I mean, no. You're a really...good kisser."

"Not so bad yourself Casanova."

"So we gonna...do that more often?"

You both burst out laughing and then jumped as someone inside the van honked the horn.

"You wanna come to Benny's with us?" Eddie thumbed over his shoulder. "Post-show patty melts? Kind of a tradition."

"Yeah. I'd love to."

"Kay, we'll see you there then."

"Sure."

He was about to back away and head towards the driver side of the van, and you back to the front lot to get into your car, when he swept in and cupped your face with his hands. Thumbs running gently over cheekbones, lips gently ghosting over yours.

And you couldn't help but think as you covered his hands with yours, this was definitely a perk you were going to take advantage of in this...

Relationship?

...promotion from friend to something more.

---

Next Part: Peak Sales Hours

[alltheboysandgirlsiloved]

There are many reasons why I love the entire camp cretaceous series so much but while I was watching Choas Theory season 2, I was hit with yet another one!

JWCC and JWCT consistently develop the characters's psyche. They keep evolving and growing, nearly every single experience changes them a little bit in such a compelling and human way. What more important - those changes become entwined with the characters' personalities - not forgotten. And the show just. Keep. Doing. That. (spoilers for season 2 ahead).

First, we have Darius who lost his father pre-season 1 jwcc and this experience changed him for life. Although by now he has made peace with it - notice how he reacts to Kenji's joke about Daniel's death in the current timeline. His expression is completely different from the expressions of other characters because being half-orphan is one of the things that shaped him as a person. And the show doesn't forget about that.

We also have Ben who - as we all know - went through a severe trauma on Isla Nublar. Who's "glow-up" was essentially a trauma response. I said it before and I'll say it again - JWCT is handling him perfectly. He is the perfect blend of that shy little boy from jwcc season 1, the boy who survived in the jungle on his own, and the boy who understood that there's still space for him to keep changing. I love it so much when the show runners remind us that Ben used to be that shy, awkward boy, who was unsure how to handle emotions, but always tried to voice them out. I love that he is conflicted so often - that's just our Ben. Most of his battles have always been on an emotional level - and putting him in the situation with Brooklyn in season 2 just proved it once again.

We have Yas... Oh, I could talk about her for hours. A girl who openly acknowledged her trauma. A girl who went from being socially awkward to a woman who recognizes destructive patterns in others and sees her old self in them. A girl who learned how to be emotionally and socially smart and isn't afraid of using those skills - because she has always been capable!

Sammy... don't piss me off. That's my girl through and through. A girl who would do anything for her loved ones! Every single time when she spent time with Aminata in season 2 - we could finally see how she probably used to interact with her family. We also could see how - even tho the camp fam are her family - she misses her family still. That was such a powerful move - a move that reminded us what Sammy was capable of in jwcc season 1. A move that reminded us that she is willing to take those risks - which she wanted to do again in season 2 when she and Yas were separated.

Brooklyn is...- As I was watching season 2, I found myself growing more and more hungry for her screen time. I wanted to see her, hear her. I was cautious of her every word. Did she change? Yes. But she was always madly determined. Ever since the beginning of the jwcc - once she set her eyes on something it was hard for her to focus on other stuff. Remember the frozen flowers in jwcc? Remember her obsession with going "behind the scenes"? That's the same determination right now. She has never lost it, it only evolved into something more dangerous, and who could blame Brook for that? the world, in fact, is more dangerous than 13-year-old Brooklyn thought.

I left Kenji for the end. Because both season 1 of JWCT and season 2 blew my mind when it comes to his character. He is. perfect. Currently, in terms of character development, he is probably my favorite. His daredevil-like tendencies in season 2? shut up. his interactions with his father in season 1 and everything Daniel's death followed? This is peak character writing and I mean it. I have never expected the show to go that deep but god lord, I should have seen that one coming. Kenji who in jwcc learned how to love and appreciate people properly, lost so many of them in jwct? of course, it damaged him on levels that are hard to imagine. At the same time - his behavior isn't completely out of character - even Darius points out at some point that (in season 2) Kenji acts "beyond" the way he behaved in the past. The same trait but Kenji's out of control of it now. Genius.

JWCC and JWCT are shows that are brilliant. Shows that have a clear and very simple message: your relationships with others define you. if you see them eaten, it's going to scar you forever. if you lose them, their shadow will stay in your pocket for a long time.

[shebeafancyflapjack]

What I love about Ghosts is how much of a slow burn the enemies to found family is. Yes there's a pretty big leap from "tried to kill her" to "forced allies of convenience" in the first two episodes, there needs to be to set up the premise, but after that there's such a gradual build up to a real cosy feel in the group.

It would have been so easy to have this dynamic reach its peak by the end of S1. There's a few soft moments like Alison talking to Pat's family and the Friends sofa bit outside but only after Pat explains to her how important the moonah ritual is to Robin. But it's not enough to make them that close yet and in the finale the ghosts mostly want Alison to stay for their own convenience, except Kitty and Thomas, with Fanny only just beginning to accept Alison is part of her bloodline. Captain still wants them gone but concedes to help them stay more for the others. Alison is touched by the gesture of the jewel but still admits that it's a nightmare living with them and wants to leave - and only stays because Captain screws her over via manipulating Kitty.

S2 starts with her waking up and sighing about how she's still "living the dream" (aka her nightmare). However, so we're not quite on the same page as last season, she has now established a routine with the ghosts and knows what each of them need. There's a feeling of comfort beginning to creep its way in, even if they still annoy her. And they're still not willing to help her at the drop of a hat, especially Julian unless he can get something in return, and some will go as far as to work against her when she's trying to make the house look haunted. Had the Grey Lady episode took place in S5 you know they would have all jumped at the chance to help Alison whatever she asked. But this series has a lot more episode focused on Alison connecting with the group like learning about how Thomas died and the Captain's past and Kitty's kinda sad childhood, so it feels natural and heartwarming when they all come together to help protect the house from burglars for her and she appreciates out loud how they're not as selfish as when she first came there. And they all do what they can to help with the wedding, partly for it to be a success for Alison but also just to help. Honestly on my first watch, with the snow and everything, I thought that was the Christmas special! So it lead in nicely to the actual one. Because the gang are finally at the stage where Alison would be comfortable spending Christmas with them and they all come together to sing with her to make her happy, even Robin who thinks Christmas is just a recent fad.

Series 3 is where that leap from friends to family happens and is contrasted with Alison thinking she's found a long lost blood relative, which she confesses is something she's wanted as she never had a lot of family around her. I like that they didn't have Lucy be her actual sister that turned out to be a villain, as we already have an abusive sister with Eleanor, but it still serves as a parallel between her and Kitty to make Alison realise that she has found a sister, and more. Robin saying "welcome home" and the look on Alison's face is enough to let us know this is no longer just a project for her with some annoying pests to deal with. And the final shot of them all "eating" together is one of my favorites.

The show could have easily ended there if it wanted to. Or it could have gone on another two seasons with everything being perfect and wholesome. But it doesn't; because families are not perfect. We still have an episode centered around the ghosts trying to apologise for upsetting Alison, much like a bunch of kids with an overworked mother, and they want to make it up to her not for their benefits but because of what she means to them. Episode 2 also has Alison missing feeling needed by the ghosts when they're busy doing their own thing and realising she just wants to spend time with them, even if it's just something as simple as a walk with Robin. And when Mary passes on, Alison is absolutely devastated and puts aside her work duties to prioritise helping the other ghosts grieve. Then there's her joining (evil) forces with Julian to take on Barclay together. And the series ends with Robin, who began the show just enjoying scaring the shit out of Alison for the lulz, confronting his ten thousand years old ptsd and taking a bolt of lightning to save her husband.

That's four years of development. Compare this to the CBS version where they all click together a lot faster and we don't see nearly as much of Sam losing her temper with the ghosts, and plots always seem to be wrapped up so much quicker (the fact there was no apology from Thor for possessing her still irks me). This isn't necessarily a knock against the American version, their episodes are ten minutes shorter because of ads, and it's more of a style choice as well as Sam just being a far more patient character than Alison. I know a lot of people prefer that the show begins a lot more wholesome to start with so it's down to taste. For me the heartwarming moments mean so much more when they've been earned over a lot of struggle.

Take the climax of Series 5. It's one of the few moments of TV that have made me gasp out loud. I genuinely forgot that we never saw Alison find out Julian pushed her. I guess I assumed she found out off screen or worked it out when she realised Julian's ghost power. But it really was the perfect point for her to find out; because had it happened any earlier then she wouldn't have hesitated to leave with no amount of speech able to change her mind, and likewise Julian wouldn't have had anything to say to her. But as someone else pointed out, it's much more difficult to forgive someone you love for doing something truly evil, even if at the time you were less than strangers. It's a crushing betrayal for Alison to find out that someone she thought as family once tried to kill her but also that the rest of them kept it secret. There's no obligation or pressure for her to forgive them; but she chooses to, because it's been earned over more than three years. And to parallel the S1 finale, the other ghosts are desperate for her to stay (including Cap this time), no longer for their own convenience but just because they love her.

And now we wait in terror for the Christmas episode to rip all of it to pieces. 🥺

[hotvintagepoll]

Ernest Thesiger—who could forget him camping up the screen as doctor pretorius in bride of frankenstein??? a few years before that legendary role he also appeared as the haughty horace femm in the old dark house, creating another memorable weirdo in another witty horror classic from his friend james whale. thesiger was a seasoned theater actor renowned for his comic abilities who moved in many literary and artistic circles, where he was a notorious eccentric and wit and is said to have made no particular secret of his queerness, and his friends included george bernard shaw, john sargent sargent, somerset maugham, radclyffe hall, and ivy compton-burnett, several of whom based fictional characters on him or wrote parts specifically for him (also if anyone here happens to know the gormenghast books, mervyn peake loosely based doctor prunesquallor on him). when he wasn't acting he occupied himself with many artistic endeavors and was particularly expert at petit point embroidery, exhibiting his work internationally and publishing a book on embroidery; he was also skilled at painting, knitting, crochet, lacelace-making, beadwork, costume and jewelry design, and probably more. his screen appearances are always delightful and i just can't imagine a world where we didn't have his signature flamboyant, comic, and menacing gaunt weirdos enriching cinema (supposedly the studio wanted claude rains for pretorius which would have been a wildly different vibe), so give it up for my man ernest.

ZaSu Pitts (Greed, The Bad Sister, Shopworn, Dames, It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World)—The vocal inspiration for Olive Oyl in the Popeye cartoons! ZaSu Pitts started out doing a variety of roles during the silent era, but audiences couldn't take her seriously after the advent of sound, to the extent that preview audiences laughed at her dramatic performance in All Quiet on the Western Front and the role had to be recast. Her doleful eyes, fretful handwringing and quavery voice brought interest to what might otherwise have been forgettable supporting roles, often as flighty spinster types, and it's that wonderfully cartoonish voice and pathetic demeanour that give her true scrungle quality.

This is round 1 of the contest. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. If you're confused on what a scrungle is, or any of the rules of the contest, click here.

[additional submitted propaganda + scrungly videos under the cut]

Ernest Thesiger:

He just... has the right vibes. He's so eccentric, but he has so much scrungle that goes with that. I don't think he's ever played a "normal" character in his life!

He's the OG queercoded villain to me. He often plays mad scientists or morally dubious eccentrics, so he's got the perfect scrungly combo of being physically non-intimidating and arch yet vaguely threatening in his presentation and behaviour. He is extremely camp.

Just look at him. He looks like a cat became human

ZaSu Pitts:

2:15-5:23 in the film below [editor's note: I haven't watched the whole film, so no content warnings if you choose to watch all of it.]

[starstriix]

Jo's dynamics with other characters are all usually fun and engaging due to her being such an entertaining and adaptable character herself; but they can honestly be so much more interesting if people explored them a bit more?

For example, take Jo and Lightning. They have a hilarious dynamic with Jo having to deal with Lightning's stupidity and learning to manipulate his self-centeredness to her advantage. Except one thing I don't see explored enough is their similarities??

They're both overconfident athletes who are willing to do bad shit in order to win. It makes me think that Jo might’ve had a similar upbringing to him where she had to deal with the pressure of winning? Like, a cut-throat attitude doesn't just develop out of nowhere. Except whilst I think Lightning's ego developed from being constantly praised (and eventually pressured with having to live up to others' expectations), Jo might’ve been constantly belittled and underestimated (for yknow, being a girl) and she would've had to work hard to achieve recognition from others. Episode 6 pretty much confirms that she uses a false bravado and anger to cover up feelings of insecurity. I just think their possibly similar yet different upbringings and perspectives would be cool to explore.

Jo and Zoey is one of my favourite duos! They definitely should've become friends; I think they would've been a fun dynamic, and gen 2 could've used a proper female friendship. I think them both having the "Not like other girls" aspect is quite interesting?? As well as them both initially lacking actual friendships (with Zoey's lonely childhood, and Jo's... Just Jo) which is. Pretty common amongst the gen 2 girls. Huh

Zoey could've been a MUCH more interesting character (I always just use the cool epic version of her I have inside my head). Let her be weirdddd or let her be super basic and intentionally pose as "indie" to seem cool and different. Maybe she looks down on other "basic" girls to cover up how she feels insecure around them for being weird and having unconventional interests herself idk. I think the dynamic of both Zoey and Jo hating on pretty, popular girls and overcoming that is super neat. Especially since they're both something that the other hates; Zoey is a typically feminine girl and Jo is a jockette. Let them become friends and be like "okay well you aren't so bad" and then eventually stop judging other girls for being "feminine" or "basic" pleaseeeee it'd be so good. Even better: let ALL the revenge girls be friends. I just want them to be happy OKAY? Okay.

Finally, Jo and Cameron! Another duo I'm fond of. Awesome brains/brawns combination, and the whole arc of Cam standing up to her and Jo respecting him for it is absolutely peak. Jo's elimination in roti was pretty much perfect, but I also think she could've worked well in the finale. Her being a combination of brains and brawns would have encouraged Cameron to use both, which would be a neat callback to Jo's earlier line of needing to get physical in TD. (Still think she should've rooted for Cameron over the guy who insisted that she was a dude for most of the season but whatever)

I haven't really seen this take on their dynamic, but the whole thing of Cameron's development being stunted from the over-protective environment of his upbringing and Jo being toughened by the harsh environment of hers adds a fascinating layer to their relationship. Whereas Cameron was prevented from being able to properly grow up and experience things like normal teens, Jo grew up way too soon and put more focus into winning than making positive relationships and allowing herself to just be a teenage girl (I personally believe Jo got the """tough love""" treatment). Idk I just think this would be cool to delve into and see how their opposite childhoods impacted them and their core values when interacting with each other

Cameron clearly saw her as both a role model and an opponent, which is a really fun dynamic! She was a bully, yeah, but she also presented herself as someone who was always in control and knew what she was doing, so it's understandable that Cam looked up to her. She was pretty much the opposite of overprotective too, which is probably what drew Cam to her since she didn't coddle him (and instead made fun of him LMAO). And of course, Jo learned to not underestimate the tiny nerds and gave her respect in the end. Super fun and intriguing duo, and probably the only td pair I would actually compare to siblings.

So yeah basically I think we should start looking into TD relationship dynamics more because they're awesome and filled with potential. Especially Jo's because she is the best ever and if you think otherwise then you're wrong

Also have a gold star if you just read through all of that ⭐️ great work soldier

[disventure-rewrite-takes]

As a Jake kinnie and supporter, an Aiden enjoyer, and Jakeden shipper- deadass the story would be more exciting if they dated.

Hear me out- Tom x Jake? It’s cute, but it honestly feels a little empty. If ONC wanted to focus on the Jam ship, they should’ve added more. The stupid “will they won’t they” should not be in my indie gay show!!

James x Aiden- nothing. No seasoning. No spice. No chemistry. Just fanservice. In my opinion, it doesn’t help that the first kiss they ever had was a little non-consensual. Aiden agreed to kiss him for like 2 seconds- not 10. Aiden was probably really uncomfortable considering that he didn’t like James at the time. Plus James’ entire personality is “Aiden” and “Social media” it feels like he’s an NPC.

So what if in DCAS Aiden used to love James, he really did. But recently, every kiss feels fake, every hug feels fabricated. James still loves Aiden, but Aiden doesn’t feel the same anymore. Getting back into the show was perfect! Maybe he could have the privacy to talk to Lake, maybe the spark between him and James would relight! But as soon as Aiden walks onto the plane, he spots Jake. Aiden LOVED Jake in season one- so he has a little fanboy crush as is. James gets voted off, and Aiden doesn’t really feel that upset, if anything he’s a little glad he won’t have to act super lovey dovey. He had a conversation with Lake before she gets voted off, and she basically tells him “It’s okay to not be in love anymore. Things happen, you should just be honest with him and break things off when the show is over.”

Jake on the other hand gets jealous of Tom and Aiden hanging out- but this time.. it’s not because of Tom. Jake is jealous that Tom is hanging out with this cute boy. Jake tells himself that he’s jealous of Aiden, as Jake has slowly begun to realize that him and Tom just might not be meant to be and he needs to move the fuck on. Eventually, Jake starts to realize that he’s thinking more and more about Aiden and tells this to Ashley- and she basically says “Well it sounds like you got a crush on Aiden, not Tom.” Jake understands this now- but because he’s bad with his feelings, he still acts kinda passive aggressive with Aiden. Yet he can’t help but joke around with him sometimes. When the merge happens and Connor gives everyone the speech, Jake realizes that he should be more honest with Aiden. So Jake and Aiden start to develop a friendship! Episode 13- the superhero one! At the end of the challenge! Make Aiden kiss Jake in the moment!! Because over the course of the show- Aiden was like “God Jake is so pretty” and then their friendship arc made him go “God Jake is so cool” then after the challenge- Jake and Aiden talk to each other- and become a couple.

This adds more to Jake’s character! He’s finally in a relationship that isn’t based off looks, they have chemistry, they have a genuine relationship arc and not that “will they won’t they” bullcrap. Then when Aiden gets voted off! Jake is like “I need to win this for me, AND Aiden!”

Also the moment when Jake finds out James is his helper in the final challenge? That “James.. oh g o d” is so much funnier because Jake and Aiden are dating now. And Jake has no idea about how James feels about that. (Don’t worry they establish that James and Aiden break up in the motel episode- James is sad but he understands)

hey hey hey as a big jakeden fan i am NODDINGGGGGGG

this is my own personal bias but i'd love to add james to their relationship anyways, jajames enemies to lovers is SO FUNNY - but i can totally get behind just jakeden. seriously they had so much chemistry.

i think i would change the kiss though, i'd let them get a kiss just maybe in the finale, granted that jake is in it. just so everything is consensual and sorted out, so we don't have to bear with 'cheating' drama with jaiden. they can still have those nice, awkward & romantic moments, like the hug in the lie detector episode (my god was that peak jakeden. that whole episode was spectacular for them)

i fw this hard

[wakandamama]

Monday

In anticipation for me watching season 2 of the Bear 🐻😈. This is another smut continuation of Routine, that I may or maynot add more too. Enjoy fellow Chefkissers👩🏿‍🍳🧑🏼‍🍳 if you know me, I had to get my fav couple rn, car fucking.

“Carm…Carmy please.” she pleads, the damn near echo in the car. Her thighs clenching over his hand again. Carmy has to bite his lips in, hard. His dick achy at the sounds she makes at this point. The sound is fucking obscene, slick and wet as he forces his hand out the grip of her thighs. Her whimper at the loss of him is whiny and upset.

“Seriously?” She pants, all hot and bothered. Her eyes promising revenge for him stringing her along like that while in traffic.

____________

The way Sydney can’t get the obscene and lite salt taste of Carmy’s dick out of her mind is insane, it contemplates her to join her father at evening prayer tonight. If it wasn’t for the fact that she was currently pretending to reorganize her locker as she waits for him to finish the books, she’d be dosing herself in blessed oil as she entered the sanctuary. Right now, she could only thank God that Richie’s little girl had another dance recital so his smart mouth was out of the restaurant first. Carmy’s crude play-cousin was starting to linger too long for them to be safe from prying.

It is easier to wave off Tina as she has to get home to make dinner for her family. It was easier to excuse her lingering to Marcus as he’s been packing himself into mixing bowls and the oven lately. But Richie? The man was a tick with the capabilities to talk and apparently a bloodhound with how he commented about the smell of sex in the air lately. Sydney blames Carmy’s inability to relax unless he’s in her pussy or marinating a brisket.

She is drawn from her pondering by Carmy’s hand swiping over the smalls of her back. She glances at him when he opens his own locker and tosses in his apron. She closes her own when Carmy starts to trade his no-slips for his worn nikes. 

“Good day, chef?” he asks while he bends over to tie his shoe. Sydney is practically licking the lingering memory of the velvety feel of girth in her mouth. 

“It was. Richie was only half- annoying today. Glad he jetted out for the recital. Marcus made me this orange cream puff sampler thingy. He’s getting better. It wasn’t too sweet, flaky, the cream wasn’t gritty at all. Was a perfect bust in my mouth.” she teases. Carmy gives a little huffing laugh when he stands back up. He grabs his jacket, leans in close to her ear as he thread his arms through. 

“I can put something better in there.” He rasps to her. She chuckles, he smirks at it and softly bumps her shoulder  He follows right behind her, only pausing to put a step between them to turn out the lights. They get to his car, he is cute but swift to open her door and close it behind her before going around the front. 

The two take off, both letting out sighs of annoyance at the standstill of traffic they hit within 4 minutes of the 12 minute ride to his place. Carmy settles back in his seat one hand impatiently grips and un-grips the steering wheel and the other rests on his thigh. Sydney peels off her jacket, then pops her button until the cleavage of her breast just peaked out. Carmy bites his lip as he spies the perks of her dark nipples under her white tee. 

“We have to stop hanging back so late. Get a frickin life.” She mentions. He hums and gives a short nod to it. Sydney grabs the hand resting on his thigh as they creep forward in traffic. She inspects his short and bitten nails, yet his fingers clean and callous but dry. She didn’t like how dry it was. 

She rests his hand on her thigh and grins as he starts to massages the inner meat of it. She tucks it close to her lap as she reaches down and grabs lotion out of her bag. Carmy gives her an amused side glance as she squirts a bit of aquaphor into her own palms then starts to massage and rub it into his hand. 

“Having fun there?” he asks and Sydney hums.

“You gotta take care of your hands better, Carmy. I like them.” She tells him and he blushes as she starts to kiss over his knuckle tattoos. He shifts as he feels her tongue to trace the letters, and her lips kiss off the joints. 

“Syd…” he breathes softly, she grins and settles his hand back to her lap. She lives for the bright blush on his face, the way he nervously licks his lips and looks over the traffic in front of them.

“They are nice hands.” she comments when she sits back. He hums and clears his throat and Sydney’s moans a bit as he starts to play his hand under her shirt.

“Y’know I’m ambidextrous right?” he comments and Sydney raises an eyebrow.

“Forreal?” She asks and he nods. 

“Yeah, can do two things at once. Pretty good at it,” he tells her. Sure enough, using only one hand he undoes the button of her jeans. She gasps as sinks his hand into her pants then smoothly one arm turns the steering wheel with the other. 

“Oh...” Sydney breathes. She is forced to buck up over his fingers at his deliberate hard stop on the brakes for the next red light. She wraps her hands around his arm. Pressing the limb between her breasts, her eyes low and full of lusty excitement. Goosebumps prickle Carmy’s skin at the feel of her as he shifts her panties aside and starts to massages into the folds of her wet pussy. Snapping shiverings fucks over Sydney when Carmy press her clit to meet his palm as two of his nimble fingers sink further into her. 

“Fuck Syd, were you this damn needy all day? You’re fuckin sopping,” he hisses out. His own bulge appeared at the filthy moans puffing out of Sydney’s mouth with each backward pump of his slickening hand.

“Oh god, Carm-”

“Woulda bent you over the sink-”

“Shut the fuck up! Sh-shut..damn, righ-right there Carmen,” Sydney stutters.

Sydney clutches his arm closer, drawing him further into her, he slips another finger in. He licks his lips like a starving man when he looks down. The small glimpse of Sydney’s thigh opens to the air is glistening, her white panties are fucking transparent from how wet he has her. 

The fact that his own tattered hand was causing such a mess gets him rock hard. Her thighs snap down to squeeze his hand still, she’s trembling, her window slightly foggy from her horny gasps. Carmy flushes hard when she starts to dig her nails into his bicep with one sweet lay over her clit with his middle finger. Her pinky nail pierces a crest shape into the head of the ink angel on his arm as she muffles another curse into her curtain of braids.

“Aye-aye, none of that Syd. You want me in there. Shit! The fuckin’ nails-” He swears. He pinches her thigh making her yelp over her moan and spread apart again. She buck in time with his coaxing fingers now, whimpering when he becomes distracted in the light turning green and some fucking SUV honking behind them. Her hips chase his hand, as he eases up on pumping two digits into her in order to turn on his street. 

“Carm…Carmy please.” she pleads, the damn near echo in the car. Her thighs clenching over his hand again.  Carmy has to bite his lips in, hard. His dick achy at the sounds she makes at this point. The sound is fucking obscene, slick and wet as he forces his hand out the grip of her thighs. Her whimper at the loss of him is whiny and upset.

“Seriously?” She pants, all hot and bothered. Her eyes promising revenge for him stringing her along like that while in traffic. 

“Hold on, I just got to get us parked.” he offers in a flighty tone, he shifts in his seat. His pussy wet hand dragging at his belt to better settle his hard on. He faces them into the dead end behind his building. Private but nosy as fuck with the sound of the city.

It doesn’t fucking matter. 

The car is barely turned off before Camry jacks his seat back and undoes his belt. Sydney watches as he wipes her wetness over his nose and mouth, then slips his jeans down. His dick springs out. Sydney knew it was fucking insane to think of, but Carmy’s dick was just so, him . 

It wasn’t too long, but god it was fucking thick! Tan-ish, veiny and curved to the left.

Sydney shimies her jeans and panties down then climbs over the center console. Carmy helps her to his lap, staddling over his hips with her knees and she shivers as his dick lays overtop her pussy lips. He hisses when she grabs down and start to line the shaft up to her slit.

Both of them moaning in unison as he sinks her fully onto him. He grips her hip tightly and wraps his other arm around her back to push her closer. He buries his face in her chest, teeth biting on her tender breast as she gives a yelp that melts into a moan of his name. Her braids slap his shoulder as her head bows down and she start to ride him. He pumps up into her, strong arms sweaty and steady as the window fogs from their stamina. 

The seat creaks from the stress. The stanch fabric of his shirt barely saves him from her nails raking into the back of his shoulder. Her hands rack back up into the back of his head, gripping his hair. He winces and bounces her shallowly at it. She's learned he likes that pain, he gives it back with a echoing smack to her ass in rythm to the rocking of the car.  She sucks bruises onto the back of his neck to leave her mark instead. The idea of her leaving a mark on him, him red and sneaky trying to hide it around the kitchen the next day, it makes her pussy clench around him. He hitches with a hiss at the pleasure. 

"C'mon Syd, c'mon baby." He pants into her cleavage. He looks up at her with those piercing blues full of lust. He aches to cum in her. He tightly squeezes the meat of her ass to hold himself strong. He wanted to drag this fuck out. Sydney sighs, lips popping off his skin as she sinks to a sit to rest. Her thighs achy and pussy full. She moans into his face from it. 

The both just breath for a moment, her hands playing through the back of his hair making his eyes flutter. Carmy smoothly brushes his hand up her thigh, then between their laps. Syd gasp and slacks back against the steering wheel, lightly tapping the horn with the action. He used his fingers to massage her clit, keeping her wired up.

"Fuck you, Carmern." She stutters, she grips his hair so hard, she pinches the top of his ear. He hiss and drives forward, they smash into another kiss. Smacking French kisses, Carmy relishes in the taste of throaty moan and near-whine of his name Sydney release as she cums. Carmy wishes he could season everything destined to touch his tongue again with the taste of her lust. He wants her to cum again so he can feel it, he's greedy like that.

Sydney shakes over Carmy as her O rushes over her. Her head rests on his shoulder from it,  her braids splaying over the both of them. She puffs a laugh of disbelief at how wet his hand is when he takes it from her pussy. She feels it as he re-settles His hand to her hip.

"I'm achin' Syd, you gotta move" He says tightly. Sydney groans loudly. He rubs at her thigh impatiently, urging her to move before he burst and they do even more things they regret. 

"Then move me." She snaps and Carmy huffs. She swallows as he does so, lifing her with his hips before re gripping her hip and lifing her off his dick. The both shiver at the loss of connection and he half-sits her on his car console. She slumps back to the passenger seat fumbling to put her pants back on as he palms his dick a few times, before sliding up his own pants. 

The both walk wobbly to his apartment building, eager for more. Carmy barely close the door before Sydney is on her knees, unbuttoning his jeans. 

Taglists for the Moots🥰:

@blowmymbackout @kdoxkeic @godsfiercest @pantherxrogers @gingerylangylang1979 @beauspot @soufcakmistress

[starcrossedxwriter]

Falling Apart Part 1 (MBJ x Famous Black OC)

Warnings: lots of angst… pregnancy loss (but don't hate me! Part 2 is coming!!)

Charlotte shifted uncomfortably in bed, her hand going to wipe a thin layer of sweat from her forehead. The heat in their bedroom was sweltering, a rare and odd occurrence as she and her husband were a rare couple who liked the thermostat at the same temperature: ice cold. She glanced down, unsurprised to find him fast asleep on top of her, his light snores filling her ears.

She was his favorite spot in bed. It did not matter if he went to bed first and was sound asleep when she slid in, he always found his way to her and slept with half of his body draped over hers and his head on her chest. Even on the rarest occasion they went to bed upset, they still found their way into each other’s arms to sleep. Charlotte usually had no complaints though, he was her personal weighted blanket. She missed their sleeping arrangement when one of them was traveling. His weight provided comfort, his touch soothed her, and his body temperature provided the perfect warmth for sleep. 

However, tonight she only felt suffocated, literally. Her body felt disgusting, covered in the tacky uncomfortable feeling of sweat from head to toe despite dozing off in nothing but a pair of Michael’s briefs when she got out of the shower. 

She pushed against his heavy upper half, hoping to move him so she could cool down for a minute. However, when he did not budge an inch, all she could do was let out a disgruntled huff. Their return to the set of Creed meant her husband was at the peak of his physical strength. He still enjoyed the residual weight of Erik Killmonger and perfected his training for the sequel. However, that meant he was far too heavy for Charlotte’s weak arms to move. 

Despite how uncomfortable she felt, she did not have the heart to wake him either. Neither of the pair had been this tired in a long time. 2018 had been a hectic and wild ride for the Jordans, both of them enjoying historic but exhausting accomplishments. While Charlotte started the year deep into the award season circuit, which was fun in some ways but she found it more emotionally and physically draining than anything else, Michael started it with an intense international press tour. And they both only had a week at home together before they packed up to move to Philly for filming. And though Charlotte’s days on set had not started yet as they worked on the boxing choreography and filmed the training montages first, she found that she still could not get enough rest. She felt as if she slept all night and most of the day in between studying her lines and writing Bianca’s songs while Michael was gone and still was exhausted when he got home. It did not help that she was fighting a mysterious stomach bug for the last week either. 

And the only thing Michael cared to do when he came home from set was fall into a deep sleep until his early call time the next morning. And it was only week one. However, she knew this was their last stretch. Their entire relationship and marriage had been one project after the other for both of them. Once they wrapped filming, they both would get a break and they could rest. She couldn’t wait. 

As she reached for her phone to turn the temperature down in their temporary apartment, a wave of nausea hit her. Within minutes, she felt the very familiar and unfortunate churn in her stomach. 

This time, she decided, he would have to forgive her for waking him up. This was now an emergency. She combined her pushes with loud calls directly into his ear to force him out of his deep sleep.

“Babe! Babe! Get off me! Off, off, off! ” She practically yelled at him, part of her feeling guilty for ripping him from sleep so rudely. But she was in a race to beat her internal ticking time bomb and make it to the bathroom or any trash can before it went off. To his credit, despite the jarring wake up call, he rolled off her immediately. 

Charlotte ignored his groggy “W-what’s wrong?” his gruff, sexy, sleepy baritone not having its usual effect as she darted out of their bed, barely making it to the bathroom before her dinner was staring back at her. 

She groaned as her stomach forced any and all substances out of her body, her side cramping with the pain of each heave. She was so distracted by the pain of each heave that she did not even notice Michael behind her. He wrapped her robe around her nude body and held a wet towel to her forehead as he rubbed soothing circles on her back. 

“G-go b-back to bed, love. You gotta be up in two hours,” she whispered as she leaned her head into her hand, the other going to massage the sharp pain growing in her side. “I’m sorry. I’ll b-be ok.” 

“Els. Please.” While he appreciated his wife being concerned about his schedule, the idea that he could ever just roll over and fall back to sleep knowing she was sick ten feet away was preposterous. “What happened? Something you ate?” He grabbed a hair tie from the bathroom counter and pulled her hair back, knowing she would not get to bed anytime soon if she had to spend the rest of the night washing her hair. 

“W-we ate the same thing yesterday and you s-seem totally…” Her words were cut off as she was forced to bury her head in the toilet again. However, Michael understood what she was intending to say. And despite his exhaustion, he did feel totally fine. 

“This is the third time this week, Els. This and the fatigue… You gotta go to the doctor.” 

She leaned on the toilet seat, her body sinking in slightly with defeat. She was trying to avoid the doctor at all costs, her usual MO. But when Michael insisted, she knew better than to fight him on it. He was relentlessly cautious when it came to her health, because to his frustration, Charlotte was not. 

“I’m fine, babe.” 

He scoffed and rolled his eyes. “You promised we wouldn’t do this anymore, Els.” He reminded her of the promise they both made to make their health more of a priority.

Charlotte was no stranger to pushing her body to its physical limitations. It was Michael’s biggest pet peeve. He thought he was a workaholic but his wife often made him feel lazy. And like most people overly committed to their work, her health often took a backseat to everything else. And it was not just work, Charlotte would prioritize Michael, both of their families, and her friends over her health, often to her own detriment.  It was not that she did not take her health seriously, she did. However, she took the mantra “the show must go on” to heart. Unless she was unconscious or on a stretcher, she would always find a way to put one foot in front of the other and keep moving. Was it a toxic way to think? Maybe. But had it guided her for her entire career and life? Yes. Which meant, try as she might, it was not a switch she could just turn off because her husband did not like it. She performed and worked through countless injuries and illnesses that should have landed her in the hospital or doctor’s office but her mental will to perform outweighed the physical pain. And after one long and scary night in the hospital while they were dating, Michael did not allow concerning changes in her health or behavior to go unchecked for very long anymore.

“Fine. But it’s probably just a stomach bug or something.” 

“Then the doctor can give you medicine to help you feel better faster. But I’d rather know it’s just that than watch you suffer like this.” 

She was thankful for Michael’s assistance in standing as her legs had fallen asleep beneath her. 

“I know, I know. I’ll go to the doctor, promise.” 

“Thank you. Wanna get in the shower first? You’re drenched. Can’t get back into bed like this.” 

“T-Thanks, babe. I’m sorry, I-I know you have a long day tomorrow.”

Michael chuckled. “Can’t control getting sick, honeybee. Don’t worry about it. Brush your teeth, I’ll start the shower and grab you some medicine. Get some rest and I’ll make an appointment with the studio doctor in the morning.”

A soft smile formed as she watched him leave to find her medicine. She had truly found the most attentive and perfect partner. Most of her friends’ complained about how their husbands were utterly useless when they were sick. But Michael was the exact opposite. His protective nature meant he also took amazing care of her when she wasn’t feeling well. Though he could also be overbearing at times, it was a sign he cared and she loved it. 

She showered quickly and slid into one of Michael’s sweatshirts before he helped her get situated back in bed with medicine and a trash can by her side. She drifted back off to sleep within seconds of her head hitting the pillow.  

Despite having to get up in two hours, Michael stayed awake and watched to make sure she was comfortable and resting. He could tell that her sleep was not particularly restful in how she shifted in their king bed uncomfortably. Occasionally, he reached over and dapped her forehead with a towel, noticing the beads of sweat reforming. 

He hated that he had to leave her all day the next day, knowing his wife was unlikely to actually rest and relax to fully recover. But he knew he did not have much of a choice. He studied her for about half an hour before he drifted off to sleep for a quick nap, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist. 

***

Charlotte paced back and forth in their apartment, waiting with bated breath for the sound of Michael opening their door. He finished training just a bit ago and should have been walking in the door at any moment. Every minute she waited felt like a new emotion, a rollercoaster between excitement, anxiety, joy, and more anxiety. She continued pacing, giving herself a pep talk to increase her courage until she heard his key turn the lock.

“Hey baby,” she offered brightly. 

He threw his bag down and wrapped an arm around her waist, one hand going to cup her face as he examined her. 

“How are you feeling? You didn’t call me after your appointment. What did the doctor say?” 

“Yea, sorry about that. I didn’t call because I didn’t think it was news to give over the phone. First and most importantly, I’m fine.” She assured him, his entire body visibly relaxing at her words. “Doc said I’ll be fine to go to set on Monday, no issues.” 

Michael could not hide his confusion. He was happy there was nothing serious but that did not explain why she was sick. “Ok, did he figure out what was wrong?” 

“Yes. But there’s nothing he can do. Said it should clear up in the next month or so.” 

“What?? Nah, give me his number. Ain’t no way you can deal with whatever the hell this is for another month. And if he knows it’ll clear up, why can’t he prescribe some medicine or some shit?” Michael ranted as he walked to his bag to grab his cell phone. “I’m calling your doctor back home, babe. That’s fuckin ridiculous.” 

If he had not been so angry, Charlotte would have laughed at his agitated mumblings about a doctor he did not even know. She supposed she should not keep the vague answers going and tell him outright. She knew there was a cuter way to do so but she also knew Michael would not let a vague diagnosis stand for long enough to put together a true surprise. The lack of fanfare surrounding this momentous occasion would have to be forgiven. 

“Put the phone down, babe.” 

“Nah fuck that. Was the doctor white?? Cause they’ve been comin’ out with more and more articles about doctors ignoring Black women’s pain. I’ll fuckin sue his whole practice. And I’m gonna tell Steven tomorrow. The studio needs to vet these people be-” 

“Babe!” She grabbed his arm to stop him from firing off a million texts that could ruin a man’s career. She pulled the phone out of his hand and locked it, throwing it on the counter. “He can’t prescribe me anything or do anything because there’s nothing to do for morning sickness. But it should go away in the next trimester.” 

Her big eyes bored into his expectantly, waiting for the words to catch up with him. She teetered on her heels as she waited, Michael mouthing the words quietly back as if he had not heard them correctly. 

“Morning sickness… but that’s…” he scratched his head, his eyes growing wide with shock as he glanced down to Charlotte’s stomach. 

She offered him a teary-eyed smile, one of her hands resting on her stomach. “Surprise?” She chewed on her lip as she waited for him to say something, literally anything. “Michael or Michaela C. Jordan’ll be here in 8 months or so.”

“Y-You’re pregnant?” 

She nodded. “7 weeks.” She let out a yelp and a giggle as Michael grabbed her and swept her off her feet, spinning her around. 

“We’re gonna have a baby?? That’s why you’ve been sick?” 

“Y-Yea. Of course now it seems obvious. But I only got through half the symptoms before he told me I needed to take a pregnancy test. Given the timing, pretty sure it was the Black Panther premiere or your birthday,” she laughed. She eyed him anxiously, her hands clutching his forearms as she braced herself for an answer. “Y-You’re excited?” 

“Of course I’m excited. I’m fuckin’ ecstatic. I-I’m gonna be a dad.  I fuckin’ love you so much, baby.” Charlotte giggled as he peppered her face with kisses and his hand went to her stomach. 

“You still gonna love me when I’m hormonal a-and fat with swollen feet?” She laughed, wiping away her tears.

“I’ll give you all the foot rubs you want, baby girl. God, I love you so much.” 

Her head rested on his chest as he held her. However, after a moment he pulled back and lifted her chin to his eyes. 

“H-How do you feel?” He asked, so wrapped up in his own emotions that he did not even know if Charlotte was happy. He assumed she was but he also knew it was different for women, they had to sacrifice so much for almost a year to have a baby. And their lives were just about to slow down, he could not fault her if she was not pleased with the timing. 

“I’m excited. Nervous,” she laughed. “But I think it would be weird as hell if I wasn’t. W-we talked about this so much. The timing is a bit earlier than we planned,” she admitted. “But I’ve always wanted to be a mom and I couldn’t have picked a better man to knock me up,” he chuckled. “So yea, I’m really happy.” She covered her mouth and her eyes fell closed as she yawned. 

“Why don’t you go lay down while I figure out dinner? Cool with takeout? You gotta rest while you grow the next greatest actor of a generation anyway?” 

“You’re already choosing their career for them??” she asked as she headed toward their bedroom.

“Definitely. They’re gonna wanna follow in mom and dad’s footsteps, of course.” 

Charlotte threw back the covers and climbed into their bed, laughing at her husband’s antics. She flopped down dramatically on the pillow, the beast of sleep already coming to claim her again. 

Michael sat on the bed next to her, his hand going to her belly as soft snores filled his ears. He just held his hand there, mesmerized by his wife and the life they created together. 

***

“You know, I woulda gotten pregnant longgggg ago if I knew it would get me these pancakes on a regular,” Charlotte teased as her husband moved around their kitchen and cleaned up from breakfast. The sweet taste of apples and cinnamon filled her mouth as she took another bite, a soft moan escaping her lips. “It’s like a taste orgasm.” She wiggled her hips and shoulders as if to do a dance in her seat that signified her pleasure. 

All Michael could do was laugh at her antics. He had made her those pancakes before going to set almost every day that he had a late call time. It was extra effort, but worth it to see the smile on her face and ensure she was eating. 

“Anything for you.” 

She eyed him for a minute, her manicured hand letting the fork fall to her plate. “You know you don’t have to do this? I love it and they are delicious but you’re gonna spoil me… and I’ll be bigger than our house by the end if you keep this up.”  

Bakari shrugged as he picked up his cup of coffee after starting their dishwasher. He slid over to her side of the counter and into a bar stool next to her. His free hand went to her stomach. Though there was no visible bump yet, his hands seemed to gravitate toward her stomach these days. 

“I just like to see you eating so if I gotta make pancakes every meal to make sure you eat, that’s aight with me.” 

While the pair were happy about the pregnancy, Michael found it difficult to witness the toll it already took on his wife’s body. She could barely keep food down, which did not make her want to eat at all, and despite sleeping every chance she got, she still felt fatigued all the time. Michael was the only person who could coax food into her these days. And right now, his baby’s food of choice were his world famous pancakes. He knew the taxing schedule on set was not helping, though Steven tried his best to ensure Charlie had enough breaks and time to rest. She was not very good at taking them and using them to actually rest though, despite his urges to do so. He hoped that as soon as they wrapped, he could convince her to take it easy. 

“I’m good. Just a couple more weeks, baby.” At his raised eyebrow, she nodded to reassure him. “Seriously, I’m fine. I’ve gotten used to it. It’s fucking miserable and they don’t tell you that morning sickness is a fucking lie. It’s all-damn-day sickness. But,” she concluded her mini rant. “The worst’ll be behind us in no time.” 

Michael leaned over and whispered to her stomach, “Go easy on mama today, ok? She’s working really hard to keep you healthy.” 

He peppered her stomach with kisses, causing Charlotte to giggle. She playfully smacked his arm to get him to stop, her hand lingering against the taunt muscles straining against his shirt. Her nails dragged against the length of his bicep, Michael immediately registering the look of lust in her eyes. He would say he and his wife’s appetite was generally in sync. However, her doctor warned that hers could diminish or skyrocket due to the hormones. Lately, it seemed like only the latter was true. Not that he was complaining. 

He shook his head. “Honeybee… We gotta go. You know Steven’ll fine us both if we’re late.” 

Charlotte’s lips curled up into a sly smile, deciding that his words were a mere challenge. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him as she sucked on his neck, teasing his most sensitive spot.

“You ain’t playing fair, Els,” he whispered in her ear. 

“Like you ever do?” She gently bit his skin before continuing her teasing. “Now, let me finish and I’ll make that fine worth it for both of us.”  

This girl…, Michael thought to himself. He knew they both should be heading out the door to work. But when it came to his wife, he lacked all self control.

“How?” 

She continued to suck on his ear and gently bit his neck as her hand slid into the waistband of his joggers, his member already straining against his boxers. Her touch immediately pushed the thoughts of a fine out of his mind, immediately picking her up and whisking her away to their bedroom for a late morning quickie before set because he knew she would make it worth it.

***

“And cut!” Steven called out, Michael immediately pulling on her arms to help her sit up off the bed.  “That was good, that was good. But Charlie… I need a lot more energy. Feels like it’s dragging a bit. I think we need a couple more takes to sharpen it up a bit and then I’ll cue straight into the intimate part of the scene. We probably only need to do that one once or twice. We’ll take 10 to reset and then we’ll start from you coming into the hotel room straight through the engagement and kiss. Sounds good?” 

The couple nodded, Charlotte letting out a groan of frustration at herself as soon as Steven walked away. She was trying her best today, but she was pulling from a well that had run completely dry. She was giving it every ounce of energy she had and she did not feel like there was much else to offer her director and scene partner. And she despised knowing that her all was still not enough. 

Michael’s hand cupped her head, avoiding her face to not disturb her makeup, his fingers gently massaging the base of her skull. Her eyes fell closed at the soothing and relaxing touch. “You ok?” 

“Yea, yea. Just tired.” Her words were emphasized by a long yawn she could not stifle. 

“I can ask him to take a longer break?” 

“No, no. I’m good.” 

“You wanna eat something? Did you drink water today? Always forgettin’ to drink water,” he mumbled under his breath. He glanced around until his eyes landed on a PA. “Aye, can you grab a bottle of water for her?”

“Right away, sir.”  

“I already ate and yes, I drank water today, dad.” She huffed with annoyance. “I’m good, Bakari. I promise. Just tired and a bit uncomfortable. If it makes you feel better, I’ll call the doctor as soon as we finish up this scene.” 

“Deal.”  

Though he did not press the issue farther, she could feel his eyes on her from that moment forward, following her every movement, examining every action for signs of pain, discomfort, or exhaustion.  

She pushed herself off the bed as she saw Steven coming back to the director’s chair, a sign she needed to return to her starting spot in the bathroom. However, she only made it a step before a searing pain rippled through her lower back. 

“Oof,” she whispered, sitting back down, her hand gently massaging it irritably as she waited for it to subside. 

“Places!” She heard Steven call. 

This time, she was able to get up with no pain and make her way to the bathroom  and closed the door to start the scene.

“Annddd action!” 

However, as soon as she went to open the door, the cue to start their proposal scene, she doubled over, her legs almost giving out as another cramp,  this one far worse than the last, hit her. She audibly and instinctually groaned in pain, a sound that immediately caught her husband’s ear.

She did not have to say a word or call for help as she braced herself over the sink, Michael having almost ripped the door off it’s hinges to be at her side in superhuman speed.. 

“Els??” 

“S-something’s wrong,” she whimpered, doubled over in pain, her arm wrapped tightly around her stomach.. 

“Aye! Call an ambulance!” Michael called out, the entire set jumping into action as he cradled her against his chest.

“F-fuck… fuck, it h-hurts.” 

“Ok, Charlotte, baby. You gotta breathe for me. We’re gonna get you to a hospital, aight? It’s gonna be ok.” 

She merely let out a sad whimper of acknowledgement, tears springing to her eyes as she knew in her heart what was happening. She did not need a doctor to tell her. She did not even look at Michael, fear that he would be able to see it in her eyes. 

His fingers interlaced with hers as they rode to the hospital, he did not let her go until the doctor came in to examine her and ushered him out, an action he did reluctantly.

He paced up and down the visitor’s lounge, occasionally sitting to answer a text from folks on set or their families as they reached out to check on her. His constant refrain, “no news yet,” got harder and harder to type as the time ticked by. He wished he had more to give, and had answers himself. In between staring at the ugly patterns littering the chairs of the waiting room and burning a hole in their carpet from his incessant pacing, he tried to google her symptoms to determine what could be wrong. However, he only got through one result before he could not read any further. He prayed his suspicions and crude google searching were not correct, that this dream they had created, built, and made a reality was not being torn from their hands just as they had started to cling to it. But he knew God’s plan rarely aligned with their own. 

“Mr. Jordan?” A nurse came up to him, pulling him out of his thoughts. 

He almost jumped out of his seat. 

“C-can I see her?” 

“Of course, I’ll take you back now.” 

He followed after the nurse, his body finding it hard to put one foot in front of the other for the first time. It was as if he was approaching the gallows but no one had told him yet. He just knew it. He hated that, that feeling of dread that followed him down the winding halls of the hospital like a ghost. It felt like deja-vu, this feeling, this scene was all too familiar, a dreaded walk down a sterile hospital hallway to his wife, a walk he had once prayed he would never have to do again. That instance had a happy ending, however, he did not think he would be so lucky this time. 

He took a deep breath before pushing open her door, finding her alone staring up at the tiled ceiling. Her bloodshot eyes shifted toward the door at the sound of it opening, the young woman immediately sitting up at the sight of her husband.

Her eyes immediately welled up with tears. 

“I-I a-am s-so sorry.” 

Michael had certainly experienced heartbreak before in his life. But he was not sure if he had ever felt it shatter quite like this as he heard the brokenness in his wife’s voice. He could see her guilt and shame so clearly, two emotions she did not earn or deserve to carry. 

He sniffled, a tear escaping before he wiped it quickly. Despite the pain he felt, he knew hers was tenfold emotionally and physically. He could process his emotions later. Right now he had to be here for her. He wrapped her in a tight hug, her body sagging into his and her fingers clutching him as if releasing him would mean losing the last bit of composure she had. He placed a lingering kiss on the top of her head and held her as she sobbed, the couple grieving the loss of a life and their dream.  

When Charlotte finally stopped crying and the doctor returned to give them her prescription and all the after care information they needed, Michael took copious notes. He could tell that Charlotte was not fully there, her despondent and unmoving gaze at the wall across from the doctor gave away the fact that her mind was far from the small room in the ER. 

She did not cry or even shed another tear after he entered, her eyes the only sign that she had cried at all. Her face was neutral, wholly unshaken and unmoved by the doctor’s explanation of the next week or two of their lives and the pain she was likely to be in. The only comfort he could offer was a prescription to speed up the process. But he still recommended she take a week to rest. Everytime he asked her if she had any questions, the shake of her head was miniscule and she spoke no words except the apology she uttered when Michael first entered the room. 

And that trend continued well into the evening when they returned home and into the next day. She merely existed, moving through the motions like a robot, mechanical and unfeeling. She accepted his help without protest, offered no rebuttal to his suggestion for dinner, which she barely ate, and gave him only clipped one word answers when he asked about her pain levels or offered her medicine. Even his “I love you,” when he got her settled in bed went unanswered, though he knew she heard him, felt her whole body tense and stiffen at the words before she turned away from him to go to sleep without uttering them back. Her icy actions did not improve the next day either, Michael having far too many one-sided conversations as he tried to care for his wife. Her actions were cold, colder than he ever knew them to be. And when all he wanted to do was cling to her and mourn their loss together, it only compounded his pain to feel that rejection and be forced to contend with it alone.

***

“Alright, thanks Mike. Charlie is in hair and make up and then we’ll do two scenes in the apartment before calling it a day.” 

Michael did a double take when he heard his wife’s name, figuring that Steven had merely misspoken. He glanced up from his cell phone where he was taking notes.. “Nah, Els is at home till next week.” 

Steven glanced down at his call sheet. “Nah, she is here.” Michael nearly ripped the clipboard out of the man’s hands, his eyes scanning it until he found her name with a call time of an hour prior. “She’s been in hair and make up for a bit. She said whatever was wrong cleared up and confirmed her schedule with me last night.” 

Michael turned away from Steven and expelled a deep breath of rage. His hands balled into a fist for a moment as he tried to not blow up at his director and lose his job. However, he did not know who he was more upset with, Steven for not checking with him or his wife for pulling this type of shit in the first place.  

“Why didn’t you mention that shit to me?” 

Steven seemed totally unphased by Michael’s anger. He was a husband, he understood. But work was work and he would not apologize or feel bad for doing his job. “She’s your wife but here she’s a peer, just like anyone else. She said she was good to go. I can’t ignore that just because you disagree. She’s her own person, Mike. If she said she’s good, I gotta respect that.”

As if on cue, Charlotte walked onto the set. She had her script in hand and engaged in a lively conversation with one of the PAs. Her laughter filled the quiet set, Michael not understanding how she could seem so bubbly and energetic when he knew she was still in pain and grieving. Her body was still reeling from the miscarriage. Even if she would not share the details with him, he knew she was still in pain. No one on set knew the real story, the pair lying about what was wrong since no one knew she was pregnant. So Charlotte made sure to put on a show, even if she did not feel like it and even though it was incredibly difficult as she played a new mom in the movie. Even though it was hard to push through the walls of both physical and emotional pain surrounding her, she knew she had to.   

“Aye Charlie!” Steven waved her over. 

Charlotte sighed and excused herself from the conversation before making her way to Michael and Steven. She knew this was not going to be a good conversation. When Michael left the house this morning, she had been in bed resting. She had purposely asked Steven to make her call time later so she could leave without the watchful eye of her warden. 

It had been four days and though Michael and the doctors’ said she should rest for about a week, she just could not sit in the house by herself and wallow in their loss any longer. Besides, being at home felt like it’s own form of torture for the last four days, she and Michael existed like repelling magnets, orbiting around each other but unable to be close.

Charlotte knew it was her fault, she was doing the repelling this time around, not him. But she could not help it. Her guilt and shame ate her alive every moment of the day. That coupled with the physical pain she was in and grief she felt was a dangerous combination. And while Michael was dotting on her and wanted to talk through their feelings, she just could not. Every time she tried to find the words to speak to him, she couldn’t, the shame stealing the words right from her mouth. She could not even truly look him in the eye, terrified of what she would see in his usually compassionate eyes when she did and terrified of what he would say if they talked. He would blame her for not taking care of herself and his child and he would see her as the failure she was. It was a long time coming, she supposed, a fear she had suppressed but lived with since she met Michael. But she feared this was the final nail in her coffin, the disappointment he could not live with. And it would be a completely fair assessment, that was the truth in her mind. However, she just could not bear to hear those words from him, not on top of everything else. It was easier, better, to just avoid him. She needed an escape from all those feelings that plagued her so she decided to return to work. She needed that now more than ever. 

“Hey!” She offered brightly, ignoring Michael’s furrowed eyebrows and tense jaw, telltale signs that he was angry. “What’s up?” 

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming to set today? The doc said you need to be in bed for a week, Charlotte.” 

“Yea if you need a few more days, that’s totally fine. There’s still a lot to shoot with Mike and Florian that we can work through.” 

“No, this is the filming schedule so I’m here. I feel fine.” Her tone was short, hoping to leave no room for debate or conversation. However, she knew her husband was too protective for that. Her words might have been enough for Steven but they certainly weren’t enough for Michael.

Michael shook his head. “You are not fine, Charlotte. You need to go home.” 

“No.” 

Her tone was not rude but the word settled in Michael’s ear and immediately angered him. They never told each other no without explanation or compromise. 

“No?” 

“I’m gonna go and check in with the AD while yall work this out.” Steven immediately excused himself, not desiring to be caught in a marital squabble. 

Michael gestured for Charlotte to follow him outside, the pair offering polite nods to people they passed as they walked to his trailer, the only spot on set where they could have privacy. His door slammed shut behind him loudly, an audible representation of his anger.

“Fuck you mean, no?” 

“No is a complete sentence, Bakari. I’m good. And now I’m gonna go do my job. It’s not a big deal.”

“‘It’s not a big deal??’ You just had a miscarriage, Charlotte!” He noted how her whole body seemed to flinch as he said the word. “Look me in my eye and tell me you aren’t in pain.” 

As much as she wanted to, she could not. The bleeding and cramping still had not stopped, even several days later. The doctor had warned her but knowing it could last a week or more did not make it any less torturous. But that did not seem reason enough for her to return to their home. She would rather work through every cramp than lay in her bed alone analyzing what happened and what she could have done differently, and obsessing over whether her husband might leave her.  

“Exactly. I’ll call you a car but you need to go home. And if you’re worried, I can tell Steven what happened. He’ll understand why you need the days, especially considering the contents of the movie. You don't gotta do this.” 

The thought of telling their director what happened only enraged her more. “Absolutely not! We aren’t telling him or anyone else!” 

“Why not??” 

“Because he already saw me sick a-and I don’t need the entire set, and because people fucking gossip, the whole world to know my body is fucking failing at its one job!”

She turned away from him, letting out a groan of frustration at letting her thoughts slip out. Michael had a way about him, of demanding honesty and vulnerability even when she fought so hard to keep it to herself. That is why she avoided long conversations with him lately. Something in him always demanded she fall, and she was not prepared to do that and face his rejection. However, she did not notice how his eyes immediately softened as her words settled in the air, the word failure hitting him harder than Florian’s punches. 

“Baby, is that what you th-” Michael’s hand went to the small of her back to turn her around but she flinched away from him. She could not hear lies to placate her or make her feel better about what happened. They would not work. She was a failure, she knew it and so did he. 

“I said no, Michael,” she cut him off, sliding on a cold exterior to hide the one that wanted to do nothing other than crumble into a thousand pieces. “And I mean it. I’m working until the day’s over.  And that’s that.” She knew her words and actions bordered on irrational and he was not in the wrong for fighting him on it. But work, the bustle of set, was the only place she could retreat to where she knew she would not fall apart, where she could feel something other than the harsh sting of failure and shame. So she could not leave. This set was her life raft and she would cling to the flimsy sides of it tightly to avoid drowning in her own sea of despair. 

“Charlotte. I ain't askin’,” Michael's voice got low, the tone he only reserved for when her stubbornness reached untenable levels, when he was done debating or arguing. She always acquiesced to his wishes at that point because he pulled out this tactic rarely, only to convey how serious he felt. But her need for self-preservation outweighed her desire to avoid a fight with her husband. So she clung to her stubbornness, an ironclad refusal to yield even an inch. She squared her shoulders and took a step toward him, his body blocking the door. 

“And I wasn’t negotiating. Unless you’re gonna have Steven kick me off set or close the set altogether, I am not leaving. And I know you aren’t gonna do either of those things.” She gestured toward the front of the trailer. “Move, Michael.” 

The pair stared each other down for a moment, their first true stalemate in their marriage where neither of them would concede. Michael knew he would have to be the one to bend this time, there was no other option. He could pick her up and force her into a car but that was not his way. If she would not leave on her own, he very well would not force her physically or by embarrassing her on set. He knew his wife’s coping mechanisms were unhealthy and that a day on set playing a mom would only amplify their pain but he also knew when her walls were up. She had stacked them higher than could be broken down or through today, it was a waste of both of their energy. 

He sucked his teeth and nodded, sliding to the side to let her pass. She marched by him, only stopping when he grabbed her arm, his touch was cautious and gentle, his grip loose enough that she could remove her arm the moment she wanted to. But she lingered, made no attempts to rip her arm from his touch before he could offer a final word in their argument. His finger went to her chin to force her eyes toward his. He could see her trying to look anywhere but at him. But he could see the thinnest mist cast over her eyes as he held her there for a moment. 

“I know you better than anyone, Charlotte. And I know you’re hurting. Lying and avoiding that doesn’t do shit for either of us. I love you and I just want to help. You’re gonna have to talk to me eventually.” 

She sniffled and forced her eyes to the ceiling to stop tears from falling. 

“I just want to work, Michael. I don’t want to talk, I don’t want help, I don’t want to wallow in it. I j-just…” her voice broke as she hastily wiped a fallen tear. “I just want to go do my job. It’s all I have right now and that is what I want to focus on. I just want to go do that. Now please, let me go.”  

He immediately dropped her arm, the young woman taking a deep breath before she wiped a stray tear from her face and stepped out of his trailer without a second glance. Michael watched her retreat until the door to his trailer swung closed again.

Tag list: @certifiedlesbianbaddie @bangtanxmegan @reelwriter19 @prettyisasprettydoes1306 @hi888888sworld @msniaimani @destinio1 @lynaye1993 @chaoticevilbakugo @blackerthings

A/N: So we got a one shot of Michael pushing Charlotte away, seemed only fitting that we get a parallel situation with Charlotte pushing him away. Drop a comment and let me know what you thought and if you want to be tagged! Thanks for reading :)

[ronnieratsdoodles]

also credit to some sources!

byler proof:

1. Will’s sexuality has been an aspect since episode 1

if it wasn’t a major point, the duffer’s wouldn’t have any reason to subtly and continuously remind the GA throughout the entire show. they never were bold about it until season 4, because of foreshadowing, which they do a lot throughout the show; with many relationships.

season 5 is when build up finally reaches its peak.

2. “i’m not gonna fall in love scene.” coming from Will Byers, breakfast scene, joyce and Will Byers conversation. season: three. episode: chapter 1: susie, do you copy?

one tiny thing they added into the scene was Will pouring syrup on his eggs, which Mike also done, meaning they likely introduced each other to it. just tiny fact.

ultimately, this scene had to have significance, it couldn’t have been written without a point, why else would they make a traumatized boy have built up longing for his best friend? to end in heartbreak? that would just be a waste of writing, planning, foreshadowing, and most importantly their frequency of slow burning. they knew what they were doing.

3.smalltown boy being the first song on Mike’s official playlist:

spotify used to have a official character playlist up for each character, before being took down (if i’m right) either that they liked or that represented their character! (what creators felt was correlated)

(taken down 2023)

small town boy is by a artist named bronski beat, that is about a young gay man bullied, deciding to run away from home. we don’t even know exactly the reason why Mike is bullied, other than his supposed ‘frog face’

5. couples being paired up on the last episode of season four, while El stood alone. many reasons why this could have happened, but it was no mistake, lay outs always have a reason film wise. 

6. multiple parallels to stancy:

again, not much to say about it, BUT stancy was a unsuccessful relationship, and Nancy ended up going with a byers, wheeler + byers. the hospital scene with the two second shoulder lean. (stancy parallel!)

7.byler funko, not mileven funko. hmm super suspicious 🤨

8.”i need you mike, and i always will” - Will Byers, van scene, stranger things four. Will is not going to fall for anyone else. he always needed Mike. while El was shown more to needing Mike, she never did as much as Will. there’s nothing satisfying about Will being with another boy, not to the audience or Will. 

9.stranger things writer quote from twitter “let’s start a new party, you and me.”

10.mikes encounters with Will being focused/zoomed in on is for a REASON.

11. at the season four reunion, why did Mike not kiss El? their foreheads touched, they were inches apart, yet he looked back at Will. that would have been a perfect scene for a kiss, so why would the creators not include it?

12. Mike and Will had the first meaningful one-on-one conversation in stranger things.

13.in both arguments, the rink-o-mania they were wearing blue and yellow. their colors. when blue meets yellow in the west. they met in california. the west. 

14. “Karen, where’s our son?!” Ted yells, in season 2. 

“Will’s!” karen yelled back, holding a blue and yellow pen. totally on accident.

15. Crazy together being one of the most romantic scenes in the entire show.

16. the multiple scenes of Mike saying “boys only” and getting kicked out by girls. and his grossed out expression in season four, episode 1, the hellfire club, by a sign in the background saying women. 

17. i love you is either platonic or lies in strangers things so far, we haven’t gotten a single i love you that wasn’t either. Will’s i am not gonna fall in love implying an actual process, it’s happening in season 5.

18.when mileven tag duffers to complain about byler, they never respond, only to byler shippers, even if it’s just a small wave emoji.

19. lighting, the creators confirmed that the lighting in each scene has a meaning. the lighting either means that it could be a way of symbolizing mikes deep care and empathy for Will in the next season, (them being on a upside down couch also empathizes/foreshadows something)

20. the creators once again were planning since the first season. season four was written in a way to begin the root Will and for byler. so, when their endgame, we will know why.

21.mileven is star crossed, (not endgame)in march, millie talked about being unhappy with El’s ending, it doesn’t show that byler is endgame, but it does show mike and El are not. in one of the season 3 scripts they referred to mileven as ‘star crossed’ in the field scene. 

if any of this doesn’t make sense i apologize, it was written for my best friend<3333

[shmowder]

What Pathologic characters bring for your birthday Pt.2

[Note: this took...so much more effort than I ever expected, I'm unsure if I'll continue the termites and humbles part. Either way, I hope you enjoy this.]

The Utopians

Andrey Stamatin

he is used to sharing his birthday with his twin brother. As kids, most people would just hand them one present and expect them to split it. He knew better and would always concede the gift to Peter throughout the years. He's not used to attending a birthday that's not his own either. Going out of his way to indulge people was never one of his traits. And yet, he came to yours. Maybe that's a gift of its own. His gifts tend to be self-serving in one way or another, chaotic in nature, and borderline inappropriate. They usually include:

Imported fabric from the Capital, its pattern is unusual, but Andrey claims it's the current peak of high fashion in the industry. He can lend you his tailor's mailing address if you ever wish to fashion it into something wearable, or you could just drape the fabric over your naked self and walk around, Andrey will enjoy the view either way.

A Pythagorean cup he moulded himself from clay. He doesn't tell you the nature of the cup and just hands it to you with a wine bottle he grabbed on his way out of the Broken Heart pub.

A .44 calibre revolver, which is the most beautiful gun you've ever seen. The handle grip is made of brown rich wood with a smooth surface, the trigger gaurd is plated in gold, the frame is engraved with an intricate design resembling silver leaves curling around the barrel and chamber of the gun.

He let's you borrow the Broken Heart bar for a whole day for your celebration party in case you didn't want guests trashing your house. If you insist to throw the party in your own home, Andrey insists to allow him the privilege of kicking everyone out comes midnight, as long as you don't mind some bullet holes in your walls...and roof.

♧

Peter Stamatin

He tends to think of what he would like to receive when tasked with picking out a gift for someone else. He let Andrey pick which flavour the cake for their birthday was each time growing up since the adults would just cut them one slice and expect them to share it. Peter would give up the whole plate to his brother. He's accustomed to people coming to his own birthday rather than the other way around. Maybe the fact that he left his room to walk all the way to your house is a gift of its own. Peter treats the gifting process as another medium for art. His gifts may include:

One of his paintings, a newer one you haven't seen before. Despite the subject depicted being abstract in nature, there is still a resemblance to a human figure on the canvas. The more you stare at it, the more it feels like you're looking onto a mirror, as if he manages to paint the essences of your soul.

The first bottles of twyrine produced from the freshly picked herbs of this season. He much prefers the local drinks over the Capital's champagne and the pubs celler of wines. He usually goes out of his way to secure the first bottles to himself each season, but this time around, he decided to share them with you. Attempting to explain the unearthed magic that is this liquid condensation of herbs before losing interest halfway through the conversation and sipping on his glass in silence.

A tombstone he designed himself. Heavy black marble starting in the base and cut in precise spots midway through to allow for the seamlessly translation to the stained glass art which makes the top of the tomestone. The art piece itself is made from various glass pieces, different in texture and colours. A day celebrating your birth seemed like the perfect opportunity to offer a reminder of your inevitable death.

A bouquet of wilted flowers. What used to be white petals is now yellowish in colour, fragile looking as if the buds might crumble if you look at them for too long. Dried thin stems and falling leaves, flowers rotting from the inside as they fall apart on the outside.

♧

Eva Yan

She arrives late, water is dripping from her hair as she admits she fell asleep in the bath and didn't realise how much time has passed. You help her to the upper floor and lend her a towel to dry up. She asks to borrow some of the flowers from the bouquets you receive to decorate her hair with, and you oblige. Two golden braids crown her head with small flower buds framing them like pearls.

A silk handheld fan with a light blue floral design and rosewood base structure. As she hands you the gift, she makes sure to stay and explain the romantic symbolism behind the choice of flowers in the design. At the end, she teaches you the basics of handheld fan language.

asymmetrical clip-on earrings. One has a dangling delicate chain that ends with a silver moon charm, and the other is made out of thin fabric to resemble the wings of a butterfly. The earrings look like they were taken from two different sets, and yet they match in a beautiful contrasting way of day and night.

A single lotus flower. A real living freshly picked lotus flower with waterdrolpets clinging to the pale pink leaves. It's still in the process of blooming. You're not sure how Eva managed to acquire this flower in such a preserved state this quickly, maybe with the help of a friend or two. When Eva makes a passing comment on how she knows a good herbal recipe to make with lotus flowers, Dankovsky almost chokes on his drink as he opens his mouth to say something before deciding against it.

A blank book, the pages aren't well aligned, and they vary in thickness. The leather cover holding them together is stiched by hand with the spine. Eva made it herself, she confessed, it took a long time. The pages hold the slightest hint of perfume to them, a soft smell that threatens to be washed away with each passing wind. She heard someone was bringing you a pen, and so she wanted to provide you with the pages.

♧

Maria Kaina

She commands the room effortlessly with her presence. Even the more rowdy guests feel a sense of shame under her heavy gaze as they quiet down and keep the destructiveness to a minimum. Dressed up to the nines in one of her best maroon dresses, she looks nothing short of bewitching while walking as if she was floating on air. You find yourself mesmerised by her beauty for a moment while she stands in front of you, your reaction clearly feeding her ego.

A golden picture frame. You've seen similar ones hanging around the crucible with paintings inside, depicting her late mother while others capture her own likeness with. Gold is her colour. You come to the conclusion as you lift the frame and look through it at the elegant figure of Maria, looking at you unimpressed with one lifted eyebrow. If you're out of paintings, she'll let you borrow one of the Stamatin twins to make do with, they technically work for her family after all.

perfume...or is it a colonge? You can't really tell. It's certainly strong with an ever-lasting smell, but the smell itself doesn't sting your nose despite how intense it is. It weaves itself seemingly through your senses, and for a second, you almost find yourself in a trance as your heart skips a beat. Hours later into the party, you find yourself still reminiscing about that lovely scent. The reproctutions of using that bottle might outweigh the benefits, and you realise you must think twice before touching it again.

A carving of flowers made from mundane stone. The material looks unexpectedly dull with a simple design until you view the art piece under direct sunlight. That's when it... remains an ordinary stone. Maybe for someone surrounded by gems, marbles, and silks all her life, the beauty of the mundane is hard to come by. You're reminded of the tale of Meduca as you stare at the hardened petals. Which one of the goddesses did this humble flora anger, you wonder.

♧

Mark Immortell

You're not sure when he arrives. You don't see him come in, nor do you hear the door. You just turned around a corner in your room and saw him staring out of the window. He smiled at you as he offered you one of three choices.

A snake's venom, you feel the glass vial staring back at you. The liquid is transparent red, much like diluted blood swirling around itself.

A bull's horn, with a hollow inside only the shell of bones remains. You put it to your ear and listen to the sounds of worms digging beneath the earth.

A mouse's heart, it's barely the size of your fingernail. Beating still, contrasts of red and blue veins pumping nothing into the void. You say hello, and it squeaks back.

♧

Vlad the Younger

From the way he seems to be studying the atmosphere of the party, it becomes apparent he is out of his usual element here. If you confront him about it, he admits that he never attended a birthday celebration before, even his own he'd usually ignore and be absent for. He simply didn't care for them, never saw the point. Although, since the day his sister was born, he made a habit of leaving gifts for her the day prior. It's a shame she grew out of playing with toys too soon.

A ruby ring it, was for someone else. The framing is made out of solid gold. It weights heavy on your palm and doesn't fit your finger quite right. A clear crimson crystal sits in the middle, not a single flaw amidst the professionally cut gem. For a second, you wonder if it's a proposal from how much the thing resembled an engagement ring. Vlad quickly clears the misunderstanding before it has time to occur. It simply is just a ring. Nothing more and nothing less. If the size is too off, just send it back to him, and he'll take care of resizing it for you.

a precious doll in a puffy dress. It's clearly meant for children yet is still on the high-end expensive kind of dolls, the ones you see in glass box displays. It comes with two different dresses and a golden hairbrush with a butterfly engraved on the back. You think you've seen a similar doll of this style on one of the shelves in Capella's room. Except this one is brand new while the one belonging to his sister was clearly well-loved and played with constantly in the past. He hands it to you with a melancholic smile.

♧

Georgiy Kain

He's very punctual with time, arrives exactly on the stroke of at the hour you've informed him the party would start at, and leaves on the dot at 9pm before bidding his farewells and congratulating you on throwing a successful social event. Saying he looks forward to next year's party, ah, but maybe you'd rather borrow the crucible for it? The location you've picked isn't exactly the most fitting, nor was the space accommodating enough. If you offer to walk him home, he'd find it amusing and indulge you by accepting the offer. The two of you walk about life and its meaning during the short walk.

A one of a kind vase, moulded by his own hands from clay. Countless hours must have been spent in the workshop for a vase to look this effortlessly flawless, as close to perfection as humanity can strive for. He humbly insists it was not a bother, the work was worth it. After all, if he doesn't push his limits with every single piece he makes, how is he supposed to improve? Each one has to put the last to shame, or else the whole process has been a failure, is what the judge explains to you as you awkwardly stand there holding the vase, hands getting sweaty and making you more aware of the possibility of accidentally breaking it. You hurry to carefully place it down a stable surface midway through his speech.

♧

Victor Kain

His congratulations are exactly tailored to fit the minimum standards of what's socially acceptable. He mostly keeps to himself through the party, discreetly keeping an eye on who's Maria's mingling with and making sure Casper doesn't break anything with the wooden sword he insisted on bringing while fighting with Notkin. Midway through the event, him and Bad Grief end up engrossed in their own conversation near the grandfather clock at the entrance of your house.

flowers, a bouquet of pure white roses and peace lilies, to be precise. A milky silk ribbon holds the deep green stems together in a delicate bow. A smaller ribbion made out of transparent lace makes a second bow right below the first one serving a decorative purpose. As you hold it and stare at yourself in the mirror, you get a sinking feeling in your stomach. You quickly place it into his brother's vase instead.

[superhero--imagines]

Part 1 Here! / Part 2 Here! /Part 3 Here! / Part 4 Here! / Part 5 Here! / Part 6 Here! / Part 7 Here! / Part 8 Here! / Part 9 Here! / Part 10 Here! / Part 11 Here! / Part 12 Here! /Part 13 Here! / Part 14 Here! / Part 15 Here! / Part 16 Here ! / Part 17 Here! / Part 18 Here! / Part 19 Here! / Part 20 here! <This is Part 21!>

A/N: Next part is up, as a small reminder if you are interested in a physical edition of the waking up in pjo series (like an actual book written in short story format just like the waking up in twilight book) our soft interest check is located here, and I'll be launching the hard interest check officially in the new year.

* Your finger taps against the cheap linoleum table.

* ‘I’m in a lot of shit.’

* The problems just keep stacking up, one after the other.

* The lost dog got you out to Colorado, but there are no more open tickets on trains or busses from here—it’s peak season and everyone seems to be moving in or out of the city.

* You’re not sixteen yet so you can’t rent a car, and the solstice is growing closer with every minute.

* So now you’re sitting in a shitty diner, in a shitty town, trying to find some way to shitty California so Percy can meet his degenerate Dad.

Not to mention that this asshole has to be here—you wrinkle your nose as another wave of violent emotion wafts over you

* ‘Can’t he keep it in his pants for ten minutes?’

* Ares grins back at you.

* He looks a lot like his mother, and a little like Maki. You catch pieces of Clarisse in him too. The shape of his nose, the curve of his lip.

* A yellow aura radiates off of him, perfect blond curls pressed against his head, and a bright red flush over the bridge of his nose.

* If he wasn’t being such an asshole tormenting Percy you’d say he was handsome.

* He gives you a wolfish grin, eyes hidden behind a pair of dark sunglasses, his leather jacket wrinkling as he leans forward.

* “I’ve been dying to meet you.”

* Annabeth flinches, Percy glowers, Grover looks like he wants to disappear, you only raise an eyebrow.

* “And why would that be?”

* Ares snorts, leaning back in his chair. “Humble like your old Underworld Daddy, huh?”

* You’d laugh if you weren’t so annoyed with him right now. The children look beside themselves with horror. Ares doesn’t seem to care, using a steak knife to clean his fingers. “You’re all anyone can talk about these days.” He whistles.

* “What about him?” You nod to Percy, who seems about a second from punching him in the face.

* Ares rolls his eyes.

*“Poseidon having a kid? That’s old news, old seaweeds notorious for getting caught up in the moment—everyone knows about his and Amphitrite's agreement.”

*‘Oh my god, Percy’s dad is a swinger.’

*“But Hades having a kid?” You catch a glimmer of Ares' eyes widening from behind his glasses. “That’s interesting.”

*‘Well, he’s not really my Dad.’

*But his fascination with you is starting to make sense. Hades is hopelessly devoted to Persephone, you’re fairly certain he’s never even glanced at someone in a romantic light after devoting himself to her.

*“What’s even more interesting is how they’ve all curled around you, protecting you from the others.” For the first time, you feel a shiver trail down your spine, teeth clenched hard to suppress the natural movement. Even though you can’t see them, you can feel Ares's eyes trained on you, studying every action you make.

*‘He’s suspicious.’

*Persephone did say he’s surprisingly astute for someone who acts like a moron.

*“Not to mention half of the Olympians have given you blessings.”

*That catches you off guard.

*“What?”

*You can feel him keen at your surprise.

*“It’s right there,” he nods towards your jacket-covered sleeve. As if they can only be ignited by a divine voice, the symbols glow.

*“There’s Makaira,” he says pointing to a pale yellow mark of a bird. “Melinoe,” a somber grey mark of a stone. “Hades,” Black with three skulls. “Persephone,” a bright pink peony. “Zagreus,” this one is said with a raised eyebrow at the red sword burned into your skin. “Circe,” an orange bay leaf. “Hecate—nice.” He remarks at the green crescent moon in your skin. “Dionysus,” This is punctuated by a soft smile, the purple strawberries glow under his gaze. “Hera.” The bright yellow dove on the back of your hand.

*Ares eyes squint like he sees something else, something he can’t quite make out. But he says nothing. Only mutters a soft: “That’s weird.”

*Noticing the weakness he’s shown, he grins again.

*‘So that’s the face he uses to hide his real feelings.’

*“Want to add another? I wouldn’t mind giving you a bit of wrath.” His hand glows with an ombré of yellow to red. Your hand instinctively goes to hold Percy back when he rises to smack some sense into the incorrigible god.

*“How about you stop tormenting my friend and tell me what the fuck it is you want.”

*The use of the swear has Grover’s fork clattering to the floor.

*‘It’s rude but at least one of these crappy blessings should protect me right?’

*Ares doesn’t seem to mind, his grin only widening, hands held up in truce, Percy relaxes next to you.

*“I need a simple favor from you.”

*You very much doubt anything that comes from this man’s mouth is going to be simple in the least.

*“I was on a date and—”

*“Oh my god you were harassing Aphrodite again weren’t you?”

*He grows flustered.

*“W-what no—”

*“Yes, you were.” You respond. “Makaria and Melinoe told me all about it, how last month she was having a quiet dinner with her family and you showed up drunk on her lawn slurring love ballads.” Percy actually muffled a snort at that, and Annabeth has to feign excessive interest in the window.

*Ares flushes red in embarrassment.

*“L-look do you want a ride to the west or not?!”

*You do need a ride out of town.

*‘But I’m starting to think it’s not a coincidence all modes of transportation for us are blocked.’

*“So what is it you need?” You ask leaning back in your chair.

*“I left my shield at the old abandoned water park, if you get it for me I’ll get you a ride to the west.”

*You lean back in your chair, he wants something from this—more than just getting a glance at a few demi-gods or his shield.

*‘Which means I can get a little more out of this.’

*“You get us a ride out west and you give Clarisse and her mom a call.”

*He’s baffled by the request, as are the other three children.

*Despite his confusion, he nods.

*“I can do that.”

*“Then we have a deal.”

*There’s a moment of awkward silence, the only sound of Grover half-slurping, half-chewing his plastic straw.

*“A-alright, I have an appointment, it was nice meeting you.” He gives you a slight bow before getting on his motorcycle and ripping his engine into the highway.

*“He’s nicer than I thought he would be.” You say biting one if Percy’s fries.

***

*People should really be more wary of a gaggle of children walking around a city unaccompanied

*Especially when they’re peeking over a wooden fence, eyes swinging right to left as they survey an old water park

*“I think the coast is clear,” Annabeth says.

*“I don’t hear anything.” Grover adds, his ears twitching.

*Your mouth opens, the words: “Let’s wait a few minutes to be sure.” Dancing on the tip of your tongue when Percy jumps the fence.

*The three of you look at him with dumbstruck expression, Annabeth smacks her forehead.

*“What? We were going to do it sooner or later anyway.”

*There’s something haunting about an abandoned water park, rides teaming with algae, inner tubes half inflated still rotating on a lazy River—it’s unsettling.

*What’s even more unsettling are Annabeth’s twinkling eyes when she spots an unlocked gift shop.

*“We can’t just take this stuff Annabeth!” Percy, ever the morally upright young man, says.

*“Watch me.” She hisses back, grabbing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.

*“Hell yeah! We’re finally doing something fun, hey Annie let’s insight a riot on Main Street so we can loot there too!”

*“Oh man, not you too!” Percy groans. He looks hurt when Grover moved to join you both in your ransacking.

*“If you can’t beat em,” Grover shrugs.

*And that’s how the four of you ended up walking around an abandoned water park looking like ghosts of their catalog models.

*“It’s probably in there.” Grover nods to the Tunnel of Love, it’s one of the few rides they bothered to drain and turn off.

*‘That or Ares drained it himself.’

*Your staff glows in your hand.

*‘What kind of trick is this.’

*Annabeth and Percy race in front of you.

*“Not you too Annie!”

*“I just want to get out of this place! It gives me the creeps!” She calls back.

*That’s not exactly what you want to hear from a twelve-year-old child of Athena

*“Kids, am I right?” Grover says with a sheepish grin from beside you.

*You sigh.

*‘At least one of them has got more than one brain cell.’

*“Tell me about it.”

*You walk to the end of the tunnel, studying the walls and miscellaneous graffiti.

*“So what’s the deal with Aphrodite and Ares?”

*You scoff.

*“It’s just the usual thing, a woman finally figured out they deserve better and the degenerate they left behind thinks otherwise.” Grover looks at you with a puzzled expression,

*“I…I always heard the affair was reciprocated.”

*You scoff again.

*‘Ares would like people to think that.’

*“She woke up one day, all of her kids grown and independent, and realized the only child she was taking care of was her partner and that she’d spent most of her life taking care of other people—”

*Melinoe had a very inquisitive expression when she told you this, like it pained her too, like she was the one who lived through it.

*“—so she left him and married someone who would take care of her. And Ares is still pissed about it I guess because he keeps doing crap like this to win her back.”

*It’s almost abusive when you think about it.

*Grover is silent for a long while.

*“Why don’t people ever talk about this?”

*Your mouth stretches into a fine line.

*“Because maybe it’s easier to avert your eyes sometimes.”

*You don’t hold it against them, Ares is a powerful god, and while Aphrodite is coveted—she doesn’t hold much power on her own.

*‘It’s not easy to call out Zeus’ son for his poor behavior.’

*You both stop when you reach the end of the ride, a dome shaped enclave, gilded with mirrors.

*You and Percy share identical sneers

*‘That jerk really thought Aphrodite would want to meet up somewhere she could stare at herself…did he ever love her?’

*“Let’s go and get it, come on Annabeth—”

*“I’m not going in the Tunnel of Love with you.” She looks completely embarrassed at the notion.

*‘She is only 12 years old after all, it’s natural for her to be embarrassed.’

*“Let’s wait a minute.”

*You can’t just charge into a situation, you have to think things through.

*“So here’s the plan—” you’re positive old shitty blush has an ulterior motive it can’t be this easy to grab a shield. You look to the children, seeing a dash outline where Percy should be. “Where’s P—”

*A click echoed through the chamber.

*Percy’s standing in the middle of the empty pool, a massive silver shield in his hand.

*When he catches your gaze he gives a sheepish shrug.

*“I figured if we were going to die, we might as well die soon.”

*‘Hades, what are these kids watching to get such a negative outlook on life?’

*You’re about to open your mouth to tell him as much when you hear a rumble.

*“Shit.”

*It’s Annabeth’s idea to get on the shield, Grover’s legs that kick away water from you, and Percy’s total concentration on his blooming powers and Annabeth’s tact that keeps you from smashing into rock and riding the tide out the entrance.

*And even though the Cupid statues record you, completely drenched and a little humiliated, next to a sputtering Annabeth, a hyperventilating Grover, and a adrenaline overload Percy breathing fast—you grin.

*‘At least it’s never boring.’

*You point into the camera, still grinning.

*“You owe us.”

*Percy pops out from behind you, waving.

*“Yeah, shows over!”

*You grin.

*‘It’s good to have friends.’

A/N: As a small reminder if you are interested in a physical edition of the waking up in pjo series (like an actual book written in short story format just like the waking up in twilight book) our soft interest check is located here, and I'll be launching the hard interest check officially in the new year.

*Tag List closed, looks like I’ve reached the max!*

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[bisexualfemalemess]

BRIDGERTON SEASON 3 PT 2 SPOILERS

Live reaction episode 5:

I’m a little disappointed that we didn’t get to see Penelope’s answer to colin’s proposal but in my head she just straight up faceplanted outta that carriage. On another note, colin constantly looking back at her to check on her is peak protective husband. Colin ‘my wife’ bridgerton indeed. Also Penelope’s so loved by his family and not him being willing to fight Eloise, his own sister, like hold your horses buddy. El baby she’s loved him since you guys were children. Both are honestly valid and i love them both so much, i just need my peneloise besties back right now. Like so expeditiously. Awww, colin checking up on pen. He’s truly already so far gone. I’M SORRY THE TREE???? What the actual fuck???? Lady tilley arnold needs to get the fuck off my screen. I’ve never read the books but booktok and twitter made me love sophie already, i need her. Not pen listening to her family reading LW Lmaoo she seems so smug about it. EY LADY DANBURY HAPPY ABOUT POLIN THEY’RE SO LOVED BY EVERYONE. KANTHONY MY BABIES. MY PARENTS ARE GONNA BE ACTUAL PARENTS STFU. Anthony’s so feral for her 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 aww hyacinth is so excited to tell them about polin’s new engagement my daughter fr. HYACINTH OMG IJBOL NOT HER SAYING GREGORY’S THE FAMILY PET I’MMA DIE. Eloise baby she did not use you, she loves you and you love her so make up bitches. Cressida is so gay for eloise no one can tell me otherwise. OH MY GOD NOT THE BOOK LINE ABOUT HIS LOVE BEING A THUNDERBOLT FROM THE SKY SOMEONE SEDATE ME (might need to make a part two and i’m only 10 minutes in) they’re not even married yet and Benedicts like “your wives” she’s always been a bridgerton for real. PORTIA I AM INDIFFERENT TOWARDS YOU BUT BACK OFF FROM MY GIRLY AND DON’T MAKE HER DOUBT HER RELATIONSHIP. COLINS SO HOT TELLING PORTIA OFF SOMEONE GET ME SOME HOLY WATER OR SOMETHING JESUS FUCKING CHRIST. HE’S BEEN WITH HER FOR LESS THAN 24 HOURS AND HE’S ALREADY THROWING AROUND THE L-WORD OH HE FELL SO HARD FOR HER IMMA THROW MYSELF IN FRONT OF A MOVING TRUCK. MIRROR SCENE OH MY GOD OH MY GOD ALRIGHT ITS HAPPENING ITS HAPPENING OH HIS SPEECH IMMA KILL MYSELF IM SO SERIOUS. THIS IS PERFECT OH MY GOD, NICOLA COUGHLAN IS A GODESS AND THEIR CHEMISTRY IS SO PALPABLE. “LIE DOWN” THAT WAS SO FUCKING HOT, COLIN BRIDGERTON CAN COMMAND ME AROUND ANY DAY. Sex scene, sex scene, sex scene….TO POV???? Oh, that’s such a beautiful song choice. This is literally so intimate, i feel like I’m intruding. Colin bridgerton is a canon consent man and as a woman i think that’s so sexy. That was the cutest sex scene of my life, cute, hot, awkward, everything a first time is supposed to be (i wouldn’t know🙊) KANTHONY SCENE. HES THE CUTEST ALL KISSING HER STOMACH. Newton and Anthony always beefing. Their so cute 😫😫😫. Awww John and Francesca are so cute as well. Awwww him asking about marriage 😖😖😖. VISCOUNTESS KATE IN ACTION MY BABY GIRL. She’s working overtime being pregnant, viscountess and giving eloise advice. She clocked peneloise’s tea. AWW Post-sex polin is the cutest with the book line too 🥹🥹🥹🥹 and the teasing!!! They’re truly so friends to lovers. NOT HER GETTING INTERRUPTED WHEN SHE WANTS TO TELL HIM SHE’S WHISTLEDOWN. FUCK ASS SERVANTS. Oh poor pen having to listen to her fiancé trash-talk her without knowing he’s taking about her, like i wouldn’t tell him i’m Whistledown either after this, bet. Also they literally have no sense of personal space and it’s too cute. Aww a colin and eloise talk. THEY WERE INSEPARABLE AND THEY NEED TO BE AGAIN SOON OR IMMA DO SOMETHING SO DRASTIC I SWEAR TO GOD. Peneloise as bestie sister-in-law’s is something that i need so bad it’s like not even funny anymore. Penelope’s sister need to leave her the fuck alone and portia needs to leave her ulterior motives at the door even penelope was like what the hell is going on. I don’t really mind will and alice plot honestly they’re just a cute married couple, much like polin will be. OH MY GOD NOT BENEDICT CALLING KATE SISTER IM DYING IM DECEASED. THAT FUCK ASS TOP HAH OH MY LORD. NOT COLIN CALLING PENELOPE HIS BRIDE TO BE 🫠

[keexshound]

not sure if this is gonna be a yapfest or not. most likely not since im not going too in depth with anything but here's my ramble on the second season 2 trailer.

so she is talking to joel in what seems to be a therapy session and not just an editing trick. i was confused at first on why joel isnt talking to tommy but then i remembered, maria is pregnant and this scene takes place before the 4 year timeskip. or is at least supposed to. and getting to the firefly hospital and then back to jackson probably took a couple months, so tommy is most likely having to pick up both marias work and patrols cause of the baby. that man is just too busy. (note: even if this scene does take place after the timeskip, maria still has a kid to take care of.) i hope the baby is cute like jj⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ‌‬‭⠀

they changed her shirt!!! not a complaint. i actually really like her shirt. i think it looks cute. it looks like we're in joels house and not ellies shed, or they just changed how the shed looks to make it feel more like a home but im going with we're in joels house because of how much it looks like his windowsill.

jackson.. im always astonished how good the scenery of the sets are in this show. hopefully, the seattle set we saw in a sneak peak isn't going to be the final product and the posters we saw are gonna be roughened up. i won't complain too much if they don't but since seattle is a huge chunk of the show im gonna be disappointed if im stuck seeing posters in perfect condition plastered around when we're about 24 years in a apocalypse

⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ‌‬‭⠀

tommy, maria, and what appears to be ellie and dina on the creek trail patrol. my guess is they're gonna make the huge infected patrol a lot more prominent in the first episode, most likely to show off the infected in a more efficient way since how they act in the game is very well. gameplay centric. i think it'd also install a lot more fear in hearing that joel and tommy didn't show up since it appears tommy is going on a patrol to clear all those infected out.

dina... oh dina. why do you look like a model while you're in an apocalypse. she's pretty don't get me wrong but damn. sad they took away her girl next door charm that she had in the game. im gonna wait till an actual episode that shows her acting and not just 5 second clips of her to rightfully judge but i dunno. i think judging an actor just for their looks is unfair but at least bella still had the vibe that she's in apocalypse. maybe isabels acting will make up for it, at least i hope so.

JESSE!!!!! OH MY GOD ITS JESSE!!!! ITS THE MAN HIMSELF!!! IM JUMPING UP AND DOWN ITS HIM!!!!! IDGAF ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE OH MY GOD ITS JESSE!!!!! this looks to be jackson but it certainly doesn't take place at the beginning of the game. maybe we're getting an episode that shows his relationship with ellie and joel more. possibly dina too. i really hope so, it'll make his presence in Seattle feel a little more impactful and really i think he deserved more. hes my 2nd favorite character so ill eat up literally anything with him in it.

abby... the girl herself. im surprised how much she actually looks like abby! look at her, it's a 5 second clip, and she's pulling it off perfectly already. that rage and grief in her face is spectacular. i pray we see ellie like that too and i have no doubts that Bella is more than capable of doing it.

not sure what this scene is.. im guessing it's an ellie scene cause it looks like her pocket knife. it doesn't add up to any scene in the game, hope she's alright.

Isaac... don't have much opinions on him but his actor pulls off exactly what i think a ruthless army leader would look like. at first i thought that scar was lev but he looks a little too old to be lev, lev is very tiny. Itty bitty thing (affectionate). have we actually even have an announcement on who his actor is yet. i thought such an important character would have their actor announced already but i haven't heard anything.

back on isaac, this seems to be the same place we saw him in the first teaser/trailer. is he pointing his gun in the first teaser at the same scar we see here or a particular someone else... hm...

[agathah]

Have you SEEN the extended peak at Season 2 bc I’ve watched it at LEAST 5 times since AMC released it and would love to know your thoughts

I'VE SEEN IT. Honestly I was shocked, it looked so good?? Not that I expected any less but it still amazed me. I love the armandstat content we are getting, we won so hard. AND LOUMAND OH THEY'RE SERVING, I'm really intrigued to know how they're gonna deal with their relationship, and why they're still together after the... incident. And Delainey, she's everything, I know she gave her heart and soul to play Claudia, she is so doll-like yet ao mature, it's the perfect combination for our Claudia. That line delivery "you picked another one over ME" was spectacular, I could feel her rage. And of course the troubled relationship between Louis and Lestat is gonna be heavily explored, I love how conflicted Louis seems to be, and even after all that time he still can't let him go. Overall the vibes of this season are so good, we actually remember that they're vampires and something about the aesthetic reminds me of the book hehe so these are my thoughts!

[nijigasakilove]

“Regardless of whether the scales of love and God acknowledge me, I still love you. I will continue to love you all my life. Would you accept me not as your maid, but as your partner?”

Oh my goodness this finale was immaculate, sublime, perfection. No beating around the bush or indirect teasing, just peak yuri in the truest sense. Announce season 2 now!!!

Where to start..

Holy shit I wasn’t expecting Manaria to have raped her own maid. That whole conversation with Rae took a surprisingly dark turn. I thought she was going to say that she didn’t confess and the person left the castle, but to have let your desires become that twisted.. wow. Definitely gave Rae the motivation she needed to participate in scale weighing ceremony.

I feel like the ceremony itself ended up being a metaphor for Rae and Manaria’s competition for Claire. Manaria presents this super rare flower that seemingly is the best possible item to bring. Rae brings an unheard of seemingly plain stick that once placed on the scale just blooms into a massive tree that dwarves Manaria’s offering. It’s really symbolic of Rae as a person. She came out of nowhere, a regular commoner with seemingly nothing special about her, ends up having immense magical prowess and wins over Claire’s heart, showing that her feelings are bigger than anyone else’s for Claire. Nice touch there from the author.

“Rae belongs to me you can’t take my things from me” not only was this cute as hell, but it’s also the biggest rebuke Claire’s ever given to Manaria. Growing up, she’d do anything Manaria said without question. But her feelings for Rae are so strong at this point that she’s willing to defy someone she’s looked up to and idolised her whole life.

“Rae’s the one who’ll be the bride” 😩 yea Rae’s got Claire wrapped around her finger at this point. No going back now. Not bad for a commoner 😂

Seems like Manaria has an inkling that Rae isn’t just some regular commoner after all.. no one else knew about that tree branch or how to cure the poison.. definitely should be ringing some bells but no one else seems to be picking up on it. I wonder how long she’ll be able to keep her being isekai’d to herself. Especially if she wants to prevent the bad end for Claire..

And that ending scene is so cute! Before Claire could just brush off when Rae says cute stuff, not anymore. She’s fully in love at this point even if she won’t admit it out loud yet. Villainess love route acquired ☑️

I will miss this show so much, peak yuri. Onto the LN.

Review: https://myanimelist.net/reviews.php?id=509616