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gingernut1314 · 4 months

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'Tis the Season

Straw Hat Crew x GN!Reader

Summary: You share your holiday celebrations with your crew aboard the Going Merry.

Warnings: fluffffffff, some (very little) mentions of alcohol

Word Count: 1.5K

A/N: Soooo I've gotten into the holiday spirit and needed to write this, so I hope you all don't mind too much! @fanaticsnail thank you for contributing to my holiday cheer with your wonderful x-mas works! (go check them out if you haven't already! Very good!!) I hope everyone has an amazing holiday or can find joy in something that brings you happiness this month!!! 🩷

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Luffy: 🍖

As soon as you tell him anything about the holiday you celebrated back on your home island, he would insist on doing it right then and there

Festive and colorful decorations? He’s stopping at the nearest island to gather supplies and doctorate the Merry to your liking

Hot chocolate and food? Yes please.

Turkey, roast beef, or ham for dinner? Why not all of it?

The food is the most important part of this new holiday, he thinks

He’s getting Sanji to whip up every delicacy you can possibly think of

Fun holiday activities? The crew will be dragged along and they will have fun

He’ll want to double--no triple check that Santa is going to visit the Merry because he sounds super cool and he wants to recruit him onto the crew

I mean, come on! The guy loves cookies and milk and those are some of Luffy's favorite things!

…and he will be very skeptical of you telling him Santa is, unfortunately, not real

Luffy is dead broke so he goes to Nami to beg for berry so that he can get you a gift

Nami, of course, refuses to give him a single coin and tells him to make you something

So he would spend hours making you a gift

He would hand you a drawing of him hugging the life out of you on the Merry

And you would have to have him explain to you what is happening in his creation because all you can make out is the colors red and blue and what looks to be his signature straw hat

You love it regardless and hang it on the wall next to your hammock

Luffy will want to recreate the picture of course, and you’ll be more than happy to hug your captain back

Will leave cookies and milk out for Santa (and will eventually devour what he left out) and will try (and fail) to stay up all night to see Santa

You would find him dead asleep half an hour later and would be sure to leave a few gifts under the too-large tree he had Zoro set up on the deck for him

Luffy will get that guy next year, just you wait and see

Zoro: 🗡️🥦 ⚔️

He is uninterested

None of it is his style

Too flashy and too loud

He’s good to take a nap during the festivities

You will be able to entice him to come and eat the food Sanji was kind enough to prepare

And you’ll entice him further with some spiked holiday drinks

Luffy is all over the holiday, so it won’t take much convincing to sail back to your home island for the day

And while the rest of the crew is partaking in the festivities your home village is throwing in the snow-covered street, you’ll slip away with Zoro’s hand in your own

You will tell him how this holiday isn’t just about joy, food, and festive songs, but about life and death

You showed him back to the ruins of your childhood home, which he had been in mere moments before the villain you had been helping them fight set fire to it

The scorched front lawn was covered in clumps of candles, garland wreaths, rocks, and food, just as you knew it would be

You explained that your village had done this in celebration of the life your family had lived--to remember them and keep their souls filled with joy in whatever afterlife they might have entered

He would watch you light a candle and pull a small trinket from your pocket, placing them both on the blackened steps of your home

Zoro would light a candle and place it next to yours, sitting there with you for as long as you needed

He would even wrap you up in one of his strong arms, holding you tight

Later, you would gift him a bottle of sake

He had no clue gift-giving had anything to do with your holiday, so he would insist you share the bottle with him

He will be sure to get you a gift next year

Nami: 🍊

She would be a little on the uninterested side at first

But after watching how excited you got as you explained to the rest of the crew about the holiday you celebrated, she would warm up to it

She would even warm up enough to allow you to doctorate her tangerine trees with lights and tinsel

The lights were pretty enough, she supposed. The tinsel shiny

And she does love shiny things

Once in the holiday spirit, she would let it fully take her over

Nami would dock the Merry on the closest island and go searching for the best gift she could find you

When it came to you, she hardly thought much about how much berry she was spending

You and your joy were more important to her than a number

You had commented on needing a new pair of shoes a week ago? Bought.

Commented on wanting something so offhandedly you had forgotten the moment you stepped away? Bought and wrapped in whatever wrapping paper she could find that screamed your holiday in its bright colors

She would be very excited to watch you unwrap everything she had gotten you (which you had been very shocked at, but had been told strictly to just unwrap everything and not worry so much)

You would feel a bit embarrassed at how little you had gotten her, but she wouldn’t care because your gift was thoughtful

So thoughtful it nearly brought her to tears

After everyone else had gone to bed, she would take you back up onto the deck and hand you a cup of hot chocolate she had attempted to make (which she had done a pretty good job at creating without the help of Sanji)

The two of you would sit, snuggled up next to each other under a heavy blanket and watch the dancing, multicolored lights adorning her trees late into the night

Usopp: 🤥

Will get into it right away

He loves any excuse to celebrate, so your holiday is already perfect

Usopp is quick to make colored lights to hang up around the ship

And he’ll want to make everyone a stocking, which will be color coordinating and have some sort of special technique that didn’t need to be added in the first place

He loves all the different holiday-themed stories and songs

Throughout the day, he’ll randomly burst into horribly off-tune song and you will be expected to join in

The traditional stories you tell him get the typical Captain Usopp spin to them

But it just makes them that much better in your opinion

They become your crew's stories, making them so special

While the crew eats and drinks holiday drinks, he’ll tell the stories and have everyone, even Zoro, entranced by their colorfulness

You made the big mistake of telling him about Krampus

And now he is utterly terrified of getting kidnapped and beaten by the goat-demon

Though he won’t say he’s scared

He'll be very admit that he isn't

But a loud stomp of the foot against the deck floor from Zoro has the poor storyteller jumping out of his skin and using you as a shield

Usopp is a very good gift-giver

Not only is it handmade, but it is also functional (for once) and it will help you out loads

You give him his gift and he bursts into tears, thanking you and hugging you profusely

Everyone will go to bed, the lights hanging up everywhere only adding to the cozy, homeyness of the Going Merry

And you’ll just be nodding off when Usopp comes crawling into your hammock, begging you with tears in his eyes to keep Krampus away from him

You’ll laugh at him at first, but end up promising to keep him safe while you hold him tight

And he’ll hold you back just as, if not more, tight

Sanji: 🧑‍🍳

Of course, Sanji gets into the holiday spirit

It's a holiday you celebrate and one that makes you happy

And all he ever wants to do is make you happy

You’ll sheepishly bring him your family's old cookbook full of recipes passed down from generation to generation

And he’ll be more than happy to cook you whatever your heart desires

Nothing is too much in his eyes when it comes to you

He’ll insist you help him cook everything, seeing as you are the expert when it comes to these recipes

And you two will share bits and pieces of everything before it all disappears into the void that is your captain’s stomach

He will also be very interested in this mistletoe tradition

He makes it his mission to not only hang the green sprigs everywhere around the ship

But to get you under as many of them as he possibly can, for as long as he possibly can

You find yourself purposely wondering under the mistletoe and lingering there until Sanji notices and rushes over

Though Sanji wants to get you the best gift he can possibly buy, he’s not the best when it comes to gift-giving

Food and physical touch are his love language after all

So he bakes you a sweet treat you had once told him about, one you hadn’t had since your childhood

And it’s the best gift you could have ever wished for because he made it just like how you remembered it

He loves whatever you give him

It could be a stick you say reminds you of him and he would be over the moon, mounting it and hanging it up in the kitchen

Though you are sure to get him a very nice gift, one you had spent weeks thinking over so it was just right

He doesn’t need the mistletoe to show you just how much he appreciates the gift

Sanji makes you both hot chocolate and holds you tight as you two talk in the abandoned and cleaned kitchen

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starrycassi · 8 months

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Ambrosius's (indirect) champion.

Find part one here

"It's oficial. You've gone crazy"

Ambrosius, who feels thrilled with his idea, scoffs. In a quick move, he drags Ballister down to the bed, pulling him by the wrists, making the boy's head fall directly in his own chest. Had this been practice, he knows he probably would've gotten a punch to the ribs in retaliation. But they are in private, they are just teens, and Ballister allows his boyfriend to drag him down.

"Don't call me that, babe" Ambrosius whines, while Ballister tries to regain some of his dignity by lifting himself up with his arms to establish some sort of distance. "I'll cry"

"Ambrosius, this is not funny" finally managing to get on his hand and knees, Ballister stares down at his boyfriend, frowning. "This is incredibly concerning and serious"

Ambrosius pouts for a second, and giggles to himself after giving Ballister a quick kiss on the lips. He is scared, oh, so scared. He wants to cry and run and scream and punch and the best alternative he has right now is to be pretend to be charming with his boyfriend, but every good thing must come to an end, and he has to face reality.

They sit down, again, in the bed, face to face. Ambrosius's sudden burst of energy leaves as fast it came, leaving him with a dull sense of... confusion. Nothingness.

"You haven't heard my plan" he tries to grin at his boyfriend, hoping that his eyebags aren't nearly as big as he feels them be. "Come on. Let me tell you, and then you can say no"

They look at each other for some seconds, and Ballister gives in, the second Ambrosius brings out his best card on the whole deck: tears.

Crying on command is a pretty useful skill to have, Ambrosius's come to find out. He doesn't go all the way out with it, no this time, but he knows his eyes are watery and his nose is red. Ballister looks away, groaning.

"Fine!" He resigns, throwing his hands up to the heavens. "But if your plan is "something, something, we win" again, I'm out. I'm so out. You're going to have to ask Todd for help"

Ambrosius gasps, offended at the barbarity his boyfriend just said. How dares he? The old "fuck it, we ball" plan has never let them down, but this isn't the moment to bask in the glory of all of their past accomplishments.

"Okay, so..." he starts, taking in a big breath of air. This is going to be long, and troublesome. Sometimes he's sorry for Ballister, who has to learn all of this things as they go, unlike him, who's been memorizing the rules ever since he learned to read. "The duels, right. Not all noble families train their kids to be knigths. Not all knights are heirs, either. If you have an older sibling or just aren't the favor, then you're probably not a heir. Follow me?"

Ballister, who loves learning about new stuff, even if it's nobility rubbish, nods along, "Follow you"

"I am the sole heir of the family, so I have obligations. You already know this. One of those is to keep up alliances and all that stuff"

Nodding again, Ballister chuckles a bit. Of course he knows. He's been there to witness every single event that's happened ever since Ambrosius finally turned old enough to go to balls and shit as an actual member of the upper society, or whatever it is they call themselves.

"We have many allies made by old marriages, debts, whatever. If one of them asks something of me, then it usually really just falls on me to say no. Unless they put up conditions"

Ambrosius licks his lips, grabbing his boyfriend's hands and looking at him straight in the eyes. How wonderful they are, Ballister's eyes.

"Now is when it gets kinda hard, so bear with me. Mom's been saying no to everyone who wants to form an alliance by marriage. Don't make that face, Bal. It's not really a lovely affair as much as it is legal papers, for a lot of people. But if all of my allies get along and decide to put conditions on me, then we're obligated to answer"

"That's so, so bullshit"

"It really is. Specially because, since we have so many allies, they usually never get along for long enough to actually make and write a demand, but I guess I'm just that hot and everyone wants to bed me. Too bad I'm already in love with what my allies would probably qualify as a disgraceful street rat"

Ballister blushes, playfully shoving Ambrosius on the chest.

"They would get a heart attack, don't you think? If they knew about me and you"

"They would get a heart attack if they knew I'm gay. They would get a heart attack if they knew I'm a tube baby because my mom loathes my dad. They would get a heart attack if they knew I eat chocolate cake sometimes. Don't feel special" shrugging, Ambrosius continues, "So, they are threatening to call off a lot of agreements and stuff if I don't answer their demands, which, like, mature much? Not my fault all of their heirs look like horror creatures.

So, Mom, being Mom, decided to have me answer with a tournament, because apparently she believes I'm Hercules or something. I would traditionally have to fight with every single person who asked for my hand in a stupid sword duel and bla bla bla, but that would take forever, Bal. So, they came to an agreement. People fight each other, and whoever wins, figths with me"

"That sounds... extremely complicated" cringing a bit at the lengths people would go for a chance to figth with his boyfriend, Ballister grimaces. Bunch of weirdos.

"I'm not some easy harlot, Ballister. You offend me. Of course trying to marry me is complicated. But, wait, now's where it gets interesting"

"Now? Just now? This whole thing is nuts"

Ignoring him, Ambrosius takes two pillows and places one if front of the other. "There are people who can fight me and expect to win" he says, pointing to one of them. "And people who can't but want the marriage"

"So, a lot of families don't have knights. A lot of knigths aren't heirs. Even if a family has a heir that would marry me, they could just be a scholar or something. All knights are nobles..."

"Except me, clearly"

"Yeah, well. Most knigths are nobles, but a bunch of nobles aren't knigths. Like the Queen and such."

"And this is important because...?"

"Because families are going to choose champions, now. Wich means, they can just find a random good figther who's willing to commit to life to me and make them fight. Mom tried to make it so only noble heirs could enter, but they said no. You only have to represent a noble family, and there can only be one fighter per family. Wich means, you can simply sign up and beat everyone up!"

He throws his hands up in the air, a pinched smile on his face.

"You forget a very small but important detail, Amber" Ballister sighs, rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hands. "I'm neither noble nor a heir, and no family is going to choose me as a champion. You might actually need help from Todd on this one"

Ambrosius suddenly comes to a stop, blinking.

"I would sooner kill myself than marry Todd Disgusting Sureblade. Never. Nuh-uh. Not even if we were the last two men left in the planet. You know how some girls swear they can switch gays guys to the other team? I'm throughly convinced that Todd actually has the power to do so. Leave me alone with him in a room and I come out both a killer and ready to settle down with a woman. Hell, we'll have kids, even. Don't ever joke about that, Ballister. I'm going to have nightmares, tonight"

Cackling, Ballister pretends to apologize, while his boyfriend rambles about how horrifying it would be, to be around Todd every day of his life, and how death would be mercy if anyone ever was to ever be on that situation.

Ambrosius finally stops, clearing his throat to stop Ballister from dying of asphyxiation, "With that settled, I would like to point out that my family can't choose you because I have to represent the Goldenloins. Not because I don't want. But there's still someone, Bal. Someone who's childless, a noble, and probably would love to help us out in this"

Ambrosius's next words convince Ballister of the fact that, yes, Captain Gloria surely drank too much whiskey while she was pregnant, because there's something deeply wrong with this man's brain.

"We're going to ask formal help from the Queen. And we're going to do it right now"

He should've stayed at that orphanage. Things would've been easier.

˗ˋ ♡ ˊ˗

Ballister fixes his shirt, and then does so again. Next to him, Ambrosius is doing a pretty good job at pretending to be calm, but his lips are going to start bleeding in any second if he keeps munching on them like that, and his hands shake ever so slightly.

"If the speech doesn't work out" he whispers to Ballister, while they walk down the marble corridors of the palace, "then you put on your best puppy eyes. Pout and all. I'm bringing out the waterworks. Ugly crying, if needed. Gloreth, I'll fake-faint if it comes to that"

Ballister's pretty sure that the speech they wrote and tried to memorize on the two hours it took to get here (asking for permissions at the institute, getting into a carriage, arriving at the palace, getting the secretary to make them the next meeting using Ambrosius's status) isn't nearly good enough to convince the Queen to get involved in this mess, so he tries to remember the saddest moments in his life. There's a lot. He definitely feels ready to cry and beg.

They reach the Queen's office (because, apparently, queen's do have offices) and are welcomed by two palace guards that open up the wood doors for them to come in.

The place is wonderful. Not rich-people wonderful, it's soul-crushing, life-changing beautiful, instead. Everything is so white and golden and blue and shiny and ethereal.

In the middle of it, the Queen is seated, smiling softly at them. They both kneel down, knigth training and actual admiration manifesting in the gesture.

"Gentlemen" she greets, placing her joined hands on her desk, and they stand up straight, standing still, waiting for orders, her orders, always ready to obey to her, "you may sit down"

They do so.

Ballister's bones are trying to crawl out of his skin, and his whole face itches with nerves.

"Thank you, for receiving us in such short notice, Your Majesty" says Ambrosius, voice full with feeling. He's better at the whole "being social" thing.

"It is refreshing to see young faces on the palace grounds every once in a while" she responds, in that weird way formal people talk when they're trying to say something without saying it. "And I am honored to have two of my best cadets in here today. I have to ask, though, as to what situation do I owe the pleasure of such a distinguished visit? Specially a dual one"

"The honor is all ours" adds Ballister, who doesn't want to feel useless in the conversation, even if he feels incredibly out of place in the dances the nobility follows when they talk, when they breath, when they live.

"We come here with a plead," explains Ambrosius, and he suddenly looks older. Serious, worried, solemn. His voice is deep, calm, "One that would benefit both of us, and for which we require your help."

The Queen hums softly, slightly rising an eyebrow. "What sort of plea my I aid you both in?"

"I don't want to get married" blurts out Ambrosius, straight to the point. Ballister asked him, on the carriage, to be honest with this. He knows how... creative the Goldenloins can get when they want something, and he feels like the Queen deserves the truth. Even if it's a slightly dramatized version of it. Plus, being bold will surely add to the element of surprise.

"Excuse me?" The Queen looks clearly put off at the words, loosing her elegant demeanor for a second, "Come again?"

Seeing her eyebrows frown and her vocabulary change so abruptly, Ambrosius clears his throat, hiding a smile. Their plan seems to be going well.

"I don't want to get married" he repeats, enunciating every word, "And I'm being forced to engage in an obligated tournament for those purposes, Your Majesty"

He gives her a second to understand the words, to take the information in. In those seconds, Ambrosius remembers that one time he thought Ballister hated him, back when they were twelve, and tries to pour all the sadness he felt on his voice.

"Of course, I presume Your Majesty is aware of how vicious and outdated some traditions are" quickly, he glances down at Ballister, who's also putting on his best kicked lost helpless puppy performance, "but I am still subjected to them, as a heir."

The Queen is the Queen, but even her can't change the rules that noble families uphold each other to. That's not what they want, anyway. She nods, looking worried. Bingo.

"That's why I want to help him" cutting in, Ballister stammers a bit, like Ambrosius instructed him to; for extra empathy points, he said, "We've come up with a plan. It's not perfect, but..."

"... it's the best we can do" Ambrosius finishes, following his cue.

Now, they both stare at her, identical sad smiles plastered on their faces. If Ambrosius is as good with people as he claims to be, then they already have her heart in the bag. They just need to get her brain on it.

"And how can I help?" She asks, and both knigths know they've kit the jackpot in the instant her voice comes out. She sounds so much like a preocuppied mother. Ballister feels slightly guilty, slightly wishful. "How may I aid you both, on this quest?"

"We need someone to sign me in" Puppy eyes. Puppy eyes. Think sad thoughts. "No one else but you can do it, Your Majesty. I am a commoner, and the families despise me"

They're not even lying. Most nobles do despise Ballister. They're just... putting some heart onto the delivery of the news.

"He's my last resource" Ambrosius is about to cry. Teary eyes, red cheeks, trembling words. Such an actor. "My mommy can't do it because she's my own family, and I am so scared, Your Majesty. Marriage is the least of my concerns..."

He leans in to her, even if it's only the three of them in the room.

"Just... just, you know, thinking about what someone with control over me could ask for, gives me chills," and, to spice some politics in, he whispers to her, "there's so many things my mom would give over for me. Money, land, jews... Gloreth, even alliances, or debts. There's a lot of power tied into the family, and if I'm allowed to be honest, I fear for what would happen if all that rested in the hand of someone evil. Some villain. Some monster.

It's a well known secret that the Goldenloins could match the royal family in influence, in power. They're probably a bit over them, if one were to actually measure the impact they have on the people, on the kingdom. Ambrosius couldn't care less about this knowledge, but the Queen should be able to recognize a threat when it's in front of her.

She blinks once, twice. Ballister makes a show of giving Ambrosius a handkerchief for his tears, and he takes it with an apology for his horrible demeanor.

"I see why you've come to me," she finally speaks up, eyes fixed on them, "and I am glad that you did. This is an urgent matter. I am deeply troubled to see you in this state, Goldenloin"

Ambrosius mutters a quick thank you, still "too emotional" to talk.

"And I am glad to learn that the bond between my star knights is as strong as the walls that protect this kingdom. You both are what keep my people safe, after all"

Ballister's never been so proud to be compared to a wall as he is right now. It's wonderful.

"To show you my gratitude for your hard work, I will agree. Ballister, you can fight in representation of the noble house of Elpis, as my champion. Any armor or other supplies needed will be provided, too"

Thank Gloreth and every single saint ever for Ambrosius's manipulative ass. He's so in love with this dramatic wreck of a man. Thank Gloreth and every single saint ever for Queen Valentin's tendency to go against tradition. He's so grateful to have been born under her regency.

They both thank her, deeply, multiple times, bowing their heads. Ambrosius even sheds some more tears and wipes them off with urgency.

Then, the Queen stands up, and they follow suit, ready to leave with their victory. Before they can go, however, she shoots them a question, one that they didn't come prepared for

"You both are aware, I pressume, of how the nature of your... bond, could affect this tournament?"

Stop. Pause. What did she say? Whatdidshesay?

They look at each other, completely out of track. This time, she is the one with the upper hand. And they're so fucked. Seeing as how their silence continues, she speaks, again

"Your romance" she clarifies, and Ambrosius's choke on his own saliva isn't fake. Ballister goes so red his face burns, and, out of instinct, he hits his boyfriend on the back to try and stop his death. He hits a little too hard, but it works.

"Excuse us?" Screeches Ambrosius, high pitched, "Our what?"

"You must be confused" says Ballister at the same time, feeling like a very dumb caged animal. They didn't plan this. He's got no idea what to do next. "Ambrosius and I don't-"

"We would never-"

"We couldn't even be together! I'm just some commoner and he is..."

"Don't talk about yourself like that"

"Amber, this is not the moment to-"

"I won't let you be mean to yourself in front of the Queen"

The woman in front of them chuckles, amazed at their idiocy. They both blush even more, if that's possible. They suck at this whole "pretending to be single" thing.

"You're adorable" she coos, and Ambrosius is ready to change his name and move towns, "You remind me so much of Derek and me, back when we were young"

She brings up dead husband, as if this isn't weird enough already.

"Surely, you know that if people take notice of this, and Ballister does end up winning — like I have faith he will — they could argue that the tournament has been rigged by the Goldenloins"

They look at each other, bewildered. They never even considered that possibility. The Queen chuckles some more.

"I trust you would come up with a way to deal with that problem, Mister Goldenloin. Your mother's always had her way with schemes and theatrical dramas, and I am fairly sure that I just witnessed one of your plans in action, didn't I? Was any of what you said true, cadets?"

Of course. Of course. Of curse that, The Actual Queen, who's probably been working alongside Captain Gloria her whole life, would notice. Perhaps they didn't plan this as neatly as they could've. But they had less than a day to come up with the whole thing, so.

"I really, really don't wanna get married or have to obey to someone" argues Ambrosius, pouting. "Specially to some older weirdo"

"And I really, really don't want him to marry or have to obey to someone" agrees Ballister, apologetic. "Specially some older weirdo"

After considering them for some seconds, she nods again, agreeing to keep her word. Seeing no point on subtlety, they hug each other quickly, to celebrate.

"We're going to give back every penny you spend on Bal in this whole thing, swear to Gloreth" promises Ambrosius, one hand drapped along his boyfriend's back, "when he wins, I'm throwing a party, and you are so invited", quickly, he adds, "uh, Your Majesty, ma'am"

She lets them go after discussing some minor details, and they beam all the way out of the palace.

"I told you my plan would work" Ambrosius puffs out his chest like a proud peacock once they're on the carriage back to the institute, texting Gloreth knows who on his phone, "We're irresistible"

"She only agreed because you asked her. No one says no to a Goldenloin, Amber"

Ballister stretches, already tired. This whole thing has been draining. He's so ready to go back to the institute and join classes again. If this carriages hurries up, they might get there in time for sword training before lunch, his favorite part of the day.

"Talking 'bout Goldenloins..." trails off Ambrosius, playful smile painted on his lips, playing with the phone on his hands, "what you say we go talk to my mom now?"

"Absolutely no way-"

"Too bad" he interrupts him, placing his hand over Ballister's lips, "already told her we're on our way. She asked to chefs to prepare us something tasty"

Fuck this kid and his lack of self control.

#nimona movie #goldenheart #ambrosius goldenloin #ballister nimona #ballister boldheart #nimona #nimona (2023)#ambrosius nimona #ambrosius x ballister #ballister blackheart #tournament au #it's 00:50 on my country so technically Saturday bitches #these bitches are SO not subtle about a thing #whole kingdom knows they're together #this was supposed to include both gloria and vallerin because. you know. mither figures #but I think it's way too long already #lol slrry for the info dumping at the start I needed to get it out of my chest #fuck grammar I'm so tired lmao I wrote this in like one hour

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astraariel · 8 months

Text

you belong with me

pairing: eddie munson x fem!reader

summary: you're in love with Eddie, but he has eyes for Chrissy.

word count: 7.1K

warnings: none!

tags: based on "you belong with me" by taylor swift; no upside down!au; childhood friends to lovers; pining; not actually unrequited love; slight angst; fluff; chrissy's a sweetheart

author's note: for some reason my hyperfixation for eddie resurfaced so lol yeah this is what this is. excuse the grammar mistakes, enjoy ♡

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

The trailer park was quiet except for the murmurs and soft noises that the residents made whilst partaking in their nighttime routines.

The soft ambiance provided comforting background noise as you made your way over to Eddie’s trailer, you were excited to see what movie he had picked from the Family Video tonight.

Eddie and you had made it a tradition to go over to each other’s houses and watch a shitty horror movie while eating pizza to critique said shitty movie.

This week it was Eddie’s turn to host.

You first met Eddie when you were eight. You had gotten home from school for the day, your mom inside fixing up dinner whilst you played with your jump rope outside. You remember the sun burning down on you but that didn’t deter you from continuing your time for outside playtime. You had been on your twentieth jump with your pink jump rope when a truck pulled up to the trailer beside yours. Your curious eight-year-old self’s attention diverted to the mysterious boy hopping out of the pickup truck. His denim overalls were loose on him, a strap was unbuttoned showcasing his white ribbed shirt underneath. His gaze met yours, and before you could look away, he offered you a crooked smile, wanna see a trick? You quickly nodded and watched him dash over toward you, his hand had retreated into his pocket and pulled out a deck of cards.

Later at dinner, your mom mentioned how the new boy, Eddie, had moved in with his uncle and was going to be your new neighbor. “He’s a little older, but why don’t you play with him after school, honey?”

Funny to think years later that some silly card trick is what caused you two to be inseparable.

The door swings open before you even make it up the short steps. “You know I've told you multiple times you can just walk in, right? I never lock the door.”

Your eyes skim over Eddie’s bare arm that was extended, your eyes glance over his recent addition of tattoos that peeked from his sleeves. “Yeah, and I've told you multiple times that that is a safety problem.” You waved a finger in front of Eddie as he swatted it away with a scoff.

The familiar home of Eddie and Wayne’s trailer met your eyes as you slipped your shoes off; Wayne’s copious mugs displayed on the walls always grabbed your attention when you walked into the trailer. They offered a sense of home that you loved so much.

Eddie had gone to his room to fetch the VHS of his movie pick while you busied yourself with grabbing the pizza menu and walking over to the phone to place the order.

“What do you want, just pepperoni? Or do you want something else - and don't you dare say pineapple.” You call over to him while leaning on the table holding the phone in your hand.

Eddie’s curly hair appears in the hall as he makes his way toward you, exaggeratedly sighing “Fine, just pepperoni.”

He saunters off to the TV before shouting back, requesting garlic bread while fiddling with the VHS.

You quickly order the food and walk over to the couch where Eddie was sitting waiting for you so he could play the movie.

“What monstrosity have you picked for us today, Munson?”

♡‧₊˚

The sound of students chattering with each other filled your ears as you were rummaging through your locker.

Your usual attendance of watching the guys play during their band practice was missed Saturday due to your mom requiring you to run errands all weekend so you haven't seen Eddie since Friday.

Meaning you left Eddie to his own devices for far too long and you're about to unknowingly pay the price.

“Jesus Christ!”

Speak of the devil.

The sound of your locker closing was muffled by the loud shriek that came out of your mouth.

“Eddie, how many times have I told you not to scare me like that?” You sputter out quickly whilst holding a hand up to your chest.

Eddie offers you a sheepish smile, “Sorry, princess, I was just too excited to see you.”

Your heart flutters slightly at the statement.

The whole “falling for your best friend trope” was a dumb cliche. In the early years of your friendship with Eddie, your mom would make offhand comments about how “oh you two are so cute together” and “you are both so going to fall in love with each other, just watch.” Your kid self always scrunched your nose in disgust and had you turning your head in the opposite direction. But you weren’t sure when the look of disgust turned into you turning your face to hide the blush that was settling on your cheeks.

And yeah so what if you knew that Eddie Munson drank his coffee with an insane amount of creamer and sugar and how he would never admit it, but that he had a soft spot for ABBA. How he gets this one specific look on his face whenever he’s telling you about the new campaign he’s currently working on; how his eyes glow with excitement just reciting all the things he’s planning on introducing and adding for the guys. That he smiles so wide you can’t help to notice the dimples he has and how they just fit his face. How you want to just kiss him all over and just constantly wish to see him happy and smiling.

Yeah, you’re totally in love with your best friend.

“So… I was thinking over the weekend.”

“Oh, that’s never good.”

He ignores your comment by rolling his eyes playfully. “I was thinking that I have been in this hell hole for far too long. And I haven’t done anything memorable.”

You send a confused look at Eddie, “What about how you have weekly lectures on the lunch tables in the cafeteria, or how you helped raise the drama club funding due to badgering Principal Higgins constantly for a month.” Beckoning for him to explain, you begin to walk to class.

He rolls his eyes again, “Okay, Miss Know-It-All, I meant more…you know.”

“No I don’t know, Eddie.”

He hesitates slightly before continuing “Well, I was talking to the guys and well they think I’m insane but you won't, right?” His wide eyes look over at you expectantly.

“I guess that depends on what you’re about to say.” you tease.

He was nervous, you noted. He wouldn't meet your eyes as he begins to fidget under your stare.

He scratches his head before saying, “I'm gonna ask Chrissy to prom.”

You stop walking, your head spinning to Eddie’s. Your eyes were wide open, which were shifting between his own in disbelief. People walked around you but not without complaining and calling out “Watch out” but you couldn't care less about what was happening around you. Your mind was reeling; it was attempting to decipher whether or not he was telling a joke or not.

He wasn’t.

Fixing your composure you look forward and keep walking. “Isn’t prom in two weeks, that’s kinda a short notice.” You attempt to keep your voice as neutral as possible.

You had known about Eddie’s crush on Chrissy Cunningham since middle school. It had been during the talent show, Eddie had come after you to gush about how she had looked so pretty waving her pom poms in the air that night. Chrissy had done some cheer routine which had gotten her the most applause putting everyone else's show to shame. Regrettably for you, you were the follow-up after her spectacle. You can’t say your flute solo, which you had worked hard on the week leading up to the talent show, was a show-stopper after that.

You didn’t hate Chrissy, you never did and probably never would. She, unfortunately, is the nicest person you’ve ever met, she always talks to you when you have classes together, and how she actually complimented you on your flute solo after you had gotten off the stage even though you had messed up the first measure of the song.

You just couldn’t help but compare yourself to her. You wanted to hate her. You assumed it would be easier to hate her, but that wasn’t the case. You simply hated the fact that you weren’t her. You were the complete antithesis of her; it was honestly ridiculous. While she was the head cheerleader, you were in the stands wearing a stupidly hot outfit and a dumb hat while also playing the flute. You weren’t at rock bottom of the social hierarchy but you still weren't high, you were in the band for Christ’s sake.

You couldn’t fault Eddie for falling for miss pride of Hawkins High, the star-studded cheerleader that was Chrissy Cunningham.

“Well, I heard from the cheerleaders that she rejected Jason Carver already so she’s free and totally doesn't have a date so I figured… well that I would ask her,” Eddie whispers the last part before stopping at your first-period classroom door. “What do you think?”

You shift your gaze to the quickly depleting students in the hall before looking back at your best friend. “You should totally do it.” you say while avoiding his eyes, “I’ll see you at lunch, kay?”

You walk into your class before he can say anything back, choosing to drown your sorrows in algebra instead.

♡‧₊˚

Prom had always been a bit of a dream for you. You had fallen for that American high school cliche, ever since you were ten.

You were driving around with your mom when you passed by Enzo’s and had seen so many people dressed up standing outside waiting in line to get in. Your mom explained to you that it was the senior prom that weekend; since then you had looked forward to the moment in your senior year where you would get to wear your new expensive dress you had bought solely for the event.

After you had gotten home that day, you had rambled to Eddie for the rest of the evening while he pushed you on the swingset at the trailer park. He had just shrugged you off and stayed quiet. You paid him no mind and ignored him by beaming at his face with a toothless grin,

“You’ll go with me to prom right, Eds?”

“Only if you let me swing now.”

“Deal.”

You’d like to say you haven't been in love with Eddie till recently but you’d be lying to yourself.

In your recent years of high school, you found yourself daydreaming about attending prom with your best friend, you always played it off as of course, you’d attend this huge event in your life with Eddie, he was your best friend. If you ignored how much he hated conformist bullshit things such as prom. And each time he got held back, the closer and closer you got to both of you being in the same senior class, your hope grew.

Of course, those were always cut short whenever you had caught Eddie looking at Chrissy at lunch or he’d rant to you about how she wrote the most beautifully, detailed short story in English that day and how she would make such a great DM. Or how at the basketball game last week when halftime was over and the band was given a break you had gotten water and had spotted Eddie in the crowd; even though he has sworn up and down (and publicly) that basketball was dumb. You had just shrugged it off as him supporting Lucas, but you knew deep down it was because of Chrissy.

But you refused to acknowledge otherwise.

You should honestly be happy that he’s going to prom now, granted he wouldn’t be going with you. Nor would he take pictures with you. You both wouldn’t awkwardly be posing in your living room together at your trailer as your mom took a million photos along with Wayne taking the day off to see his boy all dressed up for the prom. Or how your fingers wouldn’t tremble while attempting to pin his corsage on his tux hoping you didn’t poke him. Nor would a single shy smile be transpired between the two of you as you walked into the school gym-turned-prom venue.

Nope, he’d be doing that with Chrissy Cunningham.

You took painstakingly slow steps as you currently walked to your last class of the day. You weren't looking forward to seeing Eddie again. Opting for skipping lunch to wallow in your self-pity in the library instead.

Therefore, you hadn't seen Eddie since morning when he stabbed you in the heart unknowingly with his newfound decision, and honestly, it was probably for the best. It’s not like you were going to ask him to prom anytime soon anyways.

The sound of your footsteps stopping in front of the classroom reached your ears. “Just play it cool,” you mutter to no one. You took a deep breath and walked into the classroom, immediately heading toward your seat in the back corner.

Eddie was already in the seat beside yours, his wide doe eyes met yours when he hears your steps and flashes you a smile, “Sup, where were you during lunch, Gareth’s mom made these killer cookies today.”

You look over at him, “Oh I went to the library, I had to catch up on some homework,” you lie.

He didn't say anything back just simply letting out a noise signaling he heard your excuse while nodding.

“Well anyways, about earlier.” he raises his eyebrows, “I’m gonna do it today.” He whispers so that people couldn’t listen in.

“...are you?” your tone was neutral.

He shifts his eyes away from yours. “I need to do it now while I have the confidence because if not, I'm gonna psych myself out,” he nods to himself, “Yeah I'm gonna wait for her after her practice is over.”

You study his side profile. His brown eyes were looking at the ceiling in concentration. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly, you find your eyes tracing along his jawline. His hair was a little messy, signaling that he had been running his fingers through it all day.

Willing yourself to say something, “She’ll say yes, Eddie, and if she doesn’t it’s her loss.” You swallow slightly and offer him a small smile.

His hopeful eyes look at you.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

♡‧₊˚

“This is officially the worst day ever.” You groan as you walk into the Family Video.

Steve looks over at Robin from where he was reshelving tapes.

“Uh oh, what happened?” Robin asks reluctantly

“Everything, Robin, everything that could’ve ever gone wrong, has gone wrong.”

After the whole Chrissy-prom-Eddie fiasco yesterday, you had declared the rest of the day a time for self-pitying. All you wanted to do was lie in bed with the covers drawn and completely shut out from the world so that you could comfort yourself in the sad exile you had made.

That was until Eddie called.

Since your blinds were drawn, you hadn’t noticed Eddie coming home earlier. Hence why when the phone rang you almost jumped out of your skin.

Debating whether or not to pick up, you looked at your window longingly knowing who it was on the other side. You ultimately decided to stand up and answer because if you didn't you knew he would just come over instead. And you didn’t exactly what to face Eddie right now, memories rushing to your mind reminded you of how much they were like a slap in the face.

“She said yes.”

He didn’t even wait for you to say hello before revealing his triumph win.

You zoned out after that, not processing the dial zone indicating that he hung up already. You could only recall a little after you walked back to your room that he was going to hang out with the guys because he had promised they’d celebrate the news if she said yes.

The morning had come and gone with you forcing yourself to get out of bed so that you could make it to school today. Eddie met your morning daze with his usual smile when you hopped into his van, you returned it with a small smile but stayed silent. You’d just use the excuse of having stayed up late last night due to catching up on some non-existent homework. Eddie on the other hand took this as permission to gush about how he was finally stoked about something concerning school for once and that he’d be able to share the experience with the girl he had been pining after for years. You simply offer him quiet hums to signify that you were listening.

School was no different, having forced yourself on autopilot, just mindlessly walking to and from class. You attended lunch today, not wanting to rile suspicion and worry with the group, and chose to suck it up and sit through Eddie rambling about how Chrissy had smelled like strawberries and vanilla while he had asked her the million-dollar question.

How she, quote, “had the most radiant smile shining up at him the entire time he talked to her.”

You also chose to ignore the smiles and slight waves she offered him when she made eye contact with him during lunch as well.

Yeah, you weren’t having a good day at all.

Your eyes scanned the store, relief settling once you noticed that it was empty except for your two friends seeing as you didn't bother to note if anyone was there before you blurted out about the nightmare that was your life currently.

Thank god it was a Tuesday afternoon and no one was there to witness your sad-sad life.

Steve was now standing beside Robin having moved during your entire speech after he finished his task.

“It’s just one dance, you know?” he offers, “It’s not like they’ll start dating.” He chuckles awkwardly in hopes of comforting you.

Unfortunately, that was the worst thing he could have said.

“Wait, what if they start dating?” You were going to pass out. “You know, I can’t even be mad at Chrissy, I mean, she’s genuinely the sweetest person. And Eddie, god Eddie, he’s so ecstatic about this, I mean, he’s been pining after her since middle school…middle school! And here I am being a bitch because I couldn't get my shit together and just confess to him about how I feel.” you sigh and drop your head on the counter “He deserves this one thing at least, who am I to get in the way of it?” you say with your voice slightly muffled.

Robin smacked Steve’s shoulder before walking around the counter over to you. “Sweetie, don't get so upset with yourself.” She rubs your shoulders, “Don’t let this small inconvenience deter you from enjoying your prom. Remember? You’ve been looking forward to this since you were ten!”

You look up at her and glance at Steve, meeting his eyes. “Don't let some dumb guy ruin this for you,” he says.

“But he's not some dumb guy, he's Eddie,” you whisper.

“Well, you got me, babe, kay? You can come along with Vicki and me, we’ll have an amazing time together just us, no guys - well that doesn't bother me - but you know what I mean, just us gals, what do you say?”

You don't reply so Robin continues, “This is me officially asking you to prom, are you gonna reject me or not?” she bumps your shoulder with a slight smirk on her freckled face.

You smile at her, “Okay.”

♡‧₊˚

After Robin had invited you to accompany her and Vicki to prom, you felt a little better. It helped you keep your mind off Eddie and allowed you to look forward to the event of which you’d be attending with your other best friend.

It had been almost two weeks since Eddie had asked Chrissy to prom and she had evidently accepted with a “sure why not!” Eddie had ranted to you about how he had a nice conversation with her and how she seemed genuinely excited for prom (you cried in the bathroom after that.)

The entire school was reeling over the fact that Eddie ‘the freak’ Munson was taking the queen of Hawkins High, Chrissy Cunningham, to prom. Jason was livid but every time he tried to say something to Eddie during lunch, Chrissy would shut him down, which you were grateful for.

Another reason why you couldn’t hate her.

Along with Eddie being over the moon about taking his dream girl to prom, he could never seem to shut up about her either. At any possible time, whether at lunch or on the drive home from school, or even during your own personal hang-out time; Eddie always seemed to be talking about one person.

And that person was not you.

Last weekend, Eddie had knocked at your door in a panic about how the suit he was wearing was too big on him and that he looked like a loser, “you always look like a loser.” You pulled him inside so that you could grab your mother’s sewing kit and figure out how you were going to help him tailor Wayne’s old suit to fit him better. “Thanks, princess, what would I do without you?”

While you played tailor, you let it slip that you - surprisingly - haven’t bought a dress yet so in return, he offered to take you dress shopping. The next day he came barreling into your room announcing that the two of you were going shopping at the mall in the town over in hopes of finding your dream dress.

You're one hundred percent sure that Eddie’s cute little reactions every time you stepped out of the dressing room will forever replay in your mind for the rest of your life. Even for the dresses you immediately dismissed and deemed ugly, you were still praised by him.

“I look horrible in this, what even are these sleeves?”

“I kinda dig the sleeves, makes you look like a real princess, princess.”

That smile, god that smile of his. Perhaps it was your delusions or maybe you genuinely saw a flicker of something in Eddie’s eyes when he would glance over your figure, drinking in your body in the dress you were currently showcasing for him. Either way, you were quite literally fooling yourself entirely because he wasn’t going with you,

he was going with Chrissy.

When you got home that day, you decided that you weren't just going to sit around anymore and cry about how things weren't working out. You have been looking forward to prom since you were a kid, you were going to fulfill that ten-year-old you’s dream.

Pulling your blinds close so that they could block any sort of visual that you'll get from Eddie when he got home you grabbed your walkman and climbed into bed. You weren't in the mood to talk to him at the moment, it was Friday meaning the prom was tomorrow and you were currently losing your mind.

Sadly, God wasn’t through with tormenting you just yet.

The sound of the phone ringing ricocheted throughout your house, forcing you to pull yourself up from your current spot on your bed.

“Hello?”

“Wanna go for a drive?”

No, you wanted to wallow in your self-pity and die.

“Sure.”

After slipping on some shoes, you walk out of your trailer and trek the small way toward Eddie’s. He was leaning against his van, cigarette in hand. The moon showered Eddie in its light, making him look ethereal. You didn’t check the time before you left but you knew it was a little late already, the moon was high in the sky, set for the night that was to come.

You hadn’t heard him get home earlier you wondered where he had been the entire day. He must have gotten home just now. Weird.

His head perks up at the sound of your shoes hitting the gravel, he gives you that dimpled smile you love so much and drops the cigarette on the ground before putting it out with his shoe. “Thought we both could go for a drive, hop in.”

He didn’t wait for you to reply and simply walked around to the driver’s side and turned the ignition on.

You took your place in the passenger seat and instantly rummaged through the glove box to look for a new cassette to play.

He looks over at you as you pop in Dio’s The Last in Line, wordlessly. The beginning cords of “We Rock” play as you sit back and look out the window.

“Where are you taking us, ole mystery man?” you say after a couple of minutes.

“Oh, it’s a surprise, fair maiden.” he laughs softly, “Not really, uh I'm just heading to Lover’s Lake.” His voice is soft, almost too soft. It confuses you slightly, prompting you to look over at your best friend. His eyes were focused on the stretch of road ahead, it felt like he was ignoring your eyes.

The both of you don't say anything after that, simply basking in Ronnie James Dio’s voice till you arrive at your destination.

The soft shutter of the ignition indicated that Eddie had parked already, so you quickly unbuckle yourself and crawled to the back of the van while Eddie cracked open the doors.

He had settled on a lone area off the edge of the lake. It was quiet. You took a quick glance at the dashboard before leaving your seat and noticed that it was nine already. The moon shined on the soft ripples coming from the lake, relaxing your surprisingly tense shoulders.

“Here,” Eddie’s voice cuts the air, offering you a blanket from the back of his van to you.

“Thanks,” you say after a beat, “so, are you excited about tomorrow or are you completely shitting yourself about taking your dream girl to the prom, Munson?”

You peer down to look at his knees that were on display with the worn-out jeans he loved to wear so much. The glint of his rings sparkled signaling that he was drawing shapes on his thigh. One of his nervous ticks, you noted.

You focus your vision back on the water ahead of you, ignoring his stare; you will yourself to not make eye contact with his brown eyes.

You can do this.

You will not lose your best friend over some silly crush.

“Let’s…not talk about Chrissy. I wanna talk about you. I feel like I don’t know about anything that’s happened to you in the last two weeks.” he pauses for a second, “I’m sorry that I’ve just been talking about her all the time recently.”

The unexpected apology throws you off, you look over at your best friend and bump his shoulder, “Are you okay?”

The question hangs in the air for a bit, it seemed as if he was mulling it over. Your eyebrows twitch in confusion.

“You remember that day when you learned what prom was and declared to the entire town that you were going to attend it once it was your turn?” His eyes were glassy.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t stop talking about it for weeks, you threatened me that if I wouldn't shut up you’d tape my mouth shut.” You laugh quietly at the memory.

After your laughter dies down as you glance over at him. He looks at you and smiles. “I’m not…,” he hesitates, “I’m not sure…how I should style my hair tomorrow,”

Your smile falters slightly before you catch yourself and beam up at him, “I love your hair the way it is, Eds, keep it like that.”

He nods at you and looks away, “We should probably get back, I didn’t tell my mom where I was going,” you murmur.

“Of course, can’t have the princess getting in trouble, can we?” he grins at you.

Oh, how you love him.

♡‧₊˚

If you were to tell fourteen-year-old Eddie Munson that he would be attending prom with the girl he’d been crushing on. He wouldn't have believed you.

He’d turn to his best friend and laugh in your face with her, cackling to the insane statements along with her. That same best friend who encouraged him to ask Chrissy in the first place. The same best friend who has dreamed about prom since she was a kid and the same best friend whom he wouldn't be attending it with.

You’d think Eddie would be excited, but he couldn’t help but have a small feeling inside his heart that hurt.

He drums his fingers on his steering wheel, the anxiety pooling in his stomach. His eyes glance over at your trailer, your blinds were pulled but he could see a sliver of light peeking through, most likely from your lamp. It was quiet in there, he assumed you were listening to your walkman. You had always preferred listening to your music with your headphones rather than blaring it out loud as he did.

He closes his eyes and lets out a long sigh. “Fuck, she was right,” he mutters.

He couldn’t stop thinking about what Chrissy had said.

He had been walking out of the school after he had finished pre-planning everything he wanted to do in the next Hellfire session. Yesterday, the guys had completely thrown him off so he needed to fix up his original idea for the next session next week. It never hurt to start early.

He was making his way over to the picnic table in the woods behind the school so that he could smoke before he left home for the day. His eyes glanced around the parking lot before passing through it, not many students were loitering around; choosing to immediately book it after the bell seeing as it was Friday and on top of that the Friday before prom.

He had barely stepped onto the grass that led to the woods when he heard his name being called.

He looked over his shoulder only to see Chrissy walking toward him. “Hey, Eddie,” her polished nails were waving at him, causing him to stop in his tracks.

“What’s up?” he shoots her a quick smile.

“Oh, were you busy? Because I really need to talk to you.” Her pleading eyebrows were creased in a slight worry.

“Ah nah, I was just heading to my spot to smoke before I went home.” his gaze shifts back to her, “Walk with me?”

Chrissy simply nods and begins walking beside him.

Eddie attempts to find something to say during the short distance to the picnic table, scouring through his brain in hopes of making the walk less awkward than it was.

It was never awkward with you.

He shook his head before he realized he had finally reached his destination, he sits down and pulls out a cigarette before beckoning Chrissy to say what she needed to say.

She takes a deep breath. “When you asked me to go to prom with you, I was inclined to say no.” She pauses for a second before catching herself, “Not in that way, um, I just never really thought you liked me. I mean I don’t think we’ve ever really talked before.” She thinks for a bit, “Maybe during the middle school talent show…” Her eyes shoot up to his, “god what was the name of your band, it was such an insane name, I loved it.”

“Corroded Coffin” Eddie answers with a smile.

“Corroded Coffin! Oh my gosh yes!” She laughs before looking off to the side, “I honestly thought you were dating someone already.” She says your name, “Yeah I could’ve sworn y’all were dating, so when you asked me to go to prom, it completely caught me off guard.” She nods to herself in confirmation.

At the sound of your name, Eddie perks up. “Wait you thought I was dating her?” He quickly laughs, waving her off. “No, we’re not-we’re not dating, we’re just friends.” He doesn’t meet her eyes.

“I don’t think you want to be.” She says quietly.

His eyebrows screw together, “what?”

“Look, I don’t know you too well and I don’t really know her too well either,” she bites her lip slightly, “I think you should go with her…to prom.”

Eddie just stares at her, not saying a word.

Chrissy sets her bag down and sits down now, “I’ve seen you during lunch, well god, I mean how could I not!” she laughs and shakes her head quickly, “Your face just looks so…in love when you look at her. It’s like you hang onto every word she says to you. And I’m not sure you realize that. And if you haven’t, she hasn’t either and is probably devastated that you asked me to prom and not her.”

Eddie finally looks into Chrissy’s eyes now. Her eyes were big and full, they look a little glassy like she was going to cry, but not of sadness, no, Eddie didn’t think she was upset, she looks like she was in awe. In awe at him. At the love that he had not for her but for his best friend. Her face looked like she yearned for this supposed love that she claimed he had for you.

She smiles, “So, I’m not going to prom with you, Eddie,” Chrissy says with a tone of finality.

“Thank you…for this intervention,” he looks away, “didn’t know I needed it.” his voice was quiet.

Chrissy laughs but doesn’t say anything as she gets up, she ruffles slightly with her bookbag and slings it onto her back. She begins to walk away before she turns around to look at Eddie one last time. “I better see you at prom tomorrow and not alone.” She sent him one last smile and walked away.

Surprisingly, Eddie wasn’t upset or sad, instead, he was relieved.

He sits there in silence for what felt like an eternity. The afternoon sunlight beamed on him like stripes due to the trees providing a bit of shade for him. He felt like he was processing everything and nothing at the same time.

He had to leave, he had to get to you now.

Eddie’s mind was still reeling when he was getting close to Forest Hills, as much as he wanted to park in front of your trailer, run into your room, and tell you all that he was thinking,

he simply couldn’t.

So instead he doesn’t turn into the trailer park but rather keeps driving.

How could he have been so blind? All these years of pining after Chrissy Cunningham he thought it was her he wanted. He thought that whenever he would talk about her smile and how her face would light up a room it was Chrissy he was talking about but in actuality, it was you. It was always you.

It has always been you, ever since he had moved in beside your trailer into his uncle's. It has always been you cheering for him like when he had gotten nervous to go on stage for the talent show and Jeff had thrown up backstage. It has always been you whom he would talk to all through the night after you would slip through the window in his room. It has always been you listening to him rant on and on about the new campaign he was preparing for the guys. It has always been you. It will always be you.

And now it was dark outside, the moon replacing the sun for the night. Eddie sits submerged in your presence at Lover’s Lake. He knows that you suspect something is off about him.

“Are you okay?”

No Eddie wasn’t okay. He wanted to scream to the world that he had been in love with you for the longest time. To lose his voice after telling you about all the little things he loves about you, how he was stupid for not realizing sooner and for making you go through the last few years of him pining after a girl he never even loved.

But instead, he gives a lame excuse of not knowing how to style his hair.

He sees your smile falter but doesn't say anything.

And then you offer him that beautiful smile of yours.

God, he hates himself. Why couldn’t Eddie just say that he loves you? He curses himself for being such a coward.

Oh, how you love him.

Oh, how he loves you.

♡‧₊˚

You spent the morning lounging in your bed basking in your sadness before you force yourself to get distracted with the makeup and the music from the reality that was your life.

So what if the guy you’ve been in love with was going to prom with someone else? Totally not the end of the world, right?

“Sweetie, you should be leaving to pick up Robin or you’re going to be late.” Your mom’s voice echoes throughout the trailer.

“Yeah, I'm almost done” you yell back as you grab your heels.

Your eyes dart over at your window. You couldn’t help to notice that Eddie’s van was still parked, meaning he hasn’t left to pick Chrissy up yet. It was getting late already, prom was at seven but it was already quarter past and you had assumed Chrissy would want to get there early or something.

You finish putting your heels on and go to look in the mirror. This was it. You were finally going to attend prom, granted not with Eddie but you were still going with your friends.

With one last look in the mirror, you grab your purse and head out of the safe haven that was your room.

The sound of your doorbell rings throughout the trailer, “I’ll get it,” you say as you pass your mom in the kitchen.

Weird, must’ve been Robin.

A smirk finds its way on your face as you walk up toward the door. “No way, you drove here yourself-”

You open the door, fully expecting a dolled-up Robin (to her standards) in front of you, but to your surprise, it was someone else.

Eddie.

He was standing there in his tux that you had helped tailor. His hair’s down, it looks freshly washed and his curls look bouncy as ever; he had taken your advice that you had told him at the lake. He’s wearing that iconic jewelry of his, the rings he had on extenuating his long fingers. He chose to ditch the tie altogether and instead unbuttoned the first two buttons on the shirt, showing a sliver of his collarbones to the world.

“Uh, no I walked over actually,” Eddie says with a laugh.

After getting over your initial shock you smile at your best friend. “Eds, what are you doing here?”

You look at him expectantly and notice his eyes scanning your form, he swallows quickly before he looks back at you. His face had a slight blush to it.

No way. Did Eddie just check you out?

Eddie doesn't reply so you begin to ramble nervously. “Look at you,” you force a laugh, “Look at you going to prom” without me.

He just stares at you, not saying anything, so you continue. “I can't believe you're going with your dream girl,” you smile sadly, “you did it.”

He finally seems to process that he was standing in front of you and quickly stutters out, “Chrissy dumped me,” your eyebrows shoot up, “yeah, I’m not going with her anymore.” His eyes scan your face.

You blink, “Oh, I'm sorry I didn't - you didn’t tell me.”

“She’s not my dream girl”

“Huh?”

“She’s not my dream girl. You are.”

Were you going insane? You didn’t say anything, you couldn’t say anything. What did he mean that you were his dream girl? You simply stared at Eddie, blinking not saying a word. Your mouth was closing and opening attempting to locate words but your brain was currently malfunctioning.

“I don’t think I understand?” your eyes shift behind Eddie’s form, searching for something.

This was a joke. Surely Chrissy was going to pop out from behind and yell “Sike!” and then they were going to laugh in your face because Eddie had found out that you’ve been in love with him and had found it hilarious. This must have been some cruel prank that they were pulling.

But no one comes out. Eddie doesn’t laugh in your face but instead, he steps forward.

“Princess, you’re my dream girl. You always have been, I was just too blind to notice.” His brown eyes look at yours.

Those wide, loving eyes of his. God, you love him.

“I realized that I wasn't in love with Chrissy, she was just a crush that I had when I realized I would never be able to be with you. I think in fear of being rejected by you, I inadvertently did it anyway by developing that fantasy idea of her. It’s not Chrissy I've been in love with all these years, it's you.” He finishes his confession with a final sigh of relief.

You gulp. “You…love me?”

“Of course I love you, how couldn’t I?” he says with a shy smile.

That’s all you needed.

So you kiss him.

After years of pining. After years of wondering why Eddie wouldn’t just look your way. Of vying after him, you finally have his attention.

The kiss feels rushed like the two of you were chasing the years of lost time. Cursing at the other for having been missing out on this one single act. Hell, at this moment you're not sure how you were able to go years without kissing Eddie, and you don’t ever want to know how again.

He pulls away reluctantly. “So,” he pecks you once more, “if you’ll allow me, I made a deal, and I intend on keeping that promise, sweetheart.”

You crinkle your eyebrows in confusion for a second before it hits you,

he remembered.

A grin breaks out on your face. The childish voices ring in your memories.

“You’ll go with me to prom right, Eds?”

“Only if you let me swing now.”

“Deal.”

“I’d love to, Eds.”

A grin splits onto Eddie’s face, “Whew, thank god, I almost thought I had gotten all pretty for no reason.”

You felt giddy. Your heart was overcome with emotion, you hoped you wouldn't wake up from this dream.

But this wasn’t a dream. This was true.

Interlacing your fingers with Eddie’s you close the door and smile, “Yeah, let’s go to prom together.”

“Wait, what about Robin?”

“Ah, I already called her.”

“Oh, how presumptuous of you.”

“Big words, fair maiden, you know just how to get me going don’t cha, princess?”

#astraariel♡#stranger things #eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson oneshot

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that-one-girls-blog-posts · 9 months

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PICK A CRYSTAL, GET A READING 🔮 🪽 🧿

take a moment to choose

🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍

1.goldstone 🌟

Hi welcome to this reading!♡ You chose the goldstone which stands for joy, abundance and personal development and right of the bat I feel like this is a huge subject for you right now.I pulled the 8 of cups and the page of wands which if you know the cards of the ethereal visions deck are both illustrated with characters holding these huge sticks and looking into the distance. It looks like they already took the first few steps of the long and hard journey ahead of them and are now at a point of taking a break to plan, overthink and almost reconsider their next steps. They might be waiting for the night to come or pass so they can continue safely which can feel a little stagnant but it's really a smart safety precaution. There is a little bit of a bitter taste to it since the 8 of cups is also interpreted as purposely leaving in the night to go unseen. Maybe you are not sure if you are taking this path because you know it's for the better or because you're trying to run or hide from something and you are scared to be perceived while possibly making a mistake.

The path ahead of you is pretty clear, you know which steps you should take next but that also means you can clearly see the challenges, rough stones and mountains you will have to face. Therefore this definitely is a situation where you need to properly plan what you're gonna do next, instead of blindly jumping in like I feel you would usually do(sometimes taking a leap of faith makes sense and can be very exciting) but in this section of your life it's part of an important lesson you're supposed to learn, to atleast have an idea of where you are going and why you want to be there.

“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”.☝🏽Things seem to get a little overwhelming right now but I have no doubt you are taking the right steps and you are very much capable of handling the challenges thrown at you🤺

Though this is a situation you are rather new to, you feel confident in your position (props to you, many people would try to slow things down out of fear, but not you👏🏽) there still is a teenie tiny bit of self-doubt that I feel like you don't really want to acknowledge even exists, but it's a healthy amount, it's good to question things from time to time, even yourself, your knowledge and capabilities. Maybe this is something that you could consider in your next shaddowwork session or when journaling

Do I have the tendency to try and handle things on my own?

Is this habit safe for my current situation?

Which kind of subject do I maybe need to research more before taking my next steps?

I feel like this is a very unique path to the point where you struggle to find people who can help and understand you in this situation but please remember that you are never truly alone (believe me been there done that👨🏻‍🦲) and that you can always find some helpful words somewhere even if it's from people online or a quote from a book..... it's okay to ask for help or guidance, doing so is a sign of a healthy relationship with yourself, no one knows everything and it's good to ask for help before any serious damage might be done.

🧝🏾‍♀️The Oracle card I pulled for you is the Spring which fits this "beginning of a new journey but haven't gotten very far yet" vibe very well. In spring, the seeds in nature have just begun to sprout, loads of them are still in the protection of the earth and need a little more support from sunshine, rain !!and time!! until they are ready to take the next step and show their face to the world. This also shows that you feeling stagnant is a natural state your current environment,which means you're not really missing out on anything right now, and the place you want to enter is also not yet ready for you, everything needs a little more time to get out of hibernation🦔

💋LOVE

I can't see much change regarding your love life in the near future, the stagnation is also showing it's affect here.You are really focused on the path ahead of you, because you recognize it's importance. Whatever is happening at the moment, this is lifechanging and who knows, might even bring you to the place in life where love is waiting just around the corner🤭

If you're in a relationship I feel like you and your partner are going through a phase where you also feel like there's not much happening but under the surface you are deepening your relationship to each other, maybe your communication recently got on a deeper level or you found a new side on the other person that you are exploring and getting to know and love, enjoy the moment🫶🏽

🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍

2.aquamarin 🌊

Hi welcome to this reading!♡ you chose the aquamarine which is associated with calmness, intellectual and spiritual abilities as well as communication. I think there's a pretty big chance that you felt called to this stone because of the calming energy part, like it's something you really need right now. I'm getting the energy of a situation where you need a lot of strength, there's problems with communication, discussions and fights, maybe at home with people you are close to, very likely a romantic partner. BUT through this chaotic energy on the outside you have found a "new" resource inside yourself?!?!?!!! There is a quietness and stillness that you didn't know you had in you!🧘‍♀️

For you I pulled the 2 of cups in reversed and the star. The other person you're dealing with has very firey energy and I feel like you do too, might be astrological or just very strong temper. In the past you always had a very intense way of communicating with eachother, both of you wanted to stick with your point but somehow you always found a way to agree somewhere in the middle, lately this has gotten more difficult tho. There might be something like trustissues involved which are causing this sudden problem, anyways this other person is trying to open new doors with old keys and won't change their behavior during difficult moments, but you, you found a way of dealing with this in a very relaxed and laid back way! this is amazing! It's like your way to argue has matured! but it's important to say, please don't start going into the opposite direction now and let the other person walk all over you!! beeing the "bigger person" will not always be the best for you, a certain amount of selfrespect is needed. You now need to find a way of getting your point across without leaning too much in to one of the extremes. you're on a great journey of growth and I feel like you are also very proud of yourself and can recognize your change.🥹

🧝🏾‍♀️The Oracle card I pulled for you is the raven which is very interesting since they are associated with occult wisdom, magic, the spiritual/the divine and growth which confirms the spiritual abilities aspect of the aquamarin. I feel like this new mysterious source of calmness you found within yourself is almost like a gift from the divine! or maybe your ancestors or your spirit guides, whatever you believe in (this feels like an energy which is comfortable in the shaddow as in remaining a secret or unknown/unseen, I think you might know who fits that description;)) They gave this to you and are guiding you through it! I feel like meditation might be an amazing tool for you right now to find the secret messages within the new found silence 🤍🪶

💋LOVE as mentioned earlier I feel like the struggles you are facing right now, might be with a romantic partner. I dont think there's something severly "toxic" going on and I don't think there's much doubt in the relationship or the in other person. You are someone who recognizes that noone is perfect and you can easily see the good in other people despite their flaws. You know you will work through this issue and everythung will be okay🤍(trust your gut on this, I can always be wrong, if you have any suspicion of danger coming from a person in your life, remember your safety and take action accordingly🙏🏽)

If you are not in a relationship there might be a crush, it can be very distant, who you are overthinking right, you saw a new side on them and now you're not sure anymore how to feel about them. Remember that you don't really owe crushes anything especially if you're not in contact so you are free to explore your feelings on your own and take as much time doing so as you need 💌

🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍

3.smoky quarz🌫

Hi welcome to this reading!♡ you chose the smoky quartz which is great for manifestation and other spiritual work, wishes, protection and cleansing, which I think is really funny since the stone looks kind of polluted like there's smoke trapped inside of it and how do you clean with a dirty sponge yk?

Anyways, I feel like you are a very hard worker which so far has already paid off, whatever you are doing your great efforts are recognized. You might have a higher position at your job or you're something like the schoolpresident or the captain of your sports team( Congrats on whatever it is🏆). Being a leader Is a very sought after position but oftentimes the responsibility is much less glamorous than it looks on the outside, but as it looks in your life you are absolutely it slaying it!

For you I pulled the King of swords and the 10 of wands.You are very used to your position almost like a monarch or a nepobaby (love that for you👑) but you definitely give off the vibe of someone who was born into their fate, maybe you come from a family of teamcaptains or entrepreneurs?When you stepped into your place you never questioned it and immediately took the reins. You don't mind the hard work because you know how much responsibility you have and how many people are relying on you so you take the job very seriously.

Lately, I feel, you've been getting a little tired with carrying all this responsibility, I personally really understand the need for a control in a position like this and how hard it is to share the work with other people when it's you who is kind of representing everyone and everything. If someone fucks up the job, you're gonna have to pay for it so you much rather just do it all on your own and make sure it's perfect. This is an admirable trait but unfortunately not easy to sustain for a longer period of time. At some point the work will be too much for you to carry alone!!

🧝🏾‍♀️The Oracle card I pulled for you is the path and I feel like yours right now is the journey of trying to find people you trust to take some of the weight off of your shoulders👯I think your situation requires a special way of support, you don't just need someone who will simply take some of the weight and carry it alongside with you but someone who instead helps you to push the the weight Step-by-step.

It's like when you get stuck with your car. You dont need someone to take out the interior so it's less weight to push😂 but a person who will get to the back next to you and push! Or like a president who doesn't want a vice president to actually take control but an assistant who will help organize everything🗂

It's a tricky situation and it's tricky to find someone like that but I feel like by going with the flow and allowing people, chances and opportunities for support to come into your life, you will find a unique solution that will not only make your life easier but protect you from a serious burnout! I see this process taking some time since your situation is so specific. There will be many offers of support that are just not right but by simply keeping your eyes open and allowing more ideas to come to you, you will find a way🩷

💋LOVE

I wonder whether or not I should even say something right here💀 You're a workaholic and there's simply other things in head right now than romance. If you're in a relationship things are stable and steady and will continue like this... If you are single don't expect much in the next few months, you are really on a self-development journey right now and there's not much space for other people and their problems in your life BUT If you crave love remember that you have to set priorities and in fact go out and get to know people to find that special someone. It's tragic I know but you got this #gaslightgatekeepgirlboss 💅

🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍

⚜️dear audience⚜️ I hope you enjoyed this little session and it resonated with you, please remember that collective readings, due to their nature won't be as accurate as a personal reading and might not even be for you at all, so please, choose intuitivly, take what resonates and leave the rest🌟 feel free to share any feedback and your experience with the reading in the comments🤍 thank you

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twisted-wonderland-shenanigans · 8 months

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Twisted Wonderland Marine Biologist AU Snippet

Hey everyone! I'm still okay, just been dealing with real life stuff and discovered I may have accidentally put myself through a burnout even when I was trying to avoid it. =w=

I've been working through it by focusing on more personal projects and other fandoms, and I've also been focusing more on my physical and mental health lately. I'm getting better every day though, and I'm feeling good about stuff!

Anyway, I know I haven't posted anything in a while since my last update, so I wanted to tide everyone over with a snippet I had written back in May for the Marine Biologist AU. I was saving this for when I finally reached that part of the story and got it off the ground, buuuuut...honestly, it's too adorable for me NOT to share!!!

Reminder that in this and the mermaid AU, there is a communication barrier where humans and mermaids cannot speak the same language. In the Marine Biologist AU though, the boys can understand some if not most words, so they have nothing but time to try and listen to the researchers talk and learn how to speak the language.

So...what happens when our little researcher Yuu just so happens to drop an apple in the tank holding a certain Guppy and gorgeous Betta Fish?

////--------------////

"Whoa, geez!” Yuu squawked, their hand just barely touching the apple as it bounced off the grating before falling into the water with a ‘plop’. Sighing, Yuu said, “Well, there goes part of my lunch.”

One moment the apple was bobbing along in the waves, the next…a hand reached out and grabbed it, a familiar adorable face emerging from the water to examine his catch. “Oh, hi, Guppy!” Yuu called out, happy to see the smaller mermaid. Violet floated nearby, though it was clear that he was watching them both with that intense gaze of his. “Sorry, that’s not a fish. It’s an apple.”

At that he perked up so fast that Yuu almost thought he’d gotten whiplash, adorable doe eyes looking shocked and amazed as he squeaked at them.

“D…do you know what an apple is?” Yuu asked, earning another insistent chirp from him before they pointed at the fruit clutched in his hands. “Apple. Ahp…pull…”

He looked between them and the fruit, looking so confused for a moment. Then, he held it out and—pointing at it and himself—he spoke and said, “Ahp…ull…Eah…pul…Eahpul!”

Yuu was floored as they stared, not sure if they’re feeling amazement or pure disbelief or both as Guppy continued his game of charades. It was as if he was trying to tell them…

“Is…Ehpul…Eh…pel…Epel…your name?” Yuu asked.

“Yeeee!” ‘Epel’ squealed, practically squirming in place and looking absolutely elated as he nodded enthusiastically. “Epel! Epel!”

Even as he continued chattering in the strange language while still repeating his new ‘name’, Yuu found themselves hardly able to move as they tried to process this new development. Had…they been able to understand Yuu this whole time and just…didn’t know how to communicate back? Or is this a new development brought on by their continuous interactions with the mermaids?

Once he had calmed down, Epel had turned his attention back to the apple and curiously sniffed it. Then—before they could think to try and get it back—he had taken a bite out of it and chewed. A moment later his eyes grew wide, the ear fins wiggling as a wide (chubby cheeked) smile bloomed on his face and he let out a high-pitched warble.

“Huh…? Do…you guys actually eat fruit?” Yuu uttered in amazement as Epel chomped away at the fruit faster than they could blink, practically swallowing the core whole before licking the juice off his fingers. A moment later he lunged up onto the deck, peeking over the edge as he sniffed around like a cat on the hunt. “Whoa! Slow down there! I don’t have any more apples if that’s what you’re looking for.”

Once he seemed to realize this, he looked up at Yuu and-

'Oh no...those are the cutest puppy eyes I've ever seen!!' Yuu thought. 'How does a mermaid know how to do the puppy eyes?!'

"Ahpul...app...le," Epel chirped. "Apple..? Apple!"

"O-okay, okay! I'll go and get more apples for you!"

#twisted wonderland #twst #twisted wonderland marine biologist au #twst marine biologist au #I had so much fun writing this scene back in May and really wanted to share it earlier #I hope everyone enjoys it nonetheless!#epel felmier #pomefiore

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midnightdevotion · 2 years

Text

First

Requested: Hangman x reader (age gap)

warnings: Age gap? soft! hangman

a/n: this took me a few days but I hope you love it.

You had Jake Seresin confused. You two had been hot and heavy flirting for three months now and nothing. Not to brag but Jake usually got what he wanted in three goddamn minutes. Yet here he was every time he was at the hard deck, flirting with you at the bar.

You were driving him crazy in the best way. At first he figured you were hot and you two could have some fun. Then he started to catch feelings. It didn't even take much for him to fall, the way your eyes sparkled while you laughed, your full smile in his direction when you'd see him walk in. When your hand would touch his while passing a beer to him and shoot tingles up his arm.

He could have sworn you liked him too, but then why has this song and dance been going on for so long if you wanted him like he wanted you? Hell you two had been on multiple dates in his mind, but you hadn't even kissed him. Did the beach days and movie nights not mean anything to you?

It had gotten to the point that everyone was making fun of him, and he wasn't as focused in the sky. He was making way too many mistakes and the dagger team was teasing and taunting relentlessly. Sighing he climbs down out of his f-18 and angrily yanks off his helmet.

"Hangman!" He groans as he hears rooster call after him. The last thing he needs is Bradshaw giving him a hard time. He feels a hand rest on his shoulder and he turns.

"Jake, I mean this in the nicest way fucking possible but you need to talk to her, because your flying is shit." He glares at the sandy blonde

"I know! I just can't get a read on her and I don't like it." he runs his hand through his sweaty hair.

"Just tell her that" and with that Jake is left to his thoughts. Why is it all so different with you. He knows the age gap between you is a bit much at 10 years, but he thought he'd been clear that all he wanted was you.

With a new found determination he decides Rooster is right. He needs to air it all out once and for all. He doesn't even bother heading to the locker room, just immediately going to the parking lot. He can't sit uncertainty any longer. It feels like it's eating him alive. Clawing at his heart with the fear that all this time he was hoping you were his and he was always going to be yours.

It took him ten minutes to arrive outside your house, and another 25 to build the courage to actually open the door to his truck. He spent another ten minutes just standing in front of your door staring at it.

Finally he knocks, his heart is beating hard, and his hands are sweaty. When you open the door his breath catches. You might be in just sweatpants an old t shirt with your hair pulled back but he thinks you are more beautiful than anything in the world. The way your cheeks darken with a pink hue as you look down at your clothes.

"I uh didn't know you were coming over" and jake can't help the grin that takes over his features.

"neither was I" he gestures down at his flight suit. He watches as you furrow your brows.

"Why are you here then?" you glance up at him in confusion and he curses himself for not stopping for flowers. You deserve flowers.

"well I uh- I need to talk to you" he watches you swallow and nod, opening the door a bit wider. He steps in and doesn't even bother trying to get to a more comfortable place like the couch. It's like he's finally here ready to get it off his chest and he can't wait any longer. So in the middle of your entry way he stands in front of you and drops everything that has been on his mind.

"I can't figure you out. Here I think we are dating, we hold hands, you dance with me, my whole family knows about you, but then it's like we are just friends too. You've met my friends and I haven't met yours. All I think about is kissing you. If you don't feel the same it's fine really just tell me now so I can stop embarrassing myself." He sees the shocked look on your face and he almost groans.

"I uh... I didn't know we were dating" and the blush painting your cheeks is so beautiful it rivals anything Picasso ever did, at least to Jake it does. He goes to say something, but you beat him to it.

"I'm uh really bad at dating, or flirting, or knowing when someone is flirting... I just thought you were being nice to me" he laughs when he hears that.

"You're telling me this whole time you thought I was just being nice? And I thought we were dating?" the exasperation in his tone is thick.

"I guess- I never really.. Guys never really." You groan and he just smiles at you, cupping your cheek.

"Now I really wish I would've stopped and gotten flowers." He watches as you blush.

"Will you go on a date with me then?" he asks, looking into your eyes until you look away, nodding your head sheepishly.

"I um have to tell you something first though.." His attention is fully on you, what could it be? Did you have a boyfriend all ready?

"I um- well I've never kissed anyone" and your cheeks light up with a new intensity. He's shocked to say the least, his train of thought completely derailed. He can't help the spark of possessiveness at the idea of being your first everything. He groans, and he watches the way you flinch.

"No No honey it's not bad.. I just holy hell do I want to kiss you" You look up at him to see his eyes darker than they were just minutes ago, the gleam in them something you had never seen before.

"I um-- Okay" His eye brows raise at this, he didn't expect to kiss you now.

"are you sure?"

"yeah please" and who is he to deny you?

So he back you up slowly to the door, his eyes locking on yours. You swallow hard, knowing he is going to be good at this and so scared you wouldn't be. The cold door behind you breaks your train of thought, sending a shiver down your spine. He looks like a wolf about to capture its prey, devastatingly beautiful and deadly all at once.

Suddenly he's all you can see and feel, every sense of yours is captured in the beauty of Jake seresin. His hand caressing your cheek, and the other on your waist. His thumb is rubbing your hip and you feel tingles shooting all over your body. Your breath catches when he tilts your head up, angling you so he can slot his lips over yours.

His lips taunt you, slowly. Moving so softly that you might think this kiss never happened. You decide to change that, hands reaching up and into his hair you pull him harder against you. He takes the hint and suddenly his lips are moving with need. The kind of kiss that makes your toes curl and fills your stomach with butterflies. The kind of kiss that as you two pull away, pupils blown wide and heavy breathing all you want is to keep kissing.

If it were up to you, you'd kiss this man till the end of time, but he has more restraint than you. So he smiles softly and tucks a loose strand of hair behind your ear.

"if we keep going darling it's going to be harder to stop, and I want to take you on our first date, then we can do the whole heavy petting things teenagers do." You laugh and blush at the thought, so happy he implied something less than sex.

"You've got a deal"

And if you snuck kisses from each other all night, watching movies and pressed up against each other, then you'd say you don't regret waiting for your first kiss at all.

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imagines-babes · 1 year

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cardigan (c!wilbur)

Hello thank you for over 50 followers. This week story is about qsmp and about the egg. This is a long story so just a heads up. There not a lot to say before i just tell you how it goes. But one thing I would say is, The moon is beautiful isn’t it, means I love you. Today song is, cardigan by Taylor Swift. I hope you enjoy and maybe next week story will be about pirate Karl.

Wilbur list Masterlist

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Arriving at the island. Leaving them all behind starting a new live. Forgetting all the rules of my parents. Forgetting what happened that was before here. This is a vacation. Seeing everyone at the station I smiled. That failed till I saw him. My lover. I gave a smile. No more lies No more hiding. No more of any of that. Wanting to walk up to him. He never saw me there. Till his eye meet mine I gave a smile. He hugged me as kiss my lips with a smile.

But that 27 days ago. I haven't seen him in 27 days. I never heard from him or even found where he lives. I thought we were lovers before we came here to Quesadilla. But after the first night here he disappeared. Never to be heard from again. But that's beside the point I have forgotten about him. I think I have. But a lot has happened. Everyone was sent to a pairs and gotten a child(egg). They pair up people with someone who's first language was Spanish or if you spoke Spanish they got paired with someone first language is English. Somewhere in the system there was mix up. I was not picked to have an egg. So the single parents were bad and quackity. I told them both before everyone went off to show their child around. If they ever needed help to me know or just to message .Looking at all the eggs either parents made me smile. Everyone left the adoption center while I stayed looking around for a egg of my own. But nothing came so i left going to my house and stare at the night sky.

Along this 27 days 3 eggs have died and new homes were build. With the exploring, bad getting on foolish nerves with now Dapper, Slime and Marianna went to court then was behind bars aswell as foolish, Bobby bulling his dad, Foolish love life, don't get me started with it, but he only has eyes for veggeta so i believe him, and many more that i won't go into detail.

This morning, I heard voices near the adoption center as I went in. It looked abandoned, webs with broken glasses and a ladder against the wall. I climb up little by little. ' Fit I don't think I am able to take care of an egg I can barely manage myself,' poking my head out to see fit with Wilbur. After 27 days he comes here and gets a child. 'Oh hey y/n, what are you doing here?' Fit asked to see Wilbur turned see me. Looking passed them to see an egg. 'I was just walking passed till I heard you both talking. Who is this little one?' Passing by them to see her with the same beanie and hair as her father. 'Hey little one I'm y/n and these men are fit and Wilbur wanna come out so we can give you some food and you can run outside?' Steping out of the glass slowly we made our ways to the bottom as i lol at the two. 'Come on you two, oh and fit you can go home to Ramon, if you want I can help Wilbur.' He nods making it to the bottom telling us good luck. Giving us a wave. Looking over to Wilbur. 'So your a father now,' the air was thick as he nods.

Within the first day of getting her, Tallulah, he got attach to her. I started to light up an area for them by the water. For Wilbur, he made a dock for her. For her to do some fishing like he did when he was a child. He made he a fishing pole as she gave him a flower with a smile. Tallulah waited to catch her first fish as i sit on the deck with my leg hanging off touching the water while Wilbur sat beside me. 'How are you feeling?' He turned to look over at me, 'y/n I'm so-' I shake my head, 'that's not what I'm asking. How are you feeling?' He took in a breathe, ' I'm good now, never knew how much my life would change because of Tallulah,' I gave a small smile, 'so where is your child?' That question made my smile disappear. 'The day everyone got their egg i was one of the last one to be assigned. When I walked up to get a ticket nothing happened and their was no egg. So I guess I wasn't fit to be a parent. But I do help other with their kids if they ask.' Tallulah was rolling in the string to pull up something she has caught. 'Dad I have got something,' she started shouting to Wilbur. With him quickly going over to help her caught her first fish. She pulled it in as Wilbur smiled. It was fun father and daughter time and possibly will be one of their first best memories. Across the stream was quackity staring at them both. Starting to walk to wilbur, 'I will be back,' giving across the river I walked up to him. 'It's not fair,' was his first words, 'it's not fair that my tilin had to die while he finds another child to raise.' There were tears in his eyes while I nod. 'Maybe Wilbur isn't tilin father quackity. Maybe it's Luzu remember he wasn't assigned ether. ' he shook his head quickly and replied, 'it's his.' Nothing had came out as I touched his shoulder, 'if you ever want to talk I'll be here,' walking back to Wilbur and Tallulah. They smiled trying to catch another. 'Wil you should talk to him,' he agreed and left tallulah here by the docks. 'Mis y/n do you like my dad,' the question stumble on me while I look across the water. I didn’t want to lie so I told the truth, ‘long ago I was in love with your father but I don’t know about now. Just don’t tell your dad.’ She gives a nod while catching another fish. The two across the water started to yell as I turned to Tallulah. ‘How about we build you a small house for you to sleep in for now while they talk.’ She gives me the fishing pole as she nods. Cutting the grass and picking up flowers we build a small dirt house. Wilbur came back and look defeated. Tallulah notice and gave him a flower. That was putting a smile on his face. Finishing the house and sitting by the water. Wilbur was putting Tallulah asleep as I didn’t know what to do. More like I was procrastinating on if I should go or not. Laying back on the grass with my eyes staring at the moon. Hearing the footsteps come closer. He sat down looking over at me then at the sly. ‘The moon beautiful isn’t it Wilbur?’ He stayed silent for a minute than looked over at me, ‘More beautiful than it know y/n.’

#x y/n #twitchstreamer #fanfic #mcyt x y/n #mcyt fanfiction #wilbur soot x reader #wilbur soot #wilbur soot x you #wilbur soot x y/n #wilbur x you #quackity #qsmp tallulah #qsmp #qsmpblr

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moonlight-prose · 2 years

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♱ WEAK FOR YOUR LOVE ♱

a/n: i couldn't NOT write for my husband mickey. i haven't churned out a fic this fast in a long time and i'm actually really happy with how it turned out. i hope y'all enjoy it!

day four - cumplay | kinktober 2022

summary: mickey always prided himself on self-control. as a naval wso it was mandatory, but you in a sundress proved to be his weakness.

word count: 2k+

pairing: mickey "fanboy" garcia x f!reader

warnings: MINORS DNI, cussing, teasing, slight exhibitionism, handjob, cumplay.

He nearly fell over his own feet walking into the Hard Deck tonight. Not because he was clumsy. Well…not usually. No, he’d almost fallen due to one thing and one thing only—you sitting prettily on a barstool wearing a new sundress he had no idea you even purchased.

Payback had bumped his shoulder playfully, asking if he was still unsteady from pulling G’s. Even though he knew the real reason why Mickey was standing stock-still a few feet away from the bar. You were there. Staring at your boyfriend with the same lovestruck expression on his face. Payback had never seen two people more in love; so he backed away. Heading towards the group and leaving Mickey to deal with his still reeling mind.

“You’re early tonight,” Mickey said, finally managing to get his feet to move.

A giggle left your glossy lips. He’d never wanted to lick into your mouth so brazenly before, never wanted to kiss you until you were a panting mess against him, until this moment. Rather than embarrass himself even further in front of his friends, he gestured to Penny, asking for a beer. Something to cool down the searing heat that spread up his spine at just the sight of you sitting there, smiling at him.

“I figured you wouldn’t mind the surprise.”

He chugged a few large gulps of beer in the hopes that it would fix his parched throat. It didn’t.

“I never mind it when you surprise me.”

You sipped at your drink, leaving a small mark of pink gloss on the glass and Mickey’s breath caught in his throat. He hadn’t even gotten a proper look at you in the sundress for fear of dragging you out of the bar right then and there. If there’s one thing he prided himself on, it was his self control. He worked hard on learning to keep it level while he trained as WSO, yet one look at his girl and he was ready to snap within seconds.

“Mickey?” He shivered at the tone of your voice—the same one you used when he was between your thighs, lapping at your pussy like it was the best damn meal he could ever have. “Why won’t you look at me baby?”

He counted in his head to ten, trying to force the blazing arousal down. But then he turned and you batted your lashes at him, a knowing smile playing on your lips. Your sundress had now ridden up your thighs, showing the expanse of your leg down to the heels you wore on your feet. That sight alone had Mickey thanking every god in existence for letting him find you. His eyes trailed back up your body, stopping momentarily at the way the top of your breasts were showing, until he reached your face.

Lust sparked in your eyes, your teeth digging into your bottom lip, and he could physically hear the snap of his self control sever. The beer was forgotten on the bar beside your half finished drink. He’d make sure to pay Penny tomorrow. For now he had something more important to deal with.

Grasping your wrist tightly he yanked you up to your feet, giving you a second to find your balance before he began dragging you towards the door. Payback’s whistle echoed behind him—the teasing sounds of the team letting him know he’d hear their comments tomorrow. But Mickey really couldn’t find it in himself to give a shit. Not when you were moving just as fast as he was and the smell of your perfume was wafting up his nose with each shift of your body.

He was surprised he even made it to his car. Making sure you got in first before rushing to the drivers side and practically jumping in.

“I never even finished my drink mi alma,” you laughed. Wearing this dress was the obvious choice after enduring days without your boyfriend and seeing him struggle to hold himself back from touching you only made it better.

The car started with ease, his hands gripping the wheel tightly so as not to touch you, but he made the second mistake of the night. Turning his head to glance at you. Somewhere between him speeding out of the parking lot and getting onto the street, you pulled up the skirt of your dress until the very tops of your thighs were showing. He could see the crease where your hip connected to your leg and his mouth dried even further.

He wanted to bite that crease, suck on the skin to make sure you felt the indent of his teeth the next day.

“What are you doing?” he asked, his voice deeper than before.

You merely smiled, leaning your head back against the chair and playing with the thin strap that slid halfway down your arm.

“Mi vida.” He sucked in a breath at the sight of the top of your breast showing even more. He knew if he pulled the dress down just a bit more he’d see your peaked nipple pressing against the thin fabric.

“I missed you,” you breathed, pushing the dress down until eventually he could catch a glimpse of your partly bare chest.

He cursed, slamming his foot on the breaks and swerving to the side of the empty road. The car was put in park before he was yanking off his seat belt and reaching for you. While he could have driven the extra five minutes to his place, you looked too enticing for him to even focus on the road anymore. Mickey tried to convince himself that he was doing this for your safety. He was stopping here to prevent any accidents.

But he knew it was bullshit.

Slipping your arms around his neck, you clambered into the front seat of his car that he generously pushed back to give you room. Your head was swimming, eyes dazed and lips parted. He’d never seen a more beautiful sight than this. No sunset up in the sky or view above the clouds would be able to compare to you looking at him as if he’d hung the moon. As if he’d given you every ounce of happiness you could ask for.

Your lips slotted against his, your saccharine moan being swallowed by him. He was in heaven just from the taste of you. Gripping the back of your neck, he molded you to him, chasing the pleasure that spread down his spine and to his cock. He told you when you first started dating that one look from you made him so turned on he became light headed. Of course, you laughed it off as him trying to win you over, but still to this day it remained the truth.

Mickey was ready to break and you hadn’t even touched him yet.

“Baby,” he sighed, catching his breath as you trailed your lips down his neck, tracing the edge of his gold chain with your tongue. “We’ve gotta—fuck—” He groaned when you bit down on his collarbone, sucking a dark purple mark into his skin.

You smiled, glancing up at him through your lashes. “Yeah I agree. We should fuck.”

His laugh was involuntary, the lightness in his head turning him into a pliable mess for you to mold. If it was any other night he’d be adamant on making it home before fucking you. But he hadn’t seen you in days—the polaroids you took together only going so far for him—and he was pretty sure he’d lose his mind if he waited any longer.

Shaking his head to gain some clarity, he cupped your chin, bringing your lips back to his for a sweet kiss that completely opposed what you’d been doing before.

“You’re causing trouble mi vida.”

Your laughter caused his heart to flutter. “Look who’s talking, Fanboy.”

His cock twitched. You never called him by his callsign, choosing instead to use his name and he’d never been against it. But there were times when some part of his brain flared to life at the sound of your voice calling him that. Shit, he’d never heard anything hotter.

“Don’t tell me you don’t like it when I cause trouble,” you said lowly, your hand slipping down to the crotch of his jeans. His hips jolted up, a gasp echoing in the tight space of the car, and he knew…he wouldn’t last long enough to fuck you. He’d be lucky if he held on long enough to let you wrap a hand around him.

“I’m—” He exhaled, eyes rolling back when you opened his jeans, dipped your hand in and brushed your thumb along the outline of his cock. “I’m not gonna last baby.”

“That’s okay.”

He was certain his brain whited out the second you pulled him free, wrapping your hand around his cock. There was something about you in this sundress that turned him into mush—something he wasn’t particularly mad about. Your thumb swiped over the head of his cock, gathering the precum and spreading it downwards. It made his hips buck up into your hand, a broken moan falling from his lips.

“Oh baby,” you cooed, cupping his cheek with your other hand. “Is this all because of me?”

Mickey sighed, feeling the tightness in his stomach build with every stroke of your palm. “It’s the fuckin’ sundress,” he moaned.

He reached up and pulled the straps down until the fabric pooled around your waist, revealing your bare chest to him. Without even thinking about it, he leaned forward and wrapped his lips around your nipple, sucking it into his mouth. The cry you let out made him smile—enjoying that he had the same affect over you that you did him.

“I wore it for you,” you gasped, head falling back and chest pushing even further towards him. “Knew you’d…oh…like it.”

His eyes fell shut, the pleasure building in his body until he could no longer take it and with one more twist of your hand, he flew off the edge of the cliff. Grunting your name, he buried his face into your chest, feeling his balls draw up tight as he spurted over your hand. Every thought left his mind except for one. Just you. The sight of you panting in his lap, your breaths in tune with his, and your hand tenderly stroking his cock to prolong his orgasm.

Mickey could never figure how he got so lucky with you. No matter how many times he asked the question, he still remained without an answer. But it was moments like this when he was basking in the afterglow of a mind-numbing release did he stop asking. He didn’t want to know the answer. Not anymore. He just wanted to relish in the fact that he had you. That is was him you chose to love, him you wanted.

“So pretty,” you mumbled, bringing your hand up and licking along your palm.

“Fuck.”

Scooping up his cum from your hand, he trailed it along your breast, circling you nipple and coating your skin in him. Call it a primal urge in his body to pain you in his release or whatever, but he couldn’t stop the shudder that went down his spine at the sight. He did it again with the other side, watching your face contort in pleasure at the feeling.

“Start the car,” you said against his lips. “I want to fuck you in our bed.”

He nodded, helping you fall to the passenger seat, your dress still wrapped around your waist and breasts shiny with his cum. Just that sight alone caused him to grow half hard again—the need to be inside you growing with every second. He’d be lucky if he didn’t crash the damn car.

Turning over the engine, he attempted to catch his breath. You chose that exact moment to circle your nipple, bringing your finger up to your mouth and moaning at the taste of him. His cock twitched, eyes following your every movement until you looked back at him again, smirking at his dumbstruck expression. You were playing him like a guitar and he loved every second.

Cursing under his breath one last time, he slammed his foot on the gas, taking off down the street, adamant on actually getting home this time—your laughter echoing around him.

#mickey garcia x fem!reader #mickey garcia x you #mickey garcia x reader #mickey garcia x y/n #mickey 'fanboy' garcia #fanboy x reader #fanboy x you #top gun: maverick #mickey garcia smut #my writing #kinktober 2022

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meowmeowmage · 1 year

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Late Night Conversation

[ Anders and templar!Carver have a conversation post-Chantry boom. Anders positive. Carver is actually nice to Anders. Handers ]

They had all escaped Kirkwall on Isabela's brand new ship. And while everyone was currently in the gallery drinking for variety of reasons, Anders was out on the deck, still processing being spared. Hawke hadn't expressed any anger, hatred, or judgement towards him like Anders had expected. There had been only support and love which Anders still found so surprising.

He heard footsteps and turned slightly to see Carver walking up to him, thankfully having gotten rid of his templar armor.

"Have you come to berate me?" Anders asked. Carver had been rude to him on multiple occasions before, and Anders being the reason both he and his brother had to leave their home would alone be a reason for Carver to have come seeking retribution or simply to vent his anger at the person responsible for it.

"No," Carver said, "Garrett actually forbade us to speak badly to you or upset you in any way, though that's not why I'm not doing it."

Anders lifted his eyebrows in surprise.

"He did that?"

"Yeah," Carver said with amusement, "He has this particular look when he's protecting people he thinks won't or can't protect themselves. He used to wear it all the time when Bethany and I were little. And while I've poked him quite a lot in the past I actually know when to quit. Fenris apparently doesn't and now he's nursing a broken nose. Garrett can throw quite the punch, especially for a mage."

Anders bit his lower lip with satisfaction. A warmth spread through his body at the thought of Garrett protecting him like that.

"It probably had to do with growing up and living free. The Circles are not exactly the places for mages to build muscles. Or to live." He couldn't help adding that.

"Yeah, definitely not for living, that's for sure," Carver said with a note of acidity in his tone that Anders didn't expect. "Speaking of the Circle, I actually came here to thank you."

Anders got a whiplash from how sudden he turned towards Carver, eyes wide with shock.

"What for?"

"They were gonna annul the Gallows," Carver said, "There were talks, or rather vile boastings, about Meredith having sent for The Right of Annulment. So many of the Order couldn't fucking wait to start killing and maiming even more brazenly and in the open."

The disgust in Carver's voice brought a smile to Anders's lips. How low the bar was, if not being a murderous bigoted piece of shit was worthy of a smile.

"I wanted to be so sure that she'd be denied," Carver continued, "But eventually I had to admit to myself that it wouldn't have mattered. Even if the Divine refused, and I don't think she would've, it wouldn't have mattered two shits to Meredith. Look how quick she was to decide to annul the Gallows without official approval just for the actions of one mage who had never even been part of the Gallows. There's just no way she wouldn't have had the whole Circle slaughtered in the night sooner or later if you haven't forced everyone to act."

Anders was stunned. He definitely didn't expect Carver to have seen the situation the way Anders himself had.

"Yes, she would have," he confirmed, "But I don't see how that's a reason for you to thank me. Unless... you had someone to lose if the Gallows were annulled. A mage...," Anders trailed. He had always found that kind of relationship quite disturbing.

"No!" Carver said hastily, "It wouldn't have been right. Getting involved with someone who couldn't really tell me 'no', or would say 'yes' out of self-preservation. I... once I got propositioned by a fourteen years old girl just because she thought if I claimed her as mine first, the more nasty templars wouldn't rape her or turn her tranquil... it's so fucking messed up... I refused, of course. Three months later she was made tranquil by that bastard Alrik."

Anders took note of how much what Carver had said had affected him. He wasn't sure what Carver had thought life in the Gallows as a temple would be, but it clearly was worse than he had prepared for.

"You weren't cut out to be a templar you know. But that still doesn't explain why you're thanking me."

"Right. You're painfully aware of what happens to the mages during an annulment. But do you know what happens to the templars?"

Anders frowned in confusion. The answer was obvious, surely.

"They murder mages," Anders said tersely.

"Yes. And if they refuse - they get killed as well. So you see, I would've either had to murder in cold bood dozens of innocents, children included, for not even a half decent reason, and would have had to live with their blood on my hands for the rest of my life. Or I would've been killed. So I would've been either a dead or a man I would've hated. But thanks to you I'm neither. And I can say I was on the right side and fought for a good cause."

Anders couldn't blink away the tears. He had prepared himself for hatred, accusations, persecution. But never for this. Never to be thanked. Tears rolled down his cheek and upon noticing them Carver swore in mild alarm.

"Hey, don't cry! If Garrett sees I made you cry he'd break my nose as well!"

Anders managed a small laughter.

"I'm sure he wouldn't. Thanks for talking to me, Carver."

Carver nodded and left. A few minutes later another set of steps was heard and Anders turned to see Garrett approaching with a small smile.

"Hey, love."

[ AO3 link ]

#anders #anders dragon age #carver hawke #carver #handers #anders positive #fuck the chantry #carver is nice to anders #cw: rape #cw: genocide #i don't like canon so I'm writing my own #hawke #my fics #my posts

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tf-cyberaligned · 5 months

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how come Nine of team prime came to visit or Bring the rescue bots back or came back for the remaining iacon relics ?

Ok so there are some steps to take in answering this question, which I haven't fully gotten to in lore yet due to the current setting, but I can explain here.

Why has the Prime Team never returned?

1. Time

Time for Cybertronians is a lot different to Earth's time. The hours of the day on Cybertronian are around 66.6 hours on Earth, and a year for them is almost 4 years on Earth. So while the bots are rebuilding, they are still in the mindset of Earth hours. To them, it hasn't been that long since they were gone, barely over a year for them at the current point of time in the story.

Once they do realize so much time has passed in terms of their human companions, that's when they attempt to reach Earth. But there's an error message on all Space Bridges leading to Earth.

2. Space Bridges

As hinted in the most recent chapter, the Prime Team on Earth does NOT trust General Bryce. As official liaisons to Cybertronians, Jack, Miko, and Raf have to meet regularly with Bryce, especially after their move to Griffin Rock.

Speaking of that move to Griffin Rock, Jack especially is sketched out about it. It was an official order from Bryce to move there, which had put him on edge. Originally the trio were living and working at Unit E, with Danny and Quantum making the fly over for Robot Regicide. But with them moving, it would leave the space bridge there unattended. So they salvaged parts from it to make a ground bridge, had those installed in the basement of their new home on Griffin Rock, and destroyed the old space bridge to keep it out of Bryce's hands. Any other Cybertronian tech in that unit was also moved to their new home with the help of Quantum who went incognito (changed her paint job to match the military's) and moved the parts for them under the government's nose.

The only space bridge that existed now was the one in space that the Decepticons created. It was on the far side of the moon, so Jack and the others were not too worried about the Government trying to get there without the public's knowledge.

With the one in Unit E being destroyed however, that meant that Cybertron had a difficult time trying to reach it.

Eventually the one in space also had to be destroyed, due to General Bryce's desperation to get to it. This was an unanimous decision between human Team Prime and the Rescue Bots to destroy this final means of getting home. All other Cybertronians who were living on Earth were evacuated so that they did get home. This space bridge being destroyed also meant that Cybertron could not reach it.

3. Cybertron's rebuilding

Cybertron was still being rebuilt. The bots unfortunately cannot take the time off to try and figure out a way to Earth. With the rebuilding, bots returning, and new sparks emerging from the well, Team Prime cannot afford the trip back to Earth.

The population of Cybertron pre war was only in the millions, and after the war there were only a handful of thousands that survived. Rebuilding Cybertron is an all hands-on deck situation, no one can really afford leaving as it is rebuilding. Once it became stable on Cybertron, with the majority of bots who survived the war having returned, over two hundred human years had passed. Team Prime assumed that they were too late to be able to reunite with their human friends, especially considering the life spans of humans to Cybertronians. So instead they mourned, and moved to continue the rebuilding.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And those are some lore details for why Team Prime never returned. I have some ideas for life on Cybertron after the war, if y'all are interested in me making a oneshot books for those, definitely tell me!

#cyberaligned continuity #rescue bots #tf rescue bots #transformers rescue bots #tfrb #cyberaligned lore #tfp #transformers prime

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fandomxpreferences · 1 year

Text

Safe and Sound Chapter Seven: Arcades and Amaretto

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x female!reader slow burn

TW: none I don't think

Summary: Bradley makes progress in his relationship with you.

Word Count:2.6k

Your eyes flutter open and you roll into the firm chest pressed against your back. Ever since that night at the hard deck two weeks ago, you and Bradley have grown impossibly closer. Shane skipped town and you haven't heard anything from the man since.

Still, the anxiety lingers and Bradley notices. Your nightmares have settled back down, but he doesn't miss the way you check over your shoulder almost obsessively and the disassociation has gotten worse.

The two of you still aren't official, despite the fact you're practically moved into his house by now. You know you have feelings for the aviator, you can't deny the way your stomach flips when he says your name or the electricity that buzzes just under the surface of your skin when he places his hand on your lower back protectively.

Bradley starts to stir when he feels your movement and his arms tighten around you. That's the thing about him, he's so attentive. He's been a deep sleeper since childhood, yet he's become acutely aware of the slightest noise you make in your sleep.

"Hi, handsome." You whisper, not ready to break the magic of that early morning silence just yet. There's something sacred and enchanting about mornings with Bradley.

You've gotten used to it, and it's healing in its own way. You can hear the birds chirping as the sun peeks over the horizon and there's a hypnotic buzzing coming from the air conditioner as it blows air through the register, blanketing you in a cool breeze.

It's all so serene, the way your legs tangle together, and his breath fans over your face in short shallow pants as he soaks up the last of his sleep before you start the day together. You always place your cold feet on his calves yet he never complains and despite the fact you practically sleep on top of him, he hasn't tried to reposition you even once.

"Morning, baby."

His voice is like molasses, sweet and thick with sleep and it sends a rush of warmth through you as every cell in your body responds. The pet name is still new but somehow it feels like he's called you that for several lifetimes. Maybe he has.

Nothing else is said for a while as the two of you enjoy each other's presence. There's no rush to hop out of bed and start busying yourselves. You lay still while you breathe in sync and his large calloused hands rub soothing circles on your back.

Eventually, it's time to break the trance and you stretch with a groan as he places a sweet kiss on your head. You clamber out of bed to begin the routine that you so easily fell into over the weeks spent here.

Bradley watches as you lift your arms, his Eagles shirt just barely reaching the top of your thighs. His arm rests behind him on his pillow, his head laying on his bicep as he revels in your beauty. His eyes take in every inch of soft skin that's revealed as you move around, committing the image to memory.

Your hair is messy and there are remnants of yesterday's mascara under your eyes, but he doesn't think he's ever seen you look more beautiful. There's something so intimate about getting to witness this side of you, and he loves every second of it.

He hears the shower start and rolls into your pillow, inhaling deeply. It smells like coconut and vanilla, a mixture of your shampoo and perfume. The scent seems to stick to anything you touch and he gets whiffs of it on his own clothes throughout the day at work.

He smiles to himself as you hum along to a song and pads into the steamy bathroom. This has become your normal. You shower first and Bradley keeps you company as he brushes his teeth while waiting patiently for you to finish up.

Your body wash overwhelms his senses and he leans back on the counter, facing the shower. He can just barely see your silhouette through the curtain as you rinse your hair and a small smile graces his features.

"Hey, so I was wondering," He starts and your head peeks out of the shower.

"That's never good." You tease and he sticks his tongue out before continuing.

"I know it's still fresh, but would you like to go on that date now? If it's too soon I understand, I just figured…" He trails off and you grab the towel hanging on the wall before stepping out with it wrapped around you.

The shower is still running and he knows that you've already adjusted it to the temperature he likes. You're so thoughtful and sweet, he absolutely adores that about you.

He tries not to stare at the way your wet hair clings to your face and he definitely doesn't feel any type of way about the beads of water trailing down your freshly shaved legs.

He can almost see your thoughts as you mull over his offer and is just about to backtrack when you give him a blinding smile.

"I'd love to. I mean, we already live together and spend every waking second by each other's side. If anything, we're doing this whole thing kind of backward."

"Okay, pretty girl. How about tonight at seven?" He suggests, and you nod as you begin moisturizing your face.

"Sounds great, Roo."

You watch in the mirror as he strips off his boxers and steps into the water, trying not to audibly gulp. He's been doing this for a while now and you really wonder if it's because he thinks you're not looking, or because he wants to tease you.

Either way, you're not complaining. The man looks like he was sculpted by a god. Inside the shower, Bradley smirks triumphantly. He definitely knows you look and he also sees the way you falter before continuing your routine.

The two of you fall into familiar conversation as you brush your teeth and fix your hair before you make your exit to get dressed. You're just slipping a shirt over your head when Bradley walks into the room.

You're usually making coffee in the kitchen by the time he's done, and you damn near trip and fall when you see him. The white towel is slung low on his hips and he's using a smaller one to dry his sopping wet curls.

It's such a simple thing, and yet he makes it look downright sinful. He may or may not have rushed through his shower just to see you flustered, and it may or may not give him a rush of adrenaline when it works.

"I- um, I-I'm going to go make breakfast." You stutter, all but sprinting out of the room. God, could you make any more of a fool out of yourself? Bradley chuckles at your reaction before getting dressed and meeting you downstairs.

By the time he gets to the kitchen, you've already made yourself busy. He leans against the door frame observing as you rush around making his coffee just the way he likes and flipping bacon on the stove.

After a minute he walks in and grazes his hand across your back to reach around you for the mug sitting on the counter. You freeze for a split second before trying to play it off and he smirks into the warm liquid as he takes a sip.

"Smells divine." He states simply and you mutter out a quick thank you while trying to distract yourself. You can smell his woodsy cologne mixed with eucalyptus shampoo from where you're standing and it causes your head to swim.

This morning is no different than any other, yet something in the air has noticeably shifted. Bradley feels it too but chooses not to say anything as you set a plate down in front of him before taking your own seat.

Breakfast is unusually quiet and you scamper off to do your makeup the second you swallow the last bite. You take a deep breath to compose yourself once you're alone and try to ignore the clinking of dishes as Bradley cleans up.

The rest of the day goes by smoothly, you and Bradley go grocery shopping and stop for lunch while you're out. There's a certain level of domesticity to your lives, putting away the groceries and doing household chores.

Around five, you head back to the room and start getting ready for your date. It all feels so surreal, less than a year ago you were fighting for your life. Now you're standing in front of your closet you share with a man who worships you debating whether or not a dress is too fancy.

You settle on a simple outfit, you nor Bradley are the type to go out to a fancy restaurant and pay $60 for a steak. He hasn't divulged details, but you figure it's safe to dress comfy.

Time flies and before you know it, it's almost 6:30. You frown as you make your way to the living room, the broad pilot nowhere to be found. You don't read too much into it, figuring he's off getting ready himself.

Your heart rate spikes when the doorbell rings 15 minutes later, and you do your best to ease the panic crawling up your throat. You're not expecting any visitors and the last time this happened, it was your past coming back to haunt you.

Your steps are timid and light as you creep toward the door and you crack it just enough to peek at the stranger. Your eyebrows shoot up when you see it's not a stranger at all, but rather Bradley holding a bouquet of flowers and wearing a large grin.

You pull the door open the rest of the way and your hand comes to rest on your hip as you stare at him skeptically.

"What exactly are you doing?"

His smile only widens and he holds the flowers out to you.

"Picking you up for our date."

Your expression now matches his as you take the vase and smell the arrangement before setting it on the entryway table.

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. I love it."

He waits patiently as you slip on your shoes and turn off the lights before stepping out onto the porch. His hand immediately finds its home on your lower back and he guides you to the bronco.

The drive is comfortable, your fingers interlaced as you stare out at the moving scenery. It's a short distance and your eyes widen when he pulls into a parking lot.

"We're going to an arcade?" You ask, joy clear in your voice.

Bradley laughs and nods, making his way around the truck to open your door.

"I figured you could use some fun."

Bradley feels like he's walking on air as your loud childlike laughter envelops him and he can't help but laugh along. He doesn't know the last time he had this much fun, and he knows you feel the same way.

For the first time in months, he notices that you're completely lost in the moment. You haven't checked your surroundings once, and the smile splitting your face hasn't faltered for a second. He isn't sure if it's because you're lost in the excitement of it all or because you feel safe with him, but he's happy either way.

He just enjoys seeing you so light and carefree. He thinks it's a stunning look on you, and he wants to make you feel like this all the time.

Both of you lose track of time and before you realize it, it's almost 10 pm. Bradley glances at his watch and groans when he sees you need to get going.

He's stood behind you helping you shoot baskets and he thinks he could die right now and be perfectly content. When you throw the last ball, he leans down and presses his lips to your ear softly.

"It's getting late pretty girl. We should probably head out."

The pout you give him when you turn around has him wondering if he could bribe the teenager at the front desk to stay open later, but before he can give it more thought you're smiling up at him again.

"That's okay. Maybe we can come back soon?" You ask hopeful, and he nods.

"Anytime you want."

You decide to save your tickets for next time, and the two of you walk out hand in hand. Your head leans against his arm as you head toward the bronco and Bradley wonders if you like silver or gold rings.

His train of thought is interrupted when you reach the truck and he opens the door for you before rounding to the driver's side. He hears your voice the second the door shuts and looks over at you with pure adoration.

"Can we stop for milkshakes?"

There's that pout again, and Bradley's fairly certain he couldn't say no even if he wanted to. He grabs the milkshakes from a drive-through a few minutes from the house and watches out of the corner of his eye as you sip yours happily.

He parks in the driveway and matches your stance as you turn to face him. You just peer at him for a few moments and he can feel his chest and cheeks turning a rosy color under your intense gaze.

He's seconds from asking what's on your mind when your finger comes out of nowhere and smears whipped cream on his face. He gapes at you as you throw your head back with a loud cackle.

You gasp when he retaliates and your eyes look like saucers. He lets out a deep chuckle and shakes his head. He loves that you can be open and childish with him. He loves that you feel safe enough to.

The two of you just stare at each other for a minute, trying to figure out your next move. If it wasn't for the fact you're in his pristine bronco, you probably would have said fuck it and dumped the whole milkshake on him just to win.

You notice his eyes dart down to your lips and the energy shifts again. You're suddenly very aware of how good he looks and how plush his lips are. You can smell his hair gel mixed with the scented tree hanging in the rearview mirror and it's intoxicating. It's so Bradley.

Your breath hitches as he leans forward and your chest feels warm and fuzzy. He moves slowly, giving you plenty of time to pull back but instead you close the distance.

The second his mouth is on yours, you come to life. Every nerve ending feels like a live wire sparking under his touch and your hands find purchase on his firm chest. You feel his hands cup the sides of your neck and tangle in your hair, your own fingers gripping his shirt like a vice.

The kiss is tender yet hungry, his lips massaging yours in all the right ways. You almost moan when you taste his tongue, the lingering flavor of Amaretto and Coke sending you into overdrive.

You're hyperaware of every little sensation, unable to focus on anything but BradleyBradleyBradley. You can feel his facial hair scratching you in the most delicious way, his rough hands are the holiest thing that has ever grazed your tender flesh, and the soft hum he lets out nearly puts you in an early grave.

You chase after him as he pulls back panting for air, eyes still closed in complete and utter bliss.

"Can we please have more dates?" The words slip out of your mouth before you can stop them, and Bradley's thumb rubs soothingly along your cheekbone.

"Trust me, baby. I've got a whole lifetime of them planned."

@drakelover78 @manyfandomsfanvergent @ssprayberrythings @sarahsmi13s @disturbedbeautywrites @desert-fern @one-sweet-gubler @callmemana @luckyladycreator2 @bookchik26 @taytaylala12 @michalkasimp @xoxabs88xox @loveless-simp @withakindheartx @formulapierre @ccristata @shanimallina87 @starlite41 @noz4a2 @sadgirlgiselle @abaker74 @chair-things @k-k0129 @izz-ayes-world @kajjaka @oxxolovemelikeyoudooxxo @phantomxoxo @rosiahills22 @little-wiseone @diggorycullen @secretsicanthideanymore @melllinaa @little-wiseone @gspenc @benhardysdrumstick

#top gun maverick #bradley bradshaw #top gun imagine #rooster top gun #bradley bradshaw topgun #bradley bradshaw imagine #bradley bradsaw x reader #bradley bradshaw fluff #bradley rooster bradshaw

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inventors-fair · 4 months

Text

Vehicle Commentary: Tinkering Around

Wow, I didn't expect almost thirty entries to this one. I probably should've gotten more commentary done while I was breaking down my week, but hey, no time like the present to get into writing about these vehicles. And vehicles are a weird bunch! They're more recent than a lot of things in Magic comparatively, but not so recent that they haven't been established as powerful cards. A little weirdness can go a long way; we've seen weird things done before, and the variety of ways that people interpreted that are much appreciated.

If there's any lesson this week, it's to keep in mind the power level of vehicles and how they function compared to other cards. I think some of these cards were a little more resource-intensive than were perhaps intended, and some that just didn't function in the way that vehicles WANT to function. What makes a good vehicle? Versatility and interaction with the board. The repeatable power level that can be slightly higher than a normal creature, but that comes with its own complexities. What are they? Well, why don't we find out.

JUDGE PICKS are cards that have a special aspect I'd like to showcase, or that just touched me in some manner I thought was worth pointing out. Let's get down to the showroom floor!

@bread-into-toast — Enigma Engine

I love the aspect where investigating wakes up the engine. It being a clue itself is also relevant, or at least it would be fine mechanically. As a common, it's reasonable that the power level of this card offensively would be not the absolute greatest, although if you can investigate consistently it would be more powerful. Ish. But again, having the clues lead the vehicle along makes sense here.

The question is, what is this a clue towards? The mystery of this machine and the ghosts is a pretty obvious reference, and like, I'm okay with that callback. It's not striking a particular sense of affinity but I know that it would matter for other people and that's all well and good. Beyond the reference, I question what the relevance to the world is. Spirits on Innistrad have evaded me a little bit in terms of, like, goals beyond being spooky, but that's on me. There's an inherent discrepancy between what it means to be scoobying and doobying around the town and what the flavor of this card is working towards.

@coolcoolcooltighttightight — Riveteers Bulldozer

New Capenna is the name of the city and not the plane, if I recall. Right? Ravnica being a plane-wide city is one thing, but I suppose it makes sense to have more "development" in other areas. I'm not sure that I jive with the dark comedy presented here. Displacement is a rough subject, and this feels almost...toony. Sometimes Magic can get away with that; here, I don't think the flavor and subject are hitting my funny bone.

Mechanically, though, it's fine. Razing the land and getting counters calls back to Gitrog archetypes, and with trample, this card is a rare that can get out of hand pretty quickly. I appreciate the commitment to the two-color combination, because I don't recall there being too many enemy-color specifics on Capenna, and they would've allowed for slightly more flexible deckbuilding, or perhaps new decks to emerge. One of my students managed a black/white deck when we drafted it, and that was awesome to see. What else could've been possible? Yeah, no, sturdy and powerful. Just missing the mark with flavor, IMO.

@corporalotherbear — Soulskipper

This is what I was talking about with the activations and abilities. This card could be a pretty awesome finisher, and even though there's no way to crew it, its requirements are easier to activate by jamming creatures in the late game and having an ability that's fairly easy to turn on. I feel that it would be easier to get yourself in a rough position than to get your opponents in that same jam unless you're a VERY aggressive deck. Still, hey, it's a cheap card, aggression can be its bread and butter.

It could be, anyway. I really don't know if I would ever play this card because of the chances that it would be just a weak topdeck, or that the activation would be bad in the late-game unless you can get a board presence. I guess getting a board presence wouldn't be too hard, though. Nontoken death is one of those things that we just have to have these days too. As an uncommon, it's reasonable that this card would fill some role in a vehicle deck. I still don't know if/when I'd pick it just because getting it high enough to be a powerful creature means a lot of things will have to have died. Y'know? How big does the Soulskipper get reasonable? Great name, by the way, love what you've done with that.

@dabudder — Omenpath Luggage

I feel that there's an intersection of "weird" and "silly" that people crossed wires with here, and sometimes, it ended up working out. The jury in my brain is deliberating on this one. I'm baffled by the implication that omenpaths are commonplace enough to have a thriving tourist market for them, because it makes sense in a pseudo-parodic capitalist critique way, but is that something that I'm actually down for? I really don't know if the concept and the content are meeting me halfway. Plus, motorized suitcases as a vehicle are already funny. That honestly could've carried the card.

As a card, though, I like this as a little aggro-treasure anywhere-in-the-game card. You can always use a few treasures, right? Souveniers turning into treasures are a funny enough image, and I do like the concept of the battlefield being its own kind of omenpath. There's nothing wrong with the stats or abilities here, and this is a fine red vehicle that's strong enough for its place in the pack. I like how you can sacrifice it through some XYZ ability even when it's not a creature, too, even though it's most likely gonna get combat'd.

@demimonde-semigoddess — Oversize Loader (JUDGE PICK)

Forklift certification indeed. Yes, here we are, and this card is...one of the few that makes me chuckle with its flavor text. The card itself carries the joke, and that's honestly fine—it goes for one thing and does it well. Whether or not this would be something they'd put in a pack, I honestly doubt it, but the joke itself is worth it. If it had some different kind of reference, would the mechanics stand up? It's a good question, because those stats are nothing to laugh at.

What is the prevalence of pilots on New Capenna, world-wise or set-wise, or at least what could they be in a world where this kind of card would be printed? ... Sorry, I got distracted because the aspect of this card losing vigilance after being crewed by an uncertified creature made me laugh again. Look, folks: if you're gonna do a funny card, this is the way to commit. That's why I had to make this a last-minute judge pick. Sounds good? Alright, moving on. This card's a little too silly to be serious but it wants to be nothing else so who am I to tell it what to do. Making me actually laugh with these things ain't easy.

@dimestoretajic — Well-Waxed Plank (JUDGE PICK)

Making me sorta nostalgic for the era of EA putting out good sports games isn't easy either. The fact that this can be a snowboard or surfboard brings to mind the equipment vs. vehicle debates that unicycles had, except almost more so. Let's back up for a second. While I like this card a lot, this probably shouldn't be common except in a Horizonsesque set (and even then). What kind of world would want this card, y'know? Snow lands would have to be relevant, and it's a slightly aggressive card that's looking for Islands as a possibility. It's got a lot of text comparatively, and vehicles are already on the higher end of complexity because of a natural activated ability.

And yet I think this falls into the "weird" category of vehicles as a perfect little reference. Am I still nostalgic? Yes, and this one plays to the judge a little bit. Can anyone deny that the idea is still cool? Magic has never ventured into that kind of territory before, not really. Tony Hawk's Pro Tour, y'know? I think I'm losing the plot a little bit. It's not impossible to have this be somewhere in a Magic world; surfboards are just one of those things, maybe snowboards less so, and vehicles are still part of the game in an inherently modern sense, so. I think I just feel compelled to defend a non-engine uniquely cool card.

@hanavesinauttija — Darksteel Dragster

Which plane, out of the planes that we currently know, would have something akin to a DMV? My vote is actually for Ravnica and the Azorius. Crumple zones... Alright, look. I would love to spend the next half an hour in another tab looking up the history of crumple zones and crash testing for vehicles, but I don't have that kind of time and I'm already behind on commentary. Curse you! I'll figure it later, but regardless, the flavor text is almost pithy but funny enough to make me wave it away. Funny that this is the second card so far that I've noticed that has omenpaths as a major factor.

This is actually a pretty dark card, yeesh. Blood on the windshield is... Yeah, maybe there could be another way to show this without depicting a fatal car accident, but the vibe is there. Having it be able to be crewed by an indestructible creature would be fun, too, wouldn't it? I digress, though. Darksteel is a strange material. Would inhabitants of Mirrodin not keep things like that in mind? Let's back up, AGAIN-again. Mechanically, this is a heck of a rare, and I do like it, because of how it could take over games if you have the creatures to make it happen and are willing to let it go. Being chump-blocked would be fun for you too. Perhaps I'd have made it a 5/2, just for that little extra kick of possible toughness to keep your creatures around. The reference makes sense, though, so I feel that.

@helloijustreadyourpost — Pedal-Powered Assault Copter

Ah, but it's always gonna stop. This is a silly card and I appreciate it immensely. The world for it would possibly be... I actually would like to take a few guesses from other folks. It would have to be a world that's got somewhat of a silly bend, or at least a place for that levity. Is this possibly powered by goblins? Or maybe kids with a knack for invention? How advanced technologically would it have to be? I have the feeling that this card eschews these questions in favor of the joke that comes with the card, and you know what, it's not a laugh-out-loud humor, but it's well-constructed. Unlike this vehicle's propulsion system.

The manner in which this card brings the idea into the physical world of exerting creatures is both funny and thoughtful. You have a powerful flying creature, but you have to more seriously think about your resources in order to use it. Totally fair! You have this cobbled vehicle that an inventor of sorts made that tires people out because of its inefficient system. Also very fair! And the flavor text is the kind of concise, well-written aside that I want to say is just where it should be. Really, if there's any major critique, it's that this card's self-awareness makes it hard to gel for me in Magic's multiverse. The elements are almost there but not quite in a way that makes me able to place it.

@horsecrash — Skaberen Skiff

This card is one that I'm certain could have been an uncommon and without the kicker keyword. Is it good? Well, yeah, absolutely. In the early game you have a decently strong vehicle, and in the later game you have a cheap powerful creature for blue that uses blue's strengths. I'm comparing this to something like Meldweb Strider, though, and while that's a case of needing to have those environmental resources, this card isn't as far off from that power level.

Flavorfully, though, this is the SECOND seafaring vessel in this contest that happens to be partially made of corpses, which is... Well, two nickels is two nickels, put those over someone's eyes and move on. It's delightfully Innistradian, because of course someone is going to make a zombie boat. This card really is fine conceptually, and the living metal counter is one we'll see later that's a delightful case of me remembering a mechanic I'd forgotten about that people have used in awesome ways. Downing the rarity to uncommon and having this just be an ETB trigger would've made this one a wee bit more focused, I think. Interesting that you also used the Phyrexian callback; it makes sense to have the "living" and "metal" parts come together. Good choice.

@i-am-the-one-who-wololoes — Possessed Carriage

The choice to make this a common is interesting. Could it be? I honestly wonder... You know what, I can see the argument. Sometimes you just need an anti-human card and this one fits the bill. It's not so powerful as to be unbeatable, and it's a specific situation where you're probably going to have a couple in the sideboard in a draft deck. Innistrad is full of non-humans as well, right? Maybe in too many numbers it would be too powerful, and spirit tokens would make this easier than not, but U/W Spirits with ground blockers could use this for annoying big humans. Hm. It's a heck of a question.

The other heck of the question is how aware you are that there was a Runaway Carriage in Shadows Over Innistrad, heh. There have been more than a few carriages in that world over time, and this one feels like we're almost kinda treading old ground but with a different mechanical bend. And the uniqueness of this is fine! I don't think we needed the flavor text with this much text on it, though, and the art direction is specific enough that you can fit everything into one frame and it would be fine. This card's not bad, y'know? It's a bit hindered by its predecessors and is beholden to Innistrad's past possessed carriages, though—plus the human-density of Innistrad. There are a lot of things to hit!

@izzet-always-r-versus-u — Roaring Motor-Hunter (JUDGE PICK)

What the heck is going on here. Is this a world of living vehicles vaguely shaped like animals that hunt and eat each other in a grotesque bastardization of the natural order? Where cars hunt motorcycles? Unless there is a whole other world in which this happens, I'm baffled, impressed, humored, and totally lost. This is such a wholly weird take on this prompt and while I would never imagine this being a viable place for Magic to go, I'm down for the concept from just an imagination perspective. You've kinda won this contest in that right.

The card itself is standard enough that it's simply Really Good in every sense. There was a similarly-costed card earlier that had a similar feeling of goodness, yeah? Well! With this card, the text broth (as opposed to the denser keyword soup) is easily grokable, the power level is on point, and there we have it. This card's still weird, don't get me wrong, I want to emphasize that you've situated this card in a way that it's absolutely weird—but damn if it ain't done right. Fantastic flavor text as well, top-notch. Makes me want to do another flavor-text-kinda contest now.

@phyrexiandreadthot — The Pan-District Express

Any official guild could agree on it, anyway. I kept my eyes on this card and I have to say, it's honestly really neat and one of those cards that would be close to print. They've printed some cards in this vein, but this ability is unique enough that either it's a surprise they haven't printed it OR there's a card with a similar-ish ability that I just can't remember for some reason. Brago's the closest my brain can conjure and that's not remotely the same.

The fun part is how you can return things untapped after they've crewed this creature, and that incentivises a different kind of blocking for this card as an attacker, but also you can just get value from random ETBs which is totally fine as well. I believe the "Crew 1" would go underneath the trigger, and that the trigger should say "up to one target creature that crewed it this turn," but that's about all I got. One has to wonder, though, if the Gruul or even Selesnya would be okay with this sort of thing. Gruul is obvious, but would the Selesnyans allow trains out of their secret places? Hm...

Azorius would be enforcing some strict timetables and make sure everyone gets there on time. Dimir would use the trains as places to vanish, probably, for a quick getaway. The Rakdos would be causing some nasty explosions, but train stations make good places for show adverts. Gruul is opposed to these things coming near their wild places. Selesnya, like I said, are cool with the transport but easy come, easy go. Orzhov fares are going to be wildly hiked. The Golgari will be excellent at an under-city transport system. Simic mages will mostly complain that they can't bring their pets (an Indrik-ostrich acid-blooded dinosaur) on board. The Izzet build trains faster than the speed of Anything. The Boros... Well, they have Skyknights.

@railway-covidae — Mizzium Weirdwagon

I do like the twist you used for the Nivmagus effect, and that changes this card into one that almost makes Izzet vehicles into something; the ones from War of the Spark left a lot to be disappointed about. I think, unfortunately, that the Treasure creation as you've intended is a little harder to make happen. Because, like, you'd have wanted it to look at the wagon before it got the counters, right? And that's...just not viable, I don't think, not in a way that groks well. Or if you meant that that spell would make Treasures if it had greater power AFTER the counters, I get that, but the wording is weird.

Weird, weird indeed. I do like this card and I think I grok it! It might have been easier to consolidate the kind of variables that would've made it read better. Also, I'm curious what this card is depicting precisely. Is this just a wagon full of weirds? A wagon shaped like weirds? A wagon that happens to be propelled or created by weirds? I love weirds, and, well, I just kinda realized that I named this contest in the tags in that manner, so that's fun. But regardless. Great concept, but I'm not sure what that middle part is doing, and would have loved to know what you visualized.

@reaperfromtheabyss — Saddled Boulder (JUDGE PICK)

This card, on the other hand, is remarkably easy to visualize for a number of reasons. As a vehicle, it's on the defining side where it's almost like belief that it IS a vehicle blocks out any semantic arguments against it. This is the kind of in-Magic humor that's both expected and welcome, and I'm all for it, honestly. Goblins are my favorite little guys, not just when they're there and they look funny, but when they're actively trying. We'll slip back into the comfortable shoes of little gremlins because look, it's a rock! I grok the rock.

The question then becomes what this does for Goblins that changes the formula. Goblins are usually expendable go-wide cards, but this is a single big trampler. Honestly, in the mirror match this would be a pretty funny card, and additionally, it forces the biggest-butt blockers to have to deal with this before it gets out of hand, and then next turn it opens up the swinging path. You do have to tap all your goblins, but weren't you going to do that anyway? I actually really like how this card plays with expectations of play style. Having a trampling-haster ain't so bad in any archetype, but Goblins make it that much more interesting. I really like this one the more I think about it.

@sparkyyoungupstart — Floodburst Rescuer

This one's a curious one. Fire rescue in New Capenna is something I hadn't really thought about, but we'll get back to that after the mechanics. The question is why an artifact is being a color-hoser effect, and it's an interesting case where this card could've been blue or white, but isn't. Why is that? Having vigilance and reach are both very cool (rescue + ladder), so that groks. Saving one of your creatures from a red effect and/or allowing it to bring through an attacker into the red zone (anti-red zone?) is fair. Why NOT make it colored, though? I don't know if contemporary sensibilities would want that to happen.

They would appreciate the flavor and ability combinations, though. It brings together the realities of how these city operations would be represented on cards in a way that's not just big smashy tank-like things. You've lost me with the flavor text, though. It's supposed to be funny, and the visual is still funny if you don't think about the reality that the card's built, but it's lacking in the verisimilitude that the rest of the card is trying to emulate—and it's kinda obviously a joke, which is fine in some spheres, but it's not even trying to hide. Maybe it's worth a guffaw, but we take ourselves deadly seriously here at the Fair. No humor allowed. No laughter. ... I'd say that that's a joke, but now I don't know if I'm allowed to.

@spooky-bard — Ramshackle Junk-Bike (JUDGE PICK)

This is a card that does its best to revel in verisimilitude, on the other hand. Would you believe that I was just reading up on rickshaws? This is only tangential, but you have this quick-and-easy transport system, and then hey, the bike comes through. I think that this card is asking for a lot to make itself happen mechanically. It's big, though, and I gotta wonder how much size matters. What kind of situation would allow for you to sacrifice a lot of artifacts? With Oni-Cult Anvil, this card becomes such a pain in the butt. I'm obviously limiting myself to Neon Dynasty cards. Maybe that's the wrong mindset, but this fits the bill.

You gotta let things fall apart sometimes, or you can continuously build onto the bike in order to keep it running. Greasefang knows this, yeah? She's seen the streets of Kamigawa, she's a biker rat, she's down and dirty and a rat of the people, as it were. This card is oddly poignant and I'm not sure what to make of that! Sheesh. In Magic, the downtrodden masses aren't represented in the same way as the powerful warriors. There are the mechs, and then there are the junk-bikes. And that representation is... I dunno, I'm not sure what to feel, but I feel something. Isn't that worth it in the end? How many cards can do this? Would it be okay to have a set where every single card has some implication of struggle, triumph, vulnerability, humanity? ... Maybe I've been writing too long. We're in the brain-mushy philosophy stage.

@squeezyboi — Snowplow

This card is SILLY and makes me MAD. Mad as in crazy. Crazy about snowplowing, that is! But yeah I don't think this card would ever see the light of day and that's alright because it's, again, genuinely funny. You push the snow over to an opponent, and now you can plow your way to victory. As they say. Hm. Look, I won't wax too much flavorfully, but again, I wonder where on earth you'd see this card, and by Earth I mean the multiverse. Ravnica in the winter? Kaladesh's mountainous region? I can't imagine it, and sometimes that's still fun. Compared to the cards that strike the balance of reality, it makes me cross my arms and go "pffft," but it's not trying to be a world-based card.

Instead, it's trying to push snow somewhere. If you're running snow lands, then all the more power to you. This card being unblockable at the expense of a one-turn land-drawback means you're giving up resources for resources and I don't think it's entirely worth it. Drawing two cards, maybe, but even then. Pushing things around is fun! Giving up your lands is such a drawback in any format except for the most focused tryhard combo decks that lose to other tryharder combo decks, as well as everything else. It's a one-turn fun-turn card but does it do anything? If you've ever been mana-screwed in limited, you already know the answer to that.

@stupidstupidratcreatures — Containment Caboose

Every time you want to make this card powerful, you have to give up a three-power creature to do so. After a certain point, that just becomes untenable, right? How many of those creatures do you have in your deck? What kind of construction means that you have the ability to give those up? Relying on them to power the caboose means that in the end you'll probably run out of creatures to fuel it; eventually you'll be stuck with a very powerful blocker that gets rid of all your other blockers. However, I can see the argument for this card eventually being so big that it HAS to be blocked; if it just doesn't get blocked, though, your opponents can swing in, because you'll have to spend your blocking resources on cards that'll crew the Caboose.

Is this card cool conceptually? Yes, absolutely, and there's a back-and-forth to be argued where this card could play alright. I currently don't see a way forward for that and it's hard to really find a middle ground as it is. But, there are options for getting your own creatures back, perhaps, or making the power of the Caboose's other effects make that exile worthwhile. I dunno, however you do that is up to you, but I wouldn't have this in a mythic slot. A risky rare, perhaps, but not a mythic. I love having a beefy train. This execution is complex and ultimately hard to balance. Props for making me think, though, because I want this KIND of effect to work and play well.

@tavi-en-astra — Marching Market

I'm glad I caught the little "R" in the corner, because I was gonna say, that's a heck of a complex common you got there. Anyway! There's the situation where you have to have some kind of discard to make it animate, and you get extra discard through combat damage, but that discard doesn't re-animate the market, so how do you get it going in the first place? It's an odd card that feels like it should have you do something for the discard, and then the discard allows for optional animation, but the effects are reversed, kind of, and I don't grok how to get this card going.

As a flavorful card, and as a land, you have quite an interesting combination. Nobody else did a land, and the way that you've made it flavored makes sense! It could've been just an artifact, and yet, here we are—the markets can go either way. What does that do mechanically? That's another question I'm not sure the card answers: why a land besides the flavor? Maybe in the right environment, I can see how the discarding would be a little better. Without that context, you can see how we're a little bit lost here. The heart is in the right place—how can the gameplay lead to a more intuitive conclusion for how this card works overall?

@wifeswarmacademy — Goblin War Balloon

I kinda already imagined this card looking like a toad even without the art description, not gonna lie. So everything already makes sense! I think that the throwback cards are appreciated, and even though this contest could've wanted a future-adjacent idea, I do appreciate the way this card flies into our hearts. Goblins finally finagled something that could be used in warfare that honors their ancestors. I wonder what a patchwork toad would look like, if the goblins have any sense of aesthetics in that sense.

I also wonder if this card's a little too powerful, actually. You can sacrifice some pretty big stuff and then swing in for four, and with big enough creatures you can just have a flier that takes out other fliers or offers trades with immense flexibility. Perhaps this could be a 3/3 rare, genuinely. Plus, it's a blocking death as well—so many ways to deal massive amounts of damage. Am I being too paranoid about this? "Any target" is nastier than it may seem, genuinely. Toning down the power level in some ways on a flying body would be a safer bet.

@wildcardgamez — Nazukai, Enigma Engine

And we're bookending this contest with cards that have "Enigma Engine." Why can't I hold all these nickles?! It's such a good name chunk, though. Where did it come from? I actually designed an example with "Enigma" in the name, too, but we didn't post examples this week, so there you go. Anyway—this card. I feel this is another case where "Until end of turn, Nazukai gains your choice of..." would be more intuitive than what we've got right now.

That said, it's pretty darn powerful. It's a shame that the pilots are required. I get it, though, flavorfully, kind of. Does it really make the gameplay better if it's a more-or-less useless card without a pilot? Vehicles are already borderline useless without other creatures on board; what's the ratio of vehicles to other cards that you'd want in a deck, really? I'm still not sure. We're not quite there, though, or at least I don't believe so—I mean not at the point where this card is fully viable/polished. There's gotta be a way to ensure that it can DO something, because what good is the slot? However that would happen is up to you. If you wanna keep the pilot restriction, ask what this card could do to have a presence on the battlefield when pilots are in short supply.

We're all out of gas for this week. Tune in soon! @abelzumi

#mtg #magic the gathering #custom magic card #inventor's fair #commentary #weird vehicle contest

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gripefroot · 4 months

Text

Crooked Ways [20/22]

Hiya! It's been a busy few weeks so I haven't gotten around to updating. I'm very sad to be winding down this story. I started it exactly one year ago and the writing process was so fun but also healing to me. I've been surprised and incredibly grateful at how many people have been reading and enjoying it. Thank you for every note and message. I treasure every single one 🫶

Just one night.

Vegeta scanned the crowds of dancers without much thought, occasionally letting his eyes drift over to tables or the buffet line. No one with a significant power level. None that took a second look at Bulma after coming face-to-face with Vegeta’s best scowl. In fact, a few people that found themselves in their way scuttled like crabs, leaving the space clear in front of them. If Bulma noticed, she didn’t say anything about it, each toss of her head sending more of that delicious scent straight to Vegeta’s nose, making him feel stupid.

Her usual perfume? Yeah, right, and he was the bastard child of the Supreme Kai.

“Food first?” Bulma asked, leaning closer to murmur into his ear. Vegeta breathed in deeply, eyelids fluttering madly as he tried to clear his throat and square his stance.

“It doesn’t matter to me,” he intoned, hoping she didn’t hear his voice crack on the final word.

“I say let’s say hello to the people that’ll complain to Dad if I don’t,” she said with a sigh. He noticed her fingernails digging into his forearm, even through his suit coat. “Then our duty will be done and we can enjoy ourselves the rest of the night.”

“I thought you liked people.” Vegeta let her steer him towards a table, nonetheless.

“Usually,” Bulma said. “I…don’t like people who treat me like I’m still a little girl. And I don’t like anybody when I just want to be home in bed.”

“In bed with me, I hope.”

She cast him a look, but he saw her lips quiver enough to know she was hiding a giggle. “I don’t think I know how to sleep alone anymore, honestly,” she told him, and he didn’t bother stopping his chest from puffing out. Any Saiyan would be proud to hear such a thing.

Bulma may not know it, but her words (and smell) made Vegeta’s brain a fuzzy, pleased place to be despite being introduced to a mass of insignificant earthlings. He shook hands and nodded but never smiled. Not that it mattered. Bulma smiled enough for both of them.

Vegeta wondered if anyone else thought her smile was as perfect as he did.

If they did, he’d have to kill them.

He sensed a higher power level and recognized it before the voice reached out to them, before Bulma pulled herself away from laughing with an elderly man to address the interruption behind them. Vegeta’s mind already on killing, he didn’t bother an attempt at polite overtures when they turned to see Yamcha’s stupid smile and wave.

“Yamcha?” At least Bulma sounded more surprised than happy.

“Bet you didn’t expect to see me here.” Yamcha wiggled his eyebrows. “How are you doing, Bulma?”

“I’m…fine. Why are you here? How did you get a ticket?”

Vegeta noted that Bulma’s hand on his arm had gone cold. If he weren’t perfectly still to assess this new threat, he might have covered her hand to warm it (better blood flow meant a better chance of surviving a battle. Not for any other reason.)

“Your mom offered me one a while back,” Yamcha said, awkwardly rubbing his neck. “I would’ve come as your date, but after last time…”

Finally the man’s eyes landed on Vegeta. Vegeta saw fear and apprehension, dashed with disgust. He grinned. The memory of decking Yamcha on the Capsule Corp compound lawn was still something he treasured, sometimes relieving the moments at nighttime before falling asleep with a smile on his face.

“I think,” Yamcha said slowly, brows drawing together. “I think I don’t know what’s been going on at Capsule Corp since I left.”

“Why should you?” Bulma asked. Her nails dug fibers of fabric into Vegeta’s skin. Not enough to hurt, but enough to keep him on edge. “You never call. Except to talk to my mom, apparently.”

“She called me!”

“What do you want, moron?” Vegeta barked. “We’re trying to enjoy ourselves.”

“Sheesh! I only came to say hi.”

“You said it. Now go.”

The brisk dismissal seemed to incense Yamcha, whose stance squared against Vegeta as if he were actually a threat. Vegeta laughed. “You don’t get to order me around!” Yamcha said. Then, eyes flicking between the pair of them, he added on, “Aren’t you supposed to be training to beat the Androids, Vegeta? But you’re playing boyfriend?”

“I’m strong enough to defeat the Androids ten times over,” Vegeta said softly, fists clenching in his pockets. “Naturally you wouldn’t know that level of power.”

“Stop.” Bulma tugged on his sleeve. “Let’s go eat.”

“I’m not hungry,” he said without looking in her direction. He only saw Yamcha, a face swimming in the crowd distorted with rage and hate.

“Oh, are you that powerful, really?” Yamcha sneered. “Are you a Super Saiyan like Goku yet? Or could he still put you in the ground like he did the first time?”

“Stop!” Bulma said again, this time louder. But now she said it to Yamcha, putting out an arm between them. “Yamcha, you jerk. Go away. If you won’t listen to Vegeta, who can break every bone in your body, listen to me.”

Yamcha’s expression twitched, gaze dropping from Vegeta’s face to look at Bulma. The drooping, puppyish frown that appeared made Vegeta laugh again, the noise harsh and delighted.

“Listen to the woman,” Vegeta ordered. “She doesn’t want you here.”

“I can see that,” Yamcha said bitterly. “If she chooses the enemy over her friends.”

“Now wait just a minute - ” Bulma’s exploding temper shut off when Vegeta clamped a hand over her mouth. It wasn’t worth it: Yamcha had turned tail the moment he finished his parting shot, disappearing into the crowd. Her fingernails dug into the back of his hand to pull it away from her mouth. “Let me at him, Vegeta! Let me make him pay for what he put me through!”

She already took a step in the direction Yamcha had gone, and he was forced to pull her back. An unusual amount of aggression, even for Bulma, and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy it. She was pretty when she was furious; all sparking anger and brilliant flashes in her eyes. Her scent riled up, too, and it was all Vegeta could do not to squash his nose against her neck and breathe her in until she was no more.

Interestingly, he’d forgotten all about Yamcha.

“Ugh!” Bulma stomped her foot, drawing a few curious stares from around them. The urge to shield her from prying eyes rose in him faster than a tidal wave, and he stomped it down just as quickly. He sufficed the situation by putting his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to face him.

“Bulma,” Vegeta said. A thrill coursed through his chest when her eyes landed on him; darkened and dangerous and gorgeous. “Now is not the time for a fight. For one thing, these clothes aren’t appropriate for combat.”

“I don’t care!”

“And what about your father? If you ruin his company’s gala by murdering a guest?”

Her lips protruded in a pout he was deeply tempted to catch between his teeth and suck until she was swollen and bruised purple. Swallowing, he dragged his eyes up to hers to soak in the beauty of her rage.

“Fine,” Bulma snapped. “No murder. You’re no fun.”

“It’s more than he deserves. You’re better than him.”

Her face began to clear of aggravation. Now she simply looked annoyed, not murderous.

“When you kill someone,” Vegeta went on, “it should be someone worth more than you so as to prove your power.”

Bulma blinked several times. He couldn’t think of how what he’d said might be confusing or unclear, so he didn’t clarify. Finally she sighed. “Good to know you haven’t changed that much, Vegeta.”

“Of course I haven’t changed. Why would I?”

“Never mind.”

The evening had crested early. Guests remained to be greeted, food to be eaten, and an obligatory dance where everyone could see them that Vegeta thought would make a brilliant torture tactic in the Frieza Force were Frieza still alive. Every second was hell: the music, the steps, the stares, the whispers.

Worse than that was how much he liked having his hands all over Bulma and her arms wrapped around him. And how bearable her presence made this otherwise torture.

“Human dances are simplistic,” Vegeta grumbled. Cheeks pressed together, he heard her tinkling laugh right in the shell of his ear. “I’ve seen more backwards planets produce more intricate dances than this!”

“Oh, honey. This is a social dance, not a professional troupe. I promise there are better dancers out there than the Capsule Corp employees.”

“Tch.” He squeezed her hand tighter.

“Don’t tell me you’d rather learn a more complicated dance!” Bulma pulled enough to laugh in his face, which made his cheeks feel hot.

“No, of course not! I’m only saying it’s not a very impressive set of steps.”

“But it’s easy.”

Vegeta grunted in agreement. Swaying in circles didn’t require much experience or skill, just a willingness to keep moving and to hold a woman in his arms. His woman.

“Oh!” Her arm lifted from his shoulder. “My dad is coming to cut in.”

“Cut into what?”

“The dance, silly. He’ll take your place to dance with me. You can go sit or stand somewhere, I’ll find you after.”

And just like that, Vegeta lost his woman to her father. Glad to leave the dance, loathe to release her. It wasn’t until Bulma flat-out tugged her hand out of his with a reproachful look that he managed, stepping aside for Dr. Briefs.

“I won’t be long,” Dr. Briefs told him with a smile, already swinging his daughter into a more polished version of the dance. “You can have her back when I’m done.”

Saiyans had killed other Saiyans for less.

Vegeta stuck his hands in his pockets, expertly missing the other couples dancing nearby to leave the floor uncontested. His stomach rumbled to remind him that that pathetic single plate of food he’d consumed between introductions wasn’t enough to satisfy him. But instead of walking towards the buffet line, which was significantly shorter as the party dragged on, he found a blank space on the wall, outside the dazzling light of the chandelier. Leaning his back against the wall in a semblance of perfect relaxation, he crossed his arms and let his eyes drift closed.

Let the humans think him a miserable wretch. Rather that than talk to any of them.

He didn’t belong here. He didn’t belong in any places like this on any planet. In fact, when he really dug his mind in to think about it, he couldn’t recall any time that he’d felt true belonging. Even in the field, performing massacres at Frieza’s every order or spending nights with the other soldiers he’d been apart. Memories of his earliest childhood at his father’s palace proved spotty and only produced feelings that jolted between sour arrogance, suffocating loneliness, and the intense need to earn the king’s approval.

Vegeta had shuttered around the universe too much to call any place his home. Nor had he wanted to, when having a home proved to be such a target for a madman’s destruction. And now that Frieza was gone and Planet Vegeta was gone and Vegeta no longer part of an army: where did that leave him?

Here. He was here.

I have no ties to Earth, either, he thought to himself. The lie was acrid, burning beneath his skin as if his very blood howled in protest. So what if it was a lie? No one knew but himself. No one knew the roots growing from the cracks in his feet, from the arteries to his heart.

Perhaps because Vegeta was so in tune to her tenor of voice, perhaps because her laugh was just that loud - his head jerked up at the sound of Bulma laughing. The music had picked up to a faster pace, her dad twirling her expertly around.

This was her world. Her place. Her home. She belonged here in a way Vegeta would never, could never belong anywhere, because this had been her home since she was born. If he meant to honor her claim on him, to honor his claim on her - to take her away from this would be a cruelty beyond imagining. And for what? He had nothing and no place. No planet, no home, no people.

He’d only ever been a smudge, unwillingly allowed across the brightness of her life for an indeterminable and finite amount of time. Time that was running out, and he’d done the stupid thing and all but made her his mate in the Saiyan way.

For once, pride and blood tore him in different directions. One towards her, one away. Both with equal strength in his body, neither to be ignored.

When the song ended, Bulma disappeared from the dance floor. Vegeta barely had time to sense her direction before she appeared in front of him with flushed, vibrant cheeks and a smile brighter than any sun in any solar system.

“Told you I’d find you,” she said breathlessly. “Mom and Dad are going home, they said we can ride with them if we’re ready to leave.”

“I’m ready,” he said at once.

“Let’s go, then.” Bulma’s fingers wrapped through his, unraveling his uncompromising stance until he sulked after her bounding steps to the exit. Her exhilarating scent wrapped around him like a shroud, driving away his unhappy thoughts until his blood sang for her, and only her, and when she turned to beam at him, Vegeta grinned back.

Sharing a car with her parents had been a bad choice.

The backseat had two rows of seats facing each other, meant for socializing. Instead of sitting in the seat beside Bulma, Vegeta was pushed aside to make room for a massive bouquet of flowers someone had gifted Panchy at the party. His nose itched at the scent, cloying and too sweet. Meanwhile the others chatted about who they’d seen and who they hadn’t seen, laughing at dredged up memories and so-and-so or this-and-that.

Next time, they weren’t sharing a car.

There won’t be a next time, immediately followed that thought, and he stiffened in his seat. A fist resting on his knee, flaring conflict building in his chest until he was sure he’d choke aloud.

When the car finally stopped at the front entrance of Capsule Corp, Vegeta was slowest to start moving. By the time he climbed out of the car, squinting in the bright lights that bathed the front steps, Bulma had dashed around the car, holding her skirt in her hand.

“It’s a full moon,” she said. “Did you see?”

“No.” He started up the steps. Dr. Briefs and Panchy were already heading through the doors inside.

“Oh.”

Halfway to the top he realized she hadn’t followed. Turning, Vegeta scowled at her still by the car, hands on her hips. “Don’t tell me you expect to be carried,” he said. “I know you didn’t have a single glass of champagne.”

“You do get grumpy during full moons!”

“I do not!” He stomped back down the stairs. Bulma’s teal curls were falling from the elegant hairstyle she’d had earlier, strands gracing the curve of her neck and cheeks so beautifully that Vegeta got even more frustrated. Without a word he bent to hoist her over his shoulder, jogging back up the steps a second time.

“Why do you always do this?” she screeched. “I’m capable of walking, thank you very much!”

“Because I’m sick of you taking your sweet time! You’re wasting mine, too, you know!”

“I can waste whatever I want!” Bulma kicked out a few times, but Vegeta just jostled her until she stopped. Which was wise on her part, because otherwise he would have turned his head to bite her luscious backside.

The further away from the front entrance, the fewer lights were on. Briefly he considered stopping by the kitchens or the pantry but he dismissed the idea in favor of a better one. They could always eat after they worked out their frustrations with each other behind closed doors.

And that they did. It was her bedroom tonight, and after Vegeta tripped on two pairs of shoes and a tool belt he nearly howled, dropping Bulma onto her feet to start tugging at her dress with abandon.

“I hate these clothes,” he panted a few minutes later. Buttons popped off his shirt to litter the ground, but from Bulma’s aggression, not his. He’d torn the straps of her dress from her shoulders until it hung at her waist, exposing her breasts.

“You hate everything,” she said through gritted teeth. Having trouble taking off his suit coat when his head was buried in her chest. Vegeta didn’t bother correcting her, fondling a breast in one hand while he tried to kick off his shoes. Her scent was sharper and richer next to her skin. He hadn’t imbued any alcohol but he may as well have with how dizzy he felt. “Vegeta! Vegeta, just stop! It’ll be easier if we get undressed first.”

With a snarl he pulled away, wrenching open his trousers to add another button to the confetti on the floor. Bulma shimmied her dress down her hips. He stared, hopping on one foot to get out of his stupid trousers. Stupid clothes, stupid everything - he’d never wear this again. Only clothes that could be easily removed.

“Ooh!”

Her cry turned to a satisfied sort of moan after he grabbed her again, lifting her to straddle his hips while he made a clumsy path for the bed. Stepping on buttons and whatever else Bulma left lying around, all poking his feet. He didn’t care. He needed her like a dying man needed water; he needed to taste her and be inside her. Lips met in sloppy haste, Vegeta biting after her when she pulled away for breath, her fingers tight on his shoulders and her eyes opening and closing fast.

“Why does it feel like this?” Bulma whispered. Cradled by the bed and pinned down by him, she still managed to rock against him, her neck craning. “Why is it different tonight?”

“Maybe it’s the full moon.” Vegeta hadn’t thought himself capable of joking at a moment like this, but maybe it wasn’t a joke after all. A moment’s thought and he added, “It’s the way you smell. It’s making me…maybe it’s making you feel it, too.”

“Then it’s going to be a good night.” A dazzling, kiss-swollen smile, and he felt her hand push his head down towards the junction between her legs. “I have a feeling I won't need to stop you tonight. Maybe I have Saiyan stamina now.”

The words falling from his lips in response to hers weren’t in her language, but she didn’t comment on it. Vegeta’s teeth sank into her thigh, his hand tucked behind her knee to lift her leg so his mouth could reach more skin. He could taste nothing else for the remainder of his existence and it wouldn’t be enough. What was it that had turned her from enjoyable to intoxicating? Where did an addict slip over the line into insanity where he couldn’t control his muscles, couldn’t control his mind?

Couldn’t control his blood, couldn’t control his pride.

Here. He was here.

“Bulma,” he murmured. Kissed the tendons that made her body, licked the skin, kneaded the muscles. She twitched and quivered with every touch, her head lolling on the pillows. Impatient for him to continue, no doubt. If she could hear him, she didn’t say so. Perhaps she was as senseless as him. Despite not having spoken the Saiyan language for years, it was easier to slip into phrases he thought he’d never say, feelings he’d never thought he’d feel, when he knew Bulma couldn’t understand. Couldn’t ask, couldn’t confront. It was just for him. Just for him and no one else.

“Bulma,” he said again, his tongue swirling around her sex and she keened into the night, legs shaking around his head. “Bulma, you are my queen.”

#bulma x vegeta #vegebul #dbz fanfic #dragon ball

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