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steddieas-shegoes · 11 months

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Chapter 16

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6 / Chapter 7 / Chapter 8 / Chapter 9 / Chapter 10 / Chapter 11 / Chapter 12 / Chapter 13 / Chapter 14 / Chapter 15

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Eddie didn’t usually get nervous about meeting people. Even the few times he met parents, he didn’t really expect them to be a forever thing, so it didn’t really matter to him if he made a good impression.

But this was Steve. This was the person he was spending forever with. And despite his clearly complicated relationship with his parents, his mom seemed to mean something to him.

Steve explained their entire conversation on the way to his apartment, his old apartment, the one he hopefully wouldn’t move back into.

If it were up to Eddie, this temporary move to his house would be permanent, but he didn’t want to push. He knew Robin and Steve were close, and that Robin looking for a new roommate may take some time, that Steve wouldn’t want to just leave her with such little notice and no one to cover his half of the rent.

The closer they got to the apartment, the more nervous Eddie became.

Steve looked over at him when they stopped at a red light, brows furrowed in concern.

“What’s wrong, baby?”

“Nothing, my love,” he brushed it off, kept his face forward so he wouldn’t fall for the puppy dog eyes Steve gave him to get what he wanted.

“You know, my mom isn’t that bad. I don’t get along with her all the time, but she is definitely the lesser of two evils when it comes to my parents.”

“Mhm. Just wanna make sure you’re okay with everything.”

Steve was quiet for a moment, the soft tones of a song he didn’t recognize playing on the radio.

“You know it’s okay to be worried about yourself, Eds. I’m feeling…well, not great, but kind of positive about this? I know it could turn into nothing, but my mom is kind of relentless when she’s set on something and it doesn’t sound like she’s gonna give up until I have my job back.”

Steve’s hand settled on Eddie’s knee, providing him a comfort he didn’t realize he needed.

Eddie often found comfort in putting others’ needs first, that’s what made him a good dom, a good friend, a good person. But even he needed to take a break from that sometimes. He knew it, he just didn’t actually do it.

“I’m mostly worried about you, but I am a little worried about meeting your mom. There, is that better?” Eddie asked with a small smile.

“Yes. She always comes off scarier than she is. All yip, no bite, or whatever the saying is,” Steve said confidently.

Eddie loved him. God, he loved him so much.

He watched as Steve bobbed his head along to the music, his hand remaining on Eddie’s knee and tapping his fingers, though he was completely off beat.

Eddie loved him so much, it felt like a part of him was always going to hear Steve’s name and associate it with comfort and home.

Steve pulled into his usual parking spot, sighing as he parked.

“Just don’t take any offense to what she says. She has no filter and forgets that people have feelings. I barely listen to anything she says anymore.”

Steve sounded nervous suddenly, maybe even more than Eddie had been on the way here.

Eddie turned, cupped his face in his hands, and kissed his nose.

“I’m here to support you, protect you. I want her to help you. I don’t care if she likes me or is rude to me, it’s about you being happy.”

“Eds, I don’t want her to upset you. Please just don’t let her scare you away.”

“Sunshine, I’m not goin’ anywhere, especially not because of your mom being a little mean to me. Your my home, and I’m yours, right?”

He felt Steve relax into his hands, a fond smile taking over his face.

“Yeah, baby, you are.”

“Then let’s go see your mom.”

—----------------------------------------

Robin was standing at the front door as soon as he opened it, her eyes begging him to do literally anything to help.

He almost laughed.

Almost.

But then he heard his mother, presumably on the phone with someone, and he decided he probably should be easy on her.

“Who’s she talking to?”

“It’s been someone new every five minutes since she got off the phone with you. I think this one is your father, but I’m not sure because she talks to everyone the exact same, which is like they are specks of dirt on the bottom of her shoe.” Robin rolled her eyes and turned to Eddie with a smile. “Hi, Eddie.”

“Hi, Robbie. Gonna make it?”

“Hard to say. I hope so.”

They gave each other quick hugs, an exchange of wordless support, and Eddie felt a bit better. If Robin could handle Steve’s mom, he certainly could.

“Richard, I don’t give a shit and a half if you think I’m babying him. He’s our son. He didn’t do anything wrong and he’s being punished. Our job is to help people who don’t do anything wrong and are being punished. I’ll be better off without your help, but I refuse to let you make empty threats at me or him.”

“You guys stay here,” Steve muttered, making his way into the kitchen to talk to his mom.

“I have to go. You can go fuck yourself or the newest woman who has to fake it through a few minutes in bed with you to get a new diamond bracelet.”

Anne Harrington did not fuck around. Steve could admit to himself that it was probably the best part about her.

“Oh, good, you’re home. I’ve contacted the school to let them know any future interviews involving you will also have me present. Any paperwork sent to you or requiring a signature will be reviewed by me first. I’ve already been sent the paperwork you signed, which will not hold up in court because all parties involved in the case are supposed to sign it and only you signed it. You work for a school system that doesn’t seem to understand basic law, which is concerning since they’re opening themselves up to a hell of a lawsuit.”

“It’s nice to see you, Mom.”

Anne sighed, releasing the weight of the world from her shoulders, and pulled him into a hug.

They were never a touchy family, not even when Steve was a small child. But every once in a while, usually during the most stressful times, his mom would pull him into a hug that actually felt like the type of hug a mother would give her kid.

“What a pickle this is,” she said against his shoulder, a solid six inches shorter than him, but always bigger than her body when she spoke.

“I know. Thanks for helping.”

“No need to thank me, it’s gonna be easy to handle. Now! Where’s the boyfriend?”

“Uh. With Robin.”

“Let’s go get this out of the way, then,” she said as she pulled away from him, her face back to the stern look he’d walked in on.

“Just be easy, please. He-”

“Steven, I know what it looks like when you’re happy. I know I rarely was around to see it, but it’s easy to see the glow, even with all this stress happening around you. He makes you feel loved?”

“Every second of every day.”

“Then he won’t have to worry about me unless that changes,” she said as she walked out to the living room.

Anne walked up to Eddie, his eyes wide as he took her in.

“Edward Munson. Nice to meet you. I’m Anne Harrington. I am certain I like you just fine, but let’s get right to it: my son is all that matters to me right now and if you get in his way of getting his job back or me doing my job, you will never step foot near him again, understood?”

Steve rolled his eyes, but couldn’t help the blush creeping across his cheeks. His mom had never been this protective of him, not even in high school when one of his friends tried to drag him into a legal issue with another basketball player.

“And if I ever get in the way of his happiness and future, I hope you would do whatever you can to protect him,” Eddie responded.

Anne studied him for a moment, looking him up and down and trying to figure out what her response should be.

She nodded once, turned to Steve, gave him a wink, and then looked back at Eddie.

“Let’s get Steve his job back.”

—----------------------------------------

The next three days were endless meetings with his mom, the school, and the school board.

Steve was instructed not to open his mouth except to give the same answers he’d already given, let Anne do most of the talking otherwise, keep his head up and appear confident that he’d done the right thing.

He had done the right thing, so it was easy to do.

Every moment he got with Eddie was special, his mom taking the guest room of the house and making it difficult for them to have any time alone.

But they still stole away in the evenings, when his mom decided to take a break from everything and shower and read her book for a bit. Eddie and Steve would take a bath together, Eddie washing Steve, Steve washing Eddie, touching every inch of each other with reverence as they silenced the moans with their mouths.

It wasn’t enough, but it would have to do for a while.

Steve cooked them breakfast every morning, Eddie wrapped his arms around his waist and rocked side to side, humming a song Steve didn’t know.

Eddie went to the shop while Steve stayed home and made sure his mom had everything she needed to do her job. He would bring Eddie a late lunch to take a break, and his mom would often go find a restaurant she deemed tolerable so she could enjoy a “decent salad, nobody makes a decent salad anymore, Steven.”

By the time dinner came around, Steve was feeling too much, and he had no way to feel better about it until Eddie got home.

Eddie would just know.

He’d pull him against his chest, run his hands up and down his back for a minute, then tug on his hair just right, just the way Steve craved.

It wasn’t enough to float, not even enough to drift a bit on the edge, but it was enough to make him feel like Eddie knew what he needed and would help as soon as he could.

“Your mom in the kitchen?” Eddie whispered against his head.

“Mhm.”

“She okay?”

“Yeah. Said we should be hearing anytime now about everything.”

“Did you talk about her treatments yet?”

Steve shook his head against Eddie’s chest.

“She doesn’t want to?”

Steve shook his head again.

“Want me to ask?”

“No. I just want you to be here with me when I do. Is that okay?”

“Of course it is, sunshine,” Eddie kissed the top of his head and pulled away so he could head into the kitchen to start making dinner.

It was smooth, or at least as smooth as it could be with an extra person in the house who was toeing the line between welcome and nuisance.

Eddie was making steak salad tonight, at his mom’s request, because he was incredible and a small part of Steve loved seeing that Eddie was doing whatever it took to keep her happy, to keep the peace between them.

“Hi, Anne. How’s today been?” Eddie asked as he moved towards the fridge to pull everything out to start prepping.

“It’s been another day, Edward. How was your day?”

“Had another first tattoo today. Those are always interesting,” he sent a knowing look to Steve, who was shaking his head slowly.

“Oh? Do you get them often?”

“Honestly, no. Steve was my first first in a while. This was a friend of a friend who only trusted me to do it.”

Steve froze.

Somehow, Steve had managed to hide his tattoos from his mom the entire time. He’d been wearing Eddie’s hoodies around the house and long sleeve shirts and blazers or jackets for the meetings.

Eddie must have realized what happened as he turned to see Anne’s eyes searching Steve’s visible skin.

“You have a tattoo?”

“I have two.”

“Steven, tattoos aren’t very professional for your line of work.”

Eddie was standing at attention now, ready to step in the moment Steve needed him, but waiting for a signal of any kind.

“I got them in places that can be hidden. You haven’t seen them the entire time.”

“What could you possibly have gotten tattooed?”

“Will made me a sun painting and I decided I wanted it as a tattoo. Eddie did it on my wrist. Then I got a robin done.”

“This is the Will that you helped?”

“Yes.”

“Can I see?”

Her voice was much gentler now, almost too kind compared to what Steve was used to when she was disappointed in him.

Steve rolled the sleeve of his hoodie up, holding it out towards his mom as she sat at the table.

She took his wrist and turned it back and forth as she looked at the sun.

“He’s quite talented,” she said softly.

“He is.”

“I’m proud of you, Steve.”

Steve’s heart stopped, his eyes widened, and he felt his eyes flood with tears.

His parents had never said that to him, not when he made the varsity basketball team a year earlier than most people do, not when they won a championship, not when he made swim team captain as a junior, not when he graduated high school, not ever.

He’d stopped expecting to hear it eventually, especially when he’d cut himself off from them.

But some part of him, probably his inner child who had craved hearing those words for his entire life, felt incredibly overwhelmed at the way his mother was looking at him with tears in her eyes.

He distantly heard Eddie walk out of the room, and he struggled with the combination of feelings of relief and anxiety knowing that he wasn’t right there.

“I’m sorry I don’t tell you more, or ever, I guess. I know you’ve deserved to hear it so much. I guess-” she took a shaky breath. “I guess it was easier for me to pretend I wasn’t proud because I had no hand in your accomplishments. It was selfish of me to think that way, and I know that no amount of apologies will make up for it, but I let my job and your father dictate my entire life to the point that I forgot my son needed me.”

“Mom-”

“Let me finish first, please,” she held her hand up to stop him. “As I’ve been working on this entire situation, I’ve read through the interviews the school board conducted with Will, with his mom, with his brother, with other students, with the principal. Everyone loves you, everyone is on your side. Your own principal said the school would never be the same if you weren’t given another chance, that they would never find anyone as valuable as you are. The place I went to lunch the other day saw my last name and asked if I was related to you, and when I told them I was your mom, they gave me lunch for free because you helped the owner rebuild his shed when a snowstorm collapsed the roof last winter. And Eddie. Honey, that boy looks at you like you’re his sun. I cannot believe you’ve only been together a couple weeks. I don’t think I’ve ever felt the way you two feel about each other. Robin wanted to kill me when I walked into your apartment, and I assume it’s because she knows I haven’t ever been a good mom to you, and she’s right for wanting to protect you like that. I was never around to protect you, and probably caused more pain than anything, and I will spend as much time as it takes to try to make up for it.”

Steve was crying, the tears running down his face, soaking his hoodie, his vision so blurry he could barely even see that his mother was crying, too.

She stood up and pulled him against her, her head resting against his shoulder, his head resting against the top of her head.

“Honey, I’m so sorry,” she sobbed into his hoodie, her voice muffled but still audible.

“Why wasn’t I enough to be proud of?” Steve asked, his voice breaking.

“Oh, darling, you were. I promise you were. This isn’t anything you did wrong, or didn’t do well enough, this is all me failing you. You deserved to know I was proud of you, but I didn’t stop to think about how much not telling you would hurt you. That was my fault, not yours., you understand?”

Steve nodded, letting out another sob.

Suddenly, Eddie’s hand was on his lower back, and Steve’s body instantly relaxed.

“Sorry to interrupt, but your phone keeps ringing, and I figured it must be important if they keep trying,” Eddie said quietly, softly, the gentlest interruption he could possibly have made to their moment.

Steve pulled away sniffling, wiping his eyes as his mother did the same.

He reached for his phone, a new set of vibrations alerting him to another phone call.

“Hello?” Steve answered, hoping his voice didn’t give away the emotions of the last 15 minutes.

“Mr. Harrington, so sorry to keep calling like this, but I wanted to make sure to reach you before the school board official called.”

Principal Graves’ voice sounded excited, barely containing something that Steve hoped was good news.

“Is everything okay?”

“They’re going to be calling with the scheduled hearing for all parties involved today. They only do this when they’re pretty sure about reinstating someone, so I have a very good feeling you’ll be coming back to work within the next week.”

Steve started crying again.

Eddie and his mom looked at him concerned, but he gave them a wet smile to show that he was okay.

“I’ll get to talk to Will there?”

“This is why you’re the only person qualified for this job. The person filling in for you doesn’t believe in weekly sessions with students, says it causes students to become too attached to the counselor and services. I can’t wait to see her go. You didn’t hear that from me though.”

Steve let out a laugh, his tears finally slowing down, and his head falling to rest on Eddie’s shoulder.

“I miss my kids,” Steve admitted, closing his eyes when Eddie’s hand rubbed up and down his back comfortingly.

“They miss you. We all do. We owe a lot to your mother for how quickly this has turned in your favor. This could have gone on for another month at the rate they wanted to do things. She’s an impressive woman.”

Steve watched as his mother sat back down at the table to write something down in her notes with a smile.

“Yeah, she is.”

He wrapped up the call so he could be available for the school board call, thanking the principal multiple times for her help. He knew she struggled with filing a report at all, that she was only doing her job.

When he hung up, he explained everything to Eddie and his mom, getting interrupted halfway through by a kiss from Eddie, their teeth clacking together because of the broad smiles on both their faces.

When the call from the school board came through, Steve was sitting on the couch while Eddie prepared dinner in the kitchen, having a casual conversation with his mom while she worked at the dining room table.

On Monday, his entire future would be decided, and hopefully, he’d be back in his office to make a difference.

—------------------------------

When Monday came, Robin and Chrissy met Eddie and Steve at the school board office an hour early.

“Your mom coming?”

“She had a phone call with her doctor this morning so she should be here soon,” Steve said.

They’d talked over dinner a few nights before about her treatments, and how she had been putting it off for work, but also putting it off because she was scared. Steve told her she had to take care of herself, that her health needed to take priority, and if she needed to have support through it, he would be there.

Eddie took it a step further, and offered her the guest room during her treatments so she didn’t have to be alone.

Steve loved him so much.

“Should we wait inside?” Chrissy asked, holding onto Robin’s hand.

“You guys go in. I just wanna talk to Steve for a second,” Eddie said, wrapping his arm around Steve’s waist.

Chrissy smirked, but didn’t say anything as she guided Robin inside.

Steve turned to Eddie, nervous smile on his face.

“What is it, baby?”

“I just wanted to say that no matter what, I’m in this with you. We’ll figure it out if things don’t go as planned, and nothing with us is going to change. You’re an incredible person and counselor, sunshine, and if they can’t see that, they don’t deserve you,” Eddie pecked his lips quickly to emphasize his words.

“Thank you, Eds. I love you.”

“I love you, sweetheart.”

With one more quick kiss, they parted, and made their way inside to find the room the hearing would take place in.

When they found it, the Byers were already there, and Will looked ready to vibrate out of his seat when he noticed Steve walk in.

He looked to Joyce, silently begging for permission to go to Steve. When she nodded with a smile, Will shot up out of his seat, nearly tripping on his own feet to run towards him.

Steve nearly fell backwards with the force of the hug, Will’s arms wrapping around him as he let out a sob. Eddie held them both up as Steve found his balance again, smiling down at them.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything to anyone. Mom’s trying to put together a fund for you so you can still pay your bills and Jonathan booked a show and the band is gonna give up their money from it to help you. And I made you a painting, but I couldn’t give it to you because Mom said it would possibly be worse if we tried to talk to you while they did everything. And I hate the new counselor, she’s terrible. She said if I need weekly services I should see a therapist and didn’t understand that we can’t afford one, that’s why I talk to you, but she just kept saying there are ‘resources for people in poverty’ which, we know, but they’re terrible and there’s a long wait list or else I would have already tried and-”

“Woah, buddy. Take a deep breath.” Steve helped him take a couple deep breaths and smiled down at Will. “It’s gonna be okay. Even if today doesn’t go well, I can still help you somehow. And you don’t have to worry about the money, you guys are amazing, but I’m doing fine.”

“Mom brought you a check already today. You can’t leave without it.”

Steve shook his head.

“Keep it. Use it for art supplies or something. I’ve got my bills paid and if today goes well, I’ll be back to work very soon.”

Will looked like he wanted to continue to argue, but Anne walked in, followed by Principal Graves and a few school board officials that Steve recognized as the interviewers for the case.

“You must be Will,” Anne said as she walked up to them.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Oh, don’t do that. I fear I’m looking much older than I wish to these days and that doesn’t help. I’m Mr. Harrington’s mom, Anne.”

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Anne.”

“You’re an outstanding artist, Will. I’d love to commission you for a piece for my office when you are done with school for the year.”

Will’s jaw dropped, and Steve couldn’t help the little giggle he let out.

His mother had only told him about that plan the day before, and he wholeheartedly agreed with it.

“Like, for money?”

“Of course. We’ll discuss it more when we get past this little bump in the road, okay?”

Will nodded, his mouth still open in shock.

“Attention everyone, please take your seats so we may begin,” a loud, deep voice echoed through the room.

Everyone followed instructions quickly, silent agreement that this needed to be over with as soon as possible.

Steve was nervous. He’d done okay up until this point, relying on his mom to explain technical things to him and Eddie to help him stay grounded and relaxed as much as possible.

But neither of them could do that now. Now, it was up to everyone at the front of the room to make a decision, a decision they probably already made, that would determine if Steve left here with a job or without one.

“As all of you know, I am the lead official investigator for this case, Mr. Hammond. We have spent many days conducting individual interviews with all parties present, as well as group interviews and other individual interviews with students and teachers at the school. We are here today to allow both sides to state anything they may have left out during interviews before we make our final recommendation on Mr. Harrington’s employment.” He cleared his throat before turning to look at Joyce and Will. “We will begin with you both. You are not required to add anything, but if you feel there is anything else you’d like to say, now is your chance.”

Will stood up immediately.

“I’d like to say something, please.”

The group in front nodded.

“Mr. H has been the best thing about school for me. He’s helped me really feel comfortable with myself, and helped me make new friends, and helped me understand that my art can be special to me and can provide a future for me if I try hard enough. No other counselor or teacher has ever been there like he has. My grades have suffered since he was sent home,” he sighed. Steve didn’t know that, and he felt anger rise up as he thought of the counselor in his place turning Will away while he struggled. “I haven’t been able to focus on my portfolio. I get encouragement from my mom, but she works hard and sometimes it’s just nice for someone who isn’t related to me to offer their support. Mr. H was that support for me, and no matter what decision you make today, I know he will do his best to still give it to me in whatever way he can.”

“Thank you, Will.” A woman next to Mr. Hammond gave him a smile. “Anything else?”

“No, thank you.”

Will sat down and Joyce hugged him, whispering something into his ear that no one could hear.

“Mr. Harrington, now is your chance to speak. You may say anything you wish to discuss your actions.”

Steve looked at Anne, who nodded at him encouragingly. They’d agreed the day before that she would only step in if things got ugly, and it seemed calm enough that he could speak on his own.

“Thank you,” he said as he stood. “I believe I spoke a lot during my interviews about how much my students, not just Will, mean to me. I got into this profession because I want to be a support for kids who may not always have it. That isn’t to say Ms. Byers doesn’t support him, but she’s a hardworking single mom, and it does take a village to raise a child, as we all know. When I first met Will, he barely spoke to anyone, he was barely passing his classes, and he was on his way to being a statistic that doesn’t look good for the community, the school, or himself. After a few sessions, he started opening up a bit more to me, and I saw a major improvement in his grades. He started making friends, he started becoming more involved in school activities like art club, and even got encouraged to apply for an elite art program. As you all are aware, his mother barely makes enough money to pay the necessary bills, and an art program like the one Will deserves to be a part of requires a lot of funding just to apply. He came to me as a trusted person to ask for help, which is something we encourage all students to do without fear of punishment. Instead of that happening, he was punished. I was punished as well, and trust me, it’s been difficult, but this entire time, I’ve been worried more about the impact this will have on Will.”

Steve looked over at Will, who was wiping tears from his face.

“My boyfriend Eddie was the one offering financial assistance. If you remember, he knew the Byers before we were even together. He knows what Will is capable of and didn’t want him to lose out on a big opportunity for his future because of a couple hundred dollars. I supported them because Will deserves it. If our job is to care for these kids, and make sure they have bright futures, then that’s what we did. Punishing any of us for it seems like the opposite of what our mission is. It’s been a privilege to be able to provide Will, and many other students, a safe place to be themselves, and I hope to continue to do that in this school.”

Steve sat down before anyone responded, his mom squeezing his shoulder and Eddie taking his hand.

“Thank you, Mr. Harrington. If you would give us all a few minutes to deliberate in the other room, we will be back shortly,” Mr. Hammond said seriously.

As they filed out, Steve’s nerves grew exponentially.

His legs were bouncing up and down until Eddie’s hands were on his knees, putting pressure on them to keep them still.

“Look at me, Stevie. That’s it, good boy,” Eddie whispered to him. Anne was busy speaking with Joyce and Will, so they were practically alone. “You did amazing. They’d be idiots not to reinstate you. If you’re not back in your office tomorrow, I’ll move us to another school district so you can find a new job. Will can come, too.”

Steve let out a small giggle at the thought of moving their entire lives just so he could have another chance to be a counselor somewhere.

“Everyone here knows you did the right thing. That’s what matters most. We’re all proud of you.”

Steve nodded.

He looked behind him at Robin and Chrissy, who both waved when he looked back, their hands still clasped between them.

He sat silently for a few minutes, looking down at his lap, trying to believe Eddie’s words, but not get his hopes up too much in case things went badly.

The door opened.

The group walked in.

No one’s face gave anything away.

Steve’s nerves grew, but Eddie’s hand in his kept him here.

“Thank you for your patience,” Mr. Hammond stated. “At this time, will Mr. Harrington please stand?”

Steve stood, his legs wobbling slightly as he let go of Eddie’s hand.

He felt every eye on him.

“Mr. Harrington, you understand that this has all been following a very strict policy in regards to confidentiality and personal relationships with students?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You understand it was our responsibility to fully investigate all claims made to ensure the safety of the student in question?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You understand that reinstatement of your position will still show this investigation on your record?”

Steve heard Will cheering before he truly registered what was being said.

“I’m sorry?”

Mr. Hammond smirked. The rest of the group was smiling at him.

“You’ve been reinstated as of today. You may resume your position as guidance counselor as early as tomorrow. Please keep in mind any future claims will require an immediate suspension of duties. Please stay here while the paperwork is drawn up for signatures. Thank you all for your cooperation.” Mr. Hammond turned to Will. “And good luck to you, Will. Your art is quite spectacular and deserves a place in that art program.”

“Thank you!” Will said, maybe a bit too loudly for the location and occasion, but it just made everyone let out laughs at his excitement.

Eddie was suddenly pulling him into his arms, kissing the top of his head and saying so many lovely things that Steve could barely hear.

“You’re incredible, oh my God, I’m so happy for you,” he whispered into his ear before Anne got in between them.

“Let me hug my son!” She said half-jokingly. Eddie let him go so he could be enveloped in his mom’s arms. “I’m so proud of you, honey. I knew you’d be fine.”

“Probably not without you,” Steve admitted.

“Maybe, maybe not. Important thing is you get to go back to work and make a difference for these kids, right?”

He nodded and then got wrapped up in Robin’s arms.

“You did it dingus! You get to be back with the rugrats!” She was bouncing up and down, making the hug a bit awkward, but Steve was used to her energy.

“Congrats, Steve. I’m so happy for you,” Chrissy added from behind her.

Steve felt loved.

So many people came to support him, to show him that no matter what decision was made, they were on his side. That he mattered.

But he didn’t really start crying until Will was hugging him again, thanking him over and over again for being the best and for not giving up and for caring so much.

He let Will sit next to him while he signed all the paperwork, his mom reviewing everything before he did so.

Will was telling him all about the piece he started working on in art club, and how he thought it was good enough for his portfolio, but kind of wanted to get his opinion first. Steve listened, unable to stop smiling at his excitement.

It was contagious, the excitement.

Everyone in the room seemed to feel it, all of them practically bouncing in place as they waited for Steve to finish.

When he did, Anne took everyone out to a celebratory brunch, bribed Joyce to keep Will out of school for the whole day with the promise of the best mimosas she’s ever had.

As Steve rode home after in the passenger seat of Eddie’s car, he looked down at his sun tattoo.

Somehow, despite every cloud in the way, he was still shining.

“You okay, sunshine?” Eddie was looking over at him out of the corner of his eye, a smile pretty much permanently plastered on his face since the decision was made.

“I’m perfect,” he replied.

He’d never been perfect before. He’d never thought perfect was attainable.

But perfect to him wasn’t the lack of problems or imperfections, it was knowing that even with them, he was happy.

He felt bright. He felt warm. And with Eddie next to him, he felt like the sun.

epilogue

TAG LIST: @invisibleflame812 @inmoonywetrust @captain-daryn @carlyv @lillemilly @spectrum-spectre @raisedbylibrarians @estrellami-1 @gregre369 @mightbeasleep @imhereforthelolzdontyellatme @bornonthesavage @loguine-linguine @bejeweledbaby @bisexualdisastersworld @eddiemunsonswife @sadcanadianwinter @messrs-weasley @i-write-stories-not-sins-bitch @maya-custodios-dionach @sleepyboosstuff @novelnovella @f1ct1onwh0re @croatoan-like-its-hot @shrimply-a-menace @crazyhatlady86 @izzy2210 @phirex22 @crypticcorvidinacottage @yourebuckingkiddingme @sydthekid2004 @lovelylilbadone @abydell921 @wildflower-faun @lydi-cyan @lololol-1234 @221b-fandom @carlajim98 @azure-and-gold @space-invading-pigeon @crying-trashcan @hellomynameismoo @mrsjellymunson @lichenettic-pos

#steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things #robin buckley #chrissy cunningham #will byers #joyce byers #call me sunshine send me to space #tattoo artist eddie munson #guidance counselor steve harrington #soft dom eddie munson #sub steve harrington #last real chapter #only an epilogue and bonus buckingham chapter left!!!!

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pinktom · 7 months

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this is for that random character asks post you reblogged, but SPECIFICALLY for tom, harry, and the twins from lover's spit! 13, 17, 19, 24, 50

I've held onto this ask like a little treat for a special occasion. Thanks for asking, anon! These are really interesting questions.🐍💚

This is for the real ones, so it's going beneath a 'keep reading' cut. x)

13. Dumbest thing they’ve ever done

Twins

OK. They've definitely smoked nutmeg, and tripped so badly, they were running naked, sweating, crying. (For those who don't know: never smoke nutmeg lmao. It's notorious for the most vivid and horrific hallucinations, as well as painful side effects afterward.)

Harry

Can't you just see him doing some Mission Impossible nonsense and tearing down the entire banister? Or causing a small but highly damaging fire in the kitchen?

However, it will be outdone in coming chapters. Rest assured of that.

Tom

Well. Okay, aside from the obvious. He's definitely that kid who won't just take your word for it; he has to touch the hotplate to know it burns. Has to feel the blade to know it's sharp. A lot of going stone cold silent as his father yells and his nan quietly looks for a bandage.

17. Quotes, songs, poems, etc. that I associate with them

Twins

I absolutely love the music of Bloodhound Gang, and I think many of their songs capture their whimsical, chaotic, silly energy. Let's go with "A Lap Dance Is So Much Better When The Stripper Is Crying."

Harry

Cavetown dominates my playlists for Harry — top picks being "Meteor Shower," "Lemon Boy," "Advice," "This is Home," and "Sweet Tooth." And most of all, "Talk to Me":

It's so dark outside tonight Build a fire warm and bright And the wind it howls and bites Bite it back with all your might

His beautiful hoarse adolescent voice fits perfectly, as well as the understated purity and warmth of his lyrics.

Tom

Perhaps I'll hold on to the top song -- as it will surface in the penultimate chapter. :D

I'm also very fond of listening to "Icicles" by The Scary Jokes to get in the LS!Tom mindset. Every lyric fits, particularly:

Icicles don't soften when they die They sharpen into sabers, and they stab you in the eye

The tone from light-hearted and self-confident, to freaking out like a teenage girl - it's perfect.

19. Vices/bad habits

Twins

Smoking cigarettes, making bombs, dealing drugs. Probably watch a lot of porn (not together; or at least I hope not).

Harry

He is quite saintly. He often distracts himself from his problems by exhausting himself physically, so perhaps that.

The porn is getting a bit out of hand for him too, though.

Tom

He not only hyper-fixates on the person he loves, but also, on the many people he hates. Like, Cedric has clearly been living in his head rent free lol.

24. Most annoying habit

Twins

I can just hear them smacking their food. No manners, these two.

Harry

I think, if you asked his parents or friends, it would be his inexplicable mood swings.

But readers spend a lot of time in his head, so I think it seems a lot more understandable from that angle, lol.

Tom

He requires you to clarify yourself, literally, if he takes issue with anything you've said or otherwise wants you to reconsider.

It's probably not always purposeful; I do think he can struggle with subtext. Sometimes it is purposeful, and he's being difficult on purpose. Perhaps it's a lingering habit from childhood, where he usually could not pick up on subtext at all.

50. A memory they’ve blocked out

Twins

Hey, they have no recollection of tying Ron to that lamppost during the winter storm. He probably did that himself, the little squealer.

Harry

He has—with above-average success—ignored many memories relating to his gay attraction LMAO.

When he says (I think in Ch. 4?) that he's quite sure he isn't gay, let me be cleary: he is eyeball deep in denial.

He does know he's gay by that point. He knew it for years. He's just masterful at repressing that little voice inside his head.

Tom

His memory is extremely sharp, '99th percentile' sort of sharp. But I still think he manages to block out quite a bit of ages 10-13 alsjdlfkj 💀

I think he can remember it all if he wants, but he does have some very selective blockers covering up to months of time: portions of his trial, his nan and aunties crying, several of the mandatory therapy sessions he went to, the works.

Most of all, I think he really blocks out any memory of Harry during this time, to the extent he can barely remember him being at the trial at all.

I would argue this is where he varies the most from canon!Voldemort. For me, it's not the limitless twinkiness, nor even the capacity for romantic obsession, that makes LS!Tom fundamentally different from Voldemort. It is his ability to compartmentalize, and move on.

If anyone made it to the end of this, I love you - simple as that.

#lover’s spit #ask game

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dayurno · 2 months

Note

more than a woman is the ultimate kevin day song to me……. im so glad you agree…… i knew you would understand. i was listening to that playlist the other day and realized i HADNT added it yet and it felt like an oversight so i had to fix it immediately. it was very important to me the whole playlist wasn’t sad. i stsrted my kevin playlist in the height of me losing my mind about him last year in july (i read the books for the first time at the end of may!) but it only made me crazier so i held off making the jean one until november LOL. his is def a little more sad but i think a good portion of the songs are hopeful :-) and YEAH jean is soooo hozier to me. i gave myself a limit on how many hozier songs i could add. it will probably be broken eventually

UR PINTEREST BOARD that fic is going to kill me. im so excited every time you share something about it…. the dynamics seem so fun ^-^ also the richard siken tweet in there Took me Out. i own and have read crush by him so many times like it’s such a big part of who i am and relating that to kerejean makes me. sbdjebx. sweating. nauseous. so excited. the vibes are so good, it feels very nostalgic and warm already….. btw your jean playlist hit me over the head and gave me a.Concussion. i wanna get better???!?! under the table???? OOM SHA LA LA? that song changed my brain chemistry like three years ago and im going to associate it with him forever now. your kevjean playlist being so long is so very real too….. i need to sit down and listen to the full nine hours of it.

DBSIDBSID. the kandrew beef is Personal and it’s so funny. i am working on making them get closer it just takes a lot of time bc andrew simply does not like to stick around. he comes to a sort of truce with them at some point, mostly after he and jean have a Talk alone, but he still doesn’t like kevin for a while. there IS side andreil tho…. neil is 26 :3 he comes to visit kevjean in paris for a bit and immediately causes problems. but the problems help them get their shit together so it’s fine! andrew is of course intrigued. most of it happens in the background tho bc they like to disappear together…… but neil actually ends up in foster care and gets adopted by wymack when he’s around 13, which is around the same age andrew is adopted and meets jeremy, so they understand each other still :) they do a lot of sneaking around and do not want their relationship perceived at all vs jeremy knox head of the PDA committee and very happy for his own friend finding love.

the biting…….. jeremy falls somewhere in the middle of the spectrum but he does suffer from the most intense feelings of love anyone has ever felt and will latch on like a dog and not let go sometimes. it really depends on his mood and what they’re doing how hard he bites ^-^ jean almost never complains but kevin always does. as is how they are. and they really both love attacking kevin. sitting there biting at his neck and shoulders and jean in particular likes gnawing on the wrist bone. jeremy is only a few inches shorter than kevin but will not hesitate to push him around….. dreamy sigh. at first he’s very nervous about overstepping Anything around either of them but once he knows that they actually like him he becomes such a menace. it’s his life’s duty to make kevin day, his childhood celebrity crush, a little embarrassed and whiny. both he and jean are soooo happy to tease kevin and kevin complains constantly about being ganged up on. jeremy is actually still IN college too, he turns 23 toward the beginning of the fic (i. hc him as a cancer!) and he and andrew have their fifth year to get through so he’s really just some college kid nibbling on and picking on them and taking over their apartment. trust that jean gets teased too he wouldn’t want anyone left out!

JEANFO….. jean….. my apple strudel….. there is so much i could say about him but it feels hard to do him justice…… he really is so special. he’s a little more healed of course bc he’s 28 and has always had kevin keeping contact with him. kevin got out at 14 so jean was there for 6 years without him and it’s really. it’s not a good time for him. but kevin refuses to lose contact and even sneaks across state lines to see him at 16 when he gets his license (with 14yo neil). jean has always had something to hold onto and live for. so jean is doing okay……. he still struggles and he’s very stubborn so he would rather AVOID things and kevin isn’t the kind of person who’s going to push him to face them (kevin has his own things to avoid) but he gets a good push from jeremy. and he LOVESSSS keremy. it’s one of his greatest joys that the two people he loves most care about each other the way they do. he’s so obsessed with them and so excited to show them off when they get together with friends. he’s really a little bit of a clingy freak :-) ESPECIALLY if he gets drunk. he’s a very needy drunk and if someone doesn’t kiss him (or if he doesn’t get to bite) his whole night is ruined and they certainly can’t have that. he learns quickly he cannot keep up with jeremy Party Boy knox tho. he’s a silly guy <3 sooo bitchy to everyone outside of his boyfriends but tender with them…. they’re trusted with his girlish little heart. i could talk about him for ages but i fear tumblr will cut me off LOL our responses to each other are getting so long like we’re writing letters by candlelight to be sent post-haste…..

HELLO MY LOVE im sorry for the late reply my pc was out of commission and answering asks on mobile is terrible but i am back now as your penpal. I LOVED MORE THAN A WOMAN OFC i understand i think i've had so many kevin day playlists since i first read aftg in 2020 (which feels like such a lifetime ago!), so i try not to keep too much track of them and not to take them or myself too seriously either. in a way all the playlists i've made have been an abstract of my life at the time of making so i want to preserve them that way! which is why my kandrew playlist is 6 hours long. because i am preserving.

THANK YOU FOR LIKING MY PINBOARD i wanted this fic most of all to be an ode to friendship. in kandreil i think theres so much history and tension there that sometimes it's easy to forget that there are other reasons people can stay together, so i wanted to write a kerejean where they felt like they were genuinely friends before it ever started careening into romance!!!! i think it's working. Probably. it's a very joyful and warm fic (or at least i hope it is) and i've been having a lot of fun with dialogue specifically because so much of friendship is just talking! anyway ah i have to stop myself before i spoil anything so just know it's going to be fun. hopefully. and there's a scene where jean calls kevin the first flower of edgar allen (direct rip off from tlt but bear with me)

I LOVE THEM BOTH TEASING KEVIN!!!! is there anything more genuine than teasing your crush together.......... that's the kind of thing i live 4 in relationship dynamics................ ohhh i just know this fic will get me so bad if it ever sees the light of day (heh).... ALSO HE'S STILL IN COLLEGE KEVINNNNNNNNNNN kevin youre letting a man still in college boss you around youve been better and more dignified endings. AND I LOVE DRUNK JEAN THANK YOU especially needy aiyayayaya..... my favorite senseless hc is that jean is a lightweight and he cant keep up with neither jeremy nor kevin nor renee. he's drunk off of one glass while the other three compete to see who can get liver failure first. he has been consistently getting drinked under the table by kevin for years. our beautiful apple strudel....... our little cabbage as the french say. :-)

i hope my candlelight letter reaches YOU post-haste and ofc im sorry for the wait!

#im sorry 2 everyone who sent asks these days really BUT IM BACK NOW I PROMISE #lets kiki again and have fun because god knows in these trying fucking times we need it #asks #kerejean fic anon

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blanksbae · 2 years

Text

Even If We’re Just Dancing in the Dark (RPF)

Disclaimer: This is complete and total FICTION. That means it never happened and is completely untrue. In fact, this is so far from the truth that it isn’t even in the same country as the truth. I don’t own anybody, and I make no money off of this. I am not in any way implying said characters’ sexual identities. All knowledge of these people are from public information. All thoughts are my own. These are FICTIONAL characters, based loosely on the public persona of real people; this is not a story about the REAL people.

If you are, or know, someone in this fic, close that browser tab and turn around now. Please. Also, for the love of all that is holy, PLEASE don’t link this/share with the real people who are associated with this work of FICTION.

No beta here…all mistakes are mine.

Title from Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark”

This came about in late March/early April (?; I really can’t remember when...alll I remember is seeing a quote about “I don’t bite-unless you want me too”, and I was deep in the Bords feels, and then I stumbled on the Mock Rock video again. I was talking with @workingforitallthetime about it, and voila! Fic- credit to them for most of the list (other than Briss- I had always determined that was the endgame).

Wait a minute, I do remember now. It was after that one UMich video where they talked about their favorite moment the season, and Bords was in that vintage team USA jacket...I was thinking dancer!Bords AU. Aha, my brain hasn’t failed me after all. :) Anyway, alternatively was titled “Dancer AU” on my google doc. Have a 5+1 fic!

As always, fiction. Don’t like, don’t read. RPF under the cut. I was going to share it on Saturday, but decided to put it out tonight instead.

Tagging: @calermakar08 @brenbrissonsgf @thombordy @driverpicksthe-music @erikports @1-800-iluvhockey @hockey-lover86 @huggybearr @ethancale @blankyblanks @barzyismyhusband13 @bordestapa @cobrakaisb @njdhischier @ice-hockey-is-pretty-cool @hockeyboysarehot @workingforitallthetime

1. Owen

When Owen had come home early, he wasn’t expecting anyone to be home. He definitely wasn’t expecting Bords to be in the living room with a folding chair and Ginuewine’s “Pony” blasting from his phone’s speakers. Owen couldn’t figure out what was going on until Bords started walking around the chair, and oh.

Owen knew he’d been spotted when Bords said, “Oh, Owen, hey. You got a minute?”

“Sure.” Owen blushed at getting caught. “What do you need?”

“I’m supposed to do a lap dance for Mock Rock, and I’ve never done it before. Can I practice on you?” Bords batted his eyelashes in an attempt to break the awkwardness of the mood, but it just made Owen blush harder.

“Um, yeah, ok.” Owen stammered out.

“Sweet! Come sit down.” Bords said. Owen did, and Bords restarted the song. He started behind Owen’s chair and ran his hand over Owen’s chest.

Owen tried to think about the unsexiest things he could, but it wasn’t any use, especially when Bords sat down on Owen’s lap and laced his fingers behind Owen’s head. Owen knew he was probably beet red by now, and he was just hoping Bords wasn’t going to make this any more awkward than it was.

Bords wiggled his hips around a couple times, and when Owen let out a strangled gasp (and got even more red if possible), Bords grinned. “Ok, yeah. That’s good. Thanks Big Dog.” Bords grinned, getting up off of Owen.

“Yeah.” Owen started bolting for his room. He couldn’t let Bords see the situation he had.

“I’ll run interference. You’ve got 10 minutes!” Bords yelled. And well, Owen didn’t need to be told twice (and he really didn’t want to ever have to bring up this moment with Bords ever again).

2. Truss

Truss was there when Bords had suggested doing a dance at Mock Rock. He looked over at Bords. “What kind of dance were you thinking?

“I hadn’t thought about it yet.” Bords admitted.

“We could totally do the scene from Dirty Dancing. I’m no Swayze, but I could definitely lift you and spin you.”

“No.” Bords said, laughing. “Coach would kill me if you got injured.”

“Fair point.” Truss said.

“But, if you want, I’m willing to give it a try, just to prove that it won’t work.” Bords said. He found the song and then planned his run and jump.

Truss caught him and spun him around. Bords couldn’t help but laugh, and as Truss lowered him, Bords wrapped his legs around Truss’ waist and his hands around Truss’ neck. Truss pulled Bords in closer and that was when Bords figured it out.

“A lap dance.” Bords said. “It should be a lap dance.”

“I’m here if you need someone to practice on.” Truss said, putting Bords back down on the ground.

“I just may take you up on that.” Bords grinned.

3. Ports

They were out at a party when Bords sat down in Erik’s lap. “Ports! You were great out there tonight.”

“Thanks.” Erik said, wondering why Bords was sitting in his lap, leaning in close enough to Erik that Erik could smell the crappy beer that Bords had been drinking all night long.

“Seriously,” Bords said, wiggling around a little in Erik’s lap. “You kept us alive in that game tonight, and really all season. I think you need to relax a little.”

“Bords? What are you talking about?” Erik asked. Bords didn’t answer; he just pulled Erik up off the couch and down the hall to one of the empty rooms. After making sure the door was locked, Bords pushed at Erik until Erik fell back on the bed. Bords pushed at a couple buttons on his phone, and then he was straddling Erik on the bed again.

“Let me say thank you.” Bords said, twisting his hips around, making Erik’s hands fly up to Bords’ waist.

“Ok.”

And if Erik played even better the next week and sought Bords out at the party, well, that was just between them.

4. Blanks

Blanks had come home at the wrong time; he hadn’t needed to see Bords trying to grind against the couch arm.

“Um, Bords?” Blanks asked. “What are you doing?”

Bords blushed bright red at being caught. “Er, I was trying something out for my dance for Mock Rock.”

“You need someone to try it on?” Blanks asked, sitting down on the couch. “I’m down.”

“Blanks. I can’t…” Bords trailed off. “You’re my captain, you don’t…”

“Come on, I don’t bite,” Blanks said. Bords swung his legs across Blanks’ lap and straddled him. Blanks leaned in and whispered in Bords’ ear, “That is, unless you want me to.” Blanks grinned as Bords gasped a little. “Show me what you got.”

This was probably the best lap dance Bords had done; the couch had given it a slightly different angle, but Blanks had been in tune with each move Bords was making, and even seemed to anticipate some; Bords had leaned his head back at one point and Blanks had lightly nipped at Bords’ neck, drawing out a sound Bords had never heard himself make before. When Blanks had taken Bords’ hand and led him to Blanks’ room to continue it, Bords didn’t even think twice.

“You keep saying it’s Mock Rock, but I think I know what it is,” Blanks said, running his hand through Bords’ sweaty hair. “You want to make a good impression on Briss, don’t you?”

“What? How?” Bords didn’t deny it, but he didn’t confirm it either. He thought he was hiding it well.

“That’s why I’m the captain.” Nick grinned. “You two stare at each other all the time, and I know you-Briss is the one whose opinion matters the most. I’m giving you the blessing-as long as it doesn’t mess with the team.”

“Thanks.” Bords said; there was no use denying it. Blanks could keep a secret too, so Bords wasn’t worried about Briss finding out. “What rating would you give me?”

“9 out of 10. Would definitely recommend.” Blanks said, grinning. “If things don’t work out with Briss, you know where to find me.”

“Right.” Bords said, cheeks red again. “Thanks Blanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

5. Matty

Not that Matty minded living with Bords, quite the opposite really, but right now, if Matty heard “Cookie” by R. Kelly one more time, he was going to break Bords’ neck. (Especially when it didn’t help that Matty knew the scene from Magic Mike XXL that the song was from- his girlfriend at the time had made him go watch it with her.)

Matty waited until the song was over and then went and knocked on Bords’ bedroom door. When he got the all clear to enter, Matty came in to find Bords on the bed, laptop on the pillow.

“S’up Matty?” Bords asked.

“Can you at least wear headphones if you’re going to listen to that? I swear, if I hear that song one more time…” Matty trailed off as Bords got up off the bed and came closer to him. “Bords? What’s going on?”

“You think I could do it?” Bords asked, breath tickling Matty’s ear.

“Do what?” Matty asked, trying to will himself to stay cool in the situation.

“Break your back, crack it open like a lobster.” Bords said, quoting the song. Matty felt his heart rate picking up a little.

“I don’t know. What, you wanna try it? I’m sure coach would love it if I got injured.” Matty deadpanned, trying to regain the grip he was quickly losing on the situation.

“Do you want me to try it?” Bords asked, and there went the last strands of self-control Matty had.

“Yes.” Matty said; he knew he’d never get another chance at this (and he knew how Bords felt about Briss; there were a couple of after party confessions from each boy that Matty wished he had never heard), so if Bords was offering, Matty was going to take full advantage of it.

Bords grinned like the cat that ate the canary. “Alright then. Take a seat in that chair over there.”

Matty did as he was told, and when he heard the bars of “Cookie” start, he couldn’t help the small grin that came over his face. That grin quickly was wiped off his face as Bords sat in Matty’s lap and started moving his hips. (And how long had Bords been watching the video? He had the moves down. Matty wasn’t going to think about that right now.). Then Bords had tipped the chair back carefully, and Matty had ended up on his back on the floor; Bords had moved the chair out of the way and had flipped Matty over (so he was on his stomach) and sat down on Matty’s back.

Then came the part about breaking the back and cracking it open like a lobster; Bords pulled Matty up by his hair. Matty let out a groan that Truss surely would’ve heard (had he been home; thankfully he was gone right now) and said, “Fine. You win.”

“Told you I could do it.” Bords grinned, getting up and off of Matty. “Um, you want some help there?” Bords asked, pointing out the obvious erection Matty had going on.

“Um, yes. You started it, you finish it.” Matty said.

“I can do that.”

“No more of that song please?” Matty asked after they’d cleaned up and were in the kitchen, Bords watching Matty make dinner.

“I’ll do my best.” Bords said. “Or I’ll wear headphones.”

“Deal.”

+1. Briss

It had come to this. Bords had done Mock Rock (and got some glowing reviews on his dancing skills), and he’d been practicing with a couple teammates too, but now it was time to do it for Brendan.

Bords threw back another shot; he was going to need some liquid courage to start this (and definitely if Briss rejected him-Nick was on standby in case things went horribly wrong).

“Briss!” Bords said, coming to sit down in Briss’ lap. “How you doing?”

“Good.” Briss’ hand went to stabilize Bords in his lap immediately, which was a good sign. Bords just sat there for a minute before experimentally moving his hips a little. Briss stiffened slightly, but relaxed, so Bords waited another couple minutes before trying again. This time, Briss stopped Bords’ hips and looked over at Bords.

“What are you doing?” It wasn’t Briss’ “mad” voice; it was his “curious” voice, and Bords looked right at Briss.

“Can we take this somewhere more private?” Bords asked.

“That might not be a bad idea.” Briss agreed. “Come on, my room is just down the hall. We can talk in there.”

Once Briss had closed and locked his door, he looked at Bords. “What’s going on? Are you ok?”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

“You were practically grinding on me on the couch!” Briss was slightly exasperated.

“Maybe I wanted to see how you’d react.” Bords said. “I got my answer. I’ll go now.”

“I never said I didn’t like it.” Briss’ voice was soft. “It was just a little too public for me.”

Bords’ brain went offline for a second as he processed the statement. “Briss?” his voice was barely above a whisper. “What are you saying?”

“I don’t want everyone to see it.” Briss said. “I am on board with it. Like, you don’t know how many times I watched that Mock Rock video.” Briss’ cheeks flamed red. “I wondered what it would be like. I just didn’t know how to ask.”

For the second time in minutes, Bords’ brain short circuited. “It was always you.” he said, before his brain caught up with his mouth. “I wanted it to be you.”

They shared a laugh, and then Briss looked at Bords. “You’ve got me all alone in my locked bedroom, on my bed. Why don’t you show me what you’ve got?” And well, Bords didn’t need to be told twice.

#here-for-Bords RPF #here-for-Bords writes #hockey rpf #5+1 fic #that Mock Rock video is the gift that keeps on giving apparently #and that UMich video too #thanks workingforitallthetime for listening to my ramblings :)#Alcohol was definitely consumed during the writing of this fic LOL #my Bords is a dancer AU #so not even the truth #false false false #complete and total FICTION #throwing this into the void

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toraavanak · 2 years

Text

Lunch Break

Yvaine stepped into the elevator of the H.E.L.M., humming along to the song she was listening to. It was a song she had played a hundred times over but she never got tired of it. Maybe it was the happiness to the tune, a lighthearted melody intertwined with optimistic lyrics. Made her wonder what other songs might have been created before the Collapse and what those might have sounded like.

With a ding, the elevator opened to the bridge, an empty hall that ended in a large window peeking out to the hangar and the Last City. The Vanguard Frames paid no mind to her, carrying out their duties inside of the outpost with robotic efficiency. She stepped inside and quickly made a beeline for the back of the ship.

Crow was leaning against the wall, hood up, arms crossed. He seemed deep in thought, but Yvaine knew he would much rather not be. He looked up as she approached, raising a hand in greeting. "Guardian."

"You say that like you aren't." Yvaine held up the small doggy bag she was carrying. "Lunch?"

Crow's eyes darted back and forth between her and the bag, almost as if he didn't think they were real. "You... you sure?"

"I wouldn't have gotten it if I wasn't." The Warlock gestured to the stairs behind her. "Come on, we can eat in the hangar."

- - -

Yvaine unwrapped her burger and took a big bite, using one hand to hold her lunch and the other to lean back. She had placed her helmet between herself and the Hunter, letting her library of songs play from her comms while they ate. The current song was more on the energetic side, full of guitars and drums. Nix said it was categorized as “rock” but she always associated it with storms and lightning.

Crow took a small bite of his own burger, chewing contemplatively. His eyes were trained on his food like it was the only thing he could see. Yvaine glanced over at the fledgling Guardian and reached to get a fry from the bag between them. "Ikora's been asking about you."

"I know."

"Still avoiding her calls?"

"I've been busy."

"I know."

"No, you don't." Crow hissed, narrowing his eyes at her.

Yvaine met his gaze. She had seen that look a thousand times on a thousand faces, from people she had met that had suffered some great loss during the endless fight against humanity’s enemies. He wasn't trying to be malicious; she could see how scared he was. The guilt, the shame, the tears being held back, the quiver in his voice. The look he gave her was one of a lost soul, full of questions but scared of all the answers. It was the same look she knew was on her own face when she crushed her first Hive Ghost.

She lowered the volume of the music and popped a fry into her mouth. "You've been diving into mission after mission since Saladin left."

"Bracus Forge."

"Valus, now. And he'll always be Saladin to me."

Crow gripped his burger. "Why?"

"Because that's how I knew him."

"So how do you know me?"

"A sassy Hunter that likes to steal my fries when I'm not looking."

"Be serious with me."

"I am serious." Yvaine took another bite and quickly swallowed. The next song in queue started playing, a somber melody about some sort of loss. It was as if her playlist knew what direction the conversation was taking. "I couldn't stand Uldren even before he disappeared. He was rude, stuck up and only ever respected the people who stayed on the Reef. I like the Guardian that checks in on the Eliksni Quarter even if it risks his exposure to the people there."

The Hunter’s eyes widened in surprise. "How'd you-"

"I spend a lot of time in that Quarter, Crow. And Glint isn't exactly subtle."

Crow stared down at the City below. "He's too nice for his own good."

"Maybe. But it's nice to have some optimists for a change."

"Aren't you one?"

The Warlock laughed. "Barely. I always have that feeling I'm going to die."

"Then why do you keep fighting?"

"Because that's what Guardians do. I know I'm going to draw my final breath someday. Might as well make the most of it."

The next song played, a soft quiet song that Yvaine only recently started to like. It was a slow song which didn’t really connect with her at first, but when she started listening to the lyrics, she could imagine the hope the artist must have felt in what was probably a very dark time.

She popped another fry into her mouth, side eyeing Crow for his reaction. He still seemed tense, like he had a million thoughts but no words to say. She sighed but gave him a small smile.

"You told me you were a Guardian. I still believe that."

The Hunter took a deep breath then looked back at Yvaine. There was still a fog of doubt lingering in his eyes, but she didn't expect an existential crisis to be solved in a single conversation. He was lost, but he was strong. And now, he wasn't alone.

"Thanks. For lunch, I mean."

"Anytime, Crow. Anytime."

#destiny 2 #the guardian #destiny crow

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residentdormouse · 9 months

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Who is your current muse, and who is their faceclaim/what do they look like? What is one item that you associate without fail to them? What is their favourite colour? Is there a song you associate with them? If not, what quote fits the best for them? What do they like doing in their spare time? How much spare time do they get? What one fact do you love about them, but might not have had the chance to share yet?

💞 Thank you for asking! 🥹💞

(Sorry this has taken so long to answer - real life has been absolutely insane for me recently. Its going to be rough for a bit still while I adjust, but I think everything is going for the better in the end. Regardless, may still be MIA for awhile.)

I'm going to answer for my new original work 'Close to the Vale' and the main character for it, Faith Lochren (which by proximity brings in a bit of Paul). I haven't gotten too far in this work (again, irl drama has been a bitch), but I have some basic concepts, a decent outline, and a couple chapters.

As for a face claim, I have been playing at Jennifer Carpenter. Maybe this will change throughout the process, but most of the shit that pours out of Debra Morgan's mouth makes me smile and gives me Faith vibes.

Her item would be a very simple rose gold engagement ring that Paul gave her. It's not coming off. You can pry that fucker from her cold dead hands, and you damn well better believe if you're doing that, she's going to be haunting your ass. Not worth it, move it along.

As for colors, the engagement ring choice wasn't arbitrary. Rose gold is a favorite of Faith's. Complement it with a bit of sea foam/teal, and a neutral taupe and she's sold. Paul knew what he was doing. He usually did.

I've only done some basic song hunting so far, but this one has set a tone for drafting the first couple chapters. Depending on where you pick Faith up at, her vibe is going to be very different. Pre-incident Faith, and post-incident Faith are different people. Same background, same make-up, but loss has tainted her view on the world and affected her actions in it. This is definitely post-incident, which is where most of the story takes place.

Outdoors was always a comfort for Faith. Hiking on back trails. Wandering up streams. She would opt to stay out there than deal with societal bullshit any day of the week. When she couldn't get outdoors, which living in the middle of the city makes somewhat difficult, she could also be found working on a good puzzle. More mental than visual though. 1,000 piece pictures puzzles with the same damn repeating pattern? Nobody has the time or patience for that shit. Riddles? Brain teasers? Logic puzzles? Yeah, she's game. Now pair puzzles, a campfire, and Paul's storytelling, and you have a combination that can't possibly be beat in her mind. (Well, maybe some drinks would sweeten the deal.) Lately, however, this has all come to a halt. After quiting her job (again), time is all she has. But the will to pick it all back up again, living that life, alone, it's non existent.

She has very little filter sometimes. Most times. If there's a problem, you're going to hear it. In most cases, with more colorful language than you would expect. Unless you know her, that is. Suffering arrogance and pretentious bullshit is not something she is about, and there's no secret about this. While Paul had a reputation for speaking his mind as well, he usually had a lighthearted mirth behind his remarks. Hers bite and/or contain a fair amount of snark. It's amazingly fun to write (and decently cathartic).

#this was ridiculously sweet of you to ask #thank you so much #close to the vale #Faith Lochren #mouse is back on her nonsense

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alexandrablake · 2 years

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-“the night we met” by lord huron

(view on desktop for substantially better quality)

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strangelysamantha · 3 years

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hi can i request a blurb or a whole imagine where jj rlly likes reader but she’s a kook and his friends don’t like her that much, 💗 thank u

hatred runs out ❀

jj maybank x kook!reader.

warnings: swearing, hateful feelings, that’s all.

words: 2,015.

summary: you are a kook, you were trying to befriend the pogues as they made you happier than you had been in months. the only downside, none of them were quite welcoming, besides jj.

request? yes!

a/n: my ask box is open, send away! i’m working on multiple imagines that should come later! like and comment if you enjoy this. thanks for the request! <3

my masterlist

——————————————————————————

“she’s a kook jj, i mean, you aren’t seriously crushing on her? are you?” john b looked up at jj, and frowned when he saw he wasn’t laughing. “john b, i don’t know what it is man, but she’s different. i just know it.” john b cackled, “she’s not different. she’s a kook, i mean come on… she hangs out with topper. that says enough.” jj rolled his eyes, obviously annoyed. “you just don’t like her because she associates with sarah’s ex.” he shakes his head. “no, that’s not the reason jj. your mind is just fogged up, because you clearly aren’t thinking straight.” jjs anger was boiling up, and before he did something he would regret, he decided to just walk off.

jj stormed away. he continued walking despite john bs attempt of calling out to him to stop. he was trying to clear his mind, he genuinely liked you, so much that he felt the need to tell john b. jj wouldn’t usually be this upset, but when john b of all people disapproves because you are a kook, when the girl he is dating is sarah, it angers him. after ten minutes of air, and chilling out, he returns to john bs house.

once inside he sees you and kie. he was completely caught off guard. “oh? you’re here.” jj spoke to you, causing you to look up. “hey jj. yeah, i decided to stop by before my shift. do you want to join us? we’re playing uno.” your smile immediately lifts a smile to jj's face. “sure i’ll play some uno.” he approaches the table, and you deal him seven cards.

kie was the only one who semi liked you. obviously she wasn't ecstatic about you, but she was open to tolerating you. as time went on, she started to enjoy your company, she realized you weren’t that bad, and despite being a kook, the two of you related on many things.

“first card is a yellow two. jj can go first.” you stare at him, waiting patiently for his move. his heart was beating fast, as he tried to pick a card. as he placed a yellow seven, john b walked in. “why is she here?” you didn’t miss the sharp tone that lingered in john bs voice. “oh, i decided to stop by. i’m sorry, i should have asked.” you stand up, reaching for your jacket. “that’s right. you should have asked. you can’t just show up to someone’s house randomly. it’s weird.” you frown, not realizing until now that he didn’t trust you enough to even be considered an acquaintance.

“she’s welcomed here whenever she wants to be, john b.” jj spoke up for you. kie backing him up by softly saying yeah. “no. she’s not. it’s my house jj, and i don’t appreciate you inviting random kook strangers over. she’s not a pogue. she’s not like us. meaning; she’s not welcomed here.” you frown at his words. you quickly feel out of place and you rush to the door, pulling your shoes on. “i’m going to go.” you spoke up, grabbing your purse. “good. see you!” john b exclaimed, watching you walk out the front door and down the steps.

“what the fuck bro?” jj stared at john b waiting for an explanation. “what?” jjs eyes narrowed on his, he couldn’t be serious could he? “why do you always do that shit bro? i mean honestly. what makes her any different from sarah?” john b shakes his head. “don’t even compare them. they aren't similar.”

jj scoffs, “oh they’re not?” jj begins to expose the similarities but john b shuts it down immediately. “jj i’m not going to explain myself to you anymore. i don’t like her, and i don’t want her over here.” jj groans in frustration. “if only you got to know her man, then you’d know how amazing she is. i mean ask kie. kie thought she was annoying at first and now they can be in the same room without being in a yelling match.” kie nodded, listening in but staying mostly silent.

“fine. the only reason i’m agreeing is because you hate kooks too, which means you might be right. about her.” john b sighs, giving up. “thank you. please, even if you decide you still don’t like her, please just consider getting to know her.” he pleads, “i already said i will.” john b rolled his eyes, jj smiles, “okay. we should invite her to hang out with us after pope gets off work.” they all nod in agreement, planning something so they could see if they wanted you to join their party.

the pogues had planned on inviting you to the wreck, and then to a mini trip on the hms pogue, for a boat ride. you were ecstatic, excited that they wanted to actually hang out with you. you think hard, trying to find a perfect outfit. you didn’t want to overdress, or underdress, and you didn’t want to look bad. after deciding on a simple outfit and swimsuit, you head to the wreck.

you see the group in the back corner. when you walk inside, jj is the first to spot you. a smile spreads to his lips, as he waves you over to join them. you sit down by john b, jj sitting on the other side of you. “hey.” you say shyly, not entirely sure if this whole thing was a set up. you were hopeful it wasn’t, but you could never be too sure.

“hey, thanks for coming.” pope said. you smile brightly at him, “thanks for inviting me.” pope nods. your stomach was hurting by how nervous you were. jj made small talk with you, as you guys were waiting for kiara. you weren’t entirely sure what they were planning, you were just glad to be a part of it.

“alright guys. here’s the scraps.” kiara walked to your table, setting down a bowl of fries, and then a plaster of burgers. you smile softly, jj and john b immediately grabbing the food. you wait, not entirely hungry since you ate before you left. jj offered you a bite of his burger, “oh thanks!” you laugh slightly as you bite from where he had bitten, enjoying the taste, “hey you actually have mustard right there.” you smiled as you spread mustard on jj’s face. you couldn’t help the giggles erupting from you, as jj’s mouth opened wide in shock. “oh really? well you seem to have some ketchup-” his finger rubbed ketchup on your cheek. “all over…” he gestured to your face. “hey! give me a napkin.” you ask for a napkin and jj laughs. “no.” you immediately look over to pope, giving him a smile. “may i have a napkin?” you ask. he smiles, “sorry jay.” he hands you a napkin and you wipe the ketchup off your face.

“thank you pope. i like you. unlike some people at this table…” you look at jj and he’s just smiling like a maniac. pope laughs. “glad that you think so highly of me just because i handed you a napkin.” you nod, eating a french fry before glancing at john b. he was awfully quiet. “john b?” you question. he looks up at you. “yes?” annoyance already rolling off his tongue. “are you okay?” he rolled his eyes. “yes. even if i wasn’t, i wouldn’t confide in you about it.” you frown.

you wait a second, trying to think of how to lighten the mood. “you know what we need to do?” you look from pope to jj, to finally john b, poking at his arm. “what?” john b looks up at you. you tap jj’s stomach, indicating to him to stand up. he stands up, making room for you to be able to move out of the booth. you poke john bs side. “we need to dance.” you grab john b's hand, doing anything possible to lighten his mood. his frown was still hung on his lips. he hesitated and followed you to the middle of the restaurant. jj and pope stay back at the booth.

you lean over the counter, asking kie to play a song she knows john b would enjoy. “john b. you just need to calm down, and relax. you just need to dance like nobody's watching.” he stares at you, shocked. “it’s okay. i’ll do it with you.” his favorite song started playing, and you began to awkwardly dance. he laughed at your ridiculous moves. he held back from joining in, he didn’t want you to win. you began to break out dancing, and he can’t help but laugh. you look up as someone enters the restaurant. a smile flies to your face. “sarah!!!” she runs up to you.

“hey!!! i didn’t know you guys would be here.” you smile, still swaying slightly to the music. “sarah i would have definitely invited you if i knew you were free.” she nodded at your words. “all good girly, we still good for monday?” you smile, “of course.” john b stared, confused by this whole interaction. not only did you know sarah, you were actually friends with her. you had plans to hang out with her. maybe he was wrong, maybe jj was the one who was right. maybe, you actually were similar to sarah.

“do you want to join us?” you ask, sarah grabbed your hand spinning you around before breaking out in a fit of laughter. “stay another minute here with you losers… i’ll pass.” you jokingly act offended, “hey!” she shakes her head. “only kidding. i definitely would, but my dad wants me home. he claims he has a fun night planned but it’ll probably just consist of watching a movie and eating from here.” you nod. “well have fun with that.” you spoke, she smiles, “you know i always do.” you roll your eyes at her joke, she walks away grabbing her to go food before she disappears from the restaurant. “hey i’m gonna go take a sip of water.” you move back to the booth, jj refusing to move so you end up sitting on his lap. you sip water as you catch your breath from dancing.

john b heads straight to kiara. “how long have they been friends?” he asked abruptly. “her and sarah?” kie questions, pointing at you. he nods, “yeah.” kiara laughs, “they’ve been buddies for years. they didn’t get super close until a month or two ago.” he nods at her words. he was still shocked. he looked back at the booth, seeing you sat on jjs lap, his hands held firmly around your waist. you were speaking to pope, and he actually looked interested in what you were saying.

john b had just realized that he had the wrong idea of who you were. whether sarah made him realize that or not, he definitely didn’t want to hold a grudge with you, especially if sarah was your friend. john b walked back to the table, his attention on you. kiara had followed swiftly behind him. “let’s raise a toast.” the group was confused but they lifted their cups of water anyway. “to the newest member of our club.” his glass pointed in your way, his cup clashing with yours. you smile. john b was the only one you were worried about, and now he was saying he welcomes you.

the group cheers as you smile brightly. “thank you guys! i’m so excited for our future adventures.” you drink from your glass. the group waited for kiara’s shift to end before taking the hms pogue for a ride. you were sat by jj, pope to your left. kiara and john b talking as they directed the boat.

“well, welcome. you made it.” pope smiles, laughing slightly. “i did, isn’t that crazy. john b hated me like 6 hours ago.” jj laughs, “classic john b for you.” you nod at his words. pope, jj, john b, kiara, and you, talked all night, watching the stars as you guys got closer. it was so much fun, and today’s events allowed you to become a permanent group member.

#jj x kook!reader #jj maybank x fem!reader #fiction #writing #jj maybank obx #jj x fem!reader #jj maybank x reader angst #jj maybank fanfic #jj maybank fanfiction #jj maybank story #jj maybank imagine #jj maybank angst #jj maybank fluff #jj maybank short imagine #jj maybank x you #jj maybank x y/n

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buckybarnesdiaries · 3 years

Text

“Love's my religion but he was my faith, something so sacred, so hard to replace. Fallin' for him was like fallin' from grace”.

PART ONE. INDEX.

bucky barnes x reader ⎢ masterlist.

word count: ±1.4k.

warnings/tags: none.

author notes: none of my stories contain reader’s body descriptions to be inclusive.

Join the tag list here.

Four years had passed since you left New York to study in London. Your parents went to visit you every two months, but it wasn't the same. You missed your home, the rest of your family, your friends. England was pretty different from the USA in many aspects, so you couldn't wait to leave that city as soon as you were done with your final exams. Your father was supposed to visit you in the next few days, but you wanted to surprise him too by coming back home earlier.

You didn't tell anyone about your flight, taking a taxi outside the airport. Along the way, you were fascinated looking through the window. Your city hadn't changed too much, maybe a couple of shops and cafeterias, but that was everything. You couldn't help but sigh when you left the jungle of skyscrapers to Cold Spring, where you grew. A beautiful and small village with its own charm. Checking the time on your phone and finding some unread messages from your mother, you bite your lips with a soft grin on your lips imagining her face when she watched you there.

But before, you had to make a stop in your own house to leave your suitcase, have a shower and change your clothes. Yes, you would have preferred to have a quiet evening at your home, with your family, but James ‘Bucky’ Barnes was giving a party.

Oh, that man. Your first love. You knew him ever since, being the son of your father's best friend and, now, his associate. He had more than twelve years than you, but love didn't understand about age. And you were conscious that he felt something for you. Maybe attraction, maybe desire. Whatever was enough for you to keep alive the flame inside your heart. You weren't going to lie, you wanted, needed to see him after four years. Four long years without knowing anything about him more than what your father used to tell you about businesses and the presents Bucky used to send you on your birthday and Christmas with a short letter.

You didn't lose time in your task, getting ready to join the party in less than twenty minutes. Looking at your reflection in the mirror of your private bathroom, you couldn't help but feel butterflies fluttering within your belly, fantasizing about what he would do when he had you in front of his eyes. You were almost sweating, remembering how good it felt whenever he touched your hand slightly, or how his fingers gripped gently around your thigh sitting together —under the table. Bucky never crossed the limit since he wasn't an associate yet, but now he was the boss the story was pretty different.

The parking attendant took the keys of your car after opening the door for you and stepping out. You said thanks before taking a deep breath with a hand on your belly, trying to calm the nerves as you raised your eyes to the luxurious and ostentatious manor occupying completely your field of vision. The guests outside enjoying different kinds of conversations turned at you astonished but pleasantly surprised. You weren't the innocent girl that left that village four years ago anymore. You were a woman. A lawyer ready to take your throne. To take your place in the company. And you were stunning and radiant on your silk white dress with the back open and exposed.

Not wasting more time on being contemplated, you walked in swinging your hips sensually, calling everyone's attention. Your gaze traveled the place all around till they got bewitched by a pair of oceanic blue eyes among the crowd. Bucky was there between other men, listening to a conversation he wasn't interested in, with a glass of whisky close to his mouth. He took a sip, licking the flavor impregnated on his lips. For a reason you didn't understand, he didn't look surprised, nor curious to know how it was possible you were there. The smile that appeared on your face suddenly went down with disappointment, turning at the amazed tone of voice your father used to call you before embracing you into his arms.

The next hour, your parents introduced you to anyone who didn't meet you personally four years ago, making you feel out of place. Yes, you missed your home and your family, but Bucky's indifference broke your heart in a thousand pieces, glancing at him flirting with any women rattling his saber. Adoring him as if he was some kind of god. It was suffocating you to the point of watering your eyes. As soon as you could escape from the situation of your father showing you like a trophy, you went upstairs to the old library George Barnes owned, and where you used to spend a lot of time in your adolescence. It was a quiet room, soundproofed and packed with huge windows to the nearest forest. A view you liked to stare at in silence during autumn.

Walking inside and closing the door, you toured the hundreds of books thoroughly placed and conservated through the years, landing your fingers in an original version of Alice in Wonderland. You always felt like that, surrounded by people only moved and controlled by money. Money that gave you freedom for four long years in England, but the same that now was your sentence for life.

You couldn't help but shut your eyes when a fingertip traced your bare backbone, causing you goosebumps all over your skin. His strong scent flooded your lungs racing your pulse, as his closeness made jump your heart bout to fly off from your chest. You could recognize that touch between a million. The tenderness with he caressed you, the delicacy he had to admire your beautiful and warm skin.

“White makes you look like an angel”. Bucky whispered hoarsely into your ear, noticing him placing himself behind you.

You swallowed hard, keeping your lips parted while both hands found their way to your arms, pawing them down slowly till being laced with yours. Then, a fond kiss was placed on the back of your head. A sigh escaped his throat when he was able to sink his nose in your hair. The fruity, but subtle, smell dizzied him.

“Red…” He mumbled urging you to turn around and face him, stroking gently your bottom lip with his thumb when he had the opportunity. “Red makes you look like a dangerous weapon”.

“I've been both all my life, not needing clothes or makeup to demonstrate it”. You replied raising your chin in a proud gesture that caused him to chuckle.

“How many boys have kissed them?” Bucky wanted to know, shortening the distance between the two of you until he was practically melting with your body, wrapping his left arm around your lower back. His voice was so sensual that it made your legs feel weak.

But you didn't answer his question. No one. You didn't kiss anyone while you were in London. Barely neglecting your studies, only desiring to pass your exams and come back home to finish the last year of college in New York. You could swear that a lustful shine crossed fleetingly his pale blue eyes, trying to maintain his gaze while his thumb wandered down your throat, moving slowly between the gap of your neckline and enjoying how good it was to touch you again, continuing to your abdomen. Bucky urged you to rest your back against the library, bringing his lips closer to your ear at the moment his hands meet almost in your ass.

Shameless, he settled himself between your legs, leaving a kiss on the sweet spot behind your ear before tracing it with the tip of his nose. “So… you kept your promise”.

Your fingers got tangled strongly in the laps of his jacket when you remembered that precise instant before leaving your house four years ago.

September came with warm evenings and different kinds of orange, brown, and red decorating the trees all around Cold Spring. You were sitting on the grass of the back garden of your house, alone, drinking a glass of vodka. You knew how hard it was going to leave the place that gave you life, happiness, love. Bucky joined you without expecting it and gave you a bracelet made of white gold exactly like the one his father gave him for his eighteenth birthday, with the coordinates of his home —what took you some months to notice was that yours had his coordinates too—. And he asked you if you would wait for him all that time till you were back to his arms.

And there you were, with his lips tracing a path of sweet, loving kisses through your jawline. But they never touched yours, leaving you wanting more, needing him.

“Welcome home, doll”.

feedback is appreciated, please, leave a comment to let me know if you liked it.

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tag list: @whatrambles @phoenixhalliwell @homesicam @marvel-diaries @amelia-song-pond @heartbeats-wildly @met4no1a @weenersoldierr @petlaufeyson @sillygamingartghost @wildflowergubler @isnt-it-loverly @zealouspursecowboydeputy @rvgrsbrns @artisancowbells @plagooey @tinylumpiaa @hemsbucky @bxmaaa @quxxnxfhxll @soldierstucky @knowyourworth-sellyoursoul @hateinthemorning @asemistablehundredyearoldman @purpleelfwizard @twinerd14 @nikkixostan @stolenxkissess @wintersfilm @whoreforsamwilson @thatcrackheadsadbitchtm @baconmuffins1216 @28cnn @hxlyhoax @lieswithoutfairytales @angrybirdxx @clownerlyluv @kait-is-always-late @marvel-ousnesss @natashadeservedbetter @ebxny27 @fanofalltheficsx @spider-man-lover @masterlists101 @lewd-alien @warm-sensations @stealapizzamyheart @talk-on-the-street @theresnoplatypus

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes fanfiction #sebastian stan x reader #sebastian stan imagine #sebastian stan x you #bucky barnes mob!au #bucky barnes au

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nat-20s · 3 years

Text

for @jonmartinweek day 4 prompt- tape recorders! once again post canon, but this time babes? it’s pure sappiness

~*~

When Martin dumps the box in front of him, Jon can’t help the sardonic huff of a laugh that escapes him. “Really? I would’ve thought you’d had enough enough of these damn things for a lifetime.”

Martin beams at him, obviously expecting a less than thrilled response to the charity shop cassettes. “Oh, believe me, I have. Buuuut..”

It’s clear Martin wants him to bite, and, what the hell, Jon can’t deny he’s curious. He sets aside the paperback he’s been thumbing through and asks, “But?”

“But it’s been a year and a half since we got here, and you know that I’ve been writing again, and the poems really do sound better on tape.”

“Oh..kay? Is that all? Because, love, you do know you can replicate that sound digitally, right? No need to bring..to bring those things into our home.”

“Aha! I knew you would say that, but, no, Jon, that’s not all. Remember how our therapist said something about softening bad associations by re-contextualizing items with new, positive memories, or whatever? I thought these would be a good start, considering they’re not quite so visceral as lotion or, eugh, peaches. And, yes, there’s always the whole possibility of something listening on the other side, but I have actually accounted for that. I’ve had the recorder in my bag for the past week, and I’ve taken it to all sorts of locations that would be considered interesting or scary, and nothing. I brought it to a job interview, for Christ’s sake, and not a peep. I am almost certain that we have total control over when the recordings start and stop, and who gets to listen to them. You have full veto power here, obviously, and you don’t have to record anything yourself, but, I thought it might be nice, to record just notes and grocery lists or songs stuck in our heads or whatever. Maybe we could make tapes into something mundane and maybe even pleasant, if a bit outdated.”

Standing up for a better viewpoint, Jon eyes the box of cassettes and, crammed in the corner, the recorder itself. He’s not overly enthused at the sight, and if it comes on by itself at any moment, he’s tossing everything into an industrial shredder and never looking back. Yet, it would be preferable to not wince at the sound of static, to be able to use the tape deck in their beater car. He knows already that he won’t be using it himself, the imagined press of the recorder in his hand more than enough to make his skin crawl and throat tighten. Just Martin’s voice, however, might be tolerable. Perhaps even enjoyable, on those rare occasions that they have to spend more than a handful of hours apart. “All right.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes. I suppose it won’t hurt to try. Though I must admit my confidence in this experiment isn’t particularly high.”

Martin rewards his willingness to go along with this with a kiss to the temple, and informs him, “That’s fine. I can be optimistic for both of us on this one.”

~*~

The next morning, Jon rolls over to find an upsetting lack of warmth at his side. He opens his eyes to find his delightful boyfriend has been replaced with a cold, uncaring tape recorder. It’s apparently locked and loaded, as it has a sticky note in Martin’s loopy handwriting that says “Play me :-)”. With bated breath, he ever so carefully presses play.

Hello, love. Remember how we completely neglected to do our shopping on Tuesday? Turns out, we have zero breakfast food now. I’m grabbing some bagels from the cafe that’s too pricey for us to regularly justify, I’ll be back in 15. I love you.”

Huh. Not terrible. Maybe this is something Jon could get used to after all.

After that morning, and Jon’s lack of averse reaction to it, Martin keeps his word and begins to record all sorts of things. Little reminders for both of them, a spoken journal, affirmations for Jon, and, yes, grocery lists, despite Jon’s continued insistence that a whiteboard would be infinitely easier. Martin even manages to capture Jon on tape a few times, either singing or having a very earnest conversation with their incredibly chatty cat.

The wild thing is that it works. Jon doesn’t flinch at the sight of a cassette anymore. At worst, they’re mental background noise, nothing to take note of. At best, they’re audio treats, a physical token of something wonderful or peaceful or loving or all of the above.

This culminates six months later, when Jon finds a tape awaiting it. On it is a spoken clue from Martin, leading to another cassette. He follows the path, and he has to admit, he’s enjoying the playful puzzle. After being lead to a number of locations loaded with fond memories, he ends up in front of Martin, waiting on a bench in the park where they first woke up Here. He goes to sit next to him, and with a silent smile, he’s handed one final tape. Jon raises an eyebrow at him, questioning, but Martin doesn’t give away anything, just nodding at the recorder. Jon shrugs, and goes for it.

My dearest Jon,We’ve been through hell and back more times than I can count, and throughout it all, we’ve somehow managed to stick by each other. Right now, I’m the happiest that I’ve ever been, and I have an inkling that it’s much the same for you. While it’s largely a formality at this point, I would like to declare to the world that we’re going to spend the rest of our lives, and perhaps even beyond them, together. My love, my light, my anchor, will you marry me?

Okay. He can admit he’s glad to have that on tape.

#jonmartinweek2021 #jonmartin #jon sims #martin blackwood #tma #post canon #yall this is so saccharine #AND it was posted during daylight hours WILD #HEY THIS WAS MISSING THE FIRST SENTENCE BUT IT'S FIXED NOW

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taeescript · 3 years

Text

I Promise (I)

𝔰𝔶𝔫𝔬𝔭𝔰𝔦𝔰 >> Some people have the gifted ability of music; others of mathematics; some perhaps as persuasive argumentators. You have a “gift”, if one would like to call it that. It is the ability to know when somebody is telling a lie.

𝔭𝔞𝔦𝔯𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔰 >> hoseok x reader; ?? x reader (the whole gang joins at some point)

𝔤𝔢𝔫𝔯𝔢 >> mafia!au

𝔴/𝔠 >> 3.1k

𝔴𝔞𝔯𝔫𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔰 >> mentions of drug use. nothing else much really it’s actually pretty tame right now

𝔞/𝔫: would you believe be if i said this whole thing was inspired by this singular gif? I lost my old account (rip old fics) but here I am starting new and writing again. Nervous, but please show some love

next part

The music is blasting in your room, and the bass rumbles causing your heart to beat to the rhythm of the song. However, your fingers are tapping to their own creation of a tempo while your other hand scribbles a note down on a piece of paper. It is the end of June and that means you have just received your paycheque.

“$9.74,” you repeat after your calculation, “I’ve got an extra $9.74 to spend.” You lean back in your chair and continues to bob your head. The wall behind you thumps to its own tempo; not of the song that is playing but its own rhythmic pattern. Your roommate is at it again. You close your eyes and allow yourself to drift. $9.74. You could get an extra meal. Or an extra drink at the bar. Or maybe you could just put that into your bank account. But that’d be useless, just sitting there. In the very distance, you hear the thumping of your roommate stop and its door creaks open. Another set of doors creak a couple of seconds later. You get out of your seat and open the door to your own room.

Seohyun, your roommate, brushes past you wearing only a pair of shorts and her favourite black laced bra. She walks to the door of the apartment and kisses the man on the lips before taking a drag of the cigarette she is holding in the other hand. He stands with a hand in his pocket and the buttons of his shirt undone. You watch as Seohyun bites his lip before ending the kiss.

“You’re the best,” you hear the robust mint-haired female say.

Cue the all too familiar buzzing.

“Love you, babe,” he says, kissing her one last time before leaving.

The buzzing halts.

“Love you too,” Seohyun kisses him one last time before gently pushing him out the door, closing it when he leaves.

And there returns the buzz.

Seohyun turns to walk back to her room and notices you standing there. “Hey,” she greets.

“You know, he actually does like you,” you comment, coming out of your room. You rub the back of your neck and rotate it once to get rid of the stress. Seohyun sits down on the brown couch in the small living room and takes out a tin box. She crosses her legs and rummages through its contents. A cigarette leaves its embers on the ashtray in the table in front of her. “Right. And I like him too,” Seohyun replies, taking out what she had been looking for, “Him and his drugs.” She shakes the white packet before opening it up. She sniffs the contents once and sighs. Making a motion towards you, she offers its contents to you.

You shake your head. You return into your room briefly to turn off the music and grab your phone and jacket. When you walk back out, you see that the packet is empty and Seohyun is passed out on the couch, fingers still speckled with white dust. You make a quick stop into Seohyun’s room to grab a blanket for her before locking the keys to the apartment.

Your apartment, technically. You had been the one to pay full payment and was content in living alone until Seohyun showed up one night, begging for a place to sleep. You couldn’t let her sleep outside so you agreed. That one night turned into a week and finally a year, where Seohyun still stays.

It isn’t like you didn’t enjoy Seohyun’s company. She is nice to be around, always engaging in some next level philosophical topic, particularly when she is high. It is, however, slightly annoying whenever she brings her “boyfriend”, or boyfriends at times, to the place, but you have learned to drown out their voices and actions by blasting your music. But what you like about Seohyun the most is that she doesn’t ask questions. The buzzing in your head is also always strangely quieter around the other girl as well.

You trudge up the stairs and immediately brings a hand to shield your eyes from the bright sun. It is about seven in the evening but still way too bright for your liking. You like the darkness night brought with it. Serene. Solemn. Locking the gate to the building behind you, you walk down the streets all the while rolling your neck due to its tense state.

No matter how many times it happened, you’d still feel its pain.

The lingering pain left as a reminder of your unique power; gift; thing. Whatever people wanted to call it.

You knew whenever somebody told a lie.

You would feel this strange buzzing at the base of your neck when a person said anything but the truth around you. The buzzing didn’t come every time you talked to somebody - you couldn’t catch all the lies that came out of people’s mouths - but it occurred often enough to be a nuisance to you. While the buzzing wasn’t painful in itself, it always caused your neck to be in sore pain. The pain was not indicative of how big the lie was, however. A lie that involved so many twists and turns that even its creator could not keep track would give you pain. A small white lie would give you the same pain. To you, it was just pain.

You quickly turn the corner and made your way down the stairs into the subway station. The man at the window gives you a small smile in which you did not return but hastily walk through the gate. One hour. It took 46 minutes to get to the station and another twelve minutes to walk. You had one hour. The subway could not be late.

You were not always a walking human lie detector. In fact, you had only been living like this for the past six years of the total of your twenty-six. At least consciously aware of this ability of yours for that time period.

If you really had to pinpoint when it started, you would connect it to approximately four more years prior to that: first year of high school. The prime time of adolescence.

You could hear the first subway leave, vibrations through the sole of your feet and its wheels screeching on the tracks. That left two minutes for you to make it to the opposite platform which was for the direction you wanted to go. You glance at the elevator you are currently standing in front of. It had not budged from “G” for a while now. You glance at the stairs just a couple of steps away. Sighing, you leave your spot and make your way down the stairs. One and a half minute.

The first year of high school sucked. Your parents had always screaming at each other and your brother was constantly skipping school. You did not want to be a second disappointment to your parents so you spent all her time studying in the library. It was also an excuse to be out of the house. One day, you returned home and found your mother crying on the steps of their house.

“Mom, did you and Dad fight again?”

Your mother did not meet your eyes. “Are you okay?” you had asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, trying to console your mother as best as a fourteen year old could do.

“I’m fine,” your mother answered. That was when you first heard a faint buzzing. It was strange for bees to be around their flowerless yard.

“You don’t look fine,” you had pressed on, “Will you and Dad be okay?”

Your mother shifted her position and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. She looked at you with a bruised eye and said, “Your dad will be okay.” The buzzing seemed to fade.

You patted the still damp cheek of your mother and hugged the fragile women. You slowly rubbed your mother’s back in small circles. “Mom, you and Dad will work things out. So promise me you guys won’t leave each other.”

“I promise,” your mother had reassured you. That was when you cried out in pain as the buzzing attacked you. Your mother had been alarmed and you had laughed it off, saying that a bee had probably stung the back of your neck while she wasn’t aware. The duo then got off the floor and held hands as together, you walked back into the house.

Your parents split a week later.

You had never found it in herself to forgive your mother after that. You hadn’t even known that you had been lied to until you really thought about it in your years as an adult. You just hated the fact that your mother had promised something that she had been planning to break. When high school ended, you picked a college as far away from your mother’s house as you could. You poured all of your time into your academics and never bothered making friends. Throughout the four years there, you had occasionally felt the buzzing but did not really associate it with anything around her. It only became prominent when you started working at your first job.

To any fresh graduate, this was a hire that was ever only dreamt of. It was a position with a high status in the company: Assistant Director of Internal Affairs. The company had been extremely impressed with your grades and all the extracurriculars you participated in. You had flown to three different cities outside of your own country as an intern and placed first in multiple conferences. It was no mistake that you had gotten in. You had been ecstatic when they spoke to you. You could finally move out of your mother’s house, in which you had temporarily been staying in while job searching; live in a city a thousand miles away from where she currently was, and was able to be somebody whom nobody knew about. It was your dream come true.

That turned out to be a disaster. Every day you went into work, the buzzing would surround you and send you moaning in pain to the bathroom. You could barely speak to any of your coworkers without wanting to strangle them and tell them to be quiet. You could not attend any of the meetings and you had to call in multiple sick days within her first week there. Needless to say, this affected your work performance and after an agonizing four and a half months, the company fired you.

Being without a job meant that you had no steady income. So, you moved out of the luxurious apartment you had just bought with your new salary and used the remaining money to buy the dank, run down one you were currently living in. You searched everywhere and finally found a waitress for hire at a bar close to the middle of the city. It was an hour from where you lived, but at least there you could dull the buzzing with alcohol. And this was how you lived for the past two years.

You cursed. You missed it. The subway left you in its smoke as you got off the last step of the descending staircase.

...

The other man was slouched against the pillar of the building, blood running freely down the side of his head while his hand tried to keep in the rest of his blood from escaping out of the hole on his side. He panted, gasping for whatever oxygen was available.

“Tell me,” the younger man towered over him, “Where did you hide the stash?” “I didn’t hide it, man. I swear. It’s where they asked me to leave it,” the bleeding man held his remaining hand in front of him in defense. “Please don’t hurt me.” There was a swish and cold metal sliced the air. He was not taller than the man, nor any stronger. But he had youth and a quick mind. More importantly, he had a weapon.

“Trust me. I wouldn’t want to hurt you, so don’t make me do something I don’t want to do,” he crouched and put his face close to the other man’s. He pressed the knife against his throat.

The man whimpered as a thin line of fresh blood was drawn. “Please, I beg you. Don’t hurt me,” he said again, voice barely a whisper.

The two stayed in that position until the younger abruptly stood up. “Fine, I won’t hurt you,” he stepped back, “But it’ll be on you when she gets hurt.” His movement is fast and he grabs the wrist of the single other person in the station.

...

You stand with your back against the man, the knife held against your neck this time.

You dare not to move. You swallow once and glance down at the bleeding stranger. He is staring right back at you.

From movies and dramas, you know not to fight back in scenarios like this. You also know not to scream as this would agitate both parties. You return the strangers stare: “Help me”.

Your capturer’s voice rumbles through his chest and onto your back as he speaks, “Your choice. I can kill this girl and have it pinned on you, or you can just tell me where you put the stash.”

“Please,” the bloody man pleads, “I’m just a carrier. I don’t know where any of the merchandise is. I… I admit it, alright? I disobeyed the instructions this time. I didn’t leave it where they told me.”

You feel yourself being dragged closer to the subway tracks. Maybe you should kick or flail around a little. You try, but the man holds you steady. The blade is dangerously close to cutting your skin.

The bleeding man can only watch in horror as the other man stands precariously on the edge of the tracks. “I’m going to push her down,” he is warned. His mind was frantic. He had been told that his task would be simple. He did not know that it would involve another human being to be hurt in the process. His mind flashes back to his little girl, probably still waiting for her father in their small flat.

“I got another message right before I left,” he starts saying, “Please don’t hurt the girl. Please don’t hurt me. I’ve got a family.”

“Don’t we all,” the voice behind you drawls in sarcasm, “Give me another excuse of why I need to keep listening.”

You kick your assaulter. He grips you tighter. She look back at the bleeding man on the ground. He is still staring at you with wide eyes.

“The message told me that the location had changed. I wasn’t sure if I should trust it, but an hour before the pickup time, another note showed up on my doorstep and said that if I brought it to the second location, I’d get an extra $150, so I did it,” he continues.

You feel the tension in your neck slightly subside amongst the chaos. You kicked your assaulter again.

“Exact location. Now,” the voice demands.

“Corner of 16th and Main,” he stammers.

You kick a little harder this time, trying to wiggle out of the tight grip. It is really starting to hurt you. You feel yourself being pushed towards the bleeding man. Both you and your assaulter get extremely close to the man lying on the ground.

You sniff once and instantly regret it. Mixed with the blood, you can smell the acidity of urine. The man is now crying and you think you could see the pool around him widen ever so slightly.

“Please sir, I’ve told you everything that I know. I followed the instructions and left it there. I did not hide it. Somebody else must’ve used me to get it. I swear, Sir, I swear,” he holds his hands out and rubs them, a symbol of asking for mercy.

The two of you stand up, or rather you are hauled up for the man. The knife nicks your neck and you swear under your breath. You can feel the two men stare at each other for a long time.

“Scram,” the one behind her rasps. It takes a while for the bleeding man to stand, but adrenaline does wonders when the body is in danger. He limps out and up the stairs before he can be told twice. There is a rumbling in the distance to indicate that the next subway is arriving.

“There’s a train coming,” you finally talk, “A train means there’s people.” Your assaulter still does not let go.

“You’re hurting me,” you wiggled in his grasp. He loosens it and you finally get away. You turn and glare through your bangs at the man who has been holding you captive. You touch a finger to where the knife had nicked you, then examined it: there is blood.

The man standing has put his knife away. He is studying you with eyes as intense as yours while bringing the lighter to the cigarette in his mouth. He takes a long drag and blows it in your direction.

Standing only a few inches taller than you, he is of slightly above average height. He wears the iconic baggy shirt and jeans of the common gangsters that prowl the area. Even in the dim light of the subway station, you can make out the tattoo of a dragon spiraling up his arm. He does nothing to hide the fact that he is affiliated with the mafia.

You are not particularly intimidating yourself. You stand at 164cm but wear a constant scowl. With your broken nose from a fall in your childhood, the feature makes your whole facial symmetry shift ever slightly to the left, accentuating the scowl even more. In a black t-shirt, black dress pants and black shoes, you wave her hand to rid herself of the smell of smoke.

“So, was he lying?” the man finally speaks after a period of silence.

“Fuck off, Jung Hoseok,” you growl.

#bts #hoseok #jhope #bts au #hoseok x reader #jhope x reader #bts x reader #hoseok x y/n #jhope x y/n #bts scenario #bts imagine #bts fanfic #hoseok fanfic #jhope fanfic #mafia!au #mafia!jhope #mafia!bts #jung hoseok #hoseok au

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natromanxoff · 3 years

Text

Queen live at Forest National in Brussels, Belgium - August 24, 1984

Some parts of the Hammer To Fall promo video were filmed during this show - the camera was filming the audience reactions during TYMD, Radio Ga Ga and Hammer To Fall. On the next day 20 fans from the Dutch fan club were invited to come again to the filming of the promo video.

At the gig, the band asked the audience to return the following day for the shoot. However, most likely assuming it was all a joke, the vast majority stayed away; in fact only a dozen fans turned up. Undeterred, the shoot went ahead anyway, with the band's performance that day interspersed with footage shot the previous night.

(x)

This is the first show of The Works tour.

According to the July '89 issue of Record Collector, Queen ran through about 40 songs during rehearsals. This list of songs rehearsed that didn't end up in the setlist comes from someone who worked on the tour:

Great King Rat (longer version), Brighton Rock (full song), I'm In Love With My Car, Sweet Lady, White Man, We Will Rock You (fast), Play The Game, Need Your Loving Tonight, Put Out The Fire, Las Palabras de Amor, Life Is Real (both Freddie solo piano and Freddie/Brian acoustic duet versions)

The keyboardist for this tour (and also the '86 Magic tour) is session musician Spike Edney. He would also lend some vocals to many songs and play rhythm guitar in Hammer To Fall. He and Roger Taylor would form a band called "The Cross" in 1987 which spawned three albums, and he would return to Queen in the 21st century to play on the tours with Paul Rodgers and Adam Lambert.

Spike was recruited in a very informal way by a Queen associate. He went to Munich for their first rehearsal in early August, wound up partying for most of the first night, and missed the first day's rehearsal. It later transpired that everyone else had. He recalls, "The next day, we all managed to get to it eventually, to the first rehearsal, and all the gear was set up. The stage was huge, and I thought "Oh well, here we go then" and we got to the first song , and what I'd forgotten was that they hadn't actually played together for two years. So they said, OK, let's try one of the new songs, I think it was Radio Ga Ga, and we started playing it, and course, I knew it, I'd been studying it for weeks. You know, 1,2,3,4 and we start and we get about a minute into the song and the whole thing collapses. And they all look at each other, you know, very sheepishly, and they say, "Anyone know how it goes?" and I say "well, actually, I know. I know how it goes" and they said "Ah". And so I started showing them the chords and everything and Fred looked at me and said "You don't know the words, do you?" and "Well, yeah I do actually" so then they all came round the piano and we spent the whole day just going through songs, and I thought, "I'm gonna be all right here, this'll be OK"!"

The show started very late, as the band were still doing soundcheck when they were supposed to go on. Apparently over the previous week there were few occasions when all four band members actually showed up for rehearsal. Many songs (likely those listed above) never made the setlist, and soundcheck was an extensive cramming session, particularly for the older material that they hadn't played in years.

Roger Taylor later reflected that this European tour was one of his favourites, and many fans cite the early Works setlist as their favourite ever played by the band. Three medleys are now played, two of which have revived many old songs: Killer Queen, Seven Seas Of Rhye, Keep Yourself Alive, Liar, Stone Cold Crazy and Great King Rat. Staying Power from Hot Space returns to the set, as does Sheer Heart Attack from News Of The World. Only half of Staying Power is played, and it runs into Dragon Attack, followed by an improvisation running into a more compact version of Now I'm Here compared to previous tours.

Many people who attended shows on this tour recall Queen having a very heavy sound, especially on songs like Liar and Stone Cold Crazy. By 1984 they had gained a reputation as being one of the best live rock acts in the business.

Six songs from The Works are performed each night, and the introduction tape is from the album track "Machines". After the heavy G chords are heard on the tape twice, the band walk on stage in the darkness to play the chords the third time, which leads into the brand new "Tear It Up". This is yet another effective opening to a Queen show, something they would perfect time and time again.

I Want To Break Free is performed each night in 1984-85 as the first encore, with Freddie coming on stage sporting a pair of huge plastic breasts under a pink shirt. Part way through the song, he would remove the breasts and twirl them around for a while before finally throwing them into the audience. Some souvenir! As a result of this gag, Another One Bites The Dust has been moved from the encore to be earlier in the set.

This tour showcases an incredible lighting rig and an overall setup mimics the movie Metropolis, from which scenes were used for the promo video of Radio Ga Ga last year. The huge wheels behind the stage (modelled after the ones on The Works album cover) rotate at mostly random times - usually because they are turned manually by various crew members such as Roger's tech Chris "Crystal" Taylor whenever they have a free moment (Freddie Mercury's assistant Peter Freestone told the tale in 2021):

“Yeah, I mean Rio was… amazing. The feeling from that crowd… you know, something like 350,000 people. Oh, you can’t beat that. And when you’re flying in a helicopter over that crowd, it was stunning. But the thing is, I know this sounds really, really stupid but [laughs]… one thing I will always, always remember from that tour was, remember, in the back of the stage you had these wheels that turned every now and then, not constantly but just every now and then. That was because there was… the guy looking after Roger’s drums and me who actually turned those wheels. And there was no set cue or anything that, “Oh, it has to start on this bar, on this song.” No, it was when he wasn’t doing anything and I wasn’t doing anything, we’d say “Ok, let’s go and do it.” And we turned the wheels for a couple of minutes and then left them alone. He had then to do something for Roger and I would just sit there like I always did. And then you’d go back and you’d turn the wheels, like a hamster. We were like hamsters…”

However, a crew member who worked on the tour recalls otherwise: "I do know local crew members were used on the UK shows and certainly (a number of) European gigs. The other thing is that Radio Ga Ga had a set piece with the cogs and lighting, using low ambient lighting and strobes to emphasise mechanical motion of the cogs during the instrumental break. Would Roger Taylor be happy with no one covering him/his kit during a show? Possibly Peter Freestone is remembering production rehearsals when any spare bodies might have been asked to operate the cogs?"

During vocal improvisations on this tour, Freddie would often include bits of "Foolin' Around" and "Living On My Own" from his pending first solo album, which he had been working on during this period.

Freddie now plays a Telecaster for Crazy Little Thing Called Love. It would remain like this through the Magic tour.

The band no longer bring a gong with them on the road. Roger now does a cymbal roll at the end of Bohemian Rhapsody.

A fan recalls hearing the band running through Tear It Up whilst queuing up to enter the venue.

Freddie's voice is in superb shape for this show, but it will quickly weaken as the tour progresses. As incredible as Freddie Mercury was, he certainly did not take care of his voice at times, especially in the mid-80s. After a couple years of heavy smoking, Freddie's voice now sounds a lot deeper and raspier overall.

Before It's A Hard Life, Freddie says, "I think tonight we're gonna do songs from just about every album that we've ever made. You heard some very early stuff from the first album. Right now I think we're gonna do something very new, and we'll see what you think of it."

Freddie does a vocal exchange with the audience before Staying Power, singing "Get Down Make Love" and "Gimme Some Lovin" a few times. The band would improvise bits of the latter a couple times in 1986.

This is the only show on the entire Works tour where Roger plays regular acoustic drums on Another One Bites The Dust (before which Freddie teases the audience with a bit of Mustapha). For the rest of the tour, he'd play electronic drums. He'd also integrate the electronic drum kit into a few other songs, like at the beginning of Hammer To Fall, where one might argue that his sounds don't appropriately complement the guitar to create the intense, heavy sound.

The band sound very tight on this opening night of the tour, with the only exception being the rough transition from Stone Cold Crazy to Great King Rat. The keyboard and guitar solos are integrated together for the first few shows of the tour, during which Brian plays a few bits from Machines. Spike Edney uses his vocoder (a Roland VP-330) for the "machines" and "back to humans" lines heard throughout the tour during this spot (he would use his vocoder for the "radio" lines in Radio Ga Ga as well). After this segment, Brian then gets a few minutes to play on his own as usual.

Parts of the promo video for Hammer To Fall were filmed during this show. Claims from some (even official) sources state that Freddie invited the audience back for (what would actually be "additional") filming the following day aren't true. Here is all that Freddie had to say before the song: "This next song we're gonna use in our next video. So everybody just go mad and maybe later you'll see one of you guys inside the video one day. Oh, just go crazy, take your clothes off. It's called Hammer To Fall." After the song, he simply says, "Good night, you guys!" as that was the last song of the set.

Here is a fan's recollection: "On the night of the gig, there was a camera mounted on an arm that would swing over the front rows of the audience during a few songs. These audience shots were taken during Tie Your Mother Down, Radio Ga Ga, and Hammer To Fall itself. I guess they also had a camera up in the box at the back of the hall [as there are a few shots of both the audience and the band]. I don't remember any cameras onstage during the gig - just the one mounted on the arm."

The Dutch fan club invited only about twenty of its members to attend the video shoot the next day. They were instructed by a roadie to sit quietly on a chair and not to move or approach the band members. After a few hours, Brian came over and had a chat with them, checking to see if they were enjoying themselves and if they were hungry. He then promptly ordered them some take-out!

A minute of Tie Your Mother Down from this show was later broadcast on the Belgian TV station "RTBF" (x) (x). An audience-shot video allegedly exists as well, containing five songs.

After years of speculation, the existence of more footage from this show was proven when bits of it were included in the promo video for Let Me In Your Heart Again in 2014. About 30 seconds of Somebody To Love (largely crowd shots) were seen. There is, however, no accompanying audio. (x)

The first photo is from the autumn 1984 Queen fan club magazine. Brian is seen with a watchful eye over the proceedings. Tour manager Gerry Stickells and his wife are also in the shot.

Pics 2 through 6 were submitted by Alessio Rizzitelli, and the seventh pic was taken by Dave Matkin.

(x)

#queen #queen band #roger taylor #freddie mercury #brian may #john deacon #queen concerts

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dimitrescus-bitch · 4 years

Text

Push (Theo Crain x Reader)

smut

You’d known Theo a lot longer than any other woman in her life. For the most part, there wasn’t any romance between the two of you. Sure, you slept together and stuff, but Theo hadn’t tried to give anything more than that. In fact, if you tried to further things, she’d always push you away. It hurt, but you understood that feelings were not her thing and she held herself in a certain way.

It didn’t stop you from letting her in every single time. Most of the time, you had to wait for her to decide that she wanted you. Theo just had to get back into the mindset that you were like her, not for relationships. After she’d fooled herself like that, she came back to make a fucking fool out of you.

“It’s looking like a dry night,” Theo said as she turned her back to the dance floor once again. The two of you had come out to the club so she could try to get laid, but despite the numerous women giving Theo the stare, she wasn’t noticing. In fact, she was actively ignoring every single person in that club that tried giving her attention.

“I’m sure the four girls that you turned down are thinking the same thing,” you snorted. Theo set her drink down and reached out to touch your cheek. The gloves were a part of Theo, just as much as her skin in your eyes. She was always wearing them. It was a spectral sensitivity. At least, that was the name you’d given whatever power her mother had bestowed upon her. Maybe the reason that Theo had kept you close all these years was because instead of calling her freak or crazy when she told you about her hands, you were fascinated and did everything in your power to understand her.

“Maybe I’m looking for something more familiar,” Theo said, pushing herself closer to you. You were partially trapped against the bar, but she gave you an easy way out. If, for any reason, you didn’t want her, Theo would understand and move on once she knew you were fine. It was weird because you knew she cared about you, but she wouldn’t love you.

“At this point, you might as well just buy a bottle and come over,” you told her. She tilted her head and pulled you away from the bar. She paid for your drinks and then whisked you away out to the night air. You called the cab and she gave directions. It wasn’t often that you got to spend the night at her place, especially if Shirley was home. In fact, if Shirley was there, Theo would keep you as far away from her place as she could for as long as she could.

“I love this song,” Theo said as she hummed along to the radio. You recognized it as something that’d played at prom. You remembered that night because it’d been the first time you’d ever kissed a girl. It was the first time you’d ever kissed Theo.

“What do you think of when you hear it?” you asked her.

“I guess I think of prom night after your date left with that stupid underclassmen because she was gonna put out for him,” Theo said, disdain in her voice. You reached out to hold her hand and she let you, humming contentedly as she leaned towards you. “You were so upset and then we started dancing. I didn’t know it, but that was when I figured it out, that I liked women because I was dancing with the most beautiful one in the room.”

“Theodora Crain, are you being romantic?” you asked and Theo pushed your shoulder playfully. “I figured out that I didn’t like boys that night.”

“When I kissed you?” Theo asked and you nodded. She leaned down and pressed a tentative kiss to your lips. “It was just like that, wasn’t it?”

“The first one was. The one when our dance was over, but the ones behind the bleachers were not the same,” you said and Theo chuckled. “Still, even when you were pulling my hair a little and biting my lip because you wanted to know if it was sexy, you were more gentle than he was.”

“Here’s our stop,” Theo said, completely distancing herself from whatever thoughts were causing the soft look on her face. She opened the door and helped you out of the cab. You paid the cabbie and then followed her inside. She made sure to keep you quiet until you were inside of the house. Then, she seemed to not care how loud the two of you were.

She brought you straight back to her bedroom. There were certain things that Theo knew you loved, so she did them. She pressed you against the wall as she kissed you. She made sure to remove your clothes in a frantic manner as she led you back to her bed. She paid attention to what your body responded to with her touches and kisses. She stopped on her way between your legs to trace the intricate tattoo spanning across your hip bones.

“Y/n,” Theo said as she sat up a little bit. You propped yourself up on your elbows and looked at her.

“Is something wrong?” you asked her and she shook her head.

“Do you think I could use the strap this time?” Theo asked and you nodded. She smiled and the two of you quickly traded places. Theo was definitely a giver, but there was a rule when she topped you with the strap-on. She went first so you could make sure that you got to do something for her. You didn’t rush, but you didn’t move slowly with her. Theo was antsy to fuck you and patient wasn’t a word you’d come to associate with a horny Theodora Crain.

Any time spent between her legs was good in your eyes. It was one of the few times that you could physically show her how much you loved and appreciated her without getting pushed away. She accepted every bit of your love that way and you felt complete for a little while. You could make her feel good and forget about the hardships she’d faced for a bit.

“Y/n,” Theo moaned as your tongue found her clit. She threw her head back in pleasure when your fingers joined the mix. You started to move your tongue in more intricate patterns and her back arched. She pushed her hips up and ground herself against your tongue. You pushed with your tongue a bit more and twisted your fingers up a bit inside of her.

Her bedroom quickly filled with moaning as she inched closer and closer to cumming. As she approached her climax, you lightly used your teeth to give her that extra little push and she snapped then and there. You guided her down from her orgasm with your fingers as you sat back and watched Theo shake. She composed herself as quickly as she could and then laid you back on the bed.

“There’s almost no point in checking if you’re ready,” Theo said as she sat in between your legs. She had her hands on your thighs, rubbing ever so slowly up and down. You bit your lip as she moved closer to your center each time. Finally, you felt her middle finger barely push inside of you and she smirked. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t.”

“Fuck Theo.” Your voice was a bit gruffer than usual, but she made you that way. It was like your entire body was anticipating the pleasure that’d be making you scream out later. Theo was a show-off when it came to the bedroom. If you tried to keep yourself quiet, she’d do something that made you lose control of yourself, just a little bit.

“That, like you, comes later after I get a taste,” Theo said as she shifted backwards a bit. She leaned down and licked over your entrance. She hummed and you choked on whatever you had been planning to tell her. She teased you a bit more and then when your body was practically buzzing from excitement, she left you. You snapped out of your near-sex haze very quickly and in an almost panicked manner, scrambled to the edge of the bed to watch her. Theo wasn’t dragging anything out, but you felt like she was.

“Come on, you can’t just leave me like that,” you whined as Theo walked back over to the bed. She leaned down to kiss you and you scrambled backwards. You laid with your head against the pillows and Theo hovered above you. She grabbed your thighs and slid her hands down to your hips. She held onto your hips as she slid into you.

“I would never leave you like that.” It was a lie, Theo had done it so many times before. Some of them had been intentional, but others had not. Theo could be a tease and sometimes you got to be like her test subject when she found out about something new to try. You didn’t mind it, but you were not there for the delayed gratification phase Theo tried out. Psych majors.

Theo started slowly, but once she was sure you had adjusted well and were ready for her to give more, she sped up. Her thrusts gained more depth and there was a bit more force. Theo moved one of her hands up to cradle your head before moving to grab onto the headboard. Your arms wrapped around her neck and you went to kiss her. Normally, that wouldn’t have been acknowledged, but Theo kissed you back as she continued to fuck you. As you got closer to cumming, you dropped your arms and Theo moved her hands so they were right next to either side of your head.

Theo didn’t stay in bed with you for very long after the two of you were finished. She kept herself busy and you decided to get ready before she came back. It hurt less to be pushed away by Theo Crain when you were wearing pants. It was a lot less humiliating on your end at the very least. She seemed confused when she came back to see you getting dressed though.

“Where are you off to?” Theo asked as she set a cup of tea down on the bedside table. “Normally you want to stay.”

“Normally you push me away,” you said and Theo pulled you back over to the bed. “What’s different about tonight?”

“I’m not sober enough to push you away like an idiot,” Theo said and you rolled your eyes. “That was a very strong drink at the club.”

“Must have been some beer.” You decided to play along with her, at least for tonight. “Hopefully strong enough to last until tomorrow. I expect breakfast ma’am.”

“You can have me and pancakes, in that order,” Theo told you and you liked the sound of that. “But first, take your clothes back off and lay down with me. It’s warmer when you’re naked and I just turned the AC on.”

#Theo Crain #theodora crain #theodora crain x reader #theo crain x reader #theo crain imagine #theo crain imagines #theodora crain imagines #theodora crain imaigne #the haunting of hill house #the haunting of hill house imagines #the haunting of hill house imagine #the haunting of hill house x reader #thohh imagine #thohh x reader #thohh imagines #thohh

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august-anon · 3 years

Text

Your Lips Create a Symphony

the first of many malec fics to come lol. while there a LOT of malec in my backlog atm, this is actually the first one i wrote, so i am posting it first, but the rest will just come out in some random order interspersed between other fandoms probably lol. Hope y’all enjoy!!

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Fandom: Shadowhunters (TV)

Ship(s): Malec

Characters (lee/ler): Lee!Alec/Ler!Magnus, brief Lee!Magnus/Ler!Alec

Word Count: 2235 words

Summary: Early on in their relationship, Magnus makes a little discovery while he and Alec are making out. He exploits this weakness to the fullest.

[ao3 link]

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Magnus sighed happily as Alec deepened the kiss, pressing him even further into the back of the couch. He reached up blindly and tangled his fingers in Alec’s hair, briefly tightening his grip as Alec nipped at his bottom lip. Alec hummed against his lips, quiet and happy, before pulling back just enough to pant for air in the scarce space between them.

Magnus pressed their foreheads firmly together and smiled. He and Alec hadn’t gone much further than kissing (really, it was closer to light making out, at this point), Magnus letting Alec take the lead for most of their relationship, but today Magnus was feeling confident that they were both on the same page.

He pressed a light kiss to the corner of Alec’s panting mouth, then another next to that, and another below that, kissing his way down to Alec’s jaw and neck. Alec shifted back slightly to give him more space to maneuver and Magnus took full advantage, pressing open-mouthed kisses down the column of Alec’s throat.

Alec tensed and gasped above him, but it wasn’t the gasp that Magnus usually associated with pleasure. Immediately, he pulled back, lightening his grip on Alec’s hips until he was barely even touching him anymore, giving Alec the ability to completely pull away. Magnus looked up and saw Alec biting his lip on a grimace.

“Sorry,” Magnus said, his voice far more wrecked than he had expected it to be after just a little kissing. “I suppose maybe I shouldn’t have done that.”

Alec shook his head, his shoulders relaxing. “No! No, it wasn’t--it wasn’t bad.”

Magnus frowned and tilted his head to the side. Slowly, so that Alec could pull away if he wanted to, Magnus took Alec’s hand and laced their fingers together. Alec gripped back just as tightly.

“Alexander, what is it?”

Alec bit his lip again, going a little pink around the tips of his ears and across his cheekbones. Magnus couldn’t help but let out a small smile. It should be illegal to be that cute.

“I’m just a little ticklish is all.”

Magnus raised an eyebrow and raised his free hand to trail his finger down the length of Alec’s neck. Alec shivered and bit his lip harder, the corners of his mouth tilting up slightly. Magnus smothered a grin.

“I think it’s more than a little, darling.”

Alec rolled his eyes. “Fine, I’m kind of a lot ticklish. Happy?”

This time, Magnus didn’t bother to bury his grin. “When I’m with you?” Magnus said, just to see that blush again. “Always.”

And sure enough, Alec's face flushed once more as he looked away, but not before Magnus caught sight of the goofy grin on his face. Magnus would do just about anything to keep that smile in place, but he knew it wouldn’t last long. His boyfriend was far too serious for his own good.

Magnus tapped under Alec’s chin to get him to look up again. “So, neck is off limits, then?”

Alec squirmed in place where he sat on the couch. Magnus raised an eyebrow.

“It wasn’t bad,” Alec said again.

Magnus searched his eyes for a moment. “So it was… good?”

Alec nodded.

“Do you want me to do it again?”

Alec nodded once more, but Magnus shook his head.

“I need a verbal response here, dear Alexander.”

Alec huffed, looking away from Magnus and petulantly adding a quiet, “Yes.”

That was all Magnus needed. He leaned in again, but instead of attaching his lips to Alec’s neck once more, he pulled Alec into another kiss. Alec let out a confused hum, but kissed back all the same, making Magnus glad they were sitting on the couch because he was sure Alec’s lips would’ve had him going weak at the knees.

Magnus dedicated his full attention to Alec’s lips for several long minutes, waiting until Alec had relaxed under the affection, and relaxed under it he had. The tension he’d carried through their conversation had vanished completely, his hands roaming Magnus’s body in a way that made Magnus completely dizzy, his lips now leading the kiss with a tender care that Magnus hadn’t experienced for a long time before Alec came along. He became so lost in Alec that he almost forgot what he was there to do.

The next time Alec pulled away for breath, Magnus kissed his way back to his jaw. For the time being, he kept his lips careful and feather-light, glancing up at Alec in his periphery and seeing his eyes closed, mouth parted in pleasure, still panting from their long minutes of kissing.

Magnus focused back on Alec’s skin, kissing down his face to the bare, unmarked side of his neck. He had plans for that rune, later.

The moment Magnus’s lips touched down under Alec’s jawline, he heard Alec gasp above him. Magnus hesitated, but didn’t pull back, continuing to softly kiss underneath the hard line of his jaw. Alec continued to make breathy noises, a mix between pleasure and something else, and his hands came up to tightly grip Magnus’s hips.

Magnus added a little more pressure to his lips, pressing an open mouthed kiss just under the bolt of Alec’s jaw. Alec jolted and his shoulders shook for a brief moment, and Magnus couldn’t help but smile against Alec’s skin.

“Don’t be so smug,” Alec murmured, his voice breathy and wavering.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Magnus spoke against the skin of his neck.

His grin only widened when Alec jolted again and he let out a muffled noise, leaving Magnus unsure as to whether it was a whimper or an aborted giggle.

He added more pressure to his kisses from then on, moving his way down the side of Alec’s neck, only stopping when Alec’s shirt prevented him from going any lower. And even then, Magnus unbuttoned the top few buttons as he kissed his way back up to Alec’s jaw so that he would have more access on his next pass.

At this point, Alec was practically trembling underneath him, the breathy sounds getting louder and closer to laughter the longer Magnus continued. His hands were still tight around Magnus’s hips, arms trembling with what was probably the effort to not push him away. Magnus kissed his way back down Alec’s neck and hovered over his collarbone with a grin.

“Does it feel good?”

Alec hummed a shaky affirmative.

Magnus’s grin turned a little more mischievous. “Does it tickle?”

Alec made a frustrated noise deep in his throat. “You know it does,” he replied, his voice wavering and unsteady. Magnus could hear the smile in it.

“You’re holding out on me.”

“It’s embarrassing.”

Magnus rolled his eyes and started mouthing at Alec’s collarbone, no longer only pressing simple kisses to the skin. It seemed to finally break the dam, as Alec let out a shocked noise before tumbling into quiet, breathy giggles. His hands jerked at Magnus’s hips, pushing them away for a moment before he seemed to regain control of himself and pulling Magnus’s lower half closer once more.

And now that Magnus had gotten Alec to break, it seemed like he couldn’t stop. No matter what Magnus did, whether it be pressing more feather-light kisses to the skin or mouthing at it hungrily, Alec’s giggles came tumbling out.

It was the most beautiful song that Magnus had ever heard in his long life, and he never wanted to be without it again. Sure, Alec laughed, but his usual chuckles were quiet and self-conscious, like he was trying to not take up too much space or bring too much attention to himself. But these giggles? They were bright and loud and bouncy and musical, and Alec couldn’t hide them behind his serious facade. They demanded to be heard, and hear them Magnus would.

Now that he had gotten Alec to crack, Magnus moved onto the main course: that damned rune on Alec’s neck that Magnus had been wanting to get his mouth on for ages.

Alec’s laughter jumped when Magnus’s lips moved over the tattooed skin, and Magnus knew he had saved the best for last. It seemed that runed skin was more sensitive, or maybe that was just an Alec thing, but he was certainly going to have to test that out more later, on a much larger scale.

Good thing Alec was quite tall. Plenty of skin for him to draw his runes on, and plenty of skin for Magnus to explore.

“Magnus, please--” Alec laughed out beneath him, his hands now scrabbling at Magnus’s back as opposed to gripping his hips.

Magnus chuckled against Alec’s skin, grinning at the squeal it earned him. “Please what, Alexander? Please… never stop tickling you?” He moved up to speak directly into Alec’s ear, letting his breath and lips brush across the skin. “Please kiss your neck all day long? Please keep drawing that delicious laughter out of you until you’re driven absolutely mad?”

Alec tossed his head back and shook it back and forth wildly as he laughed, mussing his hair on the couch cushions. Magnus wasn’t sure when they’d gotten in this position, Alec laying down on the couch and Magnus straddling his waist, but he certainly wasn’t complaining. Especially when he leaned back in and attached his lips to Alec’s rune once more, the laughter jumping in pitch.

Magnus decided to experiment and moved up to the line of the rune just below Alec’s jaw and started sucking on the skin there. Alec seemed caught between his laughter and some noise of pleasure, and what came out of his mouth was such an endearing conglomeration of the two that Magnus couldn’t help but chuckle against his skin, making Alec squeal again.

“Tickles!” Alec shrieked.

Magnus chuckled again. “Well I would hope so, that is what I’m intending, after all.”

He moved back down and lightly scraped his teeth against the center of the rune, not hard enough to leave a mark, just enough to drive Alec crazy with the new sensation, and drive Alec crazy it did. Alec threw his head back, exposing his gorgeous neck in its entirety, and cackled wildly. His legs scrabbled against the couch behind Magnus and his hands gripped at his shoulders, seemingly torn over whether or not he actually wanted to push Magnus away. Magnus scraped his teeth along the rune a few more times to draw some more of those adorable cackles out before Alec finally gave in, shoving at his shoulders. Magnus leaned back immediately.

“How was that?” Magnus asked smugly.

Alec snorted, lowering his hands to rest on Magnus’s thighs. “Ticklish,” he said.

Magnus planted his hands on either side of Alec’s head to gaze down at him. Alec brought one of his hands up to run his fingers through Magnus’s hair, and Magnus figured the styling was already long-ruined so he let him.

“Did you have fun?”

Alec looked away and cleared his throat. The blush spreading across his face was already answer enough, but Magnus didn’t let the smile spread across his face until Alec nodded.

“What about you?” Alec asked.

Magnus cocked his head to the side. “What about me?”

Alec sat up, meaning Magnus had to sit up, too, still firmly in Alec’s lap.

“Are you ticklish?”

Magnus ignored the traitorous butterflies in his stomach and gave Alec a cocky grin. “All my years of life, and you think I’d still be ticklish? You’re welcome to try, but you’re in for some disappointment, Alexander.”

Alec pouted, but it quickly vanished as he leaned in to kiss Magnus again. Magnus certainly wasn’t complaining about the chain of events and opened up easily under Alec’s lips. When Alec wrapped his arms tightly around Magnus’s back and began trailing his lips down to his jaw, Magnus didn’t even think twice about it, tilting his head back to give Alec all the access he needed.

Alec let out a quiet hum, lips vibrating against his throat, and Magnus shivered, a smile twitching at the edges of his lips. It was gone just as quickly, dissolving into a quiet, open-mouthed gasp as Alec sucked on his pulse point. It seemed that, even when lost to laughter, Alec was a quick study.

Only then, Alec quickly kissed his way up to Magnus’s ear, a sensitive spot in more ways than one, and mouthed under and behind it. Breathy noises of pleasure escaped Magnus even as his lips began twitching up into a smile. He hoped Alec didn’t notice it from where he had buried his face, but those hopes were shattered when Alec suddenly took a deep breath. Magnus knew what was coming next and was powerless to stop it.

Alec blew a long, loud raspberry right near Magnus’s ear.

Magnus burst into loud laughter, squirming in Alec’s lap and gripping at his shirt and hair desperately. He hadn’t been that mean when he’d been tickling Alec, it wasn’t fair that Alec brought raspberries into the mix! Even so, Magnus couldn’t find it in himself to protest as Alec blew another loud raspberry slightly further down Magnus’s neck. Then another, and another, and another, until Magnus found himself gasping for air for a completely different reason than he had been earlier.

And based off Alec’s cheeky grin, it would be a while yet before Magnus’s lungs got any relief. Not that he was complaining.

#tickle fic #My writing #shadowhunters tickling #lee!alec #ler!magnus bane #ticklish!alec #shadowhunters #alec lightwood #magnus bane #malec

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refinedbuffoonery · 3 years

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Quarantine Moments (14)

Soooooo this started as me vibing to a Halsey song and then it turned into angst. Oops. Sorry.

Also, in case you missed the announcement earlier this week, this is the last QM. I’ve had so much fun writing these, but it’s time to move on to new things. :)

*****

It’s a quiet night in the MacGyver household.

Mac lays on the couch, practicing the ukulele. Bozer and Riley are in their respective rooms, doing their own thing. As much as he loves them, Mac has to admit it’s nice having some alone time.

His fingers land on the wrong strings, and the resulting chord grates on his ears.

Progress is coming slowly, to say the least.

Riley shuffles into the kitchen and fills a glass of water for herself. Using her presence as an excuse to pause his increasingly frustrating playing, Mac studies Riley’s posture. Her shoulders cave inward, and she shifts her weight back and forth, from one leg to the other. When Riley turns around, Mac notices the heavy expression in her eyes.

Something is wrong.

They hold eye contact for a few seconds, saying nothing. It’s almost as if Riley is trying to convey her thoughts without actually speaking.

Mac wishes he could understand her. Usually he can. But this look...he can’t pinpoint what it means.

“C’mon,” Riley beckons. “Let’s go for a drive.”

Mac frowns, checking the time. “Now? It’s almost ten.”

“Let’s go,” she repeats. Crossing the distance to the couch, Riley lowers her voice. “Bozer needs some space. I accidentally walked in on him while he was on the phone.” The heavy look in her eyes suddenly makes sense.

“His mom?”

“Mac—” Riley lowers her gaze. “She’s...she’s not doing well.”

“Fuck,” he curses under his breath, sitting up. Bozer’s mom is the closest thing Mac has to a mother. She certainly raised him like he was her own.

Riley squeezes his shoulder reassuringly. “I’ll drive. Does your truck have gas? Mine’s almost out.”

Still thinking about Bozer’s mom, Mac almost doesn’t hear her. “Yeah,” he belatedly stutters. Closing his eyes and taking a few deep, steadying breaths, Mac pulls on a pair of sneakers and follows Riley out the door.

It feels good to leave the house.

Riley winds her way through the city streets, turning periodically but generally heading west. Mac’s beach playlist plays softly through the speakers. The roads are empty, which still shocks Mac even after two months of lockdown. Even late at night, there’s usually people on the road. The eerie stillness of his city is unnerving. It’s usually pulsing with life, not...whatever this is.

A ghost-town, perhaps. Haunted by the memory of the diverse, vibrant beings that once inhabited it.

“Did you hear anything else?” he asks, referring to Bozer’s phone call.

Regret flashes in Riley’s eyes. “No. I left as soon as I realized who he was talking to.”

After a few more turns, they’re in a part of town Mac isn’t familiar with, and he can’t stop himself from asking, “Where are you taking me?” He knows the difference between Riley aimlessly driving and when she has a destination in mind, and this is definitely the latter.

“My spot.”

They end up at the beach.

Riley rolls down her window partway, and the smell of saltwater and seaweed wafts in on the gentle breeze. The lights of a ship glimmer in the distance; it’s big, maybe a cargo ship or an aircraft carrier.

There’s something soothing about being near the ocean, Mac thinks, like all his troubles will be washed out to sea with the receding tide.

There’s a lot he’d like to wash away.

Mac exhales with each wave's retreat, letting his thoughts and emotions go with it, one by one. After a few minutes, Mac feels lighter than he has in days. "Thanks for getting me out of the house," he says. "I know it wasn't your intention, but I needed this."

"You're welcome." Riley glances at him and looks away, biting her lip. Something flickers in her eyes, just for a second, but it’s gone before Mac can figure out what it is.

“So, I heard a good joke today,” Mac says.

“Oh really? Where’d you hear it?”

“On my run. The teenage boys on the corner were practicing their stand-up comedy routine in the front yard again.”

Riley smiles. “Let’s hear it.”

Mac takes a deep breath, mentally preparing himself so he doesn’t start laughing before he lands the punchline. “What did the fish say when it hit the wall?”

Riley makes a show of thinking for a second. “I don’t know. What?”

“Dam.”

Riley tips her head back and laughs, the sound loud and full of life. Tendrils of warmth curl in Mac’s insides, taking up residence in the shadowed corners of his soul. He’s been thinking about that joke all day, waiting for the right moment to tell her.

Because Riley is the first person he wanted to tell, not Bozer or Desi or anyone else.

Just Riley.

She’s still laughing as her gaze catches his, and her raw, unguarded expression sends a chill down Mac’s spine.

Sometimes Mac lets himself think about what it could be like if that wall between them wasn’t there.

She’d consume him, in every way possible. And he’d gladly let her.

But that wall is there. It’s been there since the day they met, and Mac respects her too much to poke holes in it. Maybe it’s a good thing. With the wall there to block sparks and fireworks, they developed a quiet rhythm of love and care, and Mac wouldn’t trade that for the world.

If he let himself love her, really love her, there would be no going back from that, no returning to the way things are now. Either they’d be it for each other—be the one—or they’d wreck each other too thoroughly to ever be just friends again. So even if the wall came down, in a future where Desi is out of the picture, Mac would think twice before crossing that line with Riley.

And he knows she would too.

But that wall is there, Mac reminds himself again, and he and Desi are trying to make their relationship work. And as for Riley...

Riley will always be the “what if” he never got the chance to answer.

Mac can live with that. He doesn’t have a choice, really.

*****

Riley didn’t think about where was going. She just let her hands and feet take her where she needed to go, and it’s only in the comfortable quiet after Mac tells his stupid joke that Riley realizes what she’s done.

“I’ve never taken anyone here before,” she confesses suddenly. Riley found this lesser-known beach access point in high school, not long after getting her driver’s license. Her spot has always been a quiet place she could escape to when she needed to avoid the real world for a while. It has always been there for her—when Riley was mad or sad or frustrated, or when she just needed some alone time to think.

Mac snaps his head up in surprise. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Riley looks away. She wants to tell him, but she can’t bring herself to do it while he’s looking at her like that. “Though, I almost took Aubrey here once.”

“What stopped you?”

“I chickened-out at the last minute. I thought I was ready to share it with him, but there was this little voice in my head telling me to keep this place to myself. So I kept driving. I parked in the lot a couple miles south and said that was my spot.” Riley avoids thinking about what it might mean that she didn’t think twice about bringing Mac.

There’s a long pause, and then Mac says, “Thank you for sharing this with me. You didn’t have to. And for the record, even if you had told me about your spot, I never would’ve asked you to bring me here if you didn’t want to.”

It takes a couple tries to swallow the lump in her throat. “I think Aubrey knew I was lying,” Riley deflects. “So I made out with him long enough for him to forget, and he never brought it up later.” She picks at her nails. The dark gray polish is chipping; she’ll have to repaint them soon. “That was the only thing I ever lied to him about. Besides work stuff, of course. And we know how that turned out.”

The stench of seaweed and decay fills her nostrils. Riley focuses on it—anything to distract her from the scent of Mac’s laundry detergent. It’s plagued her ever since moving in with him after breaking up with Aubrey. The scent she’s long associated with safety and her friend—and now the person she has unrequited feelings for—follows her everywhere, since her clothes smell like it too. Most days Riley can ignore it, but sometimes....sometimes it feels like torture.

And right now, at her special spot, in his truck, wearing clothes that smell like him, it all feels like a mockery of what Riley wants and can never have.

Once, just this once, she lets herself imagine it anyway.

They’re on another drive, just like this one. It starts with stolen glances, then she switches to driving with one hand so the other can rest innocently on the center console, and soon enough, Mac’s fingers slip between hers.

Then they’re parked at Riley’s spot, and his lips are on her neck, trailing light kisses across her throat. They get a little carried away, marking skin and untucking shirts, and a murmured Let’s get out of here has Riley speeding home so they can continue this in private.

Riley shivers. Taking a deep breath, she tucks the fantasy into the far corner of her mind for safe keeping. Riley knows she should just let it go. There’s only so long she can sit in the silence, waiting for a sign and wondering if kissing him would really ruin everything they already have.

Riley finally dares to glance at Mac again. He’s already looking at her, still wearing that soft expression from before. It’s enough to make her wonder, what if?

What if he’s everything she ever wanted?

But what if she loses everything instead?

#this is the only joke I know so please laugh #beth writes #quarantine moments #macgyver #macriley #macgyver fanfiction #angus macgyver #riley davis

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