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#but people will sometimes ask about why I chose my name
kn11ves · 4 months
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world is cruel but my grandmother's dark brown skin is warm and shes old enough for her hair to be peppered grey and white and theres so much strength in her bones when she squeezes my hand when i sit on the edge of her bed and the skin of her palms is hard and smooth and i get to talk to her and hug her. so consider that
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baekuras · 1 year
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shoutout to todays customer who returned his sunglasses because they gave him headaches and when i asked if he wanted me to check to find the cause of it he refused ONLY to 5minutes after the return ask why they could cause him to have headaches when his daily clear ones don’t
fun fact 1: he was supposed to come in at 4pm because he wanted his money back in cash and we didn’t have that much in the morning, but he came during noon and i had to scrape some together fun fact 2: he asked my male coworker why they would cause issues when i was the one who took on his request for...some....reason....could it be....sexism.....no it can’t be (:
another shoutout to the woman insisting we give her mother who has diabetis, sees double AND can’t speak german and eye exam and tell them why she can’t see well even after me explaining to her that we can’t measure her prescription as well (or at all) like an actual doctor can due to both machinery AND lack of medical knowledge....surprise: it didn’t work out and the result were wonky and she may need prisms but maybe not who knows not fucking me because we skipped like 2dpt between slides at some points and none of the prescriptions i offered and adjusted cleared her seeing double (: yes hi hello i can actually do my job and know what is possible and what isn’t (:
#txts#on the lower end of rant news we had one customer who was angry his lenses were thick#....like....sir you chose the most basic ones which aren't even really sold anymore afaik with +3dpt#ofc gucci frames the size of half the head to over ex....aterate oh god i forgot the word....anyway#so they get extra big#i am just amazed he didnt insist on mineral ones tbh but hey a small win#but hey....surprise: if out of the at LEAST 4 options you pick the general very basic ones when you need big lenses....shits gonna get thicc#'it looks bad!!!' yeah no shit but you didnt want to spend money on the lenses i GUESS#idk i wasnt there#and i am not paid enough to discuss with customers what lenses best fit to avoid this case beyond a recommendation#you can always choose other ones but if you ever get mad and tell someone I either forced them on you or didnt offer anything else#i will maul you#and also no one will believe you because my coworkers know my sale rhythm and i know theirs....so....fuck you we all hate you and talk shit#about you#sometimes even while you're still there and sometimes w/ other customers as well#another favourite is people asking why we cant insert new lenses into certain frames#i swear i WISH i knew why they were made like this#i really.really wish i knew#but we are as lost as you#(actual favourite tho that wasnt sarcasm i just like to shittalk brand-name frames because so many are shit lol)#like the ones who actually specialize or focus on frames are usually got#-ray ban because they decided to fuck themselves hard#apparently they were rly good once? havent found a new one showing that yet rly but k i'll trust y'all#but some are just....literal plastic#for frames??? like the whole thing????#bitch this will break if i sneeze on it wtf are you doing#insta modeling?? tf are they for???#+another favourite is some of them going#'oh they have 100uv protection'#yeah so does every plastic lens+100uv isn't uv400 at least in germany fuck off
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underoossss · 9 months
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Head over Heels - S.H
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pairing: steve harrington x grumpy!f!reader
summary: Steve falls for Robin’s grumpy friend, and he falls hard.
warnings: family problems mention, trust issues, angst, hurt/comfort, no spoilers, (there’s fluff I promise!!!)
grumpy x sunshine trope
an: I know this is the first Steve fic I’ve posted IN FOREVER and I’m sorry! my writer’s block, personal problems, work and health, have all contributed to how long it took me to finish this. But I promise to make it worth your while, this is the same length as babe baby beautiful and I hope it makes you happy. I dedicate this to all my grumpy beloveds out there, who, like me. don’t relate 100% to the sunshine tropes bc sometimes life just freaking sucks. I poured my heart out with this one so, I hope this comforts you and that you like it! Please let me know. 💘
——-
The September breeze pushes Steve’s hair back as he makes his way to the Hawkin’s start-of-autumn fair, a new thing the town is trying out to make the citizens feel more upbeat after all the incidents they’ve experienced. His friends trail after him, Mike and Lucas arguing over something he doesn’t understand, Max listening to Dusting complain about some prank the soccer team played on the Hellfire Club and Robin walking by his side. Everyone shouts food orders over their shoulder, running towards the picnic tables in search for an empty one, and leaving Steve and Robin alone.
His friend is rambling by his side, and Steve nods along to what she’s telling him. She has a new friend this year, met her at homeroom when she was introduced as a new student. A senior like Robin, she got along with her just fine. I talk a lot and she doesn’t, it’s a good fit, I think she really needed a friend that day, Robin says, and now she’s friends with all of us. Steve hums in understanding, switching schools in senior year sounds awful, and he wonders why you chose to do that. He wouldn’t, unless it was for something serious.
“Anyway here she comes!” Robin says excitedly, waving you over. “I can’t believe she actually came, she’s not comfortable with strangers and she doesn’t know you. I thought she’d sit this one out.”
Steve follows Robin’s line of sight and spots you walking towards them in the distance. Baby blue sweater, light washed jeans and black high-top converse, make you stand out from the orange foliage around you. Your face is serious as you get closer, only breaking into a small smile when you wave at Robin and accept her hug. When you step back your face morphs back to neutrality, a slight furrow to your brow as you hide your hands in your back pockets.
Robin says your name and motions towards Steve. “This is Steve, the friend I told you about.” She explains, “He’s our chauffeur, monster-fighter and designated babysitter.”
Steve furrows his brows and looks sideways at Robin before he looks at you and grins. “Hi, nice to meet you.” He offers his hand and you give it one quick shake before pulling back and looking away. Steve wasn’t expecting that reaction, but he guesses what Robin said is true, you don’t like strangers.
“We’re going to get Apple fritters! They have massive ones here and they serve them with big scoops of ice cream.” Robin tells you, glancing down the line as it moves. There are only three people left to order, so the three of you step into line. “Let me check if they’re still doing the ice cream on top.”
With that, Steve is left to wait next to you until Robin is back. You shift from one leg to another, almost nervously and Steve glances at you. Your eyes meet his and then look away, not scared or nervous, just looking away like you can’t be bothered to make conversation with him. Is he intimidating? Steve asks himself or are you just a massive buzzkill that can’t even comment on the weather.
Steve tries again, scratching his cheek. “So, uh, you’re in senior year like Robin?”
You nod, looking down at your feet before looking at him. “Yeah, we have a lot of classes together. I know the guys over there as well.” Your hand lifts to point at Eddie, who’s just arrived at the table, and the kids talking around him.
Huh, so you do speak, Steve notes, but only when prompted. “Cool.” He nods, looking at your face and noticing the way you look away immediately. “So why did you move to Hawkins all of a sudden? I mean senior year, that’s gotta be rough.”
You press your lips together, looking uncomfortable by the question. Steve has the faint idea that he asked the wrong thing. “I should go say hi to everyone.” You say after an awkward cough. “If there’s ice cream can you tell Robin I’m good with cookie dough?”
Steve wordlessly takes the 5 bucks you hand him and sees you rush away from him. In the distance he can see everyone’s faces light up when they spot you, beckoning you over with excited waves, and your reluctant barely there smile as you greet them and sit down. Steve doesn’t get it; he is half mortified and half confused when Robin comes back. How is it that everyone is your friend when you’re so closed off and Steve doesn’t want to say it but… grumpy.
“Are you sure your friend wants to be here?” Steve asks Robin, looking over at you again. You’re sitting with your elbows leaning on the table, listening to everyone talk around you, neutral expression on your face. Bored, even.
“Of course, she does.” Robin is quick to say. “Why do you ask?”
“Well, she doesn’t look too thrilled to be talking to you.” Steve shrugs.
“You clearly don’t know her.” Robin shakes her head. “What did you do?”
“I only asked her about her move to Hawkins.” Steve holds his hands up defensively, then adds. “She said she likes cookie dough ice cream.”  
They pause their conversation to order the fritters and pay, then continue talking while they wait.
“Okay, you shouldn’t have asked that. First of all.” Robin rolls her eyes, “Second of all, she’s friends with all of us.”
Steve huffs in disbelief. “Oh so she likes you? That’s her I like you face.”
“She adores us, you… not really but that’s cause she doesn’t know you.” Robin nods with certainty, then worries her bottom lip. “The move question is just tricky for her.”
Steve moves to say something when their order is called, and she go back to the booth to take the trays laid out in front of them. There are eight apple fritters with ice cream they have to juggle back to the table but manage to fit in their hands and arms.
“Look Steve.” Robin says seriously, lowering her voice after a sigh.” She slows her pace, so they take longer to get back to the table. “She has been through a rough time; I won’t tell you what because it took her a long time to trust me enough to open up.”
“Okay…” Steve nods, going over her words and feeling a soft pang of guilt. He wouldn’t have judged you so harshly if he knew you were struggling with something. He wouldn’t have asked you about you changing towns. “You could’ve told me that before I messed up earlier. Before I was bitchy too.”
“You’re always bitchy.” Robin huffs, then hums when she looks at you sitting in the distance. “She’s wonderful Steve, in her own way, so don’t judge her by the way she presents herself. When she trusts you, you’ll see what I‘m talking about.” She gives him a pointed look.  
Robin’s words echo in his head as they reach the picnic table and hand over the food to their friends. Steve places yours in front of you with a nod to which you say thank you. Now that he knows a little more about you, Steve guesses you were both left with a bad first impression. They aren’t his forte, and it’s not his fault you weren’t the same person with him as you are with Robin. You don’t know each other, of course it was going to be awkward. Steve sees what Robin means as everyone chats and eats; he sees it in the way your eyes soften, and lips smile slightly when Max begins to tell you something. He sees it in the way you lean closer to the redhead and whisper something that has her laughing soon after; you smile as well before turning your attention back to the group. Dustin and Eddie are planning some sort of revenge on the jocks from the soccer team who messed up something in their Hellfire Room.
Steve tries to focus on what they’re saying but he’s too busy looking at you, trying to figure you out. What happened? What’s the thing that you told Robin that made you keep the gentleness you showed to Max tucked away? You feel him looking at you and meet his eyes, it’s a distrustful glance from the way you narrow your eyes at him. Okay, Steve probably stared at you too long. He looks away and hears you sigh before you do too, tuning back into the conversation between the Hellfire club sitting at the other end of the picnic table.
“That’s a horrible plan.” You say plainly, making Max snort and Eddie pause the conversation. The metalhead rolls his eyes –no annoyance, no malice in sight. Steve supposes Eddie knows you like Robin does.
“Why is that, buttercup?” Eddie asks.
“They’ll know it was you, and they’ll beat you up, Munson.” You tell him seriously with an eye roll of your own –Steve doesn’t need to know you to catch the concern in your tone. “Put some laxatives in their protein powders instead.”
Steve lets out a bark of laughter that startles the table; that would be a good prank if he’s being honest. Everyone turns to look at him, including you and Steve clears his throat. “It’s a good idea.” He mumbles rubbing his chin, then meets your eyes briefly to find something like amusement in them.
“No, no, no.” Dustin shakes his head. “It is an objectively good plan, there’s no way they’ll know it’s us.”
“Yeah, we’ll wait for them to leave and then sneak into the locker room.” Eddie adds. “We’ll seal their lockers shut, they can’t change into their gear the next day and their coach yells their ears off.”
“The perfect plan.” Dustin says proudly and looks around the take to see who agrees.
“You sure they won’t be able to trace the prank back to you? See it as immediate revenge for what they did?” Max asks nodding towards you, “She’s right.”
“We’re absolutely sure.” Eddie confirms with a nod, clapping his hands in front of him.
“Can I read the eulogy at your funeral then?” You ask Eddie and Dustin with fake enthusiasm. “I call dibs.”
Steve chuckles and next to him, Robin fakes discontent as she rolls her eyes. “Damn, I wanted to do it.”
You send a smile her way before you clear your throat. “Eddie and Dustin died as they lived.” Your words are solemn as you speak. “With bad plans and too much confidence that they’ll work.”
“They always work.” Eddie says, chuckling at your words with everyone else. You simply raise one eyebrow at him, which Steve must admit is hot, and Eddie shakes his head. “I guess they sort of work.”
“So, laxatives?” Dustin asks Eddie after a minute, a defeated hunch to his shoulders.
“Laxatives.” Eddie and the rest of Hellfire repeats before the table bursts into laughter– including Steve.
His eyes don’t leave you though. You’re not laughing like everyone else but there’s a small smile on your face. It is reserved but softens your face in the loveliest way. It shows him you are enjoying their company despite the otherwise inexpressive look on your face. Steve begins to wonder then… if he wins your trust, the one you have with Robin and Max, will you smile at him the same way you do with them? Bright and beautiful enough to blind him? He guesses it would be worth a shot, getting to know you more, because if he’s being honest, he’s intrigued.
--------
The next time Steve sees you it’s at a party. It’s mid-October and the cold weather turns it up a notch with the cold bite to the air. He wouldn’t have gone to the party in the first place, if he’s being honest, but Robin forced him to go. Everyone will be there she’d said but Steve didn’t know who everyone would be. Only when he arrived at Kevin Rotner’s house did he begin to recognize some familiar faces. Nancy, Johnathan, and Eddie arrive at the same time he does and the five of them walk up the driveway and the small path leading to the front porch. There’s loud chatter inside and a boombox playing to the loudest volume in the dinning room. There are people sitting in the staircase laughing at a joke and more loud conversation coming from the backyard. He navigates the house with his friends until Robin spots you in the kitchen, and Steve doesn’t know why he’s so nervous when he sees you. You greet Robin with a hug and shrug when she tells you something, he can hear. Your face is pretty and serious as you look over Robin’s shoulder, spotting everyone else coming to say hi. Steve sees you take a deep breath before you greet everyone — almost as if you’re preparing yourself for small talk and hugs. He greets you last, more open and approachable than last time, and he’s surprised when you wave. “Hi, Steve.”
Something inside Steve jumps, but he thinks it’s only his own surprise. He’s about to say something, when Robin and Nancy take your hand and drag you away with the promise of some new gossip, they have to tell you.
Steve talks to a few people here and there; mostly the ones he’s kept in touch with after high school. Other than that, he doesn’t know anyone else; he doesn’t know if it’s cause he’s grown up but he’s not really having fun. There are people jumping into the pool despite the weather while those who mind the cold have gathered inside the house. Steve’s mostly avoiding the crowds, where the air is too hot despite winter being near, while keeping an eye out for his friends. Nancy and Jonathan are talking to some people he doesn’t know in the kitchen, Robin is trying not to combust while she talks to her crush —her lab partner in biology— and Eddie is walking around the entire party with his lunchbox.
When Steve sees you again, you are people watching in the living room, eyes trained on a few people in the middle of the room. He moves to stand next to you, and you shift your gaze towards him but say nothing; Steve thinks it means it’s okay if you stand here. Your foot taps to the music –Tears for Fears’ Head Over Heels –and your head moves almost imperceptibly to the music. The two of you are quiet for a while, and it’s not awkward like Steve expected it to be, not after the way he messed up at the fair. He’s pleasantly surprised, and relaxes a bit more next to you, slouching slightly against the wall. One of your arms is crossed over your chest while your other elbow rests on it, a red cup in your hand. The music continues to play and your eyes are still trained on the people talking in the living room, they’re some old Hawkins High students Steve kind of recognizes. There’s Angela and Karen, Bradley and Peter and some other people he doesn’t know the names of. Steve leans his weigh on his right leg, which brings him closer to you.
You don’t move away, simply pass him your red cup. Steve moves to shake his head no and say he’s driving, but you speak up before he does. “It’s only soda.” You say and nod at the cup that Steve takes the cup from you shortly after.
“What’re you watching?” Steve asks.
“The only interesting thing that’s going to happen in this party I think.” You look at him finally and lean closer, Steve isn’t sure you’re aware of it. “I think there’s going to be a fight.”
Your eyes hold amusement in them, like you’re excited for what’s about to happen. The tiniest movement of your mouth has Steve glancing down, you’re grinning, barely; he thinks it’s cute.
Steve’s eyebrows raise, interest spiked, and is about to say something when you turn your head again. Bradley is saying something to Angela, his voice loud and slurred but incomprehensible over the music, and not a second later an equally intoxicated Peter swings a punch at him. Another girl, who Steve doesn’t know, confronts Angela they start arguing with Karen joining the fight. Bradley and Peter fall to the ground, wrestling each other while others try to break the fight.
“Wait isn’t she?” Steve’s mind catches up the everything that happened puts two and two together. He’s pretty Angela is dating Bradley, not Peter.
“Yup.” You say with a shrug, tilting your head. “It was all a matter of time before it happened.” It’s all you say, then chuckle. Steve does too, he can’t help himself at the sound of your own laughter, until the two of you are giggling at the fight in front of you.
The music changes then, to something more upbeat, and Steve’s mind can only think about asking you to dance. Would you say yes? Probably not. Before he can ask you though, you step away from the wall. More people have gathered in the living room to watch the fight, and you decide to make your way to the front door. Do crowds bother you? Steve wonders.
“Wait.” Steve goes after you and closes the door behind him. “Where are you going?”
“Home.” Your back is turned to him. The cream-coloured sweater you wear over your lilac skirt and your black boots look lovely on you, and so does your hair. Steve doesn’t know why but he thinks it frames your face perfectly. There’s also a hint of remaining lip-gloss on your lips that shines with the streetlamp’s light… and Steve, well Steve thinks You’re so pretty.
“It’s cold, don’t tell me you’re going to walk.” Steve speaks again, shaking away his previous thoughts.
You shrug, “I usually do, it’s not too far.”
Steve doesn’t know where you live but he knows Rotner lives far away from almost everyone in Hawkins. Your house is probably far away. “I’ll drive you.”  Steve offers, but you sigh and look away.
“Go back to the party Steve, you can drive Robin home.” You say simply. “I’ll see you around.”
“No, she can go with Nancy.” He follows you until he’s walking next to you. “It’s not safe for you to walk home, come on.”
You sigh again and look up at the sky, annoyed. If you’re annoyed, then he’s too, because you’re making a dumb decision for the sake of being stubborn. And you probably don’t know that he’s stubborn too, so you might have to argue all night about whether this decision is right or not. Why is it so hard for you to accept a ride home? You offered him soda and were talking to him just now; it was nice. More than nice.
“I won't stop asking.” Steve says, crossing his arms and stepping in front of you.
Your eyes meet his in an intense half-glare, and Steve can’t help but think how nice your eyeliner looks on you. It does something to him he hasn’t felt in a while. He feels like he can’t breathe while heat creeps up the back of his neck —it’s October, he shouldn’t feel hot at all. A moment later you roll your eyes, though backing down first, and giving Steve some time to breathe as you turn around.
“Alright.”
Steve can’t help smiling in triumph, knowing he just won, and follows you as you walk towards his car further down the road. Amusement paints his eyes as he looks at you; your lips are pursed, and a huff escapes you.
 “You’re pouting” Steve says, looking at your lips and the annoyed look on your face. It makes him smile. You’re pouting.
“I’m not” You look sideways at him.  
“Oh, you are.”
“Shut up, Harrington.” You say and he laughs, opening the passenger’s door for you.
-------
From then on Steve does his best to increase his charm and be a gentleman. He offers you his help as well as rides home whenever he can, especially when you’re alone. The last thing he wants is for you to think that he’s only being nice when your common friends are around. Steve sees you more often now, not as much as he’d like, he must admit, but enough to know more about you. What you’re okay with sharing, more like.  
As he suspected from the party, you don’t like crowds (they make you nervous), and when Steve asked why you’d changed the topic. You work at the Deli on Main Street, have a younger brother named Chris, and you love coffee. He always sees you drinking one in the morning when he gives both you and Robin a ride to school, and whenever he stops by at the deli for lunch during your shift. Most important of all, Steve is starting to see what Robin meant when she said not to judge a book based on its cover. Because, despite your grumpy exterior, there’s a whole personality hidden underneath.
Steve can tell. There are hints and pieces; from the way you dress, to the music you like, and comic books you read and often exchange with Max. When he takes the time to look, he sees the gentleness with which you do things, and the care with which you treat your friends. He also sees your distrust for what it is: fear. You’re afraid, to let new people in, to get hurt, and Steve doesn’t know why.  
He wishes there was something he could do to fix it, to make you see the glass half full instead of half empty, or to change your sporadic pessimism.  But then he figures, he would be changing you, and that’s not something he wants. If he’s being honest, your friend group (Steve isn’t sure if he’s your friend, officially at least) needed someone with an objective outlook on life to set their heads straight. And if he’s honest with himself, he likes all the things that make you you. He likes your confidence when you don’t care what people think about you. He likes it when you fight with Robin over who chooses the music, despite it being his car. And he's pretty much obsessed with your face; the hard set of your jaw when you get impatient, the brow you silently arch that makes him feel things he shouldn’t, and the silent way you listen to conversation, only speaking up when you think it’s necessary. Steve is more than a bit obsessed.
He had been wrong that first day. He didn’t know you and wrongly assumed you weren’t happy to be there with them, when you actually were. He reflects upon it now that he knows your facial expressions; your eyebrows had been relaxed, and your eyes didn’t have a hard edge to them. You had been at ease, only closing yourself off when Steve tried to dig into your move to Hawkins. He really started off with the wrong foot, but it all takes a turn on a Friday night.
You visit FV for a tape mid-afternoon, surprising Steve at work. The weather is more than chilly outside, and Steve notices right away how you have no jacket on, only a dark red sweater. He’d been doing some paperwork behind the counter when the bell over the door for his attention. It rewarded him with the sight of you walking in, looking around before your eyes settle on him.
“Hey, Steve.” You say voice light as you approach him and lean your elbows on the counter. “Do you have karate kid available? My brother is begging us to watch it again tomorrow.”
Steve doesn’t know why but he struggles to speak for a moment —it probably has to do with the fact that you look very pretty, and two, this interaction is so different from your first one he shortcircuits. After a long pause you raise a questioning eyebrow, “You okay?”
Steve clears his throat. “Yeah. Um, we have it, let me go get it.”
“Thank you.” You nod as he dashes away from the counter.
“Did you walk here?” Steve asks once he’s cleared his head and reaches the action movie aisle. He sees you shrug over the stands.
“I usually do, I don’t mind it.” You explain simply.
“You’re not wearing a jacket though.” Steve grabs Karate Kid and goes back to the counter. Why are you always out in the cold without a jacket? It’s a miracle you haven’t fallen sick, he thinks.
“I left school in a rush, I was gonna be late for work.” You shrug again, eyes visibly lighting up when you spot the movie. “Thank God. Chris would have been insufferable if someone beat me to it.”
Steve crouches down behind the counter and retrieves his own jacket —a grey bomber— before placing it on the counter in front of you. “Here.”
“Steve,” You tell him seriously, rolling your eyes. “I’m not taking your jacket.”
“Why not? You’re the one walking out in the cold, I only have to walk towards my car.” He dismisses your refusal with a wave of his hand.
“Hey!” Robin says, calling your name as she emerges from the back room. “Perfect timing, I was going to call you.”
“Here to rent karate kid.” You tell her, a small smile on your face.
“And choosing hypothermia over my jacket.”  Steve chimes in, sliding his jacket pointedly towards you.
“It’s not that cold Steve.” You roll your eyes at him again, “But I know you’ll annoy me until I say yes.”
Steve gives you a triumphant smile and you shake your head, Steve would even say it’s shyly, before you take the jacket and shrug it on. “The movie? Please.”
Robin speaks up while Steve rings you up. “We’re gonna hang out at Nancy’s tonight. The kids will be there too, you should come.”
Steve risks a glance at you, in his jacket; a huge mistake. He seriously underestimated his reaction to seeing you in his clothes, because it is downright adorable and something he was unprepared for. The sleeves go past your hands and the whole thing is oversized on you, his shoulders being broader than yours and his torso longer. Steve bites back a smile —he hopes you never give it back to him; this is a sight he’d love to see more often.  He turns back to the computer to hide his grin from you and silently hopes you’ll say yes.
“Will there be other people?” You ask Robin, and Steve is quick to shake his head no and reassure you. Too quick.
“Just the usual gang.” Steve tells you, clearing his throat to hide his eagerness. “No one else.”
“Come on, it’ll be fun!” Robin insists with a smile, then moves her gaze towards Steve, who tries to ignore the way she raises a knowing eyebrow at him. He’s gonna have an earful once you leave, he can bet on it.  
“Okay, I’ll be there.” You nod, then exchange some cash for the movie Steve hands to you. “Thank you, Steve.”
Steve leans his forearms on the counter, trying to give you his most charming smile to see if he’ll get one of those you give Robin in return. “We’ll pick you up after work.” Steve says and you look into his eyes for a long second before nodding.
“Sure.” You shrug, eyes shifting away from his. “I’ll see you guys later.”
------
At Nancy’s, chaos ensues. The kids argue over what board-game to play while Eddie and Robin argue over what record to play next. Steve is listening to Nancy and Jonathan talk about a volunteering drive she’s organizing and from where he stands, he can see you leaning against the wall next to Robin. Your face is neutral as you listen to the record that’s currently playing, tuning out Eddie’s argument for the most part until you speak up.
“Or you can let me choose?” You ask calmly, glancing at them briefly before going back to looking down at your feet.
“No!” Both Eddie and Robin say at the same time, and Steve notices the corner of your mouth twitch upwards.
“You chose this one, buttercup.” Eddie says with a sigh. “You’re only gonna choose one to annoy us.”
This earns Eddie an eye roll. “How exactly do you know that?” You ask. “It could’ve been a great pick, now you’ll never know Munson.”
Steve tries to tune back into Nancy’s explanation when Max pushes the board game she wanted to play away with a huff. It clatters to the ground as she stands from her place in front of the coffee table. You spot her and call her name only a moment later.  
“Hey Max, I got the new Wonder Woman!” You say after a moment when the read-head stops glaring daggers at the boys. 
Her eyes light up, a dramatic change from the look in her eyes moments ago. “Really? Can I see it?”
“‘Course, I brought it for you.” You roll your eyes, this time full of fondness, and nod towards the kitchen. “It’s in my bag.”
 Steve can’t follow your conversation because the doorbell rings, signalling the pizza Nancy ordered arrived. The weather feels much colder than earlier as he opens the door and steps outside, he pays for the pizza, tips the delivery guy and goes back inside. Arms full of pizza boxes, he walks back to the dining table, shooting a pointed look at Dustin and Mike. “Zip it or you don’t get a single slice.”
The high schoolers move more discarded boardgames away from the table in a heartbeat, scrambling to undo their mess and opening the pizza boxes in a hurry. Steve spots you still standing in the kitchen talking to Max as everyone helps themselves to pizza and decides to let you both know the food is ready.
“So, you skate too?” Max is asking you excitedly, leaning her hip against the kitchen counter.
You chuckle — it hits Steve in the chest and Steve doesn’t know what to do with that. “I do,” You grin, “I mean I used to when I lived in Indianapolis, but I haven’t since I moved here.”
“We can go to the skate-park tomorrow.” Max proposes raising her eyebrows, “If you want.”
You nod, “Sure. I’ll look for my skateboard tonight, let’s hope I still remember how to use it.”
“Pizza’s here.” Steve says, interrupting and smiling at you both. When your eyes meet his, your lips move to smile but in a matter of seconds you stop yourself.
It makes Steve furrow his brows and walk over to you as Max leaves to grab a slice. “You okay?” Steve asks, and your eyes meet his again briefly before they dart away as you sidestep him.
You make your way to the front door in a rush, this time though you do grab your jacket—his jacket— on the way. Just like he did the night of the party, Steve follows you, worried and confused at your reaction. Robin glances at him from the dining table, an unspoken question in her eyes but Steve can only shrug. He is certain he didn’t do anything wrong just now, but somehow, he messed up because you just fled from him.
“Stop.” Steve says after calling your name. “What happened?”
“Nothing, I just need some air. You should go back inside Steve.” Your back is to him, shoulders tense and close to your ears defensively.
“No,” He shakes his head. His lips go down into a frown briefly as he looks at your back. He voices the question he always asks himself when you shut him down. “Did I do something?”
“No.” You say when you turn, eyebrows meeting in the middle as you glare at him but Steve sees the way you struggle to hold it in place. After a second it falls, and your face just crumples to exhausted look. “I want to be alone.” You whisper.
 “You think a glare and a pout are intimidating enough to drive me away?” Steve shakes his head.
“I don’t pout.” You say, lips pursed and jaw tense. Pouting.
“You do and it’s not working.”  
You change tactics then, raising an eyebrow and staring him down like the night at the party but Steve shakes his head. “That’s not working either.”
“Why are you insisting so much on this!” You finally ask, raising your voice and crossing your arms in front of you. Your jaw clenches as you look away and Steve sees your eyes squeeze shut.
He runs a hand down his face and breathes out. “Whether you like it or not there are people who want to get to know you.”
“What, like you?” Your eyes cut a suspicious look Steve’s way and he can see your walls come back up right in front of him. A tear falls down your cheek and you’re quick to wipe it away, harshly. “Why?”
Steve throws his hands up in the air, exasperated but not raising his voice, “To be your friend! Just like Robin and Eddie are your friends.” His shoulders move up and down, trying to cover up how much he likes you and looks forward to your company. “Why are you so distrustful, is it something I did?”
“It’s not about you, Steve.” Your eyebrows meet in the middle again, and you look away from him, directing your gaze to the snow-covered lawn. “If… If it bothers you so much, why do you even want to be my friend? Because you’re wrong Steve. No one else does, and I’m more than fine with that.”
Steve shakes his head, knowing you’re lying to him and trying to convince yourself. His voice softens. “Because despite it, I like you, I think you’re… cool.”
“Cool?” The way you raise your eyebrows makes Steve chuckle.
Funny, caring, fucking beautiful, Steve wants to say but he just nods his head at your question.
“Yeah, and you’re interesting, and I… want to be your friend.” Steve’s hands settle on his hips as he shifts his weigh to one leg, looking down to the ground. Glancing at you briefly, he drops his voice to whisper your name. “Don’t leave. I’m not lying… that’s what worries you right?”
Steve assumes that’s where your distrust comes from; you told him it wasn’t something he did, then it must be that you’re scared to trust him. He’s known there are many feelings behind your hard exterior, one of them being fear. Steve doesn’t want you to fear him, and he wonders who broke your trust in the past. Silence settles between the two of you; you seem to be going over his words and Steve is giving you the time to do so. He’d wait an hour if necessary and reassure you a thousand times if it would mean you believe him. Steve panics when he sees you swallow hard and shift your eyes at the sky, the last thing he wanted to do was make you cry.
But you don’t cry. Instead, you take a deep breath and look into his eyes. There’s a vulnerability there that awakens an urge in Steve to hug you. “You promise?” Your voice is a whisper, but he hears you clear as day. You’ve never spoken so softly before, and Steve wishes it could have happened under other circumstances.
Steve looks into your eyes and nods with sincerity, hoping you can see he’s being completely honest with you. “Yes.”
“I do like you, Steve. You just scare me.” You look down at the ground for a moment and nod to yourself as Steve’s eyebrows shoot hop in surprise. A moment later, your eyes drift back to Steve and there are emotions dancing around in them he’s never seen before. “I’m sorry.”
Steve nods and something inside him tightens when you offer a small smile. It’s like something shifts between the two of you despite neither of you moving. In a matter of seconds, everything feels easy, natural, like the brief moment your shared at the party in October. Steve realizes it’s because you’ve let your guard down; you stand differently in front of him, more comfortable, less apprehensive. You scare me. “You wanna tell me why?”
You press your lips together and shake your head. “Another time, maybe?”
Steve tries to hold back a smile, but he can’t, it takes over his entire face. When he sees you shiver, he offers his hand. “Let’s go back inside, or I can drive you home if you want to leave.”
“I can stay a bit longer.” You say when you grab his hand –an electric shock goes up his arm. “I really want some pizza. But if they play Monopoly I’m definitely leaving.”
Steve’s laughter follows you as he leads the two of you back to the house.
--
The coffee cup Steve places in front of you at work the next Monday lands with a soft thud on the counter. It’s black coffee with some milk and sugar; the way Steve’s learned you take it every day. The sound and his presence make you look up at him over the top of your book, a doubtful eyebrow raised and a serious look on your face. Fuck your pretty, Steve thinks. Your eyes shift from the coffee to his face a couple of times before you close your book.
“What’s this?” You ask, leaning back on your seat and tilting your head.
Steve leans his elbows on the counter in front of you and tilts his head right back. “Considering you drink around 5 of these a day, one would think you’ll know what it is.”
“Ah, that’s where you’re mistaken. I actually drink 10.” You deadpan, looking at him with fake disappointment. “I thought you knew me, now that we’re friends and all.”
Steve laughs, looks down and shakes his head. When he looks at you again, there’s a half smile on your face. “Come on.” He says. “Let’s go grab some food.”
“I literally work at a deli, Steve.” You tell Steve seriously, motioning to your surroundings. “We’re surrounded by food.”
Steve copies what you just said with a roll of his eyes and smiles again. “I mean something else, babe. Come on.”
With a sigh you stand up from your seat and round the counter, leaving your apron behind. “You’re lucky I get a break in a couple of minutes.” You tell Steve before yelling over your shoulder. “Hank I’ll be back!”
Steve’s eyes light up and he considers his visit a triumph. He’s becoming surer and surer his feelings for you go beyond friendship and fondness and lean more towards: I want to hold your hand all the time, and cuddle you while we watch movies then forget about the movie and get lost on you. He wants to put his arm around your shoulder freely, have you lean your weigh against him and steal a kiss, probably more than one. No. It won’t ever happen so Steve shouldn’t even be thinking about it. He opens the passenger’s door to his car for you and smiles when you get in, your coffee in your hand.
It becomes a routine of sorts, either you visit him at Family Video bringing sandwiches for him and Robin or he picks you up, a coffee waiting for you in his car and drives you wherever feels right that day to eat your lunch. You talk about your day, or whatever gossip you heard that day. One day you even confessed to be scared about graduation.
“Everyone is so excited to finish school, and here I am so terrified about the future I haven’t opened any of my college application letters.” You muttered, picking at a loose thread on your sweater.
“Why are you scared?” Steve asked you and you swallow hard.
You turned your body on your seat, facing him as you shrugged. “I feel lost, I don’t know what I should major in. I also don’t know where I’d like to go, and I can't even research these colleges without panic settling on my chest.” Your eyebrows furrowed and your jaw got tense and Steve knew that meant you felt angry and this time it was at yourself.
Steve took your hand without a second thought, but you let him. “You know, you don’t have to figure it all out right now.”
“It feels like it.” You whispered looking at him, frustration and embarrassment shining in your eyes.  “Everyone else has it figured out.”
Steve shook his head; you shouldn’t feel embarrassed with him. “If there’s something I’ve learned about you, is that you don’t care about what other people are doing. What do you want?”
“I ask myself that question every day.” You mirrored his head shake and looked away. “Let’s talk about something else. Please?”
Steve was happy to change the subject, anything to cheer you up. By the time you go back to the Deli to continue your shift, he realized it was the first personal thing you’ve told him. Ever. It made him happier than he cared to admit.
-----
Two months after your talk in Nancy’s driveway, you invite Robin, Nancy, Eddie, Jonathan and Steve to your house. It’s the first time you’ve let anyone other than Robin into your home, this time for movie night. Your father and brother went back to Indianapolis to pick up other stuff from your old house, you said, it’s perfect timing. Steve and Robin arrive together, and shortly afterwards Eddie’s knocking on the door.
 Your house is cozy and simply decorated with a forest green comfy looking couch, a dark brown coffee table and a TV in the living room and all the basic stuff in both the dining room and kitchen.  There’s a record playing somewhere, and Steve can’t help the smile that comes to his face when he sees the way you’re mouthing the words as you move back and for the between the kitchen and living room bringing snacks, drinks and pizza for everyone. You’re wearing a cream-coloured sweater he recognizes from the party back in October and something funny happens in his stomach when he realizes just how far your friendship’s evolved since then.
“Babe come on take a break, we can help.” Steve stops you from going back to the kitchen with a hand on your shoulder and a fond look on his face.
You open your mouth to say something when Eddie and Robin appear on either side of you, presenting the movies they –surprisingly– were in charge to pick. “The best horror movies.” They say in unison.
Your eyebrows shoot up in surprise as you take the three VHS tapes from them. “Oh. Um, great! Thank you.” Your reaction hides behind the grin you shoot both, who nod and disappear to the kitchen.
“You’re pouting.” Steve says stepping closer to you again in the living room; your eyes that were fixed on the VHS tapes drift upwards to meet his own. Steve smiles.
“I’m not pouting.” You tell him with a roll of your eyes, lips settling back into a pout as you scan the titles of the movies once more. “These are just scary.”
“You’re still pouting.” Steve whispers, like it’s a secret. His eyes drift down to your lips, a mistake that has him swallowing hard, before the doorbell rings, signalling Johnathan and Nancy arrived. He’s quick to turn and go let them in. It’s a perfectly timed distraction. He shouldn’t think about kissing you, because despite no matter how badly he wants to, you’d never let it happen, or feel the same way he does to let it happen.  “Just saying!”
Once the first movie plays, Eddie and Robin settle on one end of the couch, while Nancy and Johnathan sit on the floor in front of them. Steve shoots Robin a I know what you’re doing look before sitting next to her and feeling the couch dip under your weigh when you settle on the empty seat next to him. A sweet floral scent he now recognizes as your shampoo or your perfume reaches him and Steve actively decides to focus on the movie, not the way he wants to pull you over his lap and breathe you in. Eddie and Robin laugh every now and then and the four of you turn to look at them, there’s nothing funny about the movie. You begin covering your face with the bucket of popcorn as the movie progresses, your face grimacing as the suspenseful music picks up.
Steve leans closer to you, his voice a whisper as he speaks. “It’s just special effects don’t worry about it.” You turn to look at him, worried puppy dog eyes gazing into him and dammit you make it so hard to keep his distance. “Trust me.” Steve winks, lightening the mood only to jump and scream when he turns to the movie once more and a jump scare comes on.
It seems like the perfect medicine for your fear. For you forget about it and lean your head back laughing, a full-on belly laugh, that’s so contagious and beautiful Steve laughs with you. Nancy and Robin share a knowing look he doesn’t notice before they shush the two of you, shoving at his elbow and your knee. You cover your mouth with your hand and your shoulders shake as you lean your head on Steve’s shoulder, turning your body towards his; Steve’s never been so happy to be scared in his life.
Everyone leaves after 3 movies. Robin gets a ride with Eddie, and Nancy leaves with Jonathan as well. Steve though, stays behind insisting on helping you clean up, but it’s a weak excuse to check on you before he leaves. He noticed you getting nervous, fidgeting with your hands anxiously when everyone started to leave. The films were long done, so Steve knows something else is worrying you and it doesn’t sit well in his heart to leave you like this. Which is why he is currently picking up trash in the living room while you do the same in the kitchen.
You’re finishing placing the dirty dishes in the sink when Steve enters the room. He noticed right away the way your shoulders hunch and you take a deep breath. “Steve…”
“You okay?” Steve closes the trash bag and moves to the sink. His eyes roam your face as he looks sideways at you and washes his hands.
“I um… I wanted to apologize to you.” You tell him quietly, passing him a kitchen towel before moving away from the sink. “For how closed-off I was when you met me.”
After drying his hands quickly, Steve turns and leans on the edge of the sink. “It’s okay, it’s not easy to trust new people right away.” He reassures you –it’s something he understands now; he understands you.
You sit on the counter opposite to him and stare at the floor for a bit, polka dot sock clad feet dangling in the air. “It’s more than that. I’m just scared of getting close to people since…”
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” Steve shakes his head, keeping his eyes on your face.
“I trust you, Steve.”
Those four words make Steve’s chest flutter –relief, happiness, nerves– but he pushes the feeling to the back of his mind and patiently waits for you to continue. Your lips are pursed as you stare at the floor, gathering your thoughts.
“My mom…” You swallow, getting chocked up with those to words but soldiering on. With a shake of your head, you look up to the ceiling and will your tears away. “My mom left my dad, brother and I last April. She’d been cheating on dad for years… and that’s not even the worst part.”
You wipe your eyes quickly, lips pulled downwards into a deep frown when you pause again –an upside-down U Steve wishes he could smooth out with his thumb. But he stays where he stands and lets you continue.
“The other man was married too” Your eyes find Steve’s and where there’s usually a spark –like that night at the party– there’s only sadness directed at the memory. “He’s the father of a popular kid at my old high school, so you can guess what happened when everyone found out.”
Steve’s mouths opens again and this time a soft no escapes him.
You press your lips together and nod, “So not only did the news wreck our home… they made life at school unbearable for my brother and I. People who I thought were my friends just threw me away as if I was trash for something I didn’t do. Something I had no fault in.”
“Is that why you moved here?” Steve asks softly, walking closer to you. The answer to the question he asked many months ago, right in front of him and it doesn’t make him feel any satisfaction. No, it hurts him to know this. Moving away from everything you’ve known and starting over again during senior year sounds brutal.
“Yes.” You whisper and close your eyes briefly; more tears fall down your cheeks and Steve’s heart aches. Teary eyes move away from his and fix themselves on the kitchen window instead, your lips are pressed so hard against each other they’re losing colour. “She packed her bags right after school the day we found out. We saw her leave with that man, no other explanation, not even a goodbye or a note. Everyone except my dad and my brother decided to leave me that day.”
A sob escapes you then, finally breaking free and shaking your whole body; another one replaces it once it stops. Your hands move from the counter to your face, covering it as cries continue to escape you in succession. Steve wastes no time and walks to stand in front of you; he hates seeing you in so much pain. God, it must have hurt so much, just being left behind like that. His hands move to your hips and gently urge you to hop off the counter before he wraps you up in his arms. His shoulders shake with the force of your sobs as you cling to him.
“Stevie.” Your hands are bunched up in the back of his polo, holding onto him like a lifeline.
Steve can’t even relish the sound of your calling him Stevie so softly. He swallows hard as he witnesses the pain, you have felt inside of you for so long. “I’m so sorry.” He whispers.
“She left us, Steve. She just disappeared and left us grieving her despite her being alive.” You say between your tears, they soak the right side of his shirt, but Steve couldn’t care less, his arms just tighten around your waist. “She’d been pushing us away for years, treating us like garbage and now I can see it’s because we weren’t good enough for her anymore. She didn’t love any of us anymore. We… we didn’t make her happy.”
Your voice sounds hoarse from crying, and your hands tighten behind Steve’s back. When you bury your face in his chest, Steve hunches his shoulders and forms a cocoon to protect you from the past. His protective nature takes over as he holds you flush against him; his hand moves up and down your back firmly –you need to know he’s there, that he’s got you. Steve puts his cheek over your head and whispers his next words. “I’ve got you; you can cry as much as you need to, I’m not going anywhere.”
It takes a few minutes, but your sobs soon transform into soft sniffles even as you press yourself closer to him. Steve doesn’t want to upset you anymore, but he’s itching to comfort you and let you know what he wishes someone had told him years ago. “I know my own shit experience with my parents isn’t the same as what you went through.” He starts, taking a small step back so he can look at you.
His fingers take a gentle hold of your face until puffy and teary eyes meet his; Steve wipes away some stray tears. “But what your mom did to you doesn’t say anything about you alright? You’re more than good enough for anyone. If she didn’t see that, then she made the worst mistake of her life.”
You close your eyes at his words and look away, but Steve shakes his head and urges you to face him again with a whisper of your name. “You don’t have to prove your worth to anyone because your mother left. All of us see it, and we’re so lucky to have you here.”
Steve’s thumb catches more tears as your lips begins to tremble again. “I’m so fucking lucky that you trust me, and I understand why you didn’t at first, okay? I understand you.”
Your hands on his waist tighten again as your forehead drops to his right shoulder. “I didn’t used to be like this… I’m sorry that this is the me that you met.”
Steve shakes his head, sure that you feel it when he does, and pulls you flush to his chest again. Is this how you’ve felt since last summer? He wonders. Like this version of yourself is wrong or unlikable.
Sure, you’re not a smiley person, but that makes your rare smiles even more special –and they drive Steve crazy. You see the glass half-empty most times to protect yourself if things do indeed go to shit, but you also recognize genuine goodness. You don’t hesitate to encourage or celebrate everyone else’s happiness; he’s seen it firsthand, with the kids, with Robin and even himself. Steve doesn’t think he could ever get tired of your dark humour or that pretty pout that settles on your lips when you get annoyed, not to mention that making you laugh is his favorite thing in the world. Steve understands your anxiety and panic at your college decision, you don’t want another change; you don’t want to choose something you don’t like and face another disappointment again. Most of all, Steve finally understands your hesitance and the root of your gruff exterior, and he wouldn’t change a thing about it. He’s stupid in love with you; your grumpy and soft looks; your frowns and your smiles; your heart; and that tender way you’re holding onto him right now.
Steve places a kiss to the side of your head to keep himself from saying all of this out loud –it’s not the right time, not yet. Instead, he whispers above your ear, “I wouldn’t change a single thing about you.”
For a moment, stillness surrounds the two of you in the kitchen and there’s no other sound but your quiet sniffles against Steve’s shirt again. Steve doesn’t mind, he’s happy to hold you for as long as you need, which ends up being five more minutes. You take a step back and look at him with those pretty eyes of yours; they’re teary and red-rimmed but lovely all the same.
“Thank you, Steve.” You whisper, a small smile tugging at the corner of your lips until your gaze drops to his shirt and embarrassment shines in your eyes. “Sorry I cried all over you.”
“I don’t mind.” Steve shrugs and looks at you softly, hands still on your waist. “I think I know what we should do.”
You look at him curiously. “About what?”
“To cheer you up.”
The head shake you give him is immediate, just as he imagined. “I don’t–”
“You deserve a happy life.” Steve states as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world and sends a wink your way hoping to amuse you. “And I think, ice cream is a good way to start. I should know, I worked at an ice cream shop remember.”
He leaves your side and walks over to the freezer to grab the ice cream he saw earlier that night when he got up mid-movie to get more ice. It’s cookie dough ice cream, which he knows to be your favourite –he’s known since that first night he met you. Knowing he’s completely serious now, your eyes stare into his eyes for a moment before you turn and grab two spoons from a kitchen drawer.
“I guess we’re having ice cream then. Considering you’re an expert.” You say with an eye roll Steve can only describe as fond when you approach him again. A moment later, you sit on the counter and Steve follows suit, sitting next to you. “Spoon?”
“Thank you.” Steve says and takes it from you after opening the ice cream tub. He offers the tub to you first, letting you scoop some ice cream with your spoon which you pop in your mouth. Your arms brush from how close you’re sitting, and Steve has to lean forward to look at you, but he doesn’t mind. He’s happy with the proximity.
A sigh escapes you and you close your eyes as you savour the ice cream. Steve feels heat creep up the back of his neck at the sound, but he shakes the feeling off; you’re only eating ice cream, to make you feel better. “You were right Harrington, this is like medicine.”
“Told you, I’m an expert.” Steve chuckles and eats his own spoonful, the creamy ice cream melting in his tongue before he laughs as you search for the cookie dough in the tub. “This is going to be just plain vanilla ice cream if you keep doing that.”
“Finders keepers.” You tell him with a shrug as you bring the cookie dough to your mouth. “It’s arguably the best part of this ice cream.”
“You’re supposed to eat the ice cream with it!” Steve argues, holding the tub away from your reach. “I want cookie dough too you know.”
You roll your eyes at him, but there’s a soft look on your face as you look at him and nod. The two of you go back to eating ice cream in silence until Steve speaks up again. There are so many things he wants to know about you still –he thinks he’ll always want to know more. “What’s something you miss from living in Indianapolis?”
You pause mid-scoop and concentrate for a few moments going over his question. A moment later a tiny smile makes its way to your lips. “There used to be a wonderful campsite my dad used to take my brother and I; we’d camp for three days and do all sort of activities.”
Steve smiles. “Like what?”
“Dad and Chris love fishing, so we’d do that. There was also hiking, swimming, s’mores. Oh! We’d all tell each other stories sitting next to the fire. They were all completely made up of course, and I think the more ridiculous they were, the more fun we had.”
Your eyes wander around the kitchen, like you’re back in the forest with your family and not next to Steve anymore. Light dances in your eyes and Steve can almost picture the three of you laughing around the fire as the catch of the day roasts on a grill nearby. He knows better than to ask about your mother, he’s got a pretty good idea what the answer would be. Besides, you’ve cried enough already, so much that Steve’s own heart feels bruised from seeing you in pain.
“You haven’t camped here in Hawkins?” Steve asks after a minute, voice quiet to avoid disturbing your memory.
You shake your head and sigh, the mirage in front of you disappearing as your eyes drift back to Steve’s. “Dad’s not the same person he was during those camping trips… he hasn’t scouted a good place for us to go. I don’t think he even wants to go camping anymore.”
Steve puts the ice cream tub on the counter and takes your hand instead. “Maybe we could go camping someday, invite everyone, have fun…”
Your head moves to rest on his shoulder, the dizzying smell of your shampoo and perfume reaching Steve’s nose at the proximity. He leans his cheek on top of your head and feels the faint nod you give him. “Maybe.”
A comfortable silence settles between the two of you, your hand still in Steve’s grasp. Until he gives it a squeeze that makes you jump, as if you forgot you were holding hands in the first place. Steve chuckles. “What?”
Your head leaves his shoulder in an instant and for a second Steve is sure you’re going to hide behind your walls again, like you did so many months ago. His fear though, is replaced with concern when you hop off the counter and check the time with a frown.
“Babe come on, what’s going on?” He hops off the counter and stands in front of you. His eyes search yours until finally your gaze meets his, your embarrassment clear in them.
“I just hate being home alone at night. It makes me anxious.” Your hands fidget in front of you, as if you’re waiting for Steve to laugh at you. Oh, so that’s why you were nervous earlier. “I can’t sleep. At all.”
He looks down at his watch and sees that it’s midnight already. “I don’t mind staying over.” Bringing his eyes back to yours, he speaks up again. “Would that make you feel better?”
You close your eyes and let out a shaky exhale before you nod. “A lot better.” When your eyes open again, they’re full of gratefulness and surprise, as if Steve wouldn’t do anything for you.
 A smile grows on Steve’s face, and he takes your hand before you can thank him, threading your fingers together as he speaks. “Come on, you’re probably tired.”
Steve, however, is everything but tired. His heart is racing at the thought of spending the night here with you. You’ve never spent so much time together in a day, he’s never seen your bedroom, and there’s something about this impromptu sleepover that makes heat creep up the back of his neck. No. He’s here to give you emotional support; you were so anxious earlier and there’s nothing he wants more than to see you happy and comfortable. If staying here, despite it sending his feelings into a frenzy, is the key for you to rest then so be it. He can stay for one night.
You don’t let go of his hand as you lead him upstairs, passing various pictures of you and your family that hang from the wall opposite the handrail. There are three bedrooms upstairs and yours is the last one down the hall, its view towards the backyard. You open the door a moment later and let go of his hand as you step inside. Now that he’s here, Steve remembers neither of you made sure the doors were locked downstairs. He should do that.
“I’m going to take a shower.” You tell him as you walk towards your dresser.
Steve nods and swallows hard, using the excuse of your safety to be downstairs while that happens. “We forgot to lock everything downstairs. I’ll go do that.”
“Oh, right.” You press your palm to your forehead; Steve can see you reprimand yourself. “Thank you, Steve.”
“No problem.” Steve is quick to shake his head as he takes a step back from the room. “I’ll be right back.”
Once Steve is back downstairs, he makes sure to check the windows and lock the front door. He fiddles with the light switches for a while before he finds the right ones and turns the lights off. The whole process takes him less than five minutes, and the shower is still running when he’s back in your room. With a deep breath he finally looks around, gazing through a metaphorical window into your world, which he surprisingly already knew a lot of. The pastel walls make him smile, and he walks along the furthermost wall where various posters have been hung –all bands and singers Robin and you have played in his car. There’s a small vanity by the closet next to the bathroom, full of tiny bottles and a couple of lip-gloss tubes. Steve also spots a purple bottle of perfume on top, and a grin makes its way to his face –that’s the one that drives him crazy, he’s sure of it. He’s about to move closer and look at the pictures you’ve pasted in the vanity’s mirror, but he’s startled to a stop when you speak.
“I left a shirt for you to sleep in, if you want it.” You say and Steve turns around.
His heart summersaults when he sees you, fresh dewy face, hair out of your face, an oversized grey t-shirt with a pink Queen logo on the front and pink cotton sleeping pants. The overhead light of the bathroom makes a small rectangle in the carpeted floor, and some steam from your shower still circles around behind you. It takes all Steve’s self-control to stay where he is and not walk up to you and pull you into his arms; no tears between you this time, just Steve holding you the way he wishes he could all the time. He looks at the t-shirt you left on your bed to distract himself and laughs when he notices the colour.
“How’d you guess I love pink?” Steve asks you, glancing your way as he walks towards the bed and holds up the t-shirt. It’s very oversized like yours, and it has a black and fuchsia print of Blondie’s lead singer on it.
“Dunno, just thought it would suit you.” you chuckle, and Steve sees you hold back a smile as you point towards the bathroom. “There’s a spare toothbrush on the sink.”
Steve nods and hurries to the bathroom, lest you notice him blushing. He finds the toothbrush instantly and proceeds to brush his teeth, and though he doesn’t know why, Steve feels extremely happy to know both of you use the same toothpaste. He glances around and looks at all the details that are entirely yours around the room. There are some facial creams on a shelf next to the mirror, a vanilla scented hand soap on the sink, and a look towards the shower shows him two purple and pink shampoo and conditioner bottles –the ones that make your hair smell like flowers. Steve rinses his mouth, then takes off his sweater and jeans before he puts on the pink t-shirt you gave him and, like a freak, smells it to find that somehow your scent still lingers in the soft cotton.
If he was panicking before, he’s panicking even more now. He’s obsessed with you, he realizes, stupidly head over the heels and all of this is making it worse; lying on a bed next to you will make it so much worse. He’s got to pull himself together. He’s doing this because of fear of being home alone, that’s all. He can sleep alongside you for a night without making a fool of himself –or worse, accidentally confess his feelings. So, pushing all bed related thoughts to the back of his mind, he walks out of the bathroom to find you already under your duvet in bed.
 Not letting himself think too much about it, Steve turns off the lamp on your nightstand and slips under the duvet too. He keeps his body still, tense more accurately, as he lies next to you. That is until you turn to face him, and he immediately does too, like a magnet naturally attracted to you.
“Do you ever fear that you’ll wake up one day and everyone you know will be gone?” you whisper in the dark; your voice is almost silent, but Steve hears you loud and clear with how close he is to you. The minty smell of your toothpaste mingles with his own breath. Is this how things are going to be between you now, deep conversations and secrets you only trust to each other? He really hopes so.
Steve shakes his head, trying to make out your face in the dark as his heart constricts in his chest. “No,” he says just as quietly, “But sometimes I’m afraid that something terrible will happen and I won’t be able to help.”
Steve closes his eyes and exhales through his nose as he voices one of his fears for the first time. He’s sure that everything that happened in the Upside Down that they managed to fix was thanks to the brains in his friend group. Steve is all physical strength, which has proved useful in the past, but against monsters or whatever the hell could come next, he’s not sure it will be enough. The thought of being useless like that and everyone suffering because of it terrifies him. Even more now that you’re a part of said friend group. He’s sure of one thing though, he’d protect you and all his friends no matter what.
Your hand slowly moves to his shoulder and gives it a squeeze. “Knowing you, Steve, I’m a thousand percent sure you’d find a way to help. Your stubbornness can be a good thing.”
A breathy chuckle leaves him as your words punch the air out of him. He’s silent for a moment, scrambling for something reassuring to say back. Words aren’t his forte, not unless he’s flirting. He’d rather pull you close to him and comfort you that way, the way he did in the kitchen. “You know… if we were to disappear for whatever reason, you can bet I’d fight my way to you. You won’t be alone.”
Steve sees you nod your head in the dark, his only sign that you haven’t fallen asleep yet. Your hand goes back to your side, in front of his before you stifle a yawn. Assuming your eyes are tired from all their crying, Steve moves his hand to cup your cheek gently.
“Go to sleep, you need to rest.” He whispers; he wants to give you more comfort, pull you close and rub your back until you fall asleep. He doesn’t because he can’t, that would make things weird.
“Thank you for staying with me.” You whisper back.
Remaining silent to avoid saying something that’d give away just how deep his feelings for you run, or the fact that the opportunity to be lying here next to you is something he should be thankful for, he only rubs his thumb softly on your cheek once more before letting go. With another yawn you turn around, your back facing Steve as you whisper goodnight.
Steve doesn’t know when he falls asleep, but he knows he sleeps more peacefully than he has in a while. Not that he doesn’t sleep well often, but most days his dreamless sleep is a result of the exhaustion of the day and not peacefulness. Last night though, there were no nightmares, no tossing and turning, just a distant dream of a campfire in the woods, fireflies, and a silhouette standing peacefully by the water. At some point, early in the morning, he finds himself waking to the light sneaking into the room from a small gap in the tulle curtains. His eyes that were too sleepy to open, blink awake at the awareness that you’re in his arms. Lovely floral scent and cozy softness pressed to him.
It seems that during the night, you’d shifted to your side and burrowed yourself on his chest, an arm around his waist and leg thrown over his hip. His left arm is around you, settled between your shoulder blades, holding you to him. He lifts it and checks his watch, barely 6am but Steve knows he should go. The last thing he wants is your father getting back home and finding him in your bed. Steve doesn’t know him and that’s not the first impression he’s looking for. Besides, there’s a pressing problem in his briefs, that has appeared from being tangled up with you, that he needs to hide in his jeans before you notice. Shifting his hips way from you he looks down at your sleeping face, brushing hair away from your face before he whispers your name.
“Hmm,” You frown, eyes still closed. “What?”
“You’re a cuddler,” Steve says as he smiles; it’s something that should surprise him, but it doesn’t. Not at all.
“I’m not.” You mumble and, contradicting yourself, press closer to him.   
“Yes, you are.” He chuckles, shifting his hips backwards again. “I have to go.”
You frown but move away from him, turning and facing away. “Why?”
Steve slips from bed and puts his jeans back on, adjust himself, before pulling his sweater over his head and on top of the pink t-shirt. Call him a lovestruck fool, but he’s not giving it back. “I don’t know when your dad’s gonna be back, I don’t want him to find a boy he doesn’t know in your bed.”
You chuckle, then yawn as you shift and sit up in bed. Steve stares at you longer than he should. His eyes take in your messy hair and your still puffy eyes from all your crying the night before. He smiles widely.
“I have drool on my face, don’t I?” You sigh, moving the back of your hand to the corner of your mouth.
Steve laughs and shakes his head. “No, you don’t; you look pretty that’s all.”
His words reward him with an eyeroll and a headshake before you stand up. “Come on, I’ll walk you out.”
You remain silent as the two of you walk side by side all the way down to the front door. Steve takes his car keys, and you move to open the door, but pause after a moment. Steve’s eyes look into yours as he wonders if there’s something wrong but when your eyes shift up to him, a small smile settles on your lips. Next thing Steve knows, your arms go around him in a hug.
He can’t help but sigh at the feeling and leaning his cheek on top of your head. “You okay?”
You nod and look up at him. “Thank you, Steve.” You say, stepping on the tip of your toes and pressing a kiss to his cheek.
“Don’t thank me.” Steve smiles, letting his arms fall to his sides as his heart skips several beats. “Wanna get a coffee later?”
Is he bribing you with caffeine just to see you again? Of course, he is. Steve is charming, and he has a lot of work to do if he wants to make a move soon.
“Only if I get to pay.” You raise an eyebrow but smile nonetheless, that rare big smile he loves.
Steve huffs and opens the door. “Sure, babe.” He says though he knows you don’t believe him.
He walks to his car when you nod –heart pounding– and smiles as he drives away. Your figure on the rear-view mirror watches him leave until he turns at the end of the driveway. Steve leans his elbow on the door, his hand settling over his mouth as he thinks about the events of last night and this morning. Hope fills his chest, and Steve feels like this is the beginning of something really good for both of you.
 ---
There’s a small shift in your dynamic after that late night conversation in your kitchen. It’s like almost as if it brought you both closer: like a barrier breaking between you and Steve. Steve knows he should take it slow, that he should better conceal his feelings to avoid scaring you off. But another part of Steve wants to throw caution to the wind because there’s been a change in you too. I trust you, Steve, you’d said, and it shows. In the way you sit closer to him, how you give away more pieces of your past and yourself when you talk. There’s less apprehension and more curiosity from both of you and Steve can’t help but fall and fall and fall. He only hopes it doesn’t end up with him crashing down painfully.
The two of you make a new habit of visiting a small the café on the weekends; you sitting sideways on the couch and Steve talking nonsense to make you laugh. It starts the day after the sleepover, and the two of you use it as time to catch up on the events of the week. It delights him; every Saturday, he wants nothing more than to lean close and kiss your smile, the one he never thought he’d be at the receiving end of. You have bad days too, days in which Steve knows you’ve been crying, days where all you want to do is sit in silence with him. Steve doesn’t mind, at all, in fact he loves all your mood equally and now that he knows the backstory of what you went through, he offers you the quiet reassurance of his presence next to you, so you know you’re not alone.
Weeks pass like this, until winter leaves and spring comes. Overnight, the breeze has no bite to it anymore, the flowers bloom again and you begin to wear the prettiest floral dresses that give Steve a whole new reason to be obsessed with you.
“You two are adorable; when are you going to tell her, dingus?”
Steve and Robin had stopped by the Deli to get something to eat during their lunch break while you were on your lunch break too. The three of you had spent the 30 minutes talking between bites of your own sandwiches until the moment Steve had to drive away and you had to go back to your shift. He hears Robins words but his eyes follow your retreating figure until you’re out of sight –his mind is begging him to find you and steal a kiss just so he doesn’t go crazy. Robin snaps her fingers in front of his face and laughs when Steve startles. He rolls his eyes and gets in the car while Robin asks him the same question again.
Steve rolls his eyes again, “Tell her what?”
“That you’re obsessed with her dummy!” Robin hits his arm, Steve sends her an annoyed look, “You love her come on, you have to tell her.”
“No, I can’t.” He’s been thinking about it more often now. Keeping it to himself has been almost impossible lately and he knows he should do it before he breaks.
“Yes, you can, and you have to.” Robin asserts, setting her converse on the dashboard. “She clearly feels the same way.”
“She doesn’t.” Steve’s answer is instant as he focuses on the road and getting back to FV, his fingers gripping the steering wheel so hard they turn white. It’s a half-lie, and they both know it.
“She does and you know it.” Out of the corner of his eye he sees Robin shake her head.  “The way she looks at you Steve… it’s unbearable to watch, coming from her.”
Steve knows it, he’s seen that change. He’s felt the pitter patter of his heart, the way his hands shake when you look at him like that, like he’s all you want. But Steve is a coward in denial, he doesn’t want to assume wrong and send you running away from him. But if Robin’s seen it… “You really think so?” He says as he parks his car and Robin nods enthusiastically.
“Duh!”
He nods to himself, “Okay... I can tell her tonight. We are hanging out at my place anyway.”
“I’ll make myself scarce, just say the word and I’ll disappear.” When Steve nods Robin cheers, opening the passenger door and stepping outside. “Don’t mess it up, Steve.”
“I’ll try.” Steve grips the steering wheel, trying to calm himself down.
Steve doesn’t get a chance to though, for that afternoon with greying clouds in the sky you show up at Family Video as soon as your shift at the Deli ends. Steve is about to go to the back and finish some inventory he has procrastinated all week when he sees you pacing in front of his car, arms crossed over your chest. His heart soars, then fills with dread –somethings wrong. He knows it right away which is why he rounds the counter and rushes outside in a heartbeat.
“Babe, what’re you doing here?” Steve says as soon as he opens the door. “It’s gonna rain come on, let’s go inside.”
But you shake your head and look at him with a look he can’t name. It’s a sad look, and it makes Steve panic; he panics even more when he sees your eyes are teary and red-rimmed. “Did something happen? At work or at home?”
“I love you.” You say, at the same time thunder cracks in the distance. Your trembling lips press together when Steve’s move to smile, and your headshake makes Steve pause. “But I don’t think we should see each other again.”
“What?” Steve’s question is a whisper, almost lost to another booming thunder. “Why would you say that? Did I do something?”
“No, Steve.” You sigh, voice shaky, looking everywhere but his eyes. Steve knows this tell though; you don’t want to be caught in a lie. “We just don’t fit–”
“No.” He says simply, shaking his head as he interrupts you. This is that night in the Wheeler’s driveway all over again, you trying to shut everyone out. His hands still shake slightly though, at your confession, your words afterwards, at the idea of losing you.
“Steve it won’t work.” You tell him, it cracks halfway with feeling, and you swallow hard before repeating yourself. “It would never work.”
“Yes it will, it’s us.” Steve tells you, shaking his head. He remembers how far you’ve come, how close the two of you have gotten. He should’ve have known it would scare you, after what happened with your family. “Of course it will! It has worked for months.”
“It won’t! It won’t work regardless of our feelings. Because I’m me! And you’re you –you’ll get sick of me and then leave. And it’ll hurt more than anything I’ve ever experienced.” You tell him, shaking your head and looking at him with reddening eyes. Both your arms are crossed over your chest, as if you’re physically protecting your heart from feeling what if feels for him. I love you, you said. Around you, the sky begins to open, bathing both of you with big droplets of water. “I told you before, you scare me because I’ve never felt this way before.”
Steve tries to take a step closer, but you take a step back; it makes him groan in frustration. “You can’t make that decision for me! How can you think I’d just leave you?”
“Because the person who I thought never would, LEFT.” You yell, eyes brimming with tears that roll down your cheeks. They mix with the raindrops that fall on both of you and Steve’s heart aches.
“Then she didn’t love you enough, not the way you deserve.” Steve places his hands on his hips, looking at the wet concrete underneath his shoes. His eyebrows meet in the middle as he swallows hard. He can’t put into words how angry it makes him that someone hurt you so much, that you’re scared of being happy again. “I thought you trusted me.”
“I do.” You tell him, hands falling to your sides. Your voice is so quiet that the rain falling around you almost drowns it out. “You know I do.”
“Then let me love you!” You’re stunned into silence by Steve’s words, confessed loudly in an outburst as he brings his hands to his hair. He meets your eyes and feels his own tear up; he really doesn’t want to lose you. “Let me prove to you that I love you like crazy, baby. Because I do, you have no idea how much.”
Your eyes squeeze shut and Steve knows you can see all of his feelings reflected on his face. “I don’t want to be heartbroken again Steve! Can’t you see you’re sunshine, and I–”
“Don’t say that.” He whispers and steps closer to you, holding both of your hands. The way you cling to them sparks a fire in his heart, keeps his hope alive. “I told you I wouldn’t change a thing about you, that I’d fight my way to you.”
You try to let go of him, but Steve only pulls you closer even as you look away from him, lip trembling. “You know my issues, especially after what happened last year.”
“I do know them, and I’m telling you now that I don’t plan on ever letting you go. This isn’t just a fling, and you know it.” His hands go to your face, holding it gently and looking into your eyes. Those beautiful eyes he’s seen tear up, the ones that crinkle in the corners when you laugh and turn steely when you’re mad. He wants to look at them forever.
You close them, bracing yourself, as the sky continues to fall all around you. Big drops of water hitting your skin and soaking your clothes every second that passes. “Even if I have bad days, or get exasperated with you, or I’m a grump?”
Steve smiles and shakes his head. If only you knew. “I love it when you’re a grump, I want to kiss your pout so badly every time.”
“I don’t pout,” You roll your eyes, but Steve can see you’re trying to hide your fear. He’s learned every little detail about you to memory, this is you trying to build a wall. Well then, Steve knows how to break them down.
“I promise,” Steve says, like he did that November night you fought outside in the cold. His nose brushes against yours as tenderly as he can, rainwater sliding down between your faces –his breath catches on his throat. “I love everything about you, everything baby, trust me. It’s you and me, that won’t change.”
You nod, trust shining in your eyes as a teary smile makes its way to your face when you let it free. It knocks the air out of Steve’s lungs. “Stevie, I love you.”
 He leans his forehead against yours, happy beyond words and because he’s not good with them he says, “I really want to kiss you.”
“Then kiss me,” You urge him.
Steve leans down, holding your face in his hands and lingering close as he braces himself for this; this moment he’s wished for so many times. He smiles, and thinks finally, before leaning in and kissing you. A noise dies in the back of his throat, his chest feels full of helium and his mind reels at the everything he’s feeling. It’s even better than he dreamed it would be. Your lips soft against his, your hands in his hair, the sigh that escapes you when one of his arms wraps around your waist and presses you flush against him. His skin is buzzing, his fingertips are tingling. So he kisses you until you’re both dizzy, brushing his tongue against yours, matching your intensity head-on. Everything is intoxicating, the sweet scent of your perfume, the softness under his hands, the way your face feels like it’s on fire as his hand remains cupping your cheek. Steve is so in love he could faint, so he breathes you in as he kisses your cheek, your jaw, your neck and just below your ear until the two of you pull back. Soaked in rain, without a care in the world.
“Does this mean you’re my boyfriend?” You ask him softly, stepping impossibly closer to him.
Steve smiles proudly, heart soaring. “Yes it does, I’m yours.”
“I want to kiss you again.” You confess after a minute, blinking away that raindrops that have gathered in your eyelashes and smiling at him. “But I’m cold.”
 Steve laughs when you frown and pulls you closer to him. “Yeah, we should probably get out of the rain.”
----
thank you for reading! reblogs are really appreciated and so is any feedback 💖
(I also wrote this tiny insight to grumpy reader’s feelings here )
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strawbeerossi · 7 months
Text
Dress
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Pairing: Husband!Spencer x Wife!Reader
Description: When you’re getting ready for an event over at Rossi’s, you express how you feel you don’t look your best in the dress you had your heart set on. Spencer is gonna do his best to show you just how beautiful that you are.
Content/Warnings: Body image issues, full body kissing, oral (f receiving), praise, pet names, just some good love and fluffy sex.
Word Count: 1.9K
Kinktober Day One: Body Worship
Navigation || Kinktober Masterlist || AO3
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The dress looked so beautiful whenever you bought it. The black silhouette did good at hugging your frame, highlighting every dip and curve. Most people would’ve loved to wear a dress like this one, to steal all the attention of the night and feel nothing short of a beauty queen. It was elegant, a smooth velvet that showed poise. However, it didn’t really work out that way for you the more you looked at it without the presence of wine and the loving encouragement of your friends.
That’s why you found yourself standing in place, trying to smooth out what you deemed as imperfections that just wouldn’t go away. This was a nightmare.
“We are going to be late, my love.” Spencer called from his spot in the shared bedroom, looking in the standing mirror on the back of our door as he was fixing his tie. Formal events at Dave’s house were always a fun time. You’d actually managed to feel fancier than normal, the champagne and pleasant conversation adding onto that. You were also quite fond of the idea of socializing with some of the people who had known Dave or even the other members of the team at any step in their lives.
“I think I’m gonna have to pretend to be sick..” You sighed while making your way out of the bathroom, heels clicking against the wooden tile and catching Spencer’s attention. “Why would you pretend to be sick?” He asked, voice filled with concern as he was approaching you, his hands gently cupping your warm cheeks.
Now there are many answers that you could’ve come up with to deter from the overwhelming amount of insecurity festering inside of your mind and body from the dress that you so desperately needed to buy online. Marrying a profiler meant that he would be able to call you out on the lies.
You opted for honesty.
“I just..” Your eyes were trained on the mirror across the room. There was hatred for the sight looking back at you. In a way, it felt as if you were drowning in poor self esteem. Fuck this dress. Why did you have to pick one right off the rack without trying it on first? JJ told you that it was sleek, sexy. It felt the complete opposite. “I don’t like the way I look in this dress. I don’t have anything else to wear over to Dave’s house and I don’t know if I could show my face wearing this.”
There was no doubt that Emily, JJ, Tara and Penelope would be elegantly dressed with flattering attire that highlighted every positive about their bodies. While all having different body types, it was easy to see the beauty in each of them. They all had such well defined features, their bodies being sculpted from the finest stone. They were all four Persephone reincarnated.
Then there was you, the awkwardly shaped one who never felt like she fit in. Your hair wasn’t as nice as theirs, your teeth weren't as nice and perfect.. Sometimes you found yourself wondering why Spencer chose to marry you whenever he had such fine women on his team. The self deprecating thoughts were cut off by Spencer, a soft shushing sound leaving his lips. You’d been crying for a minute without realizing.
“I think,” He began while leaning forward to press his lips against yours. “That you look,” He continued on with his soft, sweet kisses as they moved to your jaw. “Absolutely,” His lips were soon on the flesh of your neck as he let his arms wrap around your waist. “Ravishing.” He finally finished, his hands running over your hips in an effort to soothe those wandering thoughts.
“You don’t believe me.” Spencer’s voice stayed steady, a frown forming on his face while you were blinking away a few tears.
“It’s okay, I will have to just show you just how beautiful you really are.” With his hands moving to the zipper of the dress, you could feel your cheeks heating up. “We are going to be late,” You spoke while letting your eyes fall shut as the wet kisses were slowly trailing down to your shoulders. “I think David would understand. Besides, I can promise you that it’ll be an all night affair.” He chuckled. Which, yeah.. That made sense. David Rossi could keep an event going all night if he truly wanted.
As the black dress pooled by your feet, you offered a shy smile as the kisses continued, your skin being filled with warmth from all of the love radiating off of Spencer’s lips from each kiss that was littered across the skin of your shoulders and collarbones. “Besides.. I’ve been punctual for the past fifteen years in every aspect. I think that I can be late just this once.” He chuckled, hands coming up to unclasp the black bra you’d picked out, letting it fall with the dress before he was lifting you in his arms, prompting you to let your arms to quickly wrap around his shoulders. “We shouldn’t take too long anyway.”
Your body hit the clean duvet when you were laid back on the bed, the cover still smelling of the sea breeze fabric softener that you’d become so obsessed with. Your husband’s lips continue to trail wet kisses across your skin, his hands running up your body as he was on his knees beside you. “You’re so beautiful, my love.” His words were soft, sweet. “Especially laid out like this for me.” You’d been nearly bare, panties separating your wet pussy from his loving gaze. His hands massaged the skin of your hips, lips littering more kisses around your chest area. “My perfect girl, I don’t know how a guy like me could be so lucky.” Love dripped onto your skin akin to the feeling of the bright sun shining against your skin on the hottest days. Your response came in the form of a soft breath, feeling his tongue flick over your right nipple.
His tongue flicked over the sensitive bud, the male humming in delight as he could feel it hardening at the wet muscle massaging over it. He knew the sensitivity of your body, his hands kneading at the warm flesh of your breasts. You were reduced to soft moans, encouragement for more as your fingers tangled in the once neatly styled curls. “Fuck, Spence.” Your words were a melody to his ears, the male not always being so fond of partaking in swearing or really listening to it. However, whenever you did? He enjoyed it. That meant he was doing his job in the intimate positions that you both had found yourselves in.
Pulling off with a loud ‘pop’ filling the room, the honey colored irises were focused on your face, still contorted in pleasure as his hands were massaging your tits with his large hands. He repeated the same action with the opposite nipple, one hand dropping and his fingertips trailing down your skin, the goosebumps on your body standing at attention as his thumb was pressing against your clothed clit, hips wiggling in an effort for more.
Who was Spencer to deny his amazing wife the pleasure that she so desperately deserved?
Even if he didn’t want to, the male was detaching his mouth from your chest while his long fingers were hooking into the waistband of your panties. Your hips lifted out of instinct, body feeling hotter than ever as you were desperate to feel more of the touch you craved in the place that you needed it most.
After the panties were tossed somewhere behind him, the male let his hands carefully push your thighs apart, eyes focused on your slick cunt that looked more beautiful than he could put into words. His mouth was agape at the sight, those pretty honey eyes slowly disappearing in the black of his pupils.
“Fuck,” The swear was rare, yet hearing it fall from his voice in the dulcet tone never failed to surprise you.
“We’ve got twenty minutes before Dave starts calling,”Spencer spoke while glancing at the alarm clock, eyes falling on the mouthwatering sight nestled between your thighs. “So, think you can do it?”
The question was rhetorical. He knew by now how your body operated.
Before you could answer, his face was disappearing between your thighs, lips pressing kisses to your inner thighs as he sucked and nibbled at your skin. Leaving hickies between your legs was the best place, mainly because they were for his eyes only. It wasn't something unprofessional to where you couldn’t go to work without covering up. Less headache. The man was practical.
His tongue lapped over your clit as he was delving in, eyes fluttering shut. His favorite place had to be between your thighs. Stressful case? He’s licking and sucking your wet cunt from the safety of your hotel room. You want intimacy but he’s not in the mood for sex himself? He’s disappearing under the sheets.
He was intoxicated by your sweetness, drinking in every ounce of arousal that you were so happily giving him. His tongue ran alongside your velvety inner walls, your pussy spasming from the muscle that was darting in and out of you, having to alternate between your clit and your core.
Your hands were tangled in the now messy curls, your back arching off the mattress while the sounds of your moans and cries filled the room in addition to the suckling and groans coming from your husband, who was so focused on licking every inch of you.
You felt the familiar warmth deep in your stomach, a knot tightening inside of you as your pulsating walls were closing in on Spencer’s tongue. With your hands shoving his face deeper into your weeping pussy. “I’m gonna cum, Spence.” You panted out, eyes fluttering shut as your head tilted back against the pillow behind your head.You know that you couldn’t hold back any longer, your body giving every indication that it was ready to unleash a wave of ecstasy.
The man licking and sucking didn’t let up, his hands having to hold your hips down as your orgasm was building. The more you wiggled and thrashed, the more that he knew that it was coming.
“I-” You tried to get out, however that didn’t work out in your favor as a moan was chasing what was supposed to come out of your mouth. Your legs were shaking as you were finally hitting release, your nails digging into your husband’s scalp while your mouth was agape.
The warm muscle was licking and cleaning up your thighs before you were seeing your husband’s face again. His chin was wet and his hair was an absolute mess as he rubbed your thighs.
“Let's get you in that pretty dress and get to Rossi’s.” He breathed, letting his teeth playfully bite at your inner thigh before he was pushing himself up.
Which you didn’t argue, the post sex haze making it difficult to speak. Even after you were redressed and Spencer had his hair fixed once more, he was coming to wrap his arms around your waist as he noticed you in front of the mirror.
“Feeling better? Cause I promise that you are going to be the most gorgeous woman there, you’re gonna have all of Rossi’s friends flirting with you.” He mused, nuzzling his nose against your cheek as you let out an airy laugh.
“Let’s get going, hmm? I need my beauty queen to make me look good.” He offered his arm out to you as they linked together, his free hand on your arm as you both made your way downstairs.
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Note
I have an ideaaa so maybe you like to write about it. Imagine harry having a long term girlfriend or even wife but they are so private and harry protects her so much that nobody in the general public really knows anything about her or their relationship and the fans eat up every single information or content they can get about her and their relationship.
Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh Mysterious Girl.
masterlist || ask me anything <3
authors note - this is my first time doing an instagram concept of sorts and i wanted to make it easy on myself and use manips of harry with someone who i chose queen selena, please don’t be harsh on me and enjoy. 🫶
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2013.
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liked by username, username and 413 others
harryupdates, Harry spotted going on a park walk with a mystery girl in London today!
tagged, harrystyles
view all comments,
username, who is she?
username, sorry but no
username, she’s actually so pretty!!
username, right?
username, his little beany 👉👈
username, they legit look like they could be siblings
username, they look so beautiful together
username, what part of London is this?
username, it was Hyde park!
username, if they’re dating then they make such a hot couple
username, PAPA
username, her names (Y/N) I’m not sure how old she is or what her job is but she’s from London
username, (Y/N) is such a cute name!
2015.
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liked by username, username and 673 others
harryupdates, Harry and (Y/N) spotted at Louis’s mums wedding today!!
tagged, harrystyles, yourinstagram
view all comments
username, power couple right there!!
username, they attended her wedding together?
username, I mean they are dating so it would explain things 🤷‍♀️
username, it’s never been confirmed that they’re dating
username, his outfit is making me feel so many different thoughts
username, I don’t get what the hype of them is, she’s not even that pretty
username, don’t be so rude!
username, just because your jealous doesn’t mean that he can’t be happy
username, we better get the photo that she took on her phone
username, her Instagram accounts private so I highly doubt we will
username, I actually love them
username, she’s so gorgeous for literally no reason
username, imagine they got married as well
username, my life would officially end
username, if they got married they wouldn’t last, she’s probably a gold digger or something
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liked by username, username and 1,381 others
harryupdates, Harry and (Y/N) arriving at the last ever one direction performance today!
tagged, harrystyles, yourinstagram
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username, we love a supportive gf
username, her smile is actually adorable
username, I spoke to her when they were arriving and she was actually one of the nicest people I’d ever spoken to
username, what did you say to her?! we need details!!
username, I said that her and Harry make a really cute couple and she said thank you and we have each other a hug
username, I need to meet both of them one day!
username, I can’t believe it’s the last show already
username, there outfits are actually so pretty!
username, I love the fact that we haven’t seen them together in almost five months and they just suddenly app at together out of no where
username, every time I see a notification that you’ve posted I hope that it’s something ti do with them
username, sometimes I just Google both there names and scroll through pictures of them
username, I don’t get why they get so much hate, I love them together !!
2017.
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liked by username, username and 4,319 others
harryandynupdates, A photo montage of (Y/N) supporting Harry at the Dunkirk Premiere.
tagged, harrystyles, yourinstagram
view all comments
username, her red dress is so cute !!
username, her head resting on his shoulder is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen in my life
username, it’s officially confirmed that they’re dating
username, they look so in love
username, if they ever broke up I don’t think I’d be able to live
username, the kiss on the lips is making me feel a multitude of different things
username, I’m having heart palpitations over here
username, can they adopt me?
username, CONTENT CONTENT CONTENT
yourinstagram, thank you so much for creating this, I’m putting this as my lock screen as we speak. ❤️
username, (Y/N)!
username, the queen has spoken!
username, she commented, I repeat she commented !
username, she basically confirmed that they were dating
username, it’s been confirmed for ages we just never wanted to believe it.
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liked by yourinstagram, jeffazof and 542,108 others
annetwist, Merry Christmas from my family to yours!🎄🎅
view all comments
username, I want to be part of there family Christmas so badly
username, seeing photos of (Y/N) actually make me so happy!
username, she’s so pretty for literally no reason
yourinstagram, thank you so much lovelies, it means a lot ❤️
username, I want there roast dinner
username, (Y/N) CONTENT (Y/N) CONTENT
username, isn’t Harry pescatarian?
username, doesn’t mean that the others can’t have turkey?
username, all the stockings on the fire place 🥹🥹
gemmastyles, one of the best Christmases ever! x
username, gem!
username, the better styles right there!
username, (Y/N) and Harry are legit couple goals
username, you and Gemma are mother and daughter goals
yourinstagram, one of the best Christmases I’ve ever had, thank you for having me. ❤️❤️
username, she’s so cute, I love it!
annetwist, it was my pleasure, darling. x
username, she’s part of the family, omds I’m sobbing 😭
username, the photo of (Y/N) and Harry in the snow!
username, CONTENT, MAMA YOUR FEEDING US
username, (Y/N)s officially part of the annual Christmas photo
username, she’s winning at life right now
username, (Y/N) OUR QUEEN! 👸 👸
2019.
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liked by username, username and 6,310 others
harryupdates, Harry speaking about (Y/N) in his recent interview with Zane Lowe!
“I met my fiancé when we were just eighteen and didn’t officially start dating until I gained the courage to ask her out at a mutual friends party, she’s my best friend and always will be, she’s my biggest inspiration and honestly don’t know what I’d be doing if I hadn’t of met her…I didn’t really think I’d ever be in love, not in this degree anyway. My whole family adore her just as much as me and that’s all I could ever ask for.
she knew what she was getting into when we started dating and that’s what I think made us want to keep our relationship so private, I don’t want her exposed to all the paparazzi knowing the cruel things that they can say, I like to think I’m an open book and seeing how she is with my life styles, and my fans makes me love her even more, which I didn’t think was at all possible.”
tagged, harrystyles
view all comments.
username, FIANCE?
username, you kept that one quiet mister!
username, (Y/N)s not even that pretty, he deserves better
username, literally stfu pls and thx
username, get a life
username, he’s so happy
username, I love that his family love her as well, that makes her even more special!
nicolasgrimshaw, Its' me! I'm the friend!!
username, NICK!
username, LOVE THAT <3
username, nick the match maker
username, his biggest inspiration, sobbing on the floor
username, currently digging my own grave as we speak
username, he deserves to be with someone who can deal with his celebrity status, she’s obviously to weak if he has to say that about her in an interview
username, keyboard warrior
username, if she had an issue with his life she would have left a long time ago
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liked by gemmastyles, nicolasgrimshaw and 431,481 others
annetwist, Happy Birthday sweet heart, here’s to 25! 🥂
tagged, yourinstagram
view all comments
username, she calls her sweet heart, I'm sobbing!
username, hey Anne, I was wondering if you could adopt me, <3
username, don't ask me why this made me so emotional its literally just a picture
username, her smile 😭😭
username, shes legit so pretty for real 💗
username, we finally found out her age!
username, was she smiling at harry when this photo was being taken?
yourinstgram, ❤️️❤️️❤️️
username, QUEEN!
username, this so so sweet!
username, this family is actually so sweet
username, Sorry everyone I'm new and don't know who she is can someone tell me?
username, she's Harry's fiancé, her names (Y/N)
username, thank you !
username, sorry Anne she's not your sweetheart, she's our sweetheart!
username, she still exists?
username, she always has and always will
gemmastyles, 👑
username, my heart hearts please this is too much
username, YN CONTENT MY LIFE IS NOW A HAPPY ONE
username, that's literally my reaction every time I see a new picture of her
2020.
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liked by username, username and 8,917 others
harryupdates, LEAKED PHOTOS OF (Y/N) AND HARRY. SOMEONE HACKED ANNE'S ICLOUD AGAIN!
tagged, harrystyles, yourinstagram
view all comments.
username, no wtf?
username, who hacked Anne tf?
username, these photos are cute and all but i think the family would really appreciate if you didn't repost them everywhere
username, as much as I hate the fact anne got hacked, these photos are actually adorable
username, the fifth photo
username, they're so in love it actually hurts my chest☹️
username, delete these right now!
username, unfollow!
username, the photo of them laying in the grass
username, knowing she was with him the day that photoshoot took place is actually so freakin cute!
username, this is the one time i'm not happy i got a picture of (Y/N)
username, who hacked anne like get a fucking life
username, (Y/N) content has never made me feel so sad
username, in the fourth photo, you can see Anne just wanted a photo with her son but she just had to photo bomb it.
username, the smile on Anne's face tells me she doesn't care.
username, this is actually sickening
username, as much as I hate what's happened and the fact there privacy's been exposed, this drama is eating me up
username, take these down right now
2023.
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liked by username, username and 4,194 others
harryandynupdates, (Y/N) was spotted in the crowd at Harry's Cardiff Show today supporting him!
tagged, yourinstagram
view all comments.
username, I LOVE HOW SUPPORTIVE SHE IS
username, she's so happy to be there omds
username, having major fomo over here
username, I knew she was at all his other shows but no one ever got a photo, so thank you to whoever for blessing us with this <3
username, it was me, I was with my sister and she recognised her straight away, she was in the private pit with Jeff and Glenne.
username, I need to party with her so bad
username, like legit it's on my bucket list
username, god blessed us with her
username, she seems so care free like it's actually adorable
username, the man on the left of the photo looks like gino d'acampo
username, I CAN SEE IT!
username, YOUR ACTUALLY RIGHT!!
username, she's his biggest supporter
username, she's just like me!
username, she's his biggest hype women!
username, why is she pulling that face?
username, I've never been more in love with her like wtaf?
username, making me cry seeing how happy and carefree she is being
username, seeing her so happy makes me so happy
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harryupdates, "I CAME HERE HOPING THAT I WOULD SEE (Y/N) BUT I GOT YOU INSTEAD!" Harry reading a sign at the concert tonight and answering with:
"You came here to see my wife? Hate to break it to you sista but she's not here tonight, she's got a stomach bug and was crushed when the medic told her not to leave the bed, so sorry but you'll have to put up with me instead!"
tagged, harrystyles
view all comments.
username, WIFE?!
username, nah he got married?
username, IM ACTUALLY SOBBING LIKE WTF?!
username, I KNEW THEY WERE ENGAGED AND ALL BUT WHEN THE FUCK DID THEY GET MARRIED?!
username, now they can finally adopt me?
username, this content of him and (Y/N) was not something I thought I'd be seeing in 2023.
username, I'm actually so happy for them right now
username, Harry deserves to be happy, and (Y/N) is the perfect person for him
username, literally no one likes her its probably a publicity stunt
username, a publicity stunt that's lasted ten years?!
username, CONGRATS
username, she's in it all for the money
username, CONTENT I REPEAT CONTENT
username, how long do you think they've been married for?
username, I'm thinking some time between Christmas and when tour started up again
username, is this just another way for him to make money?
username, he has a wife?
username, the next thing for him to achieve is becoming a dilf
username, the world would officially end when that happens
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1K notes · View notes
shibaraki · 5 months
Text
STEADY BEGINNINGS ┊ TODOROKI SHOUTO
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tags: GN reader, developing relationship (eventual friends to lovers), touch starved shouto, physical affection (hand holding + long hugs), good god the yearning, obliviousness, jealousy, fluff + angst, pro hero shouto, reader works at hero agency
wc: 3.8K
series masterlist: 2/5
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Shouto was born to be a hero.
It is a sentiment shared by reporters and fans alike. Todoroki Shouto, the pride of Endeavor, the saving grace of his family name. True, his development had been entirely up to chance—no matter the intent or cruel desperation behind his father’s actions, he had to rely on the probability that the next offspring would win the genetic lottery—but low and behold, he did, and to many people that alone was a sign of destiny at work.
Ultimately, he chose to continue the path of being a hero himself, but no higher being put him there. His father did. At the time of his birth Shouto had not been a son, not even a baby. He was a project. A small, shapeless, squirmy thing. Malleable, like any young mind. It’s a miracle he retained any will and individuality.
Sometimes when alone with his thoughts, Shouto would hypothesise on the whys and the hows. The conclusion he always comes to is this: any sort of reality in which Shouto succumbs to his father’s ideals and manipulation would have to be a world in which his mother does not exist.
While his existence was planned, and wanted, he was to be a hero and as such, wasn’t cut from love—that came after. He loved his mother. So much so that when she hurt, he hurt. When she cried, he cried. She taught him what it meant to be gentle, to have hope, to aspire to be his own person. Years spent amongst the country's finest heroes and Shouto still regarded his mother as the bravest woman he knew, strong because she refused to be hardened by her circumstances; soft so that she can’t be broken again.
You are like his mother in that regard. Those same echoes of reassurance that softness isn’t weakness, and it isn’t earned. You’ve been touching him more as of late, as if determined to prove it. Static between brushed fingertips, words expressed by simply pressing your knees together, the weight of your hand on his bicep to garner his attention. The build up is subtle and cumulative and yet each instance strikes him with the magnitude of a thermodynamic explosion.
Nobody bats an eyelid to this shift in physicality, which makes it all the more difficult to determine whether he is reading into things or not. It could be that he’s noticing those small instances only because it’s you, and you are all he can think about lately.
You’ve given him permission to reciprocate. He merely has to ask for more if he wants it. What Shouto hadn’t accounted for is the unbearability of being vulnerable enough to ask. An innocent “can you hug me?” becomes so much more daunting to voice with all that longing crowded up behind it. He can’t help worrying you’ll see right through to the bottom of his desires.
A hand comes into view. Bakugo’s ash-smudged finger and thumb pinch and snap together in front of his face. “Come back to Earth, dumbass. Your thousand yard stare is scarin’ my new assistant”.
Shouto blinks out of his stupor and the blurred vignette surrounding his vision recedes. He glances at the skittish man sitting outside Bakugo’s office currently sending worried glances over his shoulder. “I think he’s more scared that you’re back,” Shouto intones dryly. “Isn’t he the fourth one this year?”
“Not my fault they’re all wimps,” Bakugo huffs. A slap reverberates around the office as he throws down a manila folder onto his desk and drops heavily into his chair. He regards Shouto with suspicion overtop his computer monitor. “Whatever you were just thinkin’ about—stop”.
“You don’t know what I’m thinking about”.
“I know you always manage to make Olympic level leaps in logic,” Bakugo rolls his eyes and tears open the folder. He slides out what Shouto assumes is a debrief and flips it between his fingers. Shouto keeps quiet. He reclines into the couch cushions and returns to reading the incident report on his lap, counting down from ten in the privacy of his mind. Anytime now.
Three, two, one.
“So what is it?” Bakugo asks, trying too hard to sound flippant but landing squarely on irritation. “Spit it out before you give yourself an aneurysm”.
Shouto opens his mouth and closes it again. A wave of hot embarrassment washes over him. He knows Bakugo will do him the kindness of being blunt and honest but it doesn’t make it any less humiliating to admit.
In their younger years Shouto saw something of a kindred spirit in Bakugo. He too did not like touch and aggressively voiced his distaste for it whenever he got the chance—which was often, because divine intervention sought fit to give him the most tactile, handsy friend group possible.
As they got older though, Shouto began to realise that the protests and threats were hollow. Despite being vehemently against affection, Bakugo would allow it anyway, and sometimes even seek it out. The aggression was bravado. Bakugo liked having his friends draped around his shoulders. He liked when Mina kissed his cheek, or Kaminari played with his hair, or Kirishima gathered him into a too-tight hug, or Sero tangled their ankles together on the couch.
Only, for him to comfortably accept it, Bakugo needed to act as though he were doing them a favour by allowing them into his space. And Bakugo’s friends played along without complaint.
From what he’s observed you are also an affectionate person. You are liberal with your warmth and adapt seamlessly to the boundaries of those around you. But you were also visibly uncomfortable whenever people took that affinity for intimacy as an open invitation, and recoiled if they encroached on your own.
Shouto has imagined reaching out only for your body to flinch away from him more times than he can count. It’s a battle staged in his head, ingrown fears. The possibility alone was enough to keep him from reciprocating, set in a state of fawn-like inertia.
“There’s somebody I want to get closer to. A friend,” he begins. Bakugo makes an inquisitive noise, props his cheek against his fist and narrows his eyes as he listens. Shouto retells the story in part, deciding to omit your name, and by the tail-end of it Bakugo’s forehead is deeply creased in dissatisfaction.
“You make all your own problems, Halfie. Y’know that?” he mutters, rubbing at the bridge of his nose and sinking back into his chair. “Fine, you don’t want to make this person uncomfortable, or whatever. If you need a hug so damn badly, why not ask Deku? Not like he’d say no”.
Knowing Bakugo would make his dilemma sound ridiculous is one thing, actually hearing it is another. “How do you know it isn’t about Midoriya,” Shouto returns petulantly.
“It ain’t Izuku or anyone else from your nerd squad,” Bakugo says, dropping his hand to drum on the desk. “I would’ve heard about it”.
“Why?”
“Because you don’t touch people. And that’s fuckin’ fine, yeah? But if you had, I know for a fact any one of them would’ve burst into tears and told everyone in a five mile radius”.
“Oh,” it leaves him a little off-kilter to hear. Shouto leans forward to rest his elbows on his knees, setting the report on the dark wood coffee table. The corner of the page is curled, and the spine is creased, and the ink annotation has smudged under his thumb. He details these things as he deliberates, the excuses cloying in his throat and thick like he might cry too.
Bakugo was right—if he craved close contact so badly, why couldn’t he go to Midoriya? He knows he would likely be met with enthusiasm.
“You don't have to tell me who. I don’t care. But you’re overthinking it,” Bakugo grunts at his lack of response, in a way that very much suggests that he cares. “Go ask. If they say ‘no’ it’s tough shit, but the world isn’t gonna end. From what you’ve told me they wouldn’t say ‘no’ anyway. Dumbass”.
Shouto nods and gives up the pretense of reading the paperwork. He feels coltish as he stands and brushes down his front, straightening the creases.
“You’re right”.
“I know”.
“Thank you, Bakugo,” he says. A small smile unfurls across his anxiety-bitten mouth. “You’re a good friend”.
“Shut up,” Bakugo grumbles. It’s a testament to his concern that he hadn’t cursed Shouto there and then. “Now get out of my office. What are you doing here in the first place? You got your own!”
“Yours gets all the sunlight. And it’s always quiet because nobody comes in here,” Shouto ignores the baleful slit of an eye Bakugo turns on him. “I’m going to take my lunch now”.
“Do what you want,” Bakugo dismisses haughtily, and Shouto smiles while thinking, not for the first time, that he’s very lucky to have friends like these.
The fidgety assistant bows as he exits and turns into the sun-drenched hallway. Warmth drapes around Shouto’s shoulders, lingering at his nape while he descends the dark stairwell where the light doesn’t reach. His boots thud against the linoleum, and he counts each footfall to keep his face neutral as his legs carry him toward your department.
Somewhere between one and one hundred and thirteen, a fraction of Shouto’s courage starts to dwindle. He grits his teeth. A hundred steps can’t be enough to dissuade him after decades of denying himself any kind of indulgence.
The further he goes into the support wing the more elaborate the layout becomes. You’re in research and development, assigned a workshop close to the quirk analysts. Heads turn as Shouto rolls through. Heroes didn’t often make personal visits to this area. If he thinks hard enough he could count a grand number of two past visits and neither of them were for you.
His stride falters when he catches sight of your nameplate. It is fixed to the wall outside your door, polished and gleaming proudly. Shouto traces the characters of your name engraved into steel before raising his hand to knock.
Your voice rings out from inside, “Come in!”
A pitched beeping sound comes from overhead. The workshop doors begin to open in a theatrical fashion, receding like curtains to reveal your space. The floor is mapped out with tape. Clear boundaries drawn between the work benches, the fume cupboards, the vault and your personal office, in an attempt at organised chaos. He might have been more interested in poking around for the first time if he had not felt on the edge of intrusion.
You’re tucked behind your curved desk surrounded by numerous monitors that dwarf your frame. Shouto furtively takes in your cute, rumpled appearance. The upper half of your coveralls have been undone to reveal an undervest, sleeves tied tight around and accentuating your waist.
“Take a seat, I’ll be with you in…” the dull tapping of practiced keystrokes comes to a stop as you notice him in the doorway. The professional veneer disappears. “Shouto?” you say, mostly to yourself. Your gaze slides beyond his shoulder, looking for whoever might be accompanying him. “Is everything okay?”
There’s a worried twist in your mouth that he wants to smudge away. A look in your eyes—a combination of warmth and weight that tugged at his being. Shouto rolls his shoulders, shaking off the tension, and moving deeper into your office. The doors close automatically behind him. “I’m okay,” he assures, taking the seat across from you.
Your expression gentles, and he likes how your gaze follows him. “I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch with me,” he continues. “But if you’re working I can head back”.
“Lunch?” you repeated. Your eyes darted to the corner of the monitor closest to you and promptly widened. “Oh, shit. When did that happen?”
An upswing of fondness catches him like a blow to the chest. His mouth quirks into a smirk. “How long have you been here?”
“Too long. I got lumped with a new project a few days ago and it’s almost done,” the monitors shut off one by one as you sheepishly press each button. Then you gave him a soft, apologetic look, “I’m sorry I’ve been so busy. Must’ve missed me if you came all the way down here”.
Dread shriked through him. The low whirring from the equipment scattered around your workspace is suddenly inordinately loud. Was he that obvious?
You, however, fail to notice Shouto’s anxiety and grab him around the wrist as you pivot the desk. “C’mon. Let’s go before the good stuff is gone,” you tell him.
Shouto had absolutely no clue what the ‘good stuff’ entailed—maybe he should’ve bothered to ask. Atleast it would take his mind off your hand. It’s wrapped around his sleeve, right where the fabric ends, loose enough for him to unshackle from if he wants. When he doesn’t protest the contact you stroke your thumb in an arc over the heel of his hand and squeeze.
Shouto falls into step, too caught up to realise you’ve taken him to the cafeteria. He expects you’ll drop his wrist in the presence of your colleagues, yet you adjust your grip and glance back at him with an encouraging tilt of your head.
“I’m starving. I think I’ll get a rice bowl. Smells pretty good today, don’t you think?”
Shouto hummed his agreement. He felt out of his depth, and he didn’t trust his voice. The spark of giddiness was doing embarrassing things to his throat. The line is mercifully short and before long he has a warm bowl of food held against his front.
“Did you want to sit in here? I can take us to one of the senior staff lounges instead if you want,” you cast a nervous look across the sparse crowd. “I mean, support engineers aren’t really gossiping types but…”
A petty part of him hoped the whispers would escalate. To have your name linked with his, to be known as a person that you cared about—he found that deeply satisfying, for reasons he couldn’t yet put his finger on.
Then again, being alone with you far eclipsed the appeal of flaunting your friendship. “The senior staff lounge sounds best,” he answers after a minute of feigned consideration. You nod, regretfully having dropped his hand, and motion for him to follow once more.
The lounge is a modest room with a kitchenette, a breakfast nook and a few bean bag chairs. It smells faintly like peeled oranges. There are post it notes and blueprints haphazardly stuck to the pinboard, covering an out of date calendar filled out in illegible scrawl. This is no shop awning. There is no rainfall to lend to the ambiance. But you are together in an enclosed space, and that is enough to make his heart beat in anticipation.
You scoot into the breakfast nook. He sits on the same side of the table and tries to subtly spread his knees enough to nudge your thigh. You side-glance in surprise but choose not to mention it. Instead you smile through your first mouthful and ask, “How've things been since I last saw you?”
Achy, like he’s used an atrophied muscle. Lonely, and frustrating beyond words. But he doesn’t say any of that. He digs crescents into his thigh through his pant leg and says, “Boring”.
“Figured that might be the case. I saw the livestream of you fighting Haywire,” you bump your shoulder against his. “The Commission probably dumped a whole load of paperwork on you, huh?”
Shouto wrinkles his nose. He hoped you hadn’t caught that fight. The pursuit of Haywire—an eco terrorist with an electrical quirk—managed to cause an unprecedented amount of damage to the city infrastructure.
“You handled it as best you could. The power grid can be fixed. What’s important is people are alive because of you,” a warm weight covers the fingers restlessly whittling at his pant leg. You pet his hand, “I’m glad you weren’t hurt”.
Guided solely by his impulses, the instant you start to draw back he envelops the top of your hand and sandwiches it between his own. He goes hot and cold all over in quick succession. Boundaries, he reminds himself. But you’re not pulling away. You’re studying him with a knowing gleam in your eye.
Shouto clears his throat. Heat pricks across his skin, concentrated in his cheekbones. “Sorry,” he says. You can ask, a memory echoes. “Is this okay?”
“You don’t have to apologise. I told you it’s fine,” you reply firmly. “I’m happy to remind you if you need to hear it”.
“No, I…” his brow furrows. “I’ve been thinking”.
“That’s not good”.
Shouto snorts and shakes his head, his amusement petering out into a shallow breath. “I want to ask. I’ve wanted to ask like you said I could,” he explains vaguely. “I’m not very good at it, I think”.
You make a soft, understanding sound that immediately sets him at ease. “I guess, after denying yourself something for so long it can be scary to let yourself have it again,” you murmur, a faraway look in your eyes. After a pensive moment the sheen fades and your laughter lines deepen, “I’ll do what I did before, then. If you look like you need a hug I’ll ask you instead”.
“In what way do I ‘look like’ I need a hug?”
“You get this—I don’t know how to explain it,” you gesture vaguely at him. “This blankness about you, but not your normal resting face, I mean you don’t seem all there. I don’t like it. I like it best when you’re happy”.
“Ah,” comes his eloquent response. Shouto drops his gaze to where your hands knot together. Every quark in his body is urging him to get closer, and remain close. “Bakugo thinks I should try to hug Midoriya, too,” he adds, oddly flustered.
“Huh. You talked to Bakugo about—? That’s a surprise. A nice surprise, I mean! Well, Midoriya does give great hugs. It would be good for you to…”
Shouto’s thoughts grow louder and he frowns down at his rice. You’re saying something about physical touch and wellness and friends. Dopamine and serotonin. It barely registers. Two truths are pinging around his skull.
You have hugged Midoriya. Of course you have. You’re friends.
You think he’s great at it.
Why is that so unsettling? Teenagers think like this. Single minded and overly emotional.
He feels the shifting of your knuckles under his palm. “Hey. You’ll need one of these back if you’re going to eat,” you say.
“Right,” he lifts his left hand and picks up his chopsticks to take a pinch of rice from his bowl. He chews until the clamouring in his mind has settled, and you patiently accept his stoic silence without explanation. Shouto hasn’t been this awkward since highschool, and even then he was too wrapped up in his familial problems to be aware of it.
“What’s the project you’ve been working on?” he eventually asks.
You take the change of topic in your stride, leaning closer and lowering your voice to an excited whisper, “I’m not supposed to tell you but—it’s for Deku’s new costume”.
“Midoriya is getting a new costume?” Shouto replies. You playfully shush him and he pouts a little.
“Don’t sulk. He doesn’t know yet either,” you poke a chopstick at the corner of his jutted mouth. “It’s my job to prepare a design portfolio and talk through everything next week. You’ll get a new one too, when you break the top five”.
“If,” he amends.
“You don’t think you’ll move up?”
“Reaching the top was never really a priority for me,” Shouto’s attention splinters, half of his focus on the conversation and the other on the sensation of your skin. He considers overturning his hand to entwine your fingers. “I just want to be the best hero I can be”.
You hum, and as if plucking the desire right from his mind, absentmindedly slip into the gaps between his fingers. Shouto steadies his breathing and takes another mouthful.
The rest of the hour passes, syrupy and slow like molasses. By the final minute Shouto’s palm is sticky and reluctant to part from yours. You usher him out from the breakfast nook first, stacking the empty bowls before directing him back toward the emptied cafeteria.
You slide the bowls along the counter for the kitchen staff to take. Then you wipe your hands down your front as you pivot to face him, thrusting out both arms as he stands frozen.
“Can I hug you?”
Shouto touches his face and you laugh.
“This is because I want one,” you clarify with a warm grin, beckoning him closer.
Shouto inhales steps into the embrace, his arms instinctively wrapping around your back. There are less layers this time—the heat of your body is overwhelming, alongside the gentle rise of goosebumps across your bare shoulders. Your breath fell gently on his collarbone, his head lowering to curl into you. He thinks, were he not born to be a hero, he must surely be born for this.
“Thank you,” you mumble, squeezing his waste a final time as you retreat. “I’ll talk to you later, yeah?”
Shouto nods. Your presence moves away like the sun being blocked out and he watches you go, departing words caught in his teeth, an incessant buzz in his fingertips. The walk back to his office is a gauzy yellow haze. Every physiological response in his body told him that he was in a free fall, despite his feet being firmly on the ground.
“Shouto!”
Shouto halts mid-step at the familiar voice. He turns to look at Izuku, at the tentative beginnings of his smile. “Izuku,” he says.
“We missed you at lunch—are you feeling alright?” Izuku asks, slightly bemused. “You look kinda… floaty,” his eyes are dark, softened in the afternoon light as they sweep over Shouto’s figure and his face.
"Izuku," Shouto said before he could convince himself otherwise, “Do you want a hug?”
The innocent question appeared to crash into Izuku with the levity of a bullet train in motion. Tears sprang to his eyes, brighter now. Shouto tenses as he is swept into a solid hug. Izuku smells like fresh air, sweat and sweet-salty broth. He holds Shouto as though trying to keep his seams from bursting; thick arms are secure around his shoulders, and a rough palm rubs broad strokes down his back, smoothing the tension until Shouto is relaxed.
You were right. Izuku does give great hugs. Shouto came away doughy, and fuller, and with the stark realisation that while touching Izuku soothed the ache, it still felt completely different to touching you.
Later, as he leaned his head against the desk surface, he sluggishly contemplated the implications of that.
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targaryenluvs · 1 month
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MAKE YOU STAY / EDDIE DIAZ
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PAIRING: Dark!Eddie Diaz x Fem!Reader
SUMMARY: Your attempt to leave Eddie won’t work, because he won’t let them, or you.
WARNINGS: Obsession, guilt trip, jealousy, possessiveness, sexual content, manipulation gaslighting & entrapment.
WORDCOUNT: 2.3K Words
A/N: Happy season 7 launch!! I got inspired slightly by @megalony and her new Dark Evan series go check it out!!
Gif not mine, credits to the owner!
Life with Eddie use to be everything you could ever dream of. Whether it be slow mornings getting ready together, sharing a shower and helping Chris get ready. Or an absolute hurricane ripping through your home whilst the three of you stumble over each other to get ready after a sleep in.
No matter the time of day, you loved whatever you were doing, as long as they were by your side.
And Eddie’s protectiveness use to be just another aspect of your relationship you loved, until you opened your eyes.
It use to be small, his anger.
An incessant colleague reaching out for tips and aid in a new project, you being a senior member meaning it wasn’t uncommon for people to reach out to you. You were one of the best workers at the company, well respected and loved as well as brilliant. And always willing to help someone in need.
He use to love that about you. Until it followed you home.
Chris was currently at a friends house, leaving the two of you to an inside date night, “Now on what planet would I ever sit and watch four movies with the title ‘Die Hard’. You sure as hell can’t die that many times.” Eddie shook his head as you refilled each of your respective glasses.
“Sure you can, just ask Chimney.” You gasped before swatting Eddies arm, “Be nice! And put on our show.” The murmuring voices of your favourite characters was more than enough to lull you into his arms, content washing over you. Your ringing phone however, was ready to disturb the peace Eddie had longed for all day.
“Let me just grab this.” His hand scooped your phone up before you could, “Just get it later.” His dismissive tone made you frown, “Give me my phone, please.” You leaned over to snatch it, walking into the hallway. Eddie couldn’t help but massage his temple, did you seriously chose a phone call over peace and quiet in his arms?
He hadn’t noticed how often you picked up your phone, until it interrupted him. It happened often. When the two of you were cooking together, soft music and ambience long forgotten. Almost falling asleep, cuddling, and out of the blue the world was falling apart without you. Eddie thought he could handle it, you were needed, that wasn’t your fault, right? But what he also couldn’t handle was the secretive nature.
Why did you always walk away? Were you hiding something?
And now you were coming home later, clanging into the house at 11, or 12. Sometimes even later. “Where were you?” Eddie stood by the door as you hung your jacket, “Jesus, you scared me E.” His arms were crossed, shoulders tense as you made your way to him, a smile too wide for his liking. “Work ran late, m’ sorry.” As you walked away, his hand caught onto your wrist.
“Ow, let go.” Eddies grip loosened as you retracted your arm, soothing it, “What is your problem?” You looked up to view a sweet smile, “Nothing, just worried about you. When you didn’t call, I got so scared. This world, it’s scary Y/n, you know that, especially during these times.”
Your eyes watered involuntarily at his saddened demeanour, “Oh Eddie, I’m so sorry, I should’ve called. That’s my fault, forgive me?” Your arms came around his neck, before trailing down to his chest, playing with his name tag. “I forgive you, I can also think of a way you can make it up to me.”
His smile was mischievous, and intentions impure. “Oh? And what would that be Mr Diaz?” His hand was heavy on your back and slithering lower by the second, “I think we have an appointment with a bed tonight.”
“I have work tomorrow, so do you.”
“Cmon, for me?” His eyes were pure evil, and you were more than happy to give in, even if you were tired. Really damn tired, but he wanted you, so you should give in right? You did give him a fright. “Take me away Diaz.”
If you’d noticed the signs earlier, maybe you could’ve gotten away. His jealousy, when it did rear its head, was an ugly shade of green.
A late night, again.
Eddie had been by the door for 10, sitting for 20, pacing the kitchen and stress-eating for another 10 before he finally settled into bed. Wide awake of course. The opening of his bedroom door caused him to stir. He watched as you slowly moved around, placing your stuff away, putting your phone on charge and then changing.
He sat upright as you yelped, “Eddie! You scared me, again! Why are you sitting in the dark?” His face was drained of warmth, skin cold to the touch. “Was waiting for you, again.” You frowned at his words, “Baby, you know I’m late these days. Better for you to go to sleep than wait up.” He shook his head, burying his head into your stomach as his body relaxed. Your hands raked through his hair gently, “I think you should consider working from home.”
Your hands stopped in their tracks, working from home? The last time you worked from home was during lockdown, and you’d driven yourself half mad. “Why is that?” Eddie glanced up at you, “You’re barely home, Chris misses you, I miss you. Don’t you want to be with us?” You took a deep breath in before smiling, “Of course I do. I- I’ll see what I can do baby.”
His hands quickly dragged you into bed, “Knew you’d understand amor.” Eddie rested his head in the crook of your neck, his hands slowly making their way underneath your shirt.
“Sweetie, I’m tried.”
“I missed you.” You relented, letting him continue. It seemed to be all you were doing these days, bending backwards and over to please him, literally.
The first time you noticed his behaviour was also when you realised you needed space. Not that he’d give it to you. A new coworker, Harry, had invited not only yourself, but your friend Aleya and Jack out to lunch.
He was a nice guy, very eager to learn and never scared by a little constructive criticism. The only problem was probably his overbearing cologne, very pungent? Intense?
You’d also been driven to work that day, courtesy of your boyfriend. You were working shorter days now, completing about an hour or two of work at home now. It had taken some adjusting, after a few forgetful days and about a million texts from Carla with an impatient Chris at home waiting for you.
You spotted Eddies truck pull up as you wrapped up your conversation with the your three lunch goers, “And that’s me, I’ll see you guys on Monday. Thank you so much for lunch!” You reached out to Aleya for a side hug, the same for Jack and a normal hug for Harry. “Tell Eddie there’ll be a fire at my house later tonight, and he better bring Evan!” Jack joked as you waved him off.
Jack may or may not have a huge crush on Evan.
You hopped in, quickly chucking your purse and files into the back seat before kissing Eddie on the cheek. “Hi! How was Chris’s school?” Eddie shrugged his shoulders, “Fine.” Your eyebrows furrowed at his shortness, “Something wrong?” He turned onto the highway, knuckles tightly gripping the wheel, “You smell like him.”
“Like who? Harry?”
“That his name?”
You rolled your eyes, “No, it’s actually his father’s, middle name Jesus. Care for some wine Eddie?” Not once, had Eddie ever been physical. But raising his voice? Oh that was fair game.
“You think you’re funny huh? Having lunch with other guys and taking the piss outta me?”
“Nothing happened baby, it was lunch. He’s new and trying to fit in and I’m being nice. There’s nothing to worry about I swear.” The silence permeated in the truck, causing the hair on your arms to raise. You hated the silent treatment wholeheartedly.
“Whatever.”
His change in demeanour could flip like a switch, you always assumed it was him putting up a front. But when Eddie showed up the next day, flowers in hand and looking his sharpest, you were forced to reevaluate. “God I wish my boyfriend was that sweet.” Your project partner whispered as you sighed, “That’s Eddie.”
Even your boss wanted you to go with him, “Take the day off sweetie, you deserve it.” And with a pat on the back and a million swooning interns drooling over Eddie, you were sent on your way.
“I got these for you Y/n/n.” Your favourite flowers, arranged perfectly and smelling divine. Your hands wrapped around the bouquet, “Thank you Eddie, they’re perfect.” His smile caused your heart to race, he looked amazing. The Eddie with you that day was incredible.
His infectious laughter, perfect smile and the sweet nothings he whispered into your ear. That, was the Eddie Diaz you knew and loved. A gentleman, who had eyes for only you. Which is why you couldn’t help but wonder, what made him change? How was it possible to go from absolutely furious and unnecessarily jealous to an angel?
You didn’t want to know, and you didn’t want to stay around long enough to find out.
Maybe it was the date, or the fact that you felt as if he deserved an explanation face to face. Either way, if you’d known better, you would have made it away.
“Eddie, we have to talk.” The two of you were currently sitting on the couch, favourite show playing in the background. Eddie hummed along, a slight acknowledgment to your words. “It’s, about us.” Eddie turned the volume down, your sentence piquing his interest.
“What’s wrong?”
“I think, we should break up.”
And with six words, Eddies entire world came crashing down in front of him. What on earth were you talking about? “What did you say?” The smile on Eddies face was anything but sweet or reassuring, a bad attempt at keeping his composure. “You’ve been acting, odd, to say the least.” You stood from the couch as he followed in pursuit, all the way to the kitchen.
“I feel like, all that we’re doing lately is either fighting or sleeping. Every time I come home, you have something to say. Whether it’s about my later nights, about who I was with or what I’m doing on the phone. It’s like I have no privacy at all. I cannot keep a single thing to myself. And if I try to? You blow up at me. I mean last week for example, I tried my hardest to not argue with you by walking away. And all you did was follow me around the house, it drove me crazy. Showing up to my workspace when I tell you I can get more done without random lunch dates. I’m a grown adult but you treat me like a child. And if I stand up for myself I’m cheating. It makes no sense at all Eddie. And I tried to make it work, but I feel like you’re controlling me. I even reduced my hours, because you asked. I moved in even when I wasn’t ready, because you asked. I need a break.” You took a deep breath after your monologue, needing a second.
Turning towards Eddie, he stared straight at you. “I had no idea you felt that way baby. I’m so sorry, I never meant to do any of it. I love you so much, I can’t help but worry. After everything we’ve been through with Shannon,” And there it was, the guilt. It was blinding, clawing its way through you. Shannon. He’d already lost someone he loved, and Chris lost his mother. No wonder he was always to protective over you.
“Hey, I’m not leaving like Shannon okay? What happened was a tragic accident, and I promise nothing like that is going to happen again Eddie.” You immediately engulfed in a hug, his head resting against yours, “I don’t want to loose you, I don’t want Chris to loose you.” Eddie muttered repeatedly as you closed your eyes.
Chris walked into the room, thirsty, tired and curious, “Is something wrong?” You immediately detached yourself from Eddie, wiping away your tears, “Nothings wrong sweetie, did you need something?” He nodded before turning around and walking to his room, “We’ll talk later yeah?” Eddie whispered into your ear before moving ahead.
Sniffles came from underneath Christopher’s blanket, “You alright buddy?” Eddie asked, patting his hair down, “Water.” You watched as Eddie swiftly made his way to the kitchen whilst you sat down, “You need anything else?” Chris’s hand slowly lowered the blanket before smiling your way, “No thanks mum.”
And as quickly as he spoke, he turned over to sleep again. Your eyes were probably protruding out of your head, shock filling your senses. “Mum?” The word sounded foreign on your lips, but apparently comfortable enough on Chris’s.
“He called you mum.” Eddies voice was low, most likely as astounded as you based on the look on his face. You got up slowly, aware of the sleeping boy. You couldn’t help but smile, and kiss his forehead before making your way to Eddie. “I can’t believe it.” Eddies hand came up to wipe away the stray tears before pulling you in and kissing your forehead, “I can.”
“You’re apart of this family baby, always have been.” His words seeped in as he guided you to your bed, whilst you were stuck on autopilot. Chris viewed you as a parent to him, that’s how common you were in his life now, a constant for him to fall back on. He loved you, almost as much as you loved him. Your words weren’t forgotten just swirling in your head, how the hell could you ask for a break now? With this new huge responsibility?
Eddie knew, of course he knew. He was the one encouraging Chris to call you by your new name. Because if there’s one thing Eddie knew he needed, besides Chris?
It’s you, and he’d do anything to make you stay.
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skybluewritings · 4 months
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Last Summer: Felix Catton x fem!reader Part 1
Series Link:
Word count: 1.3K
Note: This will be a slight diversion to the plot of the film!
Series Masterlist
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She'd never had as good a friend as Felix. There was something seriously human about him, he was the kind of person to look you in the eye when you spoke. He made you feel like there was no one else in the world he would rather be speaking to. She had been friends with him since their first year and like the rest of Oxford had become infatuated with him.
It had hit her one day just why he made her feel so giddy and nervous throughout their nearly three year friendship. They had been studying hard in his bedroom for upcoming exams, when she had looked up from her notebook.
She had been sat on his floor, back against the mattress, with him behind her up on the bed legs crossed. She had shifted herself to look up at him, his brows furrowed in concentration. Then his brown eyes gently met hers and her stomach had flipped.
He grinned at her. "What?"
"Oh nothing." She said with a laugh. "I think I'm just a little tired."
Except it wasn't nothing, she was all too aware of what it was she was feeling.
He sighed in agreement. "God me too! Let's take a break in a minute before my eyes slide out my head."
They had gone back to their respective studying although hers was now plagued by just how she was going to hide her newly realised feelings?
He had never given her any reason to suggest he felt the same. He was kind and respectful to her but he was like that with everyone. Despite their obvious close friendship their circle of friends seemed to sometimes suspect they were secretly hooking up. Sly looks and nudges were exchanged whenever the two left the room together. And this was particularly bought to light at one of the very last parties their final year of university.
They were all sat in the kitchen of some random person's house. The conversation up until then had been normal, the discussion being a reflection of their time spent at University.
Her friend sat opposite her, swirled her drink. "There's something that I-well we have always wondered."
(Name) intrigued leant forward a little. "Yeah what would that be?"
Her friend continued. "Why you and Felix never got off with eachother?"
"What sort of question is that?" (Name) asked laughing lightly.
"Yes exactly what sort of question is that, when they obviously have gotten off with eachother." Farleigh interjected with a smirk, the rest of the group snickered at his comment like school children.
She choked a little on her glass wine. She wiped at her chin with the sleeve of her cardigan, her face feeling very hot.
"There is no way that two people with that much chemistry have never once even kissed I don't believe it!" Another member of the group added.
Before she had a chance to defend herself, the worst possible thing happened. She felt slight pressure on the back of her chair, she glanced behind her to see Felix stood behind her both hand resting on the top of the chair. She wanted the fucking floor to open up and consume her whole.
"Who's never kissed?" Felix asked the group.
"You tell us." Farleigh told him giving his cousin a knowing look. "Or maybe (Name) can tell you."
(Name) felt her body turn rigid, she didn't look at Felix completely. "It was just a shit joke about a couple of our old lecturers." She blatantly lied.
Farleigh looked ready to pipe up again but before he could she rose from her seat.
"Felix do you fancy going for a cig?" She asked her best friend.
"Yes sure-" She quickly grabbed his wrist. "Oh okay."
The table burst out laughing, Felix gave her a confused look she chose to ignore. She steered them away from the table as he followed behind her slightly bewildered.
Once they were safely outside they lent against the wall, various students were littered across the back garden. She reached into her bag and realised she'd forgotten her cigarettes.
"Can I steal one of yours, I forgot mine." She apologised with a sigh.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack, taking one for himself and her. He lit his with ease before handing the lighter to her. She repeatedly tried to light the cigarette but the summer breeze stopped her.
"Here let me." He said, covering his hands over hers, forming a barrier against the air.
She tried to ignore the spark that ran through her hands as his own rested on hers. The cigarette was finally lit, she took a drag and rested her head against the wall with closed eyes.
There was silence for a few moments before he spoke. "Is everything alright with you?"
"Yeah I'm fine, just needed a break from all the people." She admitted, opening her eyes.
"Am I not also people?" He said jokingly.
"No you don't count." She replied.
He pretended to gasp. "So you don't see me as a person? Ouch."
She playfully rolled her eyes. "We both know that's not what I meant."
"Yeah I know." He told her with a soft smile that she returned.
He looked stunning in the golden evening light, chosing to wear a thin linen shirt the top few buttons undone. She smoothed out a crease in her short floral dress, somehow it helped distract her wandering mind.
"I can't believe it's all just over." She said waving her hand.
"Yeah me either. Soon you'll be abroad with your masters degree and I'll be here.." His voice seemed to trail off.
"You do know you can come visit me right?"
"Yes of course I do, which I'll definitely take you up on. But it doesn't mean I won't miss you."
Her chest tightened. "I'm-I'm not leaving for a month, plenty of time still left for us to hangout."
He nodded. "Definitely."
They both fell silent again. An international masters degree would be just what she needed to forget her feelings for him, this would be good for her!
"I have a bit of an idea." He told her.
"What would that be?" She asked carefully.
An excited glimmer appeared in his eyes. "Why don't you come spend your last month with me at my family home, we've been friends for so long that it's ridiculous you've never visited!"
She let out a surprised laugh. "Felix I would love to but are you sure that wouldn't be imposing on your family? I mean a month is a longtime."
He shook his head. "You wouldn't be imposing at all! You would actually be doing me a favour if anything, it'd be nice to finally have good memories of my summer at home."
She wondered what he meant by that, but chose to not press for answers just yet. Should she do this? She'd heard pleasant stories about his family and once even met his sister who was nice enough. And whilst she adored her own family and hometown friends it might be cool to spend a month in a huge country estate!
"You know what sure I'll come with you!" She agreed, hopeing she'd made the right choice his grin giving her some proof of that.
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valyrfia · 1 month
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Why do so many F1 fans hate on Charles Leclerc? I, myself, am an "old time" so to say fan of the sport and while I appreciate the generations past, there is no denying his astounding talent and connection to the car. And yet when I started to get back into watching recently, I have seen nothing but distasteful jabs at his ability and his fans, along the lines of "he's just a model" and "only girls in love with him like him". Why is that, I really do not understand - not even as a fan of his, I'm just asking as an objective observer of motorsport
Thanks for your ask anon! I think there's two facets of it. There's the fact that Charles has a lot of expectations that haven't been fulfilled yet due to a variety of reasons and media that may already be skewed away from him doubling down on that, and quite frankly, there's a misogyny aspect due to the composition of his fanbase.
Focusing on the expectations aspect first, as I'm sure you'll probably know better than I will since I've only been watching F1 for a year or so, Charles came into Ferrari with an incredible weight to him already. Not only did he totally crush competition in junior categories but he was the youngest Ferrari driver in the 21st century (later to be usurped by none other than Ollie Bearman at the 2024 Jeddah GP) and he had quite frankly an incredible first season. He would have won Bahrain 2019 if not for the engine issue and he won Monza. This understandably gave Charles's name a gravitas and expectation unlike any non-WDC. I mean, his nickname is literally il predestinato, there is an expectation that Charles will bring the championship home to Ferrari.
Now, unfortunately, that hasn't happened yet. This has been due to a multitude of reasons, but mainly Mattia Binotto's terrible management, the effects of it we're still feeling years later.
An aspect of Mattia's management that people discuss less however, but I'm certain contributes to some groups having a strong dislike of Charles, is Mattia's complete inability to manage a strong driver line up. Ferrari has had an incredible line up, with Charles and Seb for Charles's first two years, and Charles and Carlos for the next three. A lot of the general population who dislike Charles are Seb supporters, feeling as if Seb was pushed out by this young upstart who hasn't even managed to bring the WDC and WCC home as promised. This is entirely due to Mattia losing control of the narrative. DTS encouraged this viewpoint, but media doubled down on it. Mattia also failed to manage each driver's expectations.
Similar is Mattia's signing and then subsequent management of Carlos. My dislike of the Carlos camp is well-documented, but Carlos is by no means a bad driver, in fact I think he's probably in the top six drivers currently on the grid. The issue is, he's not Charles. He doesn't have Charles's raw talent, nor any sort of similar mythos that the tifosi revere about Charles. Carlos on paper, is an excellent n2 to Charles's n1, and I think if Mattia had been honest about that in signing Carlos, I would like him a lot more. Instead, Mattia promised that Charles and Carlos were to be treated as equals, resulting in bizarre strategy calls like Silverstone 2022 where they sacrifice the race of their driver fighting for the WDC in order to gift the other driver a win, or having a championship car in early 2022 only to undevelop it because Carlos complained that he wasn't comfortable. It's frankly bad management, when Checo wasn't comfortable with the RB19 Red Bull didn't change their development direction, because the focus was on getting Max the championship. Ferrari needed Mattia to make a similar decision in 2022, but he instead chose to try and pander to all sides instead of enforcing a potentially difficult decision like a team principal sometimes needs to.
I've said that Sainz media is responsible for much of the traditional media smear campaign against Charles, whether that's them using links with Spanish media, or paying off various outlets, and now I'm putting that down to Mattia not managing Carlos's expectations correctly a couple of years ago, and now relationships have broken down to a point that they're pretty much irreperable, even if Fred is managing everyone's expectations correctly. Mattia's bad management from the car development perspective gives Sainz media an angle to smear Charles as well. 2022 was Charles's championship to lose, and he lost quite badly. It becomes quite easy for journalists to take the line of "oh well, is Charles REALLY a generational talent or is he all hype?", and then compare Charles and Carlos in frankly incomparable situations to make it seem like, at first glance, Carlos comes out on top (key example of this would be Bahrain 2024, where Charles had an insane brake imbalance and still managed to finish p4, but Carlos's camp were quick to point out that Carlos's brakes had cooling issues, which if you know anything about the sport you know that's comparing a mouse to an elephant, but a lot of people chose to ran with Charles and Carlos having the same issue, resulting in people applauding Carlos for a podium in a car that's undergoing normal race stress and decrying Charles for managing to finish P4 in a car that should've been undriveable).
The second aspect moves away from traditional media and to word-of-mouth and online perspective of Charles, although often the first point about Charles not yet living up to his il predestinato name is sometimes used as evidence. Charles's fanbase is female (at least outside of the countries of Italy and Monaco), and disproportionately so compared to other driver fanbases. And look, sure he's a conventionally attractive guy, we're not going to deny objective facts. But those who dislike Charles like to use the fact that he has an active female fanbase, along with the fact that he's conventionally very attractive, in order to mock Charles and his hype. "Leclerc is mid and people only like him because he's hot and women don't understand wheel knowledge" seems to be the current argument of MANY a Charles hater.
Ultimately, it boils down to thinking that his fanbase don't truly understand the sport, because we're majority women and CAN'T be in the sport because we enjoy it we MUST just be here for the hot man. Which is both untrue and fundamentally misogynistic. While Charles himself can't experience misogyny as a man, his fanbase of women certainly can and certainly does. Our voices are trivialised and counted out, and that in turn has an impact on Charles's public image, since people think that a majority of his fans don't have any actual knowledge of the sport (when in my experience, this is perhaps the furthest from the truth).
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rorywritesjunk · 6 months
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I felt the need to elaborate on Buggy as the Ultimate Girl Dad, because I am loving every Buggy as a Dad fic I've come across and decided to add into it. It's a mix of head canons and fic of all eight daughters and when they were born. Also can be read as anime Buggy or OPLA Buggy!
Rating: PG-13 because innuendos. Warnings: Childbirth, mentions of a difficult labor. A/N: I had a lot of fun just thinking up names for all eight daughters.
Buggy’s Eight Daughters
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The first daughter, Lil Buggy (Lil or LB for short) is a clone of her dad in looks and personality. The first to inherit his nose (much to his distress) and the first one to really experience ship life. When she was two weeks old, Buggy bound her to his body while climbing up to the crow’s nest of his ship so he could show her the views of the sea. You nearly killed him for that. And while Buggy wanted to name her Buggy Junior, or BJ for short, you killed that idea immediately. 
“I don’t want BJ for her nickname. People may make fun of her!” You said as Buggy walked around your room with the newborn, keeping her close to him as he gazed down at her. 
“But come on, that’s what started that night we had when she was conci-” He looked up with a smirk and you resisted throwing a pillow at him. Not while he was holding the baby.
“Buggy!”
Mae was the second daughter. She was born with a full head of bright blue hair and your nose. Unlike her older sister, she was a bit easier. She was born when LB was about to turn 2, and well, older sister wasn’t too sure how to feel about a new baby joining the family. Surprisingly, Buggy noticed his daughter having more tantrums and generally being a terror since she wasn’t getting all of her parents’ attention, so he took to carrying her on his back while Mae would be strapped on his front, being the Ultimate Pirate Dad. He just had to remember LB was on his back when he sat down (which he sometimes did forget she was there because she often fell asleep back there).
“Oof, daddy!” A tiny voice squealed from behind him. It took Buggy a moment to realize LB was on his back again, so he jumped up from his seat and turned his head around to look at her.
“What are you doing back there?!” He asked, always sounding surprised. She fixed him with a glare that was so like his own it was a little terrifying. He got her off his back and sat back down in his seat, holding her into his lap while he turned his head back around to face his crew.
Cherry and Apple were next. Buggy wasn’t there when they were born. He was off dealing with the Strawhats, and while you never chose a name for the babies until a few days later, you took one look at them and decided on the names. Just like their oldest sister, the two of them had Buggy’s nose, and well, you thought the names would be as cute as their bright red noses. Cherry was the more daring of the two. Buggy literally had to keep one hand ready to grab her in case she decided to go overboard or climb up ropes on the ship. Apple was a little more cautious, choosing to stick near you more often than not. While Cherry was happy to join her father with the circus shows, Apple stayed off to the sides to watch.
“You named them what?” Buggy asked as he held newborn Apple in his arms. “Why?!”
“The names just popped in my head, Buggy!” You insisted as you cradled Cherry against your bare skin. “Besides, the names are perfect for them! Look at their little noses, like bright red apples and cherries!”
Buggy wasn’t sure how he felt about you comparing the inherited nose to fruit, but he wasn’t about to argue with a woman who’d already birthed four children, three of which had that same nose. 
Another set of twins came a year and a half later. Buggy decided having a midwife on board may be ideal since he couldn’t seem to stop getting you pregnant (not that you were complaining, it was split 50/50 who initiated these things). He was there this time. Lil Buggy and Mae helped with the names for their sisters. When you and Buggy sat the four girls down to tell them about having another sibling, Lil Buggy had pointed out the rainbow in the distance and Mae asked if that would be the new baby’s name. Buggy looked like would cry at that. 
“Wait, twins, again?!” Buggy exclaimed as he was handed the first baby. “We were expecting just one!”
“Sometimes the other one stays a secret, Captain.” The midwife replied calmly as she helped with the next one. “Better start thinking of a second name.”
Yea, right. When Cabaji let the four girls into the room once you were ready, Mae and Lil Buggy looked at the two twin girls before looking up at their parents.
“Rain and Bow!” Both insisted. You were too tired to disagree and Buggy was still in shock, especially since they had his nose again. He was wondering if he needed to propose marriage to you for birthing six kids already.
Buggy indeed proposed to you. It was flashy, with cannons, fire, and all six daughters running around with sparklers. You said yes because while you loved the flashy fool, you also wanted to douse the sparklers before something caught fire. 
Six daughters already. When Lil Buggy was 10, Mae was 8, Apple and Cherry 6, and Rain and Bow not quite 4, you announced one night at dinner that you were, again, pregnant. The reactions were as such:
“That explains a lot.” Buggy grumbled as he looked down at his plate. You glared at him and he followed with, “Explains why you have a radiant glow about you, my love!”
“Again?!” Lil Buggy exclaimed. “Can you two stop? There’s no more room!”
“Why?” Mae asked. “Why do you want more kids?”
“Where do babies come from?” Apple asked, looking at Buggy. He was not ready for this conversation.
“We picked you and Cherry out of a treasure chest, just like your sisters and just like this baby.” Buggy said quickly. “That’s how we get babies. From treasure chests.”
“Oh.” Apple seemed fine with that response but Cherry looked confused. 
“Why does mama get fat then?” She asked innocently. Buggy was about to say something but one look from you silenced him.
“Oh my God.” He whined. “Another one?”
Rain and Bow just kept eating while Buggy questioned his life choices in that moment and you looked ready to throw him overboard.
Inheriting his nose stopped with Rain and Bow, but his hair followed his daughters. When you gave birth to the 7th daughter, the family had been carving pumpkins as a fun activity. While some parents would worry about their children holding knives, you were more concerned about your husband with one. You decided to get up and grab some bandages from the midwife when it happened. She took one look at you, sighed, and led you to your room to help you give birth. It happened so quick that Buggy came to look for you after about a half hour and found you with a newborn in your arms.
“How! What?!” His jaw dropped seeing the baby in your arms. You just shrugged as you looked down at the newborn.
“Can we name her Pumpkin?” You asked. “I think it would be a fun story to tell, you know, what we were doing when she was born.”
Buggy wasn’t going to disagree with you.
The eighth and final daughter was born during a storm. Giving birth on the ship while waves crashed along it was not ideal. The other seven girls were hunkered in the room with you while you gave birth. Buggy was holding you while you screamed, threatening to kill him after you were done. This was, by far, the most difficult birth of the girls. Lil Buggy and Mae did what they could to entertain the other girls, hoping to get their attention away from your screams and cries while the ship rocked violently. Hours passed until they heard the cries of a newborn. The storm seemed to pass as well, and Buggy was crying as he held his newest daughter.
Lil Buggy, being the eldest, approached first to look. She saw the blue hair and sighed. “You won’t be able to tell us apart if you saw us all from behind, you know.”
“Yea, well, I’ll learn to tell you brats apart.” Buggy shot back. You were resting, having been given something by the midwife to help you sleep. The labor had been a rough one, and you were going to need your strength to keep up with the family.
“What’s this one gonna be called?” LB asked as she gestured for her sisters to come over. “I think mom needs to stop naming us, she’s getting silly with them.”
“What should we name her?” Buggy asked his eldest, his attention on the sleeping bundle in his arms. He glanced up at her. “I’m asking you.”
LB looked taken aback and scratched her head. “Um… why not… Crash?” 
“Crash?” Buggy repeated. He was about to comment that that was silly, but considering what the last few hours were like, he was glad she didn’t go with a weather related name. “Y’know, I think Crash is appropriate.”
Buggy decided as a Rite of Passage for Piracy, his girls would join him in a raid when they turned 14. You knew it was something of importance for him, and you trusted he wouldn’t get them hurt. They could protect themselves as well, and by the time Crash turned 14, each girl had their chance. Buggy deemed them all official crew members when they returned from each raid and always held a party for them. With Crash being the last one to go through with it, Buggy couldn’t help but feel a little sad his girls were all growing up. He wouldn’t get to do those fun “Firsts” again like he had with the others. He would never admit to anyone but you, but he liked being a dad.
A few months after Crash’s raid, and the girls were readying for another fun day of piracy, you pulled your husband aside for a brief meeting.
“Babe, if you want me, just ask. We don’t have to sneak around.” Buggy teased as his hands went to your waist, a big grin on his face. You put both hands on his cheeks and tilted his head down so you could look him in the eyes.
“Sneaking around is what caused this, Buggy.” You told him. “I’m pregnant.”
The scream from the clown was heard all over the ship and no doubt all around the seas.
325 notes · View notes
shirecorn · 4 months
Note
Your reindeer designs give me such childish joy I can't wait to see the rest. What's your process (aka any advice) for designing from scratch with something like just a name or concept?
Redbubble (buy reindeer swag) || Patreon (see all early!) || Ko-fi
See more free tutorials!
You can see my process unfold in real time by joining any tier of my patreon discord. Which doesn't even have to go through patreon! If you want, you can just pay me $20 and let you in for a year (and then lose track and probably keep you anyway)
Here's a preview using comet! (nevermind the preview thing I wrote you a whole lecture lol)
initial sketches in 2021:
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Revisited in 2022 and 2023
I was constantly asking which design was the weakest, why, and how to fix it. Whenever I tested without the magical comet behind it, people could only guess who comet was by process of elimination.
I didn't want to rely on throwing icons into the design. I wanted each one to communicate through shape and silhouette alone. It would be like drawing a little cherub with a bow and arrow floating along with cupid. If you have to include a nametag to communicate, your design can be improved.
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So I tried a few different strategies to say "comet" before I realized I could twist the antlers into any shape I wanted. I was worried I would have to discard the drawing and restart from scratch! Which is what I did for rudolph about 6 times before I had a breakthrough.
Then I gave my patrons a brief lesson in antlers to explain where and why I was placing the tines. When I stray from the caribou structure, I do so knowingly in order to achieve something that cannot be achieved within the caribou shape, like dancer's tutu. Know the rules before you break them. My goal is to make animal nerds (myself chief among them) happy when they see species-specific anatomy instead of cop outs.
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I tried a few things before figuring out antlers could become comet
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Another thing that often caribou have is an unsymmetrical "spork" that comes forward off only one antler. I figured this out by looking at hundreds of reindeer pictures and saving them to my reference folder. A few of my designs have this, that's what the little spiral is in the final comet antler design.
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When I put comet in my lineup, I realized that the antlers I drew were way more stylized, chunky, and "tribal" than the others. I had already changed the proportions on one of my designs to match, so then I had to hack away at the basic comet rack to make it look natural.
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I already knew that comet's colors would be easy because a basic reindeer already Has the big comet on the shoulder. But here's a peak at all the reindeer images I posted for my patrons to look at.
As you can see below, I chose reindeer markings for all my designs instead of other deer or animals. Even vixen is tied to actually possible reindeer patterns rather than copy-pasting a fox. Almost all of my designs have light-colored anklets on dark colored legs, which is very common with caribou of any color. This is the sort of thing no one tells you; you have to observe it yourself.
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Ft cupid's early design! I was continually testing out my reindeer silhouettes and colors on new people, taking their feedback, and fixing what wasn't clicking.
I know I could have made vixen sexy and curvy to play into a recognizable trope, but I really wanted them to be scary and fox-like. Sometimes you gotta do what you want and not what you think will appeal to audiences. Reindeer Days is a purposeful exercise in audience resonance. Most of my art is 100% me and what I feel like doing with no regards to anyone else. So it was a fun challenge!
My patrons also got to see me making fun of corporate designs for recognizably/cliches at the expense of literally anything good
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One of these is going to get a lot more "that must be vixen!" results from people who aren't constantly thinking about animal colors, markings, hunting strategies, and teeth.
And one rocks.
Vixen changed the least from the initial 2021 concept!
A Vixen is a female fox. In english slang, it means a cunning, fierce human woman, and sometimes sexually attractive or promiscuous. Quite often an insult to someone because she won't date you!
But to me, a vixen is an animal. A predator.
When designing to reference something, I like to hit it at multiple angles, referencing obscure trivia about something to delight and educate. This is done by researching a topic deeply, far below surface level and beyond what you think you need to make your design. Or in my case its just knowing a bunch of animal trivia already.
After researching/dredging your knowledge, sit there and Think. Don't draw anything. Come up with several ideas and then throw them all in at once for the ultimate trivia design.
Trivia about red foxes:
They have Long bushy tails
They have teeth that include large sharp canines, flat incisors, triangular premolars, and chunky molars with points on them that slide scissor-like with the molars above to cut meat via chewing
They hunt rodents in burrows under the snow by jumping into the air, arcing, and slamming down with their face through the snow
They are orange
They have a dark vertical stripe on their snout
They have black legs, with the backs and bottoms being orange
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Translated into the design:
Pose based on a fox jumping, about to land in the snow
Antlers twisted to resemble teeth
Long (for a reindeer) bushy tail
black mark on snout
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Some adjustment to the pose to be at the top of the arc and flow better.
Tinkering with the design to make it recognizable but not 100% copypasta fox
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I was finally happy with a design that absolutely showed "fox" while still being creative and plausibly caribou shaped. This would absolutely communicate who it is! I thought!
The most obvious one of the bunch! After all, everyone knows what a vixen is!
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Nope! No they do not
Want to be part of the design process, help me with WIPs months before everyone else, see exclusive doodles every day, and join a funky little community?
(you also get to see photos of my dog)
Connect your discord to your patreon and join any tier to automatically get added to the server. Not a fan of patreon or monthly subscriptions? message me here, on ko-fi, or via email (shirecorn.art@ gmail.com) and ask if you can pay $20 to get put in the server for at least a year and longer if we work it out later!
This was supposed to be a preview to get you to pay me but instead I wrote an entire lecture for free because I can't help myself.
Want to thank me for the free info? Tag me when you use what you learned! Comment and give feedback! If I could pay rent with attention I would never need anything else in life.
You can also thank me by tipping my ko-fi! I use it to buy pens since I die if I have caffeine. But could you imagine??
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waldau · 5 months
Note
hi!! i really love the way you write for wonwoo♡♡♡ could i request wonwoo+friends to lovers(something like she fell first but he fell harder kinda trope?)
thank you so much anon! also you're my first ever request! i hope i did this trope justice, because as much as i love established relationships i don't think i've ever really done much for friends to lovers.
crush — jeon wonwoo | 2,193 words | fluff
gender neutral reader. warnings: none.
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it hits wonwoo like a sledgehammer.
he's glad he's already sitting in his usual seat at the table, because there probably couldn't be a worse time to realize he's in love with you. when you're out on a date with someone else, and when these dates look like they're going to become a steady fixture in your life; something that he's going to have to learn how to make peace with.
wonwoo doesn't just love you. he's in love with you, and he's grappling with the realization of how many months he's missed without knowing the extent of his own feelings for you.
he wishes there was some manual that told him what to do when you had feelings for your roommate. when said roommate happened to be your best friend you'd try to ask out if you weren't so afraid of ruining the friendship.
since the end of high school and the beginning of college, wonwoo's always had you by his side — whether it be in the same classes, or the same friend group — hell, he's lost count of the number of nights you spent together, watching movies instead of trying to get some sleep for the next day.
(maybe there was a reason why he chose horror movies sometimes, even though you were scared of them.)
he thinks back to all the times your friends joked you were practically dating — that never annoyed him. he was merely surprised at the idea of dating you. you had always been his best friend; nothing more. you were a constant fixture in his life that he didn't see in any other way.
but now? wonwoo wishes he could turn back time and see what could have happened. would you have had the same inside jokes you do now, the same ease that comes with learning to co-exist by carving each other's shapes into your lives?
he looks up from his laptop at the sound of the wind rattling the windows. but he's the only one home.
you're out on your second date in the past two weeks with this guy named seungcheol. for the past two weeks, wonwoo hasn't been able to put a finger on why he hasn't been so keen on this guy you're seeing, despite the fact that seungcheol sounds like nothing but a gentleman.
and now he knows why.
he's heard a lot about how funny and smart and nice seungcheol is, from taking you to your favourite restaurant for a date to leaving you at your doorstep at the end of your night out.
wonwoo wants to argue that he, too, does the same thing for you. he holds doors open for you and gives you his beanie when you're cold and lets you have his popcorn when yours is done, but you just don't see him that way. and he doesn't know what to do to make you see him that way.
he focuses on his laptop again. the words all seem jumbled, and he's pretty sure he's been on the same page for the past half hour. so he takes his glasses off and lets his eyes rest. only to remember the time you took his glasses off when he was almost about to fall asleep on the sofa.
you're loving. it's something he's learned from you. you're always looking out for others, always concerned, wanting them to know you're there in the subtlest ways possible.
wonwoo always wants you around, and now has an irrational worry that he won't have you for much longer. his heart starts hurting — really, physically hurting, like a deep pain in his chest that can't be satiated by anything. he didn't know it was possible, but it's all he can feel right now.
he tries to think about anything else. those few people he'd dated back in college, whose names he can't even remember now. he hasn't dated anyone in the past two years since you graduated, got a job and moved into this flat together.
wonwoo hadn't known what to expect when it came to living with you, because as much as you were best friends, you'd never shared a living space together beyond a night's time. now over the course of the last twenty five months, he's become accustomed to you, and he's afraid he's ruined it all by realizing he's fallen in love with you far too late.
part of that is definitely your fault, he reasons. he wouldn't blame seungcheol for falling in love, either.
the thought of you on your date hurts him enough that he picks up his pen and scratches something on the notepad lying next to his laptop. his strokes are harsh and drawn without care, but when he stops, it's a rough sketch of your favourite flowers.
he lets out a bitter laugh. everything always circles back to you, in the end.
you don't ask for anything on your birthday, but wonwoo always gets you a bouquet of your favourite flowers alongside your gifts, because he knows how much you love them.
he wonders if seungcheol knows they're your favourite.
he's shaken out of his thoughts when you open the door to your shared house and step inside, almost tiptoeing, like you're afraid of making noise. you freeze when you see him looking at you. he wonders how long he's been sitting there, mind blank but also filled with thoughts of you. it's eating him up like a slow poison from the inside, but he forces himself to hold your gaze.
you look amazing. more than that, you look happy.
he's not jealous. he's never jealous when you're happy. but he just wants you to be happy with him, and he doesn't know if he's enough.
he wants to know what it'd be like to take you out. he wants to know everything that makes you smile, because he still learns something new about you almost every day. he wants to know what it's like to hold hands with you, kiss you goodnight, and wake up every morning knowing you're there by his side and his side only.
he wants more than he can possibly have.
"hey, wonwoo," you say, shutting the door behind you before you take off your shoes. "couldn't sleep?"
"no. i wanted to wait till you came back."
you frown at him. "i told you not to."
as if he could ever do that. whether you go out on dates, or to parties with your friends, wonwoo can't relax till he knows you're back home, safe. he just shrugs. this is one thing he'll always be stubborn about.
"did you have dinner?" you ask, ruffling his hair and moving past him to presumably fix yourself a snack before you go to bed.
"yeah," he says, looking back at the laptop. the letters are still jumbled, so he cleans his glasses before putting them back on. "unless last night's pizza doesn't count."
"that's a lot of words for no," you say. "are instant noodles okay?"
"of course."
wonwoo watches as you move around, putting back today afternoon's dried dishes into their respective places and filling a glass of water for yourself.
"did you have fun tonight?"
"yeah," you say, a smile on your face. "cheol picked out this movie i've been wanting to watch for a while. then we went to this hole-in-the-wall cafe that was surprisingly nice. and then he dropped me home."
wonwoo tries not to react at the nickname you already have for him. he's not jealous, but it's getting harder to convince himself of that. he looks at your jacket. it looks...not quite your style.
"is that new?" he asks, pointing at it.
"what? oh, this? seungcheol asked me to return it to him the next time. it was pretty cold today."
wonwoo's hand crumples the note before he realizes. next time? why couldn't he have realized how much he loved you before all of this had to happen?
"you okay?" you ask, turning around to look at him. "come here and tell me if it tastes fine."
"it's just instant noodles," he pretends to grumble, but waits for you to feed him some. he can see you're a bit tired. he wishes you'd fall asleep on him, the way you do when you're stubborn enough to want to keep him company with whatever he's doing.
"tastes good," he hums, licking his lips.
did he just imagine your eyes looking at them before they moved back to his face?
"great. hand me those bowls from there?"
you using him for his height is a running joke he hopes never gets old. wonwoo takes out the cutlery too, but stops when he sees an angry red line on your hand.
"what happened to you?" he asks, holding your hand so he can see it clearly. he tries not to think about how much bigger his hand is. the cut isn't bleeding, but it's still there, starkly visible against your skin.
you hesitate. "i'm not sure. i remember my hand hit something in the cafe, but i didn't see it till now."
"and you didn't bother checking it once you got home?"
you look at him. "i didn't even feel it that much, woo."
"you could have tetanus for all you know!"
"it's just a cut! it's hardly that ser—"
you stop talking when wonwoo switches on the tap and turns off the stove. "take this off," he says, pointing to the jacket. it shouldn't even be in your home. he shouldn't be feeling like this in the first place.
you comply wordlessly, hand limp in his as he washes it thoroughly, before patting it dry with the towel near the sink and finding a bandaid in the cabinet above. you have a propensity for getting hurt randomly and wonwoo's glad to be prepared.
"done," he says, letting go of your hand. you're still looking at him.
"kiss it better?" you ask. there's a mischievous look in your eyes.
and who is he to refuse? he takes your hand back, gently pressing a kiss to it, making sure it's not too forceful. when your eyes meet again, he gets the feeling there's something in the air. even you seem to be aware of it. it's like the tipping point before the scales lose their balance, like the calm before the storm; it's now or never.
"one more time?" you ask, moving a bit closer. wonwoo swears he forgets how to breathe. and he definitely isn't imagining your eyes on his lips this time.
"always," he says, before he leans down to press his lips to yours.
it's magic. there's no other word for it. wonwoo feels like he's transcending worlds when he feels your lips against his, trying to press yourself into him when you wrap your hands around his waist.
when you pull apart, wonwoo swears you're the most beautiful thing he's ever seen in his life. this is what he wants, and he'll be damned if he doesn't try to find out what could have been.
"please don't go out with him again?"
"...what?"
wonwoo swallows, letting go of your hand. his bravery now comes and goes like waves on the seashore, tides threatening to spill out everything he feels about you in one careless motion.
"i don't want you to go out with him again."
"because...we kissed?"
"because i'd never let you get hurt if you were with me."
"you...what?"
"i like you," he says, taking a step closer. "i don't know what that meant to you, but i like you so much, and i hate that it took me this long to realize it. i want...i want you to give me a chance."
"you like me?" you ask, voice smaller than before.
he nods. "i want to...take you out on a date. wherever you want. i want to make you laugh. it's been killing me, thinking about you with him."
"oh, my god," you say, burying your face in your hands. wonwoo's heart drops. "why would you— i've been trying to get over you all this while, going out on dates with him so i can stop thinking about you that way, and now you're just...giving me what i've always wanted?
wonwoo feels like he's been drenched in ice-cold water. "you like me?" he parrots. he doesn't know what to do with his hands, so he pulls you in for a hug. even this simple gesture suddenly feels like a brand new thing in the light of your recent confessions.
your hands find their place around his waist again, your chin on his chest, looking up at him. "of course i do. i'm surprised you didn't realize earlier. it's been...a while."
this is news to him. "how long, exactly?"
you bow your head, not meeting his eyes, "i'm not telling you now."
"you can't hide anything from me, you know."
he can feel your smile against his chest. "i know. let me just have this for now?"
"forever."
you tighten your grip around his waist and just stand with him.
wonwoo makes a mental note to get you a bunch of real flowers.
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genshin-obsessed · 10 months
Text
Him As a Fake Boyfriend | Genshin Impact
✧ So, my inspiration is from a movie, there are so many like these and they're always fun to me, sooooo I wrote about it! I hope you like it! The "plot" is generic, don't mind me. Also, usually I'll have a template for consistency but I didn't really come up with one here- sorry, I just really wanted to write it lol.
✧ Characters: Diluc, Kaeya, Thoma, Wanderer, Tighnari, Kaveh
✧ Extra: As per usual, (w/n) stands for wanderer's name in the event you wanna use the one you chose
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Your sister is getting married, so of course you would be attending. The problem was... your ex was going to be there as well. As much as you disliked them, you had to attend. You had already lied a few times to your family that you did, indeed, have a boyfriend and planned a whole breakup story before actually attending the wedding. That's when your sister mentioned to you that your ex was attending.
Of course, she also told you to bring your boyfriend so that you could show him off. One problem: you didn't have one. So what was your plan?
You were going to hire one.
✧✧ Diluc ✧✧
Well, you're bold to approach him to be your fake boyfriend. You two were... barely friends, really. So he flat out rejected you the first time you asked.
You had to give him a whole explanation, practically begging him to reconsider. It took a while, but he finally accepted, declining when you said you'd pay him.
He told you to consider it a favor, and that he'll definitely be asking for one back in the future. You agreed- seeing as how you had little choice you had.
Diluc is pretty good at faking it. He's the type that keeps around you, comes up with replies really fast. He's good at remembering everything- all the information you gave him.
Definitely a no-nonsense boyfriend. If you're lying to yourself, he'll let you know. He also makes sure to remind you that you lying to everyone won't help either and it's best to resolve the issue quickly.
However, he also plays his role really well. There are no slipups, he's super confident, and he definitely scares your ex. The glares he sends your ex's way are just... so good.
You can help but be attracted to Diluc toward the end... he was pretty amazing...
✧✧ Kaeya ✧✧
He is definitely smirking and making assumptions on why you came to him, specifically. Of course, he teased you for a few minutes but eventually agreed. However, you'd owe him now.
He sat you down somewhere private and asked you seriously why you were asking for this. You gave him a quick rundown of the situation and he listened quietly before affirming that he'd be helping.
He's good at memorizing all your family members names, their faces, likes, dislikes, all that. You give him a lengthy speech before getting to the town where the wedding was going to be.
Kaeya is really good at calming you down, making sure to say the right things when any family member upsets you. He's not all that intimidating at first glance and he's ok with that.
He keeps your ex away by being all over you. The second your ex is even approaching you, Kaeya's arm is around your waist, pulling you against his chest, and kissing your cheek.
Honestly, your entire family is convinced Kaeya is so head over heels for you and keeps telling you that you should marry him soon. Of course, Kaeya happily agrees to it in front of them, but says nothing afterward.
At the end of the day, this was just a fake boyfriend situation. Or was it?
✧✧Thoma✧✧
You and Thoma weren't the closest, but you knew of him and so... you tried anyway. Thoma was shocked for sure and a little unsure at first. But you needed help so... he agreed. He wanted you to keep the money, but you insisted, telling him to just treat it like a job since you two weren't that close.
He had little to no trouble remembering names, likes, dislikes, and problematic people. You explained that some family members were really obnoxious and sometimes got into arguments with one another or insulted you.
Thoma memorized everyone and assured you it would be fine. You also gave him an explanation on that dumb ex of yours. Thoma picked up on your discomfort and touched your shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll be fine."
You two were staying in a family member's large home, in which you and Thoma shared a room. He offered to sleep on the floor but you didn't mind sharing the bed.
Everyone LOVES him. He's entertaining, kind, sweet, and very comforting. If someone says something that upsets you, he makes an excuse to pull you away and immediately says the opposite. Someone makes fun of you? He's telling you how gorgeous you look.
Your ex can't even get a minute with you. The second they look at you and are coming over, Thoma's grabbing your arm and taking you somewhere else.
He's the comforting boyfriend and it almost makes you a little sad when you're both heading back because you know this charade will be over soon. But it was definitely fun while it lasted. Maybe.. you might ask him out to a real date soon.
✧✧Wanderer✧✧
First of all, why him? Second, he wants that payment upfront. Every mora. He's rolling his eyes the entire time you're explaining why you wanted him to help you.
However, he does listen well when you're telling him names and personalities. He asks questions and makes sure he remembers everything to keep from embarrassing you.
He... doesn't stand for anyone making fun of you. Old friends, family, that dumbass ex. Right now, you're his and no one's gonna insult what belongs to him.
It was actually endearing. He may have been a bit too aggressive, but the way he defended you almost made you feel sad you weren't actually with him.
He's, of course, the no no-nonsense boyfriend, letting you know if you're being a doormat for everyone. He is, however, encouraging. Telling you what to do to actually be happy- as an unbiased party watching you crash and burn. That made you laugh for sure.
Your ex had managed to pull you away for a minute, telling you that they were better than (w/n) and that's when your "boyfriend" swooped in. Pretty much insulted and threatened your ex before dragging you off.
All in all, you enjoyed the wedding with (w/n)- a lot more than you thought you would. You were almost tempted to ask him out on a real date. He might've even said yes, who knows...
✧✧Tighnari✧✧
Tighnari thought it was a joke at first and actually laughed before his smile faltered and he apologized. You explained the whole reason- practically holding nothing back.
Tighnari felt bad so he agreed, he also insisted you keep your money. You explained that you'd need to stay at your family's home for a few days and he agreed to that too.
You two went through the family names and all that- but he almost made a point to ask what you were comfortable with. Hugs, kisses, PDA- all that. You knew there wasn't much of a choice, you two needed to look like a genuine couple... so everything was ok.
Tighnari's interactions with your family made him seem like he fit in almost perfectly. Your family loved him, but there were some that were skeptics. Especially your ex. Tighnari simply explained you were a new couple, so you two were still getting used to one another.
He took really good care of you. He made sure you didn't drink too much, he kept you from anyone who didn't like you, countered any insult that was thrown your way, and was just so perfect.
He showed his affection through touches and light kisses, rubbing your wrist before grabbing your hand and placing a kiss on your knuckles. The event went so smoothly with him there.
At the end of it, you were quite sad that you weren't actually with him. You made sure to thank him repeatedly but he only chuckled and waved it off, saying he had fun. You heavily debated asking him out right then and there.
✧✧Kaveh✧✧
Kaveh... wasn't sure. Pretending to be your boyfriend? That would just lead to more problems. Especially if he slipped up. He refused at first, but you really asked him.
He was dead set on rejecting you but when your eyes met his and he saw that desperation in there, he kinda froze up. You really needed help and what kind of man would he be to turn you down? So, he agreed- but he didn't want to be paid for it.
Learning about your family was hard, especially in one day. Of course, that didn't mean he didn't give it his darndest, but he couldn't remember them all before the day you were supposed to be at the family home.
Even if he couldn't remember them all, Kaveh has a very shiny personality and easily won your entire family over. He was so easy going, such a goof, and really kind! Your ex, however, didn't like him.
That was the entire point, every time he talked near your ex, Kaveh just went on tirades about how perfect you were for him and how lucky of a man he was to have such a sweet person loving him. Honestly, your family was already planning your wedding while still at your sister's wedding!
He was definitely the sweet, touchy boyfriend. He always had an arm around you, he often gave you kisses, don't forget dance practice! Honestly, he had so much fun- even if half of it was fake. Before you two knew it, the wedding was over and you were headed back.
You really had fun and throughout the party you kept comparing Kaveh to your ex. He was so much better- kinder, more fun, more loving, even if it was fake. There was a dull ache in your chest as you were going home and you were heavily debating on whether or not you should ask him out for real.
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merowkittie · 1 year
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Pretty When You Cry — Daryl Dixon
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Summary: Daryl hears you crying and doesn’t know what to do.
Warnings: angst / talks of suicide and death / fluff at the end <3
(Ok so originally I was stuck with two people, Daryl or Joel?? So as you can see by the title who I chose, maybe Joel will get his own ? I dunno omg also I used the pet name flower in this.. idc it’s so cute to me,, if you don’t like it.. 😸)
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You were not meant to make it. You knew that better than anyone else. The weak die fast right?
So why were you still here..?
That’s what you asked yourself every single fucking day. When you had to walk around camp and see the ghosts of half of your found family. Mostly everyone you loved was gone. They were all useful and great assets to the group.
You? Oh man. You were a good fighter but you often times let your emotions get to you. It’s been years since this apocalypse started and yet you still got sick seeing those walkers.
They were once humans. Now? They’re a ghost in the person they used to be. They’re still there but not conscious enough to gain control over their own bodies. At least that’s how you felt it was like.
The days feel so long and you were feeling nothing but tired. You felt as though it was getting harder and harder to hang on to something here. Nothing was keeping you grounded anymore. Nothing.
You wanted to escape this hell of a place so much. The world was shit. You were scared out of your mind. Tomorrow you could be dead. Dead by a Walker or another human being.
Or maybe even yourself if you had the guts to do it.
Tonight though, it was an old bottle of wine you found on a supply run, you and the quiet of the lonely house you were in, in Alexandria.
You normally shared it with Daryl but he told you he had to do something important with Rick and most likely wouldn’t be back until later into the early night time.
“Daryl? Where are you going?” You pouted playfully at the older man and poked him gently on his rib cage.
He sighed and swatted your hand away, “Doin’ somethin’ with Rick. Said he needed my help with somethin’.”
You pursed your lips and nodded. You didn’t want him to leave cause you knew you’d be lonely and he was one of your only sources of entertainment!
“Your leaving me all alone in this empty houseeee??” You dragged the words childishly and tugged at his vest.
He raised his eye brows at you, a little warning. Then he turned fully around so he could be facing you, “I’ll be back later..”
“Later as in Never.. when do you think you’ll be back Dixon?”
“Real late, flower.”
You smiled at the little pet name he gave you years ago.
You and Daryl were in no way dating. Though you wanted to be, you both didn’t know how to initiate it. Daryl was so.. awkward? You were just bad at talking about your feelings with a man who was a bit scary and you couldn’t really read him sometimes.
With a sigh you nodded, “That’s betrayal right there, Dixon. I’ll see you when you get back..”
He nodded and picked his cross bow up from the table in the desolate dining room. As he started to walk out the door you called his name in a whisper. Must’ve been loud enough for him to hear you cause he turned around and watched your brown eyes flicker with hesitation.
Your hand smoothed the raven curls on your head down towards the puff that sat on top of your head. You were suddenly a bit nervous.
“Be Safe ok? And don’t miss me too much.” your deep brown lips lifted into a smile at the man.
He grunted in response and nodded. Just like that he left and you would wait until he’d come back.
Now it’s past midnight you’re tipsy, not drunk but still able to process things normally. The wine bottle you were slowly sipping on turned into large gulps and soon most of the bottle was gone in an hour or so.
The bedroom felt so empty and too eerie. The bed sheets felt uncomfortable on your skin and oh you wanted nothing but to scratch it off.
Salty tears wet your cheeks and slowly fell down to your neck. The alcohol in your system had you thinking, made you feel all bubbly and weirdly empty.
Your sobs rocked your entire body as your arms enveloped yourself in a tight hug. The sounds of your cries surely could be heard throughout the house. Who knew you had so much anger, guilt and sadness built up in you?
This was not what you were gonna do tonight but there’s always last minute split decisions right?
The door to the house opened and Daryl stepped in bruised and tired. He closed the door and heard you almost instantly. His body tensed up and he readied his cross bow, making his way slowly up the stairs.
The sounds of your sobs got louder as he stood in front of your door, though it was left ajar.
He peeked in and the sight of you left him rigged. He’s only ever saw you cry once and that was when Beth had died. You two were so close you could practically call each other sisters.
Daryl didn’t know what to do so he just watched you. Like a god damn creep but he was confused.
Why were you crying?
Daryl started to walk away, back to his own room until he stepped on one of the old floor boards and it creaked. Loud enough to alert you and pause your sobs.
“Daryl?” Your voice croaked out.
There was no answer from the brooding man so you asked again.
“Daryl.. are you outside of my door being a creep?” You giggled though it was raspy, it made Daryl smile a little.
“I, Uh— heard ya cryin’ from downstairs.. thought it was something goin’ on up here..” His voice was gruff and muffled as he spoke through the small opening of the door.
You hummed. You wiped at your nose with the sleeve of your Henley (Daryl’s that you stole) and sniffled.
“Come in here.. you look crazy just standing there Dixey..”
He grunted and came into your dark room and made his way over to your bed. Daryl just.. stood in front of your smaller figure and looked at you.
You pulled on his vest so that you could hold him in a hug. The position was awkward as you were sitting cross legged on the bed with your face buried in his broad chest and he just held his arms above your back, unsure of what to do.
You tugged on his body harder which caused him to stumble on top of you on the bed. He could feel you smirk against him at what you just did.
“If ya wanted me in bed ya coulda just said somethin’.” He huffed out and still not touching you, made himself as comfortable as he could with you holding on to him like a koala.
“Dixon..” you peered up at the man.
He hummed.
“Why do you keep me around? You’ve saved me so many times I can’t even count how much on both hands.. I’ve done nothing for you In return..” the pout on your lips pulled at his heart strings.
Daryl sighed and said, “I don’t mind saving your ass a few times. Ya don’t gotta do anythin’ in return.”
You sniffled and Daryl internally groaned. He did NOT want to watch you cry and console you cause one thing he was terrible at was consoling someone. His childhood was far from sweet and he wasn’t talked to lovingly or consoled when he was sad. So how could he do that with you..?
“But— bu— I feel like a god damn burden Daryl. Every time I wake up my shoulders feel heavy and my chest feels like there’s a weight on top of them. I— ugh I can’t—” your words cut off with a sob and you cling on to him harder.
Your body shook with every sob that came out of your body. He watched you with a slight frown.
He shook his head and placed a strong arm around your back and a hand on top of your head of curls and patted you like a dog. He was trying.
“No. No yer not that, flower. Man.. if I didn’t meet ya I probably woulda gone insane by now. Yer not a burden baby.. don’t say that.”
“But I am! I— I bring nothing to the team Daryl! I don’t want to— I don’t wanna be here anymore. If I left there w—would be more food and more supplies for the rest of-”
“Don’t you fucking saying that do ya here me? Don’t say shit like that. You’re staying right here with me wether you like it or not.”
Silence filled the room besides your heavy breaths.
He whispered your name, cutting through the thick silence.
You whispered his.
You didn’t even know how much control you had over this man if you just made him yours. He was at your feet at this point. You had him wrapped around your lithe fingers, pulling him in tight.
“‘M sorry.. I’m so sorry Dixon.” You sighed into the crook of his neck, “I don’t mean to drag you in here and comfort me like some baby.. I know you’re probably not comfortable with me like that..” you tried to pull away but he kept you close.
“No.. no I.. I like it.” Daryl was surprised at his own words. Daryl had never been comfortable with a woman like this.
“You like it? ..well then if I had known.. I would’ve been cuddling with you much sooner Dixon..” you giggled at the thought of this man spooning with you, it made him chuckle a bit too.
There was more silence, though now it was comfortable.
“Are ya feeling any better?”
You nodded and looked up at him to find he was already looking down at you.
“Daryl…” you breathed out, ready to ask.. or to tell him something you’ve been wanting to say for a while.
He called out your name and slowly you made your way up to him. Your faces mere centimeters apart and you looked into his eyes, asking for permission. Once you saw him nod slightly you placed your lips on his.
The kiss was slow and gentle. Nothing too harsh or rough. His lips were chapped against your own soft ones. Teeth slightly grazing your lower lip each time your lips connecting again.
You let out a quiet moan when he bit down on your bottom lip and tugged on it as he pulled away.
“Fuck..” he muttered under his breath.
You two stared at each other whilst catching your breath. You were the first to speak up.
“Dixon.. I love you. I’ve loved you for a while now..” you bit your lip in anticipation of what he’d say next, hoping he really did feel the same after that kiss.
He placed his larger hand on the back of your head and pulled you closer so he could kiss your temple, “Love ya too.”
You smiled and kissed his jaw. The hair on it sticking your nose.
The two of you stayed close together like that through the night. Whispering nothing but sweet affirmations and listening to the sound of the nights wind.
Maybe when the morning comes you’ll have a new purpose. Someone to hang on to.
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hetalimagines · 2 months
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General headcanons for Alfred as a boyfriend (SFW)
Here's my first actual post on this blog, hehe... I can't find the ask but someone requested some Alfred headcanons, so here are my rambles about what I think he's like as a boyfriend!
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He’s honestly not the most traditionally romantic person. Your relationship is more like friends who make out sometimes. But he does have his own little ways of showing you he loves you!
He’ll put together playlists of songs that remind him of you. They’re mostly loose connections, like maybe a song mentions your eye color, or the lyrics remind him of a date you went on together, or it just sounds romantic and makes him wanna kiss you. He likes to sit with you while you listen (to every single song), and he interrupts the songs a bit to explain why he chose them.
“This one had me thinking what if we were dancing in a ballroom together, and out of nowhere, bam! Zombies bust in. The door crashes to the ground! Our dance turns into one of those cool fighting scenes with the—oh, this part reminded me of the time I woke up early and you were about to fall off the bed. You had a cute bedhead.”
(You have no idea what the lyrics are at this point.)
Dates with him are pretty casual, more like “hanging out” than anything fancy. Maybe you stay at home and watch movies/play games, or you go out for dinner at a local diner, or you go do awful karaoke together, or you go and prank a friend together.
He’s happy as long as he’s with you. Bonus if there’s food and/or drink.
He occasionally takes you out to a more traditional restaurant and dresses for the occasion. They’re usually expensive, too. The food isn’t his preference (too complicated for his palate), but if it makes you happy, he’s all for dealing with it for just one night.
His primary love languages are acts of service and quality time. He’s always doing what he can to help you out (and feel proud of himself in the process). Whether he helps you run errands, runs a bath for you ahead of time, or fluffs your pillow before you get in bed, it’s all because he wants to make your life easier!
He gets a little jealous if you ever spend time with your shared friends without him, or if you spend more time with others than him.
He’s so excited if you take interest in any of his hobbies. Movies? He’ll ask if you want to co-write a script with him. (He’s very relaxed about what exactly ends up in the script.) Archaeology? He has so many random facts to dump on you, and he’ll be super impressed by any knowledge you have on it. Conspiracy theories? Time to watch a bunch of documentaries! He enjoys them despite their flaws, but lets you know exactly when something is false and what actually happened.
He tries to take interest in your hobbies, too, even if he doesn’t understand what you’re talking about. It could be the most boring thing and he’d still listen and ask you questions about it. If it makes you happy, he wants to know all about it.
Pet names from him consist of things like babe, dude (💀), honey, occasionally sweetie, (jokingly… mostly) prince or princess. It’s all over the place. He’ll call you honey and dude back-to-back sometimes.
He loves debating if you’re comfortable with it! But be warned, he gets very heated about certain topics. His sense of justice is important to him. Otherwise, he’s usually not serious about these debates and doesn’t care who wins.
He tries to keep things light and doesn’t usually let people see his more serious side. He’ll open up to you more over time, however. It’s really him letting a wall down and allowing himself to get closer to you.
Every now and then, he has days where he’s a lot quieter and calmer than usual. He just wants to relax, stay on the couch with you and watch movies or simply chat. Maybe a movie chattering in the background as he tells you about his childhood. He doesn’t try so hard to keep up this energetic, heroic persona.
He’s right back to normal the next day like nothing happened.
Likes to annoy you for fun. Not in a mean-spirited way. He just thinks your responses are cute and has poor impulse control. Poking your cheeks or ruffling your hair or playing an obnoxious song loudly on the stereo while he dances. But he’ll back off if you’re genuinely upset with him. He means no harm.
He loves if you’re willing to play along with whatever he gets up to. Maybe he’s decided he’s going to try and vacuum the whole house while doing a handstand on the vacuum. You can hold onto his legs to help him stay balanced.
This man is very impulsive and has a tendency to get himself hurt. Random bruises all over his body or a cut along his forearm. He bounces back easily, and doesn’t want to fuss over it, but he lowkey likes if you baby him about it. He’ll always say how it’s not a big deal and he can take it, but his heart does this little flutter when you show concern, and even more if you force him to take better care of himself.
He burns himself in the kitchen and you force him to run it under cold water. He’s swooning inside.
He likes to gossip about others, especially over breakfast. He can’t help it; he’s just nosy, and he always has an idea of what’s going on and how he can help out. Huge bonus if you gossip with him!
He loves to feed you, but the majority of the food he brings for you is burgers or tubs of ice cream. He likes to experiment with the burgers’ toppings and seasonings, but they’re all burgers nonetheless.
Every now and then, he does plan some big romantic endeavor. It’s like a surprise. You never know when it’s coming… You wake up one morning and find out he’s booked a week long cruise, your bedroom is filled with balloons, and there’s enough breakfast food on the table to feed an army.
He does this thing sometimes (often) where he swoops in and has to save you. A puddle on the ground? No need to fear! He picks you up and swiftly carries you over it. The safest place for you is in his arms. He’ll even lay down and let you use him as a bridge if you want.
A suspicious penny on the sidewalk? LOOK OUT, IT MIGHT BE A BOMB! Let HIM step on it before you get blown up!
He steps on it. Nothing happens. Better safe than sorry!
If you’re the more independent type, that won’t stop him from trying. He just wants to keep you safe and have you appreciate his efforts. Being disinterested or resistant will just make him try harder.
Says cheesy stuff like “happy wife, happy life” unironically. He’s also the type to use terrible pickup lines to flirt with you. Totally unaware of how bad they are until you start laughing.
He also doesn’t care that they’re bad. He’s just having fun.
Loves to give you his clothes to wear. Seriously. You want one of his hoodies? Try six of them.
You complain when one stops smelling like him so he puts it on, works out, then gives it back to you like :D! Fixed the problem!
He takes so many pictures of you guys. Videos, too. His phone storage is eaten up by it. His favorite thing is to take selfies together. Usually with some silly filter. Or an even sillier caption.
“me and the babe out shopping” and it’s a picture of you, holding a piece of fruit with the dog ears filter
He’s not the most physically affectionate, but he always gives you morning kisses and especially kisses before leaving the house. He also loves carrying you around (mostly bridal style) in his arms for no reason other than he can. A hand on your back, another on your thighs, your head pressed against his chest. He loves it.
He loves knowing you find him physically attractive! He worries sometimes about being too overweight, so any reassurance that you like his body helps. If you think he’s hot, and you’re hot yourself, that must mean he definitely is.
Has a tendency to call you hot, but he’ll call you other things if it makes you uncomfortable.
Occasionally brags about you and how lucky he is. Not as often as you might think. Though he gets oddly competitive if anyone acts like their partner is better than you and starts spouting whatever he can so everyone knows you’re the absolute best. No competition.
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sweet-villain · 9 months
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Fashionably Late~E.M
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Words : 6.1K
Angst
@amberolivia666 asked:
I have a request 🥺
Eddie is best friends with the reader and another girl. The other girl knows about the reader's huge crush on Eddie. One night, Eddie gets drunk, and the reader is taking care of him. You're laying him down on his bed, and he starts drunk mumbling, saying "oh by the way, the other night i had sex with (girls name) on this bed." And he keeps going on with the details. And the reader is just heartbroken.
You could decide if you want a happy ending .
@babyloutattoo89 @palomam18 @becca-alexa @sadbitchfangirl @irish-newzealand-idian-dutch @steddieandstonathansprincess @haileighboi @bookshelf-dust @moonchildquinn @strangerfreak
You threw the doors open to Family Video almost ripping it off it’s hinges while putting on your vest and running your fingers through your hair. Steve’s head popped from underneath the counter watching you stomp around until you stood next to him. His eyebrow rose in question on what has gotten you so angry all of sudden. He was too afraid to ask why you chose to almost rip the door like it was on it’s last breath. 
You threw your hands up in frustration and annoyance, “ I don’t understand what that girl has that Eddie can’t seem to shut his mouth about.” 
You were expecting an answer from Steve who’s yet to stand up from his position and instead be crowded himself in the corner while he stared up at you. 
“ Earth to Harrington? Did you hear what I said?” You waved a hand in front of his face thinking he’s too lost in his thought or simply wasn’t listening to you. Steve blinked a couple of times before he stood up and leaned against the other side. 
“ I did hear you and I don’t know what you want me to tell you. Tell me again who this is about?” Steve questioned like he had no idea who you were talking about when he kew exactly who it was. It was the girl that Eddie has been hanging out with a lot. It was getting on your nerves and all you seem to hear about how interesting she is or something new each day. 
“ You know exactly who, Harrington. Stop jerking around” you mumbled, rolling your eyes. He put his hands up.
“ You know, why don’t you.. I don’t know, stop hanging out with Eddie… you’ve only been hurting yourself. Are you ever going to tell him how you feel?” 
Your eyes got wide and you slapped a hand over his mouth like someone else was in the store and has heard you. You looked around to see if Steve had any earlier customers but the place was deserted and it was only the two of you. 
He mumbled something into your hand which you didn’t understand. Steve licked your hand and you brought it away from his mouth to wipe it on the polo shirt he’s wearing. He glances down with a deep frown. 
“ Thank you for that” he sarcastically says. “ There is no harm on telling him how you feel. What’s the worst that could happen?” 
“ Um.. Harrington, you do know he’s my best friend and I might lose him. No, thank you. Where is your head today?” 
“ I’m aware about your best friend being Eddie Munson of all people and my head is where it should be.” 
“ I don’t know how sometimes I’m friends with you” Steve shook his head as he pouted. The door opened and the both of you turned to greet them when you saw it was only Max and Dustin walking in with Mike and El trialing behind them.
“ Oh it’s just you” Steve mumbled. Dustin stops as he puts his hand on his heart. 
“ That was very hurtful Steve” he says. “ I have feelings you know” He adds. 
Max rolled her eyes at the two as she smiled over to you. Her smile drops when you don’t return her smile and it looks like something was bothering you. 
“ What’s with the face?” She asks, motioning with her hand on her face. 
“ She’s pissed off about the girl that Eddie keeps talking about and hanging around with” 
“ Oh she’s cool” Dustin says like he didn’t just hear that you were pissed off. If looks could kill, Dustin would be underground by now from the look on your face. 
“ She is mad” El says as she looks over to you. “ Why?” 
“ Because boys are stupid” Max answers. 
“ Don’t worry about it El, Y/N is very sour that she’s not the girl that Eddie wants to hang out with.” 
You took the films he stacked on the counter and knocked them on the ground as you stared at him. 
“ Clean it up” 
“ My tapes!” He shouted throwing his hands up in the air. “ That was uncalled for” he points a finger at you and walks around the counter to pick up the tapes you had dropped on the ground. 
“ You know you should tell Eddie how you feel” El suggest. “ It might make you feel better” she adds. You throw her a shrug and shake your head. 
“ I don’t want to lose him” she gives you a sympathetic look. “ Hey are you going to Tina’s party that’s happening on Saturday?” Steve asked forgetting he’s been inviting and dreaded going alone. 
“ Why?” You ask. 
“ Because I don’t want to go alone.” 
 “ Why don’t you ask Robin?” 
He gives you the look like why didn’t I think of that but he already did. 
“ She has a date with Vicky” he says. “ She’s finally got the courage to set something up to surprise her.” 
“ At least someone has their balls” Mike mutters. Next thing he knew he was falling to the ground with Max towering over him, she glared at him. 
“ Say that again and it will be your fingers I’ll snap” 
You were thankful Max was on your side at least for this. But you spoke to soon when she turns her head saying you should tell Eddie how you feel otherwise you might miss a chance. 
“ Just think on going with me, will you?” Steve asks. “ I really don’t want to go alone” he says. 
Your lips draw in a thin line and he’s well aware that parties aren’t really your thing to go to. You weren’t really a people’s person either. Not the people you went to high school with and not the people you saw at parties. 
“ They are stupid” you muttered. “ I’m sure you’ll find some girl there to charm and then you’ll leave me, all alone” Steve shakes his head. 
“ Eddie will be there” he says. He was probably going to be there to sell to make some money. He wasn’t very much of a partier either. 
“ Are you picking him up too, or is he meeting you there?” 
“ He’s going to drive over there. There is no way he’s coming inside of my car” Steve says. 
“ Will you pick me up, then?” Steve’s eyes got wide at your question and a smile appears on his face when he takes notices that your agreeing to go to the party with him. He slide over the counter but it was more like rolling to the ground. 
The rest chuckle at this. 
He quickly got up, fixing the vest and looks around.
“ No one saw anything” he says. Max smirked. 
“ We saw everything” she says while Steve walks over to you and picks you up, twirling you around. Your feet hit the films on the shelf which he doesn’t take notice after the second twirl. 
“ Awe man, come on! I just put those up this morning” he puts you down and groans. 
“ Your own fault, Harrington” you muttered fixing your shirt. You hadn’t noticed the others have left during this leaving you alone with Steve. 
“ Where did they go?” You looked around trying to see if they were playing hide and seek or something which was weird. Steve shrugs and looks over his shoulder.
“ It’s been awhile since you’ve been to party. Do you know what your going to wear?” 
“ Don’t worry about what I’m going to wear, Harrington. I think you should be more worried about if you’ll go home with a girl” he glare over to you when he shoots back a you. 
“ Oh? What about you and Eddie?” 
Your eyes squint at him not knowing where he was doing with this. 
“ What about it?” You asked. 
“ You’re not going to tell him?” You shook your head. 
“ Are you joking, Harrington? I’m sure there will other girls that would be more happy to go home with him than me. I mean, I’m not really pretty” you motion to yourself and Steve shoots you a look.
“ What? I am” 
He shakes his head. 
“ You’re pretty. Eddie is just blind to see it” 
“ Is that suppose to make me feel better?” 
“ Look I’m trying here!” He shouts throwing his hands up. “ You’re my friend and I would hate to see you get hurt by him. He’s dumb.” 
The door opened and Keith walked through the door staring down the two of you. 
“ We were stacking these” Steve says motioning to the shelf. Keith says something and walks to the back while you look at Steve. 
“ Oh shut it, go put these in another section” he hands you a box of fills that were by his feet. The rest of the week went by quicker than you thought and it was Saturday. The party was happening tonight and you were dreading on going. Not because you were going to be around people you didn’t like. 
But you were kinda scared seeing Eddie with another girl. 
You were looking into your closet what you would wear to the party, throwing clothes left and right and creating a pile all over your room. Your anxiety was making fun of you because you started to question what if you chose the wrong outfit or what if you chose something that shown too much skin.
Your mind was racing with too many thoughts. You didn’t even know your bedroom door opened and Steve walked in. His eyes fallen on the sight of your room. 
“ It looked like a tornado hit here” you jumped at the sound of his voice, throwing a shirt into his direction that was on the hanger. He catches in his hands and raises his eyebrows on what just happened.
“ You scared me, warn a girl” he pointed behind him to the door. 
“ I have knocked and told you it’s me walking in” he says. 
“ Be louder next time, Harrington” he sets the shirt he had in his hands on the chair while making his way to the chair in your room that didn’t have clothes on and sits down. 
“ Let me guess, you want to look pretty to catch Eddie’s eye?” You cast him a look going back into the closest looking at the colors you had and the dresses. You were thinking on a skirt but you felt self conscious of your legs. 
“ Should I wear a dress?” In your hands you held up two dresses and turn to Steve who had his arms across his chest as he looked between the two of you. 
“ You wear what your comfortable in” you groan, throwing your head back. 
“ You’re not helping, Harrington. Pick one” he hummed putting a finger to his chin while he thought on it. You sighed seeing the was taking his precious time in deciding. 
“ You know what, your not any help at all. Maybe I shouldn’t go to the party” Steve stood u from the chair and walked around your room were he looked at your clothes and picked up a shirt for you to wear and a skirt that looked cute too to go with the shirt. 
He hands you the outfit and turns you around pushing you into the bathroom. 
“ Go get change, you are dramatic as Eddie. No wonder you like him so much” he mutters underneath his breathe.
“ I heard that!” You shouted from the closed bathroom. “ You were meant too, now hurry up” he says through the door. You mutter underneath your breath how he was being annoying as you changed into the outfit he has chosen for you and surprisingly it looked really cute. 
Your heart raced at the thought of Eddie looking over at you and noticing you. It’s not like he didn’t notice you but you wanted him to come up to you and tell you how pretty you look. 
He has never told you. 
You opened the door and stepped out.
“ Well?” You did a twirl. Steve’s mouth hung open as he stared at the sight of you. You were really pretty like he always told you. “ Munson is missing out” Steve says and stood up from the chair he was sitting again in making his way to the door. In his hands he had his keys. 
“ Ready?” You nodded, slipping on your shoes and following him out there door to his car. The party had many people you knew and didn’t know. Your eyes scanned the familiar faces. Those familiar faces turned to look at you, eyeing your chosen outfit and giving you a whistle.
Steve’s hand was on your shoulder leading you through the crowd. 
“ I need a drink” you shouted to him through the loud music and scrunched your nose at the many popped around. This wasn’t really your scene. 
You spotted the back of mane of curls and the Dio vest. Steve nudged your side as he motioned his head towards where Eddie stood. It looks like he was making a sale as he talked to the other girl. The two exchanged something while your eyes watched Eddie’s hair bounces as he looked around after making the sale. 
Those brown doe eyes happen to fall on you and a smile spreads on his face. His eyes move to the person next to you, Steve and his smile drops. There is a hint of change in his eye as his jaw clenches. 
“ Look there is your best friend” Steve mutters to you. To Eddie, it looked very different. He thought you came with Steve to the party and the two of you were flirting. He gripped his lunch box in his hands, tightly and vanished through the crowd. He wasn’t going to stand there and watch you flirt with Harrington. 
He never really thought someone like him would be a match for you. He thought Steve Harrington would be more your style since Steve could spoil you more than he could. Eddie was your best friend. 
You frown losing Eddie in the crowd thinking he went to do another sale. 
“ Do you think he’s avoiding me?” You asked Steve who was too busy looking around the crowd in hoping to catch girls eye. He didn’t hear you which caused you to frown. You left him standing there making your way into the kitchen looking at the various drinks laid out and a stack of red cups for you to take. 
Your hand reaches for a cup when another hand beats you to it. Your heart races seeing the ring clad hand and your eyes raise to meet the face of your best friend once again. He doesn’t have a smile on his face or any kind of look for that matter. 
“ Sorry” you mouth to him through the loud music. He makes his way around the counter where he stands next to you. His arm brushing against yours and you swore you felt electricity from that brief touch. 
“ I’ll make you a drink” he shouts through the loudness of the music, which isn’t his taste but he’s more here to make some money. He was surprised to see you here though. He knows your not a party person. 
“ Surprised your here” he says starting a conversation as he makes your drink. His hair shield his face where you don’t see the look on his face and you badly wanted to reach out to move the hair away from his face. 
“ I wanted to give it a try” your voice speak out for the first time seeing him after a week. He nods and hands you the drink he’s made for you. 
“ You’ll like it, I promise you” he says. Your hand brushes his own causing you to gasp. You grabbed onto the cup and quickly draw it to your chest like his touch has burned you. 
“ Thank you” he nods and leans with his back at the counter with his hands on either side. 
“ So, Harrington? Huh?” He looks around the party, a deep frown on his face as he stands there still talking to you but avoiding eye contact. 
“ Harrington, what?” You were confused on what Eddie was on about. 
“ You like him or something?” Eddie didn’t want to look at you. He was too afraid to look to find out if you liked Steve. If you did, then it would break him and he didn’t know how to handle it. 
“ Steve Harrington?” Your eyebrows knit together with a small chuckle leaving you. Eddie turns his head at the sound with his eyebrow knitted together in confusion on why you were laughing. 
“ I don’t like Steve, he’s my friend” Eddie tilts his head to the side but nods. He’s not really convinced you don’t like Steve. Every girl seem to like a guy like Steve Harrington. 
Your eyes don’t miss the girl that walks by who waves her hand over to Eddie as she calls to him. His head snaps over hearing his name being called, a smile appears on his face as he waves back at her. 
“ Who’s that?” You asked, never really seeing the girl before. She looked to be new. 
Eddie turns his head seeing the look on your face. He blinked twice to see if the look he saw was real. Jealousy. That’s what he saw. He blinked again and the look on your face was gone. 
“ She’s my friend” he shrugged. “ Met her at the Hide Out. She came to watch us play” He adds. Your heart sinks knowing now you weren’t the only girl to watch his band play. Something in the air between you and Eddie felt different and you hated it.  
“ Do you like her?” The question came from you suddenly catching Eddie off guard. His eyes scanned your face before he answered.
“ No” he shook his head. “ I like someone else” He adds. His eyes your reaction as he says it but to only to have you look away. Your eyes fall down to the drink in your hand finding the color of the drink more interesting than his face. 
“ That’s cool” you nod feeling your heart sink to your stomach. “ I’m going to go dance” you add wanting to get away from his area, from him, you wanted to cry. But you took another drink from your drink slipping through the crowd leaving Eddie on his own.
His lips form a deep frown watching you walk away. What was that all about? He shrugged it off hearing his name being called. 
Meanwhile, you were looking around the dancing face, scrunching seeing the sloppy making out sessions some of them were having while others were groping each other. You leaned your back against the wall when a voice catches your attention. 
“ Well, Well, Well, if it isn’t the nerd” Jason’s voice calls to you as he stands next to you. 
“ Go away, Carver” you rolled your eyes at the sight of him. “ You look lost” you add. He laughs. 
“ So the nerd does talk” he looks you up and down as he sways. “ How about I teach you a few things?” He licks his lips as his arms falls to the wall next to you as he peers down at you. Your nose scrunches up smelling the alcohol on him. 
“ Where is Chrissy?” You asked. “ Your little cheerleader broke your heart or something?” Justin frowned at the mention of her. His silence was giving you an answer. 
“ You piss her off or something? “ He sighs as he leans next to you on the wall.
“ We had a big disagreement and told me to go cool off” he mumbles. 
“ Poor you” Steve makes his way over to you seeing Jason talking to you. 
“ Is he bothering you?” He asked, standing in the space between you and Jason as he glares over at him. Jason chuckles at the sight of Steve, and looks behind him at you.
“ Is this your dog?” He asks. Steve notices that Jason is drunk and grabs onto your wrist, puling you into the kitchen where he turns to ask if you were okay.
“ He didn’t hurt you or anything?” You shook your head. The red cup in your hands you left near the table where Jason stood. You didn’t want to drink anymore. You were feeling out of place at the party. 
“ Can you take me home?” You asked. Steve was about to answer when the girl from earlier that you saw waved at Eddie walks over to you. She looks worried from the looks of it. 
“ Are you, uh… Y/N?” She asks, looking you over. Eddie had given her a description on what you look like and the outfit you were wearing and from the look of it. She had found you.
“ Yes, did you need something?” 
She nods, pointing behind her. 
“ Eddie is in the bathroom asking for you. I believe he had more than a few to drink and I think it’s best if he goes home. I’ve tried and he’s only pushed me away.” 
You look at Steve as he says he’s going to go start the car. He didn’t drink. 
“ Thanks, I’ll take it from here” she nods averting her eyes for a moment feeling like she wanted to say something else but says nothing as you slip past her making your way to the stairs. There was a couple of the stairs making out.
“ Excuse me?” You shouted trying to move past them but they didn’t hear you. Your hand reached out to tug on the guys jacket who pulled away shooting you a glare. 
“ Move!” You shouted into his face. He moves mumbling “ bitch” underneath his breath and takes the girls hand as the two walk downstairs into the living room while you head upstairs to find Eddie. You knock on the first three doors but they only have been bedrooms before you found the right door. Eddie was leaning against the bath tub with his head back while e had a bottle besides him that he’s been drinking from.
“ Eds?” The sound of your voice and the closed door catches him off guard. His head moves and his eyes land on you where his eyebrows knit together. 
“ Is that you Y/N?” He slurs, moving to sit up but he groans and lifts up he bottle to take another drink from it when your hand stops him. “ I think you had enough for tonight. How about we get you home?” 
“ I don’t want to go home” he says slurring looking up at you with a dopy smile on his face. “ You’re so pretty” he adds. “ such a pretty flower.” 
Your cheeks flush from the comment and leans down to move the hair away from his face. “ Come on, drunky. Let’s get you home and into bed.” 
“ Bed” he hums, “ sounds nice.” 
“ Can you stand up, Eds?” He groans something and uses the bath tub with one hand to stand up. He’s wobbly on his feet and almost falls on top of you. “ Woah there, sleep will do you some good.” 
You mange to help him out of the bathroom where he stumbles into some people when he gets outside. 
“ Sorry!” You shout helping him down the steps.
“ They look funny” he slurs, chuckling as he points. “ They have circles. Are you a circle too?” He asks. You were holding in your own laughter, taking one step at a time. The door to the house opened and Steve steps in looking around for you. 
“ Harrington!” Eddie shouts. Steve looks up watching as you were trying to help Eddie down the stairs. “ Oh Jesus” Steve mutters making his way up the stairs and helping you with Eddie down the steps. 
“ Did you know Y/N is a circle? Does that make you a square, Harrington? What am I, then? A triangle? I am defiantly a triangle. I mean look at me, it screams triangle” Eddie kept muttering to himself while you and Steve were carrying him down the steps to the car. 
“ Do you think I could be a star one day? They are so pretty and bright and they are free” Eddie continues. Steve opens the back door of his car while you push Eddie inside. 
“ Hey, if you wanted me to be rough, sweetheart. You should of told me” Eddie says as he leans up on the seat putting his head behind your seat. You got into the passenger side looking at Eddie. 
“ What kind of sandwich do you think I could be? What color do you think I could be? I would be black because that’s metal. You know? Peanut butter sandwiches are nice, I could give to flavor too. You know?” 
Steve looks at you while he drive while Eddie continues to question what he would be like as an animal, a treat, a plant etc. It went on like that until Steve drove to the trailer. You never seen his side of Eddie before. 
You didn’t know weather to laugh or comment on his questions. You sat in silence hearing what he talked about. He did have a lot to drink but why?
Once you reached the trailer, you turned to Steve thanking him while Eddie looked between the two of you.
“ Are you not going to kiss him, goodnight? What kind of person are you? Don’t be a meanie” Eddie says. You look at Eddie with a look and looked at Steve who looks amused. 
“ I have one better” you tell Eddie. Eddie watches with wonder eyes and laughs when you flick Steve in the forehead. Eddie leans back into the backseat clutching his stomach while he laughs. 
“ Alright time to go home, drunky” you slip out of Steve’s car as he helps you get Eddie into his bed. “ Will you be okay?” Steve asks, looking down at Eddie who’s laying on his bed with his hands over his head staring at the two of you. 
“ Yeah, I’ll be fine” you muttered. “ Thank you, you know for the ride and this” he nods telling you to call him if anything. Steve leaves, leaving you with Eddie who’s happily wiggling his eyebrows at you like something is about to happen.
“ Oh, Eddie. What am I going to do with you?” 
His eyebrows knit together in the question.
“ Love me” he says with his hands out making grabby motions with his hands. He was still dressed in his clothes. 
“ Why don’t we get you out of your clothes and into something more comfortable? How does that sound?” He nods happily listening to you and sits up with a groan. 
He watches as you take out some pajamas out of his top dressers while he leans down to take off his shoes and nudges them off with his feet. He lays back down on the bed working on his handcuff belt but doesn’t seem to get it off as he can’t. 
“ Help” he says his hips are thrust up as he struggles to get his pants off. You turn around seeing the trouble look on his face and the little pout he has. When he sees you have not came over to help, he kicks his feet on the bed and whines. 
“ Help” he says, trying again. “ Please” he adds. He was adorable even when he was drunk.You make your way over to him and help him take down his pants, cheeks were lighting up red having to undress him. Your eyes peek at his tummy trail that looks delicious to leave kisses on. But you bite your lips watching him slip his shirt off and turn around after handing him his pajamas. Your face was bright red and when he giggled telling you to turn around seeing him in bed with his brown doe eyes staring up at you. 
“ Stay” he says patting the space next to him. You couldn’t help but look at how cute he looks right now. You couldn’t not stay with him, you were going to anyways until he was sober up. 
“ Let me get you some water and ibuprofen and I’ll be back” Eddie huffs putting his arms across his chest having to wait for you but doesn’t say anything. You make your way into the kitchen searching around. 
“ Y/N! Y/N! Y/N!” Eddie kept shouting your name from the bedroom being impatient meanwhile you told him you’d be back. Once you found what you were looking for, you walk back to find him curled up on his side with his hair over his cheeks, some strands in his eyes too. 
“ Hi” He says happily once he sees that your back. “ I want to talk to you about something” he adds. You slip off your shoes and crawling into bed with him while he scooted back to give you some room. 
“ What is it?” He giggled hiding his face into the pillow. His cheeks were red.
“ You know the girl that waved to me at the party?” You nod, not sure where he was going with this. “ We had sex on this very bed, last week!” He shouts, slapping his hand on the mattress with a giggle. Your smile drops from your face and your heart sinks to your stomach.
This wasn’t something you wanted to hear from him or talk about. 
“ She would make all these noises and guess what, I’ve made her squirt! Squirt! I never done that to a girl, you know?” He says. He doesn’t look at your face. Your eyes were becoming glossy. He thought you were listening to to him.
“ She has even left her marks, look I think one of them is still there” he says looking down at his chest searching for it. It was very small when he finds it and points to it with his finger.
“ Look, it’s so small” he says looking at up you. “ Are you looking, Y/N?”
“I’m looking” you wren’t really looking. You were staring at his bat tattoo instead of the make. It was hurting too much that he’s talking about the girl he had sex with. Why now? 
Does he know you like him? 
“ She scratched me up pretty good too know and she made me cum more than twice! I think it was three… wait.. no four… was it four?” He asked, laying down on the bed. There  was a sudden change in color on his face and he shot up in bed, covering his mouth.
“ I think I’m going to be sick” he says racing to the bathroom where you found him hurling into the toilet. You took the rubber band off your wrist and wrapped his hair up in a pony tail while you rubbed his back.
There were tears rolling down your cheeks from listening in what he told you before he races to the bathroom. You had a lump in your throat that was very hard to swallow.
Eddie flushes the toiled and you helped him up as he stood by the sink, gripping it with his hands. 
“ I’m never drinking again” he says taking his toothbrush and putting some toothpaste on it. You helped him steady it as he brushed his teeth. He has yet to notice the tears rolling down your cheeks and how heart broken you look. The silence finally hits him as he takes notice you haven’t had said a word. His eyes meet yours in the mirror. 
“ You’re crying” he says. His eyebrow knit together. “ Did something happen?” You shook your head with a hand on his back. “ Let’s get you to bed. You need sleep.” 
Eddie follows you to bed where you help him in. He watches your every movement and you start to head to the door when you shut off his lights.
“ Stay” he says. The sound of his voice has your heart breaking even more. But you can’t handle being around him right now. No matter how much you care about him and how much you love him. 
“ I’ll be on the couch” Eddie doesn’t say anything anymore but he looks as you close his door and hear the sound of your footsteps making their way to the living room. He hears the small plump of you sitting down on the couch. He rolls over on his back as sleep takes over him. 
The next morning when he wakes up. He has a pounding heading and reaches over on his beside table for the ibuprofen and the water bottle that you had left there for it. He yawns as he stretches and stands up from his bed making his way into the living room. His eyes don’t catch you sleeping on the couch in the morning, it’s only the sight of Wayne that he sees there. 
He looks around his kitchen seeing no note or nothing from you. His brain races knowing last night you were there helping him. There are bits and pieces that he’s remembering but no all of it. He turns around heading to the bathroom for a shower. He’s going to call you later.
When Eddie calls you later, the phone rings and rings and your not picking up. You stare at in your bedroom as it does. You know it’s him but you don’t want listen to him. You heard enough yesterday. The person he likes, it’s not you. It’s her. You felt really stupid for falling for your best friend when you weren’t even a choice to him. 
You thought things would be different with him. 
You’ve been really quiet at school too, not really answering question and sitting away from Eddie. Not defending him against Jason. The Hellfire table felt empty without you. You spend your lunch period in the library catching on studying. At work you don’t speak to Robin or Steve either. 
You aren’t yourself and everyone can see that. 
The drama room opened and Robin stepped in with Steve trialing behind her. 
“ Robin?” Dustin asked. 
“ Alright, dingus” she looks at Eddie sitting on his throne looking at her confused on why she’s here. “ What did you do? Because if you haven’t noticed one of our best friends, the person you seem to fawn over has stopped communicating with all of us. I want to know what you’ve done and you better stop talking or I’ll throw your ass across this room..” She glared down at Eddie.
Eddie looks at her wide eyed. 
“ We don’t know what he did either. None of us do” 
“ She was last seen with you, we took you back to your trailer from the party. What did you do?” Steve asks this time. He leans his hands on the table as he glares at Eddie. 
“ Talk now” Steve demands, slamming his hand on top of the table. 
“ I don’t know what I did! She won’t talk to me either!” Eddie shouted standing up from his throne. 
“ Think Eddie, what did you say to her last?” Jeff says.  
Eddie stands there looking around his friends as they all look at him for answers which he doesn’t know. His brain races at the last time he saw you. You were crying at something. He remembers telling you about the girl he slept with too.
“ I told her about the girl I slept with…” he says. Robin’s eyes are wide and Steves too.
“ You’re an idiot, Munson” Steve says. 
“ What do you mean?” Eddie asks, his eyebrows knitted together as his chest feels like someone is clenching it. 
“ she’s in love with you, dammit! How stupid can you be!?!” Dustin shouted as he stood up from his seat. “ Are you that much of an idiot to notice she hasn’t dated anyone and spend all of her time with you?” Mike asks. 
“ You’re all she talks about” Steve tells him. Eddie’s eyes grow wide and his mouth feels dry. He had to talk to you.
“I’ve got to go!” He shouts. 
But, when he gets to your house, your mom answers the door. 
“ Is Y/N home?” Your mom shakes her head.
“ She went to take some time off visiting her grandparents. She wasn’t doing so good, the school agreed she needed some time too. I’m sorry, Eddie” his heart sank knowing he was too late.
“ Would you tell her I’ve stopped by if you talk to her?” Your mom nods. “ Take care” your mom tells him as she closes the door. Eddie walks back to his van with his head hang knowing he has hurt you to cause you to go away.
You didn’t want to see him and he would wait for you to come back. 
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