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#but she flourishes in season 4
clockwards · 1 year
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okay okay okay there is no way buffy becomes a cop post-show. i don't accept that. she is regularly anti-police and anti-gun. on career day she gets told she should become a policewoman and she hates that idea. she is nearly arrested and accused multiple times and gets belittled by officers. she actively breaks out of police custody (mind, that was with faith, but the point still stands). one time a security guard pulls a gun on a monster and she immediately disarms him and says they're useless. the entire scooby gang would say acab with their full fuckin chest. these bitches broke into army barracks. they are knowingly terrible at things like Orders and Discipline.
anyway give me librarian/archivist buffy (who giles makes fun of for taking his job)
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mywrittings · 2 years
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pills / eddie munson
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𝓈𝓊𝓂𝓂𝒶𝓇𝓎: After a long deep conversation with your friend, she ends up recommending you to a drug dealer who attends her high school.
𝓌𝑜𝓇𝒹 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉: 3.8k+
𝓌𝒶𝓇𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈: 18+ only. drugs, usage of drugs, explicit language, kissing, heavily kissing, oral sex, unprotected sex, cum eating... smutty af.
𝒶/𝓃: oh my god. season 4 of stranger things is freaking amazing. but this character. when I saw him... I KNEW I had to write about him. I can't even comprehend how he made me feel so... anyways... hope you like the story! also this is spoiler free!
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‘’I hope I’m at the right place.’’ you say to yourself, as you drive down a dark driveway until you notice a cluster of trailers, dispersed across the area in front of you
You were talking to your friend a few nights ago, and the topic became pretty deep. You expressed how sometimes you just wanted to feel numb due to your preoccupied thoughts lately. That's when she mentioned the drug dealer that attends her high school. She said that he has the best supplies for when you need to take a moment for yourself. Since you were from a different highschool you had no idea what he would look like let alone where he lived so you told her if she would get them for you. Of course she said no so you were left with a paper and scribbled on was the address followed by his name.
‘’Eddie Munson.’’ you say his name as you approach his trailer. You could see there was a light inside, meaning he was home and was expecting you as your friend told him you would be arriving sometime later this evening.
Parking the car outside, you grab your small pouch you had with the money inside. You weren’t sure how much he’d charge so you brought a fair amount just in case. 
After locking the car, you walk up to his front door and knock, hoping you knocked on the right door.
And you did
The door swung open and in front of you was standing a guy with very curly hair, a white shirt that said ‘Hellfire club’ and a leather jacket over it. Silver rings coated his fingers, and a few tattoos could be seen peeping out from beneath his shirt. You knew it was him without him having to prove it, and you thought to yourself, 'Damn he is hot.' 
‘’Y/n? Right?’’ he asks, biting his lower lip, while eyeing at you up and down
‘’That’s me. Eddie?’’ you point at him, and he nods, stepping aside from the door and motioning for you to enter.
Eddie closes the door behind you and moves past, to the table where he pulls a chair out for you and takes a seat across from you. You took a brief second just to look at his trailer. It was nice, cozy and big as well. You wondered if he was the only one here but your thoughts quickly got interrupted. As you sat, you see a variety of strange pills stored in little bags, while others store some kind of white powder. You never used drugs, not even smoked anything. That was never for you and you were always so opposed to it but you really needed something right now. Anything that would help your mind.
Eddie notices the look on your face as you were examining the drugs strewn across the table. He sets one of his hands on it while pointing at different drugs, trying to explain what they do. He assured you that they would not kill you, they would just be enough to calm you. But with so many options you were confused as to which one to choose.
‘’It’s your first time right?’’ he eventually asks, breaking the silence
‘’Yes,’’ you chuckle, as you continue to examine the many colored tablets ‘’I have never seen so many drugs at once.’’
He laughs with you as he leans back in his chair ‘’Yup. That’s why I’m the best of the best at Hawkins highschool.’’ he puts his arms behind his head as you stare up at him
‘’So your business is flourishing?’’ you inquire and he nods, I guess what your friend told you was right; it was worth it coming a long way to get the best this guy had to offer
‘’Have you decided yet which one you want? If you have some trouble, I can recommend this one,’’ he leans back on the table and gestures to one of the tablets in the transparent bag ‘’it’s good for beginners or if you want something a tiny bit stronger,’’ he points to another bag ‘’you can take this one.’’
‘’How do I take them? Like how does it work?’’ it was a silly question; you knew you had to swallow it but you weren't sure whether there was anything you should do to prepare for it in advance. 
‘’Just swallow it.’’ he briefly explains but this time in a different tone. His eyes kept drifting around your lips, before he looked up back at you as he leans back on the chair again.
‘’Well yes but is there anything else I need?’’ 
‘’No. That’s all.’’ he then picks one of the bags and takes one of them out. He puts it in his mouth and swirls it around with his tongue. He shows it to you before he swallows it and the pill disappears from his mouth.
‘’See? Like that.’’ he returns back in for another one and hands it to you, you were confused as to what he wanted but he hastily cuts you off until you could ask
‘’I am not telling you to take it now. That one is free of charge.’’ he says, the pill now sitting in the palm of his hand and you take it but instead of listening you put it in your mouth
‘’Oh.’’ he only manages to mutter as you mimic his moves, circling your tongue around the pill and just as you were about to swallow it Eddie interrupts you
‘’Show it to me.’’ and you stick out your tongue, the pill being at the tip of it
Eddie suddenly moves in closer to you and presses his lips against yours. You don’t pull away; instead kiss him back the same manner he was kissing you. His tongue is quick as he slips it in, molding it around with yours and you feel the pill getting lost in your mouth. Before you know it the pill is no longer there and Eddie pulls away, smirking at you as he shows the pill on his tongue before he swallows it.
‘’I don’t think drugs are for you Y/n. There’s other ways to take your mind off of things.’’ he once more leaned back on the chair, parting his legs a bit and your body flushed. The same second your eyes met his at that front door you could feel some kind of sexual tension between you two.
That’s when you place the pouch on the table and straddle him. Your legs at the either sides of him, his hands automatically finding their way to your waist. He holds you in place as you move closer to his face, brushing your lips against his. A buzz of electricity was spreading from your lips to his but then your entire body was going through that same sensation once Eddie slowly started swaying your hips.
‘’Is this okay?’’ he hums as he pulls away from your lips but still keeps his face near yours but you find it hard to respond with words so instead you plant your lips back on his
Eddie was rocking your body back and forth and soon you feel him hardening beneath you.  One of your hands reaches for his face, while the other one goes behind his neck. You sink your nails in his skin once he picks up the pace. His hands abruptly start moving up where he goes underneath your shirt and you jump in your place once you realize how cold they are. Then he moves back down to your hips, where he grips on them and rests there. 
He takes your bottom lip in his mouth and sucks on it before delicately biting on it, causing a gasp out of you. It was so hard to explain but you were eager for more of him. You were in bliss, Eddie’s kisses made your mind go completely blank with other thoughts. He was all you could think of right now.
‘’Grind on me,’’ he instructs as you moaned out ‘’grind that fucking pussy on my cock.’’  he mutters as you now wrap both of your hands around his neck. You whip your head back as you feel Eddie's wet lips in the middle of your neck. His hands were now traveling up your back before one went down to your ass. He playfully slaps it and gets another moan out of you.
‘’Fuck Eddie.’’ you shakily say, your breathing hitching as he pulls you back in
Eddie glides his lips at the side of your neck, carefully sucking the skin in his mouth before he drags them to your jawline. You couldn’t stop yourself, the feeling was too good as you kept pushing your hips and rotating around his cock. He then comes back up to your lips but all he does is laugh at you as he sees how desperate you were but you didn’t care. You desired him and made it clear how much you wanted him.
‘’Can you feel it, hm?’’ he inches to your ear, gets really close to it as you feel his hot breath trickling down the side of your neck ‘’Can you feel how hard I am for you?’’ you don’t say anything; it was difficult with him on your skin and so near you
‘’Answer me sweetheart.’’ he demands, his voice so sinful, his eyes lustful awaiting for your response
‘’Y-yes…’’ when he hears you stammer, he raises you up and wipes the table with his hand, causing all of the tablets to fall to the floor. He places you on the table, hovering over you as he pecks your lip, so innocently at first. He moves away for a split second only to get rid of his jacket followed by his shirt and you stare in awe. His body was covered in tattoos, the one peeking from his shirt was now fully visible to you and you could see what it actually was.
He comes back in, grabs at the hem of your shirt and pulls it over your head. You were now resting on the table in front of him, only wearing your bra. He bites his lip just like he did when you first saw him and dips his head in between your breasts. He gives a small kiss in the middle before you feel his fingers sneak behind and he unzips your bra. 
‘’Shit…’’ he grunts as he begins smothering your breasts in his kisses, your hand going to the back of his head while the other one kept supporting you on the table
As he’s kissing you, his other hand goes down to your jeans. He manages to unbutton them, before helping you get rid of them, tossing them on the floor next to your bra. Once he sees you with just your panties on he couldn’t help but to touch himself. You anticipated him to remove those damned pants, but instead he walks to the freezer and pulls something out. You were momentarily puzzled, but then you noticed him holding a little ice cube.
He steps back to you, placing the ice cube in between your breasts, slowly dragging it down to your stomach. It was so cold but at the same time it felt so good. He comes to a stop at your belly button as his other hand twists around your panties and he swiftly pulls them off, you only helping by kicking your legs.
That’s when you felt him going lower until the ice cube reached your pussy. You jolt in your place but Eddie has his other hand now on your hips, securing you in place. His eyes watched as you were melting in your moans, once he pushed the ice cube up your pussy lips. He had a grin on his face and couldn’t stop biting his lips. The scenery in front of him was beautiful.
He then drops his head and before you know it his lips are on your pussy. He slides the ice cube with his mouth around it, until it fully melts. His hands go to yours and he intertwines them together, once you feel his tongue flicking at your folds. You were already soaked from grinding on him, but the fact that you could feel him rapidly glide his tongue up and down made it 10 times better.
He was slurping up your juices, he didn’t seem to stop, he kept increasing the speed. His thumb was caressing the back of your hand as he tried to make you feel comfortable once his other finger plunged inside of you. You moaned aloud, surprised by his action and just like he was flicking his tongue faster and faster, he did the same thing with his finger. He was curling it inside, while his tongue looped around the top of your clit. Arching your back as you close your eyes, unable to control that sensation that was coursing through your body.
‘’You taste so good oh my god.’’ he purrs against it, sucking and fucking your pussy with his tongue
As your other hand was free you went to grab at the table, because it was so hard not to move in your place as Eddie lapped at your pussy, devouring in your juices. 
He then leaves your pussy for a moment, finally getting rid of his jeans and underwear. His cock was right there in front of you, hard and fucking huge. He palmed it in between his hand while his other hand played with your pussy before he smothers his dick with your juices.
Eddie then walks around to the other side of the table and as you attempt to rise up, believing he wants you to do something, he gently pushes you back down and pulls you closer to himself. His cock was now directly in front of your mouth and that’s when you knew what he wanted. Your head was a little bit over the table, just so that he was able to push his cock into your mouth. 
‘’Suck that cock baby.’’ he orders as he begins moving his hips. He didn’t let you do anything else other than to move your tongue around it and kiss it when he’d pull out, the rest was his doing. Your tongue was circling around his tip then all the way down to his balls where he tells you to suck on them as well. You take them each in your mouth, covering them with your saliva as Eddie’s eyes remain on you. He didn't take his gaze away, not even for a second; he wanted to see everything.
His hand went to your neck first but then he slowly pushed it down, to your clit. He feels your skin prickle at his touch, as your eyes flutter once his fingers begin playing around. He was only using the tips of his fingers, teasing you around making you move your body side to side. You clenched your hand around his arm and you were pushing it harder, trying to add more friction because he wasn’t touching you like before. Eddie didn’t care because he wanted to keep teasing you.
‘’You’re such a mess baby,’’ he whines as he sees you dig your fingers into his skin ‘’do you like it when I push my cock so deep in your fucking mouth that you can’t breath huh?’’ he asks, as you feel him go all the way in and when he takes it out you gasp for air. Eddie leaves your pussy and leans down to your lips. He kisses you, with reassurance that you are safe as his hands touch the sides of your body before he comes back around again. 
He lifts you back up and begins carrying you to his bed. He lays you down, hovering over you and you mentally thank him for bringing you somewhere much more comfortable. 
‘’Spread your legs for me.’’ you obey him and open up your legs, Eddie’s hands go to your thighs where he caresses them, while pecking your forehead
‘’Look at me,’’ he lifts your chin up, licking his lips ‘’I’m going to fuck you now okay? I don’t want you to hold back your moans, while I fuck this pussy. Is that okay?’’ you don’t even need to say anything, just a small nod was enough for him to slowly push at your entrance.
His cock slowly penetrates inside of you, stretching you out. He didn’t go all the way in at first as he wanted to help you adjust to him. He remained close to you when he moved in and out a couple of times. You were whining from his cock, as you clenched your pussy around him when he’d find that spot. 
‘’Fuck, keep doing that.’’ he whispers as you clench again, feeling his cock pulsating inside of you
You wrap your legs around him, pushing him closer and he sees that you want more from him. 
‘’Want me to go faster hm?’’ 
‘’Yes.’’ 
‘’Harder? Want me to fuck you harder?’’
‘’Y-yes.’’
‘’Hold onto me while I fuck you harder.’’ he started going faster until he was slamming himself in. He didn’t have a rhythm anymore, your pussy was making him feel way too good to even comprehend at what pace he was trying to fuck you. 
Your hands fly to his back, seeping your nails into him which evoked a groan out of him. He had his hands at either side of your face, while he thrusted harder and faster each time he’d push back and sink his cock back in you. His head goes past your face, burying it in the hollow of your neck as you feel his lips now closer than ever to your ear. He was panting, moaning, grunting from the pleasure of his dick going in and out of your pussy.
‘’You’re so tight fuck.’’ he groans and you scream out his name. The feeling slowly building up inside of you, he was so close to just pushing you off the edge. He devilish smiles into your neck, once you began moaning faster, without any control but he loved it. You were so close to orgasming and so was he.
‘’Are you close hm?’’ he says against your skin as you push him even more onto yourself. He almost collapsed from the last few thrusts he did but he managed to pull himself together. 
‘’Not yet sweetheart,’’ you felt his warm tongue lick at your neck  ‘’I don’t want you to come yet.’’ he licks you again before finally his lips are back on yours and you whine. Your eyes were asking for him to let you cum but he doesn’t let it happen.
‘’I’m going to come first and then I want to you to come all over my face,’’ he lustfully says ‘’while my tongue is buried deep in your pussy.’’ you were so close but managed to pull every ounce of power you had in you to stop yourself from letting go and going over that edge.
‘’Where do you want my cum? Want me to cum on that pretty face of yours hm?’’ he touches your face with his finger, the rings that were so cold grazing your skin ‘’Or should I cum on that pretty ass? Or do you want me in your mouth hm?’’ that’s what you were waiting for, you wanted his cum in your mouth, you wanted to taste him.
‘’Your mouth? Oh such a fucking filthy girl you are.’’ he kisses your lips, pounds your pussy one more time before he pulls out, standing up and you quickly go to your knees, taking him in your mouth. You wrap your hand around his cock and pump him as your mouth bobs around his head. His hand goes in your hair and once you feel him he is about to let go, you close your eyes and feel his hot cum fill your mouth. He grunts as you keep bobbing your head, sending him into orbit. 
‘’Stick out your tongue, let me see that cum.’’ he pulls out of your mouth and you put your tongue out ‘’Swallow it.’’ you do just as he says and as soon as you do that he pushes you on the bed, instantly attaching his lips to your pussy.
‘’Your turn, baby,’’ he licks a strip along your pussy before he starts flicking his tongue ‘’come for me.’’ and that’s when you push yourself over the edge. Your entire body goes numb, the feeling overtook you completely as you moved your hips while Eddie helped to ride off your orgasm. 
‘’Just like that, yes.’’ he encourages you and at last you couldn’t move anymore. You couldn’t feel anything for a moment, only Eddie's tongue that was still lapping around your pussy. Once he feels you come he kisses your pussy and begins kissing your thighs up your stomach until he’s at your lips. 
‘’You’re such a good girl Y/n.’’ he pressed his naked body against yours, moving the strands of your hair away from your face that were stuck due to the sweat. 
‘’Nobody has ever made me feel like this.’’ you giggle, still breating loudly, watching him stare deeply into your eyes as you trace your fingers along his back
‘’See? I told you there is a way to take one's mind off of something.’’ he lazily places a kiss on your lips and for a while just lets them sit there. 
‘’Stay.’’ he suddenly says, as he opens his eyes again ‘’Stay here with me.’’ he begs you, his voice became so soft
‘’I don’t think I’ll be able to let go of you, if I stay here Eddie.’’ and you were telling the truth. As soon as you saw him on the doorstep, you knew there was something about him. Something that your mind wouldn’t be able to just forget. He was that kind of person, that kind of a guy that would just stay in your head and you would think about him, think of different scenarios between the two of you. 
‘’I don’t want you to let go of me Y/n.’’ he replies back, his eyes were serious. He didn’t want you to go home, he wanted you to stay, stay around him, wrapped in his arms.
Eddie stands up and gets both of you underneath the blanket. He wraps it tightly around you and strongly presses your body up against him but still keeps a space between your faces. You don’t say anything, you let him do it, whatever he wanted, you let him do it.
‘’I think I found my favorite drug.’’ he says in a whisper, his thumb caressing your cheek. Every little move he made from that point on was so silky. So soft. He took care of you, made sure you felt safe even if you had just met him.
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sparklingsin · 2 years
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— keep taking my breath away | steve harrington
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+ steve harrington x reader
summary: steve is known for his confidence and charisma, but it doesn't take much from you to turn your boyfriend into an awkward fumbling mess. full request here.
tags: post season 4 (we assume we had a happy ending) no spoilers, suggestive themes, fluff, flirting, steve being a himbo
note: my first steve fic, sorry if this is a little rough but i am writing a oneshot after so long. thank you for reading, feedback is appreciated!
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Steve’s trying to pay attention, he really is, but the lady standing before him is droning on and on about the plot of a movie that sounds shittier than 'Teen Wolf' and he can’t help but wish he’d rather be anywhere but here.
“I have no idea what this movie is, ma’am,” he says, for the umpteenth time, trying not to lose his cool in front of a customer. 
“How is it that you’re an employee of the films and you have no idea which one this is?” She questions, scrunching her forehead in a way that ages her thirty years.
Steve sighs, trying his hardest to bite back the words that are on the tip of his tongue but then suddenly, Robin’s there — slinging an arm around his shoulder and turning to face the brat in an old lady costume.
“What can I help you with, ma'am?” she asks and Steve groans, turning away from the scene, because the lady has decided to resume her story from the very beginning. He simply cannot listen to that again.
Robin finds him half an hour later, arranging a stack of tapes that had been toppled over by a kid and the look of pure exhaustion on her face makes him snicker. Robin, clearly not amused, gives him the finger and blows a raspberry at him.
“What even was the movie?” he asks, still smirking, as Robin bends down to start sorting the titles at the bottom of the rack.
“Return of the Jedi,” she says and Steve frowns.
“Huh. Didn't seem like she was talking about jedis at all. Guess I wasn’t listening,” he says, placing the horror titles on the top shelf — The Serpent — huh, he’d have to check that out later.
“Of course, you only have ears if they’re hot babes,” Robin teases and Steve throws her an unamused look.
“Need I remind you — I am very much taken,” he says, standing up on his tip toes to place the rest of the tapes higher up on the shelf.
“Riiiiight,” Robin says, using Steve’s leg to hoist herself up and Steve makes a big show of shaking her off his leg. “Y/N L/N liking you is a major mystery I’m trying to solve.”
Steve stares at her in mock dismay.
"I’ll solve it for ya. It’s all thanks to my irresistable charm," Steve replies, walking backwards towards the counter and Robin scrunches her nose in distaste. He punctuates the sentence by pushing the door to the counter open with his hip and flourishing his hands.
"I’m pretty sure you're holding her hostage. Vecna style," Robin muses and Steve throws a cardboard flyer at her without looking, staring intently at the computer that’s spewing some random text on the screen. Not again.
A dull thud followed by a squeaky yelp lets him know that he hit the mark.
Just then, he hears the chime of the bell placed on the door of the video store and he looks up to see you, his girlfriend — the love of my life, he thinks — walk in, looking as resplendent as ever, dressed in his favorite color. The shade brings out the most unique features of your face and he falls in love all over again — in that very second.
"Hi," you say, coyly, as you lean against the counter, lips splitting into a smile that's more beautiful than the stars he has counted lying awake, dreaming about you.
He has to resist the urge to jump over the counter and smother you in a hug.
“Hi,” he says softly, the smirk in his eyes playfully mirroring yours. “How can I help someone as beautiful as you, today?”
The slightlest quiver of your eyebrow doesn’t go unnoticed by him, but you meet his eyes with the same, unwavering smile. “I wanted to return this,” you say, extracting a VHS tape from the bag on your arm and placing it on top of the counter.
It is a slightly battered copy of ‘The Spy who Loved Me’. Steve recognises it from the time he watched it with you, a couple of nights ago. Well, less watched, and more — used it as background noise for other activities.
Steve tries to take the copy from underneath your fingers, but not before his arm grazes your knuckles. Your hands are warm, just like your pretty smile and he finds himself getting lost in the crinkles around your eyes.
“Er - How’d ya like it?” he asks, shaking himself out of his trance and playing into whatever it is that you two now have going on. 
“It was alright, I was looking for something…,” you stare at him a second too long and then behind him, before looking back at him again, “— adult.”
Robin coughs right then beside him and he only then realises she’d been standing there the whole time. Steve quirks an incredulous eyebrow at her; and Robin pretends to cock a gun and shoot at her head with it, rolling her eyes. He makes an annoyed face at her that he hopes conveys the emotion somewhere between — "please go away" and "don't judge us”, before turning his attention back to you, and you’re tonguing your cheek as if trying to hold back laughter.
It brings back the smile on his face.
“S’sorry about that, where were we?” he asks, leaning back on the counter once more, so that his face is now a mere inches from yours.
Holy Hell, you always smell like a meadow and it drives him crazy.
“I said,” you drawl, running the tip of your nail across the line in his palm, not quite looking at him, “I was looking for something more adult.” 
You tilt your face ever so slightly and only then do your words register.
Oh.
“Wh- w- We’re a family video store actually s— ,” what the hell, Harrington—  he bites his own tongue before he can complete the sentence.
He really hadn’t expected you to say that, to corner him like this at work, while he was trying to make four bucks and it is the only reason he was caught off-guard. Not the fact that you were also just ever so gently chewing at your lower lip.
“So, you can’t help me?” you ask, feigning a pout, and that just about makes him lose his mind.
“I never said that, sweetheart,” he says, letting his voice drop and roll over you just the way you like it, shaking off whatever magic you were working on him.
“Is that what you call all of the babes that come here?” you ask, running a finger over his knuckles. You’ve now moved onto sketching something across his hands and he really really wats to kiss you.
“‘Course not,” he replies, twisting his hand to smoothly take yours into his and the manueveur takes a little of the air out of you. Point Steve. 
“It’s only for you. Cause you’re different,” he says, softly, caressing your hand with his thumb. “You’re special.”
“Just how am I special?” you ask, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear. 
There’s a slight purr in your voice that’s got him tingling in all the right places and he can’t help but blush when you trail a finger up his arm. Your nails scratch at his skin followed by the tips that soothe it and he lets out an involuntary sigh.
“Because you’re my girl,” he says, simply. 
And it’s the truth. He thinks— knows —you’re the only one for him, the only one that is capable of making his heart beat in all sorts of crazy ways.
He leans over further then, so that his lips are grazing the shell of your ears, “If I could, I’d show you just how special you are.”
To his surprise, when he leans back, you’re still smiling. Okay, he’d expected you to be a little shocked, but the grin on your face tells him he’s not prepared for whatever you’re about to say.
“Why don’t you then, baby boy?” you ask and everything inside him melts. He wasn’t prepared.
You’re always calling him something. It’s Stevie when you’re in a mood to get pampered, Harrington if you want him to know he pissed you off, Babe everywhere else and Love, when it’s just the two of you in the quiet company of each other.
But- baby boy. It’s different, it’s new and Steve can’t figure out why it has him gasping for air.
“I - er - um,” he stutters, as you lean across the counter, casting your eyes down at his lips slowly, purposely. He watches your eyelashes gently brush the top of your cheeks before you look up at him again, a twinkle in your eyes that he recognises from more private times.
It has his heart thudding against his chest.
Something shifts in your eyes as he struggles to find words, to say something, but he merely gulps instead. The air feels too hot suddenly.
He watches, still speechless, as you throw a cautious glance around you, and then you’re leaning over the counter to grab him by his collar. The next thing he knows — your lips are on his, and god, he could never get tired of kissing those soft, plush lips.
“Jeez, baby,” he groans when you pull away - only a couple of seconds later - “This is a professional work environment, someone could see!”
You fold your arms across your chest then, still leaning over the counter and quirk an eyebrow at him. You lipstick is slightly smudged, hair a little messy but you look hot and — what is he doing behind this damn counter.
“So you don’t want to meet me in the backroom for a quickie before I go?” you ask innocently, lowering your voice so only he can hear you.
Steve doesn’t even have time to pick his jaw from the floor before you’re turning around and pushing the door to the store open. You’re almost out of the door, just as the gears in Steve’s head finally start turning.
"Baby, I didn’t say that!” he yells, leaping over the counter and almost tripping after you.
He reaches you just in time, pulling your arm so that you turn and come face to face with him, his chest bumping against your own.
“I didn’t say that,” he repeats, letting his hands drift to your waist, pulling you closer.
You purse your lips, thinking. Your mock annoyance is hard to take seriously, but he plays along.
“Where is your boss, Harrington?”
“Him too? I was thinking it could be just the two of us—” he begins and you’re already laughing, slapping his arm playfully before burying your face in his chest.
“I missed you,” he whispers after a moment, hugging you back, inhaling whatever it is that makes you smell like heaven on earth.
“I missed you too,” you mumble into his chest, words coming out muffled. It's so easy for the two of you to be together like this, he doesn't even care if his boss might actually see.
You stand there for a bit, encased in each others arms before Steve pulls back.
“But seriously,” he says, “should we go to the backroom?”
“Steve!"
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please read: i am not going to be taking tagging requests but i am setting up a fic library where i will only reblog my original work. so you can follow it and turn on post notifications to be notified whenever i post a new fic.
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Bet On Me (one-shot)
Synopsis: There's a few bets going around: Y/N bets everything on the fact that Eddie is innocent, Eddie still thinks that he's a coward, and the kids want to know when Eddie will finally ask Y/N out. And Steve... Steve is just over it.
This is sort of an AU! because I refuse the ending we got. ABSOLUTELY NOT!
Pairing: Eddie Munson x fem!Cheerleader!Reader
Genre: a lot of fluuuuufff, some angst
Warnings: SPOLIERS FOR SEASON 4!, a lot of pining, cursing, mentions of blood and injuries and death, Eddie feeling very low and guilty of himself (someone give my poor boy a hug). I can't think of anything else, but please let me know if there is something I should add here.
Word count: 3773
DO NOT REPOST OR TRANSLATE MY WORKS ON OTHER PLATFORMS WITHOUT SPECIFIC WRITTEN PERMISSION!!!
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The second the doorbell of Family Video rang at 12:34 PM during the Friday shift, Steve let out the most resigned sigh he could muster, because he knew who it was and what was gonna happen. The sound of the chains, of the stomping steps and the incessant tapping of palms against thighs in some indiscernible rhythm didn’t give Steve any other illusions history was going to repeat itself. All over again.
“Heyo, Stevo,” Eddie dragged out the name, plopping his elbows down on the till counter with a flourish. “So. Any new movies?”
But Steve was absolutely done this time.
“Stop.” He waved his hand in front of Eddie, not even deigning to answer the question. “Stop. Just stop this whole thing. You’re not here for the movies, you’re here because in just a couple more minutes, Y/N Y/L/N will walk through those doors to give back her previous week’s rentals, and it will give you your opportunity to just gawk at her, even though you actually want to ask her out. So just stop with this lame excuse, man up and ask that girl out on a damned fucking date already. You've been doing this for weeks, man, weeks. I know trauma brings people together and shit, and I cannot believe I’m saying this, but I do consider us friends, but even that has, limits because if I have to hear one more time any sort of groaning and moaning from you about Y/N, and still you’ve done nothing to change the situation, I will personally find a way to open the Upside Down back again and throw you through it, because God damn it, Munson, you will deserve it.”
Eddie, for once in his life, was truly and utterly speechless, watching as Steve’s chest heaved after the rant.
“Shit, Harrington, tell me how you really feel,” he mumbled looking at the countertop, drumming his fingers against it.
“Look.” Steve took in a deep breath and let it out, calming down a bit. “I get that you’re scared, okay? I do. Before I asked Nancy out, I thought I was gonna shit bricks, but the worst thing that could have happened is she could have said no.”
“No,” Eddie countered, pointing at him. “The worst that could happen is Y/N could start laughing in my face, tell the basketball team the freak of town asked her out, and sic those psychos on me again because there’s a difference between you and Nancy and Y/N and me – first we run in different social circles. You and Nancy were the King and Queen of Hawkins before even getting together; you were equals. Y/N... she’s a cheerleader, for Christ’s sake… while I’m the banished nerd, and second… you were never accused of murdering Nancy’s best friend, and still have those rumours fly around even after being vindicated.” That last bit was whispered, and to that, Steve had nothing to reply.
Y/N and Chrissy had been thick as thieves before everything went wrong with the Upside Down, but even Y/N hadn’t known she was struggling despite Chrissy looking up at her as her big sister just about to graduate her senior year. They seemingly had told each other everything, and yet she hadn’t known Chrissy was in such a bad place, she was willing to try drugs to ease the pain.
Even so, even after her body was found in the Munson trailer, not for a second Y/N had believed Eddie had had anything to do with her best friend’s death. For fuck’s sake, Chrissy’s eyes had imploded! How would someone who spent their evenings writing out a character sheet for a fantasy game be able to do that?But despite knowing that, Steve couldn’t deny how people still avoided Eddie like he was the actual plague.
“She tried to stop Jason from coming after you, you know,” Steve piped up, which made Eddie look at him. “Tried to talk some sense into the rest of the team to not come after you, countered whatever he said at the town meeting the night people decided to hunt you down. Y/N never believed you hurt Chrissy, would never, as you said, sic anyone on you. I’m pretty sure she’d fight tooth and nail against that. That has to count for something.”
Eddie’s heart clenched at Harrington’s words. Knowing she’d stood up for him was one thing. Knowing she’d done it in front of the whole town while they were ready to lynch him was another. But still… doubt was like one of the demobats, lurking around the corner before striking with fangs and claws.
When he’d been pulled from the Upside Down, bleeding from every possible crevice of his body, Eddie didn’t think he’d make it, and in some masochistic way, thought he shouldn’t make it. He still blamed himself for what’d happened to the sweet cheerleader he’d left mangled in his trailer. Maybe if Chrissy hadn’t gone to him, maybe if he’d told her he wouldn't sell drugs to her, maybe if he’d gone to literally anyone else and informed them about what she wanted, Chrissy could have been saved. So maybe he didn’t deserve saving either, but the rest of the gang had other plans. 
Steve and Nancy had made a sling from the sheet he'd cut, tying Eddie’s barely conscious body to the other man’s back, and Robin and Nancy boosting them through the gate, before helping a limping Dustin as well. Then it was a race against time to get Eddie the help he needed.
Their group was a hurricane as they borrowed, or more like stole, Max’s mom’s car and rushed to the hospital, Dustin screaming at Eddie to stay awake while Robin kept yelling for Steve to push on the gas with Nancy attempting to staunch the bleeding by putting tourniquets where she could or simply pressing down on the wounds where she couldn’t.
It wasn’t much better when they finally reached the place, all of them screaming for someone to help Eddie, only to start giving directions to the ER team once they arrived as if they were medical staff themselves.
“I’m 0 negative,” Nancy breathed, pulling at her sleeve and rolling it up as far as she could as nurses called for a doctor and the rest helped place, Eddie, on a gurney, Steve also instructing for someone to check on Dustin’s bad ankle, who just diverted them back to Eddie. “A universal donor. He’ll need blood. He – he – he’s lost a lot of blood, he’ll need it.”
“Miss, you need to be checked as well.” A nurse tried to guide her to a different bed, but she ripped out from her grip. “Why don’t we do that before –,”
“I said I’m 0 negative.” Nancy’s tone had turned into a sneer as she stared the nurse down. “Either you take the blood, or I can do it myself.” The nurse had taken a step back from her, the determination in the young woman’s eyes didn’t leave room for arguing, so she just nodded and escorted her to a quieter place.
It took Eddie about two days and four blood transfusions to regain consciousness, despite his wounds being shallow, he'd lost a lot of blood, but his newly found friends were all there for him. 
Steve took care of the food, Nancy made sure someone always remained by Eddie’s side as she set up rotations, while Robin had informed Eddie’s uncle about the situation, but it wasn’t just them. 
Dustin with his bad leg, Lucas with his beaten-up face and even Mike who’d arrived back in Hawkins with El, Will Jonathan and Argyle in tow – all of them were there for Eddie, even going after the police as they’d handcuffed their Dungeon Master to the bed seeing as he was still the prime suspect of the murder of the Queen of Hawkins High. Max had even almost taken one of her crutches and smashed in an officer’s face, but Joyce and Hopper had busted in before that could happen, and despite everything, Eddie had smiled harder than ever. He’d never felt so loved in his life than in that moment.
However, once the presumed-dead ex-chief of police took the reins with a government agent who'd brought them to Hawkins, they were somewhat able to spin Chrissy’s death as Jason’s fault, especially because the other teen had died during the earthquake that’d hit as the aftermath of the gang having beaten Vecna, the Upside Down slowly crumbling in on itself, while the Creel house fell apart, Jason’s body never to be recovered.
The story they settled on was this – the basketball player had seen his girlfriend meet up with Eddie in the woods, and then he’d followed her later on in the evening to where they converged in Eddie’s trailer. Jason confronted the two, his jealousy being a known issue, and that’s when Eddie had left, leaving the couple to resolve their issues on their own, only to return a while later to find Chrissy dead, which prompted him to run in fear of his own life. Max Mayfield was set to be the prime witness to vouch for him, which she did no questions asked.
With the agent's help, they made sure it was a story the whole town, hell the state of Indiana was aware of as well. Of course, some was sceptical, some outright refused to believe anything of the sort, yet the police could do nothing but release Eddie from any charges and drop the case. But that didn’t minimize Eddie’s nightmares, nor did it erase the new scars littering his body courtesy of the Upside Down, and neither did it ease the guilt for leaving Chrissy, so hearing Y/N defend him, believing the lie they’d spun about how her best friend met her end, made his stomach churn. 
She deserved to know. If anyone deserved to be aware of the truth, it was Y/N, which should probably be at the top of his confession list, but his spiral was interrupted when Steve cleared his throat, eyes trained on something over Eddie’s shoulder.
“Umm, you two okay?” A voice from behind him startled the boy, making Eddie whizz around only to be greeted by a smiling Y/N. “I’m here to bring the movies back?” The girl waved the VHSs in her hands looking at Steve. “That is if you still want them.”
Steve sighed nodding in her direction and she took it as her confirmation to step next to Eddie by the counter. “Yes, please. Don’t need three more deducted from my pay-check this month.”
Tentatively Y/N looked at Eddie and gave him a soft ‘hi’, before turning back to Steve, leaving Eddie to his gawking. “What got snatched?”
“Jaws 3-D,” Steve grumbled.
“Shit.” Y/N chuckled. “And not even the good one.” 
He scoffed, hitting the till and giving Y/N the receipt. “Tell me about it.”
“You – uh,” Eddie cleared his throat, eyes shifting from his clasped and wrung hands to Y/N’s eyes. “You’ve seen Jaws?”
“Uh, yeah.” She nodded, smiling softly. “I really like horror and thriller, actually. Well, maybe not anymore.” Her smile turned into a painful grimace. “Don’t think I can stomach anything like that after everything that’s happened. At least not for a while.”
“That’s fair.” Eddie nodded along to her words. “Yeah, no, completely understandable.”
“Mhm,” she hummed, nodding along as well as an awkward silence settled. 
Eddie looked up hoping for Harrington to interrupt them, but Steve was nowhere to be seen, having left the two to talk on their own. The once super senior cursed him for it, giving him no other choice but to continue on with the conversation, but then again – maybe Steve was right. And Eddie wouldn’t say that lightly.
He thought of himself as a coward. He’d run the second danger appeared and only stopped when Dustin, someone he really truly cared about, was in grave danger, but Y/N hadn’t. Not for a second, despite the fact she had everything to lose, despite the fact that Hawkins could turn on her, making her become the new town pariah, she’d stood by Eddie’s side without ever really knowing him. She’d bet on his innocence and won, even though she really didn’t know it was true. So maybe, he could be as brave as she was.
“Hey,” Eddie started and had to avert his gaze when Y/N’s Y/E/C eyes bore into his. “Would you – and I mean you can definitely say no, like no pressure whatsoever – but like, would you want to go out… with… me?”
Y/N raised her brow, a gentle smile playing on her face. “Like on a date?”
“It doesn’t have to be!” he immediately said and cursed himself for backtracking. “We can just be two people who just so happened to go to the same place to do the same thing at the same time… with one another.”
Y/N sucked in the air through her teeth, and that motion alone made Eddie’s heart drop. “I mean that does sound like a date, which I totally would go for, but I gotta say no right now.” 
Of course, she’d say no. 
“But.” 
What? 
“If you ask me in like…” Her gaze drifted to a calendar hanging over by the wall, mouth moving as she counted. “Six days, I’ll say yes.”
Eddie was prepared for rejection, but not that sort of a rejection, leaving him dumbfounded. “Umm… okay? Can I – can I ask why?”
Y/N chuckled. “Robin told me your little Hellfire minions and Max have a bet going on when you’ll muster up the courage to ask me out.” The smile on her face turned mischievous. “I sort of want Max to win. She was the only one who said you’d do it before the end of the month. And I want the boys to suffer with how close they got. So, I’d say two birds, or I guess three birds with one stone – we get to go out on a date, Max puts the guys in their place, and they learn not to mess with you.”
“You – you knew I wanted to ask you out?”
Y/N shrugged, fiddling with a bracelet on her wrist. It was her turn to become bashful and nervous. “I mean, I hoped it wasn’t them just making things up.” Uncertainty flashed in her eyes as she shuffled on the spot. “And now I’m sort of hoping you’re not in on this bet, and this isn’t gonna blow up in my face.”
“Yeah – I mean no!” Eddie grabbed onto her shoulders as he fumbled with his words. “This – I had no idea those shitheads had bet on whether or not I’d ask you on a date, but – but they’re right… I uh… the only reason I’m actually ever here is to uh, see you, and well, maybe get the courage to ask you out.” Eddie’s laugh was both out of astonishment and excitement. “Can’t believe those little gremlins bet against me after everything though.”
Y/N mimicked his laugh and bit her lip. “Okay then… I’ll uh, I’ll see you in a few days then? Hopefully it won't take you as long to ask me this time.”
Eddie’s ‘yeah’ was a breathless response, but nevertheless, a confirmation, as he stared at Y/N like she was a Sindarin elf straight from Lord of the Rings while she pointed at Steve who’d now magically appeared back at his station with a satisfied smirk on his mouth, startling Eddie so much he jumped back. “You tell this to Dustin, you’re dead meat much like your paycheck. I still have Sixteen Candles and Nightmare on Elm Street as hostages.”
“Come on, Y/N” he groaned, throwing his head back. “They’re my children! They’ll know I’ll be lying!”
“Then they’ll be the ones carrying your casket, so choose wisely.” 
With that Y/N gave Eddie one final glimmering smile and skipped to her car. If Eddie still had one after everything, he’d be skipping to it too.
But when six days later, he was disturbed by a knock at the door, as Y/N had called him the day before to set it up in a way the kids could witness their talk, he wanted to bury himself six feet below and in that casket, Y/N mentioned to Steve. 
Filled with nerves and jitters, he went over and pushed the doors open only to be greeted by a beaming Y/N as she glanced over her shoulder where he spotted Max ducking back inside her trailer while he noted a bunch of tiny heads watching from below the kitchen window curtain.
God, he was gonna throw up, he couldn’t believe what he was about to say to his dream girl.
“So...” She turned back to look at him. “Ready to ask me something?”
In all honesty, he was sort of glad, that she said he could ask her out only six days later, it gave him more time to mull over those thoughts in his head, and come to the conclusion that yes, he could do it and help out Max by winning the bet, but he’d never subject Y/N to the kind of scrutiny this town would put her through if they so much as had a whiff she’d been in the ten-mile radius around him, no matter her previous stance during the hunt.
“Look...” Eddie sighed, stepping down to be level with her. “You really don’t have to do this. We can go over, say I did it, and then Max can win, but we don’t have to go out on that date. I – I can’t make you go through that.”
As he said those words, he noted how Y/N’s smile slowly dropped, and if there was something Eddie hated more than the Upside Down, it was that.
“Eddie, I’m not here just because of the stupid bet the kids have going on. Honestly...” She crossed her arms and let out a deep breath as if steadying herself. “When Robin told me you wanted to ask me out, I didn’t believe her. Thought it had to be some stupid prank on your part with the rest of Hellfire, and when she said about the bet, that even confirmed it more. I mean what would a guy like you want to do with a girl like me, right? You hate cheerleaders, hate anyone that has to do with conformity and shit, so you had to have something Carrie-Esque planned for me.”
Eddie was just about to interject, especially at the notion he could ever humiliate her in that way, but Y/N kept on talking. “But then she said how you’ve been going to Family Video, how you’ve been bugging Steve and how Steve wouldn’t stop complaining about you to her, and so I took the chance that maybe, just maybe, it’s not a prank, but that you actually like me… so when I heard that rant you went on the other day, I knew it was real for you.”
He had to take an actual step back at her words. “You heard?”
“Yeah, I did. And I want you to know I never believed that you could ever even think about hurting Chrissy. Not once. You’re too good for that, too kind to ever hurt someone like that.”
Eddie’s eyes softened at her words. “You think I’m kind?”
“You put on this tough, metal-head act,” Y/N smiled at him and shrugged. “But… you literally took those kids under your wing, because you knew what it was like to be bullied, and didn’t want that happening to them too, taking on the brunt of whatever Jason and his goons threw your way. You’re not just kind – you’re brave too. You’ve stood up against a town that was ready to hang you. That’s bravery on a level I could never have.”
“You’re brave too.” Eddie instantly interjected, ready to reach for Y/N’s hands, but stopped himself, rubbing the back of his neck instead, fearing he might overstep a boundary. “You – I mean, you literally heard Steve tell me how you told the town to piss off my back about Chrissy when literally you had no evidence, I hadn’t hurt her. I was the prime suspect, yet you – you went against Jason and everyone else for someone who didn’t deserve it.”
“Yes, you did. I might not have been there, nor do I have any physical evidence, but I know, I know in my heart you didn’t lay a single finger on her.” Y/N stepped closer to him, putting her palms on Eddie’s face and rubbing her thumbs underneath his eyes. He hadn’t even noticed he’d started crying. 
Eddie's words were nothing but a whimper. “But I left her there.”
“No one knew Jason was gonna do such a thing.” Y/N shook her head, brushing her fingers along his cheekbones. “And I don’t blame you. It was Jason’s fault… and as horrible as it might sound, I’d rather you be alive than have had the same thing that happened to Chrissy happen to you. That asshole got what he deserved. So, Eddie, let me say this again, and however many times you need me to – you. Are. Good. You are not a coward. And you deserve all the love in the world.”
A teary chuckle escaped him, as he leaned into Y/N’s touch. “Well, then would you give me the biggest honour in the world and please go out on a date with me?”
“Yeah,” Y/N said, beaming at him, a stray tear slipping down her own cheek, which Eddie carefully wiped away. “I’d really love to. And I know who’ll be paying for it.”
Eddie chuckled, pressing his forehead against hers, and her grin widened as he slowly reached for her hands and intertwined their fingers. “You really gonna bully Max for the bet money?”
Y/N scoffed squeezing his palms, thumbs rubbing over his rings. “I’m not heartless. I’m gonna bully the rest of the kids for not having enough faith in you. Seems fair enough.”
“Can I – can I kiss you?” Eddie’s voice trembled, but it shouldn’t, as Y/N leaned up herself and pressed their lips together in a sweet and slow kiss.
The collective ‘NO’ from the boys and a female cackling from Max’s trailer just added to the joy of the situation. Some bets were lost, some bets were won, but ultimately Eddie felt like the true winner. The girl of his dreams had taken a chance on him despite everything. 
And now he was gonna be brave.
He was gonna love her until the very end.          
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A/N: I know I haven't written in AGES, but so many things just got in the way, I didn't have the time to but I have already like 4 other Eddie fics in the works.
EDDIE DESERVED BETTER!!! AND JOE QUINN IS AN ICON!!!!
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bowieandqueen11 · 1 year
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Kissing Roman Roy Would Include...
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Request: oh my god! your kendall roy kissing headcanons were adorable! would it be possible to get some for roman as well? i just know that man is touch starved and definitely had an awkward time kissing the reader early on in their relationship. obviously, you can choose to ignore but thank you!
Awww yes of course you can get some my love this man is 100% touch starved you’re so right <3
LADS OKAY I’M COMING BACK TO SAY THIS IS NEARLY 7K AND MY LONGEST FIC BY FAR LMAOO BABYGIRL CODED anyway comments are much appreciated because I am so tired lol ty ty ily all! :)
Warning: mentions of injuries/ blood, childhood abuse, and some swearing! Also MAJOR spoilers for Season 4!!
(I do not own Succession or its characters, all rights go to creators. Gif credit goes to @xihatiancai.)
☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°
We all really took one look at Roman Roy and went wet pathetic disgusting meow meow man I love you, and I really love and appreciate that for all of us. Because like... if not babygirl, why babygirl coded?
The first time you guys ‘kissed’, you were both around seven years old: on the tennis court, Shiv had sent a ball flying at Roman that had bent his hand backwards, and left quite a nasty gash of blood running down his arm. Instead of comforting the brother she had just bruised for the umpteenth time, the set of Roman crawling down to sit on the grass while cradling his arm just made her furious, and she went storming off towards the kitchen for some chocolate milk to cool down. You had been watching from the doubles side line, dropping your own racket as soon as Roman began to snivel, squeezing his skin back together and wincing as warm blood gushed out onto the grass. You run over to kneel in front of him, the harsh rays of light blushing across your head like a halo as you grab onto his elbow. You press the back of your shirt against it, hoping it will do until a nurse or one of the waiters comes running out with a first aid kit; as you glance up, the furious face of his father comes pacing past the balcony doors, and so you turn Roman’s head to look at you instead, praying that he won’t spot him. It will only make him whine more. It surprises you when he curses curtly instead at the feel of your fingers pressing down hard against his wound, but when you mumble an apology he finally stops scowling down at the ground and looks up: it’s as if he’s seeing you properly for the first time. His eyes light up as you gently lean down and press a kiss against the bloodstains; just the slightest hint of pressure, and tingling warmth of your your lips is enough to send a flourish through his body and make Roman Roy feel nourished. No longer withered, no longer left to rot. Roman gazes up at you: past the dappled sunlight, past the dotted clouds, past the earth and skies and heavens, and past it all he sees you. 
You’re the first and last person he’s ever wanted to kiss. Like craving poison, he knows it will pass through and destroy him if he allows himself to indulge. But by god, if it wouldn’t taste so sweet as it pours down his throat and overwhelms every dilapidated part of his body.
The first time he works up the nerves to kiss you back, is in one of the pool storage huts just past the outer boundaries of his father’s estate. Shiv had finally convinced her father to allow her out into the city to go shopping for some new suits, and Ken had been chained into a business meeting to take notes for Logan, so Roman had been left all alone to wander around the ostentatious shadows and lonely halls of the house he hated to call home. Feeling trapped, like he couldn’t breathe, he wanders towards the ‘safe space’ the two of you had created a couple of years ago: a small nook you and Roman had spent the day nestling out (and nearly breaking his arm shoving unused surfboards and pool cleaning chemical boxes) in the dim, and slightly damp room. Finally feeling at home as he stepped into the mildew-steeped scent cloud that enveloped the square box stuffed full of things his father had wanted out of his sight, his heart is allieved to spot you already there. You don’t even have to look up from your book as he comes dawdling towards you like a puppy afraid it’s about to be kicked. When you open your arm up to him willingly, the true him comes leaping forth: like a darting hummingbird, he comes flying  into your side, nestling his chin on the hard part of your shoulder so he can scan the words lazily past your head. After about half an hour of him gripping onto your shirt, as sweet and softly as infant spring, he glances up towards your face and an overwhelming urge overtakes him. Before he can stop himself, before he can make sense of his decision, before he can chide himself for his weakness, he lifts his head up and presses his lips firmly, if a little harshly, against the side of your cheek. Your book crashes to the floor with a thunderous slap, lifting a small cloud of dust as you raise your fingers to the wet spot in surprise. He immediately shuffles backwards at the noise, before making an awkward, fumbling excuse and running out the door.
He never brings it up again, but whenever you’re round at the Roy residence after that you can feel the intensity of his eyes land on you far more often. He blinks away and scratches the back of his neck nonchalantly whenever you catch him, or sometimes scrunches his nose up and starts biting the edges of his fingernails if he’s really nervous. But the love is there. He just can’t say it yet.
Once, when you were the only person in the house besides Connor and Logan, you were asked by the second-born eldest son to help him find Romie. With a concerned sigh, Connor wanders off to check behind the bathroom door off the living room, his lips forming a tight line as he disappears off down the corridor. Turns out, Logan had found out that Roman had been the one to spill his ice cream cone in the car on the way back from his fencing lesson, and Roman had run off cursing and crying when he heard the roar reverberate out from his father’s office at the news. You know where he is, instinctively. Of course you do: you don’t even need to think as your feet guide you towards his bedroom, and your body shrinks down to scoot under the bed and lie on the pristinely clean floorboards. He’s hiding behind the tendril weeds of his fear, making himself as small a target as possible as he balls himself up, trembling like heavy branches when lanced with frost. From behind his raised elbows that protect his face, he’s sniffling, his feet leaving the ground every few seconds from how harshly they shake. You lie down carefully on your side beside him, so hyperaware of any part of yourself brushing against him, in case the wounded creature decides to bolt. Thankfully, he comes sliding towards you, only stopping when your chest does the job for him; being as physically close as he can get to you, he huddles into your embrace while you stroke back the few curls by his ear. Once you’ve finally managed to choke back your own tears, your lips latch onto the spot of skin by the lobe of his ear, eyes closing and ticking his skin. He warbles against you, shivering, and the kiss just makes him whine more harrowingly against your chest.
Romie’s always around you. Always. He finds it difficult to actually be physically intimate, so it says quite plainly (even if you can’t understand it yet) that you’re the love of his life when he comes barrelling down the front stairs of the veranda and straight into your hug whenever your first foot falls onto the estate. It also means that during family dinners, when he’s finally mastering the skill of slouching back in his wishbone chair and tuning out all the horrible and spiteful things wrapped up in faux sincerity his family are saying about each other, he turns instead to kick your feet under the table. The brush of his ankle against your shoe is soon followed by the heavy pressure of his fingers reaching over onto your lap and entangling with your own. When the two of you are finally excused, you decide not to go back inside straight away. Instead, the two of you go for a dander around some of the verdant fields around the edges of the property: a few green patches here there that are filled with the scent of honeysuckle and freshly blooming rainbows splattered amongst the dirt. You decide to stop and sit for a while on the edge of a cobbled stone wall, laughing as Roman nearly falls off the uneven patch as he settles down beside you. He shrugs you off with a wave of his hand, but he’s smiling as you pluck a daisy from between the blades and tuck it behind his ear. For a while, the two of you just exist: watching the sunset brew violet and lilac gleams across your eyeline, talking shite and poking fun at each other, until Roman shyly takes a break from his rapid talking to blink slowly. He leans his torso forward, and after a bashful burn flickers over his cheeks, he squeezes his eyes shut and plants a wet kiss against your cheek, just like he had done all those years before.
He climbs into your room later that night, and you nearly hit him with a baseball bat when you come strolling out of your bathroom to see a teenager laying splayed out in a heap on your rug, a few pages of your homework flying over your desk from where he had banged his knee and tripped. With a lopsided grin, he decides to just stay lying there (once you had convinced him that you weren’t going to actually hit him). Sometimes Roman just likes to watch what you’re doing: to observe as an outsider what normality, what contentment should and could feel like. As you sit by your lamp and finish off your english essay for the next morning, you notice with furrowed eyebrows that Roman is moochier than normal tonight: he keeps squirming, rolling about and whining as if he’s debating something in his mind. That’s why when he’s gripping onto the ivy and finally climbing back down into the darkness later that night, you grab onto the collar of his sherpa jacket and heave him up through the air like a flustered bird towards you. After his initial surprise at the feeling of you pounding your lips against his own, he melts into you: clumsily, messily, desperately, but with one hand gripping so hard onto your window frame that he splinters the wood. His top lip refuses to let you go: capturing onto your bottom lip over and over and over again, the sweet taste of cherry flooding your senses as you bite down on the lip forcing its way into your mouth. When he pulls away, he looks so uncharacteristically serious for a moment as he hovers a few inches away from your face. His eyes never break from your lips, as if he he looks away the miracle he’s been graced with might fly away and he’ll be left with the hellish nightmare of his normal reality. But it doesn’t, and so you let him go.
He burns a crimson red and starts muttering incoherently as his feet work their way back down the garden lattice, but he’s got this giddy smile and a spring in his swishing walk the whole way home.
I mean, like, of course Connor invited you on the camping trip. And man, I mean the tension that had been expanding between you and Roman over the last few years was becoming more and more obvious to his brothers, and it pierced Roman’s heart with a stroke of fear when he realised it was to him as well. Connor’s little fishing expedition by the river turned out a little differently than he expected: instead of a placid moment between family, learning and teaching new skills together and bonding over one activity they could all share in, it was more of a ‘watch little gremlin Roman flirt obnoxiously with Y/n and, once again, ignore everyone else’ fest. Kendall sat on the shore, itchy against the reeds of grass and sighing every time he looked down at his watch. Connor was still having fun, though, from where he was wading his brand new, and never worn again wellies into the shallow end of the creek. It was just that every now and then he would have to trip over his fishing line and scoot to the right to avoid large splashes of weedy water landing on him; Roman had decided a much better use of his time was to try and pull up handful of mud and chase you around the river side with it. Your squeals, as you ran around the tamarack trees and peered around the sides like a meerkat, could be heard from the campsite. So, too, could Roman’s hyena laugh as he went laughing around the bend after you, and Connor had to spend half the night ignoring your shared snickers as he apologies to camper after camper. 
I don’t even know how, but somehow the two of you managed to convince Connor that it was a great idea for you and Roman to share a tent. Thanks to Kendall’s pointed warning for the two of you to behave and ‘not embarrass the family name anymore’, you were both surprisingly well behaved during the night. Mainly due to the fact that before you fell asleep, you leant over and left a chaste kiss against Roman’s cold forehead, before turning onto your side facing him and wishing him a goodnight. He wiggled down into his sleeping bag like a little worm as the electricity from your touch spread down like firebolts through his body. That man did not sleep one wink that night. Not one. Instead he rolled onto his left side, and chose to spend his time contemplating you: taking you in. The milky buzz of twilight flooded through the loose zip, the chirp of bouncing crickets on the darkened rocks outside match the intense thudding of his heart. Fumbling his fingers up so they rested underneath the side of his jaw, he made himself comfortable as he observed the way your chest rose and fall: the way your nose crinkled up in disgust when you were in the throes of a weird dream, the way your mouth mushed as you turned more into the stony ground. How much he loved you. How happy he could be if he could just summon the bravery to tell you. How fucked he was. How, if he did, his father would immediately utilise it, weaponize his love against him.
Roman wasn’t stupid, but he was. He didn’t know if he could find a way to escape this cage. Deep in his heart, he knew there was no key to this dog kennel, to this bird cage, to this leash. But he lay there, still, dreaming of freedom.
You get invited along on their family holidays a lot, mainly because Logan spends his whole time on phone calls and not mentally being present so he doesn’t really notice you’re there. If you and Roman aren’t spending the afternoons sitting together on a sun lounger, reading aloud softly to him by the pool side, it’s spent actually in the pool. A freshly seventeen year old Roman had seemed nervous, besides the usual annoyance at having to wear nothing but swimming shorts: shaken all day; when you touch his pinkie finger and grip onto it, silently asking him with your stern expression if you were okay, only the most miniscule of grins could cross his face in response. He still seemed unsettled in the water, besides the fact that Shiv’s foot nearly thwacked him up the face as she and Kendall wrestled each other under the water, both unrelenting in their accusation that the other had lost their splashing match. While you watched on in horrified curiosity, you nearly jumped when you felt Roman softly touch your elbow and lead you away from the affray. You think he’s trying to guide you towards the Jacuzzis as you bob across the water, or perhaps back to his room to escape the antics of his family. Instead, Roman leads you further into the deep end for a moment; after a sharp turn right, you’re surrounded by a small well, a shallow area just out of sight of the main swimming area. The imposing walls loom over your head as you take a perched seat on the brick bench that runs around the semi-circle, and Roman’s breath trembles as he follows suit, sitting maddingly close to you. You open your mouth to ask him what’s going on, but before you can get a squeak out he’s lunged at you, fervently enough to make you nearly bite your tongue. It’s not super romantic, and it’s incredibly clumsy as an inexperienced Roman Roy mashes his lips against your bottom one until he can feel his teeth clash against yours. You can taste a touch of pineapple from the inside of his mouth as he sloppily raises his cupid’s bow, and soon after the tang of chlorine as he falls too far forward and sends you both tumbling backwards into the water. But when you come back up for air, heaving him up by his underarms and staring dumbstruck at him as he pants heavily and tries to look anywhere else, you burst out giggling. Roman’s smile grows brightly enough to blight the sun as he looks incredulously at you, the laughter only stopping short on his lips when he catches the squinting look of his sister watching the two of you from the boundary edge.
It’s the first and last time Roman Roy kisses you for a while, terrified that one of his siblings will go squealing to daddy and he’ll take you away from him. And then, suddenly, the two of you have grown up. Roman’s still stuck to you like glue, but the repression festers away in his stomach until he feels as if some kind of scaly tooth monster is gnawing away at his insides. He feels the leather tighten around his neck whenever he’s standing like an affronted ostrich in that office with his father, his master, his demise, his ghost, him. 
So, Roman starts to try and avoid you whenever he’s at Waystar, worried that the grief that never seems to leave his mind will strangle you if he lets you in. Terrified that his father will die, but also that his father will never die. That this is just another cage. Eventually, after weeks of him turning on his heels with a manic jolt and running out of every board room he spots you in: after months of the child dressed up as a man putting his phone to his ear and having nonsensical phone calls every time he passes you in the corridors, you manage to nab him when he’s walking out of the break room. Even though a stuttering cousin Greg thinks you’re trying to kidnap him when you grab Roman by the collar and start dragging him to the elevator, you refuse to let go until Greg’s waving hand is firmly shut behind the metal sheets. You let go, and he fumbles backwards onto the hand-rail that runs around the small rectangle with a bemused ‘what the actual fuck’, but you just cross your arms and stare at him, refusing to talk first. 
Your austere façade quickly drops, and you’re quick to slam your first into the emergency button on the panel, gripping onto Roman’s sleeve as the elevator lurches to a stop between the twenty-second and twenty-third floors. A kind of acceptance has washed over Roman, some kind of known and familiar claustrophobia from having spent his whole life locked up, his whole life thrown about sets in. He picks at his fingernails as his eyes dart about, wild and brutal and crushing as he looks around for an escape route. It’s only when you put a hand on his shoulder and draw him in for a hug that he breaks down; he squats down so the two of you are resting a few inches off the floor, his face buried just atop of your heart as he shakes and he cries and he allows himself the security to just crumble. To melt down. To kick his feet and hope his father feels the wring of the shackles against his own ankles. He hopes for the first time in his life, as you stroke the back of his head and shush him comfortingly, that they hurt him. 
Something changes between the two of you that day. You’re kinder to each other, and slowly to yourselves. It’s not outspoken, or rushed, or ravenous, but it begins to grow and grow and grow until it’s not only confusion and anguish that lies at the pit of Roman’s rotting core.
It starts with him becoming more comfortable showing affection to you around his family. Like you sitting on Roman’s lap at Shiv’s wedding reception, not listening to the speeches but trying to hide your giggles in Roman’s palms as he’s busy trying to take roses out of the centre piece and pin them through your hair. Or his full weight against you during the professional photos out on the balcony, and not even Shiv flicking her brother or Tom waving his hand at Roman to try and get him to behave could stop him from leaning backwards and planting a kiss underneath your jawline once the man said he was taking the final photograph. The two of you go out into the gardens later that night, trying to escape the ear-hammering loud beats of the D.J., and to try and make an early escape from the growing fight that seemed to be coming between Tom and Shiv’s old work acquaintance. With two beers and slightly tipsy heads, you sit down and talk on the dew-ridden grass, shoulders swaying against the other’s in time with the falling pine leaves. You felt like children again, and against the smouldering clash of fireworks that brandished the sky in bursts of red and gold, you both felt undying as well. He kisses you then, his hand reaching up to brush against the side of your cheek, his bottom lip teasingly tugging at your bottom lip and making you swat him away with a laugh. As you take his hand in your own and press a promise filled kiss against his middle knuckle, he hopes that one day he’ll be able to kiss you at your own wedding.
When you know he’s having a rough day at work, you like to try and sneak into his office and wrap your arm around his stomach, peppering kisses up and down his spine. Although he tries to shake you off like a startled starling at first, when he realises that you also managed to close the blinds on your way in without him noticing, he quickly relinquishes himself onto your barrage of adoration. He becomes all whiny, and soft, and needy, and all the things he’ll never allow himself to be outside of the security blanket of this closed off room. Although he still isn’t comfortable with anything too sexual, you won’t find him complaining as he wrestles you to the sofa. Once you’ve had the wind knocked out of your lungs, and Roman’s satisfied with how fully you’re splayed out on your back before him, he’ll go scuttling over to the end of the sofa and kneel down beside it. With a mischievous glimmer in his eye, he’ll swish his hips from side to side and come crawling up the sides of his body like a wolf slinking towards its dinner. Then he attacks: his tongue heavy and slick as he draws a hickey out just under the pulse point on your neck, pressing him firmly against you if you try to squirm away, chiding you with a warning. When it becomes too much, he lets you grip him up by his tie and walk him backwards until his thighs hit his desk. He jumps up to perch on it, and you stand between his legs as they tighten around you. You’re slow and careful as you loosen the material between your fingers, opening the first button of his shirt, and only the first so he doesn’t become too uncomfortable, with a satisfying loud pop. He whimpers as you lean over to scrape your teeth against the exposed skin, working your way up until your lips are tantalisingly hovering over the stubble on his jaw. He can feel your breath, hot and unsteady as it pants against him, but he still can’t stop the shiver that racks through him as he takes your hand and guides them under his shirt. With your hands firmly planted against his abdomen, you look at him quizzically, worried, but he just keeps his fingers on top of your own and answers you by sweetly pressing his top lip over his own. Just once, he wanted to feel safe, to feel okay with the love of his life touching his body.
The two of you have this game where you try to steal kisses from each other during the most inappropriate and annoying times possible. Oh, Shiv’s trying to talk to you in her kitchen about how her trip to England went? Roman barges in between the two of you, nearly making Shiv chop her thumb off, just so he can interrupt his sister by smirking against your mouth. Kendall wants to run through a presentation the two of them have to give the next morning? You’re grabbing onto Roman’s head as you run through the office, nearly giving him a heart attack as he scrambles backwards and allows you to drop his head back onto the cushion. With a full plant landing on his already pliant lips, Kendall’s left with a fed-up ‘hey’, yet unsurprised look of disappointment on his face as you run off back to your own desk.
When his father called Romie a moron in Prague, the look of desolation that crossed through his teary eyes was enough to make an angel weep. But it broke you even more when he pattered out of the dining area, walking shoulder to shoulder with you, but not saying anything. He was just staring down at his hands as if they were blotted: stained with specks of blood, and he would have to spend another sleepless night scrubbing them out of his skin. It wasn’t the first time he heard it, but it was the first time you were there to hear it too, and you weren’t going to let him get comfortable wallowing in that fearful acceptance. You grip onto his shoulder and steer him away from the milling crowd of sheep, stuffing him into a bathroom stall of the east wing of the hotel. Crowded together, Roman’s hamstring bumps against the porcelain as the two of you scoot about until you’re standing facing each other as best as you could. He looks at you, bleary eyed, and you look at him, bleary eyed. He breaks. Choking, gasping, breathless sobs, drowning in his misery. He grabs onto your shirt, clawing into the meat of your shoulders as if he’ll sink if he lets go. He keeps babbling through bubbles of spit about how he just wants to make his father proud, how he wants to be just like him, how he wants to prove that he can rule all this too. How he can never replace him. But he can. He wants it all to burn, but he wants to stand on the ruins and be the one to plant the foundations again. To make a better world, in honour of his father: in honour of the god of war that rages within his head. You press quick kisses on his sweaty forehead whenever you can, doing your best to dodge the quick turns of his head and wiping away the trails of tears with your thumb. All you can do in that moment, as you press your lips against the side of his ear and whisper it to the most intimate, lost parts of himself, is to let him know that you’re proud of him, no matter what happens next. You always have been, and even the ghost of Logan that possess Roman can’t stop that.
The sloppy kisses he gives you the next morning omg. When the two of you are sitting on your bedroom steps, and you’re biting your bottom lip in concentration as you try to do up the buttons of his dress shirt and make him look presentable in front of his family. Like a feral dog, he uses all of his leftover energy trying to nip and bite your fingertips, catching them on his tongue and pursing them against the roof of his mouth whenever he can.
You cannot convince me that Roman isn’t a jealous bitch. Like at Kendall’s fortieth birthday party, when he finally gives up trying to get up into his special little secret treehouse club, and Shiv has left him to go ham on the dance floor instead. You finally manage to convince him into relaxing for a fricking minute, making him join you at the bar. If someone tries to grab your waist, though, or butt into your conversation while the two of you are hyena giggling and seeing who can spurt more beer into the other’s face, Roman will full on goad them into fighting him. I mean, chest puffed out, crazed look in his face, hands up by his side until they send a weak shove in their general direction. It only ends when Roman either: near topples you to press a bracing kiss against your lips, or you dragging him off and having to hold him through the brackets of his arms. In the corner of the room, over by the sheets of warbling fire that seems to be coming from a central room, you stand behind his feet and wrap your arms up his chest. You can feel the fury roll off him, allowing him a moment to blow off the steam, until his head finally falls like putty and begins to synchronise his breathing to yours again after you hold your lips against the nape of his neck.
The kisses when he comes back after being held hostage (I am doing this so out of order apologies) omg??? He clambers sombrely to sit beside you on the deck of the boat, looking so out of place and serious as he leans back against the cushions. His siblings make fun of him, and tease him, and although he realises it’s harmless and he’ll see it as a key bonding moment a couple of years down the line, in the inside the typical Roy storm is brewing. He can’t say anything: just hides behind the jokes and snide comments so the words don’t choke him. You just feel his weight fall against yours little by little, until his hand reaches out and takes your own so tightly you know it’s going to bruise. The muscle in his jaw tightens and he squeezes his eye shut in an enduring pain at the sight of his father’s helicopter coming in to land. So, for that kind second before his life comes crashing back down around him again and he has to revert back, to hide behind the brick wall again, you take him over to the railings. It’s just the two of you, the warm sea salt stinging against your grimacing faces, and the ungodly sight of a near-naked Cousin Greg lying stretched out beside the slide below you. After a few goes, you manage to unlatch his claws from the white metal and replace them with your soothing palm, rubbing semi-circles against the back of his hand. You’re here. You’re here, with him. You’re not going to let him go it alone again, if he wants.
And he does. He could cry, he so desperately does. Some of the tension falls from his shoulders as he raises your joint hands to his lips and kisses them, gracing over every inch of skin his mouth can latch onto. 
You both know, in that moment, that it’s enough. It’s a promise. You’ll stick together, no matter what. You’ll love each other through everything, no matter what. You’ll stay around, no matter what or who he becomes.
Which brings me to... kissing him when you find out about the passing of his father. Standing on that boat, on the most joyous of occasions, feeling as if the whole world is shattering around you. Feeling miserable at the knowledge that deep down, some part of you is overjoyed by the news. Feeling even more downtrodden to realise, as the streaky eyes and thousand-stare faces of the Roy siblings flash back and forth in your line of sight as they pass the phone to each other, that Logan will never really be gone. They’re talking to his lifeless, empty shell through the speakers, but it doesn’t matter, because he’s here in this room. He’s staring through their eyes. Talking in their quivering, harsh voices. Pounding through their feet. Tearing them apart as they try to cling onto each other. In their accusations that burst through their mouths innately. In the ordered instructions hurled out to keep business running smoothly. Hidden between the cracks of their voices as they sharpen their words and seethe them out between clenched teeth when the slightest chance of Logan even being dead is raised. He’s here, right now, as you let go of the death grip Kendall and Shiv have on both of your hands and catch sight of Roman rocking backwards and forth on the floor.
Giving a final squeeze of apology to Connor’s arm, you take Roman out of the room before he combusts. The whole air seems to be chilled: still, like something’s lurking unspoken between the threads of air. Like you’re leading Roman through the cold remains of a morgue. He wanders around for a minute, not even hearing the click of the door as you close it behind you. Not even crying. Not even speaking. For the first time in his life, he looks so much like his father. Too much. It scares you. Until eventually he just closes his eyes and trods over to the wall, thumping his forehead down on the cool metal until it burns. He holds his hand out to you, cufflinks gleaming like the edge of a knife past the ceiling lights, as if he’s offering a contract out to you. Apprehensively, your tentative hand creeps out and places itself gingerly on top of his own. He takes it, his dry lips latching onto you until the bridge of his nose is resting now upon your hand. The deal is done.
When you get back to your apartment though, and Romie finds out that Matsson wants him to fly out and meet him in Norway... that’s when Roman gets weird. Devastated. Freaks out. Grieves. You come out from your shower, wearing one of his suit shirts as your pyjama top, and he doesn’t even give a whistle of appreciation. Instead he’s crumpled on the floor by the canopy of your bed, cradling his knees to his chest, swearing into his kneecaps furiously. But you - you, oh god, you’re the only thing that can stop him from being swallowed up by Logan’s fury. You tilt his chin up during a tangled rush of expletives I don’t dare to copy down here, a scowl setting itself into his face like stone. It begins to soften when he realises you’re touching him, when he can feel the scrape of your nail around his jugular. You do your best to warble an unconvincing smile as you turn his head to the side, so you can better wipe your bottom lip against the edge of his throbbing mouth. You mould yourself to him, working at his pace as he winces at first, before slowly falling more and more easily into your grip. His hands loosen from his arms and fall onto your triceps as he deliriously tries to come back to himself through searching through the velvety warmness of your mouth: by swiping against your tongue and choking back his grievances as you pant into his open, waiting mouth.
You wake him up the next day with a fond kiss against the tip of his nose, and for the first time in a long while he smiles before he wakes fully up. The morning light cradles his bleary face as he sleepily runs a few fingers over the edge of your cheek, before cradling himself into your side again. He feels safe, weary, anguished, loved enough to fall asleep again, after pressing a few gentle licks behind your earlobes to try and hear you laugh again. Even through it all, his main concern is you. 
You trace his features while he restlessly dreams, although he squirms from time to time and alludes you to the fact that he’s secretly awake. A kiss here, between the junctions of wrinkles on his furrowed forehead. A kiss there, on the patchy stubble just underneath his left ear. A few there on the dark circles underneath his eyes, until you’re balancing over him and holding yourself up by the hands splayed over his pillow. He just needs to be reminded he’s beautiful from time to time. That he’s perfect. That he doesn’t need to try and be someone else. To encapsulate his father. 
But also like, Roman fucking hates Matsson. The way he looks at you during the whole field trip, like a hunter about to swallow its prey whole. Although the continuous comments about his family, and the two new Co-Ceo’s, and the legacy of his father make him burn down to the pit of his stomach with a white hot fury, he can deal with them if he would just leave you the fuck alone. He doesn’t take kindly to anyone but him looking at his soulmate with such adoration and lust in their eyes, so if that overgrown yeti gives you the up and down check out one more time he might actually just deck him in the middle of the retreat. He bites down on his tongue so harshly that his taste buds begin to bubble and prickle with blood, deciding it best to storm off and collect his thoughts before he lashes out and does something he can’t take back. You finally manage to track him down a little way off the beaten track, winding your way over some cobbled steps to find a branched alcove with nothing but a bench and a breath taking view of the gushing river down below. He’s hunched over with his fingers knotted over his knees, his lips so tightly drawn together that at first you don’t even spot the droplets of blood until he turns with a raised eye to look at you.
He knows it’s not your fault, so there’s no convincing or apologies when you join him. Just Roman finally getting all of that pent up sorrow and distress out. After an awkward moment of bouncing your foot up and down, you decide your best course of action is to just open your arm up to him again, like you used to do when you were children. At first he raises a confused eyebrow, before the realisation dawns over his face, and his features crumble. His lips purse, his throat bobbing as he heaves the tears back down, but he can’t stop his lips from trembling as he falls into your side. That kiss was the sweetest, as he leans his chin familiarly against your shoulder and bumps noses with your own. He frowns, sobbing at the knowledge that he can kiss you, finally, in the way he’s been yearning for all his life, and yet it all feels so wrong. So upside down. So far away from what he had dreaming. The freedom feels like a tether, and yet he juts his chin out and latches placidly onto your bottom lip anyway, the tears trickling down and falling between your mouths. 
It’s an act of defiance. A key sliding into the lock. He still can’t say it, but he won’t allow himself to smother the feeling anymore. The first sip of poison gliding down his throat, and Roman prays as he presses his forehead tearfully against your own, that it would kill the Logan part of him first.
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yourlocalsmutwriter · 6 months
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A dramatic overture - Bada Lee x reader
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You were a bit of an unusual ballet dancer. To put it plainly, you were a bit of a fuckup sometimes. But wasn't everyone? Apparently not, according to your overbearing mother. And your choreographer, the infamous Bada Lee. How you landed in her troupe was a mystery.
Not only was she an insanely talented leader, she had been a phenomenal dancer beforehand. Other girls like Lusher and Tater flourished under her guidance. You, on the other hand still needed some work.
And that is exactly what you did. Day and night you practiced tirelessly. After all, ballet was an art, and weren't all the greats tortured and starving? You were eating still, the only pleasure you allowed yourself. The rest was wake up, go to dance, go home, and then repeat the cycle again and again. But your efforts paid off in the end.
And you had perfected your routine just in time for your audition. You were doing Swan Lake, a staple in the community for dancers and the audience as well. And of course, Bada wanted to put her twist on it. So at the end of the season there would be a special ''modern'' retelling of the plot, with all original choreography from her. You were excited. As stereotypical it was, you loved Swan Lake. It was the ballet that made you want to be a dancer in the first place. And Odile was your dream role ever since you were a child. So you tried to brush off your insecurity and worked for it.
You had been to the studio at such late hours that your parents started to suspect you had a boyfriend. You didn't have the heart to tell them that a boyfriend was the last thing they would ever have to worry about it. So you brushed it off and insted went in during your allocated dinner hours. And since you absolutely hated breakfast and really anthing early in the morning, you were down to one meal a day. It's not like you planned it and it wasn't affecting you that badly. At least thats what you thought at first. But by hour 4 of practice, you were exausted. You did a turn and felt your body go limp. You tried to break your fall in, but you still slammed to the ground like a sack of potatoes.
Your fall must have been serious because Bada rushed in. You didn't even know she was in the studio then. You prepared fora lecture and her berating you on your stupidity and carelesness. But instead she let you lean on her and get to her office. There, you sat on a comfortable plush chair as she brought you a sports drink and an icepack. You were too tired to think about where her personal fridge was located and just how big it was. As your pain got lighter, you could focus more on what she was saying.
''And please, be careful. I see you work hard. But don't neglect yourself too much. The most important thing to focus on is your health. And as for the role, don't worry, there's plenty of roles, plenty of other shows.''
While she was right, you were stubborn. But you did not have a death wish, so you scaled back your practices by only 15 minutes, but it's the thought that counts. And also you started packing sandwiches. And little by little, it came time for auditions. Surprisingly, Odile was still popular, so you were up against the stars of your group. Still, they relied on their already existing talent and hadn't really bothered to memorize new techniques. And you had worked hard, building a completely new persona for your dancing. And that did not go unnoticed by Bada. So her decision was easy. Almost as easy as the way you cried tears of joy upon seeing the cast list. You had it. The role was yours. The pain was over.
Little did you know, the pain was just beginning. Now it was just a lot. while Odile was a background character most of the time, there was still her solo. And you dreaded it. Not only the dancing but also dancing with a man. It's not like you had anything against men. In fact, you were on good terms with most of the male members of the troupe. You just couldn't feel the necessary passion and attraction needed to dance with them. And you couldn't fake that love, even on stage for just a few minutes. But you managed. Bada had some minor critiques, which you corrected. And so the first cour of your performances began. Your choreographer had you do a limited summer run with the original production. Then, in the quieter ballet months you'd train again for her version of Swan Lake.
You were excited to play Odile twice. But little did you know, in Bada's version the cast would be all female. And you found out that last.
While you were on your last regular performance, she pulled you aside and told you there would be some changes to the cast list. She watched your face pale for a few seconds before adding that your spot would not change. And you swore she added a wink at the end, just to torment you.
Maybe it was worry. Maybe it was a stomach bug from all the supermarket sandwiches. But you were too sick to make it to rehearsal. You called your choreographer and almost tearfully apologized over and over again. Yet, Bada reassured you. Your role was not in the first acts anyway, so she'd focus on them now. But little did you know, she was simultaneously holding auditions. And she made sure to take down the new cast list before you return.
It was worth the hassle and the looks of bewilderment from the other dancers. Because she essentially saw you go through every stage of gay panic in the span of 5 minutes.
You walked in the studio, seeing her. She queued up the pas de deux music and walked over to the oposite side of the room. She stood on the blocking of your partner's position and motioned for you to take your place. When you were still frozen on your spot, she began explaining.
''We're in Bada's version now. And seeing how abysmall your chemistry was with the male leads, I made some changes.'' she said.
''If I was so bad, why didn't you say something. Why didn't you recast me.'' you questioned.
''You're a good dancer. And besides, it was just Swan Lake. I cannot be revolutional, I don't want to claim I can rewrite the story better. But making my cast all female of my own show, that's another thing. A modern retelling of a classic. With a strong message on how love isn't dictated by the gender binary. These tickets will sell like fresh bread.'' she explained
''And you're coming out of retirement to do this.'' you added, getting it now.
''Jackpot.''
''So you're doing this to get money.''
''I'm doing this for art. And to keep your fees from raising. Costume, set decor, rent on the studio, I'm guessing you don't want to pay that. Unless you do, then get in position.''
Her movements were so fluid. Additionally, she could lift you with ease. The thing is, every time she touched you, it felt like electricity was running through you. So you couldn't really focus and fumbled. Bada was a bit annoyed, but then she started over. Still, you were rattled. Why did this make you feel this way? Bada was attractive. But why would her appearance affect you so much? And now? So you continued to dance, pushing away the thoughts for some time. And it worked for a bit. You two managed to complete the routine. And did it again a few times again, to solidify it.
And then you did it perfectly. You would never use that word lightly, but it was true. It was a million times better than with your male partners. So you were confident that you would nail it.
''Okay, you have the energy now. Let's start learning the routine.'' Bada said.
You were confused. You knew your choreography, and you were wondering if there was a light misstep on your part. And then, Bada started a completely new dance. You wondered when she had the time to choreograph this. It was a completely different way of moving, looking more like a street style. You had never danced like this. But clearly, Bada had. She was so good, even better than with ballet. Was this on purpose? Or was it just her trying to showcase a skill? But why throw you under the bus? You could talk to her about it. Ask her to pull back on some moves, but still add that Bada flare. But you didn't do that. You just tried to copy her moves. You were a professional, so you could pick it up. And it's not like you picked up ballet in one go.
So you tried again. And again. And again. At first, Bada was guiding you very closely, being next to you, correcting your posture with her hands. After a few hours of that, she gets tired of this and sits down, just giving you oral feedback. That frustrated you. And the fact that she kept forcing you to practice over and over again. And at the end of the day, you were just tired and ended up just going home, with no progress on your end. The thing is, you tried again and again. You ended up having a sleepless night in order to get something done. And even though you were dancing like there was no tomorrow, there was little progress.
But you just kept at it. Rehearsing. Going home and dancing there. By the time you went to sleep, it was time to get up again. On days when you weren't training you'd just sleep and eat, calling it a day. You were becoming slovenly. Makeup and brushing your hair were becoming luxuries and so were laundry and showers. And the worst part is, you weren't improving. Street dancing was just not your thing. But it was everyone else's thing. Bada and the whole group could do it. Except you. You were the outcast again. And for no reason. It's not like you were bad at performing in your signature style. What pissed you off the most was surprisingly Bada. She was the incompetent one, not you. She couldn't lead you properly. You hoped she would help and you were called to her office at the end of the day. But instead, you got chewed up. Midway through her rant, someone stormed in, talking to her about a defaced poster and how it was going viral, but not in a good way. She excused herself and promised she'd be back soon. But 5 minutes past. Then 10. Then 15. And the whole time Bada's phone was buzzing with notifications. It was driving you insane. So you reached out to put it on silent mode. But something caught your eye. All the notifs were from a groupchat called TEAM BEBE and the picture was that of the troupe. So you looked at the messages and everyone was talking about you. Lusher, Tatter, even Cheche, they were all bad mouthing you. Making fun of you for the things, that were beyond your control. You had had enough so you just stormed out of there.
So you did the only thing you could think of. You dressed for revenge. First, you went to a salon to reverse the damage to your hair. Then you actually took time and booked a morning makeup session at the MAC counter, making sure to add a striking red lip. To top it all off, you decided to get some new clothes for the rehearsals. A few sexy and black pieces later, you had wiped out your salary. But none of that mattered.
While your transformation was already almost unbelievable, you knew it wasn't enough to shine to dazzle your so-called teammates. But the first person with a target on their back was Bada herself. After all, she was the one that got you into this mess in the first place. So you knew just how to make her regret it. But your plan wasn't exactly foolproof. And you were about to find that out.
First, you joined Bada in your usual practice room. It was surreal to see yourself reflected in so many mirrors while looking like this. You brushed it off. You began the routine and messed up horrendously, this time on purpose. You kept butchering it again and again until Bada stood up begrudgingly to help you. As soon as she got close enough, you pushed her back, watching her topple to the ground, her spine contorting into a graceful, sweeping curve. She was beautiful, even when falling. You wasted no time in straddling her waist, fully prepared to fight her. By then, she was fighting back too, trying to knee you, making you enclose your legs against her thigh. Bada pushes you back, but her hands meet your chest. And you fucking moan. She just raises an eyebrow and looks at you. Then she moves her hands to your hips, making you rock back and forth.
''If a good fuck is all you need to dance correctly, I'll give it to you princess,'' she said. You were about to protest, but she flexed her thigh and you were a goner. You let her take control completely. Bada made you grind your hips on her, to hump her leg like a horny pet. She snapped off the buttons of your leotard, so your bare pussy was rubbing against her. Your wetness was all over her black pants.
''Bada, I'm going to cum.'' with that your mentor bounced her leg up and down. You leaned towards her and kissed her as your orgasm took over you. She helped you ride it out and watched as you rolled over on the floor, panting and tired. Bada watched you for a minute and then said.
''Oh, my darling, I'm just getting started with you, so you better get up.''
Taglist: @withoctober
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muzsmoux · 1 day
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Reviewing tgcf characters because I have thoughts
I finished S2 recently and I need somewhere to put my not exactly hot but like warm (?) takes because it's taking up too much storage space in my brain.
🤍 Xie Lian 🤍
It's a good thing I'm not into guys because if I was I would be on my knees for this man in every sense of that expression and his pet menace to society would mince me up like garlic.
So I'll try to be brief about my overflowing feelings about him. Xie Lian is the best main character I have come across in a WHILE. He's the embodiment of compassion and kindness. And also a cold blooded murderer. A babygirl. A father figure. A terrifying martial god. A silly little guy. A pathological liar. The most genuine man you'll ever meet. He's everything, and Hua Cheng is 100% valid in his obsession. I'm right there with him.
Rating: 10/10
❤️ Hua Cheng ❤️
Idk if we ever figured out who wrote My Immortal but I'm pretty sure we have our culprit.
"Hi my name is Hua Cheng Crimson Rain Sought Flower Red-Robed Ghost King and this is my evil weapon of death E-ming. I've killed soooo many gods with it!! My dark power is I can summon storms of BLOOD and SUFFERING. I have my own scary city of DEMONS and they all love me and think I'm HOT but I only want my BOYFRIEND who's the only REAL GOD so STOP FLAMING HIM YOU POSERS-"
Needless to say I love him. Being the 8 time winner of the Loverboy of the Century Awards with unbeatable records in the yearning olympics is truly a remarkable feat.
Rating: 9/10
(Bonus: E-ming. Cute little guy. Likes his stepdad more than his real dad. Not afraid to show it's feelings even if it makes it look like a muppet, 10/10)
🧡 Feng Xin & Mu Qing 🧡
Tweedle dee and tweedle dum gets a shared rating because they would hate to be grouped together like that and that's funny to me. Their dynamic is great, they're good characters, I wasn't sure which one was which until midway through the second season. But then also I have a pair of 7yo twin cousins who I still can't tell apart despite them not looking even a slight bit similar so that might just be a character flaw on my end. Oops.
Rating: 7/10
🩵Shi Qingxuan🩵
I'm doubling the rating because she is best boy and best girl at the same time. I love that I can use any and all pronouns for him because he's literally a pride parade personified and therefore all of them are correct. You don't get that type of chaotic fun just anywhere.
He is truly living my dream, presenting as whatever gender they want depending on what's more convenient and/or funnier in the moment. Super useful, for things like gathering intel and terrorizing Feng Xin by being a woman.
And I personally think we should crown her the new emperor. She'd look significantly better on that throne, with her Barbie-like radiance and flourishing Kenergy.
Rating: 20/10
🖤 Ming Yi 🖤
Listen, I hate to say it because I like a sunshine x grump moment as much as the next gay but he's just... not giving what he thinks he's giving. Everyone is whispering ominously about him having some dark devastating secret but MY point is no matter how big his boobs are in his female form, Shi Qingxuan could do better. I'm sorry. She really could.
Rating: 4/10
💙 Lang Qianqiu 💙
Just an honest man with good intentions and a sickass fucking sword. He did NOT hesitate to attack the infamous Crimson Rain Sought Flower on SIGHT and I respect a quick decisionmaker, even if it shows some himbo tendencies. He also has the same distinct energy as Fred from Scooby Doo.
Rating: 6/10
💚 Qi Rong 💚
He's got some odd dietary and moral choices going on. Definitely. But he's just such a fun villain!!! Being Xie Lian's nr 1 source of migraines SHOULD make me like him less but I'm sorry, every time he was on screen I was LIVING. He would do numbers on reality TV. Someone put this guy on Kitchen Nightmares, I need to see him 1v1 Gordon Ramsay.
Rating: 7/10
🌚 Jun Wu 🌚
He has his emperor status & DILF card going for him but something about this man just ain't right. If he came to a party I was attending I would cover my drink is all I'm saying.
Rating: 2/10
🔥Pei Ming🔥
I don't know much about him besides he had that one shady empolyee or whatever (could not hear the plot over the deafening sound of Hua Cheng's yearning) but I'm partial to a good manwhore character. The thought of people praying to him like "Hugh Mungus, who art in heaven-" really tickles me.
I know he's probably straight but I headcanon him as at the very least bi-curious because you can't be that hot with that much game and not use it for evil. (That evil being causing large scale gay awakenings among his soldiers.)
Rating: 7/10
❓Pei Xiu❓
Unreliable, unimportant, unattractive, unemployed.
I remember not a singular thing about him besides fucking up Xie Lian's daughter's life and also being on my last nerve from the jump. If you're going to be evil at like least be memorable about it, you know? You can't be a bad person and a bad character at the same time. Pick a struggle.
Rating: 1/10
📚 Ling Wen 📚
I heard she committed some war crimes but honestly if I had to do an entire realm's tax returns by myself AND teach Pei Ming how to read (I refuse to believe that man is literate, just look at him) I would want to rage on occasion too. I hope she has a hot wife waiting for her at home to give her massages after carrying the whole system on her back all day. It's what she deserves.
Rating: 8/10
Thank you for reading!! Opinions might change once I read the books but as of now this is it. Remembering everyone's names has been a journey and a half so this post is sponsored by @kirstenly 's character cheat sheet go look at it! and everything else too!!!
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andypantsx3 · 1 year
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Deceiving the Duke | 4 | Todoroki Shouto
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pairing: Todoroki Shouto x Female Reader
length: 3.1k of 30k words | 4th of 9 chapters
summary: When Camie Utsushimi elopes on the eve of her society debut, scandal threatens to destroy the family’s prospects. It’s up to you, a maid, to impersonate Camie throughout the Season, long enough that her elder sister can make a match. The only trouble? Lord Shouto Todoroki is also intent on making a match—and that match, quite impossibly, appears to involve you.
tags/warnings: romance, regency au, class differences, hidden identity/identity porn, aged up characters, eventual smut
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A few weeks on, you received a reply from Camie.
It was a great luck that the Utsushimis employed so few staff, which meant that you were the servant in charge of collecting the post. You imagined Mrs. Utsushimi would have seized on the letter as soon as she caught sight of it.
It was addressed in Camie’s horribly girlish hand, and it opened in the most typical of Camie phrasings.
Y/N, my sweet foolish friend–
Your plot is hilarious but doomed and you should end it sooner rather than later. Mumsy should have never asked you for this, it’s sure to ruin you and ruin her, even if Caroline makes a match.
I would have always taken care of her, and Inasa has promised the same. Of course you will come live with us on Inasa’s estate, too.
You’ll find a way to put a stop to things, won’t you?
She’d signed her name below with an aggressively elaborate flourish, so you knew how upsetting she truly found the news.
Guilt settled in your stomach like a leaden weight.
You shouldn’t have undertaken this plot, obviously. You’d said as much in your original missive to Camie. But now that the scheme was already well underway, you thought it had to be seen through. Otherwise, what had all this been for? The Utsushimi family would be embroiled in scandal with absolutely nothing to show for it. And you doubted Mrs. Utsushimi would be so generous with your promised wages, were you to renege on your commitments now.
Carefully folding Camie’s letter and stowing it under your mattress, you decided you’d just have to redouble your efforts. Perhaps you would start accepting dances with gentlemen just to talk Caroline up, and mention her kindly to Miss Uraraka and Lady Asui.
You wished you’d taken the chance to mention her to Lord Shouto, before you’d caused the scene at Lady Cathleen’s party. If he wasn’t actually courting Princess Yaoyorozu, that was, as rumor seemed to suggest.
With a new plan in mind, you started your morning chores, mending the hem of one of Mrs. Utsushimi’s gowns where she’d torn it, starching the linens, picking seams on the latest of Camie’s dresses you planned to wear. You helped the family with breakfast and saw them off to the milliner’s, after which you changed their bedding and washed the old sheets. You were just settling down to get more work done on one of Camie’s gowns when a knock came at the door.
When you pulled it open, you found Lord Shouto on the other side, peering into the dim of the hallway. His mouth parted in surprise to see you, those mismatched eyes going rounder at the corners. You immediately panicked, slamming the door shut on him.
Fuck! You’d been dressed in your maid attire, not expecting the family to receive a caller! Your only grace was that the hall was very dim this time of the morning–you hoped he hadn’t been able to make out your dress in the dark.
“Um!” you called through the door, your voice strangled. “Forgive me, my lord, I am not yet properly attired! I will be right back!”
You dashed up the stairs, grabbing the latest of Camie’s gowns, quickly unlacing your apron and shedding your clothes, then stuffing yourself into the dress. Your fingers scrabbled over all the ties and buttons, shaky with nerves. You were back down the stairs in under two minutes, panting, hoping Lord Shouto wasn’t working himself into a state at being so rudely received.
When you pulled the door open again, however, he was wearing a curious expression. Those eyes picked over you, seeming to note every detail, and you self-consciously tugged at the skirts of your dress. You did not even want to think of the state of your hair.
There was a bouquet of flowers in his hand, sweet purple lilacs decorated with bursts of white clover. You squinted at the flowers, remembering Caroline had told you each had a special meaning, if you knew how to interpret them.
They looked too pretty to be declarations of your idiocy, however, so you guessed they might not be for you.
“I—you must be here to see, um, Caroline?” you asked. “I’m afraid she’s out at the moment–she should be back in a few hours, however–if you want to leave your card…”
Lord Shouto shook his head, stepping forward. “I am here for you.”
Your heart tripped over itself with his proximity, and you backed up a step, leaning back to look into his face. “I–-you are?” you asked stupidly.
The tiniest hint of a smile twitched at the edge of his mouth. “I came to see that you were well, after Lady Cathleen’s.”
Your stomach churned guiltily. That was really too kind, especially considering that you’d done nothing but fling snacks at him, ramble nonsense at him, and then pretended to faint on him. To say nothing of the fact that you were pretending to be an entirely different person than the one you’d introduced yourself as. And here he was, in your doorway still, looking at you carefully, as though he meant to catch you were you to faint again.
Now that he was here, it would not be so easy to refuse him. You backed out of the doorway, gesturing him inside. “Please come in. I can serve tea in the sitting room.”
Lord Shouto inclined his head and followed you inside. You lead him to the parlor, glad you’d neatened it, wondering at your own nerve–a servant, entertaining a duke, in a sitting room that was not her own.
“The maid is, um, indisposed today,” you told him. “I’ll make the tea myself, please make yourself comfortable.”
You left him to his own devices, darting to the kitchen. You’d hoped to run into the cook but she was also apparently out, probably at market, so you threw the kettle on and spent several long minutes rummaging around for the nice tea–-the kind Mrs. Utsushimi only served when she wanted to impress. You figured a duke would definitely meet her criteria for people worth impressing.
When you returned, Lord Shouto had left his flowers laying over the settee. He was at the mantle over the fireplace, glancing through the Utsushimis’ portraits and displayed needlework. That curious look was back on his face when he turned back to you, and his eyes seemed to rove over every inch of your face.
He looked strange, in fact, as though he’d just been confronted with a startling discovery. You flushed under his scrutiny, hoping you hadn’t missed a stain on your dress or some large rip in the fabric.
You hurried to the corner and set the tea tray down on the sideboard. Your skin prickled tellingly as he drew near, and you quickly poured him a cup and ordered him into a chair to get him away from you. You did not understand why his presence made you feel so strange.
You dared to pour yourself a cup of tea, too, and perched on a chair opposite him, luxuriating in how good the tea was compared to your usual fare.
“I, um, appreciate you calling,” you said to him, watching him settle into his chair, and trying not to pay too much attention to the way his thighs filled out his breeches, or the way his shoulders seemed to take up the entire width of the chair back.
Lord Shouto sipped at his tea, humming low in his throat. “Have you recovered, Miss Utsushimi?”
You nodded quickly. “Yes. It was just, um, a passing thing. I am completely fine.”
He looked satisfied, smiling softly into his tea cup. “I am happy to hear it.”
You noticed his lashes left long shadows over the tops of his cheekbones as he drank, and you pinched your leg through your skirts when you realized how deeply undue that observation was.
You quickly cast about for something to take your mind off of the way Lord Shouto looked sitting across from you.
“The flowers are pretty,” you said, glancing over at them. The purple of the lilacs looked especially deep against the lighter fabric of the settee–you wondered what purple lilac was supposed to mean, and which of the Utsushimis they were for.
Lord Shouto had said he was calling on you, but he’d not said the same of the flowers. It would be the height of conceit to think that they were also for you, especially given how completely unhinged you’d been with him to date. A man did not bring flowers to a woman who pelted him with snack cakes.
“Are they–-Caroline’s?” you guessed.
Another threat of a smile pressed at Lord Shouto’s mouth. “You speak as though you’ve never received flowers before.”
That arrested you. What did he mean, you? They were for you? You couldn’t help the way your mouth dropped open.
“I–me?” you asked, dumbfounded. “I’ve never—are you certain?”
Lord Shouto’s eyebrows went up, and there was a note of something amused in his deep tone. “I should hope so.”
You left your cup on the table beside you, unable to help the way you were drawn to the flowers. Your first bouquet! And probably your only, considering your prospects and the expense. But they were so lovely, and they smelled so bright and green and fresh.
A weird giddiness came over you, and you tried to squash the feeling down.
“I–Thank you, Lord Shouto,” you said, unable to help the embarrassingly touched note in your voice. “They are beautiful.”
Lord Shouto looked a little bit smug, you thought, as you fingered some of the petals, feeling their silky smoothness on the pads of your fingers. You’d have to put them in water. And maybe hide them in your room, if you got the chance. You doubted Mrs. Utsushimi would be pleased to discover Lord Shouto had brought you flowers, considering you were supposed to be keeping a low profile.
Which you were apparently utterly failing at.
You turned back to Lord Shouto, placing your flowers on the seat next to you, unwilling to be parted from them. It was probably strange, but you couldn’t find it in yourself to care quite enough to try to be normal about it all.
“They don’t mean something like learn Greek, do they?” you asked him suspiciously.
Lord Shouto laughed, out loud this time, low and easy, and the sound went straight to your head.
“They do not,” he said, but he did not elaborate on whether they did mean something. You made a note to try and look them up later.
You had the sudden, wild thought that a man bringing a woman flowers meant something more than you were currently accounting for. And it also dawned on you that you were a man and woman alone–-an impropriety by any of good society’s standards, regardless of the fact that your first meeting had been much like this as well.
“Caroline and Mrs. Utsushimi should be back soon,” you blurted out, as if to reassure him that you had no inappropriate designs on him.
Lord Shouto looked unbothered, watching you with those mismatched eyes over the rim of his tea cup. “It does not matter to me. I am not here to see either.”
There was something teasing in his tone that warmed you all the way to your toes, and you had to school your face so as not to betray how much that pleased you.
You tried to remind yourself that he meant nothing by it, and that this could be nothing, in the end. And now was as good a time as any to try and talk Caroline up, now that you had Lord Shouto in your clutches.
“Caroline is good company, it is a loss,” you said. “Have you met her?”
“In passing,” Lord Shouto said. “She’s never flung anything, so I’m afraid she did not make a significant impression on me.”
You laughed. “But a better one, I hope.”
Lord Shouto did not say so.
“You’ll remember how pretty she is, though,” you said insistently. “And she does read Ancient Greek, I think. She’s accomplished on the piano forte.”
“So her hobbies are not so secret as yours?” Lord Shouto asked.
You smiled. “She is rather more accomplished. I must hide my own in order to save myself the embarrassment.”
Lord Shouto leaned forward in interest. “You’ll tell me at least one? You are aware I am a trustworthy secret keeper.”
He looked so earnest, and his tone was so genuine, you couldn’t do anything but give him what he wanted. Much may it please him to learn.
“My chief hobby is reading–though obviously not in any ancient languages. I’m…quite fond of novels, actually.” You were mostly fond of them because Camie was fond of them, and they were the principal artifact she had been able to smuggle you. But you quite liked all the tales of adventure, cunning, and head-spinning romance. The only type of adventure you’d seen thus far was this hare-brained scheme of yours–and it would not end nearly so well as the stories in your novels did.
“I too, enjoy reading,” Lord Shouto obliged you. “Though not usually novels.”
You smiled. “I’ll recommend you some, though I can’t tell if you’d enjoy them. They’re a lot of nonsense.”
“I believe I told you,” Lord Shouto said, leaning forward to rest his elbows on those thighs. “I like nonsense.”
For some reason, your heart did a weird fluttering motion in your chest. Your cheeks heated, and you grasped your tea cup tighter, as if holding on for safety.
“Well, then,” you said. “I’m certain I can oblige you. I’ll send you a list, perhaps.”
Lord Shouto looked pleased, blinking long and slow like a cat in a sunbeam. “I’d quite like that.”
You took another sip of your tea to hide some of your face, trying to reign yourself in. You had not meant for this conversation to turn towards you–Caroline was the objective here. You wracked your brain for another segue back to her.
“I’ll ask Caroline to send along recommendations as well–though they won’t be novels,” you said. “Perhaps something in Greek may tempt you.”
Lord Shouto regarded you curiously. “Your recommendations do not stand on their own?”
You frowned at him defensively. “My recommendations are the finest,” you sniffed.
A tiny smile lifted the corner of his lips, like he’d caught you. “Then I need only accept yours.”
“But really–Caroline–” you started, but Lord Shouto cut you off.
“Miss…Utsushimi,” he said, pausing strangely over the name. “It is not Caroline’s opinions I seek. My attentions are yours, and yours alone.”
You froze, a spear of ice plunging into your heart. His attentions were yours? What could he mean–which attentions, exactly? That sounded quite terribly like an admission of interest–-romantic interest–-except that would be insanity itself.
He was so very noble, and so very handsome, and you were beginning to learn that he was so very kind. You were the most horrible match imaginable for him.
You’d have to make sure he understood it.
“Lord Shouto, you understand I do not mean to marry,” you said, testing the waters.
“You’ve intimated as much,” he replied, his tone low. “Though your reasons…remain a mystery.”
For some reason, his eyes cut back to the mantle, lingering strangely over the Utsushimi family’s portraits.
“I would be a poor choice,” you said. “You understand my shortcomings already.”
Lord Shouto’s features arranged themselves into a mask of polite incredulity. “You think all a man wants in a wife is her knowledge of ancient languages?”
A laugh burst out of you. “In part.”
A tiny smile threatened the corner of Lord Shouto’s mouth again. “I assure you there are other qualities one might desire.”
Yes, like needlework and piano forte and singing and such. Your talents lay elsewhere–and plenty undiscovered.
“I also understand that your hand is all but promised to Princess Momo,” you told him. You hoped he understood what you were implying–whatever attentions he had been referencing, he needn’t lavish them on you.
“Do you?” Lord Shouto said softly.
You nodded earnestly. Lord Shouto looked thoughtful but did not elaborate.
You wondered what he was really doing here, in the Utsushimis’ sitting room. If he meant for you to be a distraction, a shield against the other debutantes while he waited on the princess. Or if he was perhaps open to marriage.
You decided it could not hurt to continue to peddle your Caroline agenda. Whatever Lord Shouto’s reasons, you were not a suitable prospect for him. But if he was open to marriage, Caroline would be a good match.
“Still, I’d like you to meet Caroline,” you said. “I’ll introduce you at the Satos’ dinner next week.”
“If you like,” Lord Shouto said vaguely, but you could tell he had no interest in her. His eyes drifted back to the mantle, roving over the miles of needlework and colorful oils of the portraits.
You sighed, sensing the enormity of the task before you.
After that, Lord Shouto steered the conversation back into calmer waters, trying to ferret out more about you. You managed to turn a great deal of it back on him, learning more about his family. You were surprised to learn he was the baby of his family, as he’d inherited his father’s title.
He told you about his eldest brother, Touya, who’d disowned the family to join some antimonarchist group in the south, and his other brother Natsuo, who’d rejected the title to become a man of the cloth instead. He talked fondly of his mother and his older sister, Fuyumi, who he seemed to visit often.
You liked the way he spoke about the people in his life, with patience and intention—even Touya, who it was clear had bad blood with the rest of the family. You could have listened to him for hours, luxuriating in his low, soft tone, the occasional conspiratorial twitch of his mouth.
He really was unlike anything you’d expected from a duke.
Eventually the tea ran cold, and the real world called back to you both. You saw Lord Shouto to the door with both regrets and a resolution forming in the back of your mind.
Whatever his interest in you, you would redirect it to Caroline, and kill two birds with one stone–Caroline could make her match, and Lord Shouto would be made to see what a pretty, qualified wife could be like. You carefully ignored the large part of you that recoiled at the thought.
It did not matter what you wanted, and you wouldn’t let yourself think on it. Lord Shouto was good, and he should make a suitable match.
You would arrange it so Lord Shouto and Caroline got a happy ending, just like in your novels.
You would make absolutely sure of it.
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unholyhelbig · 3 months
Note
Around season 4: Skye/Daisy Johnson. Reader is a Winter Soldier like Bucky and has been part of the team since the beginning. Reader’s has always been there for the team especially Daisy, and has a huge crush on her, painfully watching on as she goes out with different people. Now the Reader needs help but doesn’t want it, what will Daisy and the team do?
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Title: No Control (Daisy Johnson x Female!Reader)
Words: 2452
Trigger Warnings: Blood, mind control, manipulation, night terrors, talks of death, horrible grammar (Let me know if I should add more)
[A/n: Okay, I may have deviated from the prompt just a little bit, but in my defense, this is technically my first time writing Reader/Daisy Johnson so I had to feel it out a little!]
Main Masterlist | Read my stuff on AO3 | Leave Requests
The rope dug into your skin like a nasty row of teeth, biting at the skin, drawing a flourishing flash of bright blood. The image made you pull harder in a vicious tug of strength. Your jaw ached, tasted thick of metal. If you could just get out of this stupid chair, this horrible cell. It was much too small for your liking.
Quake, Daisy as you knew her, watched you with a lifted eyebrow. Her fingers were curled around the iPad that connected her to the controls of your containment. She grimaced, a wetness building in her stare.
When your struggle against the ropes had proved fruitless, you glanced up at her through wild, unkept hair, chest heaving. “What did you do to me? Why can’t I get out of this? Let me out of this!”
It felt like you were underwater, your chest heavy with discontent, even when you went slack in your binds. The first inkling that something was wrong had been swallowed down, the nightmares that ripped through your subconscious and pulled you from sleep.
For weeks, you’d wake up drenched in your own sweat as you tried to draw any type of air into your lungs. It often ended with you sitting, exhausted and scared, in the kitchen of the compound. First, you’d drink a cup of tea, then you’d pace and drink another, before finally succumbing to exhaustion on the common room sofa.
Agent May had found you the first night, just before dawn. She didn’t’ poke or prod, instead, she gently woke you and wordlessly gestured back towards your bunk. Other agents would be walking in and out, scourging for breakfast and their own fix of caffeine.
Those dreams- those nightmares- would soon leak into your everyday routine. As you sparred with Bobbie, you’d thrown a particularly deadly right hook. It was the color of her eyes, the seafoam dusty grey that you’d always found so endearing flashed and ripped into his gaze.
You’d drawn blood and stumbled back on the blue mat. Other recruits gaped at the two of you, floating by the edge of the training room. Bobbi pulled her fingers from the laceration on her cheek, already forming a bruise.
“I’m sorry,” came your whispered response. You grabbed your bag from the nearby bench, louder this time “really, I’m sorry.”
Bobbi called after you as you pushed open the doors of the training room and shoved through agents until you made it to the safety of your room. Except, it didn’t’ feel much like safety anymore. Your fingers were shaking, and your knuckles had a smear of dried brown blood, Bobbi’s blood, against them.
It had been years, nearly a decade, since you’d first been approached by Phil Coulson with his grandiose idea of forming a team to take down hero-level threats within SHIELD, because after all, everyone needs a backup plan. And while you’d been hesitant at first, that single decision in a Montanna bar changed the course of your life. Changed your isolation tactics, the person you had once been.
SHIELD was your family. They’d slowly ebbed away the distant memories of what had created you in the first place: the brainwashing, the torture, the misguided loyalty was all on the backburner. You’d forgotten just how cold it was.
Something was wrong. Something was wrong. Something was wrong.
Without warning, the icy hand of your captor was closing around your throat once more, but this time, you were surrounded with people who you cared for. The thought of hurting them had you hunched over the bathroom in your room, retching whatever mint-tea concoction you’d swallowed down hours before.
At one point, you blacked out, and when you came to, when you finally pulled yourself from the scent of bile and blood and regret, you were here. They’d moved you to a containment unit and restrained you with ropes that did no favor to your already aching body.
Your fingers were still coated in blood, too much to be from your outburst in the gym. And while you still panicked, while you were still choked with fear, there was a calmness about the situation. If you were in here, you weren’t out there. With them.
“Whose blood is this?” you asked.
“Hard to say,” Daisy replied. “You did quite the number. It’s hard for agents to fight off a super soldier, you know?”
Your jaw began to ache as you pressed your teeth together, peering at her through strands of sweat-caked hair. The rope wouldn’t hold you for long, but the containment unit would. There was an electric buzz from the forcefield strong enough to hold back ten-thousand super soldiers.
Daisy had a tepid stare trained on you that made you squirm. You tested your strength against your binds, pressing and pressing until the frayed edges drew blood, dripped down the tips of your fingers until the floor was puddled with it.
A laugh bubbled up in your throat. You lolled your head, trying to loosen up your shoulders. Everything was weak and fuzzy and above all else, you felt the hiss of someone’s voice in the back of your mind. Eyes seeing through your eyes, hands gripping past your own.
There was a poison to Daisy’s voice “You just leveled a room full of twenty-five agents and you’re laughing?”
She’d clicked off the iPad, set it aside. Daisy stood and crossed her well-toned arms over her chest. God, even in your disillusioned state, you were acutely aware of your feelings for her. They’d been festering under the surface for a better part of the last three years.
“No, no… I just…”
With an extra tug, the mass of rope fell to the ground in a heap of ties and caked blood. You couldn’t distinguish your own from those of the agents that you be felled. Your fingers worked at the lacerations.
“You’ve got a very motherly tone right now. I mean, you’re scolding me, actually scolding me!”
“What do you expect me to do, y/n? What I witnessed in there was one of the scariest, most startling things I have ever seen and you expect me not to scold you? What the fuck is going on?”
Her voice cracked during the last sentence and your heart tugged at the sound. You’d heard it before as she sunk to the floor years ago when Lincon had perished, and when she’d succumbed to the fear of her own powers growing out of control.
The part of you that was still you didn’t want to cause that pain, and most certainly didn’t want the fear to take over. You stood, approaching the barrier. It was the only thing between you both, and it was highly charged.
You’d been tempted to touch it, to place your hand against the electricity save for the pain. Instead, you started pacing back and forth, the length of your makeshift cell. “This is where we held Agent Ward, isn’t it?”
She didn’t’ answer, instead, she swallowed the lump in her throat as you examined the metal frame bed and the cameras that were situated around each corner of the cell. Part of you swelled with pride, being confined in the same spot the biggest threat to the team had been in. You quickly drowned the thought, shaking your head.
 “Does it bother you? Watching two people you love fall down the same path?” The words had slipped past your lips before you could quell them. Instead, you tutted “You’re well on your way to a pattern, young lady. One more good-looking sociopath and you’ll collect all three.”
“Don’t,” Daisy snarled “You need to tell me what’s wrong. This isn’t you.”
You stopped pacing, lilting your head to the side as you stared at her. She was itching to leave, and you wanted her to. It would make all of this easier. Your entire body itched too, wanted to give in to the full control. It wasn’t something you were willing to do in front of Daisy.
“Do you know how much control I have to practice on a daily basis, Zee? Just a little more strength than usual and I rip a cabinet door off. I shatter a mug. I punch a co-worker in the face. It’s a constant push between what’s right to do and what I was designed to do.”
“So what? You decided you’re done watching your strength? That doesn’t warrant an attempt at massacre.”
“You don’t get it!” You punched the barrier, reveling in the feel of electricity that moved through your fingertips, your arm and elbow until it dissipated altogether. She flinched but didn’t step back. “When Hydra… why Hydra trained me it was all I knew. I would wake up, follow orders, and be put back to sleep before I could even register what I had done. Who I had killed, what I destroyed.”
This was something you had refused to talk about. Coulson knew the gist of your containment, of your de-programming because that was all listed in your SHIELD file. But the true horrors of your ordeal were a mystery to the entire team. It was behind you. He was behind you.
“A SHEILD team raided one of Hydras bases and I was there. I was willing to go without a fight and Hydra was willing to leave me there to absolve for their sins.” You chuckled at that, shaking your head “There was months of imprisonment, of interrogation and then deprogramming. And finally, finally after years of trying to prove myself to Director Fury, and Agent Hill, they cleared me for duty. Cleared me to join Coulson’s team.”
You let yourself plop down onto the metal chair, suddenly too exhausted to remember why you were fighting so hard in the first place. Daisy clenched and unclenched her jaw. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Two years of deprogramming doesn’t make up for a lifetime of torture, of molding me into the perfect killing machine.” You swallowed hard “I played my part, I ignored the feeling of being watched, the dark thoughts that tried to break through into my new, good, life. I fought every single day to make sure all of you were safe and unharmed and… suddenly, suddenly the people who were controlling me got stronger.”
Daisy shifted, uncrossing her arms “You’re saying you’re still under Hydra’s control?”
“I’m saying I wasn’t strong enough to fight off their hold on me. A few months ago I started blacking out and the nightmares, they got worse. But everyone was finally settled, finally happy. We were happy”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Daisy’s voice waivered “Y/n, one of the perks of having a girlfriend is being able to talk to them, to tell them things. You should have come to me.”
“I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I thought I could handle it. I thought I could keep things under control.”
Daisy let out a long sigh and lowered herself back into her own chair. Her elbows resting on her knees. She bounced her leg, staring at you with those deep brown eyes that you could drown in. Somehow, her being there, was enough if only for a moment.
“I have to tell Coulson.”
“I know,” you said.
“He’ll know what to do. We’ll get through this, y/n.” Her words were whispered, eyes glassy with emotion. “I love you. We all do. This is just another challenge, okay? We’re here to help.”
“I admire your perseverance, Daisy, but the hold hydra has on me. It’s bigger than me, it’s bigger than us.”
She swallowed thickly “You don’t mean that.”
But you did, didn’t you? Your skin felt like it was on fire and you wanted nothing more than to peel it off strip by strip until there was a new layer glinting under the industrial lights. Anything to stop the uncomfortable feeling of not being in your own body. You’d gotten to complicit under the watchful eye of SHIELD. Hydra didn’t like that, and at this point, neither did you.
It had been so easy, so simple to rip through those agents as they aimed red dots at your center. You didn’t care if they fired their weapons, you hadn’t a care in the world and it was freeing.
It was hard to wager that with the sad look your girlfriend was giving you now. Her fingers were tapping against her knees, hardly a perfect interrogation technique. It was hard not to crave her touch, her mouth hot on yours. Even if you did give yourself up to Hydra entirely, there would always be Daisy.
You lilted your head, narrowing your eyes at her. She’d be just as easy to break; just a little bit of homegrown brainwashing and she’d be by your side again. Both of you dripping in blood. A power like hers, resting under her fingertips, would be invaluable.
Standing, you gently touched the barrier separating you both. There was a subtle electronic buzz that moved through your fingertips and up to your elbow. It was warming, a constant comfort, almost. “Darling, we could make all of this go away. Just the two of us.”
She lifted her hazel stare from the tablet in front of her, reading your vitals like an open book. They were steady, you were sure of it. There was curiosity in her stare.
“Do you remember the house in Vermont we talked about?” You dragged your fingers against the barrier, a blue trail following fast. “The two of us can forget all of this, forget SHIELD and Hydra. We can go there, start a family. Isn’t that what you want?”
You could read it in her expression, it was exactly what she wanted. But Daisy Johnson was no fool. Despite your terse begging and manipulative tactics, she remained calm. One knee was balanced on the edge of the chair, the other foot planted firmly on the floor.
“Rae’s Restaurant… the floorplan that we drew out on the back of a placemat. Two stories, a nursery, and office. A massive backyard. I remember it well.” Daisy stood again, facing off against you with nothing but an electrical panel holding you back. “This isn’t the you I imagined it with. Where is the kindness? The selfless woman that I fell in love with?”
You gritted your teeth. “Gone. Nothing but a fabrication, baby. I’m just offering you one last chance to join me. I have no reservations about destroying you right along with this entire organization.”
Daisy swallowed hard, trying to quell the lump in her throat. She refused to let herself cry. “I’d like to see you try.”
“I do love a challenge.”   
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Criminal Minds Masterlist - One Shots/Drabbles
NOTE: If you have any fic suggestions feel free to write me!
Updated: 16.01.2024
🔞= mature
Other masterlists: mother masterlist,  Criminal Minds Masterlist - Series
BAU
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NEW ADDITIONS:
None today :(
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Never Grow Up by @the-guilty-writer
↳ “ The role Gideon played as Rossi-Reid grew up. ”
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Aaron Hotchner
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NEW ADDITIONS:
None today :(
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Catching an angel by @leo-gold-hotchner​
Darkness in Colorado by @wintergreen28​​
↳ “ Aaron and Reader get lost trying to find the unsub, and it’s getting colder and darker by the minute. ”
Free by @the-guilty-writer
↳ “ You're strong and fearless, but Hotch can see there's more going on under the surface. All he wants is to help set you free. ”
🔞 No Title 1 by @ddejavvu
↳ “Camboy Hotch - when one of his subordinates watches him (without realising it’s their boss) until the next morning when they notice they’re hotel room’s the same?”
No Title 2 by @ddejavvu
↳ “ "Sit," Hotch demanded, surprising you with how different he sounded. ”
No Title 3 by @whiskey-bumblebee
↳ “Another dream gift would be an array of paint and spray paint to do my paintings along with somewhere to do them.”
No Title 4 by @ddejavvu
↳ “Later seasons hotch! the team thinks that he’s all alone and lonely outside of work and it’s :( but they find out that he actually has someone - you - who loves him more than anything and takes care of him and he’s all loved and cared for.”
No Title 5 by @luveline
↳ “How about reader obsessed with hugging hotch !! like he's so big and warm and it always makes them feel safe and cared for.”
↳ Chapters: 1/1
No Title 6 by @luveline
↳ “Shy reader with Hotch. R being a techy desk person, works in the unit but not like IN the unit. Really clumsy and stuttery.”
No Title 7 by @reidersspencer
↳ “Where the team vets a new female agent and hotch and reader are dating and the team knows, but maybe where reader gets jealous of the new agent maybe cuz hotch has been teaching her how the team works and all that, at the end hotch tell reader there’s nothing to worry about.”
No Title 8 by @justmyheart​
↳ “BAU team gets a non permanent new female agent, she basically all over hotch and reader gets jealous, hotch tells her "you have nothing to worry about" ”
Not your subordinate by @beelmons
↳ “ Aaron is shot in the line of duty and you're there when he wakes up, however, his agent side comes out when you less need it. ”
Peace Offerings by @ss​ahotchnerr
↳ “ Aaron Hotchner x pregnant reader who is just flourishing? like she’s glowing , a very happy BAU agent compared to others . maybe they are all on a case, and she’s being sweet through buying them and the officers they are working with coffees ? A very ungrateful officer gets all rude with her , and it really upsets her but she doesn’t want to compromise the case through getting upset from one rude officer. However, Hotch sees this and steps in . ”
Scent of Bliss by @yuly
↳ “A short story where we explore the many scents of Mr. Hotchner through reader’s eyes.”
Shirt by @leo-gold-hotchner
Sleepless by @ssahotchnerr
↳ “ Would you be interested in writing something where the reader grows progressively more tired through a case (Maybe sleep deprived or from all-nighters) and because reader is so tired she progressively more touchy because she has no filter? Like she keeps resting her head on Aaron's shoulder and touching his back as she walks by him. And like this isn't usual for reader but Aaron doesn't mind because he thinks it's cute and is love with reader. ”
Snowfall by @whiskey-bumblebee
Spontaneous phenomena by @luveline
↳ “Hotch touches your face much more than a boss should. Or, 5 times you have a nosebleed +1 time Hotch does.”
Sweet pea by @wildflowerluver
↳ “5 times the team hears about you and the 1 time they actually meet you.”
Work hazard: stripping by @leo-gold-hotchner
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Spencer Reid
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NEW ADDITIONS:
Fell in Love by @zombiefiilm​
↳ “You hadn't expected your friend spencer to be home from his most recent case yet, let alone passed out on your couch.”
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Airlines pastime by @thewriterg
↳ “You usually kept quiet in a lot of situations so everyone knew to steer and let Spencer do his job when you started to get irritable at the fact your holiday leave was cut short but in the end he does what a doctor does best make it all better.”
Annotations by @dream-a-little-bigger-x
🔞 How to Lie to a Behaviour Analyst by @thatgirlstrawberry
↳ “ In which Spencer and Y/N are dating and it’s great but the only problem is… she’s Rossi’s daughter ”
Is this your card? by @inkedobsidian​
↳ “ Spencer and Derek are canvassing bars when Derek convinces Spencer to try and impress the bartender but she has a trick of her own ”
No Title 1 by @luveline
↳ “BAU!Reader notices that he's not okay and confronts him about it?”
No Title 2 by @ddejavvu
↳ “Spencer Reid with a reader who's hotch's niece? and hotch always tells her that she should meet Reid and go out with him instead of all the shitty guys she usually goes out with so when she meets him she's just like "oh! you're the guy my uncle wants me to fall in love with!" and he gets all flustered. ”
No Title 3 by @luveline
↳ “ is there any way we could get badass!reader x spencer? except he’s injured this time? how does she react? ”
No Title 4 by @violetrainbow412-blog
↳ “ How about Morgan discovering something inappropriate in Spencer's stuff and the team laughing because it's the reader's? ”
No Title 5 by @ddejavvu
↳ “ The team visiting Spencer for one reason or another on their day off & reader opens the door (maybe even wearing one of Spence's shirts) and that's how they all find out Spencer is in a relationship? ”
No Title 6 by @beautifulbrainrot​
↳ “ Reid with a hairdresser s/o and eventually their the only person allowed to touch his hair, so when he comes back from prison one of the first things he does is go to them to get his hair fixed up but reid starts getting super emotional so it turns into a gentle comforting moment. ”
Say it again by @bau-drabbles
↳ “ fluffy fluff w the team and spencer ”
Sun Kissing by @fandom-alley
↳ “The BAU team just finished a case on the California coast and were rewarded with a couple days off for vacation, so Spencer's girlfriend convinced him to spend the day at the beach.”
Taking care of you by @chrisevansleftpeck
↳ “Just Spence taking care of drunk!reader”
The Dangers of Tennis Skirts by @eideticallys
↳ “ “you know, reid,” you said, “guys ask girls out on a date before they bury their faces into their thighs.” ”
The Stolen Donut by @blue-babygirl
↳ “You didn't know that Spencer doesn't like sharing his sweets nor did you know that they were his donuts. Oh well.”
The Lightbulb Moment by @reiderwriter
↳ “You want Spencer all to yourself for the first few months of your relationship and he's only too happy to comply. Unfortunately, you're two dumbasses who can't keep their hands off one another.”
You’re worth it by @dr-spencer-reids-queen
↳ “The ring on your hand is gorgeous, and very expensive. You don’t think you’re worth all that money, but Spencer does.”
Wingteam by @sailortongue
↳ “the team decides that Spencer is in need of a date and they're going to be the ones to help him. But there's just one problem that the team doesn't know about: Spencer already has a girlfriend“
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Luke Alvez
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NEW ADDITIONS:
None today :(
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🔞 Vice. by @violentdelightsandviolentends
↳ “Everyone on the team has their vices. It just so happens that yours is sat across the table looking at you.”
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Derek Morgan
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NEW ADDITIONS:
None today :(
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No Title 1 by @luveline↳ “ Derek angst what about a non-bau gf getting jealous of his flirting with Garcia? ”
567 notes · View notes
nymphadora7 · 11 months
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yuri and kitty make sense. it did not come out of nowhere. the rom com meet cute? all of the tension while yuri was “dating” dae and how easily that tension transfers to romantic tension after kitty’s dream? that doesn’t come out of nowhere. kitty and yuri in the beginning of the show are two people who are at odds but don’t really want to be at odds. once the dae situation is mostly resolved, they become fast friends, which it’s foreshadowed they can be in episode 1. moreover, kitty has been with dae since she was 12. she clearly has been focused on him and not herself, and her interest in yuri is allowed to flourish because she is not with dae when it begins. she does not think she will be with dae. and she is in fact actively looking for someone to kiss. moreover, even if it was out of nowhere (which it isn’t) kitty is 17 (16?). at that age, crushes appear out of nowhere all. the. time. and while it might not have been the best idea to tell yuri about her feelings, kitty thought she would never see her again. sometimes the right thing for you, the thing that will let you keep going, is going to hurt someone else. doesn’t make it okay, just is. and on top of that, she didn’t fully confess anyway. and kitty’s not known for making good decisions, since literally the first tatbilb movie. it’s up to yuri now to decide what to do with this information. she clearly has wanted juliana to come back, and it is unlikely she will drop juliana because of kitty’s aborted confession. additionally, the few times we’ve seen juliana have been 1) the flashback, 2) the kiss in the janitor’s closet (neither of which reveal much about her), 3) the phone call in the tent, 4) the phone call in kitty/yuri/q’s room, and 5) the scene at the airport. in 2 and 3, juliana seems to have resigned herself to a life without yuri, and seems honestly shocked that yuri cared enough to go to such lengths to find her. what does that say about what juliana thinks of the relationship that yuri is so invested in? in 4 and 5, 4 explicitly, juliana is worried about yuri’s friendship with kitty, and jealous of it, and pushes the fact that she doesn’t quite trust yuri’s telling her the truth about the platonic nature of their friendship. to be clear, i have absolutely nothing against juliana. i am interested and curious to see her as a full character in season 2, and i do, in fact, desperately hope that they do not villainize a black queer female character. on the other hand, black queer women can be toxic partners. limiting othered people to only heroic, savior-like, positive roles, is also not great. and exhibiting jealous and mistrusting behavior already when we have so few, brief scenes of her is to me an orange flag. i’m not worried about it yet, but i have noticed it. and often, people who imply that they don’t trust their partner not to cheat, have already cheated themselves. once again, i hope this is untrue, i hope i’m wrong. finally, kitty was not in the right to almost confess to yuri, but it is not the cardinal sin some people are pretending it is. yuri and juliana may continue, they may not. whatever happens, it won’t be kitty’s fault. it is not inherently homophobic if you don’t ship kittyuri, or if you ship minty. it is homophobic to perpetuate this idea that the ship came out of nowhere simply because you don’t ship it and have refused to see what the show is explicitly showing.
in this same vein, min ho and kitty make sense. it did not come out of nowhere. and while min ho might not have had the best timing with telling kitty his feelings, he did in fact wait until he had confirmation that she was no longer with dae. he might have said something further had the PA not interrupted, but he did not appear to expect anything from her in return after he told her (just as kitty did not appear to expect anything in return from yuri when she almost confessed). kitty is shocked, but very clearly not upset about the information. to us, it is clear that min ho has liked kitty for a while, probably longer than he knew or let on. sometimes so called “hatred” for someone is genuinely that, but as demonstrated in xo kitty, it is often the exact opposite. (i am of course talking about disliking someone interpersonally for muddled reasons, not disliking someone for genuine reasons, i.e. they’re a harmful person.) dislike for someone is often based on someone protecting themselves for whatever reason. based on all that we know about min ho, he has a lot of family related issues, and a lot of reason to put up walls in order to protect himself. he is initially “anti-kitty” because he thinks dae should explore his options with someone he is in the same country with and then because he thinks yuri is a better option. a lot of this quite clearly stems from the way he was raised, the fact that his father is on wife #3, and the classism that very much exists in korea (as it does in many places) and honestly probably because kitty is half-white (i am not saying there is racism against white people, there isn’t. i’m saying that there is often unfortunate biases against mixed kids from both/all of their communities). in the chuseok episode, he says “my parents thought they were true love, and then had the messiest divorce ever” (or something to that effect). that line is so telling: min ho doesn’t believe in true love, or maybe even love at all. he looks at it as transactional, what can i get from them and what can they get from me? it’s evident in his failed (i think?) tryst with the k pop star whose name is escaping me, and in his situationship with madison. but spending so much time around kitty specifically changes his mind about these things. slowly, at first, and then much more rapidly. he’s still cocky, arrogant min ho, but he chills out a lot over those first few episodes. i think he appreciates that kitty actually responds to his teasing and one ups him oftentimes. and when he calls her his saesang, it’s so funny bc he is so clearly the one obsessed with her at all times throughout season 1. also, the dream happens after the chuseok episode, where they noticeably get closer. there is buildup! he thinks she’s beautiful when she enters his party, and is actively trying to resist his crush on her (because he thinks he shouldn’t have a crush on his friend’s girlfriend) when he reacts to it being her. he respects that he thinks she and dae are still into each other and moves his attention to madison. he knows her order in the detention episode. he is upset for her when he finds out yuri and dae lied. he saves her from the fireworks. he does not fight back against dae after dae attacks him because he thinks dae has the right to. he looks visibly shattered when kitty says min ho isn’t the one she was talking about. also, min ho would not have made the effort to sweet talk some flight attendant to find kitty’s seat and sit in coach because of nothing. 
with both kittyuri, and with minty, they are one sided crushes (at least at the moment) with potential to be reciprocated, and i think people are misinterpreting them because of that. neither of them came out of nowhere, neither of them are toxic, and neither of the two ships involving teenagers include characters who are morally bad.
in conclusion, let people ship things. ship things yourself! and most of all, do not take things that seriously. shipping should never be a war. even if you personally don’t like a ship, it is shitty to go and actively hate the ship, especially if the ship is not doing you any harm, especially if you go into the positive spaces for that ship to spread your hate. if you don’t ship something, do not interact with content for that ship. it is not that hard. it is 2023, not 2013. ship whatever the hell you want.
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avatrice-week · 11 months
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Avatrice Week 2023 Masterpost
Day 1 - Fake Dating or Undercover
Title: Tell Me You Don't Know Me Author: quietblueriver Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Summary: Ava and Beatrice run into Beatrice's parents.
Title: Always a pleasure Author: orphan_account Rating: General Audiences Summary: “And this is the, uhm, wife, I presume?”
Title: Serenading in the Trenches Author: spaceosshy Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Summary: Beatrice and Ava are reunited after almost a year apart. They're immediately tasked with going undercover, posing as a married couple of prolific assassins in the hopes of putting a stop to Adriel's criminal activies.
Title: Missions and Love Author: Creativityx Rating: General Audiences Summary: Ava has been assigned to work with the OCS' top agent, Beatrice. It was a simple mission, pretend to be girlfriends, capture one of Adriel's followers and return to the OCS. What Ava wasn't planning for was her fake girlfriend being so beautiful.
Title: when dividin' up the universe (you could have mine) Author: organicdonut Rating: General Audiences Summary: “Okay, so. I have, uh, some updates,” Beatrice does not like the way Ava said updates, “About last night.” “Will the updates explain why everyone in the bar is looking at me like I’ve forbidden alcohol?”
Title: Will you be my fake girlfriend? Author: jessnope Rating: Not Rated Summary: “Wouldn’t people think it weird?” Ava asked, looking genuinely thoughtful. Somehow, Beatrice could sense it was a trap even through the state of tiredness she found herself, Ava had a spark in her eyes.
Title: Philanthropy for the Heart Author: SharonSharpe Rating: Explicit Summary: The Areala General Hospital is hosting its annual charity gala and everyone is excited for the social event of the season. That is everyone except Dr. Beatrice Young. When she makes the mistake of saying Ava is her date for the gala the two are forced to address their flourishing feelings for the other.
Day 2 - Injured or Sick
Title: Life is About More Than Just Fighting Author: strongwomenunited Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Summary: At the end of 2x06, you can see that Beatrice clearly had an injured side, yet in 2x07, it's magically healed. In this story, Ava finds Beatrice after Mother Superior has been brought back to life trying to get her armor off, but her side is in pain. So we will see some hurt/comfort, but you know emotions come out and their relationship changes...
Title: A Sick Day Author: strongwomenunited Rating: General Audiences Summary: During the two month period, Beatrice gets a cold after a busy night at the Bar, do they end up training or does Ava make her rest?
Title: That Lilith Voice Inside My Head Author: quietblueriver Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Summary: AU - Lawyer!Bea tries to bring Ava soup. Lilith helps. Sort of.
Title: I'll Hold You (Blood, Bruises and All) Author: spaceosshy Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Summary: The Halo pulses as Ava roars with rage, knocking Beatrice’s assailant backwards into the stone wall. He falls, limp and unmoving. Ava can distantly hear all the times Mother Superion has told her to check the body but she doesn't care. She's already halfway to Beatrice’s side.
Day 3 - Jealousy
Title: What Love Feels Like Author: strongwomenunited Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Summary: In 2x02, what if Miguel didn't walk into Bar La Vasseur while that woman was flirting with Beatrice? What if Ava took things into her own hands to end that conversation...? This story explores the idea of Ava spilling some drinks on a certain woman flirting with Beatrice. How will she react?
Day 4 - Soulmates
Title: Soulmarked Author: Creativityx Rating: General Audiences Summary: That fateful day when she was seven, saw her soulmark left incomplete with only the letter 'B' on her wrist. Ava learns to wear long sleeves that day. With little hope of finding her soulmate, she puts herself to work as a mechanic fixing cars to stop anyone else from experiencing the same as her.
Her life is ordinary until one client walks through the door with a need for repairs.
Day 5 - Hear Each Other’s Thoughts
[None}
Day 6 - Smut or Creator’s Choice
Title: I Can Taste You In My Rage Author: spaceosshy Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Summary: Lilith returns to the Cat's Cradle in the hopes of making amends. Beatrice has some things to say.
Title: The One Time She Knew Author: JetpackingPenguin Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Summary: Five times Beatrice didn't think Ava returned her feelings and the one time she did
Day 7 - Domesticity
Title: The Teddy Bea-r Author: Lapincobra Rating: Not Rated Summary: Fanart and a little draft for Day 7 Of Avatrice week - Domesticity
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eastsideofthemoon · 8 months
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Finally meeting THE REAL Michael Burnham
One of the reasons I love season 3 of Disco the most is that we FINALLY got to meet the REAL Michael Burnham.
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In one year of being away from all things Starfleet and The Federation, all things Vulcan, Michael finally got to discover and embrace herself without worrying about the opinions and expectations of others, nor needing someone else's approval. She got to release the guilt and shame of her past and completely shed the Vulcan shell she'd created for herself as a byproduct of assimilation.
And girlie was flourishing!
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Michael was at peace with herself, which lead to the calm and confidence that exuberated from her. She had genuine joy and was able to obtain peace. Thus, she was smiling and laughing and cracking jokes. Michael has a sense of humor, yall!
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Also, I love that she had the opportunity to create a life for herself and be a regular person - well, as regular as you can be as a courier. She really needed that time away to determine her own moral code and values, which is something that should take place before anyone takes on the mantel of captain.
Also, Michael needed to choose Starfleet for herself. Up to now, Starfleet was a constellation prize to make Sarek feel better for not choosing her to join the Vulcan Exploration Group. In the first half of the season, we see Michael having an internal conflict with whether or not she belongs with Starfleet and her crew due to who she had become during her gap year. It's in Unification III, where we see Michael, with the help of her mother, Dr. Gabrielle Burnham, come to the conclusion that she does belong. We actually get to see her choose Starfleet for herself on her own merits. Yes, she may have her doubts and will question things, but at the end of the day, she is fighting for the same things Starfleet and the Federation are fighting for.
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I think this is why I'm baffled at how some people stay stuck on season 1 Michael. The woman has grown since then. And this is before we get to season 4, which I'll write about later.
Although I do believe there is still a conversation to be had about why Discovery didn't just start with Michael as captain, I am enjoying her journey.
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7grandmel · 15 days
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Todays rip: 13/04/2024
Locked In The Underground
Season 4 Episode 2 Featured on: SiIvaGunner's Highest Quality Rips: Volume C
Ripped by Jamangar
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Whaaat? More Undertale?? Say it ain't so!!
Look, I lamented it a bit over on Logan Paul's Shop, and its something you can even see for yourself by viewing the Undertale tag on the blog archive. In terms of games to have been featured on the blog one way or another, Undertale/Deltarune are leagues ahead of the competition. And I am torn on this, still. Like on the one hand, I want the blog to cast a wide net of rips, to not just cover my personal favorites, but to cover as much of SiIvaGunner's history and growth. But on the other hand...Undertale IS a huge part of that history and growth, it has been since the very beginning, and as I discussed in Your Best Nightmario and Shiny Smily TALE the game's very DNA and themes is just a perfect fit for everything that SiIvaGunner stands for. Well, there's that - and there's how rippers like Jamangar just keep absolutely outdoing themselves with how much leverage they can get from this 9-year old game's soundscape. Its rips like Locked In The Underground that remind me of WHY Undertale rips are so prevalent on here.
If you've been reading for a while or just kept up with SiIvaGunner in general to the degree I have (or are from the team!! hi team!!), you may well recognize Jamangar's name. Much like ShonicTH with Trial of the Heart and many others on the channel, Jamangar has carved out her own very specific niche in terms of what she contributes with. That niche is the same one you'll hear in World Out There and Story of Undertale: There are few SiIvaGunner contributors who have as much expertise in ripping Undertale as Jamangar. Yet all of these three rips feel quite different from one another - Story of Undertale is a magnificent journey throughout just about the entire Undertale campaign with instruments changing along the way, wheras World Out There was an incredibly resonant mashup/melodyswap, a full-on shot of nostalgia on all the senses. Indeed, Locked In The Underground follows their footsteps in quality, yet is excellent in a subtly different way - its just a flat-out banger.
I don't know what it is about Bruno Mars' music that makes it work so incredibly well in mashups. Perhaps I have BotanicSage to thank, with Pokemon GSC Is What I Like and 16BIT Magic both permanently etched into my soul ever since I first heard them - but Locked In The Underground takes on the very same challenge, and in my eyes passes with absolutely flying colors. I mean, it only takes a few seconds for the rip to sell you - as soon as you hear Mars' "oh-yeah-yeahs" followed by Undertale SFX playing to the beat, you KNOW Jamangar's made far more than a mere mashup here. It helps, of course, that CORE is already one of the most stand-out songs in the game, much like Colress' battle theme was to Pokémon Black & White's soundtrack in Light! (Potentialseeker Colress) - its hard NOT to get excited seeing a CORE rip knowing just how distinct of a sound any take on the track will have, due to the pure quality of the track underneath.
So much is done to have Locked In The Underground truly fit together. The melodyswap is fantastic on its own, having CORE's lead instrument play in tune with Mars' vocals yet rising high in volume to the song's chorus, and CORE's synthetic backing paired with the drums of Locked Out Of Heaven create such a unique soundscape to boot. But beyond that, there are tons of little flourishes - small segments where CORE's original melody peeks through in the backing, Undertale sound effects sprinkled in to censor expletives or punctuate key moments of the song...like Semi-Charmed All Star, you get the impression that Jamangar GETS both of the songs used, that she's "studied" how Locked Out Of Heaven works in order to have the mashup work so perfectly.
Really - Locked In The Underground is the kind of rip that just feels like a shoe-in for the blog, as one of the most popular rips made during 2020. Funny enough, beyond the obvious combination of Locked Out Of Heaven and Undertale, you could even read the rip's title itself to be referencing the feeling all of us had during the pandemic - sort of reframing its pleas and shouts, in a way. But then Locked In The Underground also isn't the kind of rip where I'm desperate to know more about its possible lore and inner workings: I know Bruno Mars, I know Undertale, I know Jamangar, and she made one of the season's cleanest bangers by doing what she does best. That's awesome.
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youdontneedhenry · 6 days
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Random thought but I miss Patrick winking at Eliza (3x3) and generally being mischievous (all of season 2 and episode 3x6 with William.)
He’s way more professional with her in season 4, for obvious reasons. He’s still fun, and they have fun, but it’s different, which is a testament to how respectful Nash is, contrary to how he’s sometimes talked about by viewers who are simply not paying attention. Also, I don’t think it’s JUST that she’s his employee. I think he caught feelings and is trying to recalibrate how to act with her (less schoolyard teasing and even more sincerity).
In Season 4, Eliza softens and teases Nash more than he teases her (after she wins at the races, the end of the telephone episode). He lets her lead, really, in that regard, because he's not going to cross a line given the power dynamic in their relationship when she works at Nash & Sons.
So we've seen rivals (season 2 with the shift in 3x3) to friends and colleagues (3x6 and Season 4) and now LOVERS (Season 5) ????
I really wonder what Season 5 Nash will be like.
Edit: to add: the natural chemistry and attraction that’s been there didn’t lead to romance yet because they’ve had really clear boundaries: being rivals AND then being colleagues meant really clear lines they didn’t or couldn’t cross- even if they toed them sometimes. There were rules of engagement. Those boundaries will be gone session 5- so their friendship can flourish into something else.
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alexbkrieger13 · 10 days
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Women’s Champions League: where the semi-finals will be won and lost
This weekend brings the first legs of the Women’s Champions League semi-finals and I am particularly intrigued to see how my old club Chelsea approach their tie against Barcelona. This is the third encounter between the clubs in the space of four seasons and it will be interesting to see what Chelsea’s coaching staff have learned from those previous games – the 2021 final and 2023 semi-final, which both ended in defeat.
To draw on my recollections of playing in those matches, in 2021 we went into the final with a high press and the attitude that ‘we’re going to do our thing’. But we all know how that worked out – within 20 minutes we’d conceded three times and by half-time it was 4-0, which is how that final finished.
Last year, as a consequence, we took a more cautious approach. We changed to a back three and tried to minimise their chances on goal and I think we did it quite well though, in the process, we sacrificed our own attacking game to a degree. In our 1-0 first-leg loss at home, we had an xG of only 0.35. Hopefully, this time Chelsea can find the perfect blend and play their own game while also constricting Barcelona.
Of course, it won’t be easy as Barcelona – like the Spain national team – are going like a train right now. In my first column in February, I spoke about playing against Spain with Sweden and the challenge of stopping their play in the half-spaces between the centre-back and full-back, which they are so good at exploiting through Aitana Bonmatí. This time I’d like to single out another player – namely, the Barcelona right winger Caroline Graham Hansen, who is having an incredible season. She scored in both legs against Chelsea last season and has been even better this year with 17 goals and 16 assists in the Liga F. With Barcelona functioning so well as a team centrally, they can get the ball to her in the wide spaces and give her the one v one situations in which she flourishes. Therefore, Chelsea must keep a player tight to her and also to try to stop the supply line of passes out wide.
As for my old team, just like for last season’s semi-final, they look certain to be without Millie Bright, who has only just returned to training after her knee injury. She will be missed, as will Sam Kerr, the leader of the front line. Yet if you’re looking for positives, one potential upside is that it might not be easy for Barcelona to analyse Chelsea. They have used a lot of players this season with different combinations in the back line and midfield and this unpredictability could be an asset. A case in point is Lauren James, who could play as centre-forward, the No 10 or in the wide areas. Lauren has been injury-free this season and has played at a consistently high level and it’s not easy for opponents to set up to stop her as she can float around and perform in different areas.
Another possible positive for Chelsea is that Barcelona are without their injured centre-back Mapi León. She was very good against us last year, both in stopping attacks and building the play. We had a plan to exploit their high line and get Sam in behind her and Irene Paredes, the other centre-back. However, the pair of them read it well and dropped back to deny Sam the space.
When you look at Barcelona’s unbeaten run in their domestic competitions, it contrasts with Chelsea’s recent domestic form with their defeats in the League Cup final and FA Cup semi-final. I’d argue that, playing in England, Chelsea face bigger tests more often yet Barcelona, to their credit, never seem to let their standards drop and whenever a big test comes around, they show up. If I have to make a prediction, therefore, my head tells me Barcelona are the best club side in the world right now and so will edge it. Of course, my heart is hoping for Chelsea and although they’ve have had those recent setbacks, a huge characteristic of their success under Emma Hayes has been their ability to bounce back from disappointments and produce a performance when it matters most.
As for the other, all-French, semi-final between Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain, I would have made Lyon clear favourites a few months ago but not any longer. I actually scored Bayern’s winner at PSG in the group stage in November but I have been impressed by how they have gelled as a team since then. Watching their quarter-final against Häcken, I saw a settled, solid side who have found a way to really capitalise on the speed of winger Tabitha Chawinga.
Before our two games against them with Bayern, we looked at their threat on the left side with both Chawinga and full-back Sakina Karchaoui, who gets over a lot of crosses. What I like about Chawinga is that she’s a forward who, with her individual quality, speed and strength, can make something out of nothing. At Bayern we experienced that in our 2-2 draw with PSG in Munich in December when with her speed, she intercepted a backpass which our goalkeeper had looked the favourite to reach.
She also scored when PSG drew 1-1 in Lyon in their most recent league meeting in February and with Marie-Antoinette Katoto alongside her, it’s clear PSG have a strong attacking threat. At the same time, though, I consider Lyon a more complete team. It’s true they’ve not yet faced a serious test in the competition but they have more than 11 world-class players. And I can speak from recent personal experience as my Sweden team lost 1-0 last week to a France side including several of Lyon’s best players. At centre-back Wendie Renard was really solid against us and underlined her set-piece threat once again by scoring the winning goal. Alongside her, Griedge Mbock now looks back to her best after injury.
Up front, meanwhile, I faced Kadidiatou Diani, who is the Champions League’s leading scorer with seven goals. Seeing her up close, I could sense she was in good shape. When you play an attacker who’s in form, things just seem to happen for them and I recall one incident in particular where, without producing a fantastic dribble, she was still able to get the ball away from several of our players. She is another player who can create something out of nothing and could have a key role, especially with Eugénie Le Sommer missing after suffering a knee injury in that same game against Sweden.
Like Chelsea and Barcelona, Lyon are unbeaten in this Champions League campaign, they tend to get the better of PSG in their domestic competition and I expect they’ll do so again over these two legs. That said, I really do think any of these four semi-finalists have the quality to go on and win the trophy. Whereas the quarter-final ties each had a clear favourite, this time anything could happen. I hope as many people as possible tune in as we could be in for a treat with two dramatic ties full of twists and turns.
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