#got swamped by other bullshit

[swirlmup]

oh look another dumb oc comic because i can

#art #doodles #comics #ss #noelle #orla #cain #soul science #today i make a meta joke poking fun at myself #for some reason this sat as a wip for a longass time #got swamped by other bullshit #one less wip to tear my hair out over

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Big Tech disrupted disruption

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/08/permanent-overlords/#republicans-want-to-defund-the-police

Before "disruption" turned into a punchline, it was a genuinely exciting idea. Using technology, we could connect people to one another and allow them to collaborate, share, and cooperate to make great things happen.

It's easy (and valid) to dismiss the "disruption" of Uber, which "disrupted" taxis and transit by losing $31b worth of Saudi royal money in a bid to collapse the world's rival transportation system, while quietly promising its investors that it would someday have pricing power as a monopoly, and would attain profit through price-gouging and wage-theft.

Uber's disruption story was wreathed in bullshit: lies about the "independence" of its drivers, about the imminence of self-driving taxis, about the impact that replacing buses and subways with millions of circling, empty cars would have on traffic congestion. There were and are plenty of problems with traditional taxis and transit, but Uber magnified these problems, under cover of "disrupting" them away.

But there are other feats of high-tech disruption that were and are genuinely transformative – Wikipedia, GNU/Linux, RSS, and more. These disruptive technologies altered the balance of power between powerful institutions and the businesses, communities and individuals they dominated, in ways that have proven both beneficial and durable.

When we speak of commercial disruption today, we usually mean a tech company disrupting a non-tech company. Tinder disrupts singles bars. Netflix disrupts Blockbuster. Airbnb disrupts Marriott.

But the history of "disruption" features far more examples of tech companies disrupting other tech companies: DEC disrupts IBM. Netscape disrupts Microsoft. Google disrupts Yahoo. Nokia disrupts Kodak, sure – but then Apple disrupts Nokia. It's only natural that the businesses most vulnerable to digital disruption are other digital businesses.

And yet…disruption is nowhere to be seen when it comes to the tech sector itself. Five giant companies have been running the show for more than a decade. A couple of these companies (Apple, Microsoft) are Gen-Xers, having been born in the 70s, then there's a couple of Millennials (Amazon, Google), and that one Gen-Z kid (Facebook). Big Tech shows no sign of being disrupted, despite the continuous enshittification of their core products and services. How can this be? Has Big Tech disrupted disruption itself?

That's the contention of "Coopting Disruption," a new paper from two law profs: Mark Lemley (Stanford) and Matthew Wansley (Yeshiva U):

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4713845

The paper opens with a review of the literature on disruption. Big companies have some major advantages: they've got people and infrastructure they can leverage to bring new products to market more cheaply than startups. They've got existing relationships with suppliers, distributors and customers. People trust them.

Diversified, monopolistic companies are also able to capture "involuntary spillovers": when Google spends money on AI for image recognition, it can improve Google Photos, YouTube, Android, Search, Maps and many other products. A startup with just one product can't capitalize on these spillovers in the same way, so it doesn't have the same incentives to spend big on R&D.

Finally, big companies have access to cheap money. They get better credit terms from lenders, they can float bonds, they can tap the public markets, or just spend their own profits on R&D. They can also afford to take a long view, because they're not tied to VCs whose funds turn over every 5-10 years. Big companies get cheap money, play a long game, pay less to innovate and get more out of innovation.

But those advantages are swamped by the disadvantages of incumbency, all the various curses of bigness. Take Arrow's "replacement effect": new companies that compete with incumbents drive down the incumbents' prices and tempt their customers away. But an incumbent that buys a disruptive new company can just shut it down, and whittle down its ideas to "sustaining innovation" (small improvements to existing products), killing "disruptive innovation" (major changes that make the existing products obsolete).

Arrow's Replacement Effect also comes into play before a new product even exists. An incumbent that allows a rival to do R&D that would eventually disrupt its product is at risk; but if the incumbent buys this pre-product, R&D-heavy startup, it can turn the research to sustaining innovation and defund any disruptive innovation.

Arrow asks us to look at the innovation question from the point of view of the company as a whole. Clayton Christensen's "Innovator's Dilemma" looks at the motivations of individual decision-makers in large, successful companies. These individuals don't want to disrupt their own business, because that will render some part of their own company obsolete (perhaps their own division!). They also don't want to radically change their customers' businesses, because those customers would also face negative effects from disruption.

A startup, by contrast, has no existing successful divisions and no giant customers to safeguard. They have nothing to lose and everything to gain from disruption. Where a large company has no way for individual employees to initiate major changes in corporate strategy, a startup has fewer hops between employees and management. What's more, a startup that rewards an employee's good idea with a stock-grant ties that employee's future finances to the outcome of that idea – while a giant corporation's stock bonuses are only incidentally tied to the ideas of any individual worker.

Big companies are where good ideas go to die. If a big company passes on its employees' cool, disruptive ideas, that's the end of the story for that idea. But even if 100 VCs pass on a startup's cool idea and only one VC funds it, the startup still gets to pursue that idea. In startup land, a good idea gets lots of chances – in a big company, it only gets one.

Given how innately disruptable tech companies are, given how hard it is for big companies to innovate, and given how little innovation we've gotten from Big Tech, how is it that the tech giants haven't been disrupted?

The authors propose a four-step program for the would-be Tech Baron hoping to defend their turf from disruption.

First, gather information about startups that might develop disruptive technologies and steer them away from competing with you, by investing in them or partnering with them.

Second, cut off any would-be competitor's supply of resources they need to develop a disruptive product that challenges your own.

Third, convince the government to pass regulations that big, established companies can comply with but that are business-killing challenges for small competitors.

Finally, buy up any company that resists your steering, succeeds despite your resource war, and escapes the compliance moats of regulation that favors incumbents.

Then: kill those companies.

The authors proceed to show that all four tactics are in play today. Big Tech companies operate their own VC funds, which means they get a look at every promising company in the field, even if they don't want to invest in them. Big Tech companies are also awash in money and their "rival" VCs know it, and so financial VCs and Big Tech collude to fund potential disruptors and then sell them to Big Tech companies as "aqui-hires" that see the disruption neutralized.

On resources, the authors focus on data, and how companies like Facebook have explicit policies of only permitting companies they don't see as potential disruptors to access Facebook data. They reproduce internal Facebook strategy memos that divide potential platform users into "existing competitors, possible future competitors, [or] developers that we have alignment with on business models." These categories allow Facebook to decide which companies are capable of developing disruptive products and which ones aren't. For example, Amazon – which doesn't compete with Facebook – is allowed to access FB data to target shoppers. But Messageme, a startup, was cut off from Facebook as soon as management perceived them as a future rival. Ironically – but unsurprisingly – Facebook spins these policies as pro-privacy, not anti-competitive.

These data policies cast a long shadow. They don't just block existing companies from accessing the data they need to pursue disruptive offerings – they also "send a message" to would-be founders and investors, letting them know that if they try to disrupt a tech giant, they will have their market oxygen cut off before they can draw breath. The only way to build a product that challenges Facebook is as Facebook's partner, under Facebook's direction, with Facebook's veto.

Next, regulation. Starting in 2019, Facebook started publishing full-page newspaper ads calling for regulation. Someone ghost-wrote a Washington Post op-ed under Zuckerberg's byline, arguing the case for more tech regulation. Google, Apple, OpenAI other tech giants have all (selectively) lobbied in favor of many regulations. These rules covered a lot of ground, but they all share a characteristic: complying with them requires huge amounts of money – money that giant tech companies can spare, but potential disruptors lack.

Finally, there's predatory acquisitions. Mark Zuckerberg, working without the benefit of a ghost writer (or in-house counsel to review his statements for actionable intent) has repeatedly confessed to buying companies like Instagram to ensure that they never grow to be competitors. As he told one colleague, "I remember your internal post about how Instagram was our threat and not Google+. You were basically right. The thing about startups though is you can often acquire them.”

All the tech giants are acquisition factories. Every successful Google product, almost without exception, is a product they bought from someone else. By contrast, Google's own internal products typically crash and burn, from G+ to Reader to Google Videos. Apple, meanwhile, buys 90 companies per year – Tim Apple brings home a new company for his shareholders more often than you bring home a bag of groceries for your family. All the Big Tech companies' AI offerings are acquisitions, and Apple has bought more AI companies than any of them.

Big Tech claims to be innovating, but it's really just operationalizing. Any company that threatens to disrupt a tech giant is bought, its products stripped of any really innovative features, and the residue is added to existing products as a "sustaining innovation" – a dot-release feature that has all the innovative disruption of rounding the corners on a new mobile phone.

The authors present three case-studies of tech companies using this four-point strategy to forestall disruption in AI, VR and self-driving cars. I'm not excited about any of these three categories, but it's clear that the tech giants are worried about them, and the authors make a devastating case for these disruptions being disrupted by Big Tech.

What do to about it? If we like (some) disruption, and if Big Tech is enshittifying at speed without facing dethroning-by-disruption, how do we get the dynamism and innovation that gave us the best of tech?

The authors make four suggestions.

First, revive the authorities under existing antitrust law to ban executives from Big Tech companies from serving on the boards of startups. More broadly, kill interlocking boards altogether. Remember, these powers already exist in the lawbooks, so accomplishing this goal means a change in enforcement priorities, not a new act of Congress or rulemaking. What's more, interlocking boards between competing companies are illegal per se, meaning there's no expensive, difficult fact-finding needed to demonstrate that two companies are breaking the law by sharing directors.

Next: create a nondiscrimination policy that requires the largest tech companies that share data with some unaffiliated companies to offer data on the same terms to other companies, except when they are direct competitors. They argue that this rule will keep tech giants from choking off disruptive technologies that make them obsolete (rather than competing with them).

On the subject of regulation and compliance moats, they have less concrete advice. They counsel lawmakers to greet tech giants' demands to be regulated with suspicion, to proceed with caution when they do regulate, and to shape regulation so that it doesn't limit market entry, by keeping in mind the disproportionate burdens regulations put on established giants and small new companies. This is all good advice, but it's more a set of principles than any kind of specific practice, test or procedure.

Finally, they call for increased scrutiny of mergers, including mergers between very large companies and small startups. They argue that existing law (Sec 2 of the Sherman Act and Sec 7 of the Clayton Act) both empower enforcers to block these acquisitions. They admit that the case-law on this is poor, but that just means that enforcers need to start making new case-law.

I like all of these suggestions! We're certainly enjoying a more activist set of regulators, who are more interested in Big Tech, than we've seen in generations.

But they are grossly under-resourced even without giving them additional duties. As Matt Stoller points out, "the DOJ's Antitrust Division has fewer people enforcing anti-monopoly laws in a $24 trillion economy than the Smithsonian Museum has security guards."

https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/congressional-republicans-to-defund

What's more, Republicans are trying to slash their budgets even further. The American conservative movement has finally located a police force they're eager to defund: the corporate police who defend us all from predatory monopolies.

Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

#pluralistic #coopting disruption #law and political economy #law #economics #competition #big tech #tech #innovation #acquihires #predatory acquisitions #mergers and acquisitions #disruption #schumpeter #the curse of bigness #clay christensen #josef schumpeter #christensen #enshittiification #business #regulation #scholarship

[everythingne]

marketing ploy ln4 - ch 6

Austria goes to shit. Great Britain follows.

piastri!oc x lando norris, bestfriends brother/fake dating

warnings/notes: inappropriate comments, lando being overprotective, arguments/cursing, mildly severe car accidents (guys its an f1 fic what we were expecting. gotta do the cliche for my first fic), vague descriptions of injury, a few sexual comments, this is SO LONG. like 5k-6k words?

prev | next

-

01 JULY, AUSTRIA.

I woke up with a bad feeling in my chest and an odd headache. My lone hotel room, to give Oscar and Lily some space since she was finally able to tag along again this season, felt so enclosing. Slowly pulling myself out of bed, I groaned and immediately went to get ready when I noticed the time. Luckily, it was only qualifiers today, so I didn't have much to do other than hide in my office and make sure no one's car was going to explode.

But god, on my worst day, everything has to go wrong.

First, Max's tires never got warmed. Something was broken, and I had to do so much boring bullshit paperwork. Then, Checo's brakes got sticky and we had to have him DNF. Then for some reason, half the fucking sensors hadn't even recorded anything so I couldn't even tell why they had gotten sticky. But I did feel a bit better (not at all) knowing it had also happened to a few other drivers so it wasn’t just us.

So I was having the greatest time, sarcasm fully intended. And then I completely missed seeing Oscar and Lily for lunch because I was in an emergency meeting. And by the time I got out of Red Bull's garage, it was nearing five at night and I hadn't had anything to eat or anything to drink after one water bottle and my headache still had gotten worse because of it.

And then got immediately swamped by reporters.

Luckily, I saved some class and patience and was able to make it through fine but by the time I got to McLaren's garage, I was about ready to snap at someone.

"Ollie!"

Thank god.

"Oscar." I hum as he wraps an arm around my shoulder, and then he makes a face as he notices just how exhausted I am.

"You guys had it rough today." He says and I just nod, rubbing at my jaw and rolling my neck as he steps back, leans over, and hands me a packet of some sort of assorted chocolates.

"I love you so much." I sigh as I open the packet and he laughs, dragging me further into the garage where everyone else is settled and just relaxing. McLaren had a really good day, both Lando and Oscar in Q1 and I can see everyone laughing and celebrating. A completely different feel from the tense garage at Red Bull. Lily gives me a tight hug when she sees me and urges me to come sit with her so we can catch up, we end up in a bit further and in a corner so we can have a bit of privacy. All is fine, and Lily is very quickly improving my mood as we giggle and share stories (and I happily answer all her questions about Lando and me) before we're approached by a guy I don't recognize.

"You guys need water?" He asks innocently, and though it's not extremely hot in Austria, I take one from his hands. Lily denies it, showing off the water bottle she's still drinking, and the guy seemingly just blips out.

"Weird." I hum, cracking open the water bottle and taking a sip of the cool liquid, "Never seen him before. Maybe he's new?"

"Or a volunteer?" Lily suggests and I shrug in response, eventually, Oscar comes over and wraps an arm around Lily's waist and she grins, popping a kiss on his cheek. Finally, the two of them were actually looking like a couple in public. Which, is probably what happens when two introverts start dating. I swear they didn't hold hands for months.

"Lando's being interviewed if you wanna wait for him for the media shit." Oscar pokes my hand and I pretend to flick the water bottle at him. The two of us make faces for a few seconds before I nod, taking another sip of my water bottle.

"Yeah, he and I are going out to eat again tonight. Andrea's idea." I sigh, looking over my shoulder where I can see Lando sitting with some people with a microphone in hand. I notice though it's not Sky, but rather ESPN, and I hum before turning back to Oscar and Lily and wishing them on their way. I pull out my phone, answering a few texts before someone walks up beside me. And it's the same guy from earlier.

"Oh. Hi." I say softly as he smiles at me, looking a little flustered for a second before he starts talking.

"Just wanted to say hello, I'm one of the mid-season hires. I'm an engineering assistant, Jordan." He held out his hand and I grinned, shaking his hand firmly.

"Olivia Piastri, Oscar's younger sister. I'm Red Bull's head analyst." I let go of his hand and Jordan nods, he wrings his hands before he continues talking and I feel the confidence he's trying to exhume here.

"Ah, I've seen a bit about you. Kinda hard to miss such a pretty face." Jordan grins, running a hand through his hair and tilting his head with a tiny grin. 

Is he flirting with me? Is this guy daft?

"Well, thank you. But uhm--" I look around the garage, hoping to maybe signal another person in the garage to come over and get me out of this just terribly awkward situation. Lando's wrapping up his interview, handing back his microphone and laughing softly as he shakes hands with the reporters. 

"Seriously, you're by far one of the most gorgeous girls I've seen." Jordan steps a bit closer and leans on the wall beside me with his body covering my view of the majority of the garage, "are you free tonight? I'd like to get to know you better."

I step back, putting myself back into the view of the garage as I try to keep my patience and shake my head no. I'd never had this issue before, how exactly does one stop unwanted advances? I'd never had to, I was never alone when these sorts of things happened to me. 

So, I stammer, "Ah, I'm sorry, I have a boyfriend and.."

"Ay, is he here? Because I don't see anyone staking their claim on you." Jordan grins and I tighten my grip on the water bottle and click my tongue against my teeth. Okay, if he was gonna be like that I could be bitchy too. I glance back across the room one final time, making eye contact with Jon who gives me a sharp nod, but I don't see Lando anymore. Which... could be good or bad.

"He works for McLaren, and is a part of your team, so you might wanna... not... flirt with me?" I turn back to Jordan, make an uncomfortable grimace at him, and end up tightly crossing my arms over my uniform shirt, "So..."

"Yeah, who's your boyfriend then?" Jordan hums, looking over, "Jon?"

"Me," A hand slides across my waist, fingers digging into my skin harsh enough to likely leave bruises as I'm tugged back into Lando's chest. With one hand still firm on my waist, his other hand comes to my jaw so he can turn me to press a soft kiss to my lips before he leans back and whispers, "Hi, baby."

"Hi, Nori." I smile, turning back to Jordan who raises an eyebrow. And I can already tell this is going to be terrible because he hasn't exactly backed down. I see a reporter tilt their camera at us, and I grip Lando's wrist to tell him to back off. But Lando stays close, and my cheeks tint red as Jordan starts to speak.

"Got yourself a good-lookin' girl there, Lando." Jordan grins, winking at me and making my skin crawl. Lando's hands tighten on my waist, pulling me into him a bit more if that's even possible, and now I'm not even mad that he's doing this anymore. I wanted to be doing anything else than being here.

"Mhm. Olivia's my girl, don't you know? She's been my girlfriend for a while, so why dont'cha step back?" Lando smiles, but his threat is not hidden very well. 

"Ay, it's all good Lando, I don't like to share my meals."

"Oh-kay!" I shout but Lando takes over, stepping around me to point at Jordan and get in his face. I see half the McLaren garage turn, and someone shouts to send the media out of the garage as the cameras scramble to try and take photos and videos of the altercation.

"If you know what's good for you--" Lando grits, eyes narrowing as Jordan smirks in his face. His confidence was a far cry from the scrawny guy who had walked up to me prior, Lando continues through his teeth, "You won't say anything like that again or I'll make sure you can't speak anymore."

"Sorry, man. Didn't realize this would piss you off so much," Jordan takes a step back, his smile making it known his apology was fake, and my tight grip on Lando's wrist makes it so he won't follow.

"Bye, Jordan," I say, voice soft but level. A sort of period to the end of whatever conversation Lando and Jordan had silently through their eyes before Jordan backed off and slipped into the crowd of McLaren officers off to the side. I keep my iron grip on Lando's wrist and he slowly turns around to look at me. At this point, my exhaustion and anger from the whole day is bubbling just under my skin. Unlike my twin, I was never good at completely holding myself back when I got like this.

"Lando." My tone comes out much colder than I'm expecting, and I grab his wrist again and forcefully tug him to my side as I hiss, "What the fuck was that?!"

"Did you hear what he said?"

"Yes! But was that worth threatening him?"

"What did you want me to do?" He said and when I peeked over his shoulder and saw everyone watching, I grabbed Lando by the collar and pulled him into Andrea's vacant office, slamming the door shut and pointing at him.

"I had it handled, okay?" I snap, "He was just being a jackass, you didn't have to threaten to make him unable to speak--Lando! Who the fuck says that?!"

"Did you have it handled? That was you having it handled?" Lando asks, incredulously, sitting on the edge of Andrea's desk as I stay at the door, using my heel to keep it closed just in case someone tried to push it open at any point since I knew the door didn't lock.

"You don't need to protect me like that, Lando, it's not your job!"

"It's not, I'm your boyfriend--" And the rest of what Lando says fizzles out in my head. Boyfriend. Boyfriend. The word that had been taunting me for weeks. Lando Norris, my boyfriend for the media. The boy who could never be mine. And something in my chest breaks, I can feel the tether finally snap, and I shout.

"No, you are not!" My volume surprises me, and I know McLaren can probably hear us immediately after saying it, so I drop my voice down to a hard snapping tone, "You aren't my boyfriend, Lando. You aren't! You can't be, no matter how much I love you, or you love me, or if we fall in love after all of this is over--you are not my boyfriend and you will never be because we can't be in love, Lando!"

"We can't? Who said that?!" He snaps back, "Do you think I've been doing all of this for media? For a fucking paycheck? God, no Ollie. I fell in love with you the first time Oscar brought you around! Do you think I agreed with this for a check? No, I agreed to that stupid contract because it's you! If it was anyone else I would've just walked the fuck out of that office, it's you I want, only you, only you, Olivia."

"But you know you can't have me, so why string me along like this? We can't be together, no matter what we want, we're gonna have to break up at some point! So why should we even try?" 

"Who cares what they say? Zak, Andrea, Christian? You're gonna let them run your life?" Lando steps closer to me, taking my jaw into his gentle hold, voice so soft I feel my heart drum against my lungs, "We do what they say, sure, but once we've completed that contractual obligation... can they tell us we can't ever be this again? Be... us, again?"

"I can't do this Lando," I whisper, bringing my hands to my chest and he steps back. The space between us suddenly felt so vast, and something in me clicked and I knew something irreversible was going to be said. That maybe I had started the downfall here, and Lando's hurt expression tells me I have.

He can only whisper, "Why?"

"I just..." I stammer, making a vague gesture to the room. There's no way for me to express the thousands of thoughts that race through my head, a constant loop of some F1 circuit of emotional mess slamming into every reasonable thought and fizzling out reason.

"Because you're scared of being loved? You're scared of what will happen if you fall in love?" Lando accuses and I can't answer those questions, because I am. I'm so scared. But not because of Lando. Because of media. So I shout the next best option.

"I never wanted the attention! I didn't become a driver because I can't handle the media like you all can! And yet I end up here, and--" I go to keep talking and Lando holds up a hand, shouting over me,

"Okay, then back out! You clearly want nothing to do with me, or this, or everything that's happening, so go tell Christian you're done!"

Silence. I swallow thickly because no. I don't want to be done. I want to fight tooth and nail for everything in this relationship, but also, was this what was best? Should I back out now, before everything we've done catches up to us? A hubris that needs to be checked? I knew from the beginning I was going to burn, but not like this. Never did I think it would be like this. 

"Olivia..." Lando whispers, and I feel something roll down my cheeks. I'm crying I realize. The world is blurry, my throat is dry, and I'm crying over a relationship I can now see we both want but... at least to me, we can never have.

Do I ask Christian..?

"No, Lando." I sigh, doting under my teary eyes, "This is why. This is why. We will end up here one day, and I can't do that. I... I'll talk to you later."

"Ollie, wait!"

I turn, leaving the office in a hurry. I shove through the McLaren workers who try to stop me and once I'm in the clear, I run. The Red Bull paddock isn't far and once I get there I can't breathe, shoving through people who now wear the same uniform as me. My office doesn't even feel safe, the flowers on my desk mocking me, and I grab them and in a fit of rage, I throw them across the room. It doesn't make the pain in my chest leave.

“Olivia!” Someone shouts and I turn, Christian just barely in the doorway. I shout, without thinking, without even pausing.

“I’m backing out! I’m done with that media stunt—!” And a hiccup breaks my sentence, “Get me out of it!”

“I—“

“—Now, Christian!”

The garage is silent after my scream, and poor Christian looks horrified as he nods, and shuts the door to my office. I let a shaky breath out as I realize what I’ve done is irreversible, but there’s so much pain in my whole heart I can’t tell if that’s what’s hurting me. I sink to my knees on the floor, a hand on my chest, a hand on the carpet, and I sob.

I don’t even know why I’m crying.

An arm is around my shoulder, a set of hands resting on my elbows as someone whispers to me. I don't even know who the people are when I look up, and the sight of both Max and Checo kneeling in front of me makes the tears double. At some point, Checo leaves, once I've calmed enough for Max to convince me to lay down with his jacket covering my legs as I hiccupped and slowed down my breathing with Max's hand applying solid pressure to my chest.

Charles and Daniel come back with Checo, who then leaves the room entirely, and I end up with my weird little mixed driver support group on the floor in my office.

Something so odd, something that should not be happening in any way, but yet here we are.

Somehow, one relationship shattering had made the other relationships in my life more clear. Relationships that had started casually and professionally, and ended up with me now having twenty or so brothers at this point. 

Brothers.

Just like Oscar.

-

Max drops me at Oscar's hotel room a few hours later when he returns from his date with Lily. She ends up going off on her own, with a few of the other WAGs, to give Oscar and me privacy. I settle on the couch, sipping a water bottle as Oscar looks out the window. I hadn't told anyone else what Lando and I had argued about, Max had kinda picked up on it as had Charles, but they had given me a berth. A space to explain. When I didn't take the invitation, they didn't try and pull me in to say anything. Which I appreciated beyond words.

"What happened?" Comes the soft voice of my twin. I knew Oscar wouldn't have been like them though. 

“I backed out,” I say, rubbing a hand along the fabric beneath me.

"What?" Oscar turns to face me, "You backed out?"

"Of the shit with Lando, I can't do it anymore. I can't have my emotions being toyed with like this anymore. And we both like each other but one day they're gonna come along and tell us we need to break up and we have to listen to them." I find a stray string in the couch stitching and begin picking it. My nails dig into them, making a slightly bigger hole. It feels like the way I'd ripped a hole into my own heart earlier.

"I had a feeling this was gonna happen." Oscar walks across the room to sit on the arm of the couch, looking over at me, "what happened?"

"I just had a shit day, and... and when this guy at McLaren started flirting excessively with me he got super overprotective and threatened the guy. Which... isn't the worst but he could've handled it better." I wave my hands, "But I had such a shit day I just blew up at him over it, and we fought, and he told me to back out if I couldn't handle it... and when I got back to Red Bull I just did it. I didn't even think and now I think I made a huge fuckin' mistake but I can't go back on it now."

"Could you talk to Christian? Ask him to wait?" Oscar hums, his hand coming up to card through my hair again and I melt into his touch as per usual.

"I dunno." I murmured, closing my eyes, "I just wanna sleep the rest of the day off."

"We can talk about it tomorrow after the race, okay?" He says, looking down at me before turning to look at his phone as it buzzes on the table. I look up at him and see his jaw tense, hand pausing on my head as he makes a face.

"Oh, Christ." He whispers, turning his phone to me. I climb up to sit next to him, eyes widening as I look over the post he shares and my stomach falls to my chest.

"This is not what Christian told me would happen," I whisper, Oscar's hand squeezing my upper arm in some sort of semblance of support. Of course, getting out of this mess with Lando wouldn't be easy.

Now I needed to talk to Christian. As soon as possible.

01 JULY, TWITTER ↴

written by Julia Sine, 01 July, 2024.

Cars aren't the only thing racing down the track in Austria this weekend, so are some hearts! In an exclusive interview after the qualifier today, multiple McLaren and Red Bull workers spoke with reporter Julia Sine about what might become the next 'it couple' after Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift.

"Lando and I first spoke about it in Bahrain. He said the two of them have been close since Oscar's rookie season last year and he was worried Olivia's job would be at stake if their relationship ever leaked to the public," Steve Atkins, McLaren's Head of Communications explained while standing in the paddock with Chief Executive Officer Zak Brown and Team Principal Andrea Stella, "I went and spoke with Christian Horner, the Team Principal of [Oracle Red Bull Racing] and we agreed that since they were on separate teams, and Olivia was an analyst and not an engineer, there was no conflict of interest. Olivia did sign an NDA, just to make sure she wasn't leaking race information to Lando but it was never brought to our attention if Olivia and Lando ended up dating."

"If the two of them are dating, which again I've had nothing clarified to me if they are or aren't, I'd imagine they've been keeping it private due to concerns with the media and fans." 

"Olivia and Lando have a very unique connection, and we here at McLaren are all supportive of relations between teams. All our drivers are friends at the end of the day and we support [Lando and Oscar] being friends with any of the drivers outside of racing. However, I will say we have seen some tensions growing between our drivers and Red Bull." Andrea spoke with me and Zak right before leaving for a meeting, Zak agreed with Andrea, and he further stated, "A lot of the tension we've been seeing with Max and Lando on the track stems from this, in my opinion."

When I made my way to Red Bull to ask some more questions about the situation, I was only able to briefly speak with Alice McLoughlin, Red Bull's Head of Communications who said, "The relationships our staff members get into is not any of our business as long as it's not a conflict of interest or damaging to the staff member themselves. I have not been told if there is for certain a relationship, but if there is I wish both of them well but we will be waiting for their announcement before we decide anything.

read more online at popsugar.uk!

--

04 JULY, 2024 - MILTON KEYNES, UK.

My phone ringing breaks the three hour silence I've subjected myself to after my meeting with Christian and Ada. The meeting where I had said me wanting to back out of the contract was emotionally charged and said I no longer wanted to. Luckily, they hadn't started the process of backing me out of the contract yet, so it was pretty easy for me to stay.

Reaching over, I grab my phone and read the contact, pausing before lifting it to my ear, "Lando..?"

"Ollie, hey... uhm, how are you?" He sounds uncertain, almost like he wasn't sure if I was going to pick up. I can't blame him for thinking that, since our last conversation was that big fight.

"Tired." I admit, but don't say it's because I've lost sleep thinking I was going to lose him, "I'm working late again tonight."

"Oh, sorry... do you want me to call you later?" I hear what sounds like a gear shifting, and I briefly wonder if he's on his sim.

"No, I'm just uploading files. And your voice is honestly more welcome than the silence of a nearly empty Red Bull garage... why'd you call?" I turn to look out the windows at the slowly setting sun, watching as the world is beginning to be coated gold.

"I wanted to apologize for the whole thing with Jordan, I shouldn't have threatened him like that." Lando's words come out rushed and squishy, like he's holding out his heart and expecting me to step on it.

I like to imagine gently covering his heart, protecting it, as I speak softly, "No, no you're fine. I was having a shitty day and I took it out on you. I really should be the one apologizing, you didn't do anything wrong. You were protecting me. Thank you for that."

"Yeah, it's fine. I'd do it a thousand times." He says, then theres a long pause. It's not akward, if anything it allows me to feel the emotions roll through me-- embarrassment at my past behavior, nervousness for his call, and a sick sort of love building in my gut that I, for once, did not push away.

Finally, Lando whispers, "did you back out?"

"I was going to, but... I talked to Christian this morning when I was a bit more level headed and we agreed I'm gonna stay." I say, and I hear him sigh with relief. A small smile bubbles across my lips, letting the giddy feeling fill my body as I tap my toes along the floor and spin my chair.

"Can you come outside?" Lando's question catches me off guard.

"What?"

"Look out your window." He says, and I scramble up from my desk and walk to the big glass panes that cover my office, looking down into the mostly vacant parking lot and there he is.

"You are something else." I whisper, then look back at my computer. I could finish the work tomorrow, "I'll be down in ten."

I scramble to save my work, kicking off my work shoes for the actual nice YSL heels I'd worn in. Once they're secure on my feet, I touch up my makeup and spritz myself with perfume. The whole time I'm giggling to myself, smiling as I pack up my desk and then throw my belongings into my purse and find myself half running to the elevator. I hurry to text Oscar that I'll be back a bit later than expected as the floors ping, and when I hit the ground floor, I throw my phone in my bag without a care, clock out and scan out, and open the door to the cool night breeze rippling across my blushing, hot skin.

God, it was so good to let myself feel this raw emotions again.

Lando pushes himself off his car, hands still in his pockets, and I bee line to him. Luckily, he kinda gets the hint of what I'm asking, and his hands come to rest on my waist when I reach him.

I pause to put my purse on the hood of his car, and then grab his collar and pull his lips to mine.

He laughs into the kiss, our teeth briefly smashing before I right us and press in deep. His arms wrap around my waist and he tugs me closer, one hand sliding up the side of the dress shirt I wear before tangling its fingers in the hair at the base of my neck. When we pull back, briefly, I giggle as he peppers kisses to my hairline before pulling me back in.

"Fuck, I missed you." He whispers against my lips and I step back, just enough to see him--and he looks exhausted. My hands come to his face and he melts into my touch, almost like he's craving it.

"I missed you too." I murmur back, watching the way he holds his eyes shut. I can see the layers of stress physically peeling away from him and being swept away by the hand I raise to run through his curls and the other hand I slide down to apply that comforting firm pressure to the chest--right under his collarbones, and then his head falls to the crook of my neck. One innocent little peck placed on my collarbone that has me shiver.

We stand like that for a while. Two silent beings in the windy, cold, English night, and eventually I convince Lando to sit in his car when my thinly covered legs start to get cold. We end up just... driving. A silence enveloping us as I rest my head on his shoulder and he keeps that damn hand on my thigh. It's gonna be the death of me. He is going to be the death of me.

But, loving Lando Norris is a death I would welcome with open arms.

04 JULY -- INSTAGRAM ↴

OLIVIAPIASTRI MADE A NEW POST!

liked by oscarpiastri, landonorris, maxverstappen, and 145k others...

oliviapiastri: my pretty boy <3

landonorris: this mystery guy needs a haircut hes stealing my look >:(

⤷ oliviapiastri: you'll get over it

maxverstappen: i want u to know kelly shouted 'THANK GOD' when i showed her this post

oscarpiastri: OH SO THIS IS WHY YOU MISSED OUR FUCKING MOVIE NIGHT??

⤷ oscarpiastri: ANSWER ME HELLO?

⤷ oliviapiastri: BRO HOLD ON I AM DOING SOMEONE

⤷ opheliapiastri: OLIVIA????

⤷ oscarpiastri: HOLD THEFUCKON??? OLIVIA LOUISE RAY PIASTRI.

⤷ oaklynnpiastri: moment of silence for our mystery guy. oscar is approaching his location at rapid speeds.

⤷ landonorris: rip

⤷ oscarpiastri: shut.

⤷ oliviapiastri: @ oscarpiastri I MEANT SOMETYHIN. I MEANT TOT TYPE SOMETHING. DO NOT SHOW UP TO HIS HOUSE.

christianhorner: geri said 'good that little fucker didn't break her heart' and slammed the steak knife back into the knife holder.

⤷ oliviapiastri: OH MY GOD?? THANK U MOM?? @ gerihalliwell

⤷ gerihalliwell: of course :)! girls stick together!

09 JULY -- GREAT BRITAIN.

"Max, make sure you're giving space here. These turns can get tricky." I hear someone say in the radios, my hands fidgeting with my keychains as I watch the race on the screens, and then glance over to the sensors. All was running well, back tires a bit hot, but nothing we were concerned about.

"Ollie, tell your brothers best friend to get out of the way." Max frustratedly huffs and I laugh, leaning forward to speak into the comms.

"Logan is in P9, actually, not P1." I chime, luckily getting a soft chuckle from Max. We'd been doing exceptionally well this season as per usual, even if I had sort of stopped paying attention a bit. I did note the tensions between him and Lando were really high during this race. The two had been neck and neck since the beginning, and everytime they got a one-up on the other it just made them push harder. They had a pretty good gap between them and the rest of the racers, with Oscar holding his own in P3. It seemed like another weekend with those three on top, but at least watching this race was interesting.

The breaking sensors start flashing, indicating they're running too hot, so I chime, "Max, ease up on breaking. We might want to look into getting your tires swapped for mediums soon."

Max doesn't respond, but he does ease up on the breaking. Which makes me feel a bit better.

"Lando's coming in hot to the pit." Someone says, and I glance up over the computers and my eyebrows knit. He's driving weird. Like... almost as if he doesn't have control of steering. I see the safety car prepare for a possible departure and I stand, looking down at Max's sensors, and then someone shouting brings my attention back up.

"He can't stop!"

There was a moment where it felt like everything froze. My hands couldn’t find my mouth fast enough to hide my shock. Lando’s car slams probably two hundred kilometers into the barrier that leads into the pit lane and skids along the wall all the way inside the lane until it spins and slams into another one of the barriers. Red Bulls paddock is first in the pit this round, and I can see the smoke beginning to billow around Lando's car immediately once the car fully stops. People are shouting, McLaren engineers sort of straggling by the exit to the track as a yellow is waved, waiting for a command. I see Jon amongst them, shouting into his headset, and I hate the silence lets me hear his voice strain as he hollers,

"Lando! Lando, are you alright?"

I can't hear a response from the McLaren driver even if I strain my ears.

“Lando—come on.” I find myself saying, hearing Max and Checo on the radio asking for clarification of what happened, but also hearing someone say it was clear for people to go and get Lando out of a burning car. My headphones are yanked off my head and Christian’s hand firmly pushes me forward.

“Go.” Is all he has to say.

I’m running faster than I can carry myself, stumbling over numb legs as I sprint to the car. My hands scrape the concrete as I nearly fall, but I save myself the embarrassment of wiping out with a quick stumble and keep running. I can hear more people behind me as I climb up, holding onto the halo to stabilize myself.

“Lando!” I shout as I grab Lando’s helmet and slowly slide his head back as I start to detach him from his seat belts. Jon is there immediately, helping my shaky hands undo the devices. I keep looking at Lando's visor, trying to catch his eyes, but there’s no time to waste as I smell and hear the various engineers who'd run out trying to extinguish the car. I get one side of the belt off, starting to detach the hands device from the helmet by Jon's command when two hands grab my wrist.

Snapping my gaze up, I meet Lando’s eyes from where I’m sitting, one leg wrapped around the halo so I don’t fall, one hand on his neck as I hold the clasp to the hands device, the other on the back of the car as his eyes meet mine.

I’ve never seen Lando look so…terrified. His bright eyes are staring me down, pupils small and shaking as his grip tightens on me. I know my own eyes can’t look much different.

“Ollie?” He whispers and I shush him, detaching him from the car fully as I grab him by the shoulders.

“I got you, Nori. Jon and I got you.” I say softly, looking up to where other drivers are stopped on the track—standing up in their cars to get a better view, “get up so everyone knows you’re okay.”

Lando’s hands grab my shoulders, my hands sliding to his ribs as I slowly help him to his feet with Jon on standby. Medical and McLaren officials swarm around us, hands out and ready to help as I slowly unlatch my leg and slide off the side of the car. Lando’s weight on me is nearly crushing, but once we get him out he collapses even further into my arms in a cry of agony. Two hands find my back, medics reaching to grab Lando and I almost fight them in retaliation.

“Ollie!” someone shouts and I turn to see Jon running along to the medics side. I feel stuck, trying to swallow something that makes my eyes burn. Lando’s still got a vice grip on my wrist and when the medics try to separate us—it only tightens.

“Mr. Norris—“ The woman tries.

“Lando.” I finally find the courage to move forward, they’ve got him on a gurney now, trying to lay him back but he keeps fighting them. I can’t begin to understand why, “you’re okay. Let them take care of you.”

They tilt his visor up, and I gently lay him back, Jon reciting medical information over my head as they begin to assess his damage, still pulling us further away from the car which I note is now long extinguished. They stop us at McLaren's paddocks, Jon dipping inside to grab Lando's things as we wait for an ambulance to meet us here.

“Olivia.” I hear Lando’s muffled voice and I feel tears fill my eyes as I lean down, pressing my forehead to where his visor now lays and let out a shuttering sigh that makes my body ache just as much as my heart.

“You’ll be okay, Lando. But you have to let them help you.” I speak in a strained voice, feeling one of his hands come to wrap around my waist. I find his other hand and squeeze it, before that hand comes to rest under his helmet, “I’ll be there as soon as possible.”

“I don’t wanna go without you.” he whispers, my heart shattering into a thousand pieces at his soft plea for me to stay. But I know its useless.

"I'm so sorry, baby." The words feel forced out of my mouth with how much effort it takes it whisper them, "You gotta go. And I have to stay."

"Ollie, please..." He whispers, and I press a kiss to the spot on his helmet where his lips would be, then take his gloved hand on my waist and lift it to my lips and kiss his hidden knuckles. The barrier feels unfair, but I'm doing what I can.

"As soon as I can be, I will be by your side." I say as Jon reappears, the ambulance coming up screaming besides us.

"You promise?" Lando says under the sirens and the shouting and I nod.

"I swear on my life."

That's what ends up being enough, because Lando finally lets go of me after one more final kiss to the 'mouth' of his helmet. The medics and EMTs swarm us, carefully moving Lando who groans and gasps in pain. I can't imagine what injuries he might have as they slowly and carefully load him into the back of the ambulance. Jon speaks with Lando all the while, and right before the doors slam he turns to me and shouts,

"I've got him, Olivia!"

And all I can do is nod, blinking back tears as the doors shut. The second they're pulling away I find myself crying, full body shaking that wrecks me, and I manage to be pulled into the sanctuary of the Red Bull garage by Kylie and a few other employees before it can really be taken advantage of for media points.

But I know I'll keep on my promise. Especially when Christian tells me to just do one thing.

"Go."

taglist (thank you!)

@harrysdimple05 @charli123456789 @fangirl125reader @dark-night-sky-99 @starmanv @ophcelia @buendiabebeta

#f1 fanfic #formula 1 #ln4 fic #lando norris x oc #lando norris fic #f1 smau #ln4 smau #ln4 fanfic #lando norris smau #lando norris au #lando norris fanfic

[nathabat]

Can you write about how Syzoth and the reader meet and eventually fall in love? Thank you!

oh my god YES ofc anon, this fills my brain w so many thoughts™,,,

✰ content: ## SFW , fluff with light angst (mention of Syzoth's previous family, his loss, Shang Tsung's bullshit no offense baby girl) , probably barely proofread. I speak more casually here because it's a lot of personal hcs LOL. GN!reader, you/your pronouns used.

Syzoth's romance would be THE definition of a slow burn. Meeting him with Cage and the others doesn't really speed that up, but he certainly learns to really appreciate you as a fixture of the group when you help him mourn and wrap his head around his loss. It's really abrupt, so he needs to take his time coping with the knowledge before he even thinks about taking someone else romantically. So he'd value someone with patience and boatloads of empathy. Even if you were a bit awkward when comforting him, he'd manage to find a bit of charm in your ramblings in attempt to soothe his troubled mind.

Of course it's not like you seek him out right off the bat either, so it's a lot of mutual pining as well when yours and his feelings come to light. Syzoth would feel a little guilty, like he's betraying the memory of his lost loved ones by seeking out a human of all things. I like to think Cage plays wingman- and his version of that is forcing as much proximity as possible. Like orchestrating plans just to ditch you two so you're alone for HOURS, and when he comes back he coughs really loudly to announce his presence.

"What? I didn't know what you two love birds would be getting up to while i was gone! Just had to make sure I wasn't walking in on anything scandalous-" (please hit him for me)

Jokes aside, he does really well at teaching Syzoth about "human courtship" and dating culture, and to boost the poor guys confidence. You're like a beacon of pure light and joy to Syzoth, you picked him up when he was down, how could he ever be worthy of you? How could he even repay your kindness at all???

Syzoth does his best at dropping hints after he realizes you've been oblivious to his courting and attempts at wooing you. Turns out, offering you a piece of his roasted swamp creature snack isn't the sweetest gesture- cut him some slack, he's still learning. He'll lay compliments on HEAVY, and he's surprisingly keen to most details of you as a person, but also generally of your appearance. Like if you trimmed an inch off your hair, he compliments how much shinier your hair is after the loss of your split ends. Ignoring the fact that it sounds slightly backhanded

New shirt? He wants to know why you got it. He thinks that certain colour brings out the hues of your eyes! (he thinks that with everything you wear. I think he's just in love with your eyes) New tattoo or piercing? He really wants to take a good long look at it, hear your thoughts and what drove you to such artistic choices, and gushes about how much he adores your self expression.

"It is a beautiful thing, how open you are I mean.. It's like you bare a piece of yourself to the world. I really like it."

He is always so incredibly sincere, flustering the second you also get embarrassed by his words. He isn't a poet, you just make him feel profound and beautiful things.

The first time he properly asks you out, he's nothing short of a nervous wreck. With his clammy hands and shifty eyes, quietly asking if you'd like to accompany him to an Outworld festival. The second he hears a yes from your lips, he's brightening like a star and thanking you. he's not sure why, but he just feels so grateful and lucky for such an opportunity!

Th evening is nothing short of perfect, Syzoth glued to your side like a protective force, his tension easing only when you grasp his hand and point excitedly at some merchant stand that's boasting the cutest trinkets ever. He's smiling wide under his mask as you tug him forward, squeezing your hand gently as his thumb rubs over your knuckles. His heart is melting in his chest when you make him try on a hair pin. His hair is much too short to hold it, and it almost clatters to the ground if you two didn't fumble to catch it- it's a pretty ornament, but he ends up getting you a gorgeous hand crafted necklace.

A beautiful white jade circular pendant held to the chain by a silver frame of koi fish. He thinks it's stunning, even more so as you bite your cheek to contain your excited ramblings as the cold metal grazes the skin of your neck, followed by the warmth of his careful hands as he fastens it in place <3

Maybe you don't kiss on the first date and that's more than okay, because the mere second you had kissed him for the first time, you swore he turned bright red and looked rather faint... It's probably best to ease him into such affectionate gestures.

☄. *. ⋆

#🫧. sfw #mk1 #mk1 2023 #mortal kombat #mortal kombat x reader #mortal kombat 1 #syzoth #mk reptile #syzoth mk #syzoth mk 1 #syzoth x reader #reptile x reader #mk x reader

[peachyjinx]

On The Edge- Ch 2: Stormy Weather

Word count: 4.4k

Summary: You ask for advice on your situation. Loki insists on flirting with you, and you're no closer to finding your orgasm (this chapter is all plot).

Warnings: Just mentions of masturbation and sex

After a few more moments of sitting in silence with Loki, you decided you were going to go for it. Either tell him how you feel or just kiss him. What’s the worst that could happen- Loki would say no? He’s right here, his hand on your knee, and he just came on to you, so of course he wouldn’t say no!

Just as you worked up your courage, you and Loki’s phones went off with a notification. You groaned and pulled out your phone begrudgingly, knowing it’s probably a mission.

Meet at the Tower at 0900.

Great, today was just starting off so well. It’s as if your bosses are deliberately cockblocking you. 

“Well, should we go then?,” Loki stood, holding out his hand for you to take it as you got up. 

“I was really enjoying the peace, this is bullshit,” you muttered under your breath as you walked alongside Loki towards the tower.

“Ah, such is the life of a superhero, Darling,” Loki smirked, and you tried not to melt at the pet name he called you. 

~~~~~~

Day 14

You audibly moaned as the hot water hit your back in your own shower, comforting you. The mission had taken you to Winnipeg of all places, where it was still mostly frozen over. It had been a tough infiltration of a Hydra compound to retrieve the Talisman of Power from them, but the team was successful. While you and Cap provided the brawn (both being super soldiers), Loki and Wanda provided the magic. Despite your strong team, this was still a tougher battle than any others you had been in. Of course Loki saved the day, his magic was stronger than any magic that the henchmen had used against your team.

You could feel the tension in your muscles softening, and you thought of Loki- who was now constantly on your mind. The day in the park was both pure bliss and pure torture. All you wanted was to crawl into his lap, grind on him and possibly fuck him on the very public park bench. Yet he didn’t make a move- he just sat there and tried to chat with you as though everything were completely platonic. 

But you noticed in Winnipeg how he looked concerned when you were thrown against that wall. And that you were the only teammate he checked in on on the flight back in the Quinjet. Why did it seem like he wanted you but wasn’t making a move?  

You felt your hand wander down in between your thighs, feeling yourself get moist thinking about him again. 

~~~~~~ 

Unsuccessful again. This is ridiculous. 

You thought you could ignore the issue of the missing orgasm, but that didn’t last long- you had to talk to someone. You’ve masturbated a dozen times and nothing. Your impatience with your body was wearing thin, and you needed to talk to someone. 

You’d texted your friends back home for advice, but they were swamped with work, or kids, or just haven’t had a moment for a quick call. You decided it’s time to talk to a coworker about it. That’s totally normal, right? 

You’d sat on your couch, feeling anxious as you texted Wanda. She had always been kind, and your bond over the last year had grown increasingly stronger, especially recently.

Hey, want to grab a bite to eat? I’ve got something going on that I could really use your advice on.

Sure, meet you downstairs at noon?

Relief flooded you that you could actually talk to someone about this. You smiled and headed to your bathroom to get ready. 

~~~~~~

You tentatively looked at Wanda as her eyes widened watching the large BLTs being set down in front of the two of you. Your friendship was still new, but now was the time to take it to the next level. 

“Ok this is super awkward, I have to talk to you about something,” you looked into her large green eyes, concern showing there now at your words. 

“Of course, you can talk to me about anything,” she encouraged, setting down her sandwich and reaching her hand across the table to gently squeeze yours.  

Your eyes focused on the diner window next to you, embarrassed to have to say this out loud to Wanda, sitting across the booth from you. 

“Ok, here goes. So…I haven’t been able to orgasm in like two weeks. And, like, that’s not normal for me. At all. And I’m kinda freaked out and just needed to talk to someone about it,” your eyes flicked back to hers. Her face showed no judgment, only worry.

“I am so sorry, that sounds rough-,” her eyebrows tilted towards each other. 

“It’s like I’m blocked up,” you interrupted her, the past couple week’s frustration boiling over. 

“I’ve tried everything, and different things, and just nothing. And there’s this guy…,” you stop yourself before divulging your crush. But what does it matter at this point? You’ve already told her an incredibly intimate detail of your personal life. 

You pick up your sandwich, taking a huge bite to stop yourself from going on about how much you want to fuck Loki. 

Wanda cocked her head to the side, studying you for a moment, a small smile on her lips. 

“Well, first of all, I would not be too concerned. Stranger things have happened to all of us, right?,” she joked, making you smile a little. 

“...and who is this guy you mentioned, is he on the team?”, she inquired gently as she looked at you with thoughtful eyes. 

You chewed slowly, wondering if you should tell her about your full blown obsession. This felt like high school again, when you whispered who you “like liked” to your girlfriends at the lunch table. You swallowed and took a deep breath. 

Fuck it. 

“Okay, but please do not tell ANYONE. I swear, if it gets out, I’m coming for you,” you faux threatened her, pointing at her with your fork. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t even tell Vis. But I may be able to help you if you give me the full story!”, she cheerfully encouraged you. 

“It’s Loki…,” you paused for a moment after saying his name. You rarely said it outside of missions or the Tower, and it carried a heavier weight now. 

“Wanda…I’ve got it bad,” you looked at her hopelessly, trying to gauge her reaction.

A large smile spread across her face as she nodded knowingly as she started to eat her lunch. You read her body language, mortified. She knew.

“Oh NO could you tell?!,” you brought your hands to your face, trying to hide.

“Well I’m not around the two of you much. But I definitely sensed your nerves around him the last few days. I thought it may just be that he puts everyone on a slight edge,” she replied nonchalantly. 

“No, my nerves are for different reasons,” you whined, feeling embarrassed that you were so readable. 

“Because you want to fuck him,” she teased with a smirk. You felt blush all over your face, embarrassed hearing the truth spoken out loud by your teammate.

“Yes, desperately,” you sighed, looking back out the window at nothing in particular.

“I don’t blame you, he is quite attractive. Not my type, but I get it. Well, at least you know someone you could sleep with to test out if you have the same problem with a man!”, she joked as she ate her chips. 

“Oh I want to, I almost tried to hit on him- but I shouldn’t. I work with him. And he would just be so SMUG about it. He might not even be interested and then he’ll reject me, and he’ll just taunt me in front of everyone. Besides, I’m sure he goes out and gets laid all the time, right?”, you asked, hoping the answer was no, but knowing he did. 

“Oh yes, there are definitely rumors, he’s been out all night and comes back the next day. We’ve all assumed that was what was going on, and he doesn’t try to deny it. I’m sure if we asked, he’d tell us all about what he’s been up to. And the way he shamelessly flirts when we’re out…”.

You felt your smile fade as you thought about all the men and women he’s been with. Wanda quickly picked up on your disappointment and tried to lift your spirits.

“....BUT I will say he’s never brought anyone to the tower. And I think you two would be a good match. If that’s what you’re interested in. Are you interested in him romantically?,” she gently prodded more.

You sighed, nodding.There was no denying it, you weren’t just in lust with him- there was affection, too. Damn him. 

You reached your arm out to the server walking by, ���Excuse me, I’m going to need a milkshake over here!”.

Wanda chuckled and gave you another all-knowing smile, “It will be okay, I promise.”

Even if she couldn’t guarantee that, it still made you feel better. 

~~~~~~

Day 15

Thunder clapped loudly outside, making you jump awake. Your eyes flew open and you quickly assessed your surroundings. You felt your heart racing as the sound of rain came crashing against your windows. This was something you didn’t like about living in the tower- harsh thunderstorms were much louder. It was the kind of thunderstorm that only came at the changing of the season- loud and violent, as if Thor was battling outside your window. 

You laid in bed, trying to get back to sleep, but the loud claps and flashing behind your eyelids made it impossible.

You groaned and rolled out of bed, deciding to venture downstairs for a snack- there was no way you were going to sleep until it was over.

As you sleepily yawned, you walked to the kitchen and your eyes scanned the living area next to it. 

Loki sat in the corner on a large couch, quietly thumbing through a book. This was the first time you had seen him since Winnipeg. It’s so strange how much he keeps to himself, often lingering quietly in the background. You wondered if he really wanted to be here- sometimes he acted like he was a prisoner. 

“Can’t sleep either, huh?”, you quietly kid with him as you opened the fridge door. 

“No, Gods don’t require as much sleep as a human. Thor and I are often up while you and the others sleep,” Loki remarked as he closed his book with a soft thud, getting off the couch to saunter towards you. 

“Huh, I didn’t know that,” you set the bread and jelly on the counter, looking for the peanut butter in the cabinet. 

You could hear him approaching from behind you, but focused on your sandwich plans. You were not going to let him get to you right now. 

“And why are you up at this hour? Something bothering you?,” his dulcet tone made you quiver as you tried to ignore your body’s reaction.

Loki stopped directly behind you, only a few inches of space between the two of you. 

“Is there something else I can help you with? Are you quite parched, Darling?”, his deep voice tempting you as he stood close to you. 

You felt your body charged with heat, the sexual tension palpable because of his body’s closeness to yours. What did he mean by you being parched? Thirsty? What is he up to?

“No…I just…,” you stuttered and turned your head to look into his eyes- his gaze was intense and a smirk played at the corner of his lip. You need him. Like, yesterday. 

You felt your body acting on its own as you turned to face him, your instincts to close the gap and kiss him raging in your body. He looked down at you, smirking as if he knew exactly what you needed. 

“Hey, what’s going on?,” Thor grinned as he walked into the kitchen, hair wet from his post workout shower.  He looked between the two of you, confused about you standing so close in the kitchen and staring into each other’s eyes. 

Loki quietly chuckled, slowly wetting his lips with his tongue. Your eyes darted to Thor, suddenly feeling embarrassed as cleared your throat.

 “Nothing of interest,” Loki replied as he stepped away from you with a nod to his brother. 

What was that? You realized now your heart was racing, your body yearning for you and Loki to finish what you started. You eyed Loki suspiciously as he walked back towards his couch. He must’ve heard Thor coming- what was he doing? Teasing you on purpose? He always flirted, but this was next level.

You quickly spoke to Thor to fill the air that felt so tense from your moment with Loki. 

“Well I couldn’t sleep, this thunderstorm is loud. So, yea- I couldn’t sleep, was hungry, so I came down to make a snack,” you gestured at the half made PB&J. You returned to your task, messily putting it together. 

“Oh yea? I hadn’t noticed. Would you like me to stop it?,” Thor asked as he casually lifted his gallon jug of water like it weighed nothing, drinking out of it. 

“Wait, can you just stop this storm?,” you looked at him, puzzled as you walked toward him with your sandwich in hand. 

“Oh sure!,” he grinned widely. Out of the side of your eye, you saw Loki sit back down and return to his book. 

Thor pointed towards the ceiling, squinting for a moment. You listened and then walked over to the windows, gazing over the city. The rain had stopped. The sky was now clear, and you could faintly see the stars now. 

“Wow… you guys really are Gods, huh?,” you muttered in awe as you looked back at him.

“Yup! One of the many bonuses,” Thor smiled and winked at you while he pointed finger guns in your direction, and you felt a blush on your cheek. Those Odinsons were very full of themselves. 

Thor plopped down next to his brother, “Loki, what do you think of going out for a bit? I’ve heard there’s this new club-”

“Not interested,” Loki cut his brother off, licked his finger and turned a page, clearly annoyed at Thor’s boisterous presence.

You stood there another moment, replaying the last few minutes as you looked out the window. You and Loki had just been about to…something. And then nothing. Again. Loki definitely made his intention clear. But there’s nothing that can be done now that Thor’s here. 

You felt relief that there was definitely something between you, and you had to suppress the overjoyed smile creeping across your lips.

“Well, thanks Thor. I really appreciate it!,” you nodded and gave him a friendly wave as you decided to go back to your room. 

“Sweet dreams, Darling,” Loki cooed to you without looking up from his book. You felt a pang of need, briefly thinking of inviting him back to your room. Nope, bad idea- not in front of Thor, he was a total gossip.

“You too, Loki,” you shot back with flirty confidence, turning to hide the beaming smile you couldn’t contain any longer. 

~~~~~~

Day 17

You and Wanda meandered through the crowd, taking in the sights and sounds of the street fair. The storms had passed (thanks to Thor), and the weather was clear and bright. You felt great except for one thing…

“Any news? How is it going with your elusive orgasm?”, Wanda casually asked before taking a sip of her smoothie. 

“Ugh, still absent. I dunno, maybe it’s forever,” you dryly joked, hoping that wasn’t the case. 

“Hm…I think it’s time you had sex, instead of just masturbation. When are you going to ask for Loki’s help?,” she teased you, giving you a gentle nudge with her shoulder. 

“I don’t know what the hell he’s doing. He came up behind me the other night, like inches behind me, and was asking if there was ‘anything else he could help me with’,” you mocked Loki’s tone.

“What do you think he meant by that? Was he offering to fuck you?,” Wanda seemed as perplexed as you. 

 “It sure felt like it, I was about to jump his bones but then Thor walked in. But it’s like he’s deliberately torturing me- he immediately dropped it. It’s starting to piss me off. I haven’t seen him since that night, it’s almost as if he’s avoiding me. I’ve been intentionally in the common rooms more than normal, but Loki’s nowhere to be found!,” you shook your head, annoyed. 

“Why don’t you go to him, then? Just go to his room, make a move!,” Wanda encouraged as she smiled at a group of teens giggling as they walked by the two of you. 

“I don’t know, we keep getting interrupted. I really think it’s the universe telling me to back off. Plus, he's not exactly shy- if he wanted me, he'd just go for it,” you replied, feeling a bit dejected.

The two of you headed towards a jewelry stand, smiling politely at the woman who stood behind the table while the two of you perused her wares. 

“Hmm, perhaps you’re right. It is strange that he hits on you, but then doesn’t follow through. Maybe Loki isn’t the answer. What about Bruce? I bet he can keep a secret”, she asked thoughtfully, while looking at a necklace. 

“No way! I mean, he’s nice and all but not the kinda thing I’m into,” you replied with a shrug.

“Steve?”

You couldn’t hold back your look of distaste as you scrunched up your nose, making Wanda chuckle. 

“Don’t get me wrong, Steve is hot. And he’s a really nice, kind man…,” you walked back your immediate reaction, pondering the suggestion. 

“...But you prefer an asshole,” Wanda finished your thought. 

You laughed, maybe she was onto something.

“I hear Logan is joining the team next week,” she suggested as the two of you left the tent back into the street. 

“Too hairy, not really my type.” You shook your head adamantly. 

“I think the problem is that you’re too picky. And you’re fixated on a certain man. You should just show up at his door, and ask him to fuck you already. And if you’re not going to do that, move on,” a bit of frustration filled Wanda’s voice. 

“Yea, maybe you’re right. I’m going to have to make a decision one way or another, because I think this pent up horniness is messing with my mind- I’m going crazy!,” you said with an exasperated tone. 

As the two of you continued to explore, you glanced around the fair, looking for Loki. You knew he was here somewhere, Thor had talked about the two of them joining the rest of your team after their sparring time.

Your eyes found Loki across the street as you scanned the crowd. His outfit was impeccable as always- a tight emerald green sweater and black slacks that hugged his sculpted body perfectly. He always looked effortlessly cool and put together, and it drove you crazy. You felt an intense need to mess him up, ripping his clothes off of his body as the two of you devoured each other like animals. 

 Loki stood smiling his perfect smile as he took selfies with people- a group of women and men were slowly gathering around him. Others on the street started to gather around Thor and Steve, as well. The team didn’t normally all go out together, and now people were picking up on who you were. 

“Excuse me, you’re on the Avengers, right?”, a deep voice questioned from behind the two of you, breaking your concentration on Loki. You and Wanda turned around, realizing that crowds were not just forming around your teammates, but you two as well.

“Uh, yes,” you smiled hesitantly at the handsome man. He was tall, broad shouldered, and you could see his large chest muscles under his tight black t-shirt. His tanned skin complimented his chestnut wavy hair with blonde highlights. You had to stop yourself from undressing him with your eyes, your wanton desperation seeming to take over as you felt your heart race.

Wanda noticed your immediate reaction, and gently pushed you on your back, moving you closer to him. You shot her a look. 

“Wow, I just want to thank you, you know, for everything. Could I get a selfie?”, he smiled with attentive eyes. 

You suddenly felt flustered- nobody typically noticed you amongst the others, but it felt great. 

“Yea, of course,” you beamed, feeling your cheeks get hot as you posed. You noticed Wanda was also posing for a selfie, and a line had begun to form by her. You scanned the crowd again, realizing what was going on- crowds were forming around the Avengers, wanting autographs and selfies. 

“Thanks again for, you know, saving the world and all that…I live in the Village and once saw you and the others beating up some guys…,” the man shyly smiled at you, and you found yourself taken aback by how sweet he was despite his very buff exterior. 

“Oh, you know, just part of the job…,” you acted nonchalant, playing it cool as you flirtatiously pulled a strand of hair behind your ear and flashed him a smirk.

Suddenly, a shove from behind pushed your elbow, knocking your coffee out of your hand as you gasped. 

“Sorry!,” a teen yelled as he ran towards Tony for an autograph. You rolled your eyes at Tony, who could’ve stayed behind in the tower, but couldn’t help himself as he showed off his new suit to the forming crowds. 

“Oh no! Are you okay? Can I buy you another coffee?,” the handsome man next to you offered. He seemed very gentle and kind. You were wary, but in the back of your mind you thought that maybe this was exactly what you needed. 

“Yea I’m fine…but sure, I’ll take another coffee,” you smiled at him, as he took your hand and led you away from the crowd, towards a vendor stall. 

“My name’s Eric, by the way,” he nodded to you and gestured for you to order your replacement brew. You ordered and briefly wondered how you should play this. Was he being friendly or flirty? He’s cute, and you desperately needed to be fucked. You decided to go for it.

“Nice to meet you, Eric. Thanks for getting me another coffee, you didn’t have to. Are you sure your girlfriend wouldn’t mind?,” you smiled coyly.

You forgot how nice it was to flirt outside the tower. There was a whole city of available men and you’d been pining over a snobby prince with an attitude.

A snobby prince who was headed towards you. You caught a glimpse of Loki walking to the vendor where you and Eric stood. His face was placid, no strong emotions as he slowly strolled forward.

Eric laughed at your brazen flirtation, “No girlfriend. So would it be too forward of me to ask for your number?.” You looked into his hazel eyes, not seeing any malice, only warmth. Just what you needed- someone who was nice and direct, no more head games. 

“No, not too forward at all, I’d love to give you my number!”, you couldn’t help but blush and grin as you tried to continue your breezy facade. 

“Are you alright? I saw that man run into you,” Loki asked as he arrived next to the two of you, showing more concern for your well being than was necessary. Not even Steve rushed to your aid- because it wasn’t needed, it was just a spilled coffee and you’re a super soldier.

You decided to dismiss whatever Loki was up to.

“Oh yea, I’m fine, it wasn’t a big deal!,” you hand waved him away, hoping he’d take the hint. He’s done nothing but toy with you for the last couple of weeks, you’re not about to let him stop you from this.  

“Hi, I’m Eric, nice to meet you!,” Eric extended a hand to Loki, who immediately took it firmly. 

“Loki, God of Mischief, Prince of Asgard,” he said in a tone that could be easily considered condescending. You had to stop yourself from rolling your eyes. 

“Oh yea! Nice to meet you man, you’re Thor’s brother, right?,” Eric asked genuinely, not having a clue how incendiary that question was. Loki hated to only be known as "Thor's brother". You internally screamed and looked at him, praying he wouldn't make a scene. He gave a big smile, stepping away from Eric and closer to you.

“Yes.”

Loki didn’t elaborate, he just stood next to the two of you, lingering while you looked at Eric. A brief moment passed as the three of you stood silently, and you and Eric exchanged confused looks. Loki had managed to make this encounter incredibly awkward. Bastard.

Eric finally cleared his throat , “so…your number?”, he handed his phone to you. 

“Yes! Of course!,” you took his phone and put your number in, as Loki continued to stand there, watching quietly, his hands in his pockets and standing confidently reserved.

“Maybe we could grab dinner? I’m out of town for work the next few days, but we could go out when I get back?,” Eric asked hopefully, ignoring Loki like you were. 

“Sounds perfect,” you replied happily as you heard the notification of his test text coming through your phone. 

“Cool, it was great to meet you, text me!,” he smiled, waving to you as he walked back towards his friends in the crowd.

You watched him walk away for a moment, then remembered who was standing right next to you. You suddenly felt very angry. 

“What the hell was that, Loki?!,” you asked, smacking him on the arm. He just smirked down at you. Again, no sign of any affection towards you, Loki simply stood next to you.  

“Just a concerned teammate,” he casually replied, now turning his attention back to the crowds thinning out. 

“Why are you so concerned that I’m talking to another man?! What’s the matter- jealous??,” you remarked in a mocking tone, as you headed back towards Wanda. 

Loki laughed and turned to walk in the opposite direction of you, uninterested in continuing the conversation. You watched as he sauntered away, his regal, confident stride irritating you more. 

You threw your arms up, frustrated at his intrusion on your moment with Eric. This was deliberate now. He’s just trying to prevent you from being with someone else, but he doesn’t want you either. What a dick. 

Wanda flagged you down as she and Vision made their way towards you, the crowds thinning. 

“Well that guy was super cute! Do you think he has what it takes to cure you?,” Wanda cheerfully teased as she hooked arms with yours.

“Are you sick?,” Vision asked, sounding as concerned as an android could.

“Something like that,” you chuckled. The three of you continued to walk through the crowd, and you noticed Loki get swarmed again by a group of men and women. 

----

On the Edge Chapter List

Peachyjinx Masterlist

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[mechformers]

Ma Miles - Ch. 3

Bold letters are spoken in English by the Reader to Quaritch.

3.2k words

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“Colonel,” Wainfleet shouted as he all but crashed through the door to Spider’s cell, the door not opening quickly enough. Resting his long arms on his knees, he raised an eyebrow at the younger man, waiting patiently. 

“General Ardmore wants you at the gate ASAP,” The Corporal delivers hastily while trying to find his balance from his hasty entrance. 

“And what does the General want?” He couldn’t help the boredom from entering his voice as he drawled, feeling how his tail swished with annoyance behind him. 

“Um… There’s a blue bird by the gates. Says she needs to see you,”

His ears stood upward immediately, his swishing tail freezing as his eyes grew bigger. Now that got his attention alright, but he must have heard it wrong. The only chick he could think of was Mrs. Sully. Maybe she had finally come to her senses. Getting up from the table he was sitting on, Quaritch looked down at Spider, noting how the young boy was listening intently. He probably missed his… whatever Mrs. Sully was to him. Smirking to himself, he knew that they could be used against each other. 

Following Wainfleet out of the cell, he wasn’t at all surprised when the rest of his unit followed them as they walked through the corridors. The humans were whispering to themselves, watching their small computer screens, probably looking at the live feed from the security cameras. 

Taking Spider had been an impulse reaction, one he didn’t know he was doing before he suddenly found himself running in the direction where the boy fell from the tree instead of shooting after Mrs. Sully. When Ardmore had ordered him back to the pick-up point, he’d hoisted Spider over his shoulders and jogged back with his unit in tow. He hadn’t thought twice about taking the struggling boy with him, the decision almost instinctual. But that would be bullshit. He wasn’t the boy’s father. Hell, they weren’t even the same species. 

He had let his thoughts wander that night as he watched the young boy’s rage from behind the one-way mirror to his cell. He’s sipping on a cup of coffee, fighting the grimace that’s trying to spread itself across his face at the taste, when he realizes that the boy must be in his teens by now. Growling at the memory, Quaritch downs the small cup in his hands, losing the battle against the grimace as the hairs on the back of his neck rises. What was once his life elixir, now tasted like muddy swamp water. Hell, this fucking Na’vi body wouldn’t even let him have his scorching java in peace anymore. Huffing to himself, the changes were too many, coming way too fast. It made him grumpier than he could remember being when he was alive. Well, human anyway. 

“Colonel,” General Ardmore greets as he approaches. 

“General,” Saluting the general, Quaritch folds his hands behind his back, the stance a second nature to him. 

“I was called down here when a Na’vi female came up to the gates,” The General starts, taking a sip from her coffee before her already thin lips make a straight line across her face. “The female showed up alone, asking for you by name.” 

“She came alone?” Quaritch asks, unable to hide the surprise from his voice. 

“Colonel, I’m only going to ask you this once; do you know this female?” The General asks, going straight to the question she wants answered. Normally he liked that about her. 

“I don’t even know who’s out there, General,” He smirks, resting his hands on his hips as he looks expectantly at her. 

The General isn’t at all amused by his charm, but she still turns around to show him a live feed from the other side of the gate where in fact a woman stands patiently waiting for him. He has no idea who she is, having never seen her before in this or his other life. At least he’s fairly certain of that. He can’t help the sneer that crosses his lips as he realizes that it’s not Mrs. Sully, however. 

“Well?” General Ardmore presses, probably reacting to his sneer. 

“I’ve got no idea who that woman is, General,” Quaritch drawls lazily, his tail swishing with annoyance behind him. “Was hoping it would be Mrs. Sully out there.”

“She knows you by name, so she must want something from you.”

“Well let’s find out what she wants,” He starts, dismissing himself in the General’s presence.  

Signaling for the gates to open, he’s not surprised when Wainfleet and the others follow a few steps behind him. Walking slowly Quaritch assesses the situation, noting how the otherwise lively woodland beyond the Kill Zone is eerily quiet. The young woman’s ears perk up, her tail freezing to a quick stop as she notices him. Smirking, Quaritch feels his chest puffing out with pride over himself.

“Colonel, this could be a trap,” Z-Dog presses, hissing low so as to not be heard. 

“I’m well aware of that,” Quaritch drawls lazily, his tail moving behind him in a staccato rhythm. 

His confidence seems to be all his unit needs, however, as they fall back in line. The walk isn’t as far as it looked on the small screen. In less than three minutes they come to a stop a generous distance from the Na’vi woman. Noting how the small thing clenches her teeth, he smirks to himself before morphing it into a gentle-like smile. 

“It seems you have requested my presence, sweetheart,” He drawls, turning on his irresistible charm. “To whom may I have the honor?”

“Quit your clowning, demon,” The woman sneers at him, hissing dangerously as her tail flicks furiously back and forth behind her. 

The silence is deafening before his unit explodes into hysterical laughter behind him. Quaritch doesn’t really understand what just happened, doesn’t understand how this savage wouldn’t respond to his charm, even going as far as insulting him unnecessarily. 

“Now listen here, sweetcheeks - ” He starts, trying to reason with her, but the woman hisses louder this time, patience certainly not a virtue of hers.

“Stop this chat-chit at once. Take me to your room,” She demands, holding her arms out to show that she carries no weapons. 

His unit whistles and cat-calls behind him, snickering loudly as they comment on how easily she folded to his charm after all. Hissing to them, Quaritch’s tail whips angrily behind him. He doesn’t understand what this woman wants. At least not until the woman rolls her eyes at him and crosses her wrists in front of her. 

“Lyle,” Quaritch grounds out behind his clenched teeth, embarrassment riding high on his cheeks. “Throw her in beside the other one,”

Turning his back on the woman, he walks briskly back to the gate, satisfaction spreading out over his chest when he hears the woman hiss as his Corporal cuffs her. Turning his head, however, he’s annoyed to see the woman walking nicely between his unit, her head held high and her shoulders squared as they follow him. Grounding his teeth together, he marches straight past the General with an excuse of hastily interrogating the woman. His mood doesn’t turn for the better before they get close to the cells. The woman had walked nicely between his unit up until then. 

He doesn’t see what triggers her reaction, nor that of Spiders, but all of a sudden they’re both screaming through the glass doors, clawing at it while trying to push their fingers through the small holes. They’re talking too rapidly for him to catch what they’re saying, but Quaritch immediately recognizes Spider’s name on the woman’s lips. She holds her position by the door remarkably well as he watches his unit try to restrain her without much luck. Shaking his head at the scene, he steps forward, ducking when she furiously swipes at him, hissing angrily. It puts him in the position he needs to be to shove her over his shoulder, however. Turning to stare at Spider, he walks past the door, ignoring the teen screaming after him. 

Pressing the door open, he doesn’t let go of the woman before the door hisses closed again. It’s a difficult task as she flails and claws at him, her sharp nails scratching his back in multiple places. Grinding his teeth at the pain, he none too gently hoists her back over his shoulder, smirking in vengeful satisfaction when he hears the hard thud of her skull hitting the wall. The woman doesn’t stay down for long. In less than a minute, she’s up on her feet rushing to the door, pulling and pushing on the holes in hope of there being a weakness she could exploit. Chuckling as he sits down on the table in the room to watch her, he crosses his arms over his chest. 

“Quit your hollering, mama,” Quaritch drawls, watching as the woman’s head snaps to look back at him. 

How had the thought not crossed his mind? The only thing he had of value to a lonely Na’vi woman was her adopted son in the other room. He should have known the moment he heard there was a Na’vi woman at their gate, should have known when he saw her on that little screen standing there patiently waiting alone. He should have known when she demanded to be taken prisoner without making any fuss. All the answers were there if he had only bothered to look for the questions. Chiding his slow mind, Quaritch finally held his hands up in surrender. 

“This is what we’re gonna do, mama,” He starts, putting on his thickest drawl, noting how the name makes her growl dangerously at him. “You’re gonna sit your pretty little blue ass down before I make you,”

Surprisingly enough, the woman crosses her legs and sits down with her back to the glass doors. Crossing her own arms over her chest, she looks expectantly up at him, challenging him to continue. There’s a new sense of defiance in her that makes his blood boil, that makes his stomach turn with excitement. 

“Alright. Now that wasn’t so hard, was it now?” He delights in the way his patronizing anger her. Her ears are pulled back so far that if he didn’t know better, he could easily mistake them as missing. 

“You act like child,” She hisses at him, showing her teeth in disgust. “Showing no respect. Knowing not how to,”

Looking at her, he noticed how her ears kept turning toward Spider’s cell, even though her eyes never left his body. He could work with this. Like he got Spider to play ball, he could make this lil’ mama play too. 

“I have a proposition for you, darling. I can let you be reunited with your son again if you help me out a little,” He drawls, knowing he has her when her ears perk up, trained on him instead of on her son. 

“What you need helped?” The woman asks, her English remarkably well despite the odd sentences here and there. 

“What do you need help with,” Quaritch offers with a gentle smile, holding it when she hisses angrily at him. 

“What do you need help with?” She parrots perfectly back at him, making him unable to stop the smile from spreading to a grin across his face. 

“I’m glad you asked, sweetness. See, we got this little problem where my unit and I need someone to teach us the Na’vi way. Now, your son has been mighty helpful, mind you, but he’s just a kid. A war zone is no place for a child.” The moment he uttered those words, he knew he had her as her ears flattened back against her head again, her body almost curling in on herself as she hugged her knees in deep thought. 

“The potential danger he could be in, danger we wouldn’t always manage to keep him safe from. As his father,” Quaritch paused for dramatic effect, “I wouldn’t feel comfortable putting him in such a position.” 

What he thought would be an easy conquest after his initial threat towards her kid, didn’t turn out so well as the second he finished talking, he had a lap full of the furious blue woman. Her surprisingly strong hands wrapped around his throat at her powerful thighs locked behind his back, efficiently pinning his arms down against his sides. For a long moment, he was frozen on the table, feeling the air in his lungs burn as it dwindled out. Only when black spots started dancing across his vision did he manage to move. 

Getting up to his feet, he rammed into the nearest wall as hard as he could. It didn’t so much as make her twitch. Again and again, he rammed into the wall until his knees buckled, taking the both of them to the floor in one heavy, ungraceful swoop. He can hear how the weight of his body presses air through her lungs, but just as his eyes are closing, her grip on his throat disappears and he’s thrown to his back on the floor, arms raised above his head. 

“Breathe, Colonel,” Lyle’s voice calls to him desperately. “Deep breaths - there you go,”

Gulping lungs full of much-needed air, Quaritch scoots back to the nearest wall, gripping his tender throat as he shows his teeth to the crazy woman. She’s restrained by Z-Dog, Mansk, and Prager on the other side of the room, her wrists still bound. She’s hissing something in the Na’vi language, eyes ablaze with fury and it’s all directed at him. 

“You are not his father, demon,” The woman growls furiously as she fights her captors,  bucking wildly as she tries to dislodge them. “I will see you dead long before that happens,”

Getting to his feet, he growls back at her before he leaves, hearing both her fury and Spider’s desperate shouts as he disappears down the corridor. Running his fingers over the growing marks on his neck, Quaritch heads to the gym. The antsy energy coursing through his body needs to beat it and he knows no better way to release steam than to work his body to the point of exhaustion. It had worked while he was a human, it would work now. 

“How are you feeling, Colonel?” Lyle asked, poking his head into the gym, giving him space if he needed it. 

Quaritch didn’t know how much time had passed since he walked away from the cells, didn’t know how long he’d pumped iron. All he knew was that his muscles screamed and his clothes were drenched with sweat. 

“Thirsty,” He snaps back at his Corporal, watching as the younger man grins and chuckles before producing a bottle of electrolyte water. 

“Thanks,” He’s not above thanking his men when they provide him with something he needed but never asked for. “Anyone hurt?”

“Nah. Got her a shot of the good stuff and she went down like a redwood,” Lyle chuckles, his grin almost endearing as he stares at him. “The kid is another case though. Bloodied his knuckles pretty bad,”

“What for?”

“Just before you left, he started screaming for his mother. I think he might have heard your quarrel. Kid didn’t calm down, even when we went in to restrain him. In the end, the only thing that calmed him down was throwing him in with his mother. He even let the quacks have a look at his knuckles afterward,” 

“You put him in with his mother?” Quaritch hisses, his tail trashing wildly behind him. 

“It was the only thing that calmed him,” Lyle pushes, ears flat against his head. “You told us that he wasn’t to be hurt.”

“As in; you’re not allowed to kick him, you dipshit,” He growled annoyed, pinching the bridge of his nose before remembering that his nose wasn’t what it used to be. 

Annoyed, Quaritch gets up, walking towards Lyle, watching as his Corporal almost sinks into the floor. Taking a deep breath, he tries to calm himself. It didn’t matter if the teen was with his mother or not. Maybe he would behave for once, and maybe by being reunited with her son, the woman would act less like a savage lioness protecting her cub. Rubbing the back of his neck, Quaritch walked to his quarters, throwing his wet clothes in the corner before stepping into the shower, letting the water fall over his tired muscles. Everything hurt, leaving no room for rest, not that he usually got any with the responsibilities he still carried. 

Moving through the process of the day, he wrote his reports, briefed the General, set up tomorrow’s schedule, ate supper in the cafeteria, and cleaned his weapons. The routine is the most soothing thing in the world for him. There were no surprises like this, just the well-oiled mechanics of duties, duties he could do blind, the motions long since engraved into his muscle memory. As night fell over Bridgehead, Quaritch found himself drifting towards the cells once more. 

Stepping into the corridor, a soft voice drifted into the still air. Soundlessly walking up to the sound, he stops just before the glass doors, listening as Spider’s mother sings. Entranced, he stands there for a long while, listening to her voice. She’s on the third repeat when he gently sits down outside of their cell, resting his back on the cool metal walls, he takes out the datapad, punching in the directions before the live feed from the cell behind his back plays before his eyes. 

Spider is curled up in his mother’s arms, his form impossibly small as he sleeps soundly against her body. Her arms, still bound, are wrapped around his small body, holding him close as he gently rocks him. Even from this distance, Quaritch can see the kid’s bruised knuckles where he holds onto his mother’s braid. A part of him feels embarrassed for watching this private scene between mother and child, but another part, a deeper, baser one, longs to keep watching. He’s tired, he aches and his throat still throbs, so he gives in to the deeper instinct, looking down at the datapad as he listens to her voice. 

Zola'u nìprrte', ma Miles. Pähem parul, atanti ngal molunge, Ngati oel munge soaiane. Lie si oe atanur, Lawnol a mì te'lan. Lawnol a mì te'lan.

Ngaru irayo seiyi ayoe Tonìri tìreyä, Ngaru irayo seiyi ayoe Srrìri tìreyä, Ma Eywa, ma Eywa.

Before he falls asleep, he wonders what the song is about. He recognizes Spider’s name in what he thinks is the beginning of the repeated song, but he’s not sure. He makes a note to ask Spider come morning, or hell, maybe even his batshit crazy mother could be civil long enough for them to actually have a normal conversation. It’s not as if threatening her worked so well. A new tactic needed to be made, but that was for the morning. Before a new repeat could begin, Quaritch is long gone, his datapad displaying the touching scene behind his back. He never notices the sharp yellow eyes that followed him, nor the way the owner stood guard the entire night.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Song lyrics translation: Welcome, Miles. A miracle arrives, you brought light. I bring you to the family, I experience the light. A great joy within my heart. A great joy within my heart. We thank you, For the nights of our life. We thank you, For the days of our life. Oh Eywa, oh Eywa.

Chapter 2 | Masterpost | Chapter 4

#miles quaritch x reader #miles quaritch #colonel miles quaritch #colonel quaritch #na'vi miles quaritch #avatar quaritch #avatar the way of water #Mech writes #Ma Miles

[h3arts4harry]

-Biker Baby-

-

Matt Sturniolo x biker! reader based in their LA home y/n - your name

orange- Chris blue- Matt purple- Nick red- y/n

warnings: angst, fluff, motorbike crash, speeding, arguing, swearing, NO SMUT

-

-8am-

I feel gentle shakes on shoulders, "y/n, wake up" I flutter open my eyes to Nick stood in front of me, "hm what time is it?" I croak "erm 8" I shot up "where's Matt?" I ask furrowing my eyebrows "he's uh in his room, probably asleep" my face softens with sadness, realising he didn't even notice me, I nod and make my way to Matt's room. I knock on the door and Matt shouts from the other side of the door "go away Nick it's too early", opening the door "not Nick" I say softly, his eyes furrow, "what are you doing here" in a slight pissed off tone. "I've been here all night waiting for you" "what? no you haven't, I didn't see you" "I fell asleep on the couch waiting for you to come home, what time did u even get back I thought you were only filming fridays video" "it doesn't matter-" he cuts himself off "why are you getting a fucking attitude with me?" "cause you dont even notice me anymore Matt, I waited for you and you didn't notice me" my waterline fills with tears, bottom lip trembling "I was tired and I didn't even know you were here, when I got home I went straight to bed" he shrugs "you didn't know I was here?" I mutter under my breath "are you fucking kidding me- I told you before you left that I would wait up for you" "well I forgot" he snaps "you know I am swamped with filming, meetings, and just everything I need to do for my job in general, do you actually expect me to remember-" "remember what?" I bite back "that you have a girlfriend? who is waiting up all night for you again for the 3rd time this week cause you keep promising that you'd watch a movie and cuddle with me, you never make time for me anymore" "y/n just fucking leave me alone its way too early for this" he faces away from me, laying back down "too early for this?" I scoff "are you fucking kidding me right now, I'm stood here hurt because you don't pay attention to me and you're telling me its too early" I laugh in disbelief "Y/N FUCKING GO HOME"

My face drops, my heart sinking to my stomach. I leave slamming the bedroom door behind me, tears start to fall down my face walking across the kitchen, passing Nick on the sofa about to head downstairs to the front door. "omg y/n are you okay" Nick rushes over to me bringing his hands to my shoulders bringing me into a hug, I hug him back "I'm fine Nick, I just want to go home" I chocked on tears, "I can go get matt-" I cut him off, panic laced in my voice "NO, I mean no it's fine, I have my bike" I grab my helmet from coffee table, "y/n you can't drive in this condition, it's not safe" his face filled with worry "Nick just leave it please I'm fine" I dont wait for a response and walk down the downstairs and out the door, slamming it behind me.

Nick POV- 8:45am

I jump as y/n slams the door, I storm off to matts room. "what the fuck did you do" I shout at matt, barging in to him laying in bed with the covers over his head, completely covering him, "nick go away" I roll my eyes "fuck no, why did y/n just run out crying her eyes out" he shoots up in shock "what" he speaks softly in surprise, "what the fuck happened this morning" I ask again, "I- um I'm not sure" he stutters, "cut the bullshit matt, how are you not sure what happened" I speak in disbelief of what he's saying, "I dont know, we had a small argument that's all, its fine", I scoff "its not fucking fine matt, she just left here with tears streaming down her face, and you're sat here saying its fine, what is wrong with you", I storm out, not letting him try to defend himself, slamming the door, unintendedly repeating y/ns actions.

Y/N POV- 9am

I quickly pull on my helmet, not fully being able to concentrate on what I'm doing, getting on my bike, and start driving. Thoughts are flying through my head so fast as I try to focus on the road Infront of me, my vision blurred as tears pour down my face. All of a sudden all I can see is a bright headlight getting bigger, then a deafening horn blows as my vision goes black.

Matt POV- 9:07am

Y/n isn't responding to any of my texts and I grow worried. My anxiety is through the roof, pacing around my room, as I leave text after text, voicemail after voicemail. I walk out of my room, my face in my phone, still texting y/n, "woah dude look where your going" Chris laughs out, I look up to him with panicked eyes, "matt what's wrong" furrows brows, "its y/n she's not answering any of my texts or calls, nick said she left crying after we fought, I'm hoping she walked and just went straight to bed but what if-" I stop, looking down at my feet, not wanting to think about the negative possibilities, "what if she rode her bike, its way to dangerous to ride, especially if she cant concentrate on what she's doing" i ramble, looking back at Chris, "dude calm down, I'm sure she's fine" Chris reassures, "I'm going out" I walk out the door, getting into my car before driving to y/ns apartment, I try focus on my breathing while driving. fuck I hit traffic, there's been a crash up the road, a quick thought of it being y/n crosses my mind, I feel a wave of panic rush through me but I push it away, its obviously not her, she's fine, as I get closer to the crash I see a bike, my eyes widen when i realise that its y/ns bike, I slam on my breaks, causing the car behind me to blare his horn, I look around to see where I can pull over.

I manage to pull over and rush over to the scene, a hand hits my chest stopping me from going any closer, "sir you cant go over there" a deep voice comes from beside me, my eyes stuck on y/ns bike, "that's- that's my girlfriends bike" I stutter, trying to get my words out, "I'm afraid I cant let you through" he lowers his hand, "is she here? where is she? please that's her bike- I need to see her" I start to panic looking at the officers face, my eyes wide, tears threatening to spill down my face as terrifying thoughts circle my mind, "I believe the girl on the bike was taken to the nearest hospital, I dont have any other information to give you" the officer calmly stated, I nod, not saying anything, I turn around getting back into my car, going as fast as I can to y/n.

9:36am

I get to the hospital in less than 10 minutes running to the front desk. "y/n- y/n l/n is she here?" I speak before I can process anything, "she's in room 281, she is resting so she might not be awake yet" the receptionist says, reading from her laptop Infront of her. I thank her before running to the elevator, I take a breath before stepping in and pressing the button, anxiously fiddling with my rings as it takes it time to get to her floor. The doors finally open and I rush out, looking side to side looking for her room, I see the numbers 281 on a sign hanging above a door, and immediately run into the room to y/n sleeping. She has dark bags under her eyes, her left arm in a cast, the opposite leg matching her arm. Her face and body covered in bruises, grazes and marks. My heart drops at the sight of her, I run to her side, grabbing her hand, I cant believe the last thing that happened between us was arguing, I hate myself for it, ignoring her reaching out to me. I sit there, my mind punishing me for our last encounter, for what feels like hours. I feel a squeeze on my hand, I immediately look up to see y/n smiling down at me, "hi" she speaks in a soft whisper.

Y/N POV- 10:06am

"oh my god y/n I'm so sorry, I'm so so sorry, I-", I cuts him off "matt its okay", his eyes filled with guilt "no, no its not ill do better, ill make time for you ill-" he rambles, I groan as I try to sit up but Matt moves his to lay me back down "y/n lay back down, you need to rest", "matt shut up" I laugh, leaning forward, putting both my hands on either side of his face kissing him deeply. I slowly pull back, a genuine smile across my face, "what?" he chuckles, "nothing, I'm just happy you're here", he moves closer to me pulling me into a tight hug "I'm glad you're okay" he takes a step back still holding onto my shoulders, not letting me go, afraid that if he does I'd disappear. Nick barges into the room, Chris following behind him "omg y/n you're okay" nick pushes past Matt and instantly brings me into his arms, wrapping them around me, I giggle hugging him back. He moves back exhaling a breath he didn't know he was holding, Chris walks up to me engulfing me into a hug "nice to see your still kicking kid, motorbike crashes can be brutal" he moves back and I playfully hit his shoulder. Matt grabs my hand, a gentle smile still on his face.

The doctor walks in looking down at a clipboard "so y/n you should be able to leave tomorrow morning-", her eyes widen when she looks up to 3 same face people looking back at her "oh um hi" she greets awkwardly, "so um I get to leave tomorrow?" I ask trying to relieve the uncomfortable tension in the air, "uh-" she clears her throat "yes, 11am tomorrow you can leave, the hospital wants to keep you in overnight to make sure everything goes smoothly then you're free to go". "Okay cool, so everything is okay?" Nick asks, sat on the left of me on the bed, lightly holding my left arm, "yes everything's fine, it says here that she broke her left wrist, her right knee joint, but other than that you're completely fine". "thank you" I smile as she leaves, I let out a heavy breath, Matt instantly turns to me, his face slightly dropping, "are you okay?", "yea I'm fine, I just dont wanna stay be here any longer" I look down at my lap.

I've always hated hospitals. Ever since my mums passing I dont trust them. Back when I was 15 my mum started struggling with her health, we went to multiple doctors appointments, and made many trips to the hospital trying to find out what was wrong but they just pushed it away as infections, after just over a year she got diagnosed with pancreatic cancer but it was too late, the doctors said it wasn't treatable. My dad was furious, when we found out he went crazy at the doctor, yelling at him, threatening to sue. He almost got kicked out, he only calmed down so he could stay with my mum and I. Ever since then I wouldn't leave her side. We spent every moment together right up until she died. When she passed, I was completely broke, the first 2 months I wouldn't leave my room, my dad would put meals and water outside my room but I barely ate much. The next 3 months after that I was out all night every night, drinking, smoking, partying, and everything in between. The 5th month after she died, I met the triplets at some party, I dont remember much because I was on the edge of a blackout; wasted and out of it. I bumped into Matt, and he took me back to my home. I'm guessing my dad trusted him off the bat because when I woke up he was there asleep on my love sack in the corner of my room, he helped me with my hungover and we talked all day and all night, he didn't leave until 7am the next morning. We were friends for a year after we started dating. We've been dating for 4 years now, and I love him with my whole heart. He saved me. Which is why it hurt so fucking much when Matt started acting differently.

timeskip- 11am the next day

"Y/n wake up baby, its time to go" matt gently shakes me by my shoulders, trying not to hurt me. "mm too early" I groans, turning on my side, accidently moving onto my wrist "ow fuck", "woah baby be careful" he slowly pulls me up so I'm are sat against my pillows. "its 11:07 now, meaning we can leave" he smiles, grabbing a fresh outfit out of a bag he probably got last night. I go to speak but he cuts me off as if he reads my mind "and yes I checked with the doctor, everything is okay and we can definitely leave" as he passes my clothes "thankyou baby." I slowly hang my legs over the bed, "um matt?", "yes baby" he looks to me, "I um" I clear my throat "I might need help" I nod to my my right leg that's in a cast, swinging it a little. "Okay, lets get you dressed first then hm?" he walks over to me, reaching to the pile of clothes next to me, picking up my jorts pulling up my legs being careful of my casted leg, then grabbing my hoodie pulling it over me "thank you baby", "of course" he turns around picking up his bag putting it next to me. "I only brought one shoe cause, well, y'know" he nods to my cast, I laugh as he pulls on my singular shoe. He lastly pulls out my favourite black beanie and pulls it over my head. "I love you" I lean forward, wrapping my arms around his neck pulling him closer to me, kissing his cheek, "I love you too baby, now lets go" he places a singular crutch on the right side of me, then wraps his arm under mine slowly lifting me onto my good foot. I slip my right hand into the crutch, leaning into it, "woah" I wobble almost falling, "easy there trouble" Matt chuckles, catching me. He pulls his bag onto his back, puts on his jacket before turning to me, "do you need help walking or do you think you've got it?", "I think of got it" I say as I try to take a step forward, slightly wobbling before stabilizing myself, "lets go princess" he says placing a hand on my lower back, ready to help if I fall

-11:46am-

As Matt pulls into his driveway, I sigh "finally we're home", turning to undo my seatbelt as Matt rushes round and opens my door, holding out his hand to help you out, I take his hand, carefully stepping out, Matt grabs my crutch handing it to me, I turn to Matt, wrapping my arms around him pulling him into a hug, "are you okay" he wraps his arms around my lower waist, not letting go, "mhm" I hum pushing my head into the crook of his neck, pulling him even closer to me. He doesn't let go until I do, so we stand there like that for like 20 minutes. I step back, my arms still around his neck, "what" he chuckles looking down at me, I shrug, before letting go of him, swivelling on my foot and start walking to the door. Matt places his hand on my lower back as he did before. We get to the stairs I stop, "its okay I got you" Matt says from behind me, I nod and make my way upstairs. Chris sees me from couch and runs to help me if I need it, "Thank you Chris" he hugs me once I get to the top, Matt walks to the kitchen pouring me a glass of water and makes 4 sandwiches for us and his brothers. Chris walks me to the couch and helps me sit down, placing my crutch to the side, handing me the remote, "Here pick something to watch", "no its okay, you pick" I hand back the remote, we go back and forth until Nick walks in taking the remote "how bout I pick something to watch", Chris rolls his eyes "you're just gonna put on RuPaul", "obviously" Nick slumps down next to me, "OW NICK" I yell out in pain "my wrist you dumbass" I explain as I hit his shoulder, "oh my god I'm so sorry" nick frantically apologises "its all good" I let out a breathy laugh. Matt walks over with with our sandwiches, he hands me mine first, then Nick's, then Chris', then sat down with his own, we all thank him as we eat and watch RuPaul's Drag Race.

-2pm-

We've been watching RuPaul for around 3 hours and Chris went back to his room an hour ago. Nick jumps up "I'm gonna go edit tomorrows video" then walks upstairs to his room. Matt looks over to me snuggled into his side "y/n?", "hm?" I hum half asleep, "lets go to bed baby", I dont say anything as Matt picks me up and walks to his room, placing me down into his bed, pulling the covers over me, he lays next to me, wrapping his arm around me

-6:30pm-

I wake up to Matt still asleep next to me, I grab my phone, and start scrolling through tiktok. "y/n?" Matt croaks, "oh sorry did I wake you?" I look up to him, "no its okay" he smiles. "I think Nick's cooking dinner" I smile back, "good I'm so hungry" he gets up and walks to the other side of the bed where I am to help me. I lift my good arm up and he grabs it pulling me up onto my foot, he passes me my crutch and I pull my arm into it, he stands on my left, placing his hand on my lower back to help me if I need it. We walk into the kitchen to Nick cooking burgers, and Chris washing the dishes. "Y/n u okay?" Nick asks placing burgers in the buns on 4 different plates, "yea, this looks goodddd" I drag out walking over, going to pick up the plate then seeing the cast on my arm "fuck", I look over to Matt who's quietly laughing to himself walking over picking up both our plates, following me to the couch. We sit down and I grab my plate with my good hand and place it onto my lap and start eating. Nick sits next to Matt and Chris sits next to me. "fuck" i place my head in my hands, the boys turn to me, furrowing their eyebrows, "what?" chris asks tilting his head to the side, "my fucking bike is wrecked ughh" i lean back against the back of the couch throwing my head back in frustration, "its okay baby, we'll take it to get fixed " Matt reassures, "i hope its not totally fucked, i really love that bike" i shake my head a little, looking back down at my food then to Matt, who has a gentle smile on his face, which leads me to almost completely forget about my bike. We all eat our food while watching tv and talking all night about anything and everything, like we used to.

-1am-

"I'm tired so I'm gonna head to bed, love u" I stand up and start walking to Mine and Matts room, "love youuu" nick smiles, "goodnight kid" Chris waves, "I'll come down in a bit love" Matt, "okay baby" I smile. "ew bAbY " Chris cringes, "shut up Chris" Nick lightly punches his shoulder. I walk into our room and lay down on my side, carefully trying not to hurt my wrist or leg, and slowly fall asleep. "Hey baby" Matt walks into our room, placing a glass of water on my bedside table then going to lay down, "hi" I speak softly, half asleep. he cuddles next to me, wrapping his arms around me, I snuggle my head into the crook of his neck. "i love you baby" he quietly speaks, "i love you too Matty" I mumble as I drift off to sleep.

-timeskip- 2 1/2 months later- 11:15am-

"cmon mattyy" i whine "my bike is finally fixed and your taking foreverrrr" i stand against the kitchen island while matt slides on his shoes "your bike isnt going anywhere y/n, dont worry" he chuckles standing up. I run over to him grabbing his hand, rushing over to the stairs "careful baby, your going fall and break ur bones again" he holds onto my hand so i dont fly down because of how fast i was going, "im just happy, both my wrist and leg are fully healed and my bike is finally ready for me" i excitedly ramble "i know i know" he laughs.

-11:46am-

Matt pulls into the parking space and before he can switch the car off, ive taken off my seatbelt and jumped out of the car. He shakes his head with a smile as he watches me eagerly walk over to the shop. I walk in and greet the man at the desk, Matt eventually follows in behind me, "hi my names y/n im here to pick up my yamaha yzf-r6" i smile, looking down at the seated man, "ah yes, i see shes all fixed up, pretty nasty crash ay?" he nods "yeah" i nasally laugh. He stands up and walks into the backroom, 30 seconds later he walks back out with my bike keys. "Here you are" he hands me the keys "my coworker is already outside and he will take you to your bike" he smiles, pointing to the side door, "thank you, have a nice day" i walk out the door, squeezing matts hand. We walk over to the mans coworker and he takes us to my bike. I start it up, pulling on my helmet and the man points out the exit, we thank him and he walks away. Matt gets into his car and i pull up next to him, "race you home?" i slightly shout over the noise of my bike, he nods and quickly pulls away, i laugh and pull down the throttle, immediately passing him. i lift my hand flipping him off, not looking back to him as to not crash again.

-12:17am-

i pull into the open garage and matt is nowhere to be seen, i turn off my bike but continue to sit on it with my legs off the side as i scroll through instagram. "how am i not surprised you beat me home" matt laughs placing his hands on the sides of my thighs, making me jump a little. "im just too good" i joke, doing a sassy hair flip off my shoulder, "come on a ride with me?" i ask looking up to him, he shakes his head a little, "pleaseeeee" i beg, bringing my hands together 🙏, he takes a defeated breath not wanting to bicker and agrees, "okay fine baby, but just this once, it scares me on the back of that thing" he laughs walking over to the shelves on the wall, grabbing his helmet, "you know you love it" i giggle from my bike. matt walks back over to me, pulling on his helmet he throws a leg over the bike sitting down. "hold on matty" i tell him as i start my bike back up, he quickly wraps his arms around my waist holding on tightly, "not too tight" i quickly pat his hand, "sorry baby" he apologises as he rests his head on my back. i reverse out of the driveway, and pull out into the road.

We drive around the streets for 5/10 minutes then i pull onto the highway. I look around and then start to speed up, "not too fast trouble" matt says from behind me, to which i speed up even more, he laughs in response. as we speed down the fast lane, red and blue lights start to flash behind us, "fuck" i whisper-yell, seeing the cops in my rearview mirror, "y/n baby pull over, we can just pay the ticket" matt says, a little worried knowing what is most likely about to happen, i dont say anything as i consider what he says, i just spent a huge chunk of my money fixing my bike, i wasnt about to spent another on a fucking speeding ticket, i shake my head and pull the throttle straight down, speeding up fast, matts arms cling onto me to not fall off. the sirens start to fall quiet as we get away, "y/n i said to pull over, we couldve paid the ticket" matt speaks up as we pull off the highway into our area, "fuck that, why would i when we both know that im fast enough to just speed away" i sassily quip back as we get onto our street, matt laughs shaking his head at my antics. We pull into our driveway and i take off my helmet, shaking my head a little waving my hair out, "god youre hot" matt whispers under his breath, admiring me getting off the bike "what was that?" i ask placing my helmet on the shelf then turning back to him, he walks over to me and places his hands around my waist "i said, god youre hot" he smirks looking down at me. my cheeks flush red as i wrap my arms around his neck, i pull down and bring him into a kiss. "i love you matty b" i smile up at him, he smiles back at me "i love you more my little biker baby"

-

i never know how tf to end these things lmao

feedback is appreciated if u wanna give it🙏🙏

my third story💪💪

taglist: @junnniiieee07 @raysmayhem-72 @m0r94n @sturnzsblog @euphoric-mind-07 @nyktoxs-lover @sturniolo-slvt

#chris sturniolo #sturniolo triplets #christopher sturniolo #matt sturniolo #sturniolo #nick sturniolo #nicolas sturniolo #sturniolo edit #sturniolo fluff #chris sturniolo fanfic #sturniolo x reader #h3arts4harry

[silentmoths]

A cold cure for Insomnia

Hey look, it's not a genshin fic

wild huh?

I'll preface this with 2 things: 1: I am, for some reason, incredibly nervous abt posting a fic that is 100% outside my wheelhouse. I've never actually posted anything but genshin fic since I started uploading a couple years ago, only like, one friend has ever seen anything else from me so this is a bit of a step. 2: this is nothing put pure, indulgent lesbian bullshit and I'll also note that I have no idea how to write f/f smut, so be gentle with me.

If you're only here for my genshin stuff, have a nice day and we'll be back to regularly scheduled bullshittery shortly. Until then, please enjoy me, self indulging over my pokemon wife.

Elite 4 Rika x Fem!Reader 7.4k words, not proofread, we die like prof. sada

NSFW, honestly it's just a whole lot of fkn smut with some fluff sprinkled in there, praise kink, hair pulling, use of toys, oral, tribbing, koraidon being an unintentional wingman.

What a day.

Sometimes you wonder how Nemona did it, rushing around doing champion things all the time. Honestly, ever since you’d beat Geeta all those years ago while you were still in school, it felt like every day was ‘go here, check this gym, go there, check that gym.’ And you were getting a little tired of it.

Especially recently, with Nemona currently travelling somewhere in the Kalos region doing Arceus knows what, and Geeta being stuck in paperwork hell with the Academy preparing for their annual treasure hunt, you’d been swamped, needing to go and check every. Single. Gym. to make sure they were all up to par.

(who knows maybe this year a new student would claim the champion title and you could retire? That’d be nice.)

Montenevera was the last stop on your trip, and while the vibe was always lovely in the snowy mountain town…you’d never been particularly fond of the cold… Only made worse by Rhyme and her gang of ghost pokemon sending a particular shiver down your spine that you just couldn’t shake.

Night had fallen by the time you finally walked out the sliding doors of the League building, only to be greeted by your one nemesis. 

Fucking snow.

Here, on the outskirts of Mesagoza.

You wanted to scream, but that wasn’t very becoming of a League champion now was it?

So with a sigh, you reach for a specific pokeball on your hip. The trek home wasn’t far, but in the sleet and cold, you knew it’d be faster if you rode.

Koraidon however, apparently had other ideas. 

The moment his feet touch the cold ground, he yelps and backs right up and into the League building once again.

“Koraidon…c’mon bud, we just need to get home.” you sigh “I know you’re tired too…I promise to make you the best dang sandwich when we get home…yeah?” 

The paradox pokemon simply looks at you with wide, sad eyes and a low chitter before he willingly returns to his ball. 

Great….just great. Not even your most reliable pokemon was willing to brave even more snow, not after today.

“Woah-ho, what’s gotten under his scales?” a familiar voice sounds from behind you, snapping you from your despondent staring at Koraidon’s pokeball. The familiar click of dress boots give her away before Rika steps into view.

How she always managed to look so very casual while pulling off suspenders was beyond you, but every time you were anywhere in the vicinity of the first member of the Elite four, you found your mouth running dry and your mind wandering very far away from here. She tilts her head at you and it takes her waving her hand in front of your eyes to realise you were absolutely staring at her.

Way to go.

“Woah, you alright? You look wiped.” She comments, her brow furrowing as she looks you up and down. 

“A-ah…yeah, sorry…s’been a long few days…” you eventually mumble, turning your gaze to the floor as you clip Koraidon’s ball back to your belt with the others. “Geeta’s had me checking and rechecking all the gyms to make sure they’re ready for the next treasure hunt…we just got back from Montenevera…cold…tired…and now it’s snowing a-and Koraidon is just…too tired to take me home..” 

A slender, comforting hand gently rests between your shoulder blades, rubbing small, soothing circles and it takes everything in you to not crumble apart there, man, how desperate did you have to be to nearly cry at friendly touch? “You live all the way on the other side of town, dontcha?” She asks, her free hand raising to push some of her green hair from her face as the look of worry on her features only seems to grow “Ain’t no way you’re making that walk in this state…”

“I’ll live…” you sigh, hanging your head and readjusting your bag as you lift your head to look at the snow flurry that was definitely only getting heavier.

“Nah, C’mon, you can crash at mine tonight, it’s closer.” Rika chimes, patting you on the back and passing you a wink before she heads out the door. 

You blink, watching her back in silence, there was no way she had just invited you to spend the night, absolutely no way. You needed to go see a doctor and maybe get your hearing checked-

“You comin? Or did Rhyme’s Toxtricity paralyse you up there in Montenevera?” She calls, stopping and looking over her shoulder. There's a…a look in her eyes that you can't quite make out, but it makes your heart jackhammer just that little bit, especially when she turns and offers her hand “C’mon, let's get you home, yeah?”

You swallow the lump in your throat as you blink at her outstretched, gloved hand and then up at her smile.

Arceus, you were weak…how you ever made champion when you can’t even look the first of the Elite four in the eye without feeling your cheeks heat, you’ll never know.

Finally, you reach out and take her hand, not expecting her to tug you into her side, arm draping over your shoulders as she starts walking again, all but pulling you along with her. Her hand gives your shoulder a reassuring squeeze as she shares her body warmth with you on the trek down the mountainside towards the tunnel. For someone so slim, she was…much warmer than you expected, and you find yourself sleepily zoning out, simply focusing on one food in front of the other.

Thankfully, Rika was pretty alright with not needing to make small talk. This wasn’t the first time you had both just…existed in the same space in silence…to be fair the silence on your part before was because you had no idea how to talk to her without muddling your words like a lovestruck idiot, and perhaps that was still the case. Regardless, you play up the ‘tired’ aspect and simply bask in being close.

The unfortunate downside to the tunnel from Mesagoza up to the League headquarters, was the wind. Right now? Frigid and inhospitable, the icy chill stinging at your eyes, at least until your companion comes to your rescue, shifting you behind her taller frame and blocking the wind, hand moving from your shoulder to your hand, giving that same reassuring squeeze as she looks over her shoulder, small smile on her face.

You swear you can feel her thumb gently rubbing over your knuckles as she bends her arm behind her back to keep a secure hold on you.

Rika…she really was something else, something you didn’t deserve.

The moment the tunnel spits you both out into Mesagoza’s side streets, she takes an immediate right. Had you been walking home, you would have had to take a left and trudge all the way to the other side of the city, past the academy and almost to the pokemon centre by the west gate. 

The flurry of snow was only getting worse, you can feel your clothes growing heavy and damp, and the concrete was getting slippery. Thankfully it’s not all that long before she tugs you into an apartment building and into a blessedly warm elevator. Holding you steady as your world begins to spin and blur at the edges. Perhaps you really had pushed it a bit too much today, hitting Cascarrafa, Glaseado and Montenevera in a single day…

“Hey.” Rika murmurs as your head rests against her shoulder “Stay with me, nearly there, kay? We’ll get you inside n’warmed up, yeah?” 

“Mmh…kay..” you manage to mumble back, simply enjoying being held, even if it was light. Her arm wrapped around your torso as you just breath. She smells like Cedarwood…and maybe a hint of Ozone…might have something to do with her Camerupt… but it’s not an unwelcome scent at all. You only get a few moments to enjoy it before the elevator chimes, and you’re gently tugged out into, and down a hallway. Rika’s free hand fishing her keys from her pocket. She has to let you go to get the door open, muttering something about a stuck lock and needing to call maintenance, but with a bodily shove of her shoulder, the lock clicks and the door swings open.

Her apartment is blessedly warm, she must have left the heater on when she left for work this morning, because the warm air nearly takes you out before you even enter the door, needing to lean against the frame with a relieved sigh, knowing that even if you had made it home tonight, your heater had definitely not been on, and hadn't been for several days.

Rika only laughs softly, gently pulling you inside so she could close the door. 

“Here…lets get you to the bathroom and into the shower…you’re absolutely freezing.” She mutters. Half-carrying you down the hall. Her apartment is…honestly what you expected. Neat enough, but not overly tidied. Lived in, comfortable, Inviting. Shades of soft greens and earthy tones scattered everywhere, a few large pokemon beds scattered about for her pokemon to enjoy outside of their balls. The only things really alluding to the fact that Rika was far more well off than most had to be the massive TV mounted to the living room wall, and what looked like one of the newer game consoles…the ones that had been super hard to get because of a manufacturing supply issue…fancy.

You don't quite register that she’s slowly pulling your clothes away from you until she’s already got your beanie, scarf and jacket off, each item thrown into her laundry hamper, at some point she’d also already started the shower for you, the room already beginning to fill with steam. You snap back to reality when theres a gently tug at the hem of your shirt, silently asking for your permission to remove it. 

“O-oh, I uh…s-sorry…” you mumble, raising your arms above your head anyway, cheeks flushing pink with embarrassment as she pulls the item away, the tank top beneath still leaving you modest enough to not die on the spot. “I-I can handle it from here…” 

“You sure?” she murmurs softly “S’no big deal to me.” 

“Y-yeah…I’ll be fine…thanks.” 

You watch as the tiniest hint of…disappointment? Flickers across her features…no, surely you were imagining…but she doesn’t push it any further.

“Alrighty, I’ll go find something you can wear for the night and then throw your clothes in the laundry once you’re in the shower, yeah?”

“Mm…t-thank you Rika…you really…you didn’t have to-” you mumble, unable to meet her gaze, but she just smiles and shrugs, her fingers slowly pushing a stray strand of hair out of your face. 

“And what if I wanted to? You look like you need a break.” She retorts, sliding past you and continuing down the hall before you can reply.

Soon enough, the rest of your clothes join the laundry hamper and you slip into the shower, beneath the scalding spray and you want to cry all over again, your fingers begin to prick with pins and needles as they slowly regain feeling, serves you right for leaving your gloves at home.

A few minutes into your shower, you hear the distinctive, soft thud of cloth hitting the counter. “Here’s some jammies, sorry if they’re a bit big.” Rika chuckles before vanishing back down the hall. You almost don’t want to get out of the hot spray, especially not once you start giving yourself a good scrub down with whatever fancy-branded body wash she kept in here.

At least now you know what to buy that would make you smell like cedarwood…

After you feel the last of the day’s grime finally wash from your body, you shut off the water and poke your head out of the shower. Thankfully Rika had already left a towel waiting atop the clothes she’d sacrificed to you. It’s as you’re drying off that you finally get a good look in the mirror and…wow…

Now you think you understand why she’d been so concerned…you look like you had two black eyes, that's how tired you were…

–

You find Rika relaxing in the living room watching TV when you finally emerge, changed into a fresh set of long pyjamas and- you can’t even stop the giggle when you notice the clodsire slippers.

“Where on earth did you get those?” you ask, pointing to said slippers, earning a grin and a snicker from their wearer.

“Larry actually.” She chuckles “secret santa a couple years back.” With that, she pats the spot on the couch next to her, and you, now warm and content, plop down beside her without a second thought, leaning against the arm of the couch with a content sigh. “How’re you feelin?” she asks, idly flipping through the channels.

“Mmh…much better…thank you again…I…I don’t think I would have made it home…not in this weather.”

“Oh I coulda told you that, Honey. In fact I’m pretty sure I did.” She snickers, her lips quirking at the side when she notes the way your cheeks flush pink at the pet name. “I’ve ordered some takeout, s’too cold to go out n’ grab food...and I’m usually too beat after work to bother cooking.” 

“Then how the hell do you stay so skinny?” You snicker at her, receiving a wink in response.

“Oh I take my cardio seriously.” is all the response she gives before she finally decides there is nothing decent on regular TV, and switches over to a streaming service, throwing on some random popular movie. 

Once again, you both settle into a comfortable silence, Rika rising from the couch half an hour in to fetch the dinner left at her door before returning, at some point with a blanket in tow. You sit up a little as she places the food on the coffee table and plops down right beside you this time, draping the blanket over both your laps. It’s not until you take the first mouthful of that delightful galarian curry, that you realise just how hungry you are, barely paying attention to the movie as you scarf down your meal, fighting back tears at Rika’s acts of kindness for the third time today, and only seemingly taking a breath once you’ve finished your meal, leaning back into the arm of the couch with a content sigh, only to squeak when Rika finishes her own a few minutes later and bodily leans into your side, head to your chest and arms slowly wrapping around your torso as she pulls her legs up and gets comfortable beside you with a content huff.

Arceus she was just so…so handsome, breathtaking… and she was just…cuddling you like you’d both been doing this kind of thing for years… it was sudden, but it didn’t feel wrong…and slowly, you bring your arm down from where it had been splayed along the back of the couch, to gently card through her hair, pulling some of her bangs from her face and tucking them behind her ear.

“Hmm…you should get some sleep, kiddo…arceus knows you need it.” She hums, glancing up at you from her spot on your chest. You know she’s right, and she doesn’t complain when you shift, even reaching behind her to hand you an extra cushion to tuck behind your head as you lay out along the couch, Rika coming to rest between your legs, head once again leaning onto your chest, her extra warmth and weight just adding another layer of comfort as you both go back to watching the movie.

Now usually, usually you were the kind of person who could drop off watching a movie quite easily. But on very rare occasions, you would find yourself struck with bouts of insomnia, and unfortunately for you, they always seemed to happen after periods of prolonged stress.

Like needing to go and personally make sure every gym was up to standards… 

Before you even knew it, the credits begin to roll, you’re exhausted, but offensively awake, to the point where even Rika is surprised, blinking those beautiful crimson eyes up at you. 

“Can’t sleep?” she asks with a tilt of her head. 

“Sometimes Insomnia is a bitch.” You concede, she makes a noise of understanding. 

“Ah, yeah…I know that feeling…” she admits, staring up at you, to the point you feel your cheeks heating again, and you avert your gaze “but, thankfully, I know the best solution for that.” She adds, shimmying to push herself up on her hands and knees, looming over you, some of her hair, having been free’d of its usual ponytail, cascading over her shoulders to tickle at your face.

“O-oh? And…what might that be?” that look in her eyes is back, the one you couldn’t quite read properly back at HQ, but here, with her inches from your face? It’s loud and clear.

Hunger. 

“Do you trust me?” She asks, her lips quirking into a smirk as you shrink beneath her. 

“W-would I have followed you home if I hadn’t?” you manage to squeak back at her, nowhere near as confident and commanding as it had sounded in your head. It’s enough to make her chuckle, and you watch in a daze as she licks her lips, a single hand coming up to softly grip your chin, lifting your face. 

“Hm, touche…” and with that, her lips are on yours, she swallows the squeaking gasp that you let out, taking the opportunity of your mouth being open to send her tongue in to explore. To you it feels like electricity, like you’d just taken a thunderbolt to the senses; She’s soft, gentle, probing, gauging your reactions. Apparently she must have liked what she got, because she deepens the kiss, nipping at your lips as one hand tangles in your hair, rougher. You like this a bit better. 

You’re the one who needs to come up for air first, pulling your face away with a loud, breathless gasp as you try to catch your breath. 

The look you find waiting for you is…predatory, is the only word that comes to mind, and if it wasn’t for the fact she was already between your knees, you’d be squeezing your thighs together so tight, because it’s doing something…funny to your insides.

“Hmm…you ever done anything like…this before?” She asks, voice low and husky and you’re very ready to pass away, but you manage a shake of your head and the grin you get in response? 

It’s like a Mightyena who’s just found it’s lunch. She was going to eat you, and she was going to enjoy every second of it. 

“Well then, we’d best move…couch sex is great n’ all, but I’d rather your first time be somewhere a little more comfortable.” she remarks, pulling away. You whine at the loss of her extra warmth, but that whine quickly turns to a yelp when she takes your arm and drags you up with a strength she hadn’t shown you before. Always full of tricks, Rika was. 

The admittedly short trek down the hall to her room is…hindered. Every few steps you’d find yourself pressed against the wall, Rika towering over you as hands tangle in your hair and lips crash to yours as she steals what little breath you manage to catch before you’re separating, taking a couple more steps and repeating the process. 

Right outside the bedroom door, the slim trainer actually lifts you up the wall a ways, enough so that your legs instinctively wrap around her waist, nothing but her pyjama pants and the thin boxer’s you’d borrowed off her keeping you apart, but already entirely too much clothing in the way. You moan loudly when she rolls her hips into yours, the sensations all new and overwhelming, but you don't think you’ve ever felt this good before in your life.

Her hands find your ass as she pulls back from the wall, holding you to her firmly as you both finally stumble into her room, only given a second to brace before she’s throwing you down into the blankets, and even less time before she’s on you, grinning and hungry as hands fly up your top, pushing it up your chest so she can finally access some skin.

“A-ah! Rika-” her name was lost on her for the time being, far too engrossed in leaving open mouthed kisses along your chest and stomach, mouth latching over one of your nipples while her hand works at the other. Your own hands twisting and clenching at her blanket, your squirming only made worse when she shifts again, her knee pressing between your legs and right against your aching cunt. 

At some point, she manages to wrangle the top off you completely, throwing it to the void so her hands can explore the expanse of your chest properly, she leaves no patch of skin untouched, no freckle or blemish uncharted, and when your whining begins to pitch as the nipple she sucks on becomes too sensitive, she gets go, only to latch to your collar bone instead, hands roaming your body.

You let out an embarrassingly pitiful mewl when her fingers dip beneath the waistband of your borrowed boxers, and you immediately bring a hand up to cover your mouth. Rika, apparently, doesn’t like that. Her hand retreating from its place as she props herself on the other, pulling away entirely, even shifting her knee back, depriving you of that delicious friction. Your hand is tugged away from your mouth and pinned to your side, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

“Don’t.” She scolds quietly “I wanna hear you.”

“B-but-” 

“Don’t be a brat.” she interjects, eyes flashing dangerously “I know that aint’ you… you wanna be a good girl, yeah?”

Oh.

Oh no.

That shouldn’t have such an effect on you. 

There’s no hiding it from Rika either. Her smirk widens as she stares smugly down at your trembling frame. 

“Oh? You like that huh? Well then, are you gonna be a good girl and do as I say?” she hums “I’ll make sure you feel real good, yeah?”

“M-mhm…” is all you manage to squeak out, earning a raised eyebrow.

“What was that? Didn’t quite hear you there, princess.” Rika snickers. She knows exactly what she’s doing, and the humiliation burns your ears and makes your insides squirm in a way you didn’t think would feel as good as it did.

“I-I’ll be good…” you whisper, your hands twisting into the sheets as Rika hums, leaning down to press a chaste kiss to your burning cheek. 

“That’s a good girl.” she purrs “you just relax n’let me handle things, kay?”

You actually sigh into the kiss when she does finally return to what she was doing, your arms wrapping over her shoulders as she shifts back into place, hands lightly roaming your skin, teasing and testing sensitive spots, occasionally getting a little rougher, just enough to rile you a little more, before settling again. Before she can get back into your pants however, you tug at her shirt, whining into her mouth; thankfully, Rika is smart, she gets your hint and pulls away just long enough to tug her top off.

Her skin is soft, smooth, a few burn scars and claw marks here and there as she settles beside you, one of your thighs caught between her knees as she wraps an arm under your shoulders, pulling you close to her chest as the other hand grazes southward, she doesn't dally once her fingers breech the waistband of your boxers, quickly locating the sticky mess between your thighs with a pleased hum.

“Mmm, look at that…” she hums as a pair of fingers easily delve through your pussy, retracting from your boxers entirely so she can admire the glistening slick dripping from her fingers. “You’re so wet already, honey…” Rika makes sure you watch as she pops those two fingers into her mouth and you squeak, face burning in embarrassment. 

She doesn’t give you much time to react, the moment she pulls those slender fingers from her lips, she shifts, your boxers are wrenched off and you’re left bare before her as she parts your knees to settle on her belly between your thighs, eyes flashing devilishly in the low light, and hot breath ghosting over your most sensitive parts.

“R-Rika-”

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited to get you into my bed.” She rasps between open-mouthed kisses along your thighs, arms wrapping around to keep yout hips in place as she takes her sweet time. “When was it… mmh, yeah I think it was…two years ago? Koraidon suddenly came out of his ball all sorry lookin’ in the middle of a meeting…”

Oh Arceus, you remember that meeting… Perhaps you’d been a little soft with Koraidon…he’d learnt that if he looked sorry enough, you’d make him a sandwich… but it was getting awfully hard to focus when a warm tongue suddenly licks a flat stripe into your cunt, and lips seal around your clit, shocking you from your thoughts as her strong hands prevent you from accidentally crushing her head with your thighs.

“Without even stopping to think, you got up n’ you got him what he needed.” she whispers into your thigh once she finally pulls away “middle of a meetin… n’ heres our newest champion, making a sandwich for her pokemon.” she chuckles “I dunno…something about how casually you just…did that…I’ve wanted this ever since but Geeta’s always had you running all over the place, pinning you down has always been impossible…least until today.” 

“Rika…”

“You’re always doing everything for everyone else… you deserve to relax.” For a brief moment, she flashes you a genuine smile, not a hint of that handsome smirk that you’re so used to; just genuine warmth before she tugs you down by your hips and returns her mouth to you, long strokes of her tongue between your folds that leave any words dead in your throat, and your hands tangling in her hair for any semblance of control. You didn’t want to hurt her, but when she sucks harshly on your clit, you cry out and yank on her hair a little harder than you’d meant to, any apology dying when she groans and shudders, her eyes rolling back for a moment. 

“You’re killin me, kid.” She sighs in the brief moment she brings herself to separate from you “keep doin that and you might end up in trouble.”

It sounds like a threat… but the way she suddenly looks so…debauched, has you tugging at her silky hair again when a pair of fingers slowly begin to prod at your core, spurring her on as you squirm and mewl.

Eventually, you feel something deep in your belly, different from before, something building that has your breath coming harshly as you try to squirm away, stopped by a firm hand pressing just below your navel.

“R-rika-! s-somethings…I-I feel-” you whimper as the pressure builds, you expect her to pull away in concern, but her eyes flash with realisation, and she only seems to double down, her long, slender fingers curling inside of you and brushes against…something. Something that has you nearly scream her name as that pressure snaps and your world turns white, fingers curling harshly into her hair.

Somewhere, through the haze, you feel a weight resting on you, and a hand resting on your cheek, but it takes a little longer for your ears to finally stop ringing and realise Rika was gently calling your name.

“There you are..” She chuckles softly as you finally remember how to uncross your eyes and look at her. “That looked intense…you ok?” 

“Uh…uh-huh…” you respond dumbly, resting your cheek against her hand “what…what was that..?”

Rika’s lips pull into a thin, concerned line as her brows furrow.

“They really didn’t teach sex-ed at the academy, did they?” She asks.

“I-I mean…they did…s’just…basic..” you mumble as you slowly come down from…whatever high that just was.

“Obviously.” she sighs with a shake of her head “Was that seriously your first orgasm?” 

Oh.

“oh…I uh…yeah…I guess it was.” and the humiliation was back. You knew what an orgasm was in theory…you’d just..never bothered to try it yourself. 

“Well…I suppose I should count myself honoured then.” She snickers, leaning in to kiss at your undoubtedly sweaty forehead. “Couple more of those N’ I think you’ll be sleeping like a Komala.” 

“M-more…?” you whisper, she laughs, catching your wide-eyed expression.

“Oh yeah, that was just foreplay, sweet thing…you did so well.” 

And the praise was back, despite the way your joints feel molten hot, you still manage to squirm beneath her. 

“I- s-should I…um…h-help you now?” your question is barely a whisper, all nerves…you have no idea how she did what she did but it felt…wrong to take and not give. 

But Rika only shakes her head. 

“What’d I say before?” she chides, slowly sitting back on her knees “Your one job tonight is to relax…I’ve got you.” 

“But…what about you-”

“Don’t you worry about me. I’ll get off eventually.” She chuckles, smirking when you sigh and relent. “I want one more outta you before then though.” She mumbles as she shifts out from between your knees, sitting and reaching for her bedside table as you stare at the ceiling, basking in the shaky afterglow. 

“D-did you…mean what you said before?” you mumble more at the ceiling than anything “that you’ve been…waiting for this..?” 

“What reason do I have to lie to you?” She chuckles as she fiddles with…whatever she’s fiddling with. “You earned my respect the day you beat me when you first took on the Elite four, my admiration when you beat Geeta and became a champion…”

“God…those stupid glasses haunt me.” you snicker, remembering rather vividly being sat, alone in a room with Rika when you had first taken on the league, you’d read up plenty on other pokemon leagues in other regions, but never once had any of them had an interview-style exam right at the start.

“Hey, I like my glasses, thank you very much!” Rika snorts as she finally shifts back over, pulling you close with one arm as something…new slides between your legs, a quick glance and- oh.

You never really took Rika for the kind to own toys…but…at the same time, you never really gave it much thought. It’s nothing extreme, but to you, who’s never had anything other than a pair of slender fingers inside you very recently, the silicone toy is still rather intimidating. 

“This ok?” She asks, mouthing at your neck and shoulder “if you don’t want to, you don’t have to.”

“I…I do..just..nervous is all.” 

“Mmh, good girl, so trusting…” there she goes again with the pet name that makes you shiver, not helped by the cold press of lubricated silicone against your still-sensitive cunt, gently pressing just that little bit further as Rika mouths your neck, nibbling down on the juncture between throat and shoulder, an adequate distraction as she pulls your leg out of the way with her own and sinks the toy in, slowly, almost tender as she coos comforts, coaxing you to relax, praise falling from her easily. 

“Look at that, you took it so well.” She praises once the toy reaches the hilt “fuck, you’re making me regret not buying a harness… might just have to pick one up so I can fuck you proper, yeah?” 

You can't even bring yourself to respond to her dirty talk, blinking hazily downwards as you gently press a hand just below your belly-button, taking the hint, Rika pulls the toy almost all the way out and then thrusts it back in. The feeling of it inside you, plus being able to feel it beneath your hand makes you moan loud and long, head falling back against the pillows as Rika lets you go, using her now free arm to prop herself up to watch you as she begins rhythmically working the dildo in and out of you, a small shift of her thumb has it brushing against your clit every time she sinks the silicone back into you, only adding to the layers of pleasure as your toes curl and your legs twitch.

“Look at you taking it like you were made for this, good girl.” she purrs, licking at her lips “I really shoulda found another reason to get you alone waaay before now.”

“Ungh…please…p-please…more…” It takes more than you feel like it should to beg, good as it felt, you’re worried that Rika was perhaps treating you just a little too softly. “Rika please…please please pleas-”

“Woah there, settle down baby.” She whispers, kissing at your cheek “Lookit you, telling me what you want like a good girl…who am I to deny the champion?” 

Your attempt at telling her she didn’t need to use your title is quickly drowned out when she sits up, plunging the toy deeper inside of you with this new angle, brushing up against that one spot that had triggered your last orgasm. Her free hand pins your chest down as she smiles down at you, predatory and hungry for your reactions as she ups the pace, occasionally stopping to really grind the toy deep inside of you, right against that sensitive spot that has your voice pitch higher while you grip at Rika’s hand like your life depended on it.

As your next orgasm draws closer, you whimper, tugging at her hand, overstimulated ,overwhelmed, knowing you needed something, but not quite sure what that something was. At least until Rika pulls you to sit up, not even interrupting her pace as she braces you against her chest so you can hide your face away into the crook of her neck. All the while she mutters praise and pet names into your ear. She groans when that knot snaps for the second time tonight and you cry her name into her throat. You don’t pass out like you’re pretty sure you did last time at least, but as the shocks of pleasure begin to fade out, you really do begin to feel the pull of exhaustion behind your eyes as you slump against Rika’s shoulder, whimpering quietly when she slowly pulls the toy from your sensitive core, feeling the way your muscles involuntarily clench around it.

“How was that, baby? You doin alright?” She asks, gently tossing the toy back towards the bedside table as she turns her attention back to you. You were dizzy, dazed, and exhausted, yet through all that one thought still persisted.

She’d been doing all of this for you, and she still had her goddamn pants on.

Her breath hitches when your hand drops to her thighs, pressing beneath the waistband as you try to swallow down your nervousness to return the favour properly, biting your lip as you find the slick, wet mess already waiting for you; in a way, it was comforting to know that she was in fact, turned on by all of this. You’re clumsier than Rika at this, inexperienced and nervous, but you listen as she lets out a shuddering breath, her head leaning against yours for a moment as you slowly gain some confidence. That is until she grabs your wrist, ignoring your whine as she pulls your hand away and lays you back down, taking a moment to kiss any air out of your lungs, trying to calm your fraying nerves at being denied the chance to please her. 

“Hey… It’s ok sweetie.” She murmurs against your lips, uncaring of your wide-eyed pout “One more…”

“Nooo.” you whine, wiggling in her grip “I cant…s’too much Rika…” truly, you didn't think you could take another, no matter how good it felt, the first two had been so intense, but Rika only smiles. 

“I know you can give me one more, sweet girl.” she purrs, watching as you squirm and shake your head like you could actually deny her. “Will you stop being a brat if I told you this one will also get me off?” 

At that, your squirming stops as you blink tiredly up at her, earning a chuckle and a fond shake of her head. 

“R-really?”

“Yeah, s’nice n easy on you too…you wanna try?” 

You seriously doubted she could get another out of you, hell, you seriously doubted you could stay awake for much longer, her initial plan definitely working…but if it brought her pleasure too…

“O-ok…I’ll try…”

“That’s my girl.” She whispers softly, pressing just as soft a kiss to your lips “Lay back for me, princess.”

You do just that, shifting a few pillows to get comfortable, if you thought your joints ached before, now you felt like you've made the trip to the three final gyms today on foot…perhaps you should make Koraidon his favourite sandwich as thanks for carrying you around all day.

You feel Rika take hold of one of your legs, lifting it so your knee bends over her shoulder as she settles into place, finally free of her own bottoms as she slots her pelvis against yours. You gasp at the feeling of your cores pressing together. It felt…soft, but almost way more intimate and intense than anything she’d done to you prior…whatever she was doing, definitely wasn’t covered in any sex-ed class you’d taken back in school.

You’re about to ask, when she rolls her hips and oh- 

Perhaps it was your already overstimulated state, or just the position itself, but as she slowly grinds herself against you, the friction leaves you breathless, even more so when you look at Rika’s face. Her brow is furrowed in deep concentration as she bites at her bottom lip, face contorting in pleasure as she groans into your knee, her nails digging into the soft flesh of your thigh as she rolls her hips just a little harder, the pain only adding to the sensation.

“S-shit…” she pants, “fuck you feel so good…good girl..” she moans, head tilting back as she stares up at the ceiling, shuddering when you whimper and lift your hips as she rolls down again, sending another jolt of pleasure through you both. “That’s it princess, j-just like that… you’re gettin real good at this…” 

Her words of pleasured praise do…something else to you, sparking that last bit of energy you had left to life as you continue to try and keep rhythm with her, grinding together slow and deep and watching in awe as the first member of the elite four comes apart in front of you for the first time, her sounds going from quite whispers to long moans and pleasured keens. 

“Rika- R-rika…” you pant “mmf-fuck… can’t believe it’s taken this long..” the words are out of your mouth before you have the forethought to think about them “I’ve had the stupidest crush on you since we first met back when I was taking the gym challenge… you were so- ah! H-handsome and intimidating…I…thought you were a-a man and nearly called you S-sir-”

“FUCK-” her shout actually makes you jolt, and you realise she’s cumming, cunt grinding deliciously into your own as she bites down on your leg, the sudden extra jolt of pleasure-pain sending you over the edge as well with an open-mouthed scream.

Somewhere in the haze before you pass out, you make a mental note to try calling Rika ‘sir’ next time…if there was a next time.

–

It’s light out when you wake the next morning, blinking sleep from your eyes as you look out the window.

Seems the snow had only picked up during the night, most of which you don't remember after…well, everything. Save for a straw in your mouth, Rika’s gentle voice coaxing a few sips of fluid into you, and a damp cloth wiping you down, hushing your overstimulated whimpers of protest. 

Somehow she’d even managed to get you dressed again without waking you…you must have crashed hard. Yet the thing that sticks out to you is that the bed is severely lacking in another body, Rika nowhere to be found.

At first, a pit of worry sows itself into your gut. Had she gone to sleep on the couch after all that? Had she had second thoughts-

A clatter from down the hall, and her warm laughter however, abate that somewhat.

“You’re such an ungainly thing.” you hear her snicker “Hold on a second it’s nearly done, needy lizard.” 

Koraidon’s telltale ‘i'm hungry and sad, feed me’ whine quickly turns to happy chirping at the promise of food, his head turning to the hallway as you shuffle out of bed, blanket and all to trudge down the hall. happily leaving Rika to her business as he trots over to greet you, shoving his massive snout right into your belly. 

“See? All your complainin’ woke her up!” Rika snorts, resting a hand on her hip. “N’here i was trying to make you breakfast before you woke up…”

Your cheeks heat a little at the sentiment.

“Keyword is try…good luck getting any cooking past Koraidon…” you mumble softly, petting said pokemon’s head feathers down as the other trainer leaves the kitchen, pressing a soft kiss to your temple. 

“Well, initially I’d enlisted him to help, but that turned out to be a bust..” She snickers. “G’mornin.”

“M-morning..” 

Rika tilts her head at you with an amused grin “aw, actin all shy after everything that happened last night?” she muses, chuckling when all the response you give is a slightly redder face before you drop your head into Koraidon’s feathers. Her amusement soon melts away as a warm, now intimately familiar hand, comes to rest on your back. 

“Hey…” she sighs “I enjoyed myself last night… I hope you did too…” 

“I-I did… its just…I…” you nibble at your bottom lip, unable to come up with the words to describe how you’re feeling. Giddy and nervous, emotional and excited, all wrapped up into one package.

Thankfully, your companion seems to take it in stride, pressing another kiss to your temple before she returns to the kitchen.

“Oh by the way.” She pipes up after a moment. “Geeta called this morning…snow’s a little too heavy today so HQ’s shut…looks like we have a long weekend.” 

Oh, an extra day off? That's probably the best news you could have gotten today, considering your legs were still shaking like a newborn deerling…

“Nice..” you giggle, slowly shuffling towards the couch, pulling her blanket up over your shoulders as you flop down by the arm and get cozy. 

“Thats what I said.” She snickers, soon joining you with a hot plate of food. If you’d thought the galarian curry last night had been good, this trumped it, your body screaming for food after last night’s exertion. 

“Y’know, if you want…you’re more than welcome to crash here for the weekend…” Rika throws the offer casually as she eats, content smile upon her face as she watches you from the corner of her eye “Snow’s only gotten heavier since yesterday, n’I don't wantcha getting hurt tryina get home..” 

This time, you can hear the intent behind her words, the intent you couldn’t read yesterday as you turn your head towards the window, to the almost whiteout of Masagoza. You contemplate the offer as you polish off your breakfast, placing the plate on the coffee table before you, watching as Koraidon happily trots up to lick the plate clean with a happy chirp.

“Hmmm…well, if you’re happy to have me…who am I to say no…sir.” you know it’s cheeky, you know it’s going to end badly for you, but watching Rika’s face suddenly go from cool, calm and collected, to beet red is totally worth it before she shoves the last mouthful of her own food into her mouth, slamming the plate onto the table before she grabs you by the collar of your shirt and hauls you up. 

You cackle all the way down the hall as she all but drags you back to the bedroom.

You were in for a long weekend indeed.

#pokemon scarlet and violet x reader #Rika x reader #elite four rika x reader #Rika x reader smut

[illarian-rambling]

Thanks for the tag @phoenixradiant!

OC Interview

I've been seeing people do two characters at once, so I'll do Sepo and Izjik as a pair :)

.

Are you named after anyone?

Izjik: "My name is a common one where I'm from, but I don't think I was named after anyone specific, no."

Sepo: "If I was, my mother croaked before she could tell me."

When was the last time you cried?

Izjik: "I dropped a bag of hammers on my foot at work the other day and spirits, they probably heard be about ten miles over!"

Sepo: "I don't cry."

Izjik: "Yes the fuck you do? Broody bastard. I saw you tearing up when we went and saw that new band. You cried last time you had to deal with the bounty guild because the guild leader makes you so damn angry. I know for a fact you get weepy every time you get so much as three drinks in you."

Sepo: "...no comment. Bitch."

Do you have kids?

Sepo: "You'd fucking think we do looking after Twenari. And she's not even half the trouble Djek is - and he's a grown-ass man."

Izjik: "Cut him some slack, he's like nineteen. But yeah, two kids pretty much. I've even been to a PTA meeting! That makes me certified parental material!"

Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Sepo: "Nooo, never..."

Izjik: "Low hanging fruit, my guy. I'm usually not sarcastic, though - it's not my style."

What is the first thing you notice about people?

Izjik: "If they're going to try to kill and eat me."

Sepo: "Ditto. Then I move on to what makes them annoying."

Izjik: "You're so negative, you know that? My second impression is their hands. You can tell a lot about a person based on their hands."

What is your eye color?

Izjik: "Kind of a blue gray? Slate, Twenari calls it."

Sepo: "Sirens all have eyes of black."

Izjik: "And a good thing to, given how stupid big your pupils are."

Sepo: "The fuck is that supposed to mean?"

Izjik: "If you had blue eyes, you'd look kinda silly is what I mean."

Scary movies or happy endings?

Sepo: "Scary, though it takes a lot to phase me."

Izjik: "Bullshit, you jump every time the camera angle changes. I like scary too, but with happy endings. Things can get bad, yeah, but it's always good to see folks making it out in the end."

Any special talents?

Izjik: "I can do a one-handed pushup!"

Sepo: "That's because one of your hands hardly works."

Izjik: "You're just a hater because you can't do one. That can be your special talent - being a hater."

Sepo: "Yes, fine, let's brush over my musical composition abilities and skills in veterinary medicine. My true special talent is being a hater."

Izjik: "Damn straight."

Where were you born?

Izjik: "The enclave of Edeme’eneha, deep in the N'Diki swamp. I think it was a lovely place to grow up, all in all. I really miss it sometimes."

Sepo: "I was born in a brothel basement in the Ulahdrian capital city of Seluthena, the largest metropolis beneath the waves. I... I also miss it sometimes."

Do you have any pets?

Izjik: "Nah. I never really got the concept of an animal you don't eat."

Sepo: "Landhorse is more of a business partner. She gets me where I need to be, and in exchange, I give her food, shelter, and pet her sweet nose from time to time. She's the best of horses, a gentlewoman among beasts."

What sort of sports do you play?

Izjik: "Does fighting for fun count? There's this bar I like where I can always get into a scrap if I'm looking for one. I think people have started placing bets every time I walk in."

Sepo: "I would go on cross-country camping trips when I was a teen in the Saryimastra Seat. That involved swimming for a few days at least, so I suppose it could be a sport. I found it very relaxing, escaping from all the noise and fuss of the temple. Sometimes Saius would go with me, but usually, I'd go off on my own."

How tall are you?

Izjik: "Tall enough to skin my fist on your teeth, lanky ass!"

Sepo: "You are five foot two. I'm six foot five. I really don't think you are."

What was your favorite subject in school?

Izjik: "I never went, but I liked learning how to set snares during my apprenticeship. It was the only thing I'd sit still for. Looking back, maybe that's why Dzako had me learn so many."

Sepo: "My education was rather... propaganda-filled. Most of the history I enjoyed learning turned out to be false. A lot of the books I read were horribly censored, though I didn't know it at the time. I suppose music. You can twist the words and intentions of music to whatever aims you wish, but the heart of it is always pure."

What is your dream job?

Izjik: "I mean, whatever gets me paid and let's me work outside. I heard Twenari talking once about these people called potion hunters? Apparently, they hunt magical plants and animals for alchemists to use in their work. That sounds like a hell of a lot of fun!"

Sepo: "I've... This is going to sound stupid, but I've always wanted to compose my own songs. In Ulahdris, music was strictly regulated and created by the church. But here on the surface? It's chaos. Any asshole with a kazoo can play whatever he wants. I... Oh, it's all nonsense anyways. I'm fine doing what I need to in order to survive."

Izjik: "You've gotta let yourself live a little, Sepo. I'd love to hear your music!"

Sepo: "Truly? Then... Then perhaps someday, I'll work up the courage."

.

World's most married platonic soulmates, for real. I'll tag @kaylinalexanderbooks @mk-writes-stuff @sleepyowlwrites @corinneglass and anyone else who wants to play :)

#writing #writerscommunity #writblr #my ocs #oc interview

[dkfile]

heartache and a latte

❛ it’s hard to tell someone you like them when you lose all self-control around them. like everything goes to auto-pilot. ❜

word count | 9.3k (9,296) genre | fluff, slice of life, strangers to lovers, coffee shop au ━ barista!woozi

you couldn’t help but notice that your spotify mutual woozi has been listening to some downright sad songs as of late, but as much as you want to reach out and console them, you have no way to, seeing as you don’t know who they are. however, fate might give you a chance when you realize that whatever song woozi is listening to is the same one playing whenever you’re in the coffee shop.

★ warnings | there’s nothing but fluff and meddling friends ★ author’s note | there is absolutely no heartache in this fic but im gonna be honest i couldn’t think of another title (read: i was too lazy to) but there is one mention of a latte so!!!

► woozi is currently listening to … Talking to the Moon, Bruno Mars 💿 Doo-Wops & Hooligans

According to Seungcheol, you are truly not Yoon Jeonghan’s friend until you become a victim of his notorious matchmaking. And unfortunately for Wonwoo, Jeonghan has declared him his number one target, and your poor best friend has been going on bad date after bad date for the past month.

Wonwoo collapses into the seat across from you, the heavy breaths falling from his lips fog up his glasses and it only takes him three more heaves before he takes them off and throws them onto the table, caring very little for the way they almost clatter onto the floor. You raise an eyebrow at him, trying your best not to show your amusement, before humming.

“Why are you so upset?”

He throws you a look, clearly not happy with your sarcasm, and throws his hands up in the air in frustration. Yesterday he made the mistake of telling Jeonghan he has little to no assignments due this week, which Jeonghan took as an invitation to schedule more dates — whilst Seungcheol was shaking with laughter, Wonwoo looked like he wanted to jump out a window.

“I can’t believe I have to live like this,” he groans, burying his face in his hands. “God, I knew Jeonghan was persistent, but I didn’t know it was like this.”

You hum. “That’s Jeonghan for you.”

“Whenever he texts me about a date I start to feel the walls closing in on me.”

You throw him a look. “You’re so overdramatic. I think Seungkwan’s starting to rub off on you.”

Wonwoo ignores your comment. “No, you don’t get it. Every week, I go on a date, it ends badly, Jeonghan reprimands me, then he sets me up on another one. It’s a never-ending cycle and I can’t take it anymore, Y/N. I can’t take it.”

“Then just lie to him. Tell him you’ve found the love of your life or something.”

“Jeonghan’s got the best bullshit detector I’ve ever seen. He would never believe me,” Wonwoo says. You think this might be the most annoyed Wonwoo’s ever been, which is astonishing, given the fact that just last week during movie night at your place, he witnessed Seungkwan and Mingyu’s atrocious reenactment of Titanic. They acted out every scene, word for word. For two hours.

You have videos to prove it.

“Well, then there’s nothing I can do to help you.”

He scowls. “Gee, thanks.”

You shrug, unbothered by his irritation. It will only take a couple of minutes before Wonwoo calms down and cracks open his laptop to watch Sims 4 let’s plays from the early 2010s, so you continue working on an essay for your Asian Civilization class. It’s due today and you didn’t start it until a few minutes ago but, in your defence, you’ve been swamped with other priorities (like rewatches of Love Island and The Bachelor), and at least you’re not doing it at 11 P.M.

You huff when a loud ding in your ear signals that your airpods are almost dead. Lazily, you search for the case at the bottom of your bag before taking the earbuds off and allowing them to charge. You go to pause your music too, just in case it continues playing — which has happened before. Once when you were in the library, the heavy metal Seungcheol added to the friend group’s collaborative study playlist conveniently started blasting the moment your airpods died, which was utterly humiliating. You haven’t stepped foot in the library since then.

A small sigh of relief escapes you when you see that the song’s paused, but then you glance to the side section of the Spotify screen and frown.

You aren’t sure how long you’ve been mutuals with woozi or even who they are — which is strange since you only have about six followers, all of them being people in your small tight-knit group of friends — and you’ve never bothered to find out. But lately, woozi has been listening to a collection of rather depressing heartbreak songs, and you aren’t sure whether they’ve just been in a mood for the past three months or if they’re going through a bad breakup.

“What are you frowning at?” Wonwoo asks. Just like you predicted, he’s already opened up his laptop. He’s looking at you with a hint of curiosity, but you know that one little white lie and he’ll leave you alone.

“Just something for my assignment.”

Wonwoo nods before looking back down at his screen. You only stare at woozi’s icon — which is a Marvel superhero you can’t quite remember the name of — for a couple more seconds before going back to Google Docs.

No time to worry about someone you don’t know. You have an assignment to finish.

► woozi is currently listening to … Two Slow Dancers, Mitski 💿 Be the Cowboy

“Dude,” Soonyoung groans, throwing his body against the counter. Jihoon glances at him with mild exasperation, and although Soonyoung is far from finished wiping down the tables, he doesn’t bother to reprimand his friend for his laziness. “All you gotta do is talk to her.”

Jun, another one of Jihoon’s co-workers, purses his lips. He and Soonyoung have been exchanging relationship advice for the past twenty minutes. Jihoon, however, has chosen to stay quiet, but he doesn’t stray too far away because he still wants to be part of the conversation.

“It’s not as easy as you think,” Jun retorts, harshly wiping at a stain on the counter that’s been there for as long as Jihoon’s been employed. “Whenever I try to talk to her, my brain just stops working. I malfunction. Everything in me freezes. Plus, she’s, like, out of my league.”

“Well, I know that,” Soonyoung huffs, barely dodging the smack Jun reaches out to give him. “But you just need some practice. C’mon, practice on me.”

Jun sighs. For a moment, Jihoon thinks he’ll turn Soonyoung down, but then he steps back and clears his throat. For as long as Jihoon’s known him, Jun has never turned down an opportunity to perform.

“Hi,” Jun begins weakly. Soonyoung catches Jihoon’s eye over Jun’s shoulder and they both wince. “So, I was wondering—”

“Please stop.”

“What— But I barely started!”

“I already couldn’t stand it,” Soonyoung says. “Dude, you’ve got no game.”

“Oh, you’re one to talk—”

Jihoon purses his lips and moves to the side, deciding now is the best time to get away from this conversation. Before Soonyoung can even think about dragging Jihoon in, he’s already grabbing a cloth and going towards one of the empty tables. It’s been relatively slow today and he’s pretty sure he wiped this table an hour ago, but if cleaning is what will save him from Jun and Soonyoung’s argument then so be it.

College students are scattered all over the vicinity. It’s rather calm — save for behind the counter where his friends attempt to keep their voices low — but the tranquil atmosphere is broken momentarily when a boy storms in and makes his way to an occupied booth. Jihoon only stares at him with a frown for a couple more seconds before realizing that the person he’s sitting with is his friend — of course, how could he forget? You two have been coming into this coffee shop since the beginning of time.

Jihoon catches snippets of the conversation (something about bad dates and someone named Seungkwan? He swears that the name sounds familiar…) before he makes his way back to the counter. Jun and Soonyoung’s argument seems to have been resolved — record-breakingly quick, Jihoon adds — but he can tell Jun is still a little disgruntled. When one of Jihoon’s favourite songs comes on the speakers, the taller boy throws him a halfhearted glare and pouts.

“This is the last thing I needed to hear right now.”

Jihoon rolls his eyes because while he is in charge of the music they play in the shop, it’s not his fault that Spotify shuffle decided to play Two Slow Dancers. But because Jun’s day has already been bad enough, Jihoon decides to give him the benefit of the doubt. He slips into the back to retrieve his phone and scrolls through his playlists in hopes of finding something that will cheer his friend up.

But doing that is harder than expected and he ends up just putting a random Spotify-generated playlist on shuffle.

Party In The U.S.A comes on and in the booth across from Jeon Wonwoo, you jump at the sudden change in music. Your best friend is too immersed with whatever’s on his laptop to notice the sudden change in the atmosphere, but he seems to be the only one. Some of the customers jerk up in surprise while others raise their heads with furrowed eyebrows. Two employees, a boy with unruly platinum hair and a taller boy with brown hair falling into his eyes, simultaneously fall into laughter just as another one of their colleagues emerges from the back, sporting a hairdo that only comes from working an 8-hour shift.

You briefly meet the latter employee’s eyes. He smiles politely, as every worker would do, before turning to his friends.

Despite your airpods only being in the case for two minutes, you take them out anyway and put them on. You’ll let them charge once the song is over because there’s absolutely no way you’ll be able to focus with Party In The U.S.A blasting. When you open Spotify again, you notice that the song woozi’s listening to has changed to the same one that’s playing in the coffee shop.

Weird. Your eyes narrow but you decide not to worry too much about it. You have bigger fish to fry.

Like this fucking essay.

You scowl as you open Google Docs up again.

► woozi is currently listening to … The Night We Met, Lord Huron 💿 Strange Trails

While you wouldn’t consider observance as something you excel at, you wouldn’t necessarily call yourself oblivious. You can catch on to things without much help, so it’s embarrassing that it took you so long to figure out that the song woozi is always listening to is the same one that plays whenever you’re in the coffee shop.

You aren’t quite sure what to do after coming to this realization. It’s not like you could just run to the coffee shop and demand to meet woozi just so you can see if he’s OK.

Well. Maybe you could, considering you’re in the shop after running three minutes from Seungkwan and Mingyu’s apartment.

“Hi,” you exhale, your energy quickly running out as you lean against the front counter, ignoring the blond barista’s concerned expression.

“Hello,” the employee greets you. As your eyes scan the nametag pinned to his blue apron — Soonyoung, written messily with silver Sharpie — you briefly wonder if this boy could be your Spotify mutual. But he’s smiling at you with enough radiance to rival the sun, and he doesn’t give off the sad, broken, tortured vibe you always assumed woozi has.

You’re snapped out of your daze when the barista clears his throat. It’s then you realize that you haven’t been paying attention to anything he’s been saying. “What can I get for you today?”

“Right, um,” you trail off, wondering how to frame your question. It’s not like you thought about this on the run over, which you probably should have. It would make this interaction a lot less uncomfortable. “Sorry. I’m looking for someone.”

Soonyoung’s eyebrows rise. “Uh, OK. Are you one of Jun’s friends? Because his shift ended a few minutes ago—”

“Oh. No, I’m not here for Jun,” you say with a quick shake of your head. “I’m here for Woozi?”

Soonyoung blinks. “Who?”

“Um. Woozi.”

“Right. I don’t know who that is.”

Somewhat defeated, you inhale sharply and nod your head. “Oh, OK. I just… Sorry, this might sound weird, but I’m following Woozi on Spotify and they’ve just been listening to some… sad songs recently — actually, I’ve noticed they’ve been listening to them for a while and I realized that the song they’re listening to is always the same one that’s playing here and I just wanted to make sure they’re, like, OK? Or if heartbreakingly sad songs are something they just vibe with. So, um… Yeah. Sorry again.”

Throughout your entire ramble, Soonyoung stares at you blankly. You think you might have just humiliated yourself in the worst possible way before the barista breaks out into an incredulous grin. He lets out a loud cackle, catching the attention of some of the customers, before he’s shaking his head and gestures for you to wait.

“I’ll be right back,” he says in between laughs. You gawk at him as he stumbles out of sight.

You awkwardly stand at the front counter, wringing your hands as you wait for Soonyoung to reemerge. In your back pocket, your phone vibrates with what you assume are texts from your friends, probably asking if you’re coming back anytime soon. You had made a lame excuse of needing coffee before slipping out of the door, which you’re pretty sure they didn’t believe.

(“You need coffee?” Seungkwan had asked, bewildered. “It’s eight in the evening.”

Jeonghan looked at you as if you had something on your face. “Yeah, plus we have coffee here. Why would you run all the way over there to spend money on mediocre drinks? Be serious for a moment, Y/N.”)

Before you can pull out your phone and send a quick text to assure them you’ll be back, you hear loud protests and devious laughter before Soonyoung walks out, dragging someone behind him. The barista who seems to be working every time you’re here, his hair always dishevelled in one way or another, is grumbling beside his colleague, but when he sees you standing there, he masks his expression with a smile he reserves only for customers.

Soonyoung stops his friend from saying anything and pats him a little too roughly on the back. “So, I have some amazing news for you! This boy right here is Jihoon.”

Jihoon furrows his eyebrows, slightly confused with the introduction. “Soonyoung, what are you—?”

“But,” Soonyoung continues, ignoring Jihoon’s confusion, “you might know him as Woozi.”

► woozi is currently listening to … You’re Somebody Else, flora cash 💿 Baby, It’s Okay

When Soonyoung rushes into the back room — startling Jihoon as he tries to savour every last minute of his break —and says something along the lines of, “Dude, guess what? I just found the love of your life,” Jihoon doesn’t know what to expect as his best friend dragged him to the front, but one thing’s for sure: he does not expect this.

Soonyoung, who annoyingly assures Jihoon that it’ll be fine if he goes over break, ushers the two of you to one of the booths in the back so you could, as Soonyoung put it, “Enjoy some time together!” which both you and Jihoon found off-putting seeing as he says it with a conspiratorial smile and a mischievous glint in his eye.

Now, Jihoon sits in a booth across from someone he’s never spoken a word to before other than, “What can I get for you today?” and “Your total is…”

“So…” you begin, “this is awkward.”

Jihoon, who was previously playing with the napkin dispenser to avoid eye contact, surprises himself by laughing at your comment. He hastily builds up the courage to apologize and explain that he didn’t mean to laugh at you, but when he meets your eyes, you’ve broken out into a cautious half-smile. The tense atmosphere shatters as soon as the chuckle falls from his lips and now both of you feel like you can relax, which he’s extremely thankful for; he’s completely unaware of what to do in a situation such as this. It’s not like he knows anybody who has had a Spotify mutual try to reach out to them because they’re concerned about them.

The fact that you did, though, is oddly heartwarming.

After a beat, Jihoon says, “There’s really nothing to worry about— with my music taste, I mean. I’m not going through a bad breakup or anything, but it’s nice of you to reach out and check if I’m good. No one’s ever done that for me before.”

Your smile grows sheepish. “I don’t think anyone’s ever done that before.”

Jihoon smiles back. “Guess that makes me extra special then.”

You purse your lips to prevent yourself from continuing to grin like an idiot. “So you just listen to all this sappy stuff because you like it?”

“I mean… yeah. That’s why people listen to music.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean?”

“Do you not like upbeat stuff?”

“‘Course I do,” Jihoon shrugs and relaxes against the back of the seat. Out of his line of sight, Soonyoung watches his friend’s interaction with sharp eyes. He’s almost buzzing at the thought of telling Jun all about this later. “But I listen to slower songs more. And I’m in charge of the music here, and a coffee shop isn’t exactly the perfect environment for EDM.”

Your eyes glimmer. “Well, you never know.”

Jihoon quirks an eyebrow. “Is that some sort of challenge?”

“No, actually,” you hum, drumming your fingers on the table. “But now that I think about it, it would be nice to play some less sad songs here.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“Let me pick the music that you guys play.”

The proposal is so preposterous that Jihoon laughs. In all the years he’s worked in this quaint cafe, he has never let anyone touch the music station (read: the small table in the back where he keeps his phone that’s connected to the speakers) — it took two years before he let Soonyoung and Jun take the reins, and he only allows them to pick the songs when he isn’t working. Hell will freeze over before Jihoon puts something as important as this in the palms of some stranger.

“No way,” he scoffs.

“OK. Let me pick the music that plays while I’m here.”

He shakes his head. “Absolutely not. Besides, I only work here part-time. What happens if you’re here and I’m not? There are holes in your plan.”

Your eyebrows furrow. “Then I’ll come here when you have a shift.”

“You’re persistent, aren’t you?”

You give a dismissive wave of your hand, ignoring the evident amusement on Jihoon’s face. “When do you work next?”

Jihoon searches your face for some sort of tell, anything that says that you’re bluffing. But there are no cracks in your posture, no signs that point to an act. He concludes that he just doesn’t know you well enough to figure out whether you’re lying or not, and decides — hopes — you probably won’t live up to your word.

So, Jihoon offers up the information. “Tomorrow at seven.”

“Opening shift?”

He shakes his head. “Closing. Seven P.M.”

You grin. “See you then, Woozi.”

► woozi is currently listening to … Love In The Dark, Adele 💿 25

Turns out, you were not bluffing.

You come into the coffee shop followed by two people Jihoon’s never seen you with before. A tall boy who trips the moment he steps inside and a blond who oozes confidence trail behind you, seemingly in their own little world when you arrive at the counter.

Behind Jihoon, Soonyoung and Jun start whispering to each other the moment they see you. He’s dreading the moment you leave and they bombard him with questions; Soonyoung and Jun love to tease their friends, and Jihoon doesn’t mind it as long as he isn’t on the receiving end of it.

You’re grinning at him like all the light in the world can’t rival the luminescence of your smile and he knows he’s doomed.

You pretend to study the menu before looking at him. “This is one of my favourite songs.”

Jihoon’s eyes narrow. “Me too,” he replies. Before you can say anything else, Jihoon continues, “Is there anything I can get for you today?”

Your friend — the shorter one who carries himself with an air of authority — pops out from behind you, giving Jihoon a polite smile. “Iced americano please.”

The taller boy adds, “And a blueberry scone for me.”

Jihoon’s eyes land back on you. “Oh, just a small latte will be fine,” you say, “as well as a different song.”

The blond beside you frowns. “I kind of like this song, though.”

Jihoon gives you a small victorious grin. “Well, if he likes it then I see no reason to change it. How would you like to pay?”

As you grumble under your breath and take out your card, momentarily occupied with the pin pad, Jihoon moves to the side to grab a scone. When he does this, Soonyoung gasps loudly behind him which is then followed by a loud exclamation, “Seungkwan!”

The blond brightens. Seungkwan and Soonyoung immediately fall into conversation before Seungkwan drags your other friend — Mingyu, Jihoon overhears — as well as Jun, leaving both of you alone. It’s only then that Jihoon remembers why the name Seungkwan is so familiar; a few months ago, Soonyoung wouldn’t stop complaining about how incompetent his group was in his Microbiology class, save for a younger boy named Seungkwan.

Jihoon clicks his tongue. Seems like he has more connections with you than he thought.

“So,” you say once you’ve made sure your payment has been approved, “are you gonna change the song?”

Jihoon looks at you over the display case of pastries. “No.”

“Thought so,” you sigh. “But I’m not going to give up, you know. I’m going to break you.”

Jihoon can’t help the smile that makes its way to his lips no matter how hard he tries to fight it. He’s usually good at keeping a poker face so he isn’t quite sure why he’s struggling so much. He brushes it off, deeming it a problem that’ll fix itself, and muses, “Is that so?”

“Mhm! I just need to find your soft spot, I’ll figure it out somehow, given that your friends seem to be friends with mine?” you falter, turning your head in the direction of Seungkwan, Mingyu, Soonyoung, and Jun, who all seem to be in a rather heated conversation about NASCAR. You glance back at Jihoon, clearly just as confused about the sudden friendship as he is. “Did you know they knew each other?”

“Soonyoung’s talked about Seungkwan before,” Jihoon explains as he puts Mingyu’s blueberry scone in a paper bag. “I never realized you knew him until now, though.”

“That’s so weird,” you say.

“You could say that.”

“Well, I could get something out of Soonyoung,” you declare as Jihoon turns to make your drinks since his other coworkers seem to have better things to do. Sometimes Jihoon thinks that he’s the only one around here who actually works. “Surely he knows how I can break down your walls and get you to trust me enough to pick a more lively song And if not,” you pause, “I could resort to blackmail.”

Jihoon throws you a look over his shoulder. “Blackmail?”

“Yes. There has to be an embarrassing picture of you on the internet somewhere.”

“You’ll be searching for years.”

Your mouth curls. “We’ll see about that! I’m good at investigating. I put Nancy Drew and Sherlock Holmes to shame.”

“You talk a big game for someone who took months to realize that the same song woozi listens to is the same one playing at the coffee shop.”

You scowl. “Oh, be quiet. That doesn’t count.”

Jihoon places both drinks on the pick-up counter, meeting your gaze with a teasing glint in his eyes. “Right,” he says softly. You’re leaning against the counter and you don’t realize he is too, the space between you two decreasing slowly before he backs away and taps the counter twice. “Order up!”

At the sound of his voice, Seungkwan and Mingyu look over to where you stand, slightly flustered, and reach over to grab their things. The two boys say a chaste goodbye — Mingyu says something about running late to a hangout with the rest of the friend group — but you stay frozen in place. You only move after two awkward beats, Seungkwan jabbing your side with his elbow and giving you an incredulous look.

“We gotta go otherwise Seungcheol’s going to kill us,” he says.

“Oh. Right,” you respond, gripping your to-go cup tightly. “Bye, guys!”

Your eyes linger on Jihoon, who only gives you a small smile before turning to clean something near the coffee machines. Seungkwan and Mingyu meet each other’s eyes over your head, mouthing comments you don’t bother to understand before Seungkwan jabs you again and gestures that it’s time to leave.

As soon as you’re out, Mingyu says, “Jihoon seems nice.”

There’s a mysterious lilt in his voice but you can’t quite figure out what he’s implying. “Yeah, he is.”

Once you arrive at Seungcheol’s apartment, Seungkwan whispers something to Jeonghan who, afterwards, throws you curious glances throughout the entire evening — which, of course, you don’t notice, too focussed on the horror movie playing on the TV.

Seungkwan has no idea where you got the idea that you were observant because you most definitely are not.

► woozi is currently listening to … Bored, Billie Eilish 💿 Bored

“How about an Ariana song?”

“No.”

“Not even six thirty? Come on, man.”

“Nope.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

Jihoon shrugs, unaffected by your chastising as he makes paper cranes with the napkins. You conveniently got to the shop a few minutes before his break started — you also insisted that you didn’t even know he was working today, which he finds hard to believe — and he figured that his thirty minutes of freedom are better spent with you than in the back room on his phone.

You give up working on homework the moment Jihoon sits down, deeming the boy and his hesitant smile much more interesting than the project you need to finish for Statistics.

When he immediately shuts down your song suggestion, you drop the subject — something he doesn’t expect — and ask him about the classes he’s taking this semester. You suppose that if you’re going to be bothering him for as long as possible, you might as well try to get to know him, and once he starts talking about his music courses, your eyes soften at how excited he is.

He’s clearly passionate about it, and though you know next to nothing about music, you become entranced by the way he talks about it. His voice, which is usually gentle, becomes more animated and energetic. He leans forward when he explains the different types of mechanisms and productions, never breaking eye contact while his hands fly in the air as he makes different gestures.

You think you could listen to him talk about this forever without becoming sick of it.

You’re so captivated by the words falling from his lips that you don’t notice someone standing in front of your table, and neither does Jihoon until the figure clears his throat in an attempt to capture your attention.

Jeonghan stands nonchalantly, hands tucked in the pockets of his sweatpants. His eyes flicker between you and Jihoon multiple times before they permanently settle on you, and he gives you a smile that creates an uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach. You’re about to ask him what he wants, but he beats you to it.

“I’ve been looking for you,” he chirps ominously. You eye him with suspicion but he doesn’t seem to care. “You weren’t answering your messages, but I figured you’d be here,” he raises an eyebrow, throwing Jihoon an indecipherable look, “you always seem to be here.”

You tap your fingers on the table impatiently. It’s not like it’s weird you’ve been spending a lot of time here — ever since freshman year, you and Wonwoo have been stopping by whenever you get the chance. “What are you getting at?”

“Nothing,” he says dismissively. “Anyway, Seungkwan’s away game is starting in an hour and I just wanted to know if you’re gonna be carpooling with me and Cheol or if you’ll just go alone.”

You sniff, still trying to spot any questionable things in Jeonghan’s behaviour. “I’ll carpool. When were you guys planning on leaving?”

“In about fifteen minutes. My car’s parked out there, so I figured we could stay here and wait for Seungcheol.”

You glance at Jihoon. “Um, I guess—”

“Awesome!” Jeonghan exclaims and he slides into the spot beside Jihoon. You gape in horror, just as startled by your friend’s behaviour as Jihoon, and watch as Jeonghan sticks his hand out for him to shake. “Nice to meet you, by the way. I’m Jeonghan.”

Jihoon hesitantly shakes his head. “I’m Jihoon.”

“Oh, I know.”

“Um…”

Jeonghan ignores Jihoon’s confusion and flashes a dazzling smile. “So, what were you guys talking about?”

For the last few minutes of Jihoon’s break, you’re surprised that the conversation flows smoothly. You don’t talk much, watching Jeonghan with fearful wariness as he asks Jihoon about giving him some guitar lessons, but just as you’re about to relax, Soonyoung calls Jihoon from the counter and asks him to come back.

He throws you a smile before he slips to the back to adjust his uniform. Once he’s out of sight, Jeonghan’s previous angelic expression disappears, and he fixes you with a look that is all too familiar. He’s plotting something and you aren’t sure whether you’re the victim or the accomplice.

“He seems nice,” he says with the same tone Mingyu used the other day. “How long have you known him?”

“Not that long? A few weeks maybe.”

“Nice,” Jeonghan nods. Then, he smacks you with a question that almost makes you spill your coffee. “Is he single?”

“Huh?”

“There’s someone in my Stats class that might like him,” he says smoothly.

“Who?”

“You don’t know them.”

“We’re in the same Statistics class, Jeonghan.”

“We are?” he says with feigned shock. At your unamused expression, his mouth curls into a smirk. “Don’t worry about it, Y/N, they’re nice. I think Jihoon would like them.”

A bothersome feeling spreads across your chest, and you have to do your best to ignore it. If Jeonghan notices you squirming, he doesn’t say anything about it. “I thought you were fixing Wonwoo up with someone,” you protest quietly, “And I don’t think Jihoon would like it if you started meddling with his love life.”

“I think Wonwoo’s tired of all the matchmaking.”

“He never actually liked it.”

“That’s also true,” Jeonghan agrees. “But you never answered my question. Is Jihoon single?”

“I don’t know,” you respond. “It’s not something we’ve talked about.”

There’s a spark in Jeonghan’s eyes that you’re sure means anything but good. Before you can ask him if there’s something else he’s not telling you, Seungcheol enters the shop, lingering in the entrance as he shouts at the two of you to hurry up.

Jeonghan follows Seungcheol out the door and you trail closely behind. Before you’re out, though, Jihoon taps your shoulder and places a small cup in your hand.

His sheepish smile causes you to soften, and you think you might collapse into mush when he says, “Just something for the road. On the house.”

Your voice comes out quieter than you expected, “Thank you.”

He lifts his shoulder in a half shrug. “It’s nothing. Really.”

Your heartbeat quickens and you scurry out of the coffee shop before the stuttering of your chest becomes too unbearable.

► woozi is currently listening to … If By Chance, Ruth B. 💿 Safe Haven

You might have to revoke Wonwoo’s best friend card.

Jeonghan has finally decided to free Wonwoo from his Cupid shenanigans and to celebrate his freedom, Wonwoo has been taking every chance he gets to poke fun at you because as it turns out, you are the new recipient of Jeonghan’s tenacious matchmaking. And Wonwoo makes sure you never forget — he has hourly reminders to text you about eligible bachelors on campus. You’re very close to blocking him.

You enter the coffee shop with a huff. All of your friends have classes at noon on Fridays so you’re savouring this free time as much as you can. You’re looking for a place to sit when your eyes land on Jihoon sitting in a booth that’s almost out of sight — the same booth where the two of you had your first conversation.

He doesn’t see you coming until you settle across from him. You notice the papers littered over the table and the open laptop, and you immediately jump to apologize for disrupting him but he shakes his head and beams.

“You’re not supposed to be working today,” you say because a few days ago he sacrificed his work schedule after you persistently continued to bother him about it. You have it screenshotted on your phone.

“I’m not,” he replies.

“So even when you’re not working you hang out here?”

“Don’t judge me,” Jihoon scoffs. “Might I remind you that you have no life outside of school and this coffee shop?”

You almost grumble that you only ever come here when he’s working — except for today — but you stop yourself. “What are you working on?”

“I’m just adding the finishing touches to this song I composed for class,” he says with a clipped tone. His demeanour shifts from relaxed to defensive and you frown as he brings his notebook closer to his figure before eventually dropping it into his backpack.

You scan his face, unsure of what it is you’re searching for, before slumping back and deciding to let it go. Maybe he just doesn’t want you to see his work, which is understandable.

You try to ignore the dull sting. “And it sounds alright?”

“I hope so,” he hums. “What are you doing here?”

“Avoiding,” you mutter, sliding further down the seat as if you’re hiding from something. Which — well, you are. If your friends go searching for you, this is the first place they’ll stop by, and in hindsight, you probably should’ve gone somewhere else to avoid Jeonghan, but this cafe has a certain aura that draws you toward it. It engulfs you with so much warmth until you’re hot to the touch.

Jihoon’s interest peaks at the sound of your annoyance. “Avoiding what?”

“Jeonghan,” you sniff. “He’s been trying to set me up on dates. Do you know that guy Ian? Frat boy from Alpha Beta Something.”

Jihoon straightens in his chair and nods stiffly. He has nothing against Ian, he met him once through Soonyoung, and he seems like a nice enough guy, but the mention of you and him going on a date floods Jihoon with enough dread to make him go frigid.

“Yeah, well, apparently I’m going out with him tonight,” you glower at the table. “And I’m sure Ian’s nice or whatever, but I don’t want to go on a date with him. Aren’t you supposed to go on a date with someone because you want to?”

The vehemence dripping from your words causes Jihoon to relax a little. “So why don’t you just not go?”

“It’s not that simple,” you sigh. “If I don’t go then Jeonghan will ask me why and when I give him an excuse he’ll just go, ‘Well, I think you’re lying, Y/N. Give me the real reason,’ and I won’t be able to give him the real reason because…”

Jihoon blinks. “Because…?”

You let out a harsh breath. “It’s stupid.”

“I’m sure it isn’t.”

“It kind of is,” you scoff incredulously, almost as if you’re astonished by your own idiocy. “Have you ever had a crush on someone? The kind of crush that just hits you out of nowhere and overwhelms you with so many feelings that sometimes you find it difficult to breathe?”

What you’re describing should sound outlandish — it’s the type of emotion Jihoon sees in early 2010 sitcoms. It’s suffocating and refreshing all at the same time, and it’s hard to tell if it’s just intense infatuation or real, true feelings because they come all at once. It’s a tsunami of butterflies and racing heartbeats and Jihoon used to think it was completely unrealistic.

But he knows exactly what you’re talking about.

He nods in affirmation and that’s all you need to continue talking.

“Well, if I tell Jeonghan about this, all he would do is push me to confess when I don’t want to. At least not yet, because it’s hard to tell someone you like them when you lose all self-control when you’re around them. Like everything goes to auto-pilot.”

Impulsively, Jihoon questions, “Who do you have these feelings for?”

“I—what?”

He realizes too late what he’s just asked and flushes bright red. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that—”

You choke out an, “It’s fine,” before clearing your throat and sloppily steering the topic of conversation to the new limited drink on the menu. It’s a boring topic to talk about, but Jihoon’s grateful for the change because he would rather forget the other conversation.

Who could you possibly like?

He doesn’t get a chance to ask you because you’re pulled away from him a few minutes later by a delighted Jeonghan who declares to the entire café that tonight you are going on a first date with someone who could potentially be the love of your life. Before the door closes behind you, you timidly wave to Jihoon and he returns the gesture, unable to ignore the sinking feeling in his chest as you disappear.

He is unable to get out of his mind for the next two hours he spends at the coffee shop.

► woozi is currently listening to … august, Taylor Swift 💿 folklore

Unlike the majority of the population, Jihoon likes opening shifts.

He basks in the silence, enjoying the few hours he has in solitude before a customer comes in. Saturday mornings are the slowest of the week, so as Jihoon sluggishly turns the sign from Closed to Open, he’s happy. There will be little to no customers, so he’ll have peace for the next few hours before Jun comes barrelling in for his shift at eleven.

He grabs the stool from the back and places it behind the counter so he can sit while working on his music and simultaneously man the front. His hand works at a remarkable pace as he scribbles on the pages of his notebook, annotating the lyrics of the song he wrote on a whim last night — it might not be the best thing he’s ever written, but it’s quite good for a two A.M. creation.

He’s just about to work on the second verse when he hears the door swing open. He frowns after glancing at his watch, noting how early it is before he looks up and realizes it’s you. And once he shoves down the immediate joy, his confusion grows.

Why are you awake at nine A.M. on a Saturday?

But once you approach, Jihoon is given his answer. There are evident bags under your eyes and your movements are lethargic; either you didn’t get much sleep or you didn’t sleep at all.

“Hi,” you murmur. You tug at the sleeves of your sweater to assure they’re way past your fingertips before smiling lazily at Jihoon. “Working hard?”

He ignores your question. “Why are you here?”

You falter at the unintentional rigour in his voice. “Oh. Well, I remembered you have a shift today, so…”

“You could’ve come later, though,” he tuts with a shake of his head. “Did you even sleep?”

“A bit.”

“Clearly not enough,” he muses.

“Is it that obvious?”

He fiddles with his pen as he scans your face. “Only a little,” he confirms, “nothing some coffee won’t fix.”

You quickly shove your hands into your pockets, searching for something that isn’t there. “Maybe next time. I didn’t bring any money.”

He dismisses you with a simple wave. “No, it’s fine,” he assures you. He’s halfway towards the coffee machine when another wave of perplexity hits him. “Wait, you don’t have money? Why did you come here then?”

You give him a look. “I told you already. I remembered that you had a shift.”

“So you came here to…?”

“See you.”

Jihoon ignores the relentless thumps against his chest. “Without cash?”

“Without cash,” you repeat.

He carefully slides the cup of coffee towards you, studying your every move. Despite your voice being louder than the music playing through the speakers, Jihoon still manages to tune you out. He follows your sloth-like movements, the way your eyes flutter closed for a moment too long, and wonders what you could have possibly done last night to warrant such exhaustion.

Then, he remembers.

“How was your date?”

Either you do a brilliant job of hiding your surprise at being asked such a sudden question, or you knew this was coming.

“It was OK.”

And that’s all you say.

Jihoon frowns. “What did you guys do?”

“Dinner and a movie,” you say monotonously. “Sounds exhilarating, right?”

“I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic.”

“I am,” you sigh. “Ian’s a nice person, I guess, but I don’t think there’ll be another date.”

Jihoon puts up a facade of nonchalance when he asks, “And what about that person you were talking about yesterday?” Out of the corner of his eye, you stiffen. “How are things going with them?”

A beat that drags on for too long. Then — “Good. Things could be better but,” you explain, tugging your ear, “I’m taking what I can get.”

“That’s good.”

Awkwardly, you clear your throat. “Mhm.” Then you change the subject after glancing down at his songwriting book. “Is this a new song?”

He nods. “Yeah, I wrote it last night.”

“What’s it about?”

“Oh,” Jihoon ducks his head to avoid eye contact. He thinks about the song he was working on the last time he saw you — he refrained from giving you a peek, afraid that once you scanned the lyrics you’d be able to see right through him. He’s poured his entire being into that song. Traces of his heart, soul, and feelings linger on each lyric, and yesterday, when you slid into the seat across from him, he was overcome with fear.

But then it dissipated into nothing the moment you said something along the lines of “I’m going on a date with Ian the Frat Boy from Alpha Beta Something, and he seems like a nice guy, but when has nice ever been enough?”

This time, a new song sits in front of him, just as heartfelt as the other, and he shows it to you with no hesitation.

You raise your eyebrows, not expecting Jihoon to be so willing to share, but you read his work nonetheless. As you read through, Jihoon sits uncomfortably on his chair, anxiously fidgeting with anything he can get his hands on. When he deems you’ve been quiet for too long, terror begins to creep its way back into the crevices of his brain but is quickly squashed down when you look up at him and smile.

He would do anything to have you look at him like that again.

“This is so good!” you praise, clapping your hands. “Once you record this you should play it here.”

Jihoon laughs. “Absolutely not.”

“Oh, come on, please,” you beg, sandwiching his hands in between yours. You clutch them in desperation and Jihoon’s heartbeat quickens dangerously. “For me.”

Something in his mind explodes when your eyes soften.

“Fine,” he grumbles but the grin plastered across his face is enough for you to determine that he is anything but annoyed at you.

► woozi is currently listening to … King Of My Heart, Taylor Swift 💿 reputation

A night of karaoke and Just Dance at Seungkwan’s has demanding consequences, so by the time you arrive back at Wonwoo’s apartment, you’re exhausted. He’s been kind enough to let you stay for the night, seeing as you’re too tired to get behind the wheel and drive ten minutes to your place. And also you’re convinced that his couch is a lot more comfortable than your cheap mattress.

Once you settle on the sofa, you scroll through the notifications on your phone. Seungcheol has wasted no time in embarrassing your entire friend group, tagging all of you in an Instagram story where everyone is shouting the lyrics to Toxic by Britney Spears. You scowl and send him a colourful message, begging him to delete the post.

You’re about to turn off your phone when you spot the red bubble hovering over the messages app, and your heart leaps to your throat when you realize Jihoon texted you hours ago.

He doesn’t say much. The first message is his work schedule for next week and the following is a picture of Jun spilling coffee on his apron. At midnight, just two hours ago, he sent you a goodnight text with the sparkly pink heart emoji.

It’s not much, you remind yourself, and yet you feel like you’re soaring. You’re certain the entire apartment building can feel your happiness through the walls.

You aren’t sure how long you stare at your phone. You’d probably be staring at it forever if Wonwoo hadn’t walked out of the bathroom, hair wet from his shower. He sends you a skeptical glance you completely miss before loudly clearing his throat. “What are you looking at?”

“TikToks,” you say. You’re quick on your feet, he’ll give you that, but he’s known you long enough to see through a lie.

“There’s no sound coming from your phone.”

“I’m reading the captions.”

“I don’t think staring intensely at the screen would be considered reading,” he states drily. He sits on the opposite end of the couch, sporting an authoritative expression that you know means nothing but bad for you. Wonwoo is always sputtering out words of wisdom, but they cut you deeper late at night when you’re vulnerable and your emotions are at an all-time high. “Are you texting Jihoon?”

You look at him like he’s grown another head. “Why would you immediately jump to that conclusion?”

“Something in your face changes when you talk to him. It’s very… what’s the word,” he smacks his lips together, glancing up towards the ceiling in thought. You aren’t sure if he’s actually searching for the correct term or if he’s just pausing for dramatic effect. “Ah — lovesick.”

“What?”

“It sounds about right, doesn’t it?”

“What the f—?”

“You know,” Wonwoo interrupts. He shuts down your protests, swatting your words away as if they’re as worthless as a bug. No refusal is stopping him from declaring his observations. At this hour, self-control has thrown itself out the window — exhaustion plagues him just as much as your naivety, “Jeonghan had this plan. Everyone knew about it. He was growing tired of you and Jihoon tiptoeing around each other so he figured that if he set you up on a date, it’d push one of you to confess. ‘Jealousy makes the heart grow fonder,’ he said, and he stuck by it even though I told him that isn’t the expression.”

You stare at him in shock. Surprise rattles your bones and yet all you manage to say is, “Why are you telling me this?”

Wonwoo scoffs. “Because it didn’t work, so I’m putting matters into my own hands,” he inhales. For a moment, you swear he’s about to say something meaningful and deep, but instead he grinds out a comment that drips with chagrin. “Jihoon like you, you idiot.”

Blinking, you retort, “How do you know that? You barely know him.”

“It’s extremely obvious. It surprises me that you haven’t noticed it,” he crosses his arms over his chest. “He looks at you like he’s at the Louvre staring at the Mona fucking Lisa. He’s in amazement every time he’s with you. How could you not notice that?” Before you can jump to deny Wonwoo’s remarks, he sighs, “I’m right about this, Y/N. Ask anyone. Text Soonyoung or Jun right now and they’ll tell you.”

Something flickers in your eyes. Uncertainty. Wonwoo deflates.

“Trust me. I mean, would I ever lie to you about something like this?”

He wouldn’t. Wonwoo never lies in the first place, and when he does it’s easy to tell.

You sigh. “You’re certain?”

Wonwoo raises an eyebrow and squeezes your shoulder before standing up. He’s on his way to his bedroom when he says, “There’s no doubt about it.”

► woozi is currently listening to … The Only Exception, Paramore 💿 Brand New Eyes

Jihoon is running on little to no sleep.

He’s working the opening shift again, something his iPhone delightfully reminds him about at seven A.M., forcing him to ignore the painful crick in his neck he received from falling asleep face-down on his desk. His uniform isn’t even on properly — his light grey shirt, which is supposed to be tucked into his pants, hangs at mid-thigh, too big for his figure. He wonders if he somehow accidentally switched shirts with Jun.

His brain isn’t working, but he somehow manages to drag himself out of the house and walks the five-minute journey from his apartment to the coffee shop. Once he’s across the street, he digs through his bag to find the keys. The task takes him too long — and after two minutes he realizes that the keys were in his pocket the entire time.

God. He is never sleeping at four A.M. ever again.

When he reaches the shop, he expects it to be empty. They’re closed, after all, but a loiterer is sitting outside the locked door. Jihoon has to rub his eyes harshly in order to be completely sure that he isn’t seeing things.

You stand when you see Jihoon approach, nervous and jittery. He stops slowly, suspicion growing when you make no move to greet him. He spots the dark circles under your eyes immediately, but unlike him, energy courses through you. You’re rocking back and forth on the heels of your feet and shaking your hands in anticipation. For a moment, Jihoon thinks he imagined your signs of sleep deprivation.

“Um… We’re not open yet.”

“I know. I just needed to talk to you.”

“Now?” he asks incredulously. Not that he’s not happy to see you (he’s always happy to see you), he’s just surprised. He knows for a fact you don’t have any classes (while you studied his schedule, he studied yours) so he can’t come up with a reason why you’re here. “But it’s so early.”

You follow him into the shop once he’s unlocked the door. “It couldn’t wait.”

He gives you a confused look over his shoulder. “Is everything OK?”

“Yeah, I… I was just told this crazy thing yesterday.”

That’s not what Jihoon thought you would say. “Uh… OK?” he questions, voice rising a pitch at his confusion. You find it charming, hence the small smile on your face, but the sight of it causes embarrassment to colour his cheeks. “That’s nice, I guess. What was it?”

You surprise both him and yourself when you blurt out, “Wonwoo told me you like me.”

“What?”

“He told me everyone knew,” you continue as Jihoon stammers. Panic flashes across his face and he searches his brain for believable excuses. Anything to dismiss the accusations. “And that all of our friends are, apparently, tired of us tiptoeing around each other. Jeonghan was scheming behind our backs, too.”

It seems the only words Jihoon can say are, “What?”

“He set me up on that date with Ian to make you jealous. Or to make me confess. I don’t know. The details are blurry,” you say. The roles have been reversed — Jihoon’s previous low-energy behaviour is replaced with your frantic one, while you seem to be a whole lot calmer now that you’ve gotten some things off your chest. “That’s not the point. The point is you like me.”

“Wha—?”

“I thought about it last night,” you explain. “I thought about everything. When I was here a few weeks ago, Soonyoung told me that you’re different around me. At first, I didn’t understand what he was getting at, but now I do, and it’s crazy that it took me so long because, now that I think about it, he was not subtle about it at all—”

“Y/N—”

“—and then I thought about your song. And, like, I don’t want to sound like a narcissistic asshole right now, but I… I think it’s about me, right?” Hope tints your words. “All those lyrics about someone unexpectedly coming into your life and spinning your world on its axis… I know I sound full of myself, but in my head, all of it makes sense. In my head, the puzzle pieces fit.”

The silence is deafening. And you aren’t very patient.

“So?”

Jihoon gulps. “So what?”

“Am I right?”

The hope radiating off of you somehow infects him. He is high on happiness and astonishment when he says, “Yes.”

The next few seconds are fuzzy, and Jihoon isn’t sure who initiates the kiss first. But that detail isn’t important to him — he’s too focused on the way you taste like orange juice and toothpaste and how your hands settle on his neck. The touch of your fingers against his skin sends jolts through his entire body. Caffeine couldn’t have woken him up like this.

When you pull away, you’re grinning. Jihoon is sure that the entire world just got brighter.

You surprise him again when you cheekily say, “Does this mean I get to pick the music that plays here now?”

Jihoon tilts his head back as his laughter bounces off the walls. He doesn’t think he’s smiled this wide in years. “Are you seriously asking me about this now?”

“Well, duh,” you’re playing with the hair at the back of his neck when you suggest, “I’m thinking we play Doja Cat. Something from Planet Her. Or maybe some overplayed pop song you always hear on the radio.”

Jihoon rolls his eyes playfully. “Fine.”

Your eyes widen. “Really?”

“Yeah,” he dusts off some lint on your shoulder when he adds, “I guess I gotta make exceptions for my girlfriend, right?”

► woozi is currently listening to … Kiss Me More (feat. SZA), Doja Cat 💿 Planet Her

“So you’re telling me that if I had just gotten you to fall in love with me, you would’ve given me permission to control the music?”

“What? Soonyoung, what are you talking about?”

“Let the man speak, Jihoon, he’s got a point.”

“No, Jun, he absolutely does not.”

“Aw, Soon, look. He’s blushing!”

“Dude, you’re so red. How whipped are you for Y/N? We only mentioned them once.”

“Please go back to work and leave me alone.”

© all rights reserved dkfile, 2022

#woozi #lee jihoon #seventeen #svt #lee jihoon x reader #woozi x reader #woozi scenarios #svt scenarios #woozi fluff #svt fluff #woozi imagines #svt imagines #svt x reader #seventeen scenarios #fic: heartache and a latte

[ingravinoveritas]

Just popping by to say how much I appreciate you. Thank you for always keeping a level head. Even when you're disagreeing or calling out bullshit, you still manage to stay diplomatic and respectful. And of course, you always focus on the important things, the main one being that Michael is David's #1 fan (and vice versa)

Aw, thank you so much for this! I can't tell you how nice it was to get this message in my inbox (and apologies for not replying sooner, as I've been entirely swamped and am now trying to catch up on my Asks).

Given that this was from two weeks ago, I'm going to guess that this is mainly in response to the whole situation with David's BAFTA nom and some of the reactions that have occurred as a result. I think a lot of people have said a lot of clumsy things (looking at you, Neil) and while some may not have meant to take away from David's big moment, that still seems to be what's happened. I absolutely believe David is more than deserving of the nomination and it is long overdue at this point. He should've been nominated for Des, or even before that, his role as Alec Hardy in Broadchurch, but I am so glad he's finally gotten a nomination now.

I think the reaction a lot of people had was borne out of how tied together David and Michael's performances are as Aziraphale and Crowley, and the thought that if David were to be nominated for that specific role, then one hopes that Michael will also be nominated for his role as Aziraphale at some other point in the future.

But to your comment about my keeping a level head, I find it interesting that, in the midst of all the theories flying around about why Michael wasn't nominated and questions I got to that effect, this post showed up in the tags the same day you sent me this Ask (blog name is cropped out):

This was very obviously in reference to this Ask that I received and had answered just prior to then. This person didn't even have the nerve to mention my blog by name, but had no problem calling me an "rpf fucker" (really nice...). The question pertained to whether Michael's lack of a BAFTA nom could have been because of Anna's off-putting social media posts prior to the announcement, and I indicated in my response that I did not believe this was the case. I am not about to place blame on Anna for something that she had no part of--which I suppose this person was hoping I would do, to give credence to their ludicrous claims of sexism--and I made my position on the matter clear.

So to your comment about me disagreeing, this was exactly what happened...and yet this person had to twist what I wrote so far around (to the point of lying by omission) just to make their point. And yes, I took that Ask seriously, as I take every Ask/Anon that I get seriously, even the ones that attack me (which is also why it takes me for-freaking-ever to answer the questions in my inbox). According to the above blogger, however, instead I should've responded to the person who sent the Ask by mocking them and telling them how ridiculous and stupid they are. Because just politely disagreeing while still allowing someone the space to share their thoughts is so horrible, but telling someone to fuck off is apparently the height of discourse. Ugh.

In any case, I am very much grateful for this message, and for you and everyone else who follows my blog and has been so lovely. It's your encouragement and kindness that gives me the drive to keep posting, so thank you! ❤️❤️

#genderqueer-hippie #reply post #personal post #and yes Michael is and continues to be David's number one fan #bless his bisexual Welsh chaos #fandom woes #to the people who keep coming for me and other RPF blogs on here #please have several seats #and try reading what i actually wrote instead of accusing me of ridiculous things #people can be awful sometimes #but then people can be wonderful too #and my followers are awesome #thank you all you lovely people for being here #<3

[messier-47]

RE7, RE8

A study of Ethan Winters cause I love him as a character and he's so fucking weird? definetely interesting.

I've taken a few liberties about his character

RE8 is so fucked up.

I hate it.

Okay, so Resident Evil games have this entire set up/scheme that they religously follow. If it ain't broke, don't try to fix it, right? RE7 was different because it was a FPS with a very intimate horror setting. It relied solely on horror and not just the adventure side of most Resident Evil games. RE8 was crafted exactly like a typical Resident Evil videogame which isn't bad but Ethan made the difference.

Ethan is "a regular dude" given the motive "save my daughter" with the added emotional turmoil of "my wife is dead". Kinda sounds familiar right? it's almost in parallel with RE7.

"My wife's been missing for 3 years" -> "i just my wife get murdered"

"I must find my wife" -> "i must find my daughter."

So now we have Ethan's entire emotional state and motive to go forth into dangerous scenario to base videogame off of. However...all too quickly everything gets way out of hand. In RE7, the presented story is something understanble and maybe even relateable to Ethan's understanding of the world. He went into the deep swamps of Louisiana and there's a crazy murder family who'd been snatching victims (this is without the explanation of mold which is later revealed to him). Now he walks into a european village and there suddenly werewolves? steampunk man with metal powers? marionette witchcraft? hunchback of putrid mutant? evil seraphim? this is way out of his league of understanding!

And yes, he had some form of military training and was in some form of witness protection program? However there's a BIG difference between "yeah I survived Louisiana madhouse that just happened to be a mold hot spot, afterwards getting military training" and then Leon Kennedy level of bullshit bumfuckery. speaking of Leon, RE8 was odd because it kept treating Ethan as if he was Leon!

I don't mean the "Ethan Winters your reputation proceeds you" or how RE8 was just a reordered version of RE4 with some diverse bossfights, it was the "let's treat Ethan like the heroic character" when...he isn't. RE8 would have been so much better if Miranda and the Lords weren't so concerned over Ethan's appearance. What if Miranda and the Lords were going about their business getting ready for the ceremony when suddenly there was "some guy" who starts culling their army reserve?

Ethan's character in RE8...is pretty bland in comparison to RE7. Again, it's probably because he's a "quiet" man who doesn't really talk to the camera about what he knows, what he's thinking or feeling. RE8 is so big and momentous that it sorta drowns him out as a character with agency. His dialogue isn't as rich, his choices are very guided towards an endpoint, and...even the shit we do see makes Ethan out to be more heroic than what we've seen in RE7.

It's...odd? and maybe this is just bais and opinion at this point but Ethan Winters is a character ill-fitted into the protagonist role of RE8. Whereas Chris Redfeild, Leon Kennedy, and Jill Valentine could all be fitted into heroic roles and imagery like King George and the Dragon, David and Goliath, and Joan of Arc, Ethan was never a character to lead an epic journey. He's more of a "silent hunter"? idk, keep having the image of a slow and steady persistence hunter, verses...whatever the hell the other heroes got going for them.

Really, the storyline of RE8 is ill-suited for Ethan. Can't say I don't understand, a videogame is often just a videogame so the story is compromised to better fit the gameplay. and because it's so bad, I'm really tempted to do a RE8 rewrite fanfic out of pure spite but lmao ain't got enough braincells to spread across two fandoms when i'm already invested in one.

So we go up against the 4 Lords before we have a face-off against Miranda. The segment in Lady D's castle...was awkward in a character development sense. Ethan heads into the castle over and over against cause it's the biggest building around and thus the most likely to have his daughter, except even with the Duke's hints and encouragement, Ethan's motive was really shaky. Why? Because was he in the castle to save his daughter or to kill vampire ladies? would've been better if that part of the game was more dedicated to "run, hide, and investigate" with the sisters trying to hunt for him just like later Lady D would do. Instead we have multiple mini-boss fight scenes before we see the cradle and remember why we're in the castle in the first place. then we fight+defeat Lady D. Which is weird? Okay, so game mechanics Lady D just happens to find you after you kill her 3 daughters and start tomb-robbing. However...story wise it's weird because your PRIME motive is "find my daughter" so why go on killing spree? why the heroics?

we go to Duke and finally get our mission to find/build master key and also collect daughter parts from the 4 Lords.

We go to Beneviento's house which was a WASTED OPPORTUNITY for some character exposition. CURSE YOU ETHAN FOR BEING A QUIET MAN!!! We got to hear Mia talking to herself throughout her pregnaucy and honestly without the added context of "Mia was confronting the truth about both Ethan and her baby being mold people" ...i would have thought all her dialogue was due to a hard pregnaucy. This could have been prime real estate to expose Ethan and Mia's relationship, how they healed after RE7, their thoughts about building back their marriage, their fears and even the doubts about having a child. but we get NOTHING from Ethan! Was the monster baby a representation of Mia's fear? Ethan's fear? or was it just a monster? IDK! this part was so good horror wise but storytelling it SUCKED!

the Monreau segment was so lackluster. It was just a RE4 reference except more gross with acid and boogers everywhere. Ethan is able to get ahold of his daughter piece and for some reason he found pity for Monreau's weeping? He definitely stopped to listen to whiny fish baby's tantrum which I find really odd because...why??? He never showed much sympathy so why now would he stop to listen to "Miranda wants her baby back" speech? unless it was only meant for a game mechanic which i'm getting sick and tired of because it's just shit writing at this point.

We go get to reunite with Chris and get some answers as to what's going on but really Chris? you're gonna look the same man who UNTRAINED and COMPLETELY IGNORANT managed to clear an entire bioweapon's mold infestation BY HIMSELF and try to say "stand down" and expect obediance? yeah, your brainwashing military training ain't that strong.

Then we get to Karl's segment and... honestly why? why was Karl even interested in Ethan? Ethan doesn't have extraordinary abilities other than "fuck you" levels of adrenaline and perseverance. So why did he want Ethan on his team as he reblled against Miranda? Heh, almost understanable why Karl/Ethan is a thing because i can't think or anything other than pure lust probing Karl to make his offer. Karl is a bioweapon engineer, having built an army of cyborgs and is probably the only person in the village who know how cellphones actually work. Oh, as he had magnet powers so why does he want/need Ethan? In order for Rose to be reliably handled and managed? she's a 6 month baby, not even potty trained, wtf?

then chris comes clean about everything and Ethan uses tank to defeat mutant Karl with some moves pretty sure Leon Kennedy would be proud of cause they were pure bullshit.

Ethan finds out about his own mold problem and ugh you can't convince me the whole "Ethan knew he was going to die so might as well sacrifice himself" was just add to trigger the fuck out of Chris who'd seen his friend in RE5 die in an incredibly simular way. Very dramatic, heroic scene. Very "i face god and walk backwards into hell"

All in all...RE8 was a videogame. Forgiveable? Yeah, cause it was never meant to be a story. the problem here is that whilst all Resident Evil games are literally video games and makes compromises about characters, their development arcs, their stories so that it's more about the game than an actual narrative, RE8...was just a game with a cobbled together story with no care to the actual characters.

And it wasn't just Ethan who got the short end of the stick. Chris Redfield was casted into an anti-hero role and Mia was a forgotten SUPER SKETCHY character throughout. Uuuuuuggggghhhh at this point i'm just raging against a video game instead of doing an indepth character study. sorry gang

#ethan winters #resident evil #chris redfield #re8 #re8 village #character study #long post #rant incoming

[toomanyfandomsimfanvergent]

Tobias x reader

**

@naishaaaaa helped me with the plot for this fic, enjoy.

Taglist: @asiludida164

**

It was the middle of the day. Yn had been swamped in work. Since defeating Jeanine and helping the tris take down the burea, yn and Tobias had gone back to dauntless.

Tobias stuck to training iniates, yn however. That was a different story.

Yn started sending reports into the burea about how the 'factions' we're doing, (you got to choose a faction or living beyond the gate), she also helped Tobias with iniates, and she gave a lot of private lessons.

Tobias started feeling, feverish and his throat was throbbing, and itchy. He didn't want to bother yn, she already was extremely overwlemed.

He finished training and went to bed early.

Yn walks into their shared apartment at 1am, an initiate couldn't get the hang of his right hook. She was bruised and ready for more work. She still has a few hours of reports to fill out.

She notices Tobias snoring on the bed. His delicate figure, so peaceful, his chest slowly rising and falling.

Yn gave him a kiss on the forehead, "love you baby," she whispered.

Walking over to the living room, she sits on the couch facing Tobias. She starts on filing reports, and answering emails from other factions regarding some ridiculous government thing, she was not even qualified for.

**

At a quarter past three, Y/N is working feverously. She hears Tobias break into a coughing fit in his sleep.

She rushes to his side, "Tobias," she pulls him into a sitting position he continues coughing. She rushes to grab a glass of water. She starts patting his back, handing him the water when he stops coughing, "hey, hey what happened? I'm right her sweetheart," she coos, soothingly rubbing his back.

"I feel like shit," he groans, leaning his head on her shoulder.

She takes the glass and sets it down, "you need meds," she starts, he opens his mouth to protest but she quickly cuts him off, "fucking bullshit, if you don't want me taking you to the infirmary I will be getting you medicine,"

He knows better than to argue with her. After having a shitty and abusive home life. Yn was very protective of her family. If she cared about you, there was nothing she wouldn't do. She backed up Tobias and comforted him after he beat up Marcus, and after yn confronted her own father and sent him to the infirmary, getting them kicked out of amity, he held her while she cried.

Yn quickly returns with various bottles.

"okay, toby what hurts," she asks, sitting at the foot of the bed.

"My throat is sore, my head hurts, I'm sore, and feel ....weird," he rambles. It had taken him getting sick twice for him to let her take control.

"okay take this," she says handing him water and an array of pills.

He does, "I'll sleep on the couch so,-"

"I don't get sick I'm divergent," she smirks.

He groans.

"okay fine, but really I don't get sick from colds and stuff, often at least," she mumbles, spooning him.

"m'sorry I love you," he mumbles into your neck.

"hey, Im here for you, baby," she coos kissing his head as he drifts into a peaceful slumber. She admires how peaceful he looks whilst sleeping.

The way his chest rises and falls. His lips slightly parted, at peace, as he, out of habit, lays on his stomach. He is perfect. He is hers. And she is his. She lays on her stomach to, resting a hand on his shoulder.

*bonus flashback*

"You fucking piece of shit ," Marcus yells, hitting Tobias across the back with the belt screaming insults.

*

"yn," her father screams, drunk.

He finds her and shoves her into the wall, he throws a beer bottle at her.

"please stop," she chokes out before her head gets fuzzy.

As he strikes her across the back with a broken glass bottle, her vision dots black.

One more hit and everything is warm and dark, fuzzy.

**

Give me more request plz

#Tobias #tobias eaton imagine #eddie munson angst #tobias eaton #tobias eaton headcanon #tobias eaton smut #tobias eaton x reader #Sick Tobias #Divergent #Tobias blurb #Tobias four #Eaton #Four x reader #four x reader #Tobias x reader #Tobias Eaton fanfic

[waynedunlaptheorgandonor]

i have been Swamped with full-time freelance writing and a full-time job on top of it, and you guys have been so so so patient with me going months and months and months without updating anything, so i decided to give you little sneak-peeks at the next “diy steps to serenity” and “an unfinished memory” chapters to prove to you that i do actually have content, it’s just been sitting idle as i’ve been forced to write less-fun things for money :( 

i’m going to have a break in my work writing obligations here v v v soon, and updating these fics will be my vacation before the next obligations begin, and i am extremely hype 

snippets under the cut:

DIY Steps to Serenity Excerpt:

The next thing she registered were forms being thrust at her, demanding her signature, as if she had any capacity to read. She mumbled the answers to questions about her birthdate and address, and scribbled her name poorly where they told her to on a tablet. Then, all of a sudden, a nurse was wiping the crook of her elbow down with an alcohol swab, and she forced herself out of her fog of suffering.

"No no no, wait," she said, trying to angle away. 

"They gotta give you an IV to put you under for surgery, baby," Daryl said, his fingers brushing her hair back off her forehead. Carol shook her head vehemently.

"I can't," she insisted, eyes wide with fear. 

"I know but you don't got a choice, honey, it'll be okay. Everythin's okay." Evidently, he'd regained his mantra from somewhere, but Carol still wasn't convinced.

"Don't worry, you won't feel a thing. We're going to push some Dilaudid through to help control the pain while we wait to take you back for anesthesia," Leopard Print Scrubs said, thinking that Carol's fear was with the surgery, and not with the small syringe of clear liquid that she was preparing to push directly into her veins. She looked to Daryl helplessly, who simply shook his head.

"You got no choice," he repeated. Through the pain and fright and flood of confusion, Carol tried to think of an alternative. What did they used to do before pain medication? Maybe they could get her some whiskey and a big rock to bite down on. Not ideal, but she was so close to her twelve-month chip, which she didn't realize until that moment was something she actually gave a shit about.

"I'm just gonna flush your IV with some saline, and then we'll get that medicine in you and get you feeling better, you poor thing," Leopard Print Scrubs said. With her free hand, Carol reached for Daryl. He took it without hesitation.

"I won't be sober," she whispered to him through tears that she wasn't sure were new or had been falling since she'd arrived.

"But you'll be alive."

//

An Unfinished Memory Excerpt:

“Come now, don’t be like that,” Merle said. He came around and sat next to Daryl on the couch. He smelled like cigarettes and the cheap perfume of whichever girl he’d been cozying up with at the bar the night before. “If you need help lookin’ like a fine, upstandin’ citizen then I’ll do my damndest, but first you gotta be straight with me.”

“Straight with you about what?” Daryl didn’t look at his brother, opting instead to fiddle with his drawing, which was now just a crinkly ball in his hands. Pity, he thought, he’d liked that one well enough to have kept it, if Merle hadn’t ruined it. Whatever, he could always just draw it again.

“Carol. What’s goin’ on between the two of you? And don’t come at me with that ‘we’re just friends’ bullshit.”

“Well we are, so I dunno what the fuck else you want me to say.”

“The truth. You know everyone who goes through the Roadhouse all call her your girl, and she ain’t never denied it.”

“You know that was just so them guys would stop puttin’ moves on her when she was just doin’ her damn job.”

“Yeah, but that was months ago. You’d think by now the truth woulda come out, but if anythin’, with the way you two cozy up with each other when you’re together at the diner, y’all only reinforce it.”

“Good, then they’ll keep leavin’ her be.” Daryl pointedly did not address the “cozy up” comment.

“You know that ain’t my point.”

“Then what is it?” Daryl knew he was being purposefully obtuse, and he knew Merle knew it too, but he refused to give his brother the satisfaction of dignifying his taunts with a response.

But then Merle said, “She’d be good for you, you know? A girl like her. If you was with her I’d support it. Hell, I’d more than support it. I’d be over the damn moon.”

Daryl let his hands still, the staticky crumpling sound of the paper finally ceasing. He tossed the ball onto the table and leaned back on the uncomfortable couch, the structure of the thing hitting him at all kinds of unpleasant angles where the cushion was worn away. He stared headlong at the television in front of him. It wasn’t on, but the alternative was looking at his brother, and he didn’t think he could say what he was about to say and meet another person’s eye at the same time.

He said, so quietly he could hardly hear it himself, “Maybe I would be, too.”

#diy steps to serenity #an unfinished memory #dunlap writes shit #and will finish shit soon too #promise #caryl #caryl fic #twd

[infitsovermisfits]

Hi, could you please write an Eddie Munson fic where the reader was like a popular girl who was best friends with Nancy, and she's like totally in love with him

[no smut if possible although IDM, you write really well]

((sorry this took forever to write!!))

Tysm for the request and compliment omg 😭😭 I hope u don't mind that I use Gender Neutral pronouns here :)

info: I have quite the story with this: i started writing this when i was in another country in my notes just to map out how i wanted this. When i got back home, i wrote about 4k words of this, realised i characterised the reader completely wrong and had to rewrite the story into this :) I'll still post the other half but tweek it a little bit because i can't just waste 4k words like that come on ;-; I hope u like this requester!! I had fun writing this :) I'm sorry if it's slow, I was trying to pace it somehow and I... Yes :) this og version also had a party scene but I cut it because it didn't fit and I didn't like the direction it was going- so if I finish writing that it'll likely spawn another fic ;P such is the way of a perfectionist

Info 2: after making many many revisions to this the final tally is: this spawned 2 other fics that may get finished at a later date, and jesus chrsit did this drag on oh my god

WARNINGS: slower pace (sorry), reader is a senior, gender-neutral reader, self-conscious reader, reader has overbearing parents, brief allusion/mention of child abuse, use of the word suicide (once), mentions of underage drinking, underage drug use

MASTERLIST

word count: 7659

"Come on- no cute boys?" Nancy Wheeler asked as she walked beside you through the busy morning corridors of Hawkins High. You let out a long sigh as she stopped at her locker, quickly opening it and beginning to place the books she was carrying in her hands inside,

"You find me one cute boy at Hawkins, Nancy. They all look like they crawled out of a swamp," You groaned, rolling your eyes as you scanned the busy hallways from where you were leaning against a locker next to her, "They all smell worse than a swamp too," At your comments, she giggled, shaking her head.

There were positives to being popular- invitations to every party, access to all the gossip at school about anyone, endless compliments and offers to do any of your work for you... But the novelty wears off oh so quickly, and all the positives cannot outweigh the negatives. And it all just gets so boring. And when you realise you can't exactly have other people sit your final exams at the end of the year, you realised how much shit you were in.

That's where Nancy came in. She'd seen you struggling with biology and offered her help, and surprisingly, you found yourself growing closer with her. She quickly became one of your closest friends, simply because she wouldn't take any bullshit and was honest and more importantly real. Where your friends blindly agreed with anything you said or did, Wheeler would actively oppose you, offer criticism, or try to at least steer you in the right direction with whatever you needed. She also didn't actively try distracting you from your work, instead of encouraging you to do it and offering her home as a quiet place for you to work in. This was fresh; it was new; it was something that made your friendship so strong. 

Nancy was so sweet too- when you'd given her a matching best friend's necklace for her birthday, she looked like she was ready to cry. She had mentioned Barb, someone you didn't really get to know before her disappearance, and how she was her only friend for so long and how happy she was to have someone else in her life, now that Jonathan was so far away. With this, you quickly realised you should try and make her as happy as she could be in her final Senior Year at Hawkins- so what if your 'friends' questioned you or gave you weird looks if you chose her over them? They'd have to just get used to Wheeler being around.

Then you had your tutoring sessions. At the beginning of senior year, you had asked those who were doing your work to stop. Obviously, your grades rapidly dropped, causing your teachers to get worried. Biology remained stagnant, but the countless D's and F's on your report card that was usually plastered with straight A's and flattery made the colour drain from your face at the idea of your parents seeing it. After a particularly tense parent-teacher conference, it was mutually agreed that you'd greatly benefit from daily, after-school tutoring sessions. And you had little to say about it under the scrutiny of your parents.

There, you'd met Eddie. 

Jocks; athletes; popular kids. Those were the people you hung out with at school and at parties. They made up your friend group, they surrounded you wherever you went. The 'outcasts' and the 'freaks' always piqued your interest, but God forbid you ever interact with them and commit social suicide. That's why you almost appreciated these tutoring sessions- though they were incredibly boring and sometimes difficult to focus on, they allowed you to interact with people you would usually be shunned by your friends for.

Eddie was 'The Freak'. The loud Satanist who insults back at your friends and made a fool of himself where he could to entertain his Hellfire Club friends. It surprised you when you first saw him in the tutoring sessions. Like you, he was failing only... Worse as you came to find out. Compared to the loud image you had of him, he was always very quiet. Wide brown eyes watching whoever was running the session, occasionally flicking down to write a few notes, then looking out of the window. He was never here on Fridays, and a small part of you was curious about where he'd disappear to. He'd always lazily drop into his chair and lean back in it, legs stretching out and spreading open under the desk as he pulled out a notebook and pencil and lazily scribbled notes down. Even doing so simple, to you, it was worth coming just to watch him.

You didn't speak to one another at first; not until one Thursday evening in November. You had a rather clear view of him from the corner of your eye where you sitting. You'd glance up at the chalkboard, scan the text, glance down to write it, then sneak a glance at the metalhead. Today, his legs were bouncing more than usual. You could faintly hear the tapping of his feet along with the annoying scratches and screeches of the chalk on the board. The tutor had even asked him a few times to stop tapping, only to earn mumbled apologies and eye rolls. You usually bounced your legs so much when you were nervous- sometimes at parties waiting for the alcohol to fill your veins and give you the confidence to dance. Or the one time your parents discovered your grades and spent the evening yelling at you... 

As the session grew to a close, you noticed him begin to pack his things up much earlier than the rest of your group, and before the tutor could even say their 'good afternoons', he was out of the door, hair bouncing and bag almost falling out of his grip as he left. You glanced at his vacant space as you packed your own things out and noticed a black notebook that had been left behind. Glancing at the others, too focused on hurriedly putting their own things away, you picked it up and looked it over. 

It was worn, old, clearly, and you desperately wanted to peek inside and see what secrets were in there. This wasn't the notebook he used for his notes- that one was a fresh, a new one specifically bought for school notes, decorated in crude drawings of lightning flashes and grinning faces, as well as creatures you only briefly saw in flashes when he'd open the book. This one was also covered in doodles, painted in white paint- you could tell from where some of them were smeared, leaving streaks of white paint against the black material. There was no legible writing, though, by the drawing of a strangely shaped die on the front, it indicated this was a 'DnD' notebook, or so you guessed- your brother played that game when he was younger. Personally, you never touched the game, not understanding the rules. And after finding out it was the 'devils' game, you tried staying as far away from it as possible.

So why, was the notebook now sitting atop your sheets and looking so inviting for you to look inside. You'd scanned the front so many times, that the drawings were almost certainly committed to memory by now. Deep down, you know you couldn't- you couldn't invade his privacy like this. But what if reading it told you more about Eddie and gave you a chance to finally have something to talk to him about...? 

It was weird enough that you'd essentially stolen it from him- maybe you should just give it back? Yeah- you'd give it back tomorrow!... After you read a few pages. With trembling hands, you reached to pry the book open, before freezing and glancing to your top drawer where you kept your journal locked inside an old make-up box. All the things you wrote in there flooded your head and you immediately dropped his book back down. If he had any secrets in here and you read them, you'd be invading his privacy- and that was just a shitty thing to do. You wouldn't want anyone to read through your stuff, so you shoved the book back inside your bag that night out of sight and mind, while ensuring you had it ready for the morning,

"Hey, where does Munson usually hang out?" You asked your group of friends the Friday morning after, as you stood around outside of school. A silence falling amongst them at your question,

"Ahaha- very funny," One of the Jocks said, and you sent him a glare, 

"I'm being serious," You said, watching as they all gave you strange looks, "I uh... I want to get something good for the party tomorrow," You smiled in reassurance, and watched as they mostly relaxed,

"You shouldn't go near him alone, I can go with you," The guy said next to you, arm moving around your shoulders and face moving close. You laughed, shrugging him off, 

"I'm perfectly fine on my own," You assured, "Any curse he tries to throw on me, I'll just deflect," You said, and watched him blink confusedly at your statement, pushing him away, "Are you guys gonna tell me or not?" You sighed, and when no one replied, you rolled your eyes, "Anyways..." You tried breaking the awkwardness, "Uhh- I just remembered Nancy needs me. Something about biology and... Cutting frogs," You made a face, before leaving them quickly. 

You had to find Munson by yourself, which wasn't great since you knew he never shows up to tutoring on Fridays and you can't just see him at lunch in front of everyone. You walked through the school's halls, smiling and waving politely at the students you passed, taking and returning compliments as you went. You paused suddenly as two boys walked around you, Eddie's name falling from their lips and ringing in your ears. You turned swiftly, following after them for a little bit until they disappeared into a mostly empty corridor. When you were sure no one was looking, you dipped in after them, watching as they disappeared into a club room. It was one of the old drama club classrooms- you used to go here all the time in freshman year...

It was still early but you wanted to see him alone, and without anyone here. You sighed, leaning against the adjacent classroom and getting lost in thought. Your name falling from someone's lips startled you, and you relaxed at the sight of Nancy Wheeler approaching you, 

"Why're you here?" She asked curiously, coming to stand in front of you,

"Oh, I'm... Reliving old memories," You smiled, pointing to the other drama room that was unoccupied, "I used to go here all the time as a Freshman," You sighed, "I was super passionate about theatre," She laughed at that,

"Right yeah, you told me. Still obsessed with Romeo and Juliet?" You made a face,

"Don't remind me of that awful thing," You sighed, trying the locked door and frowning softly, 

"They don't use them anymore for health and safety reasons," She tapped the sign clearly plastered on the door, "Plus, with the funding, they pulled it's kinda useless to them now. It's a miracle Hellfire even got that room," She nodded her head to the other door, the same one you wanted so badly to go to,

"Hellfire?" You had to play dumb, you had to play dumb,

"Right," She chuckled, "It's a DnD thing? Mike's really into it," She explained, waving a hand, "The idiot forgot his lunch so I have to bring it to him or mom'll tear my head off," She said. And before you could speak up, she was knocking on the door and letting herself in. 

There he was, perched on his throne and watching you newcomers curiously, hand raised for the two boys to stop talking. Orange and blue light illuminated him, shining on his features from the overhead stage lights hitting the table and him. He was just missing a crown- he'd look like a king. Slowly, he stood, clapping his hands together and offering you both a wide smile,

"Greetings," He said, and you gave a little wave to him, as he moved forward, "To what do we owe your company on this most joyous of days?" He asked theatrically, and you forced yourself to not laugh,

"Hello, Eddie," Nancy said with a sigh, before her gaze turned to Mike, "Dumbass, you forgot your lunch," Nancy said, an edge to her voice as her younger brother shot up from where he was sitting, ducking under Eddie's outstretched arms,

"Ahh, and here I was thinking you two would be joining us this evening," He said, and he looked between the two of you. Frankly, you were too mesmerised by his hair swishing as he moved to register his words until his eyes met yours. Your brain emptied itself out and filled with nothing but thoughts of him, doing its best to commit to memory the fact that he looked at you. Fuck. Your heart only sped up like this if you were too high and freaked out. But this was... Pleasant. You returned a small smile and opened your mouth to say something,

"We're good, Eddie," She cast him a tight smile and glanced at Mike, "But if you're late tonight, you're walking home," She threatened,

"But-"

"Mike!" She said warned sharply. She rustled the bag at him, and you watched him sigh as he took the bag from her,

"At least say thanks, Micheal," You piped up, folding your arms and tilting your head at him,

"It's not Micheal," He said, moving back to where he was sitting to put his food back into his bag, 

"Sure it is Micheal!" You grinned, glancing at Nancy who shook her head, "You should really thank your poor, poor sister. She's making sure you're getting fed," You pouted, putting an arm around Nancy's shoulders and pulling her close. You grinned at how pissed off it was making the boy and saw his lips move in a mumble,

"Oof- can't hear you, Micheal," You chirped,

"Yeah, what was that Micheal?" Eddie now chimed in, watching him with a wide grin too,

"Thank you- oh my God," The boy said exasperated, and you laughed softly, pulling Nancy out of the room, "Thanks for the help, Eddie," You said, waving to him as you exited. You laughed with Nancy as she led you from the room and began to chat with you easily. Eddie's notebook is still in your bag between your own books and folder though. Shit.

You had to figure out a way to give this book back as soon as possible. You even considered ditching the tutoring session to try and follow him, but that'd only hurt your grades- and you needed to graduate this year. The session moved by agonisingly slowly, and you spent most of it trying to figure out the right words, rather than outwrite admitting that you found Eddie's notebook and stole it. You sighed in relief as it finally came to a close and pulled the book from your bag while you were putting your own things away, beginning to walk through the pleasantly empty, quiet halls. You gravitated towards the drama classrooms, hearing cheering and loud noise, and stopping as a group of boys walked out yelling and chatting amongst themselves. 

 Wheeler, who you recognised from the mess of chin-length black hair, emerged first, running through the halls and hoping to catch Nancy before she left without him. His friend, a mess of curly hair hidden under a hat, followed quickly after him. Then finally, the other boys walked slowly with Eddie, still talking to him before he stopped at the fork in the hallway. There he was, grinning to himself as he produced car keys from his pockets. Soon enough, you heard 'bye's' and 'see you next weeks!', and there he was, turning and walking towards you.

He stopped, seeing you watching him, and, comically, turned to look over his shoulder at the empty hall. He then turned back to you, who offered him a small wave. He made a small gesture to himself, mouthing 'me?', and you couldn't help but laugh,

"Yeah, you," You said to him, slowly walking forward. You produced the book from where you'd safely tucked it under your arm and presented it to him, holding it out at arm's length. His expression morphed into a shocked one, eyes growing wide as he recognised the drawings and his lost object, "I didn't-" You said quickly, "Like, I-" Any preparations you made in that session fell through at his sudden closeness. "Uhh- ahaha," You laughed, more at yourself and how pathetic you felt. He took the book from you, a frown on his face as he quickly skimmed through the pages,

"You didn't... Go through it, did you?" He asked with a frown, glancing up at you,

"No!" You assured him quickly, "You- you left it behind yesterday after our tutoring thing. You left too quick for me to uh... Catch up to you and give it back then," You explained, and watched him slowly nod. He went back to flicking through the book,

"Right," He said. You could hear the scepticism in his tone as he went quiet again. You shuffled nervously, and almost turned to leave before he spoke again, "Sorry- I just can't be too sure," He mumbled, glancing back up at you, "Your friends don't really like me," He gave a slight smile, and though it didn't reach his eyes, it was still really pretty, "I was worried this'd be tampered with but it's not," He said,

"Oh! Yeah, no one saw it," You said quickly, "I put it in my bag so I could keep it safe for you," You explained, cringing slightly at your choice of words. For some fucking reason, you could talk to any boy in this godforsaken school with ease, but when it came to Eddie, your mouth moved too quickly and your brain lagged behind, "I wasn't uh... Sure when I'd see you again so... Yeah," You said, "Glad to have... Gotten it back to you... Now," You said,

"Safely," He added, closing it, "Well, thanks- a lot. I've been going crazy looking for this," He indicated to the book that he now hid away in his bag, "Tore my trailer up last night looking for it," He smiled,

"Oh!" You said, raising your brows, "Didn't know it was that important to you," You laughed softly, "Sorry,"

"It's okay," He said in such a friendly tone it made your stomach flip and heart ache for him to say it again, "Thanks for keeping it safe away from your friends... They don't like me very much,"

"Yeah- sorry," You said again, looking away and shuffling your feet, "They can be real fucking assholes," You sighed,

"Tell me about it," Eddie said sarcastically, but not in a malicious way. In a funny way. So you laughed, "You're not though," He said, and you glanced up at him,

"Hmm?" You hummed, 

"An asshole," He added, "You could have ruined that book. Ripped it to shreds, read through it..." He said, and you bit the inside of your lip slightly. You'd been a witness to some of those things when you were younger, "But you didn't," He gave you a slight smile, "So thanks,"

"Uhuh," You nodded, "You weren't in our uh... Session today," You pointed out, "I had to go and hunt you down," He chuckled softly, and you felt your heart beat a little faster in your aching chest,

"Yeah, Fridays are kinda sacred to me," He said, nodding his head back to where he had come from, "I'm the DM in our Hellfire club. It sorta falls apart without me there," He said confidently,

"DM...?" You asked slowly in confusion, 

"Dungeon Master- for Dungeons and Dragons," He clarified, and you nodded, 

"Right- of course, you are," You nodded, and he looked at you, "So uh. Did you need the notes for today?" You asked, and he looked at you surprised, maybe a little confused, "I uh-" You were already searching in your bag for the notebook you used to keep your notes in, "I even made sure you could read what I was writing," You laughed to yourself, passing him the book, "It was Biology,"

"I hate biology," He commented, taking your book and smoothing a hand over it. You laughed softly,

"Me too," You agreed, "I was really bad with it untill Nancy started helping me,"

"Wheeler, right..." He nodded, your notebook now safely tucked in his bag, "That's why you guys were together this morning?"

"Well, yeah, and she's my friend," You explained, "Because of the biology thing. So I guess it's not all too bad," You smiled,

"Weren't you a straight-A student?" He clicked his finger at you, looking at you confused, and you slowly nodded,

"Yeah, but only because I wasn't doing any of the uh... Work," You said, embarrassed to even admit to your faults, "I didn't really treat school too seriously for a while- and with so many people just... Offering to work for me, it was hard to say no," You said, looking away from him, "Gave me a lot of free time... Too much free time. Then, during the summer I kinda realised I'm gonna be the one writing my final exams, and not them, and so I thought, oh! These first essays, I'm gonna do myself... And I got probably the worst grades you've ever seen," You joked,

"Believe me," He raised his brows, beginning to walk slowly with you, "I know what bad grades are," He smiled slightly, "Or else I wouldn't be wasting my time in those sessions after school,"

"Right," You tapped your forehead with your fingers, "Sorry, I'm uh... Yeah," You nodded, before continuing, "Well, my teachers weren't happy... Neither were my parents," You grimaced, "Got this whole long terrifying talk that I won't get into college and they'll kick me out and I'll be homeless or something," You shrugged, sighing as you recalled the evening you returned home, having spent your time drinking with your friends. Still buzzed and hoping to go to sleep, you instead found yourself sat on the couch in your living room, crying silent tears that stung your burning cheek, and ears filled with the angry ramblings of your father, "So yeah... Kinda lit a fire under my ass, and now I'm doing what I can to just pass," You sighed, "Definitely not a straight-A student," You grimaced again, glancing up at him,

"I mean, it could be worse," He said, twirling his car keys, "This is my third time passing senior year," He sighed, "Kinda makes me wish I had someone yell at me and get me to try harder," He smiled, and you nodded your head slightly, "But alas... All I got is a deep-rooted hatred for this fucking place," He glanced around at the barren white halls, illuminated by fluorescent lights, 

"You'll get out eventually, Eddie," You reassured him, and he turned to look at you, "Uhh- Nancy told me that I should have a more positive attitude surrounding this whole thing," You explained, 

"A what?" He asked playfully, and you laughed,

"Instead of thinking 'I'm not gonna make it' think 'I'm going to try to make it,'" You said, "Like uh... Tricking your brain to thinking you like something when you really hate it," You said,

"Why would I want to do that?" He said, making a face, 

"To fit in...?" You asked softly, and he raised his brows, 

"Mmmh... Guess you're used to that, darling," Your eyes widened slightly at the use of the pet name, and he walked forwards a little faster, pushing the exit open for you and holding the door open for you, "But not me," He gave you a slight smile and a wink, and you almost stopped being able to function. You swallowed nervously, mumbling a thank you as you walked out of the door first and glanced over your shoulder at him,

"You've never had to pretend to like something to fit in?" You asked, almost incredulously,

"Nope," He shut the door, looking down at you, "Then again..." He said, standing next to you and leaning over so his head was close to your ear, "I don't have friends who are assholes," As he straightened again, he gave you a warm smile, and you only nodded, glancing through the parking lot,

"Uh..." You stuttered, "I hate parties," You admitted, and he tilted his head slightly. Something about those large round, brown eyes and the way his general disposition was reminded you of a puppy, and you couldn't help but smile at him, 

"You?" He asked surprised, "Hate parties?" You nodded at his shocked expression,

"Yeah..." You smiled, "Drugs and alcohol relax me enough to have an okay time, but sometimes I take too much of either and get super nervous," You sighed, "I don't like the crowd; the loud music; the... People there..." You grimaced, "But I know if I don't go, I'll get..." You shook your head, "My friends won't be happy. It's like I'm expected to be there. And I don't wanna disappoint anyone," You frowned. You suddenly realised you were spilling your deepest insecurities to someone you didn't know that well- and a guy you happened to have a crush on- and you had to collect yourself, "But uh, yeah..." You couldn't meet his gaze, too embarrassed to even look up

"Well... if you didn't have to go to a party, what would you do instead?" He asked.

For some reason, you didn't have an answer straight away. No one had ever asked you what you wanted... Certainly not any boy. You blinked at him, mouth gaping open as you stared at him in shock, and your brain searched for an answer so you wouldn't be stuck in silence. He seemed to realise that you didn't have an answer, but instead of saying anything he just nodded for you to go on. You swallowed, licking your lips slightly and glancing away so you could focus,

"I... Would prefer to stay at home..." You said slowly, thinking, then smiling softly and tapping a finger to your lips, "I'd get some vodka and drink it by myself-"

"Oh, that took a turn," He said, and you glanced at him with a smile,

"Beer's just too gross for my taste," You made a face, and he nodded for you to go on, "I'd get drunk by myself... Or with Nancy. Depends if-"

"With Nancy?" He said surprised, "She drinks?"

"If she wants," You smiled at him, "I convinced her to share a joint with me once too," You said, laughing softly as he opened his mouth in shocked,

"Okay- wow?" He said, laughing too, "Guess you really do learn something new every day," He smiled,

"Mhm," You hummed, "I'd also be watching a movie,"

"What movie?"

"I'm not telling you- you're gonna laugh," You said, shaking your head,

"I'm not gonna laugh," He said, watching you. You looked at him, meeting his eyes, "Come on- I play Dungeons and Dragons for fun," He said, "I'm the last person to laugh at anything you'll say," He said. It did make sense. Eddie clearly wasn't like any boy you'd met before and you so greatly appreciated that. With a bracing sigh, you shook your head,

"You heard of 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show'?" You looked up at him, fearing his reaction,

"Have I heard- I love that movie!" He grinned, and you looked at him shocked,

"I haven't..." You smiled, "I've never met anyone else who likes that movie," You grinned, "I kinda accidentally saw it with my older sister once at a theatre when we visited Indianapolis and it was so good!" You grinned, "Then we saw it again when they showed it in Starcourt last year," You grinned, "I haven't seen it since but God, would I love to,"

"That sounds a lot more fun than a party," He said, and you looked at him with wide eyes, "You should invite me over," He said playfully, and you laughed, 

"Sure! I don't m-" The sudden sound of a car honking brought you out of your conversation, and you squinted in the darkness to see Nancy Wheeler and her brother watching you from her car, "Shit- ah... Sorry, Eddie," You looked at him apologetically, "I'll see you... Later," You said, quickly running down the stairs. Your name attached to the end of his goodbye made you turn, just before you crossed the empty parking lot to get to her car,  "How'd you know my name?" You asked curiously as he passed by you,

"Your notebook," He replied, before giving you a slight salute and walking to his van, "Say Hi to the Wheelers for me!" He called after you, and you watched his mess of hair as he faded into the darkness. You slid into the front seat next to Nancy, a smile glued to your lips,

"Still think there's no cute boys at Hawkins?" Nancy asked you with a smirk as your seatbelt clicked into place. It took you a moment, but when you recognised her words, you shoved her shoulder playfully, smiling, 

"Shut up, Nancy," You grinned, rolling your eyes,

"Hey, how come they get to be late and I don't?" Mike chimed in from the backseat,

"Because I'm Nancy's friend?" You said, frowning as if it was obvious, "You're just her annoying little brother, Micheal," You turned your head to stick your tongue out at him,

"Whatever," He huffed, turning his head so his forehead pressed against the glass. You looked to Nancy as she drove out of the parking lot, a smile fixed on her lips,

"What?" You asked, "Nancy, what?" You smiled softly as she shook her head,

"You like Eddie, huh?" She asked, and you rolled your eyes, 

"I'm not answering that," You said, though your eyes flicked up to the rear view mirror and caught sight of the headlights of his van as he drove a distance behind Nancy's car, 

"Come on- I saw how you looked at him!" She grinned, "Does he smell like a swamp?" At that you laughed, loud,

"Nancy, oh my God!" You grinned, "First of all, shut up and drive before I jump out of this car and second!!" You grinned as she laughed, "So what if I do? He's probably the first boy here to be nice to me without trying to get in my pants and ask me questions about my interests," You said, "To see me... As a person and not... Y'know," You shrugged, sighing softly and leaning your own head against the window,

"Uhuh," She nodded, "What'd he ask you?" She asked, giving you a small smile, "You looked enamoured," She commented,

"Not telling you... Here," You said, glancing over at her, then flicking your gaze to Mike, "Not with him there," You side eyed Mike, 

"What? Why?" The kid frowned, 

"Cause you're gonna blab something stupid to Eddie," You said, rolling your eyes, 

"That you like him?"

"Micheal," You grinned as he corrected 'Mike' under his breath, "First of all, I never said I like him; Nancy did. Secondly, I had one-" You lifted a finger up,"-conversation with him. That doesn't mean I'm falling head over heels. And besides, I already said I'm not saying anything in this car while you're here," You said, sighing as you turned back, relaxing into the comfortable seat, "Besides... It's not like..." You bit your lip, "Nevermind," You sighed softly,

"No, what is it?" Nancy asked, glancing at you with a small frown, but you quickly dismissed it waving your hand,

"Don't worry," You mumbled, turning up the music and letting Madonna fill the car as you stared out of the window. You let your mind run as your eyes focused on the dark houses as they passed by, lost in thoughts of Eddie and his kindness towards you this evening. About how badly you wanted to spend more time with him and not your friends. He seemed more real than they could ever try to be- he hadn't laughed at your favourite movie choice, in fact, he liked it too! And he was so warm and friendly it... Was fresh and delightful. You couldn't remember the last time you'd laughed without the need to fake it.

 All too soon, Nancy pulled up to her house and told Mike to leave the car, before killing the engine and looking at you. It took you a moment to realise where you where, and when you did, your eyes met, 

"What is it, Nance?" You asked curiously, "End of the line? Need me to get out?" You smiled, though reached for the handle,

"No, I just... Wanted to talk to you," She smiled softly, gently taking her hand in yours. You tilted your head slightly,

"About?" You asked confused,

"Eddie,"

"Right," You pulled your hand from hers and grabbed your bag from between your legs, "This was a lovely ride, Wheeler but I gotta go," She quickly said your name, which caused you to freeze and glance back at her,

"Please...?" She asked, with a small frown. You really didn't want to talk to her about this, especially not now, but the reminder that Nancy hadn't had many friends- especially to talk about boys made you reconsider.  You sighed, heavily dropping the bag and back into the seat, causing the car to shake slightly,

"What... Do you want to know?" You asked, rolling your eyes but smiling as you saw a grin spreading across her face, 

"Okay. When did you realise you liked him?" She asked eagerly, and you sighed, closing your eyes and rubbing them gently,

"A while ago, I guess," You smiled softly, "I don't know- maybe watching him be so... Free and so... Himself  was admirable to me- annoying sometimes but... You gotta hand it to him, he has a lot of confidence... And then I guess my admiration grew into," You sighed, "A crush," You admitted to humour her, "I realised in the tutoring sessions,"

"Oh right- because- yeah I see that," She nodded, 

"He's... Very quiet there. He has this look like he's actually trying to learn," You said, "And I don't know... He looks cute?" You smiled as she laughed, 

"You don't care that he plays a game for kids?" She asked with a smile, 

"Hey, don't make me start on Byers," You warned, "Have you told him to cut his hair? Or at least wash it?" You teased, and she laughed,

"I actually don't know if he's cut it or not," She smiled sadly,

"Next time you write, ask him for a picture," You said, "Or... Have you been sending him pictures already?" You asked in a teasing way, and smirked as her eyes grew wide,

"Ew- Oh my God," She said as she caught on to what you were insinuating, unlocking your door, "I was gonna drive you home but you're walking now," She grinned,

"Have you!? Please I have to know- Wheeler!!" You said, grabbing her arm and shaking it playfully before grinning and letting her go, 

"Goodnight!!" She said, waving you off and shaking her head as you dropped back in your seat, laughing to yourself. With a small sigh, you settled in the seat, before glancing at her,

"You know... I also think I really like him because he's so different to me," You admitted quietly, placing your finger to your mouth and gently biting at the skin surrounding your fingernail, "I'm... Popular. I've got a lot of friends, a lot of people like me... But they don't see me. They see something I created for them to see- a caricature of who I really am. All the... Good and perfect parts are pulled to the surface and all the ugly gets buried deep and away from view," You rambled, frowning softly, "But Eddie is... Eddie," You smiled, "He doesn't care what people think of. My friends- they call him a 'freak' and a 'Satanist', but I don't get that from him at all, you know?" You sighed, "It's like- they judge him before even giving him a chance... Good thing he doesn't let himself be judged... I wish I could be like that," You sighed, letting your head drop back against the headrest,

"Why can't you?" She asked, and you glanced over at her, "Why can't you just be yourself?"

"I... Don't think I've thought about that before," You frowned, "I guess I realised through the weird looks whenever I'd talk about something I liked that the others didn't like it. And if I talked about something they approved of, they liked me. My... Parents have always expected perfection. My grades, my behaviour... I gave that to them, and when it fell apart they were... Mad... I think I really lost their respect with the whole fake straight A thing..." You said, rubbing your arm gently,  "And I know if my friends caught me hanging around with Eddie Munson, I'd... Lose everything I've made for myself at Hawkins,"

"Yeah, but school isn't everything," She said, starting the car back up again and turning the radio down so much you could hardly hear the music, "You would rather spend the rest of your senior year pretending to be who you're not, with people you don't care about?" She asked, "Besides, you wouldn't be completely friendless. You'd still have me," She smiled at you, and you smiled back,

"Yeah... I'd still have you, Wheeler," You echoed, sitting upright and putting your seatbelt on with a small sigh. You considered her words, and maybe just maybe they were getting to you. Really, what would you be losing if you just stopped hanging out with your friends and doing what you wanted to do? Your popularity? The company of those who only used you for your status? Comparing them, the negatives of popularity outweighed the positives... And leaving it had more positives: you already had your genuine friendship with Nancy and you'd also gain a friendship with Eddie... If you were lucky, maybe something more...

It was those thoughts that flooded your brain when you dug out a black sweater you rarely wore and adorned as many necklaces as you could without looking insane, revoking your usual green and yellow sweaters, before hopping into Nancy's car. It was those thoughts that occupied your brain as you walked through the halls and smiled at the students watching you with wide, surprised eyes as you barely spared a glance to your confused friends. It was those thoughts that prompted you, during break, to pass by your usual lunch table and walk over to Eddie. You were thankful you were thankful he was the only one there, for now. It gave you more time alone,

"Hey," You smiled at him. He hadn't been looking at you, focused on sketching something in that black notebook. At your greeting, his head turned sharply, and he instinctively pulled the book closed, standing quickly to greet you, 

"Hi...?" He asked a little unsurely, glancing at the table you'd usually sit at. Quickly, you stuck your hand out, and told him your name as if he didn't know it. He glanced down at it, and took it in his own, shaking it. 

"Can I sit here?" You asked as you pulled your hand from his, pointing to the seat Gareth would usually take. He gave you a nod, before you sat down, placing your elbows on the table to watch him,

"Can I uhm... Ask what you're doing?" He asked, amused as he sat down next to you,

"Ditching my friends," You said plainly, focusing on him and resisting the urge to look to where you usually sat, "I talked with Nancy yesterday and she made me realise a few things," You explained, "I've been pretending to be someone I'm not since 8th. Surrounding myself with people I really couldn't care less about leaving... I think I prefer your company more than those assholes," You told him, inclining your head to the people you had left stunned. He took a moment to study you, eyes darting over your face, trying to see any hint that you were lying, or playing a prank on him... But found nothing. He gave you a warm smile, which caused your heart to flutter pleasantly,

"Well then, my dear," He said, straightening, "Welcome to the darkside," He grinned as you laughed at the statement, "That's a cool sweater, by the way," He commented, 

"Gotta start my descent to madness somehow," You smiled at him.

Who knew that you'd make the best decision of your life that day? If you only knew how much happier you'd become since you left the prison of popularity and became an outcast, you'd do it much sooner. Sure getting called a freak by those you were once close with hurt some part of you deep down, but who cared when Eddie was there to defend you by your side, slinging an arm around your shoulders and pulling your forward, making some comment that made you laugh. 

Another perk was the fact that no one wanted you at their parties anymore- which meant you'd have more time studying, as boring as it was, or hanging out at Hellfire. You really had no clue why they ever called DnD the devils game- it was far from it. You found it enjoyable, and seeing this new side of Eddie only made your crush for him grow more. What you loved more than Hellfire were the rides home you'd share with Eddie. Nancy, after a fight with her younger brother (or so she told you with a wink), flat out refused to collect him so Harrington usually got Henderson and Wheeler together, which left you alone with Eddie. 

On one February evening, when you where hotboxing the back of his van in celebration of his first ever B, you'd leaned over and kissed him, leaving him pleasantly stunned, and you incredibly proud with yourself.  

"Damn, babe- why's your favourite movie gotta be such a sad one?" You heard him say from behind you, clearly chocked up by the ending. You laughed softly, though whiped your eyes on the back of your hands to clear them of tears,

"I just love it so much," You sniffled, "The aliens got to go home," You turned your head to look at him over your shoulder, "It got you too, didn't it?" You grinned as you saw faint tear tracks glittering on his face in the low light of his trailer and felt his arms that had been loosely wrapped around his middle pull you close to him, forcing to lay against his chest, 

"Sure. It got me, seeing a stupid aliens in their magical flying house," He said, and you grinned softly as you felt him nuzzling against your hair and neck,

"They're going to do the time warp again," You said, before sniffling playfully, causing him to laugh against your skin. You felt the vibrations through your body and smile pleasantly as the credits begun to roll on the screen,

"They are," He hummed. You let your eyes fall shut peacefully, feeling his hands move to gently shift your hair out of the way as his lips pressed gentle, loving kisses to your skin, not intent on starting anything, simply occupying himself with what was in front of him,

"Did you have a good time at least?" You asked, 

"Mhm. You don't have to ask me that, you know, sweetheart?" He smiled as you turned your head so you could see him, "I always have a good time with you around," The compliment made you blush and roll your eyes, trying to turn your head away, only to feel his fingers gently touching your chin and moving it to look back at him, "I'm being serious, sweetheart," He hummed, kissing your jaw gently, "I think you're probably the best thing that's happened to me all year," With that statement, he hugged you tighter, and you only smiled at his words, setting your hands on top of his,

"I think I should be the one saying that, Eds," You said, fingers running over his rings, "You know how scared I was getting this movie?" You laughed to yourself,

"Why?" He asked, lifting his head from where he had been resting it on your shoulder,

"Thought Harrington might find me weird," You said, gently picking his hand up in yours and beginning to play with his fingers. He allowed you to bend then and caress your fingers over the callouses he had developed from years of playing and practicing guitar,

"I don't think he'd have thought you were weird," You heard him say, from behind you, then feeling the welcome weight of his head back on your shoulder, "I bet he gets far weirder customers asking for far weirder movies everyday," He said, and you sighed softly, 

"I guess so..." You said, grimacing slightly,

"Besides, of course I'd want to watch your  favourite movie with you," He said; you could hear the smile in his voice, "I made you watch the Evil Dead," You laughed softly,

"Mhm," You hummed, taking his other hand off of you and standing. You moved your hand against his so your fingers interlocked and he stood up, following after you, "I liked that one," You commented, glancing over his messy counters for any food, before letting him go so you could rummage through his shelves. Finding an unopened box of cereal, you took it out, looking over it before setting it before him and leaning on the other side of the counter, mimicking his position, "Wasn't scared either," He laughed,

"I'm so proud of you, babe," He said, grabbing the cereal and practically ripping it open, digging his hand inside and beginning to messily eat, 

"Yuck- save some for me," You said, grinning as you tried moving your hands between his, laughing as you fought over the cereal. 

Maybe some would think your life was less interesting now- considering you only really had two people you were truly close to anymore. But why would you ever need those if you had Eddie with you? Fighting over cereal was far better than sliding between drunk, sweaty bodies from room to room to songs you forgot existed. Nancy was right- life was better being yourself in the arms of someone who genuinely loved you, and in the company of those who were kind, and unapologetically authentic. 

#eddie munson x reader #eddie munson #stranger things season four #stranger things s4 #stranger things season 4 #eddie munson stranger things #eddie munson st4 #stranger things #stranger things 4

[annelidist]

im stuck thinking about bumpo's house of tricks bosses what bosses would you consider the bumpo for each game? and does anor londo as a whole count for a bumpo as well with the gwynevere part as a way to open the gwyndolin fight

okay so. i want to take a holistic view of what can be considered a palace of tricks in this post. however, with that in mind, i would not say that merely being a hidden or convoluted-to-reach boss qualifies as a Trick in and of itself. we need to maintain a high standard of bullshit here or things will get out of hand. anyway here's my comprehensive bumpo overview

DEMON'S SOULS

Fool's Idol. a fucking classic to start us off. not only does she have a bunch of clones cluttering up the arena. not only does she cover the floor in immobilising traps. NOT ONLY does she teleport. but she has an easily missable npc hanging out on a balcony above her arena who you have to locate and kill beforehand or he'll revive her repeatedly upon death. textbook shit. no notes

DARK SOULS

Pinwheel. the saddest, wettest, most pathetic of all bumpos, and this is a category that includes micolash. he's got the classic arsenal - the body doubles, the teleportation, the projectile attacks - and it just doesn't matter. he's fucked no matter what he does. sorry, buddy.

Dark Sun Gwyndolin. now, i know i made it sound like i wasn't going to include gwyndolin, but they're not here for the "giant big booby hologram of my useless sister" thing. they're here for teleporting indefinitely down an infinite hallway, like a Bitch.

Bed of Chaos. come on man

BLOODBORNE

Witches of Hemwick. a lot of people on that dog ass 10k note post that i wrote in 3 seconds and isnt even about a tweet i made are telling me the witches of hemwick aren't really that Bumpo. they're telling me they're not that big a deal. listen. Liten it's not just that this boss is invisible. it's not just that it summons a bunch of guys, multiclassing into "the gang is back together and they hate you ". it's not just the immobilising projectile attack. it's not just the respawning body doubles. it's the fake health bar. witches of hemwick is a boss fight with a fake health bar, and they're in my notes telling me that isn't double strength top ranking Clown Bullshit. Fuck Off

Micolash, Host of the Nightmare. a little undercooked as a bumpo on the individual level. but my god. what a palace of tricks he has

DARK SOULS II

i'm actually struggling to come up with a bumpo for this game. mytha, maybe? i don't know, i feel like my standards for tricks are a bit higher than just having a swamp in your arena. you need a little more panache than that, or at least need to be annoying in a less straightforward way. open to feedback of course but i just don't think anybody in dark souls 2 is the right kind of infuriating for this

DARK SOULS III

Crystal Sages. a comparatively restrained but still respectable bumpo. your common-or-garden fool. your workhorse shithead

Ancient Wyvern. as if by contrast, a most unconventional bumpo indeed! not only is the focus almost entirely on the palace of tricks, as with micolash, the ancient wyvern is also the only bumpo thus far who would not immediately die if struck by a moped

SEKIRO

Folding Screen Monkeys. a supremely Bumpo fight that also bears the unique honour of actually being, like, a good boss. i really like bosses in stealth-action games that test the player on their mastery of the stealth system rather than being action segments, and the folding screen monkeys are a great example of this! (my other favourite instances of the approach are izban from deadbolt and the boss from mgs3.) also they are part of sekiro's broader Monkey Subtheme, which rules

ELDEN RING

Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon.

[ATTACKS YOU WITH MY BEAM]

[ATTACKS YOU WITH MY BEAM]

[ATTACKS YOU WITH M

#fromsoft #soulsborne #bones.txt #asks