#if it can happens four times... what is a fifth? what is a sixth?

[yeonzzzn]

I love your writing. I have a request that is based on something I read from another writer about another group. So if you don't feel comfortable writing it, I totally understand. I am just interested to know what you think of the scenario in which y/n is the 8 member of ENHA and she bets the Hyung line that she can guess who they are just by the way they have sex with her while she's blindfolded.

Alternatively, how about a scenario in which the Hyung line each take y/n on a separate date but they have a bet amongst themselves that they won't be the first to fuck y/n. But they're all down bad for y/n and the struggle is real. They all want each other to fold so they can have you. Who do you think would win the bet?

MUCH LOVE AND PRAISE. 🥰

god I LOVE the one of yn guessing which hyung member based on how they have sex with her while blindfolded.

I just KNOW the moment you even bet the hyung line you could guess who was who by the way they fuck would be driving each of them up a wall. The four of them would have to have a secret meeting together, discussing whether or not to even go through with this. mostly because you’re the 8th member of their group, you are so precious to them and so deserving and so so so kind to them and deal with their bullshit on the daily…but oh god how could they pass this up? the opportunity to fuck you? to ruin you one by one with their cocks while blindfolded? it was so hot to them. they would be stupid to turn it down.

once they decide to take you up on the offer, the boys will have to establish some rules, this was all an experiment after all.

the first rule being that the members can ONLY fuck you once. yes there can be multiple rounds after you guess who they are, but after the time is up they can’t do it again, not until each member has had their turn. each fuck has to be spaced out a couple days to keep you from being sore or completely fucked out.

the second rule is each member IS allowed to kiss you and touch you in anyway they want during sex, they just can’t speak, moan, groan, growl, hiss, whimper, nothing. not a sound until after you guess who they are if you are indeed, correct.

the third rule is none of the members can interrupt. no. matter. what. it could miss up the game on you guessing and show acts of jealousy, which no one wants. 

the fourth rule is all four of them have to be in the know when it’s time to fuck you. none of them can randomly come up behind you and slap a blindfold over your eyes and rail you without the other men knowing. it’s cheating, mostly if you are in a situation that it’s obvious on which member it is. they also have to discus with you on when it’s a good time to even experiment, every party has to be in the know and okay.

the fifth rule being the other members couldn’t be present when the other gets to fuck. this is another way to keep interruption from happening or if the boys decide to pull their hard cocks from their pants while watching you get railed and jerk themselves off and accidentally making any noises.

the sixth rule is neither of the boys can touch you in anyway, shape or form after they’ve had sex with you. once their cocks have been inside you, you become off limits. it’s another way to make sure jealousy doesn’t happen and to keep the game fair for the other men waiting for their fuck. 

the seventh and final rule is being no hard feelings in the end. because if you choose to have sex with one of them again(or even all four of them again) they each have to respect it. if you catch feelings along the way too for one of them, they have to respect it. but that is only a BIG IF on if the situation even takes that route. because you could literally just be looking to get railed by them and have some fun.

which honestly you are. the four of them are the sexiest men you’ve ever seen and you get to look at them everyday, why wouldn’t you want each of them to impale you with their cocks? plus you know each of them like the back of your hand, guessing who was who wouldn’t be a challenge.

you honestly would look forward to it each time. you knew the minute the four of them came up to you with those smirks on their faces that they agreed to the experiment and challenge, a blindfold already in one of their hands signaling that it starts right now.

each time they’ll have you put the blindfold on yourself. the boys will draw straws before hand on who gets to go first to make it fair and have it not be in any specific order.

you knew the minute his hands and lips were on yours that it was jake who drew the lucky straw first. the way his hands squeezed your waist and plump lips kissed you, it was obvious from the start. jake is a big tits guy and very big on doggy, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure that out. The way he flips your naked body over to fuck you from behind with both his hands squeezing your breasts, biting his lips to keep from moaning out on how pleasurable your cunt was wrapped around him. “I know it’s you jakey,” you cooed, “lemme hear you,” god jake would be fucking losing his mind as he pounded into you faster, letting every moan he was holding back escape his lips as he snatches that blindfold off your eyes, placing his hand at the front of your neck to lift you up, his chest connecting to your back, making eye contact with you as he pumps his cock in and out of you, “fuck baby girl,” he growls in your ear, his tongue licking and biting at the lobe, “know me so well just by how I fuck into you, ya? with how I touch and kiss you. fuck yn” the gentleness jake once had with you was out the window as his hips snapped into place against your ass, the fingers that were wrapped around your neck now found their home inside your mouth, and his other fingers circling your clit until you came around him and he was spilling into you.

a few days will go by when the other three approach you, blindfold in hand to repeat the process. you blindfold yourself, they draw the straw and the other were sent out of the room. once again you knew who he was immediately just by the way he pins your arms above your head as his fingers interlock with yours, kissing you so tenderly with so much love. jay is such a lover boy, his hips slowly rocking against yours as he shoved his tongue down your mouth, hands squeezing yours tightly with each thrust into you. you pulled your hands from his grip, wrapping your legs around his waist and sliding your fingers into his hair, finding his ear with the darkness of the blindfold, “jay,” you whine, feeling his cock twitch inside you, “fuck me harder.” jay loved hearing his name fall from your lips the way it did, knowing just by how you called to him and how your body reacts that he was making you feel so fucking good. “shit baby,” he chuckles in your ear, sliding his lips down to your neck and back up to your ear, “your wish is my command.” he pumped himself harder into you, staying at his slow pace. his hands gripped the bedsheets when he felt your legs tightening around him and the clench of your cunt. as much as jay loved making love to you like this, he wanted to make a mess of you, mostly after you guessed right on who he was? it was so fucking hot at how well you knew him sexually even when neither of you have ever acted or spoken in any sexual way together. jay didn’t hesitate to slide his arms underneath you so he would grip onto your shoulders as he fucked into you faster and harder than before, using his teeth to pull the blindfold off from your face so you could stare back at him as you came undone on his cock, watching him as he clenched his jaw and groaned out strings of “fuck” as he shot his seed inside you.

another few days press on by, the remaining two stood before you handing out the blindfold. repeat. repeat. repeat. with the way you were pressed against the door of your room, legs spread wide by his knees, the hand he had at the back of your neck as he pressed the side of your face into the wood of the door and fucked into you at a primal rate you knew as sunghoon. he was rough as he railed you against the door, shit he was rough since the beginning. with how he pulled you from your bed and slammed you to the door and how his hands roamed, it was no doubt sunghoon. he had you moaning his name after the first few hard thrusts into you. his chest touching your back and flinging the blindfold off, “no need for this anymore,” he groaned. sunghoon knew you would guess him quickly, needing to rid that blindfold quickly so he can see the full expressions of your face as he ruined you, “come on baby, keep screaming my name. tell me how good I am giving it to you. let them know how fucking good hoonie is giving it to you.” sunghoon knew the other men were listening, he planned on it too. with the way he was fucking you against the door and how it slammed against the frame, how could they not be listening? sunghoon made it his mission to have you screaming he know within seconds of sliding himself inside you. he’d heard the moans that came from your mouth when jake and jay fucked you, he sure as hell wanted them to hear how loud your voice was getting just by his cock. somewhere along the way it became a competition to see who could get you moaning the loudest and honestly, you were here for it. “hoonie,” you screamed, feeling the drool leave your lips and slide down the door. “fuck yn, being so good for me, taking me so well.” it didn’t take much longer until you released on his cock and his movements getting sloppily until his final thrust had him unloading into you.

the last final days passed on, heeseung appeared into your bedroom and closing the door behind him. there honestly wasn’t any need for the blindfold anymore, heeseung was the last to get his dick wet and either way you’d know it was him. after each fuck the boys gathered to discuss what happened, they knew they would lose against you. you guess each of them perfectly one by one, which is where the contest of seeing who could get you to moan the loudest came into play. even though heeseung was last, it was still only fair he gets his turn. he sat on the edge of your bed, pulling you into his lap and was immediately hard at the sight of the way you straddled him. he placed his hand against the side of your neck, bringing you in to connect his lips to yours, “I’m going to take my time with you,” he whispered in between kisses, loving the way you moaned into his mouth at those words. he rid you and him of your clothes slowly one by one until the two of you were skin against skin, getting turned on just by feeling your flesh against his. heeseung moaned out your name softly as you slid down onto him, his fingers digging into your hips. heeseung didn’t care one bit that he was the last to fuck you. didn’t care about the stupid competition of who could get your vocals the loudest. didn’t care that the rules had to be bent in his favor. because honestly, heeseung was the real winner here. he still got to fuck you, got to fuck you properly at that. he didn’t have to keep his moans down or suppress them until you took a guess. he was able to be as vocal as he wanted from the moment he walked into your room. he got to make eye contact with you the entire time as he felt you up, as you rode his dick and squeezed his shoulders for support. heeseung just knew the other losers were losing their fucking shit as they stood at the other side of the door. heeseung didn’t need to get you screaming at the top of your lungs for the others to know you were fucking his cock into oblivion. “seungie,” you moaned and flung your head back, legs getting weak and shakey, “what it is my love?” he cooed, knowing damn well what it was you wanted, “wanna cum? hmm? want to come undone around seungie’s cock?” you nodded, whimpering out a “please hee,” and that’s all it took. heeseung sat up straighter, wrapping both arms around your body, using every last bit of strength in his hips and legs to fuck up into you. you slid your fingers into his hair, resting the side of your head against his, screaming his name as he hit into your g-spot. oh fuck heeseung was losing himself inside you, his head going dizzy from the pleasure. you no doubt were screaming and moaning louder than the other three got you. you were so loud heeseung was afraid he might lose his hearing in that ear, oh but fuck it would be so worth it. because again, heeseung was the real winner here. was the real winner as he made you come undone on his cock, your cum dripping out of you and sliding down his thighs. the real winner as he moaned out your name when his seed painted your gummy walls white.

jealousy was unavoidable, unfortunately. each of the four boys getting caught up in their feelings for you and how fucking good your pussy felt wrapped around them. but alas, you proved you knew each and every single one of them by how they fuck, only feeding into their egos when you tell you you undoubtably wanted them to fuck you again and again and again and again. each of the four of them brought something to the table when it came to pleasuring you, how could you deny that pleasure? mostly when you have four sexy men drooling over you and your sex. it was well worth it to challenge them.

#yeonzzzn asks #enhypen #enhypen hard thoughts #enhypen hard hours #enhypen smut #heeseung #lee heeseung #jay #jay park #park jay #park jongseong #jake #sim jake #jake sim #sim jaeyun #sunghoon #park sunghoon #yeonzzzn writing

[elizabethwritesmen]

i don’t want you like a best friend

┏ •◦இ•◦ ┓

Pairing: College!Steve Harrington x Reader ALSO Ghostface!Steve x Witch!Reader (costumes)

Summary: You’re in Indiana for college. You just happen to be roommates with Steve Harrington’s best friend, Robin. This is a list of the times you bumped into him, starting with July move in day and ending with a friend’s Halloween party.

Warnings/Notes (PLEASE READ) : SMUT 18+, pining, friends to lovers, Robin being intrusive, Robin’s parents also being intrusive, angst, Halloween if ur into that, ghostface!Steve x Witch!reader (costumes obv), also if ur name is Grace this isn’t the fic for you just trust me on this, this is semi-modern I don’t mention time periods at all but I also made no attempt at historical accuracy so do with that what u will. it’s all make believe it doesn’t rlly matter imo. also this is a college au so I made up college friends for them! ALSO i have plans for another halloween fic, a super spooky super sexy one, but it will go up late prob sometime in late. november because i’ve put all my energy into this one and staying alive lol. enjoy! <3

┗ •◦இ•◦ ┛

•Move In Day

I stared blankly at the boxes in front of me. The U-Haul I’d rented was jam packed with furniture and all of my belongings, leaving barely enough room to breathe.

For some reason, I thought it would be easy. I thought I could girl-boss it, get it done, all in a few hours’ work. Clearly I was temporarily insane when I came to that conclusion. Oh, well. Now I didn’t have a choice.

I sucked in a deep breath before resigning myself to my fate and starting.

I carried in the lightest stuff first, wanting to get it out of the way. I figured once I got through all the heavy stuff, I wouldn’t have any energy left for it, so might as well do it first. I got about four boxes upstairs, and I was bringing up a fifth and sixth, when I noticed the door already opened. I was sure I had shut it.

I walked in to see a girl and a guy, both around my age. She was dancing around, placing boxes of her own on the other side of the room. I cleared my throat gently, placing my boxes on the rest of my things.

She snapped out of her trance and her eyes landed on me. As did those of the guy she was with.

“Oh, hi!” She smiled brightly, “You just be my roommate!”

“Must be,” I sent her a polite smile in return, but mine was a lot more shy and reserved, “I’m Y/N.”

“I’m Robin, and this is my best friend Steve,” she introduced, “He’s helping me get all my things up here.”

“Oh, nice to meet you both. Let me know if I can help with anything!” I offered.

“Oh no, that’s fine, I’m sure you have your hands full! Are your parents here helping you?”

“No, just me. I’m new here, so… I don’t really have anyone,” I shrugged, preparing to head back downstairs when she stopped me.

“Hey, wait!”

I turned around, staring at her expectantly, eager to get back to carrying my boxes upstairs. I didn’t want to be rude, but.. there were so many.

“My parents will be here soon to help me, so why don’t you steal Steve?”

“Oh,” I stuttered, looking to Steve, “I couldn’t ask you to help me. Really, it’s fine, I can get it.”

“It’s no trouble,” he shrugged, “I’d like to. I’d hate for you to have to carry everything up by yourself. Besides, any roommate of Robin’s is a friend of mine.”

I breathed out a little chuckle and nodded, “If you insist.”

He followed me to the elevator, pressing the button for me and walking on after me. I expected awkward silence but there was none, he didn’t allow a single lull between his questions. He wanted to know everything, where I was from, what made me choose the school, what kinds of things I was into.

“Do you go here, too?” I asked him as we approached the U-Haul.

“Yes, I moved in yesterday. Robin helped me get everything to my dorm, but I’m on the first floor, so it was super easy. I figured I should help her anyway, though, even though she doesn’t need it.”

“She might not need it, but extra help is always appreciated. Or any help.”

“Is that your way of thanking me for helping you?”

“Well, it was either that or bake you a cake and there isn’t an oven in the dorm.”

“Raincheck on the cake, then,” he chuckled.

We talked the entire way back up, and I was shocked at how easy it came. I didn’t expect to click so well with him, and I silently prayed it’d be the same with Robin.

“There you two are,” she smiled as we walked back in, “Did he talk your ear off?”

“No,” I shrugged, “He talked the normal amount.”

“Yeah, the normal amount for a 6 year old on a road trip.”

Their dynamic was nice. They picked on each other, sure, but it was all friendly.

On the second trip down, Steve told me about his life. His high school experience, his hobbies, his hair. His friendship with Robin. I couldn’t tell whether or not there was something more than friendship there. I couldn’t help the small part of me that hoped not, Steve was really handsome and the nicest person I’d met in a while. But I definitely didn’t want to overstep any boundaries, and I was much too shy to ask. Besides, a guy like him probably wouldn’t want anything to do with me anyway.

By the time we got back up to the dorm, Robin’s parents were there.

“Oh hello,” her mom smiled, “You must be the roommate! Y/N, right?”

“Yes ma’am,” I responded.

“Well I’m Robin’s mom, Melissa, and this is her Dad, Richard. It’s so nice to meet you! Oh, you’re just so pretty!”

“Thank you,” I grinned, a little overwhelmed with how nice the woman was being. She was pretty, much like Robin, and she’d aged well. But she also had a warmth about her that was comforting, welcoming even.

An hour later, they had all of Robin’s things up and unpacked. They didn’t even ask if I wanted help finishing up, they just got to work, carrying the last of my things up with Steve and beginning to open boxes.

“You guys really don’t have to do all this,” I mumbled, sheepishly. I always felt awful accepting help, overwhelmed with gratefulness to the point of guilt.

“Oh, hush!” her mom laughed, “We want to!”

It only took another hour to have everything in its place, and we all stared proudly at our handiwork.

“Thank you all so much for your help,” I smiled at the group.

“Of course!” Mr. Buckley patted me on the back, his grin charming, “And if you ever need anything else, you call us! Now, how about we all go get something to eat? I think we’ve worked up enough of an appetite!”

I at first assumed I wasn’t invited because, well, it’s Robin’s family and Steve has apparently been her best friend for years so he’s basically family too. I was new in all this and definitely didn’t expect to be having dinner with all of them. But when they all walked towards the door and I hung back, everyone turned to me, matching confusion on their faces.

“Come on,” Robin chuckled, “You think we’re gonna let you starve after all the work we just did?”

And just like that, we all piled into Mrs. Buckley’s car. I was squished in the middle between Robin and Steve. I wanted to give her the middle because she was so small, but she told me she would feel carsick from Steve’s cologne and she’d rather have the window seat.

“What’re you kids in the mood for?” Mrs Buckley asked.

“It doesn’t matter,” Steve responded, and Robin and I agreed.

“I think there’s a barbecue joint a few miles down the road, let’s stop there,” Mr Buckley decided, turning to the back seat, “I know Robin and Steve like that, but is it okay with you, Y/N?”

“Of course,” I nodded, still shocked to be included in the dynamic.

Mrs Buckley almost missed the driveway to the restaurant and she slammed on her brakes and turned in at the last second, throwing me gracelessly into Steve, my seatbelt the only thing keeping me off his lap. He caught me swiftly as he himself hit the door, making sure I didn’t hurt myself in the commotion.

I risked a glance at him to see his eyes peering into mine, concerned and a bit discombobulated from the startle of it all.

“You okay?” he asked, and I nodded, staring down at his arm that was still around me. He cleared his throat, setting me upright in my seat as we pulled into a parking spot.

I turned to Robin, taking note of the huge smirk on her face. She was looking past me, eyes on Steve. Must’ve been some kind of inside joke I wasn’t part of yet.

We all walked inside together, and the hostess sat us at a booth, pulling an extra chair up to the end of it. I went to sit in it when Robin stopped me.

“Remember what I said about Steve’s cologne? And I get claustrophobic. You’d better sit by him, I’ll take the extra chair.”

I nodded slightly, sliding into the booth and letting Steve slide in beside me. I didn’t understand what the big deal was about his cologne, it wasn’t that strong. It was subtle but sweet, cinnamon overwhelming my senses and filling me with a warmth and comfort I craved. The kind of cologne that, when someone passes you wearing it, you stop and take a deep breath in, soak it up for all it’s worth.

Robin’s mom and dad, and Robin herself, were all giving Steve that strange smirk now, and I suddenly felt left out. I guess they were all in on the joke. Unlucky me.

We made small talk while we looked over the menus, picking what we wanted to eat.

“What’re you gonna get?” Steve asked, and I had to look up to realize his question was just for me. Robin and her parents were talking amongst themselves, completely ignoring us.

“I don’t know, probably just chicken fingers. I’m picky when I try new places.”

“Lame,” he tapped me in the ribs and joked, and I squirmed against his touch.

“It’s not lame! It’s a classic!”

“Let me guess, macaroni on the side?” he raised a brow, and I stared sheepishly at my lap, causing him to chuckle, “You’re pretty predictable, Grace.”

“That’s not my name,” I furrowed my brows at him.

“It’s a nickname. You know, Grace. ‘Cause you fell on me in the car. It’s irony.”

“Giving me nicknames already? My, how our friendship is growing,” I rolled my eyes, “If only it wasn’t such a rude one.”

“You can give me a rude one, too,” he offered, and I thought it over for a moment.

“Okay,” I nodded, “Box Boy.”

“Box Boy?”

“Yeah, cause you brought in all my boxes.”

“That’s the best you got?”

“It probably won’t stick, but I like it for now.”

“What’re you two whispering about?” Robin cut into our conversation, wiggling her eyebrows at us.

“It’s a secret, that’s why we’re whispering,” Steve deadpanned, and she snorted.

“Well, you two keep your secrets, and we’ll keep ours.”

“Fine by me, I have a feeling your secrets are pretty dark.”

I stifled a laugh, taking a long sip of my soda.

The rest of the dinner was full of happy chatting and getting to know each other. It turns out I got along really well with all of them, and I integrated well into the little group.

“You know, Y/N, I’m really happy you agreed to come eat with us,” Mrs Buckley told me as her husband handled the check.

“I’m just thankful you invited me! And paid for my food. Really, you didn’t have to!”

“Now stop with the bashfulness, you’re basically family now!”

With that, everyone stood. Steve helped me out of the booth and held the door open for me on the way out. It was sweet, in an old time kind of way. I fought off butterflies, and a crush that I felt coming a mile away.

Robin’s family dropped us off, and we stood outside talking for a few minutes.

“I’m gonna go inside and crash, but you two kids say your goodbyes,” she waved her hands at us and walked away, leaving us in silence.

“So…” I started.

“So…” he repeated.

“It was nice to meet you,” I offered.

“You, too.”

“Maybe I’ll see you again.”

“Hopefully.”

“Soon.”

“Yeah.”

I paused, not knowing what else to say. He was making no move to ask for my number, of course he probably wasn’t even interested like that anyway.

“Goodnight,” I smiled.

“Goodnight,” he repeated.

He stood for a moment and I stayed there, waiting for him to leave.

“I’m not going anywhere until I see you get inside safe.”

I giggled, “Yes sir.” And with that, I walked in.

The elevator ride to the fifth floor was long, but finally I was approaching my door, and I walked through it sleepily. I collapsed onto my bed, trying to ignore Robin’s staring.

“So…” she sighed, “You and Steve, huh?”

“Me and Steve what?”

“You guys have got it going on!”

“Have what going on?”

“Oh my God, Y/N, seriously, the sparks could’ve lit a cigarette. Did you give him your number?”

“He didn’t ask,” I shrugged, “Besides. I thought you guys were a thing.”

“I’m into chicks,” she rolled her eyes, “And even if I wasn’t, I still don’t know why you’d think that. I forced you to sit beside him the entire day. You think his cologne really bothers me that much? NO. I wanted you guys to… you know…. hit it off!!”

“Well, I think he’s a little out of my league,” I shrugged, sinking further into my sheets sadly.

“He absolutely is not. And I promise he’s into you. He’s just not the best with girls is all. He’ll have your number soon enough.”

“You’re not planning on giving it to him, right?”

“What? No! I’m gonna make the little shit ask you himself!”

“If he ever does.”

“He will.”

•First Day of Class

I walked into the lecture hall, brows furrowed, trying to make sure I was where I was supposed to be. Yes, room 208, I concluded.

It was a large room, but it wasn’t completely full. There were only about 20-30 people there total. I, of course, didn’t recognize any of them, so I took a seat away from everyone else. Nobody even spared me a glance, and I felt comfortable in my solitude, until the heavy door opened and shut behind me and a figure looked over me.

I looked up to see Steve, just as handsome as the first time I saw him. He was wearing a pair of joggers and a yellow sweatshirt, and he pulled off the comfy look well.

“Why are you sitting over here all alone?” he asked, one perfect eyebrow raised.

“I don’t know anyone,” I shrugged, and he scoffed.

“Well come sit by me and the guys from my dorm. I’ll introduce you.”

“I think I’d rather stay here.”

“Really?” I nodded slowly, “Then you leave me no choice.” He plopped down in the chair beside me, setting his things down and getting comfortable.

“What’re you doing?” I asked him.

“Well I’m not just gonna let you sit all alone.”

“But I like being alone,” I huffed, “Plus your friends miss you!” I gestured to the three guys staring holes through us.

He glanced in their direction and nodded, and that’s all it took for them to pile over to us.

“Stevie! My man! You gonna introduce us to your lovely friend?” One of them asked as he took the seat in front of us. He held his hand out for me to shake and I took it carefully, sighing.

“This is Grace.“

“That’s not my name!” I groaned.

“Then what is your name?” the tallest of the guys asked.

“Y/N.”

“Cute,” he winked at me, and Steve rolled his eyes sharply. “Y/N, this is Tate, Drew and Johnny.”

They all greeted me kindly and I responded in turn, but there wasn’t much time to talk before an older man walked in, an air of authority in his step.

“Hello, all. I’m Professor Chomsky, I’ll be teaching this course,” he began. What followed was a list of rules, regulations, class schedules, and lesson plans dull enough to make my forehead hit the desk in front of me.

“This is awful,” Steve whispered beside me, and the other guys nodded, “Another hour of his voice might kill me.”

“Shh!” I hissed at him, trying my best to focus on what the man at the front of the room was saying.

“Oh, get off it,” Steve smirked, “You’re just as bored as we are.”

“I’ll have you know I’m absolutely riveted!”

“Lying isn’t a good look, Grace.”

Just then, Tate chimed in, “Why do you call her Grace anyway if her name is Y/N?”

“It’s an inside thing,” Steve waved him off, “You wouldn’t get it.”

“Yeah, because calling me ‘Grace’ to make fun of me for being clumsy is such a hard joke to understand.”

“I don’t like your attitude today, Grace,” he furrowed his brows dramatically, and I couldn’t help giggling.

We were all interrupted by the sound of Professor Chomsky’s voice, booming at us to be quiet. We obeyed, whispering quietly every now and then but mostly hanging on by a thread to his monotonous words.

The class ended about a half hour later and Steve and I went our separate ways. We ended up having one more class together, and the guys were all in there, too, plus Drew’s girlfriend Natalie and Johnny’s sister Elaine. Robin as well. It was the most fun of all of them. It also happened to be my last class of the day. As it wrapped up and we all packed up our things, Steve stopped in front of my chair.

“Can I walk you back to your dorm?” he asked me.

“Sure,” I nodded with a smile, throwing my bag over my shoulder and following him out.

We chatted on the five minute walk. I found that I didn’t want it to end, but I hoped when it did, he would ask for my number. Or something, at least, to make me think he was interested. Part of me knew he wasn’t, though. Not as more than a friend.

“Here we are,” I sighed as we approached the doors.

“Yeah,” he nodded, “So… umm.. I’m happy we have those classes together. It’ll be nice to hangout every week.”

“Yeah, and we seem to have a good little group going. I like everyone a lot.”

“Everyone likes you a lot, too.”

I swayed on my toes, staring at him, waiting patiently. For what, I wasn’t sure.

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow?” he proclaimed, his voice chipper. I nodded slowly. “You know the drill, I can’t leave until you’re inside safe.”

I rolled my eyes and gave him a dopey grin, walking in just as I had the last time.

• Hangout at Elaine’s Apartment

Days of hanging out with Steve in class passed slowly, and I soaked in every moment. I was trying desperately to keep what I felt at bay, but it proved difficult when he wanted to walk me home every day.

A month went by and it was Saturday. I woke up around noon, the week had been especially exhausting, and immediately started studying. Robin did the same, sitting at her desk beside me and rifling through her flash cards.

“How is it that he’s walked you home every single day and still not asked for your number?” she asked out of nowhere.

“Robin, we’re talking about biochem. Not Steve.”

“Believe me, Steve is a scientific anomaly, so it’s close enough.”

I rolled my eyes, “I don’t know, okay? It’s like I wait for him to make a move or something every day, but he never does.”

“Well isn’t there anything between you both? All the rest of us can see it!”

“There’s chemistry, or at least I thought there was, but now I’m sure it was just one sided. He’s just not into me like that.”

“Then why does he walk you home every single day and not me?”

“Well… you have another class after that so you couldn’t walk with us, and he probably just doesn’t want to walk that far twice a day.”

“You’re grasping at straws. The boy wants you.”

“Why are you so invested, anyway? It’s not that serious, Rob. We’re just friends, that’s fine with me.”

“I just…” she started, trying to form her words correctly, “Steve has never been good with girls. He had one girlfriend, in high school. She wasn’t the best. I mean, she was fine, and he was happy, but she hurt him and he.. well, the details don’t matter but anyway. He never really had luck with any other girls. He was always too caught up in something else. But now we’re out of that town and you can’t convince me that your coming into our lives was a coincidence. Steve deserves this, and I want him to have it. If he can just get out of his own way.”

“And if he can’t?”

“He will. Believe me. It’s just gonna take a big push.”

“I’d rather just be his friend than stress myself over it,” I shrugged, going back to my studying.

A couple hours later, Robin got a text from Steve telling her that everyone was hanging out at Elaine’s apartment and we should come.

“Wanna go?” she asked me.

“I don’t know, I have a lot of studying left to do,” I hesitated.

“I was only asking to be polite. We’re going,” she stated, grabbing my hand and pulling me to my closet. “And you’re not wearing those wrinkly old jeans and a baggy t shirt. Pick something cute.”

“I’m not really a ‘cute clothes’ girl.”

“Well, tonight, you are.” She looked through my closet, pulling out a yellow sundress I stole from my mom’s closet at some point in time. I had to admit, it was a beautiful dress.

“You’ll wear this with your white sneakers,” she instructed, leaving no room for argument so I just nodded. “Steve won’t know what hit him!”

“Honestly, he’s probably into Elaine.”

“Why do you think that?”

“She’s… well, she’s older. She’s smart, and beautiful, and she always dresses to impress. She’s just.. she’s got everything.”

“Yeah, that’s why I have a crush on her. But I promise Steve doesn’t.”

“Whatever you say.”

Before long, it was time to get ready. I put on a little makeup, just some mascara, blush, and lip gloss, and paired gold hoops and a gold charm bracelet with the dress, slipping on my sneakers and following Robin out the door.

We were supposed to meet Steve outside of his dorm. The plan was for him to drive us to Elaine’s. As we approached the parking lot, we saw him leaning against the driver’s door of his car. Elaine was right in front of him, and they were locked in what seemed like a deep conversation.

“What’s that all about?” Robin asked as we took a step or two closer. I stopped in my tracks, though, when Elaine leaned up and kissed him square on his lips.

My heart shattered into about a million pieces. It’s crazy how you never know how intense your feelings for someone are until they blow up in your face. Sure, it hadn’t been long since I met him, but everyone has had a crush that spiraled out of control way too quickly.

“Hey, love birds?” Robin called out, her voice accusing.

They broke apart, startled, and stared at us dumbly. No doubt Steve saw the hurt on my face, but I tried so hard to keep it at bay.

“Grace,” he started, making a move to walk over to me, but the scene was interrupted by the other 3 guys joining us.

“Okay, so how’s this gonna work?” Tate blurted as they approached, “I know Y/N and Steve always have to sit by each other, And Natalie will be on Drew’s lap in the back, so I’m assuming Robin is gonna squeeze in the back with us?”

“I’d rather ride on the hood,” she croaked.

“It’s fine,” I sighed, “I’ll ride in the back with you guys, Robin can sit up front.”

“Well, someone can ride with me,” Elaine offered, “And you’ll just have to ride uncomfortably on the way back instead of both ways?”

“I will,” Natalie offered, “Wanna join me, Drew? That way there’s room in Steve’s car for everyone?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, following her to Elaine’s vehicle.

“I still wanna sit in the back,” I shrugged, climbing into the middle and letting both boys climb on either side of me.

Steve stared into the car at me for a moment, fists clenched, before climbing in behind the wheel and pulling off.

The ride had the potential to be awkward, and if it wasn’t for Johnny and Tate, it would’ve been. They lightened the mood a lot. Between their jokes and banter, I felt comfortable a couple minutes in. It was only a ten minute drive, and it went by extra quick with them.

As Steve pulled in, the car lurched to the side and threw me onto Tate.

“Woah there, I see why Steve calls you Grace now,” he laughed as he helped me up. The spark I felt when it happened with Steve wasn’t there, but Steve didn’t know that, and he sent us a death glare through the rear view mirror.

Elaine pulled in right after us and lead us up a flight of stairs to an isolate apartment, quite large. It was a one bedroom two bathroom, but every room was huge.

“Mi casa es su casa,” she sighed as we walked in. “I’ve got drinks, card games, books to study, and lots of movies. Whatever you guys are into!”

“Let’s starts out with the drinks,” Johnny suggested, and everyone nodded.

Moments later, we all had a beer in our hands. Elaine suggested we save the liquor for after, and we agreed. We also all collectively decided we would play Cards Against Humanity until we were tipsy, and then we would watch a horrible movie together.

Music played from the radio in the background as we all settled into our spots for the night. Drew and Natalie on the bean bag chair, Johnny Tate and Robin piled onto the couch, and Elaine cozy in her recliner. That left only the loveseat for Steve and I, and I fought a scowl.

“Scoot over, Rob,” I gestured, but she refused.

“I wanna stretch out and be comfy! There’s plenty of room on the love seat!”

I rolled my eyes and flipped her off, walking begrudgingly to Steve and plopping down beside him.

“Is sitting by me really that bad of a thing?” he asked, and everyone stared at me, waiting for an answer.

“No, it’s fine. It’s just.. Robin was right. Your cologne is a lot.”

He almost looked hurt, but he shook it off as we started the game.

A few rounds in, Steve leaned back in his seat, accidentally shifting himself closer to me. I stared down at his leg, almost touching mine.

“You look nice tonight,” he mumbled so nobody but me could hear, “I’ve never seen you in something so… delicate before.”

“If you’re gonna compliment someone, it should be your girlfriend,” I shrugged off what he’d said and took a long swig of my beer.

“Girlfriend?” he furrowed his brows.

“You know. The girl you kissed.”

“Oh.” He stared at his lap. “Listen, Grace, that wasn’t -“

“I don’t want to hear it,” I shrugged, “Doesn’t matter to me. You guys are super cute together, I’m real happy for you.”

He looked taken aback but my tone told him he should let it go, and he did, taking a swig of his own beer and leaving me alone for the moment. The moment didn’t last long, though, because before long everyone was a little intoxicated from all the alcohol and his arm was resting on my shoulders. I couldn’t fight the way I fell into him, I could barely even fight the sleep.

“Movie time!” Elaine exclaimed, jumping up to find her favorite DVD. She picked a cheesy old scary movie that barely made sense, and we were all more than happy with it. Nobody wants to watch a good movie while they’re drunk. She settled back in as it began, munching on the snacks she’d brought out for everyone.

“Please talk to me,” Steve mumbled into my hair.

“Don’t want to,” I slurred out, closing my eyes and breathing him in. My actions didn’t match up with my words and I knew that, but I couldn’t help myself.

“Well then come here,” he sighed, grabbing me under my knees and pulling me into his lap. He rested me against his chest, holding me snugly, letting me get as cozy in him as I wanted. “Talk to me when you’re ready.”

If I’d been sober, I would’ve worried about cuddling with Elaine’s boyfriend right in front of her, but I wasn’t. I did spare her a glance, though, and she smiled at me. Strange. She didn’t seem to care at all.

“Shouldn’t you be snuggling with Elaine over there?” I whispered to him, my face nestled in the crook of his neck.

He pulled a blanket from beside the armrest and tucked it over me as he responded, “Let’s talk when we’re sober.”

“Wan’ talk now,” I hummed.”

“She’s not my girlfriend, Grace. The closest thing I have to a girlfriend is you.”

“But y’kissed her and you never kissed me,” I pouted. I don’t know whether my attitude came from sleepy delirium or intoxication.

“You’re right,” he nodded, leaving it at that.

“Y’could if you wanted to,” I breathed out as I drifted off into sleep.

I woke up in the passenger seat of the car. Robin was driving, and I looked around frantically for Steve before realizing I was in his lap.

“Oh, hi,” I mumbled.

“Morning, sunshine,” he smiled, “Go back to sleep. I’ll make sure you get in bed safe.”

“I don’t wanna go back to sleep,” I whined, leaning up.

I glanced in the back seat. Johnny was on one side, half asleep leaning on the window. Tate was in the middle, texting someone, and Drew was on the other side with Natalie passed out on his lap.

“Why’s Robin driving?” I asked curiously.

“He didn’t want you sleeping on anyone else,” she smirked at us.

“Oh,” I didn’t know what else to say to that.

He ran his hand through my hair, playing with the strands, twisting them between his fingers.

“That feels good,” I hummed, leaning into his touch.

“Yeah?” he asked as he kept going, tugging the strands a little harder.

“Mmhmm.”

“Get a room,” Tate coughed from his spot in the back, and we all giggled.

Finally, Robin pulled into the parking lot of our dorms.

“Come on,” Steve sighed, opening the car door and helping me out. His hand stayed at the small of my back as he walked me to the door, steadying me when I swayed slightly.

“I’m gonna have the worst headache tomorrow,” I whined.

“Probably,” he laughed, helping me up the stairs.

Robin cleared her throat, “I’m gonna go upstairs and let you guys… talk.” We nodded and watched her go, then turned back to each other.

“I should probably go up, too,” I mumbled, refusing to meet his eyes.

“Okay,” he nodded, but he didn’t let go of me. “I want to talk to you about -“

“I don’t want to talk about Elaine, Steve. Just go.”

“But-“

“No. I’m still drunk and I’m tired and my heart can’t take much more tonight so please just go and we’ll talk about it another time.”

“Grace,” he started, and I could tell he was frustrated, but I was too. It sucked walking up on him lip locking someone else. I didn’t want to listen or get over it yet. Any explanation he had wouldn’t be good enough for me, after all, what excuse is there to kiss another girl if he liked me? The only explanation was that he wasn’t into me, and he was trying to let me down easy. Or trying to have both.

“Stop,” I put my hand on his chest and pushed him away slightly, “I said another time. Please go.”

He watched me for a few seconds, waiting for me to change my mind, but I didn’t. I wanted him to go. For the first time, I wasn’t lingering or giving him that look like he could kiss me if he wanted to.

“Okay. Just take my number in case you need anything tonight.”

I nodded slowly, handing him my phone. He inputted the digits and handed it back, then let me walk inside in peace. I made it all the way upstairs before finally freeing my emotions, and the alcohol in my system caused them to spill out of my eyes.

“Oh, Y/N,” Robin sighed, walking over to sit by me.

“I am so over Steve Harrington,” I huffed.

“You didn’t even hear him out?”

“It doesn’t matter what he says, it’s not gonna wipe the image of them kissing out of my head.”

She nodded, staying up with me a little longer before we both nodded off.

The next morning, I woke up to a message from Steve. Apparently he’d called himself from my phone so he’d have my number too.

Good morning. Just checking on you. You feel okay?

I read it over and over before turning the phone off, deciding not to respond. I could feel my head pounding and I couldn’t take extra stress.

I got up, preparing to go get some water from the vending machine, but when I opened the door I saw a convenience store bag on the outside handle. I opened it to see advil, water, and powerade, along with a note scribbled on the receipt.

“Figured you might need this.

Let me know if you need anything else.

Steve.”

My heart grew as I paced back in the room, sitting on my bed. I texted him to thank him, then fell back to sleep with medicine and hydration in my system.

• The Next Class

I ignored Steve for the rest of that day. I suppose seeing him kiss someone else made the walls build up around my heart, but all I knew for sure was that he couldn’t get through anymore. Of course, I was still a bit sad. I liked Steve a lot, but we were better off as friends.

I walked to class the next morning, running a minute or two late but I knew Professor Chomsky wouldn’t care much. When I walked in, Steve and the guys were in their usual seats, and I took mine right in the center of them.

“Morning, Grace,” Steve absolutely beamed at me. I grinned tightly and politely in return, and pulled out my books, not bothering to respond. It probably seemed a little rude, but to me, it was what I had to do. “You gonna keep ignoring me? I screwed up that bad?”

I glanced over at him, “You didn’t screw up at all. We’re friends, Steve. I’m happy when you’re happy and if you’re happy with Elaine then I hope you guys work out.”

“Saturday night you were practically crying, and now you’re giving me your blessing and saying you want me to date her?”

“I was drunk. I’m not anymore, and yes, I want you to be with her. I’m sure she’s a great girlfriend. Just what you deserve.”

“Unbelievable,” he scoffed, “You really just want to be friends?”

“Yes,” I nodded curtly, turning to my books.

The other guys were looking at us curiously, like we were a soap opera playing right in front of them. They looked even more astounded when I walked out at the end of class without waiting for Steve. I felt horrible. He was the sweetest guy in the world. But clearly he liked Elaine more, seeing as she’s the one he made a move on, and I wasn’t going to stand in their way. I was sure it would get easier with time.

The next class I had with him went similarly. He tried to talk to me, and I brushed him off. I didn’t ignore him, I just didn’t entertain him, and I could tell it drove him nuts.

I could feel Elaine watching us, watching him. She must’ve been wondering why he was so wrapped up in me instead of talking to her. I was wondering that myself, but I let it go.

“Are you ever going to forgive him?” Robin asked as we walked out.

“I already did. It’s just not the same. I dunno,” I shrugged.

“I think you should hear him out. He’s bound to have an explanation for that kiss.”

“Even if he does, I don’t want to hear it, Rob. It happened and even if I decided to go back to how it used to be, I’d still see him kissing her in my brain every time he got close to me.”

“I understand,” she nodded, and we parted ways as she headed off to her next class. I, however, set off for my dorm.

“Grace!” I heard from behind me, and I sighed, knowing only one person called me that.

I turned around to see him sprinting to me, “I’m not letting you walk home alone.”

“Steve,” I sighed.

“No.” He seemed genuine, serious. “I care about you. Even if we’re just friends, I care about you. You don’t get to become one of my favorite people and then just cut me off. I’m walking you home. Like a friend would do.”

I stared at him for a moment, then nodded. Truthfully, I was delighted that he’d asked. I figured, with the way I’d treated him that day, he wouldn’t bother.

“So you and Elaine…” I started as we walked, genuine curiosity gnawing at me.

“Can we not talk about it?” he asked, and I nodded.

“Shouldn’t you be walking with her, though? How does she feel about our friendship?“

“Grace,” he warned, and I heeded, shutting up.

We made small talk the entire way, the awkward kind we weren’t used to. I hoped the “friendship” would come more naturally with time. After all, we’d been the best of friends for the entire two months since we met. And we’d never really been more than friends, so I wasn’t sure why this was throwing us off so much.

“Thank you for walking with me, Steve,” I said, preparing to walk away when he grabbed my hand.

“I really want us to go back to how things were before… what you saw.”

“I want that too, Steve. I just… can we forget everything and just be friends like we were?”

“Please,” he sighed, relief washing over him.

“But it can’t be quite the same. I don’t know if you realize how.. touchy, and close we are. Do you think maybe we could take a step back from that for a while?”

“If that’s what it takes to fix this, but I don’t want to. I hope you know that.”

“Steve, you have a girlfriend.”

“She’s not my girlfriend, she’s- well, she’s-“

“She’s what?”

“I can’t talk about it,” he ran his hand through his hair like he did when he was stressed.

“Of course. Well, when you’re ready to, we can go back to how it was. But for now, we’re just friends who don’t constantly sit by each other and hold hands and hug and walk together.”

“That’s fair,” he agreed, resigning himself to his fate.

With that, I left and we didn’t talk much for the rest of the day. He texted me, but I didn’t respond. I wanted him to get the picture.

• The Halloween Party

Another month passed slowly. Distancing myself from Steve was horrible. Every time the group hung out, he was agonizingly close, but I kept away and he respected my wishes and kept away from me, too. It almost itched, how badly I wanted to reach out and grab his hand. I thought it would become easier, but it didn’t. And the worst part was that the group wasn’t adjusting well to the new dynamic, constantly making jokes and comments about “me putting Steve in the dog house.”

Whatever had been going on with Steve and Elaine seemed to be over, they would chat but I never saw any PDA or even chemistry between them. In fact, she’d grown closer to Robin than anything, and when we would hang out, they would stick together. Natalie and Drew were a pair, and Steve would pack in with Tate and Johnny. I was sort of lonesome, but it was okay. Part of me wanted to just forget the kiss and go fully back to how it was, touching flirting and all. But as I told Robin, it was engrained in my memory and I didn’t really want him if he chose her first.

“Y/N,” Elaine snapped me out of my trance as we waited for class to start, all huddled up in our little group.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“I was telling everyone about my Halloween party. It’s gonna be you guys, and a few older friends I have in my other classes. Not, like, a banger, but definitely a crowd and a good time. Interested?”

“Of course, do I have to dress up?”

“Well it is a Halloween Party,” she rolled her eyes at me, laughing.

And that was that. We all planned to go. She was having it at her parents’ cabin, about 45 minutes away from the campus. Obviously, she couldn’t do it at her apartment.

The days leading up to it, Robin and I looked for costumes. She decided to go as Velma, and she tried to convince me to dress as Daphne but I suggested that Elaine be Daphne instead, and they both loved the idea. I had a costume of my own in mind.

I dug in the back of my closet until I found a black peasant dress that I’d had for forever. It was long sleeve, and the sleeves were lace and flared at the bottom. The cut was low and accentuated the way the corseted middle pushed up my chest, and the skirt flared out but still highlighted all my curves in all the right places. I paired it with some ripped up fishnets, black boots, and a funky witch’s hat I found at the Halloween store that also had lace lining it. It was perfect, maybe even good enough to get the kind of attention that would help me forget Steve once and for all.

When the day came for the party, Robin went to Elaine’s to get ready and I got ready alone. I curled my hair, did my makeup perfectly for the first time in forever, and finished the look off with red lipstick. Then I got dressed, and I was ready to head out the door when I got a phone call from Steve, whom I was supposed to meet outside of his dorm so he could drive me, Natalie, and the other guys there.

“Hey,” I answered, “What’s up?”

“Hey, just letting you know, don’t walk over. I’m coming to get you. Natalie is gonna take her car, and the guys are going with her, so it’ll just be me and you.”

“Okay, you headed here now?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there in like two minutes.”

“I’ll be outside waiting,” I told him and we hung up.

When he pulled up, I was standing on the curb, all dressed up. My nerves were bundled up in my stomach, and I felt like I needed to throw up. What if he didn’t like my outfit? He’d never seen me so dressed up before.

He got out of the car and ran over to the passenger side, opening the door for me. I couldn’t miss the way his eyes scanned me, hungry and searching for every exposed patch of skin he could see.

He cleared his throat as he sat in his own seat, “You look….”

“Different?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Good.”

I smiled, sitting back. My nerves were still there, but they were eased by the way he couldn’t stop staring at me, glances out of the corner of his eye giving him away as he began the drive.

“What’re you supposed to be?” I asked, raising my eyebrow at his black t shirt and black jeans.

“I didn’t want to dress up, but Robin said I had to so I just picked up a ghost face mask.”

“Ghost face, huh? Chicks dig that.”

“That’s exactly what Robin said,” he laughed, “Billy Loomis does it for girls, huh?”

“I’m not telling you what does it for me, but nice try.”

“I see the new look comes with a new attitude.”

I blushed, covering it up by staring out the window. We were doing so well, just being friendly. Why was he suddenly flirting now? And why was I flirting back? I told myself to get a grip, and stayed silent for a moment, so he turned up the radio, taking my hint.

The rest of the ride was filled with silence, heavy with tension. I felt like a rubber band about to snap, the glances he was giving me sending me into overdrive but I pretended I was fine, crossing my legs and staring out the window.

I opened my door before he had the chance when we pulled into the parking lot. There were a good bit of cars, and it seemed like a little more than a crowd. I suppose Elaine’s intimate hangout had accidentally turned into a party. Steve noticed this as well, placing his hand on the small of my back as we walked in together possessively but I brushed him off, walking over to where Robin and Elaine were sitting on the couch.

Robin must’ve been over the moon with all the attention she’d been getting from the older girl. Just by the way they were sitting, I could imagine her pulse racing. Elaine’s legs were thrown over Rob’s lap, her arms wrapped tightly around her neck. If I didn’t know them well, I’d assume they were a couple.

“Welcome to my party!” Elaine grinned.

“It did turn into quite the event, huh?” I chuckled, glancing around.

“One person told another person who told everybody, I guess,” she shrugged.

“Where’s the alcohol?” I asked her.

“Through that door,” she pointed to what I assumed was the kitchen. I walked that way, running into Tate and Johnny on the way, so they walked with me.

“You look hot, Y/N!” Johnny grinned wide as he told me so. He wasn’t being weird or anything, he was genuinely just giving me a compliment, so I grinned in return.

“Really, who knew you had this badass in you? Red lipstick and everything? Poor Steve must be having palpitations,” Tate laughed, and the other nodded.

“Steve and I are just friends.”

“That’s what you want, not what he wants. He loooooooves you, he wants to smooooooooch you,” Johnny sang, tapping his fingers together in a kissing motion.

“I think you’ve had too much too drink,” I scoffed, pouring myself a cup full of whatever looked good and leaving them to go back to the couch. The only open spot was beside Steve, so I took it, sipping on my drink.

“You’re not gonna make yourself a drink?” I asked him, and he shook his head.

“Put on your mask, dingus. It’s a costume party,” Robin reached over and poked him, and he rolled his eyes as he did as she asked.

He looked good. I could feel my heart begin to race as he turned to me, and usually it would’ve made me nervous, but I just felt powerful in that moment. I knew he thought I looked good. I wanted to use it. I wanted to make him burn like I had.

I leaned in close to him, “Wanna play psycho killer?”

“Grace-“ he started, but I cut him off.

“Can I be the helpless victim?” I placed my hand on his chest, my fingers brushing over where hair peeled through the top of his v neck. I almost felt him shiver. “Please don’t kill me, Mr Ghost Face. I wanna be in the sequel!” I trailed my hand down his chest, scratching him lightly with my nails. As I approached his waist line, he grabbed my wrist sharply, halting my movements.

“You think you’re cute?” he huffed.

“You think I’m cute,” I smirked. I pulled my hand away from him and got up, leaving him there basically panting as I walked away.

I found Johnny and Tate chatting with a couple of other guys, and approached.

“Oh, hey! Y/N! I was wondering where you ran off to!” Tate smiled, welcoming me in.

“Just went to mess with Steve,” I shrugged, glancing at the other guys. One of them had his eyes on me, and I took the opportunity.

“Are you friends with these guys?” I asked him, leaning in a little closer.

“Yeah, I stay in the same dorm as them,” the guy nodded.

“Oh, neat! I can’t believe I’ve never seen you before!”

“Yeah, but it’s okay. Plenty of time to make up for it,” he winked at me.

“What are you doing?” Johnny whisper yelled into my ear, “Steve is watching you!”

“Steve and I are just friends. He likes kissing other girls so I’m gonna go talk to another guy.”

With that, I stepped closer to the mystery man. “Wanna dance?”

He nodded, grabbing my hand and pulling me to the center of the floor where people were dancing. He turned me around and I began swaying with him, daring to glance over at Steve. He looked furious, absolutely fuming at the sight of me with someone else. I was thriving off of it.

All of a sudden, Elaine pulled me away from him, pulling me closer to the couches. The guy protested for a second but Elaine sent him a death glare and he backed off.

“Why are you doing this?” she sighed.

“Doing what?”

“Dancing with him. Steve is right there. You’re breaking his heart.”

“Steve kissed you, Elaine. Even if you guys aren’t a thing, even if it didn’t work out or whatever and he likes me now, it happened and I can’t just forget that. He liked you more than me or he wouldn’t have kissed you instead of me and I don’t want to be second choice.”

“But that’s not what happened! Steve and I were never a thing!”

“Well he must’ve felt something, because he sure did swap spit with you.”

“It was a peck,” she rolled her eyes and huffed, throwing her hands up dramatically, “And I’m gay.”

My mouth fell agape, “What?”

“I never knew. I mean, I always thought girls were cute or whatever but I never had romantic feelings for them. Then I met Robin and couldn’t think about anything else. Excuse my bluntness, but I’ve never wanted to scissor anyone so badly. Steve is so easy to talk to, I completely opened up that night. I asked him if I could kiss him to see if I felt anything. To see if it felt right, and he said yes and believe me, neither of us felt anything. It was just weird.”

“So you and Robin are together now?”

“Well… I’m hoping we’ll get together tonight, if you catch my drift.”

“And Steve never liked you?”

“Of course not. Y/N, he’s been head over heels for you since he met you. He doesn’t talk about anyone else, he doesn’t think about anyone else.”

“Oh God, why didn’t I just hear him out sooner when he tried to talk to me about this? I’ve screwed everything up!”

“Look at him. He loves you, it’s all over his face. You haven’t screwed anything up.”

I stared at him for a moment before thanking her and heading his way.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, standing directly in front of where he sat so my knees bumped into his bent ones.

“Why didn’t I tell you what?”

“About Elaine. If I’d just known-“

“I promised her I wouldn’t say anything to anyone until she was sure.”

“Still, you could’ve-“

“You were so upset about me kissing another girl, nothing but the truth would’ve worked.”

“Steve,” I sighed, “If I had known-“

“What would you have done?”

“I would’ve- Well, I would’ve-“

I couldn’t even complete my sentence, he cut me off at the jump, leaning in and slotting his lips onto mine. I was startled for a moment but he didn’t stop, and eventually I kissed back, savoring every second like it was the last. He pulled away as if he wanted to say something but I didn’t let him, pulling him right back in by his shirt and wrapping my arms around his neck. His hands found my back, pulling me closer into an arch and wandering, ghosting over my waist line.

We were cut short by cheers coming from beside us, and we backed away from each other just enough to look.

“It’s about damn time, dingus!” Robin huffed, wrapped tightly in Elaine’s arms. I blushed, hiding my face in Steve’s chest, and he leaned down to my ear.

“Come with me,” he whispered, and I nodded.

He lead me to the backyard, where a lake was glistening in the moonlight. There was a lake house beside it, cute and cottagey, like something out of a story book.

“Elaine is letting all of us stay here tonight,” he explained, “There’s only three bedrooms, though. So she told me we could stay out here.”

“She just assumed I’d be staying wherever you stay?”

“I mean, be honest with yourself, Grace. Even if we were still just friends, you’d rather bunk with me than anyone else here.”

“I suppose that’s true,” I shrugged, following him through the door to see that it was immaculately decorated. It didn’t have a real fireplace like the house did but it did have one of those huge automatic ones, so he turned it on, warming the place up. It was one room, there was a bed in the corner, not huge but big enough for the two of us, a TV above the fireplace and a couch in front of it with some other furniture scattered about. There was a closet and a bathroom, as well.

“We left the party awfully early,” I observed, turning to him.

“I have a night in a lake house with you, and you think I wanna waste it partying?”

“Well, when you put it that way,” I smiled, grabbing his hand and pulling him closer.

“I’m in love with you, Grace. I haven’t loved anyone in a really long time, and maybe never like this. And I know it’s quick, but I don’t care. I love you.”

“I love you too, stupid,” I rolled my eyes, pulling him closer until his lips met mine again and we fell into a dance of teeth and tongue.

He grabbed the fat of my hip, squeezing, the dress bunching up in his fingers.

“Fuck, Y/N, do you even know what this dress does to me?” he groaned, “Never seen you like this before.”

“I only bought it so you could take it off,” I rasped as his lips found my neck. At my words, he started sucking, leaving a mark I was sure would stay for days, and I moaned. Something about him wanting to claim me made me shiver, goosebumps littering my skin, my need multiplying.

“I can do that, baby,” he nodded, reaching behind me and pulling the zipper down slowly. He eased it down my shoulders, his fingertips brushing my skin and his eyes following their path. His irises got a little darker at the sight of the black lace covering my most sacred places, and he went ahead and undid the clasp of my bra, letting it fall with the dress.

“You look so pretty like this,” he sighed, staring at me for a moment, his gaze loving.

“Your turn,” I smirked, slipping my hands under his shirt and pulling it over his head. My fingertips clumsily attempted to undo his belt, and he stopped me, doing it himself one handed and throwing it on the ground. It was one of the hottest things I’ve seen him do. I let out a light moan, and he chuckled.

“Feel like a helpless victim yet?” he asked.

“You’re not wearing the mask, so no,” I shrugged jokingly, and he frowned.

“I can fix that,” he stated, walking to the table by the door where he’d set said mask. He pulled it on his head and my mouth fell slightly agape. He looked so perfect. So pretty.

“Want me to fuck you just like this?” he asked, and I nodded frantically. “Come here,” he grabbed my hips lightly, leading me to the end of the bed. He spun me slowly, “Bend over for me, baby,” he coaxed as he pressed on my back. I did as he asked and all I heard was a rip as he tore off the stockings, not worrying about my shoes.

I looked back to see him falling to his knees, then I felt his fingertips where I needed him most and I gasped. It was slow at first, just light touching, but I was absolutely dripping, desperately waiting for what I wanted.

“Steve, baby, please,” I whimpered, and he chuckled again.

“Anything for you, Grace,” he cooed, pushing one finger in. I let out a sigh and a moan, begging for more, and he obliged, pushing in another and eventually a third. Before long, he had a steady rhythm, pushing in and out of me in a way that had me ready to come apart.

“Please Steve, need it, need more, need you,” I panted, pushing back on him, reaching behind me to touch whatever part of him I could reach.

I heard a sharp zip as he undid his pants, kicking them off. His tip rubbed against my slit teasingly at first, then pushed in slowly, and I let out a shaky breath. He was huge, bigger than I’d probably ever had, and my walls were stretched deliciously. It didn’t help that I hadn’t done anything with anyone in a while. I’d been waiting for Steve since before I even met him.

“Please,” I whined, my voice a broken shell of what it was before he kissed me. He’d wrecked me already and hadn’t even fucked me yet.

“Here you go, baby. I’ve got you,” he sighed, setting a steady pattern of thrusts, hard and quick and perfect, everything I needed from him, His hands found my hips, squeezing hard enough to leave bruises, and I met him thrust for thrust pushing into him like a woman starved.

That lasted for a little longer before he pulled out abruptly. I whined, achingly empty, but he stopped me short by grabbing my hips and turning me over. “Scoot back,” he instructed, “I wanna see your pretty face.”

“I wanna see yours too,” I hummed as I did as he asked, scooting all the way to the top of the bed and laying my head down like a true pillow princess. He nodded, ripping the mask off and tossing it aside, and I gasped at him in all his glory. He was so handsome, hair a mess on his head, a slight sheen of sweat making him glisten.

He climbed up on top of me, grabbing my leg and putting it over his shoulder. He leaned down and captured my lips as he pushed in, and I groaned, the new angle putting him in just the right spot.

“I’m gonna cum if you keep doing that,” I whimpered.

“That’s the point,” he smirked, reaching down to rub circles on my clit as he fucked me harder. “Such a good girl, gonna cum all over me?”

I nodded frantically, wrapping my free leg around his back and pulling him in farther, earning a deep groan.

“You’re so perfect like this, taking it so good. Who woulda known my quiet girl could take it like this?” his words spurred me on, making me see stars as the coil in my tummy got ready to snap.

“Steve baby need to cum, please cum with me,” I gasped, clenching around him as I finally snapped, and he groaned. He wasn’t very far behind me, and we rode out our highs together, staring at each other when we were done like a couple of lovestruck kids.

“I’m sorry it took me so long to get here,” he whispered for only me, and I giggled.

“It’s okay, Steve. It’s my fault. If I hadn’t spent so long being jealous, this would’ve already happened.”

“I think it happened right when it was supposed to,” he smirked, kissing me on the forehead and walking to the bathroom. He wet a towel and brought it back, cleaning me up and then himself, then joined me in bed.

“Would you wanna, like, go on a date with me?” he asked, nerves clouding his voice.

I thought it over for a moment, leaving him in suspense.

“Of course. How about tomorrow?”

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington #steve smut #steve stranger things #stranger things #steve harrington smut #steve harrington fluff #steve x reader #steve x you #stranger things smut #ghostface!steve harrington #ghostface

[nasa]

12 Great Gifts from Astronomy

This is a season where our thoughts turn to others and many exchange gifts with friends and family. For astronomers, our universe is the gift that keeps on giving. We’ve learned so much about it, but every question we answer leads to new things we want to know. Stars, galaxies, planets, black holes … there are endless wonders to study.

In honor of this time of year, let’s count our way through some of our favorite gifts from astronomy.

Our first astronomical gift is … one planet Earth

So far, there is only one planet that we’ve found that has everything needed to support life as we know it — Earth. Even though we’ve discovered over 5,200 planets outside our solar system, none are quite like home. But the search continues with the help of missions like our Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). And even you (yes, you!) can help in the search with citizen science programs like Planet Hunters TESS and Backyard Worlds.

Our second astronomical gift is … two giant bubbles

Astronomers found out that our Milky Way galaxy is blowing bubbles — two of them! Each bubble is about 25,000 light-years tall and glows in gamma rays. Scientists using data from our Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope discovered these structures in 2010, and we're still learning about them.

Our third astronomical gift is … three types of black holes

Most black holes fit into two size categories: stellar-mass goes up to hundreds of Suns, and supermassive starts at hundreds of thousands of Suns. But what happens between those two? Where are the midsize ones? With the help of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, scientists found the best evidence yet for that third, in between type that we call intermediate-mass black holes. The masses of these black holes should range from around a hundred to hundreds of thousands of times the Sun’s mass. The hunt continues for these elusive black holes.

Our fourth and fifth astronomical gifts are … Stephan’s Quintet

When looking at this stunning image of Stephan’s Quintet from our James Webb Space Telescope, it seems like five galaxies are hanging around one another — but did you know that one of the galaxies is much closer than the others? Four of the five galaxies are hanging out together about 290 million light-years away, but the fifth and leftmost galaxy in the image below — called NGC 7320 — is actually closer to Earth at just 40 million light-years away.

Our sixth astronomical gift is … an eclipsing six-star system

Astronomers found a six-star system where all of the stars undergo eclipses, using data from our TESS mission, a supercomputer, and automated eclipse-identifying software. The system, called TYC 7037-89-1, is located 1,900 light-years away in the constellation Eridanus and the first of its kind we’ve found.

Our seventh astronomical gift is … seven Earth-sized planets

In 2017, our now-retired Spitzer Space Telescope helped find seven Earth-size planets around TRAPPIST-1. It remains the largest batch of Earth-size worlds found around a single star and the most rocky planets found in one star’s habitable zone, the range of distances where conditions may be just right to allow the presence of liquid water on a planet’s surface.

Further research has helped us understand the planets’ densities, atmospheres, and more!

Our eighth astronomical gift is … an (almost) eight-foot mirror

The primary mirror on our Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is approximately eight feet in diameter, similar to our Hubble Space Telescope. But Roman can survey large regions of the sky over 1,000 times faster, allowing it to hunt for thousands of exoplanets and measure light from a billion galaxies.

Our ninth astronomical gift is … a kilonova nine days later

In 2017, the National Science Foundation (NSF)’s Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) and European Gravitational Observatory’s Virgo detected gravitational waves from a pair of colliding neutron stars. Less than two seconds later, our telescopes detected a burst of gamma rays from the same event. It was the first time light and gravitational waves were seen from the same cosmic source. But then nine days later, astronomers saw X-ray light produced in jets in the collision’s aftermath. This later emission is called a kilonova, and it helped astronomers understand what the slower-moving material is made of.

Our tenth astronomical gift is … NuSTAR’s ten-meter-long mast

Our NuSTAR X-ray observatory is the first space telescope able to focus on high-energy X-rays. Its ten-meter-long (33 foot) mast, which deployed shortly after launch, puts NuSTAR’s detectors at the perfect distance from its reflective optics to focus X-rays. NuSTAR recently celebrated 10 years since its launch in 2012.

Our eleventh astronomical gift is … eleven days of observations

How long did our Hubble Space Telescope stare at a seemingly empty patch of sky to discover it was full of thousands of faint galaxies? More than 11 days of observations came together to capture this amazing image — that’s about 1 million seconds spread over 400 orbits around Earth!

Our twelfth astronomical gift is … a twelve-kilometer radius

Pulsars are collapsed stellar cores that pack the mass of our Sun into a whirling city-sized ball, compressing matter to its limits. Our NICER telescope aboard the International Space Station helped us precisely measure one called J0030 and found it had a radius of about twelve kilometers — roughly the size of Chicago! This discovery has expanded our understanding of pulsars with the most precise and reliable size measurements of any to date.

Stay tuned to NASA Universe on Twitter and Facebook to keep up with what’s going on in the cosmos every day. You can learn more about the universe here.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

#NASA #spaceblr #astronomy #space #universe #astrophysics #science #cosmos #exoplanets #black holes #stars #galaxies #gravity #hubble space telescope #james webb space telescope #international space station

[would-this-pokemon-be-a-friend]

The Top Pets of 2023!

Hey everybody! I hope you’re all doing well, and I thank you for bearing with me with the last few weeks of hiatus. We may be a little over a week into 2024, but let’s take a step back and celebrate the top ten pet contenders of the year according to score!

Well, okay, top ten is a little bit of a stretch. As it turns out, there’s quite a few ties in the top ten scores, and we’re covering them all. This is gonna be a BIG post, so let’s get right into it!

TENTH PLACE

Our tenth place slot is shared by not one but four pokémon! In no particular order:

One of only two Mythical pokémon in our top ten(ish), Mesprit is a pokémon that comes with some caveats due to their lowercase-“l” legendary status. But hey, numbers are numbers!

Next up is another psychic-type, fan-favorite natu! Look at them! They’re looking at you!

Living, breathing keyring coming right up! If you’re adopting a klefki, you’re gonna want quite the supply of keys to keep em happy, but that’s nothing to a dedicated pet owner!

Finally, we’ve got eevee! Reliable, adorable, harmless, cuddly: eevees have it all. Be careful though, this species is one of the easiest pokémon to evolve by accident!

NINTH PLACE

We have two pokémon tied for ninth place! First,

Hey, it’s a recent one! Delibirds are great pet candidates! They’re known not just for looking a bit like a certain holiday icon, but for being exceptionally generous!

Another small Mythical pokémon, another A-tank pet with some pretty big caveats. The chances of any of us even running into Celebi are pretty low. But, if you happened to meet them, I’m sure they’d be delighted to be your houseguest… for a time, anyways. “Pet”? Ehhh…

EIGHTH PLACE

In eighth place, we’ve got a four-way tie again!

First up: silcoon! Uh… Well, silcoons get a “A?” Score for a reason. This pokémon would be the definition of a pet that doesn’t do much. But hey, that’s what some people might want!

I was very excited about this score. C’mon, it’s abra! These little teleporters are adorable! And very sleepy! So far, eighth place seems to be the “doesn’t do much” category…

Except for ditto! What can’t dittos do? Well, they can’t do much to harm anyone, but we can transform into any person, pokémon, or object they want! Dittos are great! You can’t go wrong with a ditto! Look how cute we are! Adopt a ditto today!

Wooloo! Eighth place ends with another normal-type pokémon, and another one that I personally was excited to see score so high. Wooloos might have my very favorite cry out of all thousand-or-so pokémon discovered thus far!

SEVENTH PLACE

Just two pokémon this time around…

What do you know, a “just-a-cat” pokémon made it into the top ten! Listen, as a real-world cat owner, I’m very biased towards any pokémon that resembles mine in either looks or behavior. Skitties are a great pet option. If I had one, I would name them Skittles.

Wow, it’s been a long while since we covered fidoughs, and yet they’ve held strong in the rankings all this time! Special shoutout to my sister, who requested this pokémon!

SIXTH PLACE

There are three pokémon tied for sixth place, so let’s keep it moving!

Speaking of pokémon we covered a long time ago, it’s squirtle! The only starter pokémon in the 2023 top ten, squirtles would make great pets for anyone who likes to play in the water and/or doesn’t mind getting splashed with water every once in a while. I also hear that they look pretty rad in sunglasses…

Spiky baby! Spiky baby! Spiky baby! (Enough said, honestly.)

Would you look at that, it’s a “just-a-bird” contender! Do you like birds? Do you want a pet bird? Do you want a really smart pet bird? Then a chatot may be just right for you!

FIFTH PLACE

Just one pokémon holds the fifth place crown this year and… hold on…aw man…

It’s…uh… it’s another cocoon pokémon. Don’t get me wrong, I think pokémon like metapod and silcoon are charming in their own ways, but I recognize that they’re not the most exciting species to end up in the top ten-ish of the year. To the metapod lovers: congratulations! To the metapod haters: sorry?

FOURTH PLACE

Almost there! The fourth place slot is taken up by a single pokémon as well:

Cherrims are the one and only plant-like pokémon in the 2023 top ten! If you’re looking for a sweet-smelling, low-maintenance pet, them cherrims might be just right for you!

THIRD PLACE

Third place is the last category with multiple pokémon! We’re almost there!

Look at that little celery bowl-cut! Ralts are a great option for pet owners looking to adopt a psychic or fairy-type pokémon! They may be in tune with your emotions, but be warned: your mood will affect a ralts’. Don’t look to a ralts for a emotional support pet!

Wow, psychic-type really seems to be holding strong in the 2023 top ten-ish! So long as you don’t have an aversion to a lot of noise, a chimecho would make a great pet!

SECOND PLACE

In second place, we have another pokémon that we covered pretty recently: alcremie! I personally would still hesitate a little bit, just because I don’t have a great grasp of how a pet made out of a substance that’s at the very least similar to whipped cream, which is so easily dissolved by just water. But hey, alcremies are great! Very few alcremies are the exact same with so many possible variations of appearance, which is an added bonus.

FIRST PLACE

Without further ado, the best pokémon pet candidate of 2023 is…

Chansey! This one caught me by surprise, especially given how large they are! Who’d have thought that a three-and-a-half foot creature would get the highest score? It really all comes down to their friendly disposition and healing abilities. This is a pokémon that isn’t only receptive to living alongside humans, they actively enjoy caring for humans and other pokémon! That being said, they’re surely not common pets: this is a remarkably illusive pokémon that is rarely caught by trainers, so adopting one might not be as easy as popping over to the shelter. Thankfully, they can be found in many regions of the world.

So there you have it, the top ten twenty-one pet candidates of 2023! I’ve said it again and again, but thank you so much for following along with this silly blog! I’m hoping that the blog continues to grow and be enjoyed in the coming year. How far will we get in the pokédex? Who knows! Who can even say how many new species will be discovered this year? We’ll have to just wait and see.

#pokémon #pokemon #pkmn irl #mesprit #natu #klefki #eevee #delibird #celebi #silcoon #abra #ditto #wooloo #skitty #fidough #squirtle #zigzagoon #chatot #metapod #ralts #cherrim #chimecho #alcremie #chansey

[moni-logues]

The Fifth Date

Pairing: Yoongi x reader

Genre: friends/idiots-to-lovers

Summary: Yoongi finally realises his feelings for you... But you're on a fifth date with someone else.

Word count:

Content: literally no warnings necessary for this one except Yoongi being a moron

A/N: Happy birthday to my future husband, Min Yoongi! As I said in a post a couple of days ago, this one has had a real edit; it's fundamentally the same, but just (I hope) better.

‘A date. A date. It’s just a date. Why do I care so much? I don’t care. I don’t. It’s fine. She can do what she wants. Obviously. I'm not her keeper. She's a grown woman—an adult. I don't control her. I'm not trying to. It's fine. It's just a date…

'Well, it’s a fifth date. Five is quite a lot- it’s not; it’s not really a lot but it’s different from a first date. A fifth date definitely mean-‘

“YOONGI!”

Yoongi jumps, startled back to the present. He’s supposed to be helping Jungkook finish his song, but he can’t focus.

“Ah, sorry, sorry, ok,” he replies and turns his attention to the screen, adjusting levels and playing the track again.

Music is where he always goes to relax, switch off, zone out, feel better. Music is where Yoongi is in control; he knows what he’s doing; he can feel the music; he can hear it before it even exists and he knows how to create it. He’s comfortable with music; the studio is his home, his retreat. It’s his happy place. This is what he does. This is who he is. He comes to the studio and the world outside its four walls disappears, doesn’t matter. Time passes unacknowledged, one hour, ten, who knows? Who cares? Music production is a flow state that Yoongi slips into whenever he can. Music is simple to him, pure.

But you’re on a fifth date.

Jungkook sighs, seeing Yoongi’s stare go blank once more.

“Yoongi, are you ok? You really can’t focus today.”

“I’m sorry, JK, I will do better. It’s fine. I can focus. Let's do it.”

“Are you sure?”

Yoongi nods.

“Because I know someone is on a date right now-“

“So what? What does that have to do with anything?” Yoongi asks, suddenly defensive.

Jungkook almost pulls a muscle refraining from rolling his eyes. Everyone knows Yoongi has feelings for you; everyone knows you have feelings for him. You’re honest about it, at least. Yoongi refuses to be. They’re not even sure if he’s being honest with himself, despite how obvious it is to everyone else. The two of you together is a no-brainer.

“And they’ve got no brains!” is Jin’s constant rejoinder.

It’s a very good point.

They know he’s just trying to protect himself. He’s been hurt before. But haven’t we all? And you can’t stop yourself being hurt from hiding away. Loneliness is hurt, too; pining is hurt, too. But Yoongi will not be told.

*

You look at your date across the table and smile. You’re having a nice time. The food is good. The company is enjoyable. You’re trying hard to focus on him: what’s likable about him, what makes him a good match for you—the very fact that he asked you out was a start; you have interests in common; he’s not unattractive; but he’s not Yoongi. Your brain knows that you have to let go of the Yoongi thing, but your heart hasn’t got the message yet.

Practice makes perfect, you remind yourself. You laugh at your date’s joke and take a sip of your drink. If he asks for a sixth date? Yeah, you’ll go. If he asks you back to his tonight? Yeah, you’ll go. Because Yoongi’s not asking. And you’ve given up waiting.

Not waiting as such. You aren’t waiting—you never were waiting. Because you know it won’t happen, have always known. He just doesn’t see you like that. You’re friends. Just friends. You did once think, maybe, that he might be showing interest in you, the way he softened and warmed up to you, the way he became almost doting, indulgent, always, always there when you needed. Then you realised that that was just him, really him, truly him, not the cool, shy exterior he had first presented to you. That made it all the harder, truth be told. You had liked him anyway: his shy little laugh, shoulders shaking, eyes closed; his knowledge on any and every random topic you could imagine; his thick dark hair and feline eyes; his obnoxious drinking habits that you nevertheless found endearing. He slipped into your heart and set up camp. It’s just what he is like. He dotes on his loved ones: you and all the others. You realised he didn’t have romantic feelings for you, but familial ones.

It isn’t exactly what you want, being his friend, being family to him, but you’ll take it. Rather that than nothing. Rather that than daring to tread where you might not be wanted—weren’t wanted—and being rebuffed, rejected. So, you date. The best way to get over someone is to get under someone else, right? Worth a shot! It isn’t exactly working but a girl’s gotta eat.

*

The studio session does not go well. It ends prematurely. Jungkook has to pretend to have had enough, to be too tired, to need to rest, anything to put an end to the torturously slow progress he and Yoongi are making. Yoongi is distracted and needs to let loose, he says. He sends a message to the group chat asking them to have drinks so they meet at the dorms and get some bottles out. Yoongi relaxes and forgets about you for a little while, distracted but this time it’s from you, not by you. He forgets, briefly, that you’re on a fifth date with someone else, smiling, laughing, drinking, not with him. He has fun. He gets a little bit tipsy, drinks more than he planned.

Then Hoseok turns in for the night and Yoongi checks the time. It’s late. He’d have expected you to have sent him a message by now, telling him how the date went. You always message. Always. Even when it goes well. Even when it goes badly. But it’s late and he hasn’t heard from you. A thought washes over him like cold water poured down his back: maybe you’re still on the date. It’s not like it’s not allowed; it’s not like you haven’t slept with other people in the time you’ve known each other. He knows you have. He’s fine with that. Of course, he’s fine with it; you’re just friends. But you are still on a fifth date and his stomach flips over unhappily.

He stares hard at his phone, willing it to do something, although he’s not entirely sure what.

“Hasn’t anyone ever told you that a watched phone never boils?” Namjoon asks him.

Yoongi slowly puts down his phone and pushes it to one side.

“Waiting for a message from anyone in particular?”

“No,” he answers simply.

They know he’s lying.

“Have you met the guy she’s on a date with? He works at the company, right?” Jimin asks, his eyes all innocent and shining.

Yoongi nods.

“Yeah, he does. I haven’t met him.”

He doesn’t really ever want to. He’s not interested in who you’re dating; it doesn’t matter as long as you’re happy. If you say he’s good enough, he’s good enough; Yoongi doesn’t need to vet him, interrogate him. He trusts your judgement. He doesn’t have to meet him. Ever. Well, he’ll probably have to at some point, but he doesn’t want to. Why would he? He’s just some guy.

The other members look at each other. They know this is your fifth date and there is a real possibility of more dates; they feel they have to do something to make Yoongi wake up and realise what he’s missing. They just aren’t sure how. They’ve tried everything they can think of. Yoongi is just too hard-headed. They’ve tried with you, too, egging you on, promising success, trying bribes at one point. You are hard-headed, too.

They talk amongst themselves about this guy – whom none of them know, but some have seen around the building; they talk about you and how they might see less of you now if you’re going to have a boyfriend. They wonder aloud if your boyfriend will have a problem with you hanging out with them, seven men, by yourself. A cold fist grips Yoongi’s heart at this – not seeing you? He hadn’t considered that but it’s true; the more time you spend with this guy, the less you can spend with him. He hadn’t realised before that this could actually mean losing you. How many married women does he know who hang out with seven men on a regular basis? (How many married women he knows at his age full stop—a solid zero—does not enter into his equation). Possessed by a forceful energy, he stands up and the others all look at him.

“I,” he starts, not really sure what he’s going to say, “have to go,” he says simply and leaves the dorms.

The others look at each other with trepidation and then shrug; what will be will be and they’ll be there to pick up whatever pieces there are later.

Yoongi leaves the building and starts walking. It’s far too far to walk to your apartment from the dorm, but he needs to burn off a little of his sudden energy. His mind is whirring, an overpowered carousel, an endlessly streaming slideshow of his relationship with you. He shakes his head and frowns deeply, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. He knows he’s coming to you but he doesn’t know what he’s going to say. He sees you, in his mind, on your date, laughing at some man, this company guy, holding hands, kissing goodnight. He shudders.  

He can’t tell you to stop dating other people, not if he’s not going to ask you to date him. But is he going to ask you? It seems insane. Impossible. The thought of asking you out is impossible. But the thought of dating you seems somehow… less impossible. Doable. Real. The thought of it being him walking you home. The thought of it being him who kisses you goodnight.

He laughs to himself. What is going on? What has been going on? He can’t have been this blind. Everyone else can’t have been right. He’s excited and terrified in equal measure. He wonders what you feel. If everyone was right that he has feelings, are they right about you, too? If it has taken him this long to realise, maybe you haven’t realised either. He might be walking into disaster. But he can’t stop. He’ll crash that fifth date if he has to.

After a couple of miles, he orders a car to take him the rest of the way. He stands for a moment outside your building; his limbs feel fizzy, his head feels light, and his stomach feels wobbly, but he pushes the intercom button anyway.

“Yoongi!” your voice comes through the speaker, quiet and grainy.

“Can I come up? I won’t be long.”

The buzzer sounds in reply and Yoongi opens the door and runs up the stairs. He has to assume this is a good sign. You’re in your apartment. You’re letting him come up. Your date is not—probably—not there, too. He breathes heavily outside your door, catching his breath, waiting for his heart to slow down a little.

It doesn’t. Not even when his breathing is even and he’s stopped sweating. So, he knocks anyway. When you open the door, you’re already ready for bed: make-up off, hair down, pyjamas on. He has to assume that this is a really good sign.

“What’s up?” you ask as you welcome him in. “Do you want a drink?”

“No, thank you,” he answers, sitting down. “I just needed to talk to you about something. How was your date?”

You sit next to him on the sofa and consider your answer.

“It was good! He’s a nice guy. I think we’re going to go out again next week, maybe.”

You don’t want to overegg the pudding but you’re not sure how to play it, how much to give away, how honest to be. Keep it vague, keep it simple. He will already know it can’t have gone that well if you’re here, all undone, ready for bed.

Yoongi nods, looking serious. Then he stands. Then he asks you to stand, too. Perplexed, you rise and stand in front of him, your expression questioning.

“I’ve been stupid,” he states. “I’ve been really stupid. I have to apologise to you for that. I don’t want to complicate things for you but you have to know this. I like you. I don’t want you to date that other man. I want you to date me.”

“Date you?” you ask, incredulous.

“Yes. That is what I want and I’ve wanted it for a long time; I just didn’t realise it until now. If you want to date that guy, that’s ok, but if you want to date me, well, I want that, too.”

He sounds so sure, so confident, but he doesn’t feel it. His hands clench and unclench at his sides; his ribs are taking a beating from his heart; sweat pricks in his scalp. He can’t say any more. His mouth has dried up. He can only stand and wait for your response. Whatever it may be.

You look surprised then confused, your brows pulling together over your eyes, your lip sucked into your mouth, chewed on.

“I guess—well, no, I know: I also want to date you.”

That’s definitely got to be a good sign. He nods sharply.

“Ok. Good. Fine. Good. That’s all I wanted to say.” A pause. “Sorry for barging in here. It’s late. I’ll let you go to bed.”

He turns to leave and you’re laughing, more incredulous now than before.

“Where the fuck are you going?” you cry, stepping forward and grabbing his arm, turning him around so he’s facing you again. “What are you doing?”

He looks like a deer caught in headlights, a little shocked, a little dazed, like he can’t believe where he is, what’s just happened. And he can’t. Doesn’t seem real. None of it does.

“Oh, I, uh,” he stutters, not sure himself what he was doing, what he’s going to do now.

“You can’t just come in here and tell me you want to date me and then leave! Are you even going to ask me out?”

He blinks and you hear the clock tick like the cogs in his brain turning.

“Do you want me to ask you out?”

“Oh my god!”

You turn, bewildered, really feeling that extra glass of wine you had at dinner. You rub your hands over your face and turn back to him with a smile.

“Yoongi?”

“Yes?”

“What are you doing on Friday?”

“Studio, probably.”

You roll your eyes and take a deep breath.

“No, what are you doing on Friday?”

You stare at him insistently, willing him to see the breadcrumbs you’re laying out for him, to take a fucking hint for once in his life.

“I’- oh. Oh. Uh, do you want to go out with me on Friday?”

“I mean, I was going to ask you out, but yes, yes I do!”

“Oh… Good.”

“Stop saying that!”

“I don’t know what else to say!”

You feel a little drunk, feel a tiny bit like maybe you’ve fallen asleep on the sofa and are just dreaming this. Because it’s come out of nowhere and Yoongi’s standing in your living room asking you out on a date and it’s everything you’ve wanted for all this time and it can’t just suddenly be happening. Just like that. So easy.

He’s blushing and so embarrassed, squirming a little as he stands in front of you, feeling so silly that he showed up so unprepared. Unprepared for any of this. He would have sworn up and down just a few hours ago that you were his friend and nothing more, but now he’s giddy, a little dizzy, feels like he’s actually drunk even though he sobered up on the walk. He feels like he’s dreaming, passed out on the dorm sofa, imagining all of this.

You both feel weird, exposed. You’re crossing that line, however inelegantly, and neither of you is sure how to do it. You laugh, awkwardly, nervous now in front of him. He laughs, too, rubbing a hand at the back of his head self-consciously, looking down at the floor.

“You can stay,” you offer, quietly, a little timid, not quite meeting his eye.

“Stay?”

“Here, tonight. If you want.”

“Do you want?”

“You think I’d have offered if I didn’t?”

You take whatever Dutch courage you have left and close the gap between you, your feet neatly together between his, your fingers toying with the edge of his jumper. You look up at him through your lashes and he’s looking down at you, blinking hard, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides again. You tip your head up to him, willing him to take a step, to take his turn, to not make you have to do all the work.

It's a little much, Yoongi thinks, as he looks down at you. It feels fast, sudden, and he’s so hot, flushing all over as your little fingers pull gently at the hem of his jumper. For a second, he considers backing out, shuffling back just a little—and then he catches himself. It’s not sudden—because he’s known you for months now, he’s felt this for months even if he hid it from himself; it’s not fast, it’s slow. It’s been slow—he’s been slow. Everyone has been telling him, everyone has been saying it and he hadn’t realised, hadn’t got the message, but now he has, so why wait? Why pause? You’re right there in front of him, looking up at him with those enormous eyes, a little shy, a little spark of mischief there.

He unclenches his fists and places his hands on your waist as he dips his head and presses his mouth to yours.

#yoongi x reader #yoongi fluff #yoongi fic #bts x reader #bts fluff #bts fic #suga x reader #suga fluff #suga fic #mmm repost #yoongi drabble #suga drabble #bts drabble

[heliads]

I’d like to request a platonic Finnick x female reader one-shot. The reader is Finnick’s twin sister (younger by 10 minutes) and won the games the year after he won the games. Katniss and Peeta meet the reader and Finnick on the victory tour that takes place after the 74th games. The reader isn’t part of the 75th games, but she is part of the rebellion that takes place after the 75th games. Before Finnick dies, he tells the reader he loves her and asks her to look after Annie.

hello thornyrose

'supposed to be us' - finnick odair

masterlist

Your nightmare is dark and dangerous. It clings to your mind like bathing in an oil slick. You can hear ghosts shouting and screaming. A boy from your district begs you for mercy, but you don’t give it to him because you saw him trying to poison your food supplies mere hours earlier. There is no justice in the Hunger Games. The one who lives is not always the one who deserves it.

Even after your eyes open, you can only stare upwards into nameless dark, petrified that a single movement will set the other tributes upon you in an instant. For a moment, you don’t know where you are, and then the dream lifts and you’re only certain that you aren’t stuck in the place you just were. This is not the Arena. The Arena was never quiet. Even when the Gamemakers cut the sound of chirping insects and rustling leaves so they could hear your heartbeat and the shallow beating of your lungs as you waited for death to come your way.

District Thirteen is quiet, and that is where you are. Your Hunger Games ended nine or ten years ago. You have not been in the Arena again, even if your brother has.

Your brother.

Finnick Odair is a household name. To you, though, he was never the golden Victor of District Four, the pretty boy with the trident, the peacock. Finnick is your twin brother, older by ten minutes. He’ll never let you forget that. When you watched him in the Arena for the first time, all you could do was hope that you’d hear him remind you of it even one more time.

As it turns out, you got your wish. Finnick won the sixty-fifth Hunger Games at the young age of fourteen. He came home shell-shocked but doing a quite good job of pretending otherwise. He talked to you and your parents and made sure none of you saw him break down whenever the Capitol came to claim him again. He never told you what happened whenever the Peacekeepers spirited him away from you, but you found out anyway when your name was read in the Reaping one year later.

They saw it was Finnick’s fault that you ended up in the Games. It’s easy enough to fudge the name chosen in the Reaping Ceremony, even if the Capitol always pretends it’s a total twist of fate. Finnick was acting up. He didn’t want to be a body in warm sheets that didn’t belong to him. He protested Snow sending him to strangers’ beds one too many times, and as a warning, you ended up in the Games one year after Finnick won his. Finnick never fought the orders again. 

You cannot tell who blames each other more for their troubles, you or him. It is not either of your faults that you ended up with the blood of twenty-three tributes on your hands, nor that Finnick hasn’t been wholly Finnick in a very long time. He is your brother. Things happen in Panem that no one will speak on. Not even family.

You were supposed to die in the sixty-sixth Hunger Games, of that you are almost certain. The Gamemakers certainly threw more than the typical amount of twists your way. It felt as if every mutt in the Arena was designed to hunt you first before any other tribute. Rain snuffed each fire you made. Ants spoiled your food. Other tributes were directed towards your camp. Still, you managed to pull through. As a District Four Career, you had been receiving training in preparation for the Games since you were young, but Finnick had made sure to help you in advance just in case something like this happened.

As it turned out, he was right to worry. Your Games were close, but when the final cannon sounded, you were the one standing bloodsoaked and exhausted on an empty battlefield. After that, even President Snow couldn’t kill you off. You and Finnick, beloved twin Victors of the Capitol, were as untouchable as District gets.

Look where that got you, though, dragged back to the Capitol each and every year to remark on the Games and mentor a new couple of kids to their death. District Four tributes have a good chance at winning, so you were able to help a good few along. Annie Cresta, to be specific. You watched as they fell for each other. It is supposed to be a simple thing, watching your siblings fall in love. For Finnick, it was a victory akin to winning the Games.

You can still remember one dark evening, the first time you and Finnick were home after you’d won the Games and were finally alone without one of Caesar Flickerman’s cameras shoved in your face. He’d sworn to you then and there that he’d never fall in love. Finnick didn’t want anyone else to be used as a sacrifice to get him to play along with the Capitol’s rules. He’d been forced to watch you compete in the Hunger Games as a punishment for disobedience. Never again would he allow himself another weakness.

Annie grew on him, though. She has a way of melting down people’s barriers. Annie reminds you of salt water on a rusty latch; give it enough time, and even the hardiest locks will be worn down to ash and dust eventually. Finnick needed her more than he needed his walls to stay strong. After some time, he allowed himself to indulge in the sheer joy of needing someone and being needed by them, and after that, he was better.

There had been a brief time of relative peace in District Four. There is no peace in Panem, not really, not even when the weapons have been laid down and the Peacekeepers are posted at every door to stop the fighting. We send our children to die. We save some of them, but not all. Never all. You and Finnick and Annie and Mags do your best. It is never enough.

In between the Games, though, in between the Victory Tours and scheduled press appearances, you make your own kind of peace. You talk with your brother late into the night. You learn more about Annie, and she learns to trust you like she trusts Finnick. There are people who understand your life after the Games, and there are those who don’t. As it turns out, you don’t need the world as a Victor, just two people. You give them their space so they can imagine what it is like to live a life without fear or terror, and when you need them, they reach out to you. You are not alone, you are never alone. Except for when you want it.

And, when several years have passed, you watch the seventy-fourth Hunger Games and learn about a girl they call the Mockingjay. You haven’t seen someone like Katniss Everdeen in a very long time, if ever. You observe her closely on her Victory Tour with Peeta Mellark and make sure to speak when you run into each other during her stop in District Four. There’s an earnestness to the two of them that you can’t help but appreciate. You consider their strength for a while, and then you contact someone in the Capitol you’ve grown to know during your many mentorship runs and tell him that it’s time to act.

Plutarch Heavensbee has been involved in the rebellion for a very long time. He won’t tell you how long, not exactly, but you can guess that his start date was far before your name was even pulled from the Reaping, before Finnick’s. He confessed that he’s been eyeing you and your brother for a while now, but he’s been waiting for the proper impetus. Watching the District response to Katniss, you tell him that it’s now.

Plutarch agrees, and begins to give you specific tasks to further the goals of the rebellion. It’s small at first. You deliver secret messages to a certain Beetee Latier when you’re near District Three. You also speak to Haymitch Abernathy at the opening ceremony of the seventy-fifth Hunger Games under the guise of exchanging mentorship tactics. Slowly, carefully, plans are laid.

This is also due in part to the fact that you are not Reaped for the third Quarter Quell, although your brother is. There are many surviving Victors in District Four, and you immediately complained to Plutarch that Finnick and Annie were both Reaped even if Mags stepped in, but there was nothing the Head Gamemaker could do. He told you that it would have been more suspicious if the rebellion had meddled with the Reaping and likely given them away too early.

Still, that doesn’t settle any apprehension in your gut as you have to prepare your twin for yet another round in the Arena. Although he was careful to disguise his expression the moment his name was called for the Quarter Quell, you saw the brief flicker of desolation in his eyes. Finnick doesn’t want to go back there any more than you would. All you can do to save him is ensure that the rebellion’s plan works and you can pull him out before too many Victors are killed.

If you were going to confess something, it would be that you value your brother above all else. Yes, the rebellion’s plan is important, but at the end of the day, you are there to save your twin. Finnick made you promise that you’d watch out for Mags and Annie both outside and inside of the Arena, but you disregarded both of those oaths in favor of focusing on him. You get Finnick supplies and sponsors when he needs them, you make sure to talk the Gamemakers out of siccing any truly terrible mutts on him. More than the usual, of course.

And, when the Arena is breached by the rebellion and it comes time to get the Victors out, you tell them to go for Finnick first. This means that they don’t have time to get Annie. You don’t think you’ll ever forget the look on Finnick’s face when he realized that Annie was still in the Capitol after he was rescued and brought back to the underground colony of District Thirteen. He’s glad to see you alive, of course, and he was about to stage a fit before he knew you were safe, but you don’t know if he’ll ever forgive you for not getting Annie as well. It’s not as if you had any choice, the Peacekeepers came for you immediately, but the fact remains that Annie is as good as blood to you and you left her behind.

You make up for it eventually, of course. While you join an attack party to break into the Capitol and bring back Annie, Peeta, Johanna, and the other captive Victors, Finnick stays behind to act as a distraction. You heard later the sorts of terrible secrets he had to offer from his time in the Capitol. Finnick had done his best to shelter you from all of it, and you can only hope to return the favor someday, and more than just pulling him from the Arena.

You never get the chance. Yes, seeing him reunite with Annie after your mission was a success felt better than winning your own Games, but the happiness didn’t last forever. Soon enough, you and Finnick fought your way back into the Capitol along with Katniss, Peeta, and other highly trained soldiers in an effort to end the war once and for all.

Only one Odair made it back.

It wasn’t Finnick.

Should it have been? You’ll never know for sure. The memory of his final moments will stay with you forever. Your group had been running through the underneath of the Capitol, pursued relentlessly by bloodthirsty lizard mutts. The fight had ended with a dead end, a ladder up to the surface. Finnick had insisted on being the last one up because he had always been the hero, the good one, the savior. Right before he was able to make it, the mutts charged and pulled him back down. You had heard his screams and known there was no way you could save him, not this time. Katniss had detonated the tunnel to bring him a quick end. It was merciful. You wish you had died instead of him.

It is a terrible thing, losing a brother. Since Finnick was older, he has been around quite literally your entire life. You are now older than he ever was. It is far more devastating than it sounds. Living that kind of agony is like nothing anyone can ever describe to you. There is only pain in endless waves. As time goes on, you have more space between each rush of hurt, but then you remember the way District Four sun shone on his hair and turned it to gold, or how the two of you learned to swim together, or the smile on his face when he married Annie and everything goes to pieces again.

Before Finnick died, he had told you that he loved you and asked you to look after Annie. You do so to the best of your ability. Neither you nor Annie want to spend time with others all that much after the war. You retreat back to a small house in District Four where nobody comes looking for you, asking you to kill again. Annie has a baby boy. You see Finnick in his face every day. At first, this is agonizing, but then you realize that it would be worse to forget the precise shade of Finnick’s eyes than to be piercingly reminded of it every time you see your nephew.

It becomes a sort of game you play, looking at the little boy and remembering each bit of Finnick that you can. There was a certain way he would run, all efficiency, and a precise method of articulating each syllable in your name. The first time Annie’s son says it, you have to excuse yourself to another room to cry. After that, it’s easier. The game becomes more one of happiness than sadness.

It destroys you sometimes, the life Finnick should have led. The memories make it bittersweet. But, as a friend of yours once said, there are worse games to play.

hunger games tag list: @w1shes43, @ilovexavierthrope

all tags list: @wordsarelife

#finnick odair #finnick odair oneshot #finnick odair imagines #hunger games #hunger games imagines #hunger games oneshot #platonic finnick odair #sibling finnick odair #the hunger games #the hunger games imagines #the hunger games oneshot #hunger games finnick #hunger games finnick imagines #hunger games finnick oneshot #finnick odair x sister reader #finnick #finnick imagines #finnick oneshot

[impishtubist]

@carlav-blogs and the Discord bullied me into this. An AU where the Marauders are all professors at Hogwarts, and the students can’t figure out who is dating who. @theresthesnitch has also written a fic in this ‘verse, and @carlav-blogs has done art for it. I am just jumping on the bandwagon :) 

----

“Hey, James.” Remus sticks his head in the Astronomy classroom. “Do you have plans for lunch?”

“I’ve got some seventh year essays to grade.” James looks up from the parchment he’s bent over. There’s a smudge of ink across his nose. “Why?”

“Want to go make out behind Greenhouse Four?” 

James tosses his quill on the desk. “Absolutely.” 

It takes fifteen minutes for someone to catch them, a second-year who gasps when she rounds the corner to see Professor Potter snogging Professor Lupin. Remus pulls away from James long enough to wink at her, and she scurries off. 

“Good?” James says breathlessly. 

“We’ve still got fifteen minutes,” Remus says. “No reason to stop now.” 

He returns to class that afternoon with rumpled robes and messy hair, and his students spend the rest of the week whispering about it. 

---

Remus is in the middle of a tutoring session one Thursday evening when Lily pokes her head in his office. 

“There you are,” she says, coming into the room with a steaming goblet. She sets it on his desk. “Drink that right away.”

“Thanks, love.” He gives her a quick kiss on the lips. The third-year he’s tutoring tonight gives a tiny little squeak, and Remus smirks to himself, knowing that more rumors will be flying by dinnertime. 

---

“Lupin.” 

Remus looks up, startled, and sees Regulus standing in front of him, hands on his hips. 

“We’ve known each other for twenty years, Reg. I think you can call me by my first name by now.”

“No,” Regulus says bluntly. 

“Okay,” Remus says. “Did you need something?”

“Yes, I need you and your freakishly long limbs to get that book down for me.” Regulus points to the bookcase behind them. Remus gets up from the table he’s commandeered in the library and goes over to the bookcase. “The one with the red spine.” 

Remus rests a hand on the small of Regulus’s back as he reaches up to pull the book down. When he hands it to Regulus, he leans down and brushes his lips over Regulus’s cheek. “Anything else, sweetheart?”

Regulus steps back and clears his throat, his cheekbones dusted with pink. Behind him, a group of sixth years are shamelessly watching the whole exchange, eyes wide. “N-no, thank you, that’s it.” 

He practically flees the library.

---

Sirius has him backed against the wall of the cupboard, his hands under Remus’s teaching robes while he sucks a mark into Remus’s neck. He rolls his hips, and Remus moans, grateful that he’d remembered to throw up a silencing spell the moment Sirius pulled him in here. 

“Yeah, Pads, like that,” he says breathlessly. It’s like being fifteen all over again, rendezvousing with Sirius in various parts of the castle after curfew. 

The cupboard door opens, flooding the tiny space with light, and Remus yelps while Sirius curses against his throat. They both turn their heads to see a wide-eyed fifth-year Prefect gaping at them. 

“S-sorry, Professors!” they stammer. “It’s, um. It’s after curfew?” 

“Yes, thank you, Melinda.” Sirius reaches out to grab the edge of the door. “Excellent job. Good night, now.” 

He swings the door shut again, this time locking it with a wandless spell. 

---

Teddy drops into the seat next to Harry at lunch with a huff and slams a piece of parchment on the table.

“They’re at it again,” he complains. 

Harry scans the parchment. It’s a list of all the times in the past few weeks their parents have been spotted being affectionate with each other, including locations, times, and a description of what happened. He winces as he reads about Sirius and Remus being caught in a cupboard, apparently seconds away from shagging--he didn’t need to know that. 

The student body has been trying to figure out which professor is involved with whom since he was a first year. He’d thought they’d lose interest after a while, but five years later, the rumors are still going strong, and none of the professors seem to care. In fact, Harry is convinced that most of them are doing everything they can to fuel the speculation.

At the head table, James feeds Sirius a bit of pie from his own fork. Sirius makes a show of eating it, and then kisses James on the cheek, setting off a new wave of titters. 

“You get used to it,” Harry says, and Teddy scowls. 

“Our parents are so embarrassing.”

#wolfstar #prongsfoot #wolfstarbucks #sirius black #remus lupin #lily potter #james potter #regulus black #harry potter #teddy lupin #imp is writing

[phoenixyfriend]

if you're still doing made up fic titles? how about this: Ah, so YOU'RE the reason i've got a headache

send me a made-up fic title and i’ll tell you what i would write to go with it

This ask meme is from over a year ago. Please don't send new prompts.

Time-loop fic, Mace POV. He's stuck reliving the day of Anakin's opera visit with Sheev.

Mace is stuck living this day over and over, and a lot of the elements are the same (how he wakes up, the reports of battles on the other side of the galaxy, the stock numbers), but a handful of things keep changing.

Always, Skywalker is wild-eyed and tense and clearly riding the edge of a complete mental breakdown, avoiding the Council and begging off to handle a personal issue. It might be Amidala-related, and so Mace just... lets him. He figures that if anything can calm Skywalker down from whatever is wrong here, it's Amidala.

The day never really ends the same. Sometimes it ends similarly, but not the same. Shatterpoints don't match up with what he expects. Some loops end early, but not for reasons he can identify. Things change, but only sometimes in response to his actions.

He doesn't find out until four loops in that Palpatine is a Sith Lord, and he finds that out because he happens to be trying a new tactic for 'figure out the time loop' by visiting the Senate, which half-exploded in the third loop. In the fourth loop, the Chancellor's office doors burst open, releasing Skywalker (who is on the defensive) and Palpatine (who is shooting lightning from his fingers, at Skywalker).

The loop ends with Mace's death.

Fifth loop kicks off with Mace immediately heading for the Senate to try to kill Sidious while his guard is down, figuring that if the loop resets, no harm done, and if it doesn't, then Mace's actions will be done independent of the rest of the Jedi, and the Senate will (hopefully) not have any of his consequences land on the rest of the Order.

He dies. Again.

Sixth loop. Similar start. He tries another early assassination. Once again, it doesn't work. This time, he sees Skywalker entering the Chancellor's office, just in time to distract Mace and get him killed.

When Mace heads for the Senate in the seventh loop, he has a shadow. He doesn't have to try very hard to sense that Skywalker is stalking him, but he also can't remember what he did this morning to make Skywalker follow him. That said, the previous loops now indicate that Skywalker's general anxiety in the mornings is not an Amidala thing, but perhaps him struggling with the suspicion that his friend is a Sith Lord. It's very possible he picked up on Mace's intentions, and--

Mace stops for coffee, just to make sure he's awake enough to fight. Skywalker disappears from his senses. The loop resets before he ever makes it to the Senate.

Eighth loop, Mace tries to research. He tries to stalk Palpatine. Skywalker enters for a 'friendly' visit around lunch, and then attempts an assassination of his own. Mace tries to help, but Palpatine shouts to the Coruscant Guard, and Mace is shot down.

(So that's what killed him in the fifth loop.)

Ninth loop, Mace decides to waylay Skywalker. Clearly, he's the only person so far that knows what's going on. Sure, he'll think Mace is going insane, once he mentions the time loop, but still. Mace needs information, and Skywalker's the only one who might have even a little bit of it.

Mace pulls Skywalker aside. Asks 'what do you know about Palpatine?' Mentions knowing that there's a whole Sith thing going on--

Skywalker backs away with terror on his face, for some absolutely inscrutable reason, and then runs away.

Mace considers this, and then chases after him.

Skywalker's fast, so Mace doesn't actually catch up to him until he's already in the Senate building, running for the Chancellor's office, and--

The bomb that Skywalker was carrying goes off, taking both of them with it.

Tenth loop, Mace finds Skywalker before he does anything else. He drags him into a meeting room, says "I've lived this day before. Palpatine is a Sith Lord. You keep trying to assassinate him, so I know you're aware of this. Help me help you."

Skywalker breaks down crying, and Mace has no idea what to do. When Skywalker flings himself into Mace's arms, he hugs back on instincts born of half-raising Depa, and asks what's going on.

Mace has lived this day ten times.

Skywalker has lived it over a hundred.

(He's long since lost count.)

Mace finds out that he died in the first loop. He's died in many of them, actually. Once or twice they've successfully killed Palpatine, but never in a way that prevents his backups from going off. Skywalker's started running assassination attempts solo in hopes that he can take the entire brunt of the 'take my killer with me' deadman's switches, because all his attempts to stop those deadman's switches weren't enough. He could never deactivate them before Palpatine noticed. When he'd tried to let someone else handle the 'killing Sidious' part while Anakin did the deactivation, the others would always die, because they started with an attempted arrest, just like canon. They wouldn't listen to Anakin about how they couldn't lead with their sabers, not against Sidious. Eventually, he stopped trying to convince them of the time loops thing, and just... tried to handle it on his own.

But now Mace is here, and Mace remembers too.

And Mace is going to help him.

(The title would be referring to the many shatterpoint migraines Mace is experiencing as a result of not knowing Anakin is also messing around in the timeline.)

#star wars #Mace Windu #Mace POV #Anakin Skywalker #Sheev Palpatine #phoenix answers memes #death mention #suicide mention #(in the 'kamikaze mission' self sacrificial way)

[lastflowerofyourhouse]

ok so @arithmonym 's post about how abigail pent was in the process of annexing the fourth got me thinking. if jeannemary and isaac can see her intentions, then the people around them must too, right? i'm fairly certain isaac has at least one living parent, and there should be officials and advisors surrounding him to prevent exactly this sort of thing from happening. harrow cites the fifth as the biggest threat to the ninth multiple times. if abigail is trying to annex the fourth, the people around isaac know about it. so why have they allowed him and jeannemary to get so close to abigail and magnus? why are they taking that risk?

unfortunately, i'm visiting family right now and i don't have access to my copy of gtn, so i'm gonna have to work from memory here. i may edit in some corrections when i get home in a couple of days. but if memory serves, isaac is not the eldest child in his family. he's just the eldest surviving. and the fourth doesn't seem particularly careful with their heirs. isaac is thirteen and already talking about shipping off to the front. how old do we think his younger siblings are? eleven? eight? two? who's next when isaac dies young?

so many of the houses have dwindling populations. the sixth, the ninth, the second. and based on their famous propensity to eat their young, i doubt the fourth is doing much better. i doubt they have very long before they end up like the ninth, stuck with a child despot and no one to marry them to. it's happening more slowly than what happened to the ninth, but it's really not that different. they haven't pumped neurotoxin into the nursery, but they very much are killing their children.

the reverend parents took desperate measures to save their house. they did it to preserve the cultural identity of the ninth. like harrow says. getting annexed is a worst-case scenario, because it would be the end of everything they are. i think the fourth is in a similar situation. four for fidelity, facing ahead. i think that to pull back, to preserve themselves, to save their children and bolster their population, would be an unconscionable betrayal of their cultural identity. i think the idea horrifies them, as much as the idea of reaching out to the fifth horrified the reverend family.

it's just, that horror is pushing them in the opposite direction. the people around isaac and jeannemary are intentionally allowing the fourth to be annexed, because god forbid they simply stop sending twelve year olds to die.

#the locked tomb #tlt #tlt meta #isaac tettares #abigail pent #my post

[idontknowreallywhy]

Resurface 8 - Remain

Last bit for today… thanks for the encouragement :)

(Scott and Virgil and now John would like it to be known they do not appreciate the encouragement)

First bit, second bit, third bit, fourth bit, fifth bit, sixth bit, seventh bit…

(previous story)

💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚

Scott paced the length of the infirmary, kicked the wall ever so lightly with the toe of his left shoe then paced back towards the door, tapped the doorframe with the back of the knuckle of his right index finger, spun on his heel and repeated the journey. He had shortened his natural pace slightly to fit in eight steps in each direction. A quiet unused part of his brain kept count, while the rest raced. Thirty seven-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight, thirty-eight-two-three-four…

“Would you please sit down? You’re supposed to be keeping off those feet.”

“They’re fine.”

“You’re making me dizzy.”

“Look the other way.”

“Scott…”

“Sorry.”

There was a pause. He kept pacing.

“You know this wasn’t your fault?”

“Yep. But I need to wait for him to wake up anyway. And if I’m waiting I need to move so… Sorry.” He spun on his heel. Forty-two-two-three…

“He’s not going to wake for a while yet. It was a pretty hefty dose and he doesn’t metabolise it at the rate you do.”

Scott paused.

“Why do we keep it in such large doses?”

“Always have. Ever since… uh… before we moved here.”

For him then. Right. Well. That was… something to probe later. He started pacing again.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me? I should have been made aware of any potential vulnerability in my team.” He would stick to calm, logical arguments.

“There was a strong likelihood it was a one-off episode triggered by the extreme circumstances and would never reoccur.”

“I should have been told.” He was the Commander after all. It was a simple matter of good leadership. Nothing at all to do with any silly feelings of hurt at being kept in the dark. At not being trusted.

“Dad decided not to.”

“Dad’s not here!” Ok, calm. Calm down. Calm and logical.

“Maybe not but it’s Virgil’s medical history, it’s not my place to tell you!”

“We should all know about anything like this that we need to be ready for, that we might need to know how to deal with!” Scott stopped and swivelled to face his brother.

“Right, like we were all forewarned about the malaria, Scott?”

Ouch. John had clearly reached the level of stressed out where he started biting.

“That’s different.” He started pacing again.

“Sure it is. Because you knew there was a strong chance that would come back. For Virgil, we thought not.”

Scott reached the wall, counted forty-three and kicked it slightly harder than he intended, adding a slightly squashed toe to the list of objections his feet had about the quality of the brain they were distantly connected to. He stopped and rested his forehead against the cool surface. His heart was pounding as if he’d done three laps of the island.

“Before you say it, no, it’s not different because it’s you.”

“But if I’d known… I could have stopped it happening again. This was my doing. I should have thought… I was so wrapped up in my own feelings about it I never even considered how he might react.”

“We don’t know that the uniform was the trigger, Scott.”

Scott didn’t dignify that with a response.

“Alright, it does seem likely I will give you that.”

Silence fell for a few minutes, Scott focussed on the unfamiliar pace of his sedated brother’s breathing.

“What happened, John?”

“He developed Brief Psychotic Disorder and had a number of episodes within the space of a few weeks. After the first he was sectioned.”

“Grandma’s already told me that. I mean WHAT HAPPENED? What made it so bad he had to be hospitalised?”

“It was a long time ago and I don’t remember precisely.”

Scott turned to face John again and saw his usually unintimidatable brother quail slightly at his expression. 

“I’ve… spent a long time trying not to remember precisely.”

“I’m sorry but I need to know so we can work out how to manage this. It’s not like Virgil’s in a position to tell me.”

“No, and even if he could he probably doesn’t actually know.” John’s voice had slipped to barely audible. 

Scott walked over to where his brother sat, hugging his tablet to himself, legs wrapped tightly around the chair legs. He crouched beside him, wincing as the skin on the soles of his feet pulled at the steristrips. Rethinking, he got up and dragged a chair over and they sat side by side watching Virgil’s chest rise and fall.

Leaning to the side, Scott gently laid his head on John’s shoulder and John tilted his head to rest on top of his brother’s. Scott waited until he could feel him relax, just a little, then tried again.

“Please tell me, John.”

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #scott tracy #virgil tracy #john tracy #Idontknowreallywhy fanfic #Thunderangst #Resurface fic

[findmeinasunshower]

𝑩𝒍𝒖𝒆 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒔: 𝑺𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒖𝒔 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒙 𝑷𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓!𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓

word-count: 2k

summary: Sirius comes to spend Christmas with you and your family, but you notice the Holiday blues hanging over him.

warnings: discussion of abuse, crying, angst.

You’re sure that the Potter house has never been as quiet as it is now. The bitter winter wind howling outside serves as the only buffer to the silence permeating your home. Your wooden shutters slam against the side of the house for the millionth time that night and you sigh, rolling over yet again in a futile attempt to find sleep. Your mind has been restless since you got off the train at King’s Cross, and you know it won’t be still until you get him out of your head. 

At first, Sirius Black was just a story—letters from your brother about the first friend he’d made at Hogwarts and their mischievous adventures. Then, one friend became two, and two became three, but Sirius continued to stick out to you, the sentences written about him seeming to jump off of the page. 

You met him two years later. The Marauders were third-years when you arrived at Hogwarts for the first time, and it was nice having four older students at your back. Remus always has time to help you with your homework, and he made sure to teach you his favorite charms and hexes. Peter was always the first person to make you smile after a hard day and of course James is the best big brother you can ask for, even if he is an ass most of the time. 

But Sirius was always something...different. Something intangible separates him from his friends in a way you can’t quite put your finger on.

In your second year, a group of fifth-year Hufflepuffs decided it was a good idea to pick on you, as James had lost his latest match to their team. Sirius got detention for punching one of them in the jaw, then proceeding to take on all three by himself.

You vividly remember leading Sirius to the hospital wing. How he rolled his eyes as you apologized to him the whole way for his various injuries until he looked down at you with a smile that split his lip and promised:  “C’mon, (y/n). I’d never let anything happen to you.”

You had done everything in your twelve-year-old power not to swoon.

But, despite the amount of times you’ve seen Sirius hurt or angry . . . you had never seen him like this. 

You were the one who opened the door for Sirius when he arrived on your front door at about midsummer with only a suitcase, his Quidditch duffel, and a small backpack. James had had quite a few hushed conversations with your parents in the weeks before, so you were expecting him to come, even if you didn’t know what exactly was going on. But, it didn’t take you long to understand that whatever was happening wasn’t good.

Sirius barely ate that first month, and his usual wide grins retreated into forced, thin-lipped smiles. There was no laughing. He pretended to be okay and was mostly successful when it came to your parents, but you saw right through him. All you had to do was look at his eyes to see exactly what he was feeling, how much he was trying to hide. 

You went back to Hogwarts for your fourth year, him and James for their sixth, and suddenly, Sirius returned to his old self. You’d find yourself looking up in surprise when his loud laughter rang through the great hall, and then suddenly, you’d be the one laughing as he stuffed himself with food for your amusement. You couldn’t work up the courage to ask what was bothering him, not when the real Sirius had returned. If anything, he seemed more recklessly happy than he was before. 

But, then he came home with you and James for Christmas, and the long-lost look in his eyes gradually returned. His genuine laughs and crooked grins remained, but something about them was false. There was a battle raging inside of him, a battle only you seemed to be privy to. 

You groan at the thought and sit up in bed, hating how the blankets tangle around your sweaty legs from all of your tossing and turning and the heat spell your mother had conjured over the house. You just want your racing thoughts to stop. You drop your head and dig the heels of your hands into your eyes in a vain attempt to press away the oncoming headache. 

You startle with a gasp when the floorboards outside your room creak. The normally unnoticeable sound cuts through the quiet that had previously hovered around you like a knife. It can’t be James, considering he’s snuck outside to play Quidditch more times than you can count—he knows every creaky floorboard in the house. Plus, your parents’ bedroom is downstairs, so it’s very unlikely it’s either of them.

So, what the hell is Sirius doing up in the middle of the night?

Frowning, you push your comforter back and swing your legs over the side of the bed, welcoming the cold air that soothes your warm skin. You hiss softly when your feet make contact with the cold wooden floor, and you’re quick to slip on your nightrobe and slippers. Lastly, you grab your wand hastily off of your dresser and stuff it in your robe pocket. Just in case. 

Your mother had told you she put a spell on your door to stop the horrible creaking that used to plague you, so you’re pleased when the door swings open soundlessly. You slip down the hallway as silently as you can, not daring to even mutter Lumos for fear of being caught. You reach the stairs without a hitch and step down onto the second stair, avoiding the creaky first one altogether, and you’re about to start a quick journey down when you hear a sniffle behind you.

Your robe brushes against your calves as you swivel around in surprise. How could you have missed that? Swallowing nervously, you pad carefully back down the hall until you’re standing in front of the bathroom. Now that you’re closer to the door, the heartbreaking sound of what you deduce to be Sirius crying is much more prominent, but still quiet enough for no one to hear. You bite your lip nervously and knock gently.

The crying comes to an abrupt stop, as if your knocking was a button to cut it off. You shift your feet as nerves start to bubble up in your stomach. “Can I come in?” you whisper.

Another long silence passes until you hear the doorknob rattle as it’s unlocked. You push the door open slowly to give Sirius time to stop you, and then you’re looking at him sitting on the seat of the toilet. 

Your heart sinks at what you see. He’s a complete mess, hair more disheveled than usual and hanging in front of his dark eyes, which are red from crying. He’s tapping his foot anxiously on the floor and has his hands laced together in front of him in an effort to hide his shaking. 

“Padfoot . . .” you whisper and flit into the bathroom, shutting the door behind you with a soft click. Sirius doesn’t look up as you perch on the edge of the bathtub in front of him. You take his trembling hands in yours. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s none of your business, little Potter,” he mumbles, but the way his large hands are clutched around yours like a lifeline betray his stubbornness.

You can’t help but scoff. “None of my business? You’re just as much my friend as you are James’s.”

“Fine, then it’s none of your concern.”

“Of course it’s my concern,” you hiss through gritted teeth, and your harsh tone finally gets Sirius to look up at you in surprise. You feel your neck flush slightly red at having his full attention on you when he’s so close. “I’ve been worried about you, Sirius,” you admit quietly.

“Worried about me?” Sirius sits back and wipes his nose before shooting you a cocky smile in an attempt to distract you from the situation. “It’s my job to worry about you.”

"I’m not a child, Sirius.”

“Of course you’re not,” Sirius agrees, dropping his smirk for a genuine look that lets you know he’s not being sarcastic. “I’ve never seen you as a child, not even when you were a wee first year.”

You snort at his antics and immediately cover your mouth, eyes wide as you listen for any sort of disturbance. James’ room is right next door. When all seems to be quiet, you look back at Sirius, who is grinning in delight at your expression. You giggle softly from behind your hand, and he’s quick to join you, which leads to the both of you taking turns shushing the other, only leading to more badly-hidden laughter.

Once both of you calm down and determine that no one has heard you, you sit back and let your hands fall to your lap, fixing him with an earnest gaze. “Honestly though, Sirius. Please tell me what’s wrong so I can get some sleep.”

“You haven’t been sleeping?”

“No, and it’s all your fault,” you accuse, playfully poking a finger into his chest. The corner of his mouth quirks up but promptly falls back down as he turns his gaze to the tile. He takes his time to respond, and you can practically see him turning his thoughts over in his head.

Finally, he says: “My folks kicked me out.” Your heart stops. 

“What?” Sirius nods solemnly. 

“That’s why I came to stay with you lot so suddenly over Summer. I’m . . . indebted to your parents. And James, but don’t tell him I said that.” He sighs and runs a hand through his scraggly hair. “My mum and dad say I’m a blood traitor.”

“What the bloody hell does that mean?” you ask.

He shrugs. “It means I’m not a Black anymore.”

At that moment, the stone statue that was your body shatters into a million pieces, and you stand up, waving your arms in anger. “What kind of mother would disown her own child? Why if I saw her, I would hex the–”

“Whoah whoah whoah, calm down, Lancelot.” Sirius takes your upper arms and gently spins you around to face him. “It’s alright. Truly. I’m better off without them anyway, because I got out of that hellhole and I get to be with you guys.”

You frown in confusion. “Then why were you crying?”

He purses his lips and shrugs, letting his hands drop back to his sides. You immediately miss their warm weight. “It’s nearly the new year, and Christmas is almost over. It’s strange to spend this time of year knowing that your own family doesn’t accept you anymore. I guess the reality of it just finally clicked.”

You nod along with his words. “I understand.” You step forward and raise your hand up to run your fingers through his tangled black hair, brushing it back and away from his face. “No more tears, though. They don’t deserve it, and neither do you.”

You pull your hand back but Sirius catches it before it can fall back to your side. His fingers cradle yours with impossible softness and his lips feel like fire when he kisses the back of your hand. “Thank you, (y/n).” You shudder at his husky voice, and he drops your hand.

You bring it to clutch at your chest and look away from him shyly. “Well, we should probably get some sleep so we can deal with James without killing him tomorrow.”

Sirius chuckles. “You do need quite a bit of energy to do so.”

You look up at him through your lashes and smile bashfully before stepping around him so you’re at the door. Just before opening it, you pause and look back over your shoulder at him. “Good night, Sirius,” you whisper.

His eyes shine with what you can only describe as pure warmth, and his lips curve up into a smile. “Good night, (y/n).”

#findmeinasunshower #sunshowerimagines #sirius black #sirius black imagine #sirius black x reader #sirius black x you #sirius black fanfiction #marauders #marauders imagine #marauders x reader #marauders x you #marauders fanfiction #harry potter #harry potter imagine #harry potter x reader #harry potter x you #harry potter fanfiction #james potter #hp #hp imagine #hp x reader #hp x you #hp fanfiction #fandom imagine #imagine #x reader #x you #fanfiction

[butterflydm]

Since you're on a reread right now (and I don't have the spoons for one), I'm curious: does Min pass the Bechdel test after she leaves Salidar?

Oh, that is a huge task, anon!

Haha, off the top of my head, I can't think of any -- maybe her telling Melaine about her being pregnant, if you count her napping on Rand's lap as her 'leaving' her earlier conversation and starting a new one, oh but Rand is still part of that convo, so I guess it doesn't count. Ah, maybe a super-late series conversation she has once she leaves Rand's side counts.

I know that most of the female characters talk to other female characters about plot points fairly frequently but once Min gloms herself to Rand, most of her conversations happen with at least one man around or a man as the object of the convo, I think. But actually sifting through the books to check would be a pretty big task.

What I can do is run a general search on my pdfs and see if I get any results that might count. I'm going to use "Min said" or "said Min" as my search phrases, which is not ideal and probably won't find every time she talks to someone (it misses any time she was introduced in a scene via prose but then Jordan used "she said", for example) but should hopefully give an idea.

TEotW: the only time she talks to someone 'on-screen' in this book is her conversation with Rand, so nothing in this book.

TGH: has ten conversations in this book. First one mentions Rand; second one mentions Galad and Logain; third one mentions Rand (and is the first occurrence of her blaming Rand for things that are her own choice); fourth one mentions Doman; fifth one counts!; sixth is with Doman; seventh one counts!; eighth one counts!; ninth one is about Rand; tenth is with Rand. So 3 out of 10 aren't about or with men.

TDR: has four conversations in this book. First one is about Rand; second one is about Rand; third one is about Rand; fourth one is about Rand. So 0 for 4 in this one.

TSR: has four conversations in this book. First one mentions Gawyn; second one is with Gawyn and Galad; third one is about Rand; fourth one is her helping Leane and Siuan escape and counts; fifth one is with Gawyn. 1 out of 4.

TFoH: has five conversations. First one is about Gareth Bryne and Rand; second one maybe technically counts but Min is thinking about men a lot during it; third one is about Logain; Elayne and Min's reunion technically counts because they don't mention Rand out loud but he's the obvious subtext; and then they do talk about him in the fifth conversation. So... two half points adding up to one full one?

LoC: has six conversations. First one is about Rand (and is Min expressing the idea that Rand is the only thing that gives her happy thoughts); the second is about Rand; the third is her reunion with Rand; the fourth technically counts but is about her escaping Merana and the embassy so that she can go see Rand again; the fifth is Perrin introducing Faile and Min; the sixth is with Rand. So maybe half a point, but that 'conversation' is a single line of dialogue and the subtext was about Rand.

ACoS: has four conversations. First one is with Rand; second one is with Rand; third one is about Rand; fourth one is with Rand. 0 out of 4.

TPoD: has three conversations. First one is Min fetching drinks for Rand and Dobraine; second one is with Rand; third one is with Rand. 0 out of 3.

WH: has seven conversations. First one is with Rand; second one is with Rand; third one is about Rand (Min talks about how she "doesn't tell him things he doesn't need to know"); third one is the group love confession to Rand; fourth one is about Rand; fifth one is with Rand; sixth one is about Rand; seventh one is with Rand. 0 out of 7.

CoT: has one conversation, with Rand. 0 out of 1.

KoD: has eight conversations. First one is about Rand; second one is about Rand; third one is with Rand (and is the infamous "Min struts sexily through corpses on a battlefield" scene); fourth is with Rand; fifth is with Rand and Loial; sixth is with Rand; seventh is about Rand; eighth is about Rand. 0 out of 8.

TGS: has nine conversations. First is with Rand; second is with Rand; third is with Rand; fourth is about Rand; fifth is with Rand; sixth is with Rand; seventh is about Rand; eighth is about Rand; ninth is about Rand. 0 out of 9.

ToM: has seven conversations. First is about Rand; second is with Rand; third is with Rand; fourth is with Rand; fifth is with Rand; sixth is with Rand; seventh is with Rand. 0 out of 7.

AMoL: has fourteen conversations. First is with Rand; second is with Bryne; third is about Bryne; fourth is with Mat (and features their bizarrely appearing from nowhere friendship); fifth is with Mat; sixth is with Mat; seventh is about Mat; eighth includes Mat but most of the scene is a conversation between Min and slaver princess; ninth is with Mat; tenth is about Gareth Bryne and Mat (her convo with Siuan); eleventh technically counts but it's her leaving a helpless slave to die while cursing her for not helping (when Min should know that it's impossible) and is only two words and is said along the way to rescuing Mat, which is her focus in the scene; twelfth is with Mat; thirteenth is about Mat; and her last scene in the series is about Rand. So... half a point out of 14, I guess?

Just for comparison's sake, I'll pull out a random book for Aviendha and see what I get. I used a randomizer to give me a book number between 3-14 and got 9, so Winter's Heart. I'll use the same criteria ("Aviendha said" and "said Aviendha"). I'm doing Aviendha instead of, for example, Elayne, because I feel like Aviendha is closer to the same kind of secondary character status as Min, while Elayne is a main character so she's going to be talking a lot more.

Aviendha in Winter's Heart: ten conversations.

First conversation is her first-sister bonding with Elayne. While it does touch on Rand during the confessions, the bonding itself is a whole group of women talking about a bonding ceremony between two women. Still, for fairness sake, I won't count it.

Second conversation is talking with Birgitte about Nynaeve. 1 point.

Third conversation is with Birgitte, Elayne, and Nynaeve and they talk about Dyelin's loyalty and Aviendha teases Elayne about her being overly proud. They do mention male assassins during the convo, so I won't count it.

Fourth conversation is the love confession with Rand (as mentioned above).

The fifth conversation is introducing Min to Birgitte. Again, Rand is somewhat mentioned here, so I won't count it.

Sixth conversation mentions Elayne tricking people into thinking Mellar is her kids' dad, so doesn't count.

Seventh is Aviendha and Elayne talking about pregnancy and the Kin, so that's a second point.

Eighth is Aviendha, Elayne, and Birgitte talking over plans; third point.

Ninth is Aviendha talking to Birgitte about Elayne. Fourth point.

Tenth is Aviendha talking to Master Norry to get him to leave a very-tired Elayne alone, doesn't count.

For 4 out of 10 for Aviendha there.

#wot book spoilers #a memory of light #replies to anon #wot #wheel of time #min farshaw #wot replies

[the-grey-hunt]

Nona the Ninth chapter icons

it's time. i have my paperback, and i have the will, and this post will contain very many spoilers if you have not yet read Nona the Ninth. As usual my chapter notes contain what I think is relevant and/or the cause of the choice in icon

(note: the John chapters do not have icons. therefore they will be skipped, but their presence is noted).

gideon - harrow

(john)

DAY ONE

1- The locked tomb icon. General introductions are made. I assume the locked tomb stands for us meeting Nona.

2 - still locked tomb icon. General Nona backstory. It is implied that Nona doesn't have much longer.

3 - A tree with a single apple on a branch. Potentially an apple-of-Eden icon, especially as this is the chapter where school (knowledge) is introduced. The Angel and Noodle are also introduced.

4 - Seventh house skull. This plagues me as much as the fourth house skull in Harrow the Ninth's chapters. Why the seventh house? "For beauty as it blossoms and dies". This chapter features the Angel being worried, and Hot Sauce watching.

5 - Ninth house skull. Palamedes and Nona practice necromancy and talk about the blue light.

6 - Sixth house skull. Camilla tells a story, which includes how the Sixth House escaped.

(john)

DAY TWO

7 - Second house skull. Pyrrha bribes someone for Site C.

8 - Third house skull. Nona pretends to make a radio call to Crown.

(john)

9 - Sixth house skull. Flashback to the last time Camilla took Nona swimming.

10 - Slashed Second house skull. Pyrrha gets caught in a riot. But why slashed? In Harrow the slashed skulls represented false memories/Harrow's bubbles, but what's false or not happening or in the River about the Second here?

(john)

DAY THREE

11 - Fifth house skull. They discuss what's sexy. Blood of Eden storms the apartment. (again, the skulls of house members not present in this book plagues me. Traditions and debts to the dead. does pyrrha's opinion of "landmine people" being sexy count as a debt to dead Wake, enough to invoke the Fifth's skull? Is it something to do with Augustine?)

12 - Apple tree again. The meeting with We Suffer.

13 - Third house skull. Crown/Corona takes them to see Judith Deuteros.

14 - Locked tomb icon. Crown claims to know "what" Nona is.

15 - Seventh house skull. They hear about the broadcast. Nona tells Hot Sauce that she's dying.

(john)

16 - Icon of a tower with a pointed roof and shallow projecting windows, and a base with three arches. Presumably, meant to indicate the Tower in the river. The shadows are drawn as if to indicate there is space inside the arches where they're being cast across a floor.

The broadcast happens. Ianthe refers to herself and Kiriona as the Tower Princes.

(john)

DAY FOUR

17 - Icon of a plant with a few shallow side leaves and one large front-facing round leaf at the top with a pointed tip. The Angel has the kids at school make emergency shelter plans. Nona draws an animal.

18 - Eighth house skull. Palamedes asks the Angel if she has a House implant. The Angel considers this a fuckup and tries to have him and Nona killed. Hot Sauce shoots Nona for being a zombie (okay, I can kind of see the "salvation no matter the cost" in this).

(john)

19 - Opened tomb icon (broken chains, unshaded/white interior). Nona has a tantrum.

(john)

DAY FIVE

20 - First house skull. Corona reunites with Ianthe.

21 - Slashed Third house skull. Corona has a secret wire and is maybe betraying Ianthe to Blood of Eden with it.

(john)

22 - Slashed Ninth house skull. Nona is disguised as Harrow.

23 - Sixth house skull. Palamedes fights Ianthe for Naberius's body and wins.

24 - Gideon's skull icon (crossed-out IX, sunglasses, open jaw). Kiriona is found and starts participating.

25 - Slashed Gideon skull. Kiriona "brags" about what John has done to her and makes some demands.

26 - Fourth house skull. (Fidelity? Kids?) Nona talks to Honesty and Hot Sauce about the Convoy. Hot Sauce permits her to remain in the gang.

27 - Second house skull. Pyrrha reminisces about Wake to Pash. Number Seven sends in the heralds.

(john)

28 - Slashed Sixth house skull. Paul.

29 - First house skull. They prepare to return to the Houses. We Suffer issues them Protocol One.

(john)

30 - The Tower. Nona drives through the River.

31 - Ninth house skull. Back on the Ninth House. The devils are here too.

32 - Opened Tomb. Nona returns to her body.

Epilogue - First house skull. Alecto seeks out John.

you know what i've noticed? the john chapters only occur when Nona is asleep, unconscious, or similarly incapacitated.

#the locked tomb #gtn #nona spoilers #nona #nona the ninth

[drabbles-mc]

Permanent Investments

Opie Winston & OC Chris Teller

Warnings: 18+, language

With the help of This Prompt List by @creativepromptsforwriting and my trusty Wheel of Names with every character I’ve ever written for, I’m aiming to write a fic in 500 words or less every day of March. We’ll see how far we get!

Prompt: cherry blossom

Word Count: 500

A/N: the universe can pry teenager!Opie from my cold dead hands!!! i have a whole multichap in the works for these two that i just...haven't finished....but that's a problem for future me lmao. for now we have this! and my burning rage over how few pictures/gifs/etc there are of young-20's ryan hurst. i will continue to be mad about that on my own time.

“I think you’re over-thinking it,” Opie said as he watched Chris pore over all the designs on the walls.

She didn’t even bother turning around to look at him as the response easily rattled off her tongue. “I think, as usual, you’re under-thinking it.”

He chuckled, shaking his head before taking two strides across the room so that he landed next to her. He tried to figure out which one exactly she was looking at without having to ask her—much like her, he didn’t even know where to start. “It’s just a tattoo.”

That got her to turn and face him. “Yeah, it’s just something that’s going to be on my body forever. Clearly you and Jax and, fuckin’, everyone else in the club don’t really care but right now I do.”

He shrugged, not taking the bait and getting riled up along with her. “You’ll get over it eventually.”

She rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the options plastered up on the wall. “That does me no good now.”

There was a smirk on his face as he lifted his hand and pointed to one of the designs, the overhead light glinting off the rings on his fingers. They were new, Chris had noticed. He was trying new things, trying to figure out who he was and what he liked. Not unlike her in that way.

“This cute little pink flower seems like you.”

His tone might’ve sounded genuine to any bystanders, but Chris could hear the sarcasm underneath the suggestion. She wanted to be annoyed, and part of her was, but more than that she had to admit she was amused as she laughed. “Yeah, you know, I don’t quite think I’m a cherry blossom kinda girl, Ope.”

“Gonna get a skull instead?”

“Eh,” she waved him off, “that’s more yours and Jax’s speed.”

“Just get my name, then,” he joked, knowing it’d get a rise out of her.

“That’d be a waste of ink,” she replied easily, the smile she gave him taking any malice out that the statement might’ve had under different circumstances.

“Wouldn’t take that much ink,” he shot back as he mirrored her grin.

She pretended to give it real thought even though they both knew it would never happen. “That seems more like a fifth or sixth tattoo kind of investment.”

He watched her for another moment longer as she gave up looking at the potential designs on the walls and picked up one of the books of the artist’s work instead. Her fingers manipulated the pages so easily, almost gentle in stark contrast to so much of how she tended to present herself to the world.

He watched her, still smiling even though she wasn’t looking at him anymore. “Let’s start getting the first four done, then.”

There was a soft smile on her face even though she wasn’t looking at him, eyes still scanning and studying the drawings in front of her. “That’s not quite what I meant.”

#soa #sons of anarchy #sons of anarchy fanfiction #soa fanfiction #opie winston #opie winston fanfiction #opie winston x oc #oc chris teller #oc christine teller #oc chris #my writing #fanfiction #drabblesmc

[flyingwargle]

spoilers for archon quest act i: prelude of blancheur and noirceur

the traveler leaves with heavy footsteps. paimon chirps a hesitant farewell before following, and lynette gives a small wave. she glances at her brother, whose head is bowed, shoulders slumped, breaths uneven. “lyney?”

he pivots and walks away. lynette walks behind him. one, two, three, four. his fifth step falters, his sixth step reduces him to his knees. he presses the heels of his hands against his eyes, shuddering as he releases a long exhale. his words tremble as he murmurs, “i didn’t mean for any of that to happen.”

“i know.”

“i never wanted the traveler to find out.”

“i know.” she rests her hand on his shoulder. his body shakes beneath her touch. once the curtain has fallen and the audience has left, that’s when his mask comes off and unveils the anxiety and fear accumulated beneath the spotlight. “lady furina did it for dramatic effect. that’s all.”

“that’s what angers me the most. it…it had no relevance whatsoever, and yet…” his anger simmers like a stew left on the stove for a moment too long. the longer it remains, the more ruined it becomes. “no one needed to know, and now they do. i imagine there’ll be a swarm of reporters waiting for us.”

and he’s too exhausted to handle them. lynette, despite her stoic coldness, is also on the same tightrope of poise and fatigue, but she must remain level for both their sakes. “we’ll stay here until they leave. you won’t be able to get up, anyway.”

“ah…sorry…” it’s happened before. during a high-profile operation, their plans had derailed, and it was only thanks to his quick wit that allowed all of them to escape alive. once the adrenaline had receded, he fell ill to a severe fever.

it’s been a long time since that happened.

they stay on the floor, wrapped in one another’s silence, hidden in the shadows. the audience doesn’t notice them as they exit the opera house, occupied with gossip, dramatic reenactments, and their own speculation. why did lyney go through the vent? who did the thief steal the ticket from? why was the number machine rigged for that particular seat? how did the tank drop from the ceiling?

could the other young women who disappeared also dissolved into water?

lynette flattens her ears. she refuses to listen further.

finally, when all seems to have settled down, footsteps echo in the dust. a shadow approaches nearer and nearer, until they tower over them. “monsieur lyney. mademoiselle lynette.”

“monsieur neuvillette.” lynette greets him when her brother doesn’t.

“does your brother require medical attention?”

“no need to be concerned,” he chirps, head turned away, hands pressed together to mitigate their shaking. his upbeat tone is a little too sunny. “i’ll be fine.”

neuvillette glances at lynette, who gives an unhelpful shrug. he says, “i have asked for a few gardes to escort you home. there are a few journalists outside waiting for you, but am i correct to assume that you wish to leave, undisturbed?”

lyney finally raises his head, words strained through his twisted smile. “you are correct, as expected of the chief justice. if you can spare the manpower, we’d like to leave as soon as we can.”

“i’ll direct them to the main entrance. please meet them there, once you’re capable of doing so.”

“noted.”

he gives a slight bow his head, turns his heel. neither twin sees his expression, only hears an echo of hollow remorse when he says, “i apologize for what furina revealed. it was unnecessary for the trial.”

there is no reply. he walks away, words lost to the echoes of his footsteps. “your shows are a source of pride and joy for our people. please remember that.”

they don’t move, waiting until the air has stilled before releasing their breaths. lynette catches her brother’s eye and offers him her hand. “shall we?” it takes a few attempts, but he eventually pulls himself up, and she guides him to the main entrance. he doesn’t let go.

their entourage waits for them, a trio of uniformed men. a handful remain onstage to inspect the pool of water left behind, while the rest are suppressing the crowd outside. the twins are flanked on either side as they exit, the night breeze caressing their faces. lynette blinks stars away as camera flashes invade her vision, voices ricocheting around them. she hears their names spoken with contempt, admiration, interest. hands reach out. gardes deflect them, but when a few lay too close to her, she pulls away. lyney stays huddled by her side, even on the aquabus.

it’s passed midnight when they return home. lynette thanks the gardes before pulling open the front door wide enough for them to slip inside, locking it behind them. she has barely caught her breath when a quiet whisper makes her jump. “lyney? lynette?”

freminet emerges from the shadows. lyney releases her hand and looks up. his eyes are too wide, smile too wide. “freminet! how nice of you to wait for us.”

“you don’t have to do that.” their youngest brother shakes his head. “you don’t have to pretend.”

lynette nods in agreement. his mask has unraveled too much at this point. lyney falls quiet, stumbles passed them to sink onto the couch. they flank him. he takes his hat off. “what did you hear?”

“there was an accident, but it became a murder. the traveler helped prove your innocence.” freminet hugs his penguin companion closer. “they also said…you and lynette are fatui.”

silence. lyney lowers his head. “i’m sorry.” his siblings don’t answer. they know that his words aren’t meant for them. “it wasn’t meant to happen.”

“whether it did or not, we can’t do anything about it,” lynette says softly. “all we can do is keep doing what we’ve been doing. the traveler will see that we mean no harm, soon enough.”

“blood is already on our hands, lynette. but…” he straightens. his makeup is smudged, expression haunted with exhaustion. and yet, fire burns in his eyes. “we’ll make up for it. i promise we will.”

“the rest of us are behind you,” freminet murmurs. “we’re just as guilty as you are.”

they rest, huddled together in the darkness, buried beneath the weight of their sins, carrying the burden of retribution on their shoulders.

#genshin impact #text #flyingwargle original #drabble #genshin drabble #fontaine siblings #fontaine #lyney #lynette #freminet #i've done act ii as of this drabble and wow #but no spoilers #so don't worry about that #how are we all enjoying the quest??

[prettyboysdontlookatexplosions]

epilogue fic finally giving me a chance to tackle my magicians white whale (quentin's mom):

“So you haven’t started yet? Isn’t this your sixth year there? How long is your program? I thought most doctoral programs capped it at five. Maybe longer if they really like you, but you don’t want to count on that.”

Quentin clenches his jaw and prays for the coffee to be ready soon. His body has spent all morning informing him he may have aged out of the three-beers-on-a-Tuesday-night portion of his life, and he’s regretting the timing. “It’s my sixth year at Ravensdale, but I was just a research assistant the first year. So it’s my fifth. And funding’s guaranteed through the sixth.”

“Oh. Well. Still. And you don’t have a topic yet?”

“No, I have a topic, I just — I have to hammer out the specifics, you know, narrow down my focus, design an actual research question —”

“But it’s just your flower thing, right?” His mother shakes her head in the same impatient, perplexed manner he has seen her shake her head maybe hundreds of times in his life. “I mean, you’re like the expert on that, right? What’s so hard about that?”

“It’s not hard, Mom, I just need to — decide.”

“Mm.” Another familiar tone: wry, knowing. Infuriatingly so. “That always was your problem. You get that from your father, I think. I must have asked him what he wanted for dinner, what, hundreds of times? Actual, literal thousands? And you know what? I can’t recall a single time he had an answer. I mean, flexibility is nice, but there’s being flexible, and there’s…” She purses her lips, like it’s just crossed her mind that this does happen to be Quentin’s dead father she’s talking about and possibly some tact might be called for. “You don’t do that to Eliot, do you?”

Quentin stares at her. “I don’t do what to Eliot?”

“Make him decide all the time. You have to pull your weight on things like that, you know?”

“Obviously, I know that.” It comes out more heated than he would have wanted, because — god, whatever, fine, he’s not the most opinionated person in the world, but, well, frankly Eliot kind of is, Eliot has enough opinions for six people at least, and if it bothered Eliot to do all the deciding he does he would tell Quentin, because theirs is a healthy and mature adult relationship, unlike any relationship his mom has ever had, not that at any point since they’ve been on speaking terms again she’s bothered to tell him why she’s single now, although, to be absolutely fair to her, it’s not like he’s ever asked, although, to be fair to him, he’s been pretty fucking forthcoming on his end about the years of radio silence, which —

Hatefully, his mother seems to read his mind. “I bet Eliot has plenty of opinions.”

His mother loves Eliot, which — is fine. Quentin feels completely, totally normal about this, because it’s completely, totally fine. It’s good, actually, considering that the reason Quentin drunk-dialed her four years ago was because he was feeling sentimental about the concept of fatherhood and wondering if it might still be possible for his kid to grow up with one grandparent instead of zero. If they’re going to do visits with grandma it will be better for everyone if at least one of them can have a civilized conversation with her.

It’s also not surprising. His mother has always liked people who are easy to admire. For better or worse, the two of them have that in common.

(The kid thing isn’t the reason he keeps doing this, though. He… doesn’t really know what the reason is.)

#writing tag #wip wednesday #the magicians