#in front of the actual grand canyon

[destielgaysex]

your trademark is obviously destielgay sex.... but something i will always associate with you is the grand canyon for some reason... (<- you are the same red gold in my mind as the grand canyon at sunset)

tim i love you so much. here is me at 8 years old in front of the grand canyon. as a treat.

#you are so right about those colors #and sunset #and i think me being a little boy wearing my current fav color of pink #in front of the actual grand canyon #is really poetic

[physalian]

10 More Character Types the World Needs More of

Part 1 was specifically character dynamics, but I’m considering this a sequel anyway.

1. Fiercely independent character’s lesson isn’t to “trust people”

I’m not projecting. You’re projecting. There is a divide wide enough to fit the Grand Canyon between “trusting that someone isn’t lying” and “trusting someone to follow through on a promise”. Most dumpster fire attempts at these characters (almost exclusively women) rely solely on mocking them for the former because “not all men” or something.

Being consistently let down in life makes you hesitant to a) gain friends, b) pursue romantic interests, c) maintain familial relationships, d) get excited about any event that demands participation from someone who isn’t you. None of this is simply a bad attitude—it’s a trauma response. There is no lesson to be learned, and not even exposure therapy can help because it’s a real, legitimate, and common stunt people pull, whether they mean it or not.

So write one of these characters and legitimize their fears, give them someone who proves the exception to the rule, but do not let the lesson be “well they just haven’t found the right person yet”. Even the “right person” can let them down. It's about not becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy by sabotaging a good thing to prove it will inevitably go bad.

2. Conventionally attractive men who aren’t horndogs

I’m going to find every way I can to tell you to write more aces. This is to fight the stigma that attractive people must be attracted to people. Give me gorgeous aces and demi’s, men, women, enbys and everyone in between, who put a crap ton of effort into looking their best, and yet happen to not have a very loud libido. They look good for themselves, and not to impress anyone else.

Give me someone who could have anyone they wanted, gender regardless, and just simply has no interest. Or, they do actually have a significant other, but sex, how hot their partner is, or how horny they are, isn’t their internal monologue. I don’t even care if it’s unrealistic, it’s annoying to read.

And, you know, giving men male characters who aren’t thinking about sex all the time can be good, right? Right?

3. Manly warrior men who also write poetry

A.K.A Aragorn, Son of Arathorn. Just give me more Aragorns, period. This dude is either covered in filth, blood, guts, and the last 30 miles of rugged terrain, or singing in Elvish at his own coronation while pink flower petals fall. A man can be both, and still be straight.

A man can also drink Respect Women juice, you know? He ticks off all the boxes—he’s gentle when he needs to be, not afraid to hide his emotions, kind to those who are vulnerable and afraid and need a strong figure to look up to, resolute in his beliefs, skilled and knowledgeable in his abilities without being arrogant or smug, and the first boots on the battlefield, leading from the front.

4. Characters who are characters when no one is watching

This is less a specific type and more a scene that doesn’t get written enough. This whole point comes from Pixar’s Cars. I. Love. This. Movie. It’s not Pixar’s best, for sure, but this is my comfort movie. The best scene, one that’s so unique, is when Doc (aged living legend) thinks he’s alone when he rolls out onto the dirt race track and comes alive tearing around the oval.

This character’s unbridled, unabashed glee and euphoria at proving to himself that he’s still got it, when he’s completely unaware of his audience, is perfection. Not enough credence is given to characters to just… enjoy being themselves. He’s not doing it to prepare for the climactic race, he’s not doing it for the plot, he’s doing it just to do it, not even to prove Lightning wrong—just for himself.

Give your characters a “Doc Racing” scene. Whatever their skill is. Maybe they’re a dancer, a skater, a swimmer, a painter, sprinter. Just let your character love being alive.

5. Characters whose neurodivergence isn't “cute”

A.K.A. Lilo Pelekai from Lilo and Stitch. Really, her relationship with Nani is peak sibling writing. But Lilo herself is just so realistic with how she interacts with the world, how she interprets her relationships with her so-called friends, how she organizes her thoughts and rationalizes what she can’t quite understand, and how friggen smart she is for an… 11-year-old?

But she’s not “cute”. As in, she wasn’t written by generic Suits who were trying to cash in on the ND crowd by writing what they think will sell, but also making her juuust neurotypical enough to still be palatable by the rest of the audience. Lilo’s earnestness is what endears her to everybody. But also, she doesn’t get a free pass for her behavior, either. Her “friends” aren’t forced to accommodate her and Nani isn’t written as the cold-hearted villain for trying to discipline her.

6. Straight male characters with female friends

Am I double-dipping a bit here? Yes. While I completely understand how tempting it can be, this type of character is in dire need of exposure and representation to prove it’s possible. No weird tense moments, no double-glances when she isn’t looking, no contemplations about cheating on his girlfriend (and no insecure jealous girlfriend either). Just two characters who enjoy each other’s company and are able to coexist in a space and be in each other’s spaces without hormones getting in the way. Peak example? Po and Tigress from Kung Fu Panda.

Let these two rely on each other for emotional strength in times of need, let them share inside jokes, let them have a night alone together at a bar, at home, cooking dinner, getting takeout, talking on the patio in a porch swing… with zero “will they/won’t they.”

7. The likable bigot

I’m actually on the fence with this one but it’s something I also don’t see done often enough and I’m adding it for one reason: Bigots aren’t always obvious mustache-twirling villains and the little things they do might seem inconsequential to them, but are still hurtful. So showing these characters is like plopping a mirror down in front of these people and, I don’t know, maybe something will click. They don’t have to be MAGAs to be dangerous, and only writing the extremes convinces the moderates that they aren’t also the problem.

Example: I have a “friend” who recently said something along the lines of “I have lots of gay friends” followed up shortly by “I don’t think this country should keep gay marriage because it’s a slippery slope to legalizing pedophilia.” You know. The quiet part being that she *actually* thinks being gay is as morally abhorrent as being a pedo. But she totally has lots of gay friends. Including one who was driving her during that conversation. (It’s me. Hi. I’m apparently the problem, it’s me.)

She’s absolutely homophobic, but the second she stops announcing it, she’s a very bubbly person. She’s a ~likable~ bigot and thus thinks she can distance herself from the more violent ones.

8. The motherly single father

I say “motherly” merely as shorthand for the vibe I’m going for here. “Motherly” as in dads who aren’t scandalized by the growing pains of their daughters, and who don’t just parent their sons by saying “man up boys don’t cry”. Dads who play Barbie with their kids of either gender. Dads who go to the PTA meetings with all the other Karens and know as much if not more than they do about the school and their kids’ education.

Dads who comfort their crying kids, especially their sons. Dads that take interest in “feminine” activities like learning how to braid their daughter’s hair, learning different makeup brands, going on nail salon trips together. Dads who do not pull out the rifle on their daughter’s new boyfriend and treat her like property. Dads who have guy friends that don’t mock him and call him gay. Dad who does all this stuff anyway and is *actually* gay, too, but the emphasis is on overly sensitive straight men’s masculinity here.

Wholesome dads: a shocking amount of single-parents to female anime protagonists.

9. The parent isn’t dead, they’re just gone

Treasure Planet is an awesome movie in its own right, but what’s even better? This is a Disney movie where the parent isn’t dead, he’s just a deadbeat who abandoned his son and isn’t at all relevant to the plot beyond the hole he left behind for Jim to fill. The only deadbeat dads Disney allows are villains and those guys are very vigorously chasing an aspiration, that aspiration just doesn’t include quality fatherhood. Or motherhood. Disney has yet to write a deadbeat mom, I’m almost certain.

I just wrote a post about the necessity of the “dead parent” cliche, but what is perhaps more relatable because it’s more common, and what earns even more sympathy and underdog points for the protagonist? The hero with the parent who left. Then there’s a whole extra layer of angst and trauma available when your hero can now plague themselves with the question of if the parent leaving is their fault. Death is usually an accident. Choosing to abandon your kid is on purpose.

10. Victim who isn’t victim-blamed or told by their friends (and the narrative) to forgive their abuser

Izuku Midoriya lost so much support from me the moment he told his friend, bearing the consequences of domestic violence across half his face, that Midoriya thinks he’ll be ready soon to forgive his abomination of a father. I am firmly in the “Endeavor is a despicable human and hero” camp and no I’m not taking criticism. I audibly gasped when I heard this line and realized Deku was serious. Todoroki needs friends like the Gaang to remind him that he's allowed to hate the man who's actions caused the burn scar across his f*cking face.

I understand that the mangaka apparently didn’t anticipate the vitriolic backlash toward Endeavor during his debut and reveal of his parenting tactics but the tone-deafness of telling a fifteen year old with crippling emotional management issues and a horrible home life that his abusive dad in any way deserves and is entitled to forgiveness on the grounds of being related is disgusting.

Take it back further to a more famous Tumblr dad: John Winchester. Another despicable human who got retroactively forgiven by his sons after his death in a “he wasn’t so bad, he really did try” campaign. It’s one thing if the character believes it, it’s a whole different matter if the narrative is also pushing this message.

Katara is a perfect example: She lets go of her grudge for her own peace of mind and stops blaming Zuko for something he had no hand in, stops blaming him simply because he’s a firebender and he’s around to be her punching bag. She doesn’t forgive the man who killed her mother, because that man doesn’t deserve her forgiveness. Katara heals in spite of him, not because of him, and had she let him off the hook, she would have gotten an apology for getting caught, not for what he did (which is exactly what happened).

#writing advice #writing resources #writing tips #writing tools #writing a book #writing #writeblr #character design #character development #aragorn #pixar cars #kung fu panda #lilo and stitch #treasure planet #atla #katara #my hero academia

[cherrydreamer]

Steve's future hasn't quite panned out exactly as he dreamt it. It's close- he's got three kids, so he's halfway there- but he's also freshly divorced and still raw from the pain of it. Because that's one more person he gave his heart to, only for them to rip it out. One more life that he jumped into with both feet, only to be left stumbling as the person he adored found someone better.

One more dream dissolving in front of him.

So he clings to what he can. He splashes his savings on an RV and he loads up his nuggets and they chug their way across the states; and the whole way there, Steve tells them about all his plans, about Yellowstone and the Rockies and the Grand Canyon and learning to surf and seeing all the sights and he picks up a ton of shiny brochures he finds on a stand at the gas station and they go through them all, finding the best ones and- "yeah, OK, Joy, honey, yeah, course we can go see, what is it? The World's Largest Bull? Sounds good sweetheart! Maybe we can go see a whole gosh darn World's Biggest Farm, how's that sound, Edd? You still got the map there? Any chance there's a World's Biggest Sheep on there, buddy?"

So they do it. All of it. All the parks and the landmarks and the tacky tourist things and the weird little museums in tiny little towns. And there's so much chatter and laughter and fun and it's so close to what Steve had been picturing, all those years ago but there's just a little stab of longing for that one missing piece. Someone else, someone grown up, to share it all with.

But he's happy. Mostly, he's happy.

And then, finally, after all the travelling and the sightseeing, they wind up at that exact little Cali beach town that Steve's been thinking about for so long.

He's tired and he's sunburnt and he's walking along the sand with one kid riding high on his shoulders, drips of his melting ice cream landing in the greying waves of Steve's hair; another one dawdling behind, making a hammock from her pirate shirt and filling it with cool looking rocks while the third one skips off ahead, pigtails flying in the wind as she jumps in and out of the rushing waves.

And that's when they see him. The guy. Blond and buff with a surfboard under his arm as he comes running towards the sea, almost knocking over Steve's little wave-jumper. But he stops, just in time, and he's close enough that they can see the scars on his chest, and Steve's kids are gawping and one of them asks "Did you get bit by a shark?" with a voice full of awe, but before Steve can say anything or stammer out an apology, the guy just grins and laughs and says, "Yeah, Lil' Mermaid, Jaws took a nibble and spat me right back out. Little too sweet for his taste."

And the kids are all staring, eyes and mouths wide in amazement, and Steve is too, cause he'd been too distracted before to look properly but...now? Now he's actually looking? This guy is the absolute spitting image of Billy. But he can't be, can he? Cause Billy...Billy died. Steve saw it happen. So...just a lookalike, surely. Something in the Cali water that means all guys turn out hot and muscly with panty-dropping smiles.

Just a coincidence. Wishful thinking.

But then Steve's littlest one pipes up, "Do you know how to surf?"

And the guy smiles again, even bigger, and shakes his head as he taps a finger against his board, "No, munchkin, I'm just carrying this around cause it's too big to fit in my pocket."

But the sarcasm is lost on her. She just ploughs on with, "Well my Daddy wants to learn how. Can you teach him? He'll try hard and be really really good, I promise."

And that's when the guy really smiles, big and toothy and oh-so familiar, and he looks Steve up and down and licks his lips and says, "Oh really? Is that so, Harrington?"

#harringrove #season 4 spoilers #st spoilers #just a bit of steve and his nuggets #yes i posted this on discord but it would not leave me alone #i'm coping with my feelings by throwing myself into the daddy steve fantasy

[smok3r7]

One Door Closes & Another One Opens

Joel x OFC!Divorce Lawyer

Explicit, 18+

Voice To The Face

Main MasterList & Series Masterlist - My AO3

Summary: She’s a divorce attorney and he’s a husband looking for help to save his daughter, and himself, from his gambling addict wife. Renae Russo is a woman who fights for her clients and wins. She’s satisfied with her life and what she does - but she wishes she could have a little more. What happens when Joel Miller becomes her client and she gets to see this man fight for the safety of his ten year old daughter, Sarah. Will she be able to keep it professional?

Chapter Summary: Both Joel and Renae finally find the courage to make the right decisions to better their lives and find true happiness, partially together and partially not. Better late than never.

Word count: 5.8k

—

Mindlessly pacing back and forth in Tommy’s backyard, Joel can’t seem to stop talking to Renae. The conversation flows so easily, there’s no awkward silence, no vile words being thrown around, no drunken nonsense, and no slot machine music in the background. It’s the first time in years Joel feels listened to and has someone who actually engages in conversation.

His flip-flops pop on the cement that surrounds the inground pool - he’s probably done at least two dozen laps in a matter of minutes. The sky has changed to a soft blue with a hue of orange coming from the sun that’s starting to set, soft bubble-like clouds scatter the sky, and the vibrant oak and ash trees dance with the wind that lightly blows. Summers in Austin can be outright magical, but they can also be dangerously hot. Thankfully this year has been more of the cooler weather, but Joel’s not gonna jinx it because he’s noticed as he gets older, he hates the heat.

Joel didn’t expect to be by the pool for this call, so his jeans stick to his sweaty legs and groin as he paces, making him adjust his semi-hard cock that's been fighting with his zipper. If he would’ve known the first call with a divorce lawyer would’ve gone this way, he wouldn’t have been around Tommy. He started the call sitting with Tommy in his front lawn, both sitting around an ash-filled fire pit with whiskeys in each other's hands, but after about five minutes of Tommy wanting to know every tiny bit of what she was saying, Joel just stood up and walked to the backyard, whiskey in hand.

The phone call started out professional; he went into extreme detail about his financial details, how he wants physical and sole custody of Sarah with no strings to Annie, and that he wants to keep everything except the Toyota. She can keep that damn thing for all he cares, it’s of no use to him.

However, about thirty minutes into the call, after Joel mentioned he also wants to keep the cabin he and Annie bought when they first got together, Renae is the one to change the energy of the call from business to somewhat casual. She talks about how she loves camping in cabins and that she hasn’t gone camping in over a decade, and Joel makes sure to remember that she’s been to ten different campsites in Texas.

If things go a certain direction, he might be able to help her add to that list. At the same time, Joel can’t stop from thinking how he’s already looking into the future with her, during a time where he’s getting divorced. But he quickly finds himself getting distracted by the way her business voice morphed into this bubbly, sarcastic one that has Joel hypnotized by her every word.

And just like that, the floodgates open and the divorce talk is forgotten about completely by both parties.

Another thirty minutes go by of Joel and Renae getting to know each other through talking about fun activities they’ve individually done in the past and things they both enjoy. He talks about things he’s done with Sarah throughout her life, the memories of going to Disney World, to Cedar Point, the Grand Canyon all start to play out like a movie in his brain. Joel hasn’t thought about some of the things that play for him right now in some years - he’s been too occupied to reminisce about the past, so he goes silent for a moment getting lost in little Sarah giggles and hugs.

“That reminds me of the time my sister and I went tubin’ and both of us flew- and when I say flew, I mean we went like ten feet in the air!” She laughs on the other side of the phone.

Seriously? Joel can’t help but chuckle as he asks her, his left hand rubs the back of his neck as he passes the metal handle that leads to the pool steps. Circling for what could very well be the hundredth time.

“Yes, Joel, my dad is insane when it comes to his boat. But I wouldn’t have anyone else drive it, and he wouldn’t either.”

“That sounds like a smart man to me. Sounds like me with my pontoon.”

“Joel, stop it right now,” her southern twang takes control as she drags out her words almost in a whiny voice, but not annoying like Annie. Quite the opposite, actually, any tone from Renae has Joel drooling from his mouth and dick.

“You keep surprisin’ me with these fun little facts about you.”

Heat rushes instantly to his face, and he’s so taken aback that his feet plant themselves and he drags his fingers through the top of his curls and stops them on the back of his head, where he softly scratches his scalp. Something about her smart-ass attitude, silk-like voice, and confident cadence all combined and tied with a large bow to make it better has him not feeling like himself, and he can’t tell if that’s good or not.

“I’ve lived a pretty full life darlin’, there’s lots of things you’d learn from me.”

Joel feels like he must be on a roll or something because of the way she giggles; it’s almost like he can see her sun kissed cheeks start to turn red and her teeth shine from her smile. His heart beat thumps in his chest and cock that’s now supported by the waistband of his boxers and jeans. Thankfully he’s somewhat smart enough to have his back facing the two story home to hide the effects from this one woman.

“Well, since you’re offering, I couldn’t possibly pass that up. That would just be pretty dumb of me.” Joel knows she’s serious but he also hears the bit of sarcasm that laces her words. It’s like a fun game of cat and mouse, who’s gonna fold first, and Joel is loving every second of it.

Joel’s body feels light and airy, his chest isn’t tight. Most importantly, he’s not walking on eggshells. It’s become so natural for him to always be on alert and pay attention to the little inflections of someone’s voice and body language, but that hasn’t happened once since he’s been on this call. It’s refreshing to have a simple, yet meaningful, conversation with someone - her slight southern charm with some street knowledge, and with him knowing her physical attributes, Joel can’t complain in the slightest.

He feels like he’s hit the lottery with Renae and he hasn’t even met her yet.

“Well sugar, how about I come to see ya’ tomorrow ‘n I’ll teach ya’ some things.” The second glass of whiskey gives Joel the confidence he needs to keep up the playful banter and not feel self conscious about it. A second goes by and he swears he hears her try to cover up another giggle, I still got it. Joel hasn’t flirted in years, after so long he was convinced he could never do it again and he was going to be this cold hearted old man for the rest of his life.

“Come by anytime between noon and four,” she says, her voice low and sweet, “Just say you’re here for Russo and she’ll bring you to me.”

“Someone’s eager,” Joel can’t help but grin, “But it sounds like a deal, darlin’.”

“Well I wanna put a face to the smooth voice- uh, I-” she’s now stumbling on her words trying to hide the fact that she just slipped up more than she wanted to. “You may want to bring paper copies of bills, properties you own, and any evidence against Annie that you have. Ya’ know, for our first conciliation- free of charge for you.”

“Will get as much as I can by then-”

“Dad!”

Joel spins around and sees Sarah standing in the doorway with her Nightmare Before Christmas pajama set and her brown hair is pulled up in a high bun that sits on her head. “Are you done yet? I wanna play uno before bed!” She shouts with both of her hands sitting on her hips as she pops her left hip out dramatically and her face has a scowl the size of a monster.

He can’t help but snort at the amount of attitude that spews out of his four foot daughter - oddly enough, he hears Renae snickering in his right ear.

“Give me one minute, kiddo, just gotta finish this call.”

“Ugh, you said that over an hour ago,” Sarah groans and spins around to storm off into Tommy’s, but before she takes a step Joel is quick to check her. He lets some attitude and smart ass comments fly, but not when it comes to something like this. It’s too close to her coming off as a snooty kid - which is not the kind of behavior he will tolerate.

He rests his phone on his chest as his voice booms across the pool and yard from her, “Would ya’ rather just go to bed?” This stops her and causes her to turn her head. I’m sorry, she apologizes. He nods and she’s gone inside. Then he shakes his head, raising his left hand to his face as he rubs the corner of his eye for a moment to collect himself.

“Sorry ‘bout that-“

“Don’t be,” Renae interrupts him, “When duty calls you gotta act on it, I get it. Well, not cause of kids, but- you know what I mean. Anyways, I’ll let you go for the night and I’ll see you tomorrow Mr. Joel Miller.”

He doesn’t want to hang up, he could talk with her for hours and hours. But ultimately he knows he has to, there’s no other option. He’s been dreading this part of the call, partially due to the fact he knows he’s gotta go back to reality.

“Alrighty, Ms. Russo,” he purrs, “Rest up so ya’ can see if my face meets your expectations.”

Renae giggles and the shaking of her bracelets clangs together faintly in the background. “Night, Joel.”

Then just like that, she hangs up. Leaving Joel smirking like a fifteen year old boy who just talked to his first crush and got her number. But now he’s alone with his conflicting thoughts and feelings about how he should handle this delicate situation.

—

On my way back now, a client surprised me. Be home in 10<3

Renae hits send to Gia, who texted her about five minutes ago reminding Renae that she said she’d be home no later than six-thirty - it's ten after seven. Renae had gotten distracted by her phone call with Joel, that she forgot her sister and niece were even in town. There was just something about him that entranced her and kept her wanting to learn more and more about him and who he is as a person.

Renae’s phone goes off with a ding, and she picks it up and unlocks it to see a response.

Kk I just got B out the bath and she’s playing with Frankie, see you when you get here<3

Renae smiles and holds down the message and presses the heart reaction, letting Gia know she read it. After tossing her phone in her purse on her passenger side, she puts her car in drive and heads home.

But she can’t stop thinking of Joel. The way his southern drawl slurs his words just a bit, his laugh deep and sounds like it starts in his belly and climbs into his chest, and the way he talks so highly of his daughter like she’s the most precious thing to him. It’s almost too perfect - but yet again, he is getting divorced, so maybe that’s his red flag. She can’t help but think maybe he wasn’t so innocent in the way things ended with Annie, because there’s two sides to every story.

Even with those negative things floating around her head, she can’t leave the idea of Joel alone. Renae can’t think of the last time a man who has been open about emotions and relationships and a stand up guy all around.

Well, that’s kind of a lie.

Dominic Amaro.

That man will forever be the standard of a boyfriend that Renae will ever have. When they broke up, she told herself that she would never settle for anything less than that and she has upheld that since then. It hasn’t been easy, Renae’s used to the toxic, needy guys - for some god awful reason - so she’s had to learn how to steer clear from those people.

Joel seems to be the opposite of what she would be into, however she’s only basing this off of his voice and personality with a mix of his playful humor.

Sugar, darlin’, Ms. Russo.

Renae can’t stop replaying those words in Joel’s voice. She’s hooked, addicted even. She’s not sure how she’s gonna be able to keep her composure tomorrow. If he looks anything like she imagines - she’s fucked, and not in a good way.

Well, maybe…who knows?

By the time she reaches her apartment complex, she’s already looking forward to sleeping. But she knows she can't. Bianca is going to want to watch The Princess Bride before she goes to bed tonight. It's become tradition since the first time Bianca traveled five years ago. The first night they stayed, Gia suggested it and Bianca just fell in love with the movie. The next time they visited, Renae surprised Bianca with baking sugar cookies before the movie so they would be done about half way through. Then they could snack on some treats while enjoying the movie before they all went to bed.

It’s helped heal a bit of Renae’s broken heart that she denies having; being able to create joy for Bianca out of something so minuscule is all Renae needs.

“I’m back!” She announces as she pushes her front door open and instantly spots everyone in the living room to her left. “So sorry I’m late, I got caught up on a call.” She can feel Gina’s eyes scorning her back as Renae faces her kitchen, setting down her purse and laptop bag. Like she always does.

But before Gia can get a word out, Bianca is at Renae’s hip, saving her from any bullshit her mom was about to unleash. “It’s okay, we got the movie all set and got the cookies mixed up, they just gotta go in the oven!” Bianca squeals as she looks up at Renae with this enormous smile that Renae can’t help but feel warm and fuzzy; she looks so much like a mix of Gia and Renae, the Russo genes are strong.

“Lovebug, you are the bomb,” Renae lowers her right hand a low five, which Bianca smacks hard. “Just lemme’ go change and we can start!”

“Okay!” Bianca cheers as she hugs Renae’s hips and runs back into the living room with Gia and Frankie. The apartment is now filled with puppy barks and growls as Bianca plays tug-a-war with him on the dark gray carpet that has a hint of navy blue to it, that covers the living room.

“Can I talk with you for just a second?” Gia asks with a snide tone while standing up from the navy leather couch, then walking behind Renae who’s heading to her room.

“Don’t think I have much of a choice,” Renae sighs in defeat while opening her bedroom door. In a strange way, she now feels like the little sister who’s about to get scolded by the older one for god knows what. However, deep down Renae knows that Gia can sense something is up. When she and Bianca are in town, Renae is never late and won’t ever give a half-assed excuse, for anything - so Gia definitely knows something is different.

Before Renae can even get one heel off, Gia is already shooting off a hundred questions at once. To anyone else it would sound like pure gibberish, but Renae has no problem making out each word and being able to understand them.

So who’s the guy? How old? Does he have money? Is he tall? Fat? Skinny? Short? How long has this been goin’ on? Are you and Dominic talking again? You only glow like this when you’re with or talking with him- She takes a split second to gasp out of a realization, oh my god…it is Dominic. When were you gonna tell me? How long?

By the time she’s finished with her array of questions, Renae has already changed into her oversized tee and shorts and is now in her bathroom relieving her face from the makeup that’s melted to her face from the brutal heat. Completely ignoring her sisters ridiculous blabbering, but yet hating the fact that she’s right - partially.

With both her hands flat on the pearl white countertop next to the matching white square sink that sits above the counter, instead of in it. A little touch of something different than any other place she was looking at to rent, the bathroom is really what sold her on this one bedroom, one and a half bathroom apartment.

She observes her reflection opposite of her, she can tell there is a small glow that shines from her face; her cheeks have a brighter color to them, her green eyes piercing but soft, her shoulders are relaxed and low. She’s not tense, like she has been for the last few years. Not because of anything in particular, she just hasn't been able to let loose like she wants.

After a few more seconds of taking in her appearance, she sees how happy she looks. The defined lines in between her eyebrows are softer, the smiles lines grow from the permanent smile that paints her lips. Her eyes are full of hope and desire, much like how she feels about tomorrow. The promise of tomorrow is what’s keeping her light on her toes; the possibility of something new and unfamiliar excites Renae.

She has to venture out of her comfort zone, Dominic can’t be her safety net forever.

“Hello,” Gia drags out as she vigorously flips the light switch on and off, “Earth to Renae, anyone home?”

“Shit, yeah.” Renae shakes her head before she slides her bracelets off, along with her rings, and hoops. Then setting them on the counter next to the sink; knowing that she’ll more than likely wear them tomorrow, she doesn’t put them in her jewelry stand.

Quickly glancing over to her sister and her bump, who’s no more than a couple meters away, Renae smiles at the fact Gia is living her life exactly how she wants. The jealousy still lingers in her soul, it always will, but it’s pushed into the back of her mind for now. She goes back to her reflection and starts to put her thick hair into a low bun that sits at the bottom of her neck.

“For your information, Dominic and I aren’t back together, but we have been talking-“

“I knew it!”

Renae now completely faces Gia with a playful - kinda annoyed - expression, “Bitch, are you gonna let me finish? Or do ya’ not want the story?” Crossing her arms in front of her chest and popping her right hip that bumps into the drawer.

“Can’t help myself!” Gia scoffs as she turns around and sits on Renae’s bed, one hand planted behind her supporting her body up and the other one spreads across her belly. Her worn gray Yankee’s tee lifts enough for her belly button to pop out, Renae can't stop her lips from curving up. Pure love and compassion pours out of her whole demeanor. Seeing Gia legitimately happy and enjoying herself and her life, getting everything she wants and needs for her and her family, is such a beautiful feeling for Renae.

The big sister finally feels like the baby has finally found herself and it digs at her a little bit because she doesn’t need Renae. At least not like they did as kids. But it also fills her with this accomplished spirit because Renae was the one who pushed Gia to move to New York and make that one last step.

Now look at Gia; a badass business owner, wife, mother, and homeowner.

“I get excited when this shit happens to you, Rae… Cause you deserve it and I want it so badly for you.” Gia’s tone is now low and sincere, her body language even. She swipes the loose pieces of her shoulder length hair that’s a bright cherry blonde behind her ears and slightly sitting forward. Almost too fast for Renae to catch but she sees a small tear fall down Gia’s cheek before she quickly wipes it away with her right hand.

“Please know that I’m rooting for you in every way possible, even with our little tit-for-tat shit we do.”

Renae now in the doorway between her bedroom and bathroom with the right side of her body leaning against the frame, her left leg crossed behind her right one that supports her body and her arms still folded. The image of her pregnant sister in front of her instantly soothes her body and mind, she can never stay mad at Gia.

“Don’t go gettin’ all fuckin’ sappy on me,” Renae chuckles, “Buck up, camper.”

“Whatever, so how’s Dominic and his ma?”

“Not good, uh, he told me she’s maybe got a year left in her. Her organs just are not functioning like they should, so he’s pretty shaken by that.”

“Aw, Rae. I’m sorry, honey.”

“Yeah, well, anyway Dominic is comin’ to visit next month, so I invited him to stay with me for those few days he’s here.” Renae watches as Gia’s eyes bulge and her mouth starts to open, however she’s quick to stop her. “Nothing serious is gonna come outta it, I just figured if he’s gonna be in Austin he could save money by staying here. And maybe we’ll fuck or not, I don’t know okay?”

“I didn’t say anything,” Gia smirks as she raises her hands in surrender. “But I know that’s not everything that happened today… Spill.” Both her hands back on the mattress supporting her body as she leans back a bit with a cocky smirk.

Renae can’t help herself from laughing as she turns to flick the light off in the bathroom and slides past Gia towards the door that leads out to the rest of her apartment. She doesn’t want to explain the Joel situation right now mostly because she hasn’t even met him yet, so she really has nothing to go on. She’ll fill Gia in tomorrow after her meeting with him.

“Nice try, your daughter’s waiting for us.” She flicks her bedroom light off, “In five seconds I bet she’ll call for us. Five…four…three…two..”

“Mamaaa, are y’all almost ready?”

In her dark room the two sisters can’t help the burst of laughter and snorts that leave their mouths at the perfect timing of Bianca’s voice from the living room. Renae was just trying to switch the topic of conversation off of her before she got stuck answering to her sister.

Even though she’s a lawyer - a very good one - Gia is able to corner Renae into telling her things. She’s never been able to understand why her baby sister is the one to crack her and it’s been like this since Gia could talk. So Renae found out she has to switch the conversation or just leave the area, because otherwise Gia will sit there and pick apart every minute detail that Renae subconsciously tells.

“We’re comin’, lovebug!”

—

The flicking of Renae’s nails on her thumb and ring finger on her right hand takes over the office, her nerves tingling with anticipation. It’s the first time she’s ever been nervous to meet a client. Well frankly, she’s never had a client like this before.

She can’t stop pacing her office; around her desk, around the table that sits in the middle of her room, up and down the length of her five foot window as she stares down twelve stories at the people who look like ants. Her stomach is in knots, her throat feels dry even though she’s pounded a couple of bottles of water.

Burning rays of sun shine down on her through the window pane, causing her to turn back to her office as she scans her surroundings. Making sure everything is exactly how she wants it and nothing is slightly out of place; first impressions are huge for her.

Renae’s office is her prized possession, she’s worked her ass off to get where she is; right after high school she jumped into college - four years of college to get her bachelors in Sociology and then she did three years in Law school. Luckily she knew Rachel York through a family friend, who put a good word in for Renae and was able to start at R&R Law Firm immediately. So the last thing she wants is for a client to walk in and be instantly turned away by how her space is decorated or kept together.

Maybe that’s a stretch for anyone to think but she’s heard plenty of stories from other attorneys, where their desk wasn’t kept up completely and the client complained about him being disorganized. So ever since then Renae has been a stickler about her work space.

Why did I give him such a huge window of time? She repeats on a loop in different ways so she can try to understand her logic, but there’s no right or wrong answer. She was simply too distracted by him and too eager to meet him to even think about giving correct information. She cracks her thin fingers on both hands and a little bit of her tension is broken, at least in her hands - the other parts of her body are another story.

She tilts her head up to the clock above her desk, one o’clock on the dot. She inhales through her nose and lets it sit in her chest for a second, then exhales through her mouth once to try to escape the reality of meeting Joel. But it doesn’t help. She walks about her mahogany desk and sits in her matching colored office chair, adjusting her fitting white button-up that’s tucked into her high waisted baby blue dress pants so she’s comfortable.

Her usual curly hair, now pin straight with a middle part, reaches the top of her butt and a few money pieces in front of her shoulders and temples on her face. The gold of her jewelry shimmers with her sun-kissed skin that lays underneath the thick, choker-like chain necklace, accompanied by her medium sized hoops, bangles on each wrist and groupings of rings on either hand. Her French tipped acrylics being the cherry on top for her.

“Knock, knock.”

Renae stops like she just got caught sneaking out the house as a teenager.

He’s here. Holy shit. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

With her open toed white heels she spins her chair towards her door to see the mystery man that she already knows is going to uproot her life. Her body stops all movements, but her brain is working a mile a minute.

He’s from the diner… He’s the hot man from the diner.

But he’s cleaned himself up. He’s now crossed the threshold of the door about five or six feet away from her, give or take. First thing that catches her eye is how he shaved his face, keeping the mustache so not quite a baby face but not the full beard she loved yesterday. His salt and pepper curls are combed back and not messy, it even looks like he may have gotten a small haircut on the top. His dark chocolate orbs glistening along with his tanned skin from the sun that beats in from the window across the room.

She can’t believe this, it’s almost comical. In fact, she can’t help but laugh and slightly shake her head side to side while she stares up into his eyes. Joel does the same as he holds a stack of papers in a Manila folder tucked between his left bicep that’s covered by a light gray button up, which is bunched up and about ready to rip and his side.

“So you’re Joel Miller?” She giggles as she pushes herself out of her chair and steps towards him to properly greet him, for real this time and not just a quick moment of intimate eye contact while she walks away.

“This is me, darlin’,” he says, and she watches his eyes do a quick up and down gaze of her body as she gets closer. Her heart flutters at his voice, it's soft but deep like it comes from his chest and his southern tone is heavy when it comes to pet names.

Now directly in front of him, Renae extends her arm to shake his hand - for more reasons than one - her thin gold bangles chime together.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Miller”

Joel’s quick to grasp her hand, which is completely swallowed by his thick, calloused hand that squeezes for a second, “Likewise Ms. Russo.” His voice is like honey that drips and drips, having Renae begging for more of it.

—

“So you did know it was me before you came here?” Renae questions Joel with a smirk, as she barely sways her chair and pops her gum, while he sits across her desk.

Joel shifts his body just enough so his shoulder blades now rest on the back of the leather swivel chair, his right hand scratches his stubble while he chuckles at her reaction. His eyes roam around her body, even though she’s all he wants to look at. He’s partially embarrassed because he feels like a stalker of some kind, even though she’s reassured him that he’s not dozens and dozens of times.

It’s been close to two hours since he arrived at her office. The first hour was all about the divorce bullshit he’ll have to go through; canceling insurance on Annie’s Toyota and changing the title to her name, taking her off his phone plan, changing locks, taking her off of the family insurance policy. Then the worst two things that he wanted to avoid at all cost, he found out he’s going to have to deal with it - the whole process will take four months minimum because there’s a child involved and that he’s going to have to fight for physical and sole custody because Annie’s going to, and already is, fighting it.

Renae could tell he was feeling down and out of sorts just by the way his whole body tensed when Sarah came up in the conversation. So she swiftly changed the course of their conversation and turned it more easy-going and natural than the previous. Which ended up turning into an hour of joking about the fact they have somewhat already met one another and the fact the odds of that happening are slim to none.

“Yes… But,” he sits up, now halfway off the seat and his elbows rest on his knees, while his palms and fingertips pressed together, “I just happened to click on R&R Law Firm. I saw your picture - beautiful one by the way - ‘N I told myself, or, made myself is a better way to describe it. And I had to just make the call.”

Joel loves the way her face brightens whenever he compliments her or he makes a joke that she finds hilarious; the way her nose scrunches when she tries to hide her laughter or smile, makes it hard for him to stop staring. He’s just getting to know her and he’s already obsessed, addicted, fixated. It’s kind of scary how possessive he already feels around Renae.

“Thank you. It’s an old picture, I’m sure you can tell,” her hands gesture to her face for a moment before she rests them back on her armrests and scoffs. “Side note, I believe you Joel. Don’t have to defend yourself, that’s what I’m here for!” Her teeth gleam with her smile as she rolls her chair a bit to her right and gently pulls the middle drawer of her desk open and grabs a sheet of paper.

“Exactly why I wanted ya, darlin’.” He draws out the beginning of ‘exactly’ as he watches her move so smoothly behind her desk. Gliding to one side and her orange strands of hair fly with her, grabbing a pen for him to use and the top part of her button-up open just enough for Joel to get a peak of her breasts, and back in the middle as she turns the paper to him.

“Just sign here,” she circles the bottom section on the front, then flips the sheet over, “‘n here and I’m all yours.” She purrs, handing the blue pen to Joel who happily takes it. Joel rarely liked the look of Annie’s too long, bright acrylics but Renae’s simple style and length makes him rethink his opinion on acrylics. He starts to think about how pretty her French tips would look wrapped around his throbbing cock or how ravishing she looks when she’s dripping with arousal as she glides through her folds and teases herself.

Mindlessly he signs the form and sets the pen on top of it before he slides it back to Renae who’s admiring him from behind her desk. Joel's brain can’t wrap around the fact that someone as gorgeous and intelligent as Renae, is even interested in a guy like Joel. Maybe too much of the belittling and the trauma from Annie has diminished his self esteem, but he can slowly feel it coming back.

She’s all mine.

#joel miller #pedro pascal #joel miller fanfic #joel miller series #joel miller smut #joel x oc #joel and sarah #joel tlou #joel the last of us #tlou joel #joel miller x ofc #joel miller x oc #joel miller fic #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller x original character

[thespiderlingandthetinman]

👀👀 just read your answer to my question and I'm excited to send a prompt 😌 StarkerFestivals is having a starkercest Winter Bingo so I randomly picked one and got Somnophilia. So somnophilia and starkercest 😈

WAAAH I’m sorry this took so long!! But THANK YOU for this prompt I loved writing every moment 😩❤️‍🔥

Warning: Dubious consent -> full consent, daddy kink, incest

Word Count: 4,328

It’s no secret how much Tony loves his boy, his only son from a once successful marriage. Peter was his pride and joy, especially after he’d won full custody over him years prior. Peter was 18 now and Tony had realized a few things as he’d watched his son grow. Tony supposed it was a mixture of being single and practically celibate for so long, having been focused solely on caring for Peter and giving him the best life he could. Spending so much of his time with his son had turned his innocent, fatherly love into something of a monster, something like infatuation and lust when he looked at his beautiful pale skin and dark brown eyes. Tony had had the pleasure of watching Peter grow into himself, watching as his voice dropped and his muscles grew in, as the goofy preteen turned into a mature young adult.

Tony had never intended to let those feelings be known, not to anyone, especially not Peter. He also never intended to act upon those feelings. That’s why he found himself in a precarious position, pressed up against his son’s backside in a hotel bed. They were halfway through a road trip to the Grand Canyon, resting for the night before they spent the whole day driving and sightseeing. Tony had internally cursed the front desk lady when she informed them that the only room available had just one bed. It’s not like he didn’t trust himself to sleep next to Peter, but the separation sure helped.

Tony had been fine up until their actual bedtime. He’d put himself a respectable distance from Peter and closed his eyes tight, hoping if he fell asleep fast enough he could forego the fantasies that usually plagued him before bed. He was wrong, dead wrong, because Peter seemed to have some ideas of his own, completely oblivious to the way his own father desired him. Tony hadn’t realized how weak he was. He couldn’t believe all it took was sharing a bed to get him to throw all of his morals out the window.

Peter was blissfully unaware of Tony’s feelings, full of genuine love for his dad. He loved how close they were and loved how spoiled Tony kept him. It wasn’t surprising when the younger boy scooted his butt back against his dad, wanting to feel his warmth behind him on such a cold night. “So cold in here,” he muttered, already sleepy as he pulled the sheets up to his chin. To Peter, this kind of affection was normal, never did he think the simple act of love meant something completely different for his dad.

Tony’s teeth sunk into his bottom lip to prevent any noises from escaping him. Peter had no idea what he was doing to him. Tony wanted to be a good man, ached to be better than he was, but even he was human. He couldn’t help the wonderful, tingly feeling he felt as Peter settled near, ass pressed to his groin. “Goodnight, sweetheart,” Tony said in return, barely stopping himself from snaking an arm around his son’s waist, keeping him even closer. God, Tony felt like such a creep, but he was in heaven, nose pressed into Peter’s hair and bodies meeting warmly. Tony splayed his hand out over Peter’s stomach on top of his shirt, offering even more warmth. His skin flushed when he felt Peter put his hand on top of his, much smaller compared to his. Tony briefly wondered if Peter knew, if he was egging him on purposely. Tony knew that was a ridiculous thought, but it made him feel a little better, the small chance. His nerves were calmed by the sounds of Peter’s deep, even breathing, a sign that he was slowly falling asleep. It was only when he heard the softest snore come from Peter that he relaxed a bit, pressing him tighter against him, already feeling his cock swell against Peter’s ass.

“Pete,” he whispered, testing the waters. Peter didn’t respond. Tony was trying to stall himself from going any further, reminding himself that Peter didn’t want him in the same way, that touching his son while he slept would be one the worse, more illegal, morally dubious things he’s done. Peter’s silence beckoned, though. Tony had no other excuse to be this close to Peter usually, now was his chance to get a taste of his little boy. Tony made sure to go slow as he pressed on, the hand on Peter’s stomach finding the hem of his shirt, gently pushing underneath it so he could feel his bare skin. He made sure to stay there for a while, drawing invisible patterns on his tummy, hyping himself up for his next move. Tony had never been so close to him before, had never gotten to touch such an intimate part of him— it was driving the older man mad. Tony assured himself he’d gone mad long ago, when he first started imagining Peter underneath him. Tony’s mind was running wild with what he could do, how far he could touch before Peter woke up. His fingertips were centimeters from the waistband of Peter’s sweats, he could easily slide his hand down and touch him where he wanted him the most.

It took an embarrassingly small amount of time to decide that that was exactly what he would be doing. Whatever repercussion waited for him after this would be worth it. Tony pressed soft kisses to Peter’s shoulder, soothing the sleeping boy as he finally took the leap, finally pushed his fingers past his sweats and his boxers. Peter still hadn’t stirred, though his breaths did change, which prompted Tony to stop, just inches from Peter’s cock. A minute passed and Peter didn’t move, so Tony proceeded. His fingers wrapped around his cock gingerly, just feeling the weight of it for a moment, closing his eyes momentarily so he could savor the feeling. Tony stroked at an agonizingly slow pace, knowing he needed to do his best to keep Peter asleep.

Peter let out a soft noise in his sleep, something between a hum and a mewl. Tony trailed a few more kisses up his neck, feeling how warm Peter got against him. Peter was almost fully hard in his hand, the older man letting go briefly so he could push his pants down a little lower, slipping it out from its confines. Tony’s fingers trailed up the length to spread the sticky precome that formed at the tip, eliciting another noise from Peter. Tony couldn’t hide his arousal anymore as he pressed his hips forward, grinding against Peter in tandem with his strokes.

It was the feeling of Tony grinding into him that ended waking Peter up, the situation taking a few seconds to settle in his brain. Peter was still groggy as he started to register the fact that someone was touching him. He almost closed his eyes and let the feeling continue, nearly chalking it up to some vivid dream, though it only took him a moment to realize how real it felt, and another second to realize that the only person who could’ve been doing this was his dad. His dad, Peter realized, was currently jacking him off. Peter’s eyes widened and he gasped, trying to pull away and being forced back into his position with an even stronger grip. “D-Dad?” He questioned. “What are you-“ Peter tried to speak, it coming out quite shaky, stopped by the feeling of his dad’s hand going faster. “Stop,” he begged softly, throwing his head back against Tony’s shoulder and moaning again. The horrible thing was, that it felt good. He’d never been touched by someone with such big, calloused hands, never by someone who knew what they were doing. “Dad,” he moaned again, nails digging bluntly into Tony’s arm and trying to push him off.

Tony should’ve stopped at the first signs that Peter was waking up. He should’ve never let himself get this far. Something about the begging did something to him, made him burn with his need. He wouldn’t be stopping until he got what he wanted. “Keep begging,” Tony whispered, breath fanning over his ear.

Peter’s jaw was dropped wide in a silent moan, breathing harshly as Tony went faster. He couldn’t explain the pleasure and the lack of disgust he felt. It was a terrifying and conflicting feeling. It was hard to concentrate on anything but the fist around his cock, especially when he was still coming out of his sleep and struggling to understand what was happening. “Please, please,” he babbled, unintentionally bucking his hips forward to chase the pleasure. He wasn’t sure what he was begging for anymore, didn’t know whether he wanted his dad a million miles away from him or if he wanted him to keep going, to let his own father give him an orgasm. The thought did make Peter’s stomach turn, but the way his dad was making him feel was undeniable.

“Daddy’s hands feel good, don’t they?” Tony asked softly, feeling Peter shiver against him, the younger boy struggling less and less in his grip.

Peter didn’t say anything, flushing deeply and stopping himself from moving so much, so close to coming all over himself. Instead, Peter nodded his head, silently surrendering to his father’s tirade on his body. It was pointless to fight, Peter realized. He couldn’t break away from Tony’s strong grip on him. Peter wasn’t sure he wanted it to stop, anyway. “Gonna make me come,” he said pitifully.

Tony would’ve kept going, but he had so much more planned for his boy, didn’t want to spoil all the fun just yet. He slowed down his hand and fully let go of him, pulling away so he could climb on top of Peter. “Not yet,” Tony murmured, hands gripping Peter’s sweats and boxers and pulling them down all the way, happy that he was letting him do as he pleased. “I’m not your first, am I?” He asked curiously, leaving Peter in his oversized shirt, Tony’s shirt, borrowed from him because he wanted to be cozy. Tony left it on for a reason, just to be able to fantasize about how cute Peter looked in it.

Tears had sprung to Peter’s eyes when Tony let go, so overwhelmed and disappointed that he didn’t get to finish yet. He was sure he looked pathetic as he stared up at his dad, not putting up more of a fight against him. The question made his eyes water a little more. Was he really going to let his father do this? Peter knew his answer already. He was too curious, in too deep with his acceptance of the situation. “N-No,” Peter mumbled. His eyes widened as he watched his dad take his own shirt off and pull down his sweats, revealing his girthy length and muscular torso. “Dad, I don’t- Uh, I don’t know about this,” Peter pleaded, closing his knees a bit, trying to get Tony to ease off. He couldn’t be serious, that thing would break him in half. Peter had never had something so big inside of him.

“What, are you scared?” Tony teased and reached down to stroke himself, already hard and standing at attention, even more turned on by the mixture of fear and curiosity on Peter’s face. “You know I’d never hurt you, Pete. I love you so much,” Tony insisted, using his free hand to gently pry Peter’s legs apart again, scooting up to occupy the space between them.

Peter was speechless, eyes glued to Tony’s hand as he stroked himself, scared at how his dad sounded, so sure of himself. “I know, but…” Peter trailed off, caught off guard when his dad leaned in to kiss him, cutting him off.

Tony pressed their mouths together hotly, obsessed with how pliant Peter had become in just a few minutes. He could feel the way Peter relaxed against him, feeling the younger boy’s hands grabbing his shoulders for leverage. “Who taught you how to kiss like that?” he purred, diving back into another kiss, this time pushing his tongue into Peter’s mouth, languidly gliding against his.

Peter’s cock twitched as he was kissed, mewling against Tony’s mouth. His dad tasted like toothpaste, the one they’d both used right before bed. “Dad,” he whimpered, feeling Tony’s stubbly face rubbing against him as he kissed his neck. “Daddy,” Peter sighed. It felt strange to call him that, something he hadn’t called his dad since he was quite young, but it slipped out before he could help himself.

Tony felt something close to euphoria when Peter called him ‘daddy’, the older man smiling wide. He pulled away slightly, just to stare at the pretty boy beneath him. “Good boy, you learn fast,” He praised, reaching up to nudge his pointer and middle finger against Peter’s lips. Tony had never felt more in love as he watched Peter obediently open his mouth and suck on his fingers, knowing exactly what he wanted without him even asking. “You’re perfect, you know that?” Tony purred.

Peter flushed at the praise, his tongue swirling around his dad’s fingers. It was starting to get to him, the way his dad was talking. It made his heart swell, in a weird way, to witness how much his dad wanted him. He’d never considered doing something like this with Tony, but his dad was making it easy to give in. Peter pulled off of his fingers and tried to catch his breath, preparing himself mentally as Tony’s hand disappeared between them, finding his entrance and rubbing the spit around the tight ring of muscle, making Peter jolt in surprise. It wasn’t his first time, but it was his first time with someone like Tony. His dad was rugged and handsome, knew exactly what he wanted and how to get it, too smart for his own good. He found comfort in the fact, knowing that he’d be well taken care of, even if this was sprung on him. “I don’t think you’ll fit,” Peter said shakily, eyebrows furrowing as he felt Tony press a finger into him, trying to relax.

Tony looked up at Peter and leaned down to kiss his cheek, curling his finger as it slid into him, pushing it in and out of him. “You don’t think so?” Tony asked with a smirk, already working on getting his second finger inside of him. “Daddy will make it fit, then.”

The promise sent a shiver down Peter’s spine, just imagining how it would feel to get filled up by him. He would never admit to him that it turned him on, hearing that kind of talk. Peter let out a soft moan as his dad scissored his fingers in and out of him, the younger boy relaxing against the bed sheets as he got used to the feeling. “Did you take me on this trip just to do this?” Peter asked suddenly, eyes closing as he felt Tony push in a third finger. “You could’ve just-“ Peter paused when he felt his dad press against his sweet spot, angling his hips to try and recreate the feeling. “Could’ve just asked me,” he insisted.

“No, it wasn’t a part of the plan,” Tony admitted. He knew he’d tapped into something wonderful when Peter chased his hand with his hips, the older man curling his fingers again and pressing up into that bundle of nerves. “You wouldn’t have said yes,” Tony refuted, raising a brow and increasing his pace just slightly, glancing down to see how much precome Peter was leaking, ruining his favorite band shirt. “Had to show you, or you’d never agree.”

Peter couldn’t concentrate on what his dad was saying, being brought so close to an orgasm yet again. “Not many people are into the idea of fucking their dads,” he whined, looking up at Tony pleadingly, hoping he’d let him come this time.

“But you are now, right?” Tony asked with a soft chuckle, kissing Peter again, his heart racing as Peter kissed back. Tony made sure to slow his pace before pulling his fingers out, spitting in his hand to lube himself up. “And it’ll be the best you’ve ever had,” Tony promised.

Peter pulled away from the kiss feeling a renewed sense of clarity, knowing in his heart of hearts that his dad was right. Of course, he would’ve never agreed to this, but he saw the light now. He could see how much his dad truly cared, how much he wanted to love him, all of him. “Be gentle, daddy,” Peter muttered softly, biting his lip harshly as Tony rubbed the tip against his entrance. Peter felt like he was short-circuiting as Tony pushed into him. The stretch felt impossible, and the pace was even slower. “Fuck, dad,” he huffed, arching up into him as he tried to accommodate him.

Tony had a hand on Peter’s hip to keep him steady, while the other guided his cock, doing quite a good job at keeping his cool for how turned on he was. This was the stuff of dreams, he’d never thought he’d get to have Peter like this. “Language,” Tony scolded playfully, getting himself about halfway in before he paused to give Peter time to adjust. “You feel so good, Peter, so tight for me,” he sighed, the hand on his hip moving up under his son’s shirt so he could feel the soft, sculpted muscles.

Peter tried hard to regulate his breathing, one hand gripping the sheets tightly and the other wrapped around Tony’s wrist, the one that was touching him all over, digging his nails into him so he wouldn’t go so fast. Peter finally mustered up the courage to look up at his dad’s face, looking at him with such an intensity that Peter almost had to break eye contact, but he persevered, bringing his hand up to cup his dad’s stubbly cheek. He pulled him down for another deep kiss and only pulled away to say, “Fuck me,” defying Tony’s earlier insistence about his language.

Tony knew, after hearing Peter talk to him like that, he would never be satisfied. How could he be? Peter was his everything, he’d never get enough. It was just too good. Tony obliged before he could respond in words by moving his grip to the backs of Peter’s thighs, pushing his legs forward so his feet could rest on his shoulders. Tony knew this angle would drive his little boy crazy. The older man’s hips pulled back, before snapping forward, setting a harsh pace, one that made sweet little sounds escape Peter with each thrust.

Tony was right about him being the best he would ever have, Peter’s whole body was on fire as his dad started to fuck him, really fuck him, offering no mercy or empathy, forcing his small, lithe body to take him over and over. “Daddy,” he squeaked, voice shaky with the rhythm of his thrusts. He could feel Tony hitting his sweet spot over and over, making it quite difficult to contain himself. Peter tried to grab the sheets beneath them to keep himself in place, the power of the thrusts moving him slightly up the bed.

Tony concentrated hard on keeping a steady pace, soft grunts escaping him at the feeling of Peter’s walls squeezing around him, inviting him in. Peter looked so beautiful with his dick inside of him, an image of bliss and love and struggle. “Come on, don’t be shy, Petey, let everyone know who you belong to,” Tony growled. He loved every noise that came out of him and wanted so much more, wanted for Peter to scream and declare his devotion to him.

Peter felt like his brain was mush, not able to form coherent thoughts, clouded completely with pleasure and small spikes of pain that only made him more sensitive. “Daddy- I belong to daddy,” he babbled, throwing his head back when he felt the coil in his tummy start to tighten already. If Peter was being completely honest, he didn’t want Tony to ever stop, to prolong the amazing feeling inside him, but he’d been denied two orgasms already. He knew he wouldn’t last long doing this. “Would you be mad at me if I came, daddy?” He asked softly, turning up the sweetness for Tony, which he knew he would like.

The question made Tony wonder if he could make Peter come more than once. He supposed it was the kind thing to do, to assure his son that no, he wouldn’t be mad, especially after being so mean and preventing his earlier orgasms. “No, baby. You can come,” he said with a smile. “I’ll have to reward you for asking first,” Tony praised.

Peter felt a wave of relief hit him when he got his dad’s permission to come. “Gonna ruin your shirt, I’m sorry,” he huffed out, mere moments before the younger boy was tensing and shooting long strands of come up his chest, spattering all up his shirt and the band logo on it. “Fuck,” he moaned, looking down at the mess he’d made and then up at Tony. His dad didn’t stop even as his orgasm rushed through him, making him sensitive to the stimulation. Peter had never pushed himself past one orgasm before.

Tony was slightly obsessed with the poetry of it all, making Peter come while wearing one of his shirts. “I love you,” he declared as he watched, feeling Peter’s thighs shake as he kept pounding into him, lewd noises coming from between them. “Love you like this, love you so much.” Tony couldn’t help himself, he had to say the truth and admit how in love he felt.

Peter arched up as he was fucked into oblivion, only being brought back to Earth by Tony’s genuine words. It made his heart beat fast in anticipation, in fear, in happiness. Peter didn’t know what that meant for them, loving each other in this way. He didn’t dwell on the thought, mostly because his dad’s noises were increasing in frequency, getting louder, signaling his own end was coming soon. “Gonna come inside me?” He asked breathlessly. Peter had only ever fantasized about someone coming inside of him, but the idea of having his dad be his first made his body flush and his entrance squeeze around Tony in excitement.

The question only made Tony want to reach his end faster. He didn’t think Peter would actually let him come inside of him, but by the looks of it, that’s what he wanted. He could see it on his face how excited he was at the prospect of him filling him up. His son was a slut, a shameless one, and he loved that fact. “You want my load, huh?” Tony egged on. “Ask nicely, and maybe I’ll give it to you.”

“Please, come inside me, daddy,” Peter begged. “I’ve been good, haven’t I?” He countered, hoping his dad could find the humor in it and give him what he wanted.

“You have, Petey, so good for me,” Tony groaned. It only took him a few more thrusts before his hips stuttered, pushing all the way into him just to spew his load inside of him, ensuring that not one drop escaped.

The feeling of Tony filling him up had Peter letting out another soft moan, feeling impossibly warm. Peter felt like his dad had officially marked his territory with the simple act of coming inside of him. Peter knew he was ruined for anyone else, especially as he lay against the covers breathing harshly, feeling Tony’s come slowly leaking out of him. “Dad,” he whined. “I feel so sticky,” Peter huffed, watching Tony move his legs back onto the bed, not pulling out yet.

Tony was still catching his breath, shaky and spent as he tried not to slump over on Peter. He knew he needed to be good and clean Peter up. “You look so pretty,” Tony sighed and stared down at the mess they had made, slowly, and reluctantly, pulling out of him. “Almost want to keep you exactly like this,” he smirked, leaning down to kiss Peter one last time before climbing off the bed, going to slip his pajama pants back on so he could begin Peter’s well-deserved aftercare.

Peter felt pathetic as he laid on the bed, limbs feeling like jelly while he watched his dad move around the room. “So dirty,” he huffed, the blush returning to his cheeks when his dad gave him a look. “Can we shower?” He asked sweetly, not making any love to get off the bed. Peter was hoping his dad would be merciful and do all the work for him to spare his poor, sore backside.

“Sure thing, sweetheart,” Tony agreed and went back to scoop Peter into his arms, the younger boy latching onto him like a koala. “I think we should sleep in tomorrow, what do you think?” He asked softly, setting Peter down on the sink counter so he could start running the shower.

“Depends,” Peter responded softly. He couldn’t help but wince as he sat on the hard surface, but he didn’t complain. He knew his dad knew best. “Are you going to fuck me in the shower, too?” Peter asked boldly, a smirk in place on his soft features, loving the surprised look on Tony’s face. Peter was at the age where his libido was high and his recovery time was low, so he just had to ask.

Tony was taken aback by the question, but he would always hold firm that whatever Peter wanted, Peter would get. “You read my mind,” Tony hummed, playing along with his son’s desires easily.

Tony and Peter didn’t end up making it to the Grand Canyon the next day, but their day in couldn’t have been more eventful.

#starker #starkercest #tinmanfriendly

[londonharrington]

peace | steve harrington x fem!reader

Steve tells Y/N his dreams for the two of them but she isn’t sure if she’s the right person for the job; she is.

notes: st4 volume 2 spoilers

i’d give you my sunshine, give you my best, but the rain is always gonna come if you’re standing with me

“You know, I’ve always dreamed of this.”

The adults (Y/N, Steve, Robin, Nancy, and Eddie) and the kids (Dustin, Lucas, Max, and Erica) were on the way to commence their plans that they made in other to try and hopefully kill Vecna. They were currently inside the van that they stole from Eddie’s neighbors. Steve in the driver’s seat as Y/N sat on the passenger’s seat and the rest of them in the back.

“You’ve always dreamt of driving a stolen van in order to kill a monster from the upside down?” Y/N asked, laughing.

“No. I mean driving a van like this,” he said while grabbing one of her hands and kissing the knuckles. “Yeah, it's silly, but I've actually, I always had this dream that I'd have this really big family.  I'm talking, like, uh, a full brood of Harringtons. Like, five, six kids.” he continued.

“You want six kids?”

“Yeah. Six little nuggets. Three girls, three boys. And every summer, I figured all of us Harringtons, we would pack into something like this  and… just see the country. You know, the Rockies, Grand Canyon, maybe Yellowstone. End up in some beachside town in California. Spend a week parked in the sand.  Learn how to surf or something.”

“That sounds really nice, Steve. Except for the six kids part. You trying to build a basketball team of something?” she laughed.

“I mean, we had some practice, didn’t we?”

With this, Y/N just smiled at him but kept silent. She knew why he was telling her this. She was part of this dream of his. But Y/N cannot help but feel out of place with this dream. Sure, she would love to be part his dream for the two of them in the future. But she cannot help but feel a little insecure about all of this.

Her thoughts were suddenly pulled away from her as they stopped in front of the Creel house.

Y/N cannot help but pray to whatever god is out there to help them succeed in whatever plan they have.

♡ ♡ ♡  

Y/N, Steve, Robin, and Nancy were on their way back toward where came form, after being strangled by one of Vecna’s tentacle things for god knows how long. After being let go by said tentacles, Y/N cannot help but hug Steve as he soothed her back, whispering sweet nothings to her ear.

The four of them suddenly heard Dustin shout for help as they saw Eddie on his lap, trying to fight for his life. Steve suddenly let Y/N go as he helped Dustin carry Eddie back to their Hawkins.

When they got to Hawkins, Y/N and Nancy immediate started to contact the people they knew who worked for the government (with the years they’ve spent in dealing with the supernatural things in Hawkins, obviously they have contacts in the government).

“Hey, they said they’ll clear Eddie’s charges and they’ll compensate him for his troubles,” Nancy said. Y/N sighed in relief as she sat down on one of those uncomfortable plastic chairs.

“You make him really happy, you know?” Nancy suddenly said.

“Huh? What are you on about?”

“Steve. You make him really happy.”

“You’re just saying that, Nancy.”

“It’s true! I’ve never seen him that happy! And he really loves you, like crazy. You know last night, when you were left to babysit the kids when we went to the upside down? The one where we got stuck? Steve kept muttering how much he wishes you were there so you can make the mood better! Eddie had to hit him in the head just for him to stop,” Nancy said laughing. She suddenly stopped as she quickly muttered a goodbye to Y/N as she left.

Y/N was confused until she saw Steve walking towards her.

“Hey, can we talk?”

“Yeah, of course. What do you want to talk about?”

“I think I scared you when I told you my dream. Listen, we do not have to do any of that. I just want to be with you until the end of time. With or without kids,” Steve rambled as he grabbed her hands into his.

“Steve. I would love nothing more than to fulfill that dream of yours, because frankly that’s also my dream,”

“But?”

“What if I’m not good enough for your dream? Like what if we do get married and have children, but in the middle of it, you find somebody much better than me?”

“What are you talking about? Of course I’m not leaving you, Y/N.”

“You’re just saying that now, Steve. I’m not perfect like the other girls. Who knows what you’ll feel in five or ten years,” Y/N just rambled, trying to avoid his eyes.

“Listen. Y/N, I know you’re not perfect. Heck, nobody is. But you are perfect for me. And that is enough for me to know that I’ll be yours forever and ever,” Steve smiled as he placed his forehead onto hers, rubbing their noses with one another.

“Promise?”

“I promise, with all my heart.”

“Can we name one of our children after my mom?”

“As long as we get to name one of our children after Dustin,” Steve replied, kissing her forehead again.

“Huh, why?”

Steve went on a story that happened even before they got together. Y/N felt reassured that Steve will be there for her, no matter what.

Nothing and no one will stop them from loving each other. Not now, not ever.

♡ ♡ ♡  

taglist in the reblog

add yourself to my taglist

#steve harrington #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x fem!reader #stranger things imagine #st4 imagine

[brningcigs]

OH I HAVE GOT YOU FOR THE STEVE FIC BABY GIRL!!!

the car scene where it was reader in the front seat instead of Nancy!! and the reader is like way more supportive of his dreams and shit, idiots to lovers / besties to lovers am I right 🤩🤩

this is just the cutest, i enjoyed writing this! thanks for the request lovely, you’re adorable! 🩶🩶 also, i’m sorry for holding this off for so long and if this totally sucks and it’s not at all how you wanted it, i hope you enjoy it!

a comfortable silence fills the air - the only noise heard being the rumbling of the tires against the pavement, the occasional chit-chat in the trailer from behind and “fire and rain” by carole king and james taylor playing softly. “how’s it handle?” your voice breaks the silence first, though your eyes remain on the road ahead. “not half bad considering this is a house.” steve replies, sending a quick glance over to you before his eyes return to the road. you smile and nod your head, a soft “hmm” of acknowledgment leaving your lips. the corners of steve’s lips pull into a smile, his eyes shifting from the road to you a few times.

“yeah it’s… it’s silly, but i… i’ve actually um.. i always had this dream that i’d have this.. really big family.” your eyes trail over to look at steve as he speaks - his eyes remain on the road. “i’m talking like, uh, full brood of harringtons. like five.. six kids?” you almost laugh - amused by steve’s sudden confession. “six?” you blurt out, whipping your head to look at steve almost shocked. “yeah, six little nuggets. three girls, three boys..” steve trails off for a second, before he laughs. “and.. and every summer, i figured all of us harringtons we would pack into something like this and… just see the country. you know, the rockies, grand canyon.. maybe yellow stone. end up in some beachside town in california. spend a week parked in the sand.. learn how to surf or something..”

you smile, staring over at steve as he lays all this on you. you had no idea where this all came from, but you weren’t complaining.

“that sounds really nice.” you said after a few seconds and steve glances back over at you. “yeah?” his voice is tender when he speaks this time. “yeah…” there’s a long moment of just the two of you staring at each other with smiles, before you grin and look down into your lap. “well, except for the six kids part - that sounds like a total nightmare.” you say playfully, earning a chuckle from steve. in all honesty: it didn’t actually sound all that awful to you. you’d imagine with the right person, having so many kids would be nice. and the way steve described it, it gave you this warm feeling. especially after everything you steve and the other kids have been through.. thinking about having a big family in the future felt nice. didn’t seem so crazy to fantasize about the whole white picket fence, suburban neighborhood life - the whole package.

“if only i had some practice.” steve says, gesturing to the kids in the back, all too preoccupied in their own conversations. you nod your head and smile, lifting your hands in mock defense. “alright, fair. touché.” you say with a smile, and steve smiles right back at you. “that would be nice, though.. seriously, i mean.. settling down.” you started, looking down at your hands as you played with your finger tips. “it doesn’t sound like a nightmare.” you said, looking over at him to see he was already staring at you. all of a sudden something felt different about the way he was looking at you. it quickly crossed your mind what it would be like to spend the rest of your life with him. to have six kids and travel the world. it made you feel peaceful, and that feeling was refreshing.

after what felt like ages, steve finally looked back into the road ahead, and you did the same. you found yourself smiling so hard it was beginning to hurt your cheeks, but you didn’t care. you stared out the window and thought about everything steve had told you, listening to the soft rumble of the tires below. and for the first time in days you felt totally okay. you didn’t feel the pressure of what’s to come, to save the world. and you fantasized about the light at the end of the tunnel.

it was like the switch inside you that kept you anxious flicked off. and steve had flicked it off so easily.

#steve harrington #steve harrington fanfic #stranger things fic #stranger things #stranger things 4 #joe keery #comfort

[acaciapines]

hey! for the fic ask game: 3, 5 (for the wolf 359 daemon au), 8, 38 and 42?

3. What are some tropes or details that you think are very characteristic of your fics?

somebody being a least a little bit nonhuman <3 but more broadly i really like writing about human/animal dynamics, both in the nonhuman sense obviously, but also even in my daemon aus--what do humans say about animals? how much is true and how much is just something humans have put onto the animal, rather than what the animal is?

i also think i write a lot about grief, and the ways grief and trauma both can manifest in ways seen as 'unpalatable.' how youre supposed to survive these sorts of things, and how a lot of times the answer is that maybe things dont get better, but they do get different. ie i have a lot of bittersweet endings and i dont think that'll ever change.

5. What do you wish someone would ask you about [insert fic]? Answer it now!

oooh ive always hoped somebody would ask what the hell doug-nix and miranda-alphaeus would get up to after the epilogues, 'cause this never got in there (i dont think at least), but i've always had it in mind that they move out eventually! get a place of their own, which would leave minkowski, hera, jacobi, and sometimes lovelace whenever she stops by living together.

i just feel like. miranda and doug are outsiders to that crew, yeah? neither of them remember the people they once were, so. might as well try making something new and better together.

8. What song would make a great fic (to either write or read)?

this one is particularly topical 'cause a song is actually the inspiration for the current fic i'm writing! grand canyon by the wind and the wave. literally such a frisk and chara song, ALSO a really good roadtrip song, so ive meshed those together and now im working on a post-pacifist chara&frisk centric roadtrip fic! coming out....idk. may probably.

i also think twelve feet deep by the front bottoms could make a real fun onesided dessriel fic. something about 'i get left out of every plan they make / that is what i have to do / to be the only kid from highschool who is still in love with you' REALLY gets to me.

38. Did any of your fics get surprisingly popular (whatever that means to you)? Which ones? Why do you think they were so successful?

i think the one that surprised me the most was garden of earthly delights, which was my madoka magica daemon au. seeing as its been Forever since anything madoka has come out (plus daemon aus are Not popular anymore lol), i didnt know there was still an active fandom there, but there WAS, and all my commenters were amazing and lovely and it was so fun seeing everyone trying to uncover the mystery in real time!!! if i had to guess WHY it got popular, i think i'd guess it was the aspect of mystery...something to keep people coming back and commenting!

42. Have you ever received a comment that particularly stood out to you for whatever reason?

the comments that always stick with me the most are the people who come to tell me that it was my fics (usually either i know im not well or alterhuman) that either helped them feel SEEN as otherkin/therian, or helped them discover that this was a thing they even could be. i think thats been one of the most rewarding things about sharing those stories. theres not a whole lot out there in the ao3 otherkin tag, yknow? and it makes me so happy to know i've been able to help people.

#ask #thanks for asking! these are fun

[mitochondriencocktail]

1, 13, 15

The hellhound GO AU is SO amazing and I know it’s still unfinished and there actually hasn’t been anything between them yet (But insane sexual tension if you ask me) so only if you’re comfortable with these questions.

Is this me asking for spoilers? Possibly.

I am legitimately so moved by how much y'all still love those versions of them despite the long hiatus 🥺🥺🥺 <333

What's their love languages?

Answered here! HEEHEE

13. What’s their opinions on PDA?

I think, once they're together, they're going to be insufferable. Even just from the art gallery not-date, it's clear how badly they crave each other's physical touch -- everybody else be damned. I think a lot of that comes from the fact that Jere's been around a loooong time, so he's not too fussy about what people think of him, especially when he's blindsided by love.

Bojan, as a hellhound, might be a little more buttoned up at first because it's not something he's ever witnessed before, but he's also just head over heels about Jere. So I think once he gets over the initial nerves, he'd be wedging himself against Jere's side every chance he gets.

15. Do they go on vacations together? Where is their favorite place to visit?

I cannot promise anything, because lord knows we need to finish what's in front of us, BUT we had discussed a 'Book 2' if we ever have the motivation. It's not high priority for us right now with literally everything else going on both writing-wise and irl for us, but it involved them taking a road trip across the continental U.S. because Bojan has never seen any of it.

Obviously, other things happen, but they make their way to the Grand Canyon :)

I see you anon, trying to eke spoilers out from me HEHE <3 Thank you for this ask though, I truly love them so much!

Mito lore reveal: I actually have a lil hellhound bojan doodle @oneshotdepresso did tattooed on me because it represented me overcoming a years-long writing slump and getting back into the craft and the fun of writing LMAO, so I feel morally bound to finish that fic.

#bojere

[what-the-phoenix]

How I would change Piper Mclean

This is a slight carry on from this post where I posted what I would change about Jason Grace. These are some ideas on how I would change her character and certain scenes in the book because my girl wasn't done amazingly in the books. I have made one giant change to her character but I do explain why.

Her Godly Parent

So a large part of the original Percy Jackson series was the gods ignoring and not claiming their children, which was especially a problem for children of minor gods.

So much so that at the end of the series Percy made the gods swear an oath for all children to be claimed, which resulted in new cabins being built for the demigods of minor gods

And I felt that this was such an important theme that is missing from the heroes of olympus as the seven are all children of major gods, and little attention being brought to minor god demigods till the blood of olympus

So my way to address this is to change Piper's mother from Aphrodite to the minor goddess Peitho

Peitho is the personified spirit of persuasion, seduction and charming speech, this keeps to the core of her canon parenthood as Peitho is still associated with love as she is typically depicted as an important companion to Aphrodite.

Why Piper?

AND WHY NOT ANOTHER MEMBER OF THE 7?

So annabeth and percy are obviously set in stone

Jason and Hazel both have their counterpart sibling (Thaila and Nico respectively) and so need to be kept the same

A large part of Leo’s character is his backstory and fire powers so I wanted to keep him hephaestus 

So it was between Piper and Frank 

And I chose piper 

Piper has to face a lot of negativity in how people perceive or act around her from her dad's ignorance, people being cruel about her native american roots and Drews unacceptance, which is then reflected in her own self confidence.

So I thought why not add another layer and have her stress about how she is the only minor demigod and whether she can stand on equal footing or be as useful as the others

This can also be used to give some more detail to canon facts like why her charmspeak is that more powerful than that of an aphrodite counterpart.

Her Claiming

How I imagine her Claiming would go

So for the sake of my version imagine that the events at the grand canyon happened a day earlier, so the lost trio are at camp for two nights and not just one. 

The three arrive at camp, Leo gets claimed and the three split up

At the campfire that night Jason is revealed to be a son of Zeus (Jupiter) however Piper is not claimed in front of everyone which alarms Chiron and Annabeth as the gods promised and what if the problem with Olympus and it being closed off meant demigods won’t be claimed anymore.

Piper picks up on this and is a little bit worried herself however she is also annoyed as she is pretty sure she is being pranked as she keeps finding bits of twine in her hair

After the campfire Chiron tells her how Annabeth mentioned the car stealing and thinks she may have the gift of charm speaking and be a child of Aphrodite as it can be one of their powers, so for the night they place her there instead of Hermes.

She still does not get along with Drew, who claims she’s too much of a mess to be their half-sister.

Piper spends the next day with the Aphrodite cabin, and just doesn’t feel like she fits in with them at all unlike Leo who is getting on great with his siblings. 

And to make matters worse someone is still leaving twine all over her.

That campfire night Rachel gives her prophecy, (replace dove with twine), while everyone is trying to guess what twine represents Piper interrupts claiming the twine is her, she finally receives an actual claiming with a golden glowing twine over her head (Yes the twine was a sign from her mom).

Cue Chiron realising she is a daughter of Peitho

She still stays at Aphrodite cabin that night as there is no Peitho cabin, and Drew is even worse as she was right that Piper didn’t actually belong in the cabin, and found it fitting that  Piper's mum is not only a minor goddess but one of her mother Aphrodite's attendants.

When they attend breakfast there is a table for her, so she is forced to sit alone, until Leo brings out festus and they leave for camp.

Her Relationship with Jason

I stand with what I said in my previous post that i'd like to think that if Piper knew the memories were fake and that Jason is so amnesic that he wouldn't know his first name if he wasn't told(my retelling) that she would not pursue a relationship with him. 

The Lost Hero (other changes)

See the jason post linked at top for any Jason related changes 

There is still a lot of trauma from the battle of Olympus and still some divide in the camp between children of major and minor gods.

This is apparent in Drew who outright states minor god/goddess prejudice to Piper and how Silena died because of their cause.

Piper is obviously then curious about Silena but can’t find anything on her or ask anybody as it is a bit of a sore subject in the camp.

She manages to learn more about Silena and more about different kinds of love that Aphrodite and her mother represent thanks to Leo

Leo finds Beckendorf's journal in his secret bunk room when leo inherits his bunk and takes it with him to read and learn more about him on the quest

Once Leo finds out Piper wants to know more about Silena he lets piper read about her in the journals

When Piper returns she does not challenge Drew for counsellor (as she can’t she's a child of Peitho) but instead confronts her to be better and more like the Silena she read about and how she ran the cabin.

Between TLH and MoA

That 6 month period between books and how piper adapts to life at camp

The Aphrodite Cabin

So all of the quest goes pretty much the same with maybe some mentions of her mother

Aphrodite still meets her in her dream, and talks about how her mother was a great companion.

They get back to camp and Piper's cabin is not built and due to the hephaestus cabin working on the argo it is not completed until around three months into the six month gap. (This provides a bonding point with annabeth as piper has no idea on building design)

Piper stays in the aphrodite cabin during this time, now facing less hostility after confronting Drew about her attitude.

It is not immediate but over the months Drew opens up to Piper and becomes less snobbish in her ways as cabin counsellor, becoming more accepting and open to other campers.

Piper mainly follows the aphrodite cabin around for activities instead of trying to make her own schedule and assists drew in rounding up her half siblings

She becomes an honorary aphrodite camper and as she is a love goddesses daughter, Lacey and the others tell her about the ‘must make someone fall in love with you and then break their heart’ rule which she does not agree to and tells them so.

When she finally moves to her cabin she still sometimes sits with the Aphrodite cabin for food.

Camp Relationships

 Piper has her own banner for campfire nights which is situated around the other minor gods/goddesses demigods and when she is not sitting with Jason, Leo or cabin 8 she begins making friends with these campers.

This then continues when she moves into her cabin in the minor god area of the cabins. 

This area has more of a close knit bond due to many living together in the hermes cabin until they were recently claimed. Though they bond over their smaller number of people in cabins, but also how they are treated by some of the other campers.

Piper becomes good friends with Lou Ellen as she is interested in her magic and Lou Ellen in her charm speak.

This leads Piper to hang around with the Hecate cabin more and in turn learn more about the mist whilst she does.

MoA 

So this begins like the original book until we get to the senate meeting and she shuts up octavian.

And he is like “a Witch? Wait no charmspeak she is a spawn of venus” and starts ranting about how a child of venus could possibly be one of the seven. 

Piper then corrects him that she is a child of Peitho or Suada to the romans.

This then sets him off on another rant but instead saying that she is the child of a minor god BUT also how Suada is the roman goddess of Deception and Desire so how can the romans trust her and in turn the greeks.

HoH

The fight with Kione 

So instead of Khione sending Leo to ogygia she sends off Piper, (maybe because of charmspeak or past encounters?). Leaving Leo a rematch against khione of ice and fire.

So Piper lands in Ogygia and is very confused about where she is until she is confronted by calypso. 

Calypso lets her know that she won’t be able to leave as only heroes can on a raft and that she instead must be joining calypso for an eternal punishment on the island.

Piper does what she can trying to charmspeak a raft to appear but nothing happens 

Her and Calypso bond as the days (?) go on (Not gonna lie I have no idea how long leo was on ogygia).

At night Piper tells Calypso about the old stories of the stars that her dad and grandpa Tom told her while Calypso explains her curse and about all the heroes that have come over her sentence. 

Piper (like leo in the original version) is annoyed that percy forgot about calypso but is also confused at how calypso falls in love with all these people 

She explains that love is something you can’t control before questioning why piper hadn’t tried charmed her into getting off the island 

“ I don’t want to control your love” (lying facing each other on a beach under the stars piper realises she is definitely bisexual)

The raft appears the next morning.

And thus Piper follows the tradition of children of love. Of making someone fall in love with them just to break their heart

So yeah that is what I have at the moment, it's been in my head a while especially Piper going to ogygia and some I thought of while writing this.

#percy jackson #percy jackson and the olympians #pjo #heroes of olympus #piper mclean #jason grace #jasper #tlt series #the lost trio #hoo #character analysis #i love making these AU's

[gaviicreates]

FO: Desert-Inspired K+C Tote

Hallo friends!

You may have noticed I stepped away for a bit on this blog. Last time I posted, it was a couple days before Mother's Day in the US, and I had just had to frog over 10 inches of scarf due to an error. Learn from me - count your stitches. I got too confident.

So I intentionally took a bit of a break, partly because I was about to go on a trip for vacation, and partly because I was on a milestone long-term vacation leave for four weeks and I was intentionally trying to make the time disconnected from work to decompress and relax. I tried not to put pressure on myself to post. But I did try to stay somewhat productive with my crafting. Frogging was an absolute bummer, so I managed ... eh, four rows on that thing.

I regrouped by starting some new WIPs, and one of them I actually finished.

I found myself at the local JOANN (craft store chain in the US) during my time off, and even though I just needed a size up in knitting needles, I had wanted to give their K+C brand cotton yarn a feel, a try if I liked it.

For a quick reference: K+C Cotton - Category 3, 100% cotton, 180 yards, 3.5 oz.

I really like enjoy their labelling, which includes a knit stockinette image of what the yarn will look like worked up. It's a very nice touch, as yarns can evolve in their aesthetic from skein or hank, cake or ball, and in the final presentation of your piece.

As I was there, I was inspired by the colors to prepare a desert themed tote. My vacation in a few days would be to travel to a part of the country I've never visited including the Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, and the deserts in Arizona and Nevada.

Since I am home now, here are a couple shots from my trip, and you can let me know how well I managed to match colors before ever seeing these places in person! (note, all pictures taken by me - Canon Rebel T8i)

My JOANN had a selection of the colors, and Zion was not among them. But not all was lost. Though some of the names of the yarns are direct hits to the above, I chose four colorways for my desert colors.

For places I was going to visit - Canyon, Red Rocks For complementary colors - Santa Fe, Golden Coast

We're going oranges, reds, yellows, a scattering of grey.

I used the recommended 3.75 mm crochet hook throughout.

I knew I wanted the Golden Coast yellow to be my border, so to start I just started cranking out granny squares. Canyon became the consistent color in each of the squares, and I used either Santa Fe or Red Rocks with the variegated stripes as the main color scheme.

The granny square itself is motif #113 in Beyond the Square: Crochet Motifs, by Edie Eckman, and I love it for that extra bit of variety and those beautiful circle centers that truly show off the variegated yarns.

The layout you see above is a common structure for creating a bag. There are a few different graphics you can use, and this is a 13-square version, and you'll find it in a number of patterns. There is one more Red Rocks square than the Santa Fe, and as you can see I did some rearranging throughout the layout before I decided on the final in the left hand picture. I did some winging it with connecting all the squares together, but I knew I wanted the yellow to pop. So I used a single crochet border to connect all the squares. Since it's the front of the squares, the actually granny sits a bit behind. Some good 3-D flair, in my opinion.

If you've made it this far, thank you so much! I know the exciting part is the final piece, so here ya go!

I know I should have gotten a photo of her out in the desert wilds, but I am afraid I used this bag to hold all of my crafting items throughout the trip, so she was less portable than my purse.

I loved working with this yarn - the variegation was a constant surprise, especially since I worked it up in crochet instead of knit, and the color options give you a lot to play with even with the solids. It was a soft cotton that felt good on my hands. The pattern worked up quickly, both in the granny construction and final assembly, but I did work on it exclusively and for a few days in a row.

Now I just need to choose where to go next, and whether to bring her along or start a new one!

#Gavii Makes Stuff #Crochet #Crocheting #Granny Square #DIY tote #yarn craft #K+C yarn #cotton yarn #desert inspired

[awkwardcourage]

plotted starter | @ozonelasher

Hughie had never lived outside of New York before this. The furthest state had ever visited before this had been Maine, on a rare vacation with his dad when he was a kid. It probably would have been safer for him to move out to the country and live in absolute seclusion, but the thought was too foreign, too frightening when running away from the Seven was terrifying enough on its own.

So Hughie had settled on Phoenix. Bought a plane ticket to Albuquerque and drove a rental the rest of the way. It was only after spending six months straight not leaving his new apartment save to open the door did he realise that perhaps he ought to actually start living the life he had risked so much to take as his own. That was how Hughie ended up visiting the Grand Canyon.

It felt weird going on vacation on his own, but the longer he spent there, the less he focused on his solitude and more at the wonder of the place. He had settled on sleeping in his car that night, just to admire the stars, something which had been impossible in New York. He was sat on the ground, watching a purple dusk bruise the sky, when he saw it.

Blue flames billowing across the night sky.

Hughie scrambled to his feet, watching with his heart in his throat as the ball of dazzling fire grew in size, passing behind and in front of towering coral hills, until it was out of sight. Birds screeched across the sky, the sound of their flapping wings drowned by the immense boom the seemed to echo across the whole valley.

Something had crashed. Hughie didn't move for a moment, his heart racing. Something he hadn't felt for a long time began to race through him: excitement. Hughie scrambled, grabbing all of his things, shoving them in his rucksack haphazardly. Then, he took off running. It took an hour for him to finally reach the place. Sweating and panting, Hughie stumbled along, until the pillar of smoke emerged before him. What he saw made his eyes his buldge.

Hughie stared, waiting for the mirage to shimmer out of existence. It didn't. He was staring upon a wreckage the likes of which he had never seen before.

"Holy shit..."

It was an alien spaceship.

#ozonelasher #i don't want to go to a second location with you | threads #keep the customer satisfied | martyr verse #you don't have to match length apologies for the essay!

[orreanintrepidness]

There's a crowd outside Pyrite Colosseum now, a big one, seems like it isn't just the locals from town that have shown up, in fact, by the looks of it, there are people from Phenac, Agate and Gateon too, a real Orrean menagerie, a microcosm of how each town is so different. Pyrite locals dressed in what can only be seen as just above rags, whilst folks from Phenac are dressed near to the nines, not to mention the sailor's attire most from Gateon are wearing. All so distinct, but all Orrean. The crowd would be blocking the rather ramshackle bridge towards the Colosseum itself, at least, for a few moments that is. A singular, extremely loud, gunshot rang out, the shot associated with it echoing down into the canyon below, and in that moment, a pair of redheads stepped off it, walking right through the path in the crowd that sudden explosive crack had created, one carrying a loudspeaker under one arm, and a microphone hooked up to some form of car battery in the other. Whilst the other, the more diminutive of the two, was far too busily engaged in spinning a revolver in his hands, juggling it even, before deftly sliding it right back into the holster it belonged in on his thigh. There was silence for a moment, whilst the larger of the two was busy placing the loudspeaker down, and the shorter climbed up onto it, snatching the microphone from the larger redhead. "Good morning ORRE! Home of all my favourite desert dwellin' assholes and otherwise inclined lunatics! I'd introduce myself, but, well, half of you already know who I am, the other half are too fuckin' stupid to know! Still, for our lovely visitors among us, I'm Alistair Hagen, or The Sandrunner, if you're so keen on referrin' to me by the name of my bike. Still, about time I got to business ain't it?" There was a pause from Alistair, a rather lengthy one in fact, always was one for making sure his words had an effect after all. "Well, we got two orders 'o business today actually! But, let's not get ahead eh? Wouldn't want to lose the slower ones amongst us! But this mornin' I am happy to announce that, as of right fuckin' now, the Grand Orrean Colosseum Brawl of 2023 has commenced! We got folks from Kanto, Unova, fuck, even Paldea, here for this shit, here to do things the Orrean way! Doubles! And no holds barred doubles at that! We're gonna see some real battle here in that big ol' dome for a little while, and for those of you watchin' at home in your cushty little front rooms, don't you worry, you'll be seein' ALL of it! Even if 'ye should be out here in the desert watchin' it for real." Yet another pause, this one a fair bit shorter than the last. Was Alistair out of breath, or just trying to get the desired effect from his words? "Second of all, and maybe just a little more importantly, I know some of you folks have been wonderin' where the fuck I'm puttin' all these visitors? Well, wonder no more, cause WE JUST RE-OPENED THE FUCKIN' UNDER! That's right, the city that sees no sun, and no moon, under our very feet! It's back! Those rocks put in the way to seal it up? All gone! And the elevator in that ol' buildin' those Cipher loons used to use is open 'fer public use now! Meanin' the old 'otel down there will be busy for the time bein', with our oh so important visitors makin' use of it, but otherwise, the good ol' Under is back in business! Maybe a little dustier than you remember, given it's been shut for half a decade, but back nonetheless eh? Now, you locals keep 'yer hands outta peoples wallets, and for those of you 'ere to fight?"

"Buckle the fuck up, cause the Brawl has just begun!"

#;;gocb2023 #this is a certified orre moment

[gayest-bee]

Six Little Nuggets (Steddie Angst)

Eddie Munson was falling hopelessly for Steve Harrington and listening to Steve describe his ideal future only made him fall harder.

notes: angst. it's just angst. i don't usually post my fics so here goes nothing.

word count: 845

Inspired by this tweet: https://twitter.com/BIDERVERSE/status/1549756500586938369?s=20&t=xj7HPfqcsZLp87f8v5Jw9A    

The ride to War Zone had calmed down after the initial commotion of, well, stealing someone’s car and house all at once. Lucas and Max were quietly talking in the back and Dustin and Erica were discussing what supplies they were hoping to gather. Across from them, Eddie sat against the driver’s seat with Robin leaning comfortably against him. The two of them had time in the midst of the chaos to get to know each other and quickly found comfort in each other. Neither of them directly said anything, but when Eddie offhandedly mentioned Rocky Horror Robin’s reaction was a bit too enthusiastic for someone who wasn’t at least a little gay. 

    Their peace was suddenly interrupted when Nancy spoke up from the passenger seat. “How’s it handle?” she asked softly enough not to disturb anyone but loud enough that the pair behind Steve were able to hear her clearly.

    “Not half bad considering that this is a house,” Steve chuckled. There was a pause as if they were both thinking before Steve pipped up again, “You know, it’s silly but I’ve actually um– I’ve always had this dream I’d have this really big family. I’m talking like a full brood of Harringtons. Five, six kids.”

    “Six kids?” Nancy replied shocked. 

    Steve laughed a little to himself again, “Yeah, six little nuggets. Three girls, three boys. And every summer I’d figure all of Harringtons, we’d pack into something like this and just see the country. You know, the Rockies, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone. End up in some beach side town in California, spend a week parked in the sand. Learn how to surf or something.”

    Eddie caught himself smiling thinking about the King Steve Harrington being a father of six. Chasing his three girls and three boys around a beach into the waves and helping each of them learn to swim. Before Eddie could stop himself, suddenly he was on the beach with them too, smiling and laughing with the rest of them. Eddie Munson and Steve Harrington and their six little nuggets. 

    But that was just a stupid fantasy. Never in a million years would a man like Steve Harrington be interested in dating someone like Eddie Munson much less starting a family with him.

    Before he could get any more lost is his fantasy Nancy’s voice pierced his ears again, “That sounds nice.”

    “Yeah?” He couldn’t see Steve’s face but he could picture exactly what he looked like. That dopey little smile where it didn’t quite reach his eyes but they still sparkled. A smile that meant he was really truly happy. A smile that so far Eddie had only seen him give Nancy. But god did he want that smile all for himself.

    Nancy replied softly, “Yeah.” It was almost quiet enough that Eddie didn’t hear her, but he did. There was another pause before Nancy’s tone returned to normal. “Except for the six kid part. That sounds like a total nightmare.”

    Eddie chuckled to himself as he glanced around the RV at the kids. If only Harrington had some kids he’d practiced with. That same moment Steve seemed to read his mind, “If only I had some practice,” his hand appearing in front of Eddie gesturing behind him. 

    Eddie sighed leaning back. Who was he kidding. Steve was so in love with Nancy. Anyone with eyes could tell just by the way he looked at her. Steve Harrington was definitely straight and definitely in love with Nancy Wheeler. Even if Eddie thought he caught him looking at his lips when he was giving him that stupid pep talk about getting Nancy back. God, why did he do that. He knew he liked Harrington by then, but he also knew there wasn’t a chance. Better to see Steve happy with someone else than sad without someone else. 

    Suddenly Eddie felt Robin’s hand on his shoulder and he looked up to see the most forgiving look of pity he’d seen in his life. She looked like she’d seen a kicked puppy and honestly, Eddie felt like one. It may be hidden to everyone else, but Robin could tell Eddie had fallen for Steve and he had fallen hard. Eddie knew Robin was falling too. Not for Steve, but for Nancy. Both of them had heard Steve’s stupid six nuggets fantasy and it was clear Steve and Nancy had some unresolved feelings for each other even if they wouldn’t say it straight out.

    Eddie gave Robin a half hearted smile and readjusted himself against the back of Steve’s seat. She wrapped her arm around his shoulder comfortingly and leaned her head back against his shoulder, just letting him know she was there and they were going to get through these horrible feelings together. 

Eddie closed his eyes and fell asleep dreaming of him and Steve Harrington on a beach in California with their stupid little nuggets. Dustin, Mike, Max, Lucas, and Erica. Maybe even Robin and Nancy would be there together. As he drifted off, no one but Dustin noticed the tears fall from Eddie’s eyes.

#steddie #stranger things #steve harrington #eddie munson #steve x eddie #stranger things 4 #st 4 #slight ronance #ronance #robin buckley #nancy wheeler #robin x nancy #two gays hopelessly pining #sad eddie #angst #steddie angst #stranger things angst #gay eddie munson

[natashasfilms]

Chapter Twenty - Collecting Weapons

Summary: Returning to Hawkins for spring break, Aria is finally glad to be back at home to see her mom and friends. However, she soon finds out that the danger they’ve all faced before, is back yet again. This time, she may or may not fall at the center of it.

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Original Female Character

Warnings: This story contains mature themes such as sexual content, strong language, violence, mentions of alcohol and drugs, blood, gore, and death.

Note: I imagine Aria Kaul as South Asian but I have decided to let you, the reader, imagine her appearance, hence the reason why I have not given her a face claim. However, her race does not affect the story, whatsoever. You, as the reader, are free to imagine her however you want. If you don’t see her as South Asian, then that’s fine. It won’t affect the storyline.

Series Masterlist

Aria sat in silence, every so often letting her eyes fall on Steve. She didn’t know if he noticed but if he did, he didn’t say anything. “How's it handle?” She asked him.

“Not half bad.” Steve responded, chuckling. “Considering that this is a…House.”

Aria laughed, grinning. “Yeah. That’s true.”

Steve smiled, his gaze falling on her form for a quick second before going back to the front. “Yeah, it's…It's silly, but I…I've actually…I always had this dream that I'd have this really…really big family.” Aria turned her head to look at him, heart warming at his little speech. “I'm talking, like, uh, a full brood of Harringtons. Like, five, six kids.”

Aria’s lips parted, eyebrows furrowed. “I’m sorry. Six?”

“Yeah. Six little nuggets.” Steve answered. “Three girls, three boys. And…and every summer, I figured all of us Harringtons, we would pack into something like this and…just see the country.” His eyes met with hers for a few seconds. “You know, the Rockies, Grand Canyon, maybe Yellowstone. End up in some beach side town in California. Spend a week parked in the sand. Learn how to surf or something.”

Aria gave him a small smile, thinking about the life Steve told her. It did sound great, minus the kids part. “That sounds…nice.”

“Yeah?” Steve grinned.

“Yeah.” They locked eyes and Aria found it difficult to look away. “Um, definitely not the six-kid part, though. That just sounds like a total nightmare.”

Steve laughed, looking behind him. “If only I had some practice.”

She followed his line of vision and smiled at the kids. “Yeah. That’s fair.” She looked back to see him staring at her. “That’s fair.” He gave her a small smile before turning his head back to the front. Aria’s grin fell, letting out a deep breath as she thought about his little speech.

They made it to War Zone, only Aria, Nancy, Robin, Erica, Max, and Steve walking inside to buy weapons. They walked inside and saw many people all around the store.

“So much for avoiding angry hicks.” Robin said, looking at Aria and Nancy.

“Let's be…fast.” Nancy suggested, the others nodding their heads.

“Yep.”

“Definitely.”

The group separated throughout the store, finding their own weapons to use. Aria went to the counter for a shotgun, asking for extra bullets. She squealed on the inside once it was in her hands, examining it closely.

She decided to walk around the store to find anything else when her eyes caught onto a leather jacket. She grabbed it and put it on, sighing in content at finally being able to cover herself. She looked around and beamed brighter when her eyes landed on a suit, a suit similar to the one that was living deep inside her closet.

That suit was used way back when she was still in Russia so it grew small, not that she ever needed to wear it again. But she couldn’t help but pick it up, taking a good look at it before tossing it over her shoulder.

She walked out of the aisle and into a new one where she saw Robin and Steve. She stood behind Steve, him not noticing her, as she glanced between the two.

Robin seemed to be looking at something, or someone. She followed her line of vision and saw a girl and a guy kissing. She raised an eyebrow when Robin turned around and bumped her shoulder, running away. That’s when Steve noticed her and Aria gave him a questioning look.

“Uh, you know…” He started to say, trying to think of something. “She’s just a little jumpy. First time being in a store full of weapons and all.” He quickly ran after her, leaving Aria to look back at the couple Robin was staring at, a knowing look on her face.

She walked away, not letting herself get distracted as she searched the store some more. Her lips parted when she saw a sharp sword like weapon, just aching to be bought. She grabbed it, using her fingers to smooth the silver part. She knew she was definitely going to buy this.

She went to the register and bought all of her items, when a hand grasped her shoulder. She jumped slightly, turning around to face the person. “We have to go. Now.” Nancy said, fear overtaking her eyes.

Aria tilted her head. “Why? What’s wrong?” Nancy pointed her head towards a specific direction and Aria’s eyes followed, seeing one of the familiar boys she had seen before at Lucas’ basketball game. She widened her eyes and quickly turned back around, grabbing her stuff as she and the others all quickly ran outside towards the RV.

They opened the door and rushed inside, the others in the RV questioning what happened.

“We gotta go.” Steve answered, getting into the driver's seat. Aria situated herself into thr passengers, setting her bags on the ground.

“Your old friends are here.” Erica added, everyone starting to freak out.

“Shit!”

“Let's go! Let's go!”

“I’m going! I'm going! Sit down!” Steve yelled, driving away.

Steve drove them all to a secluded area, where there were no people or houses nearby. Everyone grabbed their things and walked outside, getting used to the items they bought before they went down to battle.

Aria was the only one to stay inside, Steve the only one noticing as he was one of the last people to stay behind. “You going out?“

She nodded her head. “Yeah. I just need to…check something out.”

Steve raised an eyebrow but shrugged nonetheless, walking out to go sit next to Robin. Aria closed the door and made sure no one was coming inside, quickly looking through her back to take out her new suit. She held it out of arm's reach, admiring the details. It had a belt as well as a vest with many pockets, causing a smirk to appear on her face.

She took off the current clothes she was wearing and put the suit one, the uniform fitting quite nicely on her. She didn’t know how she looked but she assumed it was alright, considering that it fit.

She grabbed her shotgun and sword, finally walking outside of the RV. She felt eyes on her so she turned her head, only to see Steve’s eyes boring into her. She quirked up an eyebrow. “What?”

Steve coughed, looking away as his face grew a bright shade of red. Robin stifled a laugh beside him, trying not to burst into giggles at him. Aria pursed her lips and walked away towards Nancy and Max, thinking that she may have overdressed.

Steve watched her walking form, his chest suddenly starting to grow tight. She looked good. Like really good in that suit. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from her, not that he wanted to anyway.

Aria sat down onto the grass in between Nancy and Max, the two looking at her in her new suit. “Is it too much?”

Nancy shook her head, grinning. “No, absolutely not. You look very nice.” She said, winking. Aria bit the inside of her cheek, trying not to break out into a smile at her comment.

“No, I agree with Nancy.” Max said, smiling at Aria. The older girl playfully pushed her, causing her to laugh.

Aria and Nancy began to saw off the muzzle of their shotguns, to which Max questioned. “Is this legal?”

Nancy sighed. “Actually, I think it's a felony.”

Aria tilted her head, jutting out her bottom lip. “I’m a walking felony anyway so, it’s perfectly fine.”

“Right.” Max chuckled.

“But it guarantees one thing.” Aria said, eyes meeting Nancy’s.

“We won't miss.” Nancy breathed out, Aria smirking at her in return.

They all got back onto the bus after changing and getting their weapons ready. Steve drove the RV to the Creel’s House, where Lucas, Erica, and Max would initiate their plans.

Aria couldn’t help the tingling feeling in her stomach. Her intuition was telling her something was going to go terribly wrong tonight.

She looked out the window, watching the trees pass by. All she could do was hope for the best, even if her heart was telling her that the opposite was going to happen.

#stranger things #steve harrington #steve harrington series #reticent series #steve harrington x aria kaul #steve harrington x oc #steve harrington x original character #angst #fluff #steve harrington x fem #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington fanfic

[connoraidann]

Road Trip

Four friends drive through the desert on the way to their final Spring Break.

Isaac spun the wheel, turning the car onto a new patch of road. “And that is the last turn for the next 257 miles,” he said.

“And I can’t see anything but dirt for miles and miles in every direction,” Florence said, sitting to the right of him.

From the back seat Faye piped up, “Yeah, but it is some pretty dirt!”

In the back next to her Keenan replied, “Faye, you’ve gotta be the only person who thinks dirt is pretty.”

“Yeah, well…” Faye began, though she struggled to find a good comeback. Finally, she caved. “SPRING BREAK!” she yelled.

“SPRING BREAK!” they all yelled in unison. Yelling “SPRING BREAK” was how most conversations had ended the past few hours.

The four friends drove down the highway—if you could even call it that—slowly making their way towards their Spring Break destination. Above them, the two kayaks gently rattled against the roof of Isaac’s beat up Subaru.

“I still can’t believe we’re going to the Grand Canyon,” Keenan said.

“I still can’t believe you haven’t been, being that we’ve lived so close to it for all these years,” Isaac replied. He looked at Keenan’s face in the rear view mirror before returning his focus to the road. Though, there wasn’t much to focus on. He could probably have closed his eyes for the next 50 miles and still have been in the lane when he opened them.

“You know, Computer Science is not a degree that pairs well with weekend excursions to the Grand Canyon,” Keenan said. “These past four years, the grandest canyon I’ve seen is the ditch outside the COMP building.”

“I’m telling you, you have to get a life!” Faye said, nudging him with her shoulder. “Who moves all the way from Atlanta to Colorado and doesn’t go outside once?”

“Someone who actually hopes to get a job,” Keenan replied. Faye frowned and stuck her tongue out at him.

From the front, Florence jumped in to defend Keenan. “He did go outside with us once. Remember when we spent the weekend in Colorado Springs? Climbed Pikes Peak?”

“Pikes Peak! Now that was a great trip,” Isaac said.

“God Flo, I think that was when we were freshmen,” Faye replied. “Keenan, tell me you’ve been outside at least once since then.”

“I go outside!” Keenan said. “Everyday when I walk from the dorm to class!” Faye rolled her eyes dramatically while Isaac and Florence chuckled.

“Well,” Isaac began, “the Grand Canyon is definitely a step up from the ditch outside COMP. It’s massive. Remember when we went there on that field trip?”

“Which one, the fifth grade one or the eighth grade one?” Florence asked.

“Eighth.”

“Oh I remember that one,” Faye said. “You mean the one where you spent the entire trip trying to get Cindy to make out with you?”

“Fuck off!” Isaac said while the three others laughed. Eventually, Isaac began to chuckle as well. “I can’t help it,” he said. “She was cute okay…”

“You’ve always had a thing for girls with glasses,” Faye said cheekily, poking him through the seat. Isaac’s hands tensed around the steering wheel as Florence adjusted her glasses next to him.

“You guys are pretty lucky to have known each other since birth,” Keenan replied.

“Only Isaac and Flo have known each other since birth,” Faye said, returning her hands to her lap. “I only moved to Boulder in the third grade.”

“Close enough,” Keenan said. “It’s nice to have friends like that. Neighbors to grow up with.”

“We might have been neighbors, but Isaac wouldn’t even talk to me until we were 8,” Florence said. “No matter how many dinner parties our parents had.”

Isaac relaxed his grip on the wheel. “I couldn’t!” he exclaimed.

“Why’s that?” Florence said.

“It’s simple really,” Isaac said before taking a brief pause. “COOTIES!”

The four laughed. “Still must have been nice,” Keenan mused, looking out the window. “A nice way to grow up.” A gentle silence filled the car, almost threatening to lengthen into an awkward one. Around them was still nothing but dirt.

“Isaac, how could you possibly have talked us into using your car,” Faye said. “No bluetooth, AUX, or radio? You ought to be ashamed of yourself.”

“Ashamed?” Isaac said in a faux-mocking manner. “You know it was the only one that would fit the kayaks.” He reached behind to lightly flick her on the knee. “Besides, we’ve already made it more than halfway.”

“Yeah, but I was practically asleep the whole time!” Faye said.

“Faye does love her beauty sleep,” Florence said. Once again Faye stuck out her tongue, though from the front Florence couldn’t see.

“There is one thing I know though,” Isaac said. “One very important thing.”

“What’s that?” Keenan asked.

Isaac grinned—eyes still on the road—and whispered, “Spring Break.”

“SPRING BREAK!” the four of them yelled before collapsing into laughter. Seven hours in and the joke still hadn’t grown old.

“What about you Florence,” Keenan said. “Have you heard back from any med schools yet?”

“A few. My MCAT scores were high enough that I ought to be able to go anywhere.”

“But aren’t you going to stay in Colorado?” Keenan asked.

Florence briefly glanced at Isaac before responding. “Honestly, I’m not sure anymore. At first I wanted to… But it’s a wide world out there you know.” Isaac tensed his grip on the steering wheel again, though no one else seemed to notice.

“What about you Isaac?” Keenan said. “Still want to stay in CO?”

“Keenan Keenan Keenan,” Isaac began, wagging his finger in the air. “There are only so many things a Physics degree can get you. I’ll be lucky if I can find a job as a high school PE teacher.”

“There’s always custodian,” Faye said.

Isaac reached back and gently flicked her on the knee again. “Oh fuck off. Me, a custodian? You’re the one in Environmental Studies. You know, custodian might actually suit you. What’s more environmental than cleaning up other people’s shit?”

Faye crossed her arms and kicked the back of his seat, causing Isaac to curse again. Florence decided to chime in. “Have you thought about it though, Faye?” she said. “What you’re going to do in two months?”

Faye sat back in her seat, her arms still crossed. “Ugh. Don’t make me think about that right now Flo. We don’t all have the next 10 years of our lives mapped out in a color-coded planner.”

Florence briefly looked over her shoulder to give Faye a side-eye glare. “I’ll have you know, highlighters are quite useful.” Only Isaac gave a brief chuckle.

Silence returned to the car for a few moments, and the four turned their attention back to the outside world. Most of it was just dirt, with patches of low shrubs. Far off into the distance, you could just barely make out a few rock formations. It had been a while since any of them had seen another vehicle, coming or going.

Faye fidgeted in her seat. “Um… guys, you’re going to hate me, but I kind of need to pee again.” The three others let out a collective groan. Faye always needed to pee.

“Why didn’t you go when we were at the last gas station?” Florence demanded.

“I didn’t have to go then!”

“Well Faye,” Isaac said, “I hate to break it to you but we’re about 150 miles away from the next one.”

“Well…” Faye began, but was unsure how to continue. “Well, shit.”

Silence returned to the car again, though only briefly. “Okay, I actually need to go pretty bad,” Faye said, squirming in her seat.

Isaac lifted a hand up from the steering wheel. “What do you want me to do Faye? Just pull over so you can piss on the side of the road?”

“Well…” Faye began. The three others groaned again. Keenan covered his eyes. “What?” Faye continued, “We haven’t seen a car for miles. It would take like 30 seconds tops.”

“You really want me to stop right now so you can pee on the side of the road?”

“Would you rather I pee on your backseat?” Faye snapped back.

“Alright, we’re pulling over!” Isaac said, beginning to slow the car down to a stop.

“Spring Break!” Faye said.

“Spring Break…” the three others returned halfheartedly.

Isaac guided the car to a stop right off the side of the road and cut the engine. Faye unbuckled, opened the back left door, and raced around to the back right side, positioning herself so that the car would cover her in case another vehicle passed by.

“JUST GIVE ME A SEC!” Faye yelled from outside. “I’M GOING TO GIVE IT A SQUAT. KEENAN, I SWEAR TO GOD YOU BETTER NOT LOOK!”

Keenan now fully covered his entire face with his hands. “What the fuck are you doing Faye,” he mumbled. In the front, Isaac sat back in his seat, taking the moment to stretch his hands. Next to him, Florence rested her head on her arm.

“OKAY, PANTS ARE DOWN. KEENAN, EYES CLOSED!”

“FAYE, YOU DON’T HAVE TO FUCKING NARRATE IT!” Keenan yelled. Isaac and Florence chuckled.

“I can’t believe you dated her,” Florence said.

“Yeah well, I can’t believe I did either,” Keenan said, head still in his hands. “What was I thinking…”

“I CAN HEAR YOU!” Faye yelled from outside. Keenan groaned and lowered his head all the way into his lap. “ALRIGHT, ALMOST DONE! PANTS ARE ABOUT TO COME BACK UP!”

“THANK YOU FOR LETTING US KNOW!” Isaac yelled, before lowering his voice. “I’m just glad you two could stay friends.”

Keenan lifted himself back up. “It was important to Faye that we did,” he said softly. “She didn’t want to ruin the group.” Isaac tensed up again.

“PANTS ARE BACK UP!” Faye yelled, before running back around and opening the door. “See, I told you it wouldn’t take long.”

“Faye, you’re gross,” Keenan said.

“What, just because I can’t pee on whatever tree I find doesn’t mean I can’t go outside!” Faye retorted.

“Alright alright, settle down,” Isaac said. He gave his hands one last flex before reaching for the keys. “Time to hit the road again. I want to make it there before sunset.”

Isaac twisted the keys and the car revved, then stopped. He mumbled under his breath and tried it again, twisting the keys. Again the car revved, then stopped. “Fuck,” Isaac said. He tried a third time, but with the same results. Four times. Five times. Six times.

“Um, Isaac, what’s going on?” Florence said.

“Nothing! Nothing. Don’t worry about it,” Isaac said. He tried again. Seven times. Eight times. Nine times. But the car wouldn’t catch.

“Why isn’t the car starting?” Keenan said from the back.

Isaac continued trying to start the car, but nothing was working. In frustration, he hit the steering wheel, causing it to honk.

“Isaac!” Florence yelled.

Isaac crashed back into his seat. “Fucking hell. Well… fuck.”

“What’s wrong with it?” Faye said.

“Nothing. Well, probably not nothing, but… It does this sometimes. Just have to give it a few minutes before trying again.”

“Like how many minutes?” Florence said.

“Like, ten?” Isaac said, though his voice did little to inspire confidence.

Florence took a moment to look around. There wasn’t anything, anywhere, for miles, and miles, and miles. “Well… shit.”

“So we’re just going to sit here for ten minutes?” Faye asked.

“I guess so,” Keenan said.

Florence reached into her bag and pulled out her phone, looking at it for a few moments before tossing it back in. “I don’t suppose any of you have any signal either,” she said. The other three reached for their phones. None of them did.

“Great,” Florence mumbled.

Silence once again returned to the car. After a few moments, Isaac tried starting the car again, but failed.

“Stop doing that. You’re going to wear out the battery,” Keenan said. “Best to leave it alone for a bit.”

“Fine,” Isaac grumbled.

Silence stretched, and stretched, and stretched.

“It’s getting kind of stuffy in here,” Faye said.

“Well what do you want me to do about that Faye?” Isaac snapped back.

Faye frowned. After a moment, she unbuckled. “Might as well wait outside of the car then.” Faye got out of the car, stretched, and took a few steps into the endless dirt field. There was a small boulder nearby, the only thing breaking up the flat landscape. Faye headed towards it.

“Might as well get a stretch in as well,” Keenan said, unbuckling as well. He opened the door, stepped out, and gave a giant stretch. After that, he started following Faye towards the boulder.

Only Isaac and Florence remained in the car. Florence opened her car door to let some air in, but didn’t get out. Isaac followed suit. Neither of them said a word to the other.

Finally, Isaac spoke. “I’m sure it will be fine.”

“Yea,” Florence replied. She watched as Faye began to climb the boulder, Keenan standing below it with his arms on his waist. She imagined Keenan telling Faye to cut it out, but still standing close enough to catch her if she fell. Florence smiled. That pretty much summed up their relationship.

“Hey Florence, uh… about last night.”

“What about it?” Florence said, continuing to watch Faye climb, refusing to turn around to face Isaac.

“It’s just…” Isaac began. “I feel like I said all the wrong things. Or I mean, what I did say wasn’t how I meant it.”

“Oh really?” Florence said. “And what did you mean, telling me I was better off staying in Boulder?” She still refused to look at him. Faye reached the top of the boulder, and raised both her hands high. Keenan clapped.

“It came out wrong,” Isaac said, panicking. “I didn’t mean you weren’t good enough to leave Boulder, just…”

“You and I both know that I’ve gotten into every single med school I’ve applied to,” Florence snapped. “I am good enough.” Florence continued to watch the boulder. Now Keenan was beginning to climb up it. Faye sat on top, no doubt encouraging him.

“Florence, that’s not what I meant!”

“Then what did you mean?” Florence said, finally turning around to face Isaac. She was thrown off by the somber look on his face.

Isaac struggled to get each word out. “What I was trying to say,” Isaac said, before reverting to a whisper, “is that I’m afraid to lose you.” He held her gaze for a few moments before looking down at his lap.

Florence looked at him for a few moments, adjusted her glasses, then turned back to the boulder. Keenan was now on the top, sitting next to Faye. It seemed like they were talking to each other.

After a moment Isaac continued speaking, though it was barely a whisper. “I don’t want to lose you. I’m afraid you’ll leave and forget all about me. About us. I know you’re good enough to leave Boulder. You’re good enough to do anything. I’m just afraid… I’m not.”

Florence continued to watch the boulder, Faye and Keenan sitting on the top, talking. What were they talking about? What were they afraid of? Was it the same thing?

Florence watched as Faye leaned in and rested her head on Keenan’s shoulder. Maybe they were talking about the same thing.

“I love you Florence,” Isaac whispered. “You know I do. You’ve always known that, haven’t you?”

A single tear fell down Florence’s cheek as she continued to watch the boulder. Without looking, she reached out and grabbed Isaac’s hand. “I know you do,” she said. Isaac returned the squeeze.

Faye stood up on the boulder, Keenan holding her legs for support. Faye waved her hands in the direction of the car, then cupped her hands to her mouth and yelled something.

Florence let go of Isaac’s hand. “I think Faye is calling for us.”

Isaac looked up, noticing Faye and Keenan on the boulder for the first time. “How the hell did they get up there?” he said, laughing as he sniffled.

“I guess we should go find out what she wants,” Florence said.

“I guess so,” Isaac replied.

They both stepped out of the car and looked at the boulder. Faye sat back down next to Keenan, but continued to wave for them to come over. Isaac and Florence made their way towards the boulder. As they got closer they were finally able to make out what Faye was yelling.

“HEY!” Faye yelled from above. “YOU GOT TO SEE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE UP HERE!”

“We can hear you just fine!” Isaac said as the two of them reached the base. “How the hell did you guys get up there?”

“IT’S EASY!” Faye yelled. “THERE’S A PART TO YOUR LEFT TO CLIMB UP. LIKE STEPS. VERY EASY.”

“Christ,” Isaac said, holding back a laugh. “What are we going to do with her?” He looked up at the top of the boulder, then turned around and looked at Florence. “Well, should we join them?”

Florence sighed, though there was a slight smile on her face. “Might as well.”

The two began to climb, Faye calling out instructions as they went. Of course she didn’t need to, it was practically steps. But that was Faye.

“ALMOST THERE!” Faye yelled. “ONE MORE BIG STEP TO YOUR LEFT, THEN LOOK RIGHT.”

Finally, Isaac and Florence reached the top, and Keenan and Faye raised their hands to congratulate them. The boulder was just big enough to fit all four of them. Keenan and Faye slid over so that Isaac and Florence could sit as well.

“Look out there!” Faye said, pointing far out into the distance. “Look! Are you looking?”

Isaac put his hand over his eyes, creating a makeshift visor. “I’m looking,” he said, reorienting himself to look in the direction Faye was pointing.

Florence turned as well to look. With her left hand, she clung onto the back of Isaac next to her. She had never been one for heights.

“Um, Faye,” Isaac said after a moment. “I’m looking, but I don’t really see anything but dirt.”

Faye and Keenan both laughed. Florence and Isaac looked at them, confused.

Finally, Faye spoke. “Yeah, but it’s kind of beautiful isn’t it?”

—

Thank you for reading Stories, an ever-expanding collection of original fictional stories. This story was written by me, Connor Aidan. If you enjoyed this story, then why don’t you share it with a friend? Maybe they’ll like it too. Once again, I’m Connor Aidan, and this is Stories.

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