#it's a ship so people Have to touch rope in their work or maybe to stabilize themselves

[imagines--galore]

HELLO HELLO I SAW YOUR LITTLE JIM HAWKINS POST AND I GOTTA ADMIT! I LOVE THE BOY TOO!

was wondering if could request a little jim x reader who meet at the academy and have a little rivalry before becoming lovers? thanks! remember to take care, drink lots of water and stay safe!

Summary: Jim Hawkins & Y/n Y/l/n. Two of the most promising candidates to arrive at the Interstellar Academy in years. From academics to knowing their way around a ship, the both of them were on equal footing. Too bad they see the other as a rival. Then again, perhaps it was a good thing. For if they were to team up, they could conquer the entire galaxy if they wanted to. But when did that rivalry changed into something more? Pairing: Jim Hawkins x Reader Rating || Genres || Warnings: T. Romance. None. A/N: I mean who doesn't love the boy :3 Ok so the song I decided to pick is Téir Abhaile 'Riú by Celtic Woman. And I borrowed some elements from Kingdom Dance from Tangled because I love that scene. :3 And this got a little longer then I intended it to be.......I added too much detail to everything. Woops? Had a lot of fun with your request though!

You pursed your lips as you observed your reflection in the full length mirror. To say Emmy had been insistent about you donning a pretty outfit for the occasion would be an understatement. Your roommate had practically threatened you with it, saying she would no longer speak to you if you did not dress up. Honestly the female Canid didn't need to threaten you, no one could say no to her. Not even you.

So when she had dug through your closet and taken out the articles of clothing she deemed worthy for the event, you had put them on with no complain. A blouse and a corset with a skirt paired with shoes. The latter you had picked out yourself, having no desire to wear anything impractical should you need to kick someone in the nuts.

"You look gorgeous, Y/n." Parla your third roommate trained one of her several eyes in your direction, while simultaneously applying some black goo to the eyelashes of her remaining eye. "By human standards." Quel barely glanced up from where she was oiling her arms. You were thankful she was, your android roommate had a tendency to squeak when her joints would run out of oil. Emmy grinned proudly as she put the final touches to your hair and stepped away to appraise her work.

"Maybe you'll catch a sailor's eye while in town y/n." She giggled, prompting you to roll your eyes at her. "I doubt I'll have the time." You crossed your arms over your chest. "Since I will be making sure you don't run off half-drunk, Parla doesn't get in trouble because of her wandering eye and avoid Quel being stripped for parts by some con-person."

You had grown to be protective of your roommates over the years you had lived together. Emmy cooed as she reached out to embrace you sweetly. "You don't have to worry about us, honey! We've all excelled at our combat classes. Not to mention we'll have dates who can protect us." Both you and Quel glared at Emmy who only gave a nervous laugh. "Did you have to rope us all into dates?" The android asked, her mechanical voice somehow sounding annoyed. "Its best to go in a large group." Parla came to Emmy's rescue. "My grandmother says there might be some pirates or thieves in the crowd. And given the number of people that have come for the Ball, its best to find strength in numbers."

Emmy nodded enthusiastically. "Perhaps it is best to accept our fate and simply go along with the situation." Quel spoke as she stood and gently placed a hand on your shoulder. You sighed, closing your eyes briefly before shrugging and allowing a smile to play on your lips. You weren't about to be a spoilsport and ruin everyone's fun. After the month all of you had had, with the exams and revisions and tests and selecting the courses you would be majoring in, you all deserved a break.

A bright smile pulled at your lips and Emmy very early squealed at the sight. "Here's to having a night none of us will ever forget!" You stated with conviction, opening the door and leading your friends out of your shared room.

Little did you know how true those words would be for you.

                                          ————————–

The town of Aonadh enjoyed a rather prestigious position. On one hand it was the closest to the reputable Interstellar Academy. An Institute that had been thriving for years and housed the future generation of sailors for the Queen's Armada. Many living in town had relatives who went there, or had some other form of relation with the Academy.

On the other hand, the town served as a harbor for many ships. From merchant vessels carrying riches and trading goods, to the crafts bringing new hopefuls to begin the next phase of their journey. The port of Aonadh was always bustling, always busy. There was never a quiet moment. Every other hour would bring a new ship in. Either to relieve itself of its cargo, have repairs done, or pick up people who wished to travel.

Really town was a small word for Aonadh, but the people refused to call it a city. Their ancestors started as humble farmers before the location of the Academy changed their status to something more. They were proud of what they had accomplished over the years as well as their status so a town it remained. One could find almost every life form residing in town, Arcturians, Aquanogs, Canids, Centaurous, Cragorians, Densadrons, Felinids, Geeories, Humans, Macriki, Mantavors, Minotarous, Optocs, Roboticas, Sirenius, Tuskrus, Zirrelians and a hundred more. No one could remember the first specie that lived in Aonadh and no one cared. Everyone was treated on an equal footing and the town had a huge council that had a member from every specie living in Aonadh.

There were several attractions that beckoned the young Cadets at the Academy to spend their time off in town. From pubs that never ran out of ale, to shopping markets that overflowed with the finest wares. Not to mention the massive library that housed more then a million scrolls, books, hoverstories and maps. To say nothing of the lavish streets and squares where something was always happening.

Of course the ports were the most exciting place to be. One could meet new people, learn about shipping from seasoned sailors, or even catch a tour of one if a Cadet was so lucky.

At present the excitement going about had something to do with several large ships that had docked not a day ago. Ships carrying Cadets who had passed out over the years and were coming back for their annual party of sorts. The Annual Ball it was called. Held every ten years. A huge affair. One of the biggest ones to ever occur in the entire galaxy. Guests of honor and other people of importance were sent invitations, while the rest of them simply showed up. Unless they were on duty or had anything of importance to attend to everyone came.

                                          ————————–

It was certainly the busiest Jim Hawkins had seen it. In the years he had attended the Academy there had been several festivals he had attended with his friends, but not one of them came close to the excitement of today.

However that excitement had died down to be replaced by a burning annoyance at the sight of the only other human in his year. The very human who was now sitting at the same table as him, both of you sipping from your drinks.

It wasn't that you had anything against being set up for a blind date, it was the boy you had been set up with.

What existed between you and Jim was something of an anomaly. The both of you were the best in your batch, and quite frankly, some Professors seemed to be of the notion that you were both the best Cadets they had seen in years.

If only the two of you got along.

A bitter rivalry had formed between the both of you. Neither of you remembered who had taken the first shot, but all you knew was that you had to one up the other. And that was how it had been your entire career at the Academy.

Spiteful comments thrown at one another. Hateful glances whenever the other would be praised. Childish pranks just to annoy the other. Goading and baiting that resulted in either one or both of you getting into trouble.

The list was endless.

Honestly, if it wasn't so entertaining the Academy would've had taken action years ago. You often wandered if perhaps you and Jim had a betting pool going around in the Academy. Parla had dropped hints here and there, but you weren't quite sure.

Well, whatever existed between you and Jim, it was destroying your evening. As soon as it became clear who your date was, Parla and Quel had made themselves scarce, having the intelligence to stay clear of the obvious Supernova that was about to erupt given yours and Jim's expressions. Emmy had quickly taken you aside, begging you to go along with it, and explaining how Lyon, her crush for a good year and a half, had said he didn't want to ditch his friend while he had fun.

So Emmy had offered a solution.

Correction.

Emmy had offered you as a lamb up for slaughter.

And being the soft-hearted idiot that you were, you had relented, agreeing to going along with Emmy's plan. Only because you knew she was half in love with Lyon, and maybe this night he would work up the courage to tell her of his feelings as well.

And as you sat there, watching your best friend sway in the arms of the half-felinid and half-human male, you couldn't help but give a small smile at the happiness that seemed to radiate from the both of them.

"There must be a Supernova freezing somewhere." Stars, even his voice was annoying.

You turned your head back to look at him, that annoyed frown returning. "And what makes you say that."

He smirked, hands behind his head as he rested against the back of the booth. "You were actually smiling. I thought she-demons never smiled. Something about bursting into flames and the world coming to an end, that sort of thing."

"I smile plenty Hawkins." You responded, pursing your lips. "I just don't happen to smile at maggots such as yourself." The insult, if it were called that, seemed to bristle him enough to warrant an eye roll, though he didn't respond.

Seemingly taking his silence as a win, you returned your attention to the dancing couples. The music was lively and there would certainly be more people coming in soon. Sighing, you wished you could join in the dancing. Of course there was no chance of that happening.

You had no desire to ask a stranger, for fear they would try something untoward. And there was no way in the entire galaxy you were about to ask Jim Hawkins to dance with you.

Glancing at your empty glass of drink, you stood and stretched, completely missing Jim watching you out of the corner of his eye. "If I am to tolerate your company for the rest of this evening I'm gonna get another drink." He rolled his eyes, prompting you to give him a glare that had one too many cadets backing off in fear.

But not Jim. Jim was used to your glares and stares and returned them at an equal footing.

Walking toward the bar, you waved at the many tentacled bartender who was quick to give you your drink. The glass was a little too full, prompting you to walk carefully back to your table.

Perhaps it should've been better that you kept your attention on the people around you rather then the drink you were trying not to spill.

A boisterous group of sailors jostled you, propelling you forward and causing your drink to spill.

Nearly emptying the entire contents of it down the front of one of the sailors who had bumped into you.

"What the hell!? Watch it!" He cried out, swiping at the front of his uniform in an effort to wipe away the liquid. Of course, that didn't help.

Angry at loosing your drink, you glared at the male. "You were the one too drunk to walk properly, how am I to blame for your incompetence?" Maybe it wasn't the wisest of decisions to be picking a fight with someone who looked like he had some Densadron blood in him, but you didn't care.

You were already having a horrible evening, so why not make it worse.

Your words only served to make the male, and his group of friends angry. Pursing your lips, your hand slipped to the hidden slit of your skirt where you kept a taser knife for safety reasons. Your fingers itched, ready to pull it out when suddenly the stare down between you and the male was broken by a very familiar voice.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you."

Astonished, you pivoted on your feet, just in time to see Hawkins drape an arm around your waist and pull you to his side. That wasn't what shocked you.

What shocked you the most was the smile he wore. One that was directed at you.

"Making friends I see." He continued while your brain tried it's best to compute the situation that was going on. "I'm sorry about that, my girlfriend gets a little light-footed when shes had one too many."

Girlfriend?!?!?

The group of sailors seemed to be calming down somewhat. Jim had that effect on people whenever he stepped in to stop a would-be squabble.

Ironic considering the numerous fights he had started in his younger days.

"How about she pay for the damage to my uniform, and I let her go." The male grunted, scowling down at the both of them. Suddenly his eyes zeroed in on you the way they hadn't before. A lecherous smile formed on his lips, one that had you scowling in disgust. "She can either pay money or show me a good time. I don't mind either." The rest of his group laughed boisterously, elbowing one another, wearing the same smile as their friend was.

His words seemed to snap you out of wherever your mind was. Pushing aside Jim's previous words, and trying hard not to comprehend where his arm still rested around her waist you opened your mouth to tell the disgusting male where he could shove something where the sun don't shine.

A firm but light pressure around your waist had you stopping. You watched, astonished, as Jim moved to stand in front of you, his stance protective, and an anger in his eyes that had you blinking in surprise.

"Or maybe I should have you reported for showing such disrespect to a future Captain of the Royal Armada."

It was then that the group realized who they were speaking to. Their gazes flitted to the pin you had proudly stuck to the right side of your chest. A coat of arms that assigned your rank, despite having not even graduated yet. Jim had the same pin, though his was hidden by the jacket he wore. Though he made no effort to hide it as he pushed aside the front of his garment to reveal it to the buffoons.

Being Captain meant you had authority and power that no lowly sailor had. It didn't matter what age you were, so long as you were a rank above, you held power.

And at that moment you wanted nothing more then to throw the idiot in jail for daring to make such a proposition to you.

The group began to retreat, taking their friend with them. The danger past, Jim turned his attention to you.

"You okay?" He asked, his eyes roving over your frame, as if looking for some sign of injury.

You nodded. "I'm fine." Despite there having been no physical altercation, you were still a little shaken. "You didn't need to step in. I had it handled." You finally said, still clutching your half full glass. Jim rolled his eyes.

"Not from where I was standing."

You scowled. "I was ready to fight him if I needed to."

Jim raised an eyebrow. "And get expelled so close to graduating? You're reckless Y/n, but I know you're not that reckless."

"And why should you care? Wouldn't you prefer to graduate top of the class all by yourself? Not share your spotlight with anyone."

He nodded. "I would." He paused before a teasing smile pulled at his lips. "But then who would be my rival when I make Captain?"

You waved your hand. "I'm sure you would find someone else to piss off."

"I doubt they would be as beautiful as you."

You gaped at him, had barely voiced your astonishment when his eyes widened in realization of what he had just said.

A bright blush overcame his cheeks, one that had him gulping nervously, raising a hand to rub at the back of his neck.

"Y-you think I'm.............beautiful?" You could barely believe the words coming out of your mouth. An awkward shrug was his only response.

Normally you would've teased him mercilessly about revealing something so intimate. But right then? Having just been saved by him, and watching him stand there, unable to meet your gaze, you couldn't help but smile.

"Don't tell me its because of my beauty that you've been a pain in my ass all these years." Your tone was light, teasing, compelling him to respond in his usual sarcastic way.

"That and you're annoying." He stated, a smile pulling at his lips as his blush began to recede. You hummed. "I didn't take you as the romantic type Hawkins."

He leaned closer. "Theres a lot of things you don't know about me y/l/n. Though one thing I can tell about you, is that you've been wanting to dance the entire night but have been too stubborn to ask me." Now, it was your turn to blush as you glared at him. Had you been that obvious? But Jim wasn't deterred.

"Shall we?" He held out a hand, indicating that you take it if you wanted to fulfill your wish to dance.

You pursed your lips, your previous annoyance for him rising to the forefront. You would never call what you felt for Jim hatred, but you wouldn't call it affection either.

But right then, you mused as you took his hand and he led you the dance floor, maybe you could label your feelings for Jim as undetermined.

For the time being.

The dance floor had lost a few dancers as the musicians in the corner prepared to play yet another song. You looked around, feeling a little nervous. It had been awhile since you had danced, and while you had no doubt in your dancing skills, you didn't trust your partner fully.

"You're not going to drop me during a dip or something like that are you?" You asked, raising an eyebrow at him. Jim laughed before shaking his head. "No, I promise I won't."

You frowned, leaning up to press the back of your hand against his forehead. "You're not running a fever are you?" You inquired, feeling your own forehead to compare the temperatures. He flushed at the sensation of her touch against his skin.

"No, why would you ask that?" His questions prompted you to shrug. "Well you're being nice to me, and neither of us have thrown an insult at the other in the last five minutes.

Jim nodded, looking impressed. "Must be a new record for us." He commented to which you laughed softly. "And I'm nice to you because I am a nice guy Y/n." He stated, to which you let out a very unlady-like sound. "Oh please, you've been anything but nice to me since we first met Jim."

Alright so it was strange to call him by his first name, but he had used your first name. And when he had? You had felt a sliver of warmth flicker in your heart. Maybe he would feel the same sensation you did?

Well you were right. At least about the warmth part. And though Jim felt that warmth in his heart, same as you, he also felt it steal across his cheeks.

God! He had never blushed so much in such a short span of time his entire life.

"Well you didn't make it easy now did you? You just had to be a smartass." You smirked. "Better a smartass then an idiot." Jim rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his toned chest. "I don't know, we've both done some pretty idiotic stuff over the years."

The musicians were still tuning and drinking. Apparently it was their break, and while there were several other couples standing around waiting for the dance to begin, your and Jim seemed to be encapsulated in your own little world.

"True, but they've been fun years. Memorable." You stated with a nostalgic smile, thinking back on all the times you had gotten into trouble playing pranks on your rival. "Ones neither of us will be forgetting for a long time." He agreed, matching your smile with his.

Your eyes met his, and you suddenly realized just how much Jim had changed over the years. He had been a little reckless and rebellious in the start, but those traits had toned down over the years. They would never be gone completely, but he had matured, no doubt about that. And not just personality wise, you mused, eyes roving his face, as if you were seeing him for the first time.

He had grown a lot taller the past few years. Taller then you at least, since he was a good head taller then you. And he was handsome, there was no denying that, and kind, given how he had just helped you out of what could've been an ugly situation. Not to mention he was extremely loyal, a trait you had always admired in him despite your rivalry.

Little did you know Jim was thinking along the same criteria. Remembering the day he had met you, and how annoying he had thought you were. With your perfect hair, perfect uniform and perfect scores. Then again his scores had always been perfect too, but he made up for it by being messy and a little rebellious.

You? You were always the picture of perfection. Even so close to graduation, every aspect of your life seemed perfect. From your scores, to your attendance record. Your gorgeous face, and expressive eyes to your hair that always looked so soft that he had to fight the urge to touch it at times.

Though today, he didn't hold back. Raising his hand, he brushed a loose tendril behind your ear, and if his hand lingered a little longer then necessary, and if it brushed against your ear, causing a gentle shudder to race through your body.

Your eyes never wavered, and it looked like he was about to say something.

Just then the music started.

Jim cursed, prompting you to raise an eyebrow at him. "Its a fast jig. I'm not really good with those." You smiled and shook your head. "Thats alright, I can teach you. Its easy."

So saying you quickly placed his hands in the appropriate places, one at your waist, the other holding your own aloft, fingers intertwining togther. As soon as you started moving, Jim cast his eyes downwards, trying his best not to step on your feet.

"Hey!" Your voice compelled him to look up, nearly catching your foot but you gave him a reassuring smile. "Eyes on me. You gotta dance right. Don't worry about my toes, they're made of steel."

He gave a dry laugh, but did as you asked him to. Neither of you looked away from the other, allowing the music from the minstrels and the voices of the singers to overtake all your senses.

You would sometimes tease him for a misstep, he would comment about your being a talented dancer who hid their talent, but there was no malice in your voices. Only playfulness, and dare you think, affection.

The jig began to pick up speed, the footwork getting a little complicated, but the steps were ones that kept repeating over and over, and Jim had always been a fast learner, and he had seen many people dance to this particular song over the years.

So when the part came where he had to twirl you away from him before bringing you back, the move was so effortless and fluid that it looked like you had rehearsed it. Your hair and skirt flew about you as you twirled back into him, your back against his chest, his arms around your body, hands clasped, keeping you close.

You tilted your head, breathless from the dance, your gaze meeting his. Suddenly all that playfulness became charged, and your eyes glimmered with a passion you had never felt before. His lips were so close to your own. To him your lips looked so inviting.

But then the dance continued, and you straightened in his embrace. This time though, this time neither of you spoke. Neither of you looked away as you continued to dance. Hearts beating faster, steps picking up speed, your movements becoming wilder more impassioned.

You twirled away from him, holding one side of your skirt aloft. The song was coming to a close. The last verse had begun, where you would dance around your partner, slow and playful, never breaking eye contact.

And the final chorus? That was the main attraction. Knowing what was to come, Jim braced himself. You took a running start, jumping a little as you neared him to give yourself enough momentum to fly upwards, only to have Jim catch you around your waist, spinning in a fast circle.

A laugh fell from your lips, your arms held aloft at your sides, enjoying the sensation of flying through the air. As Jim began to lower you, your head tilted to look at him once more. Your arms dropped to wrap around his broad shoulders, while his rested around your waist.

The song had ended, the both of you were breathing heavily, twin smiles of jubilation stretching your mouths as the crowd around you roared. It seemed both your dancing had attracted quite the crowd.

And the cheering doubled tenfold when Jim suddenly closed whatever distance was left between the both of you and fused his lips with yours. A moment of disbelief, where your eyes widened almost comically, before closing shut, lips moving as you kissed him back.

It was blissfully sinful, the way he kissed you. You sighed almost dreamily against his lips, allowing your fingers to play with his hair. Jim was no better, he was doing his best not to let his hands explore too much. You were still in public after all.

"What in the furthest reaches of the galaxy is happening here?"

The shrieking voice tore your apart. Extremely reluctantly, you might add as you both turned to glare at Emmy and Lyon in annoyance. Emmy looked like she was about to faint, while Lyon looked utterly bemused.

"We weren't disturbing you while you locked lips, so why're you disturbing us?" You asked, your arms still around Jim's shoulders. Then again his hands still rested on your back, keeping you close.

"Weren't the two of you just at each other's throats?" Lyon asked, blinking stupidly at the two of them. Jim smirked. "Well I can get to her throat again if you prefer. Though not in the same way as before." His words had Emmy squeaking, Lyon gaping, and you rolling your eyes and smacking the back of his head. "Lets not ruin their innocence Jim." You grinned.

"Maybe we should take this someplace private?" You whispered, gesturing between the both of you. "Away from prying eyes." Jim needed no further prompting.

Grasping your hand, he began to lead you out of the tavern. "Don't wait up!" He called out to your two best friends.

"What did I just say about ruining their innocence Hawkins?"

"What? We can always say we just played a game of battleship?"

"Really? That's the euphemism you're using?"

"So long as it clarifies that I'm gonna beat you at whatever we'll be doing."

"What makes you think you're gonna win?"

"I always win."

"Oh, we'll see about that!"

Emmy and Lyon stood blinking in disbelief as you and Jim walked out of the tavern, continuing your arguing.

"Were they talking about having sex, or actually playing Battleship?" Emmy asked, sounding just as bewildered as she looked. Lyon made a face.

"Knowing them, they were actually talking about the latter before moving on to the former."

Emmy shook her head. "Oh, there was nothing in the betting pool for this." She giggled. "Everyone is gonna be so angry."

#jim hawkins x y/n #jim hawkins x reader #jim hawkins #jim hawkins x oc #treasure planet #disney #tangled #kingdom dance #wish #disney channel #disney movie #mickey mouse #marvel

[xoxoemynn]

Still, Still, Still

Microfic of 800 words set during the final scene of 2x03, also on AO3 here. Thank you to @zombee for the assist!

Still, still, still.

Stede has always seen Ed in motion.

Leaping down from a height of two steps, swinging his sword, dancing with a bunch of rich bastards under twinkling lights.

Even when they were simply sitting by each other, Ed was always moving. Dangling his legs over the side of the ship, nodding his head as a laugh worked its way up his throat, emphasizing his points with his hands.

He had moved toward Stede, moved toward him in a way no one else ever had. Wrapping him up tightly in his arms, clapping his shoulder, tapping his foot with his boot even as they laid bound on the deck.

Kissing him.

Edward is always moving in Stede’s mind.

And now?

Still, still, still.

This is his Edward. This is who he’s been running toward all this time. It’s his face, his hair, his tattoos. There’s even a trace of his beard.

But Stede can’t reconcile this entirely motionless man with the one who sprints toward him on the beach in his dreams.

It’s all wrong. It was never supposed to be like this. The dam in his chest bursts, and all his hopes and dreams for the future come gushing out, leaving him empty.

“I messed up,” Stede says into his hands, his words more tears than voice. “I messed all of this up.”

Ed doesn’t turn his head toward him, doesn’t give him any indication he’s heard him.

Still, still, still.

“I’m sorry, Ed.”

Sorry for not telling him how he felt, sorry for running away, sorry for not reaching him in time.

Sorry, sorry, sorry.

There’s a tapping noise, and for a moment Stede thinks his tears must be so great they’re falling like rain inside of the ship. But when he moves his hands away from his eyes, he realizes it’s Ed’s hand.

His fingers are moving.

Hope rises once more in Stede’s chest. Maybe if he can just get through to Ed, if he can hear him, he’ll know that it’s okay. He’ll know that Stede came back, and Stede can finally say all the things he should have earlier, and they can have a shot at a happy ending after all.

Still, still, still.

“Ed!” he exclaims. “Ed! Wake up.”

Ed still doesn’t move, but in Stede’s mind, he can see it. Ed struggling with the ropes that bind him to some other universe, fighting his way back.

“Wake up, Ed,” Stede pleads. “I’m here. Please, wake up.”

It’s not as easy as in Stede’s dreams. They’re not running toward each other, arms outstretched, waiting to collide together. The desperation is tempered by the heaviness of all that’s transpired between them.

“Come back to me.”

It’s like drowning, Stede thinks. He remembers what Ed told him once, that most people think when someone drowns they claw at the water, screaming, trying to keep their head above the surface. But that’s not true. It’s usually a silent death.

But Stede’s not ready to give up yet.

Still, still, still.

“Ed, don’t die.” Stede shakes Ed, as though his movements will pass from his hands and into Ed’s heart and make it beat again. “Please don’t die, I’m here now. I’m here, Ed. I’m here!”

He can see it, he can see it. Ed waking up, Ed recognizing him, Ed moving toward him.

“Ed, wake up! Come on.”

Stede pounds on his shoulders. The force causes Ed’s head to bob, almost like it used to do when he would nod as he listened to Stede talk, his eyes sparkling with delight.

He’s listening, Stede thinks. He knows he is. So he says what he knows Ed needs to hear the most, a promise as sincere as any wedding vow, the truest words Stede has ever said.

“I’m here. I’ll never leave you. I’ll never leave again.”

He clings to Ed as tightly as he does to his belief that against all the odds, they’ll make it through this, too.

Still, still, still.

He leans in closer, so their faces are almost touching. All this time, Ed had been the one moving toward him, ushering him in, opening up his heart and welcoming him in, even as Stede hesitated. But there’s no hesitation now, and Ed needs to know it.

“You’re safe,” Stede whispers against Ed’s lips, and he could almost swear Ed was leaning toward him for a kiss. “Come back to me.”

There’s a sharp gasp, as though all the air in the room is being drawn out of Stede’s lungs and into Ed’s.

Ed’s eyes shoot open.

He clutches Stede’s hand, and holds on tight.

Hope floods Stede’s chest as he stares into Ed’s eyes locked on his own.

They’re filled with shock, confusion, and, yes, love.

Still, still, still.

#OFMD #Our Flag Means Death #Ed x Stede #Gentlebeard #Blackbonnet #Edward Teach #Stede Bonnet #My Fic #OFMD Spoilers #OFMD S2 Spoilers #idk I stared at That Image for too long and something broke me #happy ending I prommy

[tangyangie]

Hello I hope you are doing well! You can ignore this but I appreciate you for taking the time to read this!

Could you maybe do a Denki kaminari and Shinsou Hitoshi as well as Tamaki Amajiki with a Sly Fox best friend? (As in they have a fox tail with fox ears as well)

Other than that everything else could be whatever and you can add your own characters and stuff and make the reader whatever you want like gender neutral and etc! I hope you have a wonderful day!

underhand 🌁

characters. denki kaminari, shinsou hitoshi, + tamaki amajiki

summary. mha boys x gn!reader with fox tail/ears, written as platonic but you can consider it whatever

notes. you wrote sly fox so i'm kinda assuming the personality here... but i hope you enjoy it!!

— d e n k i

you're totally his favorite person ever.

you laugh at him his jokes, you hang out with him, and you're adorable??

he likes watching your tail. mostly when you're happy. he doesn't mean to be creepy, he just enjoys watching it sway side to side...

one time he accidentally shocked you. both your tail and your ears stuck straight up, so you can expect more shocks from him from now on—oopsies.

you put people in funny scenarios together. what do you mean that mistletoe wasn't there earlier? what do mean it's not christmas?? i see the ornaments right there.

you guys basically get all of your ships together. people have become scared of you guys locking someone into a trunk to get them to kiss someone.

one time, he asked you how well you can control your tail. you whacked him in the face, and he fell backwards, with his head leading the fall.

(he was fine. a little emotionally damaged, but fine.)

— s h i n s o u

he's intrigued. he wonders how it works, that's all.

one time, he hypnotized you, and your tail automatically started to move like a ticking clock. it was so funny, he couldn't stop laughing. even after you snapped out of it.

little did you know, not only was your tail moving, but your ears were turning in synchronization with your tail.

shinsou likes to touch your ears. and tail. he doesn't mean it, he's just drawn to it. we already know he's a cat person, and foxes aren't too far off.

he gives really good ear scratches, by the way. one time, you swore you began rolling on the floor because of how nice the scratches felt.

he lets you lay your head in his lap. he finds it relaxing as he feels your tail swing back and forth to the beat in your head.

sometimes you guys accidentally fall asleep on the couch together while watching tv. he awakes to being suffocated by an oddly fluffy rope. attached to your butt.

— t a m a k i

your personalities are like night and day.

he's too scared to even face a crowd, yet you're running around, smiling and screaming.

he likes to hide himself behind you. no matter how short or tall you are. if it's not enough, he'll take your tail to cover himself up even more.

please please please take care of him and make sure nothing you say could come off as insulting!! he'd probably find something else to hide behind.

but, as sly as you are, you guys are a pretty perfect match. he's quiet, but you're able to brighten him up. (mostly when you're alone, though. don't get your hopes up)

one time, he accidentally stepped on your tail. he disappeared for hours.

once you found him, you had to convince him that it was okay for him to come out.

he thinks it's interesting, though. he wondered if he could get a fox tail and ears as well... but decided against it.

because, being his best friend, you'd know how his quirk works. and... you'd have known what he did to get your cute little ears and tail.

notes. i'm so sorry this was kinda short but i totally ran out of ideas for tamaki. i'm really sorry if it's ooc but i racked my brain and this was the best i could do 😭😭

#screaming in the void #and the void screams back #fluff #denki #denki kaminari #denki kaminari x reader #denki x reader #kaminari x reader #shinsou #shinsou hitoshi #hitoshi shinsou #shinsou hitoshi x reader #shinsou x reader #tamaki #tamaki amajiki #amajiki #tamaki amajiki x reader #tamaki x reader #mha #my hero acedamia #my hero academia x reader #mha x reader #reader fic

[thelunarfairy]

A controversial post about the Yugi twins

Reply to comment on this post HERE

Comment from @hanakoisshort

"Could u explain and talk about the 2 first pictures please"

The two pictures:

Not long ago I received an ask about the connection between "eating" and "sex" that exists in JSHK in a very metaphorical way, if you're interested in seeing it, just click here

I will confess that I postponed creating this post a long time ago, but I realized that we need to talk about this. A lot of people ask me about their relationship, so I felt the need to be completely honest with my point of view about them.

Content warning: incest, cannibalism, sex

Important notes: This post exists solely for the purpose of analyzing the behavior and relationships between the characters, it is not a ship, nor an encouragement to do the same as them. Nothing I say here demonstrates my personal preference about the situation, again, it's just an analysis.

You must have already realized that the relationship between the twins is not an ordinary relationship, right? You must have found at least one or two strange behavior between them, but you chose to let it go, maybe this is a twins thing?

It will be?

Let's remember a little about what I said about the link between sex and hunger, Aidairo tends to use a lot of scenes referring to sex quite frequently and also talks explicitly about cannibalism, it's common for you to notice that cannibalism is also a metaphor for sex, like in the scene between Hakubo and Sumire, I explain it better in the post I mentioned.

Let's remember that supernaturals like to devour, eat, whether other supernaturals or humans, especially humans. It is quite obvious that the sexual connotation between the one who devours and the one who is devoured has to do with the characters' relationship.

So let's focus on the twins' relationship. They were born human, they know what it is to love and how relationships between humans work. Unlike someone who was born as a supernatural and has no idea how it works (like in the case of Hakubo).

Despite this, Tsukasa spent more time with the supernaturals than Amane, who only became close to the supernaturals later, and in addition, he encountered them very early. At four years old, Tsukasa, like any other child, doesn't really know what is right or wrong. He learned from that creature, and one of his principles is that you should be able to do whatever you want, even if it's selfish.

So, in the first phase of Tsukasa's life, we always see him blushing around Amane, it's really very common. He has a great love for his brother, but he doesn't really know what kind of love it is. He's just happy with what Amane offers him, while Tsukasa offers everything, even himself. Then, he returns as a supernatural, he returns home with that thing rooted in his chest.

He would now have the same hunger that supernaturals have. So let's travel a little to the future, we see Amane with suspicious injuries on his neck, cheek, mouth

Yes, mouth

So….

The rope marks on the wrists.

We still see Tsukasa blush when he looks at, or talks about Amane.

What is Tsukasa's favorite snack?

Does it seem to make sense?

When Amane transformed into Hanako, he began to demonstrate strong sexual desires for Nene, and perhaps, who knows, the desire to literally devour her, as he is a supernatural. The human part desires her sexually, and the supernatural part wants to satisfy his hunger.

Why is Hanako's appetite so strong? He holds back so much it's obvious.

So, about Tsukasa. He once told Nene, blushing, that they two are the same, this right after she said that she liked Amane, romantically speaking.

So let's talk about how apparently in love Tsukasa is with Amane. Yes, in love. In a romantic way.

I know, it's weird to think about, but we have some evidence. And believe me, he's not the only one. Amane also appears to have romantic feelings for Tsukasa.

The way Tsukasa usually touches Amane/Hanako, the way he usually blushes when he's around him,… Oh, let me show you more explicitly

So, to complement, let's talk about Sumire and Hakubo. Sumire saw Hakubo as her husband from the beginning, and she treated him as such ever since. We saw throughout her arc that their relationship worked that way, even if Hakubo didn't quite understand (after all, he was born supernatural, and had never learned about love). Hakubo has killed several times and none of them were in the same way as he did to Sumire.

There is a clear and obvious sexual connotation in this scene, it is the moment when he asks to take her as his wife, she is initially scared, and the way he does it, the way he likes, devouring every little piece of her.

She was his yorishiro, and to destroy her he had to devour her.

Do you know who else is a yorishiro?

Tsukasa

And who owns this yorishiro?

Hanako.

Tsukasa apparently doesn't want them to intrude at a time when it will be necessary to destroy him. Sakura made Yashiro see what happened to Sumire after she was devoured, but she did it hidden from Tsukasa (Apparently)

Tsukasa wants to resolve this between them. So, if Nene doesn't remove Tsukasa's seal, Hanako will have to devour him.

Yes, in the same way as Hakubo and Sumire.

Can you see better now?

How about if I show you this art from chapter 100

Doesn't that mean Hanako will have to devour him? Remember the sexual connotation of the scene. The way Hanako is positioned over Tsukasa, the way Tsukasa's hand is touching his lips….

This position, Hanako likes it a lot…. Who does he use this position with most often?

Besides being the same position in which he killed Tsukasa, isn't this a suggestive position for sex?

Hahaha, I think you understand now.

Amane and Tsukasa feel human and supernatural desires, the hunger they feel (but don't usually show) exists, we often see them yearning for each other, what kind of things didn't Amane do to meet Tsukasa's needs?

So, Amane being Tsukasa's "snack" could refer to the fact that he used to eat Amane at certain times (without gravity) perhaps to satisfy his desire and Tsukasa not hurt other people (when they were 12/13 years old)

After all, it doesn't matter, he always forgives, isn't that what he said?

A relationship of love, resentment, unrequited desires, passion.

So, in summary… Apparently the twins are or once were in love with each other, or at least feel a strong attraction between them. The desire that exists in them is reflected in a sexual way or through hunger. As humans and as supernaturals. They are like Hakubo and Sumire, one day Hanako will devour Tsukasa, so, if we take into account the metaphor that "eating" is similar to 'Sex', you can imagine what will happen between them.

Remembering again, this is an analysis of their behavior. Unfortunately I wasn't able to include all the photos I wanted due to the image limit

Initially, this is the impression it gives about their relationship. I didn't mention the AUS, nor the extras, which emphasize this even more. I also didn't elaborate on this in more depth because I don't know if you would feel uncomfortable about it.

It may be that in the future more information about them will appear and refute this… impression about their relationship….

Anyway, I'm going to stop here (although I have many other things to explore about this topic) because this is a response post, so I hope you didn't feel uncomfortable with the content.

If you want, I can better develop a post just to talk about the twins' relationship with this topic.

#jibaku shounen hanako kun #hanako kun #toilet bound hanako kun #amane yugi #hanakokun #jshk #tbhk #aidairo #jshk spoilers #yugi twins #hanako anime #tbhk hanako #jshk hanako #jibaku shoujo hanako kun #yugi tsukasa #tsukasa yugi #tsumane #yugi amane #jshk theories #jshk yashiro

[cannebady]

But imagine established steddyhands. They've not been together long enough for it to be anything close to routine, but long enough that they know the lay of the land they're traversing.

Ed and Izzy have always been more to each other, though they'll both admit (Ed more willingly than Izzy, of course) that they've only come to understand it and voice it recently.

Ed and Stede, once they worked through their respective abandonment and abandoning issues, fell right back into an easy, passionate connection that has them both feeling young and reckless and alive.

Izzy and Stede, though, well-

That's a more difficult story. While Ed would argue that they both were more to each other from the beginning (Izzy rarely took an interest, positive or negative, in anyone outside of Ed and the crew and Stede was consummately polite to everyone save for Izzy and Ed always found it interesting), and Stede and Izzy disagree out of what Ed approximates is sheer stubbornness alone. They spent the first few months of Them, all together, saying they were there for Ed and comfortable sharing and Ed had to sit there and watch them throw furtive glances at each other, sometimes over Ed's actual fucking body, until they finally gave in and started reaching out for the other. Stopped trying to touch each other through Ed. Not that Ed minded the attention, though.

It took another month for them to kiss. Another three for them to be intimate without Ed.

But after that they started to fall into their own rhythms and Ed felt happiness on a scale he'd never imagined he could. He woke up tangled with his two favorite people and he got heaping loads of love and devotion thrown at him daily and fuck if it wasn't a dream come true. And now that Stede and Izzy were also realizing what they could be to each other, Ed's lucky enough to watch the two loves of his life fall a little in love with each other too.

Once they'd defined their whole, Thing, Izzy had become much more tactile with Ed. Openly seeking and providing cuddles, tucking Ed's hair behind an ear, and, implementing his morning ritual of dropping a kiss onto Ed's forehead before heading up on deck. Each morning, Izzy woke with the dawn, Ed following a short time later, and Stede resolutely refusing to wake up until he had no choice to. So when Izzy finished dressing he'd drop a kiss to Ed's forehead and that was the official start to the day. It had been that way for months and Ed came to look forward to it.

He also couldn't help to notice that he never did the same to Stede. Ed pushed it from his mind for the most part. A key strategy for loving the two most stubborn and downright bitchy men on the high seas was to know when to push and when to retreat. They seemed to be figuring it out, so Ed let it go. Well, maybe not let it go, but at least didn't bring it up.

Then there was a storm. Fun and loud and the type of thing Ed used to love. Now, he loves people and that's a far more dangerous game. Stede has learned to sail enough to be helpful, and as Co-Captain of the vessel resolutely refused to stay below deck. Ed was equal parts nervous and proud, but ultimately trusted Stede to know his limits. Izzy, though, seemed anxious and, Ed noticed, almost always had an eye turned toward Stede as the storm truly set in and the chaos started. As the rain and wind pelted against the hull and soaked the ship tip to stern, Izzy's laser focus turned to a look of horror and Ed almost missed it, focused as he was on the color draining from Izzy's face.

A strike of lightning illuminates the sky and there's a deafening crack and one of the lines breaks, looping the rope Stede is lashed too and sending both over the side of the ship.

Ed screams, but he barely hears it over the violence of the storm and his own pounding heart. He turns to Izzy to bark an order only to find Izzy stripping out of his vest and climbing over the side to grab Stede's rope and start hauling him up.

Ed sees Stede break the surface. He's still attached, thank something, but he's limp as Izzy, and a few of the crew, bring him back aboard and Ed's happy world starts to shatter around the edges. All he can think, desperately, is no.

Izzy's a flurry of movement as he tries to sit Stede up and get him to wake up, and Ed's crying so hard he can feel the tears even with the rain pouring down, and the crew is looking on, horrified, and Ed's about ready to fall to actual pieces when Stede's eyes open and he coughs up a worrisome amount of water. As soon as the worst of it passes, he looks over at Ed, smiles a little, then turns to Izzy and reaches a shaky hand up to his cheek before turning his head and coughing more water up onto the deck.

Ed remembers that he has arms, and legs, and a voice, and thirty years of experience sailing through storms, and gets the crew back to work getting them through this. Then he and Izzy get Stede back to their quarters, warm him up and put him in dry clothes before doing the same for each other and getting situated in bed. They'll address the damage, physical and emotional, tomorrow. Tonight is for rest and for Ed to cling to them both like a limpet.

He doesn't sleep a wink. Stede is out quickly, followed by Izzy, both exhausted he's sure, and Ed just stays up staring at Izzy, the fucking hero of the day and Stede, his love that he almost lost. He decides not to look away and if he sneakily checks a pulse here and there, or stokes blonde or salt and pepper locks occasionally, no one needs to know.

When Izzy wakes, early with the sun as always, he does something a little different. Before getting out of bed he kisses Ed twice, then takes a deep breath and brushes Stede's golden curls from his forehead. There's a complicated expression on his face, and it's raw and gorgeous but Ed doesn't want to ruin the moment so he keeps the thought to himself. Izzy drags his hand down Stede's cheek, gentle as can be, and leans forward to press a long, firm kiss right on his cheekbone.

Stede's eyes open but he says nothing. Just looks at Izzy for a long time before he turns his head and kisses Izzy's palm, soft and reverent. Izzy's eyes are bright when he pulls away, but he turns around quickly, resolute to begin the day, and Ed curls himself back around Stede knowing he won't be leaving his side today and basking in the overwhelming warmth of what he just saw.

Stede falls back to sleep quickly, especially with Ed's fingers running through his hair, but there's a soft smile on his face that Ed can't wait to see more of. He's also very interested for Izzy to see it and to know he put it there.

There's more love here, he thinks, than any of them thought possible and for once, he's very, very glad to have been wrong.

#ofmd #our flag means death #stede bonnet #my fic #edward teach #izzy hands #blackbeard #ofmd fic #steddyhands #stede x ed x izzy #Stizzy #Blackhands #gentlebeard #blackbonnet

[queeoretician]

Just finished re-listening to Nona, and I have to know - what the ever-loving fuck did Jod want with G—'s arm? My first thought was that it had something to do with the dead man's switch for the suitcase nuke, but he mentions that he still has plans for it, in his narration to Alecto/Harrow after the bombs have gone off, so there's something else there. I feel like it's tied in with something about G1deon and Pyrrha being different from the other lyctor/cavalier pairs we see.

Speaking of which, there are a good few of those differences - here are the ones that come to mind:

G1deon's thanergy-void ability that lets him break Harrow's bone wards. I don't think this is it - to me it feels like it's more in the vein of Mercymorn's one-touch supernatural anatomy abilities, within the "normal" range of freaky abilities that lyctors have.

G1deon being physically imposing, unlike any(?) other necromancer we come across. I feel like there are some connections here that are eluding me right now.

The big one, Pyrrha's individuality surviving lysis. This by itself wouldn't make sense to me, but maybe it ties in with G1deon's buffness, that somehow the physical basis for their ascension was atypical?

On that last note, something else that stood out to me through Nona is that Pyrrha and G1deon's necro/cav relationship dynamic seems very different from the others we see (not just among Jod's original disciples but also with the contemporary pairs). At one point Pyrrha mentions filtering G1deon's brain fluid while working on the transference/winnowing trial, with the only other subject of that test being Cristabel rather than one of the other necromancers. In another passage Pyrrha talks about working on the Tomb's wards with Cassiopeia and Mercymorn - her plus two necromancers.

This had me wondering if Pyrrha was also a necromancer originally, somehow - but Palamedes's explanation to Nona of why she isn't affected by the blue madness undermines that hypothesis. But that aside, Pyrrha was definitely involved in what I would think of as "necromancer stuff" in a way we don't see from anyone else except Camilla (because the Sixth House are nerds). But maybe my expectations are off base because we're introduced to the necro/cav relationship through the eyes of Gideon, who is aggressively disinterested in necromancy...

Speaking of nerd shit, what kind of people were Jod's crew before the bombs and the Resurrection? He refers to them at one point as "a cop and six different kinds of nerd" and "two scientists and an engineer and a nun and a lawyer and a banker and a cop and an artist," referring to A—, M—, G—, the nun (Cristabel), C—, A—'s brother (Alfred), P—, and N— (he doesn't seem to have included himself in that tally). The narration clearly references all of their roles individually except G—'s, so I would guess he was the engineer, with the scientists being M— (medical) and A— ("the glycerol-6 genius"). But as best I can recall we don't really hear anything about G—'s role apart from being Jod's most steadfast supporter and carrying the suitcase nuke - it comes across as though Jod took him rather for granted. I wonder if Pyrrha remembers this and holds it against Jod along with all his post-Resurrection shit? I'd love to learn more about this in Alecto - I wanna know everything about our problematic fave ex-cop ex-spook genderfuck parent figure and her grief and her love...

But back to my earlier line of thinking, after the Resurrection Jod roped his disciples into a war of vengeance against the descendants of the generation ship, and defense against the Resurrection Beasts, and at a very tentative guess it seems like only Pyrrha of the original eight would have been predisposed towards that kind of combative life (jokes about academia aside). But at the same time she seems to have stepped into a research-y role that we don't see from any of the other original cavaliers (with the caveat that our info is very limited and Alecto could upend this entirely).

All this is to say, I Have Questions about Pyrrha and G1deon and who they were pre-Resurrection, but right now I don't have any coherent theory beyond "I think there's something going on here."

#the locked tomb #nona the ninth spoilers #john gaius #gideon the first #pyrrha dve #rambling late night speculation

[mysteriouslybluepirate]

The major win for me after this season is that fans are going to start writing horror/supernatural fiction for this fandom!

A genera or tone many of y'all probably haven't touched-but I assure you, it's SO much fun to write with the characters Canon has given us. May I tempt you with a few starting concepts I use to set the mood for pirate-specific horror? [Some spoilers for S2 OFMD]

Doldrums! A period where a ship gets no wind- can anywhere from a few minutes or potentially months at a time. unpredictable and impossible to plan for, as if you kept stock for doldrums, you're adding a TON of salted beef and green water to your stores. More supplies means less room for loot. During this time-on top of slowly losing food and water rations. Your crew could start to hallucinate, go sun blind, or grow bored of menial work. That and if your near the equator(where most took place)- the sun cooks the wood of your top deck.

It gets REALLY dark it night. Like. I don't think OFMD has shown a scene that really depicts how dark it is. The point of the night lookout is to have maybe one candle lit at night by the helm, steer the ship, and keep an eye out for any dots of light on the horizon.

I highly recommend watching videos of pirate battles. Assassins Creed 4, recreations, people reading off accounts of battle. Anything. That shit is scary as hell. A lot of praying the wind is on your side, or that a gust of wind wouldn't knock the ship out of line of fire. Many pirates were caught because they were at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Now- The psychological shit- Most first mates were chosen by their captain. While the Captain themselves were elected by the crew. If a Captain was mutinied, the first mate would be as well for fear of the first mate was more loyal to the old captain than the crew. This is why Ed's speech to Frenchie S2ep2 makes sense. Ed knows the crew was iffy with Izzy, but didn't want to risk Izzy staying alive to possibly start a mutiny against him. So Frenchie had to kill Izzy.

Most Pirates lasted *at most* 2 years at this point in history. Blackbeard lasted 15 months. Bonnet lasted AS A PIRATE from Spring 1717 to November 10th 1718. Being hung in December of 1718. Read up on how common it was to just...go overboard. Or get so drunk your crew couldn't fight back against the English. This is how Calico Jack, Anne Bonne, and Mary(Mark) Reed went down. People not ready to fight caught with their pants down. Play up how every feels like they're walking into their own noose.

Many diseases spread like wildfire among the lower crew. So crews took 'quarantining' measures very seriously for things like dysentery and malaria. Often throwing bodies overboard.

S2 ep5 (top 3 eps of the show for me) WAS SO RIGHT ABOUT WHY SUPERSTITIONS WERE IMPORTANT TO MANAGE. Again what I said about how easy it was for the crew to turn on a captain they didn't like. But any form of doubt tword your captain could be enough to start the brewing's of a mutiny.

At the time. Going overboard was a death sentence. Many sailors didn't learn to swim as trying swimming usually meant that 1.) Your ship went down in battle and your about to be captured by the authorities or 2.) You went overboard in a storm/your ship sunk. So either way your fucked. Many thought just drowning was a more peaceful death than trying to fight for your life, drowning once exhausted.

The only thing between you and the endless abyss at any point in time is a few layers of creaking, slowly rotting, wood

Ships would creak. They're made of wood and you know how houses shift? SO DO SHIPS. During rough waves or even just at random points in the day.

The sails had to manually be raised in/before storms by climbing up the mast, going out, stepping on a VERY thin peice of rope tied off at the ends of each yard(I always call them 'yard lines', but don't quote me) they'd then reach over and pull the sail up to then fasten down. This took a dozen men on a large ship. (You can see this person standing a thicker version of it in the photo below)

Masts are VERY heavy. A mast cracking and crashing onto deck could cause enough damage to sink a ship.

The Black Dot- a superstition that if you see a black dot left on your door/ or on your person (ie someone slipping it in your pocket) means you will die soon. Usually given to someone higher rank before a mutiny. We have no proof this was a real thing but a LOT of pirate media uses it.

Add more if you think of them!! [I might do a tropes based on the more supernatural elements of horror later, but for most tropes (mermaids, ghost ships, poltergeists, selkies) I think the fandom has it covered]

#ofmd #ofmd s2 #ofmd season 2 #our flag means death #ofmd fanfic #izzy hands #edward teach #stede bonnet #pirates #horror #horror writing #ofmd s2 ep5 #ofmd horror #idk. weird tag but it might catch on????

[agaypanic]

Childhood friends to lovers with Francis Wilkerson x male reader 🙏🙏🙏

Francis thinking he’s straight until he and reader get older and he starts to question himself. They start to lose touch when Francis gets sent to military school, but when he comes back he sees reader and is like “…ok maybe I’m a little gay-“ maybe ends in fluffy kisses 🥹

Kissing The Homie (Francis Wilkerson X Male!Reader)

Masterlist

Request Something!

Summary: Francis always thought he was straight. When he comes home from military school and sees his childhood friend for the first time in almost two years, he starts to learn some things about himself.

A/N: kind of unserious title bc i didn’t know what to title this lol also i feel like this sucks but i wanted to work on something

***

“What the hell do you mean you’re going to Alabama?” You asked your best friend, about to laugh. This must have been some insane joke. “Francis, you can’t be serious.”

“I wish I wasn’t, man.” He sighed, running a hand through his long hair and taking a drag of his cigarette. “My mom’s crazy.”

“Can you blame her? She’s got you as a son.” You snorted at your own jab, and Francis shoved your shoulder.

“It’s not funny, Y/n! I’m going to military school; I might as well die.”

“Don’t be so dramatic, Francis.” You snatched his cigarette to take a smoke. “You’ll get kicked out and be back here before you know it.”

“Yeah, I guess.” He murmured. The two of you were quiet for a minute, passing the cigarette back and forth. In a week, Francis was getting shipped off to a military school across the country, and although you joked about it, you didn’t know when you’d see him again, if at all. Sure, you’d been friends since you were five, but being states away with probably little contact could change that.

“I’ll miss you, man.” You said solemnly before smashing the lit cigarette against the bottom of your shoe. Francis laughed, shaking his head.

“Don’t be gay, dude.” Now it was your turn to push him.

“Shut up.”

***

Contact with Francis became less and less the more that time went on. It wasn’t really anyone’s fault; you two just became too busy with other things. You pulled away from Richie and Francis’ other friends, realizing that you only ever hung out with them because Francis hung out with them. Not wanting to end up in the same boat your friend was in, you started focusing more on school. You and Francis tried to keep up with each other, but sending letters felt too time-consuming, and Francis used most of his phone calls on his family or girlfriend of the week.

You’d sulk about it, but that’s just how life worked.

Because you and Francis were childhood friends, your parents were somewhat close with each other. So you weren’t surprised when you came home from school one day, and your mom told you she got Lois to get you a job at Lucky Aide. The only bright side was getting money, although it wasn’t much.

After what felt like forever, spring break had finally come. It didn’t feel like much of a difference to you since you still had to work, but it’s the thought that counts. You got to work fewer hours because Lucky Aide had some kind of program going on where a bunch of people could work and do inventory for the week. Craig was in charge of it, so you didn’t care much about it.

“Hey, I got another box for you.” A voice sounded behind you while you were stocking a shelf. It sounded a bit familiar, but then again, this was a small town.

“Thanks, man. Just put it next to the open one.” You turned around and were startled by the baby blue eyes looking at you. “Holy shit. Francis?”

“Y/n, hey!” Francis dropped the box and roped you into a hug, patting you on the back. You hugged him back, a bit shocked. “I didn’t know you worked at Lucky Aide.”

“Have been for a few months. I didn’t know you were back in town.”

“Just for spring break.”

“Nice, nice.” You nodded, looking him up and down. Military school seemed to do him some good. Not behavior-wise, he was probably still a menace. But you mentally thanked whoever made him cut his hair. Sure, the long hair looked cool. But it looked so good the way it was now, short but messy. And after almost two years, he seemed so much more mature. Again, not behaviorally. He looked, dare you say, kind of hot.

Wait, you shouldn’t be looking at your friend this way. You didn’t like guys.

Maybe.

Little did you know, Francis was looking at you the same way. He didn’t think anyone would look as good as you did in a Lucky Aide smock. You filled it out perfectly. And you had certainly grown a lot since he last saw you, almost reaching his height now with broader shoulders. But you still had the smart-ass smirk on your face that he loved to see.

But Francis wasn’t gay. Nuh-uh. He just knew how to appreciate another dude’s looks. Yeah, that’s it.

“Well, listen, man. I dunno when your shift is over, but I get off at five, so maybe tonight we could catch up or something.” You suggested, continuing your task of restocking the shelves behind you. Even though he probably had something to do, Francis helped you by handing you items from the box.

“Yeah, that sounds great. My mom’s being a real pain in the ass-”

“What else is new?”

“-so I’m a little desperate to get away from home.”

“Well, I have a car now, so just let me know when you’re free.” He was about to answer you when Craig appeared at the end of the aisle.

“Francis! What are you doing here? The bouncy balls are not gonna recount themselves.” You laughed while Francis rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed his peace was interrupted. 

“You better go.” You said, taking the final item from his hands. He sighed, briefly balling his hands into fists before letting them rest at his sides.

“Yeah, I guess. I’ll see you later.”

“See you later, man.” You patted his shoulder before pushing him away, watching him mope and drag his feet toward where Craig was waiting for him.

***

Instead of waiting until his shift ended, Francis snuck out behind you after you clocked out. He raised the collar of his jacket to cover his face as he ran out to your car, making you cackle as you fished around in your pocket for your keys. He practically dove into the passenger’s seat when the car was unlocked.

“Where do you wanna go?” You asked as you settled in the driver’s seat, turning the car on.

“As long as I’m out of the house and not at work, I literally don’t care.”

Half an hour later, you were tearing into a giant bag of fast food in a park’s parking lot. A random radio station played as you messily ate the cheap food. You reached down to the floor of your backseat and pulled out a bottle of cheap alcohol. Francis definitely wasn’t opposed when you offered to splash some in his soda cup.

“So, what’s military school like?” You asked, chewing through the last of the curly fries. Francis swallowed the bite of his burger and grinned over at you.

“Dude, it’s so much better than I thought it’d be. I mean, most of it sucks, but the amount of shit I’ve gotten into is crazy.”

“Such as?” Francis’ eyes lit up. Clearly, a story had popped into his head, but then he sunk into his seat as if it were embarrassing. “Oh man, this one’s gotta be good.”

“Okay, so it was sometime last year. A buddy of mine and I did community service for a local beauty pageant. It was perfect, half-naked women everywhere who would want some kind of attention. Of course, I showed interest in the pageant to get with one of them. But…” He trailed off, and you leaned toward him in your seat, silently egging him on. He looked away from you. “But instead, she and the rest of the girls thought I was gay.”

You couldn’t help but snort.

“Were they right?” You received an eye roll and a punch in the shoulder.

“Shut up, man.”

“Oh, come on! You can’t tell me all that and expect me to not ask questions.” You looked away and took a bite of your burger, confused by the slight disappointment you felt. It’s not like you really cared about the answer. “It’s no big deal if you are, bud.”

“And who said I am?” Francis’ voice was higher than it just was, like he was slightly panicked by the accusation.

“Those pageant girls, apparently.” You answered with a teasing grin. “Ever kissed a guy?”

“Gee, Y/n, no. Guess I never had the opportunity.” Francis sighed, taking a large sip of his spiked soda. You raised your eyebrows in surprise. Sure, it seemed believable while he lived in a military academy in Alabama. But, especially looking the way Francis does now, you’re hesitant to believe he never even had the offer.

Huh, maybe you did like guys. Or at least a guy.

“Do you want an opportunity?” The words left your mouth before you even thought about them, surprising you further. By the look on his face, Francis was just as surprised.

“What?” He managed to choke out. You shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant about the fact that you had just offered to kiss your childhood-turned-somewhat estranged best friend.

“Just saying, Francis. Better to kiss a friend than a stranger. Besides, who knows? You might like it.” You kept out the part that you were now secretly rooting for him to accept. You smirked at a now thoughtful Francis, trying to seem uncaring yet slightly intrigued by the whole matter.

A quiet Francis wasn’t a good one, which had you worried. You had half a mind to laugh, claiming that you were joking or that the cheap alcohol had taken your filter. But you were too deep now; you wanted to know what he’d say.

Francis licked his lips before turning to look at you, taking a deep exhale.

“Fuck it.” The craziest part was that he seemed completely serious.

Wordlessly, you both prepared yourselves. There seemed to be this unspoken agreement that whatever happened in your car would stay in your car until the both of you died. You took a final long sip of liquid courage before Francis took your face in his hands. You didn’t expect him to take charge of the situation, but you’re glad he did because the situation probably wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t.

The kiss was quick but enough to absolutely boggle your mind. Francis slipped one of his hands to the back of your head to draw you in. His fingers became tangled with your hair, keeping you in place after he pulled away. The two of you were quiet with eyes closed, not knowing how to proceed.

“Am I a good kisser, Wilkerson?” You asked, trying to lighten the mood. Francis took the shy grin off your lips with another quick kiss, and when he pulled away, you opened your eyes this time. His baby blue eyes stared at you, filled with surprise and profoundness and what you wanted to say was lust.

“Okay…” Francis licked his lips again, taking a deep breath. God, it was so hot. “I think I might be a little gay.”

“Agreed.” You replied, staring back at him. He immediately went back in for a kiss that was longer and deeper than the previous ones. And you didn’t complain in the slightest.

#francis wilkerson x reader #francis wilkerson #francis wilkerson x male reader #malcolm in the middle #malcolm in the middle x reader #agaypanic

[lighthouseofstories]

Wanted to drop in and say how much I'm absolutely adoring your writing! The cat post had me absolutely dying and your angst is just... so wonderful! The Ace fic hit me so hard and your portrayal of Zoro and his social obliviousness yet still meaning well enough was so spot on it hurts 😭

Was also curious if you might write something where the reader (trans masc or gender neutral if you're not comfortable with that ) is a new member of the crew (Whitebeard, Red Force, Strawhats, and Hearts separately) and they're really wanting to prove their worth on the crew because they're scared they'll be ditched and left behind. But in doing so, they go overboard and end up getting hurt or messing up the plan that had been laid out for everyone. How would the different captains/cremates react in the moment and afterwards when they find out reader maybe has some past trauma involving people making them feel like they weren't worth keeping around if they weren't useful in some way? And they aren't sure how to help most of the time when everyone around them is alreadyso capable and stronger without them. All the crews have such different vibes and dynamics, makes me curious how everyone would try to help the reader overcome these insecurities and realize that their worth isn't based on how strong they are/aren't and they were asked to join because they're a friend, not a tool to be used.

I hope that makes sense? Totally understand if you don't feel comfortable doing this request and want to say thank you again for your awesome writing!! Hope you have a wonderful day 💓

The Crew's Rookie

(30.08.23)

Platonic Red Hair Pirates x Rookie Reader (Trans Male)

TW: *Mentions of injury and blood. *The feeling of not being good enough and being desperate to prove yourself.

OOf, I ended up going in some random direction here, I hope it touches on the idea of the crew interacting with an uncertain reader. There was tons to unpack here so I condensed it into a one-shot. Also, sorry this is so late! I haven' felt too good under the heat we've been having!

Finishing re-tying some ropes on the ship, you wipe the sweat from your brow with the bottom of your shirt. The temperatures in this summer climate are so high that everyone is sweating buckets for the past few days. Not much that can be done about that except to keep showering and staying hydrated. 

Yassop closely inspects your work to check it won’t pose a safety hazard and you anxiously hold your breath in wait for the verdict. 

He then grins and pats you on the back. “Good job rookie! You’re learning quickly! Can't believe you've only been here three months! Man, it feels like you've been one of us for longer!” 

You sigh in relief and give a small smile as thanks. It’s only been about three months since you joined the crew and it’s been hard work to learn everything you can about being on a ship and even harder trying to find your place on one. You've also affectionately gained the nickname rookie or rookie y/n and you can't say you minded.

You’re beyond grateful for the opportunity that Shanks has given you that day, an opportunity to get away from your monochrome-filled world. 

You were working as a waiter in an almost-dead town and a half-dead tavern when Shanks and his crew strolled in laughing and chatting in a boisterous way. You felt trepidation at first, knowing that some pirates aren’t to be trusted, but seeing the charismatic captain politely inquire whether they’d be able to take over the tavern for the night you felt your fear slowly ease out of you.

You enjoyed serving them that night, their friendly behaviour and wild stories of the sea entertaining you throughout the night. When they left you felt sadness and emptiness fill you, missing the life they brought with them.

When they returned the next night for more partying you felt a grin spread across your face. You spent another night weaving between tables or just sitting with them and listening to their stories.

At one point the captain intently stared at you and you just furrowed your brows in confusion. “Hey, hey, why don’t you come and join my crew?” 

The crew around him laughed and someone shouted “Drunk recruiting again captain?” 

You felt your heart skip a beat at the proposal, but seeing how Shanks was so drunk he could barely sit up on his own, you forcefully shoved that feeling of hope deep down again. 

But the next day Shanks returned to your tavern alone. If it was anyone else you would have told them the tavern is closed and politely sent them on their way. But this was Shanks who you’ve grown a respect and admiration for upon seeing how he treats and interacts with his crew. 

“You never gave me a response to my question last night. There’s potential in you and it would be a shame to waste it by rotting away here. We’ll be setting sail tonight, so if you wish to come with us be at the dock by sunfall.” 

After Shanks left, you spent the whole day rapidly packing whatever essentials you deemed you’d need and a few mementos. You then scrawled a hasty note to the tavern owner saying you’re quitting in lieu of finding a better work opportunity and that you pushed the keys through the letter flap, he has spares after all. You then took a deep breath and saw the sky starting to change.

After you pushed the keys through the postbox and Slinged your backpack over your shoulders you take a deep breath and begin to sprint towards the docks. 

When you arrive at the dock you’re panting and out of breath, but feel the excitement buzz in your veins. 

Some nearby men spot you and grin, before shouting for the Captain to come and see who it is. 

When Shanks appears and looks down from the ship he grins wide and asks, “What are you waiting for rookie? Get on board before we sail without you.” 

“Yoohoo earth to Rookie y/n. A return to the ship would be great.” You return to the present to see Yassop waving a hand in front of your face. 

You blink and smile sheepishly. “Sorry, Yassop. Lost in thought.” 

He just lightly shakes his head and flicks your forehead. “You’re working too hard, no wonder you're so spacy. Go take a break and do something, anything, non-work related.”

You tried to protest but Yassop was having none of it and even gently pushed you in the direction of some crew members just relaxing around the ship, so you reluctantly went to wander around in search of something to do. 

“Rookie, come sit with us!” An older member of the crew cheerfully waves at you from his place at a table full of cards. Coming over you recognise some of the officers like Lime Juice and Howling Gab. 

You grin when you approach and see the scowls on some of the pirates’ faces. “Who’s winning?” You teasingly ask.

“Heh, for a change I am.” Lime Juice responds and places a winning hand of cards now with a grin that irritates those around him.

“I’m still not convinced that you aren’t cheating.” grumbles someone else at the table.

Lime Juice chooses to ignore them and turns to look at you as he passes you a hand of cards for a new game, his shades ever present on his face. “How are you settling in Rookie?”

You sit down at a nearby barrel and shrug as you accept the cards. “Alright, I think. I managed to remember everyone’s names and I’m no longer getting lost on a ship.”

“You’re faring better than some previous newbies, they spent most of their first weeks or months throwing up and falling over in search of their sea legs.” Another pirate at the table laughs.

“Yeah, I suppose this is better then.” You quietly say to yourself. Before you can say anymore a loud rumble of thunder and a flash of lightning spread across the sky. Following it immediately was a strong downpour accompanied by hale. The Grand Line weather really was unpredictable.

Curses erupt all around you and shouts to get the ship prepared for a storm are heard all around. 

“Oi rookie! You’re a pretty good climber! Climb up the rigging and roll up the sails!”

“On it!” You shout with determination happy to be put to use. 

Once you are up on the rigging, carefully helping to roll up the sails so they won’t be damaged in a storm a new shout spreads across the ship. “Hostile ship approaching at four o'clock! Captain they’re trying to pick a fight with us!” 

Barely a few moments after the warning, the sound of cannonballs shooting through the air is heard and the ship violently rocks with the combined attack of the strong storm and the cannonballs hitting water. 

You just about manage to grab onto a nearby rope to stop yourself from falling down, but it is proving to be difficult with the violent swaying of the ship. 

With the enemy ship not swayed by your captain’s Haki (which you miraculously just about managed to get used to) they are now next to the Red Force and a battle begins to commence. 

“Oi Rookie get down! It’s far too dangerous up there right now! Go and support from the back!” Someone, you didn’t see who yells at you from below. 

You grit your teeth and are about to descend before you have another idea. If you manage to help in this battle you can prove your worth, that you deserve to remain here as much as anyone else. 

With that thought made up, you carefully move to the end of the rigging and take out your gun. You carefully scan the enemy pirates and watch for an opportunity. Your eyes widen as you see one of them aim a gun at a fellow red-haired pirate. Without thinking you take aim and shoot. 

You grin victoriously when you see the pirate fall down dead, the surprise clear on his face. The nearby pirate of your crew turns in your direction. His eyes widen and he screams a watch out, but it comes too late as you feel a sudden pain at the back of your head, and the next thing you know you’re falling until the cold sea envelopes you, afterward, your vision turns black.

“Man overboard! Rookie fell in!” Comes the shout and Shank’s eyes widen from where he is fighting the captain of the crew stupid enough to attack them. 

“Beck!” Shanks shouts for his first mate, scanning for him through the crowds.

“I’m on it!” Beckman shouts back to his captain and then after tying himself up with a rope to the ship immediately dives down to the stormy sea. 

It takes him a moment of desperately searching around but he soon notices your unconscious form, blood flowing from your head. It’s a miracle it hasn’t attracted any sea kings yet. 

He firmly wraps a strong hand around you and swims to the surface. “Come on Rookie, you better hang in there.” He tells you as he tugs on the rope to be pulled towards the ship as in these stormy waters even a seasoned sailor will struggle to swim, let alone whilst holding an unconscious body.

Once Beckmann is safely back on board with your unconscious form, the fight is already coming to an end and so you are immediately brought to Hongo to be looked over. 

Shanks listens to Hongo carefully, all the while looking at the bed where your feverish body is currently resting. He has to admit the stunt you pulled was incredibly stupid and reckless and could have killed you, but it was also impressive. Shanks can’t be too mad at you because he’s also done his share of incredibly stupid stuff in his younger years on the seas. 

“The fever isn’t serious and should be gone by tomorrow. The knock to the head doesn’t look too bad either, Head wounds always just bleed like crazy and if I’m right about everything, he should wake up at the latest tomorrow. Once he wakes up I’ll give him some painkillers, for now just rest.” Hongo finishes as he writes down the incident in your patient file. 

Shanks nods in understanding and then turns to Beck. “Quite the troublesome rookie we have on our hands Beck.” he grins at the older man.

Beckman just bites on the unlit cigarette in his mouth, respecting Hongo’s no smoking in the infirmary rule. Eventually, he sighs as he responds, “No worse than you Cap’tn. At least he didn’t leave a blood trail around the ship like you and others have a tendency to do.” 

Hongo snickers at this comment and Shanks just sulks at his crew’s teasing of him. 

With nothing else to do Hongo excuses himself leaving Shanks and Beck alone with you. 

“You stayin to watch over him or should I?” Beck asks 

Shanks sighs and sits down on the chair next to the bed. “You happy managing the crew?” 

Beckman nods in response and leaves to see how the ship and crew are faring post-storm and battle.

Waking up, you attempt to sit up, but a sharp pain in your head makes you cry out. Rough hands come to your shoulders and gently push you back down. 

“Woah Woah y/n, I wouldn’t get up so fast. Quite a nasty bump you’ve got there on your head.” 

You blink a few times to clear the blackness from your vision and you raise a hand to your head and feel the bandages wrapped tightly around it. Then you slowly turn your head to see the owner of the familiar voice. Your eyes widen when you come face to face with the concerned face of your captain. 

“Captain! I-” He raises a hand to silence you and you look down at your bed sheets in guilt. 

Let’s get Hongo to look you over now that you’re awake and also get some food into you. Afterward, we can talk about what happened.” 

You lightly nod your head and let your thoughts run wild as you wait for Shanks to come back.

Once Hongo has checked you over again and declared that with rest you will recover, Shanks and Beckmann sit down and you sigh knowing now is the time for an explanation. 

Shanks looks at you seriously and you hang your head in shame and worry. “Would you like to tell us what prompted you to ignore orders to return and make you continue acting on your own?” He asks seriously. 

Your hands clench around the bed covers as you try to arrange your thoughts. “I’m sorry. I understand that by not listening I put the crew in danger, even more so as I had to be rescued, further endangering everyone. It’s just that, I wanted to be useful like everyone else! I don’t want to freeload on this ship and become a burden. If I keep going like this, being a burden, not improving, not contributing in any significant way, there will be no point for you guys to keep me around. You will probably decide the crew is better off without me dragging everyone down. I don’t want that to happen, I grew fond of the crew and being free, I don't want to go back to that mind-numbing life I used to have!”

After you say everything that is weighing on your mind, you realise your outburst and feel guilty for snapping at your captain and vice-captain. “I’m sorry.”

It’s deadly silent for a while, you being too terrified to look up, but then a small sigh can be heard in the silence. 

“Do you think so little of your captain? I wouldn’t dream of throwing someone who’s working so hard to learn off the ship. I told you I see potential in you and I wasn’t lying. But this potential won’t be realised overnight. You’re slowly learning from each member of the crew and improving by the day. But if you act rashly by jumping into the fray, you very quickly won’t live to see this potential realised.” Shanks says with a serious voice. 

You bow your head even lower and tightly close your eyes. “I acted out of line and for that, I will accept whatever punishment you see fit Captain.”

Shanks leans back in his chair with s thoughtful look on his face. “Any punishment huh? First, I order you to rest until you are fully recovered. Secondly, the crew will give you some chores and jobs to do. Thirdly, the crew is worried about you, so if you’re feeling up to it they’ll want to come and see you.”

This last line made your head shoot up and your eyes widen. 

All Shanks has to do is open the door and shout, “The rookie is awake.” and loud enthusiastic voices can be heard gathering outside of the door. 

You just stared at the door in shock as Yassop was the first to push in and bring you into an enthusiastic side hug. “Rookie! We thought we lost you when we first laid sight on you when Beck brought ya back! Should of seen the blood coming out of your head!”

“If you smother him like this he’ll open up his wound again and then you can deal with a pissed-off Hongo.” Lime Juice tells Yassop seriously as he pulls him off you so you can breathe. 

Lime Juice then looks at you and grins. “Glad to see you’re still sticking around in the land of living Rookie.” 

You smile at them, feeling touched by their concern. Your eyes then move back to your captain who just nods at you.

 Maybe you made a place for yourself on this crew after all. You thought to yourself with a small smile under everyone’s fussing.

#one piece #one piece x reader #One piece Red Hair Pirates x reader

[schrijverr]

I Found Myself a Cheerleader 2

Chapter 2 out of 28

Bumped to the lowest step on the social ladder after his fight with Billy, Steve gets roped in with the cheer team. What starts as a favor to help them out when one member breaks her leg in turn for protection from the brunt of the bullying, sets the universe on a different path.

In this chapter, Steve settles in with the cheer team, finding real friends that are by his side. They work towards the competition and compete, which Steve enjoys enough to maybe consider staying a little bit longer. A conversation with Dustin and Will convinces him.

On AO3.

Ships: eventual steddie & buckingham

Warnings: eating disorder, period typical homophobia, bullying, f-slur, child abuse mention

~~~~~~~~

Chapter 2: The Competition

Steve has first period biology with Heather, who is waiting at the door to walk with him. They get some looks from people as they pass and Steve hopes that the rumor that will go around is that they’re dating instead of Steve Harrington has become a cheerleader.

He skips over going to his locker, because everyone knows where his locker is and it’s a place where he’s an easy target.

By the time lunch rolls around, he has to admit that he hasn’t had this good a day in a while. The constant presence of the cheer girls that either intimidate people or whom people want to impress, means that he doesn’t get pushed around as much. And it’s nice that he can talk to someone during his classes instead of just holding his head down and hoping no one looks at him.

The cafeteria feels just as daunting as yesterday. Eyes follow him as he crosses the room and goes to sit at the cheer table. Mutters float up all around him and he feels his chest tighten as he hears some of the words that are thrown around behind his back.

A small hand on his arm snaps him out of the impending sense of doom and he looks up to meet Chrissy’s eyes.

She’s a sophomore he learned yesterday and she looks a bit uncertain about touching him. However, she pushes through it and smiles at him. Chrissy doesn’t mention anything about the whispers and just says: “Coach Miller was in a bad mood when I had her today. I think we’re running laps later,” and wrinkles her nose.

Steve laughs and asks: “Not a fan of laps?”

“Not really, no,” she smiles.

“Ugh, laps are the worst,” Susan butts in. “Like running isn’t that bad, but coach always makes us do special running. Like heels to butt or knees up and it’s so tiring.”

Now that she mentions them, Steve has seen the cheerleaders running in ways that always looked exhausting to him. He grimaces and comments: “Oh yeah, I remember those. They looked like they suck.”

That earns him some giggles, especially when they remind him he’s now a part of it too and his face falls.

After that lunch is bearable. The cheerleaders are fun to talk to, though in a different way. It’s not a competition of who did the wildest shit or insulting each other, instead they just lean in a talk about classes, a new shirt they got, something they’re not looking forward too.

Steve doesn’t chime in much, content to sit there instead of outside or in a bathroom. He starts to feel normal again, surrounded by girls and getting some envious stares. He’s not interested in any of them, but it’s nicer than what’s been happening.

After school, they go to practice. Steve decides to change in a toilet as to not have to face the boys and he has brought his tracksuit for after practice.

Coach Miller is indeed in a bad mood and they run more laps than necessary, in Steve’s opinion at least. He’s an athletic person, but at the end he’s also reaching for his water bottle like a dying man in the desert.

However, when practice is over, he feels content. There is something to putting in an effort and it going right that feels good. Yesterday, he was the main reason not everything went well and though he has a bit to go, today he fared much better.

He drives Lisa home again, along with Chrissy, whose mom couldn’t come get her and told her to walk home. Steve thinks it’s ridiculous to expect anyone to walk a few miles after practice, not to mention that Chrissy didn’t even bring a snack. She refused the one he offered, but did take him up on the drive home.

And this is how most of the week goes.

There are still comments thrown at his head and whispers that go around, but he is a Harrington and Harringtons hold their heads up and ignore rumors about them. His mother has been ignoring the infidelity rumors for long enough and Steve has always been more like her.

The biggest thing that happens to him is on Thursday, when he gets to his locker to find the word fag smeared over it with paint. People around his start to giggle and point as they see him with his locker. But Steve just stands there frozen as he sees the word.

He knew this could happen when he said yes. It’s the reason he said no first. Because this is what people think of him now, this is what his father can never hear.

Steve is a Harrington and Harrington men are the epitome of masculinity. They play basketball or swim. They marry a cheerleader, they aren’t one. Because being a cheerleader means being a faggot and that is the worst thing one can be.

For years Steve has lived with this knowledge, molded himself to it. But now he stopped listening to the voice of his father, who is always in the back of his mind. Look where it got him.

And it’s not like he can deny it. That’s the worst part. Not performing King Steve continuously has opened his eyes to some of the things he did, because he felt like he had to, instead of because he wanted to himself.

So, he realized alone in his room that all the girls he went after, he did because they were desired by others, which meant it was a win to get them first. It wasn’t because he actually liked them. He never has.

When he saw Nancy with Jonathan, he was hurt, sure. But he was more jealous of Nancy for being held by Jonathan than the other way around. And ending the friendship with Tommy hurt more than the break up with Nancy.

It feels like everyone knows that now.

His vandalized locker stares back at him and he takes a breath before opening it, ignoring the word written there. If it looks like it affects him, it will only be used against him more. He just has to ignore it.

Still, he’s out of it for the rest of the day and the cheer squad notices. Lisa offers him half her cookie and Chrissy just leans her head against his shoulder without saying anything, letting her presence comfort him. The two have become his closest friends.

It’s not until they’re done with practice that Lisa says: “We can go clean it off if you want. No one is around anymore.”

On some level he knew that they had seen it, but it still makes the shame burn in his face. He looks to the ground, his shoulders tightening. Pretending it doesn’t affect him, he shrugs: “It doesn’t matter.”

“We know,” Chrissy says. “But I know where Billy’s locker is.”

Both of them look at Chrissy with wide eyes, not expecting that from the tiny girl. She grins at them and says: “I have some paint in my locker. Come on. Can you imagine his face?”

“He might not have done it,” Lisa says. It’s quiet, before she concedes: “Okay, he definitely did. But what do you want to write?”

“Not that word,” Steve buds in, unsure when they exactly decided they’re going to do it. He doesn’t want to be that guy anymore.

“I was thinking something like: Baby needs his paci,” Chrissy tells them. “Since he’s been acting so childish. It’s like he’s my baby cousin, who didn’t get his way.”

They all laugh at the image and Steve snorts: “Alright, fuck it. Lets do it.”

First they get cleaning supplies and rid Steve’s locker of the word. It feels a bit like doing a cleanse, a fresh start. Steve knows it won’t stop, but that doesn’t matter. He doesn’t have to let it mark him, he can shrug it off. Wipe it away.

When they’re done with that, the parking lot is empty, the entire basketball team has gone home, so they sneak to Billy’s locker. Lisa and Steve do the text, while Chrissy paints on a pacifier, all of them giggling.

Steve likes having friends he actually wants to be around, who stand up for him instead of dropping him for the newest shit in town when they can.

He misses it when Billy finds his locker, but when he later passes it, it’s dented as if someone punched it. It gives him a bit satisfaction.

In the weekend, he desperately tries to do his school work that has gone undone because he’s been training so much. It feels a bit like he’s a sophomore again and he was just making it in the basketball team.

On Sunday he drives the kids to the arcade again. They’re good kids. He grumbles about it all, but he does like the little shits. They’re fucking hilarious and he feels a sense of protectiveness over them.

Apparently it goes both ways, because when all the boys are distracted, Max slides up to him and asks: “Are you okay?”

He gives her a surprised look and says: “I am. Why do you ask?”

She shrugs, looking a little embarrassed and explains: “Oh, uhm, Billy- he has been spitting all sorts of vitriol at home. Talks about you. It- It isn’t nice.” She looks guilty on Billy’s behalf. “Just wanted to check he was keeping his promise.”

Steve doesn’t have it in his heart to tell her that promises to middle schoolers mean nothing to someone like Billy and that he has been getting pushed around for months already. They look up to him, he has to be strong for them. They don’t need to know this.

“Yeah, he has,” he assures her. “Just doesn’t appreciate that I’m preventing the cheerleaders from going on a date with him.”

“Iew,” Max groans, misinterpreting his words like he had intended. Steve might not be smart, but never let it be said that he can’t be manipulative when he wants to be.

He shoots her a wink and she rolls her eyes, before walking away with a groan. It gets the attention of Will, who quirks a brow at Steve. Steve smiles at him, getting more unwanted attention off of him.

And life goes on. His locker gets left alone for the following week and he only gets tripped up in the hall once. A few people yell names at him, but he’s become immune to it.

On Wednesday he first witnesses that the cheerleaders meant their promise. Over the week and a half he’s been sitting with them, they all have become more comfortable with his presence and have gone back to gossiping about crushes and stuff that Steve never knew girls talked about. It makes him feel like a spy. It also makes him feel included, but isn’t telling them that.

The fact is, he knows that Mary has a crush on Brad on the basketball team. She has had that crush for ages and Steve has caught her staring a few times at him during practice.

However, Brad is also the one that tripped Steve up in the hallway this week, then called him a queer after. Mary had been waiting for him in the hall so they could walk to practice together, since he doesn’t have a shared class with anyone that period.

Right now, Brad is coming up to their table with all the confidence in the world. It isn’t really a secret that Mary likes him and since she is junior and he a senior, he doesn’t think she will ever say no to him. No boy asks in public if there is a chance he’ll get a no.

“Hey, Mary,” he starts, leaning against the table next to her as she smiles. “I got an extra movie ticket for Friday, wanna go with me? I could come pick you up for dinner too?”

Steve is waiting for the moves he knows so well from all the times he has asked a girl out. The ducking eyes, hair tucking and giggle, before a blushing yes is said.

Instead everyone is surprised as Mary looks up at him with cold eyes and says: “No, sorry. I don’t go out with boys, who are mean to my friends. It’s not a good look.”

Brad rears back as if slapped in surprise and frowns as he tries to think of what he has done. Mary very deliberately looks at Steve, who is sitting a few seats down trying to give Chrissy a sandwich because she forgot lunch.

He follows her look and makes eye contact with Steve. He glares at him and Steve can’t help but smirk back. This type of vindication is rarely felt. He has a seat at the table again. He has influence, a social currency that he can use.

Because the cheerleaders are making good on Molly’s threat, which hadn’t been taken seriously by anyone until now. If you bully Steve, you are not getting a date.

With a scoff Brad stalks of again, having to ignore the whispers that start to follow him, like Steve has had to do for months now.

Steve isn’t surprised when his car is keyed when he leaves practice. At least they didn’t slash his tires, that would have been worse. He can still drive the car like this.

Still, as Brad walks away, he feels bad for Mary, who has had to blow her chance with her crush for him. Softly he taps her on the shoulder and says: “You didn’t have to do that,” when she looks back to him.

She smiles reassuringly. “It’s okay. I didn’t like him much after what he did to you anyway. You’re a good guy, Steve. It’s nice that you look me in the eyes for one. Plus, if we don’t stand together, the pyramid starts to crumble, you know. We made a promise.”

“Oh, okay,” Steve says, not used to someone picking his side so unequivocally. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” Mary tells him, then turns back to her conversation as Steve does the same.

That weekend is the weekend of the competition. They all have been practicing religiously to the point where Steve sees the stunts as he falls asleep. Not that he minds, it’s better than those creatures that are haunting his dreams.

They all get to the school early on Saturday. They have quite the drive to the competition and it makes Steve feels like he’s playing basketball again and they have competition at another school. In some regards, sports will be sports.

Chrissy usually sits next to Emma, but since Steve is replacing her, he ends up next to Chrissy on the bus. Something he doesn’t mind.

He counted on being next to Chrissy in fact. He noticed she never eats enough and that isn’t good, especially not for an athlete. To the basketball team it was always stressed how important eating enough is. He doesn’t hear that much on the cheer squad.

So, he brought an extra granola bar and is trying to give it to her. “Come on, Chris. You got to think of it as fuel. If you eat now, you won’t get a stitch during the game.”

“We don’t call it game,” Chrissy laughs as she corrects him, ignoring the rest of what he said.

“Competition then,” Steve corrects himself. “Please, Chrissy. I’m afraid you’ll faint otherwise. I’m not good enough at catching to do it when you’ve blacked out.”

“I have eaten breakfast,” Chrissy tells him, looking slightly uncomfortable.

Steve doesn’t want to push her, he is only concerned for her. He remembers being unable to stomach much after that evening at the Byers house. How he had nearly fainted during basketball practice and how scary that had been. He doesn’t want that for her.

“I know,” he says with a soft voice. “I’m just worried about you. Feel like I’m going to snap one of your bones one of these days. You’re so thin.”

“Girls are thin,” she replies as if she is reminding him of something that has been said many times before. However, she softens a little at his concern.

Steve guesses those words are the root of the problem. It’s not something he knows how to fix, except by continuing to offer her food and hope she takes it. So, he holds up the granola bar and says: “Will you take half? For my peace of mind?”

Chrissy bites her lip and Steve is completely still, not wanting to scare her off. “Sure,” she gives in and Steve resists the urge to fist pump. Instead, he breaks the bar and hands her the bigger part. She eats it, only when he does.

They’re interrupted by Heather, who is leaning over the seat behind them. She has a sparkle in her eyes as she said: “Did you hear about what happened during fifth period yesterday?”

“No, what happened?” Steve asks, mingling himself in the gossip in a way he wouldn’t have allowed himself three weeks ago.

“I share the class with Eddie Munson, the drug dealer. You know him?” she begins, launching into a story how he climbed out of the window when the teacher’s back was turned, because he wanted a smoke.

Steve thinks it’s quite funny and it fits with what he knows about the metal head. He doesn’t know him well, but he has always noticed him. He’s quite dramatic and doesn’t seem to care much about school.

For a long time, Steve thought he hated Eddie. A hatred that came from admiring his confidence, but ever since he realized how he looks at boys, he has realized that it has never been hatred, always something else. Eddie is quite handsome and funny and charismatic… Not that he’ll ever tell anyone that. It would be stupid and Eddie seems kind of mean and scary too. More someone to admire from a distance than someone you talk to.

They talk about Eddie for a little more, before a familiar voice comes from Steve’s backpack through a crackling speaker: “Steve, come in, Steve. Over.”

The girls around him squeak a little at the sudden noise and many lean in with interest as he takes out a radio. He feels a little silly and watched, but he knows the kid will worry and become insufferable if he doesn’t answer. So, he replies: “What do you need, Henderson?”

“You have to say over when you’re done. Over,” Dustin says after a few seconds.

Steve rolls his eyes, but repeats: “What do you need, Henderson? Over.”

He can hear the kid’s smile when he says: “Yeah, like that! Anyway, you’re not picking up your phone. We need a ride to the arcade. Over.”

It has become kind of standard to drive them to the arcade as least once each weekend. He had hoped they would want that drive Sunday, but no such luck. He bites his lip, unsure of what to answer. In the end he settles on: “I can’t today. Sorry, buddy. Over.”

“Why?” Dustin exclaims and Steve stays quiet on purpose until Dustin sighs: “Over.”

“I’m with the cheer squad. Over,” Steve tells him honestly, not elaborating further, so Dustin can make up his own interpretation with that.

It’s quiet for a second, then, almost in awe, Dustin says: “Like the whole cheer squad? Over.”

Steve laughs at the response. He answers: “Yeah, man, and they can hear you. So maybe behave yourself. Ask Nancy or Jonathan if they can drive you. Over.”

“You can’t do this to me, Steve,” Dustin shrieks. “I would have made a better impression if I’d known. Don’t tell them anything embarrassing about me! I have to show my face at that school in a few months you know. Over.”

“I won’t, just go bother someone else today,” Steve tells him. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Over.”

“Alright, but I want to know everything,” Dustin concedes. “Over and out.”

The radio is quiet again and Steve puts it back in his backpack, just waiting for someone to ask, because he knows they’re going to.

Lisa doesn’t disappoint, asking: “What was that?”

“That’s Dustin,” Steve explains. “I babysit him and a few other kids sometimes. I usually drive them to the arcade in the weekend. Guess I forgot to tell them I’m unavailable.”

“And the radio?” Sofia asks.

“Oh, they’re a bunch of nerds, in the best way,” Steve says, excited to talk about the kids. “Dustin is mega smart, you know. He built his own radio headset and shit. I just got this one, because his mom won’t always let him use the phone. He’s a little shit, but I love him. He’s practically my little brother at this point.”

Some of the girls coo at that and ask him more about the kids. He happily obliges in answering their questions, though editing out the Upside Down stuff of course. Most of the cheerleaders seem to find the kids adorable.

The competition is nothing like Steve expected. He feels nervous, but the good kind of nervous as he takes it all in. He gets a few looks as a boy with the team, but everyone is more concerned with their own routine.

There isn’t a male cheer uniform, so he’s just wearing his basketball uniform, which is good enough. The one other guy that is competing has a better uniform though. Steve can’t help but stare at him a little.

The guy is handsome. His dark skin suits the white and dark purple uniform that is tightly fitted to his body. He’s very muscled and has a pretty smile. He talks with his hands and all the girls from his team flit around him.

Next to him Sofia says: “Wow, look at that guy. He’s so hot. I wonder what those muscles can do,” and it takes all of Steve’s strength not to agree out loud.

Coach Miller pulls them back to the group and they all warm up. Steve knows all the chants and they say a cheer before they go out there. All the judging faces are easily ignored when performing and Steve gets lost in the show.

He’s breathing heavily at the end, holding the pose until the okay is given and they all move from the stage. Everyone is excited, accomplishment seeping in their bones. Molly is jumping up and down from excitement as she exclaims: “That went so well! We totally have a chance.”

The waiting that comes next is the harder part. The other groups they watch are also very good, doing dizzying stunts.

Steve perks up when the purple and white uniformed groups takes the stage. The guy is in the middle of it all. He participates with the tumbling, flipping around, as well as the stunts. He’s able to be base by himself, extending the girl above his head and throwing her around. It’s impressive and Steve finds himself captivated.

When the group finishes, the guy makes eye contact with Steve, who must look stupid with awe filled eyes. The guy looks surprised for a second, then his face morphs into a smirk and winks at Steve.

He blushes in response to the wink and looks away, only glancing back after a second, but the guy has been pulled off with the rest of his squad.

Disappointed he searches the crowd, but he doesn’t find the guy again. Instead he meets the calculating eyes of coach Miller. Ice grips his heart and he fears that he’s been caught. Trying to play it cool, he sends her a confused look.

She starts making her way over to him and he wants to hide, but that will look suspicious. He’s 90% sure she can’t leave him stranded here, if he’s about to get told to get away from the school or something.

Instead coach Miller surprises him by saying: “You’re just filling in for Emma, I know, but if we can get in some stunts like that group next competition, we’d up the scores easily. You should think about it.”

Honestly, Steve often forgets that this is just a two week thing, that come Monday, he isn’t required to go to practice after school. That he can just sit with them in classes and during lunch, before going home. It makes his heart sink.

Lisa and Chrissy had been nearby enough to hear the interaction and as coach Miller walks away, Lisa quietly says: “Everyone would be happy if you decided to keep going.”

“Yeah,” Chrissy smiles at him. “You’re part of the squad. Everyone really likes you. You’re so nice to us. You look us in the eyes and help fix our costumes.”

It is the second time that one of the cheerleaders told him he looks her in the eyes and confused he asks: “Where else would I look?”

“Most guys tend to look at our tits,” Lisa tells him quite bluntly.

Steve hadn’t even realized they actually did that. Another thing his performance of King Steve had apparently lacked. He feels a bit caught out, so he stumbles: “Well, oh, uhm, I- I took etiquette lessons as a kid.”

Chrissy giggles and bumps her shoulder against his as she says: “You don’t have to defend yourself for being respectful, Stevie.”

Stevie, that’s new. He quite likes the nickname and feels a little more at ease. He shrugs: “I mean, the school year is practically over. Will there even be another competition?”

“Yeah, after spring break is the next one,” Lisa says. “We’ve never won. It frustrates Molly to no end. She really wants a win on her record.”

“Molly is super competitive,” Chrissy confides like it’s news, before cracking up.

“I know,” Steve laughs. “I’ll think about it.”

“Please do,” Chrissy says, Lisa nodding.

The conversation haunts Steve. They don’t win the competition, but they do get third place, which results in a group hug and a lot of jumping. The purple white school takes number one and Steve contemplates congratulating the other guy, but it feels too risky.

So, they go home, sleeping on the bus. Well, most of the team does, Steve doesn’t want to risk a nightmare, so he stares out the window as Chrissy uses him as pillow. And when he gets home all he can think about is that conversation.

On Sunday he is awoken by Dustin and Will knocking on his door. He’s still in his sweats, having been awake for most of the night after waking up screaming. “What do you want?” he asks.

“You promised you’d tell me about how you ended up with all the cheerleaders,” Dustin says.

“I didn’t have anything better to do,” Will offers as explanation. “Mike is with El and Lucas with Max.”

“Sure, okay, come in.” Steve doesn’t even care anymore as he steps to the side. “I’m making pancakes for breakfast, want some?” It wasn’t his plan at all, but sue him for wanting to spoil his kids. Especially with the enthusiastic yes he gets.

As he cooks they sit at the breakfast bar and Dustin asks: “So?”

“There was a cheer competition,” Steve says, trying to decide whether to tell the truth or not. It feels so silly to lie to two middle schoolers, but he also wants them to think he’s cool. It’s utterly ridiculous how much he wants them to like him.

“Did you go to support someone? Are you dating a cheerleader?” Dustin asks.

“No,” Steve snaps automatically. Too many guys have asked if he’s stealing their girl the past two weeks. It gets tiring. However, that would have been a great excuse to Dustin, which he has blown now. He decides to fuck it, he can always kick them out of his house if they’re dicks. “One of the girls broke her leg two weeks ago. I was helping out so they could compete.”

“Boys are allowed to join cheerleading?” Will asks in confusion. However, there is an undertone to it too, as if Steve is a hero.

It throws him off balance as he shrugs: “It’s not illegal, I guess. They needed some help, thought I’d offer. It’s quite fun, actually.”

The two kids are quiet for a second. Steve purposefully doesn’t look at them as he flips the pancakes, because he doesn’t want to see their judgment. He likes these kids so goddamn much. The last thing he wants is for their parents to hear and decide that they shouldn’t hang around Steve anymore.

God, he was stupid for opening his mouth. He’s about to spiral even more, but before his breath can catch, Dustin asks: “Did you guys win?”

“What?” he asks, more shocked than anything else.

“The competition, did you win?” Dustin repeats. “How does a cheerleading competition even work? It doesn’t seem that hard. It’s just cheering someone on, but then more extreme.”

“Dude,” Steve laughs, overcome by relief that the two seem cool with it. “Cheerleading is fucking hard. Don’t diss the cheerleaders. These girls physically pick each other up and throw each other around. I’m fucking sore.”

“Really?” Will asks.

“Yeah,” Steve nods.

“I’m glad you’re having fun,” Will smiles. He’s such a polite kid. Never demanding. He’s one of Steve’s favorites, though they’re all his favorite.

“So you’re a cheerleader now?” Dustin asks. “What happened to basketball?”

The conversation he had with coach Miller pops up in his mind again. No one at school knows he only agreed to two weeks, except for the cheerleaders, but they’re cool with it. He can just pretend like this has always been the plan. It can’t really get worse and he’ll get a fun hobby out of it. The sense of accomplishment after each training is something that he missed.

“Guess I am a cheerleader, yeah,” he tests it out and it saying it makes him happy. “As for basketball, that’s a team sport, but it’s not as fun with Billy on the team.”

“But Max scared Billy off,” Dustin says. “He’s supposed to leave you alone.”

“He is,” Steve lies. “Doesn’t mean I want to play basketball with the guy. He’s a piece of shit.”

“That’s fair,” Dustin says, before announcing he has to go pee.

Once Dustin is gone, Will quietly says: “Jonathan mentioned you were getting bullied. He told me what they did to your locker.”

Steve pauses, unsure of what to do now. He removes the pan from the fire and turns around. He studying Will for a second, there is no pity or malice in his eyes, but something else. A desperate need to be seen. A sympathetic hurt.

It suddenly clicks for Steve. He couldn't tell you why, but in that moment he understands that Will gets it. That Will is like him.

He gives Will a sad smile and says: “It’s okay, baby Byers. Not fun, but okay. Did Jonathan also tell you what happened to Billy’s locker?” Will smiles mischievously and nods. “Good,” Steve says decisively. “Don’t let anyone put you down, kid. You deserve to have fun. You deserve to do what you want.”

That’s as close to a confession that Steve is willing to give. He might have accepted it about himself, but that doesn’t mean he wants to talk about it with Will. Not now at least.

Luckily Will also doesn’t seem ready to talk about it, because he just nods with a shy happy look, before looking away.

At that point, they’re interrupted by Dustin coming back from the toilet. They stay in and play some board games, before Steve truly has to do his homework. He doesn’t want to be in that school any longer than he has to. If that means trying to understand calculus, so be it.

It’s kind of funny how the two eight graders have given him more confidence. They’re just two nerdy kids, who don’t know better than to just do what they find fun and deal with everyone looking down on them. It’s something Steve has had to learn way later in life.

He goes through his day like he has the week before. He shares first period with Heather and a study hall with Sofia.

Sofia notices him struggling and offers to help. Since she is in the same classes Nancy is, he gladly accepts her help. She has a good way of explaining things and by the time study hall is done, he feels like he understands math, something that has never happened before.

Lisa is in the class right before lunch. She slides into the seat next to Steve as she greets him quietly, her standard state of being. She leans in and Steve knows what that means, so immediately leans back to heard what she has to say.

“Coach Miller mentioned the stunts you could do to Molly,” she tells him. “If you want to say no, brace yourself for lunch period. You know how she gets.”

Steve laughs at that. Molly is a nice girl, but she is ambitious and very competitive, which sometimes takes precedence over being nice. If she wants something, she is not afraid to go after it until she has it.

He is now glad he had the talk with Dustin and Will, or that news would have been daunting instead of funny. He grins: “Guess it’s Molly’s lucky day.”

Lisa perks up at that and says: “You’re serious?” in a louder volume he has ever heard her use.

They get some looks and quiet down immediately. Steve nods: “Yeah, I mean, why not, you know? It’s not like I have anything better to do.”

“Gonna be honest, Stevie,” Lisa says, “I’m glad you’re gonna stay. I would have missed you at practice. Who else is going to stand on my toes.”

“I don’t stand on anyone’s toes,” Steve guffaws to hide how emotional the confession makes him.

“Whatever you say, Harrington,” Lisa grins, before turning back to the lesson.

Steve does the same and makes eye contact with Eddie, who turned back to watch them when they got louder. His beautiful dark eyes bore into Steve’s and he feels a blush crawling up his cheeks. Not wanting Eddie to know the effect he has on him, he plasters on a bitchy expression.

Eddie in turn frowns, before shrugging and turning back to looking out of the window. The dismissal somehow hurts more than anything else would have, even if it’s what Steve wanted. He hates how the boy makes him feel.

There is something magnetizing about Eddie.

Whenever he climbs on the tables, Steve can’t help but look at him, can’t help but listen. He has long been the target of lectures about conformity and society at the hands of the metal head. He always played unaffected, it’s what he’s good at after all, but now he misses those eyes.

Ever since he’s fallen from his throne, it is Billy, who is the prime target of those speeches. It’s irrational to be jealous of Billy, but Steve can’t deny that he is.

He shakes his head and tries to put Eddie out of his thoughts. It doesn’t matter. Eddie will never want to talk with Steve anyway. Steve, despite his fall, is the embodiment of all Eddie stands against. If he even talks with Steve, it’s not going to be nice.

But the rumors that go around would have Steve believe he has a chance with the guy, something that makes it all the more frustrating.

Stop it, he tells himself, you have enough on your plate already. And you’re too much of a pussy to ever say anything to him anyway. Why bother?

And with that he tries to tune back in to the lecture that escapes him. Hopefully Lisa has better notes than he does (she does and lets him copy them during lunch).

The cheer table has become comfortable, the chatter of the others is a familiar background noise, which is why Steve notices when it changes. He looks up and Molly is sitting across from him. She usually sits further away, so there was a silence when she took a different spot.

Steve smiles at her like he doesn’t know why she’s there. He greets: “Hey, Molls. What’s up?”

“You coming to training after school?” she asks.

She sounds tense, but also like she’s holding back. If Steve had to guess, he’d say that she has an entire speech ready to go for the no she is expecting. Just to throw her off, he grins: “Course, yeah, see you there.”

Molly opens her mouth, before the words hit her. She’s speechless for a second, then nods as a smile creeps up her face. “Good, yeah, see you there.”

Lisa leans in and says: “I’ve never seen her speechless before now.”

“You’re staying?” Chrissy asks excitedly.

“Yeah,” Steve tells her, happy with his decision. It’s nice to be wanted somewhere.

After his last class, both Chrissy and Lisa are waiting for him with big grins. Chrissy immediately starts chatting about all the homework Mrs. Click gave them and how unfair it is. Steve and Lisa just nod along, they’re familiar with the teacher.

Steve gets changed in a toilet stall, then joins the girls again. Coach Miller smiles when she sees him, a glint coming over her eyes. Steve already knows he’s going to be sore again, but he doesn’t care. He’s officially a cheerleader now.

~~

A/N:

This is nice popular girl propaganda, I’m not a girl, nor was I popular, but I like the idea of popular solidarity, athlete girls, but that might be because I am a lesbian xp

Also I know a lot more goes into doing stunts and doing it safely, but this is fanfic logic, bc I’m not writing a training montage, so you just got to trust me lmao

I have decided to upload every Wednesday and Sunday, so you can look forwards to uploads then :D

#rr writing #stranger things #steve harrington #steddie #buckingham #chrissy cunningham #eddie munson #st post season 2 #cheerleader steve harrington au #steve and dustin #steve and will #will byers #dustin henderson #OCs #max mayfield #tw: eating disorder #tw: child abuse #tw: bullying mention #tw: period typical homophobia #tw: period typical sexism

[aziraphales-library]

Lost Fic #142

1. Hello! Maybe you will be able to help me? I'm searching a fanfic that I read a while ago, but I only remember one scene. Aziraphale and Crowley are in the bookshop, C has past-abuse (by Hell (?) can't remember what). They're starting to be intimate and C assure that A can do anything to him. A is not convinced and say it. They argue a little until A ask C if he would be OK if A hurt C. C's eyes became empty and he turn his head saying "yes, if it's what you want"(Of course, that's not) Thanks ! - anon

2. I'm looking for a fic but the only thing I remember about it is that there's a line where someone calls crowley a "punch-clock demon" and he responds with "actually, I'm salaried". I have no idea about anything about the rest of the fic but that one line was so funny to me that I haven't been able to get it out of my head for months and now I just really want to know what story it came from - anon

3. Hi! First I want to say that I love what you're doing here, helping people find fics and giving recommendations and it's just amazing, thank you. I'm searching for a fic I stumbled upon and read before I had an ao3 account and have never been able to find again. I'm pretty sure it was written in the earlier years, a while before the TV show came out, because I don't remember it having any more recently popular tags. I don't remember the title but I do remember most of what happened in it. Aziraphale was given a, like, new trainee angel, he was a young boy, to "show the ropes" and teach how to be an angel. The new angel just couldn't understand what was going on, there was a lot of frustration with really complicated angelic math problems,  and somehow managed to mess up a miracle so badly it turned into a huge man-eating slime blob, except that instead of eating people everyone it touched turned into, like their opposite self? Something like that? And the rest of it was the characters trying to find and stop this rouge miracle from wreaking havoc. It was incredibly hilarious. Interestingly, it's probably the only fic that I absolutely loved that notably /didn't/ ship aziraphale and Crowley. In fact, aziraphale was shipped with a human guy. Usually I hate that kind of thing in fics but this one was so funny and well done it just worked. Aziraphale got touched by the miracle and suddenly decided he could spread God's love better by going into the porn industry and having sex with various men. XD Meanwhile, Crowley got touched by the miracle and became, like, really nice? Idk I remember that he was wearing a sweater vest or something lol and his apartment was different somehow In the ending, they realized that the miracle had somehow ended up in Hell and were fearing the consequencesIn the beginning, the guy aziraphale was eventually shipped with gave him a kitten, I think, to petsit while the guy went on a trip and aziraphale was less than pleased I think the kitten got turned into a big dog or vice versa probably because the miracle touched it So I know what it's about but not much that would help me find it, much gratitude to you  if you canThanks :) - @aceartistactivist

4. Hello hello! I’ve scoured existing tags, but can’t find the fic I’m looking for. Angst, Aziraphale is Gabriel’s sex slave, he and Crowley become friends through snatched moments on Earth when Aziraphale can break away, Crowley buys Aziraphale books and keeps them safe in his flat for him, they eventually fall in love. Happy ending.  Thank you for any help you can provide! - anon

5. hey y’all! happy new year! i’m looking for a pretty specific fic i can’t track down. it was set in pompeii as the volcano was erupting and crowley and azi were saving people. then they play in a river and maybe there’s wing grooming? it wasn’t illustrated, was one chapter, and was likely rated T or under because I don’t read smut. like i said, super specific but i’ve tried looking everywhere and can’t find it! i figured you lovely people could help. thanks so much! - anon

If you know any of these fics please include the number in your reply! Thank you :)

- Mod D

#good omens #lost fic #ineffable husbands #mod d

[christiansorrell]

Play-By-Blog #10: The Isle by Luke Gearing

Welcome to my ongoing play-by-blog of The Isle by Luke Gearing! We are playing this adventure with its original system, The Vanilla Game (adjusted somewhat to fit the format). You can check out the Play-By-Blog Repository to get all caught up if you wish.

How Play-By-Blog works:

I write up the situation, NPCs, and more, just like a DM.

You vote in the poll to help decide the character's course of action.

I roll the dice, resolve actions, and write them up next week.

So on and so forth for the rest of the adventure!

Notation:

[Text in brackets is out-of-character/GM text!] "Non-italicized quotes denote text from the original adventure!" "Italicized quotations denotes NPC dialogue."

Our character: Medon Girou - Magic Cutpurse

Our map: The Isle

[You can use the links above to find Medon's Character Sheet and map of the Isle. On the map, you are currently at 3.]

Now, back to the adventure!

[Our most one-sided poll yet! It turns out when you give most people the option of going down into a mysterious hole, even if it may not be the safest/smartest option, they just can't help themselves! I'm excited to see how this goes! Onward!]

You look back down the stone shaft. After that fight with the fisherman monk, the idea of the monastery weighs on you. There are many more men in there. Men are unpredictable. Even if they lived up to their supposedly godly nature and granted you access or even a place to rest between now and the return of the ship from the mainland, they'd undoubtedly have questions. They could find the body in the cove. They could find the disturbed graves. No, best to check for other ways first before you breach that place.

You securely anchor the grappling hook and silk rope, lowering it down into the shaft. The birds continue to caw and flap their wings at you from the nearby edges of the stone formation. You take one last look across the Isle and descend down into the shaft.

The tunnel itself is rough on the edges, angled and wide enough to climb without the rope but it would be a considerable, possibly dangerous effect. You are happy to have found that odd grave. Thankful to the woman who planned better than you before she came to this place.

The further you descend the more the darkness surrounds you and the less the sunlight from far above is able to reach you. All around you, the rock thrums with the constant crashing of the waves. You are deep within the isle now, and its heart beats all around you.

You're feet touch down on flat ground and you let go of the rope. You turn and have to crouch, looking out from under what appears to be a mantle, soot at your feet. You are in a fireplace, unused for years— maybe centuries. What little light is left here spills out across the room.

Leeches cling to 5 [2d6 roll: 5] skeletons, their bones a strange blackish blue are stained in swirling patterns and writhing with leeches that glisten in the little light. Beards still hang from their skulls. Several spears and swords rest among them. They writhe slowly in place.

At their center, you see another skeleton. A shock of white, nearly glowing hair hanging from its head. Leeches crawl inside its rib cage. A slew of golden rings hang from its bony fingers, rattling as its slowly moves. As its mouth opens, the squealing of the leeches—all of them—form a single voice.

"Well, now... I was not expecting you, but I am not one to turn away guests of any kind, be they invited or not. Come, rest here after your descent."

The few leeches in the center of the room crawl back in the skeletons direction, as if clearing space for you to sit.

"I am Fionn Ó Ceannaigh, and I am the rightful ruler of a land far from here. You need not fear me. You are free to leave, of course. Out there." He gestures towards the shadow of a doorway across the room. Beyond its frame is nothing but pitch black darkness. "But that is my fireplace and my chimney. If you wish to use it again, let us make a deal. I believe we may work together, if you would be so kind. But first, tell me of your troubles. Tell me why you are here."

You take a deep breathe and wonder if the monks really could have been any worse.

[EDIT: The second to last option in this poll should read "Cast Teleport (19/20 chance of success) and flee back to the surface." Sorry for the typo!]

[We are really in it now! From the relative calm of the Isle's surface to the hidden horrors deep below ground. I'm excited to see what y'all choose and how it all starts to play out next week.]

[As always, if you'd like to see Medon do something that is not listed as part of the poll, please reblog or leave a comment with your idea. If enough folks feel the same way, they will be considered similarly to the poll options. If there's a glaring oversight on my part too, I'll be sure to address that. - Christian]

EDIT: Play-By-Blog #11 is live now!

#meatcastle pbb #ttrpg #indie ttrpg #ttrpgs #rpg #luke gearing #play by blog #play by post #the isle #fantasy #polls #choose your own adventure

[rottingformerfirstmate]

Confessed with Lucius and Izzy

Spiritual successor to (this), but is mostly stand-alone. All you need to know is that Jim fell overboard in a storm, Izzy rescued them, and both had to be pulled back onto the boat. //

After the sunrise comes, chasing away the evening's storm with clear rays of light through puffy white clouds scattered across the sky, everyone goes for a rest. Edward offers to take the first watch, too wound up to rest, and remains on deck with his leg propped up on a barrel and his red silk robe open over his chest. Lucius leaves him to it almost immediately, returning to his bed below deck and trying to figure out how to strip off his wet clothes without aggravating his poor rope-burned hands, the palms of which are raw, swollen, and bleeding on top of being waterlogged from the rain and spray. Blisters have already formed, some of them already popped, and without the adrenaline rush to carry him through the danger, it really hurts.

He's about to go get Pete from the Galley, where he's stopped for a quick breakfast, when a soft knock gets his attention. "Come in," Lucius says, not bothering to turn to look. Whoever it is, maybe they'll help. The door opens slowly and shuts softly. Before he can look, Izzy speaks.

"You shouldn't have dropped the fucking sails for me. Blackbeard could've gotten me close enough to leg up the ship."

Lucius thinks about the strain in Edward and the Swede's muscles, especially after they'd needed Olu's help to pull up Jim first from the tempesting sea. If he hadn't helped, hopefully someone would have, but maybe it would have been too late, then.

"Didn't you scream at Stede once about how the perfect ship isn't worth shit without a good crew to run it??" Lucius counters.

Izzy doesn't say anything in response. Instead, he rounds the room to stand in front of Lucius, revealing a small sack in his hands. "I'm helping you with your burns, even if they serve you fucking right. Do you need help getting dry, first?"

Even with such sour words, there's softness in Izzy's tone, and so Lucius nods. With an almost painfully gentle touch, Izzy peels away soaked layers of cloth, letting them plop to the floor in a sad, sopping heap. His small clothes are soaked too, but Izzy doesn't acknowledge the ways it's different, to strip away this. He simply helps Lucius step out of them the way he did his trousers, and grabs the towel Roach brought from the corner of the bed to help him dry off. It's vigorous and efficient, but careful, and when he's satisfied that Lucius is dry, Izzy nudges him toward the bed and wraps a sheet around him.

"Now give me your hands."

"No foreplay with you, is there?" Lucius deadpans.

A ghost of a smile flits across Izzy's face before vanishing. "Don't be an idiot. This is serious."

He attends the task of caring for Lucius with every ounce of levity that his words implied. Izzy is tender but firm where he touches him, mindful of the pain of too much pressure on his damaged palms when he rubs a soothing balm that smells like menthol into the angry flesh.

"It's supposed to be for burns," Izzy says. It doesn't shatter the silence, merely envelopes it and only lets it out in the spaces between syllables. "But it's really damn good for them, and it works on a lot of things. At the very least, it'll help with the pain."

"Feels better already."

And it does, but the cooling pain is only half-responsible for how much more relaxed and at ease Lucius feels. He realized a long time ago that Izzy doesn't genuinely hate them anymore, but it's a different beast entirely to see him risk his life to save Jim and now come here to play nursemaid.

"Why are you here?"

Izzy picks up a roll of gauze, too white for the grungy ship, and begins to wind it around one of Lucius' hands. "Practicality, Mr. Spriggs. You're one of three people on this ship who can read and write, and you proved a little storm won't break you last night. It'd be fucking stupid not to at least make sure you look after your wounds properly."

"But you didn't just come here to make sure I was doing it right," Lucius argues. "You came here to do it yourself. To offer me this really fucking great goop that takes away the pain. Izzy-"

"It's just my duty," Izzy interrupts.

He looks away, and Lucius studies him. Izzy is still a little shaky himself, and while his lips are no longer that frightening blue color, he's still pale beneath a weather-beaten tan.

"Okay."

It's easier not to argue. But Lucius scoots back against the wall, making space in his bed for a second body, and looks at Izzy.

"Stay? I've been to your cabin, and it's really drafty in there. You should really get a carpet or something."

"Piss off."

But Izzy still joins Lucius in bed and makes sure his sheet is secure around him before drawing the wool blanket over them both.

#ofmd #our flag means death fic #our flag means death #ofmd fic #izzy hands #israel hands #lucius spriggs #lucius x izzy #emwrite

[12pt-times-new-roman]

c3e35

Xandis my absolute beloved, I love them so much

I WAS SO DISTRACTED I DIDN'T NOTICE THAT ASHLEY MOVED

that is certainly. A Choice.

"I can get you gold." "Fuck your gold." "Wait, but how much?" FCG is learning

Armand's relationship with Otohan was primarily because she was using him to pay people off, establish the Paragon's Call in Jrusar, and to make sure all the shipments went smoothly. He was expecting his name to be cleared and to rise in the ranks of his house in return. He was curious about Otohan's work, but knew that prying too far into it would be dangerous.

He had meetings with messengers and envoys in the Menagerie Coast, where he paid people to get certain cargo pieces onto House Treshi ships. This only happened a couple times over the years. From there, the shipments were distributed around Jrusar to obfuscate the movement of the shipments, and Jiana Hexum was one of Treshi's major contacts for this purpose.

Treshi is deeply afraid of Otohan and the people he's working with.

The Call seems to be "very death-obsessed." Which makes sense, I guess, given that their official deity seems to be the Duskmaven. But still. Weird wording on that.

"If I can be brought back, anybody can." Ashton??? what does that mean?

"Delilah Briarwood is dead... I didn't say she was gone."

This just in: Whäeeteystone

Sending to Keyleth: "Found the assassins. Found lead. But there are questions. One of ours... down. Strong ties to Whitestone. Please advise. Can you meet?"

Keyleth has business in Vasselheim, but "can meet shortly. Pick a tree."

....Chetney knows "plenty" of the Dawn Marshals of Vasselheim??

Sendings to Jiana Hexum: "Hey lady. FCG here. Ashton has a friend who died. We're proud that he has a friend. Can you help bring her back?" "Sweet little metal boy... what you ask is extremely difficult, and against the nature of fate. Maybe." "Creepy lady — what would it cost us, or what would you want in return? Ashton's very motivated, and I'm eager to please." "I certainly have a few ideas. Let's discuss, perhaps, over tea. What's the rush?"

We do not fucking leave people behind. Not you, not Laudna, not anybody. We're not fucking doing that, not anymore. "Ashton, are you going soft on us?" Yes, no, fuck— I need a drink. ashton.......bb.......

What the fuck is SHARED DREAM??? FCG??? This is 100% homebrew, it's not even a fucking reskin I don't think. Dream is a fifth level spell, so whatever this is has to be significantly less powerful than that (1st or 2nd level by the sounds of it).

"You hear a howl. A loud, arcing howl... and the howl is yours, beyond your control, an instinctual howl in that direction [of Ruidus]. You stop yourself mid-way and you see the fur pushing past the fingers, and then it's gone."

Airship combat! Airship combat!

Nope, nevermind, it's a sandstorm.

Airship skill challenge! Airship skill challenge!

Well.

FCG is..... somewhere.

And now Ashton is the only one left on the ship beside the crew.

Okay. That wasn't as bad as it could've been. The storm only lasts about 20 minutes, and they find each other easy enough.

Fuckin..... 28 AC? jesus christ.

oh Ashton is going to snap at Chetney soon. "Over here! They're dead, just leave them!" as Ashton is dangling from the bottom of a rope ladder attached to a speeding sky ship, reaching down to try and pull Fearne out of a collapsing sand dune. immediately after they gave a speech about not leaving anybody behind.

and to that point — something I felt like never really got touched on with the M9 was how sometimes jokes just are straight-up Not Okay To Make and I feel like the Hells are going to be a lot better about setting boundaries with each other

break time!

adksjdghflgf ANOTHER sand storm

okay, this one's behind them, they can outrun it this time using the cold front it's pushing forward

we're back in Jrusar!

Another skyship came in while they were docking— it was carrying passengers and cargo, and the name on it is the Herald's Breath.

I swear to god, if FCG's aversion to birds turns out to be because they were programmed to fight angels, I will be feral

"So many things are being learned, but I don't know by who" should be the Hells' tagline

"What you are asking for is an extremely rare and difficult ritual. The ability to bring someone back from the dead is a very lauded and sought-after technique, very few can perform this miracle, and those who do are very careful and meticulous with who they do it for. Otherwise, death would be merely an inconvenience."

Eshteross does have somebody who owes him a debt, and she would be able to transport the Hells somewhere faster than the Silver Sun could — Menaya Trei is someone who works with the people who oversee the infrastructure of Jrusar. If the Hells could find someone who would be able to bring Laudna back, he'd be able to call in the favor and get them there quickly.

With Treshi, the Hells could either take him to the city guard, which would deliver him anonymously, or directly to the Quorum, which would net them the bounty on Treshi's head but would also draw attention to them.

Sending to Keyleth: "We're still waiting. We still need your help. Is your business finished? I'm begging you. Orym is begging you." "I'm sorry. I believe I'm nearly finished here. I'll see what I can do. I don't fully understand what's being asked, but I'll try."

When Will and Derrig died, Keyleth tried to save them with revivify (or "pretty soon after"), but something went wrong and it didn't work. Something about the nature of what they did when they struck made it not work. Which is weird! Because Orym and Fearne were both also killed by Otohan but were revivified! so either this is a clever narrative explanation for the ritual failing, or it's an actual effect that the echoes have when they kill someone.

The first bit of fear they've seen from Eshteross is evoked when Orym mentions the Cerberus Assembly.

Otohan's title during the Apex War was "the Legend of the Peak."

Hexum's collection has been growing over the past few years, which is strange for someone "sitting on a stagnant fortune." This indicates that she's getting more than just the dunamis potions from the Assembly's shipments, or is keeping some of it for herself.

The Nightmare King was a "figure for hire" during the Apex War, playing both sides before aligning with the Stratos Throne and then going missing.

The "official position" of the Chandei Quorum is that the Cerberus Assembly is a "necessary evil in a world beset by all sorts of moral interests," but Sheshadri noted that the Quorum has no direct dealings with the Assembly, which is a claim that was not insight checked.

All said and done, with Treshi turned in, the Hells got 3.3k gold each (including Laudna and excluding FCG).

Ashton lore: Inside Ashton's head, Imogen fails a casting check and runs into a glass wall that looks like the speckled glass of their head wound. "Imogen. You stand before this glass, watching beyond, and as you watch this glass that divides the two of you, you watch as the speckled appearance begins to fill with this dull gray coloration, obscuring FCG on the opposite side. There, you glance into it, and you see stars. [Like, how far do they go? Does it look like I'm looking into space?] It looks like you're staring into the night sky, and as you focus, you push through the glass and feel like you're lost in an expanse of infinity. You see nebulas, you look down and you see Ashton just lying there, motionless. There's a shake and a shift of color and you see them standing, laughing. You see Ashton fully armored, clutching the bloodied body of someone as they crush it. You see Ashton destitute on the side of the street, hungry and starving, asking for help. Ashton on a ship in the distance pushing past a fog bank, Ashton wearing robes in a senate seat — you see so many different Ashtons, different, all held by a singular thread but none of them the one you know. You are lost in this chaotic moment, and it's beginning to shake more and more, and you feel a similar creeping fear of losing yourself like you did the first time you ran from the storm."

FCG is trapped in Ashton's mind.

Fearne can see Imogen and FCG inside the glass in Ashton's head because they're trapped inside their memories.

"I'm gonna just sort of... flex?" "It doesn't feel good. Everything hurts. Always." "There is strength, but there is pain. But to clarify — there is pain, but there is strength."

Okay they got out but holy fuck that was insane??? what is happening inside their head?? none of them the Ashton you know? like the first time you ran from the storm???

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Ashton." "Did you find anything? Please." "A lot. A lot of really weird fuckin' shit." "Thank you... thank you."

Of the Ashtons that Imogen saw, some had the fractures, some did not, and some had human skin. So whatever this did, it didn't just hijack his present and his future. It cascaded back through his past.

The shapes Fearne saw were "shapeless, yet familiar. It's strange."

So..... huh. Imogen getting pulled in to the expanse and seeing Ashton there (with an implied golden thread, since Matt described them as all connected by the same thread) is very similar to Caleb seeing the threads of fate in the beacon, but again, convoluted and twisted.

Sending to Delilah: "How do I bring her back? Tell me what to do. I'll do anything." The voice responds, fainter. Thin. Fading. "Whatever it takes. It won't be long now. I'm fading. And I'll take her with me."

Matt not calling it after that rest even though they were past 4 hours seems...... like he's trying to hit a particular story beat before the episode ends.

Orym succeeds his save against Kiki's scrying

Sending to Keyleth: "Are you in Vasselheim still? 'Cause you're about to have some company." "Uh, no, I'm — sorry, I'm trying to see where you are and was met with some interference. Where are you?" "We're in the Collective of Botan, in Jrusar, in Marquet. How much do you know?" "Okay, it's been a little while — got it."

SHE ARRIVES

"Well, come then. We need to speak with some... someone who can help you."

to..... Whitestone.

#critical role #note watches c3 #critical role spoilers #critical role campaign 3 #critical role c3 #critical role liveblog

[maskspurpose]

omg whoa crazy... known poly wtei ambassador maskspurpose just happened to rb a ship ask meme....... guess i have no choice...

22 - wataei, 19 - watayuzu, 16 - eiyuzu, 13 - wataeiyuzu 😳

youre so fucking cute and i dont even think you know it. what the fuck.

wataei: 22 - How do they apologize after arguments?

kidnapping each other with helicopters. this shits easy, next question. UM no okay i think to some extent they do have the general balance of it down-- both of them are good ("good", maybe even okay or fine) at recognizing when they've done something thats upset the other but neither one of them is good at saying "im sorry" and they instead rely on other means to try and make it up to the other. eichi is really good at long-winded explanations in which he can get kinda self-flaggelaty that wataru isnt a huge fan of and wataru likes to rely on like big gestures of reconciliation and while both of those do help i think the biggest element of them making up is then like... in them spending time together?

i think wataru at one point must have told eichi to stop apologizing for stuff because eichi gets SO down about it to a point where it doesnt help either of them

watayuzu: 19 - How do they silently/subtly express their love for each other?

god you know that one homescreen line where yuzuru asks wataru to make a mess so he can clean it up because he needs that right now? i think it's partially stuff like that. fine have all become really good at watching out for each other and i think wataru is one of the people who watches out the most for yuzuru. it's like the whole thing about masks, imo? like as the people most accustomed to wearing a kind of mask, they find it easiest to let it down around the person who understands it.

like i think there's a lot contained in the simple act of like having someone who you feel you can ask for stuff without really having to hold back even if it's something as simple as "i'm feeling down or frustrated or just generally On Edge and need a distraction, youre a good distraction, please help" and i think wataru would approach yuzuru for similar reasons... i just almost used the phrase "when he needs to be grounded" which is ig a fun double-meaning here... hehe

eiyuzu: 16 - What’s their favorite “domestic bliss” moment? Do they cook/clean together? Do they like to go out shopping together?

The image of yuzuru being forced to do any domestic task in the company of eichi would perhaps drive both of them crazy. can "schemeing corporate warfare" be a domestic activity? can "tormenting ibara" be one?

I like the thought of them actually doing more work together after Yuzuru graduates-- he already helps out a lot at the office but I like the idea of Eichi involving him more in this type of work when school is no longer a factor. it's the opposite of domestic though, I guess... I think Yuzuru is more appreciative of a tea break than even Wataru (who tends to be restless if it goes on for too long, which can be a lot for Eichi on stressful days) especially if Eichi actually forces him to engage. I think he has to start out using like weird underhanded tactics to actually get Yuzuru to go along with whatever he's doing (you know the story where he's doing breakroom drink alchemy? yeah) until he's successfully tricked him into a regular (semi-peaceful, it's still yuzuru and eichi whos main bonding activity imo involves discussing war strategies or something) one on one mid-workday date

wataeiyuzu: 13 - What’s their opinions on PDA?

SPLIT. i think its something yuzuru isn't comfortable with to the same extent as wataei. i think he'd enjoy like. casual terms of endearment and potentially even just like the odd subtle casual like. touch or brush of hands (i think wataru and eichi are both ABSOLUTELY on board w shit like this. its about the Tension.), but he won't let himself be roped into making out in the starpro office or anywhere where someone who isn't any of the three of them might be able to see it. tori is a complicating factor and i think yuzuru really struggles ESPECIALLY when tori is around because it's so ingrained to him that he cannot really let himself be human around tori and that takes a while to unlearn? i think he does eventually but ig the like timeline i'm thinking about is canon-adjacent and. yeah not yet LOL. this is the real reason we don't know about wataeiyuzu being canon, perhaps.

another complicating factor is of course all of them being public figures and ESPECIALLY idols. i think wataru and eichi are both people who wouldn't have an issue with pda in theory but they are both ABSOLUTELY aware of stuff like public image etc and put huge importance on that so they're absolutely extremely careful about what they actually do when observed by more than just. fellow idols.

#thank you babe <3 #enstars / #not tagging this bc im self-conches

[marjiandco]

1. Cross

Time/place: ARR, Marji and Raiku have recently met and are in their daily lives of working with the scions.

Words: 668

“So how’d you get that?” Raiku said as he swallowed a bite so large Marji could watch it struggle down his throat.

He pointed to her forehead. She touched her eyebrow briefly and traveled the grooves of the cross above her left eye. She placed her own sandwich down to speak but Raiku spoke through a new mouthful of food. That one might be even harder to go down than the last.

“Yeah!” he choked and cleared his throat. “Was it from a monster? No I bet it was a primal, barreling down on you before you made a dashing figure, escaping its clutches as it leaves its mark on you.”

“Close.” Marji chuckled.

Raiku sat forward, taking a swig of ale to finish off the last of his meal. People shouted around them, some drunk, some talking to friends after a long work shift. Vesper Bay was a small enough settlement to have one tavern, so secret scion or not, everyone would follow the smells of cooked meat and yeasty bread near on every night. Her and Raiku have only started to talk with each other, and she’s still unsure of what to make of such an excitable lalafell. She leaned away from him as she kept the appearance of levity as she scraped fake crumbs off her shoulder.

“It was from the calamity.”

Raiku’s ears tinged pink, his smile now more sheepish than enthralled. “Oh, you don’t have to-”

“No it’s fine. It was from the main mast of a ship and I stood in the way.”

“You were on a ship at the time?”

“We were close enough to shore that I was able to swim back. The seas were rough. You see we, I mean, the captain and the crew knew there was something wrong with the twin moons. Ilm by ilm it would come closer to our world, and the captain thought it might be best to leave as soon as possible. Of course we were held up by customs, so we left a little after dusk.

“When Dalamud fell, I think we were maybe a malm out. I was below deck at the time when I heard this big crash-”

More of the sound of a thousand cracks of lightning all at once.

“And like everyone I ran above ship-”

Stumbled, dazed.

“The waves were wild. It was as if-

We were caught in a sudden storm. It rained salt crystals, waves grabbing onto the deck as if the water itself was running from the sudden onslaught. It pulled two men off their feet; there was no saving them. My eyes couldn’t take the bursts, as fireballs blinded and waves darkened the skys. We acted on instinct, getting ourselves attached to the safety ropes. I think Mamaci was shouting for me, but I couldn’t hear her.

“In our panic as Merlona tried to turn us back to shore, we were tying ourselves up to the mast so we wouldn’t get swept away. Course that’s when one of the fireballs grazed the top mast and broke it. Though, I’m not sure if it really touched us, or if the heat combusted it. Either way, I was left with these two.”

Blinded in one eye as the ship tore in twain.

“It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was when they cleaned up the wounds.”

“I remember that sound all too well too. The crash. I was in Ul’dah at the time when the elder primal broke free. My Pa had us hiding in the cellar of our home so I didn’t get to see too much, but the sounds were nothing I’ve ever heard before.”

The pair sat in silence, the hum of the tavern deafened by the memories. Raiku knocked into Marji’s shoulder, a crook to his smile.

“Well, I do believe we can cross the ‘so where were you?’ question of friendship off our list. I think that calls for some dessert and more pints. Pie?”

“Ooh, I want apple.”

#ffxivwrite2022 #marji #raiku #here's to the first day! #I was trying to see how well I could pair dialog with invasive memories #i dunno if i pulled it off in the first draft #but I think this could definitely work as a base! #ffxiv