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#no words for how much love i have for these two doofuses
luveline · 2 years
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𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝 | 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫
summary steve likes you, eddie munson's best friend, to the point of heart palpitations. you feel the same way about him [6k]
warnings fluff, getting together, mutual pining, first kiss, first date, eddie munson is a good friend, steve is hopeless, fem!reader, reader is hellfire club adjacent, reader is an overthinker and steve is a softie, pre-s4 post-s3, no s4 spoilers besides eddie + hellfire club existing
𓆩❤︎𓆪
The first time Steve sees you he's smitten.
You're sitting on the stoop of Eddie Munson's trailer. Coolest girl he's ever seen – and Steve doesn't go for the edgy type. Crazy cool clothes, hair all messy pretty and your eyes edged in dark makeup, you're fiddling with the cassette player in your lap, brows pinched in frustration.
Steve can't look long. He's dropping the lunch club off for some impromptu Hellfire gathering. The kids pile out, eager to see their new (no, Steve isn't bitter) friend with a chorus of rushed, half-hearted thank you's.
You push the headphones off of your ears as his kids approach.
"Hey, Y/N," they say, one by one as they enter the trailer and disappear from sight.
Steve is two seconds from leaving, swears, when he hears Lucas ask how you are.
"You know," you say, voice quiet and immediately intoxicating. Steve watches as you slowly push two fingers between your shiny lips and pretend to blow your brains out. You drop on your back and lie there for a moment, chest rising with easy, breezy laughter. The sound draws heat to his cheeks, worse the sight of your naked thighs.
He's hooked. He has to leave quickly, before you sit back up and indoctrinate him with your looks alone.
The next time he sees you is similar and not. You're sitting on the ground outside the movie theatre. Again, Steve is playing taxi cab for his doofuses, though this time the thank you's are slightly kinder, louder - he'd blown off a girl he didn't stand much chance with in the first place to bring them.
"Love you!" Dustin calls, slamming the passenger door.
You drop the cassette player in your hands and lean your head back against Eddie's thigh. Steve takes a few seconds to realise you're looking at him, head tilting this way and that to catch a glance at him through people's legs.
"Who's your friend?" he hears you ask Mike.
Mike doesn't even look. "Who? Steve? He's my sister's ex-boyfriend."
You smile at him. Steve, hating to be caught but not stupid enough to blush, nods at you through the window before turning the key. It's the suavest thing he's ever done and he's still applauding himself when you approach his window. He hadn't noticed you get up, distracted by triumph.
You knock the window. He rolls it down.
"Hi," you say.
"Hey," he says back. Then, cautiously, "You need something?"
You smell like a lot of things as you duck your head into his car. Mica and perfume and, softer, talc. Hairspray. Something else, wet like ink. He can't help looking at your make up, the rhinestones under your lower lashes, the shiny sticky pink on your lips.
"Steve," you say. He likes the way you say his name, confident, like you've always known it. You smile softly, at ends with your Joan Jett-esque levels of cool. "Do you wanna come see the movie?" Then, in what marks the beginning of the end, "With me?"
He knows he should play it out. Plus, he's startled. "I don't know, I'm just here to drop them off."
"It's okay if you have plans," you say. He catches a sneak of your tongue pressed behind - what he perhaps insanely thinks of as - cute teeth. You're talking to him in this lilting cadence that has him pinned. "But you drove all the way here, so if you're not busy…"
He pretends to consider.
"What movie?" he asks.
You bring a hand to your neck and secure a small silver pendant between your neatly lacquered nails. "Uh, it's called Day of the Dead. S'about zombies," you tell him. The way you say zombies - your voice goes high and airy, your lips move slow like they're catching up to the word, your eyebrows raised up. Eyes wide. He wants to play it back.
"Please?" you ask when he fails to reply.
He thinks he has to be dreaming. Or drugged again. Definitely drugged.
"Sure," he hears himself say, though he can't remember thinking about it.
You don't smile like he expects. You make a sound, a happy inhale, your eyes light up but your lips stay straight.
Steve thinks you might be nervous.
And sure, he can be a jerk but he's not a total douchebag. He gives you what he hopes is a reassuring smile and gets out of his car, locking the doors to follow you to the ticket stand. Closer now, Steve can't work you out: half dreamy, half fidgeting.
Your boots thud up carpeted stairs into the auditorium, the lights already down, previews blaring.
There's two empty seats next to Eddie. In the dark you catch the hem of his jacket between your fingers and pull him behind you.
His heart skips.
Eddie, in what Steve thinks of as his most mature greeting to date, nods at him and then turns to you curiously. "You okay?" he asks seriously.
"I'm perfect, Eds. Did we miss any good previews?" you ask, sitting heavily beside your friend and stealing a big handful of popcorn out of his lap.
Eddie only chuckles. "Nothing you'd like."
You nod and then turn to Steve shyly. "Sorry we didn't get snacks," you whisper. You offer your hand to him, full of popcorn.
He shakes his head. You look embarrassed but not surprised, tipping your head back to polish off your handful.
"You went to Hawkins High?" you ask with your hand over your mouth.
"I did. You didn't?"
"I did," you correct gently, wiping your hand on your thigh. "I graduated two years ago. When Eddie should have."
That makes more sense, though Steve's sorry he doesn't remember you. He was a little obsessed with Nance at the time.
"Do you work?" he asks.
You smile like you're about tell him a big secret, edging forward. Your arms brushes his arm on the rest between chairs. "You can't tell anyone."
"On my honour," he says, eyes wide, terrified you're a mercenary or worse, a cold caller.
"I desk at the library," you say.
He blinks. You giggle and Eddie shushes you, already sounding defeated. Chastened, you drop your voice to a barely perceptible level.
"I know, I don't look the type."
"No," he says, too loud, receiving several disgruntled glares. "No, you- Well, maybe you don't. But I don't look like I worked at Scoops Ahoy all summer, so…"
You slap a ring-laden hand over your shiny pout and try to smother a laugh. Bracelets slide down your wrist. "You do! You do look like you worked there," you say joyfully.
He can't find it in him to be offended.
You're milder as you settle back into your seat. A preview passes. You clear your throat.
"I'm sorry," you say, sounding worried, "if that was cruel. I get mixed up. I know- I mean, I don't know, but the Starcourt thing. That must've been awful."
Your words stick together like taffy. He releases you as quickly as he can.
"Hey, don't be sorry," he says, scoffing lighty. He readjusted where he's sitting, crossing his arms over his chest. "Doesn't matter." It's not like you'd meant anything by it.
You look less peaky but still hesitant.
"Would you believe me if I told you the worst part of my job was the uniform?" he jokes, wanting to put you at ease again.
"Was it really so bad?" you murmur, your lips slowly curving up into a smile.
"There was a mandated hat."
You laugh. People shush you aggressively. Steve feels something close to magnetism at the sound, and wants to make you do it again.
"Where do you work now?" you whisper as the movie begins.
"Video store by the arcade."
"Family Video?" you ask. He nods, looking down at your hands in your lap, your fingers. Your legs are shaking, minute trembling. You twist one of your rings around your fingers and he wonders what's making you nervous.
"That's the one."
You bend in close, so close he thinks he can smell your shampoo. Dusky, rosewater. Sweet.
"Maybe I can come see you. You can recommend me something."
"Sure," he says, too loud. Somebody coughs, though the cough sounds suspiciously like dickwad.
You watch Day of the Dead, stealing popcorn all the while. You pop the lid off of Eddie's drink and take sneaky sips, and your friend flicks your upper arm when you get greedy. In response, your bashful, peeling laughter.
"Fine, I'll get my own drink. You want one?" you ask Steve, standing with your back bent, necklace dipping down in the space between you. He follows it, looks accidentally straight at your chest and then back up, guilty and blushing. "Steve?" you ask.
"I'll come with you," he says, desperate to escape the dark, the warmth.
Steve follows you down the red, trodden carpet and back into the main body of the theatre, an atrium with high glass windows and wooden beams. It smells old, like dust. The sky is dark now, night eating up every bit of natural light. White cat eyes beam from the movie theatre's floors to guide you to the snack station, a brighter, well stocked haven of greasy foods and cold drinks.
You stand in front of the popcorn machine. It paints your skin with a golden yellow shine, like the sun. You're very quiet as you open your clutch, pulling out hair pins and chapstick and a lone cotton pad before you find your purse, a battered leather pouch embossed with hearts. He tries not to fill the silence, digging for his wallet in his pocket. He gets a too big coke and you deliberate over slurpee flavours, eventually asking for a mix.
"It's so quiet out here," you murmur around your straw.
"Like Family Video on a Friday," he agrees.
"Isn't Friday, like, one of your busiest nights?"
"Yep."
A burst of surprised giggles. Steve hides his smile with a cough, 'cos he's cool.
You pull the straw from your cup and lick it clean, digging for a certain flavour though he's not sure which, still laughing to yourself. Steve takes the initiative and leads you back up the stairs and to your seat, catching your jacket in his hand before you can walk down the wrong row.
You smile gratefully, your lips stained blue and red.
-
You're sitting on the pavement outside of Family Video. Steve can see your back, your hair.
He wonders why you're here, if it's to see him, and then if you're okay, and feels bad for thinking in that order.
"Robin," he says loudly, reluctant to tear his eyes from you lest you disappear like a shoddy apparition.
"Steven."
"Not correct."
"What, idiot?" Robin asks, picking her head up from the book stretched open in her lap. She sits up and her back clicks loudly.
Steve sighs in disgust. "That's gross, you know? You'll get, like, arthritis."
"You think arthritis is gross? Not cool, Steven."
"No, I meant them as two separate things. Gross to hear you click, and that the clicking will give you arthritis," he explains, exasperated. He runs a hand through his hair.
"That's a myth."
A long pause where Steve watches your back moving, how you're leaning forward towards the sun bleached tarmac.
"What?" he asks suddenly, turning from you finally to stare in disbelief at his best friend.
Robin is more than prepared to fight her cause, the leaves of her book closed around her hand like she'd been waiting for him to ask. She probably had been.
"It's a myth. Clicking your bones doesn't give you arthritis. The clicking sound is fluid moving- Are you even listening to me?"
Steve has dropped his head into his hands. He spreads his fingers wide so Robin can see his eyes. "Robin, we have more important things at hand."
"Like what? Keith's laundry?"
"Like Y/N is sitting outside right now!" he shouts, and then cringes. You don't show any sign of having heard him. He continues in a strangled whisper, "She's been out there for like, five minutes!"
Robin kicks up off of her stool to stand at Steve's side, up on tiptoes to see over the vinyl on the windows. She's listened to his inane rambling and insecure, badly disguised yearning all week, but hasn't had a face to a name until now. She makes a sound of approval like she can understand why Steve has been so wound up about you.
"Why's she on the floor?"
"She does that."
"Oh," Robin says, chin jutting up. "Are you gonna go talk to her?"
He wants to. Dreadfully. Intensely wants to.
"Or I could go talk to her," Robin offers, wrists touching. She rubs them together. Steve ignores her mischievous, shit-eating grin.
"Sure, Robs, you talk to her. Stun her with your stellar people skills."
Robin's lips push, as close as she's ever come to pouting. "Cruel."
"Yet accurate."
"If you're so amazing, why don't you go talk to her, hot shot? Woo her! Chop-chop."
Steve steels his nerves because even if he is about to make a huge fool of himself he's slightly worried about your on-the-ground position. Not unusual for you, but still.
"Are you okay?" he asks as he emerges.
You turn to Steve like you're unsurprised that he's there and offer your headphones to him. "Put these on?"
"Are you okay?" he asks again, voice not dissimilar to when he's bossing around the kids.
You hold the headphones to your chest and dip your chin. "Steve, I'm fine. Please?" you ask, offering them to him.
He puts on the headphones, bent at the waist for the wire to reach your cassette player. He quickly discovers the source of your unhappiness – the tape sounds bloated. Distorted.
"The tapes messed up," he says.
You shake your head with patience, though he can tell from your expression this isn't the first time you've explained it. "It's not the tape, it's the player."
Steve's back gives a twinge. I'm an old man, he thinks in horror, standing up straight with your headphones back in his hands.
"You drop it?" he asks expectantly.
You only frown more, looking generally put out. "No, I took great care of her. Scout's honor."
Steve sighs and decides to take the leap, sitting down beside you on the sidewalk. There's a small dip where the parking lot starts and he stretches one leg out across it, hand on his knee, the other across his abdomen.
"Can't one of your nerd club fix it?" he asks.
"I'm not actually in Hellfire Club, you know."
He didn't. "You can't ask? Eddie must've learned something at school after this many years. By accident. Like… osmosis."
"Eddie's on his third try for a reason," you say, picking at a small ladder in your tights on the side of your calf. You're wearing socks, too, peeking up just over the edge of your thick bottomed boots.
"You know Dustin?" he asks after a patch of silence he would find awkward with anyone who wasn't you. You make it peaceful, in a way. "He could take a look. He went to science camp and built, like, the world's strongest radio."
He can't tell if you're listening. Your eyes are trained on the sidewalk, its crack, and the weeds growing between them. There's a wet snapping sound.
You hold a small yellow flower between your fingers.
"A creeping buttercup," you tell him. You push your palm flat in the space between you both and lean towards him. "Do you like butter?"
"Do I- Yeah, sure, I like butter. Who doesn't?"
You lick your lips. "Mind if I check?" you ask him.
"Is that a trick question?"
"Steve," you say, chiding. You tilt your head to your shoulder and the breeze kisses your hair, ruffling soft strands as you hold the flower under his chin intently. He feels frozen.
"You love butter," you say, nodding like what you just said makes sense.
"Are you sure you're okay? Didn't hit your head on the way here?"
"Here. Hold it under my chin," you tell him, offering him the flower. You twirl its stem, though you stop when he moves to take it.
Steve feels like an idiot as he holds it by your neck.
"Closer," you say softly, lifting your head.
Steve raises his eyebrows but keeps his skepticism to himself. To his surprise, when the flower is close enough to your skin, a small patch of yellow light appears, gauzy around the edges.
"What the fuck…"
You lower your chin, your faces closer than Steve had realised. You look straight into his eyes. "It's a reflection of the light. 'Cos it's clear out."
He feels out of his element no matter how captivating he finds you – he can't get to grips with it. His silence quickly deters you; you look away from his face and your lips pull into a pout as you bite your bottom lip. You bend at the waist and mess with your shoelaces.
"Did you wanna come inside?" he asks, trying to fix whatever it is he did. Girls are complicated.
You cheer up a bit.
"Do you have anything like Day of the Dead?"
He has no clue.
"Sure we do," he says confidently.
He stands up fast and offers his hand. You take it, your palm smooth and cool in his, admittedly warmer and slightly calloused. He hopes the ease with which he pulls you up is impressive, then feels stupid for thinking that. You squeeze his fingers before you let go and follow him into Family Video.
-
"So, what? You like him?" Eddie asks you from above, cross-legged on his bed. Denim jacket nowhere to be seen, he sits in a t-shirt with the sleeves hacked off, tattoos on clear display, stark against his pale skin.
"Don't be jealous, Eds," you say mildly.
He crawls to the edge of the bed to look down at you where you lie on his floor. His hair tickles your nose and you hold in a sneeze.
"Nice face," he says.
"I think he likes me."
"Why wouldn't he? You're cool."
You stare at your best friend's earnest face. "You know why."
"No, I don't."
You close your eyes, head dipping to your shoulder. You can't hide from him, though you've tried. Your arms cross over your tummy in a self-hug.
The ground is cold. His uncle's trailer is always cold, frigid in the winter. Minimal insulation and no A/C. You rub your face into the scratchy rug beneath you and sigh morosely, suddenly overcome with a pinching misery.
"There's nothing wrong with you," Eddie says seriously.
"I don't think I can do it." It hurts to say, though you know Eddie won't judge you.
"What? Have a boyfriend?"
You nod. The mattress creaks as he moves. You're expecting his touch, though his cold finger flicking you square in the forehead startles you anyway. Your eyes jump open. You flinch up into a sitting position and rub your head.
"Shithead."
"Stop doubting yourself."
"I get so messed up. I'm a bad friend, I wouldn't- I wouldn't be a good girlfriend," you mutter, bringing your knees to your chest. You hide in them.
"You don't get messed up," he says.
"I'm stupid."
"Y/N," he says, dragging your name out sternly. "Here, come sit with me. I won't flick you again, promise."
You rub your eyes, smudging your makeup and stand reluctantly to flop onto his bed, his rumpled sheets a lump under your back. Eddie pulls your necklace from where it has ridden up your neck and drops it down the valley of your chest absent-mindedly.
"You're not stupid," he says gently. "And you don't get 'messed up'. You're overthinking things."
"I'm not," you argue. "I'm an idiot, and I say the wrong things, and maybe he does like me but it won't last long."
You didn't have an easy time in school. Eddie knows this, lived it with you, and he's blamed it a thousand times for your low self-esteem. Ever understanding, he hums to himself skeptically and grabs your shoulder, giving you a good shake. He doesn't stop until you're laughing.
"I'm trying to shake some sense into you," he confides. "You're really fucking cool. And I'm not just saying that because you've been copying me since middle school, you're really cool."
"Cool," you repeat.
"Awesome."
You run the chain of your necklace through your fingers and feel the links skip over your skin, frowning.
"I thought for sure he'd ask me out by now."
"Maybe you should ask him."
"He probably thinks I'm, like, a creepy stalker."
"Creepy, maybe. Stalker? For what? Visiting him at work? That's friendly." You're overthinking things, he doesn't say.
"I left him my phone number," you admit, whispering. "But he hasn't called me."
"Babe, you're always fucking here. Did you check your machine?"
Obsessively. "Yeah."
Eddie throws himself down and kicks his legs over your tummy, to your annoyance. He ponders and you sulk, the rough sounds of Black Sabbath playing in the background.
"You've only met him a few times, right?"
Right. The movies, the video store, once when you'd bumped into him at the arcade and a couple of times when he'd checked out books at the library.
Eddie smiles as you tell him. "The library?"
"Yeah."
"He's visiting you at work?"
You think back to the last time you'd seen him, all of ten minutes across the desk with your clean library uniform and your neat hair. You finally cracked and asked him if he thought it suited you better.
"You look great," Steve had said, smiling lopsided, "but I miss your pretty gems. Oh, we have Friday the 13th back in. I kept it for you..."
"No, he's visiting the library," you say.
Eddie chuckles, his deep, teasing laugh. "And before you met, you saw him in there a lot, huh?"
"Well, no."
"So it's a coincidence that he found out where you work and he's suddenly an academic?"
"Shut up, Eddie," you plead, covering your face with your hands.
"Fine, whatever, we'll stop talking about it. Wanna paint my nails?"
"No."  
You get up and paint his nails. You've done one hand pretty well when there's the sound of a car parking outside. Eddie turns down the stereo and you stare at each other curiously, listening for clues.
"Your uncle?"
"No. Probably for someone else."
Instantly disproved, there's a knock at the door, breaking up the silence. Eddie sighs dramatically and climbs over your legs to answer, his footsteps clumsy. "Yeah, coming," he calls. You stand and peer around the doorway, waiting to see who it is.
Eddie opens the door. "Harrington," he says, surprised, vaguely disgusted. "The munchkins aren't here."
"No, I know. I'm looking for Y/N."
You feel a stab of excitement right to your heart and scramble for Eddie's mirror, looking over your face and outfit with something close to terror looming – you're in an old band t-shirt covered in hair-dye from Eddie's red and pink phase and a skirt that's too short. You pull it down to make sure everything is properly covered.
"Yeah, she's here," Eddie says, though the door creaks as he closes it slightly, his voice a fraction from intimidating as he asks, "Who's asking?"
"Me?" Steve asks.
Your socks slide over linoleum in your rush to stop Eddie from being a total dick, edging him out of the way with your hip. He doesn't budge. You shove him with a huff and smile at Steve, trying to calm your pounding heart.
"Steve, hi."
"Hey," he looks over your shoulder. You turn, see Eddie standing there looking unimpressed. He waves. You glare at him fiercely and step over the threshold, shutting the door behind you.
You don't second guess as you take Steve's wrist into your hand, pulling him down the steps and into the short grass to make sure Eddie can't eavesdrop. It's damp under your socks.
Steve looks hot. You're a simple girl, you won't deny that. His hair looks more windblown than usual, lazy strands falling into his face. His eyes are serious, light brown and edged in straight lashes you would count if he let you, brows slightly lifted. You realise he's taking you in as you do the same and feel self conscious, shifting from foot to foot.
"Sorry, I look weird. I didn't-" you bite your tongue. I didn't know you were coming, you'd almost said, but of course you didn't, and telling him you would've dressed up if he was coming might scare him off.
Any anxiety you'd had is soothed as he takes your hand, still loosely clasped around his wrist, and squeezes the centre of your palm with his thumb.
"Are you kidding?" he asks, hand moving down, thumb rubbing over your pulse point. "You look beautiful. Don't worry about it."
His nonchalance trips you up. You can feel your heart in your mouth, like a hummingbird on your tongue.
"What did… what did you wanna ask me?" you stammer.
Steve drops your hand. "I tried calling, but I figured you'd be here. Uh, so-" he laughs, pulling a hand through his hair before dipping into the pocket of his jacket. You watch his arms then his hands.
"I got these," he says, pulling two tickets from his pocket. White and a third red, he offers them to you. You take them, enough adrenaline running through you that your hands are shaking and you struggle to read what they say.
Steve jumps in. "I know you really liked Day of the Dead. They're doing a showing in Indianapolis, one of those fancy theatre's where everyone dresses up as zombies, and like, they throw fake guts on you. Or something."
"Oh," you murmur. Awesome, you think. Oh my god. "That's sick."
"Right?"
"And you…"
"I want you to go with me. I want to take you," he says firmly. "On a date."
"A date."
"It's Friday. I'll pick you up, we'll drive there in the morning. Hang around, we can go wherever you want for dinner, see the sights."
"This is before or after we dress up like zombies?" you ask, hiding a huge smile.
Steve blushes, let it be written, his cheeks red. He sounds frustrated as he says, "Right, not my best idea. Before? We can get ready in the car," his voice fades before he finishes. "That's not a good idea."
He starts on a self deprecating waffle that you can't allow. You press the tickets to your chest, way too happy. "This is pretty cool."
"You think so?" he asks quickly, strung out.
"Yeah," you say fondly.
"Oh."
You almost step on his toes as you kiss his hot cheek. He smells nice. You set back on your heels and linger, trying to work out what his cologne smells like. Something fresh, not quite lemony.
You get a bit dizzy and carried away, stroking the curve of his arm with the back of your hand. Steve makes a sound like a hiccup and you remember yourself, stepping away bashfully, afraid to meet his eyes.
"So," Steve says, sounding relieved. Excited. "You'll go?"
"Yeah. It sounds awesome."
"It's a date," he says.
You tell him your address and he promises to call you to smooth out all the details but he really has to go to work. You climb back up the stairs and close the door almost all the way, watching as Steve gets in his car through the crack. He sits motionless for a bit before he fist pumps the air, says, "Yes! Ugh, yes. Still got it. Still got it, Hawkins."
You close the door.
"Ew, you look happy. Harrington cop a feel?" Eddie says.
"Something like that."
-
You're running down a dark alleyway with Steve's hand in yours. He's almost dragging you. Dude runs fast.
"I ran track!" he tells you helpfully.
You can't help the breathless laughing as you go, nervous and humming with energy. You'd both been having a great time at dinner and lost track of time, and now it's twenty minutes until doors open for Day of the Dead and neither of you look particularly lifeless.
You almost slam into the back door of his BMW, scrambling inside. Steve is quick behind you, upending the bag with your change of clothes onto the back seat. Your makeup and fake blood tumble out after it. He reaches up to turn on the overhead light.
"Fuck," Steve says, face carved in shadow. "Fuck. We don't have time."
"Sure we do," you say, tugging your shirt off quickly. Steve looks pointedly away once he notices your predicament. You chuckle. "Steve, just get changed. I don't care if you look."
"I'm a gentleman," he insists, rushing, the two of you folding and bumping into each other in a hurry to get dressed into your old clothes.
You catch flashes of his bare chest as he buttons down then buttons up, his legs, his thighs. You feel heat lick every stretch of skin you have at the sight. Oh, he's hairy, you think, and then have to slam your eyes shut to stop from thinking sick (completely normal, dirty) thoughts.
You pull your tights off of your ankles, blush at the idea of being sequestered in a car with him in your underwear, and leap to replace them with a pair of tight, pinstriped trousers, shrugging into them with great difficulty. Your chest is rising and falling rapidly as you pull on your blouse, white for the best fake blood effect, buttoning up just enough to hide your bra.
Make up next. You want to look scary and, importantly, believable. You fish for the make up you'd brought and have managed to suitably brush up your dark eyes with purples to look bruised and sickly by the time Steve has finished redressing. He tightens the tie around his neck.
"You next," you say.
Steve hesitates. "I've never done any makeup before."
You don't blink. "That's okay. I'll do it for you, if you want me to."
Steve climbs closer over your discarded clothes, close enough to hear his breathing, still fast. You brush the hair out of his eyes and they find yours, the two of you sharing a private smile, though there's no one else around.
"Will you ruin my good looks?"
"You'll be a very handsome zombie," you promise.
You reach for his face.
"You need to get closer," you tell him, fingers hooked under his ear. You tilt his head to the light.
"I can't," he says.
You steel your nerves and grab onto his shoulder gently, anchoring yourself as you climb up into his lap. If he's surprised he doesn't show it, his big hands coming up to your waist. You can feel the heat of each finger clearly on your skin where he grips you and the heat of his thighs like a furnace underneath yours. You try not to brush against him, standing up on your knees.
You use your fingers, rubbing them gently in the powder shadows and then over his silky skin. Big stripes of purple, a wash of yellow around his pretty eyes. He closes them as you dab a dark red under his eyelashes. You grow closer still, your breath fanning over his face. His hand skips respectably over your back and down to your thigh, holding you up. It's helpful. It's torture. You try not to breathe too loudly.
"You have really soft skin," you say, using your thumb to spread dark contour under his cheekbone, one side of his face gaunt.
You cover your work with your hand as his eyes open.
"Yeah?" he asks.
This closeness. Suddenly, abruptly, the feelings you're trying to push down rear their heads, and the heat becomes hard to ignore.
"Yeah," you murmur, thumb under his eye. He looks ridiculous. You know you look the same.
"Am I done?" he asks. His hand squeezes your thigh as he adjusts his hold.
"Not quite," you say.
You finish his makeup in silence. Time slows. You forget that you're late, content to feel his features under your hands, to learn the planes and dips of his face for the first time like this. You tuck his hair behind his ears carefully, smoothing back his hairline.
He's looking up at you. You sit down in his lap and he moves his hands to behind your back, his head following you down intently. He looks serious.
You draw your hand from his face and drop it onto his thigh, your rings brushing over starchy slacks.
It's his turn to touch you. Steve's hand comes to your face, his broad palm over the entirety of your cheek. You wait for something though you're not sure what, frozen with apprehension, simply watching him take you in.
"Do I look scary?" you ask, eyes on his lips.
They part before he answers, like he knows what he's going to say before he says it. "Horrifying," he murmurs wryly, hand gently pulling your face towards his.
You lift your chin to meet his lips, the muscles of his forearms shifting against your chest as he cups your face in both hands, guiding you to him. Your lips touch, tentative at first, one small kiss that feels more than warm, a homely, perfect fit. He pulls back and you don't, tapping the tip of his nose with yours until he opens his mouth.
You sneak in as his hand runs down your neck, your arm, slow and sleek. He makes a small sound as he takes the lead, opening you up, and it tickles your lips with its vibrations. He sounds content. You're feeling similarly happy, grabbing at his hand where it holds your face, squeezing his wrist to hold it in place as you push yourself into his arms. He takes you eagerly, pulling you chest to chest.
His head bumps the window. You pull apart, panting and happy and giggling, your lips damp and tingling. Steve rubs the back of his head, looking at you with an expression you can't describe.
"What?" you ask, wiping at his bottom lip with your thumb where your lipstick has stained him.
"How come you're so pretty, even like this?"
"Like this, a zombie?" Steve nods slowly. "Let me know when you find out, Harrington."
He pulls you back in with a smirk that sets your tummy aflame. "You think I'm pretty?" he asks, lips a millimetre from yours.
"Super pretty," you say, and kiss him. He loves on your top lip like you've got all the time in the world, kisses warm and slick. "Almost as pretty as me," you say between them.
He slows your kisses, gives you one last peck over your burning mouth. "No one's as pretty as you," he says agreeably.
You beam. Steve beams back though it quickly fades as he brings his arm up to check his watch.
"We're so late," he says, manhandling you off of his lap with an apologetic grimace. "C'mon, we still gotta cover you in blood."
You both get out and Steve sprays you down with fake blood. You laugh as he does, the cold liquid tickling your skin as it trickles down your face and your chest and your tummy.
Steve takes his own bloodying with far less laughter  though he smiles at your glee. He's so handsome you can't help it, stepping into his space for another kiss. There's blood on your lips, evidently, as it transfers to his.
"We need to go," you say, like it's his fault.
"Wait. I have something for you."
Steve opens the driver's side and takes a small object from under the seat. He hands it to you.
"I called in a favour. Dustin and Lucas fixed it up, I checked, like, ten tapes. It works."
In your hands the bane of your existence, your faulty Walkman. There's a fake blood mark in the shape of his thumbprint on the side and you decide you're going to leave it there forever, looking to him with a completely uncool amount of affection.
"Steve," you say happily, a heat behind your eyes.
"I got sick of seeing you pouting, that's all," he says hotly, crossing his arm over his chest. "Now you can stop sulking."
You throw your hands around his neck to hug him tightly, the Walkman pressed to his neck. He oomphs, hands flying to your sides. Your face against his shoulder, you curl a strand of his brown hair around one of your fingers. "Thank you." You dot a corn syrup kiss against his throat. "You're the coolest," you say as you pull away.
His hands move from around your back to your shoulders, holding you at arms length. "People have said that about me."
"I bet."
𓆩❤︎𓆪
thanks for reading! | my masterlist
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colourstreakgryffin · 9 months
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A quick romance story shitpost for my main babe Obanai simp needs!
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🐍💜- Giggling Mess; Iguro Obanai x Jokester! Reader
The Hashira are surprised that somebody like the Serpent Hashira, Iguro Obanai would be interested in somebody like you, the giddy jokester Ice Hashira. You are total opposites of each other;
he’s unforgiving and serious, you’re bubbly and light-hearted. He can’t stand humour whilst you live off humour
But yet, Obanai finds himself falling for you harder and harder each time he sees you and his intense love for you is so obvious to all the Hashira… except the one where it matters the most… Dokusha
Obanai adores you, your adorable oneliners makes him crack a uncontrollable smile underneath that mask and roll his eyes. He loves how much of a jokester you are, nothing is serious to you and he wouldn’t trade your personality for the world
No matter that if it came off as annoying or not at times
Obanai does wonder sometimes if you even know how dangerous and intense your Hashira career actually is. You flaunter it around like it’s simply a work skill, not a massive life-changing responsibility
That must be why Obanai likes you so much, you never let the hell of the Hashira training nor the general situation damage you. He idolises your beauty, on both spectrums
You let loose your soft laughter, your goofy grin never fading. Tengen pushed back the gem-decorated headband over his head with a sassy smirk that you felt yourself laugh more at your friend’s silliness as you two stood next to each other nearby the flashy wooden Minka of the Master in the shining sunlight
Obanai felt his gut churn in fuming jealousy at the sight before him. You and Tengen match each other very well, you’re both playful loveable doofuses and it made Obanai feel inferior
He wasn’t your nor any woman’s ideal man; he wasn’t tall nor handsome nor so muscular, he didn’t laugh at your jokes or enjoy comedy, he didn’t laugh at all. Wouldn’t you prefer somebody like Tengen? Did he have to become like you to have a chance?
“I bet you 20 yen that you can’t make Iguro laugh” Tengen chirped in suddenly, plucking out a single paper Yen from the hidden pockets on his uniform pants and waved it in front of your face. You grinned, leaping up in a small hop in your step
“I accept! If I win, I get that 20! If I lose, you get 40!” You remark cheerfully, ignoring Tengen’s shifting expression and hopping off without another word. You didn’t hear Tengen’s open disagreement over you giving him double of what he originally bet, you didn’t care! You were a gifter anyway
You smile and arrived in front of the all-too- familiar tree of the Master’s huge backyard, where you found a single wild Iguro Obanai occupying it. In the moment, he was reading a parchment of paper. You pouted out in curiosity moments after as you approached the dark bulky trunk, touching the scratchy skin and internally calculated how you’d scale it
In a second or so, you managed to bounce up the large thick plant and to the stocky tree branch where the monochrome striped haori Hashira laid flat on his back, the snowy snake wrapped around his collarbone you knew as Kaburamaru coiled upwards from his laid-down position on the man’s shoulder and noticed your F/C zori
You fell to your knees and smiled cheerfully at the snake. “Heya!” You howl happily, waving at the serpent. His silted rose red eyes widened in shock
The sound of your voice made Obanai lunge upright defensively and nearly fling the paper away. He turned in the direction of the words with clenched fists but the slight panic and intent annoyance on his figure faded in no time. Thank the gods, it was only you
He would have been beyond furious if he was anybody else bothering him during the opportunity he is using to relax
You slammed your palms down onto the thick branch in front of you with that signature humorous grin of yours. Obanai jolted back in a mixture of defensiveness and confusion. “What did the grape say when it got crushed? Nothing, it just let out a little wine!”
You changed your goofy grin to a cheeky smirk, sitting down properly with a pleased sigh but your confidence almost drooped when you noticed that Obanai kept a frown
You lightly stuttered as you cracked another joke with that unchanging whimsy smile. “I know the boy who uses Thunder Breathing. My, isn’t his skills so shocking!”
You smirk delighted, keeping your eyes closed briefly but when they draw open, your heart nearly stopped. Obanai was still frowning, not a single ounce of his face had shifted
You were running out of time! You almost felt like panicking as your brain fumbled over to come up with another more funny joke. “A crazy wife says to her husband that moose are falling from the sky. The husband says; it’s reindeer!”
You openly giggle under your breath for a bit, just hoping he’d laugh alongside with you. Obanai looked at you unbothered, his tough glare basically said ‘can you shut up?’
“O-oh… sorry, then” You softly apologise to him, despite the fact he hadn’t spoke a word, looking away and cupping your cheeks with your palms in defeat with your body arched as you learn forward. You sat in front of him, your white-to-icy blue fade snowflake-patterned thigh-highs hugged your legs and made the blushed plush skin warm
How convenient that those socks you wore so proudly are from the same man you were trying so desperately to make laugh; Obanai himself
The uncomfortable silence was killing you and it went on for seconds too long. Well, until Obanai begun speaking, alerting your attention onto him. What was he gonna say now? You were quite curious as you kept your eyes firmly on him
“Did you hear about the restaurant on the moon?” Obanai asks in a melodic tone, you crane your head and body back up with a confused expression
Moon? A restaurant? Is this a new place his best friend Mitsuri mentioned or something. You felt a bit out of the loop, why didn’t you hear about this sooner? You spoke in a confused stutter. “N-no? Wha—“
“I heard the food was good but it had no atmosphere” Obanai gazed at you, his mismatched eyes soft and sparkling with what you felt as love bleeding out. You bit your bottom lip, trying your best to stifle your laughter but it failed
In a matter of seconds, you were laughing and laughing so much, Obanai’s heart almost leaped to space at the scene in front of him. You look so simply cute in your little giggle fit
Choking on sizzling out giggles through your words. “W-w-where d-did you— g-get that one?” You bursted in a voice heavier than what you planned, your lungs burning and screaming out for air as you were laughing too much to breathe deeper than quick sharp breathes
“I made it up” Obanai responded in a kinda blank style. Kaburamaru coiled to face Obanai with a tilt of his smaller head. He seemed as confused as you were. You could have sworn he got closer to you
“You made it up?! That was amazing! As a jokester myself, that was so funny! I loved it!” You practically sung fearless praises as Obanai kept looking at you, his brain internally skipping over convulsions and screaming back at him how you enjoyed his efforts
“How many jokes you do make behind our backs? Tell me all of them! Please!” You chirp cheerfully, bouncing in place with excitement and wonder glazing over those pretty eyes Obanai felt his face burst into flames just looking at you
Obanai sighed softly, attempting but failing to ease his nerves. He briefly kept his heterochromatic eyes closed to recollect his composure but he opened with newfound confidence and looked back into your eyes
“They say nothing lasts forever, so would you be my nothing?” Obanai remarked still as calm, your heart dropped and your cheeks burned in one smooth motion. A pickup line, not just any pickup line, a really really cute pickup line. W-wait! Was he trying to hit on you?
You thought intently and quickly, hoping you didn’t look uncomfortable or freaked out in the moments as Obanai watched you in suspense and you decided on the whim. Why not, let’s go for it. It wasn’t like you didn’t like Obanai
You quickly propped back onto your feet whilst crouched and waddled over to sit right next to him, not speaking anymore and your smile smaller than the usual big goofy grin you’re known for. Falling back onto your sitting posture, you were mere inches away from him
“Did… you hate that… or something?” Obanai asked visibly uneasy and with nervous eyes, clearly a bit confused by your actions all at the same time. You have singlehandedly made Obanai the most confused he has ever been in his entire life in this mere hour
You kept up your quiet facade as you leant to press a kiss on his cheek and drape your hand atop his. Leaning back elegantly, you noticed how Obanai’s face exploded into a bright rosy red and his beloved snake Kaburamaru basically danced in a wiggle on the air to meet his eyes
You let out a more playful toothy grin this time as Obanai struggles to keep his eyes on you any longer, the two-tones of yellow and turquoise shooting everywhere else around him. He was so timid and it made you simply livid!
How could a man so cute be even cuter? You always asked but now, you know exactly how
“I’d love to be your nothing~”
Sorry if it’s bad
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bcofl0ve · 1 year
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Invisible String (Part 6)
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part 6/9
ship: austin butler x fem!reader
summary: a summer fling when you were working on the set of the shannara chronicles turned your life upside down with a positive pregnancy test after austin returned to the united states. a pregnancy test, and a daughter that you never told him about. until the elvis biopic found him back in your orbit and forced you to face the music.
chapter summary: austin comes back from the week long stint in the u.s., things are discussed and things are realized.
word count: 3780 (longest part yet!)
author’s note: V*MIT TW in the last day/chunk, but nothing too graphic! this is very dialogue heavy but our fav doofuses have quite a bit to talk about 😅 next chapter is an austin pov interlude thing and i am VERY excited for that so ty for sticking with me here!
i live for comments and love talking about my writing, feel free to pop me an anon anytime!
xxx
June 28th, 2020
You sent Austin a text after you listened to the voicemail saying you got it and did want to talk. But outside of quick hellos and goodbyes on the outskirts of him facetiming Cora you hadn’t said much else to each other. And you didn’t want to prod on his first day back after he spent an obscene amount of time traveling, so you settled on trying to catch him at the end of everyone’s first day back on set.
It was a late night- but you didn’t think you’d sleep if you put it off another day. 
Spotting him heading in the same direction you were as you got closer to his trailer, you walked a faster to catch up to him. Austin turned when he heard the footsteps, looking startled until he realized it was you.
“Didn’t mean to scare you,” You supplied and he waved you off. “‘is alright.”
It fell silent between the two of you again, and you crossed your arms over your body, suddenly feeling small in the dimly lit trailer lot. 
“Follow me home? Cora will be in bed, but if you still wanna talk,”
“I do.” He said quietly, adding that he just had to change and then you could head out. When he climbed the steps and opened the trailer door to go inside he didn’t close it right away, tilting his head back towards you.
So you followed him in, standing against the closed door as he pulled his costume off and changed into street clothes. 
“How was your trip back?” You tried after a minute and he chuckled under his breath as he tugged his sweatshirt over his head. “Really fuckin’ long.”
The quip broke some of the tension at least, the two of you making amicable small talk as you walked to the parking lot. The next ‘big thing’ being filmed was the Vegas residency, the way Austin practically buzzed as he talked about how excited he was almost making you forget you were upset with him. 
Almost. 
“Go say goodnight if you want, I’m gonna make tea.” You said as you opened your front door and he disappeared down the hallway while you relieved the babysitter. You were sitting cross legged on the couch when he came back out, standing in the mouth of the hallway looking almost nervous to approach. 
“Sorry for being such a bitch on the phone.” You said bluntly as he finally did walk over.
“Hey, don’t call my baby mama a bitch.”
A laugh escaped at that, but then Austin sat down next to you and you were nervous all over again.
“And you weren’t being a bitch anyways, you were hurt.” 
“Didn’t really have the right to be, you can't cheat on someone you're not dating.” You stated, Austin not letting that go without a rebuttal either.
“Sure, but I think I earned the tongue lashing.”
Biting the inside of your cheek, you took a short breath to gain a smidgen more composure before you started talking again.
“Said in your voicemail that you didn’t sleep with her.” 
You looked down and focused in on a loose thread hanging off your cardigan sleeve, seeing him sit up a little straighter out of the corner of your eye.
“I didn’t. She was kinda upset when we were talking about Cora. I didn’t wanna be a douche so I tried to comfort her and she had her head on my shoulder. Got done snifflin’ and kissed me.”
Hm.
You didn’t disagree that the other woman was owed an explanation of the timeline. A clarification that you were only involved during their break and that Austin really didn’t have the faintest clue about Cora until April. But a pang of possessiveness coursed through you as Austin was relaying the chain of events. You tried unsuccessfully to push it down.
“We did uh, makeout. But when she went for my shirt we both snapped out of it. And then she started freaking out asking if she’d just made me a cheater and I said not exactly, because we weren’t exclusive- the rest just kinda tumbled out.”
His retelling of that part in the voicemail had left with more questions than answers, mainly surrounding the three word slip that had felt like an anvil dangling over your heads since it had happened.
You swallowed thickly, forcing yourself to look at him. “So when you said what you said, on Facetime,”
“I meant it.” He started, clearing his throat. “It was the heat of the moment, yeah, but it only slipped out cause it was all I’d been thinking about since leaving you two at the airport. How different it felt to know I was coming back- good different.”
“Cora missed you like crazy, drove me nuts when I was still mad.”
It was a redirect, but you were starting to get overwhelmed and it tumbled out before you could convince yourself to just swallow your anxiety and push on. Not a good enough redirect though, not when Austin only focused on the last part.
“So you aren’t anymore? Mad, I mean.”
“Upset, a little jealous. Not mad.” You said, suprised by your own honesty.
Austin seemed to be too, pulling his eyebrows together.
“Jealous of what?”
Returning to the loose thread on your cardigan, you plucked at it aimlessly. “That if you wanted to get back with her it’d be easier. Less strings attached, nothing tying you down- less to lose it it didn’t work out.”
You realized you were rambling and stopped abruptly, the room was silent when you did save for the low buzz of the radiator.
Austin broke the silence first, running a hand down his face.
“I get that you’re looking out for Cora by keepin’ me at arms length here Y/N, a hundred percent I do. But I guess my thing is that don’t plan on going anywhere. And I want to be with you if that’s what you want too.”
I want that more than anything, you thought, but what came out of your mouth was the thing that had made that feel off limits permanently since April.
“If you hadn’t come back for Elvis, if we never ran into each other,” You said tightly, fidgeting with your hands. “You probably wouldn’t have ever known Cora existed unless she tried to find you on her own as a teenager or an adult. And I don’t understand how you could ever forgive me for that.”
You were embarrassed by how much your voice was shaking, really not wanting to cry and feeling dangerously close.
Austin sucked his bottom lip in and took a short breath before he spoke, voice gentle.
“I forgave you the minute I saw Cora when she came out of the hallway that first night. So little, lookin’ just like me. I understood instantly why you did what you did to protect her.” He started.
"And I think what you need to do now, Y/N, is forgive yourself. I would’ve loved to be involved sooner, but you weren’t keeping me away to be cruel. You were protecting our baby the best way you knew how, that’s it.”
Swallowing thickly, you looked down in an attempt to hide the tears you felt pooling. What you wanted to say was that you didn’t even know how to begin to do that. That every time Cora told you how much she missed him when he was gone for one night- or you watched her run to the door to greet him, guilt surged through you like a lightning bolt.
Not just over what Austin had missed out on either, but what Cora had too. And you knew somewhere in the back of your mind that you needed to forgive yourself before it ate you alive.
Hearing it out loud, from him, that's what put a lump in your throat.
Austin scooted a little closer, asking you softly to look at him as you swiped at your eyes.
You felt his hand on your knee when you lifted your head, the way he was massaging your leg about to do you in because God- you loved him.
But scared that you’d start crying in earnest if you tried to articulate even half of what you were thinking, you kissed him. And Austin kissed you back as you maneuvered over into his lap, hands sliding up your neck to your cheeks as he pulled away just enough to talk.
“I love you so much honey,” He whispered, rubbing his thumb against your jaw. "You know that?"
Tilting your head to the side to kiss his fingers where they were resting against your face, you gave a small nod. “I do.”
It was a couple hours later when you worked up the nerve to say a certain three words back, laying in bed tracing infinity loops over his shoulder blade with your index finger. You thought he was too close to sleep to hear it until you felt him stir, eyes fluttering open as he pulled you in a little closer by the arm he’d had wrapped around your torso.
It felt good to be love and be loved in return. You could get used to that.
---
July 22nd, 2020
Not a lot changed after that night, mostly because of the fact that you’d been acting like a couple from the second you ended your “not in a relationship” conversation anyways. But the little adjustments that did crop up were welcome.
Austin practically lived at your flat, only going to his when he had an obscenely early set call. The two of you sat Cora down a week in and explained to her in four year old terms that mommy and daddy were in a relationship, something she made sense of via proclaiming that the the two of you were just like Flynn and Rapunzel. Not that you minded the comparison. 
And on top of all that Austin got a new manager that couldn’t have been a sweeter woman. To the extent that she brought a little present for Cora the first time she came over to meet with the two of you together.
All in all things were going better than you ever imagined they could.
Save for the lingering anxiety in the back of your mind about what was going to happen when Elvis wrapped. You felt secure in the knowledge that Austin wasn’t going to up and ghost, but it regardless wasn’t a topic you could avoid broaching for much longer.
“Hey Aus?” You said on the drive to set one day, rubbing your thumb against his hand where he was holding yours over the console. He glanced over at you with a quirked eyebrow, and you looked at the road as you spoke.
“What are we going to do when Elvis wraps? Cora and I are both Australian citizens. And I hate asking you to uproot your life- but the thought of losing you all over again,”
You didn’t realize how anxious you really felt about it until that last part slipped out, Austin squeezing your hand as he pulled to a stoplight. 
“Do you think you’d wanna move to the U.S.? If you don’t wanna uproot Cora we can look at me movin’ here.”
He said it so casually, like he wasn’t suggesting he leave his entire life behind to move across the globe, and it went right at your heart. 
“I can’t ask you to do that. She’s still little, and sure visa shit would take time but I think she’d adjust okay.”
“Alright then, so we’re gonna figure this out, and no one is gonna lose anybody.” He replied with a smile as he raised your interlocked hands to kiss them before driving through the green light. “I promise.”
-
The conversation lingered in your mind all day at work, and still was after work when you met up with Leah for Chinese food. Immediately, and unsurprisingly, she noticed.
“You’re quiet.” She stated, looking at you over her work with a skeptical expression.
“I finally asked Austin about what we’re gonna do after filming wraps.”
“And?”
Twirling noodles around your fork, you glanced around to make sure you were mostly alone before you continued. “He offered to move here if I thought moving to the states would be too much for Cora. And I think she’ll be fine, I told him that.” 
“So are you lookin’ at getting a K1 visa?”
You almost spit your food out at that, Leah laughing at how wide your eyes got. It had come up in the research you’d starting during your break on set, but you made haste in scrolling past those results.
“We’ve haven’t even been together together for a full month, we’re not getting engaged Leah.”
She didn’t seem to take that for an answer, putting her fork down to prop her head up on her hands. “C’mon, do you really think there’s going to be anyone else?”
You knew what she was implying but you were quiet for too long and she rephrased the question anyways, tone a degree more serious.
“Do you think either of you are going to end up with someone else at this point? You’re planning on moving countries for him, moving Cora. I like to think I know you pretty well Y/N and you wouldn't be willing to sacrifice so much if you didn’t think Aus was your end game here.”
Picking her fork back up, she pointed it in your direction with the look she’d always given you when there was no point in arguing against whatever she was saying. Not that you had a particularly good argument, that in itself a realization that felt heavy.
“When you know you know, that’s all I’m saying.”
---
July 29th, 2020
Since the the dust settled between the paparazzi fallout and figuring your relationship out Cora had become a semi-regular visitor on the Elvis set whenever Baz gave the greenlight for it. She had Austin and just about everyone else wrapped around her finger, quickly becoming little miss popular among the cast and crew whenever she was around.
And it did your heart good to watch everyone take her under their wings, the fears you’d had about losing your job over the ‘scandal’ of it all feeling silly in hindsight.
On this particular day the two of you had opposing schedules, Austin leaving the day at two after an early morning call when you were just coming in to work lights for some casino scenes with Tom. You brought Cora with you to swap off, and give her some time to run around what had quickly become her favorite playground.
The last you saw after the switch she was fine and giggling on Austin’s shoulders as he showed her around the International Hotel set. So when you had a couple seconds to check your phone almost an hour after you parted ways, the text from twenty minutes prior that you were just seeing came with a bit of whiplash.
Hey, Cora threw up. Gonna take her back to yours once she seems okay enough for the car ride. DW about rushing home but call when you get a minute.
Well, you were worrying whether he wanted you to or not. And you were about to call when you heard footsteps coming towards you and looked up to a rather frantic production manager. She seemed to clock that you knew why she was there, running a hand through her hair.
“Been running around like a mad woman trying to find you, Austin’s on his way to parking lot B.”
You thanked her before taking off across the studio, spotting him getting into the drivers seat of his car as you reached the lot. Speeding up to a run so he didn’t drive off before you reached him, you managed to get there before he hit the gas.
“Hey, I’m so sorry- she was fine earlier, I wouldn’t have brought her to set if she was sick.” You rushed out as he rolled down the window, waving you off. “Kids puke baby, nothin’ to be sorry about.”
Your attention was pulled by sniffles before you cohort respond, Cora having spotted you from the backseat. Opening her door and crouching down, you were met with a four year old hiccuping through tears.
“Sick on daddy,” She whined, cheeks flushed.
“She threw up on you?
Turning towards the drivers seat you realized Austin didn’t have a shirt on under his hoodie. And you hoped that at least meant she hadn’t thrown up on the Elvis jumpsuit Austin had on when you first got to set.
“I was already outta costume,” He supplied with a little shrug, and you muttered a quiet “Thank you Jesus.”
Sighing as you stood back up, you reached into your back pocket for your phone as you spoke. “I can tell my supervisor what’s going on and he’ll let me go, he’s good about Cora.”
But Austin shook his head, reaching for your arm to stop you. “I got her, really.”
You met his eyes then, realizing suddenly why he was being so insistent about you staying at work. He’d been alone with Cora before. But the worst he’d had to do thus far was talk her down from the occasional tantrum. 
This was different, and you got the sense that he was treating it like some sort of parenting litmus test. And while you didn’t have any intentions of drilling his abilities as a father yourself, ever, you were touched by how adamant he was being about the whole thing.
So you put your phone back in your pocket with a soft “Okay”, giving Cora a goodbye with an assurance that you’d be home later before shutting her door.
When you popped back up to the driver's seat Austin leaned out of the car window for a kiss, promising he’d call if she got much worse.
Your phone buzzed only a couple minutes after you’d walked off, leaving them while he was still parked getting Cora calmed down because you had to get back to set.
Thank you for trusting me. Love you.
The message brought a smile to your face in spite of how shitty the situation was, and you shot back a Love you too. before put your phone on do not disturb. If Austin called it would come through anyhow, and you wanted to try your best not to helicopter text about Cora.
-
When you were leaving for the night and did check your phone you had a litany of notifications from Austin. And Cora being sick was far from ideal, but the live feed he’d been keeping you on via text was so sweet you found yourself laughing some under your breath.
No puking in the car, considering that a win.
Got her to keep a couple crackers down.
Nevermind. 😅
Outfit change #2 time (for me, not Cora bless her heart).
She threw up when she was laying in bed and missed the bowl. Put the dirty stuff in the washing machine but don’t know where you keep the spare bedding and don’t want to leave her alone to look too hard. Gonna set us up on the couch.
The next message came with a photo of the back of Cora’s head, blonde hair pulled into two braids that you didn’t think looked all that bad.
Asked me to do her hair after I gave her a bath, I did my best!
I hate knowing you’ve been doing this all by yourself all this time. You’re a super mom.
Cora hasn’t thrown up in a hot minute and says she’s feeling “less yucky” so we might be out of the woods. Think we’re both gonna be asleep by the time you get home though. I love you.
He’d assumed right by that, the sight that met you as walked into your flat the both of them asleep on the couch. Cora was curled up under Austin’s arm, her head resting against his neck with a hand on his face.
The sight was so sweet you snapped a photo before moving to wake them up. Which you felt a horrible about, but Austin couldn’t afford to screw up his back on your couch or get whatever Cora had come down with. Which it might’ve be too late to avoid given that she’d thrown up on him, and from what you’d assumed by his texts a second time at that. Better safe than sorry though.
He stirred when you scooped Cora up off of him, a flash of panic crossing his eyes before he realized it was you.
The husky “Oh, hi,” he gave you sounded absolutely exhausted, his eyes not even open all the way for a minute there.
“I’m gonna let her sleep in my bed,” You whispered over your daughter’s head as he sat up slowly. “And I hate to kick you out but I don’t want you to catch whatever she has.”
Austin stretched his back, waving you off as he turned back to face you. “‘s fine. I think it’s just food poisoning anyway, she didn’t have a fever or nothing.” 
“And if it’s the flu then Baz is gonna have my head for getting you sick.” You replied, knowing the argument was already lost.
He followed the two of you down the hallway, Cora waking up fully as you were laying her down in the middle of your bed. Opening her eyes, she gave a little tired smile when she saw you.
“Hi momma,” She said so quietly you almost didn’t hear her, and it was moments like this that you really understood what people said about your kids being your heart walking around outside of your body. Brushing a few hairs out of her eyes, you smiled softly.
“Hi Cor, you feelin’ a little better?”
She nodded at that, but pulled her gaze away from you to scan the dark room, sitting up some in your bed as you laid down next to her. Austin was across the room plugging his phone in, your bedroom too dark with the lights off for Cora to see where he went.
“Where’s daddy?” 
“Right here sweetie,” He said softly as he came back over, climbing into bed and pressing a kiss to her head as he laid down.
Cora ended up sandwiched between the two of you, her head knocked back on Austin’s chest with a foot nudged almost in your ribcage.
And Austin had a protective arm slung over the both of you, Leah’s words running through your head like a skipping CD as you tried to sleep.
“When you know you know, that’s all I’m saying.”
xxx
tag list (tags don’t always work, i do my best!): @chernayawidow @theinvisiblecapricorn @aalishifts @mavericksicybabe @cryingabtab @kittenlittle24 @invisiblee-smoke @mrs-munson-quinn @cevans-winchester @kikilovesdankmemes @oh-austin @chrissie-soula @starcatchxr @butlervol6 @thedeviltohisangel @redhoods-gf @gabrielajimenez @stlover288 @alqvarde @loudwombatmugkid @austinbrainrot @ab4eva @m0ndayagain @marlowmode @kingbouji3 @gardenavenue @yeonimii @eliseinmemphis @blurredcolour @tiddieshakeshownu @fallininlovewithurlove @briannaisanxious @amiets2 @karamelcoveredolicity @amnmichh @mrsniallhoran505 @strokesofstokes @starry-night-20
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ryuichirou · 6 months
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Hi Ryu!I really like your art! I hope it's not a very personal question, but is there any character that you find relatable? I hope you have a great day! 💚
Hi Anon! Thank you so much for liking my art, I really appreciate it! <3
And don’t worry about the personal question, I don’t mind answering that. In fact, we did have a post about twst characters that I find the most relatable, but apparently it was half a year ago (yikes) + I didn’t really elaborate much about them. To be honest, I thought it would be too cringey to read.
But screw that; let’s be a little bit vulnerable.
I’ll start by saying that a lot of twst characters are pretty relatable in general. Once again, Yana is a good writer and conveys characters’ feelings and struggles very nicely, so even if the situation itself isn’t familiar to you, the emotions that characters go through are understandable and easy to “feel”. There are a lot of aspects of Idia’s and Vil’s story that hit on a very personal level, especially the artistic aspect, I guess.
But the ones that I mentioned in my previous posts were these doofuses. Doofusi. Idiots. What a squad, really.
I’ll post the tier-list again so you can admire my mistake in the word “menace”. The tiers are also pretty self-explanatory, but I’ll add something about each of them.
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Crowley is here half-jokingly, I can’t say much about him; Kalim is so stupidly relatable at times though that it hurts. His obliviousness that comes from being kind of sheltered and super detached and naive and expecting good things from people is a good source of comedy, but it also made me reflect on some of the things about my own upbringing (no don’t  have that kind of money god I WISH), my relationship with people and frankly my clumsiness lol Katsu always likes to joke about how there are some things that Katsu does but I get credit for, and because of that I always do the “HEY DID YOU KNOW THAT KATSU IS AWESOME” thing. It’s going to be a reoccurring theme in this reply…
The second tier is also the second-most relatable. Sebek is pretty much the way I used to be at his age: he is so FUCKING STUBBORN and so focused on things that he thinks are right and has so little patience for anyone who doesn’t fit these molds, sometimes I genuinely want to choke him because of how annoying he is lol but I also adore him for that. The sheer adoration he feels for the person he admires is also shamefully relatable. There is a lot of Sebek in the adult me as well I guess lol But I at least try to be somewhat open-minded. But the simp in me lives.
And he also lives in me with my kinship with Rook fucking Hunt because this man just gets it. The way he talks about Vil and art and beauty of everyone and everything, I really admire that but also can’t help but nod aggressively whenever he says something. He just cares so much about these things?? It’s so wonderful but also heck yes the colour of leaves is as important of a thing as the shape of your loved one’s calves today. He is also this weird mix of being brutally honest sometimes because he doesn’t always have an easy time having any fucking tact (having no tact and weird relationship with one’s own emotions is also a reoccurring theme here lol), but also finds a way to say something nice when there is nothing nice to be said. I do get in trouble for both of these things sometimes, and even though I try to work on them, I still find it relatable af. But the simping and appreciation of arts is the main thing here lol
Now, Ortho. I wonder how many of you thought that out of the two Shrouds it was Ortho who is more relatable to me lol this is what Ch6 does to a person. Although retroactively, a lot of their vignettes started to hit very close to home too.
The reason why I told in my very old very long Shroud-related shipping post that there are some things about their relationship that I find very relatable is that I do find myself in these situations quite often. There is a person in my life that I love really dearly and that I get very protective of, and I used to be even more protective and get instantly aggressive when I got even a faint idea that someone might think badly of them. Like I mentioned in that post, ”I just don’t want him to be misunderstood” is the line I felt very deeply about. This is kind of a complicated topic, and a more personal one at that, so I won’t dive deeper in this post; let’s keep it more light-hearted. I am also small and cute, so here’s that lol
Speaking of smallness and cuteness, god I wish I had more similarity to Lilia fucking Vanrouge, he is way too awesome. But he also has this aura of protectiveness and wanting better things for someone dear to him that hits close to home; (Now leaving: Wholesome town, Next stop: Cursed city) he also has this aggressive top aura, which is obviously our headcanon for a lot of it, but the way he talks and acts and teases is at the same time admirable and hilarious; Katsu has a lot of “this is just you…” moments with him. But then again, 50% wishful thinking.
Azul has kind of a similar upbringing to me, but he is also super fucking ANNOYING, the vibes I get from him are similar to Sebek’s: a lot of it is stuff that I used to struggle with when I was younger, but I kinda still do. I’m a horrible control-freak and I just know I wouldn’t be able to fly on a fucking broom or ask for help because I would stand there like an idiot and try to do it myself, even though my concentration and overstressing would keep ruining the whole thing. I also work a lot and get excited about things that I can do and make stupid plans and god how much I hate it here (just kidding, I love it, being a control freak is fucking awesome)
The Tweels is just my edgy inner self wanting to be scarier and more intimidating, to be honest, nothing to add here. And Riddle is a dork who doesn’t know how to play videogames, so yeah been there.
Damn it took longer to write than I thought it would lol I hope this wasn’t a tedious read, and please keep in mind that I’m saying a lot of these things half-jokingly.
Thank you for your ask, Anon!
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dmwrites · 2 years
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“Well, if you are feeling uneasy about your alliance with your soulmate, why don’t you two go be useful and find the enchanter. You can keep your stuff here, Etho, and we can always get an extra bed. But I have a house to build, and I don’t want you doofuses in the way.” Bdubs stood in the doorway of the white mid-century house, hands on his hips. Etho looked at Impulse and then back at Bdubs, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, if my darling says so, I’m happy to do it.” Impulse chuckled, laid back as ever. He brushed past Bdubs to pick up a few things in the house. Etho grabbed Bdubs’ arm to keep him from following.
“Really? Me and him? Exploring the deep dark? Together?” Etho muttered to him. “Curious choice.” Bdubs said nothing, but wrenched his arm out of Etho’s grasp and walked inside. Etho followed.
“Okay, Etho, you’re on your yellow life, so you especially have to be careful.” Impulse was rushing around the little and messy storage area, pulling various bits out and piling them on the floor. “The warden is attracted to noise, so what we need is just that. Do you think you could make a redstone noise machine in the dark in mere seconds?” He fiddled with a few bits of redstone and put the device on the floor. Bdubs, apparently bored of the conversation, had already walked away, so Etho resigned himself to paying attention.
“Hmm, dunno. In the dark?” If Impulse had to build this machine, it might give Etho a pretty good running head start if the warden came their way. “You better hold on to that stuff. You’re the redstone genius.” Impulse beamed at that. He’s so easy, Etho thought.
All packed for their trip, Etho and Impulse called for Bdubs. The builder emerged, holding two paper sacks. “Alright, don’t laugh, but I made you both some snacks. Good luck on your trip.”
“Thank you Bdubs!” Etho pulled Bdubs into a hug, definitely for too long. But Bdubs hugged him right back, and that was reward enough.
“Etho, I’ll meet you outside, yeah?” Impulse gave Etho a look. “Wanna say goodbye.”
“If you die you’ll both just respawn in your bed. It’s not like we’re going off to war.” Etho muttered, but he went outside to wait, definitely not jealous at all.
“Alright Etho, it’s you and me now, buddy!” Impulse put a hand on his shoulder after a few minutes. “Let’s do this thing!”
Impulse lead the way to the deep dark, all casual chats and silly jokes. Now, Etho decided, would be the perfect time to plant some seeds of doubt.
“You know, it almost seemed like Bdubs wanted you out of the house. Like he’s getting tired of you.” Etho commented, ducking under a mineshaft beam.
Impulse chuckled. “Oh, well, I mean, we’ve been inseparable since we found each other, so I don’t blame him at all. We all need a little me time.” There was no heat in his voice, no insecurities shining in his body language. Impulse spoke with a casual confidence that Etho couldn’t quite call foolish.
“You’ve really been joined at the hip ever since you found out, haven’t you?” Etho asked.
Impulse didn’t answer for a moment, checking his compass and a map he’d brought. “We gotta do some digging, I think.” He muttered more to himself, and pulled out a pickaxe. “Yeah, basically joined at the hip all the time. It’s crazy, I found out he was my soulmate and now whenever he’s far away I feel like part of my heart is missing too. Why, is that not how you and Joel are?” Impulse kept mining down, more concentrated on his task, voice innocent.
Etho felt a thrill of anger at his words. “No, not exactly. It must be different for each pair.” He didn’t mention the red-hot jealousy he felt when Bdubs announced his love for Impulse for the first time, or how much he’d been trying to get Bdubs to run away with him, just like old times.
“I guess that makes sense, explains the whole Cleo-Scott-Pearl-Martyn thing.” Impulse murmured. He mined through a block and a musty wind flew up to ruffle their hair. They had found the ancient city. “Don’t worry, man, you’ll find love one day.”
“Yeah… one day.” Etho muttered.
They decided to eat the snacks from Bdubs before going down into the ancient city. With legs dangling and swinging over a yawning edge, the two sat in the mined-out spot in the cave ceiling and ate. They both got bread and cheese as a snack. Etho noticed a note on top of his food and pulled a torch close to read it.
Come back safe
-Bdubs
Etho smiled and put the note in his pocket. He looked over at Impulse, who also seemed to have a Bdubs note. Etho couldn’t read it from where he sat, but it was a lot longer then his own. Impulse smiled and folded the note up, putting it in his pocket. As he did so, Etho caught sight of the gleam of a golden band on his finger. Wedding ring. Something white hot shot through him.
“So the newlyweds nickname isn’t just in name, huh.” Etho asked, hoping his voice wasn’t shaking. How had he never seen this before? Did Bdubs have a ring on too and he’d never noticed?
Impulse looked down at the ring and smiled. “Yeah, we just kind of said hey might as well, you know. Bdubs keeps his on a chain under his shirt. It seems like almost too much, right? But it works for us. A reminder. Because, like, whatever happens, even if we break up or something-” and here Impulse paused for a moment, looking right at Etho, “it’s a good reminder that it’s not just one person’s life we have to lose.”
“What would you do if he left?” Etho knew he was pushing it, that he should strike in quieter ways, but that look from Impulse was too much, too pointed.
Impulse shrugged. “I don’t like to think about it. I’d like to think that love can last. But if he decides to leave, I guess I’ll just continue to fight for him. Keep him alive. I said I’d love him for better or for worse. And I keep my promises.” Impulse stood up and gathered a few things they’d scattered around. “Now, let’s go sneaking around, shall we?”
Etho wished he could hate Impulse. It would be so much easier to see him as weak and stupid, a hopeless romantic who could do nothing to stop Etho from taking Bdubs from him. Oh, if only it could be that easy. The rest of the trip was a blur, with wardens coming out of the ground and the heady buzz of enchanting in his veins. But Impulse was always there, a steady voice in the darkness. It was comforting, knowing that he was always looking out for him. He helped Etho escape the city with his life intact.
And as Etho walked back to his own home with Joel, a realization hit him. Impulse was brave and smart, a man who loved Bdubs with his whole being. Impulse was probably in that stupid house, kissing Bdubs all over his face to make him smile. They’d probably swap gossipy stories and go to bed in each other’s arms.
And Etho hated him for it.
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smash-chu · 1 year
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Wait why are you named Septum if you are most of the time not even seven people nor does any of you have septum piercings?
These doofuses are the characters of me and one of my dnd groups, with a campaign going for 4+ years strong, and for some reason i've never made a thing to explain who the fuck these guys are - so here's a thing, i guess
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Marimoo Tilltull, a halfling bard and a lovebird in more than one meaning of the word. She can be very brash and has a tendency to use pretty bad language no matter the situation, but has a generally good heart - one that is however very easily influenced by those around her. Her loyalty to her friends and loved ones is her strongest attribute, but also the most easily exploitable one. Support through and through, partly out of wanting to be as helpful as possible to her party members, but also as a means to avoid slipping into past bad habits of violence.
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Saeren Ikesworn, the party wizard and tactical dragonborn. He has vowed to take revenge on the oppressive society that he hailed from by wanting to one day kill the dragons at the helm. A skilled spellcaster not afraid to get his claws dirty, he has quite some confidence that he boasts. Not the most socially skilled he does sometimes struggle with not saying certain things and how to deal with other people's emotional problems that can't be solved with a simple spell or killing someone.
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Melicand Laforo / Moonflower, the coastal druid that now bears Ilmaters blessing. Once a stuck at home noble that after her brother's disappearance and her fiance's descent into demonic influence went out into the world. She fancies herself the party's healer, as much as she can manage, currently unable to do so because of the cursed illithid tadpole she harbors that spreads its influence to those she uses her spells on. Despite being a kind and pure soul she's suffered much, and will suffer much more probably (because she can never catch a damn break).
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Abiel Gereisch and his familiar Yaboku, a elven warlock with his trusty magical cat (well, most of the time a cat). He used to work as a caretaker in the noble family he was raised in, who met his patron after desperately seeking aid to find the child he was looking after after she had disappeared during a trip away from the estate. Growing ever closer to his fiendish patron that nowadays travels with the party, the two can even be considered a couple at this point. He is a softspoken and polite fella, while his familiar can be a bit moody given the situation.
The other members of the group, whom are currently off doing other things, are: The vampire hemomancer, turned vampire lord after the party helped dethrone his sister and kill his "dad", known as Dakin Noctoras. He's kind of a bastard. Then there's Roland Greycastle, the human(?) fighter, a guy who rarely says much and is always seen with his armor on. Lastly there's Vel'koz Tzaangor, the kenku wildmagic sorcerer with semi demonic origins, whom is a nervous guy who mostly wants to find his missing mom after a accident happened as a result of his wild magic.
This is obviously very cut down, these fuckers got so much shit tied to their backstories and stuff that has happened across the one+ year in game they've been traveling together.
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darqchilddaydreamz · 1 year
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CH. 5 Return to Chapter List
Juice x Female OC
Multi chapter full length fic
18+ ONLY BLOG * MINORS GO AWAY!!
Angst * Fluff * Comedy * Smut 
Note: I never leave a fic incomplete so feel safe in following it. I will be updating regularly. You are always welcome in my inbox/messages and I always reply to comments cuz y'alls COMMENTS ARE AMAZING and deserve crazy respect!
SOA belongs to Kurt, my heart belongs to Juice and this story (and any OCs) belongs to me. I DO NOT give permission for this to be re-posted anywhere. Reblogging on tumblr however, is a lovely compliment to pay.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Here we go...
Chapter 5:
Two Sides/Same Coin: Hers
 Juice lay under a Nissan Maxima on its last legs doing an oil change. He was grateful to be working on something basic because his mind was all over the place. Yesterday afternoon after part two of their disastrous reunion, instead of going over more of the past during their impromptu dinner, he and Ronnie decided to talk about their present instead. Light stuff like whether or not they liked their jobs and low-level personal questions like do you have kids. The vibe between them was still tentative but at they were actively trying.
Last night, she was laughing hysterically over his abridged and very much embellished story of Tig getting bitten by a dog when her phone chimed.
“Damn. I have to take this,” she said, still wiping her eyes.
He nodded but got up immediately when she answered. She watched him putting on his cut and waved her hand at him, whispering, “Don’t leave.”
“No, go ahead. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Hold on just one moment,” she told whoever was on the line. “Please? It’ll just be a minute. They just want to know--”
“I gotta go anyway. I didn’t even clock out when I left work.”
She bit back whatever else she wanted to say, her disappointment splayed all over her face. “Okay.”
He’d never know how much watching him close the door had triggered panic in her.
0.o.0.o.0
Clay released them from Church to get ready for a run. Indian Hills chapter was accepting a delivery on behalf of SAMCRO and needed more men to get it unloaded quickly and also to stand guard. The club couldn’t afford to lose the shipment to another crew or the cops, the payment was going to clear all their debt putting them back in the black for the first time that year. This was business as usual but the timing couldn’t be worse for Juice. He had just cleared the air with Raniyah and now he had to leave for two, maybe three days? His chest tightened at the thought, it was too soon. He pulled out his phone to call her then changed his mind and walked out to get on his bike. He had to see her face to face, it was the only way he’d know for sure if she was going to stay.
Chibs stopped him once they got outside, “Ya goin’ ta see her?”
Sometimes it was creepy the way Chibs could read him. “Yeah.”
Chibs put on his sunglasses, flipping his hair back with a quick toss of his head. “Hurry up an’ get back. Clay ain’t don’ wit’ us.”
“Yeah. 20 minutes tops.”
“Bring us back a san’wich?”
Juice’s smile stretched wide, “Sure, Chibby.”
Chibs slapped him on the shoulder, “Good lad. Hurry up, then.”
0.o.0.o.0
Juice tapped lightly on Raniyah’s room door, wishing the jitters in his stomach would knock it off. When she opened the door, her face had none of the signs of crying from yesterday and seeing her eyes light up, he couldn’t stop the characteristic boyish grin that spread across his face.
“Hey, girl.”
Recognition of his words from their past sparked in her eyes, her smile radiant. “Hey, boy.”  
They stood there smiling at each other like the two biggest doofuses on the planet. It surprised him that his brain recalled the old way they used to greet each other back in school. It was strange but good how stuff like that could come back after all this time.
“You comin’ in?”
“Naw, I just had to come tell you something.” At that moment, he was more comfortable standing out there than being inside her room. Today it felt too intimate, like being in her old bedroom and they weren’t those people anymore.
“I gotta go outta town for a couple days, maybe three. Club shit.”
He hesitated, hoping she would say something so he wouldn’t have to ask. “So uh…will you be here? When I get back? Like, stay?”
Raniyah’s lips were curving into a smile again listening to him fumble through his question. Juice felt his ears getting hot. The guys would be laughing their asses off if they could hear me right now. “I mean, are you gonna stay?”
She nodded, “Yeah. I can find something to get into, I guess.”
“Alright, good.” Juice nodded, trying hard not to let his face break into a grin again. “That’s cool.” He dug into his pocket for a slip of paper. “Here. My number and the garage’s for emergencies. But if you put it in your phone don’t mark it with my name.”
“This number is different…how come?”
“Can you just do it?” Juice urged, he didn’t have much time left.
Raniyah cut her eyes at him annoyed by the ‘Cloak and Dagger’ of it all. “Okay.”
“If you need anything at all, just call the garage. Even though it’s closed, somebody will answer.”
“I won’t be doing that, but okay.”
He pressed his lips into a flat line. “Ronnie.”
“What? I’m not. I’m a whole grown-up, Jay.”
He stood there for a little bit, letting his helmet bounce on his leg. Her statement was delivered matter of fact so he was going to have to just accept it.
“Alright. I gotta get back.”
“Okay. When are you leaving?”
“Tonight, but we got stuff to do to get ready.”
“Okay.” Raniyah was uncertain of what to say. “Well, be safe and all that.”
Juice chuckled lightly. “Thanks, what would I do without your blessing,” he tossed back.
Boy, I’ve been praying for you for seven years. “Let’s not find out.”
This time Juice let his wide, ready grin shine through, definitely glad he made the decision to come to see her. She took a step forward then caught herself, gripping the door with both hands she smiled again. “Later.”
As Juice was walking back to his bike he realized what her step forward was - she was going to hug him. Physical affection came as easy to Ronnie as breathing. He always loved that part of her. He got more hugs, arm squeezes and playful slaps in the chest from her in the first year he knew her than from his own mom in all the years of his whole life up till then. He remembered her having to ask for a hug when she came to the clubhouse the first night
‘Can I get a hug or something?’ 
He didn’t realize that he had been that standoffish with her. I need to fix that. He added that to the guilt list he had in his head for his handling of Raniyah. If it wouldn’t have been so weird, he would have gone back to collect on that hug. But it would have…so he got on his bike and headed off to pick up lunch for himself and Chibs.
0.o.0.o.0
Later that night, Raniyah was drying her hair when her phone sounded off with the ringtone she had assigned to Jay’s second phone number.
“Hey, boy.”
He could hear the smile in her voice. “Hey, girl. I just wanted to…I don’t know, see if you were alright.”
She could hear all kinds of voices and noise in his background.
“You need anything?” She could tell he was leaning harder into the phone because the background noise decreased and his voice was louder but a little muffled. His grown-up voice was so different. Good, but different.
“No, I’m good.”
“I mean, I can make Half-Sack go get you something,” he pressed.
“I’m good, I swear.”
There was a beat of silence before he asked her, “You change your mind?”
“About what?”
“Staying.”
She giggled at the fact that he felt the need to double-check, “No.”
Juice let out a relieved laugh, “Okay, good.”
She could hear the voices in the background get loud again, “Uh, I gotta go. I’ll call you as soon as I get back.”
“Okay.” But he was already gone when she spoke. Raniyah sat there biting her thumbnail, unable to wipe the smile off of her face. He really wants me to stay.
0.o.0.o.0
The long, boring day of editing had her restless come nightfall. Raniyah was supposed to be watching the pay-per-view movie she ordered but her mind kept going back to the last time she was with Jay and the crazy that came after.
--------------------------------
March - Seven years ago
Raniyah’s POV
I stood in our kitchen trembling with anger at what was happening. “No way! MA!”
“Raniyah Annaliese! Stop hollerin’ in this house.” My ma’s tone was clear, quiet down or else.
“Yes! Don’t raise your voice to your mother!” Esteban, my mother’s boyfriend of a whopping two months, stood there frowning, talking as if his words actually carried weight with me.
I lowered my voice immediately, “Sorry, ma. It’s just…we weren’t doing anything.”
“They were in bed together,” he said for the fifth time.
Duh, you fucking perv. “She knows that!” I snapped at him. “Going to sleep! Like always!”
When I saw my mother’s glance go to her boyfriend, I panicked. “We followed the rules! Him on top and me under.”
Esteban’s eyebrows shot to the ceiling, “What?!”
“The covers!” I hated that I was standing in my own kitchen explaining myself to this rat-faced, slick-haired fool, but I had to protect Jay. “Me under the blanket and Jay on top with a different blanket and the door not closed all the way. Isn’t that what YOU saw?” I squinted my eyes at him, waiting for the answer. Lie! Lie one time motherfucker and I swear!!
Avoiding the question, he addressed my ma again, “What I saw was them being pretty damn cozy, Loretta.”
I snorted thinking, Well, we could talk about why you walked into my room without being invited. Ugh! This perv!
“He’s got to go, Loretta. This is how girls end up…,” he raised his eyebrows at her as if saying the word pregnant was going to be too much for our delicate feminine ears.
“It takes a lot more than that,” I mumbled.
With his fingers splayed out in my direction, his voice hit a higher pitch. “You SEE!? You see how she TALKS!”
“That’s because I’m 17 and not an idiot! Besides, it doesn’t matter ‘cause we didn’t DO anything!” OH MY GOD, I HATE THIS PRICK!!!
“Loose women are fashioned from loose rules and no supervision.”
My mouth fell open. “Loose women? Did you just call me a whore?”
Esteban blinked, his eyes darting to my mother, realizing his misstep. He had been challenging all the house rules that pertained to me for the last week, from when I did my homework to my curfew to my chores. Popping over when he knew my ma wasn’t home yet, wanting to come in and wait for her so he could ask me a thousand questions about what I had gotten done since I got home from school. He was working too hard to get between my ma and me and I had reached my limit.
“Did you just call me a fucking whore?!”
“Raniyah! Esteban, enough.”
“What? He just called me a WHORE!” Against my will tears began to form. I HATE fucking crying! “Why are you even talking? Do you live here? How does he get a say, Ma? No, Jay is staying!”
“I’m sorry, Loretta. That was out of line.” I took note that he didn’t apologize to me or clarify that he wasn’t calling me, in all my virgin glory, a whore. Then Esteban had the nerve to put his arm around my ma’s shoulders before he snarled at me, “Maybe you want to go with him.”
Did this asshole just threaten to put me out of my own house? “What?!” Fool, I will stab you where you stand! Leaving him to his own apparent crazy, I tried to focus on my ma. “Ma please, it’s ten at night. We can’t put him out.” I was pleading with her. “Ma?”
She moved out from under Esteban’s arm with a sigh, but Esteban grew bolder. “Why can’t the boy go home? He’s got a home, don’t he?”
I met my ma’s eyes. There was no way I would ever air out the Ortiz family business in front of any of my ma’s boyfriends.
“Ma, please?! Not tonight. Please!”
She must have finally seen what my look was trying to tell her. “Juan Carlos has always been welcome here, Esteban. He’s a good boy.” When Esteban tried to say something else, she fixed him with a look, “He’s a good boy.”
I was flooded with relief. “Ro, tell him to come out and sleep on the couch tonight, okay?”
My face broke into a grin, as I threw my arms around her giving a silent, molten, fuck you look to Esteban, “Thank you, ma! Thank you!” I kissed her cheek and ran to my room.
I started talking before I even opened the door all the way, “That prick tries to ruin everything! But it’s cool. Ma wants--”.
No Jay. His backpack was gone. Shit. Sitting on the bed, I texted him to call me and waited. I heard Esteban and my ma exchange a few hushed angry words before he left and I glared at my door. This is your fault, fucker. I kept calling and texting until after midnight, eventually dragging myself to bed.
That was the last night I saw that prick Esteban…or my best friend.
Jay didn’t return any of my calls or texts and I couldn’t blow up my ma’s bill going over my limit, so I had to wait. Believing daily that he would show up at my babysitting job or tap on my window in class had me hopeful, but after a few days, I was frazzled. I spent the rest of the week moping, giving my ma a low-grade silent treatment for letting Esteban think he could speak out on our house rules in the first place. And by the end of the week, I mustered up the courage to show up at his house.  
His little sister answered the door, “Juan don’t stay here no more.”
“What do you mean? Since when?”
“Who the fuck you talkin’ to?!” The door was snatched open by Juan’s mom’s boyfriend, Hugo. A solid wall of a man who let Jay know that he wasn’t his regularly via head slaps and kidney punches. I hate you so much. “Oh, it’s you.”
I flashed him a dimpled smile and masked the revulsion I felt at seeing him lick his lips at me. Ewww! “Is Juan around?”
“Naw, girl. He gone.”
“Gone like…?” 
“Gone.” He seemed to enjoy my surprise. “Yeah, that little bitch up and moved out. Stole a grip of money from his own mama, too. Piece of shit.”
“Oh.”
His dark eyes squinted at me, “Figured he was staying round there with you and your uppity mama.”
I forgot to control my face when he took a shot at my mom.
“I mean she fine an’ all but…you gon’ better than she do.” I felt every millisecond of his eyes trailing over my body. I. Could. Vomit.
He opened the door a little wider, “You wanna come in? Hang out? Theresa will be here after a bit.”
Oh hell no! The way his eyes just raked over me, I was going straight home to take several showers. “No thanks, Hugo…but if you hear from him--”.
“I won’t.” He closed the door in my face. 
Moved out? I whipped out my phone to send another text.
*Jay! I was just at your house! You need to call me TODAY!
My calls went unanswered for a month. Until I sent my weekly ‘where are you’ text and my phone rang a few seconds later with his ringtone.
I pounced on my phone, dropping it in my haste to answer, fumbling it open. “Jay, where the hell have you been?! I’ve been going nuts!”
“Whoa, baby girl! You sound too fine to be that mad.” My tears sprang up immediately, the voice wasn’t Jay’s.
“I-I’m sorry. I must have a wrong number.” I couldn’t keep the tremble out of my voice. “This isn’t Juan’s phone? Juan Carlos?”
“No. Sorry. I got this number a week ago, baby. What’s your name?”
I burst into tears, “Okay. Okay, thanks.”
I could hear the guy on the other end calling out for me to wait and not hang up but I was crying so hard I disconnected anyway.
_______________________
Later that evening, I curled up in bed with my mother, sobbing my eyes out.
“Oh, baby. I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine what that call was like for you. At least that nice detective ran his name for you.”  
“How could he just disappear? Why wouldn’t he say goodbye to me?” Fresh tears gathered up. “I’m so tired of crying, ma! Every time I think about him out there somewhere hurt…Ma!”
I fell apart all over again. She held me even tighter as if her arms could hold me together. My whole body shook with the force of my grief. “What if he’s hurt?” I was quickly working my way up to hysterics. “What if he’s dead, ma!? What if Hugo hurt him bad and all this time he’s been dead?!”
“Whoa! Slow down okay, baby?” My mother tried to calm me down, “Stop. We are not doing that. He’s not dead. I don’t believe that. If he was you would feel it.” With her hand gently on my face, she forced me to look her in the eye, “Do you feel that he’s gone, or do you still feel close to him?”
“I feel close,” I whispered, between hitching breaths.
“Then that is what we believe, Raniyah, okay?” It killed me to see my ma’s eyes filling with tears, too. “We pray for him - strength and protection. And we hold him in our hearts until he comes back.”
I broke down again while my mother stroked my hair, blinking away her own tears. “Can you pray for him, baby?”
I took in a shuddering sigh, “I can do that.”
She shared with me years later how guilty she felt every day seeing my face when my phone rang and it wasn’t Jay on the other end. And how she wished that she had let him come live with us our whole senior year. So many regrets. Her confession still tore at Raniyah’s heart, “…that child deserved better from the adults in his life…including me.”
_______________________
Raniyah stared at the tv screen seeing nothing. She took in a deep breath, exhaling as if the weight of all the world’s troubles were resting on her. She rubbed her face, suddenly tired. Why did you ever leave my house, Jay?
.
-----------------------------
A/N: THANK YOU FOR READING! You guys are absolute BEST!! Seriously, your insights are making me see this story in new ways and I love it! As always my message/inbox is open. 😘 See you next chapter! 💜kjx💜
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gamesception · 9 months
Text
let’s read rgu, chapter 24
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So last time Akio went to the castle to kill Dios (sigh), while Utena stayed behind to free Anthy from her crystal coffin.  That done, Anthy now summons the castle so that everyone can chase after Akio and stop him.  This feels pretty close to the end, are there really four chapters left, including this one?  What spanner’s going to be thrown into the works to stop this careening free fall towards a conclusion?
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Yay, the gang’s all coming with.  Oh, and hey look, it’s the gate from the anime.
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Honestly, I feel like maybe the answers to /some/ of the mysteries could have been fed out before this point.  Like, it might have been better for the pacing, or allowed for like maybe a fun twist here at the end.  Oh, well!
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Statues of the various characters who have been involved in the rose duels, even Chuchu.  And a dual/twin/gemini/janus sort of thing, two male figures staring into each others eyes, which I assume represents Akio and Dios.  Where they always a duel figure in the manga?  If so, staring inward at themselves implies maybe a level of narcissism or self obsession from even before they were split apart.
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Whelp, Saionji didn’t make it very far.  Are we going to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory this, where in each room another student council member, in order of their duels, gets boxed away according to their bespoke character flaw?
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Oh, wait, no, we’re just going to do them all at once.  Also, I want to say something like “really, Juri?  She’s a witch?” or make a ‘may we burn her’ joke or something, but mostly I’m just sad at how little weight the word ‘Witch’ carries here compared to in the anime.
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There they go.  Seriously, what was the point of even bringing you doofuses along?
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Of course, Touga gets special treatment.  The manga certainly has a favorite among the student council, so that’s not surprising.
Utena notices that Anthy’s been a bit more... direct than usual, and asks her about that, or just for more info in general.
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Parallels again, and now I’m worried.  Are we setting up for a betrayal?  Was this all part of Akio’s plot?  Was he counting on Utena rejecting him, staying behind, and freeing Anthy?  Like she needed to do that to fully embody/become Dios, and only then can Akio kill the otherwise intangible Dios by killing Utena - or having Anthy kill Utena?
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I... wait, what?  Was Akio and the prince not the same person?  No, no wait, we have the same inward facing double figure here.  This story doesn’t quite hold up.  Saving Anthy made dios the prince in the first place?  Or split the Dios persona from the Akio persona?  Or they were always separate, and saving Anthy made Dios more powerful?  If he was so much more powerful than Akio as to make him jealous, how was Akio able to defeat him?
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“Fell in love with the same prince” - boooooo!  Just be in love with each other, come on.
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“Friend”.  Just pals bein’ gals.
But just then there’s a big earthquake, and the castle starts to collapse!  And some masonry almost falls on Utena, but Touga pushes her out of the way at the last second!  And it falls on him instead!  and he’s not hurt, but he’s pinned and can’t go any further with them!
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Thanks, Touga.  Might as well have put him in a box with the others.  In fact the student council as a whole might as well have been left behind.  Anthy could have taken just Utena to the castly and nothing would have changed.  Oh, well!
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So Utena and Anthy reach the top of the castle, and there he is.  Dios.
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Already dead.  Kind of anticlimactic, that.  Guess my prediction didn’t come true.
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Oh, no!  He’s too small to be a Prince anymore.  I guess now he’ll have to be a...
short king.
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This reveal that Akio used to be Dios would land a lot harder if we had gotten the story about him being a different person who got jealous and overthrew Dios before this same chapter.  Also the “from a certain point of view” obfuscation from Anthy seems really kind of pointless when there’s all of like one scene separating her story and this reveal twist to it.
But we’re here now!  The set up’s in place for a climactic final dual with lives on the line between Akio and Utena, but still three whole chapters left, so I’m not sure where things are going yet, and not knowing is still pretty exciting in its own right.
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Text
Diabolik Lovers LOST EDEN ー Ruki Dark [08]
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CHAPTER MASTERLIST
ー The scene starts in the guest room at Eden
Yui: ( Ruki-kun still wants to become Adam. )
( Yet it was Ruki-kun himself who told me that he could never become Adam despite being chosen by Eve, simply because he is not a Pureblood Vampire. )
( A former human such as himself is simply not qualified to earn that title. ...That’s what he told me. )
Yuma: Oi? Whatcha doin’ leavin’ the door wide open?
Yui: Yuma-kun.
Yuma: I crossed paths with Ruki earlier and he didn’t seem to be in the best mood. Did ya two get into an argument or somethin’?
Yui: We didn’t...I think, at least.
Yuma: So ya didn’t fight but somethin’ did happen, huh?
Lemme guess. It’s ‘bout the Adam thing, isn’t it?
Yui: Eh...!? 
Did you know, perhaps? That Ruki-kun still wishes to become Adam.
Yuma: Nah, I didn’t. But I could sorta tell. I guess ya can call it a guy’s intuition?
So? What did he say?
Yui: ...He asked me why he can’t become Adam.
I thought he was no longer bothered by it. But...I guess I was wrong.
( I chose to be with Ruki-kun instead of with ‘Adam’. I thought that was good enough for him. )
Yuma: I mean, I can sorta relate to him.
Us dudes are all big doofuses, ya see. We can’t help but instinctively yearn for ‘power’ and such.
I mean, Ruki-kun looked up to Karlheinz-san more than any of us, right? Almost in a fanboy-ish manner. 
I think that’s why he was so set on becomin’ the Adam whom that man sought after. 
Yui: I understand that as well. But I thought he had moved past that.
Yuma: I’m sure that he knows that if he uses his brain. But try thinkin’ ‘bout it. This has been a wish of his long before the two of ya even met, ya know?
I think we can’t blame him for still wantin’ it somewhere deep inside, no matter what he tries to make himself believe? 
Yui: ...Perhaps...
Yuma: It wasn’t easy for ya to accept that you’re Eve either, was it? It’s the exact same thing.
I’m sure I don’t need to tell ya this, but despite how he comes across, Ruki-kun can be a bit of a softie, right?
Selection
→ You think so...?
Yui: You think so...?
Yuma: Ah, I guess he won’t show ya that side of his. He wants to look cool in front of the girl he loves after all.
→ Right. (❦)
Yui: ...Right. He’s got a kind heart after all. 
Yuma: Yeah. I knew you had him figured out.
Yuma: Well, I think he ends up overthinkin’ a lot ‘cause of that. Like he feels emotionally vulnerable.
Yui: ...You know him very well, don’t you?
Yuma: We’re bros after all! I’ve known him much longer than even you have.
Yui: You’re right. it feels like we’ve been together for so long but compared to you guys, I barely even know him.
Yuma: Oi oi. Don’t be goin’ down that rabbit hole as well, ‘kay?
You helped him in a way in which we could never have. Ruki absolutely needs you in his life after all.
Yui: ...Thank you, Yuma-kun. I’ll go look for him now, okay?
Yuma: I’m pretty sure he’s over at the inner courtyard. I saw him walkin’ into that direction. 
Yui: Thanks!
ー Yui runs off
Yuma: ...Damn, those guys really are two of a kind, huh? 
ー The scene shifts to the inner courtyard
Yui: ーー Ruki-kun!
Ruki: ...Did Yuma come talk to you?
Yui: Eh? ...How?
Ruki: He entered the room after crossing paths with me, right? I can sort of imagine what happened.
Yui: Yeah...We had a long talk. He also told me that you’re probably here. 
Ruki: ...To think I need my own younger brother to look out for me.
Yui: That’s not the only reason why but...I want to properly sit down with you and talk once more. About the Adam thing.
Monologue
When I gently grabbed hold of his hand,
He also squeezed back.
By doing so,
no words are needed, 
to convey our mutual love for one another. 
Still, how Ruki-kun feels exactly,
as well as what goes on inside his head (考える人)
Perhaps I do not fully understand 
those things just yet. (まだ知らない),
ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー
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ariesbilly · 2 years
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I love Eddie lol but thank you so much for this "while billys been fighting for his life every day since he was like 10 but because he’s not ~pleasant it’s fuck him i guess". I survived all types of abuse in childhood and teen years from multiple diff ppl. I had no support system. I wasn't a "perfect victim". I was angry [I still deal with issues even now], did a lot of shit and I chose to fight the abusers back even physically. I was almost killed by two of my exes. I fought them back
(Idk if these were both your messages or if it’s another anon but im gonna answer them together)
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People really need to get over their black and white morality and start realizing the world exists in shades of grey.
I’m so sorry you went through all of that. I personally haven’t gone through abuse, that’s not why I relate to billy. I just… find it upsetting watching a kid getting hit by his father and whose entire personality is an obvious cry for help… shocking, I know. Apparently a novel idea in this fandom. But I’ve seen all the reactions recently from billy fans who relate to him BECAUSE they went through the same shit he did or at least something similar and I’ve seen how what was said in the finale (and just billys treatment in general) fucked with y’all and it makes me so sad.
And idk I have no words of wisdom to offer or anything particularly profound to say but you guys deserved better and I am so sorry ugly ass bitches like the doofuses get paid millions to spout bullshit and I’m sorry that the fandom is awful and people are awful. And if I could physically kick anyones asses for y’all I would
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werebearbearbar · 3 years
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Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Old Guard (Movie 2020) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Reunions, science educator Nicky, author Joe, Non-U.S. setting written by U.S. author doing her best, Fluff and Angst, Really appalling levels of fluff and softness
When Nicky was twenty-two, he was in love. With the world, yes, and with his own life, with the way having an Interrail Pass and some money in his pocket made him feel that anything was possible. But most of all, with Joe. With him, love was effortless. They laughed easily, they traveled together well, and they fucked like gods. 
Nile never knew that version of him, the Nicky so in love that he stole Joe's t-shirt and stuffed it in his backpack, thinking he could wear it to bed and imagine Joe was still holding him. By the time he met her, Nicky had not only stopped sleeping in that shirt, he'd long-since shoved it in the back of his bottom drawer behind a spare blanket. After that, he could almost pretend it never existed.
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captainsolare · 4 years
Note
You fixed it! Thanks <3
So if you're still taking requests would you be able to do a fluffy one-shot where the reader becomes cutesy friends with Belle while she's on missions with Yuno, and eventually she tells Belle that she's fallen in love with Yuno but that she cares more about Belle's friendship? And whatever you think would happen from there, open interpretation. Love your stuff <3<3<3
A/N: Thanks for requesting! And thank you for the compliment 😭😭 it means a lot. I hope you like it :) 
Reader tells Bell they have feelings for Yuno 
Being in the Golden Dawn was quite possibly the best thing to have happened to you, the company was great, the missions felt important, you were a part of the best squad in the country and it felt wonderful. It felt like your feet had landed on solid ground at last, and you could focus on doing your part for your new family; until one day, he showed up and shook up your world, sending you reeling once more. Yuno, a kid from the sticks with a 4 leaf grimoire, the squad captain’s new golden boy, it irritated you to no end, especially when you had to train with him. You were walking back to the barracks with him after a training session with Klaus and Mimosa and you just felt so irritated. You were distinctly aware that whenever he was around the air felt like static, waves, and waves of tension between the two of you. Things were always like this between you, no matter how many times Mimosa or anyone else tried to intervene, you and Yuno seemed to inexplicably rub each other the wrong way. One day you were in the middle of a particularly heated argument; you couldn’t remember what exactly you’d said, probably something about commoners, but it was Yuno’s reply that shocked you. “Look, I don’t need to prove myself to anyone! Let alone you. My results will speak for themselves.” He said, and then he was gone, slipping through your fingers and leaving you frozen in place. In that moment, the words echoed in your mind, and stirred something inside you; for the first time, the static faded, and Yuno was someone to admire instead of feeling threatened by, in some strange twist of fate he had become a friend.
Arguments became training sessions instead, urging each other to get stronger. And when Bell came into the picture, the sparring became even more fun. You and Bell became fast friends, which surprised even Yuno, but he didn’t mind much; he was glad that she had made a friend besides him. 
As your missions grew longer and you spent more and more time with him, you began to see the person he truly was; a kind young man, who was driven and willing to do anything for his friends. As each piece of Yuno came more into focus, you felt drawn to him in a way you hadn’t felt before. You were staying at an inn for the night, on a mission far from the base, and you leaned on the windowsill, staring at the sky above as you thought about what your feelings meant.  Bell floated down, landing on your shoulder. “Hey, you! Something on your mind?” She asked. You turned to her slightly, “Sort of.” Bell frowned at you and floated down on the windowsill to face you. “You know you can tell me anything right? That’s what friends are for.” She said, frowning at your closed off-ness. You sighed and looked down, rubbing your forehead. “Even where Yuno is concerned?” You asked quietly. Bell tilted her head to the side, “Well, I guess that would depend on what it was about. But I won’t tell him anything you told me in confidence.” You glanced at her, then opted to look back at the sky. “The thing is, I think I’m in love with him.” You admitted, not taking your eyes off the stars. Bell laughed in her little twinkling way, “Oh, well everyone loves Yuno, silly!” You blinked, taken aback at her reaction, “No. I mean, I think I’m in love with him. As in, I could stay by his side forever and be happy, love. But,” Bell watched you intently as you swallowed, “I know how you feel about him. And I value our friendship more than imposing my feelings upon it.” You felt a pair of tiny hands on your finger, so you looked down for the first time. Bell floated up to your face, wiping away the tear that had formed there without your notice. “Silly Y/N. You know why I accepted your friendship?” You shook your head, as she smiled at you. “Us spirits have this intuition you know. From the moment I met you, I could tell that you had a special connection with him, one that both of you were unaware of, and that went deeper than either of you know.  I knew the whole time, I was just waiting for you doofuses to figure it out. Plus, you know I’ll be with him for as long as I can, and there’s no other person I’d rather have next to him with me.” Involuntarily, an odd noise formed in your throat, eventually forcing its way out as a laugh. “I guess I should have expected something like this. So, “ You stood up and stretched, “When do you think I should tell him?” Bell turned and looked out at the inn’s courtyard, seeing Yuno walking around absentmindedly and faced you with a smile, “How about now?”
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feral-pansexual · 3 years
Text
The Butt of the Joke
A Wade Barnes (LordMinion777) X GN! Reader story
By: Sunflower 🌻
(In this fic, Wade never met Molly, no shade, I love Molly she’s totally cool)
You’d known the boys (Mark, Bob and Wade) since college when you had served them drinks at the local college bar. Eventually you became a central part of the group, when they all started doing Youtube you played multiplayer games with them but never on camera or with your real name, nor did you have your own channel, you just helped the boys grow thiers. On all their channels you were known simply as “Mud” , a nickname you had been given from the boys for having drunkenly tripped in a puddle splashing mud all over yourself and them the first night you’d met. You were always at Wade’s defense when Mark and Bob teased him on camera, quickly making you a favorite on all channels, everyday you’d have the boys tell you about how the fans really wanted for you to make your own channel. After a few weeks of pressure you eventually gave the fans what they wanted. Your very own channel, Mud[Prince/Princess] and facecam. Your first video on your channel was a Drunk Minecraft with the boys, soon after you all had uploaded your seperate videos, you got many comments from fans about how much they were surprised by your appearance as you usually played as (opposite gender) and had a pretty androgynous voice. But nonetheless they loved you. Years later, it's 2017 now, you were quite popular, despite your initial reluctance to show your face to the world it was now your full time career, well known for collabs with Wade in particular. You, as much as you wanted to move out west with Mark, decided to stay in Ohio with Wade and Bob. Mark invited and flew you all out to LA for a Truth or Death video just like he had done with Tyler and Ethan. It was your turn in the hot seat, meaning if you couldn't correctly interpret what Wade was saying and determine if it was a lie, you’d be dunked with a huge bucket full of ice-water. You had the loud songs of (Favorite artist) blasting in your ears and soundproof headphones over that so you had to rely on reading Wade’s lips. Wade tapped your shoulder to get your attention before speaking. You carefully read his lips, you couldn't put your finger on it but you sensed he was nervous about what he was saying.
You tentatively spoke “ I've had a brush on Mao since Kool-Aid?”
Wade shook his head. He held up one finger to signal that you had one more try. He spoke the sentence once more. You looked down at his hands and noticed that they were shaking. It clicked in your head.
This time you spoke with confidence “I’ve had a crush on you since college. Er False.”
Wade shook his head at you and Bob poured the freezing cold water over your head. He took the headphones off you and hugged you close.
It’s true, Y/N, I love you, and I was hoping to ask, if- if Mark doesn't mind me ruining his recording, if you’d go out with me, Mud?”
Before you could answer Mark interjected with “RUINED? DUDE THE FANS HAVE BEEN SHIPPING YOU TWO FOR YEARS, THEY’LL LOVE THIS. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?”
Mark’s interjection was followed by laughter from everyone. After the laughter quieted down, you took a deep breath in.
“I’d love to, Wade.”
You stood on your tip-toes to reach the tall man’s lips and pulled his face down to meet yours in a short kiss for the camera. When your lips parted Wade’s face was red and he was sputtering trying to say something. Mark and Bob laughed their asses off as you interrupted Wade’s unintelligible stuttering with another kiss. This time his face was nearly beet coloured when you two parted. Amy cut the recording there for the day. After a day of edits the video was published and you and Wade were cuddling together on Mark’s couch scrolling through the comments. Most were just fan girls exclaiming that they had called this since the first Drunk Minecraft episode you appeared in, but a few had some very nice heartfelt words about how they supported you two no matter what you identified as. Wade leaned down and gave you a peck on the forehead.
“I love you Y/N.” he said softly.
~End~
You’re Gonna Laugh
A Bob Muyskens (Muyskerm) X GN! Reader story
By: Sunflower
(btw, in this fic, Bob never met Mandy)
You met Bob last year during the beginning of quarantine. You first met him when he had ordered some food from Grubhub, you delivered his food and smiled and waved. That was it until a few days later you started to get almost daily orders from Bob, you hated to admit it but you thought he was cute and whenever your best friend got orders from Bob you’d offer to do his orders instead. You saw Bob everyday now, sometimes twice, but for you it wasn’t enough. Seconds after driving away from his home you’d already be pining, wishing you could just work up the courage to say something, anything.
Bob’s P.O.V
I wish I could just say something to that cute delivery (gender). I can’t keep inviting Wade over to help me eat all this fucking food everyday. Ugh, I’ve got to say something to them tomorrow, I'm so tired of eating chinese everyday. I can do this.
“Wade I need your help with something important”
“Is this about that delivery person you keep ordering from? Because if I have to eat one more grain of rice I might vomit.”
“Yes, but don’t worry, you won’t have to help me eat for this. I just need you to-”
[Back to regular POV]
Y/N was so excited, another order from Bob. You looked nervously at the road, heart pounding in your chest, butterflies fluttering in your stomach. You were over the stage of refusing to admit your crush, you were absolutely smitten with the man, from his soft smile to the way he looked down at his feet when you looked him in the eyes. You pulled up to Bob’s house and got out of your car. You had a plan, you had a bouquet of camellia flowers behind your back, you were going to ask him on a date. You knocked on the door and waited in tense silence for him to open the door. Bob opened the door dressed in a very nice black suit with a blue tie. You were confused but before you could say anything, Bob spoke.
“Please, Y/N come in, I have something to ask of you.”
He led you into his dining room and to his dining table, you set the food down on the table. There was a very nice set up, a vase with carnations, a single candle, empty plates set up with silverware.
“Please sit.”
You sat down awestruck. You fumbled and pulled out the camellia flowers.
“I got these for you, I was going to ask you on a date but it seems you beat me to the punch.” you laughed nervously. Suddenly Bob seemed to relax.
“We’re such doofuses, asking each other out at the same time.” he laughed, letting his shoulders relax. You laughed along with him. “Hey Wade! You were supposed to get us drinks!”
You heard an “Oh sorry Bob.” from the kitchen before a tall thin man in a similar suit brought you two nice cocktails. He grabbed the food you put on the table and your plates. “Food will be out in a minute.” said who you assumed to be Wade.
“Bob- this is so nice, thank you, honestly, I'm glad you asked first, I was about to puke from nerves.” you giggled into your hand. Bob just smiled at you.
“It’s the least I could do for someone as [beautiful/handsome] as you. Someone as kind as you. Someone as sweet as you. Someone who works as hard as you do. Honestly, if anything you’re doing me a favor.”
“Bob, you flatter me. But I’m not that great, but I do appreciate the compliment.” You smiled at him softly.
Bob smiled back. “WADE! HURRY UP WITH THE FOOD! Sorry about that Y/N, eer, well err, um-” Bob fumbled around with something in his pocket and looked at it under the table. “So do you just do delivery full time? Or do you have another job or are you still in college?”
“I’m also in a concert band, I play trumpet. So I only do delivery part time.”
“You play trumpet? I played the trombone!”
“Really? That's so cool! So what do you do for work?”
“I uh, I do Youtube, I play videogames.”
“Really? That's so cool! I wish I could get paid to play video games!”
Here's the end! If you have any requests for either Sunflower or Silver, feel free to ask. Ciao!
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snakeboistan · 4 years
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Shiota Nagisa Headcanons
He loves stationary
Is the type of person who has like two extra pencil cases in their school bag at all times in case of emergencies (i.e: if someone asks to borrow a pencil)
He has a habit of analysing people subconsciously - he’s just so used to reading people that his mind just does it on its own
He played the piano when he was in Concert Club
The notebook that we see him carrying around in the series is just for jotting down Koro-Sensei’s weaknesses. He has another one for his own personal use that NO ONE is allowed to see
He’s the class therapist - everyone has spoken to him about a personal problem at least ONCE because it’s the universal truth that he gives the best advice
Listen, the boy made Sakura (a girl who didn’t get along well with others and who HATED education and school) to want to learn just because he spoke to her once and smiled at her
Because he speaks to people/is very observant, he knows all of the tea that’s going on
I totally see him as someone that’s really interested in Psychology
He’s really touch-starved and affectionate but is too scared to initiate affection with his friends 
He’s really close to all of the girls in his class and will let them brush his hair whenever he’s comfortable with it (they’re all low-key jealous at how soft and silky it is)
He’s really good at forming friendships with girls in general (Maehara is also low-key jealous)
Listen, Shiota Nagisa is incredibly gifted at people reading - he can tell if someone’s a threat by the way they walk, can figure out what they’re weaknesses are in less than a day and knows exactly when and where to strike to take them down - but he’s about as dense as Karasuma when it comes to flirting
He gets flustered when it’s full on flirting but if it’s subtle, he has no idea he’s being flirted with
He’s a really good cook but is better at baking 
I think that he’d be really good at Home Economics (IDK what he got for his exams) because his mother trained him to be good at traditionally feminine household work
Rule number 1 of E-Class is to NEVER say the word ‘kill’ around Nagisa
It’s kind of like his trigger word
One second he’s a sweet cinnamon roll then someone says “I’m gonna kill you” and his eyes glow and they’re dead (not really of course, he wouldn’t actually kill you - but he will give you that bloodlust glare that fills your entire body with cold fear)
(You know like how in Cells at Work, the neutrophils will be chillin’ but when their receptors ping, they go all like DIE GERM)
Even though they’re used to how much of a badass Nagisa is, they STILL always get scared when he goes all bloodlust snake-like
This definitely happened:
*E-Class are competing against A-Class in a sport and seem to be losing*
Karma: I have an idea. Anyone know any way we can get those A Class doofuses to say the word ‘kill’ around Nagisa?
Nagisa: *in the background* WHAT?!
Also:
Karma: Those a**holes better shut up before I sick Nagisa on them
Nagisa: I’M NOT A WEAPON
He does the bloodlust touch thing by accident sometimes and has scared half the class s**tless  
He’s really good with kids - Isogai’s little brother and sister and Sugino’s little brother adore him
He has medical supplies in his bag and he knows a lot about first aid (when asked why, he just says that he wanted to be a doctor when he was little)
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animegenork · 4 years
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Fruits Basket Season 2, Episode 17
*sounds of someone breathing into a paper bag*
Thud.
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WE GOT KYO SCREENTIME!
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So I think it’s safe to say I was losing my shit throughout this episode. Although maybe not the most important, plot-wise, this episode does include some grade-A stuff that, until now, you could only get in the manga.
Alright. Let’s dive in.
We get to see the Kyoto trip! Yes! This is some interesting comedy here in the beginning, as Hana and Tohru talk about American history, for some reason, while trying to form haikus...? And, naturally, Uo and Kyo are on the same page, telling them that what they’re saying are NOT haikus in any way.
The next thing worthy of any note (besides Kyo and Tohru both forgetting about the school trip entirely) is Kyo disappearing to talk with a girl who’s confessing her love to him. Now, I don’t know about you, but Kyo was being pretty damn logical during the conversation. “I don’t even know your name.” In Kyo’s world, what’s the point accepting someone’s feelings (and therefore dating them or something of equal capacity) if he has no connection to them whatsoever.
Also, he’s in love with Tohru. So.
Yeah, he’s being a little mean, but Kyo’s kinda done with bullshit at this point. I’ve noticed he’s diving deeper into his inferiority complex while Yuki has been distancing himself from his, and it’s a little sad to see, actually. I want both of them to be happy! But alas.
[Side Note: The Prince Yuki Club following Yuki around and then the music abruptly stopping when we switch back to Tohru actually had me gasping for breath because it was SO FUNNY. Fruits Basket is A+ comedy and always will be.]
We see Kyo (with Uo, Hana, and the Two Doofuses) return to Tohru and Yuki. When asked what happened, Kyo blushes and tells Tohru it’s none of her business. The best part about this is that Yuki punches him and Hana rewards him for telling him straight to his face, “You are a complete idiot.”
Because he is.
Tohru doesn’t understand this, but Yuki, somehow, does. Kyo is, in small ways, cutting himself off from Tohru, most likely to make it less painful for himself later. However, Yuki knows that’s not the way to interact with her - what’s so hard about telling Tohru that “nothing much happened” rather than being mean? So of course Yuki chides him. And we get to see why later in this same episode.
Tohru reflects on Kyo’s dismissal as she’s shopping. For some reason, she finds that her heart ached a bit as he said it. When she finds him outside (with a cat who is somehow Lovesick Kagura Incarnate), they talk for a bit before he says, “I can’t be nice to everyone.” Most likely, he’s referring to the girl from earlier, but Tohru also sees this as him distancing himself from the world around him. We’ve seen it in these past few weeks - he’s had very little screentime, and what screentime he has he spends silent or saying very few words. As he starts to walk away, Tohru wonders: “Will he let go of me someday in the same way?”
THIS IS SO EFFING IMPORTANT. I CAN’T STRESS THIS ENOUGH.
We saw a bit of this last week - Tohru doesn’t want to think about a future in which Kyo’s not around. So here, we see her go after him and grab his shirt. It’s a little thing, but it sends a big message: she wants to hold on to him.
Which of course makes it more beautiful when Kyo turns around, takes her hands, and says, “What’s the matter?”
That. Fucking. Smile.
I was definitely close to tears/screaming at this point. There is so much in that one little smile of his, and even Tohru seems to malfunction a little bit at seeing it. It’s so rare to see a smile of that caliber from Kyo, and it’s the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen. What’s even cuter is how Kyo instinctively knew that Tohru was looking for zodiac figurines without her saying it. He knows her so well that he’s able to tell when she’s concerned and what her thoughts go to when it comes to souvenirs. GOD, I love these two dummies.
To my surprise, we almost immediately cut to Yuki and his struggles with the Oddness of the Student Council. We get to see his classmates encounter Morning!Yuki, which is a very dead-to-the-world Yuki that nobody except Kyo, Shigure, and Tohru have seen. It’s... it’s something. Especially when Kakeru comes in.
We have a brief interaction of Yuki and Tohru in which she reassures him that he’ll definitely have some good memories of this trip. He reflects on how supportive Tohru has always been for him and how grateful he is for it. Wholesome!Yuki is best Yuki, as always.
Kakeru, naturally, has to be a bit of a dickhead and asks him, once again, about Tohru. He says something about liking her, to which Yuki basically says, “That’s fine, BUT-” Here we get to see just how much he cares for Tohru. At some point, he begins indirectly addressing Kyo - who he knows is in love with Tohru, because just about everyone BUT Tohru knows by now - about not hurting her. Hurting Tohru is basically a declaration of war to him, and when Kimi comes in talking about Kakeru’s girlfriend, we see it was all a joke. So what’s Kakeru’s true intention with asking about Tohru all the time? I know but I won’t tell hahaha.
Still, it’s nice to see Yuki directly addressing the Kyo/Tohru problem as well as putting more definition into how much he cares for her. That’s our Yun-Yun!
It’s a little thing, but we see him reflecting on how he’s changed recently, as well as how he hopes he’ll continue to change. The episode ends with Yuki giving Machi a leaf he caught, and she holds it up and stares at it. The rules of shojo dictate that her hair flow majestically, and majestically flow it does. This is also important for later, but alas, we have reached the end of the episode.
And now to panic about what “Wanna Kiss?” (the title for next week’s episode) entails, because I’m drawing a complete blank! :D
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lacewing707 · 3 years
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[Mind Blind] Trappers
Never have I thought I‘d write something that isn’t my first language (at least not this early), but I just love Mind Blind so much I have to do something to contribute to the fandom. Here’s a fanfiction about Nick and f!Button as a result. Dedicated to @mindblindbard for creating such an amazing game (And I would also like to apologize beforehand for the possible OOC.) Summary: a bit of Snickly, less bit of GrayxButton, and a whole bundle of Button’s monologue. Enjoy!
A small “click” echoes from across the room, taking over the quiet essence that previously engulfed the house. Someone is entering, and with only two people living in this place, it’s not hard to guess who it is by the door. My brother Nick, with a coat on his forearm and slightly disheveled hair, is trying too hard to loosen his tie, as if it would strangle him somehow should he fail. He seems to be in a more solemn mood than usual.
I cautiously edge over the sofa, taking a good look at his face. Dreadriness seems to drag down those poor brows on his forehead. When he notices my gaze, my brother slowly drags his eyes up to meet mine. One brief moment of tortured silence follows, then suddenly his shoulders loosen:
“It was you, wasn’t it?”
I grin, relieved to notice his confrontation sounds more of exasperation (or amusement dare I say) rather than of anger. His eyes crinkle with indulgence as a smile steadily plays on his lips. After all, Nick could never really be angry with me. I mean how could he, with his sweet, loving, adjective-adjective little sister, even if she kind of locked him in an empty room for hours, with no one but her best friend Sally, who happens to have a massive crush on him ever since elementary school.
Oops.
Now, before you all begin to judge, I just want to state that my intention is utterly and undoubtedly pure in heart. It was none other than a wedding vow under a Ferris wheel, with heaps of flowers blooming in the background like July fireworks. Sally is going to wear a lily-white dress, cascading down the curve of her body until it floods the ivory stone pavement. The color matches Nick’s ridiculously flashy suit, which...should not come as a surprise knowing how much of an extra he is; and when the pope finalizes the vow, standing aside a model bridesmaid as I am, I will be SCREAMING on top of my lungs “kiss already!” - or better yet, preparing to kiss alongside them, in the delightful scenario of a double wedding (in which the other spouse is definitely not decided by-the-by).
I admit, being stuck in a closed room is not the most creative way of starting a romance, very much beneath a creator such as myself. But you know what, Nick has always expected me to be innovative, so let’s surprise him with this epitome of cliché shall we? In fact, it can serve as a double trap, an unexpected tactic that could put the opponent off-guard and unprepared and, and…
Alright, screw it. After Rosy’s one hell of a training, I was exhausted, okay? Exhausted and, well... a bit lazy. Still, at this point, might as well just start throwing things aimlessly. I’m sick and tired of waiting for my best friend and my brother to be an item. For all I know, Sally’s feeling has been pretty clear, and I am sure there’s something from Nick’s side, but those doofuses just keep throwing at each other meaningless banter and even insisting on the weird, full-first-name basis. What was that all about?
The squeaky sound from one of the cupboards abruptly cuts through my train of thought. I raise my head, only to find Nick already standing beside the kitchen counter. Even though I did prank him a good deal, he still wants to make sure his sister has good nutrition for the night.
“How did you even get access to that room?” He wonders.
Well my dear brother, you obviously have not made aware of my very resourceful friend Glitch. It only took an avocado toast and some treats (vegan, of course!), made and packed by Nick with love. Never would have thought they could be used against him just like that.
Ouch, feeling a bit guilty here; but a double wedding is awaiting, and I just cannot ignore that call from the future. It is my (self-proclaimed) duty to make such vision a reality.
I may have developed some other questionable methods for Nick to come all the way down from the top floor, such as making Grayson unknowingly lead his best friend into a trap. Now, I’m sure I could get Gray involved in a more volitional manner, with just a few shed of crocodile tears, but as much as I love him (I mean, not literally, ahem!), the guy is a disastrous liar. No doubt Gray would be figured out in the blink of eyes.
I need not say a word, as Nick must have known all about my schemes from my open daisy field of a mind. For a brief moment, his brows creased into contemplation as an unreadable expression sets upon his features. It is one of those times where I wish I could just read his mind.
I would assume he’s questioning my ethicality, which is seriously weird coming from him, but I guess it’s different now that he’s the victim? Regardless, I approach the counter, a cheeky smile plastered on my lips.
“So how was the quality time with Sally? Anything...interesting?”
A faint blush flashes across his cheek, and I don’t need to be a Ment to know what’s going on. It’s no challenging feat to imagine that squishy feeling like marshmallows, blooming in his chest; that thumping sound of heart whenever that person’s image conjured in one’s mind; and that sweet-yet-bitterness when ones almost-but-not-quite touch...
I mentally clear my throat, now is not the time.
Nick seems to be resonating my mental throat clearing as well. Dishes clank as he’s trying so hard to form an intelligible answer.
“W-What do you mean interesting? Nothing’s interesting!” He swings around, almost colliding with the edge of the counter. “Let’s eat, Button!”
“Really, Nick?” I smirk.
It’s rare to see Nick like this, very rare. My brother always likes to pride himself on being the suavest of the suave, yet he’s acting like some hormonal teenage kid with a crush. I smile so hard, it’s a miracle that my cheeks are able to contain it. One toothless, dazzling grin as I try my best not to laugh my arse off in a villainous manner. Thousands of suppressed thoughts loom beneath my subconscious.
Then, they all explode.
“Muahahaha!!”
“So much for all those teasing her before eh?”
♪“Who said, who said “I don’t love her”?”♪
It felt immensely glorious. Waves after waves of thoughts come crashing down at once as my heart is bursting with sheer excitement. My head must have been a hell ground for Nick, which can only be worsened by his Pollard Score of 10. This means he can dissect my crumbling mess of thoughts very clearly, and no doubt that Nick can very well hear all my gloat, teasing, as well as a bunch of old songs to which I so horribly butcher the lyrics just to further torment him.
♪“And you’re never ever ever, gonna fool yourself now”♪
Nick’s face is so red, might as well make some marinara sauce. Immediately, he turns around and bolts to his bedroom, despite knowing how little it can help when my mind is already a full-on broadcaster. For the first time in my life, I am actually grateful for my sucker of mind blindness.
Makes the teasing a whole bundle of fun!
I barely hold my breath as I settle down on my diner seat, making a mental note to wrap Nick’s dish in case he’s done sulking in his room. Still giggling to myself, I muse, today has been a fun day.
**
Glitch stares at the neatly packed lunch box temptingly dangled in front of his eyes. An amused smile plastered on his lips.
“It seems that I’ve been attracting a lot of deals with the Wiseman lately, have I?” He chuckles. “What’s with you and all the locked rooms?”
Nick grins. False innocence imprints on his handsome features while he struggles to contain a devilish satisfaction. Button will be so pissed, knowing her own recent scheme actually inspires the trap that has yet to befall her. How he wishes to see her face when it all comes down.
He may or may not attempt this as payback, but one thing Nick is very certain of.
He is not the only person who wants the best friend - sibling scenario.
_____
I’ve just realized that K is the only one from the main cast who doesn’t make at least a cameo appearance. 😂 Oh well, I do have another idea specifically for them anyway (if I ever manage to write it down =)) ).
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