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fahrni · 9 days ago

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Saturday Morning Coffee

Good morning from Charlottesville, Virginia! ☕️

I’ve been experimenting with another read later app called Flyleaf this week. I’m finding I love Plinky for saving links to articles, mainly about development, I can read at anytime. I normally do this with Notion but Plinky is really great at it.

As for read later style apps, Flyleaf does a great job stripping away all the cruft and presents text in a way that’s easy to read with my aging eyes. 👀

I realized a couple days back that Kim and I graduated from high school 40 years ago. That’s wild. That means we celebrate our 38th wedding anniversary this August. 40 is just around the corner. 😳

I’ve added a new feature to Stream for my friend Ashur Cabrera. It allows you to invoke a custom URL scheme to make Stream add a new subscription. Kind of easy to do and the code was in really good shape to make it easy. Ashur did find a bug so I’m off exploring that and I ran into a crashing bug just running Stream in the usual way. It all seems to stem from building with Xcode 16.x. I managed to easily fix it on iOS but iPadOS still crashes. That has to do with my Split View and how it’s being created. It’s a weird one. I’ll get it fixed soon, I hope, so I can finish off this new feature. 😃

Enjoy the links.

Daring Fireball

My biggest takeaway from WWDC 2025 is that Apple seemingly took some lessons to heart from its unfulfilled promises of a year ago. This year’s WWDC wasn’t merely focused on what Apple is confident it can ship in the next 12 months, but on what they can ship this fall. I might be overlooking a minor exception or two, but every major feature announced in the WWDC 2025 keynote was both demonstratable in product briefings, and is currently available in the developer beta seeds. I was also told, explicitly, by Apple executives, that Apple plans to ship everything shown last week in the fall.

It seems Apple’s gonna give us a bit of Apple Intelligence with Xcode, which is really nice, and better support in Shortcuts to really make your apps shine. But one of the things I’m actually super interested to try is the on device models. I think Stream could use it for a recommendation system. We’ll see.

Oh, right, and that whole Liquid Glass thing is happening too.

My hope is to get Stream for iOS updates to Liquid Glass and add a recommended feeds list that is hand curated and generated using on device models. That should make for a swell update.

Enga Perez • Caring Minds United

Scientists have spent four years diving deep into the world of remote work and stumbled upon a powerful truth: working from home genuinely makes us happier.

I could’ve told you that. 😃 But I have been thinking about going to the office one or two days a week.

Rob Napier

I use AI a lot for work, pretty much all day every day. I use coding assistants and custom agents I’ve built. I use AI to help code review changes, dig into bugs, and keep track of my projects. I’ve found lots of things it’s very helpful with, and lots of things it’s terrible at. If there’s one thing I have definitely learned: it does not work the way I imagined. And the more folks I talk with about it, the more I find it doesn’t work like they imagine, either.

Pretty long post but worth a bit of time.

I’m not using LLMs for that much in my day-to-day dev work, yet, but I continue to use it for generating scripts and finding good answers to strange bugs in code. I’ll probably use it to help solve the iPadOS bug in Stream, since it just cropped up after updating to a newer version of Xcode since I last released it.

Marcus Mendes • 9TO5Mac

While more than 3.5 million people have spent the last couple of weeks glued to a brand-new Nintendo Switch 2, X user PatRyk (@Patrosi73) decided to invest their time elsewhere: trying to run iOS on the original Nintendo Switch. And they did it! Sort of.

I love hearing about folks hacking stuff into place to make things work where they shouldn’t. This is a prime example of that hacker spirit.

Tom Warren • The Verge

Microsoft is unveiling its own command-line text editor at its Build conference today. Edit on Windows will be accessible by using “edit” in a command prompt, allowing developers to edit files within the command line. It’s part of several improvements aimed at bettering the Windows experience for developers.

Since Microsoft has embraced open source tooling, Linux, and Mac more they seem to have gone back to more command like tools development. They did a brand new shell, that can host other shell types, and now they’re building a brand new command line editor? Wild. 😃

Can you make it compatible with Brief? 🙏🏼

Julian Chokkattu • Wired

The module looks nothing like an iPhone. It intentionally resembles the broadcast camera module, and Apple even had to match the weight so that its version wouldn’t alter a car’s specs. The inside, however, is completely different. (Apple gave us a peek during WWDC last week alongside an F1 car.)

It’s too bad this quality of video isn’t streamed out of the current camera setups on the cars.

Maybe that’ll be the next “big thing.” Go Pro like devices that stream super high quality video?

Mark Pinsley

Rather than pausing new investments or considering divestment, many pension officials and asset managers are instead pressing Tesla’s boardto get Elon Musk to return to working full-time at the company, as if the core problem is simply that Musk is too distracted. However, this assertion overlooks a far more serious problem: Musk’s reputation is so tarnished that Tesla won’t be able to thrive as long as he remains the CEO.

Musk needs to go so Tesla can be remade into a great company.

Andy Piper • Mastodon Blog

We’re already well into 2025, and it has been a huge start to the year for Mastodon. We want to bring you an overdue update on exactly what we’re working on, from a strategic perspective.

It’s great to see Mastodon charging forward. We absolutely need this open ecosystem for social networks.

Steve Kopack • NBC News

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said Tuesday that the company expects artificial intelligence “will reduce our total corporate workforce as we get efficiency gains” over time.

“We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today, and more people do other types of jobs,” Jassy added in a memo to Amazon’s workforce.

I’ve had really mixed feeling about “AI” (I don’t find it to be intelligent, at all.) at WillowTree we’ve been pushing hard on using these LLM services to help us move faster. Hey, we’re in the client services business, we have to move fast. And the more I learn about it the more I’ve come to realize it’s just a really good sidekick. We will continue to need to think through problems and come up with interesting designs and solutions because these services only “know” what they’re trained against. We still need to invent new things, right? It’s a hammer, nothing else.

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aamaranthiine · 1 year ago

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A wave of exhaustion threatened to drown her entirely for a few seconds, fog creeping into the corners of her eyes before its shaken off in a subsequent rush of worry. Concern that she'd exacerbated his injury and the undercurrent of overstimulation at being in physical contact with someone else for an extended period. Touch and proximity had been necessary but being embraced had her squirming in protest anyway. Thea huffed quietly at his reassurance, glancing to the mostly healed gash still on his chest. It wasnt life threatening anymore and she wouldnt have the energy to finish mending it until morning…

"Mmf, I will be fine too," once she is set down beside him, fighting off the worst of the shaking in her limbs, Thea digs out a spare kerchief to clean her hands with. "What are-" the question dies quickly seeing Mihawk strip the remains of his shirt into makeshift bandages. Oh. She makes a motion to stall his intent, "Wait a moment." Some shuffling, pulling off her tunic and setting it aside, untucking her long sleeved shirt worn beneath that and loosening the ties to her trousers. From the hips down her legs are still beast-like, powerful thighs covered in soft, snow-white fur.

Thea only wriggled her pants down far enough to expose the dark bruising and silver blood seeping from the bullet wound in her left thigh, pain making her muscles twitch as she dug fingers into the shallow hole. The strain is clear on her face, jaw clenched and brow furrowed, hissing as she fished out the bullet and dropped it carelessly. "Stars and moon above," she groans and slumps onto the ground, giving Mihawk the clearance to bind her leg as he wanted to do.

She's quiet, breathing deep and slow to ease her racing heart, blessedly still conscious. Practically entirely limp laying there while considering their options forward from here. "I pushed my ship back into the currents, but if we're lucky.. It might be caught in the reef around the eastern side of the island." The zoan finally determines, "We'll have to stay here until morning, I do have a supply chest hidden somewhere too." This island had become one of her few caches throughout Paradise since a few years after her first encounter with the swordsman.

"If we arent lucky, then I suppose we wait for a passing warship and steal it." Thea adds reasonably, even if ambushing and commandeering a navy ship was only going to add to her growing list of crimes. "We're going to have to sleep here, I dont have the energy to move again unfortunately." Her voice is so very tired.

The anger harboured for the Marines for so many decades threatened to spiral out of control. For a man who usually kept his emotions in check and rarely let others know how he truly felt, this was a whole other situation. Not only had they called for a Buster Call on him and his home, the long term consequences were Thea risking her own life to save him, exposing herself to the Marines who would do things to her he didn't even dare think about. There were things he could look past, though nothing that had happened within the last hours was on that very list.

Thea, however, was right. No matter how much he wanted to unleash his fury on them, he was nowhere close to being in shape to do so. Waiting not only would allow for both of them to heal, it would also give him a chance to come up with a solid plan to rain down hellfire on one or the other Marine outpost and catch them all off guard, especially if Thea was right and they considered him dead. He would have been had it not been for her. Once more, he gave a nod, not speaking until they reached the treeline and the blessed shade and cover of the bushes.

However, the last thing he anticipated once seated down was Thea falling on top of him. A groan escaped him, though his arms immediately went around her form, holding her close. It was an instinct reaction, and by the time she tried to shimmy out of them and off of him, Mihawk was already checking her over. With her encounter with the Marines, there was no way she managed to get away without a single scratch.

Sure enough, he saw her trembling, the injury now apparent. ❝ I'm fine, ❞ the swordsman assured her, making sure to look her in the eyes so she knew that he meant it. The pain was there, but it had been present ever since he got up to his feet. Compared to how he felt some hours earlier, he felt practically fantastic. ❝ But you're not. ❞

Mihawk made sure she was gently placed down on the ground next to him before he shrugged off his coat, Yoru alongside it discarded next to him before he started taking his shirt off. While most of it was bloodied, there were some specks of it still intact and clean, and it only made sense for him to stop her bleeding with a makeshift bandage. It was very likely completely unnecessary, though it would bring him some peace of mind knowing that he could do at least something for her, as she had done so much for him already.

❝ Looks like we could both benefit from laying low for a while, ❞ he commented as his hands worked on her injury, wrapping the clean straps of the now torn shirt around her leg. ❝ Where do we even go from here? I'd dare say we shouldn't stay in one place for too long, just in case. ❞

#☪v: seafoam dreams #seaoftales #t: the wheel turns

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loveshotzz · 3 years ago

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Steve Harrington x Fem! Reader / Eddie Munson x Fem! Reader

Summary: You and Steve find comfort in each trying to mend your broken hearts. When you two cross the line at Steve’s New Year’s Eve party feelings start to get involved. When your best friend Eddie finds out, despite dating Chrissy he finds himself jealous realizing he might be be too late.

Warnings: We got angst, we got fluff and most importantly we got smut. Minors, this isn’t for you.

Authors Note: This is part two of three (maybe four) of this short series, I am so overwhelmed with all the positive responses to this story. I feel really proud of this chapter, hopefully it’s not false confidence. Comments, reblogs and likes are always so appreciated. Thank you to everyone who is reading my work, it means the world to me.

Tag list: @emotionaldreamer @munsonology @sillypurplemurple @justpeachy46 @sammararaven @bebe0701 @sunfairyy @santaatemypuppy @whoreforhowl @harrys-tittie @heyyimmisunderstood @reidsgubbler @aloneatpeace

“The fuck you mean Harrington’s picking you up?”

Eddie sounds stunned at the new information you’ve given to him. Sprawled out on his unkept bed you peak over the top of the magazine you’d been ‘reading’. He’s sitting on the chair next to you the one that’s usually covered in a pile of a random mixture of both your clothes. These day’s it’s mostly just his, your eyes had managed to catch the white and green of a Hawkins cheer skirt the last time you were here, the sight adding more to the growing distance between you and your best friend. The said pile of clothes was now shoved on the floor beside him, their new home while he practices whatever guitar solo he’s currently obsessed with.

“I said I can’t watch Wrestling with you tonight-” Eddie cuts you off before you can finish.

“—Because Steve “The Hair” Harrington is picking you up.” Setting his guitar down next to him, he tries to read your blank expression. You’d been even more distant with him lately and there was a new added layer of coldness since New Years he didn’t understand. Barely seeing you over the last two weeks, he was only able to coax you over here under the guise of a blunt and the promise of best friend time something that lacked since Chrissy.

“Yes, what’s so hard to understand about that Eddie?” Rolling your eyes, you pull the magazine back up blocking his view. From your peripheral’s you see him sit back in his chair, brown eyes burning holes into the front of your magazine.

“Since when do you and Steve hang out? Like outside of group stuff?” Eddie’s cautious when he asks you, trying to sound as unreadable as your face.

You answer him without moving an inch “Steve and I hang out a lot actually. You would know, but you’ve been a little pre occupied.” You flip the page of the magazine doing your best to seem as if you were actually reading what was in front of you. “Why don’t you invite Chrissy?”

The silence that falls between the two of you after the question leaves your mouth is deafening. When you turn the page again it sounds as loud as a freight train.

“Did you fuck Steve Harrington?” Eddie spits pushing his chair back as he stands up, his tall lanky frame towering over you. His outburst makes the magazine fly from your hands when you jump hitting his headboard with a loud thump. Your own anger that had already been at a slow simmer starts to bubble, threatening to spill over. How dare he question who you’ve fucked like that? Like it broke his fucking heart.

“Did you fuck Steve Harrington on New Years Eve?” His eye brows raise as his arms cross over his chest, covering the Metallica logo on his shirt. “Cause you definitely didn’t catch a ride with me.”

“I don’t really think that’s any of your business.” Your voice is even with your last shred of self control. Pushing yourself off his bed to stand in front of him, Chest puffed out, your stance would’ve been more intimidating if you didn’t have to look up at him. “Besides you had to take Chrissy home right Eddie? Your girlfriend.”

Eddie just stares at you for what seems like forever, you watch a string of emotions dance behind his eyes that really shouldn’t be there.

“Just answer me please.” His voice comes out just above a whisper, his doe eyes look almost pleading as they search yours for an answer.

A shaky breath leaves your chest, finally hitting your tipping point. His confusing behavior enraging you, clenching your fists you stand up on your tippy toes making sure he can see your face clear as day when you tell him what he’s been wanting to hear you say this whole time.

“Yeah, I fucked Steve Harrington on New Years Eve. And guess what Munson? I’ve been fucking him almost every night since.” He winces when the words finally leave your mouth. You’re not sure if it’s the candid information or the use of his last name. It was something you never called him, you were too close for that. Or at least you used to be. His arms fall to his sides defeated looking at anything but at you.

His reaction makes you fall back on your heels, rubbing a hand over your face trying to calm yourself down. You never wanted it to be like this.

“Why does it matter to you so much?”

Eddie just stares at you. His mouth opens and closes a few times as if he were about to speak but no words come out. He doesn’t know how to answer, because he knows it shouldn’t matter. But it does, god it does.

Rolling your eyes you decide to make your exit, grabbing your black denim jacket from the end of his bed. Your determined steps falter half way across his room at the sound of his voice.

“Wasn’t he just trying to get Nancy back?”

Turning on your heel, you feel like smoke could be coming out of your ears at his audacity.

“Yeah, so what? He’s not my boyfriend.”

His eyes soften when they fall on you, realizing how pretty you actually look tonight despite the murderous glint in your eyes. The black corduroy pants you wore were more form fitting then normal, highlighting all the best parts of you. Your lavender sweater looked soft to the touch and it wasn’t something he had ever seen you wear before, a slight hint of cleavage peaking from the top. Something else he definitely hadn’t seen before.

This was a date outfit. A date outfit for Steve Harrington.

“I just don’t want you to be someone’s second choice is all.” Eddie finally finds his voice and it doesn’t sound as strong as he’d like considering he started this fight.

“Well it wouldn’t be the first time.” You snap, all the tension in your shoulders releasing.

Eddie’s eyes widen at your admission, head spinning, he can’t get words out of his mouth fast enough. It’s only when you turn back around grabbing your converse off the floor and head out his open bedroom door but it’s already too late.

“What the fuck is that suppose to mean?”

His feet won’t move from their place next to his bed and you won’t give him an answer as you slam the front door behind you.

The walk back to your place is short, only living a few doors down from him. Something you used to love. There’s a part of you that wishes you’d hear another slam of his front door behind you, demanding you two talk this out but it never comes. Just the sound of your shoes crunching through the gravel fill the quiet, your shallow breathing coming out in white smoke clouds in the cool of the night.

Reaching the front steps of your house, the light in your living room catches your eye. Not in the mood to face your mother right now you turn around plopping yourself down on the top of your porch steps. Glancing down at your watch, you decide waiting out here for Steve is the best option.

The absurd thought that rich boy Steve Harrington was on his way to pick you up from the trailer park to take you on date brings a small smile to your lips. It almost makes you forget about the metal head a few doors down, his bedroom light still visible from your place on the porch.

The sound of tires against the rocky gravel catches your ears snapping your attention to the headlights of his car. They temporarily blind you as he gets closer making you unable to see Eddie watch Steve pull up from his window.

Looking down at your watch again your smile grows so much it takes over your whole face, Steve was even a little early. The thought of him being excited to spend time with you made you feel special, something you’d convinced yourself only Eddie could do.

“A little cold to be waiting outside isn’t it?” Steve questions as he opens his car door, brows furrowed in confusion but his lips tugging into a playful smirk. The expression makes you want to kiss him.

“What are you talking about? It’s an Indian Summer out here.” Choosing to crack a joke rather than tell him the truth, you’re satisfied when he laughs.

Steve looked especially good tonight, his hair a perfect mess on his head, a dark grey jacket covering his navy sweater, when your hungry eyes get to his jeans they widen recognizing them immediately. Those jeans. That night in his basement floods your conscious and you find yourself tugging your bottom lip between your teeth, cheeks heating up at the thought. Steve catches your reaction as he reaches the bottom of your porch extending his hand out for you to take.

“Funny enough, these have become my favorite pants.” Your blush deepens further, your body reacting to his words. Taking his hand the warmth of his palm against yours comforts your tense mood almost immediately. Eddie becoming a distant thought. Steve’s eyes roam your body unabashedly as you walk down the steps stopping in front of him once you hit the bottom. His height makes you have to crane your neck up so you can see him better, and it’s way too easy to get lost in his Hazel eyes. Letting go of your hand he pulls you against him by your hips, your hands finding their natural place splayed out across his broad chest.

“You look really beautiful tonight.” He smiles, one hand reaching to cup your cheek his eyes locked on yours. He needs you to know he means every word he says.

“I might’ve tried a little.” You’re voice comes out quieter then you’d like, his close proximity making you light headed as the mint of his breath swirls around your senses. Steve’s full attention is on you and it’s overwhelming. It’s never something you thought in a million years would be directed at you, not like this. You’d never admit it to him but you don’t know how any girl could say no to him when he was looking at them like this.

His face inches closer and you can feel the smile on his lips against yours as he speaks “Just a little huh?” Losing your patience, your need to kiss him becomes all consuming something you were try to get used too. Your hands slide up his chest wrapping around his neck pulling him in to get what you want, and you know he’ll gladly give it to you.

Steve’s lips move slowly against yours at first, savoring the feeling having not seen you for a whole twenty four hours. When his tongue swipes against your bottom lip needing to deepen the kiss, you grant him access almost instantly. He was starting to figure what you liked, how to get your body to respond to him. The two of you had spent almost every other night together since the party, learning your body had become one of his favorite things to do. He’d catch himself imagining all the little noises you’d make when he’d be buried inside of you anytime he had to take care of himself. Steve couldn’t get enough of you. Pushing you into the side of his car, his hands slide underneath your sweater, thumbs brushing against the underside of your lace covered breasts. His knee pushing your legs apart so he can get even closer. Chests pressed together, your fingers inevitably find themselves buried in his soft hair tugging lightly getting the moan you want.

Finding the will power to pull away from you was a lot for him but when Steve finally finds the strength to do it, the whine that leaves your mouth makes it even harder to not give you what you want.

“We should go.” Steve presses his forehead against yours, still catching his breath as he speaks. His eyes never leave yours as he pulls a hand from under your sweater to tuck a lose strand of hair behind your ears. The loving gesture makes you blush and you have to stop yourself from looking away at the intimacy of it all. “I made us reservations at Enzos.”

You feel like your eyes might pop out of your head when he tells you this thinking you were just gonna go to the diner. “Steve! That’s expensive!”

Ignoring your dramatics he just shrugs. “It’s the first time I’m taking you out, I wanted it to feel special.” His tone sounds nonchalant but the look in his eyes is nervous searching your features for any kind of reaction the first time making his intentions fully known.

The word special rings through your body like a church bell. This was more to him then just a comfort now. The small voice inside your head nagging at you for the past week that it was turning into more then that for you, but you kept shoving it down, ignoring it. How could you feel that way about two people?

“Well, I consider this an honor Mr. Harrington.” Your flirty tone mixed with the twinkle in your eyes makes him bite his bottom lip in a smile.

Pleased with your response his dark eyes stay trained on yours, the hand that’s still under your sweater trails down your stomach. Goosebumps dance across your skin following his finger tips, your breath catching in your throat at the intensity in his stare. When his fingers hit the top of your pants he tugs lightly before pulling away to open the car door behind you. A knowing smirk playing on his lips.

“Come on, I’ll even let you torture me with whatever music you want on the ride there.” He moves over slightly to give you room his arm resting on the top of the door. Steve was laying it on thick for you tonight. It takes you a second to find your feet against the ground processing the words that left his mouth at the same time but when your brain finally emerges from the lusty haze you give him an exaggerated scoff.

“Torture? More like teach you what good music actually is.” You pat his cheek mockingly before sliding into the passenger seat.

“Yeah, yeah don’t make me change my mind y/n” Rolling his eyes he shuts the door, the warmth of his car is welcoming and the smell of cedar and leather envelopes you like a blanket. Steve’s scent was the polar opposite of Eddie’s, one that you thought would always be your favorite. But there was something in the way that Steve’s smell comforted you tonight, it was becoming almost intoxicating.

When Steve gets into the car, it grows ten fold making you dizzy.

“Buckle up young lady.” He looks pointedly at your unbuckled seat belt as his clicks into place.

“Sure thing mom.” You tease with a smirk mirroring his actions with a soft click of your own settling into the leather seat.

“You know, that nick name wasn’t funny when Robin said it, and It’s still not funny even when you say it. No special treatment just because I like you.” It falls out of Steve’s mouth so casually. His confidence when it came to expressing his feelings always took you by surprise, Steve was always so sure about his feelings once they were fully realized. A trait you were always jealous of.

“Well I still think it’s funny, that’s the only thing that really matters here anyway” you shrug trying to keep your best poker face.

“That’s exactly the kind of attitude I’d expect from you, so predictable.” He’s smiling as he mocks you checking his mirrors, your own grin pulling at your lips.

“Is that Munson being a creep?” His question pops the bubble you had built around the two of you, the mention of his name hits like a knife. The look in his eyes haunting you when you had told him what he had been begging to hear. Your eyes glance to his side view mirror, your able to make out his figure in the bedroom window. The soft glow behind him blocking any real details of his face, the outline of his wild mane giving him away. You stomach sinks at the sight, had he been watching this whole time?

Grabbing onto Steve’s thigh you squeeze lightly encouraging him the best you can.

“Who cares, let’s just go.”

He searches your eyes for anything that might give your feelings away but when he can’t find any he nods curtly turning the key into the ignition. The engine gives a low rumble as he puts the car in drive, keeping your hand on Steve’s thigh your eyes wander back to the mirror watching his bedroom light flick off behind you.

It was hard to feel out of place any where when you were with Steve Harrington, especially a place like Enzo’s. Tucked into the corner booth there was a lot of things on the menu that you didn’t really recognize. Your mom had been the only source of income until you became old enough to finally help out, so you never had the money to eat at places like this.

Steve’s eyes never show a trace of judgement when you ask him questions about the menu. His hand finding your knee under the table squeezing encouragingly after each one, he just wants you to feel comfortable and the gesture gives you butterflies. Despite your curiosity you go with what you know, too scared to order something you might not like, especially after seeing the prices next to each dish.

“Family Video must be paying you a pretty penny huh?” You quip swirling your straw.

“I do work full time and live with my parents rent free, I think I can afford to buy you a nice dinner.” Leaning back his arms stretch across the short banquette, with his jacket off you get a clear view of the muscular planes of his chest. Your eyes zeroing in on the spot you knew your favorite patch of chest hair resided underneath the thick fabric of his sweater. Licking your lips you have to tear your eyes away, the amused expression on his faces gives away that you’ve been caught.

“See something you like?” You don’t know if you wanna smack or kiss the cocky grin right off Steve Harrington’s face.

“So what if I do?” Leaning forward on the table you give him a better view of the cleavage his eyes have been darting to all night. “What are you gonna do about it Harrington?”

Steve’s eyes darken with want at your open advances, looking around he makes sure no one is paying attention to the two of you before leaning over the table. His face inches from yours and it takes everything inside of you not to close the small gap. His lips looking dangerously inviting when his tongue peaks out to wet them.

“I’ve got a lot planned for you after dinner baby.” His voice is low and it makes you press your thighs together. “You thought I was just gonna take you home after this sweetheart? I can’t let you go home with out at least cumming twice.”

“Stev-“ Your words are cut short by two steaming plates of pasta being presented in front of you. Steve can’t wipe the smirk off his face when he leans back against his seat leaving room for the waiter with a polite nod. Speechless you can’t find your voice as they start shredding parmesan over your dish unable to focus on anything else.

“Like I said, I just want to make you feel special.” There’s a mischievous glint in his eye when he tells you this in front of the server. Your cheeks turning a deep red at the subtle meaning in his words.

“I appreciate that Steve, that’s very sweet of you.” The words leaving your mouth were innocent enough but under the table your foot starts sliding up his leg. Your actions making him choke on the water he had foolishly started sipping before waving the cheese away.

“That’s enough thanks.” His voice cracks when he talks and you have to stifle a giggle.

When you server leaves Steve’s hand shoot under the table wrapping around your ankle to stop your teasing. Jutting your bottom lip out you pretend to pout.

“You’re no fun Stevie.”

Arching an eye brow at you he rests your foot on his lap, the hand thats wrapped around you starts moving its way up your calf, his finger tips sending electric currents to your core making you start to wiggle in your seat.

“Yeah, it’s not so fun when it’s done to you huh?” Giving your calf a gentle squeeze he sets your leg back down flashing you a quick wink. “Why don’t you be a good girl for me and eat?”

If you didn’t know any better, Steve Harrington had a kink of getting you wet in public.

“Sure.” Darting your tongue out to lick your bottom lip you watch his eyes follow “Anything you say daddy.”

This was your revenge.

You don’t give him the acknowledgement for a response turning your attention down to your noodles, twirling them in your fork before stuffing the bite in your mouth. It was so good you had to stifle the moan begging to fall out. When it’s half way chewed you decide to finally look back up at him his hungry stare still in place, his eyes barely recognizable as they devour you.

“We’re probably not staying for desert.” He finally says before grabbing his napkin shaking it lose on his lap and you cant help but wonder if its working over time to hide the erection straining against his pants now.

Steve’s threat is empty because when you ask for a slice of chocolate cake after dinner he can’t say no to you. Something Steve was realizing was hard for him to do, determined to give you anything you want because he feels like you deserve it more then anyone.

Steve’s name falls from your lips breathlessly as he’s working you to your second orgasm of the night, keeping his promise from earlier. Pulled over in a secluded spot by lovers lake, both of you are in the back seat of his car. The fog on the windows blocks the view from outside, the moons glow softening as it breaks through the vapor. Your clothes are in a messy pile the the floor, his strewn about all over the front. Bouncing on Steve’s cock with your legs on either side of him, your nails are dug into his shoulders while your right nipple sits in his mouth tongue swirling around the swollen nub. You’ve never felt this good, his touch igniting a fire inside of you that only he could put out.

“Fuck -Steve -you feel so good” Your words are broken up with each of his hard thrusts, his fingers digging into the curves of your hips as your nipple falls from his mouth with a loud pop.

“God your pussy is so tight baby, I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of you.” Slowing his hips the grip on your soft skin tightens holding you completely still. “Just sit here for a moment. I just want to feel you.”

There’s an intensity in Steve’s eyes when they stare deeply into yours, the emotions dancing behind them almost overwhelm you. His finger tips start their path over the soft curves of your body. The light sheen of sweat on your skin makes you glow when the moonlight hits you from certain angles and it takes it his breath away. Something you had a bad habit of doing to him. Tracing up your sides, hitting the supple flesh of your breasts, they dip behind you slowly running down your spine with such softness it’s like he’s scared you might break.

“I’m sorry I didn’t notice you sooner.” The sincerity in his eyes makes you almost have to look away. “I don’t know how I could miss all of this in front of me.”

His words are almost enough to make the water pooling in your eyes spill over. No one ever looking at you the way he was right now, not even Eddie. Like you were the grand prize and he just won the lottery.

“Steve.” His name comes out in a whisper, not trusting your voice. “It wasn’t just you, we both were distracted.” Reaching out your finger tips trace along his jaw line before you cup his cheek in your hand. Pressing his face further into your palm, one hand leaves the spot on your waist to press on top of yours. Turning slightly he plants a light kiss on your wrist before you feel his hips slowly roll up into you again. This new pace makes you feel every inch and curve of him against your walls.

“No more distractions y/n” he groans when your hips meet his, head falling back against the seat. Your hand sliding from his cheek down to his chest, fingers finding themselves in the patch of hair that consumed your thoughts at dinner. Your nails scraping against his skin when he hits the spot that makes you see stars your own hips meeting his.

“Keep talking to me like that Harrington I might think you’re falling in love with me.” His eyes snap open at your light teasing, reaching out his hands they cup your cheeks like you did to him on New Years. The silence between you two as he holds your gaze is filled with unspoken words neither one of you are willing to say out loud yet.

“I just need you understand how special you are y/n, you’re no one’s second choice.”

Steve’s admission mixed with his slow methodical thrusts is enough to bring you to the brink of your second orgasm, your walls fluttering around him as his pace picks up. His hands leaving their place on your cheeks back to your hips, his thrusts becoming more determined feeling you close to coming undone around him.

“Steve-fuck” Your breathless as you do you best to keep up with his pace faltering every time he hits that spongy spot deep inside of you.

“Look at me. Look at me when you cum, I wanna watch you fall apart.” It’s hard for you to keep your grip on Steve the sweat on your bodies causing you to slide off his lap. Your hands find their way back to his shoulders fingers digging in to keep your balance, the coil in your stomach ready to snap.

“I’m gonna cum baby. “ your voice is broken into a whine when his grip tightens locking you in place, his pace turning almost punishing.

“Shit, I love when you call me that.” Steve grunts before pushing himself in as deep as he can go, bottoming out inside your tight walls.

The depth he hits you at sends you tumbling over the edge, your eyes closing tight, body shaking on top of his, your mouth opens in a silent scream.

“That’s it baby, that’s fucking it.” He groans his cock twitching deep inside or you, painting your Insides as his own orgasm rocks through his body. His grip on your hips so tight you know it’s going to leave bruises.

When you finally come down your body goes limp on top of his, sweaty foreheads pressed together, panting as the aftershock rolls through your bodies. Steve’s the only thing keeping you grounded as you recover from the intensity of your orgasm.

“Fuck- how does it keep getting better every time.” Steve grins a breathy laugh leaving his mouth as he leans back to look at the beautiful mess he made of you.

“We’ve got great chemistry Harrington.” You smile leaning forward to capture his lips and you can still taste yourself from the first time he made you cum.

“I think I much prefer when you call me baby, Harrington seems a little formal for someone who’s sitting inside you right now.” He arches an eye brow testing the waters and you feel ridiculous for blushing even with him softening inside of you.

“We might be able to work something out.” You give biting your lip looking at him through your eyelashes still bashful.

“Whatever your comfortable with sweetheart.” He smiles sweetly cupping your face between his hands again pressing soft kisses to your swollen lips.

In this moment you think it might you that’s falling for Steve Harrington.

The drive back to your trailer is filled with relaxed silence, Steve’s fingers are interlocked with yours pulling your hand up to his lips every so often press kisses on the back of it. Each time earning a deep blush from you encouraging him. It was almost criminal how content you felt despite how your evening started with Eddie. Steve made you feel safe with him - secure, a feeling that was almost completely foreign to you.

When his car pulls up to your trailer, neither one of you are really ready to say goodbye.

“Can I see you tomorrow?” He asks lifting your hand to his lips one more time getting the reaction he was searching for.

“Of course, you thought you had to ask?“ You tease mirroring his actions bringing his hand up to your lips and it makes his own cheeks turn red in a smile.

“I was just being polite, you were gonna see me whether you wanted to or not.” Smirking he leans over the center console to claim your lips one last time before letting you go. Chasing his for one more when he pulls away, both of you grin wide into the kiss.

“I’ll call you tomorrow sweetheart.” All you can do is nod too giddy to find the words your looking for.

When you open the door the cold breeze that hits you is a stark contrast from the warmth of Steve’s car and you immediately wish you were back inside.

“Thanks for tonight.” You finally give turning around not ready to shut the door.

“Anything for you.” There’s an intensity behind his words despite the goofy smirk that’s plastered on his face.

“Goodnight Steve.”

“Good night baby.” The nick names send you reeling when it’s not being used during sex. Shutting his door you can’t help but watch his car until the headlights disappear turning onto the main road.

There’s a small squeal that leaves your mouth when you jump up and down excitement bursting at your seams, tonight changed your trajectory with the king of Hawkins. You weren’t just something casual to him anymore, Steve made that more then obvious.

“Fun date?”

Eddie’s voice startles you, turning around you can barely make out the outline of him sitting on his porch steps, the lit ember of cigarette casting a light glow across his face.

“Yeah, actually it was.” All the anger from earlier that you had managed to shove down comes bubbling back up to the surface.

There’s a sarcastic chuckle that leaves his mouth before flicking the cigarette towards the ground standing up. The silence between you two is heavy, the pop of the gravel beneath his feet sound like bombs exploding as he makes his way towards you.

“I’m not in the mood to fight Eddie.” Sighing loudly you cross your arms across you chest.

“Who said I’m here to fight?” There’s something you can’t decipher hidden behind his chocolate eyes when he stops in front of you.

“Then what is it? It’s cold and it’s late.” Raising your eyebrows in question you can’t help but notice the way his eyes dart between you and your lips.

Eddie takes a step closer to you, his chest inches away from your folded arms making you look up to meet his gaze.

“You do look really beautiful tonight, Steve was right.” Reaching out he tucks your hair behind your ears, reminding you of Steve, there’s guilt that washes over you when your body reacts to his touch.

“What’d you mean when you said it wouldn’t be the first time?” Eddie’s eyes search yours hoping to find the answer hidden inside, his warm hand cupping your cheek the cool metal of his rings biting into your skin.

“Eddie I’m not in the-“ When his lips crash into yours it takes you a minute to comprehend what exactly is happening. You hate that when you do your hands reach out to pull him closer earning a low growl from his chest, pushing you against the side of your trailer. The sound of your bodies connecting to the metal of your house rings out loudly in the dead of night. If you weren’t so consumed by Eddie swiping his tongue against your bottom lip you’d be scared you woke your mom up.

The moan that leaves your mouth when your tongues connect makes him grab your legs picking you up wrapping yourself around his waist. It’s everything you had thought It would be, all of your hidden feelings pouring into each other. The inside of his mouth tastes like tobacco and you can’t seem to get enough.

When his lips break away from yours to start trailing sloppy kisses down your neck your finally are able to come to your senses shoving him away.

“Eddie- Eddie stop!” You manage to get out, wiggling out of his grasp planting both feet on the ground.

Eddie’s eyes look wild when he finally steps away from you, like something was woken up inside of him, he feels stupid that he didn’t see this before. His chest moves up and down in rapid succession trying to catch his breath.

“Fuck!” it comes out in almost a yell as turns around kicking the rocks beneath his feet needing somewhere to release his frustrations with himself. The guilt of Chrissy and the jealousy of you was becoming to much for him at the realization of his feelings for you.

Fuck was right.

Part Three

#steve harrington smut #eddie munson smut #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington fic #steve harrington x you #stranger things fanfiction #steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington fluff #eddie munson #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson stranger things #stranger things #eddie munson x reader #joe keery #joseph quinn #steve harrington imagines #eddie x reader

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sophierequests · 3 years ago

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Hello!

Can i please request a nina fic where after the events of crooked kingdom nina becomes very cold and ruthless but instead of going to fjerda she stays in ravka and meets a fabrikator who she slowly falls for/be soft towards to? If i can also ask, can you write it down in like moments/instances instead of one scene? Also, your writing is very good and i’m looking forward to your next work! Thank you!

the ten steps to 'i love you'

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Pairing: Nina Zenik x gn!Reader

A/N: Nina, my beloved <3 Thank you sm for requesting this fic! I hope this is what you meant by asking me to write this in moments/instances, I tried my best. Since you didn't specify any pronouns, I just made the reader gender-neutral, I hope that's okay! Also, Spoiler Warning for Crooked Kingdom!!!

Summary: After the events of Crooked Kingdom, Nina decides to stay in Ravka to deal with her pain. After meeting a caring Fabrikator, she might have to change her ways a bit.

Genre: Fluff, and a teeny tiny bit of Hurt/Comfort or Angst, but not really.

Word Count: 4.6K (omg wtf, how did I write that much again)

Warnings: Crooked Kingdom spoilers, mention of death, grief, murder, poor proofreading

I. Unpleasant Encounters

Freezing air was bashing against your semi-exposed face, as you tried to navigate the crowded streets of your small Ravkan town. Winter had visibly taken its toll on every passer-by, most of them dressed in thick woollen coats or five layers of clothing. It wasn't unusual that there was snowfall, but you could barely remember the last time it had been this bad.

Currently, your only objective was to bring the heavy box of broken lenses and Fabrikator glasses back to your father's shop, so that you could fix them. Since it was a direct order from the Little Palace, it was a high priority on your list. You were well aware that they could fix it just as quickly. It truly wasn't hard to do, but you knew that the Fabrikators living there had other, more important, tasks to finish, so they obviously wouldn't bother with taking care of such minuscule inconveniences.

When you felt the dragging pressure of others pressing and nudging against you, you decided to take a shortcut through some barely used side streets. It wasn’t the smartest decision you ever made. As safe as most people believed Ravka to be, it was more than risky to take these kinds of routes alone, especially when it was so close to getting dark.

You had realized your mistake when you forcefully collided with a hooded figure, causing both of you to stumble backwards, you dropping the box, the other person letting a poorly mended dagger. The sight of the dagger made you swallow thickly. Most Ravkans carried knives, but this one wasn’t a regular knife. It had once been carefully crafted, and if it would’ve been new, it would’ve looked beautiful. However, your knowledge of weapon craftsmanship told you that it was forged by a Fjerdan blacksmith. The fear of just having bumped into a Fjerdan paralysed your senses, causing you to stay in the position you had fallen into.

When the woman across you removed her hood, you got slightly suspicious. She didn’t look how you expected her to. Her light brown hair flowed over her shoulders freely, looking slightly dishevelled, as if she had got into a fight recently. You felt her cold green eyes piercing through you, filled with frustration and anger. She was no Fjerdan. She did, however, look oddly Grisha. Well-kept appearance, fetching hands and a stern posture.

“Saints! Can’t you watch where you’re going?” she hissed, tucking away her blade hastily, “You should be glad that I didn’t let your heart explode for just running into me like that!”

With a distasteful glare, she brushed herself off, disappearing into the shadows of another road.

Your heart felt like it was trying to break out of your chest. This encounter could’ve cost you your life. At least you were now sure that she was Grisha.

With a huff, you picked up the box again, hoping that your fall didn’t damage the objects any further. You decided to never try out these kinds of shortcuts again.

II. Workshop

It was night again. You were sitting at a cluttered desk inside your father’s workshop, hunched over the still unfinished lenses you had to finish for the Little Palace.

Your hands moved over the objects cautiously, they vibrated under your touch, forming and assembling accurately. The incident from last week had shown to only have inflicted minor damage, so you had it already pushed into the back of your mind. Fixing things like these was quite mundane work, but as long as it earned you some money, you didn’t complain. The fact that these delicate objects came straight from the Palace also gave you a certain rush of pride.

Normally, your father would take over orders like this, but he and your mother were off visiting some old family friend on his farm in Novyi Zem. So you had taken over the responsibility of taking care of all the work in his shop, whilst he was gone. It was a lot of work to do on your own, but you didn’t complain too much.

“Excuse me?” a sudden voice caught you brutally off guard, almost making you drop the fragile object on the ground.

Shit, you forgot to lock the door again.

You had been closed for almost over an hour, so the thought of dealing with another demanding customer, made you shudder.

“Yes? I’m in the back. Are you here to pick up something?” you called out, not even turning to see who just entered.

“No, I was looking for Mr Y/L/N? I have something I need to get fixed.” a female voice uttered matter-of-factly.

“Well, sorry to disappoint. If you’re looking for him specifically, I have to tell you that he isn’t working currently. I’m the best choice you have, and actually, the shop is closed for the day, so I’d suggest you come back tomorrow.” you deflected.

“I need it fixed. As soon as possible.” retorted the woman, who, judging by the proximity of her voice, stood pretty close to your desk.

“Listen-” you started, as you turned around to face her, immediately abandoning every thought of sounding tough.

The person across from you was the heartrender you had run into last week. She looked even more exhausted than she did before, but that didn’t change her frightening aura one bit.

You stood up, pressing your body against the table, searching for one of the sharper utensils you kept close to you whilst working.

She halted, realization apparent on her face. You didn’t know what was going to happen next, so you chose to keep quiet, waiting for her to say or do something. If she truly was a heartrender, she must’ve probably heard the erratic beating of your heart by now.

“Oh.” was the only thing she said for a while.

The longer you stared at her, the more scared you got. She could drop or accelerate your heartbeat every second, and you probably wouldn’t even notice it at first. Your life was at her mercy, and it made you want to vomit.

“You’re a Fabrikator?” she asked, remaining rooted at the threshold to the workshop.

“You’re a heartrender?” you stammered, wanting to kick yourself for appearing like a terrified puppy.

“Wasn’t it obvious?”

“I could ask you the same.”

Silence again. This time more deafening.

She shook her head in defeat, obviously loathing the situation she currently was in.

“Alright then.” she began, regaining her composure, “Will you be here tomorrow? I’ll come back then if that would be less of an…inconvenience.”

“Yes.” was the only thing you could answer before she was out of the door.

III. Fix

She did, in fact, return the next evening, handing you the Fjerdan dagger wordlessly.

You took it guardedly, only now taking in the complete damage that had been inflicted on it. The grip was laced with scratches, some edges have even been completely broken off. The blade was bent, almost cracking at the central ridge.

It was pretty uncommon for Fjerdan blades to be this damaged unless they had been brutally overused. You didn’t even like to imagine what the woman standing in front of you used it for.

“How long will it take you to fix it?” she inquired, a certain uneasiness in her voice.

You sighed, leaning back in the uncomfortable wooden chair.

“It may take a few hours to restore it completely. Fjerdan steel is pretty hard to shape. Even for more experienced Fabrikators.” you thought out loud, “You may come back tomorrow, it should be finished by then.”

“No.” she shot back quickly, causing you to frown.

“Trust me, I can fix this. It may just take a while, because of the sturdiness of the material.”

“No, I- I can’t leave. Not without it.”

There was only one obvious solution to this, and you weren’t sure if you liked it. You had to let her stay. Otherwise, she might use her power for something rather unpleasant.

“I could let you stay in here if you like.” you offered, not feeling comfortable suggesting that.

She nodded, looking around the cluttered room in disdain, as if she was searching for one clean spot to sit down. With a scoff, she sat down on a cushioned chair in the corner, her eyes never leaving your trembling hands.

This continued for a while. The tension in the room pressed down on you like a thick blanket of snow. Her stare drove you insane, but you didn’t know what to do against it.

When you dropped the blade again, in an attempt to regain your own composure, you knew that this silent interrogation wouldn’t work.

“Listen, I know that you don’t seem like the conversational type, but this silence paired with your murderous glance is driving me mad. So could you please just do anything else than stare?”

Again she nodded.

“What’s your name?” she asked suddenly.

“What?” you stuttered, hoping that you weren’t being forced into a conversation with a possible dangerous criminal.

“You told me to do anything else than stare. So I asked you a question.”

“Oh. Uhm…” you thought about giving her a fake name, but your heartbeat was treacherous, “My name is Y/N. Y/N Y/L/N.”

“This is your father’s business, then?” she continued, tilting her head.

“Yes. It is. He’ll return soon. But for that time, I took over.”

The two of you continued talking, while you steadily worked on the dagger. It strained you more than you thought, at some places the steel just wouldn’t like to budge.

On the other hand, you learned quite a few things about the Grisha sitting across the room from you.

Her name was Nina Zenik, she was a heartrender, but not particularly affiliated with the other Grisha from the Little Palace. She went to seek refuge in Ravka after certain incidents that happened in her old home in Ketterdam. She wouldn’t tell you more, though.

You felt yourself actually enjoy the woman’s presence. She wasn’t that cold, once she started being dragged into a conversation. It made you wonder what led her to behave like this. Something bad must’ve happened.

When you finished the last few precise adjustments to your work, you handed it over softly, surprised at seeing her smile. With a thud, a small bag of coins landed on your desk, without you even telling her what she owed you.

She thanked you courtly, and, again, she was gone. Leaving you stranded and confused about whatever sort of interaction you just had.

IV. Safe

You hadn’t seen Nina again for quite a few weeks now. It shouldn’t have bothered you the way it did, but you couldn’t help it. The Grisha had caught your interest immensely and didn’t leave your mind.

So it was no surprise to you when you accidentally walked to a dead-end, cornered by men that could overpower you without even trying. If your thoughts hadn't been with the cryptic heartrender, you would’ve never got into a situation like this.

You have been robbed before, but these creeps didn’t seem like they were only out to get some quick change. At this point, you cursed yourself for not being born as an actual ‘useful’ Grisha. The only thing you could do now was to let out a humiliatingly futile shriek, in hopes of catching the attention of some good samaritans.

Apparently, your prayers were heard and instantly answered. From the corner of your eyes, you could make out a similar figure stretching out their hands in familiar motions. With a terrifying thump, you saw the three bodies drop to the cobblestone floor. You wanted to gag, being this close to freshly dead bodies wasn’t a thing you were really looking forward to when you started the day.

The person walked slowly towards you, revealing their true identity after stepping into the otiose light of the street lamp.

Nina held out her hands, trying to calm you down. Only now, you noticed how fast your heart had to beat. She probably thought you were having a heart attack.

“Saints, what are you doing out here this late?” she almost scolded you, stepping nearer to analyse your features up close, “These bastards could’ve killed you.”

“Well, apparently I just keep running into mischievous people.” you answered, still a bit shook up by what happened.

Her face softened, making you feel slightly guilty for insinuating anything meanspirited.

“I- I know that you have no reason to trust me, but let me help you. Your heart is beating pretty fast and my place is just around the corner. A bit of my help might be useful.” she assured you, reaching out to touch you but stopping when she saw you flinch away.

You nodded slowly, letting her guide you to her cramped flat.

She lived in one of the crappier flats located in the city centre. When you looked a bit surprised at the state her rooms were in, she used to assure you that she was used to it from living in Ketterdam. It wasn’t that bad though, you just didn’t think that a person like her, a Grisha, would settle for something like this.

“Do you want me to slow your heartbeat down? It’s still going a bit too fast.” she asked you, giving you a comforting smile.

The first smile you’ve ever seen from her.

“If you promise not to kill me.” you said meekly, leading her to let out a laugh.

“I promise that I won’t kill you. We don’t even really know each other, and you’re already assuming the worst.”

“You threatened to stop my heart when we first met.” you muttered, taking a seat on her squeaky bed, ”And, you just killed three guys in front of me. So I kinda think that my assumptions are kind of justified.”

She settled down next to you, repeating a similar motion to the one she did before. The change of rhythm in your chest felt like a punch in the guts at first, but you knew that it was for the better.

“Are you alright?” she inquired.

“Thank you. For this, and earlier. Getting stabbed wasn’t on my to-do list today.”

V. Past

Whatever it was that she did, she captured your attention completely. You started meeting up regularly. At first, it was a weekly visit to the workshop, then you started inviting her over to your place. After that, you met almost every day. Whether it be you joining her for breakfast, her watching you work, or just the two of you talking.

It felt odd, being so close with a person that had threatened to kill you when you first met. But everything felt so right.

The closer you got, the more she told you about her past. She told you about her old friends, the Crows, and how they used to go on heists together, pulling off the weirdest stunts. She told you about Kaz, Inej, Wylan, Jesper and how they all played their parts in helping her figure out who she actually wanted to be. The only person she didn’t go too far into detail with was Matthias, a Fjerdan. You assumed he was the one who had also gifted her the knife.

“Sooo, Matthias.” you started, stretching out on the couch in your living room, Nina sitting next to you, “Was he also the one that got you the dagger?”

Nina swallowed thickly, fidgeting with her hands, seemingly trying to avoid the question.

“Yes. Yes, he did.” you heard her say, but you weren’t really listening, a reaction to seeing tears well up in her eyes.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to pry.” you tried to console her, sitting up straight to give her some space, “You don’t have to tell me about him. I’m sure there’s a reason why you barely talk about him.”

“No, it’s alright.” she started, wiping the tears away with her sleeves, “You’re my friend after all. I think I can trust you with this.”

The word ‘friend’ made you pause. You never labelled your friendship as such, so her saying this gave you goosebumps. But it also made you quite happy to hear her saying it out loud.

“We are friends, yes.” you said slowly, not knowing how to respond to the situation properly.

“It’s a bit of a long story.” she began, starting to tell you about the Fjerdan named Matthias Helvar.

She told you a lot about him. How he was a ‘brooding tulip’, appearing stern but actually being a big softie. How she loved him dearly, even though their relationship had a pretty rocky start. She told you about things that made her love him so dearly - his character, his empathy and his tenderness.

But she also told you about his death. About how lost she felt after he was no longer here. She knew the Crows were all there for her, but deep down, this all just wasn’t enough to keep her in Ketterdam.

You couldn’t say much. Comforting people verbally was never truly one of your strong suits. So the only thing you could do was scoot closer to her and engulf her in a hug, rubbing her back gently as she sobbed silently. It wouldn’t fix things for her, you knew that, but she definitely needed somebody to lean on.

VI. New Arrangements

When you offered her to move in with you, you wanted to take it back immediately.

Your parents were finally back from their visit to Novyi Zem, and they also had the pleasure of meeting Nina. They were absolutely enamoured by her, listening intently to every word that left her mouth. When she told them about where she currently lived, they acted shocked, saying that that part of town was definitely not a place where she should stay permanently. Even though you were well aware of how strong, and deadly she could be, you felt the need to agree with them, knowing under what circumstances she lived.

After she had left, your parents asked you to offer her a ‘proper’ place to stay at your flat, knowing that you two had got quite close over the last few weeks. You wanted to refuse, not sure if you liked the idea of having the witty Grisha stay with you permanently.

“Nina? This might be a weird question to ask, but would you…uhm…maybe like to move in with me?” you asked her after she took you out for waffles one evening, “You know I have a spare room in my flat, so it wouldn’t be a big deal.”

She stared at you for a solid minute, her brows furrowed, visibly deep in thought.

“You don’t have to! It’s just a suggestion. I don’t like to see you stay in that shabby house. And since we’re friends, after all, I thought it would be for the best.”

“Are you sure it’s alright?” she interjected your ramblings, a slight blush on her cheeks by now.

“Of course! Otherwise, I wouldn’t suggest it.” you smiled, overcome by a sudden feeling of hope.

“You might regret offering me that.” she laughed.

“I doubt that I’d ever regret being there for you.” you reassured, coming off a bit too emotional for your own liking.

She moved forward to hug you, clearing your fear of rejection instantly.

“Well, you’re in for something now.” she whispered into your ear.

You both were in for something now.

VII. Sick

“Ninaaa, I don’t want to stay in bed any more.” you groaned, still shivering, even under the mountain of blankets she had laid on you.

“You can be so stubborn sometimes.” she chuckled, sitting next to you on the bed, whilst putting the back of her hand against your forehead.

“You’re burning up. I sense a fever coming.” she sighed, looking at you with a judging expression, “That’s what you get for running around without a coat in the pouring rain.”

“You said you needed milk for waffles, so I went and got you some!” you tried to defend yourself, even though she was obviously right.

“I could’ve got it myself. I don’t need you to make yourself sick, because of some stupid waffles.” she said, a bit more serious this time.

You chuckled, pretending to be shocked by her degrading her beloved waffles like this. Before you could shoot back a humorous response, she stood up, coming back with a bowl of soup, which she handed you softly.

“Here, eat. You need something to warm you up.”

She watched you take the soup appreciatively. It wouldn’t help much, but she already calmed your heart rate, and she felt like she hadn’t done enough to help you. Especially since your fever didn’t seem to get any better.

It wasn’t a serious fever. Nina knew that well enough. But she still couldn’t stop worrying about you. It was apparent that the relationship between the two of you had got a bit deeper than just a plain friendship. She was painfully aware of that, but it was hard not feeling guilty for ‘moving on’ so quickly. And it didn’t help that you were a pretty difficult enigma to figure out because up until now, she still didn’t know how you saw her. Was she truly just a friend to you?

“I think you should try to sleep a bit now. It’ll do a lot more than your pouting.” she advised with a smile, taking the empty bowl out of your hands.

“Will you stay?” you asked her dreamily, a sickly daze overcoming you.

“I don’t think I should. You need some proper sleep and a bit of peace.”

“What if I want you to stay? Please?” you asked, giving her a pleading smile.

“Then I’ll stay.”

And so she did.

She stayed the whole night, sitting next to your sleeping form, constantly checking to see if your fever had improved until her own body started to shut down for the night.

VII. Care

She cared for you immensely. You knew that. Even though it felt like she was overdoing it sometimes, which left you in a state of confusion most of the time.

It had been almost three days since the last time you properly slept. You were working on an important order, which you just couldn’t seem to get right. Asking your father for help wasn’t an option, since you didn’t want to appear weak in front of him. The deadline was your only motivator to keep working.

Since you had spent most of the days in your workshop, only getting a few fruitless seconds of sleep, you hadn’t seen Nina during this time. And, of course, she was getting worried.

When the creaky door to the small workspace opened, you looked up, your vision almost blurry from exhaustion. Nina stood at the threshold, hands on her hips, and an inquisitive expression on her face.

“Hi.” was the only thing you stated, before getting back to the object lying in front of you.

“Absolutely not.” she said, walking up to your desk and grabbing it from your clammy hands.

“Nina, I need-”

“You need sleep. And something to eat, judging by the way you’re looking at me now.” she scolded you, her voice laced with concern.

“I need to finish that.” you brooded, trying to grab your work from her grasp.

“I’m not watching you, treat yourself like this. Have you looked in the mirror, by any chance? You look like an absolute mess.”

“A hot mess at least?”

“No.” she retorted, grabbing your hand, and forcing you to stand up, “You look like a mess, that’s coming back home with me to get some well-needed rest and some good food.”

“But-”

“No buts.”

With that, she pulled you out of your workshop, bringing you back home without any protest coming from you. You knew she meant well, so you didn’t complain any further. In fact, her concern made you quite flustered. The fact that she truly seemed to care gave you a strange warm feeling, that you couldn’t shake off.

IX. Kiss

The first time you kissed her made you realize that you couldn’t get away from the powerful force that was Nina Zenik.

The two of you went to see the fireworks that were fired to celebrate the change of the year. Every year, people from almost every city would gather on the streets to watch the colourful play of bursting lights dancing in the sky.

Apparently, Nina had never truly watched them, and you were determined to change that.

“If you don’t hurry up, I’ll break that door down and drag you out myself.” you threatened jokingly, laying sprawled out on the couch, waiting impatiently.

“I’m done, I’m done! Stop pestering me about it.” she laughed softly.

When she stepped out of the bedroom, you were left speechless. She wore a perfect-fitting red dress that hugged her body smoothly. Her hair was pinned up in a loose braided bun. A confident smile was plastered on her face.

“Saints, Nina, you look stunning!” you blurted out, feeling a blush creep onto your face.

“Oh, I know. I always look stunning.” she joked, giving you a dramatic pose to underline your statement.

It was a nice evening. You went out to a club, drinking, dancing and talking. But when it was time for the fireworks to announce the new year, you sneaked out of the bar, hurrying to one of the broader streets, where the view of the night sky wouldn’t be obstructed by one of the many buildings.

While you stared up expectantly, you felt a pair of conflicted eyes watching you intently. Nina stared at you, her expression swaying between longing and uncertainty. You just shook it off, trying to explain it away by her being nervous about experiencing this tradition for the first time.

With the first loud bangs echoing from a distance, you turned to hug her and wish her a happy new year. But she was quicker. She pulled you closer to her, cupping your cheeks with her soft hands, and pressing her lips against yours slowly.

This motion caught you off guard more than anything. You melted into the kiss faster than you expected, completely taken over by the first shock you had experienced. You would be lying if you would say that this had been an unpleasant surprise.

When you pulled away, the butterflies in your stomach had begun to spread up to your head. You felt dizzy, not sure if it was from the alcohol or the fact that the person you had fallen in love with did, in fact, like you back.

This evening wasn’t the evening where you talked it out. It was the time to enjoy the moments you spent together, and all the moments that were to come. And as the fireworks roared over your heads, you took in the love you felt silently.

X. I love you

Even though you didn’t say it explicitly, the progression of your relationship bled into your daily life.

Quick kisses, sharing a bed and whispered terms of endearment were becoming a welcome daily occurrence for the both of you.

So when you sat on the couch together, your head in her lap, whilst she was reading a book, the words just flowed freely from your lips.

“I love you.” you said, voice full of sleep, but still certain in what you said.

Nina halted, putting the book away slowly. Her eyes were warm, much different to the time you first stared into them. Her hands found your hair, playing with single strands, coiling them around her fingers.

“I’d say that would be quite useful.” she smiled, pressing a kiss to your forehead, “I love you too, love.”

This was what you wouldn’t give up for anything else.

#grishaverse fanfic #grishaverse x reader #grishaverse #soc #six of crows #shadow and bone x reader #shadow and bone #six of crows imagine #six of crows x reader #nina zenik x reader #nina zenik #nina zenik imagine

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yournameoneverypage · 4 years ago

Text

When You're Ready

Reader request: Shawn Mendes x (y/n). "Shawn is on tour and invites the reader to the show so he can ask her to be his girlfriend and he sings When You're Ready, but Camila shows up and the reader is convinced that it's for C and not for her."

Word Count: ~3.7

Notes: Mostly fluff with brief moments of angst, and a smut ending.

Warnings: NSFW

~ * ~

(Y/n) stood at baggage claim at LAX, waiting for her blush-colored suitcase to roll by on the carousel. She was going to be in California for almost a week. Why? Well, her best friend was Shawn Mendes and he was currently on tour. He was missing her something fierce, he had said, and he wanted her to come see him.

Shawn had two sold out shows, consecutive nights, at the Staples Center followed by a show in San Francisco three days later, so why not make a week of it? His idea, but the second he mentioned it she was on board. She’d figure it out, find a way to make it work.

Any time she got to spend with him was both treasured and torturous. But she would go through the pain and heartache over and over again if it meant nearly a week with her most favorite person.

See, the thing was, (y/n) had been in love with Shawn for nearly as long as she had known him.

~ * ~

After retrieving her bag, (y/n) went in search of her driver. Shawn had said he or she would be holding a sign with her name on it. Shawn had a few interviews to do that morning, so (y/n) would be taken to his hotel to wait for him to finish, and then they’d have the entire afternoon and evening to spend together.

Aside from the aforementioned interviews, this was a day off for Shawn and he wanted to make the most of it because the Staples Center shows were the following two nights, and there wouldn’t be much down time during the days with soundchecks, meet and greets, and Q&As before showtime. Fortunately they would have more time to spend together between LA and San Francisco.

(Y/n) located her driver, who smiled brightly and introduced himself as John. He took her bag and engaged her in friendly chatter as he led her toward an idling Range Rover.

Who left a vehicle like this idling curbside at the airport?

John opened the rear passenger door for her with a knowing grin. (Y/n) started to climb in before she even noticed him.

“Shawn!” She almost tipped over into his lap reaching across the seat to hug him.

“Surprise, babe!” he chuckled into her ear.

“You’re here!”

“I’m sorry I didn’t collect you myself, but as much as I love my fans, I didn’t want to get stuck here for a half an hour taking selfies.”

“I thought you were in interviews all morning.”

“I was. I was hoping to come with John to pick you up, but I honestly didn’t know how long all the interviews were going to take so I didn’t want you to be disappointed if I said I would be here but then wasn’t.”

He was always so thoughtful; it was one of the many, many things (y/n) loved about him. She linked her hand with his between them, squeezed, and smiled. “I missed you.”

With a grin, he leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Missed you, too. So much. I’m so happy you’re here,” he breathed.

~ * ~

The day flew by way too quickly.

Once Shawn got (y/n) checked in and settled at the hotel, in a room that adjoined his, they grabbed lunch at one of Shawn’s favorite places.

It was (y/n)’s first ever visit to Los Angeles. Shawn had asked her if there were any specific things that were on her must do/see list, and he’d take care of everything.

They visited the Griffith Observatory, and strolled down the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

(Y/n) thought, and Shawn agreed, that too much attention might be drawn to them if he was spotted along Venice Beach or the Santa Monica Pier, as he had already been approached a few times during their activities earlier in the day. (Y/n) had been understanding and supportive of him spending a few minutes chatting with his fans and taking photos. She actually took a few of the photos herself.

Another day, he promised.

Instead, they spent a good part of the late afternoon and early evening at the Getty Center Museum.

They had dinner in Little Tokyo, followed by drinks at a tiki bar. Only one for (y/n) because she was a lightweight and tiki drinks were known to be quite strong. Shawn stopped after two, as he had a full day the next day and didn’t want to risk waking up with a hangover.

Back at the hotel, freshly showered, in pajamas, and in Shawn’s room, stretched out on his king-sized bed, Shawn and (y/n) ordered something from room service to share.

Even though they had chosen a movie to watch, they were too busy talking and laughing to pay much attention to the television.

~ * ~

Staples Center, Day One, had (y/n) immersed in the thick of things with Shawn, his band, and his crew. She knew only a few of them and was introduced to many more. Her laminated pass was the same as what everyone else had, giving her access to anything and anywhere she wished.

She soaked up as much as possible.

Shawn didn’t always attend soundcheck with his band, but for (y/n) he definitely wanted to be there so she could fully experience it. She stayed backstage, chatting with Shawn’s people while he did his meet and greet photos. She sat in on his Q&A session but stayed unobtrusively toward the back of the room. She could talk to him whenever she wanted; this was his fans’ time with him.

The concert was unbelievable, as (y/n) knew it would be. Shawn always left his heart and gratitude on stage.

That night they were in (y/n)’s room, she on one of the doubles, Shawn in the other. He was still a little high on adrenaline, asking her how she enjoyed the day, and especially how she enjoyed the show.

She knew it wouldn’t be long before he completely crashed out. When he did, he was still in her room.

~ * ~

Staples Center, Day Two, was much the same, although they started the day with Shawn dragging (y/n) to the gym to work out with him. They also skipped soundcheck to get lost together in the backstage corridors.

The closer it came to showtime, the more anxious Shawn seemed to get. He had a different vibe about him than he had the night before.

While eating dinner, (y/n) asked him if everything was alright. He assured her everything was amazing; it just felt like something big was about to happen and he hoped it would turn out to be a good kind of big.

~ * ~

Again, the show was absolutely incredible, although after the song he normally ended with, before acknowledging his band and going into the encore, he tried to quiet the deafening audience with a finger pressed against his lips.

Of course, it was futile. He just laughed, somewhat nervously, and said, “This song is for someone very special to me. Someone who is here tonight. I want her to know how I feel about her...”

That seemed to get everyone’s attention.

Shawn found (y/n) in the audience, met her eyes, and smiled adoringly.

Maybe I had too many drinks But that's just what I needed I hope that you don't think that what I'm saying sounds conceited When I look across the room, and you're staring right back at me Like somebody told a joke and we're the only ones laughin'

(Y/n)’s heart started thumping. He couldn’t be singing this for her, could he...? He had never expressed any interest in her as more than a friend. Had he?

Don't know why I tried 'Cause ain't nobody like you Familiar disappointment every single time I do Every single night my arms are not around you My mind's still wrapped around you

A couple of girls beside (y/n) bent their heads together and pointed to something or someone standing to the side of the stage. Shawn seemed to notice, as she had, and looked toward the side stage.

She followed his line of vision to see Camila standing there, beaming brightly. She put her fingertips to her lips and blew him a big kiss.

(Y/n) didn’t notice, over the dizzying blood rush in her head, that Shawn seemed to stumble a little through the chorus.

Baby, tell me when you're ready I'm waitin' Baby, any time you're ready I'm waitin'

Even ten years from now If you haven't found somebody I promise, I'll be around Tell me when you're ready I'm waitin'

He glanced once more toward Camila, but just as quickly his smile settled again in (y/n)’s direction. His voice steadied and grew stronger.

What if my dad is right When he says that you're the one No, I can't even argue I won't even fight him on it Call you when it's late And I know that you're in bed 'Cause I'm three hours back Seems like you're always six ahead

(Y/n) smiled back, although it seemed more reflexive than genuine, as her heart was currently crumbling to pieces. She tried her hardest to be happy for her best friend and the woman he was currently confessing his feelings for, on stage, in front of everyone.

Don't know why I tried 'Cause ain't nobody like you Familiar disappointment every single time I do Every single night my arms are not around you My mind's still wrapped around you

Baby, tell me when you're ready I'm waitin' Baby, any time you're ready I'm waitin'

Even ten years from now If you haven't found somebody I promise, I'll be around Tell me when you're ready I'm waitin', yeah

And if I have to, I'll wait forever Say the word and I'll change my plans Yeah, you know that we fit together I know your heart like the back of my hand...

Before the song ended, overwhelmed, unable to continue her façade, (y/n) had slipped from the crowd and backstage.

She wasn’t sure where to go once she was backstage. She was fighting back tears, so her vision was blurry, but she didn’t want to stop to ask anyone how to get out of the venue because they might ask why she was crying and then it would all turn into one big mess.

A voice from behind her asked, “You’re Shawn’s friend, right? Are you looking for his dressing room?” Was she? Would she be able to face him after his encore and bows?

“Yes, please,” she found herself answering.

“End of the corridor, turn right, first door on the left.”

(Y/n) nodded her thanks and began to follow the directions she was given. She wasn’t sure if it would be the first or last place anyone would be looking for her.

~ * ~

Shawn burst into his dressing room, out of breath from the end of his show and running around looking for (y/n). Incredibly relieved to see her, he gasped, “Are you okay? What happened?? You just disappeared!”

“I’m sorry. I just needed a few minutes.”

“In the middle of the most important song of the night?”

Her voice cracked. “I said I was sorry.” And she was. She should have stayed till the end. “I was caught off guard.”

“Oh no, babe. Shit! I’m sorry, (y/n). I overwhelmed you, didn’t I? I shouldn’t have made it so public. It should have been a private conversation. Forgive me?” he whispered.

“Of course. You’re my best friend and I’m happy for you,” she smiled softly, truly. And she was. His happiness meant more to her than anything else. It was just going to take some time to refortify her heart. “I wish you and Camila the best.”

“Camila?” Little wrinkles formed between his eyebrows. “What are you talking about?”

“What do you mean, what am I talking about?” she puffed.

Suddenly Shawn started laughing.

(Y/n) placed her hands in the center of his chest and pushed him away, unamused.

He caught her wrists and pulled her to him. “I wasn’t singing that song for her.” He placed her hands over his heart and covered them with his own. “I was singing it for you, my beautiful, clueless, wonderful, precious love.”

“What?” she exhaled.

“I finished singing and looked for your eyes, only to find you gone.”

“I don’t understand,” she whispered.

“I was going to ask you to be my girlfriend. Not Camila. You, (y/n). In front of the entire Staples Center audience. Why did you think I wanted Camila?”

“You kept looking at her side stage.”

“I glanced at her twice,” he contended, lightheartedly. “I was surprised. I didn’t expect her to be here tonight. It’s true that she recently told me she has deeper feelings for me-”

“And you have always had feelings for her.”

“I had feelings for her. Past tense. Before I met you. Are you really arguing with me about how I feel about you?” he smirked.

“But you didn’t sing that song last night, when Camila wasn’t here.”

“You are!” he laughed again.

“Stop laughing!” she exclaimed, unable to stop herself from giggling, her heart blooming with hope. She then whispered, “Did you really mean it?”

“Oh, darling...

“If I had professed my feelings last night and you had turned me down, I don’t think I would have been able to get through tonight. Telling you tonight, when there were three days before San Francisco, would have either given us time to disappear together for a few days, or would have given me time to sort myself out if you didn’t want me the way I want you.

“Please tell me you want me.”

(Y/n) wanted to scream, yes, I want you!, but instead she teased, trying to keep a straight face, “I don’t know. Any boyfriend of mine has to be a good kisser. Are you a good kisser?”

“I am a fantastic kisser,” he grinned. He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and slid his hand to the nape of her neck.

“Prove it.”

His other hand circled her waist, fell against the small of her back. He leaned in, watched her eyelids flutter, then close, and gently guided her lips to his.

She had imagined this moment for so long but it was much more than she had ever expected. Thousands of thoughts were forced away to make room for one single idea. How could one kiss cause the world to fall away around her?

“Shawn,” she said, breathless, easing away.

“Still proving it,” he murmured. He softly licked at the seam of her lips, and when she responded he deepened their kiss. Her heart was pounding, and she was warm from head to toe. She felt his tongue meet hers and her entire body began to hum.

Their knees were weak when their lips separated.

Shawn touched his nose to hers. “Well...?”

“I will be more than happy to kiss you all night long, but only after you take a shower,” she giggled.

~ * ~

(Y/n) knocked on the adjoining door. She didn’t wait for a response before letting herself through.

Shawn was leaning against the dresser, partly sitting on it, phone to his ear, wearing nothing but baggy, cotton pajama pants. His chest and feet were bare. By his side of the conversation, (y/n) grasped that they were talking about the plan for the days leading up to San Francisco.

He held his hand out to her in invitation. His legs fell open and she automatically moved into the V they made. He ended his call, set his cell aside, and placed his large hands on her hips.

“So, about what you said... Something about kissing me all night long?”

She moved even closer to him. One of her hands curled around the back of his neck, the other tangled in his still damp curls. The roughened pads of his thumbs caressed the bare, soft skin just above the waistband of her pajama shorts.

She kissed him, tenderly at first, and then with growing intensity. He gently bit her top lip, sucked it, her teeth tugged on his lower lip. His kiss was determined and sent her head spinning. She began to tremble as she clung to him.

Shawn’s lips slowed and softened; he eased away and breathed, “I’ve already waited so long; we can take our time.” He slid his hands further up (y/n)’s sides, under her shirt. “We don’t have to rush into anything. I can wait for you.” She felt his thumbs brush either side of her breasts.

She started trailing tiny kisses from his chin up along his jawline before touching the tip of her tongue to the lobe of his ear. “I don’t want to wait,” she purred.

“Oh, thank God,” he groaned before again pressing hungry lips to hers.

She responded without hesitation.

Her hands trailed down his chest and to his sides, her fingers playing over the ripples of his stomach. She brushed her knuckles against the start of his arousal and his breath hitched, cupped him through thin cotton.

He arched his pelvis against the heat of her palm and she heard a low, rumbling moan from the back of his throat. He tangled a hand in her hair, tugged gently. He bit down on the skin of her clavicle, sucked, soothed it with his tongue.

She pulled away from his mouth. “Shawn!” she scolded, playfully, chuckled, “You’re going to leave a mark!”

“Good. Show everyone you’re mine. Mark you everywhere. But this,” he smirked, kissing the already purpling bloom, “will be the only one people can see.”

“Fuck,” she sighed. His claim on her made a shiver trickle up her spine.

“If you insist,” he grinned, smugly.

Feeling bold and sexy, she hooked a fingertip in the waistband of his pajama bottoms and starting walking backward. He stood to his full height and followed.

(Y/n) felt the backs of her legs hit the mattress. With fluid movement, she slid her shorts down, stepped out of them, and pulled her camisole up and over her head. She stood before him in small lace panties, breasts bare, nipples tight.

The way he looked upon her made her blood thrum, her body flush. He licked his lips, bit softly on the fuller, lower one.

His hand reached out and cupped one of her breasts. He gently tugged at her nipple, rolling it between his thumb and forefinger. Instinctively, her hand slipped between her legs, at her core, and she rubbed herself through the damp lace. His nostrils flared when he caught the scent of her arousal. He whimpered, her name falling like a prayer from his lips.

“I wanna see you,” (y/n) purred.

Obeying, oh so eagerly, Shawn pushed his pants down, over his ass, off, his cock bouncing free, filling, curling up toward his stomach right before her eyes. He wrapped thumb and forefinger around the base, his other fingers pressed flush against his scrotum.

“Been thinking about me like this?” he hummed.

Yes. God, yes. Maybe one day she would tell him just how much. It was her turn to lick her lips and bite the lower one.

They fell together onto the bed in a tangle of limbs and with a crash of lips. When they separated to catch their breath, (y/n) reached over to turn off the bedside lamp.

“Nuh-uh, Sugar,” Shawn rasped. “Waited too long for this.” Voice rough with desire he sang softly, “I wanna love you with the lights on, keep you up all night long... Darling, I wanna see every inch of you, I get lost in the way you move...”

She might have giggled if her panties weren’t being drawn down over her hips, if calloused fingertips hadn’t begun to dance along soft, hot, electrified skin, lips and tongue following.

He took a dusky, peaked nipple into his mouth. Her back arched, hands grasping at the sheets at her sides, and moaned softly. He sucked her other nipple into his mouth, tasting, humming.

“Shawn,” she whined, moving a hand to tangle it in his dark curls, tugging him away from her breasts.

“Tell me what you want, Love.”

“I want you. I need you,” she pleaded.

“What was that?”

“Fuck me, Shawn.”

“Mm... Since you asked so sweetly,” he smirked, stroking his cock. He rolled on a condom and moved to rest between her legs.

She reached between them, taking him in her hand, and he shuddered. She wanted to feel the moment he slid into her. He let her guide him. Their eyes met and held, bodies drew together, foreheads touched. She groaned with deep satisfaction into his mouth as she adjusted to his girth and length.

He wheezed, stilled as he bottomed out. She was so tight around him that if he began to move in that moment it would be over too soon.

“You okay there, Mendes?” she purred and imperceptibly tightened her legs around his waist.

“Oh God.” That tiny shift was almost too much. “You feel so good. Too good,” he mumbled. “I need a minute.” His arms on either side of her, holding his weight above her, he buried his lips in the crook of her neck, centered on the scent of her skin as he salvaged control.

One hand again tangled in in his hair, the other stroked the skin of his upper back.

“Okayokay,” he mumbled, and he began to rock into her, slow... rhythmic... deep.

She gasped when the pebbled nubs of her breasts brushed against his taut nipples. Her whimpers and groans mingled with his rumbles and moans. She was torn between closing her eyes and wanting to watch his face as warmth and pleasure coursed through her.

He wanted her to climax before him. Wanted to watch her fall apart beneath him.

He knew she was nearly there when she began to ripple on the bed like a wave on the sea. The tide came all the way up; he was caught in the rush. And then the knot at the root of his cock dissolved in fire and he was falling fast, craving the feel of her so close to him, unsure where he ended and she began.

( FIN )

~ * ~

@theregoesmyherojd @benito-mi-vida @shawn-is-my-giant-jellybean @mendesblurb

#shawn mendes #shawn peter raul mendes #shawn mendes request #shawn mendes blurb #shawn mendes imagine #shawn mendes oneshot #shawn mendes angst #shawn mendes fluff #shawn mendes smut #shawn mendes x reader #shawn mendes x you #shawn mendes x y/n

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askaalaska-vdeppressed · 3 years ago

Text

Tender Love and Care Alpha!Eskel x Omega!Reader Part 5

Master List

You sat up and stared dumbfounded at Eskel for a second. 10 years. 10 years seeing you at least 2 times a year, and he had never picked up on the fact that you were an omega. If the situation hadn’t had been so absurd you might have been offended . Eskel and you both stared at each other with confusion before you answered him.

“Yes, I’m an omega, have been for a while” Eskel’s eyebrows furrowed further for a moment before they rose and he sat up a abruptly. He was looking back and forth between you and the furs that were bunching together on his lap—eyes comically wide. His hands were positioned in front of his chest, as though he were trying to calm something down.

“I and heat and…..” He stuttered before dropping his hands in his lap and focused on you once more.

“We are so fucked.”

You felt bad for doing so but the comical nature of the whole display forced a grin and laugh out of you.

“Yeah, that’s what I realized last night” He looked around the room before leaning against the headboard.

“What do we do now?” Eskel brought a hand to rub against his face.

“Wait it out I suppose.” You scooted up higher on the bed and crossed your legs underneath you. Eskel moved the bed covers out of his way as he stood up.

“I’m going to get Vesemir, he needs to know at the very least, and Dad always has a plan”

You leaded against the headboard, arms crossed as you relaxed before starting what was sure to be an interesting day……. Had Eskel called Vesemir dad?

You were currently parked near a fireplace in the library. The afternoon sun illuminating the rows and rows of books. You had moved your book fixing operations here. After Eskel and you had caught Vesemir up on everything, and it turns out Dad did NOT have a plan for this, you had asked him if there was any work you could do for them. You felt bad. You knew your heat was going to be a large stressor on everyone. The weather wasn’t your fault but you still felt guilty. Vesemir had pointed you in the direction of the library, tasking you with evaluating the books and repairing anything that needed it.

So pretty much what you normally did in winter.

You had also insisted the men give you any of there clothes that needed to be repaired. Fixing books could get tedious, so you diversified with by switching between the tasks. You had a pile of clothing items on one side of the fireplace, fixing one then putting it on the other side.

The warmth of the fireplace and the gentle quiet of the library left you in a contented trance. You were affixing a patch to the knee on a pair of pants when the door creaked open. You turned to see Lambert peaking his head though, staring at you for a moment before speaking.

“I was told you were fixing clothes.” You gestured to the pile awaiting mending before returning to facing the fireplace and working once more. You could see Lambert setting some items down in your peripheral as you worked the thread. When his figure did not move from its spot you looked over. Lambert was stiff, avoiding your gaze and tapping his foot.

“Is there something you need?” you tried to find his gaze; your head slightly titled in confusion.

“I uh I heard from Vesemir about your whole,” He paused, finally looking at you. His lips scrunched slightly and his hand gestured vaguely toward you

“thing and staying here. Listen just.” One of his hands came to rest behind his neck, gaze lifted toward the ceiling. He huffed dramatically.

“Just ransack my room and take whatever shit you need alright.” He quickly turned and strutted out of the room. Grumbling his whole way as he went. He was out the door before you could say anything or thank him.

What an asshole, but a sweet asshole.

The afternoon has flown by. You had finished the poetry book for Eskel and had mended several articles of clothing. Evening was quickly approaching and you made your way to the dining hall. A hearty stew on potatoes for tonight. In the few days you had been here you had never actually seen the kitchen. You were thinking of asking Eskel to show after dinner when there was a great clamor. A gust of cold wind rushed around your legs playing a winding game of tag. The great door of the keep could be heard groaning open and closed.

Two figures came into the hall. One appeared to have been pelted so hard with snow his hair was white. The other was wrapped in a large fur, clutching a lute case to his front. Immediately as the two entered the room your hair stood on end. Magic tingling over your spine and rested as a tension in your shoulders. One of them was fae, you could sense it.

“Geralt what in the Hel are you doing here?” Vesemir asked. The white-haired man—Geralt—shucked his first few layers and was greeted by an embrace from Eskel, the other two Witchers coming to crowd around him.

“Got caught in that freak of a blizzard” You caught a glimpse of Geralt’s yellow eyes as he looked in your direction a moment.

“It was either try to make it up here or freeze.” Geralt made his way over to the table where you were still seated.

“Oh Geralt this is Y/n, they run a book shop in town.” Vesemir introduced. You stood up and stuck your hand out to him before speaking

“Got caught in the storm like you” He hummed, shook your hand, and sat down at the table. You hadn’t felt anything off about him. It has to be the other man than.

“Where’d your bard scamper off too?” Lambert made his way over with two tankards.

“Made off to the kitchen to warm up.” Geralt replied. As all of the men crowded around one another you decided to go out in search of this bard that was more than he was letting on.

After a small amount of searching you found the entrance to the kitchen. Sure enough the man was sat on the ground near the fire, where a pot was precariously perched, mostly likely containing tonight’s stew. The man had a bowl of said stew in his lap, the lute case from before resting against a wall. He had no glamour on him, not even the small one you had on yourself. He looked far to human, but your senses had never lied to you before.

“Hello” you called out to him. He seemed to have been unfocused as your greeting startled him slightly.

“Oh forgive me I didn’t intend to startle you.” You made sure to apologize quickly. Fae are notorious about manners. You didn’t want to spend the winter trying to hide a fae battle between you and this man from the Witchers.

“Oh no it’s fine I just-“ He stopped when his gaze met yours. He stood up like a flash. Eyes intent on you.

“Y/n?” You immediately took a step back. He knew your name without you telling him anything. You feared the demons you came into this world trying to escape were coming to find you.

“Who are you?” You demanded slightly stern. Legs tensed if the need to run should arise. Breath held so you could yell for help.

“Y/n what are you talking about it’s me” He held his hands to his chest. You looked into his eyes and felt a memory tease at the back of your brain. The day you left for the human world. Saying goodbye to your parents much to young for your own safety. And your little kid brother clinging to your legs to make you stay. Sadness overwhelming little blue eyes and voice begging you to stay between hiccups. He was much to young to understand you weren’t safe anymore, but the sobs of the little boy made you feel guilty nonetheless.

Those same eyes stared at you now.

“Julian?”

Taglist!

@writingmysanity @ab-haya

#eskel my beloved #eskel x reader #alaska writes #abo au #alpha/beta/omega verse #hey you read the tags!#this fic is gonna get so self indulgently angsty #happy ending for sure but i'm gonna make you work for it #jaskier #fae!jaskier

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angsty-nerd · 4 years ago

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Meta: Echo’s Big Fight in 3x09

Let's talk about the Big Echo fight. Because wandering around in the fandom this past week, I’ve seen a lot of very specific conclusions as far as what they were or weren't arguing about, and I’m not sure my take on that scene really aligns with other folks. So let me try to break it down a bit and give y’all an alternative perspective on it.

To start with, the scene opens with Max on edge because they're breaking and entering. Liz is singularly focused on the mission, and he's kinda freaking out. Instead of responding to his concerns, Liz gets straight to business.

"Ooh, ooh, this is interesting. Heath left Genoryx two days after I did. Must have realized he didn't need to be working underneath their corporate thumb."

Liz is kinda projecting here. Heath never once displayed any discomfort with Genoryx as a company the way that she did. He wanted her to stay. He wanted the resources there. We know these things as an audience, and Liz would too if she was thinking through the big picture at this point in time.

Max, on the other hand, doesn't know any of that. Here's what Max hears from Liz: he hears surprise. He hears Liz acknowledge that this is unexpected news. And right as he’s processing this unexpected reveal...Max sees Heath's Wild Pony t-shirt.

Weird coincidence #1 from Max's POV was Heath (the guy who is currently so pissed at Liz that he won't take her calls) supposedly rescuing Liz's science out of the good of his heart so that Genoryx doesn’t get their hands on it? This doesn't add up.

Weird coincidence #2 was Heath quitting Genoryx - a decision Heath made that Liz wasn't expecting.

The Wild Pony t-shirt is now the 3rd thing that doesn't add up. And if the t-shirt clue isn't adding up for you, see my post about it here:

The T-shirt is strike 3 for Max. He can't really pretend that he's not suspicious of Heath anymore. So he broaches the subject with her.

"How much do you know about this guy, Heath? How close were you?"

Max is feeling uncomfortable and looking for more information. He's trying to make the clue make sense. Why would Heath have the T-shirt? Does he have a connection to Roswell that Liz doesn't know about? And Liz doesn’t listen.

"This isn't the time to be jealous about a boy I met."

For all that Liz is clinical and on mission, she jumps very quickly to assuming that Max is NOT on mission. Yes, Max is inherently more emotional than she is. But throughout the episode he's been asking questions about Heath and NOT JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS. That's one of the keys to me here. Max really is trying to give her the benefit of the doubt about him.

At Liz's house, he asked about "the boyfriend" but he wasn't doing it in a jealous or judgy way. If anything it could almost be interpreted as concern. He started with "were you happy" and only when Liz kind of metaphorically admitted that any happiness was a façade...that's when he brought Heath into it. And yeah, Liz says that he impacted her life and helped her grow, but she didn't exactly express romantic feelings that would make Max jealous. So when she basically jumped straight to the jealousy assumption instead of actually discussing this with him, he starts getting worked up. Because she is not hearing him. She is not acknowledging that the facts they have found during this investigation are not adding up. So he is honest and blunt about what he's thinking.

"I'm just saying it's possible that he took your one-of-a-kind alien spores and quit, so that, just like you, he could use the research himself, free of Genoryx."

Max is the one who brings the science into this conversation. Not Liz. And he's not criticizing or questioning HER application of the science. He's questioning the trustworthiness of Heath. Because the lies are starting to jump out at him like a friggin’ neon light.

BUT — now that he's specifically brought up the science, he has her attention. Because Max questioning her science is HER sore spot. So what does she say back to him? Something kinda judgy.

"That grand trust speech certainly had a short shelf life."

Side note: I really don't think there actually was a "grand trust speech" in this episode. I can think of a few scenes where there might have been an opportunity for one. In particular during the milkshake scene when he admits to saving her tapes. But they actually don't talk about trust in that scene. They talk about having hard conversations. They talk about moving forward instead of looking backwards. But they don't talk about trust. My guess is that there might have been content cut for time at some point in this episode, that may have included some grand declaration from Max, but that's really just speculation on my part.

Regardless…Liz's response to Max bringing up the science is to basically accuse him of not trusting her. Which is not what he was saying. He was not questioning her use of the science. He was questioning her trust in Heath through the context of her science. So he elaborates on what he IS saying, and as he does, he's getting more and more worked up...because this does relate directly to his personal fears, and, frankly, his buried trauma that he's never properly addressed.

"I trust you. Okay? But I don't trust some guy I have barely met with a secret that could endanger me, could endanger my family and break the frickin' Internet if it came out."

Max doesn't know Heath, and he doesn't trust Heath with a secret that could endanger Michael and Isobel. His emotions are escalating, because now he's thinking about the science that scares him in the hands of a guy that all signs points to being potentially untrustworthy, and he's triggered.

BUT he doesn't back up his argument. He doesn't point out the very specific evidence he's identified that Heath is probably lying to Liz.

And Liz is inherently reactive and sometimes overly defensive (see 1x09 list of Liz's flaws). So even though he's focused on Heath, she immediately reacts defensively and takes it as a criticism of HER.

"You think I would let myself be conned?"

"No, I think you came out here looking for a partner, and it could blind you."

*deep breath* and this is where it starts to get personal. And rough. Max isn't entirely wrong here. But he also kind of is. Liz didn't choose Genoryx for partnership. She was looking for resources, freedom to do the science she wanted to do, and to save her father from deportation.

But partnership? Yeah, Liz wanted that. But she wanted that from MAX. She was looking for partnership in life, not in science.

And now that Max has thrown that direct criticism out there, Liz is going to throw a bomb right back at him.

"Just because you sabotaged me when I thought you were mine does not mean that Heath would take the same path."

Ouch. This is the hardest line in this whole scene for me to work with. Because it is combative. And purposefully hurtful.

BUT…she is NOT TALKING ABOUT HER SCIENCE. She has not said a single word about her science in this argument. She moved past that. She had the epiphany that she was wrong and she apologized (3x03). That is in the past for her.

This argument, for Liz, is about betrayal. This is about her believing that they were going to be partners and move their lives forward together (2x12), and right when she believed in that future, Max made another massive decision that directly impacted her life (just like he did in 1x13) instead of working with her to make big decisions together.

"And just because you changed the wallpaper doesn't mean you've mended your blind spots."

I really hate this "change the wallpaper" line. It feels like they're mixing metaphors. Liz called her life a commercial. Max is saying that she's changed her decor. Like...pick one and stick with it.

That aside… I think this barb is about her arrogance. Earlier in the scene, she seemed baffled at the idea that Max believes she could have been conned by Heath, because Liz is used to always being the smartest person in the room. She thought she was smarter than Diego and he figured her out. She believed her lab was secure, but Diego (possibly) got in. Sometimes, like most scientists, Liz is so bogged down in the complicated, brilliant details she’s thinking through, that she misses simple things that contribute to the big picture. And I think that's what Max is getting at here. In her arrogance, she believes that she can control the Heath situation. But she's not acknowledging the human factor here - that Heath is a person who may have his own unspoken ulterior motives driving him. Just like Diego did. She's just not seeing what Max is seeing.

BUT - again I'll say. Max is also not communicating the scope of the evidence he is collecting. They're both wrong here.

"I have learned my lessons, but you... oh, my God, you sound an awful lot like the guy who blew up my lab. So forgive me, but you're making it perfectly clear why I felt like I had to go and change the wallpaper."

This is the only line where Liz even comes close to talking about her science, but again, she's talking about his betrayal. She's talking about him undermining their partnership. She's talking about her need for a change of scenery from HIM.

And that’s when Max blows out the safe and they put the fight on hold to finish their investigation.

But, to sum it up…the fight was all about trust and betrayal. It was necessary for them to work through it, though frankly? I wish they could have finished the discussion. Because instead of them coming to some sort of peace with their trust in each other, the truth came out about Heath, Liz realized that she was wrong, she apologized, and they moved forward together, on mission.

I can’t help pointing out though…after the fight and Liz's epiphany about Heath, Max and Liz spent at least 15 hours in a car together. And I'm sorry, I refuse to believe that they didn't talk about anything important for 15 hours. Fic writers assemble? 😆

Many thanks to @ober-affen-geil for doing a quick review and checking me on opinions vs facts. Very important.

And for my next trick… road trips, life choices, and Robert Frost! Coming soon to a Tumblr near you…

#rnm echo #rnm season 3 #roswell new mexico #max&liz #my meta #max evans #liz ortecho #rnm meta

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mimiwrites2000 · 4 years ago

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Aruani Fanfic Masterlist

I will be listing all my fanfictions here, currently they are only Aruani, but I might write other ships in the future uwu

Midnight {general audiences}

Tumblr

A drabble about Armin and midnight thoughts... while he gazes at the ocean.

Blue {general audiences}

Tumblr / AO3

*spoilers for chapter 125 Armin had set off with Gabi by his side, trying to catch up with Connie, who wants to feed Falco to his Mother's titan form. However, on their way, they meet with someone...

Trust {general audiences}

Tumblr / AO3

*spoilers for chapter 126 They had to set up a camp, as the plan would start tomorrow, or at least that was what they wished, if there was anything left from the world by then anyway. A one shot about Armin and Annie finally having a moment after they met in chapter 126

Betrayal {mature}

Tumblr / AO3

They met in an alley, a narrow, foul-smelling passageway, in the middle of a cold night A few months later, he found himself walking to that place, the place where his life crumbled and was reborn, and just like last time, she was waiting for him. a journey of lies and deception, desires and emotions

Legends (ongoing) {teens and up audiences}

AO3 / Tumblr: chapter -1- -2- -3- -4- -5- -6- -7- -8- -9- -10- -11- -12- -13-

*spoilers for chapter 127 and up

an injury a miracle an understanding and maybe 'everything happens for a reason' hold some truth in it, and all of it leads to that tingle of emotions with unsolvable maze that hypnotize its victims ~a story of broken hearts who are searching for a cure while mending each others wounds

I Don’t Want to Let You Go {teens and up audiences}

Tumblr / AO3

* spoilers for chapter 131

The rumbling started, titans were stomping people to death all around the world. The world was ending, But they were on a sailing ship, trying to save whatever they could reach, they were on the desperate mission of stopping Eren. But Armin found himself tangled in Annie's embrace, inhaling her scent, feeling her warmth.

Heal Me and I’ll Heal You (complete) {teens and up audiences}

AO3 / Tumblr: chapter -1- -2-

* spoilers for chapter 131 and up

Annie decided that she had enough of fighting And as she waits on the ship, watching the ocean, she visits memories from years ago, up until the night before, when she saw him for the last time. He waved at her, with a shiny, silver ring around his finger. They were separated with an unspoken promise, and healing wounds A fanfic about Annie giving Armin her ring, and all the events leading up to it~

When I Was Human {mature}

AO3 / Tumblr

* spoilers for chapter 131 and up

The boat sailed in the middle of the ocean, trapped within a repetitive blue patterns of waves and glistens of sun rays adorning them. On it sat two lost souls, that forgot what it was like to be human.

Armin told Annie many tales when she was in the crystal, however, there was one story he never got to finish… Annie asks about it, and Armin finds himself in a swirl of memories of how he was revived four years ago…

Blue Meeting Blue {general audiences}

Tumblr / AO3

* minor spoilers for the end of the manga

When Annie looked in his eyes, the world stopped spinning, time froze, air halted. The waves in the ocean quietened, the forests' rustles ceased, and the wind subsided. For a moment, peace engulfed the world, the chaotic place wrapped in a fragile silence.

To witness the blossoming love in the youthful hearts.

The day of their wedding was finally here, Armin and Annie, the world waiting for them, and they were ready to face it, as one.

Husband and wife.

a one-shot about Aruani wedding, based on fanart by Bella (_superspicy on twitter)

#it's about time I made a masterlist lol #aruani #aot #snk #shingeki no kyojin #armin x annie #armin arlert #annie leonhart

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falsegoodnight · 4 years ago

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a new header??? it matches better <3 these are the fics I read or reread and enjoyed this month! like last time, i’m separating it into different sections: main list, wips, and non-1d. rereads will be included in the main list and marked with a star (*).

*note: this list encompasses the fics i’ve read from the 1st to the 28th only

—

main list ~

✰ Don’t Wait Up by reliablyimperfect | NR | 1k

Without Harry’s warmth next to him, he felt the chill of the air creep over his skin. He tugged the blanket down from where Harry kept one draped over the back of the couch for him, grateful. With the blanket, he instantly felt warmer, but it backfired when his eyes began to droop again. Trying to keep his eyes open was impossible, and he was consciously aware of how long his blinks were becoming. They stay closed longer and longer until, eventually, they didn’t open again.

so soft and sweet and lovely! made my heart feel so warm <3 will return to this for some quick comfort in the future!

✰ my ugly mouth kept running by @hadestyles | E | 4k

Sometimes second chances are more important than the first.

rori’s lush writing + abo + exes to lovers = absolute perfection. my fic cameo gives it a bonus too :’) definitely one of my rori favs

✰ i’ve loved you three summers now honey, i want them all by @softloubabie | M | 4k

The restaurant was small and bright, soft colors filled the walls and tables and fairy lights hung from everywhere. From what Harry had read, the food wasn’t overly expensive but it was still comparable to what you would get at one of the more expensive places. If Harry could he would take Louis to the biggest most expensive and extravagant restaurants to do what he planned to tonight, but this would do.

After being led to their table Harry nervously tapped his jacket pocket, sighing in relief when he felt the small box still there. Tonight was the night. He couldn’t wait till it was time to surprise Louis with all the gifts he got for him. Then finally the big surprise.

so cute and sweet! their kids were so adorable and the proposal so lovely!! they love each other so much <3

✰ love me in between the future and the past by navigator & quitter | E | 11k

Harry's scared of history repeating itself.

this honestly hurt to read but in such a raw and emotional way?? was mad at harry and then sad for him :( this writer duo’s fics never fail to amaze me!

✰ sunshine on my mind by @raspberryoatss | E | 13k

Louis visits Harry in Portland

this was so sweet and lovely! the perfect addition to this wonderful universe! pip’s characterizations and fluff never fails to make my heart feel warm <3

✰ rapture in the dark by @stylinsonsupporter | T | 13k

Harry Styles is a breakout musician who has shed his boyband label in favor of embracing his inner brooding rockstar. His PR team think that his rebrand is the perfect time for Harry to come out of the closet and have devised the perfect plan for doing so. Enter Louis Tomlinson, up and coming (and very openly homosexual) model whose public image as America's Sweetheart is the perfect foil for Harry's new edge. From a PR standpoint, it's a dream come true - a power couple that can slowly coax the public into accepting Harry's altered image. The only problem? They hate each other.

always love a good fake dating au and this is no exception! and model louis >> really enjoyed this!

✰ Maybe, Baby* by thoughtsickles | M | 16k | mpreg

It all feels too easy, too good to be true. It all feels like a scene from Louis' daydreams, the kind of life he'd always imagined he'd have when he was younger and bored at his momma's work, sneaking around the hallways of the maternity ward until the nurses let him in to hold the babies. He'd felt so important being allowed to touch them. He'd told them stories of the lives they were going to have, houses with nice wallpaper that wasn't peeling, yards filled with sunshine and flowers and grass that never went yellow. A hammock to nap in, cuddled up with his husband.

You can't stay here, he tells himself, but Baby doesn't want to listen.

have reread this one quite a bit of times now and it still makes me so happy <3 this Louis and Harry deserve the world <333

✰ Let Me Inside by reliablyimperfect | E | 18k

Louis is Harry’s boss, but Harry is the boss of Louis.

loved this one! really enjoyed the balance between h&l and how they maintained their dynamic in subtle ways outside of the bedroom while also keeping it separate. very much enjoyed the jealousy as well <3

✰ a scintilla of predilection by @dehydratedpoolfics | T | 20k

There, in the far back of the room, next to the only available seat left, is none other than Harry Styles. Harry, who grew up next door to him, who knew all his secrets as a child and played FIFA with him on Saturday mornings after he would spend the night Friday evenings every week, whose curly hair would tickle his nose as they held each other during bitter cold nights that made his room glow a haunting blue.

love ex-childhood friends with misunderstandings!! louis was so cute and i loved his poetry <3 harry too was so stupid but so smitten and lovely :’) really enjoyed this!

✰ Keeping The Flame Alive by @crazyupsetter | E | 20k

Recording with One Direction never felt like this. There’s a couple reasons for that, Harry thinks. One is that they did most of their recording on the road, rushed and in busses and hotel rooms, never in one place long enough to really get an argument going. The other, larger and more important one, is that back then he had the sweetest, meanest little omega around to distract him from all of that frustration.

The first time around, when he’d been recording his debut solo album, it hit him pretty hard. He likes to think he’s better adjusted to it now, but frustration is warring under his skin nonetheless. He doesn’t want to be told what to do most of the time, and he especially doesn’t want to be told what to do when it comes to his music.

What he does want right now is that sweet, mean little omega right in front of him with his mouth on Harry’s cock. Unfortunately, the best he’s got is his own hand and a shared toilet. So. That’s really not going to work.

✰ like it’s a game* by @soldouthaz | E | 32k

There is little Harry hates more than truth or dare.

And Louis.

queen of enemies to lovers! it’s been a while since i’ve reread this but too absolutely no surprise, it’s just as amazing as always <3 sarah never misses!

✰ Too Young To Know by @2tiedships2 | M | 35k

Harry doesn’t present as an alpha… until he does.

really enjoyed this as per usual! exes to lovers is my jam and the added angst of Louis dating someone else at the beginning... love <3

✰ Some Things Take Root* by navigator & quitter | E | 50k

Louis' ex doesn't get jealous of anyone besides Harry. Harry helps Louis use that to his advantage.

stumbled upon this randomly and decided to reread on a whim... ended up staying up to read it in one sitting! so good!

✰ Safe and Sound (You’ll Always Be) by @all-these-larrythings | E | 58k

When a failed case and a guilty conscience leaves Harry more than a little lost, his boss presents him with a new, less taxing assignment to help him cope. An escape from all the madness is just what Harry needs to get his life back on track. It's just too bad his new client has a grin like the devil, a pair of electric eyes that Harry simply can't get over, and no intention whatsoever of letting him catch a break.

i don’t know how i’ve never read this before??? it was absolutely amazing though! perfect blend of humor and fluff and tension and angst <3

✰ Mind Over Matter (You Under Me) by @youreyesonlarry | E | 74k

It’s dark outside when Harry finishes practice for the day.

the slow burn in this fic killed me - which is to say, it was perfect! loved how they progressed from working together to being friends to something more and how much they genuinely cared for each other! the hockey was so fun too!

✰ Call Out My Name by frenchkiss | E | 102k

Apparently, it's bad PR to fall in love with the omega you hired to help you through your rut.

Harry Styles begs to differ.

ellen truly knocked it out of the park with this one!! had everything i could ever want: abo, famous/non-famous, fluff, humor, angst, drama, and more! i loved it from beginning to end!

wips ~

✰ ‘cause all our tomorrows lead the way by @loubellies | E | 64k | 7/11

So maybe Louis’ in over his head.

He had signed up for the Bachelor on a whim after his second bottle of wine and well, here he is. He’s just been announced as the twenty-sixth Bachelor and his ass is sweating. Like, literally sweating. He’s positive that if he was to turn around, the entirety of Bachelor Nation would get a nice peek of his ass sweat.

am thoroughly enjoying each chapter!! it’s been a wild ride so far and although things are currently calm, i am still on edge!! but i trust mar with my life <3

✰ Truth Behind Golden Eyes by @lwtisloved | E | 83k | 8/16

Louis is a royal servant born with magic in a kingdom where his sole existence is outlawed with a war he has no idea he has a part in upon him. Harry is the prince on whom the burden of mending a broken kingdom falls upon and he might be willing to risk it all for a simple servant if only he admitted it to himself.

caught up last night! still really enjoying every chapter and can’t wait to see what happens next!! things are *happening* with h&l and answers are being given!! (love the jealousy too!)

non-1d ~

✰ Keep Me Close (I Need Your Faith) by @princelouisau | E | 23k

Somewhere along the way he had fallen in love and in doing so, had broken the one rule he knew he couldn’t come back from. As quickly as he realised, he decided that he must never dare speak it. He resigned himself to loving Draco in silence.

first foray into reading drarry... and, to no one’s surprise, i loved it! beautiful writing as always and beautiful atmosphere! it’s really not a shock that i fell for these characters and their story when danielle is behind it <3 it had me entranced from beginning to end!!

finally, i myself actually posted a fic this month:

my fics ~

✰ yesterday came suddenly by me | E | 49k | mpreg

Harry the deadliest member of the NYC assassins’ guild, is forced to face a seemingly impossible task in hopes of finally leaving the underground behind for good, but when ghosts from the past come back to haunt him, escaping the darkness becomes that much harder.

If you read any of these beautiful works of art, remember to leave kudos and comment to show your appreciation!

*if i made any errors, please let me know :)

enjoy!

#my fic recs #fic recs #28th appreciation #march recs #2021 recs #march 2021 recs #scheduled

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pennyserenade · 3 years ago

Note

📝👀

send me a 📝 and i’ll tell you about a fic i want to write but haven’t yet

if there’s one thing about me, it’s that i LOVE a piece of fiction that is anti-war. i want to watch and read pieces that talk of the horrors of war - of how it’s not glorious at all, really, and how young people die for no reason, and if they don’t die, they’ve lost something in them that makes them feel real and alive anyways, so they might as well have. dave york, i think, would be an interesting vessel for me to write some of my own anti-war material, i think.

under the cut and tws for: talk of murder, talk of children, and also talk of struggling to conceive.

imagine: it’s the early 1950s, and the economy is on the up and up after the war. dave york has settled in suburbia with his beautiful wife. they are currently childless, but that’s of no real consequence because everyone knows that it will happen soon enough. they know this because this how it’s worked between dave and his wife, always, since they met in college. before the war, they met and agreed to marry sometime during their junior year. then he went to war. when he came back - just as though that blurb of time didn’t exist - they married and he found a job at a nice office and they settled nicely into the all american life. people know the child will follow next because they are perfect, and young, and white, and they have money thanks to his having served. only, there’s this thing about dave and this wife that no one knows: they murder. well, he murders and she plans it and covers it all up. before the child, there is a list of people who have committed a slate of wrong doings and they intend to finish them off. they’ve given themselves a five year plan. in five years, the list will completed and then they will conceive their child. after five years, they agree, they will tuck it all away: the war, the murders, the pieces of their past they’re trying to mend with the list. in five years time, they’ll never speak of it.

in five years time, however, they find there’s pieces of past that can’t be forgotten. men at war keep war with them, and women don’t get escape their being women because of the false sense of autonomy they give themselves. both dave and his wife are stuck with blood on their hands and their wars - literal and figurative - haunting them. worst of all, they’re finding having a baby harder than they originally thought it to be. i think it could be an interesting way to explore a lot of themes that interest me. i’ve seen a lot of people as late - old people, really - romanticize the past and talk about how much better it was and i think this is a product of my anger for that sort of sentiment lol

#misc.#psychedelic-ink

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ilovejevsjeans · 4 years ago

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Daniel Ricciardo on his passion for combat sports, a walkout song and the time he asked Lewis Hamilton to ‘fight’

McLaren Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo, who currently sits seventh in the driver standings heading into this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, is among the world’s best behind a steering wheel. But how would he fare if he swapped his racing gloves for boxing or MMA gloves?

“I’d love to do a charity boxing match or something just to feel that adrenaline of walking to a ring,” Ricciardo said. “It’s on my to-do list for sure. At school I had a few little fights but nothing crazy. Nothing I’d brag about here.”

Ricciardo says he learned the sport of boxing from a friend who fought as an amateur growing up. However in recent years his love of combat shifted more toward mixed martial arts, a sport that is “quite beautiful. It’s an art form and I was just taken by it.”

The Australian — who boasts 4.6 million followers on Instagram — rarely misses a fight night, whether that’s a small card or pay-per-view. Every Monday he gears up for multiple MMA podcasts to hear analysis on what just took place in the cage.

In an exclusive interview with The Athletic, Ricciardo opened up about his love for fighting, which driver would make the best opponent and why Lewis Hamilton turned down an opportunity to get in the ring against him.

You’re an avid fight fan. How did this passion for the sport start?

One of my best friends growing up, when he was growing up, he was doing amateur boxing and got very good at it. I was then doing my racing and he was doing his boxing. We were both on a bit of an unconventional path — both individual sports, not really the typical sports the kids at school were doing. We had that in common. Once I started taking my racing more seriously I began taking my fitness more seriously. So I started going to his gym to just train. I really enjoyed doing it. But the truth is — I don’t want to lie to anyone. I’m not a fighter. As much as I would picture beating the bully up at school, it’s not me. But I just fell in love with not only doing it but also watching it.

I enjoyed watching boxing but it was really when I got exposed to MMA … It just had me. It was back in 2011 when I started properly getting into it. It was the quickest sport I had ever been absorbed by. I was all in.

My whole YouTube feed is just all MMA shows, whether it’s press conferences, interviews, podcasts. It’s just full of MMA stuff. I’m a full nerd now.

Being in Australia and traveling a lot, are you forced to get up at weird times for fights?

The beauty was I was in LA when (Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 2) was on so it was prime time and I was happy. But normally in Europe, it’s 4 a.m. or 5 a.m., which isn’t as good. Any kind of sporting event that you look forward to, it’s always cool when it’s in the evening because you have all day to get ready and talk about it. If you wake up at 4 a.m. it’s like “ugh,” and then you’re straight into it so there’s not as much of a build-up. But it’s all good.

So do you still train at all?

No. To races, my trainer carries some pads and gloves just to stay a little sharp and change it up. If I’m getting my reflexes with some tennis balls, maybe I throw in a bit of a boxing combination or something. Again, I’m not saying I’m good or anything. But I just enjoy the whole movement part of it.

Boxing was cool and I enjoyed watching it growing up. But there was something with MMA where there’s just so many different disciplines and the matchups … as a contest it was so much more open and for that, exciting. I feel — I know it’s not always the case — you can kind of tell in boxing if someone is getting momentum, the advantage. It’s like “this guy is going to win the fight.” But in MMA, it’s like “this guy is winning standing but if this goes to the ground, it’s back to square one.” So I just loved it. I was really immersed by it all.

Did you have a particular fighter or fight that got you hooked early on?

One of the first events I watched was UFC 116. Chris Leben was on the card and I think he was losing the fight. And then he got a triangle with probably 20 seconds to go in the third round, so that was really exciting. Stephan Bonnar was also on that card and he got a really cool finish on “The Polish Experiment” Krzysztof Soszynski. That was a card for me where I was very taken from that. Then I discovered “The Ultimate Fighter.” I just binge-watched all of those (seasons).

In terms of fighters, Leben was a character, I liked him. Carlos Condit. I’d say Condit and Cub Swanson were two guys I got behind early on. Condit, I love his style and the way he carries himself.

Have you been to a lot of cards in person?

The very first one I did was the best for me personally. To this day, it’s my favorite sporting event I’ve ever been to: (Conor) McGregor-(Chad) Mendes. Vegas in July 2015. Obviously McGregor, but he wasn’t yet a champion and still kind of on the rise. It was the energy and atmosphere. It was just wild.

The whole event too. (Robbie) Lawler-(Rory) MacDonald, which had the fight of the year. Every fight on the main card I think was a finish, so I got very lucky at my first event.

I’ve done (Michael) Bisping-(Anderson) Silva in the UK. That was a great contest as well.

There are a lot of great fighters from Australia and New Zealand like Israel Adesanya, Alexander Volkanovski and Robert Whittaker. Have you had a chance to meet any of them?

I haven’t met them. A couple of them I’ve had interactions with on social media. But I love Whittaker, obviously Volkanovski is killing it. I’m fairly patriotic to the Aussie fighters. If they are fighting, 99 percent of the time I’ll be supporting them. But one of my good buddies is roommates with Luke Rockhold, so I got to know Luke the last couple of years. I was trying to do some training over Christmas with him but it didn’t end up working out.

I know you’re a big shoey guy. What do you think of Tai Tuivasa doing it after wins?

I’ve had a bit of contact with Tuivasa as well. It’s obviously great. But one thing I can’t get behind is spitting. That’s a little extra.

Plus he’ll grab some random fan’s shoe.

He definitely takes it to the next level. It’s cool that — as disgusting as it is — we have some traditions like this.

Shifting a bit to F1, have you ever gotten into any big fights on the track? What was the worst fight you’ve gotten in?

Earlier in go-karting there was a bit more. Unfortunately in F1, I guess because you’re on the world’s stage, even if you push someone you probably are going to get a fine or get penalized. At times it’s a little too clean. But I’m still waiting for the day that someone confronts me and I just lay them out (laughs).

You also just seem a lot more laid back than a lot of other drivers, so you’d probably not be my first choice of someone getting into a fight soon.

I’m all talk, it would be nice obviously to not have to fight anyone. But no one would expect it from me. Even when I tell people I’m a fight fan, people are like “oh really? You’re into that? You seem too nice to like that.”

But to get where I have in the sport, you need a bit of a killer streak in you. I do have it, but don’t always show it.

What other driver would make the best fighter?

I know some guys have done — for fitness — hit some pads. Randomly, he doesn’t have a seat this year, but Daniil Kvyat started doing quite a lot of boxing last year for his training. I saw a few clips and it started to look like he knew what he was doing. I would say he would be the guy who has the most idea. I’d put him and myself up there. The rest I don’t think stand a chance.

So if you had a charity event, you don’t have anyone in particular you’d want to go against?

To be honest, I actually asked Lewis Hamilton. At the beginning of 2016, he posted a video on his Instagram hitting pads. I was as well at the time, so I was like “hey, let’s do a charity fight.” I asked him in person. But he didn’t bite on that one so I was a little sad.

I might re-ask the question.

What about Max Verstappen? For people who watched the first season of the F1 show “Drive to Survive” on Netflix, I’m sure they would love to see you guys throw down at some point.

That would have been cool as well (laughs). Max would be a good competitor in the ring. The way he drives, he’s quite stubborn. He’d be a hard guy to put away. He’s probably the guy that you’d choke him and he’s going to sleep and not tapping. That would make an interesting one.

In contrast, is there an MMA fighter you’d like to race on the track?

An obvious one would be Conor McGregor. To hear in his Irish accent all kinds of things, that would make pretty good television. And he loves his cars. It’s obvious, but that would probably be the best.

How often would you say you watch fights now? Not just PPVs, right?

Unless I have something like work or another commitment, I’m watching it every week. Mondays I’m getting ready for every podcast. I sound like a real nerd but it’s just an addiction. I love it. Anyone doing that for Formula 1, I’d be like “you’re such a nerd,” but here I am doing it with MMA.

Is it hard to follow everything during the race season?

If I can’t see it live, then 100 percent I’m going to watch the replay or buy it later. But it’s also a good escape. If I’m traveling and I’m in between races, to get my mind away from my competition, I like to watch it. I also try to pick up things as well. Whether it’s from a mental point of view … I’ll look at the walkouts and how they are behaving. I try to figure out if they are really as calm and collected as they are portraying or if it’s a bit of a facade. I’m trying to work out what I can use in my events.

Do you have a walkout song prepared if you were to fight?

I’ve thought about it. The short answer is no. You typically have to have something heavy and fast, but I fell in love with Chris Weidman’s “Won’t Back Down.” It’s not typically a song that will pump you up but it’s so iconic and now it’s his, it’s very fitting.

I’d go for something more lyrically powerful as opposed to instrumental. I loved Max Holloway’s, I think it’s called Mount Everest (by Labrinth). (X)

#hopefully this is the right one anon #daniel ricciardo #dan #interviews

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stylesnews · 4 years ago

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A year ago, the guitar was in dire straits. With songs like Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode,” Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings,” Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts” and Panic! At the Disco’s “High Hopes” among the most consumed of 2019, programmed beats and horns were the sonic flavors of popular music. Sure, there were outliers — the Jonas Brothers’ “Sucker,” Maroon 5’s “Memories” and Post Malone’s “Circles” among them — but as the rock and alternative genres embraced artists like Billie Eilish, whose innovative music made the traditional band approach feel outdated, the days of chords and solos seemed numbered if not headed towards irrelevance.

Then came the coronavirus pandemic and things changed. Forced to perform from home or in rooms not intended for live music during lockdown, many artists went back to basics and out came the trusty six-string. For iHeartRadio’s “Living Room Concert for America” in March, Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl played an acoustic Guild on “My Hero”; Billie Joe Armstrong from Green Day strummed to his band’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”; and even Eilish, with her collaborator brother Finneas, sang her hit “Bad Guy” accompanied by only a Fender acoustic. Other benefit livestreams like Global Citizen’s “One World Together At Home” event saw the Rolling Stones, Keith Urban and Shawn Mendes strip down their hit songs for unplugged versions. And in April, Miley Cyrus delivered an emotional cover of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” on “Saturday Night Live” with Andrew Watt, himself a COVID survivor, on guitar.

At the same time, there was an electric guitar solo being heard on one of the most-played songs in the United States. Harry Styles’ “Adore You,” which has logged 1.1 million radio spins in 2020, according to Mediabase, and has been streamed more than 400 million times, per Alpha Data, features the playing of Kid Harpoon (real name: Tom Hull), Styles’ friend and producer, who handled the guitar parts for much of the Brit’s excellent “Fine Line” album, released in Dec. 2019. As it turns out, the melody of the solo, which also serves as the bridge to “Adore You,” was first hummed by Styles for Hull to emulate. “I did it with my mouth into a microphone,” Styles told Variety in October. “And then Tom sent me this video trying to get it to sound the same. He spent a couple of hours getting it.”

Why include a guitar solo when most pop songs would never dare? “I feel it’s kind of like ‘La La Land’ saving jazz — only for rock ‘n’ roll,” Styles cracked when posed with the question. But more seriously speaking, Variety‘s Hitmaker of the Year added: “I’m not a spearheader of the movement, like, ‘Let’s bring back guitars.’ There’s plenty of times when [a song] doesn’t sound better with a guitar, and you don’t use it. But a lot of the references I grew up with have guitars; and it’s the first instrument I played, so it makes sense that I would like the sound of them more. I don’t think the guitar is dying. Guitars are great and always have been.”

In fact, guitar sales in 2020 have been robust. Music retailer Sweetwater reports more than 50% year-over-year growth in guitar purchases, with even larger increases during the peak COVID months of April, May and June “when customers most likely hunkered down to practice and create music after watching all of the streaming video they could handle,” according to a rep for the Indiana-based company.

The spike extended to other string instruments as well, which saw growth of more than 70% year-over-year in the price range of $299 or lower. The metric indicates that “new players are joining the fold,” says Sweetwater, which has been in business for over four decades and operates online. (Competitor Guitar Center, with more than 250 physical locations in the U.S., did not fare as well, filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month.)

Even in the virtual world, learning to play an instrument has taken off during lockdown. The platform Yousician, which provides interactive learning for guitar, bass, ukulele, piano and voice, currently reigns as the No. 1 app for music instruction while its sister product, GuitarTuna, is tops for guitar tuning.

Ask current writers and producers working in pop and hip-hop about their process and you soon learn that an acoustic guitar is often the beginning or the essence of a hit song. Among Variety‘s 2020 Hitmakers, the trio of Taz Taylor, Charlie Handsome and KC Supreme credited a guitar loop as the foundation for Trevor Daniel’s “Falling.” For Maren Morris’ “The Bones,” producer Greg Kurstin noted: “The first thing I noticed was Jimmy Robbins’ guitar hook; I wanted to keep the song rooted in that.”

“So many hit songs from 2020 started with a acoustic or electric guitar, whether it be a melody line or simple progression,” says songwriter and producer Jenna Andrews, whose recent credits include BTS’ “Dynamite” and Benee’s “Supalonely.”

And often, those guitar-based foundations remained through the finished product — for instance, 24KGoldn’s “Mood,” with its impossibly catchy sun-kissed guitar riff, and Powfu’s “death bed (coffee for your head).”

“I know it sounds kinda old school, but I love it when a well-recorded acoustic pops off on the radio,” says Sam Hollander, whose hits include the aforementioned “High Hopes” and Fitz and the Tantrums’ “HandClap.” “The bulk of my songs tend to be born on guitar. Without that foundation, the lyrics and melodies never really emote the heartbeat and emotion that I’m trying to dial in. There’s just a general warmth to it that’s hard to replicate. It’s like the warmest chocolate chip cookie.”

“I think the prevalence of guitar in 2020 has a lot to do with hip-hop producers using more emo and punk-rock influences,” offers Angie Pagano, whose AMP management company represents Tommy Brown (Ariana Grande, Blackpink) and Mr. Franks, among others. “Juice Wrld really helped bring this into the mainstream over the last few years. We’re seeing a great blend of emo and trap these days.”

Indeed, the year’s most-consumed hits leaned hip-hop — Roddy Ricch’s “The Box” landed at No. 1 on the Hitmakers list with Future and Drake, Jack Harlow and Megan Thee Stallion in the Top 10 — but even DaBaby’s “Rockstar,” the No. 3 song of the year, referenced a guitar in its chorus, albeit alongside mention of a Glock pistol. That visual may go against what Hollander calls “the Kumbaya vibe of the guitar,” but the song still features an acoustic strum at its core.

In the case of Styles’ 2020 successes, which also include the ubiquitous “Watermelon Sugar,” his producer further explained that, while aware of what was reacting on the charts at the time they were recording, Styles wasn’t about to chase the trends. Said Tom Hull: “We [thought], we can’t play the commercial game in terms of what’s happening right now. What we can do is make music that really resonates with us. There’s no blueprint. You just have faith. We love records from the ’70s and ’80s; weird prog rock music that might be a seven-minute instrumental; then you’re listening to Shania Twain, like, ‘This is awesome, too.’ The goal was to make something we will always love, and if it completely flops commercially, at least we know we love it. We have that.”

#harry styles #jan21 #variety21

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