#and I mean hey if you like it too feel free to use it I am more than happy for you to use it

[thegreenlynx]

NPC - K.SM

Description: Your best friend Seungmin suggests playing Stardew Valley with you and he's far more into it than you were expecting. 

Pairing: Kim Seungmin x Fem Reader

Genre: Fluff, slightly suggestive

Content Warnings: slight jealousy(of a game lol), suggestive content(just kissing/making out), Seungmin get's a little riled up

Word Count: 2.5k

A/N: My submission for the Stay's secret gift exchange event created by @starlostastronaut. This is written for @j-0ne25, I really hope you like it! I enjoyed writing it, this event was so fun! ☆ ☆ ☆

"So I was thinking..." Seungmin starts, hand lightly tapping a rhythm on your cheap wood table as you cook the two of you lunch.

"Oh yeah?" You chuckle, flipping the stir-fry around in the pan lightly with a hum. "Didn't know you could do that."

He doesn't reply, so you turn around to look at him and are met with a very prominent pout. "Fine. Never mind then, I'll do it with someone else."

"No no." Your hand waves at him, still holding the spatula. "Lemme hear first."

"I was thinking we should try Stardew Valley next." He says it with a little smile, the pout going away immediately. Seungmin never stays upset long.

He's referring to a little thing the two of you have going. A thing where the two of you play games together, most of the time games neither of you have played before. It started when Seungmin had invited you, his best friend, to play among us with him and the boys. It was a lot of fun, and ever since the two of you have been playing together regularly. Usually with Hyunjin, Han, Jeongin, or Felix, sometimes Minho, and once in a blue moon someone will drag Chan or Changbin in too.

"Oh, yeah?" You ask, a little surprised at his choice, "I didn't think you'd be into that."

"Well you're wrong." He shakes his head and sighs at you before staring back at his hands that still tap on the table. "Sooo? Come on, say yes."

You roll your eyes as you go to grab the plates to set the table. "Yeah, of course we can play."

And so the two of you did. It had taken you a bit to get adjusted and play through the tutorial but the two of you were actually quite enjoying running your little farm together. Though admittedly neither of you were very good, both messing up pretty frequently at the start. Forgetting when stores close, running out of stamina far more times than would be socially acceptable.

Seungmin has taken to doing the hard part, clearing and cleaning up the overrun farm. While you get to chat with all the villagers. Frequently interrupting his work to force you both to watch cutscenes. One cutscene in particular threw you both off, the scene of Linus digging in the trashcans in town.

"Hey... I've been doing that too! That's my trash Linus!" Seungmin rants, kicking his feet. "What do you mean it's dirty? It's free stuff..."

His one sided conversation makes you laugh, leaning your head against your palm as you watch him and not your own screen.

"Uhhh y/n...?" Seungmin takes you out of your daze a while later. "It's 1:30, where are you?" You look at his character on his screen, now in the farm house in bed, then over at your own in the middle of town right as it passes out.

"Ah fuck, not again."

"Hey y/n?" Seungmin says, voice excited. "Come look, come look!"

"I'm kinda in the middle of fishing Minnie, what is it?" You say, trying to look over at his screen, but he covers your eyes before you can actually see anything.

"No you have to come see yourself! We can fish together after." He gets up and turns you back to your own screen. "Please? It'll just take a second, I swear."

"Okay, yeah fine." You put your hand over his on your shoulder and move your character with the other, wandering on back to your shared farm. "Up here?"

You feel him rest his head gently atop yours, "Yeah, a little to the left." His slender finger points at the screen. "There! I made that! For us!"

"Oh is it a chest?" You ask as you move your other hand to your keyboard and click on the chest to find it's already half filled with a bunch of materials.

"You kept complaining about running out of inventory space, so I made a chest." His arms naturally wind around your shoulders and his cheek rubs against your hair. "You can use whatever you want from it."

You feel your face heat up. Seungmin is normally affectionate but he's gotten especially cuddly with you lately. Ever since playing the game really. His arms are warm against you, the whole room just feels a little too hot. You look away a moment before refocusing on the game. "Isn't it your stuff though?"

"Yeah, but like... you can have it." His hands slide up your collar and rub your neck once before slipping away as he returns to his own screen. "I want you to have it."

"Oh..." You refuse to look at him, he doesn't need to know how red your face is right now. "Thank you Minnie."

When the two of you finally make it to exploring the caves Seungmin takes up the job of being your defender, he fights off all of the monsters while you do most of the ore mining. When you guys leave the cave despite you offering to give him half of your loot he only asks for a few ores.

You tend the crops, he does the cleaning up. You give gifts to the villagers, Seungmin laughs at you when they hate your gift. Seungmin digs in the trashcans, you laugh when the villagers call him out or when he ends up just getting the expected yet utterly disappointing broken CD. Seungmin places every piece of furniture you guys get in the most absurd and inconvenient places he can find, then gets disappointed when they disappear.

Overall, the community center is where the two of you have the most fun. Seungmin has turned it into a little competition, each time you compete to complete it first and whoever does is supposed to get the prize. However, you've begun to notice that if it's a good prize Seungmin never actually takes it for long. He lets you live in your state of being a loser just long enough to see you sulk before giving you the prize anyway so you'll smile at him.

This one time was different. Seungmin could have easily beat you to this bundle, he's far better at fishing. Yet, he had stopped fishing all of a sudden. It allowed you to finish it first.

"Seungmin! Minnie I did it! I got the bundle!" You leap out of your chair and cheer, you finally got one!

Seungmin just watches, silent but smiling wide as you celebrate all by yourself.

Eventually the two of you manage to get the farm cleaned up. Your crops have become more consistent, you've gotten better at fishing and cave exploring, you have bigger inventories, and your tools are upgraded. Everything feels like it's going shockingly well.

"Hey do you know where the prismatic chard is?" Seungmin asks one day while you are continuing your game. You're not at the farm but you walk back to check the chest for it. Yet before you can look a pop up shows across the screen.

'MiniMong has asked you to marry him, will you accept his offer of marriage?' 

You can feel your face heat up even worse than the last time as you stare blankly at the message. You slowly look over at Seungmin to see him staring back at you, not the game. His cheeks are a little flushed. He looks at you like he just handed you a knife and is hoping you don't stab him with it. Doubt with the slightest glimmer of hope roll around like two cats fighting in his beautiful dark eyes.

"Was that an accident?" You ask quietly, wondering if perhaps he was just holding the item and accidentally clicked on your character. Maybe he didn't know what it did. Maybe he did it as a joke. It isn't exactly unlike him to freeze like this out of embarrassment, not necessarily because he is actually nervous.

"No..." he says even quieter, glancing at your screen before looking at you. He takes a shaky breath and continues, playing with his fingers as he speaks slowly.

"I wanted to play this with you because I wanted to spend time with you. Just you. Not with the other guys getting in the way. I like pretending I'm racing you to finish a bundle to see you sulk, just to give you the reward anyway so you smile at me. I like watching your face more than the cutscenes. I like seeing how excited you get when you catch a fish. Every time I do something I want to tell you so you'll be proud of me. Everything I get I wanna give to you. I've had feelings for an embarrassingly long time and I don't want to be just your best friend anymore, I want an upgrade. Haven't I earned it yet?" The question is asked like he's been trying really hard to convince you to say yes. Like this wasn't sudden at all.

You stare at him wide eyed, not quite knowing how to respond. "Why didn't you tell me before?" You're blindsided really, you thought he was just being cute. Seungmin's always being cute. You didn't even consider he was trying to court you. Strange method and all.

"Wanted it to be a surprise. The second I learned you could propose to players I wanted this to be how I confessed. Be my girlfriend? Please?" He gets up and kneels in front of you on the floor. He holds your hands with both of his. It almost feels like a real proposal, you can hear your own heartbeat in your ears. "I'll be a good video game husband too. I don't wanna marry an NPC, say yes, please." He tries to sound playful, nonchalant, but the desperation is clear in his eyes and even more with every sweet please that falls from his lips. Really, how could you say no?

You smile at him, toothy and silly. "I'll be your girlfriend Minnie, I feel the same." You squeeze his hands in your own as you see him relax, a breath releasing as he looks at you with a mix of affection and relief.

However, suddenly he smirks at you. Kissing you, quick and brief on the cheek before clicking the yes button on your screen on your behalf. "Gonna be my wife too." His smile is goofy, filled with the signature mischief you should expect from him.

It prompts an exasperated chuckle from you, you shake your head. "I think I can live with that." He smiles at you, pausing the game and pulling you half on top of him on the floor to cuddle with him. A hand on your back and a finger twirling in your hair. "But..."

He quirks a brow, pausing briefly as his arm wraps fully around your waist. "But...?"

"Now I can't marry Harvey..." You tease, pretending to sulk about what would have been your lovely NPC boyfriend. He glares, flicks your forehead almost instinctually.

"Hey!" You go to tickle him but before you can even touch him he flips you over, grabbing both of your hands and pinning them above you on the ground.

"You do realize your little NPC boyfriend won't be able to do anything for you right? Like he's basically useless aside from a few cutscenes and a kid." You gasp, slightly offended at the drag, but he continues before you can say anything. "He won't bring you nice things, won't kill monsters for you when you suck at it, won't laugh at your silly jokes or make you feel better when you forget the time and lose some of your shit again."

You stare up at him, it's not unlike Seungmin to joke like this but for some reason he actually seems a little riled up about it. His eyes narrow a bit as he leans in a little closer, voice dropping to a whisper. "He's a doctor, sure, but will he understand you like I do?" He asks and his hands shift, one now taking hold of both of yours as the other slides down to your face, finger brushing your lips hesitantly. "He might kiss you but will you feel it like I can make you feel it?"

Your eyes widen as his face leans a bit closer to yours, breath ghosting across your lips, warm and unfamiliar. "Will it feel as good?" His eyes are on your lips now, barely open while his own lips get even closer, brushing against his finger he still has pressed against your soft skin. "Will it feel as soft?" The question is breathy, barely there as his finger slips to your chin.

His lips meet yours naturally the second it does. Not harsh, not fast. Soft, gentle, warm, perfect. Shaking just slightly, though you're not sure if it's nerves or excitement. It's always hard to tell with Seungmin. Your head tilts almost as if on instinct, not quite deepening the kiss but reciprocating by pressing your lips against his a little more. His lips lift into a beautiful smile in the kiss, you feel the breath of relief as he laughs a little against you before pulling away a bit.

"See y/n?" He lets go of your hands as you stare up at him with flushed cheeks, his newly free hand slides to your waist. "You want me, not an NPC." He smiles at you, genuine, not cocky like you would expect from him. "You wanna have me. That dumb doctor won't make you happy. I'm gonna make you so happy."

His smiling lips press softly against yours once more, you pull him into you fully by the collar and he barely manages to not crush you by resting his other arm on the ground by your head. He pulls back just enough to speak against your lips with a breathless chuckle. "Video game or real life, I'll make you the happiest."

He deepens the kiss then, lips pursuing yours again and again. He tests several angles searching for what gives him most access, desperation showing more and more with every part of his lips. It still isn't enough, your hand flies to his hair while you hum against his lips. In response his hand grips your waist a little tighter and his tongue tentatively slips to brush against your lips. The small gasp you let out and the tiny pull of his hair encourage him, he presses it between your lips and the moan he gives you as your tongue meets his rumbles against your chest.

By the time you part he's panting, looking down at you like he'd been waiting to do that for a little too long. When he catches his breath a bit, he lays his head on your chest and wraps his arms around your stomach. Mumbling against the fabric of your shirt in a way that is so adorable, and so Seungmin. "Also... his mustache looks stupid."

Stay's Secret Gift Exchange Master List ( ��� Click Here for Everyone Else's Entries! ⮥ )

SKZ Works

Taglist: @my-neurodivergent-world @possum-playground @m-325

[ayeforscotland]

Hey Aye,

feel free to ignore this ask if it's too heavy for your blog but:

How do you keep going despite everything? How do you keep hope despite every day having worse news than the last?

I'm really trying to not fall into a doomer-esque mindset but it's hard and it feels like I'm trying to keep a boat afloat that doesn't just have leaks as much as it is a single leak interrupted by an occasional plank

Good question, and one that’s pretty deep but here’s my attempt at an answer. Apologies for writing War and Peace, but it’s hopefully useful for some people.

I’m not good at slowing down, I have a tendency to measure almost everything through the lens of ‘productivity’. It’s not particularly healthy, but it has the advantage of keeping me extremely busy all the time.

If I’m not working one of my several jobs, I’m thinking about streams or YouTube videos, or what I’m teaching at Krav that particular night, or whatever else is occupying my mind at that time.

And while I’m often aware of a lot of events that are happening in the world, one thing I don’t do is spend forever reading everyone’s opinion about said event.

I don’t care what some edgy Redditor has to say about a specific thing. They mean nothing to me, and I think there’s a tendency amongst people my age and younger to get really absorbed in online discussions - in a way that’s not productive or healthy.

A lot of people online aren’t there to be convinced or won over. They are there to vent, and more often than not, vomit bile onto feeds that feeds their need for attention.

So one thing I don’t do, despite how it may seem on here, is waste a whole bunch of time doomscrolling through comments from people that don’t mean anything.

It’s also worth getting some perspective on the content you consume online. There’s been a dramatic shift in politics over the past decade (and long before tbh) in that politics is simply entertainment. As in media companies recognise that controversy and ragebait generates more clicks than simple reporting.

I don’t watch ‘debates’ with ‘one socialist vs 20 conservatives’ or vice versa - Sure some of the highlights can be entertaining. Ben Shapiro being dunked on is great, but it didn’t convince anyone on the ‘other side’. At the end of the day these things are entertainment masquerading as political debate.

Because of this approach, all the most controversial topics are everywhere. All the time. People get trapped in consuming it because they like the peaks and troughs of emotion that come from politics. But you can’t spend your life like that.

So my advice is:

Don’t get sucked in to online conversations that the other side is treating as entertainment.

Find something that you’re passionate about outside the world of politics and awful news.

Stop doomscrolling. Train yourself to recognise when you’re doing it and then do literally anything else.

As I mentioned before I have a habit of treating hobbies as extra work - that makes it work for me because it’s something I feel compelled to do to be productive. It might not work for you, and I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it.

[obsessedhoneycomb]

hii mon! same one who requested the previous endo story. been struggling a little recently (literally cannot catch a break there is so much cramping and blood and all i do is cry). you don’t have to this at all if you don’t want but could you maybe write another endo story? maybe will alex or lan.

you obviously don’t have to but thought i’d ask. i love you much and hope you’re doing well sweet thing 🩵

I wanted to get to this through this week, but today I’m having a lazy Sunday as I’m about to get my period and cramping started, I wrote this little something. Hope this helps you a bit and enjoy 🩵

Also huge thanks for the support, it means so much 🥰

Personal painkiller

Alex Albon x fem!reader

-> endometriosis series

Summary: Your friend Lando invited you and Alex to spent some days through summer break on his yacht. Enjoying the sunshine and some free time away from prying eyes, you let yourself unwind too much and your body reminds you to not forget.

Warnings: alcohol, endometriosis, cramps, period, blood, discomfort, pain, sadness, fluff, love, mentions of hormonal meds, Alex being supportive boyfriend 💙

Word count: 1.2k

—

Lando invited you and Alex to his yacht for the summer break. You were thrilled because it was the first time in years you were able to put on some swim wear and feel confident about yourself, revealing your scars to the sun.

Alex was so supportive, he was always there whenever you felt bad or good. Sometimes you were crying from the bloody periods soaking through your clothes and he was so quick in his decisions to help you out and give you warmth you needed.

Lando was your good friend, he was the one who introduced Alex to you at one of his birthday parties. Long before that you thought he’s gay, hitting on George. You were laughing many times at that.

You laid out in the sun, trying to get some tan, enjoying the blissful moment.

“Hey, darling, are you in for some drink?” Lando appeared out of nowhere on the deck, two glasses with drinks in his hands.

You looked at him with a soft smile. “Sure. Why not.”

Taking a sip, you sat up on the sun bed, looking out to the sea, watching Alex snorkelling.

“He’s like a freak in that.” Lando chuckled, chugging his drink.

You laughed softly, almost downing that drink in an instant. Lando gave you a confused look.

“Woah, woah, girl. With this pace I’ll be going down with my alcohol reserves.” He laughed.

“Oh, it just tastes so good.” You smiled.

—

After dinner you felt slight cramps through your belly which was weird since you took all your meds and probiotics, you started to blame the food.

Sitting beside Alex, playing some cards with Lando, you tried to smile through your pain as usual. Lando noticed your discomfort first. “Are you okay?”

You nodded, taking a sip of a drink and you stopped after that, looking at the liquid. It clicked in your brain. The alcohol. Your sworn enemy through your endometriosis journey. And you were naive that you’re free now.

Alex looked at how you eyed the glass and he took in a sharp breath. “Babe, you—“

Lando was confused, just switching his looks between them, trying to get that unspoken information.

“I fucked up, Alex.” You mumbled painfully.

He then got you close to his arms. “Shhh. No. You didn’t. You just tried to have some good time while you’re relaxed. It happens. Just breathe.”

You clung to him like he was your lifeline. Breathing in his scent it gave you comfort, it helped you to ease your pain a little. You used to say that he’s your personal painkiller.

“Let me get you to the bed. I’ll give you a back massage.” Alex patted your cheek softly with a loving smile.

Lando let out an envious sigh, he longed to have something you two had.

—

Back in the cabin, you took a shower, warming your belly with the spray of water while Alex looked after you, his eyes sharp to be there for you. You had many moments of fainting in the shower in the past and he always made sure you’re alright.

While you washed shampoo from your hair he noticed something pink, slightly red, running down your thighs. He gasped softly, because he knew what’s going on. Something you dreaded to happen while on your vacation.

“Love?” He spoke softly. You wiped your face from the water, suddenly feeling lightheaded.

“What, Lexie?” His nickname made his heart flutter as he closed the distance between him and the small shower at the cabin bathroom.

Alex took in how you were dizzy and he quickly got his hands under your arm, keeping you up. He didn’t care if he got wet, he cared about you not getting hurt.

“I don’t understand what’s going on…” you muttered, taking a deep breath.

Alex looked down to the shower tiles being stained red. “I’m afraid that you got your period, love.” His voice was gentle.

“Oh no.” You had a pain in your voice, disappointment even.

He helped you get out, drying your skin, gently putting your menstrual panties on, you were clever to pack them.

After that he carried you to bed, placing you into the comfortable sheets, feeling like a princess.

You reached out for his hand, your eyes full of tears. His expression was full of worry, laying beside you, cupping your cheek.

“What’s the matter, darling?”

You sighed. “I thought I won’t get my period until we get back.”

“Weren’t you supposed to be free of it since you’re on that meds?” He asked, his hand circling on your hip.

“I was, but you know how sceptical I am… and look at me now.” You shuddered under the heaviness of your emotions.

“I know, baby. But they said that it can occur because of your hormones being out of the place. Or your body just simply can’t handle that meds.” He tried to soothe you.

“It’s so exhausting…” you whispered, snuggling close to him.

“I know, baby. And I’m here for you. For any decision you make, I’m here to pick up your pieces to glue them back together. I believe in everything you think is right for you. You’re living in your body and you know the best.” He kissed your forehead, smiling softly down at you.

This was something you needed to hear. To be reassured that you’re doing the right thing because you had a habit of doubting yourself. That you’re too much and you’re overplaying yourself by advocating for your pain.

“You’re my hero. Speaking about those things that’s happening to you, you’re brave to be heard, to support other women. Your strength needs support and I’m here for that. I’m so proud of you.” His fingers running though your hair, his words making you emotional even more.

“You deserve more than this, Alex…” you mumbled and he abruptly looked into your eyes.

“No. You’re exactly what I want and you deserve to be cherished and loved like a goddess. Because you’re divine and beautiful. I would breathe for you, go to hell and back for you.” He kissed your nose.

It made you feel loved and appreciated. He was the man that cared about you first. You were his priority.

“I love you.” You breathed out. Alex had his smile wide, softly kissing you.

“I love you too, baby.” He whispered against your lips, being gentle, trying not to make you feel uncomfortable.

After a while of making out, you caressed his cheek. “Can you please give me that back massage, like you promised?”

He chuckled softly. “Anything for my princess.”

You rolled on your stomach carefully with a soft hiss, but after a moment you felt comfy. Alex moved behind you, his knees on either side of your thighs, gently lifting the oversized shirt you had on, brushing his large hands over your lower back. Then he applied some soft pressure to the points he knew you’re sensitive at, the hard knots formed there and he gently started to knead your skin with his fingers. Soft grunts coming from your lips made him smile and he knew you feel good.

A few minutes later you were snoring, sleeping through your discomfort and pain, his hands lulling you to sleep after making you relaxed. He took a quick shower, taking a peek at you every while from the shower, then slipping under the sheets beside you, pulling you to his warm embrace. Nuzzling your face to his chest, he knew you’re safe and comfortable and he smiled, sleep taking over him too.

—

Please don’t use my writings without my permission! Pictures found on Pinterest.

—

Tags: @withering-daylight

[ragnarockz]

mentioning this post what about butch Agnes using an empty (obviously washed previously or not 👀) beer bottle to fuck Rio with? I mean you mentioned the placement and my mind did the tumble sooo 👉👈

Tip Jar 💰

Maybe this isn't the BEST way to go about this but hey... I've been doing some internal dyke/butch soul searching the past couple of days and ALLOWING myself to ask for things/want things and it's been very freeing and very GENDER for me so you know what...here we GO! It's about unlearning shame honestly and guilt and telling yourself that wanting things isn't predatory behavior

Music inspo: She's Kerosene - The Interrupters, Short Skirt/Long Jacket - CAKE, Knocking At The Door - Arkells, Touch Myself - The Beaches, The Lonely Life - City and Colour, Got You - The Flys, WET T-SHIRT - Ruby Waters, The Subway - Chappell Roan, Like A Prayer - Dogma

"You certainly have a way with how you like to hold your beer, detective."

Agnes quickly glanced down between her legs at the cool glass held gently between her fingers; sitting tall and proud between her open legs. She felt a rush of heat creep up her neck to her face; her cheeks burning.

Instantly she felt a wave of shame and guilt. Eating at her insides; gnawing. Sinking in the pits of her stomach.

Agnes coughed as she tore her eyes away from Vidal who was sitting across from her with her own beer held in her hands. She had it balancing on one of her knees. Agnes began to chew the inside of her cheek as the silence spread between them like an ocean.

"Yeah...well...stupid to keep moving it from the table to my hands, so..."

"Oh, I didn't mean it like that-"

Agnes shrugs her shoulders which feel like lead. The flannel she has on feeling like a farce. Everything starts to feel smaller around her; no longer life size and bold. She scoffs as she lifts up her beer and takes a long, hard swig that almost finishes it off. She thinks twice about putting it back down between her open legs but does it anyway. She doesn't want to tip off to Vidal that something is suddenly wrong.

Agnes knows however that Vidal has picked up on the change between them; the slight discomfort Agnes now feels. She pulls her legs together as she removes the bottle from between them. She tries to mimic how Vidal is sitting with her legs closed and her bottle resting on her knee. She watches as Vidal frowns and pretends not to notice her doing so.

Agnes can hear that voice of doubt and shame inside of her head; not her own voice of course but someone very familiar to her. The only true voice of shame and guilt she ever felt in her life. Her mother's. It's telling her to smarten up and sit up 'like a lady'. It's telling her that her clothes are all wrong and 'too masculine'. She doesn't look presentable; doesn't appear to be 'sweet' and 'approachable'.

She wants to shrink away into herself.

"You know, Vidal...it's getting late and uh...I just remembered I have to get up early tomorrow so..."

Agnes tries to peel herself up from the couch as she doesn't dare make eye contact with her partner. She so badly wants to get up and toss Vidal out of her house but her body betrays her as does her heart.

There's no way in fucking hell she could kick Vidal out. Not now, not ever.

To Agnes' surprise however, Vidal does rise from her seat. She places the almost-empty bottle down gently onto the coffee table before her. She stands there with her shoulders back and her head held high; looking down her nose at Agnes.

The detective goes right back to chewing on her bottom lip as if any second, Vidal is going to start scolding her for doing everything wrong.

"You don't mean any of that, do you, Agnes?"

Vidal's voice is the softest Agnes has ever heard it and it almost breaks her heart. She feels that tight squeezing of the muscle and that ache inside of herself; the one that occurs right before you're about to cry and sob and lose yourself over to feeling fucking sorry for yourself. Agnes chokes back a sob but doesn't dare look up as she finished off her beer and sets the bottle down next to Vidal's. The empty thud of glass breaks the silence before Agnes can.

But she can't talk and she can't admit how she feels. The deep overbearing feelings that have always sat within herself that may never leave. The fear and the disgust she feels deep within herself for the things she needs and wants and craves.

"Go back to sitting how you were originally...please."

Agnes blinks back tears that dare to fall; drying out her eyes as she tries to keep them open. Her tongue pokes around the inside of her right cheek in thought as she slowly does what she's told. Her legs shift back to that comfortable pose; open and inviting to some degree. The shame burns her right through her core and all the while, despite that feeling, she feels a twinge of desire throb away at her clit.

She silently curses herself as her eyes slowly close and she tries to erase those feelings from existing. Feelings that have only brought her trouble.

Agnes hears Vidal pick up another bottle and press it against Agnes' left hand and she, without thought, allows her fingers to curl around the smooth glass. It's a empty beer Vidal has handed her; one that she had brought out earlier for them that had been drunk hours ago.

"Put it back between your legs and tilt it a little towards me."

Agnes does. Without hesitation once more. She can feel the way her socks dig into the carpet below her; heels and toes trying to grip down to steady herself. She lets out a shaky breath and know she's going to lose control any second. She can't hold on much longer; that darkness swirling around her like a cloud.

But, something tells Agnes to open her eyes once more and she's suddenly glad she does. Vidal has knelt herself down in front of Agnes with her hands ever so gently resting on Agnes' knees. The look in her eyes can only be described as desperate and the look of hunger is something that Agnes is all too familiar with. It sends a shiver up her spine.

"Relax, Agnes..."

She does and she watches as Vidal uses her hands to press down and lean her upper body forward until her mouth is parallel to the bottle. Agnes' mouth opens in unison with Vidal's as the agent pokes out her tongue to lick the underside of the bottle in an upwards motion.

Agnes instantly feels a rush between her legs and a quick, sudden sensation of wetness in her boxers. She tries to breath out slow through her nose but loses it halfway and turns it into a deep groan. Vidal watches from below as Agnes' eyebrows knit together and the crease between her brows deepen. She loves that feature of Agnes more than anything.

It's Vidal's turn to let out a groan as she brings her head down once more to start from the bottom of the bottle once more to lick up. This time however, her tongue catches the rim of the bottle and swirls around it as much as she's physically able. It's hypnotizing to Agnes the way Vidal's tongue curls and curves; the saliva dripping down the bottle and onto the couch. Her fingers itch with nothing more than wanting to grab Vidal's hair.

Is she allowed to do that? To want that? Is she allowed to take control of the situation unfolding before her? Would Vidal want that?

Agnes doesn't. Doesn't allow herself to do any of that. She lets the thought of it burn away in her minds eye about how good it would feel and look to have her rough hands all coiled and combed through Vidal's dark hair. How it would feel to pull on her gentle roots and lift her head up only to guide it down. She steals away this fantasy and locks it up in her mind to later berate herself over even thinking such thoughts.

It's like somehow, someway, Vidal manages to read her inner most thoughts as she does one last swirl around the rim before she leans her head forward to take it fully into her mouth; lips closed around it.

'Tip' and 'head' fill Agnes' mind as she lets out a moan and slams her eyelids shut. She lets her head hang back to rest on the couch as she can feel Vidal's mouth and tongue and teeth around her cock.

But it's not and never will be. It can't be. It's a bottle or it's silicone or it's her fingers. But she can feel it; can always feel it when Vidal goes down on her like this. Connected to her like tissue and muscle and skin. Good fucking god can she feel it as her boxers become wetter and start to stick to her folds.

Vidal doesn't let up; never does. Agnes swears the woman is a mind reader or maybe even, can read emotions in some fucked up way. She starts feeling bad about herself or starts to let old feelings creep in that no longer give her any meaning and there's Vidal, trying to erase those and give her nothing but the positive.

The woman is magic and Agnes cannot for the life of herself figure it the fuck out how she got so goddamn lucky.

So, maybe now, Agnes thinks to herself as her free hand raises from its spot on the couch and hovers mid-air. Maybe now, I can.

And she does.

She combs her fingers through Vidal's hair to anchor her down onto her so that her mouth is still busy sucking and licking at the bottle erect and hard between her legs.

The vibrations that tingle Agnes' fingers feel like heaven as Vidal hums against the bottle. Her fingers claw and dig into Agnes' kneecaps as she pushes herself closer, deeper and is ultimately guided by Agnes' fingers clutching her hair.

It feels like hours roll by until Agnes brings her head back to neutral and opens her eyes to look down at Vidal. Cheeks hollowed out and her eyes wide and attentive. She's looking up at Agnes and Agnes, can see that Vidal is close to done.

Which is fine, Agnes thinks to herself in silence as she uses her fingers to pull Vidal's head up and her mouth away from the bottle, she wants something else now.

The string of saliva from Vidal's lips to the bottle breaks as she pulls away from it completely. The agent sighs loudly and Agnes can't help but stare in wonder. There's so much she wishes she could say and explain but where would she start?

How could she ever start to explain herself?

But maybe, that too is something Vidal knows innately. Maybe, that too, is something Vidal has tucked away deep inside of her own self.

Vidal shifts herself up a little more as her left hand slips off of Agnes' knee to press into the couch cushion between Agnes' legs so she can get closer to the detective. Agnes lets go of the bottle; feels it roll sideways and rest against her inner thigh. Vidal's left knee is now almost parallel to Agnes' crotch and she knows that Vidal can sense the heat coming off of her.

"Vidal..."

"Don't. Just let me. Trust me."

Agnes watches between their bodies as Vidal uses her right hand to snake it's way up Agnes' leg until it dips under the waist of her jeans. A loud moan fills the small space between them; falling from Agnes' lips as she feels Vidal's fingers creep down through her pubic hair and press hard against her already engorged clit.

Vidal replies with a moan of her own as she uses this as a opportunity to bring herself closer and press her forehead to Agnes'.

"...Fuck my fingers if you have to...ok? You do whatever you need to do, Baby...use me..."

It's as if a heavy door opens in Agnes' mind as Vidal's words become the key she's been searching for her entire life. She grits down; clenching her teeth until the muscles in her jaw scream at her to ease up. Her toes curl against her socks as she tries to grip the floor beneath them. Hips raising; thighs pushing forwards as she moves herself towards what Vidal is offering.

She wants the friction. Wants to feel her clit rubbed to a sore numb of burning nerves. Craves Vidal's fingers slipping into her cunt; engulfed with that wet heat that still makes her feel embarrassed.

She wants it all and she's still to afraid to ask.

[nabi-unveiled]

2025 BL/QL Recs (Jan - July)

Tagged by: @hughungrybear @homegirlisgayandtired @dramalove247 @watchthisqqq Thank you so much 🫶.

When I first got tagged by @hughungrybear and saw their list here, my thoughts were .... it's time to copy/paste 😅. Because all of their favorites are ones I thoroughly enjoyed. And then I saw other peoples' lists and...yeah, I agree with those too.

There have been definite misses this year. I have (mostly privately) raged over writing and wasted potential. I have white-knuckled while hitting play on so many finale episodes. I have thrown things over a consensual kiss. I hated a plushie. I didn't even know that last one was possible for me prior to this year.

But the things that have hit...hit for a lot of us. There's a lot of overlap in peoples' lists. In the end, I decided to just have fun.

A few notes:

I removed ALL of the ones I watched this year that weren't from 2025 (so LFLS, Let Free the Curse, Light on Me, I Feel You Linger, Cooking Crush, etc.) or ones that started prior to 2025 (THK).

I AM interpreting this prompt as shows that bring me joy and that I'm glad I have in my life. I'm not looking for technical masterpieces here. That list would be very short, and it would remove most of the ones that had a death grip on my heart or brain.

So come watch this show with me if....

You want to listen to me talk non-stop about how everything has layers and multiple meanings. You have been warned. Block out at least a week.

When It Rains, It Pours

Revenged Love

I'm not joking about talking about these (in filtered code) with anyone and everyone. Even my homophobic father has seen the behind the scenes clip of the snake wrapped around Wu Suowei. I might've taken perverse pleasure in that "hey look at this" since he's terrified of snakes. My pettiness increases with age.

You want to see me melt into a puddle of goo....over bookcases.

Secrets Happened on the Litchi Island

Ballboy Tactics

These shows made me have warm and fuzzies anyways, but they went that extra step and pinned each other to a bookcase 🥰.

You want to watch me go slack jawed repeating "pretty...so pretty" like someone possessed.

Realistically, this could be almost all of these shows. For example, SHOTLI has gorgeous scenery. Many shows have moments that my brain short circuits. But...

Reset

Look, I know this show has plot and symbolism. But this is the live cam of me watching this show:

Don't ask me anything of consequence about this show. I'm just going to say "pretty...so pretty". And maybe squeal over Janine saying "Take Me". It's risky posting this now since the finale comes out later today, but whatever happens can't change the amount of pretty.

You want to laugh while I lose my mind over Little Prince references

Moon and Dust

I'm not talking about recognizing this...

That's child's play. I'm talking about recognizing this...

So. many. references. I heavily fixated on this show. But I was mega stressed that my imp might die so I didn't post a lot about it. Good news? He didn't die. Bad news? He's currently banished from his home planet and separated from his rose. This is not a happy ending, and it's been pulled currently anyways 😭. But I still think on it WAY TOO MUCH. I need to finish up the post that dives into all of the references. It's buried somewhere in my drafts. 😅I love my imp.

You want to relish in a "good" polycule

Whether they're of the "let's pretend poly could save them" (Secret Relationships)

"Holy crap, we might have a canon toxic polycule?" (Revenged Love)

Or "Wait, this is an actual, functioning and healthy throuple?" variety (Two Husbands, One Wife). I love them all.

In all seriousness, I highly recommend the last one. It's an easy binge.

You take perverse pleasure in watching other people sob uncontrollably. No, I am not a pretty crier.

Heesu in Class 2

Top Form

The experiments that came out of Top Form were fun, but yeah...way too many tears came with these shows. I almost didn't include them for that reason, but they tell me misery loves company.

You want to indulge me by watching a fic with visuals.

My Stubborn

This show has the bonus of two narratively relevant and symbolic plushies. The plushie wars have been fierce this year though, and I'm not ready to decide "best of the plushies" yet.

Desire

Obviously, this show is ongoing and could end up terrible. Doesn't change the fact that I have bonafide omegaverse on my screen.

You support your mutual even when they can't explain why they love a show.

Ok. I could explain it, but you might not agree.

Business as Usual

FC Soldout

They still bring me immense joy. Warm and fuzzies all over just looking at these gifs.

This is getting long (no surprises there) so I'll cut it off here. We'll save the rest for end of year posts.

No pressure tagging: @soypim @obsessedferalgremlin @babyangelsky @delesaria-blog and anyone who wants to do it.

[urfavoritewritersfavoritewriter]

chapter 9: early morning coffee

masterlist

08 | 09 | 10

word count: 1k

warnings: discussions of sex (16+), poorly written angst, limited Jack lol

You’d think she and Andrew were fused at the hip, given how often they were together. If she was getting coffee, so was he. If she was on campus, he had office hours for his first year students. When her class ended, she often went to his office hours. Either hung out with him because no one was there, or pulled up a chair next to him and nosed through his desk and gave his student commentary for an undergraduate perspective.

It wasn’t forbidden to have friends come to a TA’s office hours, she learned that when she snuck Jack into her office her first year as a seminar TA. He had snuck in a few times, and one time her advisor came in while she was shoving the 180lb hockey player under her desk. To which her advisor notified her that she wasn’t stupid, and didn’t care that he was there, just to not do anything nefarious. And that is where Andrew and y/n have a problem. A peck, fine, appropriate. Her crawling under his desk and pawing at his cock, less so! She never actually sucked him off in the office, it was just foreplay of sorts. When they leave he’d smack the top of her ass and call her a brat as he walked her to his car. It was easy, fun, simple, what she had with Andrew was what Jack wanted with her, good old fashioned fun.

When Andrew pulled into apartment parking lot she looked across the street and saw some guy from the City of Princeton removing the bench across the street, her bench, her and Lizzie’s bench. The second he parked she raced out of the car, slamming the door shut and getting ready to yell at the man.

“Hey, hey, what the fuck man?” She yelled running across the street to the building parallel to hers.

“Someone asked us to remove it, city rules ma’am” the man said far too politely.

“I-I-I built it! Proper permits and everything!” She stammered, her body trembling, falling into Andrew the second he appears behind her. He was ready, it seemed, opening his arms and catching her to hold her firmly into his chest.

“Yeah, a guy said it didn’t pass the inspection so we’ve been asked to remove it. Real sad though, seems like it was a sweet gesture.” The man said putting his ear covers back on and resuming the removal process. She turned to Andrew, looking up at him with the saddest eyes he thinks he’s ever seen.

“Oh baby” he mumbled picking her up into a hug, shoving her head in his neck as she let out tiny sobs. He rubbed small circles on his back and walked them both to her building, his 6’5 stature finding it easy to carry her weight. Once they got to her apartment, he fished her keys from her back pocket and unlocking the door before setting her across the couch.

“Jack” she mumbled.

“Jack?”

“He did this! He knew how much that bench meant to me! He did it!” She sobbed into the throw pillow on her couch, Betty running up to the couch at the sound of her moms sobs.

“No he didn’t, he wouldn’t do that to you” Andrew hummed scratching her head. While he knew how poorly Jack had treated her, he also knew Jack was a victim of her allure, the same way he was. He knew exactly how crushed Jack was at losing her because he’d feel the same way. He also knew that Jack had been coming here more, talking to contractors about a small build on the sidewalk. As Andrew would return with their coffees at 6am he’d see Jack in a devils sweatsuit with a contractor. Often arguing over why the covering needs to be so big, why there needs to be a small area for donated jackets, and a free little library. He new Y/N loved london and he knew these coverings existed for the small population of homeless people in the city. While she never had the means to give to people, she still did, he needed her know that she inspired him to do this, this is more her doing than it is his, and that’s how Andrew knew Jack still loved her.

“Why are you defending him? Was it you?” She whimpered into her couch again, crying to the point of sickness.

“Of course not, lovie, of course not. But I know how he felt about you, because I feel the same way.” He hummed running his hands over her hair before enveloping her in his frame.

“No you don’t, he barely even liked me” she mumbled into his chest as he rubbed her scalp.

“You’re being ridiculous, no one in the world barely likes you, especially no one who would visit you here” he hummed playing with her hair before continuing. “I shouldn’t be pushing such a case for my competition but he absolutely loves you, maybe he just didn’t show it right, maybe you’re from two worlds far too different to make it work, but don’t pretend that he never cared about you,” Andrew said squeezing her hips.

“‘M sorry I killed the mood” she sniffled scared he’d ne disappointed at the lack of sex this evening. Instead he laughed it off wiping her tears with his large hands. “Never feel bad for being emotional, never feel guilty around me” he mumbled kissing the crown of her head.

A/N: Jack & y/n reunion soon #trust!

[quibbs126]

I have another random thing I would like to share that I’m like, 80% sure I created, but I might have just stolen it from someone else, I don’t remember. But I’ve also convinced myself it’s real when I don’t think it is

Anyways, so: spark pulses (at least that’s the tentative name for it)

Basically the idea is that two bots who share some sort of bond (though not necessarily one as deep as a Conjunx, Amica or creator/sparkling) can basically send “pulses” to each other, which essentially translates to them checking in on the other’s well-being, and/or as a form of small comfort

I don’t know how to specifically describe the pulses, but they’re something like a pulse is sent out by one, and then the other, usually rather quickly, sends another back in response. Also, it probably sounds like the sound the Unowns make in the opening to Pokémon Crystal, if that gives a better visual. But the pulse also isn’t an actual noise? It’s not something someone can hear. There’s also no specific words that come with the pulse, just feelings. But it also is like, some form of noise, along with the emotions. I don’t know, I don’t know how to explain it. It’s like a thought or visualizing something in your mind, it’s not 100% tangible like words or pictures and hard to explain

I should stop trying to explain what they are because I know I don’t know how to. Hopefully that gave enough of a picture though

But yeah, it’s basically just a “hey are you doing okay?” sort of thing, I think I already explained its role succinctly enough above. It’s a nice thing to do for someone you have a bond with, but it’s a relatively small thing

Pulses are almost always answered, but there are cases where they aren’t, the main two being that one is intentionally closing themselves off from the other, probably as a part of cutting ties with them, or the other is physically unable to respond. This does not include one being in stasis/recharge, so more likely reasons are either death or one is in some form of lockdown or in a location where they just can’t reply back and/or get the initial pulse. But someone not responding to a spark pulse, unless there’s very good reason for them not to, is considered deeply concerning

Also responding is like, a semi-conscious thing. People are aware they got a pulse and are responding to it, but they aren’t specifically thinking about if they’re sending a response back or what specifically to send, they just do. It isn’t uncommon for people who’ve recently broken off from one another to instinctively respond to a spark pulse when they didn’t want to

Though in addition to an emotional benefit, the pulses can pose some form of medical benefit as well, as they’re easy ways to tell the health of another’s spark. For example if the pulse is weak or distorted, that usually indicates something is wrong with that spark (though how wrong depends on the level of different it is to normal). Granted, it’s not exactly the recommended method of checking a spark’s health in the medical field, because it relies on a bond to work, and more likely than not, the medic does not know the patient well enough to send them a pulse themselves, and asking a friend for a check-up when they probably wouldn’t know what the spark distortions mean isn’t the most professional, they can have their machines check for spark issues instead

Though distortions can also be an indication of carrying, as when a carrying spark pulses, the newspark mimics the pulse as well, albeit much weaker. However, it isn’t always the most noticeable, as the newspark’s pulse can be so small it goes unnoticed, or its timing will be so close to the carrier’s that it can just be seen as a slight delay or echo on the main spark’s part, or not even be noticeable as a difference. Though it becomes much more noticeable as its own separate thing as it grows

And I think that’s all I have for spark pulses. I don’t know if I explained it super well, but you know, I think the concept’s neat at least

[musical-chick-13]

I just am kind of :/ about the idea that "a poor depiction of [x serious topic] can NEVER be harmful, and NOTHING is inherently better or worse than anything else because ALL art is an EQUAL value of neutral." Because like. Y'all (rightfully) get up in arms about Bury Your Gays. Because that particular story patterns reflects a wider societal issue of queer people being seen as Less Important™ or More Disposable. Obviously you can grasp that sometimes things Come Across Really Badly and it's okay to complain about that.

No, killing off a gay character in a show in a hamfisted and narratively-stupid way isn't the same thing as an actual irl hate crime, that's. Ridiculous. But if, say, a woman hates the way women are portrayed through a shallow, misogynistic lens; or black people hate the way black characters are treated in 90% of mainstream stories; or trans people are tired of seeing so many examples of trans characters being A Punchline; or disabled people see yet another depiction of disabled life as An Unending Torturous Death Sentence That Will Rob Them Of The Ability To Be Happy Forever; or people are tired of graphic violence against marginalized characters that doesn't add anything to the story...they're not Doing Purity Culture for criticizing that? Like. They're allowed to be. Uncomfortable. About that.

[mayo-is-an-instrument]

I made a boo oc!! I'll make more drawings to use them for when I start making "serious" YouTube videos :3

[inbabylontheywept]

The Motherfucking Lizard King

No one at work trusts my boss. 

He's smart. He works hard. He's not trustworthy. He hasn't actually fucked anyone at work over, but he's ruined his last two marriages with affairs, and got dumped by his third fiance when he wouldn't sign a prenup. The fact that we all know this is just a hazard of working in a small town. 

Anyway: The thought process of the people in the lab is that if he screwed over his first wife, and his second wife, and was probably planning on screwing over his third wife, it would be insane for him not to screw us over. After all, what kind of idiot treats their employees better than their spouse? 

I dunno. His kind, I guess? He's had a few chances to fuck us over, and he hasn't taken them. Opposite really. When our parent company was doing furloughs, he stayed in the office almost a hundred hours, talking and talking and talking his way up the corporate ladder. And in the end, no one at our site got furloughed. 

He's pulled strings like that before. And it baffles me, right? Because it really does make zero sense. He'll move the heavens and the earth for us, but his wife and kids are afterthoughts. It feels like any moment, he's going to look into the mirror and realize how stupid that is. It feels like I'm betting on him making the same stupid mistake again, and again, and again - like it would be less cynical to believe he was, eventually, going to stab me in the back. But he hasn't yet, and as far as I can tell he's been making that mistake for close to fifteen years, and it's already cost him everything it can. If he was going to learn, he would have by now. 

So my position on him is that if he wanted to date someone I cared about, I'd warn them off. I don't trust him there. But I tentatively trust him to be my boss. Maybe one day he'll stick the knife in and twist, and everyone will say Ah, Babs, we warned you, but for now, I accept that he's doing a very predictable, very irrational thing, and I've made my peace with it. 

---

My job has glue traps. 

No one likes the glue traps, but we don't have a lot of options. Poison's banned by state law, spring traps are banned by company safety, and several non-lethal options tried in the past failed to work. The mouse problem can get pretty bad if it's ignored, and there's some real health hazards in that. Our site has never had a positive hantavirus test, thank God, but the big base about a half hour away has. That guy's gonna be on oxygen the rest of his life. 

If a mouse gets caught, we just euthanize it. But more than mice get stuck. Lizards can wander into those traps too, and the people working there have different feelings about the lizards. They don't pose nearly the same kind of risk mice do. They're chill little guys, and they keep the moths away, and they're just 

You know. They're friendly. There's something to be said about walking into a room, and hitting the light switch, and seeing two little guys on the wall start to do pushups as soon as they see you. 

People used to just euthanize the lizards too, but I had pet leopard geckos as a kid and I couldn't take that so I wound up googling how to free animals from glue traps. Now, when a lizard gets stuck in a trap - which happens once or twice a week - I get some vegetable oil from the breakroom, and a little plastic fork, and I'll spend fifteen to twenty minutes just kind of gently prying the little guys out. 

I have a team of technicians that help me operate one of the larger machines. They're real blue collar guys, ex-airforce, and they make me look like a little kid. Being an engineer means they'll look to me as a leader sometimes, which is a wild experience. And I started helping the lizards for my own conscience, but one of the crazier consequences of it has been that it seriously boosted my leadership cred. Because those guys see me, and they go: Hey. If he's willing to fight for a lizard, he's gotta be willing to fight for me. 

I cannot overstate how nice that is. Most engineers that want to make a change to a maintenance practice, or try an upgrade, they have to work their asses off to get the techs to buy in. But I can just ask. They already trust me to do good. They know I'm new, and they know I'm not the smartest engineer in the building, but they also know I'm the one who gets lizards out of the glue traps. 

And just because of that, they're willing to follow me. 

---

My boss has a meeting every month or two. It's typically basic house cleaning stuff - reminders about routines we've gotten lazy on, and updates on future projects. Maybe some warnings about problems coming from higher up in the company.

People are, in my opinion, a bit too cynical about the meetings. It stems from people not trusting our boss, which again, I understand, because it would make so much more sense if he wasn't trustworthy. It's a testament to the man's incredibly unhealthy priorities that he is. But as we made it to the end of the meeting, one of bullet points was: 

Do NOT mess with animals in the building. 

So I looked at my techs, and they looked at me, and when he got to the point, he was so scathing I actually just wanted to crawl under a rock and die. He said basically that he'd heard some reports about someone in the building handling animals that found their way in and got stuck, and that he just wanted to emphasize how insanely inappropriate that was, not to mention dangerous, and that if he needed to speak to anyone about it again, there would be severe consequences. 

I was willing to just take the shame and move on. I was. But one of my techs is old. Old enough he could've retired two years ago. And his actual literal goal is to one day get angry, yell at someone, and storm out. That's how he wants to retire. So instead of biting his tongue like everyone else, he stood up and said: I hate the glue traps. You hate the glue traps. We all hate glue traps. But we've all sat here for years, ignoring the little things that get stuck in them, watching them die, and then Bab's comes in, and he is the first person in decades to give enough of a shit to start pulling the lizards out. And I don't want him to stop. 

Get humane traps or shut up but we are not going back to the old way of just letting things starve. 

And my boss actually froze up. He got all wide eyed and stared at Marc, and then the other techs jumped in, and there was a very small but intense rebellion in the meeting and my boss kept trying to interrupt while getting absolutely bowled over by this gang of angry middle aged air force vets, and eventually he just went 

I will speak with Babylon about this afterwards! After! And then he will speak with everyone else, but I have more points to cover. 

So they went silent, and my boss rushed through the last five minutes, and we all adjounred. The techs really didn't like that I was going in alone - they thought our boss was going to try and shout me into compliance. Marc in particular was like, Look, if he tries bullying you, stand your ground, and if he threatens anything, just come get us, and we'll give him hell. 

So armed with that, I went to my boss's office. I sat in the chair across from him, and he kept his composure for maybe five seconds before just flopping back into his chair. 

I had no idea you were saving lizards, he said, but I'm glad you are. I always hated seeing them die in the glue.  

I wasn't expecting that. I was about to ask him what the comment from the meeting was about then, but he answered that before I even got the chance.

A snake got into the building last week, and - someone picked it up and chased a coworker around. Turns out that coworker was severely afraid of snakes, and now it's a shitshow. We're a small site, and now I can't ask those two to work together anymore, to say nothing about how the snake fared after all that. Being upset about that is a reasonable thing, right? 

And he gave me a look like he actually wanted an answer, so I said Yeah, totally, chasing a coworker around with a snake is a dick move. Especially if that coworker is already afraid of snakes. 

And he said Exactly! and then we sat there a few moments longer. He looked so incredibly tired that I did, actually, feel kind of bad for him. And then he somehow managed to sink even further into his chair, and said

Look, I know I'm not a good guy. But I'm not evil. I'm not some sort of crazy asshole that's going to demand that everyone watch lizards starve to death. When you go back downstairs, could you try to pass that on? That I'm not evil? 

I said Sure because it wasn't a hard request, and he looked relieved. I actually made it halfway out before I realized I had a question. 

Who grabbed the snake? I asked. 

Not supposed to talk about it, he said. But whoever comes to mind first is probably right. 

ThatGuy? I asked. And he looked me in the face, nodded his head yes, and said No. 

---

The techs seemed a little disappointed that they didn't get to storm the boss's office, but were otherwise in good spirits. They were actually a little bit embarrassed to hear about the snake story - apparently, it wasn't much of a secret. It'd just slipped their minds because it happened three weeks ago. 

We did maintenance after that, the same basic repairs we did every week. The meeting had been stressful and it was a relief to work with my hands. When the parts were reinstalled, everything cleaned and smooth and ready to go, Marc found me again. 

You know what the lesson of today is? he asked. And there were quite a few answers to that that I could have taken - from don't assume the worst of people to be careful with how you spend your trust - we all need it more than we think. 

But instead I said what? because I wanted to hear what his answer was going to be. 

That I got your back, he said. Then he clapped one very, very large hand on my shoulder, gave it a good squeeze, and walked back to dosimetry lab.

---

The next day, Marc gave me a package and told me to open it in my office. I was suspicious, but I followed the request.

Cardboard gave way to a small baggie, obviously full of fabric, which opened to reveal a t-shirt that read

"I Am the Motherfucking Lizard King."

I looked at it, I loved it, and then I got an idea. I went to my boss's office and knocked on the door. When he opened it, I asked him if he would be willing to allow something very unprofessional to happen for morale building purposes.

How unprofessional? he asked. I held the shirt up in answer. He gave the shirt a short look over and snorted.

You can wear it on weeks without customers, he said. Which just so happened to include that week.

I'll pass on that it came with your blessing, I replied, and he looked oddly relieved.

Thanks, he said. And then I went downstairs.

---

The techs were very, very happy to see the shirt. And while my boss's reputation remains in tatters, and probably will be until he moves (or dies), the next time there was a meeting, there was quite a bit less complaining about how mere presence. Which is, I guess, a start.

We'll see if he squanders it.

[napoftustar]

tomorrow is one of the 정신차려 월요일 !! let’s...go...! i guess...

[cathnospam]

Bakugo, but his sex drive sky rocketed when you both got together and he doesn’t realize it.

“Here. Drink.”

“Mm.” Was all you were able to mumble out from your face being smooshed into the pillow.

Your body was already growing in soreness and your little blonde firecracker could tell, he rolls his eyes playfully at your starfish figure, littered in pre developed hickies and your decorative blanket covering only what’s between your legs

He takes a sip of the cold water bottle he took from your mini fridge to sit beside you back on the bed, “Y’ still with us or what. I wasn’t even that rough this time.”

“I know, but you have to count this morning too when you had me damn near do the splits on the wall.”

“You said you wanted to try that move next time I ate your pussy?!”

“Yeah well.” You groan rolling over, his hand touches your side while guiding you to sit up and take his water bottle, “Didn’t realize I’d be in that position for 4 minutes.”

“Yeah…you usually cum within like 2 and a half when I eat—“

You cover his dirty mouth and sip the drink, it felt like your body was already getting cooled down from the inside you gulped it for a few more seconds, “Shut up.”

It was a comfortable silence, you threw your head back on the headboard to focus your thoughts again. You knew Bakugo had stamina like a mad man but the way how he’s able to get so viscously pussy drunk and the moment he cums he’s able to just get up and walk around like it’s nobody’s business concerns you.

He just had you face down a few minutes ago, crying out and hollering his name and now he’s just staring at you with a soft look of love

….and possibly lust because his eyes wandered back down to your breast and back to your neck. You couldn’t see him do it, but you definitely could feel it.

He leans in to suckle your throat, peppering quiet kisses to pull you closer. You eventually felt his warm hand slide between the wet mess between your thighs, gliding against your clit to make you shriek and clench your legs as a reflex.

“Hey!” You giggle at his ministrations, but firmly grasp his hand, “Again?”

“Only if you want to. Figured you wasn’t sleep right after so….”

It was really a surprise to you Bakugo was more than willing to have sex back to back and so much with you once you both started doing it, it’s almost all you two do when you have free time together if you aren’t training or studying. You’re not complaining at all, but it definitely was something you giggle thinking about.

“What?”

Your thoughts resurfaced and he quirked his eyebrow up in confusion almost breaking into a laugh without you, but still curious, “What? Spit it out.”

“I don’t know…I just never pegged you for a guy that liked to have sex this much.”

Almost immediately his cheeks burned a tinge of red, eyes widening he sit back and crosses his arms in a pout, slightly embarrassed at the realization, “Just because I never fucked anybody, but you doesn’t mean I’m a fucking prude or something.”

“Of course you’re not. I just…assumed after we had sex the first time you’d only wanna do it like…once every two weeks or something.”

The look on his face was pure confusion and offense.

“Every t—- so you think I’m a fucking prude???!!”

“I don’t!”

“You do, —-TWICE EVERY MONTH ARE YOU INSANE?!”

His tone was annoyed and offended you couldn’t help but to laugh even more, but he seriously was confused as to why’d you think that. I mean have you seen yourself ? He can’t get enough??!!

“Well excuse me for wanting you. God forbid a man loves his girl.”

Hearing his voice gravel and wear down you stop your laughter to look at him, he tries looking the opposite way, but you knew from how he side eye’d you he was just being dramatic.

Using the bit of strength you had left you climb on top of him. For a moment you admire his scars and flushed body, the way his chest practically turns into a deep cleavage when he crosses his arms, his sharp jawline, the veins.

Hell, you was happy as fuck he loved to fuck you. Look at him.

“That’s not what I meant. Growing up you always were so focused on being a hero, that seeing you doing anything but is….fun to see. And im happy I’m the one to bring that fun side out of you.”

Still looking away you cup his chubby cheeks, thumb rubbing against them and you kiss his forehead, he looks up at you, “If you think I’m only with you for the sex you’re wrong, dumbass.”

“I know. Sex is just a plus. You remind me that everyday we are together.

Though he was still a little pissy about your twice a month comment he pulled you closer, chest to chest, “yeah? I feel the same way, and the whole reason why I started having consistent sex with you is to catch up.”

“Catch up?”

“Yeah….we dated for 2 years and never done it…gatta make up for it.”

“Baby we been having sex for 3 weeks straight, 5 days a week.”

“So.”

“We started having sex almost 4 months ago.”

“SO?! Jeez if you don’t like fucking then tell me.”

“Oh no…pfft I love when we do this. You make pretty faces when I ride you.”

“Fuck you!”

“Nah…but can I fuck you?”

You didn’t let him respond back, you just kissed him again, before adjusting your body to grind against his already growing erection again.

“Damn nympho.” Bakugo wanted to retort again, but it was broken up into a strained groan when you started stroking his dick.

“Takes one to know one.”

[imtired-likerllytired]

Dick ‘has been a barista like 90 times over 50 years of comics Grayson’ can absolutely prepare whatever drink you want him too. He can also guess/ judge what your go to order is.

With the bats

He can guess what WILL be there favorite even if they’ve never tried it before

——————

Bruce on 13 mins of sleep fucking exhausted but even Alfred isn’t giving him shit bc they HAVE TO crack this case: hrn

Dick plopping a take away coffee cup in front of him: DRINK

Bruce goes through a quick is this my son or a shapeshifter, mind control, demon situation before deciding fuck it we ball and taking a sip: this… tastes different

Dick: yeah

Bruce ‘actual freak who grumbles when coffee isn’t bitter enough’ Wayne: this is good

Dick: yeah it’s a red eye

Bruce: hrn

Dick: yeah no problem B

——————

Jay (just got done fighting aliens and needs to get back to whatever he was doing before) : get me a Drink as black as my soul

Dick: sure

Dick brings back the drink from the kitchen

Dick: strawberry iced matcha with oat milk right here for you

Jay: what the fuck Goldie

Dick: I saw you sobbing at the notebook a week ago don’t play tough with me and don’t fucking lie we both know you like tea more.

Jay sputtering: Don’t PLAY TOUGH? BROTHER I PUT A BUNCH OF HEADS A BAG AND MADE THE UNDERWORLD INTO MY BITCH

Dick: yes yes Jay now go drink your tea and run along

(It is the best fucking thing he’s ever tried, bought a matcha making kit as soon as he got him, has denied it ever since but Dick doesn’t buy it and keeps making him the drink)

—————-

Tim:

Dick:

Tim:

Dick:

Tim:

Dick: you’re a heathen

Tim: proudly

Dick: fine take the monster and go OH MY GOD

————————

Steph wincing at the taste of a latte: there’s something seriously wrong with this place, no matter how much sugar I add it’s just bitter

Dick: yeah Steph it’s bc they burn the beans to get more use of em

Dick: you could add all the cream and milk you want it’s not gonna do shit

Steph: ugh this is the only coffee spot on my campus in so screwed

Dick pulling out a takeaway coffee cup: don’t worry I brought you some from home

Steph: Jesus fuck this is delicious

Dick: upside down sweet almond latte with caramel and double espresso

Steph: should’ve married into the family with Tim god damn

Dick: Cass is still an option

Steph: what

Dick: what

——————————-

Dick:

Duke:

Dick:

Duke:

Dick: you’re one of Tim’s heathens aren’t you

Duke: just because I like energy drinks more doesn’t mean I don’t LIKE coffee

Dick grumbling: should’ve left you with the cops

Duke: what was that? I didn’t hear you

Dick thrusting the coffee cup at him: just take it, end my suffering

Duke: oh damn that’s good… what is it

Dick:…. It’s Vietnamese style coffee

Duke: fuck I might I have to switch, Jesus that’s good

Dick vaguely smug: another victory

—————

Dick: hey Cass

Cass: busy… like you should be

Dick: yeah, yeah I have like 6 mins of free time left before I have to meet up with Robin (Tim) for an op

Dick: anyway i made you strawberry hot chocolate

Cass: this isn’t coffee

Dick: it has 180 milligrams of caffeine

Cass: how?

Dick: don’t ask difficult questions

Dick: where the hell did she go?

Dick: is this how everyone else feels about us?

——————

Damian: I want coffee

Dick: you’re an infant, no

Damian: IM 15 GRAYSON

Dick: a certifiable baby

Damian: I hate you

Dick: you would hate me more if you stunted your growth and ended up Tim sized

Tim: HEY!

Damian: this is true… apologies Richard

[dating-eveeything]

could you please do a dorian fic? Maybe angsty, since he seems to only want friendship, even tho trap dorian mentions being interested in fwb? (Like maybe the mc is interested in love but woukd take anything they can get with him) Or smth else, maybe end in comfort, its up to you, i just havent seen any fics of him!!

Ty 🫶

Can't go through with it

Summary: During a heated encounter with Trap Dorian, you try your best to be respectful of all the other Dorian's boundaries

Featuring: Dorian (specifically Trap Dorian, but others are mentioned)

Fic type: slight angst(?), slight lime (making out, some grinding) in the beginning, and comfort in the end

No specific pronouns used, no use of y/n

Thank you for being my first request <3

He kept you pushed against the wall, hand gently caressing your torso as yours rest on his bare shoulders. The heated kisses he's offering you are nothing but pleasurable, if your quiet moans were anything to go by. Both of your bodies were running hot as his crotch grinded on yours, one of his hands holding your leg up against him to get better access. It was hot, he was hot.

But there was a nagging issue in the back of your head, one not even this impromptu make out session could stop you from thinking about. And Trap Dorian could somehow tell, somehow feel how slightly unfocused you were. "Hey," he mutters, raising his hand from your torso to your face "you alright?" His tone was nothing but sweet as he asked.

With a shake of your head you pull your hands off of him and shake your leg free from his grip, now back to standing with both. He still had you trapped on the wall, but seeing how you were letting yourself go from him he takes a small step back to give you more space to breathe. "What's wrong sweetheart?" Your eyes made contact with his, and for a second you wanted to ignore it all and go back to making out with him; it would be easier that way wouldn't it?

"it's just..." You begin, looking off to the side, leaning into his palm "I don't think it's right." Trap Dorian raises a brow in confusion "What's not right? Did I do something wrong? Cross a boundary by accident?" His question hit too close to home, yet somehow missed the door. "It's not you crossing boundaries. Dorian, it's me who did" the shameful look on your face makes Trap Dorian's heart burn, his hand coming up so he can cup your face with both and make you look at him.

"what do you mean?" His black eyes searching for the answer he somehow doesn't know.

"The other Dorian's..." You begin, hearing his breath hitch for just a moment, "they don't want this. I can't... I can't do this knowing you're all sort of like- I don't know, a hive mind or something." There's a pause, the air so thick you felt like you were going to choke on it before Trap Dorian starts laughing.

His laughing reverberates onto you, his hands shaking and bringing your face along for the ride. "A hivemind? Is that what people think of us as?" He asks between huffs and some chuckles. It's obvious he's trying to calm down from the surprise gigglefest. "I don't know! You guys all know the same stuff somehow, what am I supposed to assume??" You press, trying to keep the conversation serious while also hiding your embarrassment.

"Oh, sweetheart" Trap Dorian pressing his hands closer to your face, almost squishing your cheeks together in the process ",I'm touched you care so much about the others feelings." And you think that's where he'll stop, that he'll try and continue the make out without any other comment, but he continues. "We do sort of.. Share our thoughts- well, not really. We all just sort of... Know? But we are, sort of, different people." His explanation is confusing and he knows it, shrugging a few times as it's really hard for him to explain it. "I want this, want you, but if you really don't want to- in fear of making the others uncomfortable somehow, I won't force you." He leans his forehead on yours, eyes closing to revel in your warmth, feeling your breath stutter across his face. "Shame too, you're a real good kisser." He whispers that last part, getting a quiet laugh out of you followed by a 'thanks' just barely audible.

The two of you sort of stay like that, leaning foreheads together and simply enjoying the others presence and hold.

[zziggerang]

Hanging up without saying “I love you” prank

Pairing: Clark Kent x Female!Reader

Status: One-Shot

Word Count: ~1.2k

Genres: Fluff, Humor, Established Relationship, TikTok prank, Soft!Clark, female reader.

Summary: You decide to prank Clark by hanging up on him without saying “I love you.” It’s just a harmless TikTok trend, right?

My masterlist

It started as a joke. A dumb TikTok trend.

You were scrolling on your free time when the algorithm blessed you with a video captioned “Hanging up without saying I love you on my boyfriend to see how he reacts.”

The girl in the video ended the call casually and the guy instantly called back, mildly panicked, adorably confused.

You had to admit, the temptation was real.

And okay, yeah, maybe it was a little mean. But Clark? He was the sweetest. He’d call you “my love” like he was born in the 1800s, he always kissed your forehead like he’d never see you again, and he refused to hang up the phone without an “I love you.” Ever.

So obviously, you had to try it.

You leaned against your desk, grinning as you picked up your phone and hit “My Superman💙💙💙” on speed dial.

He picked up on the first ring.

“Hey, sweetheart.”

His voice was warm, velvet soft, and somehow always full of relief like just hearing you made everything in his day better.

“Hey, baby. Just checking in. How’s your day?”

He sighed gently. “Long. Bunch of back-to-back interviews. Cat spilled coffee all over my notes, again. But seeing your face at lunch made it better.”

You smiled despite yourself. “She did look guilty.”

“She did not,” he said, deadpan. “She smirked.”

You laughed. “Okay, okay. I gotta head back to work. Talk later.”

“Okay, I love you, bye.”

And with that, you hung up.

No “I love you too.”

You grinned. And waited.

It didn’t take long.

Your phone buzzed five seconds later. Clark Calling.

You answered, keeping your voice innocent. “Hello?”

There was a pause.

“…Did we get cut off?” he asked slowly.

“No, why?.”

Another beat of silence.

You could feel him thinking on the other end.

“…You didn’t say it back,” he said softly.

Your stomach twisted a little at the confusion in his tone.

“Say what?”

“You know.”

You smiled, gently teasing. “Do I?”

“Sweetheart.” His voice dropped an octave. “Are you mad at me?”

Your heart cracked a little. “What? No!”

“You always say it. You never hang up without saying it.”

He sounded genuinely thrown. Not angry, just off. Like his whole emotional compass had glitched.

“I mean,” he added quickly, “it’s okay if you forgot. Or if you’re just busy. I just— I thought maybe I did something.”

Guilt hit you like a truck. Or maybe a train.

You instantly felt like the worst girlfriend on the planet.

“I’m sorry,” you said softly, “It was just a TikTok prank. The ‘hang up without saying I love you’ one. I didn’t mean to freak you out.”

Clark was silent for a second.

Then: “A TikTok prank?”

“…Yeah.”

“You did this to me for a video trend?”

You winced. “I wasn’t recording it. I just thought it’d be funny.”

A pause.

Then he sighed. Deeply. Dramatically.

“I fought Kaiju,” he muttered. “I saved the world from alien and monstrous creatures invasion. But somehow this—this—is what takes me down.”

You burst into laughter.

“I’m serious,” he said, though you could hear the smile in his voice now. “I felt like I stepped into an alternate dimension. You always say it. My brain thought we broke up.”

You snorted. “From one phone call?”

“You don’t understand,” he said seriously, “I live in a state of constant anxiety. I love you so much it physically hurts. Don’t play with my fragile heart.”

“Clark…”

“Say it,” he demanded softly.

You bit your lip, heart warm. “I love you.”

“Again.”

“I love you.”

“Again.”

“Clark.”

He chuckled. “Just making up for the one I missed.”

You could practically see his dimpled smile through the phone.

After a beat, he said, “You know what this means, right?”

“What?”

“You just declared prank war. And I’m not above using my powers.”

“…Clark.”

“X-ray vision. Super-speed. Perfect memory. You don’t stand a chance.”

You groaned. “What have I done?”

He laughed. “Too late now. Love you, prankster.”

“Love you more.”

He paused. “Don’t hang up this time.”

You didn’t.

[loveinhawkins]

ao3

Steve can’t really blame Robin for forgetting her trumpet: they’ve been chatting the whole ride to school like normal, and Spring Break is fast approaching, excitement in the air—so infectious that Steve feels it too, like he’s still at school, like Robin’s anticipation is partly his own.

They barely stop talking for long enough to draw breath; it’s a surprise to them both when Hawkins High comes into view, and Robin has to take her seatbelt off in a hurry, climbing out and rushing through, “So yeah, I’ll keep you updated and—yeah, yeah, my work stuff’s in my bag, okay, see you later, loveyoubye!”

Steve realises the trumpet is still in the backseat as he’s pulling out of the parking lot. He stops, honks his horn, but it’s too late: Robin must’ve already gone inside. Several students look over at the noise, but no-one Steve really knows; Claudia is dropping Dustin off today, but he can’t see any trace of him, otherwise he would’ve…

He does another quick scan—spots one familiar face at the last second.

Yeah, he thinks, you’ll do.

He twists in his seat to pick up the trumpet case and opens the passenger door.

“Hey, Munson!” Eddie’s a couple feet away; it seems like he’s kicked the habit of hardly ever showing up to homeroom. He just looks at Steve, like he’s faintly baffled, so Steve feels the need to tack on, “It’s Steve. Steve Harrington?”

That does the trick: Eddie shakes his head as if Steve’s just said something completely pointless.

“Yeah, no shit.” He heads over to Steve’s car and cocks his head at the case. “Are you trying to uh, trade? I’m cash only, Harrington.”

“Ha ha,” Steve says flatly. “No, it’s—you know Robin, right? She’s in your year.” At Eddie’s blank look, he adds, “Robin Buckley,” trying not to sound judgemental. It’s just now that he knows her, he can’t imagine how it’s possible for anyone to not know her. It’s Robin.

Eddie glances at the case again; the penny must drop, because he says, “Oh. Yeah, duh, she’s the one in band? Fluent in, like, everything?”

Steve smiles. “That’s her.” He hands the case over. “Thanks, man, she’s gonna freak when she realises she doesn’t have it. They’re practicing for the game, so—”

“Swiftest of deliveries, got it,” Eddie says, and he actually manages a little salute while holding the trumpet case.

Steve almost laughs.

He doesn’t think any more on the exchange until he’s picking Robin up again. He’s temporarily locked Family Video—what Keith doesn’t know won’t hurt him. Thank God he’s out of town for Spring Break; Steve’s counting down the days. A whole week of just him and Robin, and whatever movies they want to throw on and enthuse about. He’s already picked out his choices, though he still needs to check if the store has them or if he should go through the tapes he’s got at home.

He brings out a notepad from the glovebox and scrawls a reminder to do just that before he sees Robin walking out of school, trumpet case swinging by her side.

She spots his car without him needing to use the horn—claps her free hand to her forehead, and he shakes his head, smiling. It’s a gesture they keep doing at each other, especially when making mistakes at work, getting more and more stupidly exaggerated each time. Then she switches to a thumbs up which Steve returns enthusiastically with both hands, as she opens the door to the backseat and puts the case back inside the car.

“Glad the delivery was successful,” he says, craning his neck to try and meet her eye.

“Yeah, it—” The clunk of the door being shut, soon followed by Robin opening the passenger door and sliding in, still talking, “—was all good, I just, um—ooh, you have gum in here! Great, thanks—what was I—? Oh yeah, I think I confused him?”

“You confused him?” Steve echoes with amusement: an incontrovertible fact of Hawkins High is Eddie Munson’s talent for confusing other people.

“I didn’t mean to! It’s just—okay so, he showed up, like, ten minutes into first period, but you know how Taylor’s stressing about the pronunciation of—basically Rebecca said fam-eel instead of fam-ee—”

“Quelle horreur,” Steve interjects wryly.

Robin snorts, then nods in approval. “Très bien, see, you sound great! But, like, poor Rebecca, she lost her shit—Miss Taylor, I mean, though Rebecca was—anyway, the point is Taylor’s so incredibly strict about talking in French the whole time. I mean, the whole time.”

“The whole time, got it,” Steve says as he reverses out the parking lot. “Wait, the whole time? What if—”

“Whatever you’re about to say, I guarantee you Taylor doesn’t care. Unless someone’s actually dying, and even then—”

“Okay, but what if there’s—like, what if someone’s gotta get pulled out of class—”

“No-one interrupts Miss Taylor,” Robin says gravely. “No-one has dared try.”

Steve starts to grin. “I see where this is—”

“So, Eddie Munson—Taylor always shuts the door but I see him coming, and he’s, like, looking through the window, and I’m trying to wave without being obvious about it so Taylor doesn’t murder me, and I guess I don’t do it great ‘cause he’s looking at me like…”

There’s a pause. Steve huffs a laugh, knowing that Robin’s probably doing a not all that faithful interpretation of what Eddie looked like.

“Rob,” Steve says patiently, managing a brief side glance, “I’m driving.”

“Right, okay, basically he looked like he thought I needed medical attention. And then he’s lifting up my trumpet case, and I’m trying to, like, signal with my eyes like, yay, great! Please just leave it outside the door if you wanna get out alive, but he doesn’t get it, so he knocks and Taylor. Just. Goes. Silent.”

“Ouch,” Steve says. He knows that type of silence well—thinks namely of Mr Mundy’s ire whenever he showed up late to math.

“And Eddie opens the door, and Taylor just speaks the most rapid French at him, and he basically does the world’s most startled mime act, like, pointing at the case then at me, and he’s got these eyes, Steve—”

“Woah, he has eyes? Hadn’t noticed.”

“—that are just begging you for help. And I’m trying to talk for him, in French, obviously, but I’m trying to widen my eyes like, dude, leave, but he just looks even more confused, but then it must click ‘cause he stammers out Bonjour, and Taylor’s staring him down, it’s so—”

“Sounds painful.”

“I mean, it was kinda worth it in the end.”

Steve chuckles. “Really? How?”

“A: I got my trumpet. And B…” There’s a giggle rising in Robin’s voice as she says, “Eddie Munson might not know much French, but he does know how to say Monsieur Harrington.”

“Bullshit, he didn’t say that.”

Silence, quickly broken by Robin’s hiccuping laughter—which, of course, means Steve starts laughing, too. Much later, he’ll recall just how much he smiled; how he told himself he didn’t quite know why.

“Wait, really?”

“Yes!” Robin says. It’s more of a squeak. “He even tried to make your name sound French, oh my God, I can’t breathe—”

“I mean, doesn’t it sound pretty French already?” Steve says, already planning how he can keep this going; maybe he’ll steal Robin’s beret when she isn’t looking. “Don’t I have that je ne sais quoi?”

“Oh, you are so corny, it’s unb—and don’t act like you don’t know it’s all anyone would talk about after, the whispers.” Robin’s voice rises comically. “Did he say Harrington? As in Steve, Steve Harrington?  Oh, my cousin was in his year, he’s so—”

“Shut up,” Steve says fondly. Then, faux smug, “Told you I’m still cool.”

They’re stuck behind a little build up of traffic, just before the turn off to Family Video—and just as Robin starts to reply, she cuts herself off.

Steve gives her another sidelong glance. She’s trying to slide down in her seat.

“… What are you doing?”

“Shh, Steve, he’s right there!”

“Who’s right—oh.”

Eddie Munson must be walking home today, because there he is on the sidewalk. He’s not noticed them, he’s just readjusting the strap of his bag across his shoulder.

Robin keeps wriggling.

Steve snorts. “Jeez, what’re you so scared of? He’s not gonna turn you to stone.” He thinks about it. “Well, actually, there was that one time where—but that’s just ‘cause one of the Murphy twins freaked at—”

“I’m not scared, I’m just mortified, Steve! I’ve basically ruined his life.”

“Uh-huh, totally. Look at him over there, that’s a broken man, all right.”

The traffic starts to move.

“Oh no,” Robin says. “Oh no, no, no.”

Steve grins mischievously. “I’m gonna say hi.”

Robin sounds like he’s just suggested they go rob a bank. “Steve, don’t you dare—”

“What? I like honking the horn, sue me!”

Which is true: whenever he stumbles upon one of the kids—when he’s not actually giving them rides—he loves seeing their reactions when they spot his car. He’s still got a warm glow from passing by Dustin and his mom on his way to work at the weekend, their enthusiastic waves.

They catch up to Eddie, and Steve sounds the horn in a short rhythmic group of three, like a little song.

He glances over in time to see Eddie’s eyes widen in recognition, a red flush creep up his neck. His hand lifts and hovers in the air like he doesn’t know whether to commit to a full wave or not.

Robin, evidently still panicking, winds down the window. She shouts wildly into the wind, “Merci!”

Steve makes it to the parking lot before he loses it.

“Merci?” he wheezes with laughter, as Robin frantically slaps him in the chest. “Merci?”

“I panicked!”

“Oh my God, really? No-one would know.”

“He’s gonna think I’m a total—”

“Freak?” Steve cackles. Robin socks him in the arm. “Ow!”

“That did not hurt. Ugh, maybe—maybe he didn’t know it was me?” A beat. “Steve.”

“Oh, sorry, didn’t realise you wanted me to lie to you.”

This time Steve avoids the punch, gets out the car and retrieves Robin’s work vest from the back. He tosses it to her over the roof of the car, shakes his head with exasperated affection.

“Rob, seriously, relax. Eddie Munson’s probably just praying he never sees us again.”

Robin rolls her eyes. “Oh, well, in that case.”

But she does relax as she puts on her vest; she’s already enthusing about the movies they’ll watch over Spring Break by the time Steve unlocks the front door.

“You need to pick some, too, Steve.”

“Dude, I have a whole list, it’s in the car.”

“Très bien, Monsieur Harrington.”

“Jesus.” Steve scoffs. “Was that supposed to be an impression?”

“No! Eddie was more like…” Robin does an incredibly odd movement with her jaw, as if preparing herself.

Steve flinches back in mock horror. “Oh my God! Never mind.”

“Now, Monsieur Harrington—”

“Uh, no. That is not becoming a nickname.”

“Pass me those tapes, please.”

“No.”

“Whatever you say… Monsieur Harrington.”

“Robin,” Steve says, breaking again into laughter—and the sight of Eddie Munson so obviously blushing gently drifts to the back of his mind. “Ta gueule!”