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catsafari25 · 2 years ago

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A/N: Hello again, and with this I think (?) I may have succeeded in writing enough bionicle fic to get it out of my system (unless another plot bunny hits me like a cannonball, but... eh, we'll see) and thus, here is the companion piece to the Vakama & Roodaka oneshot.

This time, exploring the scene where Vakama entered the Great Temple, from his side of things! This was also partially inspired by the scene in Challenge of the Hordika where Nokama is almost physically repulsed in trying to enter the Great Temple :)

In the tunnels beneath the temple, Vakama must stoop.

At first he shuffles, mutated arm tucked against him and his sole hand brushing only briefly along the floor to steady himself, but the passages are dark and deep and lined with creatures which seek out the weak. The eyes that watch him are not hungry. They keep their bellies too full for that.

In the end, it is easier quicker to drop to all fours, to share the weight between claw and tool that feet alone cannot. His altered form folds into the new stance with frightening familiarity. It's comfortable.

Natural.

The crown of his mask grazes the tunnel's ceiling, but only in passing. His gait is sure. Well. Surer than the ungainly slouch it had been before.

It was said – back when Matoran were awake to say such things – that even the strongest swimmers of Ga-Metru would hesitate before plunging into the depths of the protodermis sea. Not because the creatures there had any fondness for the taste of Matoran. In truth, it was thought that the rahi actively disliked the flavour. No, it was because the way Matoran swam was indistinguishable from the rahi's usual prey. Only when they had sunk tooth and jaw into their meal would they realise their mistake.

It was an annoying, if harmless mistake for the rahi.

Matoran couldn't say the same.

Vakama's early crawl through the passage had been like that of a Matoran swimmer: functional, but slow and indiscernible from wounded prey. Creatures drag themselves down into these depths to die, in hopes that they will be devoured only when they are too far gone to feel it. The eyes are patient. They will wait to see if this newcomer is similarly inclined.

And so when Vakama drops to his haunches, the eyes blink. Reassess. He moves less like the hunted and more like the hunter now, more predator than prey, and the eyes – and teeth – keep their distance after that.

The path Vakama stalks through was once a protodermis pipe, made obsolete even before the cataclysm. Newer conduits had been built, more efficient, more resilient, and this one had been disconnected but never dismantled. When he reaches its origin, it takes some effort – and his blazer claw – to break the seal across the hatchway, but when he does, one of the temple's protodermis purification chambers looms above him.

The room beyond is quiet.

Unmarked.

He doesn't realise he's stopped until the chittering of his audience draws closer. The snarl he throws back echoes off the pipe's walls, and the eyes retreat, but do not leave.

Vakama curls his hand around the lip of the hatch, and then falters.

Something is wrong.

It's not a pain, because the feeling does not hurt as it ought, but something is undeniably, fundamentally wrong. It causes his breath to catch, his hand to flinch, and it would be so easy, so easy, to turn and walk away, only...

Only he came here for a reason.

The wrongness flares, amplified for a moment, and then he pulls himself up. The eyes watch, but do not follow. Do they feel it too? Can even such base creatures sense the innate malice the temple exudes?

He clambers out of the purification chamber – empty and abandoned now – and stumbles upon his landing. He catches himself, but does not rise back to his feet.

Wrong.

This is wrong.

And at the edge of the wrongness there is a strange sort of terror. It dreads the same way the fire fears the sea, the same way the prey fears the predator; it is the meeting of two primally antithetical forces where only one can survive. It whispers turn back through his mind.

He moves into the next room.

It's one he knows well. Light filters down from the rot-stained windows, centering – as it had the day he'd first seen it – on the suva, and casting long sentinel shadows of the columns standing to attention around it. A crack mars the suva, its stone dome now split cleanly in two from the quakes, and – drawn by some desire he cannot identify (instinct, curiosity... nostalgia?) – he approaches.

It seems so small now. Even bowed and altered in his Hordika form, he looms over the Ta-Metru symbol he'd once had to stretch to reach.

Unbidden, his hand moves to the niche where once he'd placed a Toa Stone – where once he had though himself chosen, duty-bound, destiny-gifted – and falters a breath from the stone.

The wrongness spikes.

Screams.

And with a twist of something he will not call horror, he understands it is not originating from himself.

But from the temple.

It is repulsion. It's alienation. It's recognising him, but as other, as rahi.

It's disgust that a monster would dare enter its sanctuary.

In the Ta-Metru carving, stone once polished to the point of fragmented reflection, he sees a glimmer of his own face. Neither Toa nor Matoran. Nothing blessed by Mata Nui.

Vakama recoils.

And then a wave of his own disgust, propelled by that fury that runs so close to the surface now, rolls through him. If you didn't want us as the Toa, you should've stopped Makuta from choosing us, he thinks, and digs his claws into the stonework.

The wrongness sings.

But he knows it for what it is now, and his morphed, clawed hand gorges scars through the carving. The stone is soft. Its makers had never imagined someone would take a blade to it.

There comes a tapping from across the room, echoing brazenly off the ancient stone walls, and Vakama retreats instinctively into the shadows. A Rahaga enters.

Norik?

No, this Rahaga's armour is more akin to a Po-Matoran than a Ta-Matoran's, the colour of dust and stone. Vakama tries to recall the Rahaga's name – and then dismisses the attempt.

It won't matter, in the end.

The Rahaga walks as he always has, stooped and slow, but clearly unhindered by the temple. He passes by the suva and runs one gnarled hand across the stonework, his movements marred by curiosity rather than reverence.

The rage arrives a fully-formed creation. It drowns out the wrongness, floods the apprehension, and he is moving before he's decided that this is the path he wants.

It is not pain, for it does not hurt as it ought.

But it does still hurt.

Whatever the Rahaga might once have been, they are old and weak now. Four are captured before Vakama's rage has a chance to cool, but the ire is no less dangerous when it does.

(That's the thing about Ta-Metru; it's not a place of fire so much as it is of magma. And magma doesn't extinguish with the cold; it sets. It moors itself into place, an unmovable, burning force.)

The rage settles, solidifies around his heart and lungs and carves a home between his breaths.

(Magma is not fire. It does not leap blindly from one source to the next. Instead it advances. Slowly. Steadily. It finds a channel, a destination, and it engulfs all in its path until it reaches it.)

He finds the last two remaining Rahaga, pathetically ignorant to their brothers' fates and still scavenging the temple for answers. He hears the way Norik appraises his sister's translation, relief clear in his voice that they are one step further on this wild rahi chase. Relief, surely, that the Rahaga are one step closer to regaining their Toa form.

(And Vakama's anger has found its destination.)

He does not descend on the Rahaga's leader the way he has the others. No. Norik will know what's coming for him first. He gets to fear. Vakama waits until Gaaki has gone, until Norik is alone, and then he circles. The wrongness thrums in his veins, weighing him down and labouring his breaths. It doesn't matter. Let Norik hear his approach.

Norik doesn't try to run. Vakama will give him that much. (A wise choice. Vakama intends for this encounter to last, but if Norik runs, Vakama cannot be sure he won't chase.) Instead, the malformed once-Toa calls out and actually tries to approach him. Stupid. Doesn't he know that he won't win any fight, transformed as he is? As both of them are? No, instead, he tries to talk. As if they are equals, as if Norik has done anything to deserve his respect rather than his scorn. As if he has earned the temple's forgiveness for his trespassing.

Even when Vakama raises the fate of Norik's fellow Rahaga, Norik attempts to sway him with the illusion of reason, talking of duty and unity, as if he's not using the other Toa Hordika to chase after a rahi myth for his own desires. As if their roles are in any way comparable, both Toa of Fire once, both leaders, it's true, but Vakama hasn't forgone his duty to chase after selfish needs.

And it stops now.

Vakama circles closer, and Norik is still talking, unease in his voice, but not fear. Still searching for the right words to turn Vakama to his bidding as he has the other Toa Hordika. Ever the voice of two-faced logic.

Why won't he just shut up?

Does Norik think him to be as gullible as the others? As quick to desert his duty as them?

And Vakama knows he wants – needs – to shake that assurance, that arrogance out of Norik. Needs to see that facade of self-righteous wisdom crumble into the terror of his situation.

The growl begins deep in his chest and, unleashed, it becomes a roar. He rears out of the darkness, into the weak sphere of light surrounding Norik – and there, there he finally sees true fear fill the old fool's eyes.

Something slams into Vakama and he reels, his roar cut short. His hand reaches automatically, defensively, to his mask. He finds only water there. It clings to him, imbued with some sort of power – he can feel something other in it – but otherwise impotent.

"Leave my brother alone," Gaaki snarls. She stands in the doorway, small and hopelessly overpowered, but her shoulders are tensed with a stubborness Vakama recognises. Already, her spinner is powering up for another shot.

Well. Two can play at that game.

Vakama's rhotuka fires into motion, but the water has seeped into the mechanism, and dowses the fire before it has a chance to catch. He gives it a withering look, before turning the expression onto Gaaki. "Very clever."

Another water spinner hits him, but this time he is braced for it and all it does is wash harmlessly off him.

"Is that all you have?" he asks. His blazer claw splutters, but the claws on his hand flex. After all, there's more than one way to defang a muaka...

Gaaki steps back. Good. She knows she's outmatched. "It's a devastating attack underwater," she offers, and her words are strong but there is a cracked edge to them.

"Then you'd better start finding a puddle," Vakama growls, "before my claws find you," and he drops into a run, feet pounding and fangs bared and that ever-present wrongness humming about him.

She doesn't flee. Just like Norik, she stands her ground, gnarled fingers wrapped tight around her staff. Her eyes are hard, but he sees the way her hands shake.

How long will her resolve last, Vakama wonders. Before or after the claws find their mark?

He never finds out.

He's knocked off his feet before he reaches her, and when he hits the ground, ropes of energy pin him to the earth, like a water-bound rahi caught in a net.

What–

Norik.

He'd forgotten Norik.

He thrashes against the restraints, but they hold strong – for now. His blazer claw splutters again, but it does nothing to the energy that binds him.

He stills as he hears footsteps approach.

The two Rahaga hobble into his line of sight. Gaaki is breathing hard, as if only now is she allowing herself to feel the fear. "You left that late, Norik," she says, and even the breath that follows sounds more like a shaken wheeze than a nervous laugh. "Almost too late."

"I only had the one shot. I couldn't afford to miss," Norik replies. "He's got our brothers. Gaaki, go find–"

"I'm not leaving you alone with him," she retorts. "I only went for a moment before, and look what would have happened if I hadn't returned."

Vakama tilts his head as well as the energy net will allow. He grins at the Rahaga, anger curdling it into a sneer. "Yes, Gaaki, you're very good bait, congratulations." He shifts his gaze to Norik. "But you've always been so good at getting others to do your dirty work, haven't you, Norik?"

Norik doesn't even have the decency of guilt. Instead, he simply looks tired. "Whatever you think you know–"

"I know the truth! You don't care about the Matoran, you only care about yourselves!" He strains against the ropes, and although they do not break, there's a little more give in them than before. He slumps back to the ground, breathing hard. "You might have the other Toa fooled. You might even have the temple fooled, but not me," he growls, and the temple's hatred presses down on him, straining his last words.

Gaaki places a frail hand on her brother's arm. "Norik," she says, and there is such unbearable sorrow in her voice. "He looks in pain."

"It's not my doing," Norik assures her softly. "My snare spinner only binds."

Vakama snarls. "I don't need pity from the likes of you. I know what you are."

"We're allies, Vakama," Norik says, in that insufferably reasonable way of his. "Friends."

"You're frauds," Vakama snaps. He twists against his restraints. They slacken, just a touch. "Liars. You don't deserve to walk these floors."

And the Rahaga stand there, unburdened by the temple's hate, strangers to this land, to Metru Nui, and yet it is Vakama the temple repulses? After everything he has forgone, the life he's abandoned, the friendships he's lost, Mata Nui punishes him?

His rhotuka fires off a fire spinner, and it goes wide, cracks a wall. Norik and Gaaki stumble back, Norik preparing another snare shot, but the energy net holding Vakama snaps. Vakama lurches forward, suddenly free, and slams into Norik.

The snare spinner wraps itself around a column. It lights up the room with crackling energy.

A blast of water grazes past his shoulder, too shy of hitting Norik to commit to taking the easy shot, and Vakama reels towards Gaaki. He fires with a snarl, but hears the snare spinner coming again and ducks at the last moment.

Again his own attack misses and the shot cleaves clean through a wall. Something on the other side begins to smoulder.

Then it begins to rumble.

It's a low sound at first, as deep as the earth and just as vast. Almost like a distant growl. But then the cracks begin to spiral out across the roof, along the columns, and the room buckles.

The light flickers. The frames of the high windows above collapse.

The world becomes fragmented, filled with flickering images. Falling masonry and toppling pillars and dust – but the sounds never relent. Even in the depths of the passing darkness, the thunder continues.

And when the dust settles, so does an awful silence.

Vakama straightens, or does his best approximation of it. Fragments of cracked protodermis fall from his shoulders, his head, his back. He withdraws the hand which has somehow found itself raised above Gaaki, knocking aside the stone slab caught against his arm.

Where's Norik?

Both Hordika and Rahaga stand side by side, that quietness disturbed only by the skittering of stone shards settling. There is wrongness in his breath, his head, and it's impossible to separate where the temple's ends and his begins. But any moment now, Norik will reappear from the wreckage, bearing that ever-same holier-than-thou look, and the anger will rise anew in Vakama.

Any.

Moment.

Now.

"You've killed him," Gaaki says, and her voice breaks that terrible stillness. She draws in a half-breath that cracks into a sob. "You've... oh, Norik..."

No.

No, it was an accident. He hadn't meant to– Norik had simply been in the wrong place. It wasn't as if he'd taken a blazer claw to Norik, or hit him directly with a fire spinner. He'd only meant to... what? What had he only meant to do?

Something swings towards him and he grabs the staff before he even registers what it is.

"He's not dead," Vakama says, and maybe if he says it, he might even believe it. He snaps his gaze to Gaaki, as if her grief is bringing it to pass. "He's not. He's not as easy to kill as that. When the others– when the Toa find him, he'll be fine. Fools like him always find a way to survive."

Gaaki attempts to pull her staff free, but her strength is no match for Vakama's. He wretches it out of her grasp and tosses it aside.

"Stop that."

She doesn't listen to him, only steps back and charges up her rhotuka. The grief in her eyes fogs into hatred.

The water spinner hits him but does little more than rock him.

"Stop."

Gaaki screams, a sound of rage and anguish, and releases a volley of spinners as ineffectual as the first.

Vakama's patience – or whatever had held him in place until now – snaps. He lunges forward. His claws close around the joints of Gaaki's rhotuka and pins the mechanisms harmlessly into place, in the same manner one might pick up a baby ussal crab by the widest edge of its shell. She thrashes, but Vakama's grip holds.

"I said, stop," he snarls.

She's breathing hard, her gasps sharp-edged with agony. "You killed him," she says, voice hoarse and hateful.

His insides twist, and – Gaaki hauled by his side – he starts the ascent to where the rest of the Rahaga are trapped. He doesn't look back to the rubble. Doesn't glance for one last glimpse of Norik's resting place.

He's not dead. He's not dead he's not dead he's not

The wrongness, the hatred, has woven so deep into him, it's almost a part of him now.

Toa don't kill. Vakama can't remember who taught him that (he recalls, briefly, the flash of a gold mask, but it comes with pain – grief – and he pushes it aside before it can take root) but it gnaws at him like a trapped stone rat. Toa don't kill.

But he was never meant to be one.

And if the Great Temple – if Mata Nui – thinks a mistake was made in Vakama's destiny....

Well. That's somebody else's problem.

The Hordika that returns to Roodaka is different from the one she sent out. There's something new in his eyes... or perhaps something lost.

"How was the temple, Vakama?" she asks when it's just the two of them.

He looks to her. Beneath the anger, beneath the rahi, there's almost a haunted look to those eyes. It vanishes a moment later, but Roodaka never doubts her own eyes.

"Unwelcoming," he replies, and Roodaka smiles. She could have suggested Vakama pick the Rahaga off one by one in the chaos of Metru Nui, outside where her Visorak could have been an aid... but the temple had been too good an opportunity to miss.

"Good." She sets a hand on his shoulder. "You owe no loyalty to Mata Nui, Vakama. Not anymore."

He rolls his shoulder, but not sharp enough to dislodge Roodaka's hand.

"One thing I do not understand," she says. "What happened to the sixth Rahaga?"

The Toa growls. It is a gutteral sound, rooted deep in the chest and at home in a way it wasn't before. "You wanted a message left for the other Toa. I needed a messenger."

"Alive?"

Vakama shrugs his shoulder again, and this time she lets him roll her hand loose. "Does it matter, so long as they understand?" he growls.

No, Roodaka concedes as she surveys the remains of the Toa before her. She supposes not.

#bionicle #cat writes #lego bionicle #do i have a weakness for the hordika arc? you'll never know #(yes. look i was a well behaved 12year old kid who loved plots about characters going feral. i ate the hordika plotline up)#(and two decades later or there abouts i still have nostalgic fondness for it)#heya so how do we feel about vakama returning to the temple and finding it is repulsed by him?#a discovery that might not only confirm he wasnt chosen by mata nui but has been forsaken #and yeah this was the fic i technically titled 'damned'#but also casually thought of it as 'god called to let you know he hates you personally'#because that's definitely a normal thing to name a fic #also yes i like the idea that roodaka pushed vakama to enter the temple knowing he would feel abandoned by mata nui #and thus helps sever the 'destiny' part of the three virtues #i like the idea that just like matau had to invoke the three virtues to get vakama back #roodaka worked on severing vakamas ties to the three virtues to get him to turn his back on the others #and while she succeeded with unity and destiny #duty she could only derail or corrupt rather than sever entirely #and that (esp since duty is vakamas whole shtick) is why matau reminding him of his duty finally worked #i'll probably add this and the stasis tube au to ao3 in time #but for now it goes here

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joshuaalbert · 2 years ago

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oh good it’s seska.

#back to be a flop antagonist again I’m sure #also I haven’t really been liveblogging but I have mixed feelings on body and soul that I haven’t really sorted out #nightingale was. actually idk how I feel about that one either on one hand it’s not a bad episode on the other it feels kind of like #it’s rubbing in the promotion thing from an external standpoint? idk #and then I did like flesh and blood I was kinda like ok where can we go with hologram rights from here but this felt like good payoff #to several different things. idk it was a good kind of finale to that plotline and the hirogen one #why am I doing all this in the tags. whatever.#voy liveblog

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weirdly-specific-but-ok · 1 year ago

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Pt III good omens but i STILL SOMEHOW haven't watched it (and i'm increasingly passive aggressive)

i'm now basically held hostage adopted as mascot by this fandom. it's fine i'm fine *SIGNALS FOR HELP DESPERATELY*

Alright fuckers I swear this time I'm going to get some shit right. Without further ado, here's my third attempt at a good omens summary:

Everything everywhere is queer all at once

Angel Aziraphale and demon Crowley on earth likey each other

The car is a bentley and it is BLACK not silver and everyone is very upset about this. my bad yall it was reflecting light therefore i guessed more silver than black but I'm not Anish Kapoor take your black.

Then it is yellow, and aziraphale likes it. crowley preferred the black because he's a flamboyant emo.

God is a deadbeat absentee parent and you are all children of divorce.

There's a naked archangel and they cause problems for the husbands somehow. By being naked? By being an archangel? By being at their doorstep? Who knows not me

They were actually married for 6000 years, they just are the last to know about it.

Crowley is on fire. Like, he's slaying for sure, but also he is literally on fire, like Aziraphale's bookstore.

The actors like I said before are Michael Sheen and David Tennant but this is the place where I finally admit that I don't actually know who is whom. I'm going to assume Michael is Aziraphale because Michael sounds angel-y and David is Crowley because uh Michaelangelo made David and was gay for him.

Terry Pratchett is not fictional.

He co-wrote the book with @neil-gaiman, who IS fictional, because he does not have social media. Several of you have assured me that he is in fact a fandom inside joke. I like to think he would be proud of me.

They adopt a preteen and Crowley gives him bad advice.

At some point a baby was delivered to someone and was exchanged for the son of Satan. Idk if the baby is the preteen, or the son of satan is the preteen, or neither. This could be a fanfic, I have no way of differentiating the fanfic from canon on tumblr, except that the canon is weirder.

Crowley does not go down a chute. He goes down a telephone cord after making himself microscopic to pole dance on a pin with shroom-induced backgrounds.

During this his stage name is Disco Tony. Get it king go slay you're making better life choices than I am tbh.

Aziraphale is a biblically accurate angel, and you have all gone to extensive lengths to prove this to me. I understood nothing, but there you go.

It's all very queer, just like the fandom.

Crowley is a retired demon but he still sins by breaking the speed limit.

They eat at fancy restaurants and bicker but like in a sexual undercurrent way.

Crowley gives Aziraphale a private dance that is not a lap dance, it is an apology dance, but not in a kinky way, until it is.

Their haircuts keep changing and range from 'this is acceptable and gay' to 'i let a drunk chimpanzee take gardening shears and a blowtorch to my hair'

It's all ineffably queer my good fellows

Everyone keeps trying to convince me Neil Gaiman is the villain yeah no guys I know it's really you. Y'all be like 'SEASON TWO BROKE ME' and then you're making headcanons to make it sadder yeah I see you mmhm.

There is a final fifteen. It is sad. What is it? No one told me.

The demon turns goats into crows and the angel turns them back and then children are turned into newts (does the angel turn them back? who cares not yall) and the demon was the snake in the Eden garden and everyone's furry game seems to be on point.

There are a rather lot of children. I have not seen them. But I am assured they are there. They are, guys. I assume they were turned into the alcohol Aziraphale and Crowley drink or something.

There was an apocalypse plotline. It was averted. It is not important. You don't talk about plotlines in this fandom, no sir.

Crowley doesn't want to go to heaven. Aziraphale is sad.

The kiss is not nice, just like this fandom. It is queer, just like this fandom. It is sad and desperate and masochistic, just like this fandom.

Aziraphale doesn't want to stay back with Crowley. Crowley is sad.

Season 2 ends. Fandom is sad.

Everyone's sanity is hinging on the promise of a happy ending in season 3. Good luck guys.

Y'all better appreciate this. I can't even boast to my mother about this legacy of mine, hey mum your son has been held hostage kidnapped inducted into a cult adopted by a fandom he's not part of look he's winning at life.

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failchild · 3 months ago

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i can write so much more about why i think severance S2 isn't as strong or enjoyable as S1, but i could truly go on forever so i've organized my thoughts into three categories: lack of inter/departmental connection, dropped storylines, and how the world feels much smaller (1.2k words under the cut)

lack of inter/departmental connection

a significant theme of the S2 finale is the solidarity between different severed departments. MDR, mammalians nurturable, and the marching band department become impromptu allies against lumon management. innie mark is hesitant to save gemma not just because he might cease to exist, but so might the entire severed department. so why wasn't this a theme throughout the whole season?

episode 3 was building up to this: mark and "helly" made contact with mammalians nurturable, and irving visited O&D to share a nice moment with felicia. but that interdepartmental connection is completely dropped until the the finale, seven episodes later.

innie mark's concern for all severed workers rings a bit hollow when he doesn't seem to care about the three innies he got terminated in episode 1, and hasn't thought about irving at all. (i know ignoring grief is mark's whole thing, but he's known irving his whole life! there's not even a single moment of him acknowledging irving after his firing.) like, okay, mark said innie rights! does he really demonstrate that throughout the season, though?

EDIT: oh my god, miss casey—innie mark willingly killed miss casey. if he was truly so concerned about every innie, shouldn't he have been conflicted about leading her to her death? the person he said "we're people, not parts of people" to? the person he said "no one gets to just turn you off" to? (mark! you just turned her off!)

what stands out more is the lack of connection within MDR itself: once irving's gone, MDR just doesn't seem to care about each other. their tight-knit friendship and "we're in this together" dynamic is supplanted by romance. sure, mark and helly love each other now—why does that have to come at the cost of their friendship with dylan? do they just not care that he's been disappearing for half the work day? in the S2 finale, it's a great character moment for dylan when he comes to the rescue, but would helly and mark do the same for him? they didn't seem to notice or care that he was gone for mark's completion of cold harbor.

dropped storylines and dramatic twists that lead nowhere

(i know how television works, i know that plotlines that begin in one season can get resolved in another. okay. now that's out of the way)

remember how bold of a decision it was to have mark reintegrate in episode 3? the building of tension, reghabi asking an increasingly confused mark basic questions ("what season is it?" "you mean, what quarter?"), mark waking up on the severed floor table, and the triumphant soundtrack that follows? none of that seems to matter now: reghabi is out of the picture and mark doesn't get reintegration sickness or hallucinations anymore. reghabi kept warning mark to not move his head—then he fell to the ground and slammed his head, and was beaten in the head by drummond. is his brain okay? did the reintegration process even happen? did i dream this plotline? where am i?

what did the undercover helena plot accomplish? okay, so it was crazy when irving revealed that helena was impersonating helly. what exactly were the consequences of this? besides irving getting fired, there were barely any ripple effects for this seemingly momentous betrayal—mark was uncomfortable for two episodes, and helly was upset for, like, ten minutes tops. it's a fun plot twist for sure, but it doesn't seem to truly affect the character it should matter most to, and helly isn't given the time to wrestle with the fact that she's an eagan (royalty! a god!) and found out mere hours ago. we get to know helena a bit, i guess, but she was already compelling when she was just a face on a TV screen, telling helly that she wasn't a person.

speaking of irving's firing, this was the perfect setup for learning more about his outie, but we learn nothing. we have the same questions as we did in S1: who's he working with? what's his motivation to infiltrate lumon? why does he know about the elevator to the testing floor? irving is just as much of a mystery as he was in S1—and now we don't know if we'll ever see him again and get answers to those crucial character questions.

milchick has undoubtedly the best character arc this season. in episode 9 he finally snaps at upper management and can barely process what it means when outie mark tells him, "work's just work". i don't think milchick would turn his back on lumon entirely, that wouldn't be realistic, but all his character moments throughout the season seemed to be culminating to him realizing that, yeah, work is just work, it's not that serious. it makes sense that he would try his hardest to escape the bathroom, then get greeted by an innie uprising—but that would have also happened to a S1 milchick. after the kier animatronic microaggressions and all the shit he has to do to prepare for cold harbor's completion, would he really try to escape the bathroom that hard? or would he be having a midlife crisis, staring himself down in a mirror? i'm genuinely not sure.

i know i'm in the minority here but i loved ricken in S1—he and his strange followers bring an earnestness and sense of humor that made the show feel unique in how it juggled wildly different tones. ricken was also crucial to the innie story, and helped innie mark realize his potential as a human being. but besides appearing in a single flashback during the gemma episode, ricken's been completely absent since episode 3. what happened to his lumon sellout arc? what does he think his wife, who he has a newborn baby with, is doing? did he die in a private yacht explosion?

we still don't know what cold harbor is, right? we know that each file MDR completes is another room for gemma, but what's cold harbor specifically, and why would it kill her? she starts to disassemble a crib without feeling negative emotions—how is that any different from any other innie? is the point to sever away specific trauma? is that really it? and again, why would that kill her?

the world feels much smaller

the world outside of lumon is absent in S2. S1 had ricken and his weird friends, mark going on dates, back alley concerts, anti-severance protests, snippets of the news—there was life outside of lumon! S2 leaves that all behind to tighten focus on lumon and the people directly involved in the company, which makes the story very insular.

characters are so vitally important now: helly is an eagan, mark is the only one who can finish cold harbor and cold harbor is The Most Important Thing In The World We Have To Complete It Now, everything MDR does is because of gemma, and cobel invented severance. everyone else feels supplemental—people like irving and ricken can be easily discarded. the science fiction aspects, which were bizarre and unknowable in S1, are now directly personal to everyone. it's like milchick lying about the tallest waterfall in the world: it just makes everything seem smaller.

this also muddies S1's central themes and satire of the corporate world. mark isn't just another cog in the machine anymore, he's the most important guy (they fired and rehired a bunch of people, just for him!). the work isn't mysterious anymore, we know exactly what they're doing. mark being an ordinary guy who goes to an office job he doesn't really understand was the point of the corporate satire. severance just isn't interested in that anymore, which i guess is understandable; the show can grow into something different. but using a sci-fi concept to comment on office culture and the different personas we inhabit for work was so clever and special, and now they're just exploring well-trodden ground like identity and what it means to be human. sci-fi has already done that one, guys! many times!

again, i can say a lot more but i think this sums up my main thoughts. and i generally liked each episode individually, but when i look at the season as a whole it just doesn't cohere nearly as well as S1 did.

#severance #severance spoilers

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theladysunami · 2 years ago

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I listen to a lot of audiobook murder mysteries, which has me thinking:

Shen Yuan transmigrating into a murder mystery… as the killer!

There are a couple of ways the story could go.

First Option: Shen Yuan lets his System know, in no uncertain terms, he will not be murdering anyone.

Its response: [Alternate Plotline Initiated. New Assignment: Designated Red Herring].

Poor Shen Qingqiu finds himself stuck in a whole murder mystery series, and any time anyone is murdered, he somehow ends up being the number one suspect!

The victim? Probably picked a fight with Shen Qingqiu at some point. (Shen Qingqiu tries to avoid such arguments, but it never seems to work!)

The murder weapon? Yeah, Shen Qingqiu is almost guaranteed to have touched it. (Shen Qingqiu is severely tempted to start wearing gloves 24/7.)

The body? Either Shen Qingqiu finds it himself at some inopportune time, and/or it was stashed somewhere “only” he is supposed to have access to. (At some point it's just: Shen Qingqiu opens a door… sees a body… closes the door. “Time to call the cops, yet again.”)

Shen Qingqiu ends up a tad paranoid about the whole thing, setting up cameras outside his house, in his office, in his car, etc. just to (hopefully) stop people from planting evidence any of those places.

If anyone asks about the truly absurd number of (eventually dropped) murder allegations, Shen Qingqiu insists he's cursed. Even with genre blinders on (making the number of convoluted murders in the area seem normal somehow), it's hard for anyone to argue the point.

For Shen Qingqiu's day job (when he's not busy being charged with murder) he works as a professor at a university with a highly regarded Criminology & Criminal Justice program. I'm thinking the original goods was a literature professor, with a strong distaste for cops, who was known for grading anyone in the criminal justice program exceedingly harshly. Naturally one of his students is the protagonist, Luo Binghe.

After his transmigration, professor Shen Qingqiu suddenly becomes a very kind and doting professor with a real passion for literature. This leaves Luo Binghe quickly smitten and makes him a very motivated amateur detective, since he's determined to prove his beloved's innocence as quickly as possible and as often as needed!

Second Option: Shen Yuan takes over after the original goods already committed the murder.

He wakes up with a splitting headache (the victim attempted to defend themselves presumably), looks at his bloody hands… looks at the victim… looks at the weapon… looks at his bloody hands again. “Damn it, Airplane.”

He decides he doesn't want to try and hide a body actually, just to be caught by the protagonist later and charged with a whole slew of things in addition to murder, so he calls the cops himself. He might as well take advantage of the fact he has a concussion and literally doesn't remember a thing. Maybe he can get the charges reduced somewhat and get a lighter sentence.

Of course the first cop that arrives at the scene is Yue Qingyuan, who as the #1 Xiao-Jiu stan gives Shen Qingqiu way too much benefit of the doubt. The most obvious evidence also keeps being erased or damaged by weird as hell coincidences.

Shen Qingqiu knows he certainly isn't responsible for damaging evidence and wonders if the System is working overtime behind the scenes to ensure there actually is a mystery for Luo Binghe to solve. (After all, it wouldn't be much of a story if Shen Qingqiu was already charged and sentenced before Luo Binghe had a chance to even do anything.)

To his complete bewilderment, after a few days leave to recover from the concussion, Shen Qingqiu is actually allowed to return to his university teaching job. He decides to make the best of it, since who knows how long he'll be a free man.

As in the first scenario, a few months later and Luo Binghe is absolutely smitten, not to mention all the other students and faculty that have come to adore him.

As Shen Qingqiu has successfully endeared himself to pretty much anyone and everyone local that could actually charge him or provide eyewitness testimony, not to mention all the shady shit about murder victim Qiu Jianluo the ongoing investigation keeps digging up, the plot stalls for a bit until the state police (aka Huan Hua Palace) are finally called in by Qiu Haitang.

Unfortunately for the ‘HHP’ folks, the protagonist himself is on Shen Qingqiu's side, and Luo Binghe is perfectly happy to muddy the waters by conveniently “losing” evidence, sending them after every single red herring he comes across, and “accidentally” digging up dirt on all the shady dealings going on in their department.

The System keeps trying to motivate Shen Qingqiu to hide evidence, lie, or do literally anything suspicious to progress the plot further, but all its punishment protocols involve sabotaging Shen Qingqiu's coverup attempts (of which he has none) or revealing information to the protagonist (who is complicit by this point) so it's fresh out of luck.

Eventually the System gives up and Shen Qingqiu is congratulated for “getting away with murder!” despite the fact he didn't actually do anything.

“Seriously? Does it even count as getting away with murder when the original goods was the actual murderer? I didn't kill anyone!”

[...]

#BingQiu #Shen Qingqiu #Luo Binghe #SQQ #LBH #Scum Villain's Self Saving System #SVSSS #SVSSS Idea #Story Idea #* I know nothing about the Chinese justice system... but the 'original book' would have been written by Airplane so it's fine.

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hellfire--cult · 3 months ago

Text

Edit of Eddie: pitifulbaby

Chapters: Masterlist (Go here to see list of chapters, plotline and general warnings.)

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader

Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Non-Traditional Omegaverse, Slow burn, Modern!AU, Mechanic!Eddie

⚠️18+: fluff, angst, angst, angst, some little smut at the beginning, and indications of it at the end, Eddie having a severe sweet tooth

wc: 11.7k

A/N: so soon? who would of thought? thank you @andvys for proofreading my bby ❤️ also, i hurt my own feelings writing this chapter.

Anyways, Enjoy! ❤️ And don't forget to always support me by hitting the reblog button or leave a comment!

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CHAPTER 23

You were gripping the pillow below your head tightly, biting your bottom lip with a pleasured smile as you groaned into your throat.

Your back arched as the sun beams entered from the windows, the clock signaling 10:39 AM, and you had awakened just a few minutes ago. This was your new favorite way of waking up, and you didn’t think you could let go of it that easily. Your mind was filled with the drowsiness of just waking up, mixing with the lust and the overstimulation from yesterday as well.

You gasped when you felt yourself clench tightly around large fingers, your orgasm exploding from you as your clit was sucked on, and the movements never stopped. You trembled as your back arched and arched, and you were helped to ride the orgasm out, slowly, until you weren’t clenching any longer and your back hit the mattress beneath you once more.

You were breathing heavily, a dopey relaxed smile on your lips, your eyes closed, and you whimpered a bit through it all as the fingers were pulled out from you. You looked down, and then, crawling up towards you and popping his head out from the blanket, Eddie appeared with a smirk on his face, your juices all over his mouth and chin.

“God, I love having breakfast first thing in the morning.” He joked and you snorted, your hands flying to your face in shame while you laughed. You heard his chuckle as he moved over you, giving a kiss to your stomach before he got the blanket and sheets off the both of you so he could get up. You dropped your hands to finally look at him as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“You’re insatiable.”

“Oh come on. As if you don’t fucking like it, Peach.” You couldn’t help the giggle that fell from your lips as you also got up from the bed, grabbing onto Eddie’s tank top, putting it on over you, and then you grabbed your panties and gym shorts. He was pulling some new boxers on himself as well as some sweatpants, pushing his hair away from his face, and now, you would go to the bathroom to clean yourself and then, you would have breakfast.

The new dynamic. A domestic one. The one you two have been having for two weeks now. You stayed, he stayed, and you had breakfast, then lunch, then spend the day, maybe a fuck in there or not, and then you two would leave. This new arrangement just made the two of you spend more and more time with one another and you couldn’t be happier. He now stays on weekdays too, not the weekends only anymore.

You two got up and got ready for work, maybe even have a coffee together before either you headed out from his house before Gareth popped up, because Jeff already knew, or him leaving your apartment first before you left yourself to your office. Well, sometimes not even just coffee… You woke Eddie up the other day with a blowjob, or sometimes the two of you would just simply find each other as soon as the alarms set off. You have been in an amazing mood for the past weeks, and you had Eddie to thank for that.

Today, he woke you up with kisses on your chest, then your stomach, and when you could fully grasp the situation, he started eating you out. You were amazed that this man was so starved for you in that way, to the point of wanting to do it to you just because. He told you he loved it, and by the hard ons he got each time he ate you out, you could be sure of that.

You walked to the door of the bedroom, ready to head to the bathroom, but you felt your ass being slapped as you passed by Eddie, who you glared at. He shrugged with a grin and he continued to rummage his drawers for pants. Your heart beat loudly in your chest as you left the room and headed to finally clean yourself down there because, even if you were kinky like that with Eddie, you are not that kinky to be walking around with your juices and his saliva between your legs.

Your stomach never let those butterflies die. You could feel them still as wild as the day they first hatched from their cocoon. You wondered if at any point you would be able to tell him about your feelings. Should you at this point? Maybe not. You bit the side of your thumb nail nervously. The signs were there, right? You could see them and feel them, but what if it was all in your head? Why were you not confident with this? It was so unlike you.

You always went head first with your feelings, you were honest, and you would also be more cautious with this. Before, you would have left the person you started having feelings for after confronting them about it and they rejected you. Now, you couldn’t even confront Eddie with them, therefore, you didn’t know if he would reject you or not. But the thought of him possibly doing so… frightened you.

It was the first time you felt like this. More than Henry. Or maybe because you never truly went through it like this before. Henry, you both knew it was more than just a fling. It was years of pent up tension and feelings, fucking idiotic to say it now, but it was. Then Billy, he confronted you first with his feelings, so he was the one with the fear of rejection, even if you were barely coming to terms with your own feelings at that time.

But with Eddie, you were doubtful and you didn’t know why exactly. Maybe it was because you knew how… well, how much of a manwhore Eddie was before. When you two didn’t speak with one another, you would know about how many girls he fucked in a single weekend against your own accord. It was because Robin was always shocked. She told you that Eddie once fucked five girls in a single weekend.

That memory made your belly turn uncomfortably. That was the reason you were skeptical about it all. It was hard to believe that out of fucking five girls in a single weekend, he would settle to just fuck you. Just you. But then it also begs the question if you were indeed special to him, or maybe, you were the only one who let him hit it raw.

Now that the aftermath, the bliss of finally becoming exclusive with him passed, you could see a little clearer. He could be just doing this because he goes raw and you knew it feels ten times better for a dick. You couldn’t help your brain from being mean to you. Sometimes you wished you could just shut it off, but it always happened. It would turn on at a random time of the day, with Eddie or not, and it would start fucking up your mind.

You sighed as you cleaned yourself, putting the panties and then the gym shorts on. You looked into the mirror and you saw the hickey on your collarbone, making you roll your eyes but deep inside you felt owned. You felt like he was marking you because he wanted that little bruise to sneak out in front of someone, maybe when you leaned down and your shirt would fall a bit, open up, and for it to show.

Or maybe he was too horny and he didn’t notice he did it.

See? The fucking brain being mean to you once again. You washed your hands as well as your face, trying to center yourself back to earth. You opened the mirror cabinet and got your hand lotion out, the vial in there almost empty now, and the curiosity picked up again. What was that? The liquid was sort of purple, and you had never seen anything like that. His name was on it, so it was prescribed.

Were you in a position to ask him about it? There was another word under his name though… You grabbed the little vial, but it only had the letters ‘SUPP.’. Supplement maybe? Probably some vitamin he had to inject himself with?

You wondered why he never spoke of any illness before with you. You couldn’t help but wonder if Steve knew, or if anyone else did. You didn’t dare to ask the others in case they did not know, and you would just throw Eddie under the bus if you asked. If he didn’t talk to you about it, it’s either too personal, or something he wanted to ignore… yet your curiosity was eating you away.

You put the vial back, and picked up the lotion to put a bit on your palms and then smear them, putting the tube back and closing the cabinet. One of the few things that made you believe you had a chance, was the fact that Eddie had let you leave a few things of your own around his house.

The lotion in the cabinet was one, then there were some scrunchies in the drawer of the night table on the right, the side you always slept in. Then he would always keep diet coke in his fridge knowing you drink that religiously, and then you had your toothbrush. You knew almost no one went to the bathroom upstairs, Eddie had told you so. There was no issue with you leaving some of your stuff around his house, as well as he left his.

You still had one of his hair creams for his curls in your shower, then you also had his toothbrush there, and when asked, you always told them it was Jeff’s. You still didn’t know how you were handling that lie so well. You didn’t know for how long it would stay that way though, so that’s why you were starting to put pressure on confessing your feelings to Eddie.

If Robin were to find out you had been lying to her for months, you knew she wouldn’t forgive you. She would be so mad. But, sooner or later you would have to tell her the truth, more so if you take the leap and confess. Robin needed to know the person behind either your happiness or your heartbreak. You hoped it was happiness, but you couldn’t be sure and that was slowly eating your confidence away.

You brushed your teeth later on, brushing your hair with the brush that Eddie had there for himself. You couldn’t believe you felt giddy by the fact his hairs were mixed with yours in this stupid brush. You had to get a hold of yourself. You are literally fucking this man, and you were acting like a schoolgirl being giddy over the fact her crush said ‘hello’ to her. You shook your head, wiping your hands away with the hand towel, before walking out of the bathroom.

Eddie walked out from the room now, his hair on a low ponytail, and he gave you a smile, nodding towards the stairs to signal you to go have breakfast. You squinted your eyes at him, an eyebrow of his rising in question.

“Didn’t you have breakfast already?” You asked and he chuckled, beginning to walk forward, his arms crossed over his chest.

“I ain’t full yet.” You smiled, biting your bottom lip and you immediately slapped his ass this time. He jumped at the slap, his head turning to look at you with a squint. You raised your hands in feigned innocence.

“You had a mosquito.” He rolled his eyes, smiling as he walked down the stairs, you following right behind him like a puppy.

“Yeah, sure. You are obsessed with my ass, and you know it.” He commented as he walked to the kitchen. You followed and turned to the fridge instantly, opening it as if you owned the house and Eddie did not mind a bit. He never did. Another thing that made you think that you were extra special to him. You hummed as you looked at the contents inside the fridge.

“Look who’s talking.” You spoke and you grabbed some juice, looking at what else you two could eat for today. Eddie was in fact obsessed with your ass, or at least the position. He loved the ass up only position, and you weren’t complaining, you loved it too. He felt deep and he hit your g-spot perfectly each fucking time.

“I never denied that.” You heard him chuckle as two glasses clinked when he put them on the counter. You hummed as you also grabbed some frozen eggos from his freezer.

“Who the fuck buys Eggos nowadays?”

“They’re delicious and quick to make if you’re in a hurry, or simply don’t want to cook… like now.” He grinned as he took the box of frozen waffles and walked back to his toaster. You scrunched your nose once more and you slowly put the juice back, turning your head to peek over your shoulder to see if Eddie was still turned around. You licked the corner of your lip and reached out for a can of coke. He always nagged at you about drinking coke at so early in the morning, but you couldn’t help it. Your throat was dry and you didn’t want coffee like this.

You closed the fridge, walking towards the stool and sitting down, looking at Eddie’s back as he whistled. You heard the click of the toaster and you took the opportunity to open your can, the ‘psst, clack’ sound louder than the click. Your face turned into a wince as you saw Eddie straighten up, slowly turning around with a murderous look on his eyes.

“You sneaky shit.” You smiled innocently and slowly took a sip of your coke with a loud slurp. He sighed, rolling his eyes at you, going towards the fridge to grab the syrups and a can of coke himself.

“Ha!” You exclaimed and he glared at you, closing the fridge with his elbow, putting the bottles of chocolate and strawberry syrup on the table. He opened his own can and took a long sip, before he let out a sigh of relief.

“You are a bad influence. I never drank coke in the fucking morning, and you come along and do this to me… I should cut you off, start anew, return to my good healthy ways–” You rolled your eyes at him, shaking your head.

“You have a cigarette at 8 AM sometimes. That is actually worse.”

“Digestive. And also, not doing that anymore since you started being a bad and horrible influence.” You raised your eyebrows at him and nodded, taking a sip of your can as you turned away from him.

“Fine. I’ll leave after having an Eggo, and you won’t see me again, Munson. Return to your old ways, to your morning cigarette. Cannot believe you prefer that over a blow–” You squealed and giggled when strong arms engulfed you from behind, almost throwing you off your stool. He blew a raspberry on your neck, tickling you, making the butterflies in your belly dance and fly.

“You know I don’t mean it, Peach, come on~” He cooed and you pretended to think and act offended.

“Oh, I don’t know… Calling me a bad influence, that hurt.” You snorted a bit at your silliness, his arms hugging you over your shoulders, pulling you flush against his chest. He rolled his eyes, blowing another raspberry against your neck, making you giggle and wiggle under his arms. He was smiling against you, and you wondered what he was thinking right now. What was he feeling?

“Don’t be a wuss.”

“I should leave–” At your words he gave you a soft bite on the shoulder, making you squeal with a giggle, your legs kicking a bit from the shiver that he sent through your body.

“Nuh uh.” He went silent after that, but his embrace didn’t leave you. You flushed all over, fearing he would feel the erratic beating of your heart in your chest, under his arms. You got nervous, yet you were happy, but you didn’t know why he went silent.

“You good, Munson?”

“You got anything to do… today? Tomorrow?” It was a sunday tomorrow. You blinked a few times before shaking your head as you grabbed onto his forearms gently.

“No… I wasn’t… Didn’t plan anything at all. The group didn’t talk either on the group chat, so…” You softly spoke and you felt him nod against the crook of your neck. You licked your lips as you anticipated his question. You hoped he would ask what you thought he was going to ask. You could feel him hesitate, and you just didn’t know whether to talk or not, your heart crumbling the more he doubted, the more he considered it–

“Would you like to stay for another night?”

The whole weekend. You two would have spent the whole weekend together and– You felt giddy. You felt so happy. You felt like you could reach and touch the sky, pass your hand through a cloud and be able to feel it. Your heart clenched with joy, your belly turned as your butterflies fluttered all around, but you had to appear normal. You had to appear as if you weren’t falling more and more for Eddie Munson.

“I think someone is getting a little obsessed with me–” Another raspberry being blown on your skin, his head shaking a bit to cause even more tickles on you thanks to his stubble, laughter escaping your lips as you almost get thrown off your stool. “Okay! Okay– Okay, I’ll stay…”

“Yeah?” He whispered into your neck, and you closed your eyes, feeling his breath hitting your skin. You felt as if you two were all alone in the world right now. The idea of being with him, in his house, for three days, caused you to feel so wanted. So needed. And you hoped that was the case.

“Yeah…” You softly whispered, no jokes this time. You should try to be more direct with your true feelings, stop the little bantering to pretend to be friends and nothing more. You wanted to make him nervous, just like he made you feel. With or without realizing it, you didn’t know. You heard what sounded like a sigh of relief coming from his nose, and then he pressed a soft kiss on your neck before the Eggos flew out of the toaster, signaling they were ready. You two jumped at the sound, to then giggle a bit as Eddie separated from you.

You didn’t notice how badly your heart was racing. You put a hand over your chest to try to calm your breathing, your panting almost as you watched his back, working on getting the waffles out of the toaster. You saw him wince and shake his hand whenever he burnt himself trying to get the damn thing out and on the plate, making you giggle.

You bit your bottom lip as you took deep breaths in to calm yourself down. You put your hand down from your chest when you saw him turn and put the plate of waffles in the middle. He walked around the kitchen island counter and sat on the stool next to you. Not in front of you like he did before. You hummed in approval as you reached over for a waffle and then the chocolate syrup.

“What are we thinking for lunch?” He asked as he grabbed a waffle and the strawberry syrup for himself. You were pouring some chocolate on yours, then putting it down, Eddie instantly grabbing it to pour chocolate over the strawberry on his waffle. You winced at the sweetness of it, but you got used to him having an extreme sweet tooth.

“Uhm… I was thinking of a creampie.” He choked on the bite of his waffle, giving you a warning look as he tried to push the food down his throat, his fist over his mouth as he coughed. You giggled and patted his back a few times. He let a breath out of his lips once he could swallow and he turned to look at you with a glare.

“Trying to kill me here woman?” You raised your eyebrows at him, taking a bite out of your own waffle and shrugging.

“So you had a special breakfast, and I can’t have a special lunch? This is pure injustice.” He chuckled, shaking his head at you, but his hand squeezed your thigh, making your entire body set aflame.

“Keep being a menace, and you’ll get no creampies at all.” You whined at his threat, but you both knew it was all a joke. Before, it would have been actual flirting, an actual proposition of what you wanted later on to happen, but now, it was just a joke.

“You’re no fun.” You giggled as you kept eating, both of you talking about anything at all and you couldn’t believe just how easy it was. How smooth it all felt with him. You didn’t know you could be this comfortable with someone again. With Billy you didn’t feel a hundred percent relaxed because of many aspects you didn’t quite enjoyed of him. Like his friends, his suspicious attitude around yours, his little anger outbursts… You felt comfortable with Henry, but it wasn’t even like this.

You couldn’t describe it, maybe it was because of your history with Eddie. You had hated him and he had hated you. You two started from scratch, you became friends, even best friends, and there was always this sense of comfort. It was like the sun coming out after the heavy storm and the hurricane. You take that sun for granted when you have it all the time, but you learnt to bask in its warmth when it appeared for the first time after having tornados all the time with Eddie.

It was natural. It was magnetizing. You couldn’t quite comprehend how he managed to sneak under your skin the way he did, but you weren’t complaining. The fear of rejection was still there, but you could worry about it later. You could worry about it on monday. For now, you wanted to enjoy this full weekend with him. To be in his arms, to kiss him, to do stuff together.

After washing the dishes, you somehow found the ingredients to make chocolate chip cookies in his cupboards and fridge. Eddie put on music from his TV as he watched you cook in his kitchen. You heard him shuffle beside you, watching your every move, asking what you were doing. You giggled as you explained the steps to him, and you could hear him salivating next to you.

You were pouring the chocolate chips and you saw him point at the bowl, making you look at him with an eyebrow raised and then you gave an ‘Ah’ sound of realization, and without him telling you, you started pouring more chips inside.

You didn’t notice how he turned his head to look at you at the action. You minded yourself with mixing it all together with the spatula, your tongue peeking out of your lips as you grunted from how thick the batter now was. He chuckled, trying to grab the bowl and the spatula from you, but you pouted, moving away from him.

“I can do it. I am an independent woman.” You stated as you kept mixing and he rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. He waited for you, but eventually you mixed it all together. He could have done it in a minute but you took three to make sure everything was nicely put together. You hummed as you walked towards the fridge, putting the bowl inside for the batter to cool down and solidify a bit.

“What’s that for?”

“Hmm?”

“Putting the batter in the fridge, why?” He asked, actually curious as you washed your hands and then the counter with a rag.

“So that it’s easier to put on the tray in small pieces and the batter isn’t as sticky.” You explained and he hummed, checking his phone. You didn't feel that worry of him talking to other girls anymore. You didn't have to wonder if he was planning something else or if he was checking someone else's profile.

“No signs of the group. Nancy and Robin must be together. Steve and Jonathan too. Argyle and Eden…”

“Oh, yeah, probably a couple's night.” You didn’t process your words until you said them. You stopped for a second as you felt a cold sweat invading your entire body and Eddie stayed silent.

Shit. You and Eddie. You two are alone as well, and before, if the circumstances would have just stayed as ‘friends only’, you wouldn’t be as embarrassed and scared as you were now. You two are also, kind of, almost, in a couple’s night. You two are having sex, having the meals of the day, spending time together, talking, laughing, and then just sleeping while holding one another.

How the fuck were you supposed to save this one? You thought about it but, if you were going to be brave, you should let these kinds of things sink in. You had to do these little hints and comments for him to maybe, probably, realize your feelings for him. So you stayed silent and resumed your cleaning as if what you had just said still hadn’t processed in your brain. You heard Eddie clear his throat before he looked down at his phone while his other hand scratched the back of his head.

“Yeah. I guess.” You then felt his presence leave your side and your heart plummeted. You watched him go to the toilet and you had to hold yourself against the counter, looking down at the sink with worry.

He looked troubled. Fuck, he looked troubled by the word ‘Couple’. He might have been a little scared, that’s all, it didn’t mean yet that he didn’t want you that way. It– But fuck, he clearly didn’t like the sound of that, did he? He immediately ripped himself away from you and left your side, probably uncomfortable now.

You fucked up the entire day, hadn't you? Was this going to be awkward now? Was he going to come up with an excuse and make you leave? You felt your bottom lip quivering slightly and you closed your eyes, taking a deep breath in and shaking your head. No. You had to snap out. You knew that it could be a yes or a no, and for now, there wasn’t a complete answer.

You dried your hands on the kitchen cloth that was hanging from the oven and licked your lips. You turned to look at the door of the bathroom and you took a deep breath in, walking towards the couch, but you spotted something underneath the TV, right in the crevice of the rack that held all the games for the console. It looked like a photo album. You turned your head to look at the bathroom door again and then back at the album.

You walked towards it, grabbing it from there and then looked at the cover. It was plain green. You sat down on the couch again as you opened it, looking at the very first picture. You tilted your head as you saw a woman, smiling. Hair wild like Eddie’s, but her eyes were blue. She looked beautiful in that white sundress, and thanks to the wind blowing to the side, you saw the pregnant belly being hugged by the dress.

“My mom.”

You jumped in your place as you turned your head to look up at Eddie. He was tilting his head, looking down at you and then at the album. You stuttered a bit and moved to close it.

“I’m– I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snoop, it was– It just caught my attention, it was in between all the game cases and–”

“It’s okay Peach.” He rounded the couch and sat down, his legs spread. His couch was very wide and it had depth. It was almost the size of a single bed mattress. He patted the space between his legs and you felt your heart burst in your chest as you moved, sitting down there, and you knew this was not in a sexual manner. He was not giving you the green light for anything like that. His hands came to wrap around your waist, while his chin rested on your right shoulder. You were nervous by the intimate position. You cleared your throat a bit before talking again.

“Can I…?”

“Mhm.” You felt your belly turn at the acceptance, at the way he was letting you walk inside his world a little bit more. You opened the page again, looking down at his mom, pregnant with him.

“She was beautiful.” He smiled, nodding against you.

“Now you know where I got my good looks.” You rolled your eyes a bit, but a smile spread on your lips. You turned the pages and it was more pictures of her, then, the picture of a man. Your smile fell as you remembered Eddie’s past, the man in the picture making venom rise in your throat.

“Your father.” You didn’t even try to hide the anger behind your tone. He had hurt Eddie and his mother for years, and the bastard dared to take a picture, smiling, next to Eddie’s mother who wasn’t. He nodded again, and you felt his jaw clench a bit against you.

“I keep that picture just because my mom is in there. It’s the only picture I have of my father.” You nodded in understanding, not wanting to even give the advice that he can simply cut his father out of the picture because if he kept it that way, it was for something. You turned the page again, and now, you saw Eddie’s mom, holding a baby in a hospital bed. Eddie. Your heart warmed at the sight, your fingers slowly brushing over the picture.

“It’s you.” You softly spoke and he let out a breath, and you could even hear the smile from it.

“Yeah. That’s little me.”

“Who took these pictures?” You asked and he moved to grip the corner of the page, turning it, only for you to see a much younger Wayne, looking down at baby Eddie. You felt your eyes building up with tears, the lump forming in your throat, and you tried to swallow it down, nodding slowly. “Mmm… Makes sense.”

“The only pictures I have of my childhood were always taken by my mom and Wayne.” You took a deep breath in to hold back from crying, turning the pages slowly as you inspected them. You laughed when there was a picture of Eddie at three years old falling off his first bicycle. The moment was captured perfectly, and then a picture of him crying into the camera holding his knee.

He laughed with you, pointing at certain pictures and explaining the backstory from them, and you didn’t notice how time was passing between the two of you. He let you in. He let you dig into his past a little further, and in a very intimate manner. You both finally reached Eddie at his eleven years old. His head was shaved completely, his smile gone.

“What happened here?” He remained silent for a few seconds, and you felt his Adam's apple bob in his throat.

“My mother died.” You closed your eyes, feeling your gut clench in pain, not even beginning to understand or comprehend the loss of a mother. You didn’t even want to think about that of your own mom. “My father didn’t like me growing my hair out… so he made me get a buzz cut every six months.”

You clenched your jaw and you saw how the pictures were time skipping a lot. Not many pictures of Eddie in his eleven to thirteen years old. He lived with his father at that time, and he explained that he didn’t let Wayne visit much, nor he let Eddie visit Wayne back in Hawkins.

Then, a picture of Eddie giving a big smile, his hair a little more grown, and you could see it was Christmas, assuming it from the small tree filled with lights at the corner of the trailer. You saw what Eddie had on his lap, the very same electric guitar he had in the corner of this room. You raised your head and turned to look at it. It was as if it were brand new, but it was actually from thirteen years ago.

“Wayne had saved up. This was three months after I came to live with him after my father got locked up. He had saved up all the money from the presents he didn’t get to buy me in those three years I lived with my father.” You couldn’t help but tear up again, now realizing just how important Wayne is in Eddie’s life. And he was sick. You turned to look at him, not even helping yourself as you gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in.

You knew he was hurting while showing you this, and you wanted him to know that you knew. You wanted him to know that you two could stop at any minute that he wanted. That you two could just close the photo album and move on. Instead, he smiled as he opened his eyes to look at you and then back down at the album.

You followed, moving on and on with the pictures, until they stopped for a while when Eddie hit sixteen. Not a single one from that age. You didn’t dare to ask, but then you moved on to seventeen, and Eddie was completely different. He looked masculine, older than what he was supposed to be. His hair reached his shoulders, and you wondered how it could be. You were about to ask, but he kept moving on with the pages. You realized that he didn’t want to talk about these ages, so you let your curiosity die down. You then saw a picture of him, Gareth, Jeff and another guy, posing with their instruments at what looked like a bar.

“Corroded Coffin?” You asked and he whistled, smiling at you.

“Good memory. Yes.” You couldn’t help the proud smile on your face, and then you kept moving the pictures until– You snorted, loudly, to then start cracking up. Eddie only grunted at what you were looking at, wanting to rip the album away from you.

“Okay– Okay, what the hell is this!?” You moved the album away as you kept looking at the picture. A very punk ass Eddie Munson, arms crossed towards the camera, next to a very grumpy Steve Harrington and Robin Buckley flipping the middle finger… the three of them in comical blue sailor outfits.

“I needed money, and– I didn’t know I had to wear a sailor’s outfit, okay? The pay was good and I didn’t even let the interviewer finish his explanation that I took the job at that ice cream shop.” You could hear him sigh as you kept giggling, your feet kicking a bit with giddiness. “I met Steve and Robin there.”

“Really?” You asked, with an eyebrow raised. “I thought you all went to the same school?”

“Just because we went to the same school, doesn’t mean we were all friends while we attended.” He explained and you nodded in understanding, looking down at the picture again. You kept moving, and you saw Eddie sitting at a big table, a game board in the middle of it, and then there was Gareth, Jeff, that other guy from his band, and some younger teens. You pointed at a particular one, wearing a funky looking cap.

“That’s… Dustin, right? I know Mike and Will because of Nance and Johnny…” He nodded, smiling again.

“My old club. Mike and Will are cool, but well… Dustin is kind of like a little brother.” You hummed with a smile at the endearment. You kept moving and finally you reached graduation. A picture of him, Robin and Nancy with diplomas in hand. Eddie was 20 at this time, while Nance and Robs were 18. Steve had already graduated, but he was still in the picture in his casual outfit.

That was the last picture. You closed the album and you didn’t notice the twinge of sadness that invaded you. You had friends in school, but the only one that stayed had been Camila… You had no childhood friends, nor school friends… You had no friends from your past that decided to stay by your side.

“Hey…” You snapped out, turning your head to look at him. His head was no longer on your shoulder, but looking at you. “You have us, you know that.”

How did he know? You blinked at him, trying to wipe your tears away, make them go back into your eye sockets, because it was stupid to cry about something like that. You nodded slowly, clearing your throat.

“I know.” You smiled at him and he huffed with a small little grin on his lips, and he leaned to place a kiss on yours. You took a deep breath in through your nose at the caring gesture, your hand moving to the back of his head to hold onto him. Your neck was straining a bit but you didn’t really care.

He pulled away after a few seconds and you licked your lips, your eyes connecting to his. The silence was trying to make the two of you speak to each other, but the timer on your phone decided to interrupt, cutting the both of you off and snap from the trance you were put in. You sighed as you grabbed it from the coffee table.

“Time to put those bad boys into the oven.” You said and he nodded, eagerly getting up from the couch, pulling you up with him with a squeal from your throat.

“Fuck yes, cookies.” You couldn’t help at the eagerness in his voice, how he moved you towards the kitchen once more to start preparing the cookies. You couldn’t help but marvel at how he looked, how he smiled with excitement and salivated while making little balls out of the dough and putting them on the pan. How he frowned whenever you caught him eating raw dough out of the bowl and you slapped it away.

You were completely whipped.

As you two waited for the cookies to be done, you had busied yourselves in playing games, and you even helped Eddie with some finances for his car shop. When you pulled out your laptop to check your work emails, which you did even on a saturday, he stayed next to you, asking about your job.

No one took the time to learn what you did. No one seemed interested in knowing what you did outside of a bedroom. But Eddie did. Eddie has. You cannot overlook something like that, even if to many it might seem simple, something that should be a given. He made amused noises whenever you showed articles that were made out of your own campaigns, amazed that you have helped a few models rise in status thanks to that.

“So, you are basically rich.” He suddenly spat out and you snorted, shrugging. The smell of freshly baked cookies now filled the entire living room.

“I am not there yet, but if I wanted to rent a house, I could.” His eyebrows raised in surprise at you, only to then squint as he poked your side, making you squeal.

“Now, what is the fucking excuse of getting a new car?” You rolled your eyes at his question, holding back the snort in your throat as you closed your laptop on the coffee table.

“Emotional value.” You replied and in all honesty, it didn’t. You had bought a second hand car back when you lived with your mom in order to escape that city. Yet maybe it did hold some emotional value, knowing you used that car to start anew. To meet new friends. To have the job you’ve always wanted. To meet Eddie. This car led you to meet Eddie.

“Okay, if it holds too much emotional value, then just keep it in a garage and buy a new one.” You giggled and shrugged, biting your bottom lip as you thought. That car did lead you to Eddie… but, you could get a car Eddie picked himself for you.

“Will you help me pick the best car for me?” You turned to Eddie and his eyes lit up as he showed you a full on toothed grin, excitement all over his features.

“Absolutely! Of course I’m not making you buy a race car, but I think that a nice BMW would look good on you. Or maybe a japanese car… those are nice.” His eyes were looking forward in thought as he kept mumbling options, and your gaze was still stuck on his entire profile. If he only looked at you, he would see how you were staring, how your eyes were shining with unspoken words of affection, of care.

The timer went off on your phone, and Eddie instantly jumped from the couch and you gasped, following right after as if running after a child. You saw him instantly grab a kitchen towel and open the oven to then take the tray out. The cookies looked soft in the middle and crunchy around the edges. The chocolate looked like it melted correctly and after Eddie closed the oven’s door and turned the heat off, your eyes widened when you saw him immediately about to grab a cookie from the tray, just as you had predicted.

“They are fucking hot Edward! You need to wait!” You pushed him to the side using your hip and you grabbed the kitchen towel from his hands to lay it over the cookies to keep the moisture. He was glaring at you, a soft pout on his bottom lip.

“No they’re not. I can easily eat one–”

“You are not burning your taste buds. Not today. Sit down.” You glared back at him and you heard a huff coming from his part, and he walked back to the couch, plopping down with his arms crossed over his chest like a little kid. You had to hold your giggles in as you looked at his slumped form. He really had a sweet tooth.

You walked towards him, standing in front of his figure and you poked the top of his head.

“Are you mad?”

“Don’t talk to me.” He was acting, you knew it, but it was still funny and adorable seeing him like this. You hummed as you crossed your own arms over your chest, acting as if you were in thought.

“Well… then I guess I will just take the tray home, since you are not going to talk to me–” You were immediately grabbed and thrown forward, prompting you to straddle his lap, a giggle escaping your lips as he softly bit your neck before pulling away. His arms wrapped around you as he pouted with puppy dog eyes.

“I just don’t want to wait.”

“Well, but we have to, or else you’ll burn your taste buds and guess what, you won’t taste anything sweet for days.” He huffed at your words but a playful smile was still displayed on his lips. You wondered if he acted this childish before. You wondered if he was this goofy with someone else before. Did Steve even experience this side?

“Fine… But I guess I’ll have to find something else to keep me preoccupied.” His eyes scanned your lips, to then land on your shoulder. Your body immediately lit up, your hips coming in contact with his, making you clench around absolutely nothing. His eyes returned to look into yours, the playfulness gone, replaced by lust and dilated pupils.

“Mmm… and what could that be?” You spoke softly. He hummed in thought, moving forward to place a kiss on your lips first, to then move down to your jaw. Your eyes closed as you held onto his biceps, your hips slowly starting to roll against his as if you were put in automatic.

“I think that I would like to see you bouncing a little. Can you do that, Peach?” You moaned at the prospect of riding him, your core already becoming wet the more you rubbed yourself on him, the more he went down with his kisses. You felt him pull the strap of the tank top you were wearing, his tank top, down your shoulder, his lips finding your exposed skin there.

“Yeah… Yeah, I can…” You could feel the bulge underneath your hips, his lips moving towards your neck now, his hands splayed on your back as he held you against him. Your heart was lighting up in flames as your nerves turned your belly in such a good way that you couldn’t help but smile and close your eyes as he sucked on your pulse point.

This was a new normal. You hoped this was his new normal. That he considered this ‘right’. That he considered that this was happiness, just like you did. Just like you believed this was meant to be. Like you believed that this is what you two should have been since the very beginning.

“Peach–”

And the front door was suddenly opened with force.

You froze at the same time Eddie did. Your heart stopped, your body immediately turned cold as your eyes snapped wide with plates. You didn’t dare to look to the side. You didn’t dare to see who was at the door, because you were so scared.

You felt how Eddie slowly pulled the strap back on your shoulder, a small growl vibrating in his throat but it was almost too small to detect. You couldn’t help but wish that whoever was at the front door, was someone who wouldn’t react as wrongly as you thought they would… but that was just a wish. Because there was only one person in your whole friend group who had a spare key for Eddie’s house… and that wasn’t you.

Eddie pulled away from your neck, slowly turning his head to the right while you turned yours to the left and– Your heart got caught in your throat. It felt as if two atoms had suddenly collided with each other and your entire existence got wiped in just a millisecond. You felt your breathing turn heavy as you looked at the front door, and Eddie’s arms were not leaving your body, and that helped you not falling backwards because–

Not only was Steve Harrington standing there, his eyes wide in shock, but also Robin Buckley.

Each of your best friends was just standing at the open door, the soft breeze from outside entering the home and your world felt numb suddenly, your ears were ringing and you could feel the dread slowly sinking in your bones. Eddie was frowning towards the door, his eyes also wide, and you four didn’t talk for a few seconds, until Steve finally broke the silence.

“Seriously…?” Your best friend then stuttered for a few seconds, a look of disappointment crossing her features.

“Are you– Are you cheating on Jeff? With his best friend? Why–” And you were frowning at Robin with pity, with sadness, realizing your friend was still not fully grasping the situation, but Steve… Steve’s face fell, replaced by one of anger. A look that made shivers run down your spine.

“Robin… I don’t think Jeff was ever a part of this.” The air around was tense, and you gulped when Robin turned her head to look at Steve.

“What–?” She then looked back towards you and Eddie, and you could see how her face slowly transformed as she put the puzzle together in her head. You could feel your heart beating wildly in your chest as the anxiety started eating you away, as you looked at how your best friend’s face was slowly turning into one of sadness, of anger. “I’ll wait for you in the car, Steve.”

She turned and walked out of the open door, and you heard the metal steps clink and you couldn’t let her walk away. You ripped yourself from Eddie, quickly getting up and rushing towards the door, pushing past Steve. Eddie was about to follow right behind you, but Steve closed the door, making Eddie stop in his tracks.

“You and I are going to fucking talk, Munson.”

But you were oblivious to it. You only cared about your best friend, not even caring that you were without a bra, with very little clothing on, and it wasn’t that hot out. You were barefoot, wincing when you hit the floor at the bottom of the stairs, and you rounded the corner to finally catch Robin, getting hold of her arm.

“Robs–”

“Don’t call me that!” She snapped as she turned around, ripping her arm away from your grasp. Her eyes were wide, burning with incoming tears as she frowned with disappointment. You felt your own sobs threatening to come out, but your throat was dry. You shook your head slowly, your hands coming up towards her.

“I’m so sorry–”

“For what!? For what exactly!? For lying to me!? For not telling me that you have been fucking Eddie since–” Her eyes widened as she did the math and you could only wince as she let out a fake scoff. “Oh, that’s fucking rich. That’s so fucking rich–”

“Robin, I swear, I didn’t mean to hide it from you but–”

“But what!? I am your best friend! I never hid anything from you! Ever! No matter if it was something embarrassing or something that would not work out for me in the end, I never hid it from you!” You were breathing heavily as you listened to her, and you nodded in complete agreement, no fights coming from your part. “Fuck, I came here with Steve as fast as we could, because we saw Jeff kissing a girl at the diner we were at, and I thought he was cheating on you! We came to interrogate Eddie and probably beat his ass if he knew and he helped Jeff lead you on!”

Your heart could only break at that, knowing how much your best friend cared for you, and how Steve was fully willing to bust one of Eddie’s eyes sockets in for your honor. The lump in your throat grew and grew, but somehow, you managed to swallow it down each time.

“I’m so sorry– I know, I know, but I– I haven’t lied except for the name– I swear, I told you everything–”

“But the name!!! The name, the person you were with, the most crucial part of everything you told me was a lie!” You could hear the pain in her voice. You could hear it so clearly and it only made your heart clenched tightly. You nodded again, and you were now desperate, feeling as if you were losing Robin right in front of your eyes.

“I know, I know, but… Robin, we– I wanted to tell you and I was going to come clean soon–”

“It shouldn’t have gotten to that point. I shouldn’t have gotten to the point of you saying ‘I was going to tell you sooner or later’... Because you should have told me the truth from the very beginning.”

You knew she was right… You knew it but… but–

“You don’t understand…” Her eyes squinted at you, a glare clearly hiding behind her pupils.

“What?”

“We didn’t start off like you and Nancy. Like Steve and Jonathan. Even like fucking Argyle and Eden. There were no feelings at all involved at the very beginning, and like I have told you, it was supposed to be one time.” Her eyes turned murderous as she stepped towards you, pointing up at Eddie’s house.

“It doesn’t fucking matter!”

“IT DOES!” Your voice was high, angry, sad, desperate, filled with fear. Robin just stood there staring at you, and you continued talking after you gulped. “It does because– Because we didn’t want anything to be awkward in the group because of the two of us. We– We didn’t want drama, problems, or for you guys to try to put us together like a couple when it wasn’t that idea.”

“But we wouldn’t–”

“You would have!” You finally accused and Robin took a step back, frowning your way. “You would have seen it as… as if we were supposed to be a couple when it wasn’t that… And it was going to be easier to call everything off and act as if nothing ever happened if you guys didn’t know about it.”

“But it wasn’t called off–” And you nodded at her words, feeling the tears slowly invade your eyes as you looked down.

“No. It didn’t… It started with us just… fooling around. And then…”

Suddenly Robin’s face softened, a look of surprise and realization invading her features as she looked up at Eddie’s house and then back at you.

“Holy shit… you like Eddie.” You felt your heart turn into itself at finally hearing those words out, not having them be disguised for someone else. You gave her a slow nod, looking down towards the floor. You played with your fingers as you felt the gravel underneath your feet, your toes moving nervously.

“It didn’t start off like you and Nancy… But I– I developed feelings… It wasn’t in my plans, and much less with Eddie but– I…” You tried to hold your tears back, knowing this was not the time to cry, but to make your point come across, and probably save your friendship. “I ended up liking him… and whenever I decided to confess… I was going to tell you the truth.”

“Why not before…? Why?” And you slowly looked up at her, and you blinked away tears as you shrugged a bit.

“You live with Steve, Robs…”

“That doesn’t–”

“Robin… don’t lie to me.” And Robin closed her mouth. Even if you were her best friend, Steve was her soul mate. You knew Robin would not have kept her mouth closed, even if she tried. It was just in Robin’s nature, and you loved her even with that little flaw. But you knew how to work around that one thing, so sometimes you kept things to yourself until they finally concluded or finished, knowing she would blurt it out to Steve unconsciously at one point or the other.

“I guess… Eddie did the same.” You nodded at that, though, you wondered if there was more to why Eddie never told Steve. Sure, Steve might have told Robin as well about you two… but by Steve’s angry face, you couldn’t help but think there might be more to it.

“I know I did wrong… Trust me, I know… But what was I supposed to do? Tell you guys and for you all to take sides if it fell apart? For you guys to go back to how the group was more than a year ago? Where you had to divide yourselves in the week to spend time with me as well as spend time with Eddie?” Robin only looked at you, her mouth closing as her jaw clenched in thought. Silence invaded the two of you and you rubbed your left arm thanks to a breeze brushing over you.

“You are a fucking idiot.”

“I know…”

“An absolute moron.”

“I know…”

It took a few moments of silence, and the air around you felt calm yet traitorous. You didn’t know what to expect from this, but you hoped that Robin understood you. That Robin could forgive you for lying like this to her. You heard her sigh, and then a step being taken towards you, making you look at her.

“You’ll do my projects for a month.” She declared and you let a small smile spread on your lips, shaking your head at her.

“I kind of do that already…” At your words, Robin smiled, finally moving forward to hug you, and you could finally let the breath you were holding in out. Your arms wrapped around her, finally letting yourself feel the compassion you needed, the understanding, and the relief that she knows the entire truth.

After a few seconds, Robin pulled away, but kept herself close to you, a smile spreading on her lips as she jumped a bit up and down in her place.

“So this means, you are exclusive with Eddie and– and you are going to confess soon–” Your eyes widened and immediately shook your head at her, making her stop in her tracks, her face falling.

“No– Not yet… I just… I need more courage, more signs…” Robin raised her eyebrow your way and looked at you as if you were the dumbest person in the entire planet.

“Seriously… You had told me everything he did, the fucking promise! I– Oh god… Oh fuck, I know about Eddie’s dick– Oh, fuck no–”

“Robin, focus.”

“Okay, sorry. The point is, Eddie clearly likes you! He– Oh my god, he had also stopped with the thirst traps but–” Her eyes lit up with glee as she grabbed your hands and whispered close to you. “Ohhhhh, I have intel on that!”

“What?”

“Well, Steve told me about Eddie going exclusive with someone…” Your eyes widened at that, and it had just occurred to you… Eddie had lied to Steve too. He lied about having met the friend of a client, and it hadn’t struck you that he might have still been lying about it… And Robin knew all of it…

“Go on, for fucks sake Robin!” You were now excited and insistent, excitement rushing all over your entire body. Robin nodded, whispering a bit more now.

“Eddie has been telling Steve about this girl that just drives him… wild. Steve told me that Eddie became exclusive and–” She frowned and straightened up, thinking about something as she scrunched up her nose. “Now, I might be the dumb one, because how the fuck did I not put two and two together? Eddie got exclusive, the same moment you did… Wow, Steve and I are idiots.”

“Well spotted.” You giggled and she rolled her eyes at you, another cheeky smile on her lips.

“Anyways, from what Steve said, Eddie seems… pretty hooked with this girl.” Your heart burst at the seams at that, the rapid beating almost not letting you breath as you felt a gleam of light engulf you with happiness and joy and everything that was good. If what Robin said was true, if Steve actually confessed that, it means Eddie might have said it like that.

“Shit… Robs… Should I–”

“I don’t think right now… But maybe, let’s see if he talks about it first…” She winked at you, and you nodded, now feeling more hopeful than ever. You had a chance, and you couldn’t hold yourself back from feeling happy. Your body shivered as another gush of wind blew against you. “You should go back inside… Did you just arrive at Eddie’s?”

“No, I spent the night.” You replied, holding back a smile as she held onto your arm, walking the two of you around the corner and back to the stairs.

“Oh? So are you going back home soon? I want more details than ever now–” You turned your head with a cheeky smile and Robin’s mouth fell open, scoffing. “Spending a second night? The whole weekend together? Oh yeah, no chances at all of something else, my ass.”

You giggled at that and hugged Robin tightly against you. You were so lucky to have someone like her in your life. You didn’t know what would have happened if Robin hadn't forgiven you before. You would have probably spiraled and gone crazy or something because you really cannot imagine your life now without Robin.

You two walked up the stairs and you bit your lip, hearing some mumbling dying down as you opened the door. Your smile fell when you saw Eddie looking away from the door with what looked like… a lost gaze. Thoughtful… and then Steve turned around with a small glare. Your heart got caught in your throat as you realized, this conversation hadn’t gone as well as yours did with Robin.

Steve looked at Eddie one last time before he walked your way, Robin looking at him with a worried look on her face as her confusion was etched into her eyebrows as much as yours were.

“Let’s go Robin.” Without giving you a glance, Steve walked out and you were standing there, wondering what you had done to receive such a cold shoulder. Was he angry at you too? You two were friends as well but Robin was your best friend, not him… so why?

“I–” Robin looked back and forth between you, Steve and Eddie who was still looking away from all of you. She gave you a worried look which you only could shrug at as you felt knots start forming in the pit of your stomach.

“Go…” Robin gulped and nodded, walking after Steve and giving you a last look before closing the door behind her, leaving Eddie and you by yourselves once again in his house… only, it wasn’t like before.

You felt cold. It didn’t feel as warm as it was a few minutes ago, nor the air around you felt relaxed, unbothered. It now felt tense, heavy and something that just made your heart beat with anxiety. You took a step inside, feeling your throat drying up because Eddie was still not looking your way and his face was not the same and you didn’t know why.

“Um… I am supposing Steve didn’t react… nicely?” You tried, and Eddie’s eyebrow flinched a bit, but gave you a small nod, not giving you another word as he walked towards the kitchen. Your body felt like shaking because you started to feel unwelcome thanks to his new body language. “Did something else–”

“He just talked to me about things I didn’t think about before.”

That was a punch to your gut, to your head, to your throat, to your heart. That phrase was enough to throw any confidence you had, big or small, down a garbage disposal. You stood there, feeling as if you were about to crumble onto the ground because of how pained you felt. This was it. Steve made him see that he didn’t want a relationship at all. Steve made him realize that this was turning into something more and Eddie clearly was backing up from it.

Or maybe Steve told him about how– how you talked about Jeff to Robin… oh no… You could feel nausea bubbling up inside of your stomach, and you just felt like crying. You wanted to go home and cry. You wanted to leave because Eddie has his back your way and he was not going back from what he just said.

The intention was obvious.

“I… I should… Should I go then?”

Please. He has to stop you. He has to say no. He has to not let you go… but Eddie remained silent. He didn’t say yes, but he didn’t say no, and silence for you means ‘yes’. You licked your lips, swallowing the big lump in your throat as you felt your eyes burning with incoming tears, but you weren’t going to lose more of your dignity. You weren’t going to crumble or beg for him, because– because it’s done.

“Alright… I will um– go get my things and just– get a cab or something…” You didn’t even want to wait for his reaction, but as you walked off, you gave a glance, only to see him in the same position, which only made your heart shatter even more, pain engulfing your chest as you walked up the stairs.

You had to keep calm. You have to keep a straight face and then when you finally arrive home, you can cry as much as you want. For now, keep the poker face on. Keep it to simply appear normal, appear nonchalant, appear as if your feelings were small and innocent and that they were going to go away soon enough. But what a lie.

You took deep breaths as you walked into his room, going towards your drawer to get your scrunchies out, already feeling like sobbing as you felt that you were ripping yourself from his world. You didn’t want to. You didn’t want to leave this bubble, this little nest you built, this little relationship you grew to–

Fuck you were such an idiot. You were so stupid. Your hands covered your face as you tried to calm your nerves down, holding your breaths in now. It was done. He gave you the answer you wanted and you didn’t even have to confess to him. He was told that this was heading to a more serious situation than just friends with benefits, and he got scared. He didn’t want it. That was fine.

That was fine.

But it wasn’t. You licked your lips as you walked towards the chair and grabbed your shirt and pants, throwing them on the bed. You didn’t want to part from his tank top, but– But you had to take all of your belongings with you. You could return his later on, some other time, some other week. Fuck, you also had to come up with excuses to not see him. You had to now pretend you were not in the mood because of something else.

At least Robin now knew, and she could help you pivot around your friend group to not see Eddie… You wanted to cry. You really wanted to cry. You lost the guy you liked and also your best friend. You lost a best friend and all because of one horny night. The regret started building up in your chest but you cannot delve in it right now. You had to leave, because Eddie wanted you gone–

You gasped the moment you grabbed the hem of the tank top, ready to take it off, before two strong arms grabbed you by the shoulders and turned you around. Eddie’s eyes were gazing into yours, wild, his breathing heavy, and he just looked like he didn’t know what to say… until his eyes turned into a glare, a possessive gaze you saw every once in a while.

“You ain’t going anywhere, Peach.” You blinked a few times at his words, his arms coming to wrap around your waist and then hold the back of your neck. He embraced you close to him as he breathed puffs of air through his nose. You could see his nostrils flaring as you stood in his arms, completely confused, happy but– but you didn’t understand.

“But– But downstairs you said Steve made you realize–”

“Fuck Steve.” His lips came crashing down into yours, a surprised moan leaving you as he started dropping the both of you onto his bed, your arms wrapping around his shoulders for support. He laid the two of you down, your legs hanging from the edge as he kneeled over you, his lips leaving yours for a second. “I don’t care that he is mad.”

You were staring up at him, and you noticed there was still a certain conflict. Something had happened between him and Steve, and it had left Eddie a bit shaken up. He clearly does not want to speak to you about it… but Eddie does not want you to leave. He ran up the stairs to stop you from wiping yourself away from his apartment.

“Eddie–” His lips came towards your cheek, then your jaw, then your neck. Your heart started pumping up blood again, making it rush up into your head, feeling a little lightheaded at it.

“Stay. You said you’ll stay…” He whispered and you wondered how he meant it. Did he mean tonight? Forever? With him? But even if those were all different questions, you had the same answer for all of them.

“Yeah…”

And then, another dynamic changed.

He didn’t go all in. He softly kissed you, caressed you, touched you, prepared you. He fingered you while kissing your skin, your lips, over and over again, swallowing your moans down and then, he hugged you while he entered you. He embraced you and it felt– It felt like making love. It felt as if Eddie was making sure that you knew he cared for you, and even if it was your own delusion, you believed it. You believed Eddie’s feelings were there.

He held you close afterwards, and you wanted to ask. You wanted to ask him what happened between him and Steve. You wanted to know what Steve had made him realize when you were talking to Robin. Whatever that was, Eddie didn’t care. Eddie didn’t even give it a second glance.

You couldn’t help but smile into his chest as you traced his tattoos with your fingernails. He huffed at it, and you knew he was lost in his mind. You knew he was there yet he wasn’t. You assumed that in time, he would open up with you just a bit more, but what you did know was that Eddie didn’t want you far away from him. So, you settled for returning him back to earth with you, letting him know you ain’t going anywhere.

“You know… The cookies must be cold by now–”

“Oh, fuck, yeah!” And he didn’t even bother getting dressed, running out of the bed like a complete gremlin, and rushing outside with his ass out. Your eyes were wide as you sat on the bed, and you smiled, your heart warm at the events of today, despite knowing that things would start getting complicated from here on out, more tense, but you at least know that they’re headed forward. To a future.

And you hoped that you shared that future with Eddie.

God, you’re really fucked… aren’t you?

end of chapter 23

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nerdallwritey · 11 months ago

Text

Perfect Every Time

Summary: You got up and joined him in the ankle deep water. “Do you want to try right now?” Astarion thought for a moment and clicked his tongue. “I have a better idea, actually.” He gave you a sideways look, his lips quirking up slightly. “What?” you matched his smile. Rather than answering, Astarion reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head. You furrowed your brow. “Looks an awful lot like you’re preparing to swim.” He started fiddling with the clasps on his pants and groaned in your direction. “Swimming is not the only thing one can do while submerged in water, dearest.” He gave you a sensual smile that sent heat to your cheeks. OR Before your party travels into the Underdark, you and Astarion catch one last sunrise together.

Pairing: Astarion x f!reader Rating: 18+ Word count: 7.2k CW: smut, reader is new to sex, hand job, piv sex, water sex, dirty talk, mentions of Astarion's past trauma, blood drinking, extra mild angst, soft Astarion, porn with feelings, reader is an idiot (and a bard), so is Astarion (not a bard, just an idiot), Illmater's blood-stained rack Spoilers: Minor spoilers for Act 1 (in-game dialogue, plot points, etc.), as well as Astarion's plotline Also posted to: AO3 FAIR WARNING: This is PART 4 in my series, "Beauty and the Bard." Find the masterlist here.

a/n: Surprise!! I'm back with a new chapter of Beauty and the Bard! This part is shorter than the other ones (who cheered) because it morphed from a little smut scene into one that deserved its very own part. One million thanks to everyone who's read and enjoyed the series so far, it's so much fun chatting with you guys and hearing your thoughts and it truly means the world that you guys care so much about these goofs. I already have an idea for Part 5, so that will be coming soon, but I have a request to fill first! Thank you all for your patience. In the meantime, please enjoy our regularly scheduled silliness with Astarion and bard!tav :) (Thank you once again to @kermitwazowski for beta reading!) As a reminder, the last part was the Tiefling party!

Taglist: @a66-1, @khaleesiofthewolves, @khywren, @lollipopsandlandmines, @mizuki-nautilus - Let me know if you'd like to be added to the taglist for this series!

Several days had passed since the hijinxs of the Tiefling party had taken place. By now, the former refugees of the Emerald Grove were well on their way to Baldur’s Gate, the looming threat of goblins and power hungry druids far from their minds, their thoughts instead replaced with hope for new beginnings in the city.

Just like he’d promised, Halsin had returned the next day to discuss the parasites, officially joining your party of misfits on your journey towards the Shadow Cursed Lands and Moonrise Towers. His calming presence and sage advice was a welcome addition to the group, especially given that this leadership role had been thrust upon you by the others with next to no discussion. Having Halsin around finally felt like there was a responsible adult among you. Not that you all weren’t adults, but you definitely had your… quirks. Sure, Halsin turned into a bear if he let his emotions go unchecked, but Gale was a bomb.

As for you and Astarion, not much had really changed, you were both still yourselves, but now you openly tortured your companions with more pet names and cheek kisses and obnoxiously loud banter. Lae’zel had threatened to cleave you both in half on multiple occasions, but had yet to follow through on that threat. The others would groan loudly or avert their eyes politely.

Your days with Astarion were spent fighting side-by-side and teasing one another, and your nights were spent chatting and reading together. Aside from the physical intimacy and emotional vulnerability that came with being in a new relationship, it was really as if nothing had changed. And those were small prices to pay for where you currently found yourself: wrapped together with a trancing Astarion.

Ever since the Tiefling party, Astarion would worm his way into your tent at night. Whether he asked permission, or stayed a little too late into the night reading or talking or drinking from you; you would never ask him to leave. You’d slept together every night, sometimes beside each other, and other nights wrapped in each others’ arms. You were allowing Astarion to set the pace, as you were in no rush to get anywhere in particular. You simply enjoyed his company and his magnetic presence.

The pair of you hadn’t been too intimate since the party, barring stolen and sometimes steamy kisses. That was plenty for you, and Astarion continued checking in to see if you were okay with his touches and advances. Whenever you assured him that you were, he’d smile and return to your lips. You never asked him for more than he was willing to give, and even though you knew he wouldn’t say anything about it, you could tell he appreciated the courtesy despite the smug mask he so often wore.

Now, you found yourself stroking your hands through his hair as he tranced on your bare chest, breathing quietly; a habit he told you he’d picked up to look more alive when prowling the Gate.

It was funny, honestly, how sweet and unassuming he looked when he wasn’t fully conscious. And yet, you knew the kind of violence and debauchery and bad jokes he enacted and adored when he was awake. A small sound escaped his lips and you paused in caressing his hair to make sure you weren’t waking him. When his breathing returned to normal, you resumed raking your fingers soothingly over his scalp.

The hour was a little before dawn. Truthfully, you hadn’t gotten much sleep last night, knowing that today was the day your party would pack up camp and make your way into the Underdark for the foreseeable future. You’d re-emerge eventually to find the crèche Lae’zel knew to be nearby, but the Underdark was worth investigating for the sake of further answers about the tadpoles and a possible alternate route into the Shadow Cursed Lands. Plus, Shadowheart was adamant about seeing the rumored temple to Shar hidden down there.

All that to say, you and your companions wouldn’t be seeing the sun for quite a while. The thought saddened you immensely, knowing how much the man trancing on you would miss it terribly. How cruel, you thought, that your adventure was leading Astarion back into the shadows after he’d just gotten a taste of the sun for the first time in centuries.

“Why are you awake, my darling?” came Astarion’s raspy voice from the dark. He shifted his head to look up at you, his grip around your midsection tightening a bit, his eyes heavy with grogginess.

“Couldn’t sleep,” you admitted. “You should get a little more if you can.”

Astarion chuckled. “Too busy thinking about me to sleep? I wouldn’t blame you.”

You sighed. “And if I was?”

Astarion’s face fell a little. “Why the hells would you allow yourself to lose sleep on my behalf, pet?” His voice was soft and one of his hands unwrapped itself from your body, taking your hand, and bringing it up to his mouth to kiss the back of your fingers. He cleared his throat. “I mean, obviously I can understand why,” he tried deflecting the sweetness that had seeped into his words by injecting his tone with fake bravado.

You let out an amused breath and allowed your hand in his hair to continue petting him gently. “I want to watch the sunrise with you again this morning.”

Astarion hummed. “And that kept you awake?”

“I didn’t want to oversleep.”

Now it was Astarion’s turn to let out an amused breath. “You could have asked. I would have woken you up.”

“No you wouldn’t, you keep letting me sleep in. It’s like you enjoy watching me sleep or something, you creep.” You poked his nose playfully.

“It’s just amazing how much drool someone of your stature can produce.”

You smacked the side of his head and he laughed softly. The two of you sat in comfortable silence for a little while before you decided to speak again.

“This will be the last sunrise we see for a while.”

Astarion let out a long sigh and remained silent. After a moment, he said, “I know.”

He sounded sad.

“It’s not forever, though,” you assured, moving your hand to stroke his cheek and regaining his attention.

He chuckled. “I know that, too.”

You yawned, a little more loudly than you meant to. “Good. I promise you’ll see the sun again.”

Astarion tsked. “Honestly, darling, did you get no sleep at all?”

“I got a little,” you lied.

He held your gaze, lifting a skeptical eyebrow. “I don’t believe you.”

“What does it matter?” you asked, caught. “I can handle a little lack of sleep.”

Astarion rolled his eyes and sat up to look at you more directly. “It matters because we need you alert. None of us knows what awaits us in the Underdark and I- we can’t have you getting hurt because you didn’t get enough rest!”

“I’ll be fine,” you assured, bending upwards to kiss the corner of his mouth. “Besides, I’ll have you to protect me when I get sloppy.”

Astarion groaned. “You shouldn’t get sloppy,” he complained. “I swear, if you somehow hold us back down there, I’ll slaughter you myself.”

“Promise?”

He groaned again. “Would you, just once, allow me to threaten you seriously?”

“No,” you patted his cheek lovingly.

He sighed and pushed some of his mussed hair out of his face. He took your hands in his. “Just… stay vigilant, alright?”

“Can do,” you said, withholding another obvious yawn.

“I saw that.”

“Saw what?”

He shook his head at you and sat up fully, stretching his arms above his head and giving you a clear view of the scar on his back. You sat up and kissed his bare shoulder.

“I’ll be fine,” you repeated.

“Mhm.” Astarion passed you one of his shirts. “Come on, darling, let’s get a move on.” He tossed on a spare shirt and watched you as you pulled his shirt over your head.

“There’s still a little time before sunrise,” you said.

Astarion snorted and fixed some of your hair that was sticking up from putting on his shirt. “You could stay here if you want. Drown in your own drool. Up to you.”

You huffed at him, making him laugh again.

“Only joking, my love.”

“Sure,” you said, opening the flaps of your tent and crawling out into the blue that preceded dawn.

You went to stand, but felt Astarion’s cool fingers wrap around your wrist and pull you back. He turned you slightly and caught your lips in a kiss, one that wiped away whatever fake ire you had towards him and replaced it with a dopey grin.

“What was that for?” you asked when he pulled away.

“Delicious,” he breathed, raising a seductive eyebrow.

You laughed and grabbed his hand. “Come on.”

You’d only been able to catch two more sunrises with Astarion following the one you watched the morning after you’d slept together for the first time. You’d woken up once on your own after Astarion gently shifted himself away from you, and another time when he woke you up purposely, not wanting to be alone with his thoughts. You’d whine and moan whenever he let you sleep in, despite the fact that it was probably for the best to keep you in tip top shape for fighting and recharging your magic. He’d always find his way back to you, and you knew he needed his own space sometimes, but you still loved to watch him bask in the golden light of the morning and you couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed whenever you felt his gentle hand on your back before opening your eyes and seeing that the sun was already up.

Astarion led you through the forest again, his hand holding yours firmly. You knew your way to the ravine lookout by now, but you liked not having to take the lead for once. He helped you across the little stream that led into the clearing where you first laid together and you felt your cheeks flush at the memory.

“I can hear your heart picking up speed, darling.” He turned to smirk at you. “You’re adorable.”

“Pardon me for still being shy,” you half-joked.

“Mmm,” Astarion hummed. “I’ll pound that out of you eventually.” He furrowed his brow sensually at you and you scoffed.

“Shut up.”

“I, of course, don’t have to-”

You made a whiny sound and he laughed.

“I know, my love,” he said, removing his hand from yours and instead wrapping his arm around you to pull you close. “You’ve been so patient for me,” he nipped at your earlobe. “So good.”

“I’m in no rush,” you reassured on a shaky exhale.

Astarion made his own whiny sound and pulled you closer, leading you to the cliff’s edge where he’d opened up to you willingly for the first time, just a few days ago.

He sat, pulling you down with him, far enough away from the edge, where he knew you wouldn’t be nervous of falling. In the distance, the sky was just starting to indicate the sun’s arrival.

You sighed happily and rested your head on his shoulder. You felt him tense a little. “Is this alright?”

Instead of answering, he leaned his head on top of yours.

“What’s something you want to do in the Underdark?” you probed.

Astarion groaned. “You don’t need to make small talk with me, darling, sometimes silence is golden.”

You scrunched your nose, knowing he hated pure silence. “I wasn’t being polite, I genuinely wanted to know.”

He groaned again. “Even worse.”

You laughed lightly and felt him laugh too, his arm gently shaking against your own.

He thought for a moment before he responded. “That Zhentarim fellow we met mentioned a cache of supplies hidden somewhere down there. That might be fun to pillage.”

You laughed. “I’m surprised you ever stopped thinking about that!”

“Oh I didn’t, but I wanted you to think your little thought experiment had actually evoked some sort of… thought… in me.” He made a face.

“Want to try and rephrase that?”

“Not particularly.”

You hummed fondly, taking one of his hands in your own and examining how your fingers slotted together just so.

“I suppose you want me to ask you the same question?” Astarion asked, clearly not wanting to ask.

You laughed. “Your interest in my interests always astounds me, Astarion.”

He rubbed his cheek against the top of your head. “Get better interests and I might actually want to pay attention.”

“Rude,” you muttered, a smile on your face. “But since you so desperately want to know, I’ll answer anyway.”

“Oh, goodie.”

You thought about it. There wasn’t actually all that much you knew about the Underdark, aside from the few mentions of it in the books you’d read growing up. One thing did stick out in your mind.

“Singing mushrooms.”

“........What?”

“I read somewhere that apparently there are colonies of sentient mushroom people who communicate through song.”

Astarion pulled his head off of yours to hang it in front of himself instead, groaning loudly. “That sounds like a nightmare.”

“It’s not! It’s fascinating!”

“Sentient mushrooms?”

“Yes.”

“That sing?”

“Yes.”

Astarion shook his head. “Am I still asleep? Do you hear yourself?”

“I’m not making it up!” you exclaimed incredulously. When he didn’t say anything else, you crossed your arms in front of yourself. “We’re going to see the mushrooms.”

“Whatever you say, darling.” He kissed the top of your head almost pityingly.

“You’re an ass,” you said, pulling away from him and sitting back on your forearms. The sky was turning a faint pinkish orange in the distance. You snickered to yourself. “More like Ass-starion.”

The ass in question scowled. “That will not be one of your pet names for me.”

You shrugged. “I’m surprised no one’s called you that before.”

“I’ve been called far worse.” Astarion tilted his head up pompously, as if nothing you could say would hurt him.

“Okay great, so ‘Ass’ is nothing new.”

He sighed heavily. “It’s like you want me to throw you off the cliff.”

“Go ahead,” you challenged, catching his eye mischievously, knowing his threat was empty.

Astarion looked at you and then towards the horizon. He inhaled deeply and rose to his feet.

“What are you doing?” you laughed nervously as he approached the cliff’s edge that gave way into the ravine below.

He peered over the edge, his brow furrowed in deep thought.

You shifted uncomfortably and sat up completely straight. “Astarion, please be careful, you’re making me nervous.”

He ignored you and walked along the edge, looking past a batch of trees and into the distance to your right. He nodded and turned back towards where you sat.

“Up you go,” Astarion approached you and gestured his thumb upwards, indicating that he wanted you to stand. When he reached you, he helped you to your feet.

“You’re not actually going to throw me off the cliff, are you?” You kept your tone playful, but the anxiety you were masking was obvious.

Astarion smirked. “Stop annoying me and I won’t have to.”

You rolled your eyes and began to follow him as he started walking to the right, down a slanted slope and into a patch of trees.

“What’s happening?” you asked when you caught up with him.

Astarion tilted his head. “I just thought an occasion such as this needed a change of scenery.”

“‘Occasion?’” you echoed.

He nodded. “It’s my last day in the sun-” he saw you about to protest and quickly added, “-for a little while. Might as well start the day off right.”

You hummed. “Why do I get the sense that you’re up to something?”

Astarion stopped in his tracks, a hand held to his unbeating heart in mock offense. “Me? Up to something? You’re far too paranoid, darling.”

“Uh huh.” You kept walking, but quickly realized you didn’t actually know where you were going. You looked back at Astarion for help and found him watching you.

He rolled his eyes affectionately. “This way, dear, it’s not much farther.” He walked past you, deeper into the trees, and kept talking. “Did you know that that ravine we’ve been sitting above gives way into what I can only assume is either the Chianthar or the Sea of Swords?”

“I didn’t,” you said. “Though those are two very different bodies of water.”

“Give me a break, my geography lessons occurred well over 200 years ago. And we’re in the gods damn middle of nowhere, might I remind you.”

“Mhm,” you affirmed with a smile. “Go on.”

“Well, it just so happens that that ravine’s mouth isn’t far from our little sunrise spot.”

“‘Our?’” you teased.

“Focus, darling,” he said. He turned to the left, leading you back towards the cliff’s edge that had continued along the treeline.

“Astarion, please be careful,” you called after him, hesitantly following him towards the sound of rushing water.

He turned back and held out a steadying hand for you as you approached the edge. Not too far below you were narrow rapids that gradually became calmer. The cliff that had been on the other side of the one you currently found yourself on had disappeared, forming a mouth where the ravine did in fact empty into a much larger, much calmer, body of water.

You wrapped your arms around Astarion’s middle to anchor yourself and leaned forward a little to see where the cliff you were on ended. A little farther down, you squinted to adjust your eyes to the dim lighting, and saw a tiny beach that quickly shot upwards into a new cliff. Rocks surrounded the shore, keeping it slightly out of view, and gentle waves lapped at the sand, far enough away from the rapids of the ravine to remain serene.

You caught Astarion’s eye and pointed towards the small patch of sand in the distance. “Is that where we’re going?”

Astarion pursed his lips. “Yes, that would be much easier than jumping in, wouldn’t it?”

You scoffed. “You expected me to jump in from this high up? There could be rocks we can’t see! And we don’t know how deep it is!”

Astarion sighed. “You’re no fun. Though I suppose you’re right, I hadn’t thought that far ahead.” With your arms still around his middle, he started walking back into the trees and down towards the tiny beach.

You laughed as he dragged you along. “You can’t possibly be serious. You’d get your hair all wet!”

“Nobody said I was going to jump in with you,” he teased.

“I’m not going in alone,” you narrowed your eyes at him.

“Pity,” he tutted. “I like it when you’re wet.” He smirked and you shoved yourself away from him.

You picked up your pace to put distance between the two of you. When you didn’t hear his footsteps gaining on you, you decided to quickly slip behind a tree, hoping you’d lost him and that you’d be able to jump out to scare him as he sauntered past.

Unfortunately, nothing but silence greeted you. After a heartbeat or two, you peered around the trunk of your hiding spot but saw no sign of his sleek frame or shock of white hair. You started to second guess yourself; was it possible he’d passed you already? Or that he stopped, out of sight for some reason?

“You’ll have to do better than that, darling,” came his voice softly next to your ear.

You yelped and clutched at your heart, which raced with surprise.

Astarion sighed happily. “I do love the sound of your blood pumping.”

“How do you do that?” you asked, breathing deeply to calm yourself.

“Years of practice.” He paused. “Centuries, even.”

You conceded with a nod. “I shouldn’t have even tried.”

“No, you shouldn’t have. The effort was hardly there, either.”

“Alright,” you rolled your eyes and continued on through the trees down to the beach.

“I mean honestly, have these weeks on the road with me taught you nothing about stealth?”

“I play music for a living. My job is making noise.”

“And I don’t know why I even try at this point.” He raised his eyebrows playfully.

“You like my noise,” you said, sing-songingly.

“You’re loud, I’ll give you that.”

It was then that you emerged from the trees and onto a grassy dune that sloped downward onto the flat sand below. You slid down the dune with as much grace as you could muster, only falling on your ass once, before taking off your shoes and sinking your toes into the cool sand that made up the shoreline. Astarion followed after you, his long strides keeping him upright and as elegant as ever. He came to stand next to you, taking his own shoes off and placing them neatly beside yours.

You exhaled wistfully and grabbed Astarion’s bicep, leaning your head onto his shoulder. From here, you had a clear view of the sun on the horizon. The sky was a deep shade of pink, giving way to golds and oranges the closer you watched. You looked at Astarion, whose eyes were focused on the sunrise in the distance.

“What are you thinking about?” you asked quietly.

Astarion looked over at you and blinked. Then he smiled. “Just that it’s truly a wonder you’ve made it this far in life.”

“What?!” you exclaimed, shocked and amused.

You could tell he was holding in a laugh. “You are inept at hiding and fall down sand dunes. What were we thinking when we started following you around Faerûn?”

“I’ll push you into the water, pretty boy.”

“I’d pull you in with me, my love.”

“Touché,” you smiled and released his arm, sitting on the sand. You pulled your legs to your chest and rested your cheek on your knee. Around you, reeds and tall grass swayed in the morning breeze. Astarion remained standing, watching the horizon.

As much as you enjoyed watching the sunrise, you enjoyed watching Astarion watch it more. The way his attention became transfixed on the sky, the way the vibrant light painted itself onto him like a blank canvas, the way his entire body relaxed when the warmth of the sun finally reached his skin.

You heard him sigh and watched as he walked forward a little, allowing the tiny waves rolling off the water to rush gently over his toes. He flinched a little in shock and you let out an affectionate breath through your nose.

“Cold?” you asked.

“You know, it’s funny,” Astarion said, his voice a million miles away. “It’s been so long since I’ve been able to move through water like this.”

“What do you mean?” You furrowed your brow. “I’ve seen you in the lake at camp before.”

“I don’t know, I guess I haven’t given it too much thought until now. Normally, I can’t move through running water like this. Don’t ask me why, it’s one of those idiotic vampire laws dictated by some ancient devil with an infuriating sense of humor. I can bathe, sure, but I haven’t been proper swimming since… before.”

You stayed quiet as he moved further into the water, letting the waves wash over his ankles.

“I have to imagine I knew how to swim at one point,” he said quietly.

“I could teach you,” you offered. “I was going to teach Shadowheart at some point too. You’re welcome to join us if you want.”

Astarion snorted. “And look like a fool in front of the cleric? I’ll pass.”

“You don’t need swim lessons to look like a fool,” you clarified.

“Ha ha,” he said humorlessly.

You got up and joined him in the ankle deep water. “Do you want to try right now?”

Astarion thought for a moment and clicked his tongue. “I have a better idea, actually.” He gave you a sideways look, his lips quirking up slightly.

“What?” you matched his smile.

Rather than answering, Astarion reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head.

You furrowed your brow. “Looks an awful lot like you’re preparing to swim.”

He started fiddling with the clasps on his pants and groaned in your direction. “Swimming is not the only thing one can do while submerged in water, dearest.” He gave you a sensual smile that sent heat to your cheeks.

“Oh,” you said, stiffly watching him undress. “Should I-?” you awkwardly pulled at the collar of his shirt that was currently resting on your shoulders.

He straightened, naked but for his underwear. He frowned a little.

“You don’t have to do anything, my love. I just thought we might have some fun while watching the sunrise.”

You bit your bottom lip, thinking it over. “I do like fun.”

“I know that about you.” Astarion walked towards you and reached for the hem of your shirt. “May I?”

You nodded and lifted your arms to help. He took the shirt and tossed it over to where he’d discarded his own clothes. He stepped closer to you, pulling you to him so that you were chest to chest, and nuzzled his nose into the area where your neck met your shoulder. He placed a slow, gentle kiss there that had you inhaling sharply and exhaling unevenly. He groaned with need before pulling back and readjusting to kiss your lips. He came at it with more force than you were expecting, causing you to stumble back a little, but his hands firmly gripped your biceps, keeping you steady. You suppressed a giggle and instead smiled against his mouth before opening up for him and allowing his tongue to meet yours. Astarion hummed with pleasure, moving his mouth against yours and bringing his hands up to tangle in your hair. When he finally pulled away, he left one more chaste kiss against your lips before fully pulling back.

His eyes were alight with something that morphed into joy when he saw the gooey grin on your face. He rolled his eyes affectionately before looking you up and down and exhaling a laugh.

“You are perfect,” he said, almost in awe.

You smiled. “When?”

Astarion pulled you closer, his eyes narrowing seductively. “Every time.”

You snickered and pulled away from him, a teasing grin plastered on his face. You bent to remove your own pants and watched to see what Astarion would do next. When you saw him reach for his underwear, you averted your eyes and heard him laugh.

“Nothing new over here, darling,” he said, and the soft splashing sounds that followed indicated he’d walked into the water.

“I know,” you replied, embarrassed. You turned back towards him and shrugged. “Habit, I guess.”

“Well, cut it out,” he called, now knee deep in the water. His body was rigid from the temperature, his shoulders rising up to his ears. He turned back to look back at you, still standing on the shore. “Illmater’s blood-stained RACK, this is cold!”

“I don’t know what you expected,” you called back, hugging your arms to your chest and trying to convince yourself to brave the frigid waters and join him.

“I rather expected you would be in here with me to keep me warm,” he said, turning back towards the sunrise ahead of him.

You quickly pulled off your underwear and started walking into the water, tensing at the cold, but willing yourself to keep going.

“If you wanted my blood, you could have just asked,” you said when you finally reached him.

“There you are, darling,” Astarion said and grabbed your hand.

“Hi,” you said softly.

“Brace yourself,” he tipped his head forward a little.

“What?”

Without warning, Astarion lowered himself into the water so that it was just below his shoulders, and pulled you down with him. You hadn’t expected to be yanked so forcefully and unsurprisingly lost your footing. You plunged downward, reaching your free hand out to break your fall and ended up dunking your face below the surface. You were submerged for less than a second, but you came up sputtering and made eye contact with a gleeful vampire. He sucked in his lips to keep from laughing.

“And what was that?” you asked blandly, flicking wet tendrils of hair out of your face.

“Apologies, darling, I didn’t mean for you to get your pretty hair all wet,” he pouted at you and sounded less than sympathetic.

“Uh huh,” you narrowed your eyes at him. You crawled closer to him, made weightless by the water, and sat beside him, the water level reaching slightly higher on your chest than his. You scooted back a little and dragged your arm out behind you. You pushed it forward quickly, creating a splash that soaked the back of Astarion’s head. He instantly hunched forward and yelped.

“How dare you?!” he exclaimed, his curls flattening and falling partially into his face.

“Whoops,” you shrugged. Your eyes widened when you saw him wind his own arm back in retaliation and quickly dunked your head below the surface to avoid his onslaught of water.

When you reemerged, you heard Astarion snicker.

“Look at that,” he said, his tone mocking, “you’re all wet for me.”

You wasted no time in splashing him directly in the face.

“Let’s not do this,” he said flatly, his eyes closed. He brought his hands up to wipe the water off his face, even though his hands were equally wet.

“But now you’re all wet for me,” you teased.

“I’ll show you what I am,” Astarion growled and took your hand underwater. He pulled you closer and led your hand to his cock, which was already rigid with desire, despite the temperature of the water.

You made eye contact with him as you started pumping your hand up and down his shaft and he hissed out a breath.

“Easy, darling,” he said shakily.

“What’s the matter?” you asked, close to his ear. “Don’t you want to cum while watching the sunrise?”

Astarion groaned and you moved your hand up to swipe your thumb across his tip and then back down to continue pumping. You lifted your weightless body up and swung your leg around so that you were sitting between his legs, facing him head on with the sunrise at your back.

“I know what would make you even harder,” you cooed, wiping wet hair out of his face with your free hand. Instead of finishing the thought, you tilted your head to the side, offering up your neck to him.

Astarion’s eyes, half lidded with lust, went wide and looked at you. You nodded to him, and he pulled you closer to his chest, kissing your throat feverishly upon contact. Your hand was still wedged between your legs, twisting around Astarion’s length. He moaned as he nosed along your throat for where your pulse thrummed the strongest.

“Thank you,” he said before sinking his fangs into you.

You let out a moan of your own, your mouth falling open as goosebumps broke out along your arms. The cold water mixed with the ice in your veins created a delicious mixture of pleasure and pain. The hand pumping Astarion’s length started to slow as you felt yourself focusing instead on the satisfyingly dull thrum that came with him drinking from you.

“Don’t stop,” he murmured against your skin, kissing your throat and licking a few wayward drops of blood that had escaped before returning to his meal.

You made a noise of affirmation and squeezed his dick before continuing to twist your hand up and down, from base to tip and back down again.

Astarion whined lamely and dug his nails into your scalp and shoulder, which in turn made you moan wantonly. You rolled your hips, trying to find some relief of your own and ended up brushing your clit against the base of his cock. You both groaned in pleasure and you brought your free hand up to tangle into his hair as you continued rolling your hips.

“Hah,” Astarion huffed sweetly as he pulled himself away from your throat, his cool breath made warm by your blood. He licked at the wounds he left behind and kissed them gratefully before angling his head to kiss your mouth deeply.

The metallic tang of your blood on his tongue sent a chill through your body and you opened your eyes when you felt Astarion’s hands make their way to your hips. You broke the kiss to give him a curious look.

He returned your look with a blissed out smirk. “I want you to ride me,” he drawled.

Your eyes widened and the hand that was still working his cock slowed to a stop.

He surged forward to kiss you again and moved his hands to your ass, where he lifted your weightless form to position you over his length.

“Are you sure?” you asked. “I thought I was close to getting you off.”

“You were, sweet girl, but I’d much rather finish inside, if it’s all the same to you.”

Your lips quirked up. “I think we can make that work.”

Taking his cock into your hand again, you guided the head to your entrance before sinking down on him slowly. Astarion’s eyes closed in satisfaction and he tipped his head up to the sky, golden light painting his beautiful face into something ethereal. You sucked in a breath and rested your forehead on his shoulder, taking a second to adjust to this new sensation. You hadn’t ridden him yet, nor had you ever fooled around in water, by yourself or otherwise.

Astarion kissed your ear before encouraging you: “Use me, my love. You’re deliciously warm.”

You nodded and tested lifting yourself up a little and bringing yourself back down. Your mouth dropped open and you adjusted your legs so you were resting on your knees, making it easier to bob on his dick. Your arms wrapped around his neck as you lifted yourself higher and brought yourself down with more force.

“That’s it,” Astarion cooed, “take your pleasure from me.”

“Touch me,” you whined, rolling your hips and picking up the pace of your bouncing.

“With pleasure,” he bent forward to kiss your neck, bringing his hand down to circle your clit. His other hand came up to squeeze your breast.

“You make me feel so good,” you sighed, raking your nails over the ridges on his back.

“The feeling is mutual, d-arling,” his voice caught when you brought yourself down on his cock. “And I’m the only one who can make you feel this good,” he grazed his fangs across your collarbone.

“I don’t know,” you said, your body shuddering with euphoria, “Halsin seems like he could give you a run for your money.”

Astarion raised a disbelieving eyebrow at you.

“Teasing, my love,” you kissed him softly before letting out a loud “Ah!” when he started raising his hips to meet yours.

“Oh really?” he asked, his voice coming out like a growl. “You think Halsin could fuck you as well as I can?”

“Hah,” you half laughed, half moaned. “I think technically, in this position, I’m fucking you?” A lopsided grin graced your lips. “But I don’t know, I’m new to all this.”

“Funny,” Astarion remarked sarcastically and pulled his hand away from your clit, making you whimper in protest.

“Hey!”

“Take it back.”

“Take what back? I already said I was teasing!”

“Say I’m the only one who can fuck you like this.”

You smiled, panting and still riding him beneath the surface of the water. “Are you jealous or something?”

“Hardly,” he rolled his eyes. “But you’re mine and it wouldn’t kill you to remind yourself of that.”

“Sounds an awful lot like jealousy to me.”

Astarion groaned in what sounded like frustration and pleasure. “Do you want to cum or not?”

You leaned forward and kissed him deeply, moving your mouth slowly in time with the rhythm of your hips. When you pulled away, a string of saliva connected you to his lower lip.

“Astarion,” you said softly, “I don’t ever want anyone else to fuck me. Only you. For as long as you’ll have me.”

The smirk on Astarion’s face was smug. “Because?”

You rolled your eyes. “Because I’m yours, you stupid bat.” You kissed him, then whispered conspiratorially, “And I like you the most out of everyone at camp.”

“You flatter me,” Astarion said, immediately returning to his ministrations on your clit. You gasped at the contact, which quickly morphed into a moan of delight as you rested your forehead on his shoulder again. His hips rose to meet yours once more and the moan he let out as a result sounded as if he’d been holding it in for a while. Perhaps it was to sound eloquent during your back and forth, but the noise was music to your ears.

“Am I making you feel good?” you asked a little shyly.

Astarion opened one of his eyes to look at you. “My sweet, you’ve only ever made me feel good.”

“I know that’s not true.”

“It’s not, but it is true about the sex.”

“Thank the gods,” you laughed, though you shut your eyes tightly when Astarion hit a particularly pleasant spot inside you with a roll of his hips. “Whatever you just hit felt heavenly,” you relayed to him.

“Good to know,” he said mischievously, and repositioned you on his lap so he could rise to meet that spot every time you sank down on him.

“Oh, Astarion,” you sighed, a grin overtaking your features.

“You like that, love?” he nipped at your shoulder.

“Yes,” you sighed again.

Your bounces on his cock were starting to become sloppy as the knot of your climax began to build low in your stomach. You moved your hand to his and reversed the direction he was currently circling your clit.

“I’m close,” you confessed.

“Thank the gods, so am I,” Astarion’s voice was strained.

You opened your eyes to watch him as he approached his own peak and exhaled dreamily at the sight of him, bathed in the orange glow of the sun which was now halfway risen.

“You’re so beautiful,” you whispered, “and I like you so much.”

“Don’t make me throw up when I’m trying to cum,” he opened up an eye and smirked at you. “You’re not half bad yourself, gorgeous thing.” He groaned when you sat back down on him forcefully. “Now, would you cum for me already? I’m dying here.”

“Almost there,” you laughed. “And you’re dead already.”

“You’re making this very difficult, darling.”

“Let me help you then,” you said, reaching a hand forward and lightly caressing his balls.

Astarion’s mouth hung open in silent pleasure, his fangs glistening in the emerging sunshine. He watched you wordlessly as you leaned forward.

“You’re so powerful,” you purred next to his ear. “You make me feel so good, and you’re the only one who can fuck me this well. The others will never know how good I feel because I’m yours and I’ll only ever be yours. You’re the only one who will ever be inside of me.”

“That’s right,” he groaned. “Your cunt is mine and I love the way it feels around me. The way it grips me so tight. You filthy thing, letting a vampire take your innocence. I could have killed you and instead I brought you the most pleasure you’ve ever felt. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes,” you moaned. “Astarion, please. Need to feel your cum in me.”

“You want this cock forever, darling? Prove it. Prove you want it by cumming for me and screaming my name.”

His command brought you to your peak and you wailed out in pure ecstasy. His name fell from your lips like a prayer, over and over, and your cunt gripped him like a vice, as if claiming it for itself. In return, Astarion groaned loudly and spilled inside of you, moaning your name repeatedly and throwing his head back in rapture and delight.

As you came down from your high, you leaned forward to place sloppy kisses on his exposed throat. He brought both his arms around you and pulled you closer as he returned from his climax.

“You are-” he didn’t finish his sentence before crushing his lips into yours, moaning pathetically and you giggled in response. He bit your bottom lip with his blunt front teeth before releasing it and peppering kisses along your cheeks and jaw.

“Go on,” you teased, encouraging him to finish his thought.

He looked as if he wanted to argue, but instead gave in and said, “You’re wonderful.”

The words caught you off guard and you bent forward to kiss him in a way that you hoped conveyed your gratitude.

“I think you’re wonderful, too.”

“Obviously,” Astarion smirked.

You pushed him backwards, causing him to slip and submerge his head fully underwater briefly.

“My hair was just starting to dry, you wretched beast!” he sputtered, looking appalled.

“Aw, but you’re so pretty like this!” You brushed some wet hair out of his eyes.

“Um, hello? I’m always pretty, darling.”

“Ah, you’re right, how could I forget.” You gingerly lifted yourself off of Astarion and floated yourself to sit beside him, facing the sunrise.

“Perhaps you’ve had the lovely head of yours hit in battle one too many times.”

“That must be it,” you agreed jokingly, resting your head on his shoulder.

He leaned his head on top of yours in return. You sighed happily, enjoying the vibrant hues of the sky above, still filled with the euphoria of your high and the presence of the man beside you.

“I really do like you, so much,” you said softly, accompanied by the quiet lapping of the waves on the shore nearby.

“Ugh,” Astarion groaned. “Let’s not get sentimental, darling. After we just had such an excellent time together.”

You laughed. “Pardon me for wanting to express my feelings.”

“You are pardoned.” He gave you a sideways smile.

“Thank you, Mr. Magistrate.”

“Of course, beloved citizen.”

You both laughed quietly and returned to a pleasant silence. The sun rose steadily up into the sky and you knew you’d have to head back to camp soon to help pack up, but for now, you were content to sit and watch the horizon with your favorite traveling companion.

“How are you doing that?” Astarion asked, breaking the silence.

“Doing what?”

“Tickling my thighs. Did you cast mage hand or something of the sort?”

You sat up a bit more to look and snorted.

“Astarion, my love, I think it’s a fish that’s tickling you.”

“Ah,” he said calmly. Then he shot up, flinging you backwards and underwater. When you came up for air, he was rushing towards the shore, barreling through the water.

“At least it had the decency to wait until we were finished!” you called after him.

Astarion ignored you. “Slimy, disgusting, vile creatures!” He shook out his entire body as if he couldn’t rid himself of the sensation.

You watched him with adoration as he muttered to himself about how irredeemable that particular fish was as he pulled on his pants. It was then that you felt your heart swell with something big and alarming.

Oh no.

You were in love with him.

Fuck!

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