#I also sang that relentlessly

[jesuistrestriste]

♡ Nice Guys Finish Last; Art Donaldson x Reader ♡

nsfw! (18+) cw: soft dom!art donaldson, sub!reader, afab/fem reader, porn w/ a little plot, penetrative sex, unsafe sex/pullout method, slight edging (reader!receiving), equal desperation, praise, general filth, art is a softie until he's not

wc: 4.2 k

*does not include challengers spoilers!*

prev. art donaldson fic : <3 here <3

It was currently 11 PM in the state of New York, and Art Donaldson was in your hotel room.

-

Earlier today, you had competed in a long singles tennis tournament for a cash prize, and had beat every other girl in the bracket. You walked away from it with five-hundred more dollars in your pocket than you had walked in with, and a smug grin on your glossy lips.

Art Donaldson had competed in a similar tournament at the same venue, except it involved doubles teams playing against one another. He had played with his typical partner, Patrick Zweig, and they, too, had beat everyone in their bracket.

Tomorrow, they would be playing against one another to determine the ultimate winner.

You had watched them play, and they had watched you play too.

After the venue had shut down for the night, you had begun to wander back to your hotel a few blocks away and coincidentally bumped into the two boys heading back to the same building.

You three talked--or rather, they had buttered you up with compliments as you all went up the elevator, and suddenly you were in their hotel room drinking cheap beer from cold metal cans.

They both flirted relentlessly with you for about an hour or two, before Patrick had called it a night (and had given up on trying to woo you) and told you and Art that he was going to sleep.

Art had given you a look and nodded towards their room's door with a small smile, silently suggesting something. Thirty seconds later the both of you were standing alone in the hotel hallway. He chatted you up and praised your tennis-playing for about ten more minutes, his blue eyes staring into yours with an earnest desire to hold your attention. You had laughed and flushed with a nervous heat while he sang your praises, and then a bout of silence came over the two of you. He looked down to his shoes, letting out a soft chuckle, and then back up to your eyes.. and then down to your lips. The buzz of the fluorescent lights above made the silence seem more tense than it already was.

After tossing the reality of this interaction around in your head, you had realized that his kind, sensitive, charming persona was effectively rendering you weak in the knees..

"You're really pretty, by the way.. i don't know if i've said that yet, but you are," he had spoken in the hallway, leaning his shoulder against the wall as a lock of his strawberry-blonde curls hung in the center of his forehead.

And that was it.

Five minutes later he was in your hotel room.

-

The both of you kicked your shoes off in the doorway, and then moved to sit on the edge of your hotel room bed. Your chest and hands felt strangely hot as the young, talented tennis player sat there next to you. After a few moments of shared bashful glances, you started to notice things about him that you hadn't before.

Sometimes when he smiled, only one corner of his lips would lift up. When that happened, it looked more like he was smirking than he was smiling, which made him seem either disingenuous or disinterested -- even though it seemed that neither of those things were true.

He smelled like generic aftershave, faint sweat, and warm skin, which was a pleasant contrast to the smell of the hotel room. While the hotel was clean, it was also old, which made the permeating scent of the carpet akin to something like the stale basement of a childhood home.

He fidgeted subtly with his hands, staring into your eyes before averting them to look around at your luggage and tennis bag on the floor.

"So.. you said you're going to Stanford this fall, right?" you say, leaning back on your palms.

"Yeah, yeah," he nods, turning his head to look back to you again with a sheepish smile, “and you’re going to Harvard?”

“Mhm,” you hum, smiling back at him, “is Patrick going with you?”

He laughs a little, his brows furrowing, “Patrick? Hell no.”

You shake your head, “why not?”

“Patrick isn’t the college type. He wants to go pro immediately.”

“Ohh.. right, i forgot he mentioned that.”

“Yeah,” Art shrugs, still giving you a soft look as he shifts a little in his spot on the end of the mattress.

“I think you’re better off at Stanford without him,” you tease slightly, a playful smirk on your face.

He smiles wider, “Why?”

“I think he’d just get you into trouble,” you chuckle.

Art laughs again, a tiny bit harder than he did before, and you’re not sure if it’s because he genuinely likes your playfulness or if it’s because he’s a little nervous.

"You don't think I can cause trouble?" he asks with a small smile.

You shake your head after letting a soft giggle bubble up and out of your chest in response.

"Nah, not really."

"Why's that?"

"You're just so.. so nice."

He scoffs lightly and gently rolls his eyes, reaching up to tuck some of his messy hair behind one of his ears. He chews a little on the inside of his cheek.

"What?" you laugh.

"Everyone me and Patrick meet thinks he's this cool 'bad-boy' and I'm just this.. meek little 'nice guy'," he chuckles, matching your body language now by also leaning back on his palms.

Your smile falters slightly when he does this, but only because now the sleeve of his gray tee shirt was brushing against your bare shoulder, and your faces were a short distance apart. If you tried, you could probably just lean in and kiss him..

"It's not a bad thing to be a nice guy," you smirk, continuing your guys' little back-and-forth.

"Yeah, but there's, like, connotations behind that idea of a guy."

"What 'connotations'?"

He lets out a stiff chuckle, averting his eyes down to his legs before he returns your eye contact once again as he speaks, "I don't know.. that I'm 'shy', or that i 'cant be assertive'.."

You smile, feeling another wave of warmth creep over your stomach just from the way he was looking at you. His eyes were soft but steadily looking into yours, and each second felt like three years.

"So you're saying that those assumptions aren't true?" you tease gently, subtly moving to lean your shoulder against his. He noticed this immediately.

"God!" he laughs, slightly offended but still playing along, "do they seem true?"

"No," you say a bit softer with a smile, your eyes unintentionally drifting down to his pink lips. He noticed this too.

"Okay, good," he leans in a little more, your lips only a handful of inches apart now ".. 'cause they're definitely not."

"Really?" you chuckle, still teasing him.

He nods, "Really, really."

You could feel your heart beating rapidly in your ribcage, and then you started to wonder if he could hear it. Your lips part, little breaths being let out as you lean in an extra two inches. He smirks, and then you feel him move his right hand off of the bed and over your thigh. Its gentle and almost hesitant; giving you the opportunity to say 'no' if you wanted to.. but you didn't. you definitely didn't want to say no.

Your breathing hitches a little and your thighs shift slightly to capture his fingers between your limbs, and he looks steadily into your eyes as his digits squeeze your flesh softly.

"I'm not that shy," he murmurs lowly.

And then his lips are on yours, hot and hungry and eager to please. Your brows furrow as you kiss him back with equal ferocity, and his other hand moves to gently cup your cheek.

His tongue lathes over your bottom lip, and you open your mouth wider so that he can slide it in and taste you better. He groans softly against your smooth, parted lips, his hand between your thighs sliding up to press his palm against your clothed heat. A shaky, barely audible moan escapes your lips as this happens, and he swallows it down as he kisses you harder.

Art's hands then move to slide under your athletic tank top, and he pulls away with lidded eyes to mumble lowly and warmly against your jaw, "can I take this off?"

You nod feverishly, breathing heavily, as you lift your arms above your head while he pulls your shirt up and over. He tosses it aside once it's off like it's trash to him, and then he's diving back in to kiss and suck and nip at your neck. You're sure that he'll leave marks, but you can't find the strength or willpower to deny how hot it would be to look in the mirror later and see all of the little red blotches that his pretty mouth left behind. A few soft "ahh"s and "oh"s slip from your parted lips as his tongue flicks over your pulse point like its a clit, and you can feel your cunt clench around nothing. Without further warning, both of his hands slide up to grope your breasts over your sports bra, and your back arches instantly.

"I want to see more of you," Art whispers against your neck, one of his hands moving back to gently grope your thigh right under the hem of your shorts, while his other starts to hook one of his fingers under the elastic band of your bra.

"Yeah, yes," you mumble and nod, your eyes fluttering shut as you feel his silky tongue lap gently over the sensitive spot on your lower neck again.

He pulls back, his lips shiny with his own saliva, and he lets out a small huff of air as he stands up from the bed and shifts to stand in front of where you're trembling on the edge of it.

Your eyes meet his, and you now fully realize that his whole "nice guy" thing was a facade.. maybe it was just a protective cloak he put on until he got comfortable..

Regardless, he looked different now as he stood in front of you, breathing heavily as his gaze drank in the sight of your body. He takes a step closer, his knees touching the end of the bed as his legs stood steadily between yours. He looks down, shifting his left knee to push your legs farther apart, and you have to bite down on your bottom lip to stifle a whine.

Not a moment later, he's reaching down to pull your tight sports bra over your head. It drops from his grasp onto the floor, his breathing hitches as he looks down at your exposed chest, and then his hands are moving to roughly knead and squeeze at your soft flesh underneath his palms. You shudder and bite your lip. He thumbs your nipples.

His eyes move back up to return your gaze, and he leans down and starts to crawl on top of you, his body gently coaxing yours to lay back flat over the patterned comforter. You don't need a verbal cue from him to know what he wants and what his goal is; his body did all the talking -- just like it did when he played tennis.

"Fuck," he breathes out, his erection straining against the inside of his boxers as it presses against your bare abdomen. A lift of your hips is all the indication he needs from you to tell him that you're as desperate for this as he is right now, and so he gingerly begins to slide one of his hands down the front of your shorts. His touch dips under the waistband, and then before you can process the sensation, you realize that he's moving down into your panties too. One thing that you are painfully aware of, though, is the fact that he never tries to break eye contact while he does all this..

"Ahh.." you moan, your brows pinching up as you feel his warm fingertips brush over your throbbing, sensitive nub. He was hardly touching you, but it was enough to get the fire roaring in your guts. It was more than enough. He knew all the right ways to touch you.. and all the right spots to squeeze and caress.. which seemed crazy considering you two had never spoken to one another until about three or so hours ago.

He smiles gently, his eyes now moving to gaze down at your lips. The pads of Art's fingers begin to play with your clit, rubbing soft and incessant circles over the ball of nerves as you start to squirm on the bed. His head leans back down to kiss your neck and your hands shakily grab onto his shoulders. A laugh escapes him, coating your flesh in a bath of warm air, while he feels your nails dig into him. Even over the fabric of his cotton tee shirt he can feel this, and he winces slightly before the sting of your grip dissolves into pleasure and he starts to moan along with you.

A few more minutes of this go on, and the band in your stomach is stretched more and more until it feels like it's about to snap, and then-

"I really want to fuck you right now," Art murmurs against your skin, his fingers coming to a pause as he pulls his face from the crook of your neck to look down into your dazed eyes.

You blink a few times, feeling the numbing pressure in your pussy start to fade as he unintentionally edges you.

"yes, please.. I want you to.." you softly whimper, your hands reaching up to needily tug at his shirt.

"I don't have a condom," he whispers breathlessly, shaking his head softly as his gaze falls onto your lips now.

"I.." you pause, taking a second to breathe as you attempt to think over the predicament you're now in, "uhm.. I- well, I don't really care.. as long as you pull out.."

It's almost as if just the idea of him being able to be inside of you-- skin to skin; raw--sets him off, because the moment the words leave your mouth, he's letting out soft breathy moans and grinding his clothed pelvis against your thigh. You can feel him throbbing through the fabric, and now you're certain you can't wait much longer. Neither can he.

Your hands pull on his shirt again, forcing his face back down close to yours, "I want you inside of me.."

A groan and a grunt later, he's scrambling to pull his shirt off, and then his shorts, and then his strong calloused hands are gently tugging yours down as well. Art doesn't want to waste time on the act of undressing. Sure, he liked being tender and going slow most times, but this occasion was different. The more that he felt himself leaking into his underwear, the more he needed to feel your silky cunt grip around his cock. Maybe if he got your number after all this, he could go slow next time, but not now. Not when he's like this and you're like that.

When your panties are pulled down with your shorts, Art lets out a groan as he sees the fabric connecting with your delicate flesh via a glistening string of arousal from your heat.

"Jesus Christ," he huffs, his tongue moving to dip out over his bottom lip involuntarily. He pushes your shorts and panties down the rest of the way, and you urgently kick them off onto the room's carpet.

After he moves back up, one of his hands reaches down once again to your cunt. His fingers gently brush over your slicked-up folds, causing your body to jolt and shudder as you struggle to remain quiet. In the next instant, you feel his touch leave your body and you watch in awe as he brings his digits up to his lips and sucks your juices off of them. He rolls your wetness around over his tongue and his eyes roll back a little. He can't help it -- you just taste so fuckin' good.

"Art," you whisper, your voice dissolving into a soft whine, "c'mon.. just- I want you to-"

You're cut off when the man hovering over your form moves his fingers from his mouth and down to yours, effectively shutting you up.

"Suck," he whispers.

You do as you're told instantly, parting your lips to engulf his middle and ring finger in wet heat; your drool pools over his fingertips as your tongue swirls around them and tastes the mix of his saliva and the remnants of your arousal.

He watches with bated breath as you do this, his eyes never leaving your face, and he cant stop himself from pushing his hard, clothed dick against your bare cunt. Your eyes flutter. A string of whimpers echo out into the room from your chest, and you can feel more of your wetness slide down from your entrance.

Art keeps his fingers in your mouth as he uses his other hand to pull his hard-on out of his black boxer briefs, groaning as he taps your clit with the tip of it a few times. Each time his leaking cockhead touches your sensitive parts, your hips buck up. He didn't think it was physically possible to get as turned on as he was right then.

He shifts his pelvis back so that he can slide his dick over your sticky body, not pushing in quite yet, but just teasing your greedy hole. The feeling of your heady moans around his fingers cause them to vibrate, and he leans down close to your face on instinct.

Your breath catches in your throat. Your eyes blink open and you whimper as he uses his digits to gently force your lips to part so that he can shove his tongue past them. Art licks at the inside of your mouth, groaning while he subtly removes his fingers and brings them down to your clit once more. He slots your bundle of nerves between his index and middle finger, sliding them up and down to effectively stroke over your most sensitive area as you feel his cock prodding at your hole.

While his tongue laps over yours, his mouth eagerly swallowing the obscenely loud moans you're letting out as your climax approaches once again, he begins to slide his tip into you. Your eyes instantly open wide before your face scrunches up in pleasure and your hands desperately paw at his shoulders.

He slides in another inch.

And another.

And then two more.

And then he bottoms out completely, filling you wholly with his twitching length as he pulls his face back from your lips to gasp softly.

You look up at him as his brows furrow, and you wriggle underneath him as he lets out a soft growl.

"You're so tight.. shit, you feel so good," he murmurs lowly, his eyes on yours as he starts to slide himself slowly back out before thrusting back in. You can feel him hit your cervix. You'd let him bruise it if he wanted to.

And he wants to.

"Fuck me harder," you moan softly.

"Yeah?" he smirks, breathing heavily.

"Yeah."

He leans up so that his back is straight, and he gazes down at you while he slides his hands under your form to gingerly cup your lower back.. and then he's pounding into you without further warning.

Your back arches up from his hold, and every thrust of his thick cock into your cunt is sending explosions of numbing heat throughout your lower half.

Each movement of his hips results in a lewd squelch as his pelvis slaps into the underside of your ass, and every movement sends you closer and closer to the edge. He's groaning and moaning above you, watching your every move as you squirm around and take him properly. You want to be good for him; he can tell.

Whimpers and needy whines are forced out of you as he fucks you with abandon into the mattress, and your mind is forced back into reality once you feel his hands move from your back to your sensitive tits.

"Are you gonna cum? You're squeezing down on me," he breathes out, a loud groan cutting his words off as he tips his head back. His thrusts grow sloppier, "oh god, oh fff-u-uck.."

"Ye-- Uhh- Ahh-!" you hoarsely and brokenly moan out, unable to fully give him an answer. Your hands fist the cool sheets under you as your legs start to involuntarily squeeze together with the onslaught of your impending orgasm.

Art brings his head back up to look down at you, and he shakes his head, sliding his hands down from your breasts to your legs to lift them up and spread them apart gently but forcefully.

"Keep them spread.. I know you're close," he says softly to you, "I promise I'll let you come.. just keep being good for me.. I'm almost there.."

Once his words fill your fuzzy head, you can't help but let out an obscenely loud---borderline-pornographic---moan as your thighs shake in his hold. His cock slams into you faster, but with less and less precision. He bites his lip before his jaw slacks and he lets out an equally loud moan to accompany your filthy noises.

"You're so fucking pretty... you're so-- you feel so damn good," he babbles gruffly, his touch digging into your legs as his hips rashly thrust his throbbing length in and out of your sopping pussy.

You nod, unsure of what to say or how to even respond in the state that your body is in. You're somehow limp and tense at the same time, your body shivering as your back arches up again.

"I-- I'm gonna--!" you gasp out in a shaky whimper.

He moans at your words, fucking you deeper and messier, before he leans down over you and you can feel his broad toned chest press against yours.

"Say it.." he breathes out against your ear in a soft groan.

You moan, shuddering under him as your cunt starts to rhythmically tighten around him.

"I'm gonna cum," you whine, nearly sobbing.

"Fuck," he groans, "yeah? Say it again for me."

"I'm gonna cummm-!"

"You wanna cum on my cock?"

You nod helplessly, your arms wrapped around his flushed upper back as his cock slides in and out of you; his tip constantly brushing up against that special spot in your velvety walls hidden just a couple inches inside.

"Yess-s-!" you moan, your body absolutely writhing on the bed under his heavy form.

"Okay.. alright," he breathes out hotly into your neck, "go on and cum for me."

Before you can process what's going on, your body is overwhelmed with an overpowering heat as the last thing you distinctly feel is one of Art's hands moving down your lower abdomen to then rub circles over your swollen bud with his thumb. And that's all it takes -- You’re thrown over the edge.

"Fuck! OH MY GOD, OH--!" you cry out, your nails digging into his back as he fucks you through your climax.

He groans harshly and loudly against your warm skin before his hips stutter with the feeling of your hole pulsing around him. He keeps his digit rubbing incessant, soft circles over your clit to prolong your orgasm as he forces himself to pull out with a gasp.

His balls draw up and he reaches down quickly with his other hand to stroke over his length just as he feels his release start to rise up.

As you moan tremblingly and bask in your afterglow, you try to catch your breath as you shakily push yourself up onto your elbows just in time to watch Art squirt out a thick load over your torso. Rope after rope of sticky white fluid drips and gushes from his cock and between his fingers as he jerks himself off; shuddering deeply over you and letting out little "fuck"s and "oh my god"s and "yes"s.

After a few more shaky moments tick by, his thumb comes to a halt over your clit as he watches the last drops of his cum fall onto your stomach.

He breathes heavily, biting his lip as he watches your body shake. He loves the way his cum looks on your beautiful body.. it's like liquid pearl splattered all over you. He takes several mental pictures of the scene in front of him before he collapses on top of you with a soft grin.

You chuckle breathily, wrapping your arms around him as your warm bodies stick together in the aftermath, and he presses two soft kisses to your neck. One of your hands slides up from between his shoulder blades to run some of your fingers through his messy curls. He shivers and sighs, sliding his hands under your body to hold you closer to him.

A small period of comfortable silence is held between you two as you both work to catch your breaths, before Art is the one to break the quiet with a soft murmur into your shoulder.

"So.. can I get your number?"

"After round two," you whisper with a smile.

"Deal."

note; this is for everyone who voted for soft dom!art donaldson in that poll + the anons in my inbox asking for this sort of dynamic w/ art <3 much much much love !

divider credit: @benkeibear <3

[prythianpages]

'Cause It Was Always You | Azriel x Reader

summary: After eavesdropping on multiple conversations, Azriel finally gathers the courage to confess his feelings to you, thinking he's on the verge of losing you.

word count: 1,741

warnings: I guess angst at the beginning? But I promise it ends with fluff!

a/n: Billie Eilish's Birds of a Feather has been on repeat in my head and it prompted this cute little idea. Also shoutout to @nocasdatsgay for helping me with a codename for Az.

“I fear I’ll love Lapis until the day that I die…until the light leaves my eyes…until I’m in the grave, rotting awa–”

“y/n, you’re drunk,” Feyre had giggled.

“Drunk in love,” you sang in response with a giggle of your own.

And when one of Azriel’s shadows reported the silly little smile on your face, the silly little sparkle in your eyes, he shrunk back into the ones that had remained. His heart sank to his stomach, a cold, heavy weight settling there. 

Because you were in love. 

With someone that wasn’t him.

Azriel told himself that was the last time he’d eavesdrop. And perhaps, that wouldn’t have been a lie, if it wasn’t for the pesky little shadow that followed you around. It enjoyed dancing and flitting around you. Sometimes, it’d make its presence known by weaving through your hair or slithering up your arm. Most times, it’d trail behind you, like a little duckling.

Azriel tried to call the shadow back home but it was unwavering, choosing to linger in your presence instead. The same way he wished to linger by your side. And recently, the inky traitor had gotten into the habit of summoning more of his shadows to your side, weaving an invisible bond between you and him.

Every time a shadow returned to him, it brought whispers of your laughter, the sparkle in your eyes, and the softness in your voice when you spoke of Lapis. Each word you uttered about that male tore him apart, every confession cutting deeper than any blade ever could.

“If you don’t ask Lapis out, Jasper will do it for you and believe me when I say you do not want that to happen.”

“Okay, okay! I’ll ask him out. Tomorrow.”

That was a snippet of a conversation his shadows had reported to him earlier, cutting his morning training short. It lingered with him, haunting him throughout the day. And now, he found himself unable to sleep, constantly turning in his bed.

Azriel’s stomach twists into a tight knot, the storm raging outside echoing his inner turmoil. Tomorrow. He was running out of time.  Fear and perhaps, even pride, kept him from telling you how he truly felt about you. But now, he found himself fearing something even worse. Losing you before he even had a chance to say it…

He didn’t want to wake up one day and regret his silence, regret not telling you how he felt because of pride or fear. He needed to do this for himself, to break free from the shadows of his past. He had failed to confess his love twice before, and the thought of a third failure was unbearable. This time, he couldn’t let fear hold him back. The risk of losing you to someone else was a pain he couldn't endure.

With a deep breath, Azriel steeled himself. He needed to find you, to tell you the truth about his feelings. Before anything between you and Lapis could blossom. He couldn’t let another moment pass without you knowing how deeply he loved you.

Which is how he found himself at your doorstep, in the middle of the night, clothes sticking to him like a second skin as the rain pours relentlessly down on him. His shadows stir in excitement, whispering anxiously as they hear your approaching footsteps. His heart is pounding, so fast and hard that he fears it’s going to explode.

“Azriel?” 

Your voice is still marred by sleep as you blink up at him. That traitorous shadow hovers behind you, peering at him over your shoulder. He glares at it, and it quickly hides behind your hair. You don’t seem to notice it, either unfazed or truly oblivious to the shadow that had been following you around for so long.

“Did something happen?” You speak again, brows furrowing in concern. You step back into your apartment, a silent gesture for him to follow after you and come inside. 

“I–” Azriel begins but he can’t bring himself to finish his sentence. He can’t even bring himself to move as his eyes catch the movement of your arms wrapping around yourself to ward off the chill of the downpour. The nightgown you’re wearing is thin and short. A  glimpse of your exposed skin has a warmth rushing to his face and he’s blushing.

"I—" He tries again but when his eyes meet yours, his heart leaps into his throat, choking off his words. Oh gods, he can’t do this. He’s grateful for the rain as it masks the tears beginning to sting at his eyes. He thinks he’s going to be sick and–

“Are you okay?”

His shadows push him forward, wings shuddering in response. It’s now or never. He can do this. He takes a deep breath, swallowing the lump in his throat.

“I love you.” 

The words spill out in a rush, raw and unguarded. He watches you with bated breath, his shadows whispering every nuance in your expression—from the way your eyebrows raise and your mouth parts as a gasp escapes, to the way your eyes glisten with something he’s too scared to discern.

You’re rendered speechless, the silence that follows feeling like an eternity. Azriel’s wings slump, growing heavy. He clears his throat, averting his gaze. The need to retreat is overpowering what little courage he had gathered moments ago. 

“That’s all I had to say. I should, um–I’ll be leaving now,” he stammers, so unsure and so unlike himself.

“Az–” you start, reaching out to him, but he’s already stepping back into the rain. He doesn’t think he can face your rejection, much less witness the look on your face if you don’t feel the same.

“Goodnight.”

His shadows are like a wall of resistance, fighting against him as he turns to make his leave. He asks them—begs them, even– to swallow him whole. To winnow him away and save him from further mortification. But they refuse. Stay, they insist, tugging and weighing his wings down. 

It leaves him with no choice but to walk away. Every step feels heavier than the last, the rain soaking him to the bone. Listen, his shadows urge as they continue to tug relentlessly at his wings for him to turn back around and face you. 

But he can’t. Not when the Mother has seemed to have cursed him with loving those who could never love him back.

“Azriel!”

His mind screams at him to keep going, to keep walking away. However, the plea echoed in your voice has his chest tightening. His heart overrides his mind, shadows only encouraging him further. He turns around just in time to catch you as you leap into his arms.

Your legs wrap around his waist, arms encircling his neck in a desperate effort to keep him from leaving. His own arms respond immediately, securing you to him. 

“Don’t go.”

Your breath is warm against his neck as you tighten your embrace, and his wings curl around your smaller form in response, wanting to shield you from the relentless rain. He feels you shift in his arms, pulling away just enough to look into his eyes. One hand reaches out, tenderly brushing the dark fringe from his forehead. His breath catches, and you must sense his inner turmoil because you gently smooth away the furrow of his brow with your thumb.

“I love you,” you say, your hand caressing his cheek. Despite the cold, harsh downpour, your touch is warm and soft. A balm to his frayed nerves.

His heart swells with a mixture of disbelief and overwhelming joy. He had prepared himself for rejection, for the familiar sting of unrequited love. But here you were, confessing your love to him with the same vulnerability he had shown you.

“Really?” he whispers, voice thick with emotion, eyes searching yours for any sign of hesitation.

“Really.”

“I thought I was going to lose you,” he murmurs, his voice trembling with relief. “I thought I’d never have the chance to tell you.”

“Lose me? Azriel, you’ve always had me.”

“But you said you loved Lapis? You were going to ask him out–”

“So you were spying on me!”

Azriel’s eyes widen, cheeks flushing all over again and he’s glad it’s dark enough to conceal it. “No–I–not intentionally…my shadows, they…,” he trails off, realizing how ridiculous he must sound.

Yes, his shadow refused to come back to him. But he didn’t stop the others from reporting back to him so with a defeated sigh, he says, “I’m sorry.”

“Azriel,” you giggle and he’s frowning at you, not finding the humor in the situation. “You are Lapis.”

“What?”

“You’re Lapis. Cas is Jasper and Rhys is Amethyst.” You explain, lips curling into an amused smile at the sigh of relief that comes from Azriel. How had he not realized that all those names shared one thing in common? And more importantly, that they were color coded to his and Cassian’s siphons?

“I needed a codename for you so I can gush about my feelings for you without, you know,” you tilt your head toward that nosey, barely visible shadow that had been following you around. Sensing the attention, the shadow dips and hides again, curling around the back of your neck. 

“I fear it’s yours now,” Azriel replies, almost sheepishly.

“Good,” you smile at him. “I’ve grown rather fond of it. Just as I have over its master.”

His shadows take your words as a welcome invitation, swirling and dancing around you both. Azriel’s arms hook underneath your thighs, pulling you even closer to him. Your arms find their place around his neck again.

Then, you're closing the small distance between you and kissing him. Warmth spreads throughout him, reveling in the sweet sensation of your lips against his. The rain continues to pour, but neither of you care. 

When you finally pull away, he leans his forehead against yours, his eyes remaining closed as if in fear that this is all just a dream. You gently kiss his nose, your soft voice reminding him that this moment is real.

“I love you.”

Azriel’s eyes open, looking right into yours. “Until the day that I die,” he tells you, echoing your devotion.

There’s a knowing spark in your eyes as they search his own for answers. It has his lips lifting into a smile that mirrors yours, confirming that he had been eavesdropping on your drunken confession weeks ago.  Your smile widens. 

 “Until the light leaves my eyes.”

This was a better idea in my head but hey, at least I finished it. I also don't know the logistics of having a conversation in the rain but that's the beauty of fanfic, I guess?lol Anyway, I could not get these lyrics out of my head. They were so Azriel coded for me:

I'll love you 'til the day that I die 'Til the day that I die 'Til the light leaves my eyes 'Til the day that I die I want you to see, hm How you look to me, hm You wouldn't believe if I told ya You would keep the compliments I throw ya

the way I keep fixing these lyrics but I think tumblr is glitching or something uggghh, pls ignore the random mismatched sizing

Also just wanted to point out that if Az hasn’t confessed, reader would’ve done it the next day anyway 💀

general tag list: @scooobies, @kennedy-brooke, @sillysillygoose444, @lilah-asteria @the-sweet-psycho

@daycourtofficial, @milswrites, @stormhearty, @pit-and-the-pen, @mybestfriendmademe

[ventique18]

Edit: this post was made months before Diasomnia release.

- Delusional OC sketches and headcanons: Malleus' mama and papa -

*seduce, not saduce lmao sorry I'm tired

Malleus Draconia never met his parents, but Lilia could vividly remember them as if he only last saw them yesterday. Malleus' father (whose name also happened to be Malleus) was a student of his and had a consistent air of superiority about him-- he walked and talked with such confidence befitting that of the majestic horns that adorned his head like a crown. In dragon anatomy, you see, large, beautifully sculpted horns are a clear indicator of how fertile and desirable its genes were. So there was never a doubt that this man was a natural attractor for many a woman.

... Except nobody ever stuck with him. The prince had a terrible personality. He went on and on, on and on with prattling about anything and everything under the sun (actually mostly about weapons and griffons and philosophy and geography) to the point that ladies thought he was self-centered and was looking for a mirror to marry, rather than a wife. That was not true however. He was simply an excitable boy.

He had reached a record age of three centuries (still wifeless) when he decided that being stuck in Briar Valley was limiting his viewpoint of the world. He had enrolled at an academia overseas, and that was when he met his future bride: Matilda. Upon meeting eyes with her, he had known that it was love at first sight. (It was not. He merely thought having another dragon fae as queen would benefit his country.) And so, relentlessly, day in and day out, he pursued her in order to win her affection.

The lady simply treated him like furniture, however.

Still, everyday he would sit at her table in the library. He would first attempt to flirt with her, but as he noticed how focused she was in drafting her blueprints, he would give up and eventually become engrossed in whatever he was studying. He would scribble down notes and make commentaries to himself about this and that, and to be honest... She found that quite endearing. He had a frivolous mouth, but he was earnest in his pursuit of developing his country.

She had been secretly watching him, and one fateful day, she accidentally let out a giggle. A secretive acknowledgment of his presence. And of course, sharp as his draconic ears were, he returned her gaze and happened upon her beautiful smile.

That was when he realized that the words he sang to her-- the "you're lovely as blooming flowers in the spring", "your voice is as melodious as a crystal bell in winter"-- were all very, very true. The next words he had uttered were finally taken straight from his heart, and then for the very first time since they met, she had replied to him with lips upturned in an elegant crescent.

The following year, when he returned to Briar Valley for the holidays, his mother Maleficia almost squealed in pleasant surprise that her son had brought home a lovely bride. It was a blur after that. Lilia could recall how the castle seemed to have turned upside down with how lively it had suddenly gotten; secretive dates, a wedding, a coronation, pregnancy woes, and... a sudden despair.

The couple had created life, but paid for it with their lives.

Whenever Lilia was recalling this story to the toddler he was tucking under the covers, he would come to a sudden halt. Little Malleus would ask why, but he would just shake his head and ruffle the boy's hair.

"I was just thinking how great a king and queen your father and mother had been. They were strong, and brave, and kind..."

"Will I grow great like them, too?"

Lilia paused and gazed into the boy's eyes. Then, with a smile, he stroked his tuft of hair and patted him to sleep.

"Of course, dear. Now sleep. A future king needs to be strong and healthy to be great. You won't grow up without sleep!"

They were gone too early. Far too early; they never even saw what their child looked like beneath the shells.

For now, he would burn every moment of this boy's tiny smiles in his memory, so that he could recall in detail every moment of this child's beautiful life when he finally reunites with his old friends.

[ghulehunknown]

Mountain x AFAB Reader

NSFW — MDNI

Summary: You and Mountain take a break from your duties to have a little fun in his room.

CW/Tags: sex toy use, tail fucking, masturbation, unprotected sex (P in V and anal), double penetration

Word Count: 2.4K

“You bought how many toys, Mounty?”

“Um, just a few.”

“It looks like a lot.”

“Yes, well - Santa came early.” You stared blankly at him as he shrugged. “I didn’t know what to get so I just got the ones that I dunno, looked the best and had good reviews?”

You rolled your eyes at him. “Well I guess you get to choose which one you want.”

“Ah, okay. Well this one here also goes up my ass. Which might be kinda nice. Um okay, these two vibrate, but one has a remote…” He flicked his eyes up to yours. “Uhh. And one of those extends down to my taint, I think? Oh, that’s the one Copia suggested. But it should feel nice for you too, you know, if we - yeah. This one is just a silicone dildo. Oh, and this one goes over my balls.”

“The vibrating ones sound nice,” you said, nodding.

“I can’t choose. What if I just…I dunno, use them all?”

“All of them?” you asked incredulously. “Think you can handle that?”

“I guess it’s time for me to be a ho ho ho,” he remarked with a small smile. You couldn’t help but laugh at his silly joke. He never failed to put a smile on your face. You supposed that was why he was your favorite.

~

You looked back on the events from the days prior that led you into his bedroom for this very exchange. You were making Secret Satan cards for the children’s hospital in the library, making out with each other in between cards, desperately trying not to make any noise while the other Siblings were working or studying - and failing, miserably. He caressed your body with his tail, completely taking you by surprise.

You had made a one-off comment, without even thinking. “Damn, you fuck with that thing too?”

“Yeah actually I do,” he replied, his face stoic but eyes twinkling.

“Hm, I’d like to see that,” you said - again, what were you thinking? This was insane. Plus, he was one of Cardinal Copia’s head ghouls…you really couldn’t afford to distract him. But the holidays were here, which meant the band was getting a lengthy and much needed break. So maybe this was your chance at giving into your desires.

You finished up the cards, stacking them neatly in a pile. You were supposed to be helping the Siblings decorate and Mountain was supposed to meet the other ghouls in the mess hall before Mass. But…you had more important matters to attend to. You had agreed, since this would be your first time with a ghoul and adding a tail in the mix, that he should try a new experience too.

You walked together down the hallway towards the Ghoul dormitories, arms linked as you people watched. There were multiple Siblings hanging up garlands and lights along the corridors and you even spotted Papa Terzo terrorizing some young Sisters of Sin.

“Jingle Balls, suck my balls, make my chimney rise. Oh what fun it is to cum on my amore’s thighs,” he sang, draping tinsel around one’s neck and dangling some mistletoe in another’s face.

“…and I heard Satan’s hells bells on the rooftop, I swear it, I did!” you heard Nihil say to Imperator who merely said “Of course, Papa,” as she led him down the hall towards the chapel.

Finally, you made your way past the hustle and bustle of the busy Ministry hallways to the Ghoul dorms. As one of the top Clergy member’s head ghouls, Mountain actually had his own room. But he shared a wall with Swiss and Dew on either side, who would tease him relentlessly if they heard any goings on in the night.

So you opted for the middle of the evening, when everyone was likely to be at Mass. And here you were, your very first dick appointment with a ghoul.

You both kneeled in front of each other in his bed, and leaned into kiss one another, his arms holding onto yours and his tail wrapping around your thigh.

Fuck, maybe being with a ghoul would be better…it was almost like being held by three hands.

The tail was surprisingly soft, not sharp at the end even though the arrowhead tip looked pointy. It approached you just as softly as Mountain wanted, and you knew he could be just as rough as he wanted to be too.

You ran your hands through his hair, his short dark locks tickling your fingertips. His kiss was passionate, deep. His lips were soft and inviting.

He gingerly moved his tail up your legs, in between them, and slowly slipped the tip between your labia. You inhaled sharply as the fleshy bit met your sensitive bud, pressing on it almost like a button.

“Fuck!” you exclaimed.

He paused, pulling his tail sway slightly. “You okay?” he said, holding your face in his hands.

“Yeah, I - yeah, no - god, it’s just so…fuck, it feels amazing. Please, do it again.”

“My pleasure.” He re-entered, maneuvering around your folds and finding your slick pooled near your entrance. He poked around, gathering your arousal and sliding it around, back up to your clit and focusing there. “You’re so wet already. Good girl,” he purred. His cock twitched against your leg, bobbing up and down as he slowly grinded against you.

“Should we put a cock ring on you?” you whispered breathlessly, smiling as you nodded towards the bedside table.

Carefully, you helped him put the vibrating ring on. He spread lube on it and his whole member while you warmed some up in your hands and spread it along his perineum.

“Mmm,” he moaned quietly at your touch, closing his eyes.

You clicked the toy to its lowest vibration setting.

“Oh, god! Shit, they weren’t kidding! Ahhh. This is, oh fuck, wow!” His hand flew to his cock, which was bobbing up and down involuntarily.

“And that’s just the first setting. I’m guessing the other toys are a no-go?” you asked, hovering over him still, straddling his thigh.

He let out a sound that didn’t sound too convincing. “Yeeeeah…? Um, this is fine. Actually -” He clicked the vibrator off and handed you the remote for it. “When it looks like I need it.”

“I’ll tease you with it,” you said, trailing your hand along his balls and up his shaft.

“You better not,” he said, biting at your nose and missing as you pulled your head back in time. “All right. First time getting tail fucked. Ready?”

You rolled your eyes and pretended to punch him in the chest. “Yes, I’m ready.” How much different could it be, really? “I’m more concerned for you. You’ve never used a cock ring before, let alone a vibe,” you said, widening your eyes.

“We’ll be okay,” he said. Something in the soothing way he spoke, ugh you could just melt into him.

He leaned back against the headboard, his arm bent behind his head to prop himself up. “Ahhh,” he uttered, hissing, guiding his hand over yours stroking his cock. “Sssoo good.”

He looked you in the eyes as he touched himself, bringing his tail in between your legs again, pushing past your folds this time and going straight for your wet core.

You leaned back, propping yourself up with your hands behind you, moaning as he entered you, tossing your head back as your neck went slack. You straddled his waist, almost like you were scissoring.

You watched his tail slide in and out of you repeatedly, moving in a wave-like pattern with a dexterity that a finger or a cock couldn’t provide.

Your body relaxed and you slid onto your back, staring at the ceiling. Finally, the tip of his tail found your g-spot, and as you shuddered against his legs and let out a guttural sound you didn’t even know you could make, he made an “ah-ha!” sound and you could feel him add more pressure to your spot. All the muscles in his tail flexed, going tap tap tap along your walls. You clenched around him.

“Fuck, you’re so responsive,” he said, letting out an amused chuckle. “You’re fun.”

You shook yourself out of a trance-like state, almost entirely forgetting he was there. You forgot he was watching you like you were his own little porno, touching himself to the vision of you before him.

You leaned against his leg, resting your head by his knee. You lazily tickled along his thighs, in between his legs, caressing him, and looking into his eyes as you kissed his inner thigh. You shifted more on your back, arching it, resting one leg on his shoulder so his tail could go deeper inside you. He held onto your ankle by his shoulder, kissing it.

His tail flicked in and out of you, making your eyes roll to the back of your head. He slipped out of you and up to your clit, massaging it with the tip.

“Oh fuck!” you exclaimed. He tapped it against you in rapid succession - taptaptaptaptaptap - fucking hell! It had to be the musician in him, the quick and agile reflexes. He rubbed the upper part of his tail against your length, before flicking the arrowhead against your clit repeatedly. “Mounty, I’m going to cum! Fuck!!”

He held onto your leg, caressing it, while stroking himself with his other hand. He picked one motion and stuck with it - a firm, but gentle massage on your clit with his tailtip.

Your whole body quivered, your orgasm spilling over. You moaned and clutched onto his leg, biting into his skin to muffle the utterly pathetic moans you know would be coming out of your mouth.

“Ow, shit!” he exclaimed but you could barely hear him.

You bucked your hips against his tail to ride out the last smaller waves of your climax, before settling down again. He retracted his tail from between your legs, and you were left staring at the ceiling for a moment before hearing your name being called over and over again.

“Mmm?” you muttered. “Oh, sorry for biting you.”

He laughed. “It’s okay. I’m just glad you were enjoying yourself.”

You nodded feebly, feeling a little pathetic, but utterly blissed out.

“Think you have one more round in you?”

“Mmm,” you mumbled, not even giving an answer.

He patted the mattress beside him. “C’mere.” He pulled you back up to your knees, which were trembling, between his legs. He held your chin in his hand and whispered, “You wanna know what it’s really like to get fucked?” You nodded in his palm. “Good girl.”

You straddled his waist, hovering over his still erect cock.

“Did you want to use protection?” he asked, leaning over to his drawer to reach inside for some condoms. You shook your head. “You sure?”

You nodded and said, “Yes. Please Mountain, please just fuck me.”

He handed you the ring vibrator remote, but spoke before fully relinquishing it to you. “You hold great power in your hands. Use it well.”

Fucking nerd. You laughed at his corny ass joke and nodded, saying, “Yes sir,” in a fake serious voice.

He leaned over for the lube bottle and spread some all over his hands, covering his tail with it then circling your asshole, getting it nice and wet. You draped your arms over his shoulders as he took your waist in his hands, guiding you over his cock, lining it up with your entrance, then sinking you down onto his lap.

Fuck, he felt so good. It was incredible. And very different from the tail. His cock was firmer, building a different kind of pressure but every bit as pleasurable. You both moaned as you sank slowly on him. You moved your hips up and down, already so tired from before, and starting to falter.

His tail wrapped around your ass before teasing and prodding around it, finally slipping in. The feeling, while out of this world, was incredibly overwhelming. You fell down on his cock with zero grace, shuddering and breathing loudly, moaning every few breaths.

“Mmm!” he groaned, grimacing. He said your name through gritted teeth.

“Oh fuck I’m sorry,” you said.

“It’s okay, it takes a lot more than your beautiful ass to hurt me,” he said with a smile, kissing your lips sweetly while giving your rear a smack. “Mm? Everything okay?”

“I can’t, Mounty, I’m sorry. I can’t do it.”

With zero hesitation, he removed his tail from your rear end and started to pull himself out of your entrance.

“No, no, fuck, please that feels so good. I just can’t, my legs are fucking jello. I need you to fuck me.”

“I can do that,” he said warmly. He picked you up, his strong hands grasping your waist as he slammed you up and down on his cock. He pummeled into you from below. “Just relax, I got this.”

“Ahhh, fuck!” you wailed, his tail entering your ass once more, this time without teasing the invitation but instead thrusting in with more force. You let your body slack against his, letting him do all the work.

“Remember your very important job?” he said, eyeing the remote that fell out of your hand.

You nodded, tears in your eyes from the intense sensations ripping through your body. You clicked the button, feeling the buzz of the ring on his cock rub against your clit everytime you fell back down on him. You bared down, grinding against the ring and rubbing yourself along his pubic bone. You clicked the next button, heightening the sensation for you both.

“Oh god - I’m not gonna last,” he grunted. “I’m going to cum. Is it okay if I finish inside you?”

You nodded. “Yes,” you said breathlessly.

“You sure? Last chance before I blow.”

“Stop being so polite and just fucking cum inside me!” you shouted.

“Christ, okay!” He groaned as he continued to fuck into you, jerking his hips forward as he shot warm semen inside you, spilling out. He stopped, still holding onto you, burying his face in your chest, breathing heavily. You sat on his cock, the buzz of the cock ring now sitting against your clit. From that and his tail still prodding away at your ass, you came again just a few seconds after him.

“See,” you began, breathing hard and climbing up to him. “When you asked if I wanted to know what it’s really like to get fucked, I swear I thought you were going to use your drumsticks.”

“The thought crossed my mind. So how was it? Any different? Just as good…better?”

“Yeah…like a really wiggly dick,” you answered truthfully.

He laughed boisterously at you. “I always appreciate your candor.”

[liliesdiary]

I Bet She Bangs Like A Fairy On Acid

Daryl Dixon x River Nymphe

˚1k words

She bangs like a fairy on acid | Elita

<3 : @versatilehater @angelynn-nicole @silk-spun @taylormarieee @ethical-cain-vinnel @weasleys-babygh0rl @theoraekenslover @numberonecolorobservation

“In the forest there's a fairy, she waits for me. She tells me if I hurry, my dreams will come true. She tells me she wants it, so I started to kiss her lips. Milk and honey drips.”

The trees of the forest danced as the man sat by the river, the sounds of their movements along with the movement of the river sounded like instruments to a song. The exhausted man sat on a log as he closed his eyes, enjoying the song. He sighed as he rested on the log next to his dog, he wanted nothing more than to find his brother.

Then there was a sweet voice that was as smooth as silk that interrupted his thoughts. A voice that would soothe the most miserable creatures. The soft and alluring voice sang a tune that was like no other. His dog barked at the voice but didn't know where it was coming from. It sounded so haunting yet so magical. Daryl couldn't believe his ears, he looked around the forest to see where the haunting voice came from but he saw no one.

She hummed a tune that was carved deep inside of his mind, he was hypnotized. Her singing blended in with the trees rustling along the wind and the sounds of the river.

It was getting dark as Daryl relentlessly looked for the maiden yet Daryl and his dog couldn't find her. Her voice got more loud as the hours passed by, the darker it got the more haunting her voice became. Daryl started to feel hazy, almost high. He stumbled out of the forest and ran back to his small cabin he was temporarily staying at.

He panted as he shut the cabin door behind him, his heart was beating so fast. He sat on his bed and listened to the voice as he drifted on to sleep. The song traveled its way to his dreams and haunted him. When he woke up the voice stopped yet it echoed in his mind. He spent days looking for her, there was nothing else on his mind but the maiden’s voice.

The days passed and he was sitting by the same river again. He was resting his eyes as he heard dog bark and leave his side, he looked up and saw dog running up to a maiden. Daryl was startled by the maiden, not only by her presence but she was also naked. She had long beautiful hair and hypnotizing eyes that made his heart stop beating. Daryl hesitated to speak, unsure of what to say first. He gave her a tiny wave, ”What’s yer name?”

The maiden didn't speak, she only played with his dog and didn't look up . Daryl tried again, “Were you the one singing these past few days?”

The maiden was silent for a bit, she broke the silence, “Yes, you look lonely. I wanted to sing you a tune.”

Daryl looked down for a second and blushed at her voice, it sounded like honey. He tried to not look at her bare body but he couldn't help but catch himself staring at her breasts. He wanted to caress them so badly.

He lowered his head and whispered, “I like yer voice, it's nice...”

The maiden smiled and walked closer to the blushing man, “did my voice soothe you?”

Daryl blushed at the maiden, her bare body so close to his. “Mhm.”

The maiden smiled and slowly raised her hands to his dirty cheek. He tried to look away from her haunting eyes but they were so alluring. She caressed his face and hummed softly. It was a short yet enhancing tube that made Daryl soften. His eyes teared up and her affection.

“something else is haunting you, I can fix that.”

Daryl looked into her eyes, “I’m looking for my brother, we never found the body. I've been looking for him ever since, it's been haunting me.”

The maiden raised her face to his level, her soft lips so close to his. “I know how to bring him back, if you come with me all of your dreams will come true.”

Daryl's eyes softened and he moved closer, “How do we bring him back?”

The maiden touched his hands and brought his calloused hands to her soft cheek. “kiss me.”

Daryl hesitated, he looked at her soft milky lips. He touched her lips with his thumb, hypnotized by them. He then pulled her into a deep kiss. Her lips tasted like milk and honey, he moaned at the taste. The forest and the river sang as the maiden kissed his calloused lips.

He then started to take off his clothes, he was hypnotized by her. They continue to kiss and end up on the soft grass, his hands roamed all over her silk body. Her moans were so soft and small, he kissed her small breasts and looked up at her face.

She smiled at him and looked to her right, there was a mushroom. She ripped it out and raised it to her mouth. She took a bite and raised it to his mouth, “take a bite…”

He listened without a thought and took a small bite, he swallowed the bitter taste. The maiden smiled and continued to kiss him as they laid in the soil. He closed his eyes and savored the taste of her lips.

Then all of a sudden, he hears her voice echo in his head. Petals start to melt off her skin. He started to spin. His eyes widened and tried to escape her grasp but she wouldn't let go.

Then he woke up. Her voice still haunting his mind as he panted in his bed. He shook his head and fell in a daze, her voice echoed in his mind and haunted him. He wondered if it was all a nightmare and tried to forget about it but then he looked to his right and saw the same mushroom that was half bitten..

She was haunting him.

[i984]

Dreams of Lavender Confessions

|Pairing|: Wednesday Addams x gender neutral reader

|Warnings|: Ooc! Wednesday Addams, post-Nevermore Academy Wednesday Addams, established relationship, cuddling on a couch, 'I love you's are uttered, jaw kissing, Wednesday Addams is whipped for you, forehead kissing, falling asleep together.

|Summary|: Through the years, Wednesday has loved you the same way; tonight is just a ritual.

|A/n|: This was requested by @tundra1029 and it turned out more like a drabble, but I hope it brings your beautiful request justice.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Cozy.

It's one word to describe the evening.

There's a pleasure in sinking from the puffiness of your couch. The string that pulled relentlessly on your back all day loosens; popping joints can be heard in the quiet room.

Toes freezing and eyelids drooping, you mindlessly scroll through your phone. Wednesday sits rigidly at the other end of the sofa, your body taking up most of the space. Her presence, though ghostly silent, soothes you in a way warm baths would never dream of rivaling.

It was one of those nights; when content soaks your body in a lavender haze, not a care for the buzzing world.

You spare a glance at the girl, catching her with a look you've grown to memorize over the years.

It was the one she had the first time you confessed to her, your second year at Nevermore Academy. The one she had when you kissed her knuckles tenderly while a slow melody sways both your bodies at the Rave'N Dance. It was the gaze she held when you were both leaning on her balcony railing; the sky was a sea of stars, but she was looking at you.

It was the smile she had when you took her out for dinner, and the bouquet of flowers you gave her earlier for graduation sits on the restaurant's table. It was also the face she made when you lay on your shared apartment floor for the first time, her figure somewhat leaning on the door frame, unpacked boxes still scattered across the space.

And she's looking at you exactly like that right now; through all those years together, yet her soft eyes haven't dared to change. It's a hushed secret between two perfect halves, an eternal promise sealed with a courteous nod or a searing kiss.

She's what fills you to the brim with bliss, your arms now stretching out, beckoning her to meet your body in a tight embrace.

Wednesday moves and lays her weight on top of you, her warm hands resting on your sides. Her scent invades you, and if you close your eyes, you can make out the image of a wet forest—vividian pictures painted with amber, myrrh, and wormwood.

Her face came close to yours, soft breaths fanning down your neck. There's a beat where she lingers, eyes dazed—before she finally leans down and lets her lips press a delicate kiss against your jaw.

"I love you," Wednesday breathes out as she pulls back, admiring her reflection in your glowing eyes. She rests her head on your chest—the slow rhythmic drums calming her own fluttering one—feeling your hand tracing the nooks of her loose braid. You giggle as you wrap your arms around her petite figure, head moving to whisper in her ear.

"I love you, too." Your fingers brush her bangs, parting them slightly, mouth leaving a chaste kiss on the exposed skin.

Leaving a sigh into the room, you look up at the ceiling while your hands pat her head gently. The coziness sang you a lullaby, and your eyelids slowly drooped, taking the devoted lovers to a land of saccharine dreams.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

|A/n2|: I think I quite like how this turned out. Thank you for requesting and reading! Also, if anybody wants to be in my tag list, please interact with this post accordingly :)

[deathmetalunicorn1]

so i uhhh, i am absolutely obsessed with Hades and i thought about him on his teenage years, falling in love with a gothic-styled goddess of his age, in which he tries to court her and convince his brothers to let him court her even though they are a bit overprotective of him, but warm up to her in the end and starts asking her questions all the time like when are they going to get married and have kids etc, and Hades and reader just stand like 🕴️ so yeah, that. Bonus if Hades and reader met over a goth metal song that they both like 🖤🖤

-Hades remembers the day he first saw you; you were like… you were like the moon in his night sky, illuminating everything around him.

-He chose not to remember the first interaction the two of you had, as he heard you listening to the song that he adored as well. As he sought out the music, he found you sitting on the edge of a fountain in his domain, surrounded by bushes of red roses, draped in such stunning clothes that he couldn’t tear his eyes away from you.

-As you sang along, your hand twirled softly and Hades’ eyes went wide, seeing the roses turning black. He approached and you turned, hearing the footsteps, and to him, you were moving in slow motion, you looked like an angel of darkness, you dark eye makeup accentuating your sharp eyes, your lips covered in dark lipstick, and you smiled at him, “Hey.”

-Hades hadn’t been paying attention and went headfirst into the fountain.

-You pulled him out, grabbing him by his belt as he sputtered as you were trying hard not to laugh at him as he turned, seeing you there and you cracked a grin, “Never had someone fall for me- I like it!”

-Hades refused to tell his brothers of his first meeting with you, refusing to tell them that he had taken a swim, and you kept quiet, but you would tease him relentlessly for it.

-You were funny, witty, sarcastic, but also elegant, graceful, and you commanded respect from those around you- you were a goddess and you expected all, including other gods, to respect you, and if they didn’t, you had no issues putting them in their place and demanding it.

-Poseidon was the only one of his brothers to learn this harsh lesson, as he originally thought you weren’t good enough for his big brother, you wrapped your black rose vines around him, turning him into a rose bush and grew the thorns to point at his neck and eyes.

-Hades was initially startled, seeing how fast you reacted to his brother’s words, but it’s when Poseidon spoke out from the rose bushes, “Ooh- I like you.” You let him go.

-Zeus loved teasing Hades, thinking he was whipped, Hades didn’t mind, but when Zeus tried to hit on you, you held your hand up to your eyes as you watched Cerberus chase him around as he was begging for forgiveness.

-Adamas liked you, he was the only one of the three who instantly liked you, he liked your vibe, and he knew that you were dangerous, as he had seen you before, putting others in their place for disrespecting you. He found it respectable- how you commanded respect, and you were a good fit with his big brother.

-You and Hades were the definition of a power couple, both of you with your dark vibes, dry humor, and commanding auras, it was a match made in… well Valhalla!

-You loved Hades, he treated you with respect, would defend you, and despite being powerful, he would treat you like a delicate flower without insulting you. He welcomed your dark vibe, even though he grew out of it into something a bit more regal, you were his black rose, his everything.

[thefiery-phoenix]

CAGED NIGHTINGALE (YANDERE TIM DRAKE X SINGER READER)

Thank you so much @mariidepp for saving so many of my works, and all of you wonderful folk out there, I really appreciate your help and support during these times. It's time I revive my blog back and be back in business 😎

It's not easy to hide something from Tim in the first place, he's pretty good at uncovering information from any source. You had a passion for music ever since you were a child, you loved singing and playing the keyboard as well. You'd practice relentlessly day in and day out, fine tuning your voice and setting your skills to perfection till you were actually ready to become a professional singer. You finally got your first contract for a movie when you'd auditioned for the singing part. From singing for movies to releasing private albums, your fame was starting to increase. However you weren't doing this for the fame, you genuinely loved doing this. Sure, the schedule could be stressful at times and hectic even, barely even giving you a moment to breathe at times, but you found your comfort and solace in singing and the world of music as your reputation soared in the music industry and had quite the massive following

You were getting ready for a concert today and you were mentally preparing yourself in your dressing room as you took a deep breath and softly hummed to yourself, a warm up exercise for your throat. You made sure to hydrate yourself as well as you heard the door open and your manager entered the room. "You ready to shine out there?" he asked you and you smiled and nodded. You could already feel the excitement and adrenaline rushing through your body, you felt nervous and excited at the same time but you composed yourself and followed your manager backstage. Your manager gave you a supportive thumbs up sign and you smiled at him gratefully, you felt grateful for all his help for making all the arrangements for a concert in Gotham as you went to greet the crowd. "WHAT'S UP GOTHAM, ARE YOU GUYS READY TO HAVE A BLAST TODAY?!" you greeted your fans and you were met with hollers and screeches of excitement from the crowd and you began to sing your songs

Meanwhile Tim was on patrol duty, he had nothing better to do and he was frankly bored, Gotham was usually known for having a history of crime occurring at least twice or thrice in a day bur surprisingly there weren't any reports of attacks today. His nerves couldn't relax though, he felt like something was up and decided to stay vigilant. He was currently on the rooftop of a building when he heard an amplified voice singing through a microphone and Tim stopped looking at his phone to listen carefully to the music. He was listening to you singing and he was mesmerized and immersed in your voice, you sounded like an angel who descended from the heavens above. He simply had to get a closer look at you. He headed towards the stadium quickly and peered from above to see you on the stage, singing and the audience cheering and clapping for you. He could see your face through the screens next to the stage and needless to say, it was literally love at first sight for him

He loved the way your expressions kept altering whenever you sang and changed your pitch from high to low, it just showed that how much you were immersed in the song you were singing. He also loved the way that you were dressed in something comfortable and classy at the same time, your beautiful eyes shining like gemstones. You barely had any makeup on you and yet you looked like an elegant and graceful angel who radiated beauty with your clothes hugging those beautiful curves of your body. Tim completely forgot about patrol duty and didn't even answer when Dick called him, asking him for the usual hourly update because he was so engrossed in your songs. He felt like you were singing solely for him and was regretful that your concert was done so soon. No matter though, he just had to find out more about you and research was something he excelled at

He couldn't forget your music or your face for weeks, he kept humming the tune you'd sang to himself and was often lost in thought about you. After he went back to the manor he immediately began his research about you, you used to be a regular high school student who had a passion for music and you were a Latino too, Argentinean to be specific. Which also led to him researching about the Latino and Argentinean culture because he wanted to impress you the next time he saw you. Somehow or the other, he needed to get your attention. His mind couldn't forget you. For weeks he stalked your social media accounts on various platforms, yes, even the Tumblr blogs as well and even went so far as to reading fanfiction about you online on Wattpad and Tumblr. He had a mixed reaction of the fanfiction about you, part of him was happy and glad that it was there because he could dream about his fantasies with you and he may or may not have written some of his own, imagining how life would be with you. And yet, another part of him was a bit upset and angry that people were thinking such lewd and dirty thoughts about someone so innocent and pure like you, he despised the way people treated you like some sort of object to analyze, you were so much more than that

His obsession for you spiraled out of control. Whenever you'd host a concert, he'd make sure to be at every single one of them without fail, with front row tickets. You'd often seen him at your concerts, he'd be standing at the edge of the stage and you felt familiar with his presence after a few concerts of yours. You really appreciated his dedication. He was also the president of your online fan club and went so far as to purchasing all your merchandise, always keeping up with the latest tabloids and gossip and news featuring you. However he didn't like it whenever you did a collaboration with someone else, what right did they even have to steal the spotlight away from you? They weren't even worthy of looking at you much less even BE in your presence in his opinion. He also despised the rumors about your love life with some random person, it should be HIM who should be your partner. He's followed you so diligently, you were his goddess and he was your loyal worshipper, no one could separate the two of you and he'd make sure that no one would dare to separate the two of you

There were rumors about you dating another singer and when Tim saw the headlines, he almost lost it and started seething. Even though he knew they were just silly and baseless rumors, he couldn't help but feel bad that someone else had dared to steal you away from him. He couldn't just sit by and let that no good scumbag take advantage of your kind and helpful nature. He did what he thought was right and tracked the person down and let's just say, he's in the hospital due to some lowlife criminals attacking him. Gotham was a pretty dangerous place after all, full of crime and deceit. When Bruce managed to secure backstage passes to meet you he almost lost his mind in a frenzy of excitement. He couldn't believe his fortune. He felt like it was the fates gift for him waiting for you so diligently and patiently

However during your next concert when he was lurking around to make sure that nothing happened to you, he noticed that one of the overhead spotlights was lose and it would fall directly on you. Tim couldn't allow that to happen, he would rather burst an artery than let you be in danger. Before you even realized that the light was about to fall on you, Tim managed to save you by pulling you out of harms way with his arm wrapped securely around your waist as you fell on his chest surprised. He felt like he was in one of those over dramatic teenage romance blockbuster films when the male lead saves the female lead. You looked at him with a rather frightened expression on your face, you couldn't see who he was because of his Red Robin mask but you hugged him and thanked him. He felt like he'd just died and gone to heaven, where he was being hugged by you. He had to blink a few times if this was a dream or not

After your concert was done, you invited him to your dressing room and he thanked his lucky stars as he followed you. He revealed his identity to you and when you thanked him again, he felt pride course through his veins. From then on, he not only saw himself as a protector and a guardian for you, he was also there whenever there was an 'attack in progress' involving you. He may or may not have bribed a few people to just look threatening so he could play the good guy and be your knight in shining armor and save you from those goons. What a sweet naive innocent little thing you were, you always fell for his act

What really drove him over the edge was you making the mistake of mentioning that you were in a relationship with someone. You wouldn't disclose the name but he just lost it completely. Of course he doesn't blame you for this, he blames the no good pest who dared to steal you away from him. He knew you wouldn't be safe in a place like Gotham without his protection, can't you see? You NEED him as much as he needs you like a dying man and air. Acting in your best interest, he ended up kidnapping you and all your social media accounts were removed. You were of course angry at him for kidnapping you and but no matter how much you screamed and cried to be set free, he simply wouldn't budge with his decision. Now you can sing your songs only for him and not for anyone else

[keymanwritez]

Can you do them when you work at Buck's (the bar i in the outsiders) and you sing there? Like headcannons? Also ik you only have a little on your page but i'm already obsessed. 🫀(also im sorry if i spelt anything wrong it's like 3am)

Its no problem !!!! I'm perfectly happy to do headcannons of this prompt and sorry for responding late !!! I haven't been on this account a lot !!! Okay now onto the headcannons !!!

Working at Buckys and dating the outsiders !

(What a life !)

Ponyboy Curtis

°♡ Ponyboy didn't go to Bucks often, he didn't have a reason too. Well that was up until you showed up there

°♡ He watched as you sang in awe, barely containing his admiration as he watched on

°♡ He's hanging every lyric that you sang

°♡ You sounded like a goddess and he couldn't help leaning in to hear better

°♡ After that he seemed to be a more frequent guest at Bucks (Despite Dally and Buck not wanting him to be)

°♡ Has drawn you in your performance outfits or just you singing

Dallas Winston

°♡ He liked hanging at Bucks already, I mean he practically lived there but sometimes he did become bored or irritated by being there

°♡ Then you popped up

°♡ With your stupid singing, your stupid face, and you stupid body

°♡ No matter what you looked like though he loved your singing

°♡ He would never admit it of course but your voice singin' always made his mood better

°♡ It was like a drug he could never get enough of

°♡ If yall started dating he would begrudgingly and casually ask for you to sing for him

Johnny

°♡ Johnny did go often to bucks unlike Pony but he didn't really live there like Dally did

°♡ He was almost always there because of well. . . You !

°♡ He couldn't get enough of your singing and how you looked

°♡ He would be really nervous to talk to you especially with how amazing he saw you as but when he got to know you he fell head over heels once again

°♡ your personality was to die for not matter what it is

Two bit

°♡ From the first time he stumbled to the stage at Bucky's drunken, listening to you sing, he knew he needed to know you

°♡ He always said he felt like he was being lured in by your singing

°♡ Immediately after your done singing he attempts to approach you only to pass out in front of your feet

°♡ He is absolutely embarrassed when he realized what happened

°♡ he didn't drink the next time you were on stage, he wanted to make sure your second meeting was better than the first one

°♡ once y'all start dating he relentlessly asks you to sing

°♡ to sing to him, to sing for the gang, or to sing for no one aside from yourself

I'M SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG I FORGOT ABOUT THIS BLOG !!! I STILL HOPE YOU LIKED IT THOUGH !!! SORRY NOT ALL THE BOYS ARE HERE !!!

[enkephallic]

LCB Sinner Analysis: The Original Sins

I think the original LCB sinners' sin affinities for their skills are definitely related to them as people. My current theory is that S1 represents a surface level read of their personality, and their S3 is the true sin embedded deeper into themselves.

Gregor: His S1 is gloom, which is how he initially appears to be. He's carrying a lot and it seeps put. But his S3 is sloth. In Limbus Company, sloth seems to be tied in with giving up on taking action and making things better.

Rodya: S1 gluttony, which makes sense considering her want for money and good food. Her S3 is wrath, which was what drove her to axe the old hag who had been exploiting people.

Sinclair: S1 is pride, I guess this is how he comes off rich and privileged to some others. S3 is jealousy which confuses me a little, but I think it's related to the behaviour he exhibited in class that ultimately led to the tragedy.

Yi Sang: S1 is gloom - he's quiet and reserved, but is hinted not to have been. S3 is sloth, which definitely is the sin that fits him the most pre-limbus. He admits himself he simply observed without taking control.

Ishmael: S1 is wrath. She seems annoyed at perceived stupidity and often shows exasperation. S3 is gloom. She's scared of losing people and is hurting, which makes her extremely unstable and difficult for Dante to work with.

Heathcliff: S1 is jealousy. He's jealous on the surface level and is written to have an inferiority complex on his file, but his S3 is lust. He wants to relentlessly pursue something/transform himself, which will most likely hurt him along the way. also maybe hes horny

Don Quixote: S1 is lust. She has lots of things she wants to become and accomplish. S3 is gluttony, which I'm assuming was her wanting too many things that potentially conflicted (maybe her idea of justice involved two things clashing - eg. is it justice to steal when you're desperate? is it justice to stop the thief?).

Hong Lu: S1 is pride, much like Sinclair. His innocent curiosity comes off as arrogant to others. His S3 is lust - I speculate that he really wanted to become something, or change his own self in some way.

Ryoshu: S1 is gluttony. This does confuse me a little, but I'm guessing it's her obvious desire to create/observe Art and beauty. S3 is pride. She perhaps overestimated herself and fucked over someone she cared for

Meursalt: S1 is sloth. Yeah. Sinclair having a panic attack? Well he wasn't told to report on it so. S3 is ... gloom? Oh he must be carrying a lot. I have not read his novel yet so I won't make rash assumptions, but I guess it's something to do with grief.

Outis: S1 is sloth. I'm guessing this is her paper thin veneer of sucking up to Dante and treating his word as absolute, though it's clear it's not sincere. More suprisingly her S3 is gloom. I think this makes a lot more sense after reading her Schutz ID story - she has someone she loves, even at her absolute lowest.

Faust: S1 is pride. Yea. Yeah. yeah. yea. S3 is also gluttony. It's difficult to know much about her, but I'm guessing she really wanted to accomplish something, which would involve a lot of resources and potentially cause a lot of danger due to it.

[onlinekitsune]

demon boys reaction to catching you singing ♪(๑ᴖ◡ᴖ๑)♪

this is incredibly self indulgent but i just had to do a little drabble on this!! there’s no way the brothers aren’t at least somewhat musically talented… especially since they all have songs!!! and i don’t see people talk about it much? and as a person who listens to music constantly, i had to change that

LUCIFER ; he went to ask you something but found you singing in the music room, whatever he wanted to ask is long gone, he is stunned and mesmerized by your voice, he just stands there not wanting to interrupt you or for you to pause, your voice was the most soothing thing he’d ever listen to, no vinyl could compare to you, he’d give you a very much worthy applause, and ask if you wanted to sing another song while he’d play piano, you obviously say yes, on the back of lucifer’s mind he was wonder how’d he get you to record a vinyl just for him

MAMMON ; per usual he’d come crash in your room, before he got there though he heard you singing, but not just any song your guys song, not officially but that’s what mammon thought whenever he heard it, he totally did not associate it with you at all, there was a duet in the song, mammon took the chance to fill in the gap, and maybe impress you, he’d sing the other part while walking in the room, acting like it was nothing despite being so nervous, he’d trip over scattered items on your floor but would continue his lines, he avoided your gaze while waiting for you to join him, he didn’t want to expose how much he’d be blushing

LEVIATHAN ; he’d left his room for a little bit, not too long he’d never keep you waiting for long, but long enough for you to start singing an opening from the current anime you two were watching, it was catchy and stuck in your head, instantly the blue coded demon was bright pink, you were too cute for him, this was something that only happened in anime, so why is it happening now, he’d make his presence well known by falling right in front of you, you stop from the sudden thud of levi, he’d apologize relentlessly for interrupting you, you assured him it was okay, he’d want to sing it again for him

SATAN ; to no ones surprise (expect satan) the library wasn’t the most occupied room in the house, you’d sneak in there to just have time to yourself and to sing without being interrupted, or so you thought, satan decided to treat himself to a cozy reading time at the library, upon hearing music he was a little confused, he didn’t really expect someone in there playing music, you guys had a whole music room, but as he peeked in and saw you he was pleasantly surprised, he didn’t hesitate much, he had other motives, he booked it to his room and grabbed his violin, he returned accompanying you on your song, you couldn’t help but to be enamored 

ASMODEUS ; you didn’t necessary avoid asmo when you sang, but you knew he’d give it so much attention, you were caught off guard one day while scrolling through devilgram, you were mindlessly scrolling while singing, nothing too impressive to you, but when asmodeus caught you he was in awe, to your surprise he didn’t make such a big deal out of it (yet), he’d instantly wip out his phone to record, for his personal viewing but he’d totally think about the views he’d get from posting it, then he would make a huge deal out of it, bombarding you with why you never told him you could sing like that, how long have you been singing, can you sing for him again, he’d also ask you if you wanted to do it professionally, he would use his connections to make that happen if you ever wanted

BEELZEBUB ; cooking and cleaning was a no brainer combo, it made the whole process just so much better, and whenever you had cooking duty with beel it was perfect, you were very comfortable singing with him present, but when you first sang with him while cooking he just stopped dead in his tracks, he didn’t expect how heavenly your voice sounded, it was sweeter than anything he’d ever tasted, beel wasn’t much of a singer but he’d hum along to whatever you decided to sing, he’d want to indulge himself in your song anyways, there was a little bit of pride and love knowing that you felt so comfortable around him that you’d sing by him

BELPHEGOR ; he was aware of your talents from long ago, you’d sing on the staircase to the attic late at night, he didn’t really bring it up, that was until he caught you singing in the planetarium at night, the atmosphere and the echo of your voice was too perfect for you to not sing in here, especially at this time with the stars above you, belphie wouldn’t say anything but he’d sit beside you and look at the stars, you’d pause for a second, not really knowing if you should continue, but he’d ask for you to while he stared at the stars, you’d soon sing him to sleep before falling fast asleep beside him

[hellfireloserclub]

written for @thefreakandthehair spicy six winter challenge prompt: prompt 40 -If I hear this song one more time, I’m going to jail.-

Also on Ao3

Little Drummer Boy

It was something straight out of a shitty Christmas movie.  

Eddie wasn’t convinced that some higher being hadn’t sent down the whole damn situation to torture him. 

Had he not earned a break from the relentless torture that society insisted on dragging him through on the daily?

Hell, he had died for this godforsaken town and this was his reward?

Steve motherfucking Harrington walking around looking like Mr. December in a charity pin up calendar, right in front of his poor besotted eyes. 

He had only taken this job over the holidays to save up enough to actually move out of Wayne's, god knows his uncle deserved to have his own space. Wayne didn't need his deadbeat nephew under foot any longer, but between working on his GED and the few questionable side hustles -aka anyone that would employ a high school dropout who was accused of murder- his options had been few and far between. 

Joyce Byers had been left in charge of the Hawkins festive festival, and like the absolute angel she was she had put him to work alongside Robin and Steve as the general dogsbodies. No job too big. No job too small. 

However, this almost constant presence of Steve was hard-wiring Eddie's brain to sit constantly at a state of half horny half stupid. Sometimes he couldn't hide the frustrated grunt that shot out of him as he banged his head on the counter. It happened whenever Steve walked past with his stupid ruddy cheeks doing something dashing and noble and endearing himself even more to that really weak part of Eddie's psyche. 

So far in the last few days since they had set up, he had been a witness too, in no discernible order a thousand tiny acts of Harrington heroics. 

Steve had shimmied up the enormous Christmas tree in the town square to fix one of the blown out lights. The view had been spectacular, his stupid handsome grin shining almost as bright as the plastic angel that was lit up on top of the finest spruce the town had to offer. Various cheesy Christmas hits interwoven with carols filling the air as Steve had meticulously twisted each light one at a time.

Eddie had held the ladder as Robin taunted him relentlessly about his stupid crush under her breath.

“Come they told me Pa rum pum pum pum A newborn king to see Pa rum pum pum pum”

 Eddie loudly sang along to the music coming from the speakers in the town square, hopefully drowning out her words enough that Steve couldn't hear her from his precarious perch. Robin looked too smug in her knowing glances and her eyebrow wiggles. 

Eddie almost regretted letting Robin in on his dirty little, very confusing, secret, but it felt right at the time. Even if he couldn't quite get his head around the idea that he might be attracted to another man. He stupidly figured Robin would know where he was coming from, even if it was from the opposite direction, so to speak. Robin hadn’t asked for specifics, but it wasn’t hard to guess who his life-changing revelation was over. It wasn’t as if there were that many people in their immediate friend circle. 

But Eddie dared anyone not to fall a little in love with Steve Harrington, Demobat slayer. He was charming to a damn fault, nobody was immune to it, he even had Hopper wrapped around his little finger. And that was all it was, the charm. He wasn’t having very new, very frightening feelings over one of his best friends. The man who had saved him. 

Blah blah blah it was like some stupid typical pulp fiction trope, right down to the hairy chested man boobs, torn shirts and epic scars, just make it gayer. Even so… Eddie… he wasn't gay, at least he didn't think he was? Right now staring up at Steve leaning over to flick at a dud bulb his tongue poking out between pink chapped lips, Eddie wasn’t sure how long he could keep telling himself that. 

When Steve's feet were firmly back on the ground, he had quizzed them on what was so funny. 

Eddie had gone bright red and deflected but Robin had just said something catty about Eddie enjoying the view. 

It didn't help his cause when he helped Steve put the damn ladder away, following behind holding the other end of the rungs trying to look anywhere but at the picture perfect view of Steve’s ass in blue jeans.

“A newborn king to see Pa rum pum pum pum” Eddie muttered under his breath, singing along to distract his stupid mind. Steve watched him quizzically as he propped the ladder up against the wall. 

“That song gets stuck in your head right?” 

“Yeah something like that.” Eddie was glad when the walkie on his belt burst to life asking them to come help set up the candy cane village. 

○°○°○●○•°○•●•○°○○•●•●°○°○•●•

 Steve saving the baby Jesus was unexpected.

An epic hero moment, saving the son of God from the jaws of the stray dog that had kidnapped the thing from the nativity scene outside the church. 

Eddie had seen Steve take down three Demodogs with one swing of a bat, however it paled in comparison to watching Steve dive head first into action mode to chase a Jack Russell Terrier into the dumpster behind Maldives. He had returned victorious hoisting the little plastic doll above his head until he passed it on to old Mrs. Stevens to put back in it manger. 

Robin was forced to listen to how her ‘nice young man’ had saved the day for the rest of the shift and Eddie had wound her up relentlessly. Sweet revenge for the inner turmoil she had inflicted on him. 

“Robie and Stevie sitting in a tree…” Eddie teased as they watched Steve getting force fed sugar cookies from the women of the church guild.

It earned him a punch in the arm so strong it nearly knocked him off the fence where he was sitting. “It's not me who wants to be sitting in a tree-” She was about to go on a rant…

“ Our Finest gifts we bring, ” he jumped down from the fence “ To lay before the king pa rum pa pum pum So to honor him ” Eddie sung as he plucked a hot chocolate from the stand he was supposed to be manning and skipping over to Steve he presented him with his stolen bounty.

“What's this for?” Steve asked, looking down at the festive paper cup. 

“You just saved the son of god, my good sir. That deserves the finest vittles.” Eddie joked, bowing low. “Plus, you need more sugar to wash down all that sugar, sugar.” 

“That's a lot of sugar.” Steve beamed at him. Cheeks flushing. 

“Sugar and spice and all things nice, Stevie.” He knew his own face was reddening, even more so when he realized they had an audience. The ladies of the church guild were watching them both, eyes wide. 

“I am a poor boy too. ra pum pa pum pum I have no gift to bring.” Eddie sang slinking over to the woman standing next to Mrs. Wheeler and gently taking the effigy of the baby Jesus and bolting the tiny fence to secure the thing into its manger with a zip tie. Then because ‘tis the season ‘ replacing the swaddling around it with all the care of a new father, tucking in his firstborn. 

Rattling out a drumming rhythm on the wood before he straightened up, he gave a rousing chorus of the song that was well and truly stuck in his head.   

“And to think we thought you were a serial killer.” Mrs. Causey from the post office offered a sugar cookie like she hadn't just said the most bat shit crazy thing a woman in a knitted two piece wearing a pink bobble hat had ever said. 

“I never thought you would have done the things they said you did Edward.” Ms. Roberts said, nudging Mrs. Causey in the side. “I know your dad, Al made some stupid choices, but he’s a big old pussycat. Mad as a box of frogs, but wouldn't hurt a fly. I very much doubt any son of his would do such awful things.“ 

Mrs. Causey looked like she was about to say more, but Ms. Roberts hushed her up. To be fair, it was nice to hear someone say good things about his old man for a change. But he was holding off on the mad as a box of frogs until next week when he went to see his Dad on visitation. Last time he had spoken to him he was trying to persuade the guards to let him do a nativity play for the other inmates. It probably hadn’t ended well, Al Munson’s big ideas never ended well. That was why Eddie was with his Uncle Wayne after all. 

Eddie smiled his most shit-eating grin in the general direction of the good women of Hawkins, “Ah, Yeah dad has the flair for the dramatics, and I'm afraid the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. But I’ve got Steve to keep me on the straight and narrow. Isn’t that right Stevie?” He jumped the fence again, this time landing with a wobble right in front of Steve. The other man reached out to steady him, with a flourish so as not to spill his hot chocolate. “Ah, my hero, you see this ladies? You need to watch your daughters, he will sweep them off their feet next.” 

“I think we need to watch out for the pair of you Mr. Munson, you’re both quite the catch.” Ms. Roberts grinned as she started walking away. “Charming and resourceful. Quick thinking with the zip tie, maybe next year we should handcuff the baby Jesus down, less chance of a canine abduction” 

Eddie was suddenly aware that Steve still had hold of him by the waist, he jumped away as if burned. It was one thing to be close behind closed doors, quite another to be like that outside and in front of the damn Nativity scene of all things. Eddie clocked the quick look Steve shot towards his handcuff belt, and ached to make a joke but Robin came to save the day. Demanding that they come and help with a spillage on the ice rink. 

Still Eddie couldn’t help but feel that every time he looked up to talk to Steve, he caught the man quickly turning away, like he was already looking at him and had gotten caught. Eddie was finding it hard to believe that the redness in Steve’s face was all to do with the cold. 

○°○●•°•●○○°○○○○○○°••○○○

Christmas eve snuck up quickly. And with it Robin’s relentless teasing somehow increased. 

Every time she walked past now she would sing the stupid little drummer boy song, but now she had alternative words for the damn thing, and every time Eddie heard it over the speakers it instantly reminded him of Steve’s existence. Because Robin was a cruel and evil being sent to drive him to his own despair. 

“Don’t stare at Steve’s bum, pum pum pu pum pum”  Robin sang as she rounded him on the outskirts of the candy cane village, dressed as a jolly little elf arms full of mystery gifts for the meek and mild, or whatever it was kids were supposed to be, he hadn’t been paying attention in that part of the class. Thankfully, Steve was busy perfecting the piles of presents, attempting to make them stay in neat stacks, it would have been easier if he wasn't struggling with the stupid elf costumes Joyce had bullied them all into. He kept tugging the ill-fitting trousers from where his butt cheeks were trying to consume the itchy material. Eddie wasn't fairing much better but he at least had less to deal with in the ass department. It was hard to pull out a wedgie when you jingled all the way. 

 On the plus side, they had gotten off lightly, Hopper was currently dressed as a very unconvincing Santa Claus, and the rugrats had been roped into dressing as Angels and were currently caroling next to the tree- the lights kept flickering and they all kept exchanging worried glances, or at least they had until El glared the bulbs into submission. 

To make matters worse, Steve started to sing the song under his breath all the damn time now. Eddie was getting some sort of twisted pavilion response to the tune. He was like a mouse looking for a treat. Whenever he heard that man offer his little drumsticks up to the little baby king he perked up and automatically sought big King Steve. And he was pretty sure Steve had cottoned on to him. Because whenever the song came on the festive rotation, right between Wham and David Essex, Steve was within viewing range of Eddie's new superpower. 

It was hopeless he was hopeless, and right now he couldn't escape, not the same 24 Christmas songs on repeat or Steve and his peachy bum bu bum bum - fucking Robin! 

The sound of bells jingling signaled Robin's return just as the telltale drumming started up through the speakers .

“If I hear this song one more time, I’m going to jail.” 

Eddie nearly knocked himself out spinning on the spot. He hadn't expected Steve to sneak up to him when he jingled and jangled more than any one man should. Eddie hadn't noticed that the crowd had thinned, it must be time for Hopper's grand entrance. At least they only had to man the grotto and the sugar heart attack that was the line. Argyle and Jonathan were manning the slay. 

“I thought you liked the little drummer boy?” Eddie rocked back on his feet trying not to look like Steve hadn't scared the ever living shit out of him.

“I do, but we hear it like sixty times a day, not including the wonderful remixed version you and Robin seem to have penned in your downtime.” Steve cocked an eyebrow, “Who knew Steve and bum could be used in so many creative ways?” 

Eddie nonchalantly looked across the square, pretending to watch the Santa procession. He felt Steve step towards him, this time he jingled. He must have been ninja as fuck to get the drop on Eddie, because every minute movement was like crisp Stereo sound right now. 

“Oh, come on Eds I totally set you up for that one, not even a ‘that's what she said’ joke? You're probably already on the good list, I mean saving the world has to be worth at least that right.” Steve's voice quietened towards the end, as if something had caught his attention. 

He chanced a look at Steve from below the rim of his elf hat that he had pulled down further both to hide from Steve's questioning gaze, and protect himself a little more from the snow that had begun to gently fall. Steve was ignoring him now watching the white flecks falling, the first of the year. It wasn't the same now, not when it looked too much like the particles that had engulfed them and blocked out the sun. The haunted weary look crossed Steve's face and Eddie wanted to do anything to replace it with that content smile he had seen for the last two weeks. 

“I write you a ballad about that peachy ass of yours, and all you do is complain.” 

“You missed the ra pum pa pum pum” Steve pointed out, but the frown was gone, replaced with a smirk. He looked like the epitome of a bad idea. But bad ideas were something Eddie excelled at. 

Eddie suddenly felt brave, there was a first time for everything. 

“Ass doesn't fit the rhythm. It's got to be bum or butt, Dustin's A big butt head pa rumpa pum pum. See, fits the pattern. Has Weird Al taught you nothing?” 

“I mean he's taught me how to make a damn fine sandwich.” He shrugged, shuffling forward and flicking the bell that hung on the end of Eddie's elf hat. 

It rang out its happy little tune as Eddie focused on that and not the fact that Steve was up close, right in his personal space. Like how was he supposed to function with this blatant discard for his boundaries? If Eddie’s brain would like to send his body an answer on a postcard, he was happy to receive its feedback. 

Was it hot in here? Had someone turned on the space heater? Had Eddie or Steve accidentally set fire to their stupid polyester and wool crimes against fashion? 

Was it just him? Was he having a stroke? Was this some dormant form of upside down rabies? If it was, Robin would kill him. He had bitten her only last week when trying to stop her stealing the remote at Steve's place. She had bitten him first; it was only fair. But if it was rabies at least death by Robin would be a quicker way to go, then whatever was making his heart drum in his chest like the warm-up act to Megadeth.  

Steve tapped the bell on the end of Eddie’s hat again, he was trying to do it in time to the jolly HO HO HO of Hopper over the speakers, but he failed miserably. Still Eddie watched every little movement, like he was about to sit a SAT on Steve Harrington and he had to pass or there would be grave consequences for his immediate future.

“You're the musical one okay. I haven’t got a musical bone in my body-” Steve was grinning at him now, a bright thing that made his eyes sparkle in the twinkling rainbow lights of the sugar plum grotto. One eyebrow was sneaking dangerously close to his hairline, it was like he was waiting for Eddie to finish his sentence, or catch up to the joke. Unfortunately for Steve Eddie’s brain had taken a mini sabbatical, it had to go somewhere to send him that postcard after all. 

“Ok what’s up, that’s the second terrible sexual innuendo I’ve set you up for and you failed me dude, where’s your head at?” Steve tapped the side of his face and Eddie turned to look at him. Nobody should look good dressed as a bloody elf, but Steve was somehow pulling it off. 

Oh shit, he was talking again and Eddie hadn’t heard a word of it. Staring at Steve’s chapped lips should really make it easier to follow the situation, but when had anything worked out right for Eddie. 

Just then the speakers kicked in and the dulcet sounds of George Micheal filled the little room around them.

“Maybe next year I'll give it to someone special”

The Santa parade must almost be over, soon this little bubble between them would be filled with sugar-filled hoodlums. But right now it was just him and Steve and in any second …

“Would you look at that, it's the song about my bum.” Steve wiggled his eyebrows and the bells on his hat jingled, but that wasn’t the thing that caught Eddie’s attention. 

The feeling of Steve’s nose brushing his own was the only thing he could grasp as real. Steve was too close. He tried to focus on him but it was making him cross-eyed.

Why was Steve so close?

Anyone would think he was trying to- oh…

“Please don’t hit me.” Steve whispered as his lips softly pressed against Eddie’s, there was a moment's hesitation as Eddie’s brain got the memo, and Steve started to pull away. Probably thinking that he was about to get up close and personal with Eddie’s rings to his face. He was, but not from a punch, Eddie somehow found the cognitive function to get his body to do what he wanted. A hand coming up to grab Steve’s face and pull him back in for a kiss, and the other one finally getting to grips with Steve’s right butt cheek. It seemed to be all Steve needed to press back in and drag Eddie into him till there was no doubt that this was what they both wanted. 

Steve made a content noise as he broke the kiss, resting his forehead against Eddie’s, filling the space between them with a chuckle.

“Did you just pat my butt in time to this song?”

“Maybe?”

“Does that make you the little drummer boy?” 

“Ah, less of the little, big boy try before you deny and all that. Stevie the real question here is are you the king, the gift or are you my drum… pum pa pum pum” Eddie dropped his other hand to Steves other cheek tap out the beat in time to the song. 

That got a dirty snort of a laugh, and it was one of the best sounds Eddie had ever heard. 

Suddenly Eddie felt like he was the bravest man in the world.

“So, am I visiting you in jail? Do they still do conjugal visits?” Eddie asked, nudging Steve's nose with his own “Do I have to start wearing dresses so I can fool the guards and have my wicked way with my jailbird of a lover?” 

“I mean, what I want to do to you would probably get me arrested in at least five states.” Steve glanced across the snowy square. The sound of the Christmas hoard moving towards them with Hopper guiding the way growing ever nearer.. The bubble of whatever the fuck this was was getting smaller by the second “But since I get to do this now-” Steve lent forward and gave Eddie a soft quick kiss, “Hopefully, whenever I want. I won't feel like I'm crawling out of my own skin when I hear this song… ra pum pa pum pum?” 

“Hey, that one almost worked!” Eddie grinned as the first of the visitors to Santa's grotto could be heard crunching up the gravel Oohing and ahhing at Rudolf and his cohorts. Hopefully nobody looked too close and realized they were actually just donkey's with fake antlers-it was dark and well the magic of Christmas was doing a lot of heavy lifting (no animals were harmed in the making of this magical wonder-but Robin had almost been kicked, more than once.) 

 Eddie, feeling bold, snuck in another quick kiss before they were thrown headfirst into the chaos of Christmas eve. They aimed for casualness as the first kids stormed around the corner to join the line. 

Robin's face was too knowing when she walked up to join them.. But Eddie was pretty sure nobody had seen anything untoward.  

“What did I miss, dingus squared?”

Robin placed herself between them and started untangling the hats from their jingling and jangling entanglement. The dangling ends of the Elf hats joined Eddie and Steve and It was obvious they had to have gotten a little up close and personal for that to have happened, “Did a Christmas miracle happen?” Robin teased as she bounced both bells back off their owners' nose. 

“Santa’s Elves can go on the naughty list you know,” Steve tried to stare her down with the same look he shot at the gremlins, but it hadn’t worked on Robin before and it wasn’t about to start doing so now. 

“Steve! Do you copy?” The walkie talkie on all their belts crackled into life with the sound of Dustin, throwing Robin and her accusations off track.

“Yeah butt head what is it?” Steve sounded annoyed but his face read as fond. 

“Fido’s back for round two, You forgot to say, over. Over.” 

Steve looked out across the square and the snow that was now bleaching down. 

“Did Fido get through the cable ties? Over.” Eddie radioed back wondering how the dog had got past his fool proof retaining method. 

“The manger is halfway down the street. Over.”

Robin looked at the line of kids waiting to go into Santa Hop, then looked at Eddie and Steve. She looked torn, and Eddie knew she was trying to decide if she wanted to tell Dustin to stuff it, or if she could last till the shift was over before getting the juicy gossip. 

“Go. Do your stupid action hero thing,” she barked at Steve. She grabbed Eddie by the wrist stopping him from following Steve on his biblical quest. “But you stay here, I need emotional support against the heaving masses,”

Steve saluted her, bouncing on his feet. He nudged Eddie with his hip as he passed. “So little drummer boy. If I don’t get back, mine after work?”

Eddie tried not to be too enthusiastic when he nodded aware that Robin’s eyes were on him. 

She looked like she was about to say something when the doors to the grotto opened and the kids in the front of the line started jostling for position to be the first to see the big man in red. 

Eddie started taking the tickets as he watched Steve dart around the waiting kids and head out into the snow. He tried not to stare at Steve's ass as he slipped on the snow but he knew he failed when Robin started ra pum pa pum puming at his side. 

“Did you tell him?” He whispered accusingly as he helped up the line with his little red rope.

“I didn’t tell him anything. You sing out loud, you big goof.” Robin didn’t have to look so smug, 

“I might have nudged him in the right direction. He wasn’t sure he had heard you right, you know I was just doing my bit, making sure that you were both barking up the right pine tree, being a good samaritan”

“I didn't know Steve was … you know?” Eddie muttered under his breath. 

“He's not, well he is… a bit. Enough to flirt with you in front of the infant king and half the ladies’ auxiliary.” Robin took the next bunch of kids tickets and waved them through the velvet rope of hope. They all looked drunk on sugar and dazed in the lights. Eddie knew how they felt.

○°●•●•●°●○•○○○°●••●○°○•●°°○

They got to the end of the long line with Eddie in a haze. Steve did not return to them until shortly after Hopper had stormed off complaining he needed at least an entire bottle of whisky to deal with the amount of kids who had asked him for a Ninja Turtle.. 

Steve hastily locked up the grotto and started toward the car, Robin charging ahead calling shotgun. she narrowly avoided the snowball thrown at her by Steve as he yelled at her to wait up. She pointedly ignored them slipping and sliding in the snow till she got her position at Steve's passenger side.

“It's ok Bucks, I know my place in the pecking order.” Eddie grinned as he slid into the back seat, however he leaned forward to interrupt the silent conversation happening between Robin and Steve. He would never understand the semaphore that was their eyebrows, but he could interrupt the signaling. 

As soon as they were outside Robin's. Eddie scrambled through the gap in the chairs to steal her place in the passenger seat. She affectionately rolled her eyes as she turned to say goodnight. 

, it’s my gift to you ra pum pa pum pum. Now you can touch Steve’s bum ra pum pa pum pum ” She sang before she slammed the door closed, flipping them both the bird. 

“She's going to try to take the credit for this, you know?” Steve said as he snaked his hand over the center console, searching out Eddie's knee to squeeze. 

“I mean, credit where it's due, I think we can blame Bing Crosby and David Bowie and their dedication to creating the most annoying earworm that rhymes with your bum.” Eddie watched as Robin pulled the door closed behind her with a wave and a thumbs up. He glanced around the street checking that nobody's curtains were twitching, all he could see was softly falling snow and HOA approved fairy lights. So he took matters into his own hands and twisted his fingers in with Steve’s, tugging him closer, unable to wait any longer. 

Steve's lips met Steve's with no resistance, he sunk into the warmth, the feel of Steve's chapped lips moving against his own, it would be easy to get lost in it. He was getting lost in it, right until a snowball hit the windscreen and shocked them apart. 

Battle mode activated and the two of them looked for the threat, only to see Robin standing in fluffy pajamas on her porch, waving at them to get a move on. 

Heart racing from more than just the shock of the snowball, Eddie flipped her off as Steve put the car into drive and the radio kicked in, the song that had started it all playing quietly as they pulled the corner towards Steve’s house. 

“Then He smiled at me pa-rum pum pum pum. Me and my drum Me and my drum.” Eddie sang as he tugged playfully at Steve’s hat, the bells ringing in time to the music, Steve’s smile lighting up the snowy night. 

He was living in a cheesy Christmas movie, but for once Eddie Munson was more than happy with that.

[tenitchyfingers]

can I fuck you up more about Paul and John?

Paul lost a LOT of people. He made the choice and did the work to get over them. As far as I can tell, he made the choice to never get over John. I'm 55. The only example I can think of is my uncle Peter, who was killed in Vietnam in December 1967 at age 25. It completely destroyed the family. It killed my grandmother. To this DAY, my 91 year old aunt and my 84 year old father cannot talk about him without crying.

Paul REFUSES to get over John. He RELENTLESSLY talks about him at every opportunity. He has spent 40 years singing Here Today which makes him cry (I've personally seen it twice) and has spent two years singing a duet with John in concert. He has spent 30 years waiting to release Now and Then. There is NO SUCH THING as a celebrity at his level who NEVER SHUTS UP about someone who died 43 years ago. and he does not give a flying fuck. He is going to make SURE we are all missing John like he was killed yesterday.

Thank you for this. And god, I’m so jealous rn. Never got to see him live, hope I’ll get to and I’m really starting to be very afraid I’ll never have a chance bc like. Guy is old (and I’d like to see Ringo as well, ideally on stage with Paul and maybe Dhani too and Sean or Julian or… who can say? both is good) 😭😭 and yeah, I’ve seen a bunch of live performances of Here Today that Paul did and it seriously does seem like he can’t get used to performing it without at least having his voice crackle or vanish completely. And I wonder what he was thinking while working on Now and Then.

It’s like when Mark killed John, a huge part of Paul was blown up too and like he’s constantly trying to get it back. But I also really am impressed in some way from how much time he spends bringing John up, and I find it sad too because it does seem like he constantly has unfinished business with him, like there’s some closure he’s looking for that he can’t find and the one thing I keep thinking back on is when at a gig he sang Here Today and then told the audience “if there’s someone you love, tell them” because I think THAT’S the thing he keeps regretting and trying to fix and never really getting to (although I do also think John KNEW how much Paul loved him, if not as a “husband” as a best friend let’s say). Aside from the issues I have with John (mostly his behavior towards Julian, because I really think he was a massive dickhead for it, and Jules did nothing wrong to be treated like that), I really don’t think he was very hard to love. Paul is my girlie, but I very much do understand why he loves John so much. And I like thinking that they still talk to each other, through music, in some way. That like, a huge reason Paul still makes music is that that’s how he gets to connect with whatever John left inside of him, if that’s not too corny to say. And I absolutely admit this is my McLennon further brain talking, here. I also DO believe he just loves music and loves making music, of course. But with how much he mentions and talks about John and writes songs for him… like we get it Paul. Keep going, but like, we get it.

[kairiscorner]

i srsly can't help myself from making these

gojo satoru x filipino reader

• he fucking plays with the damn lato-latos (dk how to pronounce it properly pls help) EVERY DAMN DAY.

• i can imagine he plays with it on his own, while he's watching over his students from outside the barrier when they're on missions, when pissing off nanami, ESPECIALLY AROUND YOU, THE CLICKITY CLACKITING NEVER STOPS AND IT DRIVES YOU INSANE 😭😭😭

• he def listens to iv of spades or itchyworms, if he's feeling dramatic, he'd listen to regine or lea salonga.

• when you came home to him, exhausted and overworked, he turned on the karaoke machine he bought without you knowing and put on "gusto ko nang bumitaw" and sang it from the bottom of his lungs.

• he bought a karaoke machine to impress your relatives, he vibes with the noisiest ones but hates the chattiest ones fr 😭

• he has mastered the art of saying, "putangina niyo !" (it angered your relatives a little at how he says it so casually, without hesitation, but you didn't teach him that–your anger towards work/school/every/anything else did; yasz i swear when mad too ok 🫂)

• he loves mang inasal fr, that's where he hangs out if the kfc is full. if not mang inasal, JOLLIBEE 🫂🫂🫂

• he's a chocnut kid ok.

• he hoardes the chocnut away from you and indulges in it when he knows you're on a diet, HE'D EAT 3 WHOLE ASS PACKS IN FRONT OF YOU SHAMELESSLY.

• he likes the tinikling dance, but he gets sad when he dance to the notes on time, he wanted to know what it was like to get slammed at the ankles by the bamboo :[

• but it's worth it seeing you have fun dancing with him

• he gets scared of the flying cockroaches.

• "mahaaaaaal..." "ipis ba nanaman?" "yes........" "yan kasi, kain ka ng kain ng chocnut sa kwarto, alam mo naman makalat kang kumain hayup ka"

• he calls you the king/queen of the slipper bc you not only use it to slay those wicked cockroaches, you are mighty great at hitting him with it whenever you please :>

• HE ALSO LOVES CALLING YOU "MAHAL", IF NOT MAHAL, IT'S "BEBE KO"

• "mahaaaaal, i'm home", "bebe kooooo, can i have a hug?", "mahaaaaal, what did i do this time?", "bebe kooooo, they were being such putangina fuckers ! how could i nooooooot?"

• he loved kadenang ginto fr, it was too iconic for him. "OH MY GOD KASSIE" = "OH MY GOD MEGUMI" (he relentlessly memes it on megumi bc he can :>)

• surprisingly, he picked up on tagalog really fast. he treats your parents with respect, but he thought to call them "lolo at lola" instead of "ma at pa", he only called them the latter when he overheard your parents complain about how disrespectful that lolo lola thing was to their age 😭😭😭

• he wants to try all your childhood favorite foods, he LOVES TAHO.

• he fucking freaked when team yey had a filipino dub of digimon, he binged that the whole weekend.

• a couple of kids in your barangay challenged him to basketball (bc mf is so tall, they wanted a challenge) AND HE WHOPPED THEIR FUCKING ASSES SO BAD, HE CARRIED HIMSELF 🫂🫂🫂

[that-ari-blogger]

What Do I Want?

Wicked has a thing with dreams.

The land of Oz is a land of fantasy. I mean this in the sense that it isn't exactly non-fiction, but its also a place where dreams come true. This is a place and a story in which if you wish really hard, good things can happen.

But Oz was never what it seemed, and where the original The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz used smoke and mirrors for a big reveal towards the end of the story. Wicked leans much further into deceit and scheming to lean into its theming, and that is set up in The Wizard And I.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD

A key part of storytelling is making the lead character empathetic or understandable. It isn't essential (Watch Deathnote for a good counter example), but it is a strategy for getting the audience invested. In musicals, where most important plot beats are sung, this often takes the form of an "I want" song that establishes quickly and efficiently the goals of the protagonist. Think Part Of Your World from The Little Mermaid for an example.

The Wizard and I is Elphaba's "I want" song, and that honestly made this post rather difficult to write. Because I don't think that's an unobvious take and I wanted to do something out of the ordinary. But I think Elphaba's song is fascinating because of how it subverts the premise.

Wicked is a satire, and the key to writing good satire is to understand the core text and tropes and to take them both in a wildly different direction. Most notably, Elphaba is on the verge of getting what she wants. This isn't an "I wish I could", it's a "this is what I'm going to get", and because this is a story about dreams colliding with reality, which sets up that theme rather neatly.

The plot of Wicked centres around the falling apart of Elphaba, and the breaking down of her ambitions. But it is a story about hope throughout, and I think it is important to set up how relentlessly hopeful she is.

Although, Elphaba's hopefulness is in direct contrast with the rest of her demeanour. Once again, the theme of deception is on display, this time through her false face. She has to please everyone, especially her father, so she puts on an incredibly restrained and abrasive personality. But what she wants truly is to be "unlimited".

Don't get me wrong, Elphaba is abrasive, and that's not a flaw, she's just not that social. What I'm saying is that there is a difference between being awkward and actively pushing people away. Elphaba does the latter to disguise from her true self.

"Unlimited

My future is unlimited."

I have extremely limited musical knowledge here, so bear with me. There is a key change here, to sell the importance of this line, because it keeps coming up. I will point it out when it comes to it. But the change from A Flat Major (should I use the flat symbol here? I have no idea) to G Flat Major emphasises that this is the point of the song. If I've got those keys wrong, please tell me.

Everything else is superficial. When boiled down to it's barest principles, Elphaba wants to be free. To be free from prejudice and expectation, and she spends the rest of the show achieving this. She defies gravity, free from the laws that keep her down; she defies death and lives her own happy ending; and she defies the wizard to pursue her own path.

I watched Wicked live in Sydney, and I am using the official video from that show of this song as images. What is interesting there is how Sheridan Adams, who played Elphaba in that show, chose to act out that character.

She became slowly more expressive throughout the course of the song, starting very closed in and spotlit against a background that couldn't help but contrast with her appearance. But she got more relaxed and more open with the audience as she sang, realising she was finally getting what she wanted.

And as she sang, the world changed, with the sky going from the sunrise of the opportunity to the bright day of a new world, to a green tint to match Elphaba, letting her still stand out. But now she isn't a sore thumb, she belongs in the world and is free to do whatever she wants. As she gets freer, the world becomes hers to explore.

It's also notable that as Elphaba imagines more, and as she continues to hope, the set opens up. No longer is she boxed in by the school, now the world is her oyster.

But that isn't the only recurring theme set up by this song.

These notes form a motif that comes back in Dancing Through Life. Specifically, from Galinda, when she is falling in love with Fiyero after decieving Boq into dancing with Nessarose, and again when she and Nessa retrospect about those relationships. The flourishes are different, but the core pattern is the same.

"Help me meet the wizard"

"We deserve each other."

Neither of those two relationships work out, by the way, because everyone involved was deceived in some way. They all thought the relationships would work out in different, contradicting ways.

I'm not going to go into too much detail on that song here, as this is a post about The Wizard and I, but it's interesting that a motif with themes of deception, false beliefs and and misguided aspirations, gets used for Elphaba's most achievable goal. She wants to meet the wizard, why is that misguided?

Well, because the wizard isn't what he says he is. He cannot do any of the things Elphaba hopes he can be. The plot twist of the original story becomes central to this one in a much more psychological way. Elphaba has pinned all of her hopes on something, and the music is telling you from the start that this isn't going to work out.

The song also tells you through the lyrics.

"If you work as you should

You'll be making good"

First up, conditional acceptance. Not what Elphaba is after, but she's at such a low point in terms of belonging that this is enough to sway her. This is a fault that she gets over. She doesn't want the bare minimum; she wants what everyone else has. To be unlimited.

There's also the fact that the opening of the musical, No One Mourns the Wicked, went out of its way to break down the concepts of good and evil in this world. The story reenforces this with Wonderful later, but here it comes up and Elphaba accepts it uncritically.

But whose definition of "good" is Morrible using here. Good for whom?

So, here is where my reading of the story as a whole comes in. I will elaborate further when we get to it later on in the musical. But, in my opinion, this is a fundamentally queer coded story.

Elphaba is born different, outside of the norm of her society. All she wants is to be unlimited, for people to not see her and have their minds filled with prejudice.

I brought up Part Of Your World earlier, because the queer theming there is all but explicit, but The Wizard and I has this coding in spades. Obviously, being green is something that others her, and something she wants "cured", only to find that people like her for it, or like her for other reasons and the greenness is just who she is. She can't and shouldn't change it.

But, an angry mob is an angry mob, and people are small minded. People see something they don't understand and cast it as a villain for their own narratives.

Alternatively, she gets told that she can be accepted despite being green, if she contributes to society in the way that the leadership wants her to. Her personhood is contingent on her usefulness, rather than being assumed like everyone else.

Let's, talk about me for a second. I am a queer individual. I am neither heterosexual nor cisgender, and I can definitely empathise with Elphaba here. I have felt that same antipathy towards me for something I could not control, and I have wished that I could be "normal". I have definitely been given that "contribute to society" ultimatum.

But as I have matured, I have learned to respect myself enough to understand that these are parts of who I am, and that I am deserving of respect and dignity just as much as anyone else.

All people are deserving respect, queer or otherwise, and those that take issue with that are the problem, not us. I hope that one day, all of us can feel free to be who we are.

One day, we will be "unlimited".

Final Thoughts

The Wizard and I is my second favourite song in the musical, and I will reveal my favourite later on. But its fascinating how much setup this song does for the worldbuilding of Oz.

The audience gets told just how powerful everyone thinks the wizard is, and even if you know the plot twist, you empathise with Elphaba after the betrayal because you have seen how much of her heart gets put into this.

This is part two of a series on Wicked, with part three coming next week, centring around What Is This Feeling and continuing with the queer analysis of this very queer musical. So, stick around if that interests you.

Previous - Next

[denimbex1986]

'Since his breakthrough performance in Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later over two decades ago, Cillian Murphy has become one of the biggest names in acting. Later, Murphy honed his skills with an iconic performance as Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders and a series of collaborations with beloved director Christopher Nolan. After appearing in The Dark Knight, Inception, and Dunkirk, he now takes on the starring role of the eponymous Oppenheimer in one of the most anticipated films of the year.

Alongside the Irish actor’s love for cinema, he also harbours a passion for music. In his youth, Murphy sang and played guitar in bands, even meeting his wife at one of his gigs in the mid-1990s. His most promising band was The Sons of Mr Green Genes, named after the Frank Zappa song, which featured Murphy and his brother Páidi. Acid Jazz Records even contacted the duo to offer them a deal, but they declined.

Though Murphy’s gigging days are behind him, music remains a huge part of the actor’s life. During an interview with the Sunday Independent Life Magazine, he stated: “The only extravagant thing about my lifestyle is my stereo system, buying music and going to gigs.” He still plays and writes alone and with friends and was even featured on a recent single by The Coral.

Expectedly, for someone so well-versed in music, Murphy’s taste is varied. Though he presents on the alternative station BBC Radio 6, his taste stretches beyond dad rock. From the early synth-pop of Christine and the Queens to fellow Irish performer Van Morrison, Murphy has littered his interviews and radio shows with wide-spanning music recommendations. We’ve collated a number of tracks he’s shared his love for throughout the years.

Murphy once awarded the title of his favourite band to Radiohead, naming ‘No Surprises’ as the song he wishes he’d written in an interview with NME. He states: “I think they’re the biggest band, who became the biggest band in the world without wanting to be the biggest band in the world. They’re probably my favourite band.”

Murphy also once noted his love for the contemporary Irish band Fontaines D.C. On one of his shows for the BBC, he stated, “I’ve been playing a lot of Irish music, but I am Irish, and there is a great explosion of new Irish music!” He names ‘Liberty Belle’ as one of his favourite tracks from their 2019 debut album Dogrel, but adds, “Every single tune, they’re relentlessly themselves.”

Murphy also shared his love for rapper Kendrick Lamar, noting that DAMN was the first album his 11-year-old son ever purchased. Murphy’s own was The Final Countdown by Europe: “I’m not ashamed of it; it’s a great riff. But Kendrick Lamar… Look, I think he tips it.”

Ranging from Beatles classics to contemporary rap and 2000s indie, check out our collated list of Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy’s favourite songs below.

Cillian Murphy’s favourite songs:

Christine and the Queens – ‘Tilted’ Elbow – ‘Fly Boy Blue / Lunette’ Europe – ‘The Final Countdown’ Fleetwood Mac – ‘Man of the World’ Fontaines D.C. – ‘Liberty Belle’ Jackson C. Frank – ‘Blues Run the Game’ John Lennon – ‘God’ Kendrick Lamar – ‘YAH’ Low – ‘Always Trying to Work It Out’ Marvin Pontiac – ‘Small Car’ Massive Attack – ‘Hymn of the Big Wheel’ Paul McCartney – ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ Radiohead – ‘Daydreaming’ Radiohead – ‘No Surprises’ Stevie Wonder – ‘Sugar’ The Band – ‘The Weight’ The Beatles – ‘Love Me Do’ The Kinks – ‘You Really Got Me’ The Strokes – ‘Someday’ The Velvet Underground – ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’ Van Morrison – ‘Sweet Thing’'