#I'm so nervous to post this but agh

[snuffydoo]

Dimentio’s backstory

This post will explain the origins and past of Dimentio and how he came to be prior to Super Paper Mario. I would like to make it clear that everything I say here is not canon and it should not be taken as clear facts or evidence. This is my telling of his story so if you disagree with certain points of the document… that is perfectly okay. I am not here to force anyone to tell the same story as I do. However; I do take a lot of inspiration and points from Garson/Carson. 

>Another thing, I might change some things in the future, especially in terms of designs or names. I will keep this document updated whenever I make any said changes.

Also please don’t go through my doc picking apart my grammar and english mistakes. I know I’m not a professional writer. Thank you

Enough rambling/disclaimers

Let’s begin

The Beginning

The story starts off with a small family of four. 

(The dad’s design is not finished)

(Will update it when I do)

A mom, a dad, a daughter and a son. The dad was an all-powerful magician with the power to bend and create dimensions while the mom was an ancient who had the power to produce illusions. They were both named Universi and Illumina. They then named their kids Damon (Dimi) and Poppy respectfully as they were born. The family was a content family with only the goal to help the other ancients and provide a safe, healthy economy. Using their magic, they would help the civilizations. However, fate had other plans. 

Around the time Dimi was 10 he would come crawling to his mom about certain nightmares he has been having. Each new nightmare shares very similar attributes and traits to the previous one. They all had a forbidding message about a heart made of chaos that would wipe out everything as we know it. Of course these were just dreams right? That’s what Illumina thought of at first until she started getting visions with the same descriptors. 

This grew worry in her as she anxiously watched over Dimi as he continued to live his childfree life. The fear only seemed to grow as the visions got worse for them both. Universi soon caught wind of what was happening and quickly asked what they all meant. He would then ask Dimi the same questions making sure everything was all right. The story was always the same in these visions/nightmares of a masked man who would use the heart of chaos to live out a prophecy that would wipe out every dimension. Once it was clear that Dimi would be that man one day- the terror grew quickly.

Universi quickly disposed of that thought and decided to fight the future. He went into action to start taking more responsibility in leading Dimi the right way. He would direct him to doing the right thing and nag him constantly about what was right or wrong. His punishments were harsh when he did mess up and his words were stern despite Dimi still being really young. Their relationship grew really shaky as both parents had all their attention on him. This only caused more issues than good. 

With all this attention on Damon, Poppy started to get neglected. She was often placed aside because the fears of Dimi’s future were more worrisome than hers. The parents never meant to do this to her but the consequences will take a toll. One day, Poppy started to get very sick as she lay to rest hoping it was just a fever. Not too long after, it took her life as Illumina screamed in terror. Grief quickly took over the family as the dad mourned his daughter for days upon end. With the family completely in shambles, both parents were once again focused on other things as Dimi finally had a chance to breathe and do his own thing. He really didn’t do much aside from locking himself in his room, reading or studying magic. This is where he starts to come up with a book that will be detrimental to super paper mario as a whole. The dark prognosticus. 

Now… At the time it wasn’t really much. It was just a bunch of random notes and diary documents about what his dreams were like and certain spells he jotted down. It was supposed to help him get an understanding of his future and basically get his visions onto paper so he wouldn’t forget them. He even recorded some of his spells that his dad had been practicing. Even an important one that was supposed to bring the dead back to life in a new body. Whatever that meant. While he was researching that, both Dimi and his mom didn’t have much to do so Illumina decided to promise Dimi that he would take him out on a little vacation. It was probably the only time in such a long while that Dimi would be excited for something. 

A couple weeks passed and nothing much has changed. Luckily it was the day of vacation as Illumina beckoned Dimi to come with him. It would help calm both of their nerves as well as maybe rekindling their relationship. She was hoping to help apologize for being a terrible mother as she guided him towards one of the dimension doors. 

The next events came as a surprise.

Before the two could make it to the door, a large explosion happened. At the time, no one knew what caused it. (Frankly someone hypothesized it was faulty wiring to old broken machines). 

Illumina was now dead.

The accident caused an uproar amongst many as people far and wide came to debate and decipher the events of the explosion. The magician’s wife was dead and his son now was nowhere to be seen. News caught wind to Universi as he began to now mourn the death of his entire family. Everything was taken away from him in the span of a couple years. 

Dimi, although presumed to be dead by the public, was actually not really dead. He was caught in the explosion, yes, but he ended up surviving. (Warning for wound depictions and injuries.)  When the explosion happened, it burned his face and his arms were deeply scarred. He didn’t seek help right away, afraid of his father’s reaction so instead he ran away and lived in a shack far from the town. He wasn’t really sure what to do now. Both his mom and his sister were gone, his father was in heavy grieving, and now his own body was injured. He waited it out nonetheless. He didn’t want to go back. Not now. 

Time passed as things at the village started to settle down. Universi became consumed in his work as he was seen to never leave his house aside from calling forth an assistant he hired to help him out. Even the people at the town have become shaken by the events that transpired before them. Silence was thought to have been forever until Universi had an epiphany. 

Once again he refused to let fate describe his future so he did the unthinkable one day. Taking his daughter, he was able to transport her soul into a new corpable body in which he proclaimed as the first ever pixl. He named her the pixl queen and finally came out of his house to shout the praise of his new work. 

News spread fast as the Magician taught his discovery to various other ancients his power of creating pixls. Building tools and ways to bring dead ones back to life as a second chance. A way to preserve the souls of family members. It was a huge success and soon ancients across multiple dimensions were practicing his ways. Universi couldn’t have been happier as he rejoiced at bringing his own daughter back. There was one big issue though, she had no memories or relocation of her past. When she became the pixl queen, all her thoughts and past were erased from her mind. She did not know who he was, or where she came from. All pixls didn’t seem to remember who they were previously. This would soon become an issue later on but let’s get back to Dimi. 

Damon was actually seemingly doing better as he thought that he would finally return home. He got up and headed back with a heavy sigh in his breath. When he came back he couldn’t believe his eyes. The civilization has flourished since he left with people everywhere exclaiming about how the pixls have vastly improved everything in their lives. Dimi, bewildered, went back home to see his dad once more. Of course Universi was even more ecstatic to see his son was actually alive. He helped him settle back in as he helped tend to Damon’s wounds. 

(Not an important note but I wanted to say this anyway. This is where Dimi gets his floaty hands since his arms were way too damaged. His dad helped him out with this) 

Dimi wasn’t too fond of what his dad was doing however. Pixls? Reviving dead members? Assistants? He was completely delusional from grief that he didn’t even have a grasp on what he was actually doing. Damon’s own sister doesn’t even recognize him anymore. Dislike for his father started to become hatred as he quickly started to separate himself from Universi again. 

His relationship with Poppy or well.. The Pixl Queen wasn’t even the same anymore. She was very derogatory of him and often would want nothing to do with Dimi. She had a strong hatred for the ancients for some reason and Damon didn’t get a pass. He started to hate her too as isolation got the best of him. He would go back to what he was doing before all this went down and idly sit in his room. Ashamed of his own face he tried finding a cure and even began wearing a mask to hide his injuries. He couldn’t look at himself anymore in the mirror.

Things played out normally after that or well.. Somewhat normally. Universi would continue to do his own work as both Damon and his sister did her own things. Dimi however was starting to lose it as he became more and more enamored in darker forms of magic. It completely enthralled him as he finally found perhaps a spell that can finally fix his broken face. Upon practice, it worked. His face finally healed and he no longer had scars that plagued his skin. That’s what happened at first at least. Time passed and everything seemed to have gone wrong. The magic backfired and completely corrupted his body. His face especially was now only void. Damon was no longer the same person anymore as this was his last push over the edge. He officially ran away and didn’t look back. 

That’s basically the main gist of what I wanted to write here. A couple years into the future he would soon dawn his new jester attire for he was enamored by the theatrical arts. He then would go completely insane and wish to wipe out all the dimensions and become ruler of them all. I could also get into the nitty gritty of the Pixl Queen revolution against the ancients, how the war was started, or how the Pixl queen became Shadoo  but this document is long enough. (Maybe in the future I’ll explain that too who knows)

But that’s all I wanted to explain today and I thank everyone who read it. 

[boba-beom]

❦ With You | K.TH

pairing: taehyun x f!reader

genre: fluff, bestfriends to lovers | oneshot

warning(s): senior year high school, set in 1984, relationship to be established, confessions, ft. the rest of txt, taehyun’s a lil nervous <3, yn a little bold, kisses.

summary: before the school term comes to a close for the festive holidays, your best friend of four years had asked you to go to the winter ball with him. however, there’s one more thing he wants to tell you.

wc: 2.3k

note: inspired by the last scene in s2 ep9 of stranger things. and the song ‘Every Breath You Take’ by The Police was perfect after I remembered taehyun talking about it and playing it on one of his vlives at the time :’) this was also written a while ago but I edited it a little and wanted to post this as my last taehyun fic to end tyun month :> thank you again @fairybinie for beta reading and for the advice 🫶🏼

SHORT PLAYLIST (recommended)

the hazy, vertical streaks from the moonlight passes through the open blinds, caressing over taehyun's face as his sister, hyunjae, straightens out the frills of his collar and adjusts the flimsy ribbon after. he turns his body, puffing in front of the mirror, loosening the tension and nervousness in his wrists, tilting his head left and right.

"aw, my not-so-little brother knows how to clean up well." hyunjae coos, lightly patting the top of his head.

"agh, you're gonna mess up my hair!" he swats her hands away, caving over his hair before fidgeting with the front pieces of his hair, making sure they would stay in place until he meets his date.

"so... are you gonna ask her today?"

the young male adjusts his outer coat, brows scrunching as he looks at his sister through the mirror, "ask who?"

"yn? aren't you going to ask her to dance with you tonight?" she sighs as she pinches the bridge of her nose, thinking how her brother could possibly be lacking in basic knowledge of making the first move—especially with his crush.

if there's one thing taehyun is good at, it's definitely being oblivious towards any female kind and their attempt to flirt with him. he's never dated, he's only confessed to one girl in middle school when he gifted her a heart-shaped box of chocolates. she accepted them, but refused to be his valentine, and since then he's never wanted to embarrass himself like that again.

"of course I'll ask her to dance with me. she's my date anyway, and I should tell her then..." he trails his words, thinking about what he would say once he finds the right moment later on in the evening, "I just hope a good song comes on." as cliché as that may sound.

hyunjae sees how anxious he is as he lets out a deep sigh. both their heads turn towards the open window from the sound of a car's triple beep in front of their house. the loud noise was soon followed by a few male voices shouting out his name, almost chant-like.

"good luck, 'lil man." hyunjae reaches out to pat his hair once again, but misses as he ducks and opens the front door.

"ayeeee, someone looks dashing tonight!" beomgyu screams with the upper half of his body out of the window. the other three males starts cheering and whistling as taehyun approaches the car with long, confident strides.

opening the door behind the driver's seat, he sits comfortably as he looks at the rest of them, "not too shabby yourselves guys." he chuckles, buckling his seatbelt.

"how are we feeling, boys?" yeonjun laughs, excitement clear in his voice. he briefly locks eyes with taehyun through the rear mirror, expecting him to answer the question.

"i just hope she doesn't reject me." taehyun speaks without hesitation. kai and beomgyu looks at him with their brows stitched together.

"are you kidding me? i'm sure she won't reject you, it's yn we're talking about." beomgyu sighs.

"and what's that supposed to mean?"

"that you have to be really dense to think she has no interest in you." soobin butts in, looking back at him from the passenger seat.

"he's book smart, just not girl smart." kai joins in.

"okay, okay. that's enough guys. i'm sure our boy can manage." yeonjun cuts off their bombarding banter towards taehyun.

taehyun rolls his eyes at his friends' continuous teasing, completely ignoring yeonjun. the topic for conversation slowly went round to each person—and about their dates—until they arrived at the venue for the winter ball.

the group of five made their way towards the entrance, keeping their eyes out for their dates. it was convenient that majority of their dates arrived together, as expected when asking people from the same friend-group. taehyun watches his friends greet their dates and entering in with linked arms, their outfits complimenting each other's nicely.

"we're gonna go ahead." soobin firmly pats taehyun's shoulder as he nods in response.

a few minutes passes by and taehyun is still standing by the entrance, yet his posture never fails him. he looks down at the cuffs of his black dress shirt, adjusting them out of restlessness, in the hopes he hasn't been turned down.

"taehyun? sorry i'm late." a soft voice speaks.

from the cuffs of his sleeves, he sees a shiny pair of white, mary jane pumps pointing towards him in his line of vision, less than half a meter away from his own black, dress shoes.

lifting his head slowly, his eyes travel up the figure in front of him; skin-toned stockings visible until the thin layer of white chiffon material just about lingers by the knees. he looks up to admire you in your entirety, a sweetheart neckline accentuating the length of your neck with a dainty pearl necklace sitting prettily at the base of your neck.

"yn," his voice almost breathless, "you look beautiful."

you chuckle at his compliment, looking down at the ground before your fingers subconsciously fiddles with the pearl strap of your purse.

"you don't look too bad either, kang."

he smiles at your implied compliment, holding out his arm for you to take, "shall we?"

as soon as the both of you walk through the tinsel curtain, you're met with snowflake-shaped lights projecting on the ground. your peers' arms are linked with their dates while they meet up in groups and you do the same.

you meet with a few friends, separating yourself from taehyun while he went to see his friends too. long conversations were made, and pictures were taken at the open photo booth that the school had hired for the evening. there were props and multiple photos could be taken so you were willing to try it out.

taehyun is sitting at his designated seat on the same table as his friends, locking eyes with you for a split second from across the room before you start making your way through the sea of students.

as you make a bee-line towards him, your eyes are trained on him, getting closer and closer. his side profile was stunning; his sharp jawline in full display as he slightly leans over the table to talk to yeonjun opposite him, and with every laugh, you saw the occasional appearance of his sharp canines which showcased his dimple.

in your four years of high school, you never found anyone just as handsome as kang taehyun himself. and you granted yourself lucky to have him as your best friend.

you approach his seat, resting a light hand on his shoulder until the boys stopped talking, causing taehyun to look up at you.

"hey, want to take a photo together over at the photo booth with me?" the freckles of light from the disco ball sparkles over your face, looking almost angelic as he gets up on his feet.

"that's our boy!"

"go taehyun!"

you hear beomgyu and kai exclaim along with the others as you take ahold of taehyun's hand in yours. taehyun could only pray that you don't look back at him because only then would you see how enamoured he is by you. the heat from his cheeks quickly spread and made its way to the tips of his ears—he's in too deep.

opening the curtains to the photo booth, he picks up a white feather boa and loosely twirls it around your neck accompanied with a quiet laugh from you. in return, you pick up a black masquerade mask for him to wear, only making his full attire look more complete than it already was.

you continue shuffling, making sure you were in the middle of the photo booth, "come closer." you speak up, gently tugging on his sleeve making him shuffle closer to you until he reluctantly resorted to resting his hand on the small of your back.

"i- is this okay?" taehyun was always wary of his hand placements, you knew that and you were more than comfortable with being this close to him.

"perfect, these photos are gonna look really nice." you're smiling at the photographer, posing your wrist as you splay your palm open and the end of the boa hanging off it. all while taehyun looks at you in awe. you've always been one to try new things, even putting yourself out there and not giving a single care to what people think of you. he found that quality admirable, really.

after a few more pictures were taken, and keeping the same props, it was time for the last photo.

"tyun, look at me." you whisper.

he turns his head to face you, your faces within centimetres apart until your noses brushed against each other. you hold the end of his chin still with your index finger and your thumb, closing your eyes, he mimics you until you feel the softness of his lips against yours, it was almost euphoric.

you just kissed your best friend.

the sound of the photographer snapping the last shot interrupted the momentary trance you were both in, the flash visible through your eyelids.

"we'll get them later, let's go." you pull back and hold his hand again. he was trailing after you while you make your way towards the bowl of fruit punch.

"so how did your photos go?" beomgyu comes into view beside you, passing the both of you already full cups of the punch.

taehyun stays silent, taking a sip from the drink while his other hand is still holding yours.

"it was fun, i think you should try it out. i heard there's more props if you ask the photographer." you take a sip from the drink, keeping eye contact with beomgyu while you watch his eyes flick back and forth between you and your date.

"if you say so," he says, walking away with a small smile tugging at his lips.

a new song fills the room, a song that only released last year. you remember hearing it a few times on your parents' radio and it being one of the most replayed songs since it was released. your peers and their partners gather onto the dance floor, girls with their arms draped over their date's shoulder, and some guys nervously resting their hands on their date's waist.

perfect. taehyun clears his throat before taking away your cup and placing both of them down on the closest table. he lifts a hand up, the other tucked behind his back as he asks, "yn, would you perhaps want to dance with me?"

you observe the way he's slightly bowing in front of you, your heart fluttering in your chest from his chivalrous gesture. "perhaps I do, kang." you say as you accept his hand, leading you onto the empty spot on the dance floor.

the lights dimmed down a little more than before, only the ambient lighting from the decorations and the disco ball reflected onto your faces. taehyun's hands were fumbling with the material around your waist, you could tell he was nervous but you wanted him to be comfortable with you like he always is. the only difference this time is that you're both dressed up and he hardly ever sees you dressed up.

"hey, ease into it. left then right, remember?" you reassure him after he visited your house one time and your older brother teased you about dancing with taehyun. your mother made sure to teach both of you the basics.

you hold onto one of his hands on your waist, letting his palm relax against you then letting go and bringing yourself closer so you could rest and bend your elbows over his shoulder, your temples leaning against each other.

a couple of minutes into the slow dancing made you feel so weightless. the strong scent of his cologne lingering by your nose, his soft and controlled breathing in front of you just felt so comforting. your faces were centimetres apart, no different than before, but both your eyes were briefly shut.

"yn?" taehyun speaks up softly, and you hum back in response. "there's something i've been meaning to tell you."

"mhm? and what is that?" you pull back to look at one of the features you love on his face. it's just one of those instances where you capture how his eyes could quite literally encapsulate the entire galaxy if possible.

"as a best friend, you're amazing, truly." he starts. you huff out an airy chuckle with your fixed attention on him. "but I want to get to know you beyond that. I really like you, yn. more than words could ever explain."

your eyes soften from his confession, knowing this was your best friend since freshman year and without a doubt, you were feeling quite the same.

"can i be your boyfriend?" he asks, head slightly tilting down to read your expression.

you pull him towards you, closing the proximity until your lips were just about grazing against each other. "i would love you to be my boyfriend, kang taehyun." you whisper before closing the gap and giving him a longer kiss than at the photo booth. he securely wraps his arms around your waist, chests colliding until your lips part.

"you really thought after i kissed you back there i'd say no?" you nudge his shoulder, catching his cheeks flush the smallest pink hues you could see.

"i really wasn't sure what that was, but if it's a kiss from you then i don't really mind." he shrugs nonchalantly.

"so i could say no as long as i give you kisses?" you tease him back.

"well... not quite, i want both." he shyly smiles with his dimples caving in his cheeks.

you peck his cheek in response to comment, "you really are cute, kang taehyun."

taglist: @bb-eilish @iggynor4 @ericyjun @bluejin0812 @luvsoobs @yeonyeonyeonjun @junniieesbby @kyrkitten @hyuntaena @day6andetcetera @amethysts-1620 @gorechoi-backup @dainsleif-when-playable @felix-housewife @choiwrld @yjusei @feyregels @dearkamal @ahnneyong @potaeto-writes-on-wp @wccycc @lizdevorak @fairybin @laylasbunbunny @acaiasahi @ttyunz @cha0thicpisces @vatterie @yunkiwii @prodsh00ky @ashxxgyu @onlyforgaeul @aprilisque @ja4hyvn (send me an ask if you would like to be part of my taglist while I fix my form).

© boba-beom ; all rights reserved. do not repost, copy, alter or translate in any way or platform.

[citrusrick]

s7e5 Unmortricken (HUGE SPOILERS)

HOLY. SHIT. i did not expect this at all and was so fucking excited!! we've all been waiting for this for a looong time, both the rick prime and the evil morty returns! and they gave it to us in one episode!

there is soooo much to unpack in this episode, but i'm dumping all my initial thoughts into this post. i feel like every scene during this episode my mind was turning so fast. this episode broke me and healed me, idek. i just need to take a minute and stare at the wall in silence for a while. my brain is just a mantra of god i fucking love this show so fucking much.

evil morty not only being smarter than c137, but prime is so fucking cool. definitely hoping we see more of him in the future, especially with how he downloaded the schematics of prime's brain. his plotline is definitely not completely finished. (especially 'the rick project'? very interested in that tbh)

needless to say, c137 and prime's (and evil morty's) fight was fucking awesome and well-done. especially the very last when rick gets to just beat him to death, thanks to evil morty. also, we see a rick’s ego get him once again with the mindset of ‘a morty could never outsmart/get me’, and boom.

i loved how it ended simply like that, no gadgets, just punching the shit out of him until he dies while prime keeps saying things he thinks will cut deep. prime telling c137 that nothing he has now actually belongs to him, AGH! no words. just thinking about how hard that must've been for rick to assimilate into the family, so fucking painful.

learning that prime not only killed rick c137's diane, but ALL dianes across all the infinite realities makes a lot of things come together and make sense. basically, prime threw a massive fit over some rick's not wanting to drop everything to join him in his universe-hopping. also prime giving rick shit for his car sounding like diane when he literally modeled his kill bots after her is so fucking ironic lmao

rick prime saying he missed when he was just him and rick, the only two to actually invent portal travel, really interested me. so this means that both prime and c137 are the 'rickest rick'. also c137's diane was not killed with the omega machine, as we saw her and little beth killed with a bomb.

when i first saw that poster with rick and morty covered in 'spaghetti sauce' while morty hugs rick, i knew it was gonna end up being in an episode with blood all over them and i was half-right, since rick's the only one covered in blood when morty hugs him in this episode lol

another little thing i noticed, they very prominently showed us prime and c137's cybernetic wiring tangling together in a shot during the fight. is this something that'll be relevant later or just like a random shot?

i think it's possible rick prime isn't dead, maybe left alive by c137 for some reason we don't know yet. we don't necessarily see prime die only c137 come out covered in blood and imply that prime's gone. (i noticed tear tracks on in the blood on rick's face and thought i was tripping at first but he was crying, shattering my heart over here).

if it was truly that simple and rick prime is truly gone forever, rick now has to move on with the rest of his life and figure out who he is without this need for revenge driving him. i'm so nervous to see what happens after this. it'll either free him or destroy him.

p.s. that post credit scene, which was (in my opinion) showing us what would've happened with rick and birdperson if things were different between them. just a little thing i thought of, and i'm not even a huge birdperson/rick shipper.

p.s.s. and even if it's not about rick/birdperson specifically, it still means rick could've chosen a different path if he'd been able to let go of his need to kill rick prime and get revenge.

[dre6ming]

The delicate beginning rush

Chapter 17 - this is when the feeling sinks in

The delicate beginning rush Masterlist

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Pairing: Austin Butler x singer/ actress fem reader

Warning: age gap (10 years), smut (18+ mature content), cursing, mentions of death, grief, alcohol, fluff

Plot: the ending to a beautiful love story, the next few months in (y/n) and Austin’s life, navigating everything.

Word count: ~10.000

Disclaimer: this is the last chapter of the series, BUT be not afraid, there will be an epilogue to tie the end completely, but I can’t make any promises about when it will be posted since I have started on it yet, but keep an eye on my page, I always update when I can. Also this chapter is not proof read so there my be writing errors. Thank you!

A/n: thank you so much for coming along on this journey and though the story might be over “The delicate beginning rush” universe is not closed, so content from this world might still be posted on the form of fake instagram stories or small stories. I will always revisit these two whenever I feel like you (my readers) want me to. Thank you!! 💜🧶

June 2022

Today it's a calm day in the studio with Taylor and Jack, I'm working on my vocals for her new album that she will announce at the AMA's. "Ok when you hear the beat, start singing." Taylor tells me, giving me the ok to record my vocals. Jack plays the track, the song Paris, is not finished yet, but she really wants it on the album, so we're doing the mixing and vocals for it, I the hopes that inspiration will struck and she'll finish it. As I'm singing I keep thinking that the way she describes she's feeling about Joe, it's the way I feel about Austin, only I can't scream it from the top of lung like her, I have to keep it private. When the word private comes to my mind something in my brain clicks I tell Jack to keep playing the beat for a little longer.

" Privacy sign on the door and on my page and on the whole world

romance is not dead if you keep it just yours

levitate above all the messes made

sit quiet by my side in the shade

and not the kind that's thrown

but the kind under where a tree has grown"

After I finish I take my headphones down and come out of the recording booth, seeing Taylor's and Jack's knowing looks. "That was amazing, Taylor you're up next" Jack says, getting back to his computer, putting together the vocals and such. "Ahah right away, then you're gonna tell me who this person that has you so in love is" Taylor teases before going into the booth to record the verse I just wrote.

Later in the car on the way to her place where she and I will have dinner with Joe, like we usually do, I fidget around nervously. "It's Austin isn't it? He's the one you love?" She asks, looking at me and taking my hands in hers, to stop me from picking at my skin. I look at her, scared for her reaction and all words leave me as I simply nod. What she does, takes me by surprise, when she brings me close and hugs me resting her chin on my head. "If he make you happy, I'm willing to give him a chance." She promises, squeezing me tight in her arms. "Thank you, it means so much to be able to finally tell you." I giggle, the weight already off my chest. "I hope you know now you've got to arrange a meet between me and him, preferably a double date at your place maybe?" She says. "Deal." I agree, happy to have her support.

August 2022

"Agh I'm so nervous, this is too much for me to handle" my hands are shaking holding the champagne glass, looking at the huge projected screen counting down the seconds until my album goes live on streaming. "It's going to be so amazing, my darling, trust me (y/n)" Austin tells me, squeezing my shoulders in a comforting way, kissing my cheek. For the past months I've slowly been introducing Austin to my close friends, so when I decided to host my birthday party and my album release party, privately at my New York apartment, I decided it was safe to invite him. "You think so?" I ask furrowing my brows, creasing my forehead with concern. Austin smooths his hands down my arms, his electric touch sending shivers down my spine. "I know so." he smiles at me so confident.

Shaking my head in disbelief, I put my glass to his lips and he tilts his head back, drinking the remaining liquor. He licks his lips sensually, dipping down to kiss me, but I see Taylor approaching in my peripheral vision, so I turn my head to the side, so his lips touch my cheek instead. "Hi Taylor!" I say, moving out of Austin's embrace, to hug her tightly. "Happy birthday my mastermind!" She says, squeezing me as hard as she can. I feel Austin shift uncomfortably behind me, so I can only imagine she's giving him a death stare. Taylor was the one who probably took it the hardest when I told her about me and him, she loves me and she's very protective of me. Taking caution from her previous relationships with age gaps such as mine and Austin's. "Hello Taylor, nice to meet you in person!" Austin says, extending a hand for her to shake, this is the first time they meet officially, he knows she's not too fond of him. I try to give her my best pleading look, while trying to be subtle about it and Taylor understands, her gaze softening a bit. "Likewise Austin, glad to see you're here supporting her, it means a lot to her!"

"I know it does." Austin tells her truthfully, snaking an arm around my waist. "So are you excited, only 10 minutes until it goes live." Taylor moves her eyes on me, looking excited. A set of arms wraps around her waist and Joe's head pops from the side, resting on her shoulder. "(Y/n) happy birthday, 20 looks good on you." Joe says in his strong British accent, smiling wholeheartedly. "Aw thank you Joe! I'm actually freaking out right now, what if everybody hates it?" I start stressing out again, all kinds of thoughts taking over my head once again as my heart rate picks up and my hands go clammy with sweat. "Hey, hey, none of that, you have a beautiful voice and you wrote beautiful songs, people would be crazy not to love them." Taylor assures me, taking my hands in hers, smoothing her fingers over my knuckles. "She's right, it's gonna be amazing, you're so so talented." Austin chimes in, agreeing with Taylor. "Austin man, mind grabbing a glass? Let's leave the girls do their thing." Joe proposes, leading Austin to the bar, to get a drink.

Taylor hooks her arm around mine and starts walking me to the balcony to get some fresh air. "You know I think I'm slowly working my way to liking him, you guys are cute, I'll give you that." I giggle at her confession, curling a strand of hair behind my ear. "He's sweet, he's been by my side through all of this, he calms me down."

"Well that's good, doesn't mean I won't keep my eye on him." She tells me, squeezing my arm. "Well it's good to know I have friends I can count on." I lean my head on her shoulder, looking out at the New York lights, the city looks so magical at night. "I just don't want you to go through the pain I did, when I felt like everything hurt, every single action was excruciating." She sighs. "Heartbreak is inevitable, I don't think me and Austin are forever, maybe I'm wrong, I don't know." I admit my thoughts, this is the first time saying this out loud, though I've thought it for a while now. I love Austin, of course I do and it's not to say that I don't think he loves me, but I have to keep a grip on reality and the possibility that he might leave some day. "Don't!" Taylor warns, taking a step away, turning me to look at her. She places her hands on my shoulders, softly shaking me, like trying to wake me up, her blue eyes looking straight into mine. "If there's one thing I've learned from every relationship I've had, is that if you keep anticipating the bad outcome, there's always a good chance it'll happen. Austin may not be forever, but he might also be, you don't know and you can't keep jinxing yourself."

Tears well in my eyes and I nod, a soft whimper escaping past my lips, turning into a sob, as she pulls me into her arms, to hug me. "I'm so scared Taylor, I feel paralyzed, soon all of the songs I wrote about my parents, my feelings, about Austin, everything.. it'll just be out there. And then I have to admit to myself that me and Austin won't be able to keep this hidden for much longer, I'm so sa-" my voice breaks as I fist the material of her dress, clinging onto her. "Oh (y/n) it'll all be ok, just breathe ok? Please!" Taylor tries to calm me down, but I'm livid at this point shaking in her arms, hot streams of slat running down my cheek and into my mouth. "(Y/n)? Taylor? Guys?" A all too familiar voice calls out, slow steps approaching. "Oh my sœur, my sweet little sister, what's wrong? Joe and Austin said you two walked out on the balcony, is everything ok?" Timmy asks, smoothing a hand down my back. "We just need a minute, how long until midnight?" Taylor asks, rocking me in her arms. "Four minutes on the clock." Timmy tells her, causing a much louder sob to go past my lips as the fear of the inevitable release of everything I've worked so hard for approaches. "Ok, go in there, we'll be in at the right time." Taylor assures.

Timmy kisses my temple, then leaves me and Taylor as we were before, alone in the hot august night. "You have one more minute to cry, then we will wipe those tears away and go in there. You'll act like the superstar that you are and claim every good thing coming your way, I know it can be scary to have you're feelings served on a plate for everyone to see, but once they are out and you see that everyone feels or has felt like that, you won't be so scared anymore." She wipe my tears with a tissue she pulled out of the pocket of her dress. My lips shiver in a shy smile, as I breathe deep. "Ok, I'm a superstar, I'm gonna be great." I repeat her words, trying to convince myself, the fact that she looks so sure of it, helping a bit. "Come on, we don't want to miss the release." She drags me back into the apartment, all my fiends are gathered around the screen projector, looking at the huge numbers counting down, champagne glasses in their hands, ready to toast.

"Five, four, three, two, one..." people count out loud, then clapping and music erupts, shaking the room alive as Timmy and Joe pop some confetti. I let go of Taylor's hand, my eyes scanning the room for the one I want to see the most. A pair of arms catches me, turning me around to face the person. My face inches away from Austin's. "I love you, congratulations!" He whispers, before placing his soft plush lips on mine, moving slowly and tender, bringing me to life, every cell in my body becoming overcharged with serotonin. My head thuds against my rib cage and I lace my fingers through his silky hair. "I love you too!" I tell him, as he lets me go, so I can circle the room and hug everyone here. It's not a big party but all the important people are here, except my parents. Now, my mom wanted to come, but she couldn't take so much time off work and dad, well I still haven't gotten around to talking to him.

After hugging Billie and her brother, I move on, ending up face to face with Joshua. "Congratulations! I'll be rooting for you at the Grammys!" He jokes, making me laugh as I drag him into a tight hug. "That reaching but I think that just for tonight I'll entertain it." I say, smiling. "Well we'd hope so!" Roxanne says, coming to his side, kissing his cheek. They started seeing each a few months ago, after she came along for a studio session with him. "Very funny, have fun!" I wish them moving on to the next person.

At the end of the night I'm pretty tired and my feet hurt like hell from being squeezed into those very uncomfortable, but very beautiful heels. "An outstanding piece of art from a young upcoming singer, best known for her Oscar worthy performance. A raw, bone shattering audio experience, a journey through the ups and downs of the teenage years..."

"Oh my lord, stop stop, that's enough!" I say, crawling over the bed to reach Austin and take the phone out of his hand. "Hey it's on rolling stone, it must be legit." He says, bending down to kiss my lips. "Maybe." I mumble moving my soft lips against his. My hands roam his torso, until they reach the collar of his shit. With a little tug, I fall on my back, dragging him along. Austin chuckles against my mouth, using one hand to prompt himself up so that he doesn't squish me underneath him. My thoughts are going at a thousand miles per hour and my hands find purchase in his blonde locks of hair, scratching at his scalp, resulting in a long breathy moan to escape him. My hips lift off of the mattress unconsciously, my pelvis brushing against his. Austin grunts, grinding his crotch against mine, placing his free hand on my thigh, encouraging me to wrap my legs around his waist.

We're a panting mess of bodies colliding, the clothes between us restricting us from feeling the warmth of each other fully, so I grab at his shit that's tugged into his pants, snaking my hands underneath the cotton material, to feel his soft burning flesh with the tips of my fingers. Austin's lips move along my jaw, taking their sweet time in loving that one spot right below my ear, that has me going crazy. "Austin.." I sigh, pleasure traveling through my bloodstream enveloping my whole body, I feel the arousal starting to gather in my underwear and I need more, so I move my hips against him harder, searching for that release. Austin's hand ghosts over my thigh, lifting my dress up, then stopping on my hipbone he pushes me into the mattress.

"(Y/n), baby? How far do you want to go?" Austin asks me, his fingers digging into my flesh holding me in place against the mattress. "All the way, I- I need you." I whine, trying to get free out of his grip, but to no avail. Austin freezes above me, then slowly moves back a bit, putting some distance between us, to look at my face. His blue orbs look over my crimson complexion, analyzing every freckle and every wrinkle, looking for the smallest drop of doubt. "Are you s-sure you're ready? I've told you before, you don't have to, I love you!"

Austin has always been considerate, ever since we started dating and I told him about being a virgin he assured me that I should never feel pressured into changing that. And I never have, but I've dreamed maybe even wished that it would happen and that he would be the one to do it.

I push my hips up fighting he's strong hold on my hip, whining for his touch, feeling starved in a way I've never felt before. Austin's breath gets a bit jagged and his hand resting on the side of my head, fists the bed sheets. "Ok baby, anything for you, anything!" He promises putting his lips back on mine, consuming my entire soul with his wet kiss. I lift my head off of the bed to follow his sweet soft lips when he pulls back. Austin's hand leaves my hip, coming to stroke my left cheek gently, his skin feeling electric against mine. His ocean blue eyes travel over my face, following my every feature like his willing to have my face engraved in his memory forever. The glimmer in the sky colored orbs watching me, melts my heart, it makes heat travel all over my body and stop in between my legs, so I rub my thighs together, trying to get some relief. The action does not go unnoticed by Austin and a boyish smile appears on his face.

I blush a deep shade of pink, trying to hide my face in the palm of his hand. "Nah no doing that, eyes on me honey! Good, now tell me what you want!" I open my mouth to speak only a bit scared to voice my desire, but his loving glare calms me down. "I want you to make love to me, Austin. Be mine!" I tell him, cupping his face this both of my hands, smoothing the skin on his cheeks. "I'm yours, I've always been, always will be!" His eyes so full of honesty and love, there's no doubt that what's between us, is real and genuine. I pull him in, only to miss his lips right before they touch mine, turning his head to whisper in his ear. "Show me!" My words sound like a dare and his whole body trembles in response.

Instantly his lips are on mine, drinking me in, moving in an orchestrated manner. Austin's hands roam my body and he shifts around the bed, placing a leg in between my thighs, angling it up, putting pressure right her I crave it. I sigh in pleasure, moving my hips over his thigh, wanting more than just the peer pressure his leg provides. I'm wearing thin nylons under my dress and he uses one hand to rip them apart. "Aus!" I gasp pulling back to see him smirk. "I'll buy you a dozen more, now let me make you feel good." He says stealing the breath out of me. His hands settle on my hips, moving me along his thigh, the friction sending electric shocks of pleasure through me. I grasp onto him, keeping him as close as possible, while he keeps my hips moving. I feel me sleek coating his pant leg and I squeeze my thighs around his muscular thigh. Austin keeps a steady pace, speaking quietly in my ear, telling me how much he loves me. "Let go baby, realx, come on!" He encourages me and my orgasm takes over me leaving me a shaky breathless pile of bones and muscles.

Austin gets up from the bed, taking a step back to look at me, catching his chin between his thumb and forefinger. "You look so fucking beautiful like this, spread out for me, cheeks rosy" he bites his lip, slowly starting to undress himself, unbuckling his belt. On cue I start to lift my dress over my head, but he shakes his head, stopping me. "I want to do it, just be patient my darling." His voice rasps, filling me with excitement.

Soon he stands bare in front of me and I can't help but roam my eyes over his form, I've seen him naked before, but for some reason right now feels like it the first time. "Like the view?" Austin quirks a brow at me, chuckling. "Maybe!" I giggle, licking my lips, the action wiping the smirk off his face. Austin comes closer, bending down to take both of my hands in his, lifting me up in a sitting position. "You're the best thing to happen to me." He tells me truthfully. I touch his face, smoothing the wrinkles by his eyes, then ghosting my finger tips over his plump lips. "I love you Austin, thank you for being mine." I kiss him forcefully, as his hand grab the hem of my dress, slowly lifting it up my body, his burning flesh teasing my, leaving goosebumps all over. We have to break apart when he reaches my head and we both laugh when the sequences of the dress get stuck in my hair.

Now here I am, naked in front of this man that watches me like I'm the only thing he's ever known to look at. His eyes glimmer in a way I can't describe and his hands follow the shape of my body without touching me, like he's scared I'm going to perish if he dares to lay a hand on my. I grab his wrists and guide his hands to cup my bare breast, the moment our skins make contact his eyes snap at me, pulling me into a deep stare. There's something so carnal about this, just to people in love, looking into each other's eyes. I let go of his wrists and move to take off my panties and ripped nylons, finally leaving myself completely bare for him to see. Austin's eyes never leave mine, as on of his hands moves over to my hip, the other snaking around my torso. Carefully he lifts me up, placing me in the middle of my bed, hovering over me.

"Are you scared? You're so quiet." Austin asks, brushing the hair out of my face. "No, I think you've left me speechless." I smile, brushing my hands through his hair. "As flattering as that is, I want you to tell me if you need me to stop. Eyes on me (y/n)!"

"I will, I promise! I'm ok now." I assure him and he nods his head, coming down to kiss me. "I need a condom, fuck I- I don't have any." Austin suddenly realizes, looking apologetic. "I'm so sorry baby, I just, I don't carry one around and I-" I start laughing at his frantic way of apologizing. Their is my Austin, always so sweet and considerate, not to say polite. Him not having a condom on hand tells me that this is as unexpected for him as it is for me. "I have an idea." I say trying to hold my laugh in. "What?" He looks rather skeptic of me. "I know Timmy has some, I could go sneak in and take some."

Austin instantly looks terrified. "And risk getting killed on your birthday?" I can't hold my amusement in anymore. "I'm glad my eminent death amuses you." He says trying to sound angry, but unable to hide his laugh. "Well technically, it's way over midnight, so it's no longer my birthday and I'll be careful." I say, sliding from underneath him, grabbing my silk robe and tying it around me. "(Y/n) are you sure? We can do this tomorrow, or when you want to, we don't have to rush." I bend down to give him a quick kiss. "I want to now, I'll be right back." I turn around walking out of the room and closing the door behind me.

I tiptoe through the quiet house and I can hear Timmy in the kitchen talking on the phone, so I quickly sprint to his room, going straight to the bathroom. I search every drawer and cabinet, finally finding the condoms, grabbing two and putting them in the pocket of my robe. As I close the cabinet door and get ready to leave I hear the door to his room open and close. "Fuck fuck..." I look around for an excuse of why I'm here, this late and naked. I grab the toothpaste tube and decide I'm just gonna lie about needing it.

The bathroom door opens and I'm met eye to eye with him. "Can I help you sœur?" He asks, looking confused. "Um I just needed to borrow toothpaste, I ran out." I explain nervously, shifting my weight from one leg to the other. "Okay?" He doesn't seem to believe me. "Well thanks!" I smile trying to get past him and out the door. "Can you bring that back when you're done? I need to brush my teeth as well." He says and I curse myself for not thinking about that. "Oh well I'm actually so tired, I think I'll just take some now." I say, opening the tube and squeezing some toothpaste onto my finger. "Here you go, have a great night." I tell him, handing back the tube and running out the door. "Ok wiredo.." he mumbles as I walk fast back to my room.

In my room Austin waits for me on the bed, with his arm folded under his head and everything on display. "You made it. With toothpaste?" He jokes, getting up from the bed, hugging my waist and spinning me around onto the bed, to end up where we left off, with me under him. "Timmy walked in in me, I had to find an excuse for being there." I explain taking a tissue form my bedside table and wiping the toothpaste off. Austin laugh shaking his head in disbelief. I slide my hand in the pocket of my robe and pull out the two condoms, holding them up. "Two? You plan to seduce me more than once tonight?" Austin smiles at me, coming down to pepper kisses all over my face. "Maybe." I tease, getting lost in the feeling of his lips traveling over my skin. "Well to be honest you don't have to try to hard" he confesses, kissing down my neck, reaching the spot under my ear, sucking and turning me to jello in his arms. His hands walk over my silk covered form, untying the robe and letting it fall open. Austin places the palm of his hand on my lower stomach, slowly inching it down, teasing me by taking a second to play with my hair. "Please!" I beg, lifting my hips off the mattress, willing him to touch me. "Patient baby, I need to open you up a bit, I don't want it to hurt." He says breathing ragged.

Finally his skilled finger touches my clit, drawing slow circles, pleasure cursing through me, enveloping me whole. "Aus.." I moan pulling at his hair, causing him to let out a guttural groan. "(Y/n)." His fingers work me like magic, his thumb applying pressure to my clit while his forefinger teases me hole. Slowly he enters one finger, pumping it in and out at a slow pace, curving it up, to massage that spongy spot inside me, making my legs shake. "I'm gonna add another one baby, ok? Just breathe for me." Austin instructs me and I nod my head, unable to reply as my voice gets knocked out of me. His long fingers work me open, gentle and slow, the stinging of the stretch being gone very soon. I feel the bubble of pleasure start to form in my belly and I start breathing faster. Austin moves down my chest to take one of my nipples in his mouth, swirling his hot tongue around the sensitive bud.

Right when I feel about to reach my peak, his long fingers disappear, leaving me whining and wanting more. "What-" his lips on mine silence me. "Take off the robe baby, I want to feel all of you." As I work on getting my robe off, he takes his shaft in hand, pumping himself a few times, quiet curses going past his lips. "Fuck the way you watch me kills me baby, you know that (y/n)?" He asks, taking one condom, opening it and rolling it on slowly. Everything suddenly feels so real and when he clears his throat to catch my attention, I realize I was frozen. "(Y/n) we don't have to, I told you." I quickly shake my head and wrap my arms around his neck to pull him back over me. "It's not that, I just-" I'm a bit ashamed to voice my fears, but looking into Austin's eyes I see that I have nothing to fear. "What if I'm not good enough and I don't make you feel good?" I whisper.

"My darling love, when it comes to you it's not just sex, never was, never will be, it's about showing each other how much love we have for one another. And to be honest sex feels good for guys almost no matter what, only a jerk would tell a girl she doesn't know how to please him. Ok? I love you!" Austin caresses my cheek, kissing my lips. I feel my heart gallop in my chest and the second I feel his hard on, touch my inner thigh I'm reminded of the desire I have for him. "I love you too." I tell him, kissing him back. "I know, I'm going to try ok? If it hurts to much, just tell me and I'll stop." Austin promises, looking into my eyes. "Yes, I promise."

I feel his head nudge my entrance, my breath hitches in the back of my throat and anxiety builds in my chest, up his eyes never leave me. I wince at the sudden sting and he freezes. "Keep going it's ok." I say, and though he looks skeptical, he keeps going. When he's fully inside me and his pelvis touches mine, I feel complete. I wish I could describe better how the way we're now conjoined makes me feel so at peace and so safe. "Are you ok?" Austin asks one of his big hands cupping my breast and twisting my nipple between his fingers. I moan loudly, throwing my head back, screwing my eyes shut. "Yess, move, oh god." A low grunt escapes Austin and he starts to move, his head hitting my g-spot with every thrust. "You're so tight, squeezing me so good, God I wish to stay like this forever." He whines, moving his hips at a steady pace. I get more confident and start moving my hips to meet his thrusts. "Shit Aus, feels so good.... Love you so much."

"I love you too!" His hands touch every patch of skin, exploring me, memorizing every inch of my body and I do the same, touching every part of him I can. Austin moves on of his hands back to my clit, stimulating it, making me squeeze around him. "You close baby? Look at me." He demands and I follow his request, making eye contact with him and feeling closer to my orgasm. "I'm so close, Aus, don't stop." He gives me a sloppy grin, kissing the tip of my nose. "I'm close too honey." He says, moving a bit faster. At this point we're just two piles of bones and muscle, whimpering and chasing our pleasure. Austin keeps playing with my clit and soon my orgasm hits me like a brick wall, pleasure washing over me like a cold shower, making everything blurry. "Austin." I moan, feeling him twitch inside me, as he freezes on top of me, moaning loudly. "(Y/n)"

When we both come back to reality he gets up, to throw the condom in the trash, then he scoops me up into his arms and carries me to the bathroom, turning the shower on. We take turns on washing each other, cracking jokes. "I love using your stuff I smell like you and it feels like you're with me all the time." Austin tells me, kissing my lips and working my conditioners through my hair. "I love you so much." I say, looking into his eyes. "I love you too."

December 2022

"Mom, the timer is done, I think your chicken is cooked." I scream from the kitchen, busy cracking some eggs for the cake I'm baking, tonight we plan a surprise birthday party for Timothee, so I'm doing all the baking while mom take care of the cooking. She and I kept on talking over the past months and while she's keen on staying at her new job in Nevada she visits now. Don't ask about my dad, neither of us got the courage to contact him just yet, but it's on my goal list for next year. "Oh Jesus, why must this skinny white boy have as his favorite food, your father's secret chicken recipe?" I giggle, adding flour to my mix. "Mom if it were secret, you wouldn't be able to cook it right now." She flips me off, making us both laugh as she gets the delicious food put the oven.

"So I think I got the karaoke system to work, but I won't put my money on it." Austin comes in the kitchen. "Oh miss. (Mother/n) that smells so good." He compliments my mom, coming over to my side to dip a finger into the frosting I made. "Hey, wash your hands first, now put it in the fridge please." I ask politely and he complies, giving me a quick kiss on the top of my head. "Thank you Austin, dear!" My mom smiles at him.

She met Austin a month ago and despite our big age difference she seems to be quite fond of him. She told me however to be careful, but other than that she welcomed him in. "So when is everyone showing up?" Austin asks, leaning against the kitchen counter. I look over his shoulder at the clock on the wall. "In two hours, but Roxanne and Joshua should be here any minute." I tell him, singling for him to bring the cake pan over so I could pour the mixture in it and pop it in the oven. "I'm happy the are still going strong." Austin speaks, opening the oven for me to slide the cake in. "Yeah, they seem happy." They've actually been going steady for a few months now and anyone who watches them sees that they have a great time together and that they love each other dearly.

"So any songs you want to do tonight?" Austin teases, walking me over to the living room to show me the karaoke station he installed. "Hm not really."

"Give it a try?" Austin hands me a microphone, helping me up onto the small stage he put together. "Ok, any requests?" I ask, smiling at him. "Surprise me." I think a bit about what song I want to do and decide to do one that's not yet on streaming, one I wrote a while and recorded not so long ago. "Ok, ready?"

New York back in August 10 floor balcony

smoke is floating over Jane and Greenwich Street

goosebumps from your wild eyes

when they're watching me

shivers danced down my spine

head down to my feet

swimming in your eyes in your eyes Egyptian blue

some thing I've never had without you

you're giving me chills at 100°

it's better than pills how you put me to sleep

Calling your name the only language I can speak

taking my breath a souvenir that you can keep

"When did you write that one I don't think I've heard it before is it about me?" Austin teases coming over to take me into his arms and kiss my cheek. I giggle putting the microphone down and circling my arms around his neck looking straight into his eyes "Yeah I wrote it about you what gave it away?" Austin shrugs his shoulders smiling at me playing with my braids between his fingers "Maybe it was the part about giving you shivers" I laugh tilting my head back "Oh really I thought it would've been the part about Egyptian blue eyes" he chuckles softly. "That part too, I guess." I shake my head at him, kissing his pink lips, licking my own when we break apart. "Is that my lip balm?" Austin blushes and pulls the lip balm tube out of the pocket his sweatpants applying some. "Dork" I say slapping his shoulder, making him feign hurt.

"Would you love birds stop all the smooching" Roxanne says walking into the living room with Joshua in hand. "Hey man!" Austin says reaching a hand out to shake Joshua's, then he goes to hug Roxanne. "Roxy, ever bubbly." Austin teases. "Hi Roxy, Joshua." I say. "Butler, ever a golden retriever, go fetch." She jokes, throwing an invisible ball. "Easy tiger!" Joshua pats her shoulder, kissing her cheek.

"Everything looks nice, is the cake ready? Can I taste some?" She asks excitedly. "Thank you and no, not yet." Just then my alarm rings for me to take the cake out. "You think you boys could fend for yourselfs while me and Roxy make the cake?" I ask, looking between Austin and Joshua. "I think we'll be fine." Austin responds, Joshua agreeing. "Ok, come on Rox, I'll let you eat the extra frosting."

"Hey that's not fair, I want some as well." Joshua says walking out way, only to get pulled back by Austin. "We'll steal some later, let the girls have their own moment" Austin winks my way, making me blush.

"Oh hello Roxanne!" My mom says, as she works on the smashed potatoes. "Hi miss" Roxy says back, hoping on the counter and watching me take the cake out of the oven and pouring syrup over it to cool it of and get it moist. "So Joshua was saying that he was thinking a trip to Rome might be nice for new year's. He said you and Austin should come along and if Timmy keeps things steady with Lily-Rose he should bring her." I get excited for a minute only to deflate the next. "What about paparazzi? You know me and Austin want to keep this as hidden as possible."

"We would rent a vineyard air b&b outside of Rome, keep away from the big city, maybe visit some of the villages around." The plan sounds great, but not bulletproof. "Paparazzi could still find us." She shrugs her shoulders, taking a spoon and helping herself to some of the frosting. "At this point you've been together for what? 10 months?" I nod. "And you love each other, if they find you, the last thing you should do is listen to their stupid speculations and talk, you and Austin know the truth of your love story ."

"I'll have to think a bit more about it. Ok?" She understands and tells me that I still have a few days until Joshua has to confirm how many people will be staying at the place he rented.

The party starts soon after our conversation and we all have a great time, singing and enjoying good food. At the end of the night when me and Austin put ourselves to bed I tell him about Roxy's invite and he tells me Joshua brought it up to him as well, as far as he's concerned he is willing to take the risk. "I love you and you love me, we both know what we have it's true, so what does it matter if they find us." I agree with him in the end, deciding that maybe yes we should go with our friends and enjoy new year's with them, but the anxiety of being found out doesn't necessarily leave me.

February 2023

The Grammys

"And the Grammy goes to..." Dua Lipa, makes a slight pause to read the winner off of the card and I hold my breath, having so many feelings at once. Taylor holds my hand under the table, also watching the stage closely, waiting for the moment the tell us who won. "(Y/n), Someone who loves you (wouldn't do this)" my song "everything I wanted" starts playing and there's screams from everywhere, feel Taylor hug me, lifting me up from the chair and pushing me towards the stage. She, Finneas, Jack, Billie and Joshua join me on the stage as I accept my award.

" I can't say that when I was making this album I ever thought it would be nominated for a Grammy and then it would get to win a Grammy. I poured my heart into this project and every single one of the people on this stage tonight can tell you how many tears I've cried over these songs and how difficult it was for me to open up to the world in the way that I did. It's more than just a dream to see my words be transported from my journal entries into songs into streaming platforms and then into your homes and hearts. I am so honored and so happy and I want to thank my family, my friends, my love, and my record label and the Academy for the amazing opportunity that they've offered me tonight thank you!"

After the great ceremony and a few more awards, I finally get to go home, missing Taylor's after party, since I'm too tired to attend. When the elevator doors open to my apartment, I'm met with a huge arrangement of flowers, from purple star flowers to sun flowers and peonies, all my favorite flowers, filling the room with their incredible aroma. "...my love" I hear my voice say as Austin comes into view holding his phone, turning the recording of my speech off. "You found a way to thank me, you didn't have to." He says, scooping me up into his arms. "That was exactly what I needed to do, dandelions was my first number one hit." I remind him kissing his cheek, as he carries me to my bedroom and into the bathroom where he prepared a relaxing bath for me.

Golden Globes evening

" Good evening everybody, I want to start off by thanking the Golden Globes for giving me the honor of presenting an award this year. The first time I ever attended the Golden Globes ceremony I was Timothée Chalamet's +1 it happened in 2016 and I met Taylor Swift. If you would've told me back then that getting to talk to Taylor would change what my future would look like forever, I probably wouldn't have believed you so I have a lot of things to thank the Golden Globes for. Last year I was nominated for a couple of words I even won a few but I couldn't attend so this year it was mandatory for me to be here. I am excited to announce the category for the best actor, on our list we have nominees who have given us amazing performances of incredible characters, bringing to screen pure and raw emotion pouring their soul and entire being into these personas that they've taken responsibility to portray. Here's a list of our nominees for best actor" I wait for the promoter to read the nominees, hoping that my reaction to Austin's name being called out, wasn't too much.

The room is quiet and it's my turn again to speak, with shaking hands, I hold the golden envelope up. " In this year's winner for best actor is" I pause opening the envelope and as soon as my eyes make out the name written on the card, they fill with tears that quickly blink back. " Austin Butler for Elvis, Congratulations!" My voice tremors and I feel like my entire body could explode with joy and excitement for Austin. After hugging Baz and his father Austin, runs over to the stage, coming my way with teary eyes. On reflex he hugs me and picks me up off the ground, squeezing me tight, so I have to remember him about where we are.  "Careful baby!" He puts me down, taking the award and mouthing a silent 'sorry'.

After he gives his speech, we both get down from the stage and I walk over to his table to make small talk with Baz and Priscilla and meet Lisa Marie for the first time. "(Y/n) always a pleasure to see you, you look beautiful, honey." Priscilla says, putting back in place some pieces of hair that fell out of place. "Thank you and it's a pleasure to meet you miss Presley" I say to Lisa, extending my hand out to shake, but she surprises me by giving me a big hug. "Oh please it's Lisa, I was so sad we didn't get to talk at the premiere last year and I'm so happy so finally get to see you." I blush at all the nice commentary coming my way, making small talk for the rest of the night.

A few days later

I'm still in L.A. after the golden globes working in getting some auditions for some new exciting roles, I'm staying over at Austin's house, which I think by now a lot of people know. There were some pictures of him picking me up from the air port before the awards, but nothing too scandalous to confirm we're more than just friends.

Austin is in his office, working on some online interviews, having doubled his press due to the Oscars being in a couple of weeks. I can hear him softly talk and laugh to the interviewer and it makes me smile, knowing how sad and worried he's been for the last day. He received news from Baz who heard from Priscilla, that Lisa Marie was rushed to the hospital last night and since then Austin's just been packed with nerves and anxiety, he formed a strong bond her. Not to say he's under pressure for the Oscar nominations, being announced in two days from now.

As I scroll through my phone, Austin's phone rings, he left it here with me to take any calls or messages while he's busy with interviews. I see the id caller being Baz, so I decide it's safe to answer. "Austin?" Baz's voice comes through the phone, worry and sadness evident in his tone and my mind goes directly to Lisa Marie. "It's me Baz, Austin is in an interview right now." I hear Baz sigh. "Well maybe it's better like this maybe he'll take the news better coming from you." I know what this means, I know it so well, it hurts before he says it, my heart filling with hurt and sadness, tears breaming my eyes. "Just say it." All this wait is killing me. "Lisa Marie didn't make it, the memorial is a week form now at Graceland, both you and Austin are invited to come. I'm so sorry to be the bearer of bad news." I wipe the few falling tears from my cheeks, breathing deep. "That's ok Baz, thanks for telling me, I'll tell Austin when he's free, we'll talk soon, take care." I end the call and cry for a few good minutes, but I decide to be strong for Austin and I wipe my face and sit reading my script, while closely listening for him to be done with his interview.

When I hear him say goodbye to the interviewer and close his laptop, I get up form the couch and walk over to his office. The door is closed so that way, neither William or Simba could walk in and bomb his interview. I knock quietly and open the door. Austin, who was resting his head on his hands, ruffling his hair, lifts his eyes up to look at me. "(Y/n) have you been crying? What's-" I sit down on the leather couch in his office and pat the spot next to me. "Sit with me." Austin looking worried, listens to me, no questions asked, sitting down next to me. "Baz called, he," I take a deep breath. "He told me Lisa didn't make it, the memorial is next week at Graceland."

As I speak he doesn't seem to hear me talk anymore, his eyes filled with tears. He falls limb into my arms and cries with his face buried into my chest. I feel his hot tears soak into my shirt and his hands grip the cotton material harder, almost ripping it off of me. I try to soothe him, but the best thing I can do right now, is let him cry in my arms.

After a good hour or so of crying he fell asleep on the couch with his head in my lap, it was good thinking I got my phone with me when I left the living room, cause he had another interview scheduled for today, so I texted his agent James and told him that Austin isn't going to be able to do them. James, being Austin's best friend since they were little kids, understood perfectly, giving me green light to let Austin rest.

About three hours into his sleep, I need to use the bathroom really bad, so I unlatch his hands from around my waist and get up to go to the bathroom. As I'm washing my hands I hear him call my name, thinking he's up, I call back. "In the downstairs bathroom Aus." But I don't hear anyone approach, which worries me. I still hear him calling my name over and over again and I realize he's not awake, he's just sleep talking, something he does when he's very nervous.

I find him still on the couch in his office, asleep and mumbling my name. I squeeze next to him on the small couch and find my stop into his arms, instinctively he hugs me close, burying his nose into my hair and breathing in my scent. I don't know how long we stay like that, but by the time his eyes flutter open, the sun outside is setting. His hazy blue eyes watch me. "Is it real?" He asks, new tears pricking his eyes. "It is, baby." He holds me close to his chest, breathing in and out quietly.

A little over a week later

I attended the funeral with Austin, which made sense since I was close to the family outside my relationship with him, there were a few photos of me and him at the event, but we were both in mourning and us hugging didn't look too out of character. But to be honest at this point I don't think we care to hide the relationship anymore, we just want to be happy.

After the funeral Austin decided to fly back to New York with me, where we are now. Tonight the Oscar nominations are announced and I'm so so nervous for him, he really deserves it and I know deep down he wants it so badly. "Ready for bed honey?" He asks, coming into my bedroom and setting into bed next to me. "Do you really think you could sleep?" I ask as he puts his head into my stomach. "If you sing to me, please." He asks politely, so how could I refuse him?

One night a few moons ago

I saw flecks of what  could've been lights

but it might just have been you

passing by unbeknownst to me

life is emotionally abusive

And time can't stop me quite like you did

and my flight was awful

thanks for asking

I am unglued

thanks to you

and it's like snow at the beach

weird but fucking beautiful

flying in a dream stars by the pocketful

you wanting me tonight feels impossible

but it's coming down no sound it's all around

like snow at the beach

Though Austin falls asleep soon enough, I can't find rest for the whole night, so at 7am I'm at the kitchen counter, drinking a big cup of coffee, looking out the window and listening to the nomination announcement. When they reach the best actor category, my heart stops and I hold my breath. Finally they say it, they say he name, I'm so excited I don't have the patience to stay and watch the rest of the ceremony to see what other nominations hie movie gets, this one was the one I cared for the most.

I Find him still soundlessly asleep, his phone buzzing on his nightstand. I pick it and see it's James. "James hi, I'll wake him up now so sorry." James his agent sighs, chuckling. "That's ok, tell him to call me when he can, but an hour later max, understood?" I promise James that I'll get Austin to call him no later than an hour from now and end the call. "Aus.." I shake him awake gently and he opens his blue eyes for me. "Baby?"

"It's here Aus, you, made it, you got the nomination." As soon as the words leave my mouth he, sits up , looking for his phone. "You'll call James later, look at me Austin, I'm so proud of you, congratulations." I say cupping his face in my hands and kissing him. I can't believe I get to live in the moment with him.

March 2023

The Oscars

"This year every time we went to the cinema we had an incredible experience watching amazing actors put on a show for us, we saw personalities portrayed in ways we've never seen before from the electric magic of Elvis to the magnificent sad story of the Whale, we have experienced pain, love, fear, happiness all in one, all at the same time. We got drunk on the feeling of pure joy and pure excitement watching these incredible human beings play out on our screen. Tonight we honor them, we offer a token of our appreciation for the hard work that has been put into these movies. Here is the list of nominees for this year's best actor in a drama." My palms are sweaty and watch Austin holding hands with Angela Basset, while his dad has a hand on his shoulder for the two behind. I see the hope in his eyes and when in handed the envelope with the results, I say a little prayer for him. " Austin Butler for Elvis."

I can't believe it, he doesn't seem to believe it either as he sits frozen in his chair. "Austin it's you, you did it, you won, come up, you won." Finally he wakes up, standing and running over to the stage, not missing a beat when it comes to hugging me. I feel his tears on my cheek and it makes me so happy to know all he's worked for payed off. "I love you so so much!" He says letting me go, receiving his award and heading to the mic the give his speech.

"It's a lot to imagine that after four years of hard work, three years of dedicating myself to this incredible person who is no longer with us, but who left us with such an immense legacy , I get to be here on this stage tonight and hold this award in his name. Elvis, he loved acting, he loved movies and this award it's so much for him as it is for me. I want to thank him I want to thank his  daughter Lisa for always watching over me. I want to thank my mom who is up there with them looking down at me hopefully so proud of who I am right now and what I managed to do. I want to thank every single person who was by my side in this period of time and who always supported me even when I didn't believe it myself thank you so much!"

After the ceremony and after getting his award engraved with his name we get in the car together, I rest my head on his shoulder as his driver takes us back to my place, so we could change for Baz's after party. "I can't believe it!" Austin whispers, smoothing his fingers over the cold metal of the award. "I can, you work very hard and you reached peoples hearts, you deserve it, own up to it."

July 2023

After the Oscars we were photographed many times together, but the most recent one, which finally confirmed our relationship came out only two days ago, after we had cute date. We were both a little tipsy and while waiting for Matt to come pick us up, we were photographed making out on the side of the street. It feels so weird to have everyone know that we're together, but it also feels good in a way, because now we don't have to hide anymore. Trying to lift my spirits up, Austin booked a trip to Disneyland the day after my birthday, which we chose to celebrate together at his house in L.A, combining both of our birthdays since they are only 9 days apart.

I look down at my lap, at the sleeping Austin, he looks so sweet and peaceful, I think it's finally time that I confirm my love for him online, so I snap a picture of him over my book that I'm reading, posting it to my stories and tagging him. I know this will probably blow out the internet, but I don't care, I'm so in love that I might stop breathing, he and I are approaching two years together and it's so unbelievable, if you've told me two years ago, that Austin would be mine, I probably would've laughed in your face, but it's true and it's of so amazing.

I can't wait to see what our future has in store for us, but I'm hopeful that we'll get through everything, like we have so far, by being open and communicative, by listening to each other, knowing when and where to set boundaries. Dedicating our time to helping each other grow and stay happy and healthy.

All because loving him is golden like daylight and the delicate beginning rush we felt so long ago never seems to leave us, only growing in intensity, fueling us to always come back and be here.

Tags: @galaxygirl453 @rainydayz101 @samaraannhan20 @marlowmode @myradiaz @areuirish @micaelainthe60s @homebodybirkin2003 @pennyroyalcreep @purejasmine  @strokesofstokes @lanasfloridakiloss @denised916 @kibumslatina @macey234 @melodixs-blog @shantellescrivener @chewiethecatus @guacala @fangirl125reader @father-of-2cats @lucid315 @melodixs-blog @ilovehobi101 @richardslady121 @jensmithin @julie181 @chrisevansgirl34 @ranaissingle @onecrazydirectioner @maria-1287 @austinbutlerssimp @kingdomforapony @acoolnight @tarot-sybarite @goldenmarygio @frozenhuntress67 @anonyboo63478338 @littlewhiterose @thefallofthedamned @1eminicookie @rose-deathman @iheqrtaustin @desitravelsblog @prompted-wordsmith @austinsvlrslut @crystallizedth0t @hertvgirl @peanutbutterinacup @austinswhitewolf

Songs referenced:

[starbiex]

evajacks kiss hint in ouabh??

So I was re-reading OUABH and there is no way this isn't a hint to the evajacks kiss we'll probably see in ACFTL!!

This scene is written with so much more detail than the previous description and introduction of kiss chess, there's no way it isn't a clue to something! I'd think that the whole description about the girl's trembling hands and the boy being nervous would usually be cut out UNLESS it is important 👀

NOTE: this is a long post, and there's a bit of rambling, but I promise I have a point!!!

the young woman in a paper crown

Hmmm... paper crown? First off, Eva is a princess, so the crown definitely makes sense and would suit her. Paper? On one hand, it's probably because it's kiss chess and it's just a board game, so it being just paper would suit the "game" vibe. But a part of me also thinks that it's more special than just for fitting the vibe of the game, I don't have a strong theory for this part but I do think it has something to do with Apollo, or maybe they get a divorce so she's no longer a real princess, or Prince of Hearts x Eva = Princess symbolism. Probably getting offtrack with this one but I know it means something, I just don't know for certain what it is HAHA

standing on her tiptoes to kiss

THIS ONE!!! I didn't realise this one as quickly as I did the others, but this is such a big clue!! In TBONA, when Eva would kiss Luc's cheek, it would describe how she tiptoes to do that. We already know that Jacks is taller than Eva since she has to tilt her head up to look at him when they're close, so it would make sense that she'd have to tiptoe to kiss Jacks a well!! I thought the tiptoeing was just cute and sweet in TBONA, but now I think it's one big clue that leads back to this part in OUABH!!!!

tall young man (in a black bishop's cape)

This one is pretty self-explanatory I think, Jacks is a tall young man, or at least taller than Eva by quite a bit. Agh! I don't have much on the black bishop's cape but I, again, feel like this would be important, or else it would'nt've been mentioned at all! Maybe the black cape could've gone by just fine, but why bishop's cape??

The girl's hands were trembling, but her cheeks were flushed with excitement

Maybe before the kiss, something big happens? like a fight?? she gets her memories back??? I'm not sure, maybe she's just really excited/nervous! Eva's always big on blushing and of course she'd be excited about the kiss!

and the boy appeared almost as nervous. He stood completely still. 

There are a lot of possibilities when it comes to what's happening in / what happened before the supposed kissing scene. Maybe Jacks knew at this point that the kiss wouldn't kill Eva? But, obviously, whatever it is, he's uncertain about the kiss. After restraining himself for letting a kiss happen between him and Eva for the basically the entirety of the two books, I do think that it's unlikely he would be the one to go for the kiss first, whether he know it's safe or not, so I think him standing still for it makes sense!

Evangeline couldn’t tell if he was afraid of the kiss or afraid that the girl might change her mind.

Ok, this sentence!! I think this is a huge one, personally. This most definitely sounds like something Jacks would think, especially after TBONA. Again, maybe Jacks knows at this point that the kiss wouldn't kill Eva, but he'd definitely still be afraid that it would. For the second part, I think this would definitely apply to Jack's mindset for Eva, especially after what happened at the end of the Hollow scenes. His feelings for Eva basically got rejected when she told him it was all because of the stone, and it was shown that this really affected him afterwards.

There are just so many possibilities for this potential scene! How would they know that the kiss would be safe? And how does Jacks believe in this strongly enough to not back away from it?

I have so many thoughts about this that I just can't really put into words, but feel free to build onto my ideas! <3

(also i had this drafted months ago but never posted it bcos life got in the way but im coming back to share this bcos i genuinely think this is huge :D)

[mr-fear]

Agh- so nervous to post here, but I'm so excited too- I may or may not have been stalking this app for the longest time just liking posts, but now it's time to share some of my own stuff. I'm pretty nervous, so please be kind, but if you don't want to be, fair. It's the internet. You're free to do as you please. But I really do hope that my stuff reaches its intended crowd!

(These are my favorite Naruto(/Boruto) characters! Please interact if you like these guys too/want to talk about them. I've been itching for that fandom fix for so long now-)

As for the tags, that's hopefully what I'm basing this account on (generally) so if you're interested in any of those things, please stick around to see some of my work. Thanks guys!

[strawbxrryanime]

partners in crime - souya kawata x male!reader

REMINDER: I'm going to do more M4M readings soon! Trying more new things! Although this may be a short post, I hope you enjoy it ^^.

~ "Grrrk! What did you do this time?!" Your blue cotton candy-haired partner said. It was an undercover mission, once failed and discarded by both you and your partner in crime. Your partner was Souya Kawata, a short-tempered partner that gets mad at everything you do. You were both on a mission, but you accidentally made an mistake.

Well, that mistake angered Souya more, as Souya looked and peered at you, clenching his fist. You look at Souya with a nervous face, as Souya gritted his teeth. "Don't sell us out like that!" Souya yelled out, but as soon as he sees you curled up in fear from his boastful remarks, Souya immediately softened up. "Y-you're ruining the mission" Souya said gently.

The mission was failed instantly, and that left a burning mark on Souya, who just can't stand your radiating beauty. The way you swayed, the way your hair was parted, was enough to make Souya fall for such a pretty boy like you. You apologize to Souya once more as he looked at you, gritting his teeth.

"It was you! You who ruined it you..." Souya couldn't finish his aggressive stabbing words as he looked up to you, turns out being mean to you was hard than expected. The way you look up so innocently to Souya, expressing your sorrow towards him really made him feel almost sympathetic for you. "Nevermind.." Souya said with a heavy sigh as his heart beats faster and faster by the thought of you.

After a few hours, you walk the empty alleyway, and there was Souya, waiting for you. "Y/N.." Souya growled, Souya pushed you to the wall from behind and pinned you down, his eyes drawn to you as a tear fell from his eye. "Remember what I said before ruining the mission like the classic Y/N you are?!" Souya clenched his fist, you were unable to scream or to call out for help since it was empty and hollow, and even if you did it was practically all you from that mission.

"I'll find a way to punish you Y/N, whether you like it or not.." Souya said, gritting his teeth harder than before as you gulp. What's Souya going to do to you? He kept the tension slightly building up, as he walked towards you. By then, you can tell that he was going to punish you one way or the other.

~ He fucks your throat, the both of you stripped bare as he commanded for you to get on your knees as he thrusts heavily into your throat, groaning. Souya has dragged you into his bedroom, to do something to you, to punish you. By then Souya's sloppy thrusts, compared with your suffocating gags turned on Souya, as tears roll down your eyes, you can't help but to just take his girthy fat cock down your throat, balls slamming against your lips.

"Y/N~ You like that?! HM!~" Souya screamed out as he was closer and closer to practically explode down your throat. You scream out his name but gag in the process. "That's it pretty boy~ Keep agh!~ Screaming my name!~" Souya grunted as his thrusts get more sloppier and sloppier, picking up a pace, a pace of wetness spurting out of your lips, his dick going in and out down your throat as his grip on your head so tightening and suffocating. Souya's angrily thrusts only fueled more when the blue-haired man found out that you wanted to be partners with him, that you had an attraction on him, Souya hates the idea of love, but is irresistible to your stare and heart, this makes Souya angry, as he kept fucking more into your throat, degrading you for all you're worth as he screams out as he releases his hot seed inside of you.

"Fuck... Y/N~" Souya chuckles, as you were left a mess from Souya's wrath, you failed to swallow all of his seed, and you have to pay for that, a new reason for Souya's wrath. Souya kept fucking into your ass more and more, thrusting his digits inside you, making your insides twitch. Souya's hungrily thrusting downwards into you as you laid on your belly, screaming and moaning.

"MOAN MORE FOR ME Y/N!~" Souya yells as he slaps your ass, fucking you for everything you have, his cock traveling deep inside your ass, fucking you more and more as he slams his all onto you. "YOU'RE SUCH A FUCKING BITCH~" Souya yelled under his breath as he fucks more into you, making you scream in a mixture of pain and pleasure.

Souya's shaft travels deep inside you, the more farther he goes, the more your insides twitch as you clench deep onto him, his dick squirming buried inside you. "GAH FUCK!~" Souya yelled out, he just kept thrusting downwards, pulling your hair back as your eyes rolled, you just can't take it, your muscles are giving out as your ass is slowly being torn apart by his ravenous cock.

Souya's thrusts kept getting bigger and harder, as he slams his pelvis onto you, Souya just kept going faster and faster, breaking your mind to a pulp. "I'M GOING TO RELEASE IT ALL Y/N!~" Souya screamed out, as he suddenly splurts inside you, his cum filling you up with euphoria and ecstasy.

And it will never finish without the ride of a lifetime, as you rode Souya, bouncing up and down, impaled by his large shaft of digits, as you moan. "You're such a mess Y/N~ Pretty boy~" Souya pats your head, "I'm glad to have you as my partner~" You bounce more on his cock, crushing his ballsack, earning more moans on Souya's end as you can't barely form a single word.

You tighten and clench over him as Souya's legs tensed up, you bounced more up and down like a bouncy castle, fucking him and shredding him, grinding against him with your ass shaking and trembling around his cock, your insides wrapped around him. Souya's grunts turn into excessive growls as you bounce more and more, it was too much for the both of you to handle. You just kept going at it, bouncing up and down, his cock being rubbed constantly by the tight walls of yours, toes curling in excitement and pleasure.

Overstimulation was a huge point, you just kept going on and on, blinded by pleasure, your eyes can barely focus on a single thing anymore, you just kept bouncing faster, as Souya screamed your name as you screamed out, as Souya cums right inside you, splurting his thick river of cum shooting inside you. As the both of you lay together till the end, partners in pleasure, partners in crime~.

[rayless-reblogs]

For the fic questions, 14, 21, and/or 27?

Thank you!

14. If you could see one of your fics adapted into a visual medium, such as comic or film, which fan fic would you pick?

Ohhh, I could be very greedy on this one. Even tossing all of my original stuff aside, there's still a lot of options. One I definitely wouldn't pick is The Stars Are Fire, because so much of that is already covered in the game. But a short anime focused on Clive, Elza, and Kelley, based on "Follow the Moon"? A long involved Persona 3 sequel anime based on Death and Ker? A really long comic based on the Muse trilogy, featuring lush Transistor art? If I have to pick just one, I think I'd lean towards "Follow the Moon". It's not my most popular fic, or even my best (in my opinion), or favorite, but its narrative is really intensely condensed, and I think that would translate well visually.

21. Have you ever deleted an entire scene after spending hours laboring over it? If so, why?

I can't remember anything exactly following that scenario -- working for hours and then deleting completely -- but I'm sure I've had times where I've worked on a scene or chunk of dialogue and realized it didn't add to anything or move the story where it needed to go. So there I would've deleted at least some of it, maybe kept some sections if they still worked. I know I've moved stuff around, deciding it fit in better somewhere else.

I do remember that on one of my long original projects (not Price and Prey), I wrote the draft out in first person and kept it that way for a long time, then went back and adjusted everything into third person. That was a chore.

27. Is there a fic you were nervous to post/share? Why?

A few, though they're older ones, and both Persona 4 ones. The first is "Gunpoint", which, honestly, I wouldn't write or post now. I don't think it's offensive, but it's basically me complaining about a pairing I didn't like and which was popular, and wrapping that dislike in a oneshot. Nowadays, I'm happy to let people ship what they want to ship. And I think even back then, I was aware this wasn't really anything that needed to be called out.

Another one is "Snowman", which, again, I doubt I'd even write now. Gender dysphoria was (and is) a big issue in Persona 4 fandom, and despite not being gender dysphoric, I decided I should add my two cents. Which I think I knew even back then wasn't the best move. I tried to educate myself and be respectful, but ultimately, I don't think that makes everything fine -- people should be allowed to interpret characters in fanfic however they want. It doesn't need to be debated across fanfics, even respectfully.

As for more recent stuff, I don't have entire fics that leave me apprehensive about posting, but I do worry about individual chapters. Did I tag appropriately? Is this scene too much, are readers going to back-click? Are people going to think this trope I really like is unrealistic and cheesy (because it is)? Oh no, is this twist going to make people mad? Agh, why do I keep covering the same themes?

Thanks for the asks! These were interesting to reflect on.

[moodnamars]

you and soju's dnd character posts are so lovely it makes me want to get into dnd, and i'd love to do a session <3 i'm on anon because i'm nervous as hell sending this 😭

AGH THANK YOUUU this made my day ngl but omfg YEAHHH join in start it up its so fun >:)))

[foxymoxynoona]

helloooo foxy it is I, 🧩! thought I’d send a message because I haven’t in a little while now. even when I disappear from your ask box, I am still always reading all of your story updates almost as soon as they are posted! I hope you’re doing well and I hope you enjoy your upcoming vacation! I haven’t got anything interesting to tell you here unfortunately, I’ve been very busy with life things so love to escape to the worlds in your stories when I get a chance. I thought I’d share some rambling thoughts on some of them while I’m here!

-still very very invested and enjoying flux. I feel like after surviving the angst of the previous breakup of Sasha and JK, I can now handle future angsty bits of the story and actually kinda enjoy them now. please don’t come for me anyone lol I am still their biggest fan, I just know I have overcome the initial sadness and know they have a long way to go, so might as well enjoy the ride. the series is almost a comfort read for me as I know you have plans for more books in the series, it’s nice to know I have more to read and look forward to! that being said, I’m kind of nervous (in an anticipated way) to read how/when JK informs Sasha about his past drug usage. or when Sasha finds out about said drug usage. plus where they go from here!

-very intrigued by to kill a king!! I love Seokjin stories and he’s perfect in this one. so endearing and funny and sweet! I love how with this story, I have no idea what’s going to happen. no clever thoughts or predictions in my mind, just vibes. (maybe I’m just slow, but I’m enjoying wherever the story is taking me nonetheless!). I’m looking forward to seeing how the story progresses, I’m not usually one to enjoy a story involving royalty but this is just so enticing and unpredictable to me so far, I’m really enjoying! I’ll never not read a fic by you because you always have such interesting plots that always keep me on my toes :)

-asunder!! okay at first I was debating whether or not to read. there were obviously way more pros to reading than cons, but I guess I was initially worried that I would compare it too much to the lowlander despite it being a sort of prequel. maybe because I enjoyed the lowlander so much because of Jungkook’s character focus and development… anyway, I’m so glad I did decide to read (I knew I would) because it’s just as amazing. love reading about all the characters as children. I know you enjoy writing about families etc but you write children really really well, you manage to capture childlike personalities in all your stories involving children without them just being simply young, small people if that makes any sense. I’m just as immersed in the world of the story as I was with the lowlander and I love that we gain more of an insight into the characters childhoods and beginnings. you know what character I’m also really intrigued by? Hoseok! I don’t know what it is, but I particularly enjoy reading the parts where he’s mentioned or involved, I know he wasn’t one of the most prevalent characters in the lowlander in comparison to the more main characters but I do find him very interesting. maybe we’ll see some more of him in the Thane Yoongi story?

-speaking of the lowlander, I can’t wait until my memory of it has depleted a little more so I can read it all over again. I re-read a sea of indigo and sugar fairy while you were on a small break and loved them all over again. I think you uploaded the drabbles soon after I finished which was perfect timing!!

agh I wish I could write a full commentary on all your stories because I’ve read and enjoyed every single one, but unfortunately for me and for anyone reading, I lack the writing skills and ability to pull my thoughts together and explain them well haha! anyway just thought I’d share regardless as I’m sure it’s nice to know people are enjoying what you’re working hard on and sharing :) 🧩

It's so good to hear from you again!! I hope things are good even if they're busy but I'm also glad I can still give you an escape when you need it, whether that's new stories of rereading my older ones. :D

Its so funny to me that your response to TKAK is pretty much the common one: I have literally no idea where this is going but here we go! I have my suspicions of the two chapters where I think things will start to click together more for readers but there will probably be an air of that 'what the hell is happening next' until we get towards the end because of the nature of all the conspiracies. Simialr to Meadow in that way, I guess, but with more obvious 'wtf'ery from the start haha.

Asunder is going to be my little special baby. It's a joy to be writing the characters and getting to know them more as children, including Hoseok! I was intimidated doing this, having to deliver on the checks I wrote in Lowlander and without that high tension scenario from the start, so this story feels very different to me too to write. I hope it'll stay enjoyable anyway! But yeah, totally different vibe to it!

lovely to hear from you, I hope you enjoy the upcoming chapters!

[7000spidersinatrenchcoat]

hey saw ur post abt being in a relationship w someone who isn’t ready for it — same here, i had to break it off a few weeks ago and it sucked but i’m going to get through it; and, no matter the outcome, so will you. hope everything goes well, you’ve got this 💛💛

this means a lot thank u <3 ive been trying to formulate in my head how/if I wanna talk to them about it and I'm nervous cuz they don't seem like they're doing too well and I seem to make them happier but they're going thru a lot and it's affecting the relationship and agh. idk what to do. I feel like if I wait for them to come to the realization on their own it won't happen

[malepresentingleg]

The thing with Kawi, i think, is that it's truly not internalized homophobia stopping him like Akk. At least the way I interpreted EP 10, it all just felt like fear (or discomfort) of intimacy. Which to me make the reactions make so much sense, like... I've been there!! Not the exact situations but in my own experience, I've told friends I hated touching so no one would do it despite the fact I wanted nothing more than to hug them. Kawi is moreso literally physically running but to be honest in his situation so would I haha. I don't really have many comments on the last scene as I'm still waiting to see what happens in EP 11. However one thing is, I really appreciated how slow it was! I mean it was their first kiss (first sober kiss at least) and it was !!! Just made me wish I had someone like Pisaeng T-T

I understand where you're coming from though! And I'm really hoping the restaurant conversation is expanded but one can correctly only hope :( 2 more days agh! I'm nervous

Hey anon, thank you for sending me this ask! <3 I totally understand where you're coming from, and I don't disagree! I also read a couple of excellent posts mentioning Kawi's isolation for years and how it would affect that and I agree it makes perfect sense. Now I'm trying to remember tho- did he avoid skinship with Pear as well? and Not and the others?

I too like the slow build-up, but like you said it was their first sober kiss! How can it immediately lead to sex when it took so much for them to get there, and when Kawi is still so scared? IDK maybe I'm just a prude. I too hope they might reveal more of the restaurant conversation that might make the transition make more sense..

Regardless, I don't think this contradicts my rant exactly. While you as a real person might have felt one way but acted another and that's obviously understandable and realistic, I still think in a series there's more place to show us characters' inner motivations and feelings to the audience. No matter if the reasoning was completely different, First still convinced me Akk wanted Aye, he showed me the inner conflict of the character in a way I personally don't really get from Krist.

Now I do think it's ok to let the audience interpret things on their own and the show doesn't need to spoon-feed us everything, AND I'm probably not the best person to pick up subtle ways they did use 😅

But again, even if they convinced the audience Kawi is into Pisaeng, I still disliked the way his aversion to touch and intimacy was addressed and handled by the other characters, when it seemed like the show is telling us the characters are reasonable in their reaction..

[exx-ceptional]

Lovebug x YOU.

Ignore this, its an oc thing man

Green= y o u

Purple= LB!!

-------------------------

LoveBug, the sweetest dice anyone will ever meet.

He's funny, happy, and really rebels agaisnt the 'stale formal Dice' thing, huh? But.. you cant help but feel worried about him. He's been abandoned by his own maker for being "Defective" per say.. but, how does someone still be so happy after that?

But today, you're gonna plan to give him a small gift- some nice goggles! He dosent really have that much stuff that he got from his manufacturer, so why dont you give him something?

-------------------------------

Ah, there he was at his post in the facility, like always.

This time it was just him-! And you can see the sheer boredom and apathy LoveBug had towards being just by himself. He wanted something lively.. not this dull grey post he was at.

Until, you finally came up to him- giftbox in hand.

Lovebug was looking down tapping on the floor with his shoe when you suddenly came up to him with a big smile on your face.

"Oh, ohhhh.. my! [Y/N] You're actually here-? Didnt think someone would come back to this.. rotten, grey.. bland place." That little comment made you laugh a bit. It was true, its grey, lifeless... and not the best spot to visit always the time.

"I'm only here cause of you, LB." You reply gesturing to the giftbox with a soft smile.

"Aha, you flatter me- oh! Wait- is this for me?- Seriously?! You got me a gift.." LoveBug Takes the giftbox with open arms. You can hear the happiness in his sweet voice.

"Is- Are these my own goggles?- Woah.. Thank you so much! Ah, what would I do without such a wonderful visitor as you, [Y/N]?" LB quickly hugs you tightly- not to the fact it'll hurt.. it's just the right amount of squeeze.

You can kind of hear a bit of a sad tone in his voice.. seriously, he hasnt recieved any upgrades.. headgears or anything else new after that one.. thing with his manufacturer. It just made him so happy... it made him realize a bit, someone still does like him for his defective design.

"You're welcome LB. I felt like it would fit you, I mean- I promise that it'll look good on you! Cause come on, you'd look pretty nice with them. Since, I picked it out just to suit you- oh, here let me help you get them on that little cute dice head of yours."

You adjust the straps to the right size. Twisting, turning, and pulling the goggles just so it would look nice on LB. And honestly, It did-! The goggles goes well with his outfit.

"Aha, cute dice head? That's new coming from you, [Y/N]. Well, not like I mind.. I like it when you kinda call me that..- aha?.." There was an akward chuckle that came from the dice- There's a noticeable change in his tone. Its a bit more softer, lovey dovey, and warm.

"Ooh, Mister LoveBug Likes compliments, huh? Did I totally not expect that." You gave him back a playful laugh and nudge him a bit on his shoulder with a big smile while holding onto his dice head.

LoveBug was a bit taken by surprise when your hand somehow gets on his face. You can feel him kind of shake a bit- he was shy, nervous, and bashful about the entire thing. He enjoyed it, actually. But, he slowly pulled your hand down with a chuckle.

"Well, seems I'm buying someone a drink again after my shift, huh? Well, if you're still awake."

"Dont worry, I'll stay awake just for you. Alright?"

You reply with a soft smile looking at LB with playful eyes. Laughing at his statement.

----------------------------------------

You entered the bar.. it was about nearly two in the morning.

There he was, drunk and sitting on one of the stools- and of course you sit beside him with a bit of worry to see LoveBug drinking so much again.

"Hmh- Huuh.. oh! It'ss hic my beloved [Y/N].. agh- I'm sorry man that my shift hic ended so late. Hey, I'm still hic payin' for your drink yknow? hic Hey, barkeep get my friend over here some bourbon. It's the only thing they hic drink."

LoveBug laughs trying his best not to pass out on you..

He's currently free from his ordained vest and coat. He's just in his polo and tie- and up till now, he's still wearing those goggles you gave him.

"Mmmh.. Man, I love you soo much hic [Y/N]... You wont abandon me, hic right?"

Such a sad question. If only he was able to ask that to his maker in time. But, he doesnt need his manufacturer, not anymore.. now that you're here.

The sudden confession made you snap out of your thoughts and look back at LoveBug.

"...No, I'll never leave or abandon you.. I love you to, bud."

-------------------------------

[skelejon]

Now that it's breached 10k and has been clogging my notifs for months I kinda wanna mute my post about intersex misconceptions but I know I'm gonna be so nervous that someone will say something heinous and I won't see it to delete it before others have to see it. Agh.

[zical-moved]

Wings of Fire tribes (possibly inaccurately) as dog breeds

Disclaimers: Most of these, if not all, can or are mildly or completely inaccurate. If they are, Please DM me so we can sort it out; I’m a fandom blog, not a dog expert :’) IceWings = Yorkshire Terriers. Very proud, noble and fierce, glamorous and they know it, dangerous if provoked, generally badass. MudWings = Labradors Generally happy and excited, very loving, hard workers, each is unique, but can be lazy sometimes SeaWings = Portugese Water Dog Loving, intelligent, and obedient hard workers with an energetic and playful side. Portugese Water Dogs were originally bred to herd fish, retrieve lost tackle and nets, and so on.  SkyWings = (surprisingly) Pit Bulls Very loving and tender when they want to be, hard workers and great guards, and generally perceived as aggressive (and they are, when they want to be) but in reality they’re sweethearts NightWings = Rottweiler Robust and powerful, keenly intelligent with brains to burn, hard workers SandWings = German Shepherds Workaholics that are cuddly at times, aggressive and dangerous if provoked RainWings = Collies  Intelligent, energetic, hard workers, diverse and unique, caring and happy.

[willelbyers]

My Hand in Yours

Summary: Five times Will held Mike’s hand and one time he really knew what it meant.

Pairings: Will/Mike, mentions of past/implied Mike/El

Notes: It’s a 5+1 fic, about 4,500 words, most characters are involved. There is a scene with the bullies and you can kind of imagine what they say, so fair warning

Hey, look at that, a byeler fanfic I already posted on Ao3 ages ago but didn’t on this lovely site! It’s linked here as well as written out under the cut. Hope you enjoy!

I.

“Will!”

His friends spilled in the doorway to his hospital room, and he felt his face light up despite the pain in his chest and stomach, the strong and overwhelming smell of antiseptic, and the tubes snaking around him. Dustin and Lucas looked rumpled and vaguely tired, like they’d been sleeping while waiting to be able to visit. Mike, on the other hand, looked like he hadn’t slept in days. But Mike, smiling one of his biggest smiles of all time, barreled right into his arms and buried his head into Will’s chest. Will felt the air leave his lungs, and it did hurt a little, but he didn’t care because he was home and this was Mike.

“Byers!” Mike laughed brightly, Lucas tumbling after him. Dustin pulled the other two boys off of Will so he could hug him himself. Jonathan chided them as he and Nancy walked in, telling them to go easy on him, but he saw him beaming and knew he wasn’t really mad, even if he did launch into a coughing fit as they told him about his funeral, Jennifer, and Troy.

“You okay?” Mike asked, nudging him cautiously as he regained his breath. Will stared up at him, slightly breathless, as he tried to figure out how to respond.

“It got me,” he said finally. “The Demogorgon.” He didn’t know how else to explain himself—the seven, he rolled a seven, and then the monster got him.

But Mike understood, because all he said was, “We know.” He grinned weakly, a dark curtain dropping down behind his eyes, Will’s own gaze tracking his face. “But it’s okay. It’s dead. We made a new friend. She stopped it. She saved us. But she’s gone now.” He stopped, biting his cheek.

Dustin took over. “Her name’s Eleven.”

Will frowned. “Like the number?” Because that was weird, but it also rang a bell.

“Well, we call her ‘El’ for short,” Lucas said fondly.

“She’s basically a wizard,” Dustin continued, eyes wide for dramatic effect.

Lucas grinned. “She has superpowers.”

“More like a Yoda,” Mike corrected Dustin.

“She flipped a van with her mind and these agents were trying to shoot us—”

“Yeah, it flipped over us—!”

“Then she squeezed the brains out and blood was pouring out of their faces…”

Will took it all in as they continued regaling him with stories of Eleven, eventually sorting themselves out into a proper storyline. To be honest, it was crazy, but not any more crazy than his past week. And when their parents came to collect them, they all fought to stay, saying they had more to tell him and that they couldn’t leave because Mom, it’s Will!

The argument only worked on Karen, and that was mostly because of Mike’s slight guilt-tripping and Nancy’s promise to stay there with Jonathan.

“It’ll be fine, Mom,” Will heard her tell Mrs. Wheeler after the Hendersons and Sinclairs had left. “I’ll be with Mike the whole time. Besides, you know that… thing… is gone.”

“I know Michael will be okay,” Mrs. Wheeler replied, and next to him, Mike started into full awareness and consciousness when he heard his full name. “It’s you, Nancy. With Barbara and everything—”

Nancy’s voice adopted a sharp edge. “I’m fine, Mom. Seriously, it’s fine. I’ll call you in the morning. Go make sure Holly and Dad are okay.”

“What happened to Nancy?” he asked Mike as Mrs. Wheeler’s voice faded.

Mike looked down at him, brow furrowed. “The Demogorgon got Barb, too. But unlike you, she’s not okay.”

Will knew Barb. She was sometimes over at the Wheeler’s house while Mike was holding campaigns, and she had always been nice to them. “Oh,” was all he could say.

Mike sent him a forced smile. “Yeah.” He hesitated for a moment. “Do you want me to finish the story?”

“Of course,” he replied. “You’re the best storyteller I know.”

Mike grinned, wrapping up the story with a few interjections from Jonathan and Nancy. He explained how they built the sensory deprivation tank to help El find him. He talked about Eleven killing the soldiers who were going to kill them, and how the Dr. Brenner guy from the labs had been attacked by the monster. He choked up as he described El pushing him back and vanishing. Dying.

When Nancy fell asleep in her chair, head on Jonathan’s shoulder, they brought their conversation down to a whisper—Will asking about Eleven and Mike supplying answers. Sometimes those answers came easy, but more often, they didn’t.

Jonathan crashed next, his own head lolling onto his chest as his breathing slowed. Will expected Mike to settle down to sleep, but he didn’t.

Just as he was about to tell Mike that it was okay to rest, Mike turned it around on him. “Are you not tired?”

Will wanted to avoid the question, but he knew he couldn’t, especially since he had Mike’s undivided attention. “Of course I am. But I can’t sleep. What about you?”

Mike gave him a look. “Says the boy who came back to life. No, really, I’m okay. It’s been rough the past week, I can handle one more day.”

They stayed like that for a few minutes until Will had to ask. “I had a funeral?”

“Yeah,” Mike said sullenly. “Your plot is still there. Jennifer Hayes came.”

“That’s… nice, I guess,” Will shrugged. “Good to know that people cared enough to come.”

“Well, you’re not dead, and I don’t plan on attending your funeral again,” Mike snapped suddenly.

“Whoa, Mikey,” Will said defensively, reverting to Mike’s childhood nickname in hopes of calming him. “I’m not planning on dying again anytime soon. I promise.”

Mike visibly relaxed. “Sorry.”

“Hey, it’s fine,” he assured. “Just… startled.”

“I’m sorry,” Mike repeated, insistent. “I just… when they pulled your ‘body’ out of the lake, I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t know what to do. And Troy…” he grit his teeth. “Troy said some nasty things about you at the assembly for you. He… he called you all these horrible things.” Will didn’t need to ask to know what words he meant; he’d heard it all before. “And he said he was glad you were dead.”

“Mike,” Will said softly, shifting so he could look Mike in the eyes, grabbing one of Mike’s hands with the hand free of tubes. “I’m still here. Nothing can change that. And I’m alive thanks to you.”

Mike stared down at their hands, and Will suddenly flushed, going to pull away. Then Mike wove their fingers together and said, “It really wasn’t me.”

And Will knew what he meant: he wanted to say, We’ll find her, but he didn’t want to tell a lie so he just squeezed Mike’s hand a little harder.

II.

Will Byers had always felt weak.

Three days after Christmas, 1983, he still felt that way, but when Lucas said, “Guys, my cousin sent me the perfect movie to watch tonight!” and produced a copy of Psycho, he made his decision.

Will Byers would not be weak ever again. Even if the only way he would prove it right now was by watching horror movies and not flinching. Unfortunately, his ordeal had made it impossible to get through even a half hour of Star Wars before the roaring of aliens overtook him. So a horror movie? No, the screaming itself did him in.

This time, however, he was determined. So thirty minutes later, he found himself bundled up in a sleeping bag in Mike’s basement trying not to tremble as the other three boys stared at the screen, glued to the inevitable jumpscare.

At one point, he let out the tiniest squeak—Dustin and Lucas didn't react, so Will was sure they didn’t hear. But Mike, sitting next to him, gave him a concerned look.

I’m fine, he mouthed, forcing himself to stay calm. Mike looked at him suspiciously for a moment longer before turning back to the screen.

Not ten minutes later, Will was suffocating in his sleeping bag, it suddenly feeling as stringy and sticky as the goo of the Upside Down. He clamped his mouth shut to shut in his terrified noises, but he shook against Mike’s side.

“Will,” Mike said quietly, head dipping down toward Will’s ear so his words didn’t go unheard. “You’re not okay.” But he didn’t say anything to Lucas and Dustin, because he seemed to understand that Will wanted to do this.

Instead, Mike’s hand found the zipper of his sleeping bag and pulled, loosening the grip on Will and freeing his hands.

“Thanks,” he muttered, suddenly clamming up again when someone screamed on-screen.

Mike shot him a concerned look and grabbed his hand, reeling him in closer to the bundle the other three boys had inadvertently formed. He didn’t release his hold on Will’s hand.

Will suddenly found it simultaneously easier and harder to breathe.

III.

He came to on the ground, staring up at the sky. Squinting against the sun, he was relieved when a figure stood above him and blocked the light. Then his heart plummeted when he realized who it was.

“Come look at the undead freak!” Troy shouted, kicking him in the side and drawing people’s attention. In moments, a small crowd surrounded them. “Look at the stupid queer, who fainted! For no reason whatsoever, too. That’s pathetic.”

Oh no, he realized. Oh no oh no nonononono…

Troy kicked him again, but Will couldn’t even curl up against the brutality because his muscles still felt like lead, heavy and weighted down. Several people looked like they wanted to step forward—his family had garnered a fair amount of sympathy in the last year. No one actually helped, though, because everyone knew how Troy’s fury had escalated since Mike (and El) had embarrassed him at the assembly. “Stop,” Will croaked out. “Stop.”

He knew what was about to happen—for the last three months, every time he had blacked out, once he woke back up the same thing happened. But it had never happened at school before. Once in front of his mom and his friends, but never in front of everyone.

“Troy, stop, please,” he insisted, regaining feeling in his hands.

“And the Boy Who Came Back To Life has been reduced to begging!” Troy laughed, nudging him with a toe. “How does that feel? Not so immortal now, huh? No weirdo girl to protect you or the other freaks, either.”

“Will!” someone shouted, face out of his line of vision. Whoever it was made Troy smirk. “Get away from him, you bastard! Get out of here! Let me through!”

Will knew the voice.

“Look at that, Byers,” Troy laughed. “Your boyfriend is here to protect you—if he can get through the crowd, anyway. Don’t worry, though. I’m going to kill you first.”

Will felt a smile involuntarily spread across his face. “I was about to say the same thing.”

The world exploded, and Will’s vision turned red. Seconds—or was it hours?—later, his senses returned, sight dim and ears ringing as he hunched forward on his knees.

“Will!” he heard someone vaguely shout. Mike. “Will!” Mike finally broke through the crowd, which had been thrown into chaos by whatever Will had done. As the people dispersed, Mike appeared into his line of vision, heading right to him. Max appeared as well, but she stayed back, shooing people away.

Will expected Mike to hesitate, or to step back before touching him, especially considering he had been there when it had happened before and had seen how that turned out. But Mike didn’t do that. He dropped to his knees beside Will and grabbed his hands, wrapping around them and holding tight.

Looking up at Mike, Will saw all sorts of things in his eyes: shock, hope, concern. No fear. No hate.

“Will, are you okay?” Mike let go of his hands for a moment to grab his shoulders, looking him over for injuries.

“I—yeah, I…” he trailed off. “Why aren’t you afraid?”

“Of you?” Mike grinned slightly, hands sliding down Will’s arms back to his hands. “Please. You’re my best friend, and no matter what you did to Troy, I know he deserved it.”

He shook his head. “I can’t control it, Mike. I can’t. I don’t know how she does it, I don’t know how I haven’t died yet, I can’t.”

Something alighted in Mike’s eyes at she, but he didn’t move away. If anything, he pressed even closer, pushing into Will’s personal space. “You can, Will. I know you can.”

A bubble of emotion was trapped in his chest—he couldn’t be sure which one, but it didn’t feel bad or wrong. So all he said was, “I’m trying, Mike. But I’m losing.” The bubble popped, leaving his chest empty and pressured. He wanted to win so badly. He wanted to live, to just be normal for once in his goddamn life. He could never be normal. His voice shook. “I’m losing.”

Mike shook his head adamantly. “I’m not losing you again, Will Byers. You promised me, remember?”

He stared up at him, pained. “I don’t know if I can keep that promise, Mike. I don’t know what’s happening, and I can’t stop it.”

“I broke a promise to El,” Mike said, squeezing his fingers. “You’re not breaking a promise to me. We’re going to figure this out. I promise.”

IV.

He woke up in a hospital.

“Hey, hey, bud,” Jonathan’s voice came from his right. “Easy. Do you remember what happened?”

“No,” he said.

“What do you last remember?” Jonathan pressed. When Will made an annoyed grumble, he tried, “This is important, Will. We have to make sure you don’t have brain damage.”

“I hate hospitals,” he muttered, shifting slightly. “Um. And I called you and Nancy and Steve because… because… I was with Mike and Lucas and Dustin and Max and…” His head suddenly snapped up, causing him to wince, but he shook it off. “El!”

The telekinetic girl was lying in a bed just a few feet to his right, Mike asleep in a chair between them. Her hair had grown out from her buzz cut enough to splay across her pillow. Her face was peaceful for once—no fear or confusion etched into her features. She looked pale, but otherwise okay.

“It’s been three days, and she hasn’t woken up yet,” Jonathan said quietly. “When you called me, we drove as fast as we could, but by the time we got there, the monster—”

“Thesselhydra.”

“—the Thesselhydra was gone and you two were passed out. Lucas tried CPR, because he apparently knows how to do that, while Dustin was his assistant, Max came to lead us to you, and Mike just freaked out,” Jonathan explained quietly. “Nancy was able to do a little more once we got there, but you, uh… you died twice on the way to the hospital.”

“Ouch,” Will said rubbing the space between his heart and his collarbone. “Feels like it, to be honest. But what about El?”

Jonathan took a breath. “She’s fine—”

“Well she’s obviously not!” Will whisper-yelled, causing Mike to stir a little but not wake.

“Seriously, she’s totally fine. The doctors don’t know what’s wrong. She’s just not waking up. We think her powers have something to do with it, but we can’t exactly tell them that!” Jonathan exclaimed, and Mike stirred again.

They were quiet for a moment before Jonathan said, “Everyone else is outside: Lucas, Dustin, Max, Nancy, Steve. Our parents have been taking shifts watching us. I sent Mom home a few hours ago to get some sleep. There are only two or three visitors at a time, depending on the hours, but Mike has been here whenever he could.” He sighed. “He hasn’t been home since this happened—his mom tried to drag him out, literally, but he wouldn’t go. I think he feels a little responsible, though for what exactly, Dustin and Lucas haven’t been able to tell me.”

“I… I need to think,” Will said, voice faltering. “Jonathan… can I get a few minutes alone, maybe?”

“Yeah, of course,” Jonathan nodded. “I can wake Mike, if you want, and get him out—”

“No, it’s fine,” Will replied. “From what you just said, he needs his sleep.” Jonathan nodded, frowning slightly before leaving. Then Will did exactly what he had told Jonathan not to do, leaning over to Mike and shaking his shoulder. “Mike! Mike, wake up!”

Mike almost fell out of his chair, but steadied himself at the last moment. Then he met Will’s gaze and jumped up. “You’re awake!” His hands shot out but stopped at the last minute, like he was afraid to move the various tubes on Will’s hands.

“No, no, help me up,” he insisted, pulling all the tubes he could out.

Mike stepped back, eyes wide at his actions. “Whoa, Will, I seriously wouldn’t—”

“I have to help El,” he said. “I can fix her, I know I can.”

“Will, wait,” Mike stopped him. “Will this hurt you? If it will, I can’t let you up.”

Will fell silent, staring at Eleven. She looked so frail, nothing like what he had gotten used to in recent days.

He had to fix this.

“No, I’ll be fine. Please, Mike.”

Mike grabbed his hands and pulled him onto his feet, brushing away the wires tangling around Will. A rush of dizziness washed over him, but Mike’s voice pulled him back. “Do your thing.”

Sending out a mental probe, he reached out to her… and he got feedback, like there was too much empty space. He jolted. “Okay, I know what’s wrong. Mike,” he said, glancing back at him. “Did Eleven do anything weird while we were fighting the monster?”

“Other than throwing the thing around with her mind?” Mike laughed humorlessly. “No.” He hesitated for a moment. “Well, actually… right at the end, she kind of pointed at you. Right after that, you disintegrated it and you both collapsed.”

“That’s why, then,” he said to himself. Seeing Mike’s confused look, he continued, “she must have transferred some of her powers to me, and she’s too drained.”

“But then why don’t you have… I dunno, extra power?” Mike asked. “You were out for three days.”

“Because I used the power to kill the monster,” Will realized. He reached out a hand, pushing Mike’s shoulder and urging him back. “And I also died twice. It’s fine. I can do this.”

“Will, I don’t—”

Blocking out Mike’s voice, Will closed his eyes, drawing energy from within. Holding out his hand, he let it hover over El’s motionless figure for a minute before pushing his hand down, an invisible force stopping his palm about an inch above her. The lights flickered, and Will bit his lip. Then the lights turned out, and the connection broke. The lights flickered back on as he stumbled back, crashing into Mike’s arms.

“Will!” Mike yelped, supporting him as he suddenly went limp.

“I think I did it,” Will remarked drowsily, struggling to stand up on his own again.

Mike rolled his eyes. “Then why isn’t she awake—ah!”

On cue, Eleven bolted upright, startling Mike. “Will,” she gasped, eyes frantic.

“I’m fine, El,” Will said sluggishly, regaining his footing as Mike grabbed his hand. “You did a really brave, really stupid thing, giving me your power.” He grinned. “Thank you.”

“He did give it back, though,” Mike said, regaining his composure and smiling at her.

“Mike,” she beamed back. “I’m happy you’re alive.”

Mike shook his head, and Will could see tears welling up in his eyes. “Likewise. I didn’t want to lose you again. Either of you.”

Then he squeezed Will’s hand, and Will felt like everything could be okay.

V.

“Goodnight, El,” Will called as he watched his sister (of two years, now!) walk inside. Lucas and Dustin left about an hour ago, wishing Will one last happy birthday before their parents drove them off. Max took off not long after, grabbing her skateboard and disappearing up the road.

“Yeah, night, El!” Mike added. The girl waved before closing the door, and then Mike turned to Will with an excited grin.

“I’m suddenly scared,” Will said jokingly. “You’ve got that look again.”

“I don’t have a look,” Mike protested, still smiling.

“Yes, you do,” Will insisted. “You get all smile-y and giggly and your eyebrow does this thing.” He poked Mike’s left eyebrow lightly. “You, Wheeler, have a look.”

“Fine,” Mike threw his hands up. “I have a look. But I also have a surprise. Let’s go.”

“Where are we going?” Will asked as Mike walked toward Castle Byers. “Not my own backyard, right? Because that’s not much of a surprise.”

“Ha ha, very funny,” Mike rolled his eyes. “I’m just grabbing my bike.”

“Oh, should I get mine?”

“No, that’ll take too long. You can ride on the back of mine,” Mike suggested.

“Mike, we’re not twelve anymore,” Will said nervously, eyeing the bike as Mike lifted it. “I don’t know if we’ll fit.”

“Yeah, but this isn’t the same bike I had when I was twelve, either.”

“Oh, how could I forget?” Will laughed. “This is only the super amazing bike that your parents got you for your sixteenth birthday and you talked about it for weeks.”

“Hilarious, Byers,” Mike rolled his eyes again. “Get on.”

Complying, Will gripped Mike’s shoulders as the taller boy pedaled away from the Byers house, away from the road.

“You sure you know where you’re going?” Will said loudly over the wind.

“Yes, William,” Mike insisted. “And if I don’t, and we get lost, I brought my Supercom and we can just call Lucas or something.”

“Fine, Michael,” Will relented, lapsing into silence.

They rode on for a few minutes longer, then Mike abruptly swerved to a stop. “Sorry,” he apologized before Will could even say anything. “I wasn’t sure if this was it, but it is.”

Will hopped off the bike, Mike grabbing his hand to steady him. “So, what was the surprise?” he asked, fighting to keep his voice steady and ignore Mike’s hand in his.

Mike didn’t reply, just tugged at Will’s hand and pulled him forward. “Wait,” he said suddenly. “Close your eyes.”

“Mike,” Will sighed fondly, doing as he was told. Mike pulled him forward, then stopped. He hummed under his breath for a moment, sounding considerate, then let out a satisfied huff.

“Okay, Will, you can open your eyes now,” he said.

Will did so and his eyes widened. “Mike…” There was a clearing in the forest in front of them, grassy instead of bedraggled and gross, starlight beaming down.

“I found it last week,” Mike said softly, voice sounding a little shy. “I know it doesn’t really compare to the paints I got you, or Max’s skateboard, or Lucas’s pencils, or even Dustin’s book, but. I, uh, thought you’d like it.”

Will just gaped, trying to comprehend this. Mike Wheeler was doing all this for him. For him, Will Byers, the screw up, freak, whatever. Mike was doing this for him.

“So,” Mike said stutteringly, uncharacteristically nervous, “what do you think?”

“I think it’s beautiful,” Will said honestly, looking up at him, the starlight reflecting in his eyes and, god, he’s waxing the poetic or whatever Lucas calls it. So are you. “Thank you so much, Mike.”

Suddenly, Mike’s arms were wrapped around him and Will’s head was tucked comfortably in the crook of his neck. “Happy sixteenth, Will.” He pulled away and grabbed Will’s hand again, pulling him forward, and that’s when the pieces began to click in Will’s mind.

+1

“I missed you,” Mike mumbled into Will’s hair, curling into the smaller boy as Will struggled to sit up on his bed.

“It was one week, Mike,” Will laughed. “I was gone for one week to go work at a camp.”

“But it was a long, boring week for me,” Mike complained, sounding like his eight-year-old self for a moment.

El snickered from the doorway. “Wow, Mike, eighteen years old and can’t even go seven days without your boyfriend.”

“Shut up,” Mike blushed, grabbing one of Will’s pillows and burying his face in it, still trapping the Byers boy within an embrace.

El just shrugged. “Hey, I think it’s cute.”

“I also think it’s cute,” Will agreed, trying to free his arms, “and I definitely think you’re cute”

Mike grinned into the pillow while El groaned. “You’re so sappy,” she told them. “It is cute, but also gross. You’re so domestic.” She grinned wickedly as she emphasized the last word.

“We’re not domestic!” both boys exclaimed at the same time, as they did every time.

“Yes, you are,” Joyce called from the living room, and laughs—hers, Hopper’s, and Jonathan’s—subsequently rang out.

“Thanks, Mom!” Will shouted back.

Eleven laughed. “I’ll leave you guys to your reunion now. Jonathan and I are making dinner, and I invited Dustin, Lucas, and Max. Nancy said she and Steve might drop by, too. You’ve got maybe an hour.”

“Thanks, El,” Will smiled softly at his sister as she walked back down the hall, waving his hand to shut the door.

Mike shifted to make himself more comfortable, closing his eyes and burrowing into the blankets despite the hot summer weather and pulling Will down with him.

“Hey, Mr. Clingy, is there maybe another reason you’re hugging me so much?” Will asked, teasing but also genuinely concerned. Mike wasn’t usually this touchy.

“No reason,” Mike insisted, discarding the pillow. “I just really missed you.”

“Well, I missed you,” Will replied easily, and Mike shifted again, wrapping his arms around Will’s torso and making a contented noise. Will leaned back against the headboard, feeling Mike’s breathing start to slow, deep and even. He ran his fingers through Mike’s dark hair, smoothing out the tangles in the wavy mess. Mike mumbled something and reached up, gently taking hold of Will’s other hand.

“I can stop,” Will offered, but Mike shook his head and turned slightly, meeting Will’s gaze. Something in his eyes had shifted from the playfulness of before, and were instead open and soft.

“I love you,” Mike told him quietly, face so honest and vulnerable that Will was suddenly on the verge of tears. He’d heard the words before, but it hit him hard every time.

He swallowed the bubble of joy that threatened to pop in his throat and spill over in the form of happy tears. “I love you, too,” he said, smiling down at this beautiful boy who had chosen him above everyone else against all odds.

As if sensing his sentiment, Mike tilted his chin up, and Will complied with the silent signal with no complaints. Pulling Mike up into a sitting position, he drew their mouths together, one hand still in the other boy’s unruly hair, the other hand clasped between Mike’s.

Will closed his eyes as Mike pressed forward, crowding him against the headboard. “I love you,” he said again, and Mike repeated the words against his mouth. Will felt Mike’s hands squeeze his, and it had taken so long but this time, he knew what it meant.

And then they lived happily ever after! But seriously. They all deserve happiness.

the timeline:

i. basically an extension of the hospital scene (november 1983)

ii. three days after christmas, 1983

iii. first half of season 2, not long after the scene from the trailer where will has some vision as his friends and mom watch. late october/early november, 1984

iv. second half of season 2, after the defeat of the monster. november, 1984

v. will's sixteenth birthday, 1987

+1. summer of 1989. they're happy and safe, I insist!

comments are, as always, appreciated.

To be clear: this was written a while ago, before a lot of the trailers dropped, so it’s not really canon-compliant anymore. But still, I hope you enjoyed, check out more of my stuff on my Ao3!

~Logan