#If I do offend anyone I apologize and I had no intent of doing so

[hotchfiles]

instead of hotch being protective what about bau!girly standing her ground when a reporter flirts with her man

you knew better than to be jealous. aaron was more than loyal to you, more than faithful, to betray, to cheat, those were not things even in his vocabulary, definitely not in his moral code. but the thing is, you weren't jealous, you were baffled, to say the least. just before the press conference the woman you had your eyes fiercely glued on right now saw aaron gripping on your waist and placing a kiss on your forehead as you wished him good luck. she knew.

she knew very well she wasn't flirting with a single man, and she proved it every time she touched his arm after the cameras shut off, her eyes betraying her as she looked at you for few seconds at a time.

aaron had already told her he was busy and needed to leave, but she was insisting on keeping the one sided conversation going, taking advantage of his politeness and the fact he couldn't be rude to news reporters, he couldn't misrepresent the fbi.

luckily. or unluckily for him, he decided to date someone not as preoccupied with the bureau's image, so after the second time he tried to leave and the reporter held him by the wrist, you stepped in, gently taking her hand from him.

"for a news reporter you're really slow on catching on, huh?" your voice and the smile you gave her sickly sweet, aaron giving you his best i'm still your boss do not do this look, even if he knew you well enough to see it was a lost cause.

"excuse me!?" her eyes finally gave attention to anyone else rather than hotchner, giving you her best offended expression. it was pitiful, to try and conceal her true intentions from an experienced profiler, really.

"sweetie, this man is not interested in you. and we have a job to do here, so get off of him, will ya? jesus." you shook your head at her, not giving her time to try anything else, pulling aaron with you by the end of the sleeve of his blazer.

in other occasions he might have apologized for your behavior, but he was indeed bothered and he wanted to leave just as much as you wanted to take him out of there. it was nice to be the protected one at times. and it was cute to see you jealous.

"what about the whole too mature to be jealous talk we had months ago?" he teases you, hugging you sideways.

"hotchner, don't try me, i could've arrested her, i was completely sane and controlled." you glanced up to him, met with his very known smile, lips lightly turned as he shook his head at you.

"arrested her in what grounds!?"

"trespassing federal property! i'm a federal agent and she was touching my property!" you're obviously making fun of the situation now, but your face looks dead serious and you're using your most threatening voice tone.

"terrible, awful, jealous thing you." aaron laughs and you mock his list of adjectives directed at you, he opens the door of the suv so you can get on the passenger seat, and he puts the seat belt on you, kissing you tenderly right after. "i love you."

"love you too."

[stargazestories]

OWN MY MIND (M)

Paring: modelJeonghanx model reader

Category: one shot

Warnings: SMUT minors DONOT INTERACT!

Hardcore smut? Oral (f receiving) degradation, insults? Degradation kink, heel kink,Sadomasochism(light),sadism(light), squirting, hair pulling

A/n: If I’m honest I’m not sure if the warnings labels 100% fall into those categories, but I rather be safe. Please enjoy still 🙏🏻

Jeonghan knocked on the door to the luxurious apartment, waiting after the 3rd knock, his hands fidgeting but quickly stopped when he saw the door open to reveal y/n who wore a confused look for a brief moment.

“Yoon” was all she said.

“We need to talk”

She had thought about it for a moment but gave in and let him walk inside.

“So, What do I owe the displeasure of having you here?” She asked as she guided him to her large living room and motioned him to sit across from her. Something about her tone, the fact that she could care less that THE Yoon Jeonghan, was there to talk to her, made him question his status.

“I wanted to come and…apologize” he was barely able to say that last part.

“Apologize?” She repeated with a hint of amusement, one that Jeonghan noticed.

“Yes…I apologize for my behavior at the photo shoot, I had not intention of offending you” his apology sounded sincere but she shook her head.

“You aren’t sorry” was so cold in her response, it began to send chills down his spine.

“I-i am” his confidence faltering.

“If you are really sorry, come here and beg for my forgiveness” her lips curled to a devilish smirk.

Jeonghan was taken back by her request. In the time he had in this industry, he never once apologized to anyone. The fact she was asking this of him with such assertiveness, he wasn’t sure what to do. A portion of him wanted to tell her off, but the other half was telling him to follow whatever she says.

“Then leave”

“N-no” he got up and walked to her, head down. The distance was short but it felt like an eternity. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with a dark desire. He just stood in front of her, not completely sure how to beg.

“Kneel to me”

“what?” He snapped his head at her

“I didn’t stutter”

He gulped and kneeled down to her, in front of her feet that were adorned by black stiletto heels. For some reason he couldn’t bring himself to look at her again, every time he looked at her, it felt like a trance.

“I’m waiting” she taunted him, she reveled at the sight of Jeonghan, the golden boy of the modeling industry, here at her feet. He had made a piss poor impression on y/n, with being late to their first photoshoot, then trying to use his charm to get away with it, but she quickly proved to be a challenge for him.

Y/n was known for her fierce attitude and commanding presence, one that was not to be crossed with. Unfortunately for Jeonghan, his tardiness had already put him in her bad graces. Things only got worse as Jeonghan attempted to charm the beautiful woman into forgiving him but she was having none of it, dismissing him with a wave of her hand.

Things progressed for the worse for Jeonghan, as during the photo shoot, y/n took charge. She practically barked orders at him and criticized his poses, Jeonghan, used to being the center of attention, practically resented her for putting him in his place. He had offered to take her to dinner as an apology, but y/n rejected it as well. It’s the very reason he’s right here, in front of her, on his knees, he was begging for forgiveness.

“I’m….sorry” he said softly, the confidence from before completely gone. She leaned in and grabbed his collar tight, pulling him in rough, his eyes widened as she brought him in, inches away from her face. “What are you sorry for?”, she teased. Her face was so close he could feel her breath on his lips and her warm vanilla perfume filled his nose, something about it was intoxicating to him.

His eyes finally met hers as his breathing became more shallow, “I-I’m sorry for being late”. Noticing the tension that was building up, y/n decided to take things further.

Y/n pulled his collar back in once more and pushed the man down onto her polished carpet, standing over him as he watched her every move,“and why are you sorry?hm?”

The flustered look on his face, along with the lingering tension was making this more fun for her. As for Jeonghan, he felt his body heat rise, his chest rising and falling quickly as he answered again “because I-I didn’t mean to upset you” she laughed, this was the first time he heard her laugh or have any emotion besides disdain toward him. She put her heel on his chest as she pushed him down while keeping her grin, “do you think I should accept your apology?”, the pressure she applied caused him to let out a groan. Her eyes wandered down his body and noticed not only his breathing but something growing down south.

“Don’t make me ask twice” she pressed down again, harder this time, seeing it had an effect on his body. “Yes! please!” He yelled as he closed his eyes as he let out a breathy moan.

“Please what? Use your words” she asked as she removed the pressure off his chest and slowly brought her heel down south of his body. She had noticed the growing tent between his legs and couldn’t help herself to lightly graze his hard on with her heel. Jeonghan was dazed, his body was reacting on its own but he didn’t even attempt to fight it. The way she commanded him, demanded him to answer her, the pain she was inflicting on him, made his head spin. “Please forgive me!” He whined with his soft voice.

She had stopped rubbing at his crotch which made him whimper for more, “so pathetic” she lifted her skirt, and exposed her lace black panties in front of him making Jeonghan gawk at her, she was so god damn beautiful and the vision of ecstasy. She rolled her thong down and off of her legs, exposing her glistening pussy to him.

“You don’t deserve my apology, right?”

“I don’t” he didn’t hesitate to answer. Y/n shoved her lace thong in his mouth as she continued to humiliate him by laughing at him, “learning fast” she praised him, if you can call it that , “I’ll forgive you….if you can make me cum” Jeonghan nodded fast, wanting to be forgiven so bad by her.

She walked back to her spot on the sofa chair, giving Jeonghan the pleasure of seeing the sight of her ass before sitting on the armchair and using her finger to gesture to him to come over. Jeonghan wasted no time but was stopped half way “ah!….come to me on your hands and knees” she demanded. Jeonghan nodded and slowly made his way to y/n, stopping right in front of her feet.

Y/n lifted his face and removed her panties from his mouth, softly grazing his lips with her thumb and getting a good look at his hazy eyes. Jeonghan licked his lips earning another smile from her as she leaned back, getting comfortable, she extended one leg out to him while hoisting the other on the edge of the sofa to expose her seeping core at him. Jeonghan lightly held her extended leg, first kissing the side of the black patent heel, trailing his kisses upwards slowly, letting every single kiss linger, one after the other, earring soft hums from y/n who was taking in the sight of him, the neediness, and the desire he displayed just for her.

His trail of kisses made their way up to her inner thigh till he made his way to her core, where he took a moment to admire how it was soaked, wanting nothing more than just a taste. Using the flat side of his tongue, he gave her cunt a long lick flicking her clit with his tongue, making y/n let out a breathy moan. Jeonghan kissed her clit again before giving it his full attention, licking it and suckin on it, making y/n mule in pleasure. Y/n took her hand and ran it through his hair, which by now was sticking to his face due to his sweat from the heat of it all, gripping it to push him further in forcefully.

Jeonghan was practically suffocating in her soaking pussy, drinking her up desperately, the vibrations of his moans against her made her bite her lip as the waves of pleasure flooded her body. “Fuck!-“ she gripped his hair harder making him cry of pleasure as he continued to ravage her. “Eat me out like the pathetic man you are, ah fuck” this turned Jeonghan on, the way she degraded him, demanding and commanding him to make her climax.

Smothering his face all over her cunt, Jeonghan sucked on her pussy, making no attempt to catch his breath until she came. With every lick and suck y/n arched her back and pushed Jeonghan's face deeper in, feeling her climax close. Jeonghan stuck his tongue right in her and swirled it around her walls, face fully covered in her sweet juices, feeling her legs quiver at the action. Y/n let out a final groan of pleasure, her hips pushed forward to him as she squirted all over his face as her climax washed over her body, riding the ecstasy.

Jeonghan pulled back, face and hair covered in her, completely strung out in pleasure of having her cum all over him.

Y/n caught her breath as she pushed herself forward to meet his face again, slowly eyeing him, his breathing was labored and the way his half lid eyes were fully entranced by her, he looked perfect this way. She licked his lips, getting a taste “you're forgiven”.

[fire-lizard-ro]

Could I request Argenti with a blind reader that asks to touch his face? Or maybe generally your thoughts on such a dynamic?

So I was finally able to get around to this one. It's so cute and I love it because of how Argenti is as a person but also because of the whole "beauty" thing. You'll see why in a minute.

This is going to be more of a headcanons format. Somewhat.

Reader gender is GN.

Disclaimer: This is all based on my thoughts as I have never personally known someone who was blind besides my grandmother before she passed so I don't really have anything to go on. Anything I say, I do not say to offend or by any way glorify being blind.

Writing under the cut (all SFW):

He's very understanding of it even upon your first meeting. While he feels a bit sorry because he understands life would be much harder for you, he's never looked down on you for it.

I doubt he's ever known anyone in a close capacity who was blind so there would be a bit of a learning curve for him.

Even wiht your struggles, he sees how you thrive and get by in life happily and he thinks it's beautiful. He thinks you're beautiful. To him, you shine and glitter as brightly as any star.

Contrary to what some might think- He is not perfect. I personally think that he would have some issues with being overprotective. Not only is he a knight, but he is your boyfriend! Your lover! He needs to be there for you as much as possible so you suffer no inconveniences or injury.

But you sit him down to explain to him that while you appreciate the gesture and his intentions... You don't like being treated like glass. It makes you feel less autonomous and it can feel condescending even if he didn't mean it that way.

He becomes much more knowledgable about your feelings and begins to understand how his actions can make you feel. And so he kneels in front of you where you're seated to apologize and kiss the back of your hand before bringing it to his face to lean into it after kissing your palm. Then he'd lean in to kiss you properly and whisper against your lips, asking you to teach him how to best help you. How to make things easier for you without being overbearing because all he wants is for your days to be full of joy and without hardship.

I can imagine how he guides you gently while out and about. OTL

Onto other things-

His deep understanding of beauty strikes again. He finds beauty in how, despite your struggles and limitations, you continue to live your life to the fullest. He admires that strength and thinks that you have good willpower. That strength of will is something any knight should have.

When came the day that you asked him to feel his face to get an understanding for what he looks like, he was delighted. He enjoyed when you gently took his face into your hands and ran them delicately over the planes and slopes of his face and told him he was beautiful. He somehow enjoyed your compliment more than anyone else's.

He always describes things around to you and even diligently studied to get better with words for that. He also did it befcause he'd like to show you other beautiful things since you couldn't see the sights he had through poetry. Sap. I hate him (affectionate).

Though he understood before that beauty was not just what you could see with your eyes, he finds deeper understanding the longer he is with you. It's in your every movement, sure of the world around you despite having not the sight to see it all. It's in your every word and in your every breath. It's in your very being.

It's especially in your understanding of what beauty was when one of your senses was not available to you, the one that most people use to judge beauty on. It's oddly in line with his ideals of beauty- I mean, come on. He was calling a plant, a regular degular plany with only green to color it, beautiful.

All in all, it's a beautiful (ha) relationship and the two of you are well suited to one another. Your chivalrous knight and his sweet lover.

Aaaaa~ Thank you so much for the request! It was super fun. :D

Feel free to send another on in if you wanna. I'm going to be working on the requests I haven't finished yet this weekend~

Apologies for any typos or hard to understand writing. I'll fix it tomorrey probably. >:D

[popponn]

some what if and a passing humor.

characters: isagi, chigiri, sae, shidou, aiku, kaiser.

notes: the amount of time and fun i spend on this is something. writing aiku and shidou for the first time feels funny. nonetheless, i hope i get everyone okay. warning: yeah the question is 'what if we ever broke up' like that song ; a fluff, some more comedic than others ; shidou is shidou, but still a fluff; minor swearing.

you truly didn’t meant anything by it. dare you say, it even actually came from a place of fondness, actually. you watched your boyfriend on your side and thought, “ah, I might not be able to live without him anymore.”

how serious that statement was—you didn’t really want to examine it when the atmosphere was this light. that was probably why without much rhyme or reason, you asked him, “hey, what if i ever break up with you?”

isagi

yoichi’s first response to that was chocking on his bottled mineral water in a manner that was less handsome and more comical. you immediately jolted towards him and patted his back as he hacked out rough coughs. it took sometime for it to calm down, but even afterwards panic was still clearly swirling in his eyes.

gone was the calculative striker and the crybaby yocchan who hadn’t emerge since he was 4 nearly made a come back. with the two of you still pressed side by side on the sofa, yoichi immediately asked you why in the world are you asking that. he didn’t say it, but anyone with half a brain would figure out that his brain was working overtime at the moment. did he do something? did he forget something? did he fuck up something?

the moment you answered it was a mere passing thought of what if and assured him that you really had no intention of doing that for anytime soon—which in total took almost 10 minutes—it was after all that yoichi could finally breath normally. with an exhaustion that he only experienced after a full 90 minutes of intense match, yoichi slouched against the sofa. he genuinely looked like he was so stressed he would cry and you seriously felt bad. as an apology, you hugged him and leaned his head against your shoulder.

“I’m okay. It’s just…” Yoichi tried to assure you, before pausing for a moment and heaved out a heavy sigh. Burying his head on your shoulder as he wrapped his hands tighter around you, he admitted, “…actually, yeah, I totally panicked just then.”

“I’m seriously sorry. Just forget it, okay? It’s just a question after all,” you said again, combing through his locks in attempt to cheer him up.

Yoichi laughed pitifully. He shifted for a few times, trying to find a more comfortable position to cuddle you. As he attempted the impromptu cuddle session, Yoichi finally continued, “…just a question, yeah?”

When you nodded and the two of you settled with you laying on his chest, your legs intertwining with each other’s, Yoichi finally gave you an answer, full of determination and sincerity. “Definitely will try to win you back. I’m not giving up on you so easily. I know in a way that’s pretty selfish but, yeah, I will definitely make you happy—but, seriously, don’t try to do that!” Yoichi insisted as you laughed at the lame ending of his bold proclamation.

chigiri

hyoma looked so offended you genuinely thought he would throw the hairdryer in his hand to your face. thankfully and unsurprisingly, he didn’t. instead, he put it down with a terrifying calmness and suddenly there was a hyoma face in front of you with an intense stare trained on you. if this was a drama, it would be romantic, maybe, but honestly in reality it felt like having a thug was threatening you.

you nervously supplied that it was just a question and pushed his face away with a finger on his nose. hyoma’s glare didn’t falter even as he distanced his face away from you. with sharp gaze still staring straight at you, hyoma demanded what did you mean by just a question. yet again, you noted how this felt like entering a duel with an angry big cat—it was terrifying. then you saw how his eyes sparkled differently under the bedroom light and it hit you that you might had done a mistake.

panicking, you threw yourself towards him and hugged him as tightly as you could, blurting out an apology. hyoma didn’t move for another few seconds, his hands slowly sneaking up crawling up from your hips before it rest snugly, wrapped around your waist. he took your face in his hands, wordlessly asking for you to look at him. it was then you saw how his face rested in a pissed pout resembling an angry child.

“Don’t joke like that again. The hell is that question for?” Hyoma asked with a harsh tone, the polar opposite to the hands that gently pinched your cheeks.

“Sowry, Hwoma,” you apologized all whilst accepting his bullying. Hyoma’s expression didn’t budge, conflicts written all over his face.

“I seriously will be pissed if we break up, by the way. So don’t you dare,” he added petulantly. “I said that I promise that I will give you the best of everything. If you just suddenly walked away—”

You smiled at his words, feeling his affection through his coarse wordings and weak stretches on your cheeks. Seeing your smile, Hyoma pushed his forehead against yours again, “I’m serious. Ugh. Seriously, you piss me off sometimes. I will step on your feet next time you pull this sort of shit again.”

sae

sae made a face that reminded you of cats in videos when they got a cheese thrown into their face. and it stayed like that for around ten seconds. eyes wide, mouth in a straight line, while horror and shock etched itself there. then, he recovered and the sour face he made immediately made you wonder if maybe it was time to apologize already.

but before you could say anything, sae made a bitch face that was somehow both pissed off and taunting. it was pretty amazing to see in action, while genuinely pissing off and scarring you off at the same time. his position didn’t even change—his head was still propped with one hand while his legs were still propped up on your lap as if he was some expensive pet who owned the place—and he still stayed silent, yet somehow you knew he was calling you names no proper human should probably ever say. especially to their partner. but, then again, sae indeed sometimes came up with some of the weirdest things through his wording alone.

it took you a few minutes to crack before you finally looked away. without seeing, you knew sae’s eyes just stared at you even flatter—which was amazing, considering how flat his usual stare already was. then another minute passed, you remembered how stubborn sae could get when you realized that the stare you refused to meet won’t wane just like how his legs suddenly were immovable boulders on your thighs. Thankfully and unfortunately, sae decided that your spirit was damaged enough for him to finally speak.

“That joke was shitass,” Sae commented, clearly holding back. You genuinely wondered if these last few minutes were spent by him trying to tame his unholy, uncultured wild words into simply ‘shitass’.

You took a glance towards him, meeting his gaze from the corner of your eyes. You gulped apologetically, “…I’m sorry.”

“Also, wouldn’t it be you who would probably do something if we break up?” Sae asked in a tone most people used to point something out. You wanted to rebut him, saying that it was not an answer. But taking into consideration how his personality is and how this staring contest seemed to be tearing your morale into shreds, you simply nodded weakly with a swallowed pathetic whimper of a bullied koi fish in a cat mouth.

And turned out, it still wasn’t enough and Sae’s silent stare was still flat enough to make you want to cry. But before you could wail like a child for real, he suddenly sighed and got up. Then a hand was in front of you, his palm inviting you to take it, “We will walk around for a bit. I need some air.”

shidou

you really didn’t know what you expect when ryusei walked wordlessly towards the nightstand and took out four suspicious little packs. you definitely did felt torn between finally ending him there and then or just smile in the way possums pretend to die. put it simply, suddenly maybe breaking up with him didn’t sound like a terrible idea. maybe he really was after your body only.

then, when you tiredly voiced these outs, ryusei was suddenly wrapped around you like a koala baby with bright eyes as he whined to you about how you shouldn’t say that. in his very shidou ryusei way, where words like explosions and such were used. by the time he said ‘firework hottie’—or something—you decided to tune him out, despite your reluctant amusement, and just quietly explained that it was a joke.

turned out, that was a trigger was him to immediately switched out his cuter side, let you go, and went back to his usual countenance. the packs returned to your sight once again and you threw a pillow to his face. ryusei laughed and while he didn’t avoid said pillow, he did indeed came back with a revenge through a pair of warms wrapped around your waist. this time, you half expected him to continue on laughing whilst trying to push the protection to your hand, but a few seconds passed and his expression grew somber.

“But, then doesn’t it mean it wasn’t mean to be? In case things did ended up boring between both of us,” Ryusei gestured between the two of you with a lax flair that was only accentuated by him lying on his side. “Though, I can just make it explode between the two of us again, you get it?”

You stayed silent for a minute. You considered translating his words in your brain, before deciding not today, “No. I don’t.”

Ryusei sighed, before nuzzling his face to your stomach, “Gee—you are boring sometimes, Babe—”

With no hesitation you immediately trashed around and tried to get him off you. Ryusei didn’t budge, but not without getting a knee straight to his face. Still, it didn’t stopped him from wrestling to both stop you and get you lying down beside him, snickering somehow, “Ow—Come on, I know you get me! Like, can’t you feel it between us? This sort of thing won’t go down that easily. If it did, either you and me will spark it back on like nothing happened and you know it, right? My pleasure to do it as many time as you want though.”

aiku

in a manner that only a man with at least three pages long of shitty dating and commitment issue history could do, oliver let out a rueful chuckle. he leaned back against his seat and looked up without much change in his expression. it was at this moment you were reminded of the fact that your boyfriend that by, probably, miraculous feats decided to put his commitment in you, was one mysterious motherfucker who hides many things behind easy smiles and friendly mannerism.

you debated whether you should push him to answer you or just laugh the question off as a thoughtless impulsive thought being voiced out. though, before you decided on anything, oliver beat you to it with a teasing joke of his own. without any gravity in it, he mused out loud if this was the day you finally decided that he is a man unworthy of someone like you.

you replied back that it would only be possible if he was unserious like any of his previous relationship. then, that joke died down at the last syllable when you saw how he just smiled at you, not quipping out any other jokes. for a moment, you froze and genuinely thought that you misunderstood the nature of your relationship. thankfully, oliver seemed to catch whatever your face made and smile widely as he stood up, walking over to your seat with just a few strides.

“Then,” Oliver began, with a tone of finality. “I suppose that’s not happening anytime soon, hm?”

You, who just nearly arrived on a conclusion that would made this exchange not funny and light, still froze in your seat. It was only after Oliver crouched down before you, resting his hands on your knees that you could blink again, “…I…uh.”

Oliver, still with many sides you would have to discover, stared at you looked at you with a gaze you couldn’t exactly comprehend. His voice was still smooth and his, as he said, “Though, just in case you need a reference, don’t do that, ‘kay?”

It wasn’t long, as it only lasted for a mere second. Yet, undeniably, Oliver made a face that was soft, odd, and unfamiliar. It felt like a new thing—one that he trusted to you since some times ago, yet you realized just now. In a way, describing it was a bit impossible, but seeing it felt like an answer to everything all of sudden. Then, time moved on and a grin that was more usual with his rhythm showed up again, as crooked as how it usually is, “Like, come on, you have to admit I’m a catch, right? Plus, look at us—we are totally some teenagers’ dream love story right now. Me who—yeah, yeah, ouch. I won’t continue, no need to pull my hair—ha ha!”

kaiser

michael’s eyebrows seemed to be confused between furrowing out of irritation or raising up to his wide ass forehead out of amusement. but as the two you continued walking amidst the crowd, his lips decided it for him and curved itself into a smug smirk that was the textbook definition of annoying. in a heartbeat, you regretted asking him.

without stopping neither his nor your steps, michael brought his face closer to you with a grin that grew softer and somehow more teasing in the process. and while his visual was pleasing, the moment he launched into a spiel of how you would never be able to leave someone of his caliber. that if anything you would be the one left behind.

when your face soured at his wording, an almost uncatchable flash of seriousness entered his tone. he raised an eyebrow at you one last time, before tightening his finger around yours and pulled you closer to his side slowly. in a tone that was too prideful and composed, as though he didn’t just try to get a rise out of you, michael muttered out a quick comment on how it got more crowded. you noticed while it did, it wasn’t by much that it warranted the two of you being glued side by side. whilst you decided to not point it out, you nudged at him to just answer your random question.

Once again, Michael scoffed, his attention landing on you through his glance, “Again? Didn’t I say that if anything—”

“I heard you the first time. I just want to hear your answer,” you cut him off simply, not taking the bait this time.

Michael turned to stare at your face intensely at that. It was a bit unnerving, with how terrifying his eyes could get, but out of trust on his spatial awareness to get the two of you out of crashes and in the name of curiosity for a trivial question—you stared back. “…seriously? You really are something sometimes.” And as the two of you neared the ending of the crowded sidewalk, Michael finally relented and answered with a heavy sigh.

“As if I would let you leave that easily,” Michael turned his gaze back to the front as the two of you continued to walk. Through his bangs, you couldn’t quite catch his expression. The tone he was using did made you feel bad though. As he continued to talk, you made a note to also firmly hold his hands and do something nice for him later. “I will show you how fucking shit your decision was and then you will crawl back to me. I will make fun of you and get you back if you are entertaining enough. There you go, my answer. Now, will you just act cute and say sweeter stuff?”

[stupd000]

So, I’ve been getting some anonymous asks saying some pretty vile shit because of what I had said to Yuurivoice. To anyone who sent those, or thinks I treated him unfairly, I completely understand. What I said came off more harsh then what I was trying to get across. I do stand by what I said, I won’t stand for anyone being rude to anyone. Even if it is a content creator. That’s just how I grew up. I understand where people are coming from though, From what I can see, it is pretty rare for Yuuri to be rude to his asks, the ones i had referenced just happened to be the only ones I had seen on my dash or were shown to me. In the post I had reblogged, I now understand how it wasn’t Yuuris intention to offend any of the folks involved. Take this as an apology , it was only my intention to educate the man instead of insulting him, but I see how i could’ve taken a calmer approach, and for that I apologize.

ps. What i said was not at all referencing the chicken leg comment, I will never defend body shaming of any type.

@yuurivoice

[distortionbobble]

Royal Flowers Chapter 3

series masterlist

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pairing: anakin skywalker x f! reader

series summary: A long, long, time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, a certain Jedi by the name of Anakin Skywalker meets you, the current Queen of Naboo and adopted cousin of Padme Amidala, and is tasked with protecting you by pretending to marry you. As a spy, you’ve infiltrated the Separatist ranks and are close to finding out the mastermind behind all of it. The fate of the galaxy is in your hands.

warnings: minors dni! ageless blogs dni! none this chapter (although it gets just a little steamy) but the series will have eventual smut, canon-level violence and just general warnings.

a/n: if anyone’s curious i based the combat style on judo! i’m no expert in judo i’ve just literally been watching “best judo fight” compilation videos so if anyone has any recommendations or corrections let me knoww okay thanks bye! 

You can’t sleep. 

It’s been hours since you came out of the bathroom, the makeup scrubbed off of your face, skin raw from the heat of the shower. Anakin hadn’t even looked at you, and had only offered a grunt of acknowledgement when you had murmured a timid goodnight. 

You think you’re gonna lose your mind. You sit up in frustration with the aim of going down to the kitchens to get a glass of water, rubbing your eyes as you mourn your lack of sleep. Anakin shoots up from his makeshift pile of blankets on the floor, hand already on his lightsaber as he prepares to respond to whatever threat may be there. When he sees none, he relaxes, but his eyes stray to your form and the outline of your body under the silk nightgown. 

“Can’t sleep either?” You ask dryly, making your way off of the bed. You muss up your hair just in case you run into someone on your midnight journey, just so that they’ll think you and Anakin have been up to something other than arguing. 

“No, milady,” Anakin responds quietly. A heartbeat passes before he speaks again, breaking the tranquility of the night. “I apologize for how I spoke to you. I took my frustrations out on you and disrespected you. Your demand is not a foolish one, it’s important and I know that.” 

“I appreciate that,” you respond. “And… about what you said earlier, I do want to learn how to keep myself safe. Of course I do. You won’t always be there, I know that, but how am I supposed to learn? Who would have taught me? My parents died when I was young. I was left in the care of Padme and her family, but that meant that I was part of politics. Running things in the background to support the people I love.” 

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Anakin offers, and you sit with silence for another moment. You take the chance to look at Anakin, the dark circles under his eyes, the shadows on his face, the scar on his eyelid. You have the strangest urge to run your fingers over his cheekbones, over his scars, to know every part of him. You don’t know why, but in the moonlight, everything is so much softer. But you keep it to yourself, sighing and settling on the edge of the bed. You draw your knees to your chest, eyelids fluttering shut to give your eyes some rest. 

“I’ll teach you,” Anakin offers suddenly. 

“What?” You ask. 

“I’ll teach you to protect yourself. You’re right, I won’t always be there, but you should never be defenseless. You’re far too important for that.” Anakin offers a smile to you. It’s the first time you’ve seen him smile, so subtle that you might have missed it had you not been staring so intently at him. 

“Thank you, General Skywalker.” 

“Anakin.” 

“Anakin.” You smile back at him, a tentative truce drawn between the both of you. You have no doubt that you’ll clash with him soon enough, a matter of personality differences, but for now, it’s nice to have him on your side. “You know, I wouldn’t be offended if you came and slept on the bed with me. I’m sure you’ve slept on the ground plenty of times as a Jedi Knight, but I can’t sleep here three feet away from you knowing my guard is sleeping on the ground.” 

“I suppose there only is one bed, isn’t there?” He grumbles, drawing up the pile of sheets that he’s slept in and tossing it at the foot of the bed. Despite the distance between you, you can feel the warmth radiating from him as he slides into the bed. “We’ll start training tomorrow, milady.”

“Goodnight, Anakin,” you smile, facing the wall. 

“Goodnight, milady.” 

~~~

“Wake up, milady.” It’s still dark when you hear him call your name, jostling your shoulder when you don’t wake up immediately. 

“Anakin?” You ask, rubbing your eyes. It must be right before dawn, for everything is so dark that you can’t make out the details of his face. “Is something the matter?”

“You asked me to train you,” he says. You hold back a groan, wanting nothing more than to bury yourself in your blankets and sleep for much longer. 

“Anakin, that’s sweet, but when you said tomorrow I didn’t think you meant before my brain even turns on,” you whine, but he’s persistent. He slides an arm under your torso, quickly pulling you upright as you protest at the sudden loss of warmth. You shiver from the cold, instinctively huddling in closer to Anakin before you realize and pull yourself away. He looks at you with an odd expression on his face, but doesn’t say anything, choosing instead to slide out of the bed and pull the sheets away with him. He folds his hands behind his back, waiting patiently for you to get out of bed. 

“Milady, I must advise that we train now. We should do it in secret, so that your handmaids won’t notice— after all, they are part of the reason that you wish to learn to protect yourself,” Anakin responds. You groan but get up, throwing your hands in frustration. You’re partly convinced that he’s just doing this to be a little prick— there’s not a chance in hell that this was the only time that you could get alone time with him. You’re newlyweds, it’s almost expected that you’d be sneaking off to spend as much time as possible between meetings. But no, he had to wake you before anyone else would reasonably be awake. But it’s not worth the fight. 

“Alright, then,” you sigh. But instead of moving away from the bed, Anakin moves to stand on top of it, looking at you expectantly. 

“We’re going to start with several throws. Now, I’m not absolutely certain about this, but I think you wouldn’t enjoy being thrown down onto granite,” he says impatiently. You get on the bed, mourning the lack of sleep as Anakin eyes you up and down. “In that?” He asks, referring to your silk nightgown. 

“Oh, good grief,” you complain, throwing your hands up. “At this rate there won’t be a point of waking me up before dawn because everyone else in the palace will be awake already when we do start! Can we just do it?” Anakin shrugs, reaching out to position you the way he wants. Anakin positions you standing shoulder width apart, one hand placed on the back of your neck and the other on your arm. The warmth of his palms on your bare skin sends electricity through your nerves, and you blink at him wide-eyed at the contact. With quick footwork he sweeps you on to your back, knocking the wind out of you with the added weight of his body on yours before he swings himself to your side, effectively pinning you down to the ground. 

“Try to move,” he instructs you, but as you wiggle around on the bed, you realize that he’s able to still pin down your shoulders. “See? Doing this gives you leverage. First thing to know,” he says, getting up and leaving you sprawled on the bed. 

“I see.. Was it necessary to do it without any explanation, or was that for your amusement?” You grunt, hoisting yourself up as Anakin watches you struggle rather unsympathetically. 

“For fun. Now,” He breezes past the admission, grinning when you gape at him, “What you’re gonna do is put your hand on the back of my neck and my arm, like I did.” He nods when you’re in the correct placement, turning his focus to your technique. “Now, turn your body so the hand that’s holding my neck is the closest side. Step sideways once, cross the other foot and step towards me, and then use the first foot to sweep the knee on the side that you’re not touching.” 

You step as per his instructions, sweeping him down but when you land, body pressed firmly against his, the door swings open to reveal Reyna. She sputters when she sees the position you and Anakin are in—  Anakin half naked, his thigh slotted between your legs, his hands gripping your hips,  your tits hanging above his face with only the thin silk material to cover you. The immodesty of it all makes you blush, too. Anakin, however, used his quick thinking and craned his neck up to kiss the exposed skin right above your breasts. You know it’s only so that she doesn’t get suspicious but it feels good, dammit, and you can’t hold back the whimper that threatens to escape you when his teeth nip softly at your skin. 

“I’ll come back later,” Reyna squeaks, clearly mortified. 

“That would be best,” Anakin responds, looking at her with half-lidded eyes and a smirk that makes heat run up your spine. 

When the door shuts, he throws you rather unceremoniously off of him, blushing a bright pink. 

“Sorry,” Anakin apologizes. The both of you lay on your backs, furiously avoiding eye contact as the situation’s awkwardness makes you wince. 

“It’s alright,” you say, pushing yourself off of the bed. “So, I’ll, um, see you later today?” 

“Yes, milady,” he answers, sounding distant. “Later today.”

[crackedpumpkin]

|| ʙʟᴀɴᴋ ᴄᴀɴᴠᴀꜱ || ᴘᴛ. ꜰᴏᴜʀ||

[ 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 ] | [ 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 ] | [ 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 ]

Getting kidnapped was not on the checklist today.

Saving an old lady from a speeding car? Check.

Show up to class barely on time? Check.

Grab a burrito on the way to meet the girl who needed his help from yesterday? Check.

But getting kidnapped and signing a contract he never wanted? Not on the list. Never was it on the list.

Miles stares at the girl before him for a second, then down at the contract in her hands. He contemplates using his webs to grab and tear it up so it’d be rendered useless. 

Unfortunately, she seems to have sensed his intentions because she turns around and waves the contract in front of him with a teasing smile. 

“Sorry dude, I already took a photo and sent it to all my emails. Living in the twenty-first century really has its perks.”

Damn it.

How did he even get into this situation in the first place? Maybe it was when he didn’t knock on wood after he talked about nothing bad happening with Ganke. Yeah, it was probably that. But it still doesn’t completely explain how you found out about his identity. He’d been so careful too!

“How’d you even find out?” He finally voices his curiosity, unwrapping the sub in his hands and taking a bite. He pauses, looking down at it with intrigue. It was given to him as an apology after you had both left the store, and it’s surprisingly good. He recalls the bemused glance the owner had given them both when he opened the door, only to let her go without another word or further question.

It was almost impressive.

Then again, this is Brooklyn, after all. He'd probably seen weirder. 

Now, he and the girl are on the rooftop, the latter sitting down a short distance from him and starting to sketch absentmindedly in her sketchbook. He’s still guarded, having intended to treat her coldly for how she had borderline kidnapped and blackmailed him. 

Scratch that; he did, in fact, get kidnapped and blackmailed.

But her calm demeanour throws him off. What was one supposed to do in this scenario? He’d never encountered this before, not even once in the three months or so that he’d been Spiderman.

“Y’know, the usual.” 

“The usual?” He repeats, raising a brow before taking another bite. He still has half the mask on, not fully taking it off around her even though she knew who he was.

“Yeah, just did a little digging. Y’know, you’d think you’d be more careful for a superhero.”

“I was!” He defends himself, a sharp edge to his words. 

She chuckles, lips pulled into a half-smile as she looks up at him with amusement. “Then you might want to be more careful about how you sneak in and out of your dorm, Morales.”

He flinches at the use of his last name. He didn’t like that. He didn’t like that at all.

His dorm? Since when was she around his dorm? 

“Did you stalk me?”

She looks up again from her sketchbook with an offended gasp, holding her hand over her heart with a frown. “I would never! The only time I ‘followed’ you was when you basically revealed your entire secret identity by very openly crawling into your dorm window. Literally anyone would’ve found out if they were around the area.” 

He sighs, dragging a hand down his face. “So much for secret identity.” He mutters to himself, taking another bite of the surprisingly addicting sub. The bread is fluffy, albeit slightly soggy from the sauces that coat the vegetables and meat. He tastes a hint of cinnamon, arching a brow in intrigue. 

Little odd, but it works. 

“It’s good, right? Mr Perez does the best in the city.” 

He merely shrugs in response. He hears a soft sigh, choosing to stare at the citizens on the sidewalk below.

“I’m sorry,” He hears her speak up, turning around with a sceptical frown. An apology? Now?

“If you’re sorry, you’d forget my identity and tear up the contract,” he mutters. 

“Yeah… I can't afford that.” 

“Why not?” He’s taken aback by her sheepish smile. 

“Here’s the thing… I kinda need you to be my model regardless. I’m an art student in need of a muse. I’ve been in such a slump lately, and I’m a little…desperate.”

“And I’m that muse?” He questions, oddly flattered yet still wary of her true intentions.

She shrugs. “Yeah. Look, you’ll get it once you see this.” She rifles through her backpack, grabs a large sketchbook and hands it to him. Instead of taking it from her like a normal and trusting person, he uses the web shooter on his wrist to spray a thin line, tugging it toward him. It dangles from the web, and he double-checks it in case it’s another trap. 

“There’s like, a mustard stain from years back, and the white powder is chalk.” Her comment makes him scoff, already having recognised the powdery residue. He flips it open, scanning through the pages. 

The first few are rather good, with sketches of people he doesn’t recognise. The shading is done well, putting his own to shame, actually. He continues to turn the pages, the next few a lot more colourful with the added use of watercolour pencils and charcoal. A soft coat of bright dust rubs off on his fingers, and he rubs it off quickly before continuing to look through the sketchbook.

He notes the slight wince on her lips in his peripheral, taking great care to ensure he doesn’t accidentally tear the pages. If she’s really an art student, then from one artist to another, allowing someone to view their sketchbook — containing their most private thoughts and inspirations, is practically sacred.

And just for that, he pauses eating his sub, wrapping it up and stowing it away for later.

Miles recalls his own sketchbook at home, the first pages already occupied by a half-finished sketch of Gwen. He subtly shakes his head to rid himself of the lingering nostalgia, focusing instead on the drawings before him. He frowns from the sudden and apparent lack of motivation. Though details were technically accurate, it was as if they had no life, just flat, one-dimensional drawings against the blank paper.

His breath hitches when he turns the page to see a full sketch of him leaning against the wall. He subconsciously leans in close, studying the details on his suit he hadn’t even noticed. It’s good. Really good. It’s only half-coloured, but even then, the way she did it can’t help but draw your attention, as if he’d step off the page and give himself a playful salute.

“So?” Her voice is calm. He senses her thoughtful gaze. 

“It’s good.” He replies simply. “Was this on the day we met?” He turns the book around to show her the drawing he's referencing. She nods, and he hums in response.

“I need your number, by the way. To schedule our next meetup.” She holds out her phone for him, the keypad on her screen and waits for him to key it in. He stands up, walks over, stops two feet away, and hands her back her sketchbook.

He reluctantly puts his number into her phone. He has half a mind to put in a random number instead, just to inconvenience her. He decides against it, however, and taps away at the keypad. 

She’d probably find out his number somehow if he did that.

“May I at least have the pleasure of knowing my kidnapper's name?” Miles asks sarcastically, keeping an eye on her as she continues to tap away at her phone. 

“The name’s Ray, Ray Paynt.” 

He chokes on his drink. 

“What?” He asks through the tissue he grabs from his pocket, wiping his mouth of any orange juice that had spilt from hearing her name. Unique is one way to describe it.

“But you, however, can refer to me as Ray.” 

He doesn’t know how to feel. 

“Ray, short for Rachel?” He asks. She nods confidently.

“Right.” 

She stands up, brushing off the dirt on her pants before sending him a halfhearted grin, and he nods in response. “Well, this has been…fun. But I gotta get home for dinner. I’ll text you when our next meetup will be. See you soon.” She says briefly, heading to the door that leads to the staircase. She opens it, pausing to glance back at him.

“Also, you might wanna check out the side of your head just in case,” she adds sheepishly before shutting the door behind her.

He reaches up to the left side of his head, only to wince when he massages the slightly sore spot. Right. He forgot about that.

Swinging back to his dorm room is peaceful, crossing the familiar well-lit streets and the occasional pickpocket on the way. In contrast to the chilly night air and calm breeze, his thoughts overlap like crashing waves on a once-calm shore.

Who really is she?

What kind of person is she?

Why him?

Even though they had spoken (rather begrudgingly on his behalf) after she knocked him out and made him sign a contract that was surprisingly in his favour, he knew next to nothing about her. 

Besides her name, he supposes. But where is she from? How did she find him in the first place? Did the store owner know her? 

Is she an enemy?

He sighs, walking under the subway bridge. Whatever she is, he has to figure out if her intentions really are as simple as she says. From one artist to another, he understands having an art block. It’s one of the worst things in the world.

But from one superhero to a civilian, she’s an enigma. 

All this thinking was making his head hurt.

“Yo, one pack of the usual painkillers, por favor,” Miles requests upon walking into the small convenience store he frequents. The owner looks up from his phone, reaching down and handing him a palm-sized red box. 

“Thanks, Lenny. How much do I owe you for this?” He reaches into the suit’s concealed pocket for his wallet, eager to return and get some well-deserved rest.

“Ten bucks. What’s got you so roughed up?” Lenny asks curiously, leaning over the counter after taking the cash he hands him.

Miles sighs, shoulders slumping at the question. How was one supposed to explain the series of unfortunate events that happened to him in fifty words or less? 

“Nothin’ much, just a little tired, I guess.” He chooses his words carefully. 

“Ah, I hear ‘ya. I got one regular who’s always walkin’ in here looking for energy drinks.” Lenny chuckles. “Man, the bags under her eyes were insane. Haven’t seen her in a while, though. I’m tellin’ you, kids these days have to rest more, not stay up all night studying. Y’all gotta have fun.”

“Oh, yeah. Definitely.” Miles nods vigorously, agreeing with the sentiment a little too deeply. He exits the store with a final goodbye, continuing to swing his way back through Brooklyn.

He crawls up the wall back to his dorm, pausing near the window as his fingertips brush over the edge. He takes a moment to look around and survey the area. His eyes land on the alleyway nearby, in clear view from his current location. If he could see it from here, then that meant whoever was there could see him, too. 

“The only time I ‘followed’ you was when you basically revealed your entire secret identity by very openly crawling into your dorm window. Literally anyone would’ve found out if they were around the area.”

He groans, hanging his head.

“Damn it.”

— — — — — 

A brand new day always means a brand new start.

In your case, it takes the form of a signed contract, framed and hung on your bedroom wall. You stare at it in satisfaction, smiling giddily at the fact that you had finally, finally, secured your muse. 

Even though the method used was a little unethical.

But that didn’t matter, because he signed the contract!

He. Signed. The contract.

It’s set in stone now, and this particular reminder sends a rush of adrenaline through you, the physical contract cementing this fact. It had been a couple of days since the incident, and this had become your new routine every morning. 

“Honey, it’s time to wake up!” You’re startled out of your thoughts when your mother calls you from the kitchen, having already almost finished getting ready. All that’s left is to get out of the bathrobe you have on into proper clothes and brush your teeth.

Once done, you enter the kitchen cheerfully, patting the leftover bits of moisturiser into your skin before greeting your mother with a big hug. She laughs as you pull away, raising her brows curiously. “What’s got you in such a good mood today?” 

“Not much,” You hum, taking the bowl of stew she hands you and sitting down at the dining table. You begin to dig in, alerted to your father's presence, who walks into the kitchen with a groan.

Your mother hands him another bowl of piping hot stew, the scent of spicy chilli flakes helping to clear his head. He sits down opposite you with a soft grunt, your mother sitting beside him with concern. 

“What’s wrong?” You ask through mouthfuls, blowing on the spoonful of tofu in your hands to cool it down. 

“Someone accidentally hit me on the head with a binder at work yesterday,” Your father replies with a wince, sending your mother a thankful smile when she starts to feed him spoonfuls of stew. You watch his hand massage the spot on his head with a tinge of guilt, recalling how you had gotten Morales to be your muse. 

You should probably get him a gift as an apology.

“Get well soon, Dad. You should go see the doctor if it gets worse.” You add, placing your now-empty bowl in the sink after the last mouthful. 

“Will you be back home for dinner today?”

You pause, tilting your head in thought. “I don't think so. I’ll message you guys if anything comes up, though,” You promise, grabbing your bag and heading toward the door. 

The walk to school is as usual, nothing out of the ordinary besides the weather being a little sunnier than normal Brooklyn weather. Luckily, you have your trusty portable fan, using it to stay cool in the heat.

Your phone buzzes with a notification, and you take it out to see a new message from Morales.

Ray (Paynt) [ 10:00 PM ]: Yo, you free tomorrow at 3 for our first session?

Morales [ 10:30 PM ]: When you put it that way, no.

- [ Morales ] has changed your name to [ The Kidnapper ] -

- [ Morales ] has changed their name to [ The Kidnappee ] -

The Kidnapper [ 10:30 PM ]: Boooo. I’ll take that as a yes, though. Anyway, meet me at Fort Bridge Park at 3. I hope you like waffles :)

The Kidnappee [ 07:50 AM ]: Who doesn’t?

Ray Paynt. You have to admit, few can come up with such a good fake name on the fly. You mentally pat yourself on the back for it, grinning at how easily he had believed you. Ray, short for Rachel? Absolutely priceless.

“Are you texting your crush or something?” 

You yelp at the sudden hand around your shoulders, instantly shoving your phone in your pocket and glaring at Michael’s mischievous smirk. You push your elbow against his rib, but he’s already prepared for your reaction, moving away before he can get hit.

“How’d you even meet, anyway?” He continues to ask, undeterred by your response. You shrug.

“Just ran into him and recognised his face,” You answer simply, entering the school gates together. 

“What’s for lunch today, anyway?” Michael changes the subject, already bored with your short responses. He’d probably try to dig deeper into it another time. 

“From what Greta told me, it’s lasagna for the special. I think it’s something else for the regular.” 

“I don’t know how you got her to do it, but you gotta hook me up with that staff discount of hers sometime,” Michael complains, sticking to you like glue through the crowded hallway as you make your way to your locker. 

“Just be better,” You say nonchalantly, reaching your locker and taking out the textbooks you need for the day. You huff in amusement from his eye roll, greeting Nicole with a smile when you spot her a few feet away from you both.

“Hey, you got something here.” You grab a wet tissue from your locker and lean down slightly, using your thumb to brush against the corner of her lips where a spot of grease is, wiping it off and tucking her messy hair behind her ear. You straighten your back with a soft smile, noticing the slight pink that coats the tips of her ears when you do so.

“Thanks.”

“Hang on.” 

Pausing at Michael’s words, you watch him lean down, reaching his hand out to try and replicate what you did. Instead, Nicole twists his hand, bringing him to his knees with a glare. 

“Don’t touch me.” 

“But-”

“Don’t. Touch. Me.” Nicole warns clearly, finally letting go as a sign of mercy. You smile sympathetically, helping him to his feet and massaging the sore spot on his wrist. He mutters his thanks, pulling his wrist away after. 

School passes by in the blink of an eye, and you find yourself at the gates ready to leave at Two P.M. Nicole had her chess club — she had a match coming up that she couldn’t afford to lose. You’re more than certain that she never will, having watched her break her opponent down mentally during a previous match. Michael had his neighbourhood basketball game that he rushed off to, promising to introduce you to a new cafe another time.

Cafe. Right. 

The plan for today is simple. Grab some amazing waffles from the cafe you’d seen people rave about online, and meet Spidey-Boy at Fort Bridge Park, where you’d chill out and draw him in different poses or something. 

You’re still not entirely sure how this muse thing is supposed to go. But that’s okay! You’ll figure it out along the way.

Public transport is a blessing to have. The thought of owning your own car in the future makes you excited. You’d never have to deal with other people’s bad body odour ever again. The lack of hygiene of some commuters makes you determined to push forth a project on personal grooming in the future. 

Standing next to a man grabbing the handles in the train, revealing the sweat-soaked spot under his shoulders, only reaffirms this resolve. 

You finally hear your stop being called out over the speakers, all but rushing out the doors and inhaling deeply. Your lungs burn from the shallow breaths you took standing next to him, grateful for the existence of oxygen. 

Surprisingly enough, Google Maps gets you to the cafe in only fifteen minutes, and you order your waffles to go, waiting patiently in the store while blissfully inhaling the smell of freshly baked croissants and ground coffee. 

You’ll definitely be coming here again for a study session. 

You hear your name being called shortly after, thanking the server who hands you your order before exiting and heading to Fort Bridge Park with, yet again, the help of Google Maps. Thankfully, you reach five minutes before the scheduled time, choosing to sit down at a random bench and waiting for your muse to show up.

The Kidnapper [ 02:55 PM ]: I’m sitting near the bridge. Hope you’re hungry 

The Kidnappee [ 02:55 PM ]: Are you the one looking down really intensely at your phone?

“I am not looking intensely, thank you very much.” You say with a lighthearted scoff once Morales plops down next to you seconds after you read his message. 

“Right,” He replies sarcastically. “Where’s the promised waffle? And my ten bucks?” 

“Here’s your waffle. Payment will only be made at the end of each session.” You hand him the waffle, and he takes it without complaint, though his eyes narrow at the last few words. 

“That’s not what you promised.” 

“It’s in the contract,” You reply with a hum, taking a bite and grinning in delight at the fluffy texture. “Eat, eat!” 

He reluctantly pulls up his mask slightly, unwraps the waffle and bites down at your strong encouragement, lips pursed as he chews. “It’s…not bad.” 

“Not bad? It’s insanely good! No wonder it got so many popular reviews. The kaya in this one is incredible. You gotta try this.” You hold up the half-eaten waffle to him, and he looks at you warily.

“Here,” You tear off a piece of your waffle instead, eagerly holding it out to him. 

He takes it. “I think this is better,” He holds up the one in his hand after eating the piece you offered. 

“To each their own,” You comment, finishing off your waffle in mere minutes while he’s still slowly enjoying his. You dust off the crumbs on your hands and pull out your sketchbook, making yourself comfortable and crossing your legs before turning to face him. 

You notice him stiffening from the sudden attention, chuckling at his reaction. It was kinda cute. 

“Just pretend I’m not here,” You assure him, smiling warmly. “Just do what you normally do when you relax or when you’re not off fighting crime in lovely Brooklyn.”

His shoulders are still tense, but he slowly rests against the bench backrest, watching the people pass by. They notice his presence but ignore him in favour of rushing off to their own destinations, as are the lovely people of your city. Some linger around but quickly get bored once they realise that there’s nothing exciting happening.

“So, what’s your favourite food?” You break the silence with a question. You need him to relax so much more than his current self, who looks as if he’d bolt any chance he gets. 

“Pasteles, they’re probably the best food to ever exist.” 

“What’re those?” You pause, looking up with interest at this new dish you’ve never heard of. 

“Oh, pasteles are like, this food. It’s got pork and adobo in it, and it’s just amazing. My mom makes the best,” He answers excitedly, animatedly using his hands to describe the food. You grin in amusement, nodding at his words. 

“I’ve never tried them. The closest thing I’ve tried is a rice dumpling.”

“Rice dumpling?” Oh, how the tables have turned.

“Yeah. Usually, when you hear dumpling, you think, like, gyoza or whatever, but these rice dumplings I’m talking about are on a whole other level. It’s basically pork or chicken, filling in sticky glutinous rice, wrapped in banana leaves in a triangle, and then steamed. It’s so good. I’ll bring some next time!”

“Cool, I’ll bring some pasteles too. But why are they triangle shaped?”

“That’s a good question,” You pause when you realise you don’t know the answer, pulling out your phone and doing a quick Google search. It proves fruitful, with Wikipedia being your one and only saviour. 

“Says here that they used to be in bamboo tubes, but they wrapped them in chinaberry leaves so dragons wouldn’t consume them. That’s actually pretty cool. I respect the dedication,” You remark, turning your screen to show him the Wikipedia page. He leans in, scanning the words with an intrigued hum before leaning back.

“Imagine having dragons, though.”

“I dunno, man. I’m talking to Spiderman right now. Dragons aren’t that far-fetched to me.” You crack, watching his shoulders shake with his laughs. You pick up the pencil and sketch as quickly as possible, satisfied with his relaxed state. Quickly finishing it up and polishing a few strokes here and there, you realise you’d gotten so absorbed in your drawing that the sun was already beginning to set.

He’s waiting patiently for you, scrolling through his Instagram feed. You pack your tools, feeling guilty for keeping him here for so long. “Thanks for waiting for me,” you say gratefully, zipping up your bag and standing up.

“Couldn’t leave without my ten bucks.” He quips. Your eyes widen at the reminder, patting your pockets and feeling for the ten-dollar bill stowed away in one of them. Once you find it, you pull it out and hand it to him. He takes it happily.

You’re both alerted to a food truck playing a short jingle over the speakers. Upon closer inspection, you realise it’s a gelato truck. 

“Their stuff’s pretty good,” He says, eyes trained on the sign offering a special discount from now till next weekend.

“Here’s a fun fact: I’ve never tried gelato,” You admit.

He scoffs. “And you call yourself a foodie.”

“I do not,” You defend yourself, lips pursed into a slight playful frown. He strides off to the cart, returning with two small cups. A single scoop of vanilla rests in one, and he hands you the other with a scoop of chocolate gelato inside. 

You take a quick bite, eyes widening slightly at the heavenly taste that greets your tongue. You take another spoonful, then another. 

“It’s good, right?” You nod vigorously in response, his lips tugging up into a satisfied smirk at your bright smile. The gelato is absolutely decadent and insanely creamy to the point that it feels like you’re just drinking it.

Wait. Creamy?

“Does this have dairy in it?”

A quick nod from him confirms your fear. You look down at the gelato in your hands, taking another small spoonful and sighing blissfully in your head. You sense his eyes on you, filled with slight worry. “It’s fine; I can deal with anything. I’m not that weak,” You chuckle with a dismissive wave of your hand. You both soon finish the gelato and part ways with a simple goodbye.

You’d deal with the consequences later.

At least, that’s what you told yourself before now, hunching over the toilet bowl while cursing out the inferior genes you had inherited from your parents. 

So much for being able to handle anything.

— — — — — — — — —

taglist:

@oh-kurva @brunnettiwik @queerponcho @sleepingnova @1theestallionyas @horologiumwise @ken-zah @sockgoblin @itstooearly-its3am @anuncalledbridge @ditto737 @sophipet @mirophobic @dilucpegg3r @urmotherswhor3 @arraxthatsonjah @ameliabs-world @superiorbyfar @swaqlover @janyiahsucks-blog @choco-malk-blog @akemiixx01 @a-cult-leader @berryunderscore @scarletrosesposts @stargirlhayven @bellstwd @edgyficuselastica @psyche404 @sukisprettyface

[slasherberry-shortcake]

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷You Understand Me Like No Other (FTM! König x FTM! Reader)ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

Got a new fic for you all!~ After being introduced to König, I couldn't help but project my transness on him so here we all are! I don't have evidence to support this headcanon, I just feel like it.

FEM DNI PLEASE

It had never occurred to you that if anyone understood what you had gone through, it would be your new boyfriend. You were convinced that you were lonely in this venture, the only person that could understand you being yourself. Of course, your giant of a boyfriend could understand more than you knew. You were too shy and too new to relationships to ask him personal questions, to inquire about his past. You never wanted to offend him, never wanted to push him further than needed; you wanted him to feel safe with you. In that cautious process, this means you never asked him for personal information. The most you've asked is his favorite color and if he wanted to go out with you, after all, you'd only been dating for a month. Other than very base level questions, you refused to push unless he wanted to tell you. Unfortunately for you and him, the both of you were stuck waiting for each other. König knew about you; about your damned anatomy that didn't match who you really were. He was accepting, though, no judgement ever crossing his sweet mind. Though, he had more of a reason to accept you than you suspected.

:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ

It was a lazy day in your home, a sunny afternoon that left the rooms in the house glowing with light. You were sprawled on the couch, in a pair of pajama shorts and a big t-shirt that you had stolen from König. He didn't really care, naturally. He had known that his large, masculine clothes helped your dysphoria subside. Not to mention, you looked positively adorable in his clothes that were too big to actually fit your much smaller frame. He wasn't subtle about thinking about you this way, König easily got distracted by your beauty. It was so cute when he would stop whatever he was doing to glue his ice blue eyes to you.

Your eyes were fixed on the television screen, splayed body sunken into the soft, plush sofa. You were watching whatever was on, paying no mind nor attention to the content itself. You were caught up thinking about König, craving an intense snuggle session with the big man. Sure, it was warm in the house, but König was much warmer. It made you incredibly irate that you weren't currently nuzzled into his chest, your body resting in his comforting lap, as you usually were. You huffed and tossed around the couch as if trying to get comfortable, your face contorting into a grumpy pout. After being unable to get cozy, you leapt to your feet, adrenaline and confidence coursing through your veins. Fine, if he won't come to you, then you'll just have to go to him. You sped upstairs, stopping before your bedroom door. You listened intently, trying to hear any indication that he was inside. After a few seconds, you heard a heavy shuffle come from inside of the room. A heavy shuffle that could only come from one other man; König.

Throwing the door open, you took a pouty step inside, shock electrocuting your body. In the room stood your 6”10 boyfriend, his uncovered and shirtless abdomen shown off to you like you’d never seen before. Thank god you’d seen this now. His abs shine in the sunlight of the room; a six-pack. Your vision inched up from his (beautiful) stomach to his solid chest, saliva collecting in your clenched jaw. The sight was new, you’d never seen his chest but something seemed oddly familiar. His body was covered in scars, beautiful scars, but two twin scars caught your attention. Two twin scars directly under each pectoral; twin scars that matched with the scars underneath your own pectorals. Your eyes widened slightly in pleasant surprise, “König…I-I didn’t know you were…” you began, eyes unable to tear away from the brilliant form in front of you.

He made a small noise and turned his bare abdomen away from you, “I-I apologize, liebling. I didn’t know you were coming in, I did not mean for you to see…” he whispered. He seemed not only embarrassed but shamed, his shoulders tense as he slipped a black t-shirt on. He exhaled shakily, his voice quiet, “I…I did not mean to hide it. I was going to tell you, I swear…I just…I did not know how to bring it up. I’m sorry, liebling.”

Your eyes blew even wider at his apology, panic setting in. “I didn’t mean to see, König! I’m so sorry!” The two of you stood in silence for a few moments, your heart slamming against your ribs, “I-I’m not upset, König. You don’t have to apologize to me. I should apologize for coming in without asking.”

He glanced at you, crystal blue eyes brimming with tears, “You’re…not upset?”

“Of course not, love! I could never be upset over something like this. I know how it feels to not be ready to let someone know. You didn’t do anything wrong, you just weren’t ready and that’s more than okay,” you attempted to soothe, taking a small step closer to him. You didn’t want to crowd him. Accidentally getting pushed out of the closet was a horrible and stressful situation, you knew that. You just wanted to be there however he needed.

“You…You mean it?” He asked, his voice still soft and shy, gazing at you through his wispy, long eyelashes.

“Of course I do, my dear!”

You held your arms open, offering a warm hug to the embarrassed man before you. He walked forward and latched onto you, squishing your face against his strong abdomen, “There’s nothing more I could wish for than a boyfriend like you,” he whispered, a small tear dripping onto your head.

You smiled and inhaled his scent, your body relaxing at the sweet aroma of your lover. “Oh yeah, I came up here to ask for cuddles. Wanna go to the couch?”

“Sicherlich.”

[genshin-obsessed]

Can you imagine Itto, Thoma, and Gorou getting talked down on and their s/o just sucker punches the unfortunate soul?

♢ omg i've been wanting to do something like this for a while! like where the reader gets into a fight and they try to stop you! thank you for the request anon!! ^w^ ima have fun w this one ♢ husbands included: Itto, Thoma, Gorou ♢ extra: this probably gets worse toward the end, I refused to go to bed without finishing this and I'm so tired rn ;w;

You weren't one to pick fights with just anyone- you were quite the pacifist, actually. You avoided fights as much as you could, even if you were dealing with a heckler. Deciding that it would be better to ignore them than to get into a fight, you would ignore the worst of insults.

However, you were a pacifist, not a coward. There were a lot of people who would get those mixed up.

♢ Arataki Itto ♢

"I-I wouldn't say I'm an idiot!" Itto laughed at the random woman insulting him, even though he was actually quite offended by her words. But he was a bigger man and she kinda looked like a tiny, frail woman. If he argued with her, people would surely turn on him.

"You're so annoying! Always running around in the streets, playing that stupid game of yours!" She yelled, her face slowly turning red. Itto awkwardly looked around to see the small crowd forming and his smile began to wither slowly. He needed to leave.

"Uh, ok, ok, I'll leave. Just stop yelling." He said, holding his hands up in surrender, still doing his best to keep that smile up.

"Don't touch me!"

"I didn't try to." He replied, taking a step back to give her room. You'd actually heard the entire exchange before you saw it, that's how loud she was. You pushed through the small crowd and put yourself between Itto and the woman.

"Listen, lady. You need to leave." You stated, your tone leaving little room for argument. But the woman tried regardless.

"Tell that idiot boyfriend of yours to start acting like an adult! I don't appreciate his stupidity!"

"I don't appreciate the way you're speaking to my boyfriend." You replied, crossing your arms. She was being extremely disrespectful and you were slowly becoming tired of her.

"Excuse me?"

"Leave him alone. You're starting conflict for no reason. No one else is bothered by him- just you." You replied, feeling the anger slowly building up with each word the woman spat.

"Well they're all stupid! Clearly, they're used to this buffoon doing whatever he wants! Like a child!" She said, her eyes shooting to Itto, who frowned and looked away.

"Come on, (y/n)..." he mumbled as he turned away. Normally, you'd leave with him but you had rarely seen Itto this upset.

"Apologize." You said, looking at the woman, however, since Itto wasn't looking at you, he thought you were talking to him. So, he slowly turned around and looked at the woman.

"Um, I'm so-"

"Not you. Her." Itto's eyes widened at your strict tone, realizing what you were insinuating.

"Huh? He was the one being obnoxious! Why would I apologize?" She asked, with a loud scoff.

"Apologize." You repeated, but your tone was lower... threatening. The woman was taken aback but chose to glare at you and scoff as a reply.

"Screw you. Both of you! He's just a stupid, obnoxious oni! Who knows what he's up to! He could hurt us like those stupid blue ones!"

"Hmph." Without a second thought, you took one step forward and punched her right in the face. The woman immediately hit the ground and laid there, unable to move for a bit. Her eyes widened as she looked up at you, holding her jaw that ached so badly.

"(Y/n!)" Itto yelled, immediately wrapping his arms around you in an attempt to restrain, though you had no intentions to hit her again.

"Do not ever speak about Itto like that again." You growled.

"W-we need to go!" Itto said as he quickly pulled you away.

---

The two of you walked in silence for a few minutes before you spoke up.

"I don't think I did anything wrong."

"I mean... you did hit her."

"She hurt your feelings." Itto didn't deny your words and just looked at you, a very small smile gracing his face.

"Thank you..."

Safe to say that woman NEVER even looked at Itto again.

♢ Thoma ♢

Thoma was a very sweet man who looked to help whoever needed it. He was kind, understanding, helpful, and quite talented in taking care of people. He just had this sweet, comforting air about him. So, it was very shocking when Thoma came across someone who... hated him. Thoma was used to rude people, but this guy was just crazy.

"You! Get the hell away from my woman!" A man yelled, pulling his supposed woman behind him. Thoma was extremely confused at first, not even realizing the man was talking to him.

"Huh? Me?" The man growled in response, as if offended that Thoma lack of understanding his own transgression.

"Yeah! I saw you ogling my woman!" He insisted, making Thoma shake his head slowly.

"Um, no, I wasn't. I was talking with my partner here." Thoma said as he gestured to you. "This is my romantic partner and I'm 100% dedicated to them."

"Yeah, well my woman said you were looking at her inappropriately. Are you calling her a liar?" The man asked, crossing his arms. Thoma stared before nodding.

"Yes. Because I wasn't looking at her." He said simply, which only made the man angrier. The woman behind him scoffed and covered herself as if Thoma was gawking at her. You were standing there quietly, watching the man and woman extremely closely. You knew they were lying, but you wanted to see how far they would take it.

"How dare you?!" The man pulled his fist back to swing and Thoma was ready, but before either could make a full move, you swiftly kicked the man in the chest, sending him into the woman who stood behind them; both falling to the ground with heavy thuds.

"Don't accuse my boyfriend of doing something he didn't do." You said, staring down at both of them with a threatening stare.

"(Y-y/n)," Thoma stuttered as he quickly grabbed your arm to pull you back in the event you continued your assault. However, you were done. Just that one move was enough to send a message to both of them. "We should leave."

---

You didn't reply as you walked away with Thoma right by your side. The walk back was silent and Thoma wasn't sure what to say.

"Are you ok?" He asked, looking down at you.

"Are you ok?" You countered, making him sigh and nod.

"Yes... thank you. You didn't have to do that."

"Yes I did. I couldn't allow those two to insult and falsely accuse you. No one can do that." Thoma couldn't help but smile at your words. It felt nice to be protected. Really nice.

Best believe those two never bothered him or you again.

♢ Gorou ♢

Gorou wasn't really used to people always talking back to him. He was a general after all, any orders he gave out were usually taken and completed with little to no complaint. It especially wasn't normal for someone to just insult Gorou and NOT face a type of punishment.

But regular life wasn't like a military force. If someone didn't like Gorou, he couldn't just make them do physical activity. He just had to take it, even if he didn't like.

You and Gorou were just taking a walk through Inazuma city, talking about an upcoming date when you saw a stick fly by Gorou's head. He swiftly dodged it and looked toward where it came from. There stood two men, smirking at you two.

"Fetch." One of them said before the two burst out laughing. Gorou's hand tightened around yours and he let out a scoff before turning away.

"Let's go." He mumbled as he turned to walk the other way, but the hecklers called out to him.

"You're not leaving already, are you?" The man followed slowly, knowing that you and Gorou would stop at his words. "Come on, general Gorou."

Gorou just sighed and kept walking, but the two troublemakers weren't done. They followed you two, just throwing annoying phrases and insults your way.

"Gorou-"

"No," he said, interrupting you, "it's fine. We just need to ignore them." You could tell Gorou was upset, but he couldn't just go attacking people and abuse his rank like that. He'd probably end up facing so many issues just because he chose to fight them.

"General! Do you bark?"

That was where you drew the line. You came to an abrupt stop, yanked your hand away from Gorou and stomped back toward the two men. They didn't seem bothered in the least as you walked over to them with Gorou chasing behind you.

With no hesitation, you kicked the tallest one and when he bent down a bit instictively, you took your chance to punch him. He fell over, unconscious. Before his friend could run away, kicked him right in the chest, sending him to the ground.

"If you bark for me, I'll stop hitting you." You said to the one who wasn't unconscious. He stared up in terror as you stalked closer, making him crawl back as fast as his body would let him.

Before your wrath could go any further, Gorou immediately wrapped his arms around you to restrain you and pulled you away.

"No! Don't hurt them!" As much as Gorou wanted to do that, he knew it was wrong. However, deep down inside, he felt so happy when you took them down in seconds.

---

"They deserved it, Gorou." You reminded as the two of you were walking back to your home. He was silent the entire time, probably still thinking about those awful comments made to him.

"I know... thank you..." he said quietly as he took your hand, squeezing it tightly. Very tightly. You knew their words really upset Gorou but he was happy to have someone like you at his side. Someone who wouldn't let the world talk down to him, no matter what.

[gerrystamour]

here i have found some peace of mind [chapter four]

Rated E | Steddie

[ FIRST ] [ PREVIOUS ]

The boys figure their nonsense out. I meant to say this in the last update, but I have bandcasted the band Green Lung as "Corroded Coffin" re: their sound and vibe? I have actually made a "setlist" as well! Also!! The transphobia introduced in chapter two is resolved in this chapter ;p CW: There is smut in this chapter! Phone sex to be specific!

[ READ ON AO3 ]

soon as the summer comes, i will step out of time

“Just call him,” Robin groaned, dragging her hands down her face dramatically.

“I can’t,” Steve insisted, picking at the muffin Robin gave him the moment he stepped into Dustin’s office.

It had been three days since Steve had watched the YouTube videos, and he was admittedly miserable.

That night, when it sunk in how Eddie felt for him, Steve had texted Robin, not wanting to interrupt her if she was busy with Nancy.

Steve [sent at 05:02]: u busy? Robbie [sent at 05:03]: dude, we’re getting ready for work. did u even sleep?

Steve hadn’t even realized how long he’d been on Corroded Coffin’s channel, and sure enough his alarm went off a few seconds later. Getting up, he shuffled out into the apartment and found Robin in the kitchen making a coffee.

“Robs,” Steve said, his voice a bit rough with lack of sleep.

Robin turned around and frowned worriedly. “Seriously, Dingus, did you even sleep?”

“Robs, I fucked up,” he said sadly, dropping onto one of the stools at the island and holding his head in his hands.

“Well, yeah, you didn’t sleep,” Robin said nervously, coming around the island to sit next to him.

“No, this,” Steve said, unlocking his phone to play the end of the video he last watched.

Robin blinked down at the phone when the video ended. “Oof,” Robin started slowly before looking at Steve. “I don’t think you fucked up.”

“Robin, did you watch the same video? He was so—and I was so mean!” Steve groaned, crossing his arms on the counter and dropping his head on top of them.

“Okay, listen, yeah you were a bitch, let’s just get that out there. That doesn’t mean you’ve fucked up. You just need to call him and listen to his apology, and then you can decide how you want to move forward,” Robin said, as if it was the easiest thing in the world to do.

And theoretically, it was. The ball was in his court when it came to making contact with Eddie again, Steve knew that much. Steve was still the hurt party, even if he had been wrong about Eddie’s intentions, and he told Eddie to lose his number.

If anyone was going to reach out, it would come down to Steve.

Except Steve had been mean, stubbornly mean, even. It was hard to come back from being that way, to admit he had been cruel and that he was wrong for it. It didn’t help matters that he was watching that video repeatedly to punish himself either.

So Steve was at a stalemate of his own creation, and he had finally worn Robin’s sympathy out.

Dustin groaned. “Can we please stop talking about this? You keep talking around in circles, you won’t tell me all the details for some stupid reason—”

“It’s confidential,” Steve said, smirking when Dustin gestured at Robin, offended.

“You told her!” he said.

“And she’s an adult. And also my roommate,” Steve replied and Dustin turned red.

“I’m an adult, too—”

“Okay! I’ve gotta get back to work,” Steve interrupted with a loud clap. “See you around, Dusty-buns—”

“Stop calling me that, man,” Dustin whined, and Steve just laughed as he left the storage room.

“Hey, Dingus, wait up,” Robin said as she hurried after him, grabbing the sleeve of Steve’s cardigan as they walked. “I’m serious, Steve, call him. If he’s even half as in love with you as he seems in that video, he’ll forgive you instantly. If he even held what you said against you.”

“It’s worse if he didn’t,” Steve grumbled and shrugged Robin off, waving as they went their separate ways in the lobby.

It was shaping up to be another long day of self-pity and Steve was resigned to it as he returned to his desk. It was just his luck that his phone would ring the second he settled into a proper sulk.

“Thank you for calling Chicago In-Terminal Events, this is Steve,” Steve greeted in the happiest voice he could muster as he glanced at his phone. He froze when he saw the phone number and realized he recognized it, even if he only saw it once.

“Hey, Steve,” Eddie said, his voice tentative and unsure.

“Mr. Munson,” Steve replied, his mind reeling with relief, even if he was defaulting to professionalism.

There was a silent pause before Eddie chuckled a bit. “Honestly didn’t think you’d pick up,” he confessed.

“I didn’t realize it was you calling,” Steve said, and he grimaced at how bitchy he was still sounding.

This is what he wanted. Steve wanted Eddie to call again, to reach back out, to try and apologize again so that Steve could actually listen and maybe even accept it. And what, he was just going to screw that up because he had committed to being mad about it?

“Okay, I deserve that—”

“No—”

“Steve, I get that I’ve got literally zero right to ask you for anything, but please just listen?” Eddie asked in a rush, and Steve closed his mouth.

“Go ahead,” Steve said after a moment, realizing belatedly that Eddie was waiting for him to give him the okay.

Eddie took a deep breath. “It wasn’t fair to you, and I should’ve come clean a hell of a lot sooner. I just… really liked talking to you, and I was afraid you’d stop talking to me if you knew,” he said, and Steve’s heart ached at how sad Eddie sounded. “But doing what I did took away your choice, and it was really selfish of me because I got to hide behind this extra fuckin’ layer of armor or whatever while you were being real.”

Steve couldn’t even argue that Eddie’s fear was unfounded. Had Eddie come clean at the beginning, he would’ve put an immediate stop to their conversations. He wasn’t really forbidden from speaking to the performers, but it wasn’t encouraged either. Also, Steve would have had no interest in talking to Eddie; he was the frontman of a metal band, and Steve almost exclusively listened to what was most popular at the moment. But that was before he had gotten to know Eddie, even if he hadn’t been truthful about who he was exactly.

As he was mulling those thoughts over, he realized that had Eddie cleared up the misunderstanding immediately, they wouldn’t have talked at all. Steve would never have known that Eddie even existed, really. It was a bit annoying to consider that Eddie had ultimately done the best thing by hiding behind a fake identity.

“I really like you Steve, and I really want to keep talking to you,” Eddie continued after a few moments of silence and Steve let a slow breath out through his nose.

“The only reason I was able to chat with you on company time was because I thought you were my client,” Steve said slowly as he picked up his pencil and jotted down Eddie’s number from the screen on his phone. “I can’t really justify talking to you that much now.”

“Then give me your number? Like your personal one and we’ll keep it off the clock,” Eddie said quickly, and Steve raised his eyebrow at that, even if his stomach fluttered at the request. Eddie seemed to realize what he did and quickly added, “please?”

“Hm,” Steve hummed thoughtfully, and he hoped it sounded as playful as he had intended it. “I’ll consider it. I have to go now.”

“Steve, I really am sorry,” Eddie said quickly, and Steve chuckled a bit.

“I know, and thanks. For apologizing, I mean,” Steve replied, and finally he was apparently able to drop the bitchy tone, as if the mean, hurt part of him was waiting for those two words to finally drop its guard. Eddie seemed to hear the change in his tone, sighing out a small laugh.

“I will apologize as much as you want,” Eddie breathed, and Steve chuckled.

“Goodbye, Eddie,” Steve said, his voice soft and quiet, and he hung the receiver up before Eddie could respond.

Steve smiled down at his phone as he typed out a quick text, but he didn’t send it immediately. It wasn’t entirely intentional, as he was called away from his desk because Tammy needed assistance with one of her clients up in the meeting rooms. When he finally had a chance to sit back down and unlock his phone, it was roughly an hour and a half later.

‘Hey it’s Steve,’ his text read, and Steve got back to his work. When his phone almost immediately vibrated, lighting up with the notification from Eddie, Steve’s stomach filled with butterflies.

His good mood was interrupted when his computer pinged, reminding him that he was at work. Putting away his phone, he saw an email in his inbox from the sales manager he hated. Steve didn’t want to open the email, not wanting to be misgendered for the first time in weeks, but the woman had marked the email as “urgent” so he couldn’t reasonably ignore it.

“What the fuck?!”

Steve jumped and looked over at Joyce’s office, eyes wide as she continued to rant with a truly creative use of expletives. It wasn’t uncommon for Joyce to cuss, far from it even, but she wasn’t known to go on a tirade for that long.

Suddenly, she appeared in the doorway of her office with her kindest smile on her face as she looked at Steve. “Steve, can I speak with you for a minute?” she asked, and dread settled in his gut.

‘Oh fuck, she knows about Eddie,’ he thought as he nodded and locked his computer.

When he sat down across from Joyce’s desk, she glanced at her monitor and made a disgusted sound before meeting his gaze. “Why is Carol calling you by that name, Steve?” she asked calmly, and Steve just blinked at her, his mouth dropping open.

“What?” he asked, brow furrowed.

“The email she just sent, she referred to you as your birth name and then your real name in parentheses to the client. Do you know why she’s doing that?” Joyce asked again, and when he just blinked at her, still confused. “Did you look at the email, Steve? She copied me in it, so that’s why I saw it.”

Steve grimaced. “I was… stalling opening it. I was feeling good and didn’t want to be misgendered. I know it’s marked urgent, so I wasn’t going to ignore it forever, I promise, just—”

“Steve, honey, slow down! I’m not mad at you, you’re not in trouble, I promise! Are you telling me this has been going on for a while?” Joyce asked, horrified.

Steve shrugged and looked away, his face hot with embarrassment. “A couple months, I think? She didn’t always do that, so I dunno,” he said quietly, shrugging again.

“Why didn’t you say anything? No, don’t answer that, that was worded terribly. Let me start over,” Joyce said, waving him off when he tried to interrupt. Taking a deep breath, Joyce started again, “I want you to feel like you can come to me when you’re having problems, Steve, and this is a huge problem.”

Steve swallowed thickly, a bit emotional at how fired up Joyce was about this without him bringing it up to her first. Realizing she was waiting for some kind of response, Steve nodded quickly and looked at his knees.

“Carol’s behaviour must be addressed, Steve. If you don’t want to talk to me about this, I can absolutely bring HR in on this. Just let me know what would make you most comfortable moving forward,” Joyce said gently before she quietly added, “And I’m sorry, Steve, for anything I’ve done that made you feel like you had to deal with this on your own.”

“You didn’t do anything, Joyce,” Steve said quickly, looking up to meet her eyes. “I just—I don’t think I can really explain how it feels, but I just—standing up for myself about this is scary. It’s—yeah, so far I’ve had a ton of support, but that’s all been because it’s been easy. What Carol’s doing…”

Steve trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck to stop himself from shrugging again.

“Is there anyone on the team you worry about siding with her if this becomes a problem?” Joyce asked and Steve quickly shook his head.

“It’s not like I think anyone’s secretly hating my guts, just… in my experience, people show where they actually stand the second I get firm about my name and pronouns,” Steve said carefully, staring at the ceiling. “I’d rather deal with the dysphoria than find out who only respects me when I’m not making a fuss.”

Joyce let out a slow breath and when Steve looked at her she had tears in her eyes. “I’m so sorry you’ve been dealing with this, and I’m even more sorry that you feel that way. Unfortunately, I still have to deal with this now that I know she’s doing this. It’s up to you how involved you are.”

“What do you mean?” Steve asked, chewing the inside of his cheek.

“You can either file a formal complaint against her with HR, or I can take it to HR and file the complaint myself as your manager,” Joyce said, holding her hands out on the desk between them. “I can make it about how I feel about my employee being discriminated against like this.”

Steve considered the options, and he was tempted to let Joyce file the complaint. At the same time, he knew Joyce had his back, even without him asking, and that alone felt like enough to deal with whatever fall-out came of this.

Shaking his head, Steve said, “I’ll file the complaint.”

Joyce tilted her head with a soft smile. “Only if you want to, Steve. I don’t expect you to, and this isn’t a test,” she insisted, and Steve laughed a bit at that.

“I know, Joyce. Just—I’ll file the complaint,” Steve replied. “How do we actually do this?”

“We’ll take this to HR, and they’ll help us with the next step. Since this is a sensitive subject regarding discrimination in the workplace, they will likely take over completely and work with Carol’s HR department to do an investigation,” Joyce answered, taking a deep breath. “Can you forward me every email you’ve received from her that you still have?”

“Yeah, of course,” Steve agreed.

“And can you also forward me any emails you’ve sent to her with your signature attached?” Joyce asked, pulling up a blank email on her screen, starting the message to HR.

“Yep, absolutely,” Steve said, nodding quickly. At that, Joyce turned in her chair to face him fully.

“Steve, I really want you to know that I’m in your corner, no matter what. I will deal with anyone—and I mean anyone—who treats you poorly,” she said, her voice deathly serious before she turned back to the computer. Then her face scrunched up as she asked, “You know what’s stupid?”

“What?” Steve asked with a startled laugh.

“She has her goddamned pronouns in her signature, and she can’t get yours right?” Joyce said and Steve laughed.

“Right? I thought I was having a stroke when she first deadnamed me and I noticed those,” Steve joked, and Joyce made a disgusted sound.

“And right at the start of Pride Month, too? The CEO just sent out an email about inclusion, especially around trans rights, and she sends this?” Joyce ranted before shaking her head and then shaking out her hands. “Okay, I need to calm down before I send this email. You want a coffee, Steve? Let’s go grab a coffee.”

Just like that, Joyce was jumping up and grabbing her blazer and wallet. Steve barely had time to react before she gestured impatiently.

“C’mon, Steve, let’s go,” she insisted, and Steve jumped up with a laugh, following her out of the office.

❖

When Steve got home, he forced himself to get changed and make himself dinner before he picked up his phone and responded to literally any of the texts Eddie had sent. Yes, there had been multiple over the day, though Steve could tell from the previews he saw when he glanced at his phone that they were largely just stream-of-thought type messages. None of them were demanding his attention immediately.

It was cute, surprising even.

Finally, Steve settled on his bed and opened the texts from Eddie.

Munson [sent at 13:41]: hi❗❗❗ ur off at 5, right? 😁😁😁 Munson [sent at 14:01]: u have to see this ✨✨ugly✨✨ ass bug i just found❗❗❗ Munson [sent at 14:01]: wait r bug pics okay 😬 i'll wait til u tell me before i send it😋😋😋🐜🐜 Munson [sent at 15:46]: gonna be playing tonight 🎸🎸🕺🏻 but w timezones and shit we should still be at the hotel when u get home 😋 Munson [sent at 17:00]: lmk if i can call u 👉🏻👈🏻 txting is fine too tho❗❗❗ just like hearing u 😚

Steve grinned at the messages, especially the liberal usage of emojis. It was honestly adorable, especially imagining a man who looked like Eddie Munson punctuating every sentence with at least one emoji. The last message made his heart give a fluttery little squeeze, especially when he noticed it was sent around the time Steve was clocking out.

Steve [sent at 18:21]: hey, home now, u can call whenever. I’ll be up for a few more hours probably Steve [sent at 18:22]: bug pics are fine, btw

It took about five minutes for Steve’s phone to start vibrating with the incoming call.

“Hey,” Steve greeted, just to be met with raucous laughter and the wailing of his name from the other band members. There was even a voice that sounded suspiciously like Chrissy in the mix.

“You’re a bunch of embarrassing fucking animals!” Eddie was barking at them, and by the way their laughter got suddenly quieter with a click, Steve could guess they had been hanging out in one hotel room. “Sorry about that,” Eddie said into the phone, his voice quiet and nervous.

“It’s all good,” Steve said, blushing deeply at actually hearing that dumb bit live.

“They’re so dumb. I swear, the moment they start dating anyone outside the band I’m gonna be ruthless,” Eddie promised grumpily, but it was punctuated with a chuckle. “Anyway, how was work?”

Steve’s heart squeezed again, overwhelmed by the question in a way that was beyond stupid. It was small talk at best and taking it as what, domesticity? Just setting himself up for heartbreak later.

“Work was work. Getting into the summer here, so tours and entertainment groups are picking back up and it’s getting pretty busy,” Steve responded, shrugging a shoulder despite Eddie not being able to see him. Then he said, “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything,” Eddie immediately replied, and Steve could hear the sound of a door shutting. Steve assumed that meant Eddie was now in his own hotel room.

“Why did you actually lie? Like, assuming I would stop talking to you aside like… why was it so important that I kept talking to you?” he asked, frowning a bit. “You didn’t really know me for the first few calls, so I just… don’t think it started with your feelings about me.”

Eddie let out a huff of laughter followed by a small oof as the phone was jostled a bit. “You’re so fuckin’ smart, Stevie, it’s scary sometimes,” Eddie muttered, and Steve blushed.

“Not a whole lot of people would agree with that,” Steve teased, and Eddie made a disgusted noise.

“Those people are just lying to themselves,” he said firmly before sighing. “I haven’t had like… a real conversation with someone in, like, forever. Since we started proper touring as openers and stuff. The only people I could talk to about things were the boys, Chrissy, and my uncle.”

Steve frowned at that but didn’t interrupt, even when Eddie paused for several seconds.

“When you called it was nice to not be Eddie Munson Of Corroded Coffin, and when I flirted with you, you—it was just nice. The way you reacted when I flirted,” Eddie said, his voice quiet. “It made me feel like I was a normal guy.”

“What—I don’t even remember how I reacted the first time,” Steve said, trying to recall that conversation two months ago.

“It wasn’t just the first time; it was every time. Like you would get shy and then give it back as good as you got, y’know? I’m used to flirting with people and them just…” Eddie trailed off, groaning. “I hate how this sounds out loud, but people normally just… throw themselves at me. Like, if I’m giving them attention, they need to get in my pants immediately, as if getting to know them at all is off the table. Like they think I won’t want to spend time with them if I actually knew them.”

“Sounds really lonely,” Steve confessed, his heart aching for Eddie and a new wave of guilt washed over Steve about the ‘groupie’ comment.

“I’ve got the boys and Chrissy, plus my uncle back home,” Eddie deflected, and Steve let him have that space.

“I’m sorry, too. For the groupie thing,” Steve said instead of pushing it, and Eddie laughed.

“Hey, it’s fine—”

“No, it’s not. That was—I was hurt, and sometimes when I’m hurt I get mean,” Steve insisted firmly, talking over Eddie. “It’s something I’ve been working on, and you can’t let me get away with it, even if you think you deserved it, got it?”

There was a pause. “Got it, Stevie,” Eddie replied, laughing softly before he hummed. “I just want you to know I’m really happy you’re giving me a second chance.”

“Honestly, Eddie, I regretted telling you off pretty much immediately,” Steve admitted, chewing on his bottom lip.

“You still sounded pretty angry when you answered the phone earlier…” Eddie pointed out and Steve grimaced.

“Like I said, when I’m hurt I can be an asshole, and I was still a bit hurt because you did lie and it was kind of embarrassing as a professional fumbling like that in front of Chrissy,” Steve pointed out. “I’m lucky Chrissy isn’t super uptight, because that alone could’ve cost me my job, Eddie.”

“Yikes, sorry, again,” Eddie replied sheepishly. “What changed your mind?”

“I, uh, looked you up,” Steve admitted, and Eddie went very silent on the other line.

When Steve didn’t elaborate further, Eddie let out a strangled little, “Oh?”

“Yeah, kinda just figured out what band you’re in first and stuff, saw some of your promo stuff for your newest album, read an article about your disability,” Steve explained, clearing his throat nervously. “Then while I was reading another article, I clicked a link to your YouTube—”

“Oh, fuck me,” Eddie groaned, his voice muffled as if he had buried his face into a pillow. Then, with his voice a bit clearer, he added, “Please tell me you haven’t watched the Tour Diaries, I’m begging you, Stevie, even if you have to lie.”

“I don’t like to lie, Eddie,” Steve said with a grin, blushing as he thought about videos again. “They were sweet—”

“It’s so embarrassing, and I swear I was only letting Gareth keep the stupid Steve Spotting segment in there because Steve is a super common name and you said you didn’t know or care about who we were, but I can absolutely get Gareth to remove the segments—” Eddie rambled, sounding a bit panicked.

“Eddie, the segment is fine! It’s great, I don’t—Gareth can keep the segment in the videos. It was that segment that got my bitchy head out of my ass,” Steve interrupted, and Eddie sputtered, and Steve liked to imagine that he was blushing.

“But… can you pretend to have a problem with it so the boys will leave me alone?” Eddie asked in a dramatically pouty voice.

“Absolutely not,” Steve replied with a grin.

“Ugh,” Eddie groaned before sighing, and letting the conversation lapse into silence that was not awkward or uncomfortable.

“Tell me something about yourself that you haven’t told me before,” Steve said quietly after a minute, smiling at Eddie’s soft hum.

“I can tell you about how I got burned,” Eddie replied and Steve frowned.

“You don’t have to. I know you don’t like answering questions about that—”

“I only dodge that question with strangers, especially strangers who are reporters. You, Stevie, are neither of those things,” Eddie said flippantly, taking a deep breath. “In twelfth grade I, uh, set myself on fire.”

“Oh shit,” Steve said, eyebrows shooting high on his forehead.

“Yeah, but it wasn’t just like… oops, dropped a lit match on myself. I had the bright idea to do the whole… flamethrower thing with a can of hairspray and a lighter,” Eddie continued and Steve grimaced. “Before you ask, there was next to zero thought process behind that decision, it was almost entirely impulse.”

“How’d you end up on fire though? I thought the hairspray flamethrower made the flames pretty directional,” Steve asked, though he was definitely not completely positive on that either.

“Yeah, well, the wind changed direction and suddenly my pants, my shirt, and my hair was on fire,” Eddie replied with a put-upon sigh and Steve couldn’t help but laugh. “The worst part was the hair. Not only did that shit stink, but man, my hair was glorious.”

“I don’t know, your hair is pretty glorious now, too,” Steve said appreciatively, thinking back to the black and white photo and the way his long curls spread across the vanity and fell over his shoulders.

There was a slight pause before Eddie let out a soft, almost shy giggle. “Stevie, I don’t know how to handle compliments from you now that I know you’ve actually seen me,” he admitted and Steve grinned.

“Good to know,” Steve hummed cheekily, laughing when Eddie groaned a bit.

In the background at Eddie’s end, Steve could hear a knock and a muffled voice. “Yeah! Heard you loud and—shut the fuck up, we’re only talking!” Eddie yelled, before saying to Steve, “Duty calls, Stevie. Can I call you after the show?”

“If I’m still up,” Steve replied instantly, still grinning up at the ceiling of his room.

“Awesome, I’ll text you! Later, babe,” Eddie said in a rush and hung-up before Steve could properly respond.

Steve held the silent phone to his ear for a while, repeating the term of endearment in his head over and over again while blushing up at the ceiling. His phone vibrated and startled Steve out of his thoughts.

Looking at the screen, it was a picture from Eddie, and for a second Steve was excited about potentially receiving a selfie from the man. When he opened it, he was confused to be faced with an image of a truly hideous bug.

Munson [sent at 18:57]: look at this ✨✨ugly✨✨ ass mf❗❗❗❗❗ he's so ✨✨uuuuuuuglyyyyy✨✨  Munson [sent at 18:58]: 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Steve laughed, grinning at the image and the truly comical number of crying emojis that followed the message.

❖

Steve and Eddie spent the next couple of weeks talking daily. During his breaks at work, Steve would text Eddie, and when he would get home for the day, they would call each other. Most of their conversations were Eddie retelling a few stories about himself without the lens of Chris talking about the “frontman”. Even though Steve had heard the stories before, they were so much richer being retold in first person and had more details that Eddie had to previously omit.

They also made a few video calls, usually when production brought the boys to a local landmark to film them “seeing the sights” and Eddie wanted to show Steve something cool. Steve was pretty set on limiting how much time they spent on video calls, knowing it would just make him even more obsessed with Eddie.

Though, that ship had definitely already sailed, and Steve knew it deep in his heart. Even on days when he was too busy at work to spare a few moments to check his texts, he would look at his phone every time it vibrated and grinned when he saw Eddie’s name in his notifications.

When there was only two weeks before the band arrived, Steve went upstairs to meet with one of the front office supervisors, Will.

He was largely responsible for doing room assignments and communicating about groups to the rest of the team. Will was a great kid, super polite, charming, and great with guests to the point that literally every guest that dealt with him and left a review mentioned him by name. So many guests seemed to actually fall in love with the kid, and most of the time that seemed to go over the kid’s head.

Regardless, when Steve left the front desk to join events, he put Will’s name in to replace him.

“Hey Will, you got a minute?” Steve said as he poked his head around the corner to look in on Will’s workstation.

Will looked up at him with wide eyes before smiling and reaching over to his phone to pause his music. The song that had been playing was familiar to Steve, even if it was heavier than the music he typically listened to. After a moment, it clicked that he knew exactly what, or more whose song that was and grinned.

“Yeah, Steve, what’s up?” Will asked, turning to face Steve expectantly. He paused when he saw the gleeful expression on Steve’s face, raising an eyebrow.

Grabbing one of the other chairs in the back office, Steve sat down and handed Will the group summary for Eddie’s band. There was nothing identifying on the page, as it only contained the information that had been turned over to him and then elaborated on by Eddie and Chrissy over the past couple of months.

“We’ve got an entertainment group arriving in a couple weeks. I wanted to go over this with you personally, along with the riders,” Steve said as Will began reading the summary. “It’s a band and film crew. They arrive on the thirteenth, depart on the sixteenth. Their concert is on the Fri—”

“Who is it?” Will interrupted, a bit uncharacteristically, and Steve smirked just a bit when Will’s eyes shot up to meet his.

“They’re a metal band,” Steve responded airily, his smirk fighting to become a grin when Will seemed to vibrate for a second.

“Who is it, Steve?” he asked again, leaning forward.

“Corroded Coffin,” Steve finally said, grinning properly when Will actually stomped his feet excitedly. The kid tended to be pretty reserved, except when he was passionate about something like Dungeons & Dragons, or apparently metal bands.

“This is so cool. I love that band,” Will said, turning his music back on.

“You going to the concert?” Steve asked, and his smile fell a bit when Will frowned.

“The show sold out before I could afford a ticket. They went on sale right after rent and my student loans got pulled,” Will complained, shrugging slightly, but his expression was still excited. “This is so cool though. If I promise not to be weird about it, would it be possible to meet them?”

Steve laughed and nodded. “I think I could make that happen for you,” he said with a wink before standing up.

As Will exploded into a full rant about Corroded Coffin and their music, Steve took that moment to unlock his phone and read the steady flood of texts he had received from Eddie over the day.

Eddie [sent at 10:03]: holy shit i saw another ✨✨fucked up bug✨✨ wth 🤮 Eddie [sent at 11:17]: garebear thinks these candies taste good 🤮🤮🤮 pls tell me ur normal and agree theyre the nastiest shit on the planet 🤢🤢🤢🤢 Eddie [sent at 11:21]: ik ur busy but i'm taking ur silence as agreement and saying u agree w me to garebear 😤 Eddie [sent at 12:02]: wtf 😤 the pigs pulled us over for no gd reason❗❗❗ searched the whole gd bus and now we’re gonna be fuckn late for soundcheck❗❗❗ wtffffffffff 🤬 Eddie [sent at 12:37]: yo baby isnt it lunchtime there?????? u better be taking ur break soon❗❗❗ gotta eat food and stay big and 💪🏻strong💪🏻 and 🥵hot🥵❗❗❗ Eddie [sent at 13:07]:  srsly stevie u better be eating 😠 even if ur not texting me back❗❗❗ 😘

Steve smiled fondly, his heart squeezing at the concern about his eating habits while he was at work. Turning his attention back to Will, he decided to keep what he had with Eddie a bit of a secret as it wasn’t something he wanted getting into the gossip pool. Anyway, Will didn’t need to know that Steve had some extra privileges with the band, or at least the frontman.

❖

The bus was noisily driving down the highway as Eddie lay on his stomach, propped on his elbows in his bunk and talking quietly on the phone with Steve. The curtains of his bunk were drawn closed for as much privacy as he could manage, and he was using earbuds so that his hands were free to fidget with all of his pent-up energy.

They were only a few days away from arriving in Chicago and Eddie was practically vibrating out of his skin about it. Currently he was in the middle of picking his nail polish off, which was making an absolute mess of his bunk that he would be super annoyed about when he finally hung-up with Steve and went to bed, but whatever. 

Eddie would deal with that when he had to.

“Have you listened to any of our music, Stevie?” Eddie asked and he hoped he didn’t sound as nervous as he felt asking. He’d been avoiding bringing up their music with Steve, worried that he wouldn’t like it at all.

“I’ve listened to a couple songs, yeah,” Steve responded with a chuckle.

Eddie waited a couple moments for Steve to say more on his own before asking, “What did you think?”

“I don’t really listen to metal, but your stuff is good,” Steve elaborated, and Eddie couldn’t help the way he wiggled happily at that. “There’s this kid at my work, at front desk, he loves your band. I told him about a week ago that you’re coming to the hotel, and he nearly vibrated through the floor.”

“Oh shit, that’s awesome,” Eddie said, his grin huge.

“He asked if he’d be able to meet you guys while you’re on-property,” Steve added, his voice full of mirth. “I said I would see what I could do.”

“Oh, Stevie, are you trying to exploit our little thing to get your coworker an exclusive meet and greet?” Eddie teased and Steve snorted.

“Nah, I was just gonna ask if it would be possible with your schedule. You can let me know when you do or whatever. No pressure,” Steve replied, and Eddie could tell he meant it.

“Well, he’s going to the show, right? I’ll see if I can upgrade his tickets,” Eddie said easily as he picked another chunk of nail polish off, but Steve sighed a bit sadly.

“Your show sold out before he could buy tickets,” he said at Eddie’s questioning hum, and Eddie frowned.

Well, that wouldn’t do. He’d have to talk to Chrissy about that.

Then Steve let out a little moan that Eddie knew was the noise reserved for stretching. He’d come to learn that Steve made a lot of little noises, when he stretched or was thinking particularly hard about something, or even the few times he fell asleep while they were on the phone. Each little noise was precious and drove Eddie insane with thoughts about the many other ways he could make Steve make such sweet little sounds.

So he cracked the same joke he did every time Steve stretched and moaned directly into his ear.

“Touching yourself over there, baby?” he asked, tone teasing and ready for Steve to scoff, tell him to keep it in his pants, and then go back to the conversation they were having before.

But Steve just hummed thoughtfully before asking, “And what if I was?”

Eddie’s thoughts came to a screeching halt as he tried to come up with a response to that. “What?” he asked stupidly, grimacing at himself.

Steve laughed. “What if I started touching myself?” he asked, his voice turning downright sultry.

“A-are you?” Eddie asked in a whisper. See, the rest of the boys could tolerate his late-night chats with Steve, but they wouldn’t for a second put up with Eddie saying filthy shit into the phone.

“Maybe… was considering it,” Steve replied, and Eddie could hear him shifting, maybe even undressing. That had Eddie’s attention and he shifted his hips as he felt his cock filling out against his bed. “Been thinking about our date a lot lately.”

“Steve, I can’t—I’m on the bus,” Eddie hissed into the phone and Steve made a small sound.

“Alright, I’ll hang up then—”

“No, please don’t hang up,” Eddie quickly interrupted, and if he wasn’t so hot and bothered already, he would’ve been embarrassed at just how desperate he sounded. “I just can’t, like, say anything right now.”

“Don’t have to,” Steve breathed down the line and Eddie shuddered. “Just have to listen, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Eddie replied, quiet and strangled. “Video call?”

“Hmm, no, I don’t think so,” Steve sighed, even if the thoughtful hum sounded interested. Eddie would file that away for later.

“Then tell me what you’re doing,” Eddie whispered, biting his bottom lip roughly as he reached down to reposition his cock between himself and the shitty mattress of his bunk.

On the other end of the line, Steve let out a sound that was breathy and sweet, and Eddie wanted to taste that sound so desperately.

“Just touching my dick, thinking about getting your mouth on it,” Steve moaned, letting another sound tumble out that was much deeper, more guttural, a sound that Eddie felt all the way to the tip of his own cock. “Bet you—oh, fuck, bet your pretty mouth was made for eating cunt.”

Eddie shivered, staring down at the mess of nail polish on the bed, eyes wide as he tried to understand what was happening. Obviously, he was listening to Steve jerk off, listening to him openly fantasize about him, but that didn’t make sense to Eddie. He wasn’t going to complain at all, except for the fact that he couldn’t actually respond. Eddie knew that if he tried, if he opened his mouth and tried to speak right then, he would just moan and alert the three assholes plus Chrissy to their activities.

“Jesus, Eds, I’m so fucking wet thinking about it,” Steve sighed, letting another deep sound of pleasure loose.

Eddie let out a strangled, breathy sound and rocked against the mattress, a furious blush overcoming his face, ears, and throat as he literally humped his bed like a fucking teenager.

“Shit, Eds, gonna—fuck, can’t concentrate anymore. Gonna get myself off, just listen,” Steve eventually said around a thick, desperate groan.

“Got it, Stevie,” Eddie managed to say, his tone shockingly even and quiet.

Then he was treated to the sounds of Steve getting himself off, the way he gasped and moaned, the guttural noises as the pleasure mounted and strangled whines as he seemed to back off a bit. Like he was edging himself, just a bit, dragging it out to torture Eddie.

And fuck, if Steve didn’t moan like a goddamn porn star, like he was being paid to sound so fucking hot. There was a delirious moment where Eddie thought about recording these sounds to sample in a song somehow while he grabbed his body pillow and shoved it between his legs for better friction. Grabbing another pillow, he bit it to better muffle his own noises as he got closer to his own release.

Eddie Munson was about to come in his own boxers while humping a pillow. The thought of it was so humiliating, it looped right back around to being the hottest fucking thing to ever happen to him.

“Shit, Eds, gonna come,” Steve whined, and Eddie shivered, imagining Steve arching in his bed, fingers working his dick and cunt furiously. Then Steve gasped, his voice wavering just before he shouted, “Fuck, Eddie!”

That was it for Eddie. Grinding his teeth around his mouthful of pillow, Eddie rocked his hips hard and fast, breathing heavily through his nose as the front of his boxers became sticky and warm against his skin. With gasping, panting breaths, Eddie quickly rolled onto his hip to avoid too much cum seeping through the layers and defiling his body pillow more than he already had.

“Holy fuck, that was way hotter than I expected,” Steve gasped through is own post-coital panting. “Fuck, Eds, you sounded so hot trying to be quiet.”

Eddie laughed breathlessly. “Wish I didn’t have to be, but hey, as long as it worked for you,” he teased, pushing his sweaty, curly hair up off his forehead.

“It definitely worked,” Steve confirmed with a tired hum, then he audibly yawned and sighed. “Okay, I’ve gotta get to bed, okay?”

“Same. I’ve gotta also change real quick,” Eddie replied in a whisper, grinning at the groan that got out of Steve.

“Shut up, you’re gonna get me going again,” Steve laughed. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow?”

“Absolutely,” Eddie agreed. “Night, Stevie.”

“Night, Eds,” Steve yawned just before hanging up.

Before Eddie could even really think to move from his spot, the curtain of his bunk parted just enough for Gareth’s upside-down face to poke inside with an unimpressed glare.

“If you ever keep me up with freaky phone sex again, I’m putting Nair in your conditioner. Do not test me, Munson,” he bit out.

Eddie just narrowed his eyes. “You’re just jealous I’m getting freaky phone sex and you’re not,” he replied with a haughty sniff. He knew better than to call Gareth’s bluff.

“Of course, I fucking am,” Gareth snapped back before wrinkling his nose. “God, now the whole bus is gonna stink like jizz. Chrissy’s gonna strangle you and I’m gonna let her.”

“Don’t threaten me with a good time, Garebear,” Eddie cooed as he began stripping out of his wet pajama pants and boxers, not even waiting for Gareth to look away. Honestly, it worked better to threaten his childhood best friend with his nudity to get him to look away faster.

“You’re fucking gross, man,” Gareth groused as he disappeared from view, and Eddie just grinned.

[ NEXT ]

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[oceanbug]

when worlds collide

smau non!idol ningning x reader

17. anxiety.

•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•

"Are you going to fucking stare at me all day, or are you going to start speaking?"

Ah, that’s what Aeri meant by "you’ll know."

You start to clear your throat and formulate your thoughts. While you think, Giselle starts the conversation.

"Y/n and I aren’t dating." Oh! Okay! I guess that’s how we’re starting things.

"Ugh, Obviously. You two barely know each other?"

"Don’t act like you knew already, Ning; weren’t you the one who ran away crying?" That didn’t take very long for the conversation to go south. You weren’t going to let this meeting go to waste, so you tried to regain control of the conversation.

"Okay! Let’s just calm down a bit. How about we start off with a positive conversation? I’ll start. Ningning, I’m sorry if you felt offended or betrayed in any way by me hanging out with Giselle. It wasn’t my intention. There, now, does anyone else want to give it a try?" Both parties at the table remained silent. Ningning had an angry scowl, while Giselle was smiling brightly.

"Apology accepted? Is that what you want me to say? Listen, it doesn’t matter what I think anyway; in a week we’ll go back to being strangers. Unfortunately, I’ll be stuck with this obsessive stalker for life, but you and I, Y/N,  won’t stay in contact." Ouch. It was obvious that you and Ningning didn’t have the same social circle, and you definitely didn’t plan on staying close to her after the presentation, but did she have to be so rude about it?

"You know, I am curious about one thing, though. How did someone like you end up in contact with someone like you?" She meant Giselle when referring to it, and you knew that. You gave Aeri an apologetic look, and she just returned a bright smile. I guess it didn’t phase her; I mean, she has dealt with Ningning for years.

"I messaged her on Twitter. I felt like we had something in common and could be friends."

"In common? What being backstabbing bitches? Aw, the BB club, cute!"

"Nah, being framed for being buddy buddy with your boy toy."

"Okay! Things seem to be getting out of hand." Like usual, you’re cut off by Ninging.

"How dare you? You’re still lying after all these years? When are you just going to own up to being a slut? It’s getting pathetic. How many times do I have to tell you that Wonyoung told me what you did? Yeonjun even admitted to it."

"How many times do I have to tell you she’s lying?"

"Give me one good reason Wonyoung would lie about that. She’s my best friend."

"So was I. So, why didn’t you believe me?" The room was silent. Ningning's face softened, while Giselle's bright smile faded. You awkwardly cleared your throat and began to speak. Might as well get your thoughts out now before you get cut off again.

"I know you have no reason to trust Giselle or me. I get it. But what if we could prove it to you? Prove that Giselle’s innocent."

"And how do you plan on doing that?"

"Well, in this story, the only people involved are you, Giselle, Wonyoung, and Yeonjun. We’ve gotten 1/4 sides of the story. If you tell us your side of things, we'll already have half of the story together. If we can just get the other half, I’m sure we’ll be able to prove Giselle right."

"What does it matter if I tell you my perspective? It'll just be the same as Wony's since she told me about the cheating. Go ahead, chat it up with Wonyoung and Yeonjun. Why should I stop you? Why even tell me your plan in the first place?" Ningning began packing her things and signaled to her driver that she was ready to go.

Giselle rolled her eyes and responded.

"Ning, you know getting to Wonyoung isn’t going to be easy. We’ll need your help. Please. Just tell us, what did Wonyoung tell you?"

•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•

masterlist ~ next

(Synopsis) Y/N had never been the type to take life for granted. You grew up with the mindset that if you wanted something, you had to work for it; So getting paired up with the university’s “Rich Bitch” Ning Yi Zhuo for your midterm was the last thing you wanted. Are you willing to step into the world of fame for an A+?

taglist (open): @azraism ; @kimsgayness ; @sewiouslyz ; @winieter ; @llluvbluy ; @i06kkura ; @everydayiloveyves ; @edamboon ; @rdfgfv

[stardustjmk]

hello! I saw that your requests for Greta are open, and I was wondering if I could request something for Jake? I am hard-of-hearing, and I suppose I would love to read something about how that has an impact on Jake and Reader's relationship. If you have any specific questions or anything, just let me know! I can totally help out. I hate to say it but I'd love for it to be a little angsty, like, obviously hearing loss is not a choice and maybe Jake is just like... still upset that Reader can't fully hear things and asks to wear headphones at concerts. I would assume IRL Jake isn't an ignorant jerk like that but maybe for this he's just hurt that he isn't able to fully be heard literally and takes offense that like the headphones make it seem like he is being ignored. Thanks in advance!❤️

Loud and Clear | J.T.K

Summary: In which Jake does his best to be understanding and mindful of his hard of hearing partner, but a particular request upsets him.

Pairing: Jake Kiszka x gn!reader | Genre: angst, hurt/comfort Warnings: angst, jake being unintentionally ignorant. | Word count: 2.6k

Note: I am not the best at writing angst, since I crave fluff, but I do hope there’s enough of it to fulfill your expectations 🥹🫶🏻 Thank you for requesting!!

DISCLAIMER: I myself am not hard of hearing, nor do I personally know anyone who is. The last thing I want to do is offend anyone, or anything along those lines. So, in the case that something in this story comes off as offensive, please understand that is not at all my intent. Also please let me know if that is the case, so I do not repeat any mistakes.

There was a point in time where you couldn’t see yourself being anything more than a friend to Jake Kiszka.

When he first showed romantic interest in you, you’d be lying if you said it didn’t scare you. After all, you’d been met with numerous challenged relationship, and it was rarely your fault, to put it simply.

That being said, Jake was persistent, unlike any other guy you’d ever had interest in. He showed you, time and time again, that he would take every challenge, and erase it the best he could. Not once did he make you feel bad, or guilty for being hard of hearing, and he certainly didn’t let anyone else make you feel that way either. So, between his persistence, patience, and love, you let yourself fall for him, getting wrapped around his finger.

Jake does his best to learn sign language, along with other means of communicating, but being so busy with making music, doing shows, and all the other tedious tasks of his job, it’s hard find the time to attend classes or do lessons online. Especially given that in order to make that happen, he usually has to sacrifice time with you, or friends, or family.

You know he does his best though, and it shows in the way he speaks to you, which in turn is enough in your book. Not to mention, guys you’d seen before had much more free time on their hands, but never put in the effort to learn, whereas Jake manages to find time no matter how busy he is, all while keeping up his relationship with you.

That’s not to say you don’t have your struggles with him, though.

You can recall a few moments where he’d gotten impatient, trying to explain something to you. One time, he’d waved it off, and even though he explained that it wasn’t because of you, but more so the point he was getting at just stopped being that important to him, it still hurt to be dismissed, when you were trying your hardest to understand. From that moment on, it was very rare for him to be frustrated, but you could sometimes see his shoulders slump or lip twitch. You did your best not to take it personally, and most of the time, he would make up for it whether it be outright apologizing to you for it, or cleaning up his act as soon as it starts - nevertheless, his patience and understanding always outweighs the few occasions where it isn’t so.

All things considered, this might be the worst situation you’ve been in with him.

You hug Jake’s arm as he talks to the boys backstage, the four of them preparing for the show they’ll be playing in a few hours. Jake wears a small, proud smile, evidently excited to finally have you come to a show. The four of them talk to one another, and between looking at their lips, along with the occasional signed words they’d picked up on, you could follow along fairly easily.

Each one of them had learned at least some basic sign language, but Jake had learned the most by far. In fact, when you met his parents for the first time, you were almost shocked by just how much of their words he was able to sign to you. Now, he does the same, and you find yourself with a smile that mirrors his, heart swelling with nothing but love for him.

Your eyes scan the room, and when your gaze lands on a cluster of neatly placed noise-cancelling headphones, you realize that you’d left the ones you brought in Jake’s dressing room. It would likely be easy to go retrieve them, but you’d be lying if you said the “Greta Van Fleet” stickers on the ear muffs didn’t appeal to you.

So, you wander back to the conversation, and wait until a good time to grab Jake’s attention. When it comes, you tap his shoulder gently. He immediately gives you his attention, and you take a moment to admire the smudged liner that beautifully enhances his brown eyes, making your head spin with how good it looks on him.

“Would it be okay if I take a pair of those headphones?” you ask, gesturing to the table, and Jake is quick to nod his head, but it seems he didn’t exactly process it, because as you grab a pair, his brows furrow. “Wait, why do you need them?” He asks. You told him once that your ears are sensitive to loud sounds, but it was months ago, and honestly very brief, so you aren’t upset that he doesn’t remember.

“My ears are sensitive, remember?” you try to jog his memory, and he nods slowly. He does remember, and also recalls reading something about it, possibly back in school, but it still makes his shoulders slump and mood falter. He tries to mentally reason with himself, knowing that you can’t help it, and that he wouldn’t want you to be uncomfortable, but Jake is known to be stubborn. Anyone who’s close to him knows that and has likely experienced it at least once.

You try to shake off the guilt that bubbles in your stomach - it’s not your fault.

However, as time passes, instead of getting over it, Jake only seems to grown more frustrated with you. It makes your heart ache, to think back on when you first met him. Even though he’s just as sweet now as he was then, a part of you thinks that he wouldn’t react like this if you went back in time and found yourself in this situation.

By the time you gather the courage to confront him, it’s not exactly a convenient time. The opening band is set to be going on in just a few minutes, and you should be making your way to your seat, but you decide it can wait. “Why are you mad at me?” You ask suddenly. You’d been watching Jake make his last adjustments to his makeup, outfit, and guitar (at least, the ones he could do backstage), and it was silent the whole time. You could feel how upset he was, and in a way, it made you mad, which is what made you ask.

“I’m not mad at you,” Jake says, not even bothering to look at you, when normally he’d be fully focused on you, knowing it makes it easier for the both of you. It’s a clear sign that he doesn’t want to talk, and your stomach turns. You’d never experienced this with Jake - shit, you could barely imagine experiencing this with him, given how he’s acted thus far.

A part of you starts to freak out, as this has happened before, in other relationships. Things go well, then something happens, you get blamed - even though it isn’t your fault - and then they break things off. Is Jake going to break up with me? you think to yourself, suddenly dreading the trip to your seat, and the hours following where you’re going to be expected to be happy.

“You are mad,” you say, a little more stern this time. He still refuses to look at you, and you feel a lump forming in your throat. “Jake,” you say, almost certain that your voice is shaky. He finally looks at you. “I just…” he sighs, “The music means so much to me, and the thought of you not hearing it is upsetting,” he explains. You watch his lips as he talks, eyes flickering between them and his hands as he tries to sign it. It’s slightly relieving, knowing that he’s not so mad as to completely give up communication, but there’s still a weight on your shoulders.

Before you can say anything, the boys are being rounded up, and Jake gives you a quick kiss on the cheek. “My mom will help you to your seat,” is the last thing he says before heading off with the other boys, making your heart sink. Your lip trembles, and tears well in your eyes, but you force them away. With shaky hands, you grab your headphones and soon meet with Karen, finding your way to your seat.

Despite the lingering sadness in regards to your predicament with Jake, you do your best to enjoy the show.

The lights turn back on, the boys disappear, and the once screaming crowd now evolves into chatter throughout the arena. Karen has been nothing but sweet to you, and as you both head back stage, she links her arm with yours. You’re coming up on a year of being with Jake, and at this point, you’re close enough with his mom that resting your head on her shoulder as you walk isn’t a big deal to either of you. In fact, she presses a kiss to your head, making a small smile form on your lips.

You aren’t sure what to do when you see Jake, so you hesitantly walk towards him, standing awkwardly to the side as he talks to one of the tech guys. As their conversation comes to an end, Jake turns to you. It’s clear that he also isn’t sure what to do, but he chooses to take your hand in his, gently guiding you back to his dressing room.

He seems gentler now, which is relieving, but you’re still worked up about the whole situation, and you’re sure it’s still on his mind as well. You take a seat on the small leather couch that’s in his dressing room, occasionally glancing at him as he changed out of his sweaty suit, and into a pair of old jeans, and one of his beloved button ups. Since it’s a Nashville show, you assume he’ll worry about a shower when he gets home.

He turns to you and walks towards you, eyes locking with yours. You’re not sure what to expect. He lifts a hand and brushes his knuckles against your cheek before cupping it. It’s a silent apology, that, and the way the look in his eyes begs for forgiveness. “We can talk about it later, okay? I don’t want to brush anything off, but I also have to-“ “I know, Jakey,” you stop him, turning your head to peck his palm, before standing up. “Do what you have to do,” you tell him, grabbing your headphones off the couch arm where you’d rested them, as well as making sure to grab the ones you’d brought. You kiss his cheek then walk to the door, opening it as to press your previous statement.

You aren’t sure exactly how long it is before Jake is done, but you do your best to wait patiently. You talk to the other boys, to his mom again, and eventually just linger around Jake himself, trying not to get in the way as he does what he can to help get things packed up.

After some time, everyone finishes up, and you’re back to where you were earlier, with your arm wrapped around Jake’s as you leave the arena. You say goodbye to the boys, along with Jake’s mom, then head your separate ways. The walk to his car is quiet, and you can only assume he’s also thinking about what to say, and what’s going to be said when you talk. He opens the passenger door for you, shutting it gently once you’re settled, then heads to the drivers side.

He waits to start the car, and instead looks at you. You figure he wants to go ahead and talk, and you ultimately decide sooner is better than later. “You said that I can’t hear you, and that upsets you,” you remind him of his words, giving him a chance to correct you, or add onto it, but he just nods. You look at him, and the look on his face reads that of guilt, but also a hint of his own frustration is mixed in with it. His silence gives you the floor to speak, but you can tell he’s worried.

You reach over the console and take one of his hands in yours, then use the other to gently direct his face towards you. His eyes meet yours, and you offer a half smile. “I do hear you, Jake,” you start. “Maybe I can’t listen to it the way you do, or the way your fans do, but I hear it, Jake. I see it, too…I feel it. I feel the drums, I feel the vibrations your amps, I see the way you react, the way the crowd reacts- Jake, I hear you loud and clear,” you conclude, and you can tell that it hit him particularly hard, with the way he sighs shakily and squeezes your hand.

He nods, processing your words, then waits for you to continue. When you stay quiet, he takes over, “Talk to me, please. I know you’re hurt and I just- I want to fix it, so please talk to me,” he says, taking over the role of assurance and comfort. “I just need you to hear me too, Jake,” you say, sighing softly. “I love you so much, and the idea of you being frustrated with me over this…it just hurts, you know? I didn’t ask for it,” you explain. You aren’t attacking him, or even trying to make him feel bad, and he knows it, so he lets you vent, without interrupting. “I know, and,” he pauses, pressing a kiss to the back of your hand before laying it on his lap. He uses his hands to sign as he talks. “I’m sorry. You don’t deserve that,” he says, and the way you can see the wheels in his head spinning extra fast, trying to make sure he doesn’t mess up, makes you crack the faintest smile.

“I love you too, and I promise that this won’t happen again, okay?” he says, and you nod, leaning in to kiss his lips softly. He kisses you back, lifting a hand to cup your cheek. You practically melt into him, the way he’s so delicate and passionate all at once making you crumble. When you pull away, he’s wearing a grin. “Now, you’re more than allowed to decline…but I think maybe we need a do-over, if you want to come to one of the next shows,” he suggests, and much to his excitement, you do agree.

When the next show rolls around, Jake gifts you a pair of noise-canceling headphones. You open the mix to find a pair of bedazzled ones, black rhinestones making up the majority of them, with “Greta Van Fleet” spelled out in carefully placed silver rhinestones. “The rhinestones were Josh’s idea, weren’t they?” you ask, making him let out a genuine laugh. “You bet it was Josh’s idea.”

This time around, things go a lot smoother, and Jake makes sure to look extra hard for you in the crowd. The smile on your face, the bedazzled headphones - which you eventually found had your initials embroidered on the underside of the headband part, along with “all my love” in jake’s handwriting - which he comes to absolutely adore, the way you’d dressed up for the show, all of it makes him fall even more in love with you. Not to mention, he watches you for longer than he might should, but it’s worth it to see you enjoying yourself, and that’s when he realizes that you do hear him, loud and clear.

[ciwzing]

⌗ 02 well that's one way to get out of it.

"so who's the unlucky girl?" the brunette asked in a teasing manner, resting her chin on her palms like a schoolgirl who's ready to hear the latest hot gossip. "what?" xiao responded with an offended look making hu tao laugh. "oh you know what I mean, who's the girl xiao?" Hu tao asked once again, stirring her drink with a straw her attention now on the scowling male in front of her.

" I don't see how is that any of your business" Xiao said and break the eye contact between them, casting his eyes on the food on his table. "C'mon you gotta give us a clue or something?" Hu tao whined, sprawling on the table gaining some stares from tables around them.

"That's right big brother! When was the last time you openly had taking a liking for a girl" Ganyu puffed her cheeks out, before shaking her head to make her point. "And we can also help to get you with her!" Itto enthusiastically said pointing his chopsticks at xiao, ganyu swatting his hand down shaking her head in disapproval at his rude gesture. Itto only murmured a sheepish apology.

"I'm not taking a part of this cupid whatever the fuck play you guys are doing" Scaramouche said with a scowl, crossing his arms, earning some eye roll from the group. "I don't want anyone to play matchmaker on my love life and I don't want anyone bringing this crush topic up" Xiao frustratingly groaned, almost wanting to rip his hair out, yes he was frustrated but he's more embarrassed than anything.

He thought he hid his feelings well, I guess well enough for not his other friends to notice except for a certain duo who couldn't kept their mouth shut, xiao glared at them with that thought in mind, scara only raised a brow at him while the other only giggled knowingly. "Aya, let's stop tormenting our dear xiao now" Kazuha feigned innocent even going as far to bat his eyelashes at the said male, xiao's frown only grew deeper.

"If anything shouldn't you guys bother scara, he was the one who noticed xiao's obvious staring, he might have a clue on who's the lucky girl is" kazuha successfully removed the attention from xiao by putting it on scara instead.

"oi, oi, what the hell are you doing! why are you putting me on the spotlight like that!" Scara said as he felt all the pair of eyes are now on him, he almost want to scream in protest but kazuha only blinked at him innocently before continuing on eating his meal. "So you do know something!" Hu tao said with an accusing finger, leaning on the table to get closer to the indigo eyed man. "So what?" Scara sassily snapped back, hu tao glared at him before slamming her fist on the table dramatically once againt gaining attention from others.

"Then what are you waiting for? Tell us already for God's sake!" Hu tao whined out, gripping her pig tails tightly on her balled up hands, Yanfei sighed and only patted her lover's back her act of trying to relieve hu tao's annoyance was reduce to nothing by scara's smirk. "My answers doesn't come for free" He said with a shit eating grin on his face still crossing his arms, ganyu in between the two of them, only sitting still with no intention of breaking them up. "You little- you're so fucking cheap"

"No payment? No answers" Scara shrugged looking away from the brunette when she made the effort to stand up to jump on him and pull his hair out, fortunately yanfei and ganyu hold her back, forcing her to sit back down. "I'm really gonna kill him" She muttered glaring daggers at the said male who acted as he was minding his own business, checking his nails for good measure.

hearing a sigh coming from hu tao, scaramouche knew he won.

"Fine, I'll treat you for 3 days, anything you want Just give me the answer" Hu tao whispered almost pathetically, pouting that she let the male got his way. "Wait- scara, don't do it" Xiao said almost pleadingly, scara only stayed silent making it look like he was contemplating, a few seconds of silence scara shrugged and didn't say a word making xiao relief thinking that scara is gonna keep quiet about it this time.

"make that 7 days and you have a deal"

"wha-"

"deal!"

"hey, what the!" xiao has never felt betrayal until now, watching in terror as scara and hu tao discussed their deal and sealing it with a firm handshake.

"so, who is she?" ganyu asked after the whole ordeal ignoring her dear brother who's lips keeps closing and opening like a blubbering fish in the water, not finding any words to let his million thoughts away.

"y/n l/n" scara simply left it at that, no further explanation needed when he heard countless gasp on the table turning their attention on xiao, his face erupting in flames just at the mere mention of the girl's name.

"Oh my god, the y/n l/n you shared multiple classes with?!" yanfei questionen for confirmation getting her answer when xiao let his gaze fall on his lap, his secret that he kept for years now reveal in seconds.

"The y/n l/n your once childhood play date?!" Ganyu exclaimed in a loud hushed voice paired with a dramatic gasp her hands clasped around her mouth for a more exaggerated effect.

"That y/n l/n!?" The girls asked in unison, the expression that xiao gave should be a more than enough confirmation but it seems like they seek more and want to hear it come out his very own lips.

He really need to leave.

Yup, he's gonna leave.

without any word he stand up from his spot leaving his confused friends who just stare at him silently, their eyes following him with every step he take. Eventually the group of friends snap back to reality and catch up to him before he can get away completely, scara getting dragged by itto and kazuha out of his own will.

"it is her!" hu tao said pointing an accusing finger at the male, grabbing him by his arm to stop him from walking away. the group of friends now circled him in the middle of the cafeteria, some people stopped focusing in their meals to put their attention on the group of people to see what's happening.

"yea it is her, what about it?" xiao said knowing denying it any longer would just make the other pester him more than she already did. "duh? talk to her" yanfei stated the obvious rolling her eyes to stare at xiao dumbfoundedly. "it's not that easy as you make it sound like" the male cried out in frustration almost ripping his hair out from the constant pestering.

"c'mon lil dude, you share a few classes with her right? wouldn't you have a few conversations with her by now?" itto said with a grin, patting his friend's head to encourage him but the deadpan look that xiao gave made his actions stop.

"oh my god, you never had any cover-"

"fuck so what?" xiao cutted yanfei out of embarrassment, can you really blame him everytime you're even the same room with him his mind turn to a blank and everytime you did strike up a conversation he was always left tongue tied, his lips moving on his own, words coming out of his mouth without him thinking. Now he's convinced you probably think he hates you when it's literally the opposite.

"god y/n definitely has a chokehold on you"

"hm? why do I hear my name here?"

all of them froze as they heard a new voice come view in the conversation, heads slowly turning to see a very confused you standing with a drink in hand, tilting your head to the side. "uh you must've heard wrong?" hu tao tried to convinced you but you only give her a raised of your brow with the answer she gave you.

"is that you gaslighting me?"

"no"

"yea, definitely gaslighting" you said, you point with your drink before a pout made it's way to your glossed lips. "Saw you guys just standing here in the middle of the cafeteria, thought to have a look to know what's up" You explained with a shurgged, you lips wrapping on your drink to take a sip.

"don't worry everything is okay" kazuha said with a smile even giving you a thumbs up to prove his point you couldn't help but let a smile graze your lips from his positive aura.

"Are you guys sure?"

"yeah, just uh- well xiao is feeling sick yeah!" itto said trying to be convincing but it seems like it did the opposite and it seems like you didn't plan to leave until you got an answer that satisfied you.

"Oh! he has aids"

....

"what?" even xiao wanted to say out loud as he look at his sister who's starting to feel smaller with all the attention shifting to her. "y-yeah xiao had aids, that's why, we're just concern for him you know, since we're friends" Yanfei awkwardly fiddled with her fingers, thinking that aiding her friend's statement would make it more believable (pun intended).

"I see.."

"yeah"

"then, I guess I'll get going" you cleared your throat, wanting to get out of the awkward atmosphere you unintentionally made. The rest nodded waving you goodbye stiffly. The group didn't say a single word even after you walk out of the door.

"well that's one way to get out of it" hu tao said.

xiao felt like he's gonna cry at any second.

Always: prev / masterlist / next ✧

synopsis: xiao has already accepted that he's gonna graduate without telling his feelings to a particular girl but it seems like fate says otherwise, he can't back out now, specially after his friends find out, playing as the matchmaker with the help of old friend google, wikihow to be exact

notes: taglist are open!

🖇 @aeongiies @sxiaoul @tsuyus-dream @sagegreenthinks @lovely028 @retiredmommylover @gojoandelsalovechilde

[mystic-ang3l]

I love bg3 and stardew! I'd love to hear/read your interpretation of some of the characters meeting eachother! (Ex: Harvey and Gale, will and Elliot, karlach and Abigail)

thank you for the request :p i LOVE this idea

these are just little blurbs of the characters meeting each other and how that would go. i chose the pairings the way i did bc i felt like they made the most sense... if you want more let me know, enjoy!!

When Harvey and Halsin met..

Harvey was initially intimidated by Halsin.

Was confused by this large mass of a man entering his clinic.

They introduced and conversated with one another, seemingly getting along.

“So you’re a doctor? How interesting… I am also a healer of sorts. As a Druid, I was gifted my powers from Silvanus, as I now protect and care for his creations, whether that be animals in the forest, or fellow companions.”

Harvey kind of stares at him for a second.

As Halsin talks about his god-given power and healing abilities, Harvey can’t help but get a bit jealous.

Why was he gifted such healing powers? He didn't have to go to medical school for years, and take all of the god forsaken exams. 

“Yeah, well I went to medical school for many years. I had to learn how to help people, and I believe in the ability to use modern medicine to help my patients. I’m not too sure about your powers, but I believe that my method of healing works as well.”

Harvey spoke more passive aggressive than he liked, realizing that his jealousy was obvious.

“Pardon me… I tend to get a bit worked up when it comes to my profession. Your gift is amazing, I wish it had been that easy for me.”

Halsin registers that maybe he was gloating too much.

The last thing he wanted to do was offend anyone, especially not someone he just met, that was similar to him.

“I apologize dearly for my accidental gloating… I had no intention of discrediting your profession. I think the way that you’re able to heal people is nothing short of astounding. I know that it’s a privilege to help others and that feeling is… unlike any other.”

Harvey lets out a sigh of understanding and feels a bit better after their miscommunication is resolved.

As no patients entered the clinic, they continued to talk amongst themselves about medicine and healing, something they both are knowledgeable of.

Once it was 3:00 P.M. and the clinic was closed, they both said their farewells.

“I’ll return again in the near future. Farewell, Harvey.”

Harvey returns the goodbye, smiling as he thinks about the return of his new healer of a friend.

When Haley and Astarion met...

Astarion was walking through the small town of Stardew, observing the area.

He walks up to a wooden board with several different flyers posted.

Some are looking for certain foods, others looking for minerals and such.

But, there was one flyer that caught his eye. It was very colorful, and definitely pink.

“IN NEED OF SOMEONE TO GIVE A MAKEOVER!! I NEED EXPERIENCE FOR MY COSMETOLOGY LICENSE. SRS INQUIRIES ONLY!”

Astarion was a bit… intrigued by this.

Why? He would never let some girl use him for makeup… right?

As he’s deep in thought, a high-pitched voice from behind him made him jump a bit.

He turns around to see a short, teenage blonde girl. She had a huge smile plastered on her face, he was kind of scared.

“Hey mister, I saw you looking at my flyer! Are you interested?”

Astarion scoffs at her.

“Absolutely not.”

Haley looks a bit defeated, but something tells her she can convince him.

“Come on! I saw you looking at it for, like, 5 minutes! It won’t take long, I just need to do one makeover for my class and I can get my license. Pretty please?”

Astarion looks at her, raising his eyebrow. He never thought he’d be in a predicament like this, and he also never thought he’d be looking forward to something like this… but he’d never admit it to a soul.

“As long as you don’t make me look like a clown, dear, I guess I can fulfill your request.”

Haley jumps up and down, squealing.

Without a chance to think, Haley grabs Astarion’s hand and drags him to her house.

She seats him at her vanity, as she sets up all kinds of things. Makeup, hair tools, everything you could think of.

Astarion looks at all of this, and raises his eyebrow.

“I thought you said this wouldn't take long?”

Haley looks at him, a playful smile on her face. 

“It wont be long! Maybe like, an hour or two…”

Astarion sighs as he realizes what he’s got himself into. Although, he’s a bit excited for what the result will be.

As Astarion gets more comfortable, he also begins to talk more.

Especially when Haley starts to gossip about her neighbors.

“Yeah, there’s a boy that lives in that house named Sam, I think he totally might have a thing for me. I see him looking at me through the window sometimes. Oh! And he has this friend named Sebastian, and he’s so emo, it’s kind of scary…”

Astarion listens to her gossip, being slightly amused by it. 

He even chimes in from time to time.

After what feels like forever, Haley is finished with the makeover.

Astarion looks in the mirror, a bit taken aback by how… good he looks?

Deep down, he loves it. He loves the way the makeup looks, and how she puffed his hair up.

“So… what do you think?”

Astarion looks at her, trying to hide his excitement.

“It’s okay, a bit chalky but it’s plenty adequate.”

Haley scoffs, as Astarion laughs. 

Afterwards, Haley makes them tea as they sit at the table, continuing to gossip about the whole town.

When Maru and Gale met...

Maru was excited when Gale showed up in her mom’s carpentry shop.

She looked at him from afar, noticing his purple robe. Was he an actual wizard? With actual powers?

As Gale is talking to Robin, Maru comes around the corner and walks up to him.

“Hi! I’m Maru, I’m her daughter”

Gale looks at her, shaking her hand.

“Nice to meet you, Maru. Your mother was just telling me about how much you like science.”

Maru looks at Robin, making a face as she hates the fact that she was talking about her.

“Yeah, my dad’s a scientist, so I’m really into that kind of stuff. Do you want to see our lab?”

Maru speaks excitedly, realizing maybe she’s too enthusiastic. She doesn’t want to scare the (maybe) wizard off. 

“Of course, lead me there!”

Maru leads him to the small lab, where there are many scientific posters and instruments.

As they talk, Maru can’t help but wonder if he’s actually a wizard.

The possibility is killing her, and she refrains until she can’t help but ask.

“Are you a wizard? Like one who can cast spells and turn people into frogs?”

Gale is a bit taken aback by her sudden question, but then laughs a bit at her enthusiasm.

“Well, yes… you can call me a wizard. I have the powers to cast spells and such… and it is possible for me to turn people into frogs, though I don’t usually have reason to.”

Maru’s face lights up as so many questions pop into her head. Could he maybe show her a spell, or even teach her? Maybe he can turn her into something…

“Can you turn me into a frog? Right now?”

Gale raises his eyebrow, a bit hesitant to answer.

“Technically, it is possible… but what if someone like your mother sees? I don’t want people to dislike me already, for potentially turning their daughter into a frog.”

Maru is a bit disappointed. She pleads to the wizard, hoping he would listen.

“Please please please! I promise I won’t tell a soul! I just want you to turn me into a frog, and then you can turn me back into a human after. It would be revolutionary!” 

Gale takes a quick look around the room, before he sighs and looks back at Maru.

“Fine… but very quickly. Do not tell a soul about this.”

Maru nods as she stands in front of Gale.

As he focuses on her, a green colored hue appears around him as reaches a hand out towards her.

The next thing he knows, there is a small frog on the floor.

He crouches down to the little frog.

“There, you are now a small little frog. Can I change you back now?”

Gale is answered with a croak.

He stands back up, and as he begins the spell to make Maru human again, Robin walks in.

“Have you seen Maru recently? I can’t find her.”

Gale looks at her, eyes widening as he tries to contain himself.

“N-no, I haven’t seen her.”

Robin nods her head, and looks around. She spots the frog on the ground.

She approaches it and picks it up.

“Well hello little frog… you must be one of the frogs that keeps escaping from Sebastian’s room… I’ll go put you back.”

Gale’s heart drops to his stomach. He decides he has to tell her that the frog is Maru.

“Wait! That isn’t a regular frog. That may or may not be… your daughter?”

He speaks, his voice slightly high-pitched as he prays she won’t scream at him.

Robin’s jaw drops, as she looks at him angrily.

It seems like Gale has a lot of explaining to do, and a spell to cast after Robin finishes scolding him.

[mariejordans]

i honestly don’t even know where to begin with this post, so i guess i’ll start with hi! sorry, i’ve been gone so long, though probably most of you didn’t even notice i was gone lol. sorry for not giving any warning to my absence, and i am especially sorry to the mutuals who have reached out to me that i haven’t responded to. i was and still am struggling with anxiety and depression and towards the new year it was getting to be a bit much for me, so i decided to take a mental health break from social media.

i’d honestly been contemplating coming back, but today i received a dm from someone with a link to a post that was accusing me of bullying and creating fake accounts to bully other people in this fandom. first of all, i would like to emphasize that this is not true. attached below is a screenshot of all the blogs that i own (EDIT 2/9/24: i have since deleted the screenshot for my own privacy and i believe that since i made this post, there has been more than enough evidence to clear my name.) milfsociety is my main account, which i have linked before on this blog and many of my mutuals also follow me on my main, and the rest of them are just me saving my old usernames or other sideblogs that i rarely use, but all of them have been inactive for two months at least.

i do NOT condone bullying ever, and to be continually accused of it by this person is very disheartening. it started with this post (seen below) that i made back in november after seeing a post discrediting marie as the main character of gen v. i admit that my language was probably a bit harsher than was necessary, but honestly my intention was not to send hate to op (which is why i never tagged it with any gen v related tags) but to defend marie. it also wasn’t meant to be solely specific to this one person but as a general post because at the time, there were lots of accounts discrediting marie and to be honest, i was just kinda venting bc of how sick of it i was. (also, just to mention, i have intentionally left out their username because the last thing i want is to send hate to this person.) this was the only post i made on the topic and later i heard that apparently op blocked me afterward (which does not offend me in the slightest since i have since done the same thing) so this honestly should have been the end of it.

i honestly hadn’t given this post a second thought until a little under a month later i received this ask out of nowhere, accusing me of ableism and bullying. i replied to this ask, which i will link here. honestly this ask came as a complete shock to me, because i had honestly forgotten all about my previous post.

i responded to anon and in the reply i apologized to their friend for my hurtful comments and expressed that it was never my intention to attack anyone, especially anyone with a disability, which i did not know about when i initially made the first post. i also explained my side, stating why i made the post in the first place, which i still stand by. originally, i had linked their post in my reply, which in hindsight was a mistake that i regret and i should’ve known better. again, my last intention ever is to spread hate and negativity or to bully anyone, so i deleted the link when i was asked by a third party. this person has also since deleted that post about marie entirely.

shortly after i posted the reply, i guess i can only assume that whoever anon was told them about the reply. i’m honestly not sure if they’ve ever actually read this reply or not, but they made a response to my reply, accusing me of harassment and bullying. honestly, it really confused me at the time, since i’d only made two posts in reference to them, and one was a reply to an ask, but we ended up having a third party account who was mutuals with both of us acting as a mediator to settle things and i genuinely wanted to move on from the situation. we both had each other blocked and it seemed to me that anon was just trying to instigate more drama between us, so i thought it best to just leave it at that. i was also going through some mental health issues at the time (unrelated to this situation even though it didn’t help) and had been considering taking a break from tumblr, and so i thought it would be best to just go inactive for a while.

this is honestly the first time i’ve used tumblr in the two months since i’ve been gone, so i have no idea what else has been happening regarding any other blogs and this person, but apparently i am being named as the sole instigator here and i just wanted to once and for all clear up this issue and my name. i’m honestly not sure if this person will see this post or if they’ll even accept it as truth. i can’t force them or anyone to believe me as i really don’t know what else i’d have to do to prove that i don’t have any other secret accounts other than making this post.

i will probably continue to be inactive on this account as i think it is in everyone’s best interest. i never wanted to contribute or start any drama in this fandom, but i feel like i am partially responsible in how this situation has turned out, so i would also like to apologize to you all as well. i’ve never had an account of mine get as big as this one has (thank you to everyone who liked and supported my silly little ramblings!) and i can honestly say i have had the best time interacting and fangirling with you all about this show and these characters that i love so much and i will continue to enjoy and love gen v and marie from afar!

goodbye for now,

rose (aka mariejordans)

[detachedminxsfics]

System Error

Characters: JD Richter x Detective F!Reader

Summary: You take on a homicide case and find that you're not as alone as you thought you were at the crime scene.

Word count: 5.1K+

Warnings: NSFW - Vaginal sex, riding, drunk sex, mixing business with pleasure

A/N: I wrote this at 2am so I was too tired to check/revise for mistakes, so apologies to anybody who reads this lmao. Also I'm only on like ep 9 atm so I wrote him as best as I could. :)

Ten k. That was what someone was willing to pay to solve a homicide, and you'd be damned if you weren't gonna take that. Vee, your computer system responsible for receiving all jobs for the patrol special had come to life with the alert of an incoming job. A suspected homicide down fifth avenue, a man was found murdered in his own home. There was no way of telling whether it was gonna be a clean-cut case until you could see the crime scene for yourself, and with Vee's timer slowly chipping at your twenty seconds to make your decision you hurried off for your shoes and sighed.

"I accept."

The computer processed your response, and then the job was yours.

"Would you like a partner?"

You laughed a little, not that that would amuse the software.

"No, Vee. I never do."

You finalised zipping up your boots, standing up and making your over to where you'd strewn your jacket, throwing it over your shoulders.

"Sending crime scene location to your nav, please confirm receipt."

The screen lit up with a full address, and your eyes wandered over it for a moment.

"Confirm."

The criminal activity matrix hibernated once more, and that was it. That was your night planned out. The drive wasn't too long as the location wasn't awfully far, and before you knew it you were parked outside, staring over at the apartment block in front. There was a car parked relatively close to yours, a jeep positioned almost as though its driver had the same intentions as you, but you swept away the thought. This was a complex of many residents, albeit rich ones, and that could be any one of the resident's vehicles. Though you weren't sure why one of them would own such a vehicle, and a muddy, not so maintained one at that. You stepped out of your car and made your way into the building, bypassing the complex's security systems until you reached the floor you needed. Sixth, apartment number 154. Locating was the easiest part. After overriding the electronic lock system on the front door you pushed it open, gun raised vigilantly. It had happened a few times before, the culprit hangs around, or tries to make their way back to cover their tracks after the initial body discovery. Could never be too careful. You were cautious as to the volume of your steps, nevertheless, one creaky floorboard gave way to a whole load of ruckus in an entirely silent room. If anyone was here, they'd surely know your whereabouts by now.

"Don't move a muscle, hands up and drop it."

A man's voice sounded from behind you, your back to him as you kept your gun gripped in your hand, merely lowering your arm and looking straight ahead of you.

"I've done a lot of cases, but a murderer employing cop lingo is a first."

Something wasn't right, and you hoped that what you were implying was telling enough.

"You're a cop?" He questioned with a tinge of skepticism.

You turned to face him now, not entirely convinced that he would still shoot you. He seemed to tense a little once you did. Well, what a surprisingly pleasant sight to behold. He looked the middle-aged whiskey-drinking type, and the matte leather jacket did little to ease your idealised first impression.

"Patrol special, and you're on my crime scene."

You tucked your gun into your waistband as opposed to its usual holster and glanced up at him, he looked wildly offended, judging by the look of disbelief splayed across his face.

"Your crime scene? Not only was I here first, but this is most certainly my case."

Concurrently, you pulled your remote matrix systems from your pockets, eyes locked with one another as you unlocked your devices.

"11964, passkey buffalo jump." He muttered his security details.

"3273, passkey angel wings." You did the same.

Simultaneously, you turned the devices to face one another, the synchronously timed confusion etching across your features priceless. Both screens displayed the same job, everything down to the victim details and case ID, meaning the two of you were most certainly in the right place. Defeated, you both lowered your devices and tucked them back to where they belonged, and your newly appointed comrade lowered his gun.

"Must've been a system error, a malfunction, or something. You pick a partner?" He asked.

You shook your head.

"Nope, I don't work so well with others."

"Likewise."

A standoff. You had two choices. The first consisted of familiarising yourselves with one another, considering you were about to be partners in this case. The other? Race him. Bounty hunters had done it before, competing with one another for who would score the payout, and solve the case first. Though, he didn't seem like the competitive type.

"Truce, and I suppose we get the ten thousand each. If not? Five k split. Sound fair?" As generous an offer as you could give, and if he denied, honour be damned.

You extended your hand with a moderate amount of composure, and his brows furrowed as he worked the idea through his head. He mulled on it for a moment or two, and then his hand closed around yours, shaking hands as you established the grounds for your truce.

"JD Richter."

You tilted your head slightly, and a small smile spread across your lips.

"Cute." You muttered offhandedly, heading off towards the bedroom.

He followed after you.

"Not gonna give me your name?" JD pried.

You stepped into the master bedroom, surveying the room for anything misplaced or unusual, practically ignoring him.

"Need to know basis, or you can look me up. File's a little wild, but a guy like you might get a kick out of it."

You rounded the bed to discover the pool of blood staining the off-white carpet, bending down to get a closer look. Purposefully, you ignored the sounds of a scanner from behind you as he obviously looked you up, the repetitive beeping that subsequently ceased indicating that he had found it.

"You're a busy girl. A repeat offender for petty theft and battery, served some time. Then you went straight, did some time in the force. Now your solo as of four months ago. You get cold feet?"

You let a small giggle slip, still focusing your attention on the clue right under your nose.

"No, I got bored. Needed something a little more thrilling."

It was true. A position in generalised law enforcement just wasn't good enough for a thrill seeker such as yourself, not when you could be working with homicide cases and collecting mass payouts like this. Bounty hunting was where your heart lie. Your head wandered down to just beside the blood, careful not to contaminate the evidence, and pinched to gather something from the carpet. You raised and turned your hand over to look at your fingertip, seeing as you had collected some kind of paint chip. Or...

"Killer's female. Probably early to mid-twenties."

You rose to your feet with the nail polish chip still laid on your fingertip, careful not to drop it.

"What makes you so sure?"

You extended your hand to show him the speck of rouge varnish.

"Nail polish. Chips off sometimes, and the choice of colour just screams twenties. I have a knack for this sorta thing."

His brows were raised, and he seemed impressed.

"Okay, you're quick. Anything else?"

JD was willing to see how far he could push your investigative skills, and whether he could make you stutter. You wouldn't fold.

"The trail of sole indents in the carpet. Heels, judging by the dimension, stiletto. And a guy as rich as this? Louboutins, perhaps. He was probably well acquainted with his killer."

He smiled, a genuine and fascinated one.

"Well, alright. You suggestin' we got a femme fatale on our hands?"

You pulled your phone from your pocket to take a photo of the chip, making sure that you focused it so it would be clear enough that you could use it later.

"I am. They're my specialty." You finished your sentence by flicking the polish back onto the carpeted floor, your eyes boring into his as you silently urged him to detail the next move.

You knew, but it was his turn to be put on the spot.

"So, killer had to be close. We do some digging, social media, anything that could allude to a girlfriend or some lady friend of his, and then we narrow it down." When he stopped your brows raised expectantly, you hadn't expected him to finish his sentence so prematurely.

He looked bewildered by the way your expression urged him to continue, and you playfully rolled your eyes.

"Then, we make a house call. I'll see if I can find some matches for the polish, and we search for it. With varnish that old its probably wiped off with all the scrubbing she did to clean her hands of blood, so focusing on whoever has painted fingernails is pointless."

He nodded, feigning a sense of 'I knew that', and his facade of confidence brought a smile to your lips. Clearly, he was too confident to admit that he was out of his depth, and without you, this case would have been a whole lot harder.

"With that outta the way, how about drinks? My place, considering we're buddies an' all." JD mused with a grin of his own.

"A man after my own heart."

The two of you exited the crime scene, taking the elevator down to the lobby and making your way over to your car. You watched as JD split off to return to his vehicle, the jeep that you'd had suspicions of before. Your gut was as remarkable as usual, you hadn't lost your touch. Starting up your car you followed his vehicle, tailing him all the way to his place. Eventually, he pulled off the main road and onto a side road that led right out into a relatively private and modest one-floor home. Taking your keys from the ignition you pushed your car door open and stepped out, JD was already halfway up the steps to the porch as he had arrived a little before you by the time you made it to his front yard. He unlocked his front door and pushed it open, leaving it ajar so you could make your way inside. You did, shutting it behind you. For what it was worth his home seemed, simple. It was quaint, and looked as though it belonged to a person who was neither struggling to make ends meet nor rolling cash, he was just that middle ground of comfort.

"What's your poison?" He called out, and you made your way over to his sofa, slipping your jacket from your shoulders.

"Whiskey."

Truthfully, you didn't give a shit. Whatever got you waking up and not knowing anything that had happened the night before was your drink of choice, something to get you blacked out. He emerged from the kitchen holding two glasses and a bottle, setting them down on the coffee table. Then, he settled down beside you, twisting the cap as he readied himself to pour your drinks.

"So, JD, how'd you end up in this business?"

He poured the liquor from the bottle into each glass, the sound of running liquid filling your ears.

"Dishonourable discharge. This seemed like the next best thing, and it pays well enough."

You nodded taking the glass from the table after he slid it over to you. He took his own, nonchalantly holding it as he turned to face you. You did the same, apart from taking a rather generous swig of yours.

"Are you married?"

It was personal for someone you had known for an hour tops, but moving fast seemed to be the theme for this evening. His eyes grew a little solemn.

"Divorced. I like the crazy ones, I guess that's just my cross to bear." JD quipped.

You didn't smile until towards the end of his sentence, when even his eyes lit up a little. You threw the last of the liquor back and set down the empty glass.

"Figures."

Picking up the bottle you tipped it and filled your empty glass, if tonight didn't leave you with gaps in your memory you'd know you haven't done it right. JD seemed to pick up on what your intentions were, and he emptied the contents of his glass into his throat, setting it down and taking the bottle once you were done with it.

"What about you?"

You stalled for a moment, and then realised that he was referring to whether you were romantically entangled or not.

"No, not for me. I've had a few, partners, but the relationship's always strictly bedroom only."

A sip this time, fearing that emptying this glass would further the already present effects of this impromptu truth serum, and you'd spill far more than you intended to give away.

"Why don't you stay here for the night? We can start in the morning, and that way you don't get pulled over for a drink driving charge."

If you were fancy enough in this modern world of technological advancement you could afford one of those self-driving automated cars, but you were not. Neither was JD. Staying here didn't seem like such a bad idea, especially not when your company was so handsome. God, how much have you had to drink?

"Okay, hotshot. I'll stay."

JD was smiling as he raised his glass, watching you as you too brought the rim of the glass to your lips. It was gonna be a long night.

Minutes turned into hours, and by the time you looked back to assess the amount of whiskey left, the bottle was near enough empty. You were screwed. Now both severely inebriated you were huddled pretty close to one another, your knee brushing his thigh as his arm rested on the top of the sofa, supporting your head.

"Okay, okay, what's the like most craziest shit you've ever seen on a case?" It sounded a lot more concise in your head, but you mumbled it once it came out of your mouth.

JD chuckled at your initial incoherence, even in spite of the fact that he could translate your drunken speech perfectly. His eyes veered off toward the ceiling as he sighed thoughtfully. A beat passed.

"There was this guy that just lost it and offed his whole family. The kids, the wife, all of 'em. Found him red-handed, blood everywhere, and the guy looked as though he didn't feel even the slightest bit of remorse. Definitely not the worst of the things I've seen, but that's what you get serving in kuwait." Though notably buzzed, he'd levelled his tone to a more serious note out of respect for what he was discussing.

You frowned, having not expected something so grim.

"Well, shit. I was gonna say something stupid like the perp I caught because she left her bra on the floor of the crime scene, and I'm pretty good at guessing bra sizes. Ended up tackling her in a bar." Your more witty and comedic story was quick to lighten the mood, and JD idly rested a hand on your thigh.

Through the haze of intoxication, his touch was electrifying. You attempted to repress your urge to faintly quiver from his contact, unsure whether you were successful or not.

"Why is it that all the good looking women are crazy?"

You scoffed with false offense, mockingly hovering a hand over your heart.

"I'm not crazy, just ambitious. And a little impulsive."

His face moved closer to yours, the hand beginning to trace your thigh, fingertips teasing the hem of your skirt. In his venture, his fingers lightly grazed over the handle of the gun you kept holstered beneath your skirt, and you supposed the firearm didn't exactly help you plead your case of complete sanity. The skirt was already hiked from the way you were sitting, the sight of your panties obscured only by the fact that your thighs were pressed together.

"Oh yeah, how so?"

JD was teasing you, crossing the usual line of a professional and formal partner dynamic. And in a way, the fact that you admitted to having such frequent casual sex was incredibly appealing.

"Like this."

You whispered as you leant in, looking into his eyes for a moment before you pressed your lips against his. It was slow, and he groaned as though he wasn't expecting it. Still stealing one another's breath you climbed onto his lap, bent knees resting on either side of his hips as you slipped your tongue into his mouth, and he accepted it without the slightest hesitation. Eventually, JD managed to gather enough control to pull himself back, his hands on either side of your face as he attempted to blink through the haze of intoxication.

"Okay, you're not thinking straight. And frankly, neither am I. You sure you wanna mix business with pleasure?"

You gave a sultry smile, slightly tilting your head as you reached down and palmed the bulge that had formed at his crotch.

"What, like you haven't before?"

You gave no time for a response as your mouth was on his again, and he drunkenly succumbed to your advances. It was a little messy, intentional and yet awkward movements as you wrestled off one another's clothes and allowed the discarded garments to form a pile on the floor. In time your panties were all that was left, and they didn't last much longer. JD had undone his pants and pushed everything down to his ankles, including his boxers, leaving him nude beneath you as you worked off your thin and lacy underwear. You tossed it aside once it dangled loosely from one of your ankles and placed your hands on JD's shoulders, supporting yourself as you hovered above him, your hair cascading over your face. Simply, he raised one of his hands to cup one side of your face whilst the other settled on your hip. He gently urged you to lean down to press your lips against his, lining himself up and pulling you down onto him just as your lips meet. Your rather surprised and immodest moan bled into your heated kiss, and you can feel the noticeable sensation of fullness once you're fully settled down onto him. It's incredible. You pull back just to catch your breath.

"Fuck, holy shit JD." Is all you can manage as he uses his remaining grip on your curvature to ease you up again, just enough, before bringing you back down onto him.

Your hands fall from his shoulders to slide down his bare and moderately hairy chest, and your mouth falls open as you feel all of him, again. JD all the while just seems rather amused, the liquid courage leaving him a little haughty.

"C'mon, you made the move. Show me how ambitious you really are, partner."

The challenge was enough for you to somewhat clear your head, and you narrowed your eyes slightly. Luckily for him, you were pretty determined, and quite the competitor. You lifted yourself before coming down pretty hard, gradually setting a relentless and gratifying pace that had both of you letting the most foul of sounds tumble from your mouths. Your half-lidded eyes were fixed on him as you rolled your hips, drinking in the stray strands of hair that hung from the way he'd neatly styled his hair, and the way his lips parted to let out small, shaky breaths. Teasingly, you feel JD's fingers dig into the top of one of your thighs, the other still caressing your hip. He wouldn't utter a word, but the way you looked bouncing on top of him like this? You were fucking beautiful. All he could do was silently thank the system for one of the best errors of his life, the light of his eyes the only indicator of the way he was appreciating you. Your moans grew louder, a string of crude and unrestrained whimpers that filled the air of his quiet, one-story home. Knowing you were close only urged him to move his own hips in time with yours, the added stimulation only worsening the pleasure brimming in the pit of your stomach. As you gave one final roll of your hips before collapsing on top of him JD followed shortly after, twitching beneath you as your head fell into the crook of his neck. His guttural groans resounded just beside your ear, a tune that told you that was a job well done, and your ambition was pretty clear. Inebriated, overstimulated, and with your mind seemingly unable to concentrate on anything other than the pitch black behind your eyelids, you were done for the night. Everything after that gets suitably fuzzy. Your vision's vivid at various different points, but from what you can gather judging by the way the ground suddenly grew farther away, and the feeling of overall weightlessness, JD carried you to bed.

The sun beamed over your face, a light seemingly unavoidable, even despite your blissfully closed eyelids.

"Rise and shine." Spoke an enthusiastic voice, and you peeked your eyes open to look at your talking and oddly human alarm clock.

Reluctantly, you opened your eyes all the way, momentarily shielding them from the harshness of the light and leaning up.

"God, this feels like shit."

Your head was pounding, temples seemingly throbbing as everything got a whole lot louder, and brighter. His understanding but partially taunting chuckle prompted him into offering you the only help that he could think of.

"Coffee? I'm on my second, we drank a lot."

"You're telling me. Yeah, whatever."

JD headed off towards the kitchen to fix you your hangover remedy, and you managed to haul yourself from the bed in search of your clothes. He'd already found his, and you walked out to the lounge to kneel on the floor and scramble to retrieve yours. Having recovered your underwear and your skirt you continued to search for the rest of it, completely ignoring the steps that had come from the kitchen and halted just in front of you. JD was watching you, hung over, nude, and crawling across his living room floor.

"I gotta say, you could stay like that. We just might not get much work done."

Your head snapped up to award him a warning glare, what you had managed to find of your clothes tucked under your arm.

"Behave." Blunt, but candid enough to rip off the band-aid with the realisation that you two didn't have time for this, and you were going to need to focus.

JD raised his free hand in surrender, and you proceeded to recover the rest of your garments, standing to your feet and throwing them on once successful. Meanwhile, he set the coffee mug down on the table and scurried off to do something else, and you sat down on the couch finally fully clothed. When JD returned he set his laptop down on the table and offhandedly gestured for you to open it, so you did. He sat down beside you with a cluster of papers in hand, leaning over and keying in his password when the device prompted him to do so.

"I'll leave the socials to you. I've got his phone records and transcripts here to go over. Gonna look for any abnormalities and calls that went out the night he died."

"Got it." You muttered offhandedly, already invested in the task at hand.

It took maybe an hour flat, and you'd pinned everything. Rich aristocrat types such as this guy were all too flashy, usually gaining online traction for their repeated bragging of all their financial assets, so he was hardly difficult to find. Then came another often flaunted asset, women. There were many, but a handful appeared more than once, and you had a hunch for this particular girl. You pieced together a list of your most notable suspects and then cross-referenced it with JD's list of frequent callers considering you'd already profiled most of the girls, including their mobile phone numbers.

"Her." You muttered, tapping your pencil on your personal favourite.

JD glanced at you with a considerable amount of apprehension, but the confidence in your eyes was persuasive and convincing.

"Okay, you got an address?"

You sure did. The next few minutes consisted of piling into JD's jeep, and you were pulling into the drive of your suspect's home before you knew it. Judging by the look of her home she was, comfortable. Not the kind of level of wealth of your entrepreneurial victim, but enough. Houses like these had good, advanced security systems, but detectives were able to bypass pretty much anything, especially in a case like this. Politely, you both stepped out of the car and made your way to the front door first, knocking and letting a beat pass. When you received no response it became pretty conclusive that she wasn't home, which was perfect, really. JD tampered with the security system and you were able to get her front door open with little to no fuss, you stepping in first to get a brief look at her place. You deduced the room most likely to be the bedroom and made a beeline for it, barely able to contain yourself in your desire to search for the infamous red polish. JD trailed behind you, his footsteps closely following yours as you stepped into the bedroom and began to survey her dresser. Eventually, your eyes landed on a slightly scattered heap of different nail varnish, your eyes settling on all of the red ones in particular. Whilst you sifted through the nail polish and attempted to match it with the sample on your phone JD discovered the shoe rack and began to look for any stiletto-heeled shoes, more to be busy with something more than anything. Finally, one particular shade of red came ablaze with the notification of a match.

"Bingo. Chanel too, classy girl."

You spun to face JD with a smile of triumph, and his own smile seemed to resemble a similar sense of premature victory.

"Perfect. Now time to go pay our little femme fatale a visit."

JD exited the bedroom to make his way back to the jeep, and you stuffed the nail polish in your pocket. It was evidence, and besides, red was your colour. Unexpectedly, JD had been waiting for you out in the hallway, and his features looked so serious. You approached him a little concerned, considering you had solved the case after all, and he'd been over the moon only a few seconds ago.

"Look I uh, it's been nice with you. Working, with you." JD cleared his throat after his slight mishap in specifying the enjoyable part of his time with you, but your eyes drifted elsewhere, caught up with the movement over his shoulder.

"Duck!"

It took him a moment, but he eventually caught on and leaned over just as you did, narrowly missing the blade that was hurled toward his head. It passed over you both and embedded in the wall behind you, and you were quick to pull your pistol from the holster beneath your skirt and aim, reflexively squeezing the trigger and firing a shot into the woman's leg. It was the only reason you wore this damn thing, and it often came in handy. She cried out crumpling to the floor clutching her newly wounded knee, and you heaved a sigh of relief. You were still processing how quickly you had acted as JD made his way over to her and restrained her into handcuffs, affirming the capture of your killer. Some not-so-pleasant words were exchanged in the moments before the authorities came to collect her, but you hardly paid much attention when you received your payout of ten thousand dollars.

"You too?" You asked JD, who was also staring down at his matrix.

"Yep, ten thousand each, a pretty hefty sum for a job like this."

It was. But you were most definitely not going to complain, a system error meant a financial one, and you'd earned that money fair and square. The case was closed, and you both stood there for a moment or two, unsure who should make the first move.

"We should probably get going." You broke the silence, and JD nodded in agreement.

Foolishly, you almost hoped you two would have gotten to spend a little more time together. He was good company, an adequately competent partner, and from what you could remember, good in bed. Nevertheless, JD still had to drive you back to his since you'd left your car, and so you followed him out to the jeep. The drive was silent, almost in contemplation. You'd gone from avoiding a knife meant for the back of JD's head to the thought of driving home and getting into your bed, a significant turn of events. The contrast played havoc with your gradually subsiding adrenaline. Even through your intense thought, you did notice when the vehicle came to a stop. You unclipped your seatbelt and stepped out, and JD came around from the other side of the car. For a moment you dared think he was as disappointed about having to part ways as you were, but neither of you was the cooperative type.

"Well, thanks for, last night. And being such a great partner." You leaned forward and planted an intimate but casual kiss on his stubble-filled cheek, barely sparing the time to acknowledge his reaction afterwards as you made way for your car.

You'd made it one step when his arm reached out and carefully snatched you back, spinning you back to face him.

"Wait, you should take my number. Just in case."

You raised one brow, a smile playing on your lips from the tone of his request.

"In case of?"

He thought for a moment, lips forming his own impish smile.

"You never know, system errors."

Yeah, system errors. At least that was how you justified it when you exchanged numbers. Finally, it was time for you to take your leave. JD was halfway up the steps to his front porch when you rolled down the window and called out from your car, foot angled readily to bolt out of his driveway.

"I left my bra on your bed, by the way!"

You were gone before he could even spare you a glance.