#and basically just fuck everything I wish I hadn't had to deal with that

[invisiblerhythmcat]

oh ok

guess I'm not doing anything tonight

[matrixbearer2024]

Hey I have an idea for "Get Off My Screen" what if Y/N starts talking to Vox less and less and he is so confused so he goes through her phone to try and figure it out and sees her Instagram announcing a new bf and Vox is soooo jealous but she basically ignores his protests and so life goes on as normal for them both until one day he gets nosy and checks her texts on her phone with her bf and finds nudes from her and then he gets annoyed and lectures her about it which leads to her getting angry and ignoring him but then a few weeks later he checks Y/N and the bf's chats again and sees him threatening her

On a completely unrelated note I luv this series and also definitely need a Vox of my own in my phone cause I can't write or spell for shit lol

You Could Do Better(With Me)

Protective!Vox x CollegeStudent!Reader

WARNINGS: Mentions of Alcohol, Nudes, Blackmail, Manipulation

A/N: Okay this was actually pretty angsty, more on Vox's side because he's just dealing with a lot of emotional whiplash- most of which he doesn't really deal with well but he powers through it to be there for you. At this point in time he's kind of certain he likes you, but not that he loves you. Kind of like the: "Oh I'm really fond of this person, I want to make sure they're safe and happy." Without realizing the romantic implications nor how deep the level of attachment really is. So far, Reader's only kind of had a puppy-love crush on Vox but has blatantly disregarded it because well- Vox is fucking dead so what the hell are you supposed to do?? That and Vox constantly gets on Reader's nerves with his shenanigans so even if she gets the Cupid valentines filter when he cranks up the charisma- his stupid hijinks quickly do away with it and make him seem idiotic(cutely) again. The story also has a lot of emotional stuff so if you'd rather stick to the comedy feel free to skip this interlude and the one directly after it.

A/N: Either way, that's currently the pace these two are at- and this is a songfic! If you want to listen to the tune while reading- here it is! "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum. The story itself is slightly different from the prompt since I made it centered around how Vox perceived things were going. As always, I hope y'all have fun and enjoy! Happy Reading!

Vox wanted to pretend everything was okay.

Walking through the halls of the Vee tower, he really wanted to play it off like nothing was bothering him.

And still, he found himself checking his phone for any updates or messages from you.

Day by day you were starting to slowly disappear from his routine.

He didn't notice it at first, how you were pulling away-

It was just the little things initially.

One word replies, emoji spam-

Vox figured you just weren't in the mood to listen or talk.

Did he do something that hurt you?

Up until the point that you both didn't really have any meaningful conversations anymore.

Which, as much as he tried to start anything proper-

It would always fall flat.

Were you still even trying?

He woke up one morning and followed his routine, shooting you a greeting before he started the day.

It just so happened that once he was finally able to check his phone to shoot you a wish goodnight-

You hadn't even replied to his morning message.

He was busy throughout the day, so he wasn't given the opportunity to worry about you.

But now, worry he did.

Vox quickly made his way towards his monitor room despite how late it was.

He went through your files, your pictures-

Wait.

Wait a goddamn minute.

Who the fuck was that?

He glitched slightly when he saw how that guy grinned in the picture.

It reminded him of his own, just so fucking fake.

Not to mention the air the person had around them.

They just exuded a great sense of showmanship and arrogance.

One Vox was all too familiar with.

That wasn't even the first picture you had with that person recently.

And the more the overlord looked, the more worked up he got.

He wasn't sure if it was anger, envy, irritation, or just a mix of everything under the sun.

Holding your waist, hugging you close, in some pictures your faces were so close together that you were almost kissing.

He was glitching in his chair from the emotional overload.

Who did this guy think he was to be able to treat you like that?!

Vox definitely punched a few screens from fury and jealousy.

Come the next day when he confronted you about it-

More like became a clear pain in the ass that you really couldn't ignore-

Making your computer practically unusable even-

Was when you revealed to him that you didn't mean to hide something like this.

You just simply forgot to say anything.

Vox didn't know if that was worse than if you tried to deceive him.

"Geez, so you have a boyfriend now?"

"Oh come on, you act like I'm not allowed to date. I'm a responsible adult Vox, not a kid."

The tech overlord only stared at the screen.

Was that really all you saw him as?

A digital guardian?

Just... someone who treated you like a kid?

He scoffed, he could count more times where he was the childish one.

That was stupid.

Besides that, he had more pressing matters to deal with.

What was this... horrible sinking feeling that was running through his systems?

It was like a weight that made him struggle breathing.

"Vox?"

"I'm still here. Can't believe you would forget to tell me something as important as this."

His claws dug into his armrests, he should've been happy you found yourself a partner.

If that partner just didn't remind him so much of himself.

"I'm sorry okay? I was really busy the last few days."

"The last few days? How long have you even been talking to this guy dollface?"

"Months? Probably? I've known him for a while now, he was the school crush when I was back in high school."

Vox wanted to convince you that this guy was bad news.

A walking red flag if you will.

He... should know.

Vox was at least aware of himself that much.

Still, he swallowed it all back and just replied to you again.

"I don't mind the fact you're off the market, hell- congratulations even! Just don't get into any sketchy shit. You know, anything that could be used against you as blackmail."

"Yeah yeah, I know what I'm doing Vox. Seriously, don't worry about it!"

You simply brushed off his worry, typical.

That just made the suffocating feeling even worse.

He didn't even know where it came from, or why.

"Oh yeah! I've got a boyfriend now!"

Those words replayed in his head like a bullet to the skull.

The day hadn't even started.

And Vox already wished it was over.

This just continued for a while, your presence in his schedule became negligible and Vox was falling back into his old vices.

He became snappy, irritable, just downright intolerable to be around.

The employees were feeling it, the Vees were collateral-

Not even Valentino could placate Vox's current horrid state.

It's been a week.

Vox stopped bothering to message you in the morning.

But he didn't stop checking if you would message him even once or twice.

It was pathetic.

And another.

Vox broke more than a dozen phones from just throwing them around.

He drank himself to sleep every night.

Valentino and Velvette were getting tired of having to dump his wasted ass on his bed every time.

And another.

Vox holed himself up in his monitor room whenever he wasn't needed.

No one could get him to come out.

Not even for food or water.

If he needed anything he would get it himself.

It was a long day of broadcasts and meetings, another monotonous cycle in his fast-paced life.

Vox intended to just drink until he passed out again, but he somehow found himself drunkenly stumbling through the halls of the Vee Tower into his monitor room.

He honestly didn't even know what he was doing this time.

The overlord fought to keep his own head up as he collapsed in his chair.

He glanced over to the side your computer's screen was connected to and let out a shaky sigh.

God, he fucking missed you.

Against his better judgement, Vox connected himself to your devices again.

He went straight to your playlist and just pressed start.

Picture perfect memories, scattered all around the floor~

Vox spun around in his chair, letting the music ebb and flow into his brain.

He took another swig from the bottle of alcohol in his other hand, squinting at the screens.

Everything was just kind of fuzzy.

Reaching for the phone cause, I can't fight it anymore...

It took him by surprise when one of the screens showed your living room.

Had you connected him to your TV again?

"Vox...? Are you there?"

And I wonder if I've ever crossed your mind?

He was too out of it to properly say anything, Vox couldn't recall if the words that stumbled out of him were even coherent.

"Dude... you look like shit."

Listening to your voice gave him a slight moment of sobriety.

"Likewise dollface."

For me it happens all the time...

"Are you wasted??"

"Erm, not really. Just buzzed."

He was able to take a good look at you then, your eyes were red and puffy like you'd just been crying.

It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now...

"What the hell happened to you?"

"Uh... well... you know that guy I was dating?"

Vox took a swig of alcohol before he replied, there was no way he was making it through his conversation unless he was drunk out of his circuits.

"My personality copycat? Yeah, what about?"

Said I wouldn't call, but I've lost all control-

"Your personality- what??"

"Dollface, do you seriously think I wouldn't notice how much of a walking red flag that asshole was?"

You paused as he took another swig of his drink, Vox didn't miss that look of guilt and pity in your eyes.

"But you just called him your copy."

"And? I know I'm a piece of shit. Takes one to know one."

And I need you now...

"Whatever, I don't think you'd stoop as low as he did."

"That's for me to judge, what did the bastard do?"

He saw the slight tremble in your posture, your voice cracked as if you were holding back sobs.

And I don't know how I can do without-

"I- I knew I should've listened to you. I sent him compromising pictures and he... he-"

"You sent him nudes and he used them to blackmail you didn't he?"

You flopped back down on the couch and his unfocused eyes met your watery ones.

So that's why you'd been crying.

I just need you now...

"It doesn't feel good to have your trust broken by someone you gave your heart to I'd reckon."

You scoffed at him, wiping away your tears as they continued to fall.

Vox so badly wanted to make it stop, but he didn't trust himself to be lucid enough to say the right words.

"Well wouldn't you know? I'd bet the women over there would throw themselves at your feet."

Another shot of whisky, can't stop looking at the door...

Vox couldn't tell if it was his imagination or not that made it seem like he heard jealousy in your voice.

There wasn't any reason for you to feel envious anyway.

He took another swig of alcohol before meeting your gaze once again.

Wishing you'd come sweeping, in the way you did before~

"So what if there are? I'm too busy to pursue a dedicated relationship. I mean- have you seen the amount of shit I have to deal with every day?"

You looked dejected by his answer, or at least that's what Vox thought.

Yeah, he was absolutely wasted.

And I wonder if I ever cross your mind?

"So what did you do? Did you break up with the guy?"

"Can't. If I do, he'll release all my pictures online."

Vox hummed, pulling up a window on your computer for you to interact with.

He was a paranoid man as is, but this just proved it didn't hurt to have precautions in place.

For me it happens all the time...

"What is that?"

"Something I made for all your files months ago."

"What does it do?"

Vox took another swig from his bottle.

It's a quarter after one, I'm a little drunk and I need you now...

"A safeguard, all files you send from your devices can be irreversibly corrupted remotely. An encryption thing, I tried to tell you about it but you didn't respond."

He wasn't surprised that you pressed the prompt to start the file corruption process on those pictures you'd sent.

Hell, everything you sent the rat bastard that broke your heart.

Honestly, the fucker didn't even deserve you.

Neither did Vox if he had to be honest with himself.

Said I wouldn't call, but I lost all control-

The overlord stayed silent as he drank once more from his bottle of booze.

It was nearly empty at this point, not that he cared.

He could only assume you were watching the progress bar load which was why you didn't say anything.

And I need you now...

Vox just watched as you eventually got up and used your phone to call someone.

A smug smile worked onto his face when he realized who you were talking to.

After all, you'd only curse like a sailor when you were genuinely mad.

And I don't know how I can do without-

"You're kind of hot when you get angry you know?"

"Pfft, is that why you like to piss me off then?"

"Maybe, though I usually do just to get a reaction out of you anyways."

I just need you now...

Vox saw you roll your eyes, a smile finally gracing your face and he couldn't help but return it.

"I just became single again and you're already hitting on me huh?"

"Whaaaaat? I would never."

Vox humored you well into the morning hours.

The both of you talking once again like old times.

Like nothing even happened.

Eventually it got to the point you had fallen asleep on the couch right in front of the TV during one of Vox's stories.

The overlord let a soft genuine smile appear on his face at the sight.

At least you were okay again.

He swirled the remaining alcohol in the bottle and threw his head back as he downed the rest of it.

Finally feeling the exhaustion catch up to him, both emotionally and physically-

Vox's screen dimmed as he succumbed to slumber right alongside you in his chair.

A/N: HOOOOLY SHIT THIS CHAPTER IS LONG- this was an absolute UNIT of a segment but it gets better in the next one I promise, besides- I don't want to doom Vox and Reader by the narrative, that would just be a sucky ending. We'll still have more emotionally vulnerable stuff in the next interlude so if that's not your cup of tea feel free to skip it too.

[bella-rose29]

Deck the Halls (and not your partner) - Part 2

To make this work (I'm sorry) the reader has a very large family, and they will have names (I genuinely cannot be asked to try and figure that out and make it entirely... non OC)

Word count: 4.5k

Warnings: swearing, lockwood and children so beware your hearts, lockwood gets hugged and can't deal with it, the family members are mean, reader doesn't eat much, lockwood is still a bit of an arse and so is the reader (but hers is more justified), proofread maybe once

series master list

So far, it had absolutely been a shitshow.

Lockwood had remained silent for the next hour and a half of the train journey, and with not much else to do but plan every tiny detail of their fake relationship Y/n thought she might be going mad.

Luckily they already knew a lot about each other, so they could get away with not going over basic details about the other's life, but Y/n hadn't talked much about her family to anyone other than George in rants after phone calls with them, so if they thought that she was talking shit about them behind their backs (which she was, but they didn't need to know that) then they would descend like vultures.

She was disrupted from her thoughts when Lockwood stood up from the table seats they'd managed to get, his leg kicking at hers as he manoeuvred into the aisle, not sparing a second glance at Y/n. She frowned, about to call after him and ask where he was going, but when he disappeared out the doors and into the next carriage she decided that she didn't really care, and at least he wasn't brooding in her field of vision.

Y/n had barely been on her own for a minute when a family of five came into the carriage (they must have got on at the station they had recently stopped at), and with her being the only one sat on a table on her own and all the others taken, they made for her. She swallowed, for once wishing Lockwood was here to make her look less selfish, and sat up a little straighter in her seat.

"Excuse me, but would you mind moving? We've got three kids and need somewhere for us all to sit, and since there's only one of you..." The man trailed off, looking at Y/n pointedly, and while initially she had wanted to hold her ground she could feel herself shrinking under his gaze.

Where the fuck is Lockwood?!

He could talk his way out of this, she was sure. It was one of the few things she begrudgingly accepted was brilliant about him. It's not like Y/n didn't need the table; Lockwood's huge bag was sat on it and taking up most of the space, and her own backpack was on the seat next to her, but suddenly her breath was coming too quickly and her throat was closing up, and the man in front of her looked a little too similar to that one uncle-

"Is everything alright?" Lockwood's voice broke through the silence, and Y/n was annoyed to find herself reaching for him.

"Yeah, we just need this table, but this girl isn't moving."

"Sorry, my girlfriend's pretty tired at the moment, what with agents being in high demand right now. How about if we share? I think she needs a nap, poor thing, and we've got rather a lot of luggage between the two of us. I'll move over her side, shall I? Then you can take the other- yes, hello, little one." One of the couples' children had been tugging on Lockwood's hand, and Y/n could see the man's posture relax the more Lockwood talked, watching as her fake-boyfriend picked up the small child with ease and planted him on the train seat. The other two followed quickly, glad to not be on their feet any longer, and Lockwood came to sit next to Y/n, pulling his bag closer to them on the table and shoving her backpack onto the floor between everyone's legs. "See, you three all fit there perfectly don't you! You're only small," Lockwood was saying to the children, not yet noticing Y/n's shaky state. Their parents seemed to be content with the arrangement, taking their own seats across the aisle where they could watch their kids, and through the slight haze covering her eyes Y/n could see them visibly relax.

Once everybody was settled, Lockwood shuffled around in his seat trying to get comfortable, and when his elbow accidentally jabbed into Y/n's side he frowned at her.

"You alright?" he whispered, not wanting to draw the attention of their new companions. She took a moment to reply, not quite registering that Lockwood had actually said anything.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. I'm fine."

"Right... just- you didn't say anything when I elbowed you just then and I'm worried you might be having a stroke."

"I'm not having a stroke, you idiot," she said, glare appearing on her face. She had some much better names for him, but with three children under the age of ten in front of her, she figured she should stick to the more family-friendly ones. Lockwood smiled, bright and wide and far too blinding.

"That's better." Apparently he had forgotten about the mishap on the platform earlier, and his previous ignorance of her presence, because after that he launched into a whole spiel of what their plan would be.

"Actually," she interrupted, not caring that he looked annoyed, "I've had a lot of time to figure this out. I just need you to confirm or come up with something better on a few things and we should be fine."

"Alright then, what's your grand plan?"

"Well we already know most of the basic stuff about each other, what with living together for nearly three years, so that solves that problem. One thing I did think of was family, since neither of us have actually..." she trailed off, unsure where the two of them stood on that subject given what had happened earlier. Lockwood was only nodding, his brow furrowed.

"Come to think of it, you've never really mentioned your family much," he said.

Y/n shrugged. "I just don't... you know... I just don't..." she flailed her hands around in front of her for a few moments, trying to come up with the right words.

"I don't know," Lockwood replied coolly, "Should I?"

"I just thought I'd tell you about who's gonna be there today, which is my mum and dad, my four brothers, my sister, my Aunt Linda, and her daughter Stephanie. Oh, and my grandparents on my mother's side, but they'll probably be in bed by the time we get there."

"That's... a lot of people."

"Yeah. There'll be more for the party tomorrow, and then the day after will be the same group from today again, and we're leaving that day anyway."

"Okay... what about names?"

"My mum is called Emma, my dad is Ben, my brothers are Sam, John, William, and Tom from oldest to youngest, and then my sister is called Olivia. My Grandma is Jean and my Gramps is Richard."

"Right." Lockwood paused for a moment, reciting the names under his breath. "Anything else I should know?"

"Aunt Linda and Steph are gonna be the worst, since they always try and make life miserable for me. They're ridiculously rich and like making fun of my job- oh, yeah, barely anybody supports my life choices or my job as an agent, so just prepare for that. Uh, where was I? Oh yeah, Steph and Linda will try and find out anything that could be used against us, so I really hope you can act because otherwise they'll figure this whole thing out in seconds."

"Wait-"

"And my brother Will is the most supportive, 'cause he knows that there are options for work after my Talent fades and I'm not going to be out on the streets-"

"Y/n-"

"-and he, John and Sam all play rugby so try not to piss them off because they're twice your size and will snap you like a twig-"

"Y/n!"

"What?!"

"You need to slow down! Go back to the part about your family not supporting your job?"

"Oh, there's not much to it, really." She felt awkward now, his gaze far too sharp for her liking. If he knew the full extent of how much she didn't like her family, he would waste no time in using it to make fun of her and take the upper hand while he could, and she would be left to sink further into herself until she disappeared. "They just don't think I'll have many options, so they want me to think about my next steps."

"Okay..." Lockwood trailed off, getting distracted by something the children were talking about and being asked his opinion on starfish. He looked as though he was about to start conversing with her again, but the train pulled into the platform they needed, and Lockwood was all business getting the luggage out safely.

~~~

"Are you alright?"

Y/n jumped a little in the back of the taxi, not expecting Lockwood's voice so close to her ear. "Yeah, I'm fine, why?"

"You're very bouncy. If you're fine then could you not? You're jolting me."

Why had she thought he was trying to be nice? She should have known better by now that he wouldn't ever be that way with her, but it still stung.

Truthfully, she was on the verge of tears.

She wouldn't ever tell Lockwood that, of course, because how could he understand? He seemed to walk into any situation effortlessly, with endless optimism and charm that made life easy for him. Y/n was stuck panicking about seeing her family again, because if she couldn't even stand up to some random strangers on the train, how was she ever going to stand up to her family? No, she would just have to do her best to hide everything from Lockwood, to reduce the amount of blackmail material he would have against her.

~~~

The taxi pulled up outside the large cottage-style house, and Lockwood let out a low whistle.

"L/n, you never said your family was this fancy."

"They aren't. It was my Grandma's house, then she got dodgy knees and never moved out, and we moved in after selling up our old place to look after her and Gramps. We're about as fancy as your family, Lockwood, in that we too have multiple mortgages on this building to keep it."

"Anthony."

"What?" Y/n frowned, not sure what he was talking about.

"If we're going to pretend that we're dating, you probably shouldn't be calling me by my last name."

"Oh." She hadn't thought about that. The only reason she even knew his first name was because it was in large print on the sign outside the house, since it was generally accepted that he went by Lockwood and that was that.

"Or you could use some sort of nickname. I've got a few for you if you'd like to hear them." The grin on his face made Y/n think that she really didn't want to hear them, but he opened his mouth again anyway. "How about Sugarplum?" Y/n got out the car, slamming the door shut on him a little more harshly than she needed to. "Snookums? I think you look like a Snookums." The taxi driver was giving the two of them strange looks as he unloaded their bags, but Y/n ignored Lockwo- Anthony (she would have to get used to that) and handed over the money for the drive. "What about Sun Beam? Actually, you're too grumpy for that one. Oh, I know! My personal favourite," he paused for some sort of dramatic effect, being left behind on the driveway as Y/n stomped towards the front door. "Schmoopie."

Y/n stopped suddenly, turning to look back at her fake boyfriend with an incredulous look on her face. "Schmoopie?" He looked far too proud of himself as he picked up his bag and caught up with her, and she resisted the urge to hit him.

"Don't you like it, Schmoopie?"

"Call me that again and I'll be chucking your Source in the furnaces within the week." Lockwood (Anthony - she really needed to start calling him Anthony or she'd be saying 'Lockwood' to her family) Can't you just use my name? Or, you know, a more generic pet name?"

"Fine. You're very boring, I hope you know that."

"Sure. Just swear to me you'll never call me 'Schmoopie' again." She said the word with disgust, scrunching her nose up and fighting the urge to gag.

"Whatever you want, darling." That wasn't much better, but at least it was normal. Y/n raised her hand to knock, but before she could the door was being flung open, revealing a woman in a very festive jumper.

"You're here! She's here!"

~~~

Lockwood stood back slightly as the woman wrapped her arms around Y/n, squeezing so tightly he feared for his colleague's spine.

He braced himself for a similar treatment when she pulled back and spotted him, and the next thing he knew he was close to being suffocated as she brought him into a hug. Lockwood held his breath, his eyes wide and arms stuck out to the side as he tried to figure out what the hell he was meant to be doing. He hadn't been hugged like this since, well, since Jess. It took him a few seconds to work out that he needed to reciprocate the hug, but once he had, god. Why was he choking up? He could feel Y/n's eyes on him, so he shut his own and basked in the feeling of actually being held.

"You must be the boyfriend!" the woman said, pulling back and holding him by the forearms.

"Mum! Please don't terrify him!"

So this was Emma L/n, Y/n's mother.

"Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs L/n." He flashed one of his winning smiles, and he could see her visibly relaxing.

"Oh Emma, please!" She looked back over her shoulder at Y/n, mouthing (incredibly non-subtly) 'He's handsome!'

"Mum!" Y/n hissed, starting to turn red.

"What's your name then young man!"

"Anthony Lockwood," he replied, and took particular pleasure in seeing Y/n squirm in the background.

"Well, you'd better come in. Do you need help with the bags?"

"Oh, no, I've got them," he assured her, shouldering his large bag and reaching for the suitcase handle that Y/n was currently holding onto. She didn't relent for a moment, and they had a silent argument for control of the suitcase until eventually with a small tug he won, stumbling ever so slightly from the effort.

"Everything alright?" Emma asked, frowning at the two of them.

"Yes, perfectly fine!" Lockwood called back, shooting a glare at Y/n. She reciprocated, clenching her jaw at his smug smile that came afterwards. He moved inside the house, Y/n following shortly behind and closing the door to keep the warmth in.

"Where should we put our bags?" Y/n asked her mother.

~~~

They had a problem.

A very large problem.

"Well I'm not sharing with you," Lockwood said, moving further into the room that Y/n's mother had shown them to.

"Good," she said, eyeing the double bed. "Just don't complain when your back gives in from sleeping on the floor for so long."

"What? No, I'm taking the bed."

"It's my family home, what gives you more reason to have the bed than me?"

"I'm your boss, and I pay your wages. If you want to keep being paid then I'm having the bed."

Y/n scoffed, shaking her head. "Arsehole," she muttered, going over to the windows and closing the curtains against the now-dark sky outside. The bed was definitely large enough for two people to share, but when those two people hated each others' guts and weren't actually dating, the bed was far too small.

"What was that?"

"Arsehole," she repeated loudly, making sure to look him dead in the eyes when she did so, then immediately turning and heading into the en-suite bathroom.

"What is your issue with me?" he said, following after her.

"You're taking the bed! It's my fucking house!"

"Let's not forget that without me, you would be in a lot more of a tricky situation! I think I deserve the bed for my efforts; it's not easy pretending to love you, you know!"

"Oh, like it's so easy to love you?! You are so horrible to me, all the time, and now I have to pretend to actually want to be with you?! I'd have been in a difficult situation anyway, the only difference is that in this one, I have a fake boyfriend. I could deal with the humiliation of not having anyone with me, but this?" she laughed bitterly. "This is near to being beyond me, Lockwood." Fuck, why was she tearing up? She closed the bathroom door firmly in Lockwood's face, ignoring the shocked expression on his face in the second before he disappeared from her view.

She pushed the lock, waiting for the click before turning and facing the sink, bracing her hands on the edge and heaving a few deep breaths. She hadn't realised how hard it would be to pretend that she was completely fine around her family while they picked and prodded and commented and made snide remarks, and having Lockwood around was only making it worse.

She couldn't even begin to imagine all the things he would use as ammunition in the future. He'd have a field day on this holiday, taking all of her family's words and turning them against her, becoming even worse than he had been before.

A knock sounded on the door, light and unsure, and Lockwood's voice followed afterwards. "...Y/n? I- I'm-" he sighed, and she could imagine him clenching his jaw and looking up at the ceiling as he tried to fight against the nice words he was clearly trying to say. "I have a shit sleep schedule anyway, and you go to sleep a lot faster than I do so it's better for me to sit in a chair when I can't get to sleep and you can lie down, so... yeah." Y/n was surprised at how kind he was, and was starting to wonder if he was having some sort of stroke. But then he started talking again and she knew that he was completely fine.

"If you could not take for fucking ever in the bathroom though that would be great, because I really need a piss."

~~~

"Ah, there you both are! You took your time putting your bags away!" Linda's gaze drifted to Y/n as she said that, eyes sharpening and making the back of Y/n's neck prickle.

"Oh, that's my fault, sorry," Lockwood started, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her in. Y/n stiffened, not used to being so close to him, and tried to force a smile onto her face. "I got carried away asking questions about the photos around the room, and I think I might have driven her slightly mad." He was smiling so widely and cheerfully that Y/n could practically feel everybody relaxing and warming up to him. It was frustrating, really, how they had known him for roughly ten seconds and already seemed to like him more than her. Her brothers were eyeing him up, trying to figure out whether they needed to take him outside or just give him a good talking to. Her sister Olivia was also eyeing Lockwood up, but in a very different way to their brothers that was making Y/n somewhat uncomfortable. It wasn't that they didn't get on and that was what was wrong, but they were sisters, and therefore they naturally disagreed on some things.

Apparently Lockwood's level of attractiveness was one of them.

"Oh, not to worry," her mother said, already loving having Lockwood here. "I made tea, if you'd like some? There's cake too, and far too much of it, so take as much as you want!"

"Tea would be lovely, Emma, thank you," Lockwood said, moving his arm away from Y/n's shoulders. She nearly jumped out of her skin in shock when she felt his hand land on her lower back instead, pushing her forward towards the empty loveseat that sat closest to the roaring fire. "Try not to look quite so horrified at this whole thing, darling," he whispered right into her ear, emphasising the pet name. "And maybe relax a little too, yeah?" He sat down on the chair, leaving very little room for Y/n to sit down herself without pressing up against him. She gave up trying to keep space between them when she ended up perching on the edge and gained strange looks from everyone else. Lockwood pulled her back towards him, grabbing her waist with both hands and tugging until she was right up against his chest, their thighs pressed together. He didn't let go, keeping his arms around her and nestling his head in the crook of her neck. She hadn't loosened up since walking in to the living room, and she was entirely sure that her spine was as stiff as one of the wooden floorboards under her feet. Her mother handed over two mugs of tea, placing them on the small side table next to their chair, then went to cut two slices of cake, starting with Lockwood's. He accepted his plate gratefully, smiling brightly up at her.

"How big of a slice, Y/n/n?"

"Uh... maybe-"

"Don't give her too big of a slice, she doesn't need that much," Stephanie interrupted, her tone sickly sweet. Y/n froze, and behind her she could feel Lockwood glancing between the two girls, trying to figure out what was happening. Her mother cut a decent sized slice, ignoring her niece's comment and handing the plate to Y/n.

"Did you make this, Emma?" Lock-Anthony (she might just give up trying to correct herself in a minute) asked.

"Oh, yeah, but you know, it's not my best."

"Well I think it's delicious, you'll have to share the recipe with me so I can have more of it back in London!"

"I'd be happy to! Do you bake then?"

"Oh, no, I'm awful. I'd burn the house down I'm sure. But our friend George is a magician in the kitchen."

"Remind me what you do for work again?" her father asked.

"Actually, maybe you could just... tell us. Since we know nothing about you!" Linda laughed. "We don't even know your name!"

"Anthony Lockwood," he said, yet another of his classic Lockwood smiles taking over his face. Y/n was starting to feel sick from the way Stephanie and Linda were watching them, and she put her fork down on her plate. "Y/n hasn't mentioned me much then?"

"No," Linda simpered. "I have to say, I was very surprised when I heard my sister say that Y/n had a boyfriend. I'm even more surprised that you actually exist!"

"I can't really blame her for not saying anything, I suppose. We're very busy a lot of the time and when we are free I'm often dragging her out on dates and the like, so if you haven't heard from her then that's entirely my fault." God, how was he such a good liar? Everybody believed him right away, but if she tried to get away with something like that they'd be asking so many questions she would give up and tell the truth.

"And... what is it you do for work?" her father asked again, desperate for the answer.

"I'm an agent."

"Fittes or Rotwell?"

"Uh... no, I-"

"Bunchurch then? Or maybe Grimble?"

"Actually," Lockwood glanced at Y/n, and she nodded slightly, bracing herself for her family's reaction. "I run my own agency. George, who I mentioned earlier, is our researcher, Lucy is our Listener, Holly our secretary, and then of course there's Y/n. Best Touch in England." He squeezed her slightly, and when she looked back at him he was smiling up at her so adoringly that she wondered how she ever hated him.

Then he jabbed her side, making her wobble and nearly spill the tea that she'd just picked up, and she remembered that he was a dick.

"Your... own... agency?"

"Yes." Lockwood didn't seem perturbed, which was lucky, because Y/n was feeling increasingly more unsettled with every second that passed. "We're based in London in my family home, but we take clients from all around England."

"Right... so that makes you Y/n's... boss?"

"I know it's not... the usual, but there is nothing that says we cannot be in a relationship. Believe me, I've checked. I don't think there is anything that could have been done to stop me from falling for your daughter, sir, despite her own best efforts, and I like to think that I keep my role as her boss completely separate from my role as her boyfriend."

Y/n stared at him in mild shock, not quite believing how sincere he sounded, and Lockwood was refusing to look at her.

Uneasy glances were exchanged by nearly all of Y/n's gathered family members, the only exceptions being Will, who had always supported Y/n, and Olivia, who was too busy checking Lockwood out. Y/n put her plate of cake down, having spent the last few minutes picking at it and barely eating any, and ignored the look that Lockwood gave her. She wasn't feeling hungry at all now that she was surrounded by everyone, and Stephanie was watching every move she made with terrifying intensity. No doubt there would be some fresh insults this year, and Y/n couldn't wait to be back home again.

Home.

Since when had she considered Lockwood's house her home?

"You alright?" Lockwood whispered in her ear. He kept asking her that, and it was freaking her out a little.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She stood up, gently detaching herself from Lockwood's grip and putting her mug of tea on the side table, half drunk. "Just need the loo, be back in a bit." She tried smiling at everyone, but the water gathering in her eyes made it difficult to pretend that she was actually fine, and she left the room finding it hard to breathe. Y/n headed up the stairs and into the bathroom attached to the room that she and Lockwood were staying in, and for the second time that day braced herself on the sink as she tried to regain control of her body. "Fuck," she muttered. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." She splashed some cold water on her face, holding it against her skin in the hopes that it would shock her back into being alright again, then turned off the tap and sat on the floor, her back to the sink and her legs stretched out in front.

Only two more days to go, and then she could go back to her normal life.

Two more days of this, and she was free, and could eat as much cake as she wanted, because George and Lucy would be stuffing their faces too.

She just had to fake it until then.

part 3

Tag list: @ahead-fullofdreams, @anathemaloren, @augustisintheair, @avdiobliss, @aysha4life, @briar-rose23, @curseofhecate, @dangelnleif, @el-de-phi, @ell0ra-br3kk3r, @informedimagining, @karensirkobabes, @locklyebrainrot, @locknco, @mentallyillsodapop (I just realised I hadn't added you I'm so sorry 😭 although I don't know if you wanted to be added actually idkkk) @mischivana, @mitskiswift99, @mrsklockwood, @mrsyixingunicorn10, @no-morning-glories, @novelizt, @ran23sblog, @superpositvecloudshipper, @t2sh0, @taygrls, @tournesol77, @whenselenefallsinlove, @wordsarelife

please let me know if I've missed you off the series tag list, and I'll put you right on! <3

[manicformunson]

Holding my breath until you write red handed part two 👀🥺

red handed pt. 2

master list

pairing eddie munson x fem!reader

summary part one here! i really wrote the first one based of a dream i had lol. reader goes back to eddie's trailer under the impression of tutoring, but things take a turn for the best

Y/N literally thought her heart was going to beat out of her chest as she fumbled with the hem of her gym shorts. Was Eddie serious about meeting her and taking her to his house? She was excited to see his trailer, she'd heard that he lives in the trailer park with his uncle, although she'd hoped they'd be alone.

Y\N mentally rolled her eyes at herself, why would she even wish that? It's not like she expected something to happen between them, but then again,

"I like my women sweaty."

That's what he had said right? She wasn't imagining it? The way he had looked at her after saying it sent shivers straight down her stomach and she had to calm herself down in the bathroom before class. It was a little embarrassing, he probably just was a flirty person and didn't mean anything by it, and here she was getting hung up on it.

On the other hand he had asked around about her, so he had to know her name right? Y/N wonders did he only ask about her brains or was he fishing for something else? She'll most likely never know.

So she chewed her lip to calm her nerves, looking around until she sees his poofy brown hair merged with the sea of students walking towards her, Y/N breathed a sigh in relief knowing that he hadn't stood her up.

"Sorry I'm late, I had a deal and didn't think you'd wanna be there." He said, waving his hand like it was the most mundane thing ever to be doing a drug deal but also to him it probably was. "That's okay! I'm just happy you, you know your here."

Y/N sounded way to excited and she wanted to slap herself, but Eddie smiled down at her, "Well yeah, where else would I want to be."

Want to be? Okay she's definitely reading into things. She just shrugged and followed him to his van, blushing like a school girl when he raced in front of her to open the door.

"Thanks."

"No problem princess."

If he doesn't fucking stop acting so fucking flirty she's going to read too much into things and ruin everything. Y/N had her bag in her lap, playing with the straps the whole ride and admiring Eddie's hands banging on the steering wheel in rhythm to whatever was playing.

She wanted to hold his hand, is that weird? She wanted to see how big his hands were compared to her dainty ones, wanted to feel the rings again her fingers and she wanted know if his hands were cold or warm.

After a good 15 minutes, they pulled into the trailer park stopping in front of Eddie's. Y/N saw there was no other cars there so maybe they'll be alone?

Eddie got out first and once again opened the door for her. "Here we are, my castle." Y/N giggled and stepped inside, looking around. "Looks nice." She complimented, and she wasn't lying she liked it, it had a very welcoming and homey feeling.

"My room is back here."

He seemed to ignore her compliment and disappeared down the short hallway. She was taking her time looking around until meeting him in his room. Looking at all the posters and stacks of cassette tapes, not even noticing that Eddie was sitting on his bed watching her. "Sorry for the mess-" She cut him off, "It doesn't bug me, it's comfortable."

"Yeah?" Eddie seemed shocked and she just smiled and nodded, "Yeah."

Y/N finally joined him on the bed, sitting a good few inches away from him and pulled out her English notebooks. "Okay so, what did you need help with?"

Short answer was basically everything.

Y/N and Eddie spent a better part of 3 hours going over To Kill a Mockingbird for tomorrow's quiz and she could tell he was getting a little frustrated.

"I'm never going to fucking get this."

He huffed slamming his book closed and burying his head in his hands. Y/N hesitated but rubbed a few circles in his back, "Yes you will, it's a little complicated for everyone! I remember the first time I read it there was a lot that I had to reread to really understand."

With her hand still on his back, she smiled at him in hopes of reassuring him but it didn't seem to work as Eddie jumped up, "Maybe we should take a break, this book is giving me a headache."

She watched him open a metal lunch box and pull out a bag of what she could only assume was pot. "Oh, I've never," Y/N felt a little stupid, like Eddie wouldn't think she was cool enough to hang out with if she's never smoked anything besides cigarettes.

He just glanced at her before fishing in his pockets for his lighter. "You've never smoked a joint before?" At least he didn't sound as judgy as Y/N thought he would've.

She just shook her head.

"I can teach you, it's just like a cigarette , you do smoke those right? I've seen you around town smoking." Y/N giggled, feeling so much more comfortable around him than when she had first arrived, mainly his carefree attitude which seemed to be having an effect on her too.

"Stalker." Y/N found herself laugh at him, blushing at the way he smiled back and took a puff before passing it too her. It couldn't be that different from a cigarette right? Just breath in and blow out.

So Y/N inhaled a shit ton of smoke which led to her coughing up her lungs and nearly falling over on the floor. Okay so definitely not like a regular cigarette.

Eddie took the joint from her and breathed out a laugh before patting her on the back, "Here, this'll be easier for a beginner like you." He inhaled what seemed like a hell of a lot more then she did, then held her chin between his fingers before blowing the smoke into her slightly agape mouth.

Wow. Um. Okay.

Eddie watched her with slanted eyes, keeping her chin in his grip and enjoying her face go red.

"How was that?" He asked with a smug ass smirk. How was she even supposed to answer that? Hot as fuck? Made her tingle inside? "Um, it was...good?" Suddenly, with the blunt now between his lips, he let his other hand fall on her thigh and rub it ever so slightly.

"Just good?"

Y/N couldn't even focus on anything other than his hand inching closer and closer to her now nearly soaking cunt, his strong ring fingers gripping the inside of her thighs. The best she could do was squeak out a, "'was great "

Eddie hummed in response and pulled his hands away from her, making a small whimper escape her. "Don't worry sweetheart, just need you to lay in my chest okay?"

He readjusted himself so he was leaning against the bedframe and Y/N in his chest. Jesus fucking Christ was this actually happening?

One of his hands gripped her waist while the other wasted no time to spread her legs apart. Her mind was a little foggy now with him still breathing the smoke right next to her face, muttering in her ear about how seeing her like his turned him on.

"You gonna let my hand in those panties princess?" Eddie mumbled, moving the thin line of her gym shorts out of the way to reveal her wet underwear. If she wasn't so horny and high she would've been embarrassed but it was hard when his fingers were playing with her clothed clit.

"Come on baby, you gonna let me?"

Y/N nodded and couldn't help but moan when she felt his other hand move to play with her breast. She needed something to cling to at this point, feeling around behind her before choosing his jean clad legs to sink her nails into as he teased her clothed entrance with his middle finger.

"Please, please Eddie."

Jesus Christ Y/N felt hot all over. She didn't even know what she was begging for but Eddie seemed like he did. He tapped the blunt out in the ashtray on the nightstand and slid his hand under her shirt, grasping the plain white bra she'd worn.

Y/N felt Eddie smile against her cheek and oh god hearing him moan in her ear seemed to send another wave of arousal straight to her pussy. Y/N arched her hips towards his fingers just as he pushed the annoying material out of the way and very slowly circled her clit.

Her nails dug deeper against his jeans, "Say, shit say my name again, just like that." Eddie breathed in her ear before sliding his middle finger inside her desperate hole. Y/N was more than happy to oblige, scrunching her face up in pleasure and softly chanting his name along with a dozen pleas for something more.

Y/N had never done anything like this before, nothing as risque as this, especially with someone like Eddie. God her mind felt heavy. Eddie the literal man of her wet dreams with two seemingly expert fingers deep inside of her, it felt like heaven.

Eddie could tell that she was close with her euphoric pants and the way she had started to grind her hips down to meet his fingers, all of it was making his erection less than bearable especially the way her hips moved against it.

So he runted up against her back and picked up the paste with his fingers, moaning in her ear as he did so before taking his hand out of her shirt to grip her jaw to kiss her.

The kiss was what Y/N had needed to completely lose it along with feeling Eddie's hard on behind her, nearly screaming as her vision turned white and clawing his arm and neck as she came.

Their forehead rested against each other, both gasping for air as Eddie slowly pulled his fingers out and rested his hands on her hips.

"Jesus sweetheart, that was fucking hot."

Y/N could only hum in response and silently plead for another kiss, which was granted. This one felt different, with a tad bit more emotion rather than heat of the moment sex kiss.

She pulled away first sitting up and admiring once again how beautiful and blessed out Eddie looked before noticing a wet stain on his pants. "Jesus, did you?"

"Cream my pants? Yes, but you should've seen yourself you were so fucking hot." Eddie grabbed her face again, kissing her desperately.

With his hands still holding her, she whispered, "I've, uh I've never done anything like that before." Y/N felt her face go red, but Eddie just smiled, "So my girls' just a natural?"

Y/N literally felt the air leave her lungs, "'My girl'?" Did she hear that right?

Eddie nodded and couldn't help but giggle at her shocked expression, both hands going to hold hers.

"I mean yeah, I'm not letting you go now sweetheart."

"Good."

[ironstrange1991]

Forbidden (Part 4)

Pairing: Doctor!Strange x Fem!Reader

Synopsis: Before setting out on a dangerous mission, Stephen decides to settle some things with Y/n. When they leave, she is forced to deal with the emptiness that remains in their place and the fear that they may never return.

Word Count: 4,5k

Warnings: Slight ansgt and mention of dead parents.

SERIES MASTERLIST

It was Friday and you were tired. You hadn't slept the night and classes were being particularly grueling. You spent practically the whole morning in a kind of torpor and if someone asked you, you wouldn't know the subject of the classes you attended.

When the bell finally rang releasing you for lunch, you grabbed your things and left without bothering to wait for your classmates. You wanted to disappear from that place, you wanted to lock yourself in your room and throw yourself on the bed and, if possible, be swallowed by it.

There was a mental weariness in you that seemed to be increasing over the last few days. The fact that the Avengers were on the verge of leaving for another mission was also keeping you awake at night, which didn't help to keep you awake during classes. Everything seemed wrong and you didn't quite understand why and that was starting to worry you. You even tried sounding Natasha out about the mission, but as usual she didn't say more than a few words.

"The less you know the better, is what Tony says" That's basically what she said. You tried to argue that you cared about him and that you knew Strange would participate in the mission which indicated that the situation was dangerous.

Natasha just smirked "Are you worried about Doctor Strange's safety? I guarantee he can take care of himself." And quickly she changed the subject. Yes, you cared about Stephen, but not as much as you cared about Tony. Though he forgot about it sometimes, he was just a mortal man.

You smile feeling a pinch of longing. Even though you spoke almost every day, it wasn't the same and it had been weeks since you'd seen each other. "I just wish Tony didn't have to go on these missions anymore. I mean, hasn't he done a lot already? Damn, he deserves some peace."

You were striding towards the exit and talking on the phone with MJ. In fact, she just listened to all your fruitless whining and just gave a few "uh hums" to say she was paying attention. You sighed feeling guilty. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be bothering you with all this stuff."

She quickly cut you off "You are not bothering me, you know you can tell me anything. Besides, I don't have any news anyway, so you can tell me whatever you want, I'm a good listener."

MJ agreed "Yes he deserves it, but honestly I think he doesn't stop because he can't stay behind watching his friends go, but Y/n, you know Stark can handle it. He is a super badass. Remember?"

You sighed. I smile in your lips. Tony was indeed a super badass man, a genius, a man who used his inteligence to outcome all his limits. You were so proud of him. "Yeah I know."

Your cell phone vibrated with a message and you asked MJ to wait. You read the message getting even more irritated than you already was. "Fuck"

"Whats wrong?" MJ asked.

"Happy won't be able to pick me up" You replied stepping firmly and praying for a taxi. "All I want is to go home. Is that too much to ask?"

MJ seemed to weigh her next words "You haven't talked to Strange, have you?" You shook your head "I haven't seen him since the last time we spoke. That tragic and pathetic situation I already told you about a thousand times."

"I can understand why you're so irritated. Why don't you look for him before he leaves for the mission? Talk to him, y/n."

"I can't." You shook your had. It wasn't like the idea hadn't crossed your mind a few times. "MJ, I can't. Every time I try to force myself to work up the courage to do it I get this feeling..."

"What feeling?"

You sighed, clutching your bag close to your body and squeezing yourself through a group of students who were blocking your way at the exit gate. "That if he had any real interest in me he would seek me out..."

That's when you saw him. He was wearing jeans and a gray shirt, sunglasses, both hands in his pockets. It was impossible for him not to stand out among other people, yet no one seemed to notice him. He was standing there looking in your direction and you stopped abruptly "Shit"

"What is it?" MJ asked realizing something was wrong.

"He is here."

"Who? Strange? What is he doing there?..."

"I'll call you later."

"No, wait..." You hung up the phone and suppressed a smile that played at the corners of your lips and forced yourself to walk towards him.

 You managed to control your emotions the best you could. "Looking for someone, doctor?"

He gave you that sideways smile that took your breath away "Young lady, early twenties, tattoos, beautiful smile. Have you seen her?" He blinked at you with an open smile in his lips.

"Well I think you just found her."

"Luck me, then" He pointed to the phone in your hand "Stark?"

 You shook your head "MJ"

He nodded "How are things in Boston?"

You put your cell phone in your pocket "Everything's great, from what she told me."

He nodded "Good. Can we talk or are you going to yell at me again?"

You shrugged "It depends. Are you going to act like a jerk again?"

He shook his head chuckling dryly "Fair enough. Well I plan to take you for lunch."

You couldn't help but smile, but internally you were screaming at yourself that this wasn't a date. "I just missed my ride so I will accept it. Thank you."

"Great" Stephen replied and the two of you walked away around the building. He took you to a small restaurant just a few blocks from the uni. You sat at the farthest table you could find and were attended by a waitress who seemed overly excited about serving Doctor Strange.

The waitress took the order without even looking at you, she only had eyes for Stephen and honestly you couldn't blame her. "Would you like something to drink, sir?"

"How can I help you?" She asked with an exaggerated smile.

Stephen glared at you "Hungry?"

You nodded shyly and he thought for a moment "I'll have the usual" He replied and then waited for you to make up your mind.

You just pretended to look at the menu, your nervousness made it impossible to read the words so you pointed to the first thing that caught your eye "I'll have the salmon with asparagus and orange juice, please."

Stephen smiles sympathetically "Just water for me, thanks."

She wrote it down and left reluctantly.

You shook your head smiling. It was hard to imagine both Stephen and Wong discussing about food or any other normal thing, honestly.

You eyebrown raised "She really didn't want to leave. Probably a fan of yours." He chuckled "jealous?" You pouted "Maybe. Looks like you come here quite often." You added.

He shook his head "I've come a few times, Wong likes their tuna melt sandwich and sometimes he makes me come get it for him."

"How is the band going? America told me your songs are playing nonstop on the radio. Got a record label?"

You shook your head "Not really. Just released the songs online. Fans did the rest and the radio are just following the flow."

"I should congratulate you, anyway. You deserve this. You are very good."

You felt your cheeks getting hot with the compliment. "So you don’t listen to the radio? I must confess I always imagined you listening to my music and being forced to think about me. I'm disappointed."

He chuckled "Don't be. I preffer to listen to them on Spotify. They are good. But I preffer to listen them live."

You smile smugly "Thank you. I could do a secret show just for you if you asked me to. You could choose the songs."

He exhaled dramatically "That's very tempting."

You chucked "We can schedule it, but it may take some time. Things are moving very fast. I'm happy of course, but I'm having a hard time organizing my time between the band and college."

 "I'm sure you'll find a way to handle both."

"I'm trying, but college has been taking a lot of my time."

Stephen shook his head sympathetic "By the way, how's your dissertation going?"

You grinned proudly "Almost finished."

He smiles back at you "Glad to hear that." He thought for a moment frowning "America also mentioned something about a magazine photoshoot..."

You bit the inside of your cheek. You didn't imagine that America talked so much about you. Not that you minded.

"Tony doesn't think it's a good idea. In his words: it's a little too suggestive."

Stephen raised an eyebrow, curiosity in his eyes. "May I ask what that is about?"

"It's a tattoo magazine. They want to interview me about the band and talk about the relation between music and tattoos. You know I love both so I'm tempted to take the offer. Plus I always end up in the tabloids anyway."

Stephen gave a small laugh "I'm sorry for the last time"

You shrugged "Don't be. I don't really care. Besides, you saved me. No need to apologize. Anyway, I'm still thinking about it."

He nodded "Well, I'm sure you take the best decision. You're very smart and seem to be getting everything right."

You agreed smiling shyly. It occured to you that you liked when he praised you. You shook your had feeling your hands sweaty.

Stephen look at you more serious now "Y/n... I wanted to apologize for the way I spoke to you that day. I was scared of what happened... well, what could have happened. I know it wasn't your fault, I'm sorry if I made it sound like I thought otherwise." He held both hands together on top of the table, his blue eyes seemed to see right through you and just for a minute you wished you could read his mind.

You shook your head trying to formulate the words when you noticed that he expected an answer "It's okay, I guess I can't stay mad at you anyway, even if I try very hard."

He managed not to let on how much those words pleased him, but you could see the corner of his lips curling up in a cocky smirk. "It's good to know that."

You felt your face blushing "I apologize for the way I yelled at you, even if you were being an idiot, we shouldn't yell at older people."

He grinned. "Why I always get this feeling you like how old I am?"

You had to look away to hide the angry red on your cheeks. He didn't let that go unnoticed "I'm right then."

You exhaled slowly as you realized you were holding your breath. "It's not fair..." You said looking back at him "You know exactly what you do to me, doctor."

You could have sworn his eyes got darker and he seemed to force himself to swallow his smile. "Y/n..."

You stared at your hands waiting like a child who's said something wrong.

"Stark asked me why I was at the nightclub that night..."

You looked at him in surprise "What did you say?

 "I didn't know what to say, so I lied." He confessed.

You bit the inside of your cheek "Stephen..."

"Look, you got mad at me because I said I liked you as a friend, but the truth is, I only said that because I didn't know what to say. Of course I like you and I care about you, but ...To be honest I don't know what you are to me. I just know that I can't stop thinking about you and believe me, I know how inappropriate it is."

You felt your heart racing in your chest at those words and to some extent you were grateful to be interrupted by the waitress who approached bringing your food.

"Would you like anything else?" She asked, but her eyes were locked on Stephen.

"No, we're fine. Thank you" He said dryly not amused for being interrupted. Her smile seemed to crumble "Excuse me"

"Why?" You asked quietly as if you didn't even want him to hear the question. But he listened and shook his head nervously and then looked away "I'm leaving with the Avengers tomorrow morning. I couldn't leave without talking to you first."

You didn't miss the fact that he didn't answer your question.

"Tony told me it's something big."

 "Yes, it is."

You didn't want to talk about it. You didn't want to think that once again Tony was heading towards another extremely dangerous enemy.

"I hate this." You confessed "I hate seeing you leave and having to be left behind waiting not knowing if you'll come home."

Stephen nodded, "I imagine it will be hard to see Stark go. You must worry a lot about him."

You shook your head and looked out the window to hide that there were tears in your eyes. "I still remember the day Tony told me my parents had died. Every time Tony goes on a mission I wonder who will come to tell me if he dies. He's all I have."

Stephen rolled his lips and reached out and touched your hand. "I won't let anything happen to him. I promise."

You shook your head "It's not just him. I worry about everyone. "

He smiles reassuringly "I'll try to keep everyone safe then."

"Stephen... I'm also talking about you. Who's going to protect you while you're out there protecting everyone else?"

He squeezed your hand in his. His hand was shaking but you didn't mind it. It was warm and his touch felt so good. "I'll be fine."

"America needs you, you know that right? You're pretty much all she has."

"I know. I'll be fine." He repeated. You weren't convinced, but didn't say anything else.

"She made me promise I wouldn't leave without talking to you first" Stephen said smiling "She loves you like a sister. Can't stand to see us arguing apparently." He sighed "Things are always so simple for her."

You looked at your food on your plate, but there was a nervousness inside you that made your stomach flutter. You took a sip of juice. "Things can be simple, Stephen, if we want them to be"

He looked straight to your eyes . "I don't think Stark would think that way."

That was the answer you needed but not exactly the one you wanted.

"You know I'm a legal adult, right? You turned to dust for five years, but I grew up, Stephen. I am not fifteen anymore."

He took a good look around as if he wanted to make sure there was no one around to hear what you were saying and then stared at you with a certain gleam in his eyes you've never seen before. "Trust me, sweetheart, I'm well aware of that."

...

When you left the restaurant there was a weight on Stephen's chest that made each step heavier than the last. He could barely breathe suffocated by everything he wanted to say to you and couldn't. Somehow he felt that this might be his only chance and that feeling seemed to crush his heart in his chest.

You walked slowly in heavy silence until you reached a taxi stand. He wanted to portal you home, but didn't want to risk arousing even more suspicion.

"Will I see you again before you leave for the mission?"

He shoved both hands in his pocket "I don’t think so." You nodded going towards the taxi driver, but he grabbed your arm. He didn't want you to leave. Fuck Stephen, say something "I really enjoyed our time together."

You smiled. You had a beautiful smile. A sad one, but beautiful anyway. "Me too"

Before he could even react, you reached up on tiptoe and kissed him dangerously close to his lips. Just a peck, but enough to send heat through his entire body.

You smirked "For good lucky." You turned around talking to the taxi driver "Stark Tower, please" He watched you getting in the car and the taxi driver starting it.

"Y/n..." He called tapping on the rear window. You opened it and he touched your face. "I will miss you. I always do"

You smiled and then you left. Stephen stood there watching the car get lost in the traffic.

…

When you entered the Tower, you were greeted by the usual gale of people rushing back and forth, hurried about their tasks. Happy yelling and giving orders and the whole gang of superheroes planning the mission.

You took the elevator up to the comfort of your room.

You kicked off your shoes and threw yourself on the bed feeling a mixture of excitement and sadness at the same time. You've never talked so openly with Stephen before and now you had to let him go on a mission that as far as you were allowed to know was something big and dangerous. How could you stand that?

Your phone vibrated in your pocket. There were a million messages from MJ and a million from Mike. You guys were supposed to rehearse with the band at night, but at that point you couldn't care less. Everything seemed so meaningless.

You didn't realize you'd fallen asleep until you woke up to a warm hand on your arm "Hey darling, wake up. We're leaving."

You opened your eyes to find Tony sitting next to you on the bed. "I thought you would go tomorrow morning." You sat down leaning on the headboard. "I fell asleep. I'm sorry..."

"Change of plans." He smiles fondly at you "Don't worry, I've been working all day."

You hugged your knees. There was so much you wanted to tell him, but the words seemed small compared to all your fears and besides, you knew he knew exactly how you felt.

"Pepper told me she plans to spend a few days in Malibu. You should go with her. I don't like to think of you two here alone."

You shook your head "We're not alone. Happy is staying here with us and besides I have class and I also need to finish my dissertation. My deadline is in two weeks."

He nodded "Right. I had forgotten." He frowned "Where were you after class? Happy said you got here past 3pm."

You shrugged "Having lunch with a friend" You bit the inside of your cheek deciding whether to say the friend was Stephen or not. In the end you decided not to say anything.

"Good." He was silent for a moment.

"Tony..." You held out your hand and he took it in his "Be careful. Please. I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you."

He shook his head "I'll be fine, don't worry." He sighed heavily and got up then bent to place a kiss on the top of your head "See you in a few days."

You nodded and he was leaving when he turned on his heel "About that photoshoot... I think you should do it if it's something you really want."

You smiled "Pepper made you say this, didn't she?"

He smirked "Yeah, you got me, but she's right. She's always right."

You nodded and he left closing the door behind him.

…

The days passed slowly. Each of them without news of Tony and Stephen was like an open wound in your throbbing chest. But it wasn't just the two you missed, you missed the movement in the Tower, Natasha and Yelena teasing you about your crush on Stephen, Sam and Steve talking in the hallways, Thor's laughter.

Without the Avengers, the Tower felt barren, cold, and frightening. You suddenly felt like the girl you were when your parents had the accident. Scared and alone.

You knew you weren't the only one who was feeling that way. Pepper also became increasingly sullen when unable to talk to Tony. He had promised her that he would try to communicate through the intergalactic communicators that he and Bruce had created, but something wasn't working as expected because every time Pepper tried to contact him, she was answered only by anguished silence. She tried to seem strong and confident around Morgan, but when the two of you were alone she looked tired and very sad.

You've tried to stick to your routine as best you could. College, the band practices, but at the end of the day it all seemed so insignificant and no matter how big the Tower was, the walls seemed to shrink in, trapping you inside just like the bluebird you had tattooed on your chest.

In those moments you found some comfort in music, spent hours at the piano composing and when you realized in a week you had a new song ready. Sad, painful, true, but when you tried to write the lyrics of you found that no words could describe the feeling that melody brought to your heart, so you gave up trying to force words where they didn't belong. You named the song Departure and you played it incessantly most nights trying to convince yourself that everything was going to be okay while at the same time being terrified that everything you knew might fall apart.

One week soon became two. Two weeks without news. You couldn't remember when was the last time Tony took this long on a mission. It was driving you crazy.

It was Monday morning and you weren't feeling well enough to go to class so you decided to stay home. America called asking if you had any news and it broke your heart to have to give the same answer. Again and again.

"He'll come back, won't he? Wong said he always does." America's voice was shaky as if she was trying not to cry.

You wanted to scream but you swallowed all your fears and so you replied "Of course he will come back. Everyone will come back, they are the Avengers."

America exhaled heavily, "He always says he's not an Avenger."

You smiled to yourself "Of course not. He thinks he's too good to be an Avenger."

America laughs softly and you were happy to get a laugh out of her.

"I need to go now, Y/n, Wong is calling me back to practice."

"Okay, go there little sorcerer."

You hung up the phone realizing that the magazine photoshoot was scheduled for that afternoon. You groaned throwing yourself on the bed and thinking of a million excuses not to go, but decided it would be for the best if you just went, after all it would be a distraction.

You were finishing getting ready when Pepper knocked discreetly on the door and then came in and sat at the foot of the bed watching you in silence.

"Did something happen?" You asked and she shook her head "Nothing happened. That's the problem."

You freaked out thinking Pepper was going to start crying, but she sighed and then said what was there to say "I asked Happy to take you to the photoshoot. I don't want you out there alone when everyone knows Iron Man isn't around." She sighed.

You shook your head "He'll be back Pepper. They all will." You finished getting dressed "I just spoke to America. She was very worried. We're all freaking out here."

Pepper nodded "She's such a sweet girl. Stephen is lucky to have her by his side. He always said there was no one to miss him in case something happened. Now that's not true."

You stared at Pepper nibbling the inside of your cheek. You didn't know Stephen said that. "America is not the only one that cares about him." You said without thinking and Pepper stared at you in surprise.

"Y/n..."

You grabbed your purse "I'm late" You said leaving in a hurry but she followed right behind you "Y/n, what do you mean by that?"

You entered the elevator "I really need to go" You said pressing the button and was glad when the door closed.

You were right about the photoshoot being a distraction. You felt very comfortable with Karen, the photographer and all her ideas matched perfectly with yours. At the end of the day, you were impressed with the results.

"Have you scheduled the interview yet?" Karen asked.

You shook your head "It will be next week."

"I'm sure it will be amazing . You'll be on the cover of the next issue, people will freak out."

"Hey Mike"

You smiled shyly. You were freaking out a little bit about the result. Though you liked it, perhaps the photos were a little... too sexy?

You thanked Karen and said goodbye. It was night when you left the studio and your cell phone was ringing incessantly.

"Where have you been? I've been trying to reach you all afternoon!"

You sighed rolling your eyes "I told you yesterday that I had a photoshoot today."

He nodded "True, I completely forgot. Suzanne had some problems at home and won't be able to rehearse so I canceled it."

Thank god. "She is fine?"

"Yes, she said it was no big deal."

You left the building and Happy opened the car door for you to get in "Good. Thanks for letting me know. We'll talk tomorrow."

"Y/n…" Mike cleared his throat "I was thinking... perhaps we could go out for a drink…just the two of us."

You sighed heavily. You always knew Mike had a crush on you, but you never thought he'd work up the courage to ask you out. Anyway, now that it happened you didn't really know what to say.

"I'm not in the mood. Perhaps another day"

He clearly didn't like the answer. "It's Strange, isn't it?" I saw the way you two were looking at each other at your godfather’s party. He is too old for you. That's disgusting, Y/n."

"No Mike, it's not Strange, and even if it was that's none of your business. But if you want to know, it's because of you. I don't feel like going out with you. That's all."

Happy looked at you in the rearview mirror with a low whistle.

Mike was speechless probably digesting your words.

"Bye Mike, see you tomorrow."

You hung up the phone before he could answer. Happy kept staring at you.

"Not a word about this with your boss." Happy raised a hand in surrender "My boss is on another planet, maybe another galaxy."

 "I'm talking about Pepper.

He nodded. "So this Mike likes you."

You stared at him in disbelief "Happy... just drive. I want to get home."

...

It was Friday and you had just left your last class of the day when the phone vibrated with a video call from MJ.

"Hey, what's up? Still no news?" She tried to hide her own concern, but with each passing day she managed to hide less.

You shook your head  "It's been three weeks, I don't remember any mission that took that long."

MJ sighed "Peter is worried too. He's been upset since Stark told him to stay, but now it's more than that."

"I need them back MJ, I don't know what I'm going to do if something happens to them. To all of them."

MJ forced another smile "They'll be back. Soon we'll all be together celebrating at another Stark party and then maybe you work up the courage to tell Strange you're in love with him."

"By now I doubt he doesn't know, but thrust me, if they come back, when they come back that’s exactly what I’ll do."

MJ's eyes widened "What exactly happened at that lunch you had? You never quite told me."

You opened your mouth to answer, but you found Happy leaning against the car right in front of the exit gate. "Can we talk about this later? I'm going home. I'll call you when I'm safely in my room."

She made a face, but accepted "I'll be waiting. Bye."

Happy opened the door for you to enter. The drive home was silent. Even Happy was apprehensive now that the days continued to pass and you still had no news. Lacking anything to say, he preferred to remain silent for what you were grateful.

When you arrived at the Tower you went straight to your room and threw yourself on the bed. You hadn't realized how tired you were until then. You haven’t sleept well for days. You only realized that you had fallen asleep when you heard Pepper's voice.

"Y/n...wake up. They're back."

Reblog please! Leave a comment if you liked it. Interact! I will love to read all of your comments and opinions. It inspires me to keep writing ;)

DOCTOR STRANGE MASTERLIST

MAIN MASTERLIST

Tag list: @doctorstrangelovemusic-blog @rachelessfreedom-world @a-tong @ppatricia34me @strangesgirls @dreamxonxx @benaddictcumberpatch @iamsherlocked1479 @evelyn-kingsley @veryladyqueen @notglucose @wickedscribbles @agathassscribbles @rmoonstoner @fanartka @katehawke @nicoletk @azu21 @captaincarmel416 @harlekin6 @singhfae @kentucky-fried-buckycriedfricken @coffedraven @withalittlehoney

@dontmindme262 @dementeddoll @yourmajesty13 @strangeions @bloodyflowerrr @insanelyobsessedwithdilfs @sherlocksgirl91 @dragonqueen89 @newtsniffles @cute-angi @whiskeyho @sherlux @xourownsidee @kakashibabe02 @hobimysolecito @geeky-politics-46 @lykaonimagines @d0ct0rstrangewife @classickook @iobsessoverfictionalmen @bobateadaydreams @aphroditesdilemma

@thealleydog @anadlockfan @pinkthick

[underforeversgrace]

the electricity within me surrounds me

DannyMay 2023 Day 8: Electric Core AU

(No I'm not over a week late what are you talking about???)

title: the electricity within me surrounds me

words: 1456

Summary/Excerpt? I don't really know how to describe this one so here's a singular line: Why was he having so much trouble controlling the static today?

~~~~~~

The surge under his skin made him grimace, deftly hiding the sparks that fizzled from him. Why was he having so much trouble controlling the static today? It had been months since the Accident had fried him like an old fuse. He hadn't had to deal with this since the first month or so. Yet today every slight brush of fabric on skin or gentle contact with anything metal made the sparks dance down his skin.

At least it wasn't painful like it had been those first few weeks, trying to hide the aftershocks of surviving through fatal electrocution.

He forced himself to ignore it, to ignore the now-familiar tingle of the electricity always surging beneath his skin, the hypersensitivity to it in everything around him.

Danny could feel the electrical current in his body, the shock his body created for every pump of his heart, the pulses of his thoughts. That alone was overwhelming and the fact he could feel the electricity traveling in the walls, in the ceiling, in the powerlines, had nearly driven him mad in the beginning. So much new sensory input, combined with his new naturally heightened hearing and vision, had been too much.

The portal beneath his bed sounded like a scream he couldn't escape.

Like all his new… everything, he had gotten used to it. Mostly. He’d adjusted. Still, that didn’t mean he was happy with the fact he felt like he was constantly licking a battery.

Still, Danny struggled to focus on the math test in front of him as pulses ran down every nerve. He almost wished he had Sam or Tuck in this class with him, they’d let him cheat off of them (after all, it’s not like him cheating would cause the death of everyone he loved and tragedy of world-ending proportions, that’d be too insane even for him). He did his best, answering questions with hopefully some modicum of success. This teacher gave partial credit for at least trying, so it wouldn’t be a flat out zero like all of his other classes at this point.

When the bell finally rang and he turned in his definitely-a-solid-attempt of a test in, he headed for his locker and promptly banged his head against it in aggravation. Which, considering he was basically a live wire today and the locker was made of metal… was not one of his best ideas.

“Ouch!” He said, jerking away and glaring at the locker like it was Skulker fucking with him at 3am again.

“Hitting your head against solid objects tends to hurt, I’ve been told.” Sam said, leaning against the lockers with a grin on her face.

Danny just grumbled something incoherently under his breath.

“Is everything o- ow!” She asked, trying to pat his shoulder comfortingly and getting shocked for her efforts. “The hell?”

“It’s been like that all day,” Danny whined. He glanced around the hall and made sure no one was looking their way before turning his hand intangible and shoving it through the locker to get his book for next class. He was not interested in getting shocked anymore than he had to. You’d think having what seemed to be a ghostly heart of electricity would give him some immunity to static shock but, nope, still hurt.

“Think it has to do with the storm?” She asked, keeping her distance from him now.

He’d never admit how much it hurt him that she had to do that when all he wanted was comfort yet all he was able to do was hurt her if she got too close.

“Storm? What storm? It’s just raining.”

“You really do miss everything, don’t you?” She teased. “Big storm is expected later today, it’s all Lance Thunder has been talking about for the past three days.”

It took everything Danny had to keep from slamming his head against the locker again. “I’ve been busy!”

“I know. But…” she trailed off, frowning slightly as she thought. “The storm is getting worse. Maybe you should go home if it’s already affecting you this bad? There’s not lightning yet, but…”

He groaned. “But if there is, I’m basically the pointy metal bit on the top of skyscrapers.”

“Bingo.”

Figures. He’d made it through half the day without leaving a single class to fight ghosts but now his own body was forcing him from the school. “Let Tuck know?” He asked, resigned.

“And make sure we take notes to cover what you missed. I know the drill by now.”

…had he really left so much that there was a drill to follow?

“Thanks.” He grumbled, intangibly shoving his books back into his locker.

“What’re friends for?” She teased and moved to bump his shoulder with hers, but caught herself before she actually made contact.

“Killing each other on accident?” He shot back, grinning. As traumatic as dying was, he refused to fixate on it. Even as it was trying to claw its way back through his skin. Maybe this was denial, though. Or just being used to pain like he was in now was just something he was so used to he managed to separate himself from it.

…even more reasons to never tell Jazz about his accident, then, because he was sure she’d have some very big, very complicated psychology words to describe him with.

“You’re fine, shut up.” She rolled her eyes and laughed. “Get outta here.”

Danny threw her an exaggerated salute then ducked towards the bathroom, sequestering himself in the last stall as he listened to boys enter and leave for the next several minutes until the tardy bell for the next class rang.

He felt when the first crash of lightning pierced the air outside, shortly after the last student had left the bathroom. Felt it charge through the air for less than a moment before fizzling away again, despite also for some reason being able to tell it had struck miles away. There was no pain, mercifully, but he suddenly felt more hopped up than that one time the summer before the Accident when he and Tuck had each downed ten energy drinks (that had been a wild night).

Yeah, Sam was right, he needed to go, and he needed to go now. He easily shifted into Phantom, the electric rings around him seeming brighter and more erratic than ever before. He was up and out immediately after, keeping hold of his intangibility as rain and wind buffeted through him, an odd sensation of cold going through his being.

He felt the next strike of lightning, though he saw this one, too, as it struck directly through him, cracked and jagged through the sky. Again, the feeling of way too much caffeine, though multiplied tenfold as the lightning seemed to go through that odd little ball of power Danny always felt in his chest.

If he was feeling that through his intangibility, maybe he should steer clear of large power sources. Like his house. Or… any forms of man made electricity. He quickly turned, changing his direction and blasting towards the edge of town, where woods surrounded Amity Park.

By the time he made it there and landed - still intangible - he’d been struck three more times in ten minutes. He had definitely made the right choice in getting far from civilization. He was so hopped up on power that electricity cackled from his every footstep, pools of energy left behind like footprints as he walked.

Danny grinned as he walked. He was amazed the continuous direct shocks of lightning didn't hurt but he so was not about to complain.

He pulled off his gloves, morbid curiosity taking hold of him. The Lichtenberg figures danced on his hand, glowing with pure white light, pulsing to a beat Danny couldn’t identify.

When lightning again struck him, he simply laughed and threw his arms out wide, absorbing the energy that made his scars glow brighter.

Right now, he felt no pain, no doubt, no fear, none of the emotions that had plagued him since he hit that button. All he felt was power, was control over the power. For something he had been so weary of for so long, he felt no concern now. His entire being was electricity, was power. And Danny wanted to get closer to it, to the sky, to the energy in the clouds only he could control.

So, he did. He flew, he ensconced himself within the storm, laughing with every powerful surge that went through him, until he was so full of power it almost felt like he was made of it.

He couldn’t help but wonder, as energy surged and soared within him, is this what it feels like to be a god?

[toomanyfandomsimfanvergent]

Steve Harrington x Henderson!Reader

'I'm No Nancy Wheeler'

Steve has never fallen for a type like you. Never.

"How long does your hair take you little fucker," you yell at your brother as he puts in the finishing sprays of some Farrah Facet hair spray.

He had already been in there for half an hour. You still had to basically do everything but change. It didn't matter how long he took at this point. You were always late to class. He never was.

"One more damn minute in there, and you're going to be very late to your favorite class," you want and Dustin burts out of the bathroom, hairspray in hand.

"You wouldn't dare," he says and points the bottle at you. You scoff as you get into the bathroom. He was convinced you would never do something that serious. Mr. Clarke was his favorite teacher, Dustin worshiped the man.

"I would," you say as you shut the door. Your hair was, there wasn't the right word for it. It was a mess.

"Son of a bitch," Dustin yells as you begin working on the mess of hair resting atop your head. Dustin was definitely going to be late.

You finish up and look at your watch, 7:40am. Shit you were a lot later then you had wanted to be. You groan as you walk into your room and grab your backpack.

You take a last look in the mirror, tight flare jeans and a Bowie Tshirt. Bowie wasn't one of the main bands you listened to, but your brother persuaded you to listen to something less metal.

You slip on a black leather jacket before waking into Dustin's room. You notice his alarm clock says 7:42 A.M.

"Dustin, why is your clock set early?" You ask. There is no fucking way he would set your clock an hour ahead. He wouldn't.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit," Dustin yells and grabs his backpack. He did.

"I didn't want to be late," he reasons. You scoff and go to grab your backpack before storming to your car.

Dustin gets in shortly after and you tear out of the driveway. He made you lose an entire hour of sleep. Why? So he wouldn't be late.

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

"Fuck off, I'm no Nancy Wheeler," you say to Steve harrington. He was a total asshole. He expected to get whatever he wants whenever he wants it.

"I'm not with Nancy Wheeler, plus I don't want to be. I want to be with you," he says and you cringe. Ew.

"So. You went from Nancy Wheeler, to Yn Henderson?" You ask him motioning to your attire. Did Nancy Wheeler even know what Bowie was?

"Look, I'm over her," Steve insists. You raise an eyebrow and scoff.

"Okay, what do I have to do to prove it to you?" Steve asks. He was so hopeful you would say something easy so he could just kiss you.

He loved your 'fuck off' attitude and was instantly pulled into a choke hold by you. He hated the fact that he fell for the biggest outcast in the school, but you were worth it.

He was getting over having to deal with all of the pressure of keeping his reputation perfect. Being king Steve wasn't easy.

"Fine. Fuck off and I will think about it," you reply and stalk off. You left to walk to some class you had, either history of math, and thought about it.

The answer was no.

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

It had been two years since you had rejected Steve Harrington. He respected your wishes and waited for you to come to him. You hadn't.

That all changed when you saw working at scoops ahoy in that stupid uniform. Honestly, it should be illegal to look that good.

Steve and his stupid, slutty thighs. Steve and his stupid, slutty waist.

You walked over to the counter and rang the bell. Steve turned around and blushed.

"Get it over with Henderson," he said with a groan. You smiled and let out a little laugh. He had so idea you thought that that stupid uniform was hot.

"I don't know. Maybe you could help me?" You ask and lean on the counter. "I'm thinking cherries jubilee, maybe a banana boat sundae?" You say with a smile as Steve's eyebrows hit his hairline.

"I'm sorry?" He asks. He was very clearly shocked. "is this a stupid prank?" Steve asks.

"I did not plan this. Blame that slutty sailors outfit," you reply with a wink. Steve's jaw drops. You tap your finger under his chin so it doesn't literaly hit the floor.

"So, pick me up at,- what time do you get off?" You ask. Steve is still in shock as you fold your arms over your chest.

He couldn't believe it. He couldnt. You were different

There were a few small tattoos adorning your arms, and your black jeans clung to you. Low on your hips. Steve snapped back to reality and kept his mind from wandering.

How many nights had he pined over you? Wishing and hoping for a single kiss. A single hug even.

"Um, ten," he blurts and you smile before grabbing his hand and writing your number.

"You can pick me up at 11, maybe we could go to the arcade. They are open late on Saturdays during the summer," you say and give him a kiss on the cheek before walking off.

Steve stands in shock. H-

"You rule Harrington," Robin says with utter shock. How had Steve had a girl, a very, very, hot girl come up and basically ask him out?

"I rule?" Steve says and hears a groan.

"Was that my sister?" Dustin asks. That was when it hit him.

Steve had gotten a date with his sister. You despised Steve? Or did you?

Dustin didn't want to find out.

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

Requests are open! Check my pinned post for details!

[sinsandsweetness]

Supression (sex and zombies- chapter 12)

pairing- {Rick x fem!reader}

summary- Rick has some pent up emotions.

warnings- 18+ obviously. MDNI. rough, mean, hate sex? hair pulling, choking, a tiny bit of angst at the end.

notes- you know that song that goes "yeah, he loves me, but he fucks me like he hates my guts" ? sooo... that's basically this. enjoy!

"Ohmygod", you scrambled up from your spot on the gravel, lunging towards Daryl, wrapping your arms around him and digging your face into his jacket.

The five of you looked like absolute hell. Daryls face beaten in, bloody and bruising as the seconds passed. Carl crying as Michonne tried to comfort him. Ricks face and neck slick with another mans blood. This weird haze of something unfamiliar in his eyes. Shock probably. It didn't even look like him. Hands shaky and mind somewhere else. 

You held onto Daryl, tight. You wanted to just break down and cry into his shoulder, but you thought better of it. Trying to keep yourself together, for his sake but more for yours. He held you for a long moment, no words exchanged, just the feeling of both of your heart rates attempting to return to normal. 

Nobody slept well that night. Not for a while. Not even after finding the rest of your family.

In fact, you were so sleep deprived by the time you had all found the church, that both Michonne and Daryl had pulled you aside separately, to see if you were ok. You weren't. But neither was anyone. So you didn't make a big deal out of it.

Rick was... pissed. Angry. Mad at the world. Mad at the Claimers. Mad at Terminus. The fact that his family was put in danger, captured to be killed and eaten right beside him. And... well, mad that not everyone wanted to listen to him. The new recruits from the road had showed up, blabbing about some cure, which sounded like utter bullshit in your opinion. But it didn't matter, Rick wasn't having it either.

Actually, for some unknown reason, Rick didn't seem to be 'having it' with you either. At first you thought it was just the shock. Every event that had happened was so quick and sudden. A lot of different emotions. And it's not like you minded. You were always so understanding, especially when it came to his family, getting Judith back, making sure Carl was okay. That was important. To him and to everyone. But even after things started to cool down, he seemed... off. He barely spoke to you, wouldn't even look in your direction while sitting around the church, picking at cans of whatever vegetable hadn't been so popular. You weren't entirely used to the silent treatment. Knowing that something was wrong but being almost too scared to ask. I mean, hell everything was wrong. So what could he possibly say that would actually make you feel any better?

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

You didn’t have to turn around to know who opened the bus door. You took a breath in, awaiting the unavoidable confrontation. 

“Are you kidding me?” He growled from behind you. The bag in your hand dropped to the floor of the bus. 

“It’s not what you think, I’m just-“ 

He pushed you forward, down the aisle of the bus. Stumbling, you catch yourself on the edge of a seat, turning around to look at him. 

“Yeah you know exactly what it looks like,” 

It looked like you were helping Abe and Eugene. Going against Rick's wishes, and orders. In truth, it was the exact opposite. You were trying to find the keys and hide them. Take their bags and delay them from leaving. You wanted the bus too. For your own friends. Not to get some idiot to DC.

“I know,” you put your hands up slightly.

Rick was amped up from the nights events. Still on edge from the argument in the church only an hour ago.

“I was taking the bags out, not loading them up,” you try to explain.

He knew you were being truthful, but he was still just as unimpressed. “You shouldn’t be out here anyway,” he approached you in the dark bus.

“I was trying to help.”

“Well don’t. Stay inside where it’s safe.”

“So why are you out here then?” 

“I heard you leave. Didn’t want you getting hurt... Again.” He added. Eyes flashing down your body almost too quick to notice.

“As if that was my fault,” you gave him a little attitude. He was being aggressive. For no reason. His anger towards the world being taken out on anyone who was there. 

If looks could kill, you'd of dropped to the floor of the bus. His glare burned into you, hot and mean.

“You think it was mine?” He let out a dry laugh, stepping closer and closer, while you walked backwards until you hit the back of the bus. 

“I didn’t say that,” immediately regretting your tone.

“Mmm but you’re thinkin’ it aren’t you?” He was close now, his eyes almost black in the darkness. 

You shook your head. 

“I’ve never even thought that,” 

“Oh bullshit,”

"It's not bullshit." You were mad now. “You know what's bullshit? That I have done everything you ever wanted, stood by you even at your fucking worst and you still have the nerve to think I would blame you for all this shit." You were up in his face now.

"I have never doubted you. Not for a second. So if you have had any thought that this whole situation we have ourselves in is your fault, that’s a reflection of what you believe, not me.”

He hesitated for a moment. Jaw clenching. 

“What? You realize I’m right? Huh?” You jabbed a finger at his chest. Sick of his attitude. 

“You wanna punching bag? To take it all out on someone? You haven't even talked to me since we found Daryl, and now you wanna pick a damn fight?" You couldn't help but scoff, "Well I’m not your girl. I’ve been on your side every damn step of the way."

“I know that-"

“Then cut it out Rick. I don't deserve this shit.” Now you were the one stepping forward into him, forcing him back. “Don’t be mad at me because you feel bad about what’s happened.”

“Of course I feel bad! I’m supposed to lead this group, I'm supposed to protect you!” He hissed.

“I never asked you to.“

His scowl deepened. Oh that hit a nerve.

"I am doing everything I can to keep this group alive-"

“Well stop it. You can’t control what happens to us Rick. You can't save all of us! We are fighting for our fucking lives in this stupid church and you can’t do anything about it,” you could see his face twitch. That little head tilt. Oh my god it made you wanna climb him. Going weeks without any attention from him, it didn't matter now that he was mad, because at least he was mad at you. 

“We're stuck here with that useless priest, and that mullet wearing prick. They’re gonna get us killed. You think so too, I know you do.” 

“Shut up.” 

“You aren’t in control anymore and you can’t fucking stand it can you-"

He grabbed your face roughly. 

“I said. Shut. Up.” He wasn’t having it. At all. You were only trying to get a rise out of him. And boy was it ever working.

“Fuck you,” you growl. 

To your surprise he brought his head down to yours, smashing your lips together. Kissing you with an intensity you weren't quite familiar with. Despite your anger, you still returned the favour. I mean why else were you egging him on like that, if not to get a little relief. Almost Immediately he started to peel layers off of you. Your coat, jeans, boots. All while kissing, and biting down your neck. 

“I hate you,” you told him quietly, beard scratching at your skin as he peeled your panties off. 

He almost laughed at your comment, suppressed it into your shoulder. He didn’t believe that for a second. 

His jacket and shirt were discarded in the pile of clothes and weapons he'd stripped off of you. 

“Turn around.” He demanded. And so you did, not without a little help from Rick pushing you down onto the bus seat. You let out a sound and your arms jutted out to the window. He wasn’t being gentle. Not like he usually was. Far from it. His rough hands went straight to your hips, and he pushed you even further, face now pressed up against the window. You could only see a faint light from inside the church. Nothing else. Utter darkness of the forest surrounding the two of you. He pushed between your legs, lining himself up to your already soaking wet pussy. Your own body betraying your hostile words. The belt buckle from his jeans was cold on the back of your thigh, causing a little whimper to escape your lips. 

“What’s that about me not being in control?” His hand tangled in your hair, pulling at your scalp. 

“Ah!”

He pushed into you from behind, not giving you any time to adjust. Thrusting rough and fast. His hand digging into your ass, pulling you back against him hard. You didn’t even care to hide the sounds you were making. Unable to do anything except grasp at the man’s hand in your hair. Hoping to ease his grip.

When he did finally ease up, he pulled you back by the hips, so that he was standing and you were closer to the edge of the seat. A palm pressed down on your back, pushing your face against the seat with his other hand still gripping your hip. Pulling you back onto him. Pounding into you hard and hitting a spot inside of you that you didn't even know existed.

You moaned right into the seat. 

Hate sex had always been a favourite. Though historically it was with Daryl, after a particularly bad argument or a day of him acting like an asshole. It felt different with Rick. To feel every emotion that he was trying to hold back, through the force of his thrusts. It was exhilarating. Feeling absolutely used, like his own personal fuck doll. A punching bag to blow off steam. It was so dirty, and fucked up, and turned you on even more.

“Rick-“ you cried out when you knew you were close and your legs started to give out. He didn’t let up, instead choosing to flip you around and onto your back, your legs instinctively wrapping around his waist as soon as he entered you again. 

His thumb went to your clit, rubbing messy circles as he pounded into you. 

“You like that huh? Being tossed around like a little slut?” He asked. A moan In his ear let him know that yes. Yes you did. 

His hands were grabbing at your waist and your skin so hard you knew he’d leave bruises. 

You couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed at the sound that left you when he lifted both of your legs onto his shoulders. Though he quickly shut you up, with his mouth on yours, muttering something unintelligible against your lips. 

You came hard, squeezing your eyes shut and breathing all heavy, raspy moans. Hands pushing against his stomach. 

“-t’s too much - Rick please,” you couldn't take anymore. 

“Didn’t I tell you to shut up?” he growled into your ear. He placed his hand on your throat, pressing down on the sides, and you heard him swear under his breath. 

You let the next orgasm wash through you as you struggled to breath, your fingernails digging into his wrist, no doubt leaving marks for the next day. Seeing tiny white stars as the pleasure erupted through your core and down the muscles of your legs. He finally let go and you inhaled a sharp breath looking up at him through teary eyes. 

He pulled out and you replaced the hand stroking his cock with your own, letting him come onto your stomach, and up your breasts. 

He let out a shaky breath. 

You were cold now without him so close to you. He grabbed one of your shirts and cleaned you up, helping you get dressed with the rest. Leaving with only a layer less than when you’d gotten on the bus. He plopped down onto the seat next to you, breathing heavy, both of you silently inspecting the pattern on the back of the seat in front of you. 

"Why haven't you talked to me?" you finally just asked. Sick of the silence and sick of not knowing.

He chewed on his lip for a moment. The gears in his head turning, for only you to see.

He sighed and shook his head, not facing you, "You went to him. After they- on the road... You went to him."

He was talking about Daryl. The way you hugged him after Rick bit that guys throat out and gutted his buddy. He was right, you had went to Daryl. But in that moment you didn't even recognize Rick. There was no way he would have made you feel any better. 

Maybe that's what he was so upset about. That he couldn't have been the one to comfort you. To take care of you.

"We didn't even know he was alive I was just-" happy to see him. Scared from the situation, and your instincts told you to go to the closest comfort. Ricks unfocused gaze and the blood dripping down his beard didn't exactly scream comfort.

"It's fine. I'm just- uh," he backtracked.  "You went to him. And my mind... it never stops. I- I just can't stop thinking. Ever. And every time I even look at you...  it gets worse. Thinking about how..." He ran a hand over his face. Not wanting to talk about it anymore. All you wanted was for him to pour his heart out, and every time he got close, he would stop. Just fucking say it already. 

“You're right okay. You do listen. You do everything I say, even when I can tell you don't agree," he tried grabbing your hand but you pulled away. "If everyone else were like you... maybe... I don't know.” Maybe they'd still be alive. That's what he wanted to say. His ego had clearly gotten the best of him lately. Rick looked over at you with another unfamiliar expression. He could tell you were spent, and maybe a little upset, rubbing at your neck. 

“You're such an asshole.” you answered, almost a whisper. 

When he didn't answer, you got up and brushed past him. He tried to object, calling your name and grabbing your arm, “Come back. I didn't-“

You tugged your arm back and stormed out of the bus.

He knew that you were just as scared to lose him. He knew it, and he still couldn't even outright say it. Whatever it was. 

Only a few meters from the church, you felt a cold hand on your shoulder. Annoyed and upset, you turn around, immediately forced to dodge the jaws snapping at you. 

“Oh shit!” You push the walker to the side, scrambling for your knife. When it got back up and closer you drove your knife in through its jaw, letting it drop down by your feet. A few deep breaths. Your heart rate through the roof. 

Looking back at the bus, Rick's hand was on his gun, looking at you through the doorway. Ready to come save you. Just in case you needed it.

[themculibrary]

bottom!steve x top!bucky masterlist

Call Boy (ao3) - L1av steve/bucky E, 149k

Summary: Bucky Barnes was skyrocketing through promotions at his advertising firm. Now, a partnership position is opening and if Bucky wants to see his name on the building, he needs to impress not only Mr. Tony Stark, but his wife Pepper. To do this, it takes a team, a couple to be exact. Bucky asks his ex-wife Natasha to set him up with the perfect girl, blonde, tall, thick thighs and huge tits, but with the personality that’ll get Pepper all smiles.

What Bucky gets? Tall, blonde, thick thighs…and a penis. Can this male escort pretend to not only be Bucky’s fiance but also impress Pepper enough to win Bucky the promotion? Is he going to impress Bucky enough to get him to sleep with him?

Steve loves working for his tip.

Ceasefire (ao3) - ipoiledi steve/bucky E, 4k

Summary: It's too hot out to be alive, is what it is.

Conviction (ao3) - ipoiledi E, 3k

Summary: “Why d’you want it?”Steve swallows and his eyes search Bucky’s face, dark now. 

“I just,” he says, but his voice comes out hoarse, and so he tries it again. “I just do, Buck, I want — I want you to know that I trust you. I want to give you that.”

Got Me Going Crazy (ao3) - orphan_account steve/bucky E, 3k

Summary: Basically, the one in which Steve is an oblivious sweetheart and Bucky doesn't know how to deal with that.

Have you no idea that you're in deep? (ao3) - theladyingrey42 E, 3k

Summary: Bucky wanted Steve to understand. The future could feel fucking awesome.

At least when it was vibrating in your ass.

Higher Ground (ao3) - EmilianaDarling E, 13k

Summary: A year and a half after the events of The Winter Soldier, Steve's been acting recklessly. Bucky deals with it as best he can.

I'll Be Seeing You (ao3) - OhCaptainMyCaptain steve/bucky E, 10k

Summary: “C’mon Steve,” Bucky coos jokingly. “Try n’ get me to come home with you.”

Legs As White as Sugar, Candy on the Window Sill (ao3) - OhCaptainMyCaptain steve/bucky E, 15k

Summary: Steve's a fucking little tease. The worse part is he knows it.

‘Cause Steve’s still got those fucking black-rimmed glasses on, but the beanie’s gone and his hair is perfectly styled like one of those rich kids whose parents could afford to send them to prep school. Bucky’s zipper scrapes against his sudden and uncontrollable erection when Steve walks onto the stage wearing a motherfucking schoolboy uniform – white button-up tee shirt and tie and fucking crest and everything.

No 'I' in Team (ao3) - thepinupchemist E, 5k

Summary: When Bucky moves into Avengers Tower, he notices something off about Steve. Steve isn't doing so hot -- and he's pissed that Steve's new friends haven't noticed. He gives them a piece of his mind. Loudly.

AKA, Steve has PTSD and the Avengers fail to pick up on it. This makes assassin boyfriend unhappy.

No One Wants Your Opinion (ao3) - thepinupchemist E, 5k

Summary: Wherein Bucky loves to cuddle Steve Rogers, Steve comes out on national television for the sole purpose of spiting conservative politicians, Tony sees things he wishes he hadn't, and Pepper doesn't know why she even bothers.

Not Another Supersoldier Fantasy (ao3) - triedunture steve/bucky E, 16k

Summary: Bucky finds a popular sex toy modeled on Captain America's own anatomy. Well, isn't this just perfect? Because even after all this time, he still hasn’t seen Steve’s supersoldier cock. But apparently in this day and age anyone with $29.95 can get a decent replica. The unfairness of this is of galactic proportions.

One Caress (ao3) - fuck_me_barnes steve/bucky E, 26k

Summary: In which Steve learns how to become comfortable with touch, and there is one very good dog, and a slow-burn romance.

Orgasmus (ao3) - OhCaptainMyCaptain E, 13k

Summary: It had always felt like his life was nothing but decision-making; what with work, taking out the dames, making ends meet all the time at home - Bucky was always expected to have the answers. That’s how society told him he needed to be. When he was at home, though, things were different. The second his shoes came off and that front door was closed, the only thing Bucky had always wanted was for someone to take care of him.

Not ‘someone’, not really. Steve. Bucky wanted Steve to take care of him.

P.S I Love You (ao3) - L1av, The_Nerd_Alert E, 158k

Summary: Steve Rogers was too asthmatic, too small and too unfit for the military. When his university was advertising for the Mail-A-Militant penpal program, he thought he'd give it a shot. Support someone out there fighting for their country with no family. What he didn't expect was for a man like Bucky Barnes to write back and flirt with him. He didn't expect Bucky to be gorgeous and he didn't expect to fall in love with the man he'd been corresponding with for a year. Now Steve faces his biggest fear and challenge yet; Bucky is coming home and worst of all... Steve gave him a picture of his best friend, Peter Quill instead of his own to stave off the rejection.

What happens next is the last thing Steve ever thought could happen...

rediscovery (ao3) - ignisgayentia steve/bucky E, 3k

Summary: It's Steve Rogers' birthday, and he only wants one thing; Bucky relearns what he likes to be called in the bedroom. Ahem. Daddy. Shameless smut.

S is for Steve Rogers is a Little Shit (ao3) - OhCaptainMyCaptain E, 23k

Summary: Or: Five times that Steve Rogers was a dirty cocktease and the one time Bucky got the best payback possible.

1: Pre-serum Steve seduces Bucky for the first time 2: Steve tests Bucky's restraints while on a mission 3: Nothing good ever happens when they're sitting in a meeting, Bucky has a vibrator up his ass, and Steve's holding the remote 4: 'But you're keeping the outfit, right?' 5: Dirty dancing and lollipops +1: Steve goes to confession

Sweetener (ao3) - goldheartedsky E, 5k

Summary: Bucky comes home drunk after striking out on a date.

Steve ends up being the next best thing.

That Ass Though (ao3) - nothingamonth E, 3k

Summary: Bucky has been living in the twentieth-first century for a few months alongside the other former Avengers. He didn't think he could be surprised by anything anymore, at least until he walked in on his best guy and an Asgardian god wrapped around each other like a pair of snakes, he realized how wrong he was.

Or, in which Bucky is jealous of Steve's jeans.

Unsuitable Breeding Stock (ao3) - sarahyellow E, 30k

Summary: “You fucking son of a bitch!” Steve is spitting out, furious. His face is going red, poor thing, and Bucky feels a twinge of guilt for having smiled. He knows he shouldn’t be encouraging it.

“Calm down, sweetheart,” he says. “It’s gonna be okay.”

Bucky brings his omega home.

Watch Your Mouth (ao3) - Enalena E, 5k

Summary: Bucky finds out about the whole 'language' thing and after expressing his confusion to Steve, he goes about proving to himself that Steve's use of bad language is just as awful as anyone else's. If not worse.

Or "That time Bucky fucked Steve so hard, everyone's perfect image of Captain America was crushed".

[yidhraloves]

Gabriel x gn reseacher Reader “Shining Star” ,

{Log Entry 2}

This is currently unedited

Part 1:

When you got back, you continued to work on your alternate research.

Well, you tried to but all you could think about was the encounter you had with Gabriel earlier on and how weird it was. The missing people, the codes not having changed, that hallway occurrence....

How did you think nothing of it in there?

It's like being in Gabriel's presence made your brain malfunction.

Ah! You still need to get ready for lunch with Gabriel.

Wait- did he ask you out on a date?

Probably not. He looks so pretty, so he probably already has a partner. Plus he probably only wants to talk about the research.

You'd still have to ask him why all of the others in the research team weren't present today, had there been an alternate attack on the lab?

You groaned out in frustration, why does this all have to be so hard?

....

...

..

.

The drive to the restaurant was rather unpleasant, so you were glad you finally arrived at the restaurant. Gabriel was waiting for you at the entrance, he was wearing beautiful clothes that looked very expensive and they were in your favourite colour too! He was carrying his golden locks open, they softly moved with the wind when he spotted you and started smiling at you.

He looked so good with his hair untied...in the lab he had it tied up in a ponytail.

Why was he dressed so nicely?

Now you felt bad, you had come here in the same comfortable clothes from this morning, and your hair was a bit greasy since you hadn't showered.

Gabriel didn't seem to mind, he embraced you into a hug that you wished had lasted a bit longer and smiled at you even brighter than he had before.

"I'm so happy you came dear! Let's go inside before it starts to rain!"

He basically dragged you inside the restaurant, his cold hand tightly gripping onto yours.

As you were looking at the menu, your blood froze. It was all so expensive. What the fuck.

Gabriel seemed to notice the distressed look on your face and assured you that he would be paying for everything. How rich was this dude?

You didn't want to take anything too expensive so you took the 2nd cheapest item on the menu.

Gabriel ordered the same as you did and while waiting for you food, you talked with Gabriel about some pretty casual stuff.

All though it rather felt like an interview, Gabriel was asking question after question..but when you asked him something, he kept it short, not more than 2 sentences.

Finally your food arrived...you would've really enjoyed it, if it wasn't for Gabriel staring at you as if he was studying you.

His strong gaze made you feel like a deer in the headlights, almost as if he was reading your mind.

And almost as if he was reading your mind, his attention suddenly shifted down to his food.

After you finished eating, it started raining.

Great. Just great.

"I can drive you home, my dove, it's no big deal"

Huh? What did he just say?

"Friend. You're my friend." He said

"Need a ride home?"

Oh no....on one side, you didn't want to drive trough the rain with your bike, but on the other hand Gabriel might just being nice to get information out of you, since you were continuing a research illegally.

"Oh yes fine"

You didn't mean to say that.

Gabriel was just so pretty, like a painting, a living piece of art that you couldn't take your eyes off of him.

When you arrived at your house, Gabriel escorted you to the door of your house and kneed down in front of you and pressed a soft, cold kiss on the back of your hand.

But before you could react, he had disappeared with the cold breeze that was left behind by the rain.

[aceontheline]

Songfic: Are We Even Happy?

Part 2 of this fic

Songs used: "Are You Satisfied?" ~ Marina and the Diamonds "Almost Everything" ~ Wakey!Wakey!

After quite some time passed with the two dating, Mass and York were getting rather comfortable with displaying their affection in a more outward manner. Mass would hug York constantly and kiss him even more so. York enjoyed the more fuzzy and romantic aspects to the relationship, but after a while... He could tell that there were some cracks forming in their relationship.

York had to text Mass often. If he didn't, Mass would bring it up later, asking if he was "Good enough" to talk to or not. This meant more than enough reassurance from York, basically telling him that he was his beloved. York also had to cut off certain people unless Mass approved of them. So, he couldn't hang out with friends that he had made previously unless Mass approved of them. And his approval list was rather small.

York hated all of this and reassured Mass that he should be allowed to be friends with anyone he wishes, as should Mass himself. Mass seemed rather angered by this conclusion. Mass clearly wanted York to hang out with those that he considered worthy of his approval, or just worthy of spending time with, period. Him and York fought frequently over this but it recently had come to a head one night once York hung out with a friend of his that he hadn't seen in a while: California.

Mass didn't like California because of how pretentious he came off as and how hard he tried to be "Liberal". York rolls his eyes.

"Mass, you hardly like ANYONE. What IS your standard, your Highness?" York asked angrily

"I don't know! I just know they're higher than yours 'cuz you'll just hang with anyone now, won't you?" Mass accused.

York sighed heavily, insisting that Mass' high standards were exactly the problem. York proclaimed that he would consider his life more than just "average", as he had good friends and a good outlook on life. Him and Mass kept fighting about it... Until York ran off.

----------------------TimeSkip: 3 Weeks Later-------------------------

York and Mass were taking a longer than normal break from each other, but this was long overdue. York had even noticed that without Mass around, he felt a little better about himself. He had been dating Mass for so long that being seen without him was a bit foreign to the other states. York's eyes had been wandering a lot as of late and Mass took notice of this. Of course, he wasn't happy about it but tried to articulate his thoughts a bit more clearly, asking York to meet him up again.

York reluctantly agreed to meet up with Mass later one evening. Mass angrily explains that he doesn't like that York has been straying further and further away so easily. It showed Mass that he didn't care about him. York couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Mass, I'm backing away for a few reasons, really. For one, your standards for me are set WAY too high-"

"Are you satisfied with an average life? Do I need to lie to make my way in life? Are you satisfied with an easy ride? Once you cross the line, will you be satisfied?"

"You're also overly controlling of me. I can't keep up with your rules and-"

"My problem, it's my problem That I never am happy It's my problem, it's my problem On how fast I will succeed"

"Mass, what the fuck does that even imply?" York asked in a snappy tone.

"You think you have it so hard? When I was younger, my folks would literally do anything and everything for me to be their perfect little trophy child. You're taking the easy way out and straying from me so that you can move on without any sort of actual repercussions!" Mass yelled.

This just solidified things in York's mind. He ran away rather upset at the conversation. York couldn't deal with Mass' crap anymore. He needed to be further away from him now more than ever. Later that night, York explained that the two were on an official "Break". No talking to each other for another 3 weeks or so.

--------------------TimeSkip: Another 3 Weeks------------------------

York seemed a lot better now. Way more confident and he was actually allowed to hang out with old friends again. Him and California had been chatting it up a bit, with York clarifying that him and Mass were currently on a break, and how volatile things had gotten between the two. Cali wished him luck further on. Just after that text, one from Mass. "Can we talk?" it said. York twiddled his thumbs, contemplating what to say. York typed out, "Sure"

Mass came to York's room, looking rather defeated. York had even confessed something... He was faking being happy while they were separated. York just wanted Mass to open his eyes and see that he wanted something like him and Cali could have. Romantic, sweet... Like what they had before. Mass sighed and shook his head.

"Said sit down with me before you go That's the wrong thing, I know But I don't know when I will see you again And it gets so lonely"

"... Yorkie, I'm sorry. I know we wanted this to work. Believe me, I was all for doing this separation to try and mend things-"

"Then why are you leaving me?" York asked, tears in his eyes.

"Because I can't guarantee I won't hurt you like that again. And I want you to be happy. Even if it means us not being together anymore" Mass replied, tears in his eyes as well.

"See it feels bad now, but it's gonna get better someday" "See, it feels bad now, but... It's gonna get better someday"

New York repeated that in his head to himself each day until he believed it. And eventually, things really did get better. York was single and free, making himself feel better. Mass was too now, but that didn't mean that the both of them wouldn't look at the good parts of their relationship with fondness. However, they both knew they were idolizing something that was no longer there.

[saltysaccharin]

Doctor

— [ELYSIUM] {NONCANON}

• characters :: hawks / takami keigo, ryouga atsumu + hero public safety commission (briefly)

• content :: angst, post-break up reunion, childhood friends to lovers to strangers to best friends again(?)

• warnings :: atsukei-typical angst

prompt / synopsis :: two years can change someone greatly; that doesn't mean the feelings one held toward them had to as well. unfortunately.

word count :: 1.3k

a/n :: haha this didn't go the way i originally planned because i fucking fORGOT HOW IT WAS SUPPOSED TO GO but it's okay it's basically still the same at its core just different dialogue? well most of the interaction is different from what actually happened hence the semicanon BUT I'M RAMBLING enjoy the food <3

The Wing Hero's eyebrows furrowed, accompanying the frown on his face, as he anxiously scrolled on his phone — persistently rereading the same text message over and over and over. He exhaled through his nostrils, the unease in his body unfortunately staying there rather than releasing with his breath.

He stared at his screen at the message from the HPSC, trying to wrap his head around the words that were delivered just the night before.

“ Doc Apollo will be returning to Japan shortly; I'm sure you've heard.

His private flight is scheduled for tomorrow, March 25th, and is estimated to land at 4 o'clock sharp.

A group of higher-ups, investors, and other individuals will be awaiting his arrival at an area near the hangar to welcome him.

Now, the important part: He wants you there. He specifically requested for you to be at the building itself when his jet arrives, likely intending to meet up with you as a priority.

However, this is not an order. I'm simply conveying a message.

It is up to you if you wish to be there.

That is all. ”

After everything that happened, one could hardly blame the disbelief that quickly formed. Hawks, now twenty-two years old, ran a hand through his hair, a myriad of emotions threatening to overtake him. Stress, confusion, thrill — they all boiled up to the surface akin to magma in a volcano that had been declared extinct for years.

He just couldn't understand anything. His mind raced with questions at a speed that even rivaled his own. What was he even supposed to be feeling? Why did Atsumu want to see him? Why didn't he reach out himself?

How has he been doing?

Hawks sighed heavily and leaned his head back, hitting the inner walls of the hangar. He ran a hand over his face, taking a deep, somewhat shaky breath to calm himself.

At this stage, Hawks was well past denying the fact that he definitely hadn't moved on. Maybe the second half of the first year had him fooling himself, convinced he'd be fine on his own, but he could only lie so much until the inconsistencies in his claims glared holes into themselves, eventually shattering the image of having 'come to peace with it' completely.

While it hurt to admit, pretending as if the opposite were true stung even more.

So he still liked Atsumu two years after their break up. Big deal.

Two years typically wouldn't feel like such a long time, but without anything to look forward to — without Atsumu — time passed by so excruciatingly slowly. That fact demonstrated itself so perfectly as Hawks stood in a near-empty field, staring blankly down the runway.

This was depressing. The very notion that he was even here was depressing.

But as the volume of an aircraft engine grew louder and louder, so did Hawks' heartbeat. Despite all of his nerves from just a few moments ago, in that moment, all he felt was an indescribable excitement at the thought of finally seeing his best friend again.

Because that's what Atsumu was, even after two years of radio silence.

He was his friend for much longer than that first.

Once the jet came to a full stop, it was already a few minutes past 4 p.m. Hawks didn't mind. He waited patiently, heart thrumming in anticipation, although he looked as easygoing as he ever was from afar. He steadily approached the jet, his hands in his pockets struggled to stay still as he closely watched the airstairs unfurl, and the cabin door gradually open—

"Ah, the air here's so much colder..." His voice rang like melodious wind chimes in Hawks' ears in spite of the slight rasp to it.

A yawn left the passenger's lips, small droplets of salt forming at the corners of his eyes. He brought a gloved hand up to wipe them away, simultaneously scanning his surroundings. And then, his gaze landed on the dirty blond who never took his eyes off of him since he came into view.

He froze, a hand on the railing while another rubbed his eyes comically. Hawks would've laughed had he not been holding his breath.

"...Keigo?"

The simple utterance of his name almost brought Hawks to his knees. He couldn't fall apart so easily right there; he just couldn't. Instead, he took a deep breath and smiled warmly, waving a hand.

"Hey, Ats—"

Hawks wasn't even given the opportunity to finish his greeting before Atsumu practically jumped off of the stairs and launched himself toward him. Instinctively, Hawks reached forward as well, successfully catching the other in time to feel his bubbling laughter against his chest.

Finding the sound contagious, Hawks gritted his teeth as he did his best to remain professional; distant; aloof; formal; restrained— All in vain, for he couldn't suppress the joy creeping up the corners of his lips. He joined in the childlike giggles before shutting his eyes, relishing in the moment while he got the chance to hold Atsumu this closely once more.

This was too much. He knew that.

But he was too happy to let go.

Eventually, Atsumu was the first to pull back, resting his hands on Hawks' shoulders. He seemed to get stuck, pursing his lips as he searched for something to say. His gaze then fell on where they still touched, lingering, until he timidly retracted his hands and anxiously tugged at the hems of his gloves.

"Uh—" While sounding slightly raspier, and more mature, Atsumu's voice still held every bit of 'Atsumu' that it always had. "Hi. Sorry, I shouldn't have..." He trailed off, sighing, "It's been a while, I..."

"Got excited?" Hawks chuckled, putting his hands in his pockets. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to keep them to himself otherwise. Shaking his head, the Hero simply shrugged, "It's okay. I'd be lying if I wasn't happy to see you, too."

Atsumu glanced up at him, unconvinced. The fiddling didn't stop — only getting worse as he looked down at his hands, the discomfort in his knitted eyebrows growing more and more obvious.

Hawks' jaw clenched; he hoped, prayed Atsumu wouldn't bring up what he'd been avoiding thinking about since the jet landed.

He should have known better, though.

"...Kei, about what happened—"

"No, no," Hawks quickly interrupted, forcing out a laugh and putting on a bright smile, "It's okay! We were just kids, we.. didn't know any better. I understand a lot of things much more now." Words flowed too easily from his lips, as if he'd been waiting to speak them for eons. "Besides, the past is the past, it doesn't matter anymore; you're back!

"Now, we can just—" Subtly, his breath hitched as he lifted up a hand and offered the other a simple fist bump— "Go back to the way things were. If, y'know, you're fine with that."

Because Hawks definitely was. He was okay with pretending none of it happened.

He was.

Really.

The doctor didn't seem to believe him, however. His tangerine gaze flickered from place to place, searching Hawks' eyes for something. "You sure?" Atsumu asked cautiously, his worried expression ignored.

Waving a hand in dismissal, Hawks laughed once more, "Why wouldn't I be? Nothing could get between us even if we tried." That was true; it always had been, and it still was.

They both knew that.

A switch seemed to flip inside of Atsumu once he processed what was said. He smiled — a practiced, calculated thing. "That's great to hear! God, I was so nervous back there!" The merry chortle that left his mouth came very naturally, but to someone who'd heard what his genuine laughter sounded like, it was so incredibly counterfeit.

Hawks wasn't sure he liked the sudden, superficial change in demeanor.

This act was only ever reserved for people Atsumu kept at arm's length: Civilians, co-workers, Villains. Hawks was lucky enough to get a glimpse into Atsumu's truest form (as true as Atsumu could manage) back before the latter left Japan — back when they knew each other — but now...

Atsumu smiled at him the way he smiled at everyone else.

[neon-green-reagent]

You don't have to read this. I'm just having a rough time. A health and money rough time, which is such a double whammy, and I just had to get it out.

It feels like this was entirely out of nowhere, but I guess it wasn't. I've had hip pain for a while now. It's on and off. Like it would get aggravated, then heal, then aggravated again. I finally got an answer about that. I have old age problems. In my spine mostly. One of those things most Tumblr users truly won't understand and will go pale over as they sit comfortably in their 20s and 30s.

And like okay. Fine. My spine's melting slowly over time. That happens to lots of people. My age is usually when it starts. But also it suddenly hurts a lot. In the last two weeks, it got way worse all at once. I bent over, something wrenched, and since then I've been kinda fucked. The MRI showed that whole spine melting thing, which is supposed to be gradual, but also a bulging disc, and that's probably what I did right there. I slipped something out of place.

So the problem is... All this test taking happened because I had some blood tests that made it look like I had an autoimmune disease. So I went to the specialist you see for that: a rheumatologist. She ruled out basically everything, and when my MRI came back, she said welp! That's not my field! And waved goodbye and offered me nothing beyond that.

I went to a spine specialist, and they offered options. All of which were vaguely scary. Take a pill everyday. Get a shot in your back. Get physical therapy. So I said can I get some physical therapy? And they said yes. That's happening in about two and a half weeks. The problem is, since I made this decision, the back pain has flared to a new level.

Now when I get done with a day of work, no matter how low impact it was, I'm in pain. Two ibuprofen? What are you, NINE? No, we need at least four at a time. My already terrible GI tract is really hating this, by the way. Last night, for the first time, the pain woke me. I couldn't get comfortable. I couldn't lie in any position that didn't hurt. I was EXHAUSTED and couldn't sleep because the pain was too much.

So now I've stayed home from work, icing my back, taking four ibuprofen at a time, getting emails from my supervisor, still in pain, looking at a future with possible surgery in it and wondering you know... What happens if I can't walk? What happens if the pain won't stop and I can't sleep? How will I afford these procedures and specialists?

Because wanna know the other thing that happened? My car died. I had to replace it in a rather emergency fashion. So that was pretty much all the money I had saved up and a new car payment hanging over my head. My health insurance is... not the worst but far from the best. That MRI was covered by most of it, but I still have to pay a portion. So I may not be able to get the care I need at this point.

I'm feeling really overwhelmed and alone. Everyone in my immediate family has passed away. Everyone in my extended family is not interested in helping me out and are hyper religious to boot and do NOT know certain things about me. Keeping them at a distance is for the best. Everyone around me is getting their ass thoroughly kicked by inflation. There's not a lot of hope here. I'm trying very hard not to look at this pain as "this is my life now", where I can't sit for more than 15 minutes at a time and can barely sleep. But, hell, it might be.

The hopeful part... I'm trying to get my general doctor to fill out some paperwork that will make work easier on a lot of levels until I can figure out what I'm doing. So, you know, when I call in my supervisor can't email me and make me feel like shit, that sort of thing. And the physical therapy I'll be getting truly is the most highly recommended first course of action when dealing with something like this. But I sort of wish that specialist hadn't brushed me off after I just received a pretty scary test result. Because now I feel ignored and alone. And I really wish my car had made it a few more months, because now I'm broke, too.

TLDR: I'm broke, my back hurts, and it all sucks.

[bcyoureallthatmakessense]

I had a falling out with one of my closest friends a few years back. They dated my cousin and the last time they broke up was really really bad. I gave them space, let them know I was there for them when they needed me bc I love them yk?

Well the following Feb, I was really in a bad headspace - my bipolar was coming hard and fast and was suddenly unmanageable but I didn't realize it yet, i just knew that i was a wreck and it was only getting worse. I deactivated my facebook and closed myself off from everyone.

But then on their bday they rather aggressively messaged me basically asking me why I hadn't spoken to them (I was waiting for them to talk to me - yes I could have reached out but again... I was going thru some shit), and like "you weren't even going to wish me a happy birthday? You just kind of abandoned me"

I explained that I was going thru some shit and couldn't deal w the confrontation and asked for space. Well I still wasn't doing well about 10 mos later and had reactivated all my soc med and had been watching snap stories and accidentally watched theirs and they got really mad about it and we hashed it out and I spoke my piece and they still were only blaming me for everything that went wrong in our relationship (I admitted my faults, they did not - kept pushing it all on me, it fucking sucked)

And yet

My heart aches for them. To know if they're happy and well. And I miss them so bad sometimes. Sometimes they appear in my dreams and we're friends again and have moved past it. And idk

It just goes to show that people love SO hard and SO deep and idk.

Idk what I needed to accomplish here but here have my word vomit if you made it here thanks lmao

[noosesurroundsme]

sh and s stuff

I am really struggling to keep going. I can't get out of this rut I've been stuck in. Ever since late '22 when that stuff happened at work and I broke my sh free for a year streak I haven't been able to stop. It's not consistent but I feel awful that I'm still doing the same things I did when I was 13 or 14 to deal with my emotions when I'm 26 going on 27. I can't stop it. I did it twice with in a few hours at work on Wednesday, in a new place on my body. I did it yesterday. I hate it but it's working again. I was able to smile and laugh and have a good time on Wednesday after.

I feel bad realizing that it's almost been 6 years since the sh accident where I almost died and this whole time my mom and the rest my family thought I stopped. I also realized a couple days ago that I hit a mile stone of 10 years since I tried to hang myself November of '13. I thought that would make me feel good that I forgot, but I've been thinking about my 27th birthday and how little I want to be around after it.

I'm tired of feeling alone. I hate my existence. All I've ever wanted was to feel normal. I despise my identity. It's fucking awful. I just want to be seen as a woman and nothing else, and I am but having to tell people ruins everything. J doesn't want anything to do with me. He made it seem like he was fine with it, but he says he can't get over the night I came out to him. He will still say he doesn't see me as any different, but he "knows what I used to be." It don't understand how he can see me like every other woman but not at the same time. It hurts. He is hurting because he wishes he could love me like he wanted to before I told him and doesn't want to see me. He says he still wants me in his life but doesn't want to be around me. I want to run away and drive my car off a bridge or cut my s scar on my arm open. Idk how people can be proud to be trans, especially in our current political climate in the US. I feel like a fucking freak.

I am sick of life at home. My mom told me my youngest brother wanted a shelf put up in his closet last month, so I took down all of the old stuff and started making the new stuff. Every time he's screaming at me how I spend all this time on my Camaro restoration like I haven't been caught up doing home projects all year too and he only just told my mom he wanted me to do his closet. He screamed at me because it's not getting done fast enough, but I basically only have two days a week to work on it. I got it to the point that all the mud work was done so he could paint it and he still isn't done 3 weeks later. It's also been below 0 all week, our attic isn't heated so I can't sand and stain the pieces up there. My other brother (the middle one) is being a petty to me because last week Saturday when we got 15 inches of snow I didn't clean off his car (that's been sitting with a blown engine since April) and the little pathway around it, so he took the snow from his car and threw it on my trailer with my parts car for the Camaro. When my mom yelled at him for it because she saw it the same time I did, he told her I was being petty by not cleaning that area. I just hadn't gotten that far yet, I moved the trailer to make it easier for him but I had to fill the tires. The garage door wouldn't close after doing that because of the cold. I was planning to do it, but he started on the car before I could. No matter how hard I try, everyone still hates me. I'm sick of life.

[bicellbit]

trying not to be crazy negative especially since it's over and done with and my streamer won't be participating but holy fuck the event was done so badly and so poorly balanced and genuinely i do not know how people's lore is going to recover for the people whose stuff got interrupted like. no fucking wonder people are taking long breaks they have to rewrite entire chunks of their character because their arcs got not just interrupted but basically ruined AND if they plan/planned on doing stuff with others they have to coordinate how their characters are dealing with shit and basically it's all fucking agonizing and i GET that they planned a cool event and wanted to try it out but i wish they hadn't basically done playtesting on server members and had thought about timing and also sorry i like what people did with it but the eggs going missing the way that they did fuckign SUCKED so basically while i do like what my streamers have managed to do with the situation the last four months have sucked in terms of coherent lore that didn't fuck people individually. in conclusion i will not be watching purg 2 whatsoever MAYBE ill hop in to watch shub if shes having a nice time but otherwise i would rather not see an ounce of it im so fuckingl. im just tired man i miss when lore wasnt trying to be overarching and all-encompassing and was more character-focused and i miss when everything didn't have to be a huge dramatic thing and when the feds were the genuine real enemy and nothing else was distracting and i miss investigations and i miss people jsut hanging out and i think when a bunch of people have to take long breaks its not a great sign. thats my ted talk that no one will ever read