#and half the tag list done gone 👀

[britcision]

So these past few months have been A Time, but the past few weeks in particular I’ve held off giving y’all any snacks because I am at Lady Gotham and I really want everyone to see her for the first time together

And I’m also at the last damn 1000 words for the chapter it is so close

But the tone is fighting me and I think it’s because I haven’t fully nailed what I want from this conversation and what will need to wait for the next one

So instead of something from the active chapter WIP here is a probably-to-be-deleted (or at least thoroughly reworked) scene from Jason’s first meeting with Lady Gotham 👀

(Cuz Jason’s been having A Goddamn Time these last few chapters and I think he deserves a break from breakdowns and daddy issues)

Happy WIP Wednesday!

————

It was almost a relief when her attention snapped back to Danny, her smile a little cooler, but still fond.

“You did not bring him to see me before,” she remarked blandly, and Danny winced.

“Yeah… if it helps, last time we were here we were kinda distracted?” He offered hopefully.

Lady Gotham chuckled softly, crossing one knee over the other and sending smog billowing around them.

“I’m aware. Clockwork told me he intended to ask for your services,” she added to Jason directly, blatant pride and approval making him wonder about his own doubts.

They came from John fucking Constantine, after all.

And from a decade of strenuous training for a job that at one point had literally kill him. Jason wouldn’t say he regretted his call, but he still wanted to know more. And about that weird shadow he’d seen in the visions she had showed him.

Danny seemed a little more hung up on something else.

“Wait, Clocky came and told you about it?” He asked incredulously.

Lady Gotham chuckled softly.

“The Master of Time may not technically need my permission, but he knows well enough to ask before interfering with what’s mine,” she agreed with a regal incline of her head.

Jason almost laughed at the feeling of Danny’s indignation beside him. He didn’t even have to look to see the pout as he folded his arms. It rather effectively killed any lingering tension.

“Oh, sure, the Ghost King he just drops in and ambushes, but we wouldn’t want to offend a city spirit,” Danny grumbled melodramatically, then looked sharply at Lady Gotham. “No offence, obviously.”

The larger ghost was clearly more amused than offended, blowing another stream of smog in Danny’s direction.

“None taken. You yourself were quick enough to ask my permission before entering my city,” she reminded him with an easy nonchalance.

“Yeah, but I have manners,” Danny grinned back, relaxing and leaning in against Jason’s side like either of them had any gravity pulling them down.

Gotham’s lips quirked as she nodded an agreement and she gestured with one hand at the mostly obscured length of her legs.

“They are appreciated. Do you like them?” She asked with just a hint of smugness that made Jason think there was something… more to the gesture.

Both men obediently followed the gesture, looking down the length of her legs into billowing smog and the occasional flash of her pearls. Jason could feel Danny’s confusion.

“Your, uh… your dress? It’s very nice?” He offered cautiously, his aura a delicate balance of polite-sincere-I’m just a little guy help me out here that almost made Jason snicker… until he realised that he couldn’t feel an answering aura from Lady Gotham.

She was so there, larger than life and overwhelming even sat on his level, but he wasn’t getting the same insights into her feelings he’d gotten from every other ghost he’d met. It kinda reminded him of that first meeting with Frostbite and realising he couldn’t feel the yeti’s aura… only to find it all around him.

He knew better than to go looking this time. He could confirm with Danny once they were away.

Meanwhile the Lady laughed softly, reshuffling long brown legs so the other was on top and recrossing them, smog trailing from where her feet should have been as it cleared for just the briefest moment. And set the dangling pearls shining bright.

“A decent try, my king, but once more?” She hinted, a flash of a smile setting the pearls briefly aglow. They almost bounced with the motion.

Jason knew the story, of course. All the bats had, usually from Alfred or the records of the police commissioner.

Bruce never talked about it. They were never quite so rude as to ask.

Which made it even more bullshit that Bruce constantly brought up Jason’s darkest secrets, his own past.

Squashing the thought, he tried convincing himself it tasted like Pitty. Despite the little grumblings of protest below his ribcage.

But no, he knew what the pearls meant to Bruce, knew from the bat signal eyes what they had to mean. Bruce fucking Wayne, Batman, was so intrinsically a part of Gotham he’d changed the way her spirit looked.

Jason had fucking given his life for the city, and what had it gotten him? A permanent passenger who wanted to kill everyone he cared for, a family that could barely look at him, a half life of always coming in second to Tim fucking Drake… a little brother he had nearly killed because everything Jason had ever wanted had just fallen into Tim’s lap.

He knew better now. He did. He knew it wasn’t true; Tim butted heads with Bruce every other week, got himself a Robin cape by larceny (and hadn’t Jason loved hearing that? Almost better than going for the Batmobile’s tires), embezzled enough from the Bat-Budget to build an entire second Batmobile that he kept below his Nest like a trophy.

(Jason had stolen the tires off that once he found out about it too. Tim had never brought it up or retaliated, but he was too good not to know who did it. They’d been replaced by Bat Budget anyway.)

Point was, Jason knew the Pit lied. That Tallia and Ra’s and all that lot lied. He had been missed, he was loved, his family wanted him home. Gotham was his as much as Bruce’s, and the Alley was his alone.

It just… tugged at something bitter and dark in his chest to look at Lady Gotham, the beating heart of his city, and only see Bruce reflected back. Only the glitz and glamour of the rich, just like in real life.

The thought was barely more than words, half choked words he knew weren’t anything but a ghost fear from the kid who’d been left behind or forgotten more than he’d been cared for, before Lady Gotham responded. Not verbally, but for all that Jason hadn’t felt anything a moment ago, he was suddenly surrounded by her.

WARMTH-GENTLE-LOVED-LOVED-LOVED

It wasn’t that which broke through though; no, that was the sudden soft, watered down scent of Catherine Todd’s favourite perfume, the one they could almost never afford so she would refill the bottles with water once they were about half empty.

It hadn’t covered the stink of cigarettes and worse coming from the very walls of their apartment, he’d only smelled it when she was holding him close. Shielding him from Willis’s rage, tucking him into bed, cuddled up on the couch to wait out the rain.

It brought tears to his eyes, the pressure of the day threatening to spill over and overwhelm him again.

He could feel her signal-eyes on him, dimly hear her bantering with Danny about whatever the other was missing, but none of it registered. Not through the phantom arms wrapped around him, the soft whisper of Gotham’s voice in his head.

Not unloved, my son. Never unloved, never alone.

————

We’ll see if this makes its way back in either this chapter or the next one, Jason is certainly due a couple dozen complete breakdowns just from the backstory, let alone the events of the fic

I’d love to say I think it’ll be soon but tomorrow’s gonna suck and I have no idea what this month is gonna be I couldn’t breathe all through October and it’s touch and go now

Tag List:

@welcometosasakiworld @kyrianclawraith h @someonebored0100 @stealingyourbones @starkcravingmad @frostedthroughghost @akikkobara @rainbowbunny0159 @littlefeather345 @violet-catsarelife @serasvictoria02 @wolfjackle @blacksea21090 @secretdestinywerewolf @anime-hipster-the-amazing @undead-essence @skitscratched d @blackroserelina @snoodly-boop @mayoota-blog @xysidhe @little-apricot-the-writer @chaoticmistake @the-legal-shipper @bun-fish @aroranorth-west @demon-cat-goes-woof @perfectwastelandcreation n @onyxlightdragon @larks-and-katydids @peachesandcreamfemboy @jesus-camp-the-sequel @may-rbi @mothman-the-mothman87 @viyatrix @stargirl1331 @idfk-man10 @thedepressedrobin @skulld3mort-1fan @rootsmudge @ravenshadow17 @cankoking @phantom-dc @mentalcarebear @magic-pincushion @redamancyardor @lyra689 @itsparadoxlacuna @alcorbearson @asphyxia778 @why-must-i-be-like-this @tkiesai @greenpyrowolf @frivolous-pastel @honeysuckletook @adorkable1291

[captainswanwipwednesdays]

CS WIP Wednesday Challenge (an evergreen list)

A new WIP writing challenge every week! Dust off your keyboards and bust out your red pens, because we're summoning the muse whether she likes it or not 🧚‍♀️

Feel free to jump in and out as you please - just make sure to tag us so that we can reblog all your updates!

If the week's prompt doesn't work for you, write anything you want! Write what calls to you! Just write something! The same fic can also be used for more than one prompt!

Week 1

👻 The WIP haunting you most (you know which one it is - it's the first one that came to mind when you saw this challenge)

Week 2

👵 Your oldest posted WIP (can you even remember what year it was when that one first went up?)

Week 3

🥰 Your favorite WIP (which one do you actually WANT to be writing right now, regardless of what anyone else thinks of it)

Week 4

🕛 The WIP that has gone the longest without an update (have pity on us readers please)

Week 5

💡 The WIP that has all the notes/outline already done but you haven't managed to start (that's half the work done already!)

Week 6

🎂 The WIP you most recently updated (more cake!)

Week 7

🤏 Your shortest WIP (as in the one that will be the shortest, so short that you can totally write it... right? right.)

Week 8

🤷‍♀️ Any WIP - 500 words (shake that muse until words fall out - any words at all!)

Week 9

📜 Your longest WIP (look how many words you've already written! What's a few more?)

Week 10

🫶 Your WIP with the least amount of notes (let's give it the attention it deserves!)

Week 11

☝️ A oneshot WIP (come on, you can do it! It'll totally stay a oneshot....)

Week 12

🔥 That smutty WIP/scene you've been avoiding (suck it up and write the smut - or fade it to black - just don't let a little smut stand in your way!)

Week 13

☹️ The WIP you started and abandoned/decided not to post (don't let that WIP be an orphan!)

Week 14

🙌 Your posted WIP with the most comments/kudos/notes (give the people what they want!)

Week 15

✍️ That one scene/bit of dialogue in a WIP you don't want to/haven't been able to write (make them do the thing or say the thing even if they do or say it badly!)

Week 16

🃏 Dealer's choice (whatever your heart desires, writers, that's all we want you to have)

Week 17

😈 A new WIP (You've already got so many on the go... what's one more?)

Week 18

😭 That WIP that's going to be so long and involved you don't even want to think about it (Time to bite the bullet and write that first/next sentence)

Week 19

🪈 The WIP you talked about but never started (we're waiting - time to pay the piper...)

Week 20

👀 Let someone else pick which WIP they'd love you to update (it's not peer pressure if it's your friends right?)

🖋🖋🖋🖋🖋🖋🖋🖋🖋🖋🖋🖋🖋🖋🖋🖋🖋🖋🖋🖋

Feel free to send me any suggestions you might have and we can add them to the list - There will be a weekly post as well for each topic as a reminder.

Happy Writing!

[blneobin]

10 BL boys I want carnally <3

Much much love to @ayansbff for tagging me!! I hope you know what you’re in for cause tagging me in a post to simp?? ok! I have a reason to SCREAM about these men who made me question my asexuality.

Mantrisanu - Jeng (Step by Step)

nobody but my acemate (@mooniyuta) knows just how obsessed I was with Mantrisanu during the Step by Step era. When I tell ya I forgot I was ace as soon as I saw his giant 1.90m ass on screen.. I forgot I was even a person. I am a squirrel needing to climb a tree. WOW! just WOW!! Step by Step? No! Step On Me.

Jam Rachata - Tinn/Jiu (Laws Of Attaction/To Sir With Love)

just Jam Rachata in general. He’s just a few years older than me but I will call him Daddy. When I saw him in Laws of Attraction I was intrigued then I stayed for the plot then I got hooked with their chemistry. Lucky for me I’ve never watched To Sir With Love before, so I did… and I can hear the wedding bells ringing as soon as I saw how his hunky meaty goodness handle that rusted half scissors turned murder weapon.

First Kanaphan - Alan/Sand (Moonlight Chicken/Only Friends)

I’ve been salivating for this man since Not Me. I suffered through The Shipper for this man. It’s not just his beautiful handsome gorgeous self that does it for me, its also his charm. Like he’s so charming and has this aura about him that’s just warm and homey. His smile is like the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen. His eyes are just so sparkly and beautiful, if I ever meet him irl I’d probably trip over myself getting lost in them. I understand Khaotung not wanting to share him with anyone because I would do the same.

Bright - Yai (I Feel You Linger In The Air)

He’s so handsome I can cry. This man is like Jam x2. Like he has such a perfect face for male lead in romance genre. Where has he been all my life?? Maybe its Yai the character that feeds my deluluism, but when General Yai popped up in ifylita with a freakin porn stache and I wasn’t immidiately appalled, I knew I was a goner.

Neo - Boston (Only Friends)

Neo has always been cute to me. Catches my eye in every series he’s in but then Only Friends happened AND I WAS FLOORED!!! It was like ya know when you enter your teen years and that cute person you’ve grown up with had a growth spurt and you’re like daaaang when did you get hot 👀 Yeah that’s me with Neo.

Ohm Pawat - Pat (Bad Buddy)

specifically Ohm as Pat cause he was chunky and meaty and oof his arms were distracting as fuck. Anytime he showed up with that damn tank top I was like pls may I bite. He’s just so *feral animalistic growling* I personally love a man whos chunky meaty mucles and looks like they can lift me. AND HIS SMILE??? HIS TWINKLING EYED SMILE?!?!?!?! I’m gone. what a baaaabe!!!

Try imagining? alrighty if you say so 😚

Keita Machida - Kurosawa (Cherry Magic)

I remember watching cherry magic for the first time in 2020 and I was in awe. He is so dreamy and handsome. I hate to say it again guys but.. his smile!! Like I’m obsessed with him!! Both me and bestie screamed when we saw him in Alice In Borderland (overgrown blondie with roots showing and he is messy and he smokes and I was barely breathing) and then scream cried when his head EXPLODED!?!?!?!) Anyway, I’d marry this guy. like legit.

Earth Pirapat - Jim (Moonlight Chicken)

I am not done with the young dilfs. I have no other words other than !! HIM !! like I would need to make a seperate Earth appreciation post to start talking about him. This post is getting too long anyway so I’m gonna not say much here but.. just know I would drop everything for him.

Papang - Gumpa (Not Me)

my need for Papang to suffocate me in his tiddies arms is like my human need to eat to keep myself sustained. He just looks like the best recharging station. That doesn’t make sense but it makes sense.

Even going through the gif list to choose a Papang gif gave my tummy flips

Bosston Suphadach - Pruk (Between Us)

THERE’S A NEWBIE ON MY LIST WOO!!! I feel like because he hasnt been here long and has only played sub-minor parts, people forgot about him .. BUT I. DID. NOT. <3 Did you see him in between us alongside Sammy?? Yes. I too would be purposefully tripping in front of him so that he can hold me in his big strong arms. Also him and the doctor in Be My Favourite?? SIIIIICKKK!!!! Let’s just say I’m excited to watch their spinoff next year ✨

I’ve got a few more but these men are mainly the ones that I need to have. In conclusion, Big Guy, Big Arms, Big Smiles. Love them, Love Him.

thank you lovely gif makers @zhivchik @mushiemadarame @rayandgay @wanderlust-in-my-soul @kiyosuku @warmday @sunsetandthemoon @bunnakit @daikunart and lovely moots @dramalets @drama-nonsense @mooniyuta @mooninagust @these-emo-thoughts @sparklyeyedhimbo @khaotungsfirst @blue-grama @absolutebl @troubled-mind who enable this obsession.

[zeawesomebirdie]

I hope I can still send you asks and you can answer them? Just to say that I'm trying to do the Snarry rec list but my memory is SO BAD lol there are a few I know have to go on there but otherwise? I'm going to have to reread so much fic..... Not that it's an imposition of course, but it does feel weird taking a look through my collection and realising 1) there are less fics than I thought and 2) I can't associate any summary to so many of the titles! Where has my Snarry knowledge gone!! Anyway I realise I forgot to rec you Diagnosis by MaidenMotherCrone for Tomarry fics, which is an error because I'm not sure I'd want to reread it but it's really a Whole Thing in an overall positive way. Also I never gave you the name of the absolute epic I felt weird reccing on main because there's some niche kinks in it? Obviously you don't seem like you open a 500k fic and come out of it a week later without having done anything else but read it, given what you've said about taking breaks in Pacify (which tbh fair. A lot of stuff happens there) so giving you a 800k fic series on top of all the rest seemed a lot you know :') but whenever you want, you know where to find me hehe. Anyway I'll go like brush my teeth and all, hope this sends, bye bye!!

Looks like I can still receive asks! Whether or not you’ll be notified when I answer this (and I guess, also whether or not tumblr will even allow me to post it,,,) still remains to be seen, but based on last night’s experiment with @’ing you, you won’t be notified. I’ll try to keep my reblogging to a minimum until you’ve seen this!!

For what it’s worth, I did send in another support ticket this morning, but I’ll update my pinned post with that info after I’ve answered this

There is no rush at all for the snarry rec list!! Take your time beloved!! I agree that rereading all that fic isn’t all that bad of a thing, but omg, it must be so daunting to have that list to go through, even if it’s shorter than you thought it was! I mean, I’m sitting here with 12 pages in my marked for later tab on Ao3, while entirely forgetting to read both the fic I currently have open and the books I have from the library lol, so I can def relate to having a list to read through. Just please don’t feel rushed or even obligated, you have the best recs but really it’s okay if I wait for it!

(but tbh, at this point I’ve read enough snarry that I feel like I could make an actual rec list myself, even if like 90% of my bookmarks have come from the @houseofsnarry discord. I might have to do that. No one has asked for my recs since I totally flubbed that one ask requesting my quiobi recs and I revealed that at the time I wasn’t really reading, but now I read so much more, even if it’s primarily snarry and irl books. Idk. I’ll have to think about it and also wait until I get un-shadowbanned, and also also I’ll have to read a little bit more so I can round out any list like that,,,)

Omg so Diagnosis looks like an absolutely incredible fic 👀 that summary, those tags!! No worries about not remembering anything other than the positive vibes, I’ve loved literally everything you’ve rec’d thus far and I’m sure I’ll love this too!

Feel free to drop the name of that longfic btw 👀👀👀👀 I don’t often go for fics over 150k unless they come highly recommended, but most of the time I do finish them really quickly. I got through Unrestrained by Lizzy00305 in three days, All the Young Dudes by MsKingBean89 in about a week and a half, and, while they’re obv not fic, I did read the first five HP books in 8 days, and then HBP and DH in about a week and a half. It depends on what’s going on irl and how into the fic I am tbch.

Rn it’s taking me forever to get through Transparency by oldesthuntress even though it’s literally my favourite fic of all time only because I have so much going on irl. My fatigue will catch up to me soon enough, and all I’ll be capable of doing (affectionate) soon will be reading and animal crossing, and even if I can’t read it for a little bit, I do have surgery right before Christmas which will mean only reading for a few weeks!

(for what it’s worth, I’m currently planning to save Pacify for after surgery, because tbch I think that’s the perfect read for when I’ll be stuck in bed for two weeks!)

But anyway! Yes please drop that link! No fic is too long if it comes highly recommended!!

All my love to you beloved, I hope the rest of your day goes well!! Thanks for stopping in!!

[bellestalesoffiction]

Turning Pages || Part 1 ||

TASM!Peter Parker x Reader

Bookshop au! for @spidervee 's April AU event!

Rated: A for All Ages for now... 👀

Note: this is just a short piece for now to submit as part 1, I'd like to make this into a few chapters that's reader insert but also a bit more based on my life... there will be some descriptors and a few designated people and personality traits so bare with me because it's not an OC or 3rd person... please enjoy! Also this was written in about an hour, written and posted from mobile 😅😅😅 will edit from desktop later. And to my friends/mutuals that I have tagged, you don't have to read if you don't want to, I just wanted to share something that is bringing me happiness from reading your wonderful works.

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

You sat at the counter, curled up on your stool, hunched over a book with golden pages. A soft sweet smile on your face and one hand in your hair as the other traces the lines on the page as you went, a soft puff of air laughed out every so often at the tales printed before your eyes. Peter stood, half hidden behind one of the shelves a goofy grin on his face as he watched you from afar.

He mightve gone about 20 blocks out of his way just to visit this specific book shop for a few things he needed. If anyone were to ask why Peter had done so he would say 'to support a small business', but in reality it's because Peter had been taken with her. The young woman who he had seen sit behind the counter of the store when his aunt had dragged him through to pick up an order she made of cook books and a few romance novels. The way this young woman had spoken with May, the way her face lit up with joy speaking about the author of May's books with her struck Peter. In a good way though, one that has him stuck on her, on you. One that made him check on you late at night when you closed the shop yourself, or made him do exactly what he was right now, picking up a few technical manuals and another book for Aunt May and trying to keep his cool as he figured out how to talk to you.

You sat happily reading, scrunched up in a way that couldn't have been comfortable or good for your joints, glancing up with a smile as the door bell went off, signaling as an older woman entering the store.

"Welcome to the Turning Page, let me know if you need any help" the older woman smiled and nodded heading back into the selves and you curled back up into your book.

He chuckled and shook his head, the few times he'd been there you had been the same, the only change were your clothes and book. He approached the register holding his items in hand, a bit nervous as each time, trying to come off as smooth and confident and trying to figure out how to ask you out.

At that moment, you looked up and smiled softly at him, glancing around to grab a sticky note to mark your place before standing up and stretching. As you stood straight, stretching your arms into the air, you exposed the Spiderman heart design printed on her v-neck tshirt you had chosen for under your dark blue cardigan.

"You all set to check out sir?" You smiled softly at him. Was Peter imagining things or did she have a flush to her cheeks that wasn't there before?

"Yeah, yeah if uh, if I could get these please?" He stumbled through his words, cheeks getting warmer by the second as you scanned and nodded.

You smiled at the books, "I'm guessing you're an engineer of types with these?" Speaking as you gently placed his tech manuals into a bag, "and something for the girlfriend?" You smiled at him softly still, holding up the romance novel.

Peter leans forward onto the counter and chuckles, smirking, eyes sparkling with mischief, "for my aunt actually, she loves this shop and that's the next book on her list so I thought I'd grab it for her while I'm here"

You beamed at him, "that's so sweet, what's your Aunts name? I'm familiar with most of the regulars" you continued to carefully package the books before pressing a few keys on the register and giving him his total.

"May Parker," he handed over the cash smiling at you suavly, "she comes here to place her orders for stuff all the time"

That seemed to make you smile and sparkle with excitement as you counted out his change, "Oh May's the sweetest, you must be the Peter she talks about all the time"

He flushes and smiles, "she talks about me?"

"Yeah, all the time, mostly she worries about you" you smiles softly at Peter handing over his change, "she says you get hurt alot and worries you're doing nefarious things" you teases with a soft smile, your eyes showing a bit of concern.

Peter's own smile falters a bit when you mention that, thinking back to his aunt. You hand over the bag of books, your ever present soft smile still there.

"She wants you to be happy and safe, maybe sit down and have dinner with her once a week too since you're both busy... thats what she was saying last week... I hope you have a good day Peter Parker" you speak softly to him and turn going to help the elderly woman that calls for you by name.

"Y/N dear, could you reach something for me?"

Peter stands frozen for a few seconds, blinking and sees your gone, glancing over to find you climbing on the ladder to reach a book. He thinks to himself, 'and just when I thought she couldn't get any more amazing...'. He watched the way you interacted with the older woman, how you smile and laugh with her before leading her back to the register to get her checked out.

Right at that moment, Peter decided he had to get to know you more, he wanted to learn more about the woman wearing the Spiderman shirt, that always had a genuine smile, that always was reading, that was always scrunched up in an uncomfortable way, but ready to help at a moments notice.

The older woman held her book close, setting some spare bills in the tip jar and headed out of the shop, the door jingling behind her. Peter took the chance, as you we climbing back onto your stool behind the counter, to approach.

"Would you wanna get dinner with me? Or coffee?"

Tags: @kaybrownies @spidervee @wxstedhexrt @anika-ann @chase-your-dreams-away

[magniloquent-raven]

Shower — Needy — Biting

some excellent prompts 👀 here's hoping i did them justice lol enjoy

tag list peeps! @spreckle @growup-thatbeautiful

--

the first thing he hears when he walks in is running water. their janky showerhead, hissing and rattling loudly through the thin walls. steve’s asked him a million times to take a look at it, tighten up whatever’s loose or clean whatever’s clogged, or something to make it sound less like demons are manifesting in their walls whenever someone tries to take a shower.

he always says he’ll do it later but they’ve lived here for five years and he hasn’t done a damn thing.

it still works, see. it’s fine. and one day it won’t be, so. he’ll fix it then.

or he’ll call the building’s super. maybe the bastard will actually answer the phone if half the floor’s flooded.

billy sighs, and drops his jacket on the hall bench where they keep their winterwear haphazardly piled. a glove flops onto the floor, dislodged from somewhere. he’s pretty sure it’s half of the pair max kept whining at him about losing. he swore up and down he hadn’t seen them.

he tucks the glove into one of steve’s coat pockets.

then on his way to their bedroom he stubs his toe on the threshold, the stupid splintery piece of wood nailed to the flood that steve always gets his socks caught on, and it’s just one thing too many. he’s been at work all day and he’s tired. his shoulders ache. he spent half the day on a project and then five minutes from finishing it get got told the client didn’t want it like that, and he spent the rest of the afternoon taking it apart piece by fucking piece.

he stands in the doorway, hand on the wall, head bowed, and doesn’t move for a second. two. the pain fades quickly but his eyes burn with frustrated tears that he spends far too long trying to blink away.

on autopilot, he turns, already unbuttoning his shirt, shedding it in the hallway before he’s anywhere near the steam curling out from the propped open bathroom door. his jeans trip him up a little, and he hops awkwardly trying to peel them off, dropping them to the damp tile floor with a heavy thump once he manages it.

“billy?” steve’s voice is muddled by the white noise, but still, the familiar sound settles something in billy’s chest. “are you coming in, or—oh,” he grins at billy the second he sees him slipping around the curtain, squinting through all the water dripping from his eyelashes but radiating warmth. “hi.”

he has a response, ideas blooming into words, into something, but they stick, catching in his throat, and his breath stumbles over them, hitching, stopping, and when his lungs fill again the words are gone. he’s left standing, shivering in the tub, silent and staring.

there was a time when he would’ve gone digging for them, clawing at his throat til he’d made space for them to spill out in blood and bile. but he doesn’t have to anymore. so he leans forward instead, crowding into steve’s space.

“oop, okay, this is what we’re doing. okay.” he’s quick to wrap his arms around billy, tucking his elbows in against billy’s sides to keep him pressed close and drawing aimless circular patterns up his spine with gentle fingertips. he kisses billy’s temple. “shitty day?”

billy breathes him in. the soft musky scent of his skin. the remnants of his woodsy cologne. he hasn’t washed yet, and billy’s grateful for it. he tucks his nose more firmly against the crook of steve’s neck. as much as he loves the subtly floral soap steve uses, this, right here, just him, smells like home.

he makes a noncommittal noise, more focused on the solid weight of steve’s chest against his, flushed, warm skin, the soft give of steve’s waist under his palms.

steve presses another kiss into his half-damp curls. “that bad, huh.”

the hot water rains down on them in an uneven spray, leaving half of billy’s back cold, exposed to open air, but he’s settled in steve’s arms. comfortable. if he presses in close he can almost hear steve’s heartbeat over the drum of droplets against tile and the creak of old pipes.

but after a few minutes steve stirs, pulls back a fraction, and billy’s lizard brain panics. he reacts, unthinking, and bites down on steve’s collarbone to keep him in place.

“hey,” steve hisses, half in pain, half surprised laughter, “we can’t stand here forever, the hot water’ll run out.”

he readjusts his grip, shifting closer, petulantly, nipping at steve’s neck again.

steve’s dick twitches against billy’s stomach.

“billyyy…” he groans, exasperated, “i gotta…i gotta wash my hair, and…” billy feels steve’s fingers twitch and his breathing quicken, as billy sucks at the soft skin at the base of his throat, pressing his teeth in just hard enough to know it’ll bruise. “you’re a little minx you know that.”

billy snorts, grinning into the crook of steve’s neck.

“jezebel.”

he slides a hand into steve’s hair, fingertips grazing his scalp, and curls a fist around the damp locks, tugging lightly.

“...harlot.”

kissing up to steve’s jaw, he nuzzles behind his ear. nips his earlobe. “steve…” he murmurs. “need you…”

“shit.”

steve turns his head and seals their mouths together, kissing him sweet and tender, already breathless and determined to take billy with him.

so determined, in fact, that they lose track of time. the water is running ice cold by the time they finish up, but they both leave the tub grinning to themselves.

[touchingmadness]

Writeblr Search!!!

Hey guys, my name's Mae (she/her), I'm 22, and I've been on Writeblr for almost six years now. (Sounds fake, but whatever.) I've been really inactive for the past year and a half or so, dealing with the final stretch of college and writing my thesis. I'm not done yet, but things are starting to lighten up a bit and I'd really like to get active on here again but uh.... A lot of the people I followed are gone and a lot of the projects I tracked discontinued.

I'd love to make some new friends and reconnect with old ones! Drop an intro in the thread, jump into my messages or asks, I'd love to get to know you and your projects! (Even if it doesn't fit the below lists. I really do like a little of everything, those are just my favorites.)

Check out my interests and what I post about under the cut.

Signal boosts and blog recs welcome! 💕

The Things I Love

soft sci-fi // space opera // low fantasy // dark fantasy

character-driven stories // social commentary

aspec leads bc we need more!!! (am a salty ace)

queer leads // queer m/f relationships (am a salty bi)

legit enemies-to-lovers 🔪

complex relationships in general (romantic or otherwise)

found family (dawww <3)

morally complex characters

housetrained ex-villains

trope/genre subversions!!!!

supernatural creatures on road trips (idk either)

adult or na audience

What I Post/Reblog (or want to)

character information (LOTS of it)

honestly some rambling/venting

things that my characters would relate to

prompts // ask games

tag games if people tag me <3

hoping to start doing trope deconstructions soon 👀

also some smaller writing playlists from my big ones

My Current Project (Touched)

adult contemporary fantasy, 3rd draft

chosen one subversions

something between magic and superpowers??? idk

themes of dealing with childhood trauma

themes of trying to figure out what you want

themes of parents and authority failing you

themes of being twenty-two stresses me out

queer m/f relationship (both bi/ace-spec)

queer found family

enemies-to-lovers

"i thought you were dead!!!"

male lead is really into the fact that female lead can wreck him

looking to do an intro for it soon

mostly i talk character/theme, less plot (for "i actually might want to publish this one" reasons, this project is my BABY)

(Let me know if you want on a tag list for either my trope deconstructions or my WIP. Can't promise the first will start soon, but I want to have the intro for the second up in a week or two.)