#and now with one of the greats also recognizing it and working with him

[localvillagecryptid]

Shen Yuan transmigrates into a powerful ice demon and just goes "Oh neat! Cool clothes and I don't have to worry about dying!" And kicks his feet up to chill. He doesn't recognize his name, so he assumes he's just some terribly irrelevant mob character who happens to be rich and strong and is just glad to run around PIDW without any consequences. He manages to gather that he's some widower with a young son, so he immediately assumes he's in the clear from potentially being an enemy of Binghe's. His son is so quiet, and demons aren't great with giving names, so he doesn't even know what to call the boy at first. It feels odd to ask him what his name is. He just does his best with raising him in a way that he can only hope isn't too noticeably different than the way the original goods did it.

His son is still very quiet, but as he grows, he and Shen Yuan become closer. The little prince is such a sweet boy! He makes Shen Yuan little arts and crafts and leaves them on his desk to find. Anything from flower crowns to vaguely menacing knicknacs made of the bones of small animals. He'd be more scared if his son didn't seem so expectant of praise for the work. A few of them definitely resembled cursed idols, but who was he to judge his little demon son? There aren't any child rearing manuals, but from his own PIDW knowledge, this seemed developmentally on-track for demon kids.

But apparently the original goods wasn't rich and strong without consequence, because he's hounded with political matters before long. They're flooding his office with letters, hounding him for meetings, begging him to manage affairs in his territory. He's coming into contact with all these other powerful demons and has to pretend he's even slightly aware of what they're talking about.

During one of these meetings, some guy mentions the heavenly emperor, and Shen Yuan's like, "oh??? Binghe's here??? Already???" And he's furiously reworking his timeline, but the other demons are like, "who tf is Binghe. We're talking about Tianlang-Jun" and internally he's like, "who tf is Tianlang-Jun". Some poking around later, and he realizes he's REALLY far off from Binghes rise. Man's not even born yet. Honestly it makes him relax even more. He uses the time to get to know Tianlang-Jun a bit, just because he's so curious about Binghe's father! A full true Heavenly Demon! Not as cool as Binghe, who has both heavenly demonic and human cultivation abilities, but still cool! He's also just curious about the kind of man his blorbo's father was.

For some reason, Tianlang-Jun already has a son??? Upon closer inspection, a nephew? The conclusion, of course, is that something must've happened to both of them for them to not even be mentioned in the book. Deeply unfortunate, but not Shen Yuan's problem. Or that's what he would say, but Tianlang-Jun is seemingly very fond of him now. Something about being fellow single dads? He keeps bringing Zhuzhi-Lang around and foisting him onto Shen Yuan for a "play date" with Shen Yuan's son. Zhuzhi-Lang is a good boy, and very quiet, but he's also visibly older than Shen Yuan's son. Like, by a lot. But Shen Yuan is no expert on demonic aging rates, so maybe half snake demons just... look like grown adults? At this point, it's more like Zhuzhi-Lang is babysitting Shen Yuan's son while Tianlang-Jun fucks off somewhere without him. How irresponsible! But Shen Yuan accepts the free labor.

Years pass, his son grows- he also ends up with ice powers, as well as a spatial ability, though if Shen Yuan is correct, that power is likely from a demon tribe slightly south from their territory. It sounds familiar, but there are tons of reused abilities in PIDW. Nothing odd here! Eventually his son starts taking on jobs that Shen Yuan never asked him to do, in an effort to prove himself to Shen Yuan and also help him out. So at some point he takes it upon himself to go to take something from some cultivators.

It's not until his son comes back with a sniveling Shang Qinghua in tow that Shen Yuan realizes he must be very, VERY off the mark on who his character is.

Linguang-Jun was not, in fact, supposed to raise the future Mobei-Jun to be a dutiful son (nephew) who lacked abandonment issues and had a habit of leaving offerings on his uncle's desk like a cat, but since he neither knew who Linguang-Jun was nor the fact that Mobei-Jun was supposed to get dropped in the human world to be hunted for sport as a child, this was exactly the kind of Mobei-Jun that he had. Shang Qinghua, aka the hack author of this goddamn novel, has the audacity to complain to Shen Yuan about how he raised Mobei-Jun too well. When Shang Qinghua groveled and wailed and begged for mercy, Mobei-Jun brought him to his uncle! Because he "had the final say" in whether or not Shang Qinghua could swear fealty to him! What the fuck!

Mobei-Jun accepts Shang Qinghua's fealty at his uncle's behest, and Shen Yuan uses this attachment as a way to keep track of the timeline, including when Su Xiyan will fall pregnant with Tianlang-Jun's baby. In the meantime, Shen Yuan uses his own friendship with Tianlang-Jun as a way to mark his progress as well. He's met her a few times since Tianlang-Jun keeps dropping Zhuzhi-Lang off so they can run off on their little dates, but it's too odd to ask either of them if he's gotten her pregnant yet, so Shen Yuan tries instead to drop hints to nudge Tianlang-Jun in the right direction.

Talking about the joys of fatherhood, how adorable babies are, how unfortunate it is that some species, like humans, have very short windows of their lives in which they can have kids, and can even miscarry... Tianlang-Jun seems to get it- or maybe he's giving the man too much credit, because suddenly Tianlang-Jun is offering Zhuzhi-Lang as a surrogate with the insistence that "as a half-snake, he's guaranteed to give you litters! Even with a few dud eggs, he'll definitely give you a nice batch!" And "the gestational periods are short too, so you can always try again! As a heavenly demon, he's also very hardy! Your kids will be healthy for sure!" Shen Yuan has to firmly and kindly decline, though that seems to oddly disappoint Zhuzhi-Lang, who has been standing off to the side the entire time. Good sir, stand up for yourself! You don't need to do everything your uncle says! Filial piety only goes so far!

Anyway it's not long after that Su Xiyan actually gets pregnant. He expects canon to unfold from there, based on Shang Qinghua's unused old notes- Tianlang-Jun getting put under the mountain, Su Xiyan getting captured and dying after giving birth, Zhuzhi-Lang getting stuck in snake form and trying to free his uncle- all very sad and very necessary for Binghe's rise to power. Except for some reason Su Xiyan is now at Linguang-Jun's doorstep?! With Mobei-Jun?! Son, why do you look so proud of yourself?!

Apparently Mobei-Jun, who continued to pick fights with human cultivators, habitually came across Su Xiyan and her martial siblings. Su Xiyan, recognizing him, always let him off lightly out of consideration for Linguang-Jun. She warned him that as long as none of his attacks were fatal, she would let him go: but that if he killed any of her martial siblings, he would either die at her hands or suffer in the Huan Hua water prison. In return, Mobei-Jun, who was basically a semi-regular figure at the sect now, noticed immediately that she had gone missing when he showed up at the sect one day and it was another older cultivator that crossed blades with him, instead of her. Fast forward, and he's busting her out of captivity, and dragging her to Shen Yuan after she tells him that Tianlang-Jun is in danger. Shen Yuan is gobsmacked. The Old Palace Master hasn't even called on the other sects yet! Su Xiyan was in captivity for less than a day! What the hell, Mobei-Jun?!

But he cannot scold his dear nephew, who is looking at him so expectantly for praise. Instead, he calls on Tianlang-Jun and Zhuzhi-Lang to let them know about Su Xiyan's whereabouts, and then calls on Airplane. This damn hack author deserves the burden of this dilemma too!

Really, it's too late to turn back now, so after shaking Airplane's shoulders aggressively enough, the man finally agrees to pull some strings at his sect. The Old Palace Master's request for aid is turned down, Tianlang-Jun and Su Xiyan are alive, and it's not long before the Old Palace Master unfortunately qi deviates while attempting to cultivate in seclusion. Su Xiyan gives birth safely to a baby boy, and the human and demonic realms are in an uproar when Tianlang-Jun announces their marriage, but there's really very little they can do about it.

On the bright side, the two realms never merge. Unfortunately, Tianlang-Jun and Su Xiyan getting together seemed to have started a bit of a trend, and now Mobei-Jun was asking Linguang-Jun for permission to court Shang Qinghua??? And other cultivators that he met at the wedding have been extending offers and invitations to Linguang-Jun???

Shen Yuan would like to retreat back to the northern mountains and never come back.

[thatbuddie]

Hi!! 26 for the kingdon kiss roulette (A kiss while one or both parties are crying) 🫶

“Sweetheart, are you— Are you crying?”

“No,” she says, her voice strangled, a tear slowly running down her cheek.

She’s definitely crying.

“Baby…” His face is close to hers, so close that she has to cross her eyes a little to look into his eyes, making him look blurry. Although that could just be that she’s not wearing her glasses at the moment. Or the tears quickly gathering in her eyes. “Oh my god, baby.”

“Stop,” she pleads, raising one of her arms and being careful not to hit him when she throws it across her face, shielding her eyes from him as more tears start to leak from the corners. “This is so embarrassing, I’m sorry.”

“Hey, c’mon, it’s not embarrassing.” He gently wraps his fingers around her wrist and tugs at her arm, trying to get her to lower it. She resists stubbornly. “It’s not, I swear.”

“Frank,” she says, moving her arm just an inch higher so she can stare at him incredulously, “of course it’s embarrassing. You’re still inside me.”

He blinks down at her for a second before his eyes lower to gaze at the place where they’re still joined. 

“I am indeed still inside you, yeah.” Now it’s his voice that’s strangled but she doubts it’s because he’s about to break down crying like her. That’s a shame reserved exclusively for her.

“God, I’m such a cliché,” she complains, and he -very reluctantly, it appears- moves his eyes away from between her legs to look her in the eyes again. 

His face softens as he readjusts his body over hers. She notes how he carefully balances his weight on his forearms, both resting on the pillow at each side of her head, as to not crush her. With the arm not thrown over her face, she pulls his torso closer to hers, finding comfort in the way she’s squeezed between his body and the mattress. She wraps one of her legs around one of his, the ball of her foot resting against his calf. He bends his other knee to make the position easier to maintain. 

Through all this, she also notices how they’re both moving carefully, mindfully keeping their pelvis as still as they can. ensuring he stays inside her. 

“It’s a natural reaction,” he says, his voice lowering and adopting the tone she has come to recognize as hers. It’s the one he uses when he’s trying to soothe her worries, sometimes after a case gone wrong, sometimes after her and Becca have had a spat. It’s soft and almost melodic, like his words have a musical rhythm to them that is meant to tame her, to hypnotize her. “The release of oxytocin during sex can be as overwhelming as it is pleasurable, and crying has been proven to be a great way to regulate heightened emotions.”

Sniffing slightly, she blinks up at him.

After a second of silence, she says, “Thank you, Dr. Langdon.”

He presses his lips together, very obviously trying not to laugh, but he soon loses the battle and lets out a deep chuckle.

“Sorry, sorry.” He shakes his head, kissing the tip of her nose. “My bedside manner is obviously a work in progress.”

“So you do think I’m sick for crying after sex.”

His eyes widen in worry until he must read the teasing in her face. He sighs in relief, chuckling again as she joins in the laughter. It’s a strange sensation, laughing and crying at the same time, one she has never experienced before. 

This is a night for firsts, it seems like. 

“I know it might be just simple biology,” she concedes, moving her arm away from her face and wrapping it around his neck. Her other hand works on trying to tidy his hair a bit, pushing the strands of hair plastered to his temples away from his face. “I guess it just doesn’t feel that way. It feels like something…holier.”

The faint shine of the moon coming in from the window, with its curtains open wide, casts Frank’s head in a silver ring of light. He’s so beautiful, exactly what Mel would have prayed for if praying was something she had ever had faith in. 

“You know I’m not a religious person, and that I don’t believe in the sanctity of sex or the purity of virginity or that procreation should be the aim of all intercourse or that—” She takes a deep breath, slowing her words down, knowing he will wait patiently for her to get them all out. “That’s not why I hadn’t, you know, it’s not why I hadn’t had sex yet.”

He nods, and her eyes fill with even more tears. He uses one of his thumbs to catch the drops that escape from the outer corner of her left eye. 

“But I think I was still waiting for something. I didn’t know what, but I was still… Waiting.”

Even in penumbra, she can see the way his blue eyes start gleaming. 

“I think I know now that I was waiting for you.”

He closes his eyes, and the first tear travels down the elegant slope of his nose then. She thinks about wiping it away, but instead she follows its path down his philtrum, watching it as it suspends from his bottom lip for a heartbeat before falling. She swears she can feel the moment it lands on her own lips. She swears she can taste the difference between her tears and his. 

“Fuck, Mel. I was waiting for you too, baby.” This is, of course, an impossibility, as his two children are perfect proof of. But she knows exactly what he means, and she believes him. “I’ve been waiting for so long.”

The kiss they share is wet and desperate. Their tears mix on their faces, their tongues tangle inside their mouths. They are breathing the same air, passing it back and forth like it’s the last bit of oxygen that exists in the world and they both need it to survive. 

She has never been kissed like this in her life. Like he is searching for eternity in the contours of her mouth. Like he is showing his devotion at the altar of her lips.

This is a night for firsts, it seems like. 

[penn-dragon]

Hey Penn I wanted to ask you some questions about Zosan:

1: Who feel In love First?

2: Why did Zoro or Sanji feel in love with the other?

I also wanted to say that I Love your artstyle its unique and beautyful. Hope your doing well and keep on the great Work!!

Hell yeah I’ll talk about zosan, also thank you so much!!

1. Zoro definitely fell in love first, or at the very least he acknowledges that he’s in love first. Zoro’s very straightforward and doesn’t question himself the way Sanji does so once he realizes what he’s feeling he’s just kind of like “I guess this is what we’re doing now.” It’s his first time falling in love so there’s a lot of complex emotions that come with that, but he’s not going to waste time lying to himself about it.

Sanji on the other hand is the runner track star of “can’t catch me, gay thoughts!!” He’s spent a long time suppressing the parts of himself he thinks are wrong so he doesn’t even notice it at first. Falling in love with Zoro really sneaks up on him. Sanji is very used to love burning hot and fast. He was unprepared to comprehend what it feels like when love creeps up on you and you suddenly find yourself looking at someone you’ve known for a while and where you think you should find annoyance all you feel is fondness. That TERRIFIES HIM. And he runs from that feeling for a good while before he finally accepts it.

2. Zoro LOVES having someone that pushes him to be better. There’s a reason his most significant relationship before the Straw Hats was the girl he desperately wanted to surpass. Zoro’s at his best when he has someone who challenges him every day. Sanji keeps him on his toes and their fights and their rivalry encourage him to always be better than he was yesterday. He loves that they fight, he loves that he has to go all out. The only other person who matches his strength is Luffy, but Luffy likes to roughhouse more than he likes to spar, it doesn’t have the same intensity. He loves that sometimes he kicks Sanji’s ass, sometimes he gets his ass kicked, and sometimes they’re deadlocked until they’re both sprawled out bruised and exhausted on the deck. He wants to fight with Sanji for the rest of their damn lives.

He also loves how kind Sanji is. Zoro himself isn’t unkind, but he’s not overly interested in going out of his way to help someone if it conflicts with his own self interest. But Sanji would give a stranger the shirt off his back and the food out of his mouth without being asked, and while Zoro doesn’t really understand it he recognizes it as a fundamental part of what makes Sanji Sanji.

Sanji loves how Zoro seems so stoic and hard on the outside but he’s really such a big teddy bear once you take the time to get to know him. Sanji’s known too many powerful men who leveraged that power to oppress the people around them, but Zoro isn’t like that. He’s strong enough to take down insanely powerful enemies but he lets his crew mates pick on him with only half-hearted threats everyone knows he wouldn’t follow through on. Zoro relishes a good fight, but he’s not needlessly cruel. He’s not the kind of man who would pick on those weaker than him to make himself feel strong.

He also loves how direct Zoro is. Sanji has a tendency to overthink and run himself in circles and oftentimes Zoro will interrupt his spiraling by saying something blunt and honest that Sanji wasn’t expecting because he just… hasn’t known a lot of people like that. He appreciates that (once they sort all their shit out) he doesn’t have to guess if Zoro is being straightforward with him. Zoro doesn’t say one thing when he means another, he doesn’t see the point in dancing around things, and that directness is something Sanji values. Zoro is solid, he’s an anchor for the entire crew. Sanji is the sky Zoro admires and Zoro is the earth that keeps Sanji grounded. (And Luffy is the sun that gives them both light and life.)

He also thinks Zoro is hot.. like really really hot. Stupidly hot it’s actually unfair how hot he is. He’s always allowed himself to admit that Zoro is objectively a good looking man, but once he admits he has feelings for him it’s like the floodgates open and he has to squint when he looks at him or he’ll get mad about how hot he is and then make it Zoro’s problem lmao

[wallpacapaca]

Let me start with the key players in this story:

- Ehri Mol, my main Warrior of Light. Chaotic lesbian lizard lady who abhored Ardbert until the Rak'Tika portion of the story (we will get into the shift in her opinion later).

- Odgerel Mol, Ehri's twin and also a shard of Azem. He's a scholar in Sharlayan with a focus on the study of ascians and the ancient world (tangent: my Azem, Orpheus, got twice sundered due to Trauma He Endured From His Not That Great Brother Emet-Selch Sacrificing His Wife To Summon Zodiark) (that's only really tangentially relevant but it needed said because Od is also an Azem of the Source but NOT the one that rejoined with Ardbert, that was Ehri)

- Adelram Hylfist, Ardbert's son (because I'm very self indulgent :D). I call him Ade (pronounced addy) for short and will likely do that during this cause im dumb and will forget this isn't all being screamed to my FC and is instead a public tumblr post

In this version of events, Stormblood, Shadowbringers and Endwalker all basically happen as normal with some minor additions, mostly because I have too many OCs and I want to make them all fit in. Notably, during that part of post SB when all the scions are dropping like flies, Ehri is getting super depressed about it and meets and befriends Adelram who admits he may know what's going on. This gets revealed later but Ade was brought to the Source in a similar way by Hydaelyn (he's my 1.0 WoL so that's fun) that G'raha was using to bring Ehri and the scions to the First so he has Experience with this first hand. He himself has been looking to try and get home for a while now and suspects that keeping close to Ehri may just do the trick. It does but not before he leaves her a note explaining that whole situation to her because admittedly that's confusing as hell.

Flash forward to ShB and Ehri is understandably pretty vocal constantly about her negative opinions of Ardbert given the Current Situation She Finds Herself In. Ade, who is traveling with her, understandably comes to the same conclusion he had when first getting back to the First which is "Oh shit oh no no one can find out I'm that guy's kid oh fuck oh shit". This lie ends up coming to a head during the Rak'tika section and Ade admits the truth which is what starts to turn Ehri around finally because she has been Very Antagonistic to Ardbert the entire time. She doesn't tell Ade she's been talking to his dad's ghost though. I also think it's important to note Ehri and Ade are splitting the role of "Warrior of Darkness" here with both taking in the light of the wardens so they're both getting pretty fucked up emotionally by this point due to the sheer amount of aether they've taken in.

Shadowbringers ends as normal with Ehri rejoining with Ardbert. During that fight, Ade recognizes the axe of course, and knows that his father did the right thing in the end wherever he is. He let's all the light he took in go to support the big smack to Emet (tangent: Ehri at the time didn't know it was because of Azem but she fucking hated Emet at first glance so needless to say this sequence is even more brutal in my HC than it is in the game).

Things all kind of play out the same until post EW with the exception of Ade making a pact with Titania to get the funny fae transport between worlds power so he can go help Ehri during EW so he's part pixie now don't worry about it im sure he's fine also Ehri and Odgerel weren't really on speaking terms until EW because of something that happened in ARR so now Odgerel is part of the story.

Ade is visiting the Source again during the post story and trying to help work on a way to better support travel between the worlds (hey remember when that was what Y'shtola was supposed to be doing? ... I miss Runar) and Ehri and Od are doing the Pandemonium stuff and hearing Ehri and Ade banter about Ardbert gets Od think thonking that there simply must be a way to do a mini sundering of sorts. Split up the soul a bit, ya know? The interaction goes a little:

Odgerel: Now, I may be wrong, but I'm sure I can figure out with enough time a formula to identify the aetheric qualities of each soul rejoined to yours Ehri and pick out his. At that point I would just need to pluck it from you.

Ade: Wouldn't that potentially harm her though?

Odgerel: That's true...

Ehri: OH MY GOD PLEASE GET HIM OUT OF ME HES GIVING ME STRAIGHT MAN THOUGHTS AND I DONT WANT EM I DONT CARE IF YOU MESS IT UP YOUVE GOTTA TRY

So Odgerel, also being gifted with the ability to use the Azem crystal due to being a sundered shard of my Azem, spends some time doing the smart person things and eventually comes to the conclusion that in addition to needing the crystal and his formulas someone with really strong memories of the person has to be there to draw that sundered soul out. He observed that Ardbert's soul would always be a bit easier to pick out when Ade was around. With all of this realized, he makes and attempt, and ta-da!

They do this on the First and travel isn't able to really be achieved between the worlds yet so he's just happily enjoying his retirement there with his kiddo :)

ardbert lives au enjoyers: what is your explanation for it?

[joker-daughter]

the way tom makes everyone nervous. i wonder why that is? what does tom have that others don't? why do people put so much pressure on themselves just by his presence?lmao

2026 will be very fun for his haters

bc he’s unapologetically himself and successful lol there’s no bs with him, from his talent to his personality and charisma, it’s all organic and real, it can’t be fabricated and they all know it

[shanklin]

Stanford never became friends with Fiddleford.

Instead he got himself a different small friend group who cares a lot about him. At least about the Ford he pretended to be in college.

A kind, soft spoken formerly bullied genius who researches very dull stuff in Oregon and definitely not anything weird. Their Ford would never break any rules or ignore safety measures [unlike that other student they heard about during their college years.]

And then Ford stops answering their calls and loses his grant. 

It’s time for an intervention and they start pestering Ford with letters and calls until he finally agrees to meet them at a science convention, but he’ll take his brother with him.

They’re relieved! Ford is with Shermie! They like Shermie! It's a good thing that Ford still has one brother who isn't a good for nothing selfish criminal who destroyed his entire future!

If they ever get their hands on Ford’s evil twin they’ll make sure he’ll regret ever messing with their friend. Ford is too nice for revenge. They aren’t.

Meanwhile at the not-yet Mystery Shack, the Stans freshly survived their own angsty canon divergent tale of two stans AU and locked Bill out of Ford's mind like a week ago.

Stan: I don’t know how long Ford will keep me around but this will be good for him. He needs some friends to take care of him after I inevitably get kicked out again!

Ford: I only agreed to this because Stan insisted and I still haven’t found a way to thank him and apologize. I hope all my “friends” die in a fire.

[miasiegert]

So glad you had a great time! I’m really hoping for video but nothing received yet! I might have to text marketing and be like, “hey! About the equity archive…” lol

With licensing, there can be no replicas (generally for choreo and costumes, which is why we get hired since we take that shit way more seriously than anyone else)) but it *absolutely can be set in a Junkyard.* The change was made the day after we were hired. Cowboys was the producer’s idea.

Costume-wise, we did a rental and the day before opening at midnight sent a wig-styling tutorial since it seems there was some confusion so thank you for kindness there. We had nothing to do with the cowboy gear pulled and sent our full rental set, which had alterations made, so we don’t know if anything was actually used. Possibly Gumbie—grizz’s faux fur stole was ours so many will recognize that. Grizz’s wig was not ours—we sent one of our faves with ears styled in and earrings but they elected not to use it.

We found out from social media that we were credited for costume, hair/wig, and make up design at least through stage management. I have no clue what’s in the program. I think a friend is sending me an extra.

It’s super common for costumes to change from promo to opening. Not surprised at all there.

Skimble used David’s Admetus/Rumpus, which originally was a Carbucketty design I made influenced by an old Australian production. I think maybe Plato confusion if that was Skimble was because at the Fulton, Plato is in an orange color palette.

Tumble’s costume was my favorite in the Casa lot—we almost never get to use it so with the theme and sunset colors, we went for it. Love how bright it is. Our Mungo/Rumple were very standard by our designs—they will always have a Mohawk and braids.

Most of Deut’s costume was custom but right before I went to make a new unitard, David reminded me of Katie Gray’s Grizzabella from Interlakes 2022, which was used only 2 weeks plus tech. It literally looked like it was made for him. I’m a bit bummed he didn’t get to use the custom coat I made him but I understand their fear with the Macavity trick. Still kind of a bummer since that was 44 hrs of work on his coat and with the deadlines it was tough. My hands are pretty destroyed now.

Korie and Henry are absolutely sweet as can be, Jackson too. I didn’t meet the whole cast, but they stand out a lot (I always notice when I get thank you notes). Korie’s dream role was Deut and he never had the chance to meet Ken so I was able to tell him genuinely that Ken would have been so proud of him. Because he would have. It was also Korie’s first show back from a horrific injury.

I couldn’t have done this show without the help of @cryptidvoidwritings who stepped in graciously when I was about ready to jump out a window with my hands and some things that happened. She took directions and feedback like a champ, and her Macavity warmers are now at the Fulton should Sammy go on u/s Macavity because she earned it. I’m looking forward to this fall—another show TBA.

Thank you so much for your show report!! You had a dynamite cast that was pretty stacked and some newcomers! Wish I could have been there but The Fulton! :)

I’m so glad you enjoyed the show and also liked the costumes!! :) thank you for sharing!!!!! That means a lot!

Casa Mañana CATS Show Notes

I am seriously so glad I got to see this amazing show in person! I have all of my detailed song-by-song recollections under the cut, but up top I just want to shout out @miasiegert's AMAZING costume and wig work, it was such a pleasure to see the bright colors for myself (and the wigs are just so poofy y'all wouldn't believe). Congrats to the whole cast and crew for making this show come to life, it was really something special.

Before I start, I feel like I need to preface this whole thing by saying that this was my first time seeing Cats live, period, and I also only saw this show once, so if I remember something wrong it's because half the time I was desperately trying to get any actor to make eye contact with me lmao. Also if I don't mention something you're curious about, feel free to drop me an ask or just reply with whatever your question is and I'll try to answer as best as I can! I also still haven't seen all the show footage online, so IDK what's common knowledge or not. I'll put a heading for each section so you can skip around if you want.

Jellicle Songs through Invitation

Sadly, the overture had nothing special going on :(

Jellicle Songs opened with a human worker at the stockyards being watched by the cats as they came onstage one by one, before she "turned off" the lights and left

The singing only started once she left and the lights turned back on after "can you see in the dark," which I thought was a really novel and fun interpretation of the lyrics

Since the cast was limited, Jellylorum sang all of Cassandra's lines, and Jerrie and Teazer picked up the twins' as expected. (They have Jelly listed as "Jellylorum/Cassandra" in the program but it's not a split track or anything, she's just normal Jelly singing Cass' lines)

The "flying trapeze" was replaced by some sort of leather harness(?) on a rope that the actors would stick one foot in and swing on (I have no clue what it actually is but Misto uses it during his song as well. Maybe a stirrup to cat-scale?)

The boot drop was replaced with the railroad crossing light going off, which I was hoping for ever since I saw it before the show

They made the "mystical divinity" section a bit of a national anthem analog, with the actors putting hand over heart and the two big US and Texas flags coming out

Naming went pretty much as expected. I'm not really a fan of when productions overemphasize pointing out who is who and I didn't notice it here, so that was appreciated (although I did think Skimble was Plato for most of the show, so maybe I need it more than I think lol)

Jelly and Gus had a cute moment during "some for the gentlemen, some for the dames" where they did a little bow/curtsy to each other

Victoria's solo was split up among all the girls one by one, starting with her doing an abridged White Cat with a pink cowboy hat

The hat was quickly stolen by Teazer, and they had a little fight over it which Jenny had to break up (loved the bratty vibes of this moment, which was their only big interaction I noticed)

Eventually it got passed along to Demeter, who seemed hesitant to take it, but was urged on by the other girls.

Going into the invitation/Munk's monologue, Raphe played him as serious and dramatic as ever (minus the accent), which was a departure from the other actors who tended to play a bit looser and more relaxed. (Not a slight against anyone of course, it was just interesting to observe.)

Gumbie Cat

Before the song started, Munk got a little distracted with a big spool of rope he was playing with 🥺

The same thing happened with Jenny and one of the hanging string lights on the walkway at the back of the stage during his first verse, which got a big audience laugh

As the trio were getting set up, there was a little (staged) moment where Deme fell over and had to quickly sit back up, which added to the idea that she was supposed to be a new member of the tribe and a little unsure of herself

Jenny's tap costume was SO cute, and she kept the US boots on for the rest of the show, which is a good way to identify her

I was definitely surprised that the cast soft-shoeing in their boots (instead of using tap shoes) was audible from the audience, but it worked like a charm!

Munk and Jenny had a little duet at the end (not quite a tap-off like it used to be, but from what I've seen of the recent Oasis prods Munk doesn't get to tap at all :( so it was nice to have him involved)

The song ended with Jenny going "thanks, y'all!" which I am formally requesting become the button for all non-British versions of the show from now on

The Rum Tum Tugger

The staging and setup of this song was pretty much as normal, but as with all good Tugger stagings, the real gems are from the rest of the cast's reactions

Demeter was very into it and leaned over to tease Misto a couple of times, who was very flustered and kept throwing his hands over his eyes — he delivered the "terrible bore" line like he had something to prove. (I didn't know about the cast headcanon until after the show, but from what I saw, you could read his actions as romantic or "ew Dad, gross" equally easily depending on your preferences.)

Deme almost got a moment with Tugger before Bomba cut in on her

At some point Jenny snuck back onstage to "nap" through the rest of the song

Surprisingly, they didn't go with the overexcited kitten gag — I thought it would've fit great with the setting, but I'm sure they had a good reason to cut it out

Grizabella

Rumpleteazer was the last one of the kittens to approach Grizabella (she was a little more timid, I think she was meant to be one of the youngest) and Griz delivered the first verse of her song directly to her as she was shivering in fear on the ground in front of her. Afterwards, she ran over to hide with her brother — I also saw Jenny huddled over Misto and Victoria

Old Deut made a surprise appearance to lead Griz out with a handkerchief over his hand (which I thought was about the "no touching" thing but he also did it at the end, so I'm a little puzzled about that)

Bomba put her hand on Deme's shoulder for comfort as she was leaving

Bustopher Jones

This song was literally so funny, y'all. They made up for the lack of lyric changes (none of the place names were changed) with a bunch of physical humor and gags that were pitch-perfect to the Texas vibe

Everybody was split up into little groups that each wanted to give Bustopher their food (or at least Jerrie and Teazer, who had the corn dogs, really did)

The first thing he picked up was a Whataburger cup from Munkustrap — for those not in the know, Whataburger has basically the same cultural relevance in Texas as In-n-Out has in California, except you can only get it in-state

I'm so sad I got spoiled about the Real Corn Dogs, because watching him take a bite out of them onstage(!!!) was a thrilling experience

Mungojerrie & Rumpleteazer

The song started started with them coming out from behind the cat wanted posters on either side of the stage and sneaking towards the middle (including a moment where Jerrie stuck only his leg out from behind a post which was a great image)

Their solo costumes (raggedy overalls with a bunch of mismatched patches) were so cute

Behind the low wall at about mid-stage were a couple of trampolines which the actors used to do fun tricks and bounce in time to the music. I get the feeling the actors weren't as acrobatic (or the cowboy costumes/boots didn't allow that) so this was a great way to introduce some big energy to the number in a different way

After getting off the trampoline, they did a bit sitting on the edge of the wall where they stacked their legs threaded over each other (I'm bad at describing it but it's like when you and a friend try to stack your fists/hands alternating between each other)

At the end they pulled out a barrel and laid it on its side — both my sister and I thought they were going to walk around on top of it, but instead they made a seesaw with it which was also fun

The barrel ended up having some kind of illusion from which they pulled two big foam cowboy hats (in Texas colors of course). Honestly I'm still not sure how they pulled it off

Surprisingly, there were no loot bags (I think they were supposed to be more like rascals or kids goofing off and trespassing than actual thieves), so they skipped the playoff entirely

I think this was one of my favorite songs of the whole show. I really like this song when the actors are doing something every beat, and I honestly don't mind big props/gimmicks like these as long as they don't take up the whole song. This version threaded that needle really well and it was a great time!

Old Deuteronomy through the Jellicle Ball

Not much to say about Old Deut's song. I did notice a lyric change to "married nine wives" but I think that seems to be par for new shows post-2019?

After the pre-ball Macavity scare, Misto and Vic were huddled together downstage right and Sillabub downstage left to segue into the Song of the Jellicles

Tugger got the line "Jellicle cats are rather small" because there was no Alonzo, but otherwise I didn't make notes on who got which line

The ball had a lot more partner dancing than usual (no lifts unfortunately), which fit the theme really well! I don't know much square dancing lingo but I definitely saw them do a grand left and right at one point, I'm sure there was a lot more but I was too awed to really be picking things apart lol

They did pantomime tipping cowboy hats (which I hate a lot less than the weird crown pantomime Andy came up with, mostly because it's already a thing in Western dancing)

I think at one brief pause there was a small Skimble/Victoria moment? (This may have contributed a lot to the Plato mixup lmao)

There was a whole section where Old D stepped down and everyone was trying to reach for his handkerchief as he waved it around (and yeah, still don't know what was happening with that whole thing, sorry y'all 😅)

At the end of the ball (I think at the "Ecstasy" cue if you're familiar with Gillian's choreo names) the lights swept up over the audience like a field of stars and it was honestly the most magical moment ever

Memory (first time) through Moments of Happiness

For some reason in my program they have "Grizabella: The Glamour Cat" listed as "Entry of Grizabella" and Glamour Cat moved down to where this first Memory iteration goes, which gave me false hope that they were going to do the Jelly reprise. Very mean >:(

Before Griz came out, Old Deut almost presented Victoria with the pink cowboy hat from the white cat solo (which I think means she was about to be the Choice), but then she saw Griz coming and everyone got scared away

I feel like there was an extra 8 or 16 counts of dancing music for Griz before the song started, during which she did part of the partner dance choreo from the ball by herself :(

They used "silence" instead of "midnight" which I'm so mad about (ALW I'm gonna get my revenge one day just you wait old man)

Korie is such a beautiful singer, like he really fits the role to a T. Very old-school brassy bari/bass voice, a lot like Ken Page

Since there were no twins, Sillabub just got up and sang on her own, but it wasn't that jarring

At the end of the song, Rumpleteazer got a little sad and slid over to snuggle up at Old D's feet

Gus the Theatre Cat

Before you ask, yes, I did cry a little at this song (knowing that Michael had played Gus before back during the first Broadway run made me tear up, ok?)

Before the song started, Jelly gathered all of the kittens in front of her (unfortunately with the way the blocking ended up Gus was right between us and her for a lot of the song, but he had a much bigger stage presence than replica Guses so it wasn't a big loss)

As Jelly was beginning the first verse, Gus came onstage with a guitar, which he fake-played throughout his verses

Munk got to be Gus' friend at the pub, and they had real beer bottle props which was literally the cutest thing ever

During Gus' verses Michael sang with a much more lyrical tone than normal (as in he was really singing, not talk-singing), and the country accent really fit well with his song

At the Firefrorefiddle part Munk came back and handed Gus an actual fiddle, and how has NOBODY done this before??? It was literally so perfect y'all (I don't think the instrumentation was even changed but it just felt like the exact right thing)

I remembered to check back in on the kittens during their little moment, Rumpleteazer was aptly offended/embarrassed

One of the best lyric changes was definitely "in the days when Hank Williams reigned," I have a feeling if they could have changed more they would but alas

Between the end of the normal song and the lead-in to P&P, Gus ate up the applause (there was a lot!) and sang the next verse like it was an encore

Pekes and Pollicles

Not sure if this is as expected, but Gus sang "the awesome battle" instead of awful (and there was the "heathen" to "foreign" change that I've discussed elsewhere)

Before getting into full Rumpus Cat gear, Gus was dressed as a football referee (complete with real working whistle that he used a couple of times). He also did a coin flip during one of the early verses to decide which cornhole team would throw first

Yes, the actors were really playing cornhole onstage, and they were quite good at it too! I assume a lot of practice was involved lol

During the first barking sequence, Rumpleteazer was on her hands and knees playing one of the dogs and literally jumping off the ground barking, it was so silly-looking

Jenny played the police dog, complete with beer bottle. I think she was off to one corner fake-drinking for most of the song

I think the whole Little Tom Pollicle section was cut, including the bagpipes section

When the Rumpus Cat came out, the "dogs" flipped up the cornhole boards to hide behind. I also spotted Jenny as the police dog with a white-knuckle grip on her beer lmao

All in all, it was a very fun version of the song and I didn't even mind so much that it was moved out of its original spot in the show because it was SO goofy silly

Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat

This staging was a little less dynamic than the normal, they made the fake train very early on in the song and then just basically stayed there the whole time. Skimble was bouncing around as normal though

The train's "smokestack" spouted real steam at one point, which was really cool

Misto and Jelly were the card-players, complete with real oversized cards. At one point Skimble stopped to look at both of their hands and swapped some of their cards to complete the game, which I think is just *chef's kiss* perfect characterization for him

Instead of the fake train falling apart at "Skimbleshanks would help them to get out," there was a gag where Jelly was almost falling over and Skimble had to rush over and help her catch her balance

Macavity (scare, song, and fight)

Macavity used a literal lasso to kidnap Old D

This was totally just a personal thing, but I was definitely thrown off at first by the hard-T American pronunciation of Macavity

I can't remember if this happened here or somewhere else, but I feel like I should mention that at one point Bomba slid into a split so smoothly that I didn't even process it was happening until she was all the way down in it 😅

The fight was much different than normal — everyone got in on fighting Mac. I remember Bomba got a big moment getting him in the stomach before he got away

Instead of the jumper cables, Mac swiped at the "Cattlemen" sign and took out all of the lights except the ones that said "Cat"

After the fight, Deme and Bomba took a beat to clean each other off with some casual acrobatics

Magical Mister Mistoffelees

One change I thought was really sweet was at the beginning of the song, the rest of the cast were really disbelieving of Tugger and rolling their eyes at his claims, which I think pairs well with the cast headcanon

For our performance, Misto was not wearing the brown jacket he had in the promo videos — he may have had a black vest on or just his normal chorus outfit, but he still had his sheriff star :)

They had a couple of cans for Misto to knock over as part of his sharpshooting bit, but no squibs or anything onstage

During the "curled up" line, Misto went and cuddled with Vic for a second

There was a moment post-conjuring turns where the actor did a one-handed cartwheel with the toy gun still in his hand and I was just the tiniest bit afraid for his life (he pulled it off though!!!)

Instead of having a volunteer, they just had two people hold an old blanket that they used to cover Old D from one of the wings back to center stage

Misto looked away like he does sometimes after the Old D trick, but sadly they didn't get to hug after :(

During the final chorus Rumpleteazer got back on the trampoline and was bouncing along to the music

Rather than slowly making the spotlight disappear like in some productions, Misto shot it out before making his exit which was a cute touch

Memory (Reprise)

After Munk's monologue, Old D was ready to make Gus the choice, which this time was represented by a spotlight casting a circle on the ground. I was ready to be disappointed about the whole "wrong cat died" situation, but I was pleasantly surprised when Gus stepped back and invited Griz into the spotlight to make her case, it felt like a really good resolution to the issue some people have with that point

Right after Gus gave up the spotlight, he and Jenny had a little mimed conversation where she seemed a little upset/confused at what he did

Jackie did great as Grizabella — you could definitely tell she had played Elphaba in the past too lol

Interestingly, there were a couple of moments where it almost seemed like Skimble would be the first cat to touch Griz after her song, but he ended up backing off so that Vic could give her the pink cowboy hat :)

Journey through Ad-dressing

My sister and I were speculating before the show started where Griz was going to leave the stage (there wasn't a lot of infrastructure up above the stage itself so we were curious), and it ended up being the piece of scaffolding with "Mule Alley" written on it! Totally unexpected

I wish I had caught more of the cast interactions during this song, but I did definitely notice Bomba and Gus arm in arm

Old D was much more lively and light-hearted during The Addressing of Cats than normal (again, really reminding me of Ken Page's Deuteronomy, but even more jovial. I think there's footage of this so if you haven't gone to check it out definitely do!)

Not quite a lyric change, but the address in question was changed to something pronounced more like "aw, cat"

And that's about it for the show! Like I said at the top, feel free to send me asks if there's any part of the show you'd like to know more about! I tried not to assign romantic/platonic designations to any of the pairs throughout the show because it went by much too fast to tell one from the other (which is basically my way of saying go wild with it, y'all — the cast certainly sure have!).

[todayisafridaynight]

One of my fave jackets is this green jacket with a fur hood im wearin rn because 1.) its green 2.) my dad gave it to me 3.) it reminds me of saejima. Who also reminds me of my dad

[fushitoru]

i don't wanna lose this with you a spiderman gojo fic

pairing ⸺ spiderman!gojo x reader

summary ⸺ an amalgation of misunderstandings and stress lead to a very big fight between you and satoru, but you certainly don't expect the way he wins you back.

warnings ⸺ college au, spiderman!au, angst, hurt/comfort, i warn you reader might infurate you, but she's just a woman in stem :(, tooth rotting fluff bc he's a loser for his gf, not edited sue me

playlist ⸺ quantum rizzics

a/n you'll probably need to read the first installation (nsfw, so mdni) to understand this one :3

general masterlist | spiderman!gojo m. list

you've blocked gojo on all platforms.

you don't really remember what caused the "break up" (you didn't really break up). maybe it's the fact that you've been stressed about grad school admissions, your dorm's floor was covered in his boxers, and he's never been able to visit you pre-3am these days. somehow, the city's criminals are determined to keep your boyfriend away from you, and maybe it was your pms, or maybe it was truly just because satoru is annoying. regardless, it's when you guys have plans that's not an impromptu healing-gojo's-wounds-in-your-dorm-at-3am sesh and you're waiting at the coffee shop that you explode.

because he was supposed to arrive ten minutes ago, and when you move to go to the bathroom, you see him. through the window, his white hair is never not noticeable, and who you see next to him makes you falter.

he's standing next to a girl with blue tinted silver hair that you recognize as mei mei, and she's gripping his upper arm as she smiles while looking at his face, his lips with such fuck me eyes that you could tell they were having some sort of intimate conversation.

and if it were an ideal day, you would know that it's all a misunderstanding, you would know your boyfriend is someone you trust. but, again, the cards were stacked against you, and the only things that go through your mind all make your eyes all glossy. he's late to the one date that you planned because you and him were finally free at the same time and you've been busy because you've been desperately applying for internships because unlike your boyfriend you don't have a plethora of papers and coding experience and you've been getting four hours of sleep on average this week and ugh you've heard a rumor that satoru used to hook up with her and fuck now your tampon is poking at you in the wrong way—

great. now tears are fully streaming down your cheeks. in public.

as you rush to the table where your stuff is your vision is so blurry that you also almost fall flat on your face as you stumble over the legs of chairs and tables. blurting out a ensemble of choked up sorry's and excuse me's you hurriedly gather your laptop and notebooks in your backpack and book it for the exit.

the biting cold stings at your face, but you nevertheless determinedly move in the opposite direction of where satoru and mei mei are situated, praying your boyfriend doesn't recognize you. however, it seems that the heavens are working against you because you hear a yelled "baby?"

you don't look back because you know a new set of tears will leave your eyes, and with it being finals season, you're not very hydrated to being with. but you hear footsteps running towards you and fuck your boyfriend's long ass legs because he quickly catches up to you. then, he grabs your hands, attempting to stop you from running away and face him.

"baby," he breathes, baby blue eyes looking into yours as he moves to kiss your forehead. you stay silent, pinning your gaze to the ground while shivering. "where are you going? aren't we supposed to hang out right now?"

look, you and gojo have a good relationship. but recently, things have gotten...strenuous lately. you guys haven't been communicating, and it might not help that half of your calorie intake was from energy drinks. or perhaps what lead you to say what you said next was driven entirely by the brain eating mold on your unwashed dishes, but dumb excuses aside, you sneer. "shouldn't you be busy doing that with mei mei, instead?"

a small part of you--the part that knows you shouldn't be like this--feels relief that hurt doesn't immediately flash across his eyes, only confusion. but lack of sleep has not only stripped away at your sanity but also your people pleasing and overthinking tendencies, leaving you only as a girl frustrated, even irrationally angry, with her boyfriend. so you only avert your gaze when he dumbfoundedly asks, "what?"

"what do you mean, "what?"" you scoff, wrenching your hand from his grasp. "you were ten minutes late to our meet-up, gojo." it is at your use of his last name, instead of your sweet my love, that the hurt you've been looking for flashes across his eyes. he moves to speak but you cut him off, no longer wishing to be here with him. "if you're so busy talking to bitches you hooked up with before, why did you even bother saying yes to hanging out with me?"

he looks at you in confusion, eyes quickly flitting back and forth across you. then, slowly, as if he's still processing the weight of your accusations, he says, "i don't exactly know what you're referring to, but let's calm down---"

and you see red.

"calm down?" you snap, voice sharp and icy, just like the wind stinging your cheeks. "did you seriously just tell me to calm down? you were late again, gojo, and i find you chatting it up with her?" you practically spit the word, arms crossing as a flimsy defense against both the cold and the ache building in your chest.

satoru blinks, his confusion genuine, but you’re too far gone to care. "wait—mei mei? is this about mei mei? she's not—"

"don’t you dare finish that sentence," you cut him off, your voice rising as your blood boils hotter. "i don't want to hear how she's just a friend, or how it's not what it looks like. i’m so tired of hearing the same bullshit excuses."

"baby, you're jumping to conclusions—"

"and you’re jumping at the chance to look like an idiot in public," you snap, your hands trembling now, either from the cold or your rising fury. "god, what do you even say to her? let me guess, you go around telling girls you're spider-man to get into their pants, huh? bet that works like a charm."

the accusation hits like a slap, and for the first time, satoru looks genuinely stunned, his mouth falling open slightly. "what the hell are you even saying right now?"

"am i wrong?" you let out a bitter laugh, one that echoes in the frosty air. "you’re late to the one date i actually planned, and i see you with her, all cozy, like i’m not even waiting for you. like i don’t even matter."

his eyebrows knit together, frustration mixing with something softer. "you seriously think i’d—"

"i don’t know what to think anymore, satoru!" the words burst out of you, your voice cracking as hot tears well in your eyes. "all i know is that i can’t keep feeling like this. like i’m some afterthought while you’re out doing—whatever it is you do. swinging through the city or flirting with your exes or—" you choke on the words, wiping at your cheeks furiously as the tears spill over. "just forget it. i’m done."

"wait." his voice is quieter now, more desperate as he steps toward you, his hand reaching out. "baby, come on, we can talk about this—"

"no," you say firmly, jerking your hand away before he can grab it. "i’m blocking you. on everything." then, mockingly, "you can figure out how to save the world without me."

his eyes widen, his mouth opening like he’s about to plead or argue, but you don’t wait for him to speak. you turn on your heel and storm away, the cold wind biting at your skin as the lump in your throat grows heavier.

you don’t look back. not when he calls your name, not when you hear his footsteps falter. you just keep walking.

it’s 3 a.m., and you don’t know if you exist.

well, you do, but after how light you feel after you’ve cried a disgusting amount, you just lie down on your floor staring at the ceiling and contemplating the meaning of life. or more specifically, the meaning of your life, which right now feels like it’s revolving around nothing but stress and a breakup you don’t even fully understand.

you wouldn’t be having these problems if you were a childless cat lady.

but alas, you’re just a college student. in the few days where you haven’t seen satoru, you’ve finished all your finals—miraculously, considering the fragile state of your emotional wellbeing—and now you’re finally on break in your dorm. you’re supposed to go back home in two days, but the thought of packing feels like trying to climb a mountain barefoot. you can’t summon the energy to do anything except wallow in your self-pity and selfishness, letting it wrap around you like a weighted blanket that’s somehow comforting and suffocating all at once.

you’d like to say this is rock bottom, but truthfully, it’s worse than that. because rock bottom implies a kind of finality—a place to push off from. this? this feels more like you’re sinking in quicksand, the weight of everything dragging you further down.

in your stress and impulsiveness, you’ve managed to kill your entire grind for internships. deadlines have slipped past while you spent hours doom-scrolling job boards and second-guessing every application. the ambitious, career-focused version of yourself feels like a stranger now, buried under the weight of your own doubts and insecurities. and on top of that, you may have potentially lost the love of your life.

it’s laughable, really, how thoroughly you’ve managed to self-destruct in such a short time. the worst part? you can’t even bring yourself to check your socials. if you unblock him and see there aren’t any messages, you think your heart might shatter completely. which, if you’re being honest, isn’t exactly fair to him. you’re the one who had the meltdown. you’re the one who blocked him on everything. he probably doesn’t even know what he did wrong because you didn’t even communicate anything.

your stomach twists at the thought, guilt mingling with the ever-present ache of missing him. he was supposed to be the one person who made everything feel a little less impossible, and now you’ve pushed him away.

there has got to be a taylor swift song for this.

so you make your way to your spotify account to listen to afterglow, putting in your airpods while somberly looking at the ceiling once again as the lyrics fill your ears. tears well up as soon as the lyrics start

i blew things out of proportion, now you're blue⸻

tears well up before you can stop them, hot and heavy as they trail down your cheeks. god, you’re a mess. and yet, as much as you hate it, you can’t seem to stop the flood of thoughts that follow.

you miss him. you miss the way he made you laugh even when you were on the verge of tears, the way his ridiculous confidence somehow made you feel like everything would work out. you miss how he’d stay up late just to facetime you when you were overwhelmed with schoolwork, how he always seemed to know exactly when you needed him most.

and now? now you’ve gone and ruined it. maybe he’s angry, maybe he’s hurt, or worse—maybe he’s just done with you entirely.

the thought makes your chest ache, your breaths coming in shallow and uneven as the lyrics hit their crescendo.

i need to say, hey, it’s all me, in my head—

then, suddenly the song changes. you frown as you hear early 2010's pop blast through your ears.

i threw a wish in the well, don't ask me i'll never tell⸻

why the fuck is call me maybe playing?

annoyed and rubbing at your eyes, you move the change it back to, now, the sad girl hours playlist spotify curated for your and assume your dead fish position on the floor once again.

however, it seems as if your spotify is genuinely tweaking, like it's realized it’s gotten your attention. when call me maybe starts playing again, you groan out loud and move your phone. but before you have a chance to switch the song again, it seems to switch.

baby by justin bieber.

call me, blondie.

i love you, i'm sorry, gracie abrams.

letstalkaboutit, aminé.

i don't understand but i luv you, seventeen.

please please please, sabrina carpenter.

and then, once more, as if to really drive the point home: call me maybe, carly rae jepsen.

again, it's 3am, and you're stuck in a surreal mix of grief and confusion, staring at your phone as your spotify queue seems to have gained sentience. each song feels like a pleading nudge, an unmistakable pattern forming, and your blood runs cold when you remember one very important fact.

you share a spotify account with satoru.

"carly rae jepsen," you mutter under your breath, a mix of exasperation and fondness bubbling up despite yourself. he's hijacking your queue. right in the middle of your emo songs.

you sit up abruptly, tossing your airpods onto the bed, and hover over the call button on your phone. there’s a split second of hesitation—your pride battling with your longing—before you give in and press it.

the line rings twice before his voice comes through, breathless, like he’s been pacing. "baby?"

the sound of his voice sends a fresh wave of emotion crashing over you, sharp and raw like an open wound. the sound of his voice makes your stomach twist uncomfortably, equal parts relief and guilt. "satoru," you say, barely above a whisper. "why are you messing with our spotify?"

"why am i messing with our spotify?" he echoes, his tone incredulous. "why did you block me on literally everything? what was i supposed to do—send you a letter by carrier pigeon?"

you wince at the edge in his voice, your earlier anger wilting under the weight of his hurt. "i… i don’t know," you admit, the words tumbling out before you can catch them. "i was upset, and i wasn’t thinking straight. i shouldn’t have done that."

"yeah, you shouldn’t have," he says, still sounding a little indignant, though there’s something softer beneath it now. "do you know how many songs i had to go through to make my point? do you know how hard it was to resist the urge to rickroll you instead?" then, there’s a pause on his end, the line suddenly feeling too quiet. then he sighs, his voice softening into something that feels too much like an apology. "i didn’t know what else to do. i hate not talking to you. i hate knowing i made you upset, even if i don’t entirely understand why."

you close your eyes, the lump in your throat returning with a vengeance. the silence stretches between you, thick and unbearable, until you finally break it. "i’m sorry," you whisper, the words slipping out before you can stop them. "i shouldn’t have blown up at you like that.” and now that the dam has been broken, it all comes rushing out as you start choking up. “i’ve just been so stressed, and i’ve been missing you and then i saw you with her and then got irrationally angry when i really should’ve trusted you and oh my god i’m like a possessive tradwife husband that doesn’t let you leave the farm i’m sorry and i didn’t even communicate before i blew up at you like that—”

"hey. hey, hey, it’s okay," he says immediately, his tone filled with an earnestness that makes your chest tighten. "i know things have been hard for you. i should’ve been better, too. more present. i hate that you’ve been feeling like this while i’ve been...doing spider-man things." then, he lets out a dramatic sigh, the kind that’s equal parts exasperation and playfulness. "but wasn’t fair,” and you can hear a whine in his voice, “you blocked me and then ghosted me like i’m some kind of random tinder match. do you have any idea how insane i felt when i couldn’t even check to see if you were okay? i thought you hated me."

your breath catches at his words, guilt twisting like a knife in your chest. "i don’t hate you," you say quickly, the words spilling out in a rush. "i could never hate you. i was just… stupid, and emotional, and i didn’t know how to handle everything piling up. i’m so, so sorry, satoru."

there’s a pause, and when he speaks again, his voice is quieter, a little more vulnerable. "then why did you say those things? about mei mei, and… and me using the spider-man thing to get into girls’ pants."

you bite your lip, the memory of your harsh words making your throat tighten. "i didn’t mean any of it," you whisper. "i was just lashing out, and i know it wasn’t fair to you. i know you’d never do something like that, and i trust you, satoru. i just… i let my insecurities get the better of me."

"wait," he interrupts, his voice laced with amusement that shouldn’t make your heart ache the way it does. "you actually think i’d use the spider-man thing as a pickup line? that’s...wow. that’s genius. i should write that down."

"satoru!" you exclaim, half-laughing, half-crying, your emotions unraveling all over again. "i’m being serious!"

"i know, i know," he says, but you can hear the smile in his voice, warm and teasing. "and i’m being serious, too. i’d never do that to you. mei mei’s just...she tripped in front of me, i was just helping her up. i didn’t even realize how it must’ve looked, but i’ve never done anything with her. you’re it for me, okay? always."

you sniffle, wiping at your cheeks as your heart swells and aches all at once. "you mean that?"

"of course i do," he says, his voice soft and sincere in a way that makes your breath hitch. "i love you, even when you block me on everything and make me resort to spotify warfare." he sighs again, but this time it’s softer, the warmth in his voice breaking through his remaining irritation. "i’m not mad. i mean, i was mad, but mostly i was just upset. you really hurt my feelings, you know?"

the lump in your throat grows, your guilt threatening to choke you. "i know," you say, your voice cracking. "i’m so sorry, satoru. i’ll make it up to you, i promise."

"oh, you will make it up to me," he says, the teasing edge returning to his tone. "i want a week of boyfriend privileges—no complaining when i steal your fries, no making fun of my movie picks, and you’re buying me snacks for at least three of those days."

a small smile tugs at your lips despite the tears still clinging to your lashes. "deal," you say softly.

there’s a pause on his end, and then his voice comes through the line, quieter but no less sincere. "you really mean it? you’re not still mad at me?"

"i’m not mad," you say, your voice thick with emotion. "i was never really mad at you, satoru. i was mad at everything else, and i took it out on you. but i’m not mad anymore. i just… i miss you."

"i miss you too," he says, and the raw honesty in his voice---the subtle way it chokes up, as if he had been crying and missing you too---makes your chest ache. "so, can i come over? or are you going to make me keep hijacking your playlists to get your attention?"

you laugh softly, the sound tinged with relief. "just come over already, you dummy. and bring snacks. good ones."

"done," he says, his grin audible through the phone. "i’ll be there in twenty. and for the record, you owe me at least a whole playlist dedicated to how amazing i am and you sucking the absolute soul out of my dick---."

"don’t push your luck," you reply, but there’s no heat in your words, only warmth (and you’re absolutely going to suck his soul out of his cock). regardless, for the first time in days, the tightness in your chest starts to ease, replaced by something lighter, something whole.

general masterlist | spiderman!gojo m. list

a/n he's so cute :( i'll keep on writing stuff for them whether it be small fics like this or long ass fics. i think my next one is gonna be freaky if you guys are nice to this one

TAGLIST im really sorry if i missed you if you sent an ask asking to be tagged pls feel free to remind me again im afriad ur ask has drowned in my shitposts and other asks

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@suguruscousin @idkwhatursayinh @yourfavbabigirl

[gf2bellamy]

Hey, you know when spencer is doing his physics magic thing and it lands on emily head then she asks him how this works but he refuses to tell her claiming a true magician never reveals his secrets but when the reader asks him he agrees to show her immediately cuz he's so whipped and everyone's is like 🤨🤨🤨

Also happy birthday i hope you have a great year full of happiness 🫶🏻✨️❤️

magic — spencer reid

pairing: spencer reid x fem!reader ( no use of y/n ) content warnings: a/n: hiii !! spencer looked so cute in this scene i love early szns spence <3 also tysm that's so sweet !!! <333 also i couldnt find the a gif for this scene so this gif will have to do

You, JJ, and Garcia had gathered behind Spencer, who was seated in one of the rolling chairs, his frame hunched over a small film cannister on the desk.

He had promised to show you all a "physics magic trick," though so far, nothing magical—or even remotely interesting—had happened.

JJ glanced at you, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "Nothing is happening," she whispered.

You shrugged, leaning slightly over Spencer's shoulder to get a better look at whatever he was tinkering with.

Spencer, however, seemed to be struggling. His hands fidgeted with the small plastic device on the desk, but his focus was clearly divided.

The warmth of you standing so close behind him was distracting, and he could feel the faint brush of your breath against his neck.

He cleared his throat. "Shhh, watch," he said, his voice cracking slightly and rising an octave higher than usual.

You raised an eyebrow, exchanging a quick, amused glance with JJ.

Spencer’s enthusiasm was endearing, even if the trick itself seemed to be taking its sweet time.

You leaned in a little closer, your chin nearly resting on his shoulder, and you could’ve sworn you saw the tips of his ears turn pink.

And then it happened.

The small plastic device—a tiny black spring-loaded film cannister—suddenly sprang to life. With a sharp ping, it launched into the air, flying in a high arc across the bullpen. You watched, wide-eyed, as it sailed over the desks and directly toward the doorway.

Emily chose that exact moment to walk in.

The plastic projectile hit her squarely on the forehead with a soft thunk.

She froze mid-step, her hand instinctively flying to the spot where it had struck. "Ow! What—?" she exclaimed.

Spencer looked mortified. His hands flailing as he stammered out an apology. "I’m so sorry, Emily!

You couldn’t help it—a burst of laughter escaped you, quickly followed by JJ and Garcia joining in.

Emily rubbed her forehead, glaring at him. "What was that?" she asked.

Your laughter only grew louder at Spencer’s flustered expression, and the sound of it made his heart hammer in his chest. He couldn’t help but glance at you, his cheeks flushing even deeper.

"Don’t you recognize a rocket when you see one?" Garcia chimed in, her grin widening as she nudged Spencer playfully.

Spencer's voice rose slightly in defense. "I was merely demonstrating a fundamental physics law! I didn’t mean to—"

Emily waved him off, her curiosity now piqued. "Oh, show me," she said, walking over to the table where you were all gathered. She leaned in, her eyes scanning the small film cannister Spencer had been tinkering with. "How does it work?"

Spencer hesitated, then shook his head. "A magician never reveals his secrets," he said, his tone mock-serious as he gestured for her to turn around. Emily rolled her eyes but complied, stepping back as Spencer reset the device.

Spencer managed to show the trick again, but not without getting into trouble with Hotch. The girls immediately went back to their desks. Staying there even after Hotch went back to his office.

But you stayed at Spencer's desk.

You leaned against it, your arms casually crossed as you watched him fiddle with the small film cannister. “Spencer,” you said softly, causing him to tilt his head up to look at you.

“Yeah?” he replied, his voice low and slightly hesitant, the way it always was when he talked to you. It was endearing, the way he got so shy, as if he were afraid of saying the wrong thing.

“How did you do that trick?” you asked, giving him your sweetest smile. You knew he’d mentioned something about magicians never revealing their secrets, but you couldn’t resist teasing him a little.

Spencer hesitated, his gaze flickering to yours before dropping back to the device in his hands.

He opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again, clearly torn between his love of sharing knowledge and his earlier declaration about magicians and their secrets.

But then he looked up at you again, and whatever resolve he had crumbled under the warmth of your smile.

“Well…” he began, his voice softening as he gave in. He gestured for you to lean in closer, and you did.

His words came quickly at first, a rapid-fire explanation of potential energy, kinetic energy, and the calculations needed to make the trick work. As he spoke, his tone grew more animated, his hands moving to illustrate his points.

You listened intently, nodding along, though half your attention was on the way his eyes sparkled with excitement.

When he finished explaining, he glanced at you, almost shyly. “Want to try it?” he asked.

You grinned. “Absolutely.”

Spencer handed you the small plastic device, his fingers brushing against yours in the process.

The contact was brief, but it sent a little jolt through you, and you could’ve sworn you saw his cheeks flush.

He guided you through the steps, his voice soft, his hands hovering near yours ready to help if needed.

Your fingers brushed against his again as you adjusted the device, and you could feel the faint tremor in his hand.

It was subtle, but it was there, and it made your heart skip a beat.

Just as you were about to launch the film cannister, Emily’s voice cut through the moment. “Hey, are you showing her how to do that physics trick?” she asked, her tone accusatory.

She crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow at Spencer. “You said no one was allowed to know.”

JJ, who had been quietly observing from her desk, looked up at Emily’s words, her own eyebrow quirking in curiosity.

You glanced at Spencer, who looked like a deer caught in headlights, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to come up with a response.

But before he could say anything, you grinned and leaned back against the desk, your tone teasing. “Guess I’m special.”

Spencer’s eyes widened, and for a moment, he looked like he might combust on the spot.

Emily shook her head. “Special, huh? Reid, you’re full of surprises.”

JJ smirked, adding, “Looks like someone’s got a soft spot.”

Spencer stammered, his face turning a deep shade of red. “I—it’s not—I mean, she just—uh—”

You couldn’t help but laugh, and Spencer’s flustered expression only made it harder to stop. “Relax, Spence,” you said, gently nudging his arm. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

He looked at you, his eyes softening, and for a moment, it felt like the rest of the room had faded away. “Thanks,” he said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.

Emily and JJ exchanged a knowing look before returning to their work, leaving the two of you alone once more. You stayed there, leaning against his desk, as you asked him more questions about his magic tricks.

[flofaiiry]

Washington's Finest — Bucky Barnes x Reader

SUMMARY: Congressman Barnes has heard the stories from his colleagues on committee, he knows the stereotype that politicians in Washington often hire women to pursue their extracurricular activities- but he never expected to be the one to be in the need of such... services, much less the kind of man who'd actually seek them out

WARNINGS: fem!reader, reader is a sex worker (referred to as a call girl & hooker), age gap (reader is in law school so mid/late twenties), reader's parents are dead, most likely incorrect info about nda's & how they're used, swearing, probably an overuse of italics oopsie, so much kissing, breast&nipple play, oral f!receiving, reader attempts to fake an orgasm (spoiler it does not work), fingering, mentions of masturbation, overstimulation, multiple orgasms, bucky is kind of condescending, teeny bit of dacryphilia, big dick!bucky, little bit of manhandling, unprotected p in v sex (don't do that!!!), creampie. not proofread!!!

WC: ~7k

NOTE: sorry to all my Pitt & Shawn Hatosy followers that this isn’t your regularly scheduled content, I just got this idea after watching one too many Bucky edits and had to write it !!!😁😁 also I apologize if I portray sex workers in a negative light at all, that is not my intention at all!! I heavily based reader on Laurie from The West Wing, which is admittedly a pretty old show, but I tried my best & I hope you enjoy!!!

Bucky, the junior congressman from New York, knows the reputation that politicians have cultivated. He knows the stereotype of the dead-beat husband who steps out on his wife with a prostitute when he's in D.C., then acts all lovey dovey back in the home state.

He thought since he was single, he could avoid this dilemma. This career ending adultery and solicitation scandal that so many before him had walked into. He thought that he could find some girl to take home at a bar and get his rocks off that way, but that proved to be a harder task than he thought. Everyone in D.C., knew him. Everyone in Brooklyn knew him. Everyone everywhere knew him.

It was nice at first, but now it was starting to get annoying.

Fucking his fist in the shower quelled off the physical urges- and even that was starting to lose its efficacy. But what getting himself off didn't satisfy were his mental and emotional needs. The need to be seen, to be felt, to be touched, to be loved. Bucky wanted that.

But he wasn't going to get it anywhere in this town- or this country for that matter.

He'd heard enough stories through hushed conversations outside committee rooms & caucuses to know that Washington's Finest was the best, most reliable high end escort service in DC. The preferred choice for most politicians on Capitol Hill who dabbled in the art of the extramarital affair.

So, one afternoon when he was feeling especially in need- he made the call.

"Washington's Finest, you've reached Elena, how may I direct your call? The woman's voice is sweet and almost robotic sounding. Bucky isn't sure if it's actually a real person or one of those automated recordings until it starts speaking unprompted.

"Hello?"

He clears his throat, "Yeah. Hi. Um- booking."

Elena makes a little sound of acknowledgement before speaking again, "Alright sir, your call is being transferred, I'm going to place you on a brief hold, please stay on the line!"

As soon as she finishes talking, a smooth jazz music floods through the phone and into Bucky's ear. It's nice, familiar. Just as he thinks he might recognize the song, he's met with another woman's voice.

"Good evening this is Washington's Finest, you've reached booking! I'm Paulina how may I assist you?" She speaks, that same sort of uncanniness present in her tone.

"Hi. Yeah, uh I'd like to book- I guess."

"Great! Well then you're in the right place, may I just get a name to make the reservation?"

He hesitates, wondering if he should give his real name. Paulina seems to notice this.

"It doesn't have to be your name, sir. Just any name that we can refer to you by for the booking."

He doesn't say anything. Paulina fills the silence again.

"Rest assured sir, we deal with many high profile customers, our privacy policies are top notch to ensure that your proclivities are kept-"

"Steve." He blurts.

"I'm sorry?"

"Steve. My name is Steve."

Why he just offered the name of his best friend? He doesn't know. But at the moment it's the only name coming to mind so it's gonna have to do.

The woman on the other end smiles almost audibly.

"Alright then, Steve. What service would you like to book with us?"

"Shit, I uh- I don't know. What... services do you have?"

There's a ruffling of papers, a click of a mouse, then her voice again. "We offer three main packages: the One Night, the Weekend Getaway and the Week Long All-Inclusive. Many first-time customers choose to start with the One Night, helps them to find a girl they connect with to book longer services with in the future."

Bucky nods, then remembers she can't see him. "Right. Okay, sure, yeah- the One Night sounds good, let's do that."

"Great! Sounds good, let's get you all reserved - when were you thinking to book your service?"

"I, um- whenever?"

"How about tonight?" She asks, tapping away almost violently at the computer.

He nods, once, twice- like he's trying to convince himself to go through with this. To stoop down to a level he swore he'd never reach. "You know what- sure, let's do tonight."

Paulina continues with the booking, going over various policies regarding payment and acceptable conduct with the girl he books. Then, she gets to the names. There are three girls with availability tonight:

Anya.

Peggy.

And you.

Peggy's out immediately- way too much baggage associated with that name. He eliminates Anya next, sounds too harsh to him.

Leaving him with you. A girl with a name that rolls of the tongue, who will be showing up at his brownstone in a little over three hours

You get the call a few minutes after Bucky hangs up, Paulina tells you that someone named Steve has requested your company tonight, and you're to attend an address in Alexandria at 9pm sharp.

You get ready as usual, wondering if this Steve will be another senator or congressman stepping out on his wife- citing the 'stress of the job,' for pushing them apart, or if he'll be some rich old guy with nothing better to do with his money, or maybe- a secret third option. What that is, you're not sure yet- but a girl can dream, can't she?

Either way- the routine never strays. Makeup, hair, lingerie under an unassuming outfit (men love it when they get to feel like they're unwrapping you). You're out the door by 8:30 and catch the bus to the address sitting in your email.

You get there a few minutes early, so you sit on a bench a few doors down until your phone reads 8:59PM. Then you start down the street to your assigned place of business.

You climb the steps then knock on the door a few times. A second later the door's swinging open. You recognize the face from the news, and from the museum, the former World War 2 hero turned Congressman.

Bucky Barnes.

Not Steve.

You weren't surprised. Didn't feel catfished. 90% of the time the name you're given isn't legit, but one given by the customer to maintain certain degrees of separation.

"Congressman Barnes," you say, nodding your head slightly to greet him.

He says your name in the same tone, but different- like it's more foreign to him. "Please, call me Bucky." He half smiles, stepping aside in the doorway though still terribly unsure of himself.

"Bucky," you repeat, stepping into the house through the open space next to him. "This is a nice place," you hum, kicking off your shoes while he shuts the door behind you. "Thanks," he replies.

"You want something to drink?" He asks, beckoning you to follow him into the kitchen. You do. "Oh, just water is fine, thanks. And ice if you've got."

He nods, filing your preference away then walking over to the fridge to pull out a pitcher, then a cupboard for a glass.

"So," you say, walking around to the opposite side of the kitchen island as him, "what got you calling up Washington's Finest?" He shrugs, sliding a glass full of ice water to you. You mouth a thanks before bringing it to your lips and taking a sip.

"What's anyone looking for when they order a hooker." He says, blunt as ever. You almost choke on the drink, setting it down with a thunk before coughing the water from your windpipe.

"Sorry- is that not what you're called?"

You shake your head, "no, I mean- hooker's not wrong it's just, we prefer call girl. Evokes a nicer image."

"Right. Call girl." He repeats, nodding his head.

You take one more sip, washing down any stuck remnants of liquid from your earlier near-asphyxiation. "So sex?"

"I'm sorry?" He asks.

"That's what most people are looking for when they order a hooker." You repeat his words back to him, earning a smile from the man. He nods, "can't argue with that logic."

He still hasn't answered your question.

"So... sex?" You try again

He coughs, like he was caught off guard. "Yeah, sure. I guess."

He says the words like they're true, but the look in his eyes says they're anything but.

"Right, okay." You reach into your purse and pull out a thin stack of folded paper. “Got a pen?” You ask, setting them both down on the counter: one in front of you, the other in front of Bucky. He quirks an eyebrow, “yeah,” then opens a drawer to retrieve one, “what’s this?”

“NDA,” you say plainly. He scoffs, “I’m not going to tell anyone, if that’s what you’re worried about-”

You cut him off with a shake of your head, “it’s nothing personal, just company policy.” You reach into your bag once more to take out your own pen, “it’s to cover both of our asses.”

He follows your lead, signing his name on the various lines and not bothering to read all the legal jargon. “Both our asses?” He questions, crossing the T’s and dotting the I’s.

You nod, not once looking up from the page. “Mhmm, that way if I get drunk and start blabbing about all the congressmen I’ve slept with and your name comes up, then you can sue or whatever.”

He watches as you flourish the pen along the paper, marking your name and initials down, then meets your eyes when you slide the forms away. His brows are furrowed, “you get drunk and run your mouth a lot?” He asks, tone half joking.

You smile, “I don’t, but some of the other girls aren’t as careful, like to brag about their customers ‘n such.” He hums, sliding his own papers forward to stack on top of yours.

“You good? Ready?” You ask, putting your pen and the papers back in your bag. Bucky replies with a borderline shaky sigh. You squint, not normally the reaction you get from customers. “Everything okay?”

He nods, slow and unsure. “How does this work exactly? Do we just… start?” You shrug. “It can work however you want it to work. We can do whatever you want to do.”

“What if I want to just… talk first.”

His behaviour is a refreshing contrast to the men you normally deal with- their minds are set on getting your clothes off the second you walk through the door.

“That’s fine,” you smile, “we can talk.”

He nods and exhales, like a weight’s just come off his shoulders. “So,” you start, “what do you want to talk about?”

“Right,” he says, like he forgot that having a conversation would require actual talking.

“Um. What got you into…” he trails off, looking for the right words, “this line of work.”

You laugh, “oh this is not my dream job, believe me. I’m just doing this to get through law school, only got one year left. I’m getting out of this business the second I pass the Bar.”

Bucky raises his eyebrows, he clearly wasn’t expecting that answer. “Wow, law school. You go to GW?” You shake your head, “Georgetown.”

“Damn. They've got a good program over there.”

“I know,” you nod, “and expensive.”

“Ah,” he mouths, “hence the…” he gestures between the both of you, referring to the situation at hand.

“Exactly.”

“Parents can’t afford to help you out a little?”

You shake your head, “it’s not that they can’t afford it, they-” you stop yourself with a sigh. Any other customer would get a rehearsed answer about why you’re in this business, but any other customer wouldn’t have asked the question in the first place. “My parents died a few years ago, bank gave me a hard time with the inheritance — not that it was a whole lot, and there wasn’t very much left over after I paid off their house & some debts.”

He gives you a sympathetic look, the same one everyone gives after you drop the dead parents bomb. You give him a look that brushes off whatever empathetic sentiment he's conjuring up before he can say it. You shrug, “wanted to go to law school, couldn’t afford it, found a way to afford it. That’s all it is.”

He still doesn’t say anything, just keeps looking into your eyes like they’ve got some answer he’s been looking for all his life.

“I’m not proud of it,” you add, starting to rationalize and he quickly starts to shake his head.

“Oh, I didn't mean to imply that you should be ashamed or anything- I mean, fuck I’m the one who- I don't know, hired you? if anything I should be ashamed.”

You huff, “don’t be, you’re... different.”

Bucky smiles at that. “Different?”

“Yeah, most other customers have one thing and one thing only on their mind when I’m around but,” you shrug, “I don’t know, you don’t? I guess? You care about more than just the sex, I mean. At least I think you do. I hope you do."

You add the last part under your breath- you're not even sure why you add it- you know better than to feel anything more than a tolerance for one of your customers.

“Call me old fashioned, I guess.” He jokes. Some of his nerves appear to slough off when you laugh.

“Yeah, something like that,” you reply.

The room falls into a sort of silence, coming about after your laughter fizzles out. It's not awkward though, just like you're both weighing the options of what to say next.

"How about you?" You fill the air with your voice, the question catches Bucky off guard. "What about me?" he answers.

"Why Congress?" You shrug, "being in the history book once isn't enough for you?" It's teasing, but the question behind it still stands: why politics?

He raises his eye brows, bringing a hand to his chest in mock offense. "Wow. Okay. Calling me an attention seeker?"

You tilt your head, "most of you are. I don't know why else anyone would chose a job where your employer is the fucking general population."

"First of all," he starts, corner of his lip raising in a challenging smirk, "they're called constituents- I work for the great people of Brooklyn, thank you very much."

You laugh, "right, right, constituents. I ask again, why spend your life doing such... thankless work? I'm telling you, 90% of these congressmen & senators have some small dick insecurity or something and need some big, powerful job title to make up for it."

Bucky scoffs, taking a few steps around the kitchen island to stand beside you now, you turn to face him, leaning your side against the countertop.

"Well, I definitely don't have that problem," he says, leaning in close against your ear. His voice sends a pulse down your spine that's received between your legs- husky and low.

He pulls away from you and spots the way your eyes had fluttered just barely shut in response to his breath against your skin. You blink- once, twice- trying to adjust to his new proximity to you. "I guess I had just spent enough of my life hurting people, and I wanted what life I have left to be spent helping 'em instead." He mutters the words, searching through your eyes like he lost something in them and if he looks hard enough he'll find it.

Then his eyes flick down to your lips, for a split second- like he's wondering if he should kiss you or not. But when he shifts just marginally away from you- it seems like he's decided against it. Your breath catches in your throat when he shifts, a jolt of borderline disappointment passing through you.

"Kiss me."

The words leave you before your better judgement can tell you otherwise. He wasn't expecting that.

"What?"

You swallow. "Kiss me," you repeat- more sure this time.

"Kiss you?" He asks like he's trying to make 100% sure he heard you right.

You nod once. "Kiss me. Please."

Bucky absorbs the words, then brings a hand up to push a strand of hair behind your ear. He drags his fingers down your jaw, before cradling his hand there at the nape of your neck. His calloused fingertips sit just at the back of your head, then he presses them into your skin and draws you towards him. He pulls you in until your lips are just barely brushing against his.

His lips are dry- not chapped, not rough- but dry like they're looking for something to quench their thirst. They're a stark contrast to your own, meticulously glossed over in that perfect shade that brings out your eyes just right.

Then he kisses you- finally, he kisses you. It's painfully soft, and you're immediately craving more. You bring your own hand up to the side of his face, tangling your fingers into his chocolate brown hair as you deepen the kiss.

He hums into your mouth as his eyes fall shut, and brings his other hand- the metal one- to your waist, pulling your body flush against him. You thought it'd feel harsh, mechanical even, but somehow his touch still manages to be soft.

Suddenly all you can think about is what those fingers would feel like inside of you.

You take your other hand up to the other side of his face, pulling him impossibly closer to you, taking a deep inhale when you do. The air you bring in is mix of second hand smoke and vintage cologne, it's undeniably him.

That snaps the last strand of Bucky's control, the last little thread that had him holding on to any chivalrous sense of decency. He's desperate for you. He thought he was in need of connection- of touch, but the second you walked in his door?

He needed you.

More than he'd ever needed anything else before.

He travels both of his hands down to the backs of your thighs, and picks you up in one seamless motion. You're shocked at his strength at first, but them remember who you're dealing with: Bucky Barnes, former Winter Soldier- he could probably throw you around like it was nothing if he wanted to.

And God, you really hope he wants to.

You wrap your legs around his waist once he's lifted you, and he starts to maneuver you through his house. Walking masterfully through the expanse of hallways within the brownstone without breaking away from the kiss for so much as a breath.

He pushes the door open with your back, taking one hand from under you to flick on the lamp just enough so he can see where the bed is. The dark orange light from the fixture floods the room, bouncing off every available surface & enveloping your bodies in an auburn blanket of warmth.

He lowers you down onto the bed with ease and crawls over top of you. He presses one last firm kiss against your lips before pulling away. His breathing is heavy and ragged, and you can't help but notice the faint blush on his cheeks when you open your eyes.

"Are you sure about this?" He asks, his tone serious, "I know it's your job to say yes, but- do you want this?" If you say no he'd stop, of course he would, but right now he is praying to every higher power that you'll say yes.

No customer had ever asked you that before- asked the woman beneath the call girl what she wanted. And even if they did- it always came with the silent expectation that despite whatever you might want to say deep down, the answer would always be yes.

You nod, still breathless from the exchange earlier- but that's not enough for Bucky. "Words," he whispers, ducking his head down to the crook of your neck. "Tell me you want this, want me," he says, words muffled against your skin as he kisses it softly.

"Want this," you say, still nodding furiously, "want you."

He groans against your neck, raw and desperate. The vibrations ricochet down your body, landing with a throb between your thighs.

Bucky roams his hands down your body, and slides them under your shirt, splaying his fingers against your stomach. One hand's warm, inviting, sultry. The other- cool and unnaturally smooth. But both are soft, and the juxtaposing sensations makes you squirm.

"Fuck, you are so beautiful," he mumbles, tugging at the hem of your shirt then pulling it up over your head. You raise your arms to allow him to slide it off of you, leaving your chest covered with just the skimpy black lace bra you picked out before you left.

He travels his kisses along your neck, down to your collarbone, and across to the top of your ribcage. He moves down your chest, following along the geography of your sternum until his face is buried between your breasts.

One of his hands comes up to cup over the material, inner knuckle of his thumb brushing perfectly across your nipple. You gasp at the new contact, desperate to feel more of him- everywhere.

That sound only encourages him, emboldens him, and before you know it he's tucked his fingers underneath the thin material and is ripping the bra in half at the front seam. He pushes it aside and you shrug off the straps.

This bra was in your all star rotation- it was by far the most flattering one you owned. You should be upset, should scold him with something along the lines of making him buy you a new one, but right now you could not care less about that.

You're yanked from your train of thought when you feel Bucky's lips close around your nipple. His tongue swirling around the bud and teeth grazing it ever so gently. You arch your back, heaving your chest against him by consequence

He brings his hand to your unattended breast, squeezing and grasping at the flesh in just the right spots before pinching at that nipple.

“Please, Bucky,” you whimper, rolling your head back into his mattress while your fingers tug at his long dark strands of hair.

You feel him smirk against your chest, before he picks back up his head and slots his lips onto yours again. “Wanna taste you,” he says through kissing you, “can I?”

“You don’t have to, I’m-“

“I want to,” he cuts you off, “please?”

You nod, slow- but incredibly sure.

“O- okay. Yeah. Sure,” you breathe.

He smiles- like really smiles, then kisses you again1 before descending once more down your body. He leaves wet open mouthed kisses down the expanse of your chest and torso, hands working on undoing the clasp of your pants so he can push them off once he reaches the waistband.

He tosses the garment haphazardly somewhere in the room, before hooking his fingers through the band of your panties.

“This okay?” He asks, eyes hooded with lust as he looks up at you for your consent.

You nod- pathetically quick. “Yes. Please.”

The ends of his lips quirk upwards as he pulls the thin lacy material from your legs. It’s too slow- painfully slow. You wish he’d rip them off like he did with the bra.

Once they’re off, Bucky kneels on the floor in front of you, and hooks his arms under your thighs and pulls you to the edge of the bed. He presses his lips to your clit, leaving a tender kiss over it, before licking a long steep stripe up your slit.

“Fuck,” you gasp, hands finding his hair again like there’s some kind of magnet drawing them there. You pull his face against your cunt, forcing his tongue into your hole and knocking his nose against your clit.

“Oh my god,” you moan, arching your hips off the bed and even further into him before he plants you by the hips back into the mattress. He delves his tongue inside you, prodding eagerly through your slick and fucking it in and out of you.

It feels good- feels so good- but it’s not enough.

Your instinct takes over though, months of experience in appeasing men and making them think they’re bringing you to the edge to stroke their ego.

You tone up the moans, raising your volume and repeating Bucky’s name like a mantra. All things to signal that you’re getting close. Your tugs at his hair turn to pulls, thighs pressing around his head, as you lean into the act of an impending orgasm.

It’s not that you didn’t think he could get you there- it’s that you didn’t want him to wait.

“Fuck, Bucky- ‘m gonna cum,” you whine, squirming under him relentlessly. He doesn’t say anything, just keeps lapping at your cunt with his tongue.

“Shit- I- fuck, I'm coming, Bucky I'm-" you cut yourself off with a pornographic moan. One perfected through numerous uses, it's always believable. Always makes the man feel good about himself that he 'made a woman cum.'

Bucky doesn't buy it though. Not for a second.

"No you're not," he says, voice stern and words getting muffled against your pussy. The stubble lining his jaw scrapes at your inner thighs when he speaks.

"Does this not work for you?" He asks, pulling away from you and caressing your thighs. You shake your head, "no- I'm sorry it's not that, I just- it doesn't matter if I feel good or not. You're the customer." You prop yourself up on your elbows to look down at him.

His hair is disheveled from your hands being rooted in it, his chin and lips coated with your slick.

"Who the hell told you that?"

You shrug, "just common sense I thought."

He scoffs, "yeah well fuck that. Tell me what you want me to do. What you need me to do to get you there- for real."

"To be honest- I don't really know," you start.

Bucky cocks an eyebrow, "you don't know?"

You shrug again.

He sits back on his heels, sigh heaving from his chest. "Well, how 'bout this- when you touch yourself, what do you do that makes you cum?" The question's awkward, but for some reason you don't feel opposed to answering.

He traces his vibranium fingers up and down your inner thigh. The cool metal makes your muscles tense. "I want to make you feel good," he says, "but I can't do that if you don't tell me how to go about doing it."

You release a shaky exhale before you speak.

"I need something... inside."

Bucky smirks, "yeah? What's something?"

You shrug, "anything, really. Fingers, toy, dick."

He laughs at that, shaking his head before looking back up at you and leaning back in.

"Well how about," he starts, voice dangerously slow and fingers inching back towards your core, "I give you my fingers now, make you cum on those 'n get you all stretched out for me... Then, I give you the other thing."

You swallow hard, the anticipation building like a knot in your chest.

"Deal?" He asks, tip of his index finger brushing right above your clit. Your breath hitches when you nod. He smiles, "good girl. Now let me make you feel good."

And with that he disappears back between your legs.

Bucky wastes no time and gets right back to business. He wraps his lips around your clit like he never left, and pushes one finger into your tight cunt. He watches eagerly for your body's reaction, indulging in the way your head tilts into the mattress and your eyes roll back in the socket.

"That feel good?" He asks, the vibration against your pussy adds a new layer of pleasure. You nod quickly, "yes- fuck, feels good."

"Good," he smirks, adding a second finger into your hole and curling them inside you, then sucking harder at your clit. The moans slipping from your lips this time are angelic- ethereal, Bucky thinks. They're that beautiful because they're real. The sounds are a tangible demonstration of how good he's making you feel.

You don't notice when he adds a third finger, or when he brings his thumb to rub little circles at your clit, your senses are too bombarded with all the other inputs to register those little changes.

What you do notice, however, is how quickly you come tumbling towards the edge this time- the real edge, the brink of orgasm, not the metaphorical one you created to stroke the egos of your other customers.

Bucky notices too. Notices the way that when you're really close, you don't get louder, but get quieter- your jaw dropped open but no sounds to be heard. The way you clamp your eyes shut and grip onto his hair and the duvet for dear life. The way your hips writhe under him, desperately and subconsciously trying to create more friction for yourself.

He notices it all.

But his favourite thing he's noticed thus far, are the pretty noises you make when you do cum. No showy, perfectly defined moans, but little breathy whimpers that bleed into louder cries of his name as your release gushes out around his tongue.

Music to his ears.

"That's it, just like that, good girl," he coaxes, working you through the high. He gets lost in the way you taste, the noises you make- all of it.

What he doesn't notice that you've already come down from your first high, and so he doesn't stop. Just keeps laving at your slit, sucking at your clit and pumping three thick fingers inside your cunt until he's sending you hurdling towards a second orgasm.

"Oh my- fuckingGodBucky," the last words tumble from your lips in a single syllable as you cum again onto Bucky's tongue. He dips his mouth down, lapping up every last drop of your release like it could grant him eternal life.

When he finally pulls away, hands resting on your thighs to stop them from quaking, he sees the wet marks down your cheeks, and the new crystalline beads forming at the corners of your eyes.

He stands up quickly, a little concerned and hovers himself back over you again. "Hey," he speaks, voice soft, "you okay?" He brushes the hair from your face and the tears from your eyes.

All you can do is nod, breathing too heavy to form any words at the moment. After a second you speak, "felt too good." Bucky laughs, "too good? That sounds like a challenge."

You raise your eyebrows before tracing your eyes down his body, settling on the very evident bulge between his legs. "You did promise me something..." You trail, dragging one finger against him through the jeans. He lets out a strangled sigh at the tiniest bit of friction.

You smirk at your effect on him, before tugging him down to press your lips to his. You taste yourself on his tongue when he slips it into your mouth, you should be a little grossed out- but you could not care less.

The only thing on your mind right now is getting him inside of you.

You pull him to lie next to you, then roll yourself on top of him, straddling over his bulge and grinding your cunt against him. You moan into each others mouths, Bucky's hands find your ass, squeezing and groping at the flesh while yours move to the buttons of his shirt. Undoing them greedily- unapologetically eager to see what he looks like with nothing on.

He moves his arms to let you slide the shirt off of him, leaving him in just a white tank top which he sits up slightly to take off. You can't help but gawk when he's finally topless. Your eyes wander shamelessly over the expanse of his chest and you trace your fingers along the grooves of his muscles, lingering on the little scars and marks like you're trying to commit them to memory.

"Kids these days don't learn it's not polite to stare?" He says, snapping you out of the trance-like state his shirtless figure put you in.

You scoff, "what's not polite is looking like this and expecting me not to look." You lean down and press a kiss against his lips, "I'm just a girl. I see pretty abs & arms and I stare." You sit back up, shuffling down his legs to sit over his knees, then bringing your hands to undo the button and zipper on his pants.

He raises an eyebrow, "I have pretty abs and arms?" He asks, bending his knees to let you slide the slacks down and off of his legs. You stop dead in your tracks, fingers hooked into his boxers but not pulling them down yet- not when he just said that.

"You're joking, right?" He doesn't say anything, just stares at you with an amused look plastered onto his face, "Jesus Christ have you ever looked in a mirror, Bucky?" You shake your head through a laugh and finally pull his boxers down to free his cock.

You sigh at the sight of him. He's big- this you could assume from the way he carried himself. The confidence he exuded. The way he acted like he didn't have any physical detriments to compensate for.

But he's kind of- obscenely big.

You lick your lips and sweep your hair behind your ears and out of the way, before ducking down to take him in your mouth- but Bucky stops you before your lips even meet his tip.

"Not tonight," he says, "another time."

You raise an eyebrow, "another time?" He smirks, then pulls you up for a kiss, "yeah. Another time," he breathes, before pressing his lips to yours. Just from where you're straddling him, you can feel the head of his cock hitting dangerously close to your clit.

"I don't mean to inflate your ego anymore than it already is," you tease, pulling away to look down at him, "but- respectfully- how the fuck am I supposed to fit that inside of me?"

Bucky rolls his eyes playfully, then brings one hand to your hip and the other to wrap around himself, tilting it slightly so it lines up with your entrance. "You can take it. Don't worry." He moves you down by the hip just barely, you gasp when the very first millimeter of his cock prods into your entrance.

"Just take it slow, yeah? Take it slow."

He loosens his grip on your hips, allowing you to take the lead and decide how quickly you want to sink yourself onto him. You nod and plant your hands on his lower abdomen to steady yourself, before slowly- so, so slowly- moving down his length.

The stretch is unlike any you've ever felt before. A string of profanities floods out of your mouth and your head rolls back. Bucky's eyes threaten to close at the feeling of your walls hugging so tight around him, but he keeps them glued on where your bodies meet- watching intently at the way you swallow every inch of him inside of you.

"Just like that," he drawls, sucking in a breath and resisting every urge to buck his hips up and shove himself the rest of the way in.

"Holy shit, Bucky." Your breathing is ragged once you've finally sunk all the way down onto his length. The pads of his fingers are digging into the flesh of your hips, you're sure they'll leave bruises behind but all you can think about right now is how it feels like his cock is about to split you open.

"I know, baby, I know," he stutters, trying to maintain his composure as best he can. "I can't- fuck- too full, I can't," you shake your head, tears pricking at the corners of your eyes once again.

He pulls you down by the arm, lacing his fingers through yours then kissing you. It's soft, but only for a second. Before you know it he's sliding his tongue in your mouth and rolling you both over so he's on top now. He braces his forearms on either side of your head, and pulls away from the kiss to rest his forehead against yours.

"You want this? Hm?" He pushes a strand of hair from your face, "want me to fuck you?" His tone is cocky, he knows you want him, but he wants to hear you say it.

"Yes, yes- fuck, please," you whimper, still wholly consumed by the feeling of his thick cock inside you. He smirks, "atta girl," he presses one last kiss to your lips- needy and desperate, before drawing his hips back, then slamming them back into you.

You practically scream at his sudden movement, the pleasure and pain of the stretch blending together and making your vision all fuzzy. The pace he sets is slow, but hard. Unrelenting.

Bucky drops his head to the crook of your neck, biting and kissing at your clavicle. Out of the corner of his eye he spots your hand, desperately gripping at the thin linen sheets to ground yourself. He takes it in his, before pulling it to rest on his back. You nails dig in to the musculature almost instantly, summoning a deep groan from within him.

With that same hand, he takes your leg to sit around his waist, pushing himself even deeper inside of you. The new tilt of his cock now knocks perfectly against the spot inside you that has you seeing stars, drilling into it with every thrust.

The room is hot, your bodies sticky with sweat. The only thing you can hear is the sound of Bucky's hips smacking against yours, his breathy grunts in your ear with every rock of his body into yours, and your repetitive cries of his name.

The pleasure is everything. It's all consuming, earth shattering- but somehow it's still not enough.

"Please," you breathe, "need- fuck, go faster."

He picks his head up to look at you, "yeah?"

You nod, desperate- begging. "Need more, please."

Bucky scoffs, "need more?" He repeats- almost mocking you. You just keep nodding. "Well alright then," he grunts, and you can hear the smirk playing across his lips.

His next actions happen in a whirlwind. He pulls himself out of your pussy, coaxing a whine from your throat when you suddenly feel so empty. Then with one strong vibranium arm he's flipping you over, your face smushing into the pillow before you turn your head.

He brings the same hand underneath you, cool metal fingers splaying across your lower belly as he slams all the way back inside you. Your eyes go wide, accompanied by a load moan of his name before they're clamping down shut again.

His new rhythm is cruel. He looks down and watches the ripples of your ass with every thump of his hips into yours. Bucky presses the hand he has under you against your skin, he can literally feel himself sliding in and out of you. Can feel how deep he is inside of you.

"Oh my- God!" You choke out the last word when he pushes on your lower belly, walls immediately clenching around him.

He hisses out a breath, "you wanted this, hm? So take it. Be a good doll and take it."

"Jesus fucking Christ, Bucky 'm gonna cum." Right as the words leave you, all your senses melt into a white hot static as your orgasm rips through your body.

"Yeahhh, atta girl. Just like that- cum on my cock just like that, huh?" His low voice coaches you through it, never once stopping his unrelenting hips against yours.

His hips finally start to stutter, right as his high starts creeping up on him. You can tell from his thrusts getting shallower that he plans on pulling out to finish- while it's the sensible thing to do- it's also the last thing you want him to do.

"Don't," you gasp.

"What?"

"Don't pull out. Wanna feel you, please God, need to feel you."

He wants to ask if you're sure, but before he can form the words he's falling over the edge. He groans your name and shoots his spend deep inside you, marking you- ruining you for anyone else.

Bucky's thrusts into you turn lazy, then coming to a complete halt right before he pulls out of you. One last whimper falls from your lips, your hole feeling both so empty yet so full of him.

"Holy shit," he huffs, sliding his hand from under you and rolling to lie down next to you.

You turn onto your side to look over at him, your eyes still find a way to linger on his chest. Once he cracks his eyes open and sees you ogling him again, he can't help but laugh.

"You've really got quite the staring habit, huh?"

Your lips turn up into a smile, "can't exactly help it."

He shakes his head, letting his eyes fall shut as his breathing finally comes back to a normal pace. The both of you are too tired to say anything, but really- there's nothing that needs to be said.

He wasn't expecting a girl like you to be the one that knocked on his door- nor were you expecting a man like him to answer. Both of you know this was more than just a business exchange. Even though there'd be money deposited in your account after this, it felt different.

This wasn't just a hook up- it was a reckoning.

When Bucky opens his eyes again, there's a different look in them. And when he stares at you, searching through your own eyes for the answer he's been looking for all night- it's like he's finally found it.

He pulls you into him, moving you so that you lay your head on his chest. He presses a kiss into your hair, and traces his hand up and down your shoulder.

Neither of you say anything more, his eyes said it all already- stay.

And you do.

please let me know what you think!!! reblogs & comments mean more than u know!!!

[tojbnuy]

cupcake (1)

mechanic!toji x baker!reader

art by @_jtvll

there was a child grabbing your pant leg. your hands were full to the brim with trays of cupcakes, all freshly iced and ready to be placed into neat rows to serve. you usually hate this part of your job and the small hand stopping you from walking was not helping.

‘hey uhm could you maybe let go?’

you still were unable to look down at the person/thing(?) grabbing a hold of you as the trays in your arms were stacked far too high.

‘right well okay’ and you had to resort to placing the cupcakes on a nearby shelf. upon looking down you saw.. a baby? well a toddler? you didn’t know many kids, with only one niece you would assume this kid was around about her age. 3 maybe 4? he still had a firm grip on the leg of your trouser and was smearing left over icing onto your pants from his sticky fingers.

‘cake.’ he said with pink icing stuck to his lips and chin. the boy was adorable. big sparkly eyes and black hair sticking out in every direction. he was wearing a shirt that said ‘dad’s best friend’ and tiny blue sneakers.

‘you want more cake?’ you replied and he was quick to nod his head vigorously, his hand Still gripped tightly onto you.

‘alright buddy i can give you a cake. but you really shouldn’t be behind here this is staff only. where’s your mum?’

you bent down to his eye level after retrieving a cupcake from your fresh batch and waited for any sort of answer. either he had no clue what anything you said meant or he was too entranced by the cupcake you were wielding in his direction but the boy said nothing, just stared at you with his massive eyes.

‘god now what do i do?’

you were fairly new to this bakery, it was a busy branch with a computer cafe joint on so there was always a large amount of people in store. and now you had to match one of them to this baby.

‘well you eat while i think.’

and the kid watched with a great level of focus as you peeled the wrapper of the cake off and handed him the little treat.

‘what’s your name baby?’

‘megumi’

‘wow that’s a cute name’

he clearly didn’t speak much and resorted to simply staring at you with his cheeks full of cake and even more icing decorating his lips.

you opened your hands to him in a way of saying ‘i’m going to pick you up now’ and when he didn’t seem to object you picked up the tiny boy and placed him on your hip.

‘don’t worry i’ll make sure you get back to your parents.’ again met with radio silence.

‘dada’

‘oh you came with your dada?’

‘dada.’

and only then did you realise the boy was staring out the window at a black haired, clearly frazzled man.

‘megumi? megs buddy please come back now, fucks sake.’ the back door was shoved open and by instinct you clutched the small boy to your chest.

‘megumi oh my fucking- thank god’ and as the man reached for the boy you gently tucked him into your neck. the man immediately frowned and looked you up and down as you did the same. well clearly the boy must be his judging off megumi recognizing him and there was also the fact that they looked exactly the same. except this man was tall and handsome and built like a marble statue. but you still wanted to make sure.

you watched as said man eyed you up and down and for some unknown reason you were incredibly thankful you had worn makeup and washed your hair this morning. your work uniform was bland, a pink half apron and the same baggy jeans and white top you usually wore when you knew you’d be icing cakes instead of serving customers.

‘listen kid, thanks for finding him but i am his dad, look i’ve even got pictures.’

and sure enough he was whipping out his phone and showing you his lockscreen of the boy you were holding in the same shirt with a black puppy in his lap. he then proceeded to open his photos app and show you a few more, some dating a few years back to when megumi was only a newborn.

‘dada’

‘yeah look see i’m his dad’

you believed the man the second you saw his face.

‘right okay i believe you, i don’t even know how he got back here i just turned around and he was grabbing me asking for cake. oh and also im not a kid im 22.’ you felt the need to clarify.

he smiled at that and took his child out of your hands.

‘sorry about that, but i’m glad it was you he bumped into not some creep. i was holding his hand and then i look down and he wasn’t there. the things this boy does when he sees cake’

you laughed and went to pick up your trays again when a large hand grabbed your arm and turned you back.

‘ah wait doll i’ve got to you pay you for the damage this little brats done, and to say thank you.’ he stuffed a few notes into the pocket of your apron.

‘it was just a cupcake it’s no big deal’ you said as you tried to hand them back to him without looking incredibly flustered at the use of a nickname.

‘no i insist, you really saved my ass. you work here often?’

‘yeah i’m usually at the counter but sometimes i just bake and ice the cakes.’

‘well clearly this brat thinks you do a good job’

‘so that means you’ll be back again i’m assuming?’

he smirked at that and your eyes were immediately drawn to the scar decorating his lip. his presence was intimidating, you could feel your cheeks flushing at his intense gaze.

‘yes definitely, i actually own the mechanics down the road so if you ever have any trouble make sure you let me know i’ll do you a nice deal’

‘i’ll keep that in mind uh?’

‘toji’

‘i’ll keep that in mind toji. i’m y/n’

he swapped his son to his other hand and stuck his right hand out for you to shake. you palm felt small in his large veiny one, his skin warm to the touch.

‘pretty name.’ he was checking you out again and you felt so small under his gaze. this was wrong, he was older than you and most likely had a wife or a girlfriend or a long term ex. this was definitely not going to become anything. but that didn’t stop you from giving him a few cupcakes for the road.

[uvobreakmylegs]

Astray

Chrollo x female!reader

Part 2 (coming soon)

Warnings: death, implied torture, graphic depictions of violence, reader isn't necessarily a terrible person but she's not all that great either

Word Count: 7.2k

“Excuse me, miss?”

The voice that called out to you made you stop in your tracks, and though internally you were cursing, you made sure there was a pleasant smile on your face while you turned away from the hamper full of linens you'd been wheeling to the third floor laundry chute, folding your hands politely in front as you addressed the person who had called for you.

A man stood before you, one who was very obviously here as a guest for the banquet your employer was hosting based on the nice suit he wore that was in line with the dress code of this particular black-tie event. The paleness of his skin seemed to be accentuated by the darkness of his short black hair and the equally dark black suit he wore. Though with how clearly expensive his suit was, you were a little surprised at the bandage which covered his forehead. Had he possibly injured himself and wanted to cover it up? His earrings also seemed a bit odd.

It didn't really matter to you, however. Whatever curiosities you may or may not have about him, it was in your best interests to make him leave you alone so you could continue with what you were doing.

“What did you need, sir?” you asked politely.

He smiled at you, appearing to be embarrassed as he scratched at his cheek while saying “I'm afraid I've gotten a bit lost. I'm not quite sure where the main dining hall is. Can you help me?”

“Of course, sir,” you replied, pointing down the hallway he'd come from as you continued “you'll need to walk down to the very end of this hall, make a right, then go down the first set of stairs you come across. You should find yourself outside the dining hall once you reach the bottom.”

“Ah, that simple, is it?” the man said.

How did you even end up over here when the event is clearly being held on the first floor? You thought to yourself.

You kept your outward appearance pleasant as you continued to smile at him.

The man shook his head as he added “now I feel silly. I'm sorry to waste your time over this. You must be busy with all the work that must be done around here.”

“It's no trouble, sir. The mansion's layout can be confusing for those who haven't been here before,” you cheerfully answered.

Now go away. Don't make me escort you there, either.

Sadly for you, the man wanted to talk.

“You know the layout well, then,” he said.

No fucking shit

“They wouldn't keep me employed here if I couldn't memorize that much.”

After hearing your answer, it seemed as though he was studying you. His gray eyes took in every detail about your face, your hair and the way you held yourself. Though the moment wouldn't last long, it was somewhat unsettling.

Maybe he had a thing for maids.

That thought made you cringe internally before another possibility came to mind:

Maybe he recognized the face of the dead girl you were using as your disguise.

You wouldn't have thought anyone would have noticed the likeness, given that the girl in question had died five years prior due to a boating accident in a different country. As the story was kept largely local to the area in which it happened, not many international news outlets bothered to cover it, most not caring much about a single woman dying.

No one working within the mansion questioned you during the time you'd been here, but with guests coming from all different parts of the world, you were aware of the possibility that at least one of them might recognize your disguise and possibly expose you.

Did he know about her?

More importantly, was he going to question you about it and keep you here longer?

“You've been working here for some time, then?” he asked.

Motherfucker

“Yes sir. Nearly six months,” you told him.

Go away

“That's a decent amount of time,” he said.

“I suppose so, sir,” you agreed.

Go away

“May I ask you another question?”

No. Go away

“Of course, sir.”

“Do you know of the diadem the Pelletier's acquired nearly two years back?” he asked.

…. That gave you pause, and though you tried to hide it, he had likely noticed your reaction.

Of all the things he could've asked about, why did it need to be that?

“I do, sir,” you answered.

Suddenly, you were very unsure of where this conversation was going.

“I've heard that it's kept within a vault on this floor,” he told you, “I understand that there is a very thin chance that you would allow for it, but if possible, I was wondering if you might take me to it.”

Are you fucking serious?

“… Sir, even if I do know where the vault is located,” you answered carefully, “my employers would never entrust the vault combination to a lowly maid like myself. There would be no point in taking you there.”

He smiled.

“Just being in the proximity would be enough. And I'd be more than happy to compensate for your troubles.”

“I'm sure you could, sir. But what I'm not sure of is if your compensation would be enough to provide for me when I lose my job after a stunt like that,” you said, “I'm afraid the answer will have to be 'no'.”

Just go away already

“Hm.”

Despite your desperate wishes, he wasn't going away. He was looking you over yet again, and though you didn't see any signs that he recognized your face yet, you didn't like how closely he observed you.

He couldn't tell you were using nen, could he?

“There really isn't anything I can do for you to help me out?” he asked.

You laughed a bit.

“Not unless you're willing to take me in and provide for me so I never need to work again, but I get the feeling you wouldn't want that,” you answered.

After you spoke, you realized how casual your tone had become, which didn't fit at all with the role of the polite maid who worked for the upper class couple that you were currently playing. You then cleared your throat before switching to the tone that was expected of you.

“So I'm afraid that continuing this discussion would be a waste of time for both of us,” you said.

He nodded.

“I agree,” he said.

He smiled after saying that, and suddenly it was like all of the playful charm he'd been using to try and win you over with was gone. The smile seemed incredibly fake, and the coldness you could see in his eyes sent a chill running down your spine.

For an instant, it felt like you were in danger being alone with him.

The feeling went away when you saw him glance back in the direction he had come from, and your gaze followed where his went when you heard a voice that yelled out.

“Minette! What are you – ! Oh.”

The voice that was yelling down the hallway ceased almost immediately, and when you and the man turned to see who had called out your alias, you found yourself looking at the head butler, Nikolos. He looked uncomfortable, most likely because he had been ready to reprimand you but hadn't expected to find you with one of the guests. Evidently he was upset with you, but was not willing to scream at you in front of the man who was speaking to you.

He composed himself, if barely, forcing a smile as he looked at the man.

“Ah, good evening, sir,” Nikolos said to him, “how may we help you?”

Before the man could answer him, you interjected.

“He lost his way,” you said, “he stopped to ask me how get to the dining hall. He was just about to head back.”

Surprisingly, the man played along, affirming your story with a nod of his head when Nikolos looked to him. Although maybe it wasn't too surprising seeing as he'd been trying to bribe you so he could get close to an expensive piece that belonged to the master of the house. Whatever this guy was hoping to gain from tonight, he wouldn't be able to do that if he was kicked out of the event.

“I see,” Nikolos said, adding “my apologies for keeping you, sir.”

“Not at all,” the man answered, a pleasant smile on his face as he continued with “I hope my getting lost hasn't caused issues for anyone.”

“Of course not, sir.”

The man looked back to you one last time as he thanked you for your help.

His smile looked fake again.

But in fairness, the smile you gave back to him was equally fake.

Still, that moment between you had been uncomfortable, as brief as it had been, so you were more than happy when the man finally made his way back where he was supposed to be, and you let out a small breath of relief. Though you caught him looking back at you as he rounded the corner.

Whatever it was that guy really wanted, you got the feeling he wouldn't be giving up so easily.

But that wasn't important right now, as the instant the man was out of sight, Nikolos turned to you, his expression stiff and and his form shaking with badly hidden rage.

“What. The hell. Do you think you're doing?” he hissed.

He was much quieter than when he had first approached you.

“I'm taking the linens to the chute,” you answered.

“Right now? When we have guests and need everyone at their stations? You thinks now is a good time to mess around with the laundry?”

You swore you could see steam beginning to come out of his ears. The other maids weren't lying when they said he was a control freak whenever it came to the lavish feasts the Pelletier's hosted.

“I'm sorry, sir,” you said, your tone apologetic, “I just thought it would be better to get this out of the way and then focus on the banquet.”

“You thought wrong,” Nikolos said, “now hurry up and get to your station.”

“Of course, sir.”

You began to walk down the hall, leaving the cart of linens where you'd left it.

Nikolos stopped you.

“You're just going to leave that?” he asked, pointing to the cart.

“But you told me to get to my station?” you replied, feigning ignorance.

“…. You're either incurably stupid or a smart ass,” he said, “neither option is one that I care for.”

“Get the linens out of the hallway and to the chute,” Nikolos continued, “and then get to your station.”

“Of course, sir,” you replied happily.

Nikolos' eye twitched upon hearing your tone. As you grabbed the cart again and began to push, he called after you.

“Once the dinner is finished, we will be having a very long discussion about your conduct today, Minette.”

“Yes sir!”

Fat chance, asshole

The instant you came upon the room with the laundry chute, you let out an even bigger sigh of relief. You weren't safe yet, but you felt that you were at least halfway done with this operation.

And in your opinion, getting the diadem out of the vault had been the harder part.

Digging through the linens, you found the small messenger bag that you had stashed inside of it only minutes earlier and you couldn't help but laugh a little. That man had tried to get you to take him to the Pelletier's bedroom while telling you that just being in the diadem's proximity would be enough, and yet he'd had no clue that he was standing only a few feet from it the entire time he'd been talking to you.

As much as you wanted to pull it out to look at it, this wasn't the place nor the time to revel in the spoils of your heist. Anyone could still find you in here – most likely Nikolos since you were clearly on his radar. If you weren't where you were supposed to be within the next five minutes he'd be raging.

Best to not be around for that.

Sliding up the door that opened up into the chute, you pulled the messenger bag over your head and secured it to yourself, keeping a hand on the box within that held the diadem.

After that, you took a breath –

And jumped down the chute.

Your fall was broken by the dirty laundry and the multitude of pillows and sheets that you had been padding the bottom with throughout the entire day, slipping away whenever you had the chance to make sure you wouldn't break anything when you jumped down there. That was likely part of what Nikolos had been referring to when he mentioned your conduct, as several of the other members of staff had been annoyed with how often you had left.

Just as you had anticipated, there was no one in the laundry room when you popped out from the bottom of the chute. Everyone else was busy with the banquet. And as such, no one would notice a single maid slipping out through the back.

But just to make sure of that fact, you enacted your zetsu before making your way into the back courtyard.

You felt your heart racing in your chest despite everything going just as you had planned. The only thing that was unexpected was when you came across the smaller back entrance. With everyone's attention being on the mansion and the main gates, this entrance was meant to be locked and bolted. For some reason it wasn't. Odd, but at least it saved you a few seconds that would've been eaten up with you undoing the locks.

You were on higher alert, though, and you kept your movements quiet as you exited through the back and made your way into a wooded area that surrounded the walls of the mansion.

Not too much longer. I'll find it soon and then I can – Ah!

Beneath a tarp, a pile of leaves and some branches was the motorized scooter you had stashed the other week for a quick and easy escape. Though starting up the motor this close to the mansion wouldn't be the wisest idea, so after pulling up the kickstand, you walked the scooter through the trees, looking back every so often to the mansion in case your plans had somehow been discovered and there were people coming out to find you.

There wasn't any such activity, and when you made it to the road, you hopped onto the scooter, started it up and drove off. It was somewhat difficult driving with the skirt of your dress being as long as it was, but you managed. Right now you wanted to have a good distance between you and the mansion before you removed your disguise.

The adrenaline was pumping through you again. Just as it had when you snuck into the Pelletier's master bedroom and input the code to the vault. The chances of you being caught were high and if that were to happen, the half a year you'd spent at that place would've all been wasted. All the time, effort and planning gone up in smoke.

But no one had come in, and you got into the vault without issue, taking the diadem out of its glass case and replacing it with a cheap plastic replica that you'd bought online. Your disappearance would noted tonight, but with any luck, it would take a few days before your former employers would realize the switch. And by that point, you'd be long gone. Your alias would vanish into thin air and there would be nothing to connect you to the theft of the Pelletier's most prized possession.

You drove, getting further and further away from the mansion and closer and closer to the coastal town where a ferry would be leaving soon, one that would take you from Begerosse to Hantane, and from there you'd head east, taking the diadem with you for the sake of the awaiting buyer.

But before you got to that point, you needed to change.

And as a darkened church building came into view, you turned and pulled into the parking lot, heading towards a dumpster that sat in the back. The building itself wasn't useful to you, but what was important was that there would be no one here at this time of night, and you knew for a fact that the cameras that had been mounted on the sides of the church were only for show and weren't actually recording anything.

So no one would witness it when you took off that dead girl's face.

Turning off the bike and setting it on the kickstand, you moved fast, undoing the buttons at the back of your maid dress while you walked to the large dumpster. All other clothing you'd worn during your time at the mansion had been destroyed earlier, so this was all that was left. While a fire wouldn't destroy everything, it would be difficult for any potential investigators to find much that was useful on the remains of the clothes if or when they were discovered.

After fully removing the dress that had hidden your regular clothing beneath it, switching out the black heeled shoes for ones a bit more comfortable and tossing all of it into the largely empty space of the dumpster, there was only one thing left to do.

Death Mask: deactivate

For the third and final time since you had donned her visage, the skin at the edges of your face began to peel off. You grabbed hold of them and pulled so as to speed up the process of removing her face, like you were pulling off a face mask. As the illusion of her features were removed, yours were returned, and within a matter of moments, you were holding a paper thin copy of the boating accident girl's face, the empty holes that made up the eyes and mouth gaping at you while your own face was now restored.

Now you needed to finish the last of your conditions for your hatsu.

Throwing the mask on top of the pile, you pulled out the last two things you'd been hiding in the bag: a box of matches and a small canister of lighter fluid. You soaked the contents of the pile with the lighter fluid before throwing the canister on top as well, and took one of the matches from the box and struck it.

The thin layer of skin that had hidden your face for six months stared up at you as it sat on top of your maid uniform, quietly watching both you and the lit match you held above it.

Ah….. Her name. It was Jennica.

“I'm really sorry you died in that accident, Jennica,” you said aloud, “I hope you're at peace and that you ended up somewhere good. You deserved better than what you got.”

The flames shot up after you threw the match and the rest of the box onto the pile, making you quickly back away as soon as you felt the heat hitting your skin. No time to stay and watch – you got on the scooter again and started it up. Within seconds you were on the road again, keeping an eye on your surroundings and the names of the roads.

By now “Minette” would likely be discovered as being absent, and you could imagine Nikolos trying to keep his composure for the sake of appearances while desperately – and no doubt angrily – trying to find the missing maid.

The thought made you smile; after the six months of dealing with him on a daily basis, that stress of his was well-earned.

As was your reward.

When you were far away enough that you felt comfortable that no one would suspect that you had anything to do with the mansion or the evidence burning at the back of the church, you couldn't help but pull over, leaving the bike running as you parked beneath a flickering streetlight.

You needed to see it.

You'd spent so long on this job, so much time and effort and close calls that were much closer than you would ever admit out loud. So much effort spent on one piece of jewelry. You needed to get a look at it. A proper look, not the quick five second glance you'd gotten before stuffing it into the bag when you were in a hurry to leave the vault.

After pulling it out from the confines of the messenger bag, the diadem sparkled in the lamplight. You could see why this was a piece many would want.

A large, circular sapphire sat at the center, accompanied by a piece of opal on the side that had been shaped so that both gems together resembled the light and the dark of a crescent moon. The rest of the diadem was made of silver, and the material had been bent in places so it resembled the clouds of a night sky, and sprinkled throughout the piece were diamonds that represented far off stars.

It was very pretty, if a bit gaudy. Certainly a product of it's time, when one's status was determined by the amount of diamonds you were able to afford to place on literally everything.

Excessive, but very pretty regardless, and it was little wonder why there were people willing to anything to get their hands on it.

That's enough time looking at it, you told yourself, shoving it back into the bag and quickly driving off again. If you dawdled any longer you ran the risk of missing the ferry.

But this time you couldn't help the smile that reached from ear to ear. You'd done it. You'd actually pulled off the biggest heist of your career. Once this got to the buyer, you'd be set for life. You could spend the rest of your days relaxing on a beach while sipping expensive drinks if you wanted. Or maybe something a bit less extravagant and on the down-low. Maybe you could find a cabin near a lake and spend your time reading under a heated blanket. That also sounded nice. Then again, you didn't necessarily need to be tied down to one place; you could always travel wherever you liked without worrying about cost. Ah, the possibilities were endless.

Get it to the buyer first, you told yourself. Finish the job so you can get your money, and then plan for the vacation that would be the rest of your life.

The smile stayed on your face as you drove, and you knew that this was a turning point in your life.

A major one.

“Boss.”

There was an oddly flat tone to Phinks' voice as he called out, Chrollo noted as he and Pakunoda turned to look in the enhancer's direction.

“Something wrong, Phinks?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

Phinks turned to look at him while he pointed to the diadem with his thumb.

“This is fake.”

Chrollo didn't betray any emotion when he heard that. He walked forward and stood next to Phinks, inspecting the piece from where it sat on a small display stand before he hummed to himself.

“So it is.”

At first glance, the piece behind the glass looked to be the real thing. But when one looked closer, it became clear that it was nothing more than shiny plastic.

“This is just a decoy, then?” Phinks asked him.

“It seems to be,” Chrollo answered.

He looked back to Pakunoda.

“The man of the house is still alive, correct?”

“He should be.”

“Have Feitan interrogate him some more. Find out where the real one is,” he said.

“Got it,” Pakunoda said before she left the vault.

Chrollo looked back to the fake. A cheap decoy. Perhaps a bit odd, but it did make sense; while the other items in the vault were real, the diadem was worth more than everything else combined. That the owners would take extra precaution in hiding their most valuable piece wouldn't be unreasonable.

And yet….

Even with that train of logic, Chrollo couldn't help feeling that there was something about this that felt off. Something about this situation didn't feel right, but what it was exactly, he wasn't sure.

His mind kept going back to the maid he'd encountered earlier.

Something had been off with her as well. Not only had there been an air of strangeness about her, she was eager to get away from him, like she was in a hurry to do something else. And while she had been polite with him, he'd been able to sense the growing irritation in her the longer he kept her.

Though perhaps that could've been explained away as a maid who was busy with her duties that came with a high-stress position in a mansion while being forced to entertain a pushy guest when she had other things to do.

But still, the longer Chrollo thought about her, the more he felt that there had been something going on with her. He simply couldn't place what it was yet, nor could he connect anything between her or the fake diadem in front of him.

She had gotten visibly nervous when he mentioned the diadem earlier, he noted to himself.

Phinks had pulled the glass case off of its stand before grabbing the plastic copy. He began to inspect it, turning it around and stopping when he read something on the back.

“Anouilh Museum,” he mumbled.

“That was where the real one was kept for a time before it made its way to auction,” Chrollo said, “it seems this one was originally from their gift shop.”

“Hm.”

There wasn't much else to say about it, and Phinks put the fake back in place on the stand before he and Chrollo went through the rest of the vault's contents. Under normal circumstances, Feitan would get the information out of his victim quickly and they would have the item they were searching for.

Clearly the circumstances were far from normal as Pakunoda returned a short while later with a hint of worry on her face.

“He doesn't know where it is,” she said.

“He doesn't?” Chrollo repeated.

“No. Even with Feitan working him over, he insisted that it was in this vault,” said Pakunoda, “just to be certain, I looked through his memories to see if he was lying, and he isn't. It's supposed to be in here.”

…. Chrollo's feeling that something was off was starting to become more justified.

When Chrollo stood before Benoit Pelletier not long after, the man was kneeling in the middle of the third floor hallway and wheezing out every breath as he cradled an injured hand. Feitan hadn't needed to do much to make him crack, it seemed. The former grandiose man of the house looked up when Chrollo, Phinks and Pakunoda approached him, and when he saw the fake that Phinks was holding, his brows furrowed in confusion.

“Why…. Why are you asking about where it is if you have it?” Benoit asked. Then despite the circumstances, a small bit of pompous arrogance came back as he asked “are you stupid?”

That annoyed Phinks to the point that he crushed the fake in his hands, much to the man's shock and disbelief as he yelled as to what he was doing.

“It's a fake, dumbass,” Phinks growled at him.

Benoit seemed just as shocked upon realizing that, looking at the plastic pieces that now littered the floor.

“It can't be,” he breathed, “it was real. I… The historians confirmed it….. I didn't buy a fake. It was genuine.”

There was no point in continuing to ask if he knew where the real one was; his reaction was proof enough that the place where the fake had been was supposed to be where the real one was.

“Did your wife know the code to the vault?” Chrollo asked him, “did she move it elsewhere for safekeeping?”

He shook his head.

“I'm the only one that knows….. If she wanted anything she needed to ask me first,” he mumbled, “no one….. No one else could've known.”

“I see,” said Chrollo, “then I have only one more question: what can you tell me about a maid in your employ who goes by the name 'Minette'?”

Benoit seemed bewildered at the question.

“Who is that?” he asked in response.

“You don't know your own employees?” Chrollo asked back.

“We have dozens of maids who work here; how am I supposed to know a single one of them?”

“I see. In that case, your usefulness has run out.”

“Wha-”

He hadn't even gotten out one word before Feitan had pulled out his sword and stabbed it through his head, the blade passing through the top of his mouth and forcing open his jaw as it stabbed through. The blood that dripped down along the blade caused a gurgling noise to emit from his throat as the light left his eyes and his body grew limp. Feitan then placed his foot on the man's shoulder as he pulled the sword out, and the body fell to the floor, blood now beginning to pool around the head as his mouth hung open, gaping like a fish.

“So the diadem was never real, then?” Phinks asked.

“No, it had to be. The fake wasn't good enough to fool someone for long. You were able to confirm it after looking at it for a few moments,” Chrollo pointed out.

“So then….?”

“Someone switched it out.”

“And if it wasn't the owners….” Phinks said, trailing off as he glanced down at the body.

Pakunoda finished the enhancer's sentence as she said “then someone else must have gotten to it before we could.”

“It's beginning to seem that way,” Chrollo confirmed.

The three members of the troupe that were gathered glanced at each other while the face of the maid flashed in Chrollo's mind again.

He'd seen her last in the hallway of one of the upper floors – this floor, pushing a cart of linens toward a laundry chute. He'd been listening in to her conversation with the butler, and had heard him order her to remove the cart before she returned to her station.

Remove the cart and take it to the chute, he had told her.

“There's a laundry chute on this floor, correct?” Chrollo asked.

“Yeah,” Pakunoda replied, “somewhere on the other side of the house.”

“Is the chute important?” Phinks asked him.

“I'm not sure yet,” Chrollo said.

Looking back to Phinks and Feitan, Chrollo gave his orders as he said “Phinks, I want you to go back to the vault and continue packaging the items in there. Feitan, you go downstairs and bring Shizuku back up, and the two of you will help Phinks in the vault. Under no circumstances is she to use Blinky for anything else unless I say so. Tell her that, and remind her if she forgets.”

Phinks and Feitan nodded in understanding, and while the torturer began to make his way downstairs, Phinks lingered as he asked “what about you, boss?”

“Pakunoda and I need to check something out.”

That was enough for Phinks before he made his way back to the vault, leaving Chrollo and Pakunoda to being their walk to the other side of the mansion. Pakunoda was already looking at him expectantly, correctly anticipating that he needed her for a specific reason.

“Paku, I need you to scan my mind,” Chrollo said, “look in my memories for a maid I spoke with who went by the name of Minette.”

He held his hand out, and Pakunoda took it as they walked while she repeated “a maid named Minette?”

Within a moment, Pakunoda hummed as she gained the memories of the maid from Chrollo.

“You think she's the one who switched the diadem out for the fake?” she asked as she let go of his hand.

“Possibly,” said Chrollo.

“That could be an issue if she hid it before she died.”

“If she died.”

“You think she escaped?”

“That's what we're going to see,” Chrollo said, “depending on what we find, we may need to have Shizuku bring back the bodies Blinky cleaned up and go through the remains of the maids one by one.”

“That could take some time. The Pelletier's employed a lot of staff for their day to day needs, and that doesn't include the extra workers they hired just for tonight.” Paku commented.

“I know. It's not ideal, but we'll at least have a few hours before anyone notices something amiss here. If a majority of us look through the bodies we should be able to find her.”

“Unless she left.”

“Unless she left,” Chrollo confirmed.

A few short moments later, Chrollo and Pakunoda were in the same place he'd been not even an hour earlier, where he had spoken to the maid. From there, it was a short walk until they found the room that had the laundry chute.

“The cart is here,” Chrollo noted aloud, looking at the cart the maid had been pushing when he first saw her. It stood in the middle of the room, right in front of the chute.

“She didn't bother to take the sheets out,” Pakunoda commented.

“She took something out,” Chrollo said as he looked over the contents of the cart. The sheets were disturbed, as though they had been rooted through. Had the diadem been inside it the entire time and he hadn't realized? And if that was the case, where did she go after she came to this room?

His eyes went to the most direct answer: the laundry chute at the end of the room.

Chrollo pushed the cart to the side, and once he reached the chute, he pushed up the small door to open it and then pulled his leg over the edge. He then looked to Paku, who hadn't moved.

“Care to join me?” he asked.

“I think I'd rather take the stairs,” she answered.

Chrollo huffed out a small laugh as he playfully asked “what, no sense of adventure, Paku?”

“Oddly enough, I don't see jumping into a pit of dirty laundry to be much of an adventure,” she said, but she smiled as she added “I'll see you below.”

Chrollo smiled back at her, and then lifted his other leg. Shortly after, he was falling down the chute.

His fall was broken by more padding than he had expected. Lifting up a portion of the linens he'd fallen on, he hummed to himself when he found a great deal of pillows and sheets underneath.

So this was where “Minette” had landed.

The path was obvious to him after he'd stepped out of the laundry room; in an adjacent hallway, there was a door that led out to the back of the mansion, and even from where he currently stood, through the window of the door he was able to see a clear path to an exit within the wall that surrounded the structure, one that appeared to have been left unlocked. With all of the focus at the time being on the banquet hall, no one would have noticed the maid slip out that way.

“How likely is it that she got away?” Pakunoda's voice called out to him.

He turned to find her approaching.

“Extremely likely,” he answered.

She stopped when she reached him as she asked “should we still look through the bodies?”

“For now, no,” Chrollo said, “for now the others will continue as planned for the rest of the job.”

Pakunoda cocked her head to the side as she asked “should I assume that the two of us will be looking for the maid beyond the mansion?”

Chrollo nodded, then added with a small smirk “I hope going out into the woods at night is more acceptable than jumping into dirty laundry.”

“It is. Slightly,” Paku countered.

With that, the two exited down the hall and through the back door that lead to the outside. As the two spiders made their way across the large open courtyard enclosed within the walls, Chrollo's thoughts were consumed by one person and one person alone:

Minette.

The maid.

The thief.

Or rather, the fellow thief.

At the very least, a potential one. Even if the evidence he had found at this point seemed to point to that conclusion, Chrollo wanted to see more before he accepted that as fact. If the maid had indeed escaped with the treasure he had set his sights on, there would be evidence of that beyond the mansion.

That evidence was easily found only a few minutes later, when he and Pakunoda came across a discarded piece of tarp left abandoned within the woods. That evidence was accompanied by combination of tire tracks and footprints which had been embedded into the soft dirt of the forest floor. The two naturally followed, only for their journey to be cut relatively short when they reached the road and found no more tracks to find on the dense pavement.

“Depending on when she left, she could be long gone by now,” Pakunoda said aloud.

“She could,” Chrollo agreed.

“Do we intend to follow her?”

“… At this moment, no.”

With everything falling into place and it all but being confirmed that the maid had stolen the diadem, Chrollo turned and began to make his way back through the woods as he said “even if we went by vehicle, it's unlikely that we'll catch up to her. We'll only be wandering around aimlessly since we don't know where she went. At this point, it's better to finish the current job and then figure out the most likely route she took after the fact.”

He noted the way Pakunoda followed him once more as they both headed towards the mansion, but Chrollo's thoughts were consumed once more – on what to do from here, and how this had occurred in the first place.

It was an unprecedented situation – for the Phantom Troupe to have someone swoop in and steal their target before they could.

That fact would inevitably mar the heist, no matter how many others of the high-value items they collected from the mansion. The Diadem of Princess Despoina was the main item he had set his sights on when he chose to have the troupe descend on the Pelletiers, so to have it be snatched away from him by the hands of another thief only left his carefully laid out plan to end in failure.

Yet as Chrollo continued his walk through the woods, he found that he wasn't upset by the idea.

Perhaps that was a bit odd. Others in his position would likely be raging, and while he wasn't prone to bursts of anger like that, being irritated at the situation and the individual who had caused it would have been reasonable. Or even to be irritated with himself, as when he thought back to his brief encounter with the maid, Chrollo quickly realized that everything could have wound up differently had he chosen to act sooner. If he had chosen to kill the maid and the butler that had come barging around the corner, he wouldn't be outside searching for a sign of where she had gone. Instead, he or one of the other members of the troupe would have found the diadem hidden in the linens and that would be that. That the maid was stealing the diadem would be an interesting tidbit which would be easily forgotten in time.

To know now that the outcome he had desired hinged completely on that one action of his should have been annoying, at the very least.

But he didn't even feel that.

Instead, an entirely different emotion was filling within him, and though he attempted to keep his true feelings hidden, Pakunoda was far too perceptive for him to hide it from her.

“You seem rather amused by this, boss,” she said.

Chrollo shrugged lightly as he said “it's not something that's ever happened before.”

“No. But even I thought you would be a little upset over it.”

“I don't see it worth being upset over. If anything, it's an interesting turn of events. That some little sneak was able to get in and out with our intended prize.”

He felt the eyebrow Pakunoda raised in his direction as she said “you sound like you want to praise her, boss.”

“Maybe a little,” Chrollo admitted, “with the members we have in our rank, the fact that she was able to get away without anyone noticing deserves at least some praise.”

“But was that due to skill on her part? Or luck?”

“That's what we'll find out.”

As the lights in the mansion grew brighter as they got closer, Chrollo was thinking of the steps to be taken next; once the current job was done, the obvious action was to have Shalnark look up the fastest routes out of this area. Though Shalnark may not even have to do that much – there was a coastal town nearby, as Chrollo recalled, and he felt certain that if he was in the shoes of that maid, he would have headed there and left as soon as possible. If that was the case, it would be as simple as finding out what ships had left the port during that window of time and getting ahold of any possible security video.

The issue of retrieving the diadem could be taken care of within a few days if that was the case.

But Chrollo had a feeling that it wouldn't be so simple.

There was something about her that still bothered him. But all he could truly point to in that regard was that her voice didn't match her face. It was hardly conclusive proof of anything, and yet that fact felt important. Time would only tell if he was correct or not.

Perhaps that was why he was so unbothered by the theft. Perhaps that theft itself was why he found himself more interested in the person who had committed it. By little “Minette” who was trying so hard to appear soft and sweet while barely being able to hide her true self and the way she wanted to strangle him for holding her up.

Thinking back to that previous encounter, Chrollo couldn't help but chuckle, and he found himself wanting to see her again – to see you again, whoever you were. He sincerely hoped that you had been sloppy when you made your escape and would make hunting you down easier for him, because he wanted to get his hands on you as soon as possible to learn more about you, to learn what exactly your ability was.

And to see exactly how you would react if he was able to take that from you.

The diadem was an afterthought by this point.

[bannock-freak]

#i hope this is ok and doesnt come off rude!!#1st time rlly interacting on tumblr

hey no worries!!! you weren't rude at all and you stated your point really well! if im understanding you right then in your opinion its the egregious nature of the mischaracterization that puts it over the top for you? thats totally fair! i think ive said this but its been a while since i've read or watched saiki k all the way through, so i could absolutely be misremembering there.

uhm. im sorry. i think. i rambled a bit. so. oops. sorry *u* its just. fun for me to talk about ig????

i think part of it for me is how they treat him in response to their ideas of him. like with rifuta, at least iirc, she was extra antagonistic toward him after this until they settled into a more sibling-like dynamic. teruhashi is interesting with this because the sheer number of her fantasies, combined with a very consistent seeming characterization of him, is what put that over the top for me a bit. BUT she also seems to take efforts to learn about him? when they go on a date to keep away from her brother's filming location, she says that she's learned saiki really likes sweets and uses that to cajole him into staying. if she actually believed the saiki of her fantasies was real, would she still feel the need to do that? which is what also helps me to believe that she's willing to let go of those to accept who he really is, but still uses those fantasies as a crutch for to uphold her ego. i think that may be the same for rifuta.

the idea of getting chased by a very handsome but manipulative playboy and being able to reject him, maybe that appeals to her? especially since it's 'saiki' setting her at odds with teruhashi and not rifuta bringing it up herself. once she comes to like teruhashi, i could see why that'd rub her the wrong way, so maybe the mischaracterization comforts her - and is therefore an ego crutch. yumehara has a looooooot of fantasies in one episode but once she gets distracted from him she seems to stop seeing him through that filter for the most part, brief discontent with her boyfriend aside.

BUT. AIURA. the actual point of the conversation alskdfj

okay. i don't think aiura knows him inside and out, first off, i just think she's closer to the bullseye than the other girls who fantasized about him. if that didn't come across properly then i apologize but that is what i meant to convey.

andddd i don't really take what aiura says about saiki after she has a fight with him too seriously tbh, it's clear to see that she is seriously fired up over what she sees as a refusal to help a person who needs it. like, it's something she says in a moment of frustration more than how she genuinely sees him. for me that jives better with her attitude toward him afterwards. aiura seems to have a huge 'i need to help people whenever i can' thing, so it'd make sense to me that if she actually saw saiki as a person who's completely selfish and doesn't care about other people, she either wouldn't spend the time of day on him (like she legit storms off to just get it done herself, i think she'd maintain that attitude) or would hound him to convert him.

instead she not only continues to associate with him, but she actually retains the instinct to go to him for help on things like train derailments and other 'psychicker' type problems. and when saiki asks HER to help HIM help people (ala stoning Nendo and Kaidou or saving the world from a super volcano or, less personally and therefore probably less aligned with his 'i dont care if it doesnt concern me' mantra, saving suzumiya from herself) she doesn't respond to him as though she believes it's OOC. which i think makes sense given saiki was forced to reveal himself to her for the explicit purpose of saving yumehara's life. like that's her introduction to him, it'd be hard for her not to figure out that he does actually care for people even if he says he doesnt cus hes a mega tsundere in denial.

(i like how hes drawn here, the lad looks Very cool)

in other words, it doesn't change her behaviour toward him. and i think that could be said similarly about her fantasies, too. she might press a bit to try and get the response he wants ala 'but that's what you mean right right right' but i don't recall her doing that as often as teruhashi thinks something like 'now he's DEFINITELY gonna say Oh Wow/Offu!'. so it's less consistent. she'll take a swing anytime she thinks she sees an opportunity, but (again in my memory) doesn't chafe nearly as much as teruhashi does (or yumehara tbh... the look on her face when she's comfort-eating those cookies, woof LMAO) when her expectations aren't fulfilled.

instead aiura actually pivots course when she needs to. for example the 'my parents arent home' miscommunication. she swings and misses and whines but she also knows straight up why saiki asked for her help, she needs no clarification. so it makes me wonder how much she's pushing for the reaction she wants (and therefore probably somewhat aware it's not gonna happen) and how much she's actually teasing him completely unseriously (with the full awareness that he's not gonna stop playing hard to get).

and when she asks to kiss him after the supervolcano is dealt with she RESPECTS it when saiki tells her no. instead they hug. it's a really sweet moment~

even when she's being pushy in other words, there's not as much of this VVVV her world isn't legit ending cus of the mere possibility that saiki MIGHT turn her down

which might even be why saiki is able to tell her no, given he's a bit of a soft touch and doesn't want girls to die just because he refuses to reciprocate their romantic interest LMAO this moment is somewhat early on in his and teruhashis relationship but if i remember right i think aiuras are too???? so if thats true it could be a decent comparison but again i could be wrong.

she also doesnt pull the same 'trick' repeatedly in my memory, whereas teruhashi tries a few times to go on a date with saiki to win his 'oh wow' at long last (and does debatably have more success since she's so hard to say no to lmaoooo). i do think that counts for something. not sure how much, but something lmao

i keep bringing up teruhashi because i think, of the girls who fantasize about him, its aiura and then her that seem to display a greater understanding of his character compared to yumehara and rifuta, in addition to her and aiura being the primary 'rivals' for his affections.

im not saying any of this to insinuate teruhashi is acting inappropriately or that she's wrong, it's just a good point of contrast in their behaviour for me

back to the radtacular fortune teller. OFC since she acts that way from the start, she could just be going on the basis of her assumptions and treating him that way since her behaviour doesnt really change. to me it just aligns better with how she treats him outside those moments, it would make less sense to me otherwise ykno? she might not be a hundred percent on the mark when it comes to her understanding of who saiki is as a person, but she's also not a telepath so she wasn't going to be anyways. well, not unless end of eva happens and they get tanged but that's a different show so LOL

also a really great point of contrast to see where the changes are and who's static. rifuta and yumeharas attitudes change toward saiki, teruhashi's attitude changes toward herself, and aiura is by and large static... just rly fun to think about!

BUT YEAH....i dont know if aaaaaany of that makes sense? i hope it does. but that was my logic behind that part of the post anyways LOL anyways apologies again for the unnecessarily long response alksdfj

the disparity in how the girls view saiki entertains me also btw

rifuta imagines saiki as a debonair and oh so dangerous playboy with his shirt unbuttoned, shimmering eyes, and glamorous hair. she's actually completely replaced a memory with this scenario too instead of making something up wholesale.

yumehara imagines saiki as soft and rounded with big guileless eyes - completely nonthreatening in other words, which she somehow combines with the edward cullen creep factor because in her imagination he likes to sniff her hanky....?????

teruhashi imagines him as mostly himself, just with a complete personality switch. unless it's during art class in which case you either get plainer-than-satou or bishoujo-romance-kun. so apart from those instances, you could say that she understands certain pieces of his character, but overrides the others completely to her own preferences. IE 'Kunio' vs 'Kusuo'.

aiura doesnt have nearly as many imagine spots iirc, probably since, of the girls, she knows saiki the best? and iirc she seems to know it's more fantasy than reality. she accepts that this version of him lives in her head. but she's probably the closest of all of them there, too, albeit she's ramped a certain part of his personality WAY up. saiki is prone to giving mischievous and charming grins like below but he wouldn't say that in a thousand years.

(i also think it's very funny that yumehara and kaidou's interpretations of saiki are very freaking similar)

of the girls, rifutas and aiuras fantasies are the most similar and yumehara and teruhashi's are the most similar. i think they all have things in common with saiki - if you mash them all together, you might get a character that's somewhat similar - but ofc they're certainly not him.

it's also interesting which pieces of him they play up and play down, and who of them most commonly use him as a prop to uphold their egos. rifuta makes up a completely different character, yumehara idealizes him to an enormous extent, teruhashi doesn't mind his appearance but doesn't prefer his natural personality (though i think she warms up to that aspect of him as they get to know each other) and aiura, well... manga readers know whats up there. but again, she likes his face and she really likes it when he shows his domineering side - but that's only one aspect of his personality.

it's too bad that of the boys the only one who has imagine spots of him is kaidou, at least to my recollection. would've been fun to compare and contrast those too. for example what do 'shadow leader' and 'partner' and 'master' look like?

anyways idk. just thinking lol

PS some Official Saikis that alignish with the above headcanons

aiura - rifuta

teruhashi - yumehara

[supernovafics]

𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐌𝐀

pairing: rockstar!eddie munson x actress!reader

word count: 5.9k words

summary: in which, after knowing of him for a while, you finally meet eddie munson at a movie premiere

warnings: explicit language, some fluff, smut (18+), fingering (f!receiving)

author’s note: yes this is very much inspired by the harry styles song. i had this idea like a year ago and then i left it unfinished for months upon months but it’s finally finally done now so enjoy<333

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

“Aside from Steve, is there anyone else I’m going to know at this premiere?”  

Maybe you should’ve asked Melissa that question before you were on your way to the theater in West Hollywood where the movie premiere was taking place. That would’ve given you more time to mentally prepare if your publicist’s answer was no; which would mean that you’d have to have a fake smile plastered on your face during most of the night. 

You slightly shifted in the backseat of the car you sat in with Melissa on your left. You were trying not to move too much or even get comfortable in your seat during the drive for fear of somehow messing up the simple black dress you were wearing. Tonight didn’t even really matter for you, you knew that. You were only going to this premiere to support a friend, and the red carpet walk you’d have to do would be a quick and very unimportant one, but you still felt the need to make sure that you were perfect.

Melissa started listing names you quickly recognized, people you’d worked with before or had a handful of passing conversations with. “Oh, and Eddie Munson is gonna be there as well.” 

“Oh,” You said, looking down at your dress and smoothing out a non-existent wrinkle. You cleared your throat and attempted to act as nonchalant about it as possible. “Oh, cool. Why is he going to a movie premiere?” 

“His band worked on the soundtrack for the movie.”

You nodded at that. “Oh, okay.” 

“You two should try to get a picture together. That would be really great,” She said, taking a quick glance at you before going back to look at her phone. “After the interview thing, people would love seeing this.” 

You more so saw that whole situation as “the interview incident” instead of simply “the interview thing.” It was only a few months ago when you had to do some promotional interviews for a movie you filmed earlier in the year, and you had been randomly asked about your favorite music. You talked about Corroded Coffin’s latest album and you specifically mentioned Eddie’s great songwriting and voice. You went on something close to a ramble about him and his band and then regretted it immediately when you were done because you knew that you probably sounded something equivalent to an obsessed fangirl. And, of course, none of it got cut out of the video. 

And then, about a month later, Melissa sent you an article about an interview Eddie did where he mentioned one of your movies and also said that you were one of his favorite actresses. You felt entirely indifferent about the article because it just seemed way too coincidental to you. You knew that his publicist and Melissa were a part of the same firm, so it made sense that they would wanna do something to potentially “stir” something up. 

You let out a sigh. “I know that you told his publicist to have him mention me in his next interview.” 

Melissa only shrugged in response. “He and his band have gotten so big in the last year, and you’re getting really big right now too. This could be a great moment.” She took another look at you and smiled. “Just saying.”

You knew that in the grand scheme of things, she only wanted what was best for you, and you appreciated that; it was why she’d been your publicist since you had started your career in your teens. But, that didn’t mean that you liked these kinds of curated moments, pretending and staging friendships or even relationships— it all just felt so dumb to you, and it was your least favorite part of your job. But, you still always found yourself listening. 

“I’ll try,” You ultimately told her. “No promises, though.”

When you made it to the theater, it was a sea of people and cameras, loud voices and bright flashes; none of which necessarily fazed you anymore. In the beginning, you had loved this kind of thing because it all just felt so magical and surreal. You’d get excited and nervous jitters at the “glamour” of it all. Now going to any event only felt like putting on a show; it somehow felt like more of a performance than actually doing a scene in front of a whole production crew of people. 

You followed Melissa and listened to her tell you what the plan of action would be for the next half an hour until the actual premiere started— you’d take some quick pictures, and then she’d introduce you to “a few very important people that you should build some sort of a rapport with;” the director of the movie and a few of the executive producers. You nodded along to her words, understanding that you’d need to turn on your charm during those brief introductions, while your eyes were focused on the red carpet just like almost everyone else’s was— looking at Steve and the female lead of the movie, walking the carpet separately and then also taking a few pictures together.  

You smiled a bit at seeing Steve because, more often than not, it was nice to see him. The first big movie you did was with him; a romantic comedy that you now saw as way too cheesy, but you still had the fondest memories of it. The two of you didn’t talk or see each other as often as you did back then during filming and during all of the press that was done for the movie, but you’d still always consider him a good friend. One of your first real friends in the industry, even though everyone had always tried to say that it was more.  

You then noticed Eddie and his bandmates. He looked nice— a simple black suit with a white button-up underneath, a bowtie that you couldn’t help but think was insanely cute, and his long curly hair mildly tamed in a way that looked effortless. 

Almost too abruptly his eyes met yours. Instead of immediately looking away and avoiding his gaze, you gave him a small smile and nod, and he did the same; that was the extent of the nonverbal interaction. Seconds later, you were being ushered along by Melissa and you pulled your eyes away from Eddie and focused on what she was telling you. 

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

In your mind, an entire hour was more than enough time spent at the after-party. 

You’d been in enough conversations with unfamiliar faces, introducing yourself and attempting to make new “connections” with people, as per Melissa’s request. And you also talked to a few old friends, accepting invitations to get lunch sometime soon and “catch up about life.”

You were ready to finally head home for the night, and you tried to spot Melissa among the small crowd of people to tell her just that. Maybe you’d even say a quick goodbye to Steve and congratulate him one more time on the movie; which you had actually really enjoyed. 

A tap on your shoulder grabbed your attention and you turned your head. You weren’t entirely sure who you were expecting to see, but it definitely wasn’t Eddie Munson. 

“Hey, I’m Eddie,” He said and extended his hand toward you, which you took after only a millisecond of awkward hesitation. 

“Hi,” You responded softly, suddenly feeling so nervous for some reason, and then said your name as well. 

You had come to the conclusion early on in your career that you shouldn’t meet people that you admired or were fond of because nine times out of ten they actually turned out to be assholes. You only knew about Eddie from afar and you honestly wouldn’t have minded keeping it that way. But, that wasn’t the current set of circumstances you were in, so you had to completely throw that mindset away.  

“I didn’t know your band worked on the soundtrack until tonight. The songs you guys had in the movie were great,” You told him, voice coming back to life. “I really love all of your music, honestly.”

“Thanks,” He smiled at you. “I love your stuff too.”

You gave him a small shy smile as you shook your head. “It’s okay, you don’t have to do that.”

“No, I’m serious,” He told you, and he actually sounded like he was being honest. “That Indie film you did last year was really great.”

It was hard to hide the immediate shock you felt at his words. “Oh, okay, wow, thank you…” You shook your head again. “Sorry, I was just so sure that your publicist told you to say that in your next interview or something after the interview I did came out.”  

“Oh, yeah, she did, but it didn’t feel right saying that without seeing anything of yours, so I watched a bunch of your stuff.”

Hearing him say that warmed your heart a bit and you had to pull your eyes away from his in response at first— he saw your movies and actually liked them. And then you thought about something. 

“Oh god, I hope you didn’t go too far back in my filmography.”

He smirked at your sudden shyness. “Don’t worry, I didn’t watch that Disney Channel Halloween movie you did when you were, like, seventeen.”

“Good,” You told him, laughing a bit. 

Before either of you could say anything else, a photographer was walking up and grabbing your attention. 

“Hi, can I get a quick picture of you two?”

You both nodded and stepped closer to one another; Eddie placed an arm around your waist and you did the same to him. You told yourself that everything about this moment was completely and utterly innocent and friendly, even though having him this close to you felt too nice. 

When the photographer walked away after saying a quick “Thanks,” you pulled away from each other and you pretended that you didn’t immediately miss his warmth. 

“Can’t wait to see that circulating everywhere tomorrow,” You said. 

Eddie laughed a bit. “Our publicists would be very proud.” 

“This just might be able to get me out of going to this annoying event tomorrow,” You responded and then noticed his eyes becoming fixated on something behind you. You tilted your head at him. “What’s wrong?”

His gaze met yours again. “Do you wanna meet the other guys? They keep gesturing to me.”

You glanced behind you and noticed his two bandmates standing maybe fifteen feet away from you both. They were waving wildly at Eddie and then immediately stopped and attempted to look as normal as possible when you looked at them. You laughed as you turned back to Eddie. “Yeah, sure, I’d love to meet them.”

He waved them over and then looked at you. “I should probably warn you that they still get starstruck over almost any celebrity they see, so yeah… They might be a little intense, at first.”

“That’s how I was in the beginning too. Until I realized that most people you meet suck anyway,” You said with a shrug, and then realized your words and immediately felt like an idiot. “Oh, um, not you, though, you’re cool.”

He let out a quiet laugh at how flustered you became. “You’re cool too.”  

Instead of responding with an awkward “Thank you,” you turned your attention to the pair now walking over to you both. 

“This is Gareth and Jeff,” Eddie said, pointing out each of them, but you already knew who was who. That was probably the funniest part about meeting other “celebrities;” introductions felt unnecessary but they still always just seemed like the normal thing to do. 

You smiled. “Hi, I’m–”

“Oh, we definitely know who you are,” Jeff interrupted, which made you laugh a little. “That movie you did last year was so good. We watched it a bunch of times when we were on tour a couple of months ago. It’s awesome to meet you.”

“Thanks so much,” You said. “It’s great to meet you guys too. I love your guys’ band.” 

“My personal favorite of yours is that romcom you did with Steve Harrington. I forced them to watch it at least three times,” Gareth jumped in. “Oh, we also just met him too. He invited us to his house for the after-party he’s having. You’re coming, right, Eds?”

He nodded at the question. “Yeah, sure.” You then felt his eyes land on you. “Are you going?”  

If it had been anyone else asking you that, it would’ve probably felt easier to say your initially honest answer of “No.” 

Steve found any and every reason to have a party, but you had to admit, at least tonight’s made sense. When you talked to him earlier in the night, he mentioned it to you, like he always did— invitations were always extended to you when he saw you or knew you were in town— but you hadn’t actually been to one of his parties in what felt like forever. It just had never truly been your thing. 

Now that you knew Eddie was going, though, you actually wanted to say yes to the invitation for the first time in a long time. And right then you decided not to think about what exactly that meant. 

Ultimately, you nodded. “Yeah, I was planning on going to it. At least, for a little bit.” 

It almost felt funny how much things had shifted in the past ten minutes. You had been so ready to leave and head home for the night, and in a way you still were, but now you also wanted to do something different— something you hadn’t done in a while.  

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

“You actually came for once,” Steve said in your ear when he pulled you in for a hug; it was the only way to be heard over the loud music. He squeezed you tight and you could practically hear the smile in his voice. “See, and this is why I always invite you to everything, because I knew you’d eventually say yes again.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s how probability works,” You told him with a laugh before pulling away and moving to the side a bit so that he could greet Gareth, Jeff, and Eddie. 

Everything moved quickly after it was decided that you’d be going to the party too. You finally found Melissa because she had your phone and small purse that couldn’t hold anything more than just your wallet. She didn’t question you on the fact that you were going with Eddie and his band, but you could tell that she knew that you were going because of him; she had known you long enough to read you pretty well. You had a feeling that you’d get a phone call from her in the morning, asking all of the questions that she couldn’t right then. 

The four of you left the party together and made the near-hour-long Uber ride to Steve’s huge home in Malibu. In your eyes, it was a classic celebrity house party— loud music, varying degrees of famous people, and the faint smell of weed. You were almost too easily reminded of the last time you’d gone to one of his parties; the abrupt offer of something much stronger than weed from a random guy and your immediate no, and you left after saying quick “Hi’s” and having brief conversations with a few people you knew. 

This was not at all your scene and it never entirely had been; not even when you had been a teenager that was abruptly thrust into this world. You were scared of doing something to ruin everything that you’d worked so hard to have. Everything you did was judged, no matter what, so you always felt that there was no room for you to not be perfect.

This moment was different, though. You were pushing yourself out of your typical comfort zone, and right then you didn’t want to even inwardly admit why you were doing it.

“So, what are you like at this kind of thing?” You asked Eddie as you both watched Gareth and Jeff immediately join the hordes of people in the living room. 

“Depends on the party,” He answered. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to ‘Hollywood parties,’ but the guys love dragging me to them.”

“All of these parties are basically the same; equal parts mundane and very ridiculous,” You shrugged, and then realizing he was like you when it came to parties made you think of something. “Is it okay if I show you something that’s away from all of this?”

Eddie nodded. “I’d love that, actually.”

Without thinking too much, you grabbed one of his hands and led him away from the living room. 

You knew Steve’s house pretty much like the back of your hand; it was too nice not to. One of the first few times you’d been there— at a different party of his that you had forced yourself to go to before you realized that he wouldn’t feel offended if you said no— you walked around for an hour simply exploring all of the spots you hadn’t been to before. 

There were a few guest rooms that had balconies with such nice views of the ocean in the distance and a game room that had a pool table in the center and some vintage arcade-type games tucked into the corner. 

And then there was your favorite spot in the house; the theater room, where a few sets of couches faced a huge projector screen that at most times was playing random cartoons instead of movies. 

When you found the remote hidden within a heap of blankets, you turned on the projector, which brought some light to the room. A random episode of Tom & Jerry started playing, and you decided to leave it going, but just turned down the volume a bit. You offered one of the blankets to Eddie, which he accepted, and then you grabbed another and wrapped it around your shoulders. You two made the silent decision to sit on the couch all the way in the back. 

It was quiet for a moment and then Eddie was saying, “So, you and Steve dated, right?”

That question didn’t necessarily surprise you, but it still made you a little annoyed; more so at yourself than at Eddie. 

This wouldn’t even be a question on anyone’s mind if you had done things a little differently five years ago when you and Steve did that infamous romcom. Pretty much everyone thought that you and him were dating during that time and rumors circulated because of that. And since they were never outwardly denied— a decision that Melissa and Steve’s publicist thought was the best— they continued to circulate until a year later when Steve actually did get a girlfriend. 

You shook your head at his question. “No, we’ve always just been good friends.”

Eddie nodded understandingly and a silence lingered between you two for a moment, and then you felt the need to explain further. 

“He was kinda my first friend in this ‘world,’ actually,” You continued. “Before the movie I did with him, I had just been in a bunch of small things that didn’t really matter. But, after that romcom came out, that was what kinda really pushed me into all of this. There were so many more eyes on me so suddenly, and it was really fucking weird at first. He grew up in all of this, so he knows ‘how it works,’ I guess, and aside from Melissa, he was the only person that checked in about how all of this fame shit was treating me.”

“That’s really nice,” Eddie said softly. “I couldn’t imagine going into all of this alone. I don’t think I’d be able to do any of this shit without Gareth and Jeff. Don’t tell them I said that, though.”

You laughed a little. “Your secret’s safe with me. You guys grew up together, right?”

“Yeah, this small town in Indiana,” He answered. “We met in middle school.”

“That’s really nice too. I wish I still had friends from that long ago,” You told him. At this point, it was even hard to remember the friends you had in middle school and high school before you moved to California in the middle of your Sophomore year with your parents. It honestly felt like an entirely different life you had lived. 

“When did you move here?”

“When I was sixteen. It was kinda my birthday present actually. I had been begging and pleading to do this since I was thirteen, but my parents weren’t fully on board until I got a little older,” You answered, shifting slightly and adjusting your blanket. “It was kinda like how a kid begs for a puppy for Christmas.”

“Your puppy was Hollywood,” Eddie concluded, giving you a small smile. 

“Exactly,” You nodded and then stopped abruptly. “That probably sounds stupid.”

He shook his head. “No, it doesn’t. You knew what you wanted. I think that’s pretty fucking cool.”

“A lot of people thought it was the opposite of cool,” You said, thinking about the things that the kids in your grade and old friends had said to you. “I was always so quiet and kinda shy, still am sometimes, so nobody understood why I wanted to get into acting.”

“Why did you?”

There was a long-winded explanation you could’ve given him, but it felt like too much for this moment. 

“I could just see it,” You ultimately answered with a brief upturn of your shoulders. “Weirdly enough, the thought of acting never once scared me. It always just made sense.”

You wondered if you were being too vague, if you should’ve just told him about those times in the mirror where you would recite monologues from your favorite movies and then eventually ventured out to random ones that you found online. 

You didn’t need to explain further, though, because Eddie nodded. “I get that. There was this moment when me and the guys performed at our eighth-grade talent show. It was terrible, I’m honestly glad there’s no video proof of it circling the internet right now. But still, after that night, I just knew that that was where I always wanted to be. Onstage. Performing. I felt it.” 

“Exactly,” You said as you nodded at his words. “It’s a feeling. And I have no idea how to fully explain it because it feels so hard to put it all into actual words, but yeah, it’s a feeling.” 

It felt so refreshing having this conversation with him. You couldn’t remember the last time you had talked so easily with someone you just met— you’d had conversations like this with Steve before, even though he couldn’t fully get it because he was quite literally born into this industry, and you’d even had this kind of conversation with Melissa, but she could never fully understand what you meant either. 

Eddie was different, though, obviously so, and it didn’t even matter that you two were in different parts of this fast-paced industry— music on one side and acting on the other. It felt like two sides of the same coin; different, but somehow you two could so easily relate to one another. Any and all initial awkwardness you had felt when you first talked to him back at the after-party had so effortlessly faded away as you learned just how similar you two were. 

“Okay, I have a stupid question,” Eddie said after a moment. 

You had no idea what he was about to ask, but you couldn’t help but smile anyway. “I love those.”

“Feel free not to answer and tell me how much of an idiot I am for asking this,” He started and even in the semi-darkness you could see the redness starting to tint his cheeks, which only further intrigued you about what he was going to say. “Are, um, doing sex scenes weird?”

You couldn’t help but laugh at first; a soft one that surprised you as much as it made Eddie’s cheek turn an even deeper shade of red. 

“Nevermind, nevermind.”

“No, no, it’s okay. Honestly, that’s not a stupid question,” You told him and then thought about how to answer it. “They definitely intimidated me at first. The first time I had to just kiss someone I thought I would immediately fall in love with them on the spot.” You remembered the first on-camera kiss you ever had to do. It was for a stupidly bad teen movie and kissing the guy felt awkward until it didn’t, and then it simply felt like what it was— acting. “But, it’s really not like that at all. Everything just feels so fake and staged and you do so many takes of that one thing from a bunch of different angles, usually, that it all really seems like nothing after a while. And it’s pretty much the same way with sex scenes.”

Eddie nodded. “Okay. That makes sense.”

“Sorry, am I ruining movies for you?” You asked, mainly joking with your words. Once you had learned the logistics behind everything, it did slightly make things feel less “magical” to you. It was hard to watch movies now and not think about how certain shots were set up and what specific angles meant.  

“No, I’m loving this peek behind the curtain,” Eddie said, playfully smiling at you, and that made you want to tell him more. 

“Okay, so it’s all just so mechanical. Like, choreography pretty much.” You shifted so that you were a lot closer to him. You let your blanket fall off your shoulders as you reached out to grab Eddie’s hand and place it on your waist. “So, they’d tell you to put your hand there and I’d put my hand on your cheek.” You moved to do exactly that. “But not too high because then the camera wouldn’t be able to catch your expression. And then I’d lean in, tilting my head in a slightly awkward position, and we’d kiss.” You didn’t move to do that, even though you were surprised by how much you found yourself suddenly wanting to. “It, um, feels so unnatural, but it looks great on camera. And then with a sex scene, it’s kind of the same thing, except more… movement, obviously. And more directions to make sure everything looks okay on camera too.” 

Eddie nodded understandingly again as his hand on your waist mindlessly moved down and settled in a much more comfortable position on your hip. In turn, your hand dropped from his cheek to the curve where his neck met his shoulder, pressing softly into the collar of his white shirt. You didn’t realize it at first, but you were practically in his lap now, and surprisingly enough, it didn’t feel weird or awkward; it felt okay, comfortable even. 

With your explanation over, it would’ve made sense for you and Eddie to pull away from each other, but something had silently shifted in the past minute. For some reason, it didn’t feel right to go back to sitting on your different parts of the couch, wrapped up in separate blankets, after being this close to one another. 

The warmth radiating from the hand on your hip and the rest of his body felt a thousand times more comforting than the blanket had. You pushed yourself closer to Eddie, settling in his lap completely, straddling his waist, and smiling at the soft sound he let out as you did so. Both of his hands took hold of your hips and gave a light squeeze that made a warm feeling settle in the pit of your stomach. 

A part of you could recognize that this entire moment, this entire night, didn’t make sense. But then, at the same time, it definitely did— all of this simply felt inevitable. Something equivalent to this moment had been building from the moment you mentioned him and his band in that stupid interview all those months ago and when he then returned the compliment weeks later in his own interview.  

So what was there really to do aside from lean into the inevitable? 

And you also didn’t want to think too much at all. 

What you wanted to do was kiss him. Honestly, you found yourself wanting to be as close as you possibly could be to him in this huge but quiet room. 

Instead, though, for the time being, you softly said, “I have a stupid question too.”

Your hands resting on his shoulders moved to the nape of his neck. The thought of his music was suddenly on your mind too and it was the one thought that you didn’t want to push away. 

Eddie smiled a little. “Yeah?”

You nodded. “That one song you have.” You didn’t even have to say the name for him to know which one you were talking about. “Is it really about…”

You trailed off with your question and Eddie finished it for you. “Cumming?”

You gave him another quick nod. “Yeah.”

If he could ask you about sex scenes, then you could ask about something somewhat equivalent. 

The speculations about what the song was about were there the second it came out, but like most musicians, Eddie never outwardly confirmed nor denied song theories to pretty much any of his songs. 

“Oh, I don’t know,” He said, another teasing smile tugging at his lips. “Anyone can see it how they want to. Everything’s up for interpretation.”

You playfully rolled your eyes at him. “Thank you for that interview answer.”

Your gaze settled back on him and you got the sudden urge to run your fingers through his hair, his mop of curls that still looked so effortlessly perfect, so you did. His sigh in contentment was immediate as your fingers twisted in his curls, not at all tugging or pulling, although you were fairly certain he wouldn’t have minded that either. 

“Can I please get a real answer now?” You asked softly and Eddie didn’t hesitate to nod. 

“Yes, it’s about that. But, more specifically it’s about the girl. Making her come,” He told you as a hand pulled away from your hip and instead slipped beneath your dress, traveling upward along the outer part of your thigh. 

“Oh, really?” You said, trying your hardest to feign innocence and nonchalance, even though his words made you want to explode and you could feel something stir deep inside your stomach. You slowly shifted in his lap, spreading your legs a little further and silently telling him where you really wanted his hand to be.  

Eddie picked up on your not-so-subtle hint and his hand finished its journey up your thigh and settled at the waistband of your underwear. “Mhm.”

Silently, he slipped past the thin barrier and you sucked in a quick breath when his middle finger started teasing your already slick folds. 

“Shit, you’re soaked,” He whispered, and all you could do was hum in response. 

One of his fingers slipped inside of you and your eyes squeezed shut and then you couldn’t hold back your loud moan when he immediately added another.

“Eddie…” Was all you could manage to say in the quietest voice as your eyes slipped shut and you focused on the feeling of his fingers inside of you, somehow quickly finding and hitting the most perfect spots. 

“God, you feel so good. You’re squeezing my fingers so tight,” He said, voice low as his thumb found your clit. 

Your head tipped back as another soft moan fell from your lips and Eddie’s mouth immediately went to your now-exposed neck. He nipped and pecked at the soft skin, leaving marks that you were certain would be there later and would be a bitch to cover up, but in that moment you couldn’t find it in you to care in the slightest. 

You couldn’t even find it in you to feel embarrassed about how quickly and easily he was able to bring you so close to coming on his fingers. Your heart hammered in your chest and your stomach twisted up in knots as he pushed you closer and closer to the edge. 

Slowly, you grinded down against him so that you could meet every thrust of his fingers. You started practically riding his hand and the low sound Eddie let out as he watched you made a small smile tug at your lips. 

“Fuck,” He groaned, his other hand squeezing your hip and slightly guiding you. “You’re so perfect.” 

You let out the softest sound. “I'm so close.”

“Yeah, you’re doing so well for me, sweetheart. Come on. Come for me,” Eddie whispered, pulling away from your neck because he wanted to watch you come undone on his fingers. 

And you did. With his thumb expertly circling your clit along with one particularly rough thrust of his fingers, hitting a spot that made you see stars, you were pushed over the edge. Your eyes screwed shut and you had to bite your lip to stop yourself from screaming. 

Eddie continued fingering you through your orgasm, waiting until your soft moans faded out and your quick breathing became a little more steady before slowly pulling his fingers out. It was hard not to whimper at the loss of contact as your eyes opened again and you looked at him. 

“Yeah, that’s exactly what the song’s about,” He said with a teasing smile on his face as he licked his fingers clean, which was quite literally the hottest thing you’d ever seen.

And it was then that you realized that you hadn’t even kissed him yet, and you further realized that you needed to change that immediately. 

You leaned in and met his lips in the messiest kiss. Tongues clashed and when you tasted yourself on his mouth, you couldn’t bite back your moan. 

Eddie’s hands went to your hips and then circled your back to pull you impossibly closer to him. You wished there were no layers separating the two of you; not your dress and not his suit, nothing. 

“I need you,” You said the three words in between quick kisses. 

“Here?” Eddie whispered against your lips, which made you remember exactly where you two were and pulled you out of the lust-driven haze you were in. 

You parted from Eddie, leaning back a bit and meeting his eyes. “I’m friends with Steve, but I don’t know if our friendship is on that kind of level, so no definitely not here.”

He laughed a little at the playfulness in your tone. “We can go to my place. I’m only like thirty minutes from here.”

“That sounds perfect,” You smiled at him and then kissed him one more time before shifting off of his lap and then standing up to readjust your dress on slightly wobbly legs.

The party was still in full swing when you and Eddie emerged from the theater room and headed back into the living room, so no one took notice of you and him slipping out the front door.  

Eddie’s hand found yours as you two waited for the car to come and he didn’t drop it once you two were settled in the backseat, sitting as close as you possibly could be.  

The smallest part of you wondered when some sort of logical thinking was going to settle in. You never did things like this; it was rare that you simply even kissed someone that you just met, let alone did anything more. However, you realized that you couldn’t remember the last time you felt this comfortable and okay with someone new either, and that made you understand that this was the logical thing to do. Everything about this moment simply felt right. 

“What are you thinking about?” Eddie whispered to you, mouth right at your ear. 

“You,” You answered, voice matching his soft tone, and the smile he gave you in response was probably the sweetest thing you’d ever seen. 

[hairmetal666]

Eddie owns a record store, gets to talk about music everyday. Life is good. Great, actually.

He's consolidating the Christian rock section on a quiet Wednesday morning when it happens. A man with swoopy dark hair, tight dark blue jeans, and a plum Member's Only jacket walks in, and doesn't take his Ray Bans off even once he's solidly inside.

Eddie is awestruck. This dude is gorgeous. Heart stopping. He watches him browse in quiet astonishment, unable to say anything until he blurts, "Can I help you find something?"

The man smiles--Eddie's heart stops--and he says, "Nah, just browsing. Your sign caught my eye."

And he's still not quite with the program, the rich honey of the man's voice taking him totally by surprise. "Ah, oh, it did?" He manages after a few long beats. "Painted it myself."

"No shit? It's great."

"Thanks, man. I also think it's some of my finest work."

The guy laughs. "How can I know unless I see some of your other pieces?"

Eddie's face heats, but he's never been known for having good impulse control. "Maybe you'll get lucky."

Spots of pink bloom on the man's cheeks and the tips of his ears. "And here I was, thinking I was getting special treatment."

Eddie cocks his head, smiles big. "Well, the day's still young." It's so risky and stupid; no way this guy is queer, but he grins at Eddie, laughs a little too.

"That right? Well, tell me your latest recommendations."

"For you?" Eddie eyes him up and down. "Wham!"

The guy's laugh is warm and rich and Eddie wants to drown in it. "Big of you to say for a someone who's only listened to Enter Sandman for the last four months."

Eddie cackles, points a be-ringed finger. "It's a good song! A great record."

"Hey, I've got no problem with Metallica. I just don't think you should be casting aspersions on Wham!."

"Casting aspersions, do you have a word of the day calendar or some shit?"

"No! It's toilet paper."

Their snickers grow until they're both hysterical, needing to lean against a display to stay upright.

It's like he's living in a dream, hitting it off with a beautiful man who just happened to stumble into his store. They catch their breath and Eddie uses the time to grab a record off a nearby shelf.

"Here," he says. "Try this."

"Joni Mitchell?"

"Don't tell me, Wham! fan, that you're too cool for Joni."

"Nah, she's my best friend's favorite. How much do I owe you?"

"On the house," Eddie shrugs.

"Shit, that's generous. Thanks, man. Now, about your art--" He glances at the shiny watch on his wrist. "Fuck, is it really 3:15? Goddamnit, I gotta get going."

And Eddie wants to call him back, doesn't want this dream encounter to end, but he's dashing to the door--

And just like that, the man is gone, the only evidence it ever happened the lingering chime of the bell over the door.

The bell clatters again, and his head wrenches up hard enough it hurts his neck.

"Was that Steve Harrington?" the customer shrieks.

"No," he scoffs. Except. Except. The hair and the clothes and sunglasses and the face and his lips--

"No!?" He feels the way his eyes have gone wide with panic. He didn't just flirt with Steve Harrington. Of course not. Not ever. He would've recognized--

He runs to the racks of magazines in front of the register, grabbing the latest issue of People. The cover features a glossy, polished photo of the man who just left the store. The one who had the highest grossing movie of the summer alongside his co-star, Julia Roberts. The one who, according to the article within, is in Chicago right now shooting a new movie. The one who Eddie flirted with. The one who flirted back.

He groans and covers his face with his hands. At least he'll never see Steve Harrington again.

---

Harrington comes back.

The second time, he's wearing a jewel blue polo and fitted slacks, Ray Bans nowhere to be seen.

"Got anymore recommendations?" Steve asks.

"What?" Eddie's still trying to accept that Harrington came back.

"I finished Joni. It was good. Recommend something else for me."

Fully with the program, he reaches to the rack behind him, handing the vinyl to Steve without ever taking his eyes off him.

"Seriously?" Steve deadpans.

"Tell me you don't deserve it after last time."

Steve studies the cover of Metallica, a complicated look on his face. "Fine, but you have to listen to the album George Michael released last year."

He mimics getting shot in the heart. "After my magnanimous first suggestion, you dare to punish me with Freedom?"

"Think of it more as an opportunity."

"To regret every decision I've ever made?"

"To expand your musical horizons."

Eddie rolls his eyes. "Fiiiine. It's a deal."

Steve beams. "Good! Ring me up."

And Eddie, he'd comp it again, but Steve gives him this look that tells him not to try it.

As they pass the magazine racks, Eddie points at one featuring Steve on the cover. "That thing you wore to the Vanity Fair party last month was hideous."

Steve snorts, then laughs. "Thanks. My stylist decided to go for something--"

"--terrible?--"

"Avant garde."

"Oh, is that what they're calling it these days?"

Steve pays, throws Eddie one last smile, "next time?"

Eddie nods, already certain this time is the last one.

---

He keeps coming back.

Eddie tries not to read into it.

Steve is straight, famously has a girlfriend. former horror movie child star turned cinema wunderkind, Nancy Wheeler. They're always on the covers of the tabloids, in ever more improbable stories about affairs and secret babies and french countryside weddings.

But he keeps coming back. And eventually, they grab dinner. And that dinner becomes lunches, movies, clubs, concerts. Eddie's in paparazzi photos, and there's no speculation about their relationship. Steve has a girlfriend.

But sometimes. Sometimes Steve will rest his hand on Eddie's nape, his lower back, let it linger. He'll trace a finger down the tattoos on Eddie's forearms or the patches of his battle vest. He'll lean too close when they talk, unafraid to press their bodies together. And he catches Steve's eyes on his mouth more than once, his pupils wide.

Over the next few weeks, Steve's gaze on Eddie's mouth gets hotter, his looks longer, and it's killing him. All he wants to do, all he ever wants to do, is close the distance between them, appease the gnawing beast of desire in his chest.

But Steve has a girlfriend.

They don't talk about her, not even when he knows all about Steve's best friend, Robin, and the gang of kids who adopted him, or Joyce and Hopper, his surrogate parents. Never Nancy.

He tries not to read into it.

---

They're supposed to meet for dinner. Steve scored reservations at a trendy new restaurant, but Eddie's late. Astronomically, horrifically late. It's pouring rain, it takes fifteen minutes to get a cab, traffic is a nightmare.

Out of patience and time, he decides to run the last few blocks to the restaurant. By the time he reaches the building, he's soaked to the bone, spluttering harsh breaths through mouthfuls of rain.

Steve is walking in the opposite direction, hands stuffed into the pockets of his coat.

"Steve?" He calls.

He turns and this is the first time Eddie's seen him angry. "You're late," Steve's eyes rake over him, and his face softens in an instant. He takes Eddie's wrist, leads him into an alley where the buildings are close enough to block some of the rain.

"What happened?"

"Traffic."

Steve's gaze go all soft and gentle, and Eddie's knees buckle a little. "You look like a drowned rat."

"Yeah, well." Eddie scoffs. "We can't all be beautiful movie stars."

"You're more beautiful than I could ever be, even soaking wet."

He shakes his head, ignoring the cascade of butterflies; Steve shouldn't say things like that. His vigorous movement sends wet strands of hair slapping him in the face.

Steve reaches out, softly brushes it back.

Eddie stops breathing.

Steve closes the distance between them.

What a thing, to be kissed by Steve Harrington. What a terrible, glorious thing.

He breaks it fast, face red, can't catch his breath. "Nancy," is all he can say.

"Nancy?"

"You have a girlfriend."

Steve's face scrunches. "She's not my girlfriend."

Eddie's mouth drops. "Yes, she is." They went to the Oscars together.

"Eddie." Steve takes a few steps back. "Eddie. I'm gay."

He laughs, an ugly honking thing. "C'mon. What could she possibly get out of that?"

Steve's eyes widen, eyebrows reaching his hairline, mouth pursed in a bitchy line. It takes Eddie a minute but, "Ohhhhh. So, it's all--?"

"It was the best way."

"But you're--?"

"I thought you clocked me immediately! Wham!???"

"That was because of the jacket!"

"Have you ever met a straight man who dresses like I do and likes George Michael??"

"That describes five dudes I see a day!"

"And you thought they were straight??"

Eddie stares into the middle distance, replaying some of those interactions, and--"Huh. Okay. I get hit on at work waaay more than I realized."

"For fuck's sake, Eddie!" He's shaking his head, but Eddie sees the way the corners of his mouth shake with suppressed laughter.

"I'm sorry! You have a very public straight relationship!"

Steve giggles, pulls Eddie close. "Is this okay?"

"So okay."

"You do like me back?"

"Are you kidding! Thought I was going insane, how much I want you."

"And now?"

"Come back to my place?"

"Thought you'd never ask."

And Eddie, he's seen Steve playing at love dozens of times, but this--right here, in a soggy, smelly alley where they're both soaking wet--it's more perfect than any movie.