#but it’s not like they’d on model anymore anyways

[shatteredoaths]

Finally sitting down and getting some icons.

[kitchen-spoon]

90’s au where Eddie is a porn star who hires Steve to be his child’s nanny to watch them while he works or has to fly away for a few days for work.

Eddie is popular because of his dark aesthetic, people are really into all the black clothes, the rings, crazy long hair, tattoos and piercings. He is also popular because he works with women and men and is know for it.

Steve and Robin had just moved to New York for Robin’s college and because Steve goes wherever she goes. They apply for jobs and are desperate so they even go to the library and reply to ads on Craigs list. That is when Steve sees a posting for someone looking for a nanny for their 2 year old daughter. It was basically a 9-5 almost everyday with extra pay for overnight weekend stays too. It seemed to good to be true but Steve applied anyway, what could the harm be?

That ad is how Steve met Eddie, the sexiest most confident man he’d ever met. He was so smooth and flirty and open about his job away from the small ears of his daughter who just knew daddy was a model. He’d toy with Steve, batting his big brown eyes, biting his lip and smirking at him during the small moments where their schedules would cross over and they’d see each other.

Eddie couldn’t help himself, he got bolder with time moving to leaning into Steve’s space to catch a whiff of his Cologne, fleeting touches just so he could feel the firmness of Steve’s muscles under his fingertips. Steve was exactly Eddie’s type, shorter than him and built with the sass and attitude of someone twice his size. He was a tan hairy Italian dream, and Eddie would do anything to taste that cross Steve wore around his neck. He couldn’t help but imagine the brunette oiled up, laying in the sun in the tinest little speedo, his perfect brown hair glowing.

The tension grows between them with each passing month, not helped by how much Eddie’s daughter loves Steve and how much it melts Eddie’s heart to see how gentle and sweet Steve is with her. It all comes to a head one night 5 months after Steve is hired. Steve does his usual stalling so he can stick around and flirt with Eddie before he leaves, relishing in the touches Eddie will give him. He gives in that night and agrees to stay for a glass of wine. They sit on Eddie’s couch, closer than anything that could pass as casual. Their knees were touching and Steve was leaned right in Eddie’s space, arm resting against the back of the couch as he looked up through his lashes while Eddie spoke. He was so distracted that he didn’t notice his wineglass slowly tipping over in his hand until it spilled all over his and Eddie’s laps.

They cleaned up in the kitchen, Steve blushing as Eddie called him sweetheart and hoisted him up on to the counter like he weighed nothing. Eddie dabbed at Steve’s pants, slowly moving up until he was pressing directly over the growing bulge in Steve’s pants. And then Steve couldn’t take it anymore. He shoved Eddie’s hands away and slid his own into Eddie’s hair, yanking him forward so he could finally know what that tongue piercing felt like. Eddie didn’t let Steve have control for long, and they ended the night with Steve bent over the marble counter tops Eddie’s fingers shoved in his mouth to shut him up.

[zombie-eats-world]

So I’ve been thinking about the widespread belief that Luffy wouldn’t give a single fuck about a reveal of his mother. (And I’m a crocodad fanatic so I’ll be treating that like it’s canon but this all should apply to any reveal, Crocodile or not)

This isn’t me trying to hard argue against Luffy not caring about his mother, it’s a huge possibility but I just feel like people say it with a lot of unearned confidence. The belief seems to come from how Luffy reacted to the reveal of Dragon being his dad. And Luffy not caring about a father makes a lot of sense when you consider his experiences. I mean just look at the male role models in his life!

Garp comes and goes as he pleases, just showing up to knock him in the head, share a meal, and then disappears. Shanks was much the same until he left for literally the last time Luffy would ever see him to date. His male figures leave him to follow their own passions, even Ace did the second he came of age. And Luffy isn’t upset by this, he accepts this as a normal part of life. Men go off and find their adventure, that’s just what men do.

(Btw Im not trying to make this a claim that Luffy doesn’t think girls shouldn’t go off on their adventures, just that this is Luffy’s experience with his male role models and how he’d justify it)

So this is why I think it makes sense that Luffy was so uncaring about his father being revealed to him. Dragon did what Luffy would expect a father figure to do, he showed up for a minute to help, and then left unceremoniously. Luffy doesn’t need to give anymore thought to it or to Dragon.

But, this is where I begin to question the assumptions that Luffy also wouldn’t care about his mother.

Luffy has a very different relationship with the female role models in his life.

Makino was a constant in his young life, providing a safe space for him to hang around. Makino from the little we see of her was incredibly caring and maternal to a young Luffy. Even after Luffy got moved to the mountains, she’d make the effort to visit and bring him new clothes. Her kindness and motherly care extended to Luffy’s new brothers too!

Then there is Dadan who, while not proactively or overtly caring, shows how much she cares for her boys by actively protecting them when a real threat appears and always making sure to check in on them. Her contribution to raising Luffy can’t be understated.

And probably the biggest influence on Luffy, Ace himself. The man who loves and deified his mother. I have zero doubts that Ace talked about his mother to Luffy at least once. I don’t think I’m crazy for believing this could have had an influence on Luffy.

This has been my long winded way of saying I think Luffy might care about a reveal of his mother. I think he’d be curious about why his mother didn’t stick around, where they’d been, and what adventure had kept them away.

Anyway, I’d love to hear any thoughts anyone else has on this subject.

[security-chief-odo]

To Love and be Loved in Return

Roy Kent x Reader

Description: Both you and Roy Kent are in love, but of course neither of you knows your feelings are requited. Who will be the first to spill the beans?

Chapter 1 - World’s Greatest Boss

Word Count: 1k

• • •

You have been working as a coaching assistant for AFC Richmond for the past six months. Though your job technically speaking is to assist the entire coaching staff, in reality, you were hired to manage Roy Kent.

Though he is an excellent coach, he is god awful at things like maintaining a schedule, filing any paperwork in a reasonable time frame, and generally dealing with the public. This is where you come in and make his life (and Rebecca’s) easier.

Your life on the other hand has gotten much harder as a result of this job. You have had a school girl crush on Roy since he was still playing for Chelsea. A crush you had assumed was just superficial and would fade as you got to know him as a coworker and a friend. If only life was ever that easy.

If anything, your crush has just gotten stronger because not only is Roy insanely hot, but he is kind, smart, and surprisingly funny. Perhaps more importantly though, he is sitting in front of your desk, not noticing as you stare at him.

“What do I have to get done this weekend?”

“Well, it’ll be a busy one for you. You need to go pick up your suit from the tailor tomorrow for the gala next weekend.”

He groaned, “I still don’t see why I have to go to that stupid thing.”

“It is quite literally in your job description Roy.” He rolls his eyes at that but lets you continue. “You have a game Tuesday, press conference after that. Do you have your shoes for the gala?”

“I’m not getting new shoes for that shit, I have a pair that’ll do. Do you have my talking points prepped for the press conference?” You hand over a bullet pointed page. “And if we lose?”

“You won’t, but that’s on the printer.” You turn in your chair to grab it but he's up and behind your desk already, skimming over the page.

“What would I do without you?”

“Crash and burn, probably”

He chuckled at that, “Yeah, probably. So I, uh, wanted to ask before, but are you going to the gala?”

“I’m office staff, I’m not sure I’m invited”

“Of course you’re fucking invited.”

“I’ll ask Rebecca about it.”

“No need, you can be my plus one.” You stop dead in your tracks at his words. Of course you want to go to the gala with Roy but there’s no way he means it like that and sitting by his side all night just might be the death of you.

“Oh um, I don’t know”

“Come on, y/n”

“I don’t have anything to wear. My wardrobe isn’t exactly fitting for a gala”

“Then I’ll buy you a dress.”

“You don’t need to do that. I’m sure you had some model you were going to bring anyways.”

“I’m not that guy anymore, y/n. And anyways, you deserve to go, you’re part of the team” Right, part of the team. He’s being a good boss. That’s all he was ever doing.

“I’ll think about it.”

“I’ll give Keeley my credit card and have her pick you up Saturday”

Returning to your emails, you began typing as you continued the conversation. “Anyone ever told you that you’re kind of an amazing boss?”

Right, you only see him as your boss. Nothing more. Probably never will be anything more. He just needed to accept that.“I don’t know that that’s the word the boys would use.”

“Well, maybe you should try buying all of them fancy dresses?”

“You know, that just might do the trick,” a smile threatens to cross his face, “but I don't think they’d look nearly as good.”

“Careful sir, don’t let Isaac hear you say that one.”

That one actually got a laugh out of him. “You’re right. Then I might have to bring him as my date instead–” His eyes widen as soon as the word ‘date’ leaves his mouth and he stumbles out, “not that I’m asking you as my date. I’m not. I just–”

Despite the sinking feeling in your gut, you let him off the hook. “Of course not Roy. I didn’t assume you were.”

“Right. Well. I’ll just leave you to uh, you know, I’ve got a meeting.” He rushed out, nearly slamming your door behind him. As soon as he was out of earshot, he groaned “Fuck.” Roy should have known better than to say anything. You are sweet and beautiful and fucking brilliant and he might have just ruined everything.

You are sitting in your office, having completed Roy’s schedule, you move on to Beard and Nate. There’s no way those meetings will be nearly as painful as your last one. You never thought Roy would return your feelings, but you figured you would at least have to ask before he could reject you.

Roy and you are clearly avoiding each other all day Thursday. He takes his lunch in his car. You don’t even leave your office. You wait until the end of the day to go meet with the assistant coaches about their calendars, hoping that Roy may have left early.

You aren’t quite so lucky and bump into him as you enter the locker room. Of course this knocks your papers out of your hands. You squat down to pick them up.

“Fuck,” he growls, “sorry.”

“It’s ok. I wasn’t exactly looking where I was going either.”

He extends a hand to help you up. Your hand feels nice in his and you both are holding hands for a moment longer than necessary before pulling away.

With nothing left to say, you find yourself looking into his kind eyes before you are interrupted by Nate.

“Oh y/n, I was just about to come grab you for our meeting.”

“Right.” you turn to Roy, “See you tomorrow!”

He waves as he walks away, not for a second noticing where your eyes were as you watched him leave. You follow Nate back into the office for your meetings with the assistant coaches, your thoughts however stay on the head coach.

• • •

Click here for chapter 2!

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[stvrmhondss]

it was breaking down (it was falling in love) snippet

max/charles 3.1k words

this is from a wip that is currently in development. we're in 2025, charles and max are fighting each other for the championship for the first time since 2022. max, as always, in red bull. charles, by the grace of god, still in ferrari. it gets complicated.

The party after the last race before summer break isn’t a tradition officially, but somehow there’s always been one; a simple text in the drivers’ group chat letting them know that xyz and I are getting drinks later, you’re all welcome to join and when the rest of them show up to the address provided, there’s somehow always an entire house rented and seemingly bottomless drinks. It’s one of those mysteries of F1 that Charles thinks he’ll never crack.

For the past few years the summer break kickoff has been an opportunity for him to celebrate, not in a let’s raise a glass to a good first half of the season way, but more of a thank god that’s over kind of way. It had always consisted of systematically knocking back glass after glass until he’d been drunk enough to let whatever girlfriend he’d had at the time drag him onto the dancefloor, if he’d had one at the time.

(He always did.)

(Except this year)

For the first time in his F1 career, Charles is leading the championship at the start of the summer break and instead of forcing every driver and his own mechanics to have a drink with him, he’s making himself as small and invisible as possible in a corner, right beside a potted palm tree that straddles the line between looking extremely well cared for and extremely fake. He’s been nursing the same cocktail for almost an hour and has avoided every driver, staffer or intern who wanted to drink to his championship charge. He’s not in the mood. He’s even managed to chase away Alex and Lily to the bar, if just temporarily, his teammate vowing to get him another round to pull him out his funk.

Instead he’s been letting his gaze roam over the open floor, taking note of the people there and pretending he isn’t looking for Max. It’s going semi-well. Charles hadn’t seen him when he’d entered the house with Alex and he hasn’t spotted him since. He’s also been too much of a coward to just grab someone, another driver or a stray Red Bull intern, and ask them whether they’d seen him, whether he’s even here at all. Maybe, it’s for the best – he wouldn’t know what to say to Max anyway. Have you tried a simple ‘I’m sorry’? The voice in his head sounds suspiciously like Pierre and it has him take a long sip from his glass.

The horrible thing is, Pierre is right. He should really apologise, but it’s been so long since their fight in Monaco and the silence between them has gotten so loud, he wouldn’t know where to start. He’s also not entirely sure Max wouldn’t just walk away from him if he were to approach him now. Hence his hiding in the corner.

After emptying his glass, he looks around the room again. He spots Lewis on the dance floor, chatting up a model he knows for a fact is too young for him. A little ways off to the side he sees Lando hanging off of his Max’s shoulders and Charles tries valiantly to ignore the ugly twisting of his insides. It reminds him of Imola, just a few short months ago – how Max had told him to let go for once and had stood vigil as he’d gotten drunk and celebrated his first win on Italian soil since 2019, how Max had let him cling to him when he hadn’t been able to stand upright on his own anymore and then had called them both a taxi and had gotten him home. Funny how he’d managed to ruin it all with a single sentence.

Charles is pulled out of his thoughts by wild waving in his periphery and when he turns his head he spots Pierre over by a window with his new girlfriend, whose name Charles had forgotten the minute he’d been introduced to her, obviously trying to get his attention. Confused, he shakes his head and mouths a What? in his direction, to which Pierre starts pointing in the direction of the door in response, an insistent look on his face. Charles turns his head just in time to see Daniel Ricciardo enter the party and he’d wonder about seeing him here when he’d given up his AlphaTauri seat last year in favour of a go in Indycar, if following right behind him wasn’t—

Max.

Charles watches as they’re stopped by multiple people on their way in – there’s plenty of hugs for Daniel and claps on the shoulder for Max – and make a beeline for the impromptu bar. Daniel sees him about halfway there and Charles fights and consequently loses against the urge to shrink in on himself when the instinctive smile he throws at everyone turns into a scowl at the sight of him. So, Max had told him then. Charles doesn’t know what else he’d expected.

(Not this. He hadn’t even known they were still close.)

Max doesn’t look at him once.

He should stop staring, knows it very well won’t help his case in any way, but his eyes stay glued to Max’s form, taking him in – blonde hair, blue eyes, standard white t-shirt and jeans. All viewed from afar, as has become standard over the past few weeks. Charles wants to kick himself. He wonders what would happen if he were to throw aside his pride and cowardice and go over to him now, if he asked to speak to him, to explain. Would Max even spare him a glance? Would he frown and grumble and tell him to fuck off? Would Daniel’s scowl become more severe and would he tell him to get lost?

He doesn’t plan on finding out.

So he watches. Watches as Daniel leans exaggeratedly over the bar to order some drinks and then back to whisper something in Max’s ear that has him laugh in that full-body way of his – head thrown back and hands clasped together, then bending forward, eyes crinkled at the corners and nose scrunched up. Full of delight, full of life. When Max seems to have calmed down a little he moves closer to Daniel, a mischievous look on his face, no doubt saying something just as cheeky in return, and Charles sees Daniel break out in one of his honking laughs before throwing an arm around his shoulders and pulling him in. Just for a moment, Max rests his head on his shoulder and Daniel turns his face into his hair. Just for a moment. Blink and you miss it.

And Charles? Well, Charles wants to die.

Alex and his tray full of drinks are a godsend, Lily clearing the way for him as they come back to join him in his miserable corner, and Charles grabs a glass and knocks it back before Alex even has a chance to put the tray down. When he puts the glass back down, Lily lets out a hoot, slapping the table, while Alex scoffs at him goodnaturedly.

“Were you raised in a barn, mate?” He’s chuckling, hitting him lightly on the shoulder. “Where I’m from, you wait until everyone has a glass and then you drink like your life depends on it.” Next to him, Lily cackles, pressing the next drink into his hand and then grabbing one for herself.

“Sorry,” he’s not, really, only tangentially in the way that Alex has been a good sport ever since his fight with Max, letting him be miserable and not making him explain why, and Charles feels bad for making him put up with his bad mood when it’s his first season in the team and he should be having fun instead of babysitting him. But then again, misery and Ferrari go hand in hand and Alex should probably learn to live and work with that, if he wants to survive in the team.

Charles’ fingers itch for another drink.

“Oh, who cares?” Lily raises her glass and waits for them to mirror her. “Let’s fucking party!”

Right before he knocks back his drink, Charles spares another glance over to Max and Daniel, just to see, just because he’s feeling curious and maybe a little masochistic, pressing a finger into an open wound. What he sees makes him down half of the contents of his tall glass all at once – Max is fully pressed into Daniel’s side, Daniel’s arm around his waist, fingers on that tantalising dip of it that Charles had found himself staring at more than once, and Daniel’s once again leaning in, whispering something into his ear that makes him smile. Charles wants to throw up.

He loses track of how much he drinks after that.

One, two, ten hours later, he looks up from his fourth – twelfth? – glass and sees Max making his way over to and up a stairwell that he vaguely remembers leads to a balcony. He’s alone, Daniel nowhere in sight. Without a second thought, he excuses himself from the table and stumbles over to follow him before Alex and Lily can protest. The way up the stairs is perilous and he has to cling to the bannister to hold himself upright, hoping he’s not making so much noise he gives himself away. 

When he finally reaches the balcony, he finds it miraculously empty, except for Max, standing at the railing and looking out into the night. A few lanterns bathe him in soft, warm light and Charles’ heart squeezes painfully in his chest. He’s so beautiful, always has been in his own way, the charmingly gangly, awkward teenage limbs turned strong and broad, handsome. Growing up alongside Max had been complicated and a little painful – at 15 years old, how do you know you hate the guy you’re competing against because of his dirty tricks and raw talent and not because his eyes are as blue as a summer sky? How do you know your palms are sweaty because of the adrenaline of a good fight on track and not because he smirked at you right before he put his helmet on? They’re questions Charles has never quite managed to answer and is keenly reminded of now at 27 years old, standing on a balcony somewhere in Belgium with his heart beating out of his chest at the mere sight of Max. He doesn’t think he’ll ever have a clear answer. 

His drunken lean to the side has him knock over a decorative cat figurine with a loud clang, startling Max in front of him like a deer hearing a sudden noise in what it had assumed to be an empty clearing. He whips around and when he sees Charles trying to right himself, an unhappy scowl settles on his pretty lips.

“What do you want, Charles?”

I want to go back in time and smack myself for what I said to you. I want you to smile at me like you used to, like you smiled at Daniel and I don’t know what that means. I want us to be okay. I want to win and I want you by my side when I do. I want us to be alright.

“Nothing, I just—,” he’s pretty sure he’s slurring, which seems to not be helping his case as Max’s expression doesn’t lighten. In fact, it does the opposite, making Charles trail off, falling quiet as Max looks at him expectantly. He doesn’t remember what he’d originally wanted to say, so instead he throws out the first thing that comes to his mind after Your eyes have the colour of a storm I once saw while out at sea.

“You haven’t talked to me since Monaco,” it’s meant as an explanation, but once the words leave his mouth, they sound like an accusation. Max’s frown deepens, his eyebrows furrowing and the corners of his mouth pulling further down. A little more and he’d be pouting. It’s one of the things that’s never changed about him, Charles ponders idly. That stormy, unhappy frown. The only difference between a 27 year old and a 13 year old Max Verstappen frowning at him is a missing, involuntary flush to his cheeks and the lack of acne. The other boys had always made fun of him for it back then – how easily he’d flush, how quickly he’d get irritated. Charles had never minded either; he’d thought it made Max seem more alive.

Now, Max looks alive in a primordial sense, the way the earth itself is – burning, blazing, vengeful.

“Well, I wonder why,” his voice is venomous, face twisted in an ugly sneer, “I wonder why I would not be speaking to you after Monaco.”

Charles feels helpless, like a fumbling child. “No, no, that’s not what I meant—“ But he doesn’t know how to actually express what he wants to say, his mind foggy and slow. He wants to curse Alex for bringing that entire tray of drinks to the table. 

He continues to stutter, without saying anything of worth, and he can see Max is losing what little patience he’d had to begin with and – yes, there’s that angry, red flush that’s been missing in his cheeks before.

“Do you actually have anything to say to me,” Max’s shoulders are heaving, his breath heavy, “or do you just want to waste my time and stand here, staring at me like a drunk idiot?”

It’s meant to cut him and it does; Charles flinches from the impact, sure that if he were to raise his fingers to his cheek, they’d come away bloody. The thing is, he has so much to say, so many things that have been long overdue, that he should’ve said months, maybe years ago, but now that he has Max in front of him, in all his furious beauty, his brain can’t put the words in order, can’t form the sentences he needs to say to salvage whatever he had, could’ve had, with Max. The alcohol isn’t helping either.

In his drunken stupidity, he says the worst thing he could possibly say in this moment.

“I saw you with Daniel, earlier.”

It’s horrible, it’s the dumbest thing he’s ever said. It does nothing to convey what he actually wants Max to hear, instead he manages to make it sound like an accusation again when all he’d wanted to say was I saw you with Daniel earlier and you looked happy, happier than you have over the past few weeks and I wanted to kick myself for being the source of your sadness, when I only want to see you smile and laugh and be joyful. 

Max’s face is wrathful, his breath quickening and Charles isn’t quite sure whether he’s just imagining the thunder he hears in the distance.

“You can’t be fucking serious,” his voice is tight, controlled and shaking with white hot rage. Charles resists the urge to flinch. He deserves Max’s anger and he’ll take it. He’ll take anything Max is still willing to give him.

“I haven’t heard from you in weeks, and yet you complain about me not talking to you when you haven't even tried to speak with me. I thought you needed time to cool off, so I gave you space, of course, but you keep insisting on this childish grudge over nothing. You ignore me, give me the cold shoulder, and say to the press that we’re not friends when I did nothing you wouldn’t have done if you’d been in my place. Mind you, I didn’t even say anything to the media when I damn well should’ve, but of course, you still find something to complain about.”

Max is panting and the toll this entire conversation is having on him is evident in the pinched corners of his mouth, however, he doesn’t seem to be done just yet.

“And now, for the first time in what feels like ages, I’m having a fun night and you decide to pester me and complain about me spending it with Daniel, when it’s none of your business? When you and I, as you’ve insisted, are nothing?”

Charles reels back from the impact as if Max had physically slapped him across the face. You and I are nothing. He sees champagne showers in Australia. You and I are nothing. Breaking into the Circuit de Monaco at night. You and I are nothing. Max scaring everyone into packing their phones away when Charles had been drunk and without inhibitions in Imola. You and I are nothing. Dancing in the streets of Miami at night.

You and I are nothing.

It’s terrible.

He deserves it.

Max prepares to breeze past him back inside and Charles instinctively grabs onto his arm to make him stay, to make him not leave him. His movements are slow and his grip as weak as a kitten, Max could shake him off easily, but he doesn’t. He glares at him, a fire raging in his eyes, and opens his mouth to undoubtedly berate him again. Deliriously, Charles remembers that the hottest flames burn blue.

Before he can think better of it, his lips fit themselves over Max’s, quelling any upcoming rant. Any rational or coherent thought dies out in his mind and when he tries to think of any reasons why this is the worst thing he could do, he gets as far as Max’s lips are soft before he loses the thread and closes his eyes.

Horribly, Charles feels a startled hum against his lips and then Max is leaning in, letting him carefully cradle his face with his free hand. He’s even allowed to deepen the kiss, sneaking his tongue past Max’s lips and sliding his hand in his hair, and for an exhilarating moment he has Max in the palms of his hands, warm and lovely, and he wants to keep him like this for as long as he’s allowed to.

When Max recoils from his touch, it’s with enough force to send him stumbling backwards. The look on his face is devastating when Charles opens his eyes again. There’s a storm brewing in his eyes – anger, disappointment, fear, pain. Charles feels monstrous. His mouth opens and closes several times, but no words make it out alive. 

To Charles’ horror, there’s tears pooling at the corners of Max’s eyes. Regret is a bitter, nasty thing to swallow and he knows his face must be doing something complicated and sad. He finds his voice in the most inopportune of moments.

“Max, I—,” he sounds scratchy and choked up, even to his own ears, and Max doesn’t let him get any further, storming past him through the open balcony doors and back inside, knocking their shoulders together in his desperation to get away from him and sending Charles careening into a potted plant. As he picks his way out of the leaves, he hears a door slam inside.

Charles looks up at the stars and wishes that just for once, he wouldn’t ruin everything he loves.

[savemefromanepicoftimewasted]

Pose For Me

Task Force 141, Alejandro, Rudy & Reader John "Soap" MacTavish X Reader

Price and Ghost had seen the way the two of you watched one another, chuckling to themselves at how smitten Soap was after only a few hours. They all knew better than to pursue anything when on duty, never ended well anyway.

a/n:thank you so much for all the love on my Price fic! this one is an idea I bounced off @gaylemonshark and honestly you can all thank them for this warnings:none except for Soap being a major simp

It had been Laswell’s idea, a way to help raise money for charity and what better way than a “sexy” calendar. Price had damn near doubled over with laughter, they wanted him and his team to pose for a calendar? And not think it was an outrageous idea at all? Doubtful. There was no way in hell any of them would be willing to do something so ridiculous.

“I’ll do it, sounds fun.” Soap was the first one to agree, damn near vibrating in his seat with excitement.

It didn’t take long for Gaz to agree, followed by Alejandro, Rudy, and then Ghost. Once Price knew that Ghost was willing to pose, eck, for the photos he couldn’t disagree. How hard could it be? They’d be told what to do the entire time anyway, surely it would go smoothly and then they could relax for a little while longer. That included getting on a plane and flying back to the US, why couldn’t they go somewhere closer? Price wasn’t going to argue, it meant a few days off from working and right now he wanted to sleep.

“Don’t flirt with the photographer please.” Laswell had her eyes locked on Soap, who merely raised his hands with an innocent shrug.

“That’s exactly what he’s going to do.” Gaz snickered when Soap glared over at him, this was going to be a long day.

“Boys, please.” Laswell pinched the bridge of her nose, waiting for you to arrive.

Price had been scoping out the area like normal, even if the average person would think he was strange for doing so. It was a habit he’d been unable to break for years, and this day was going to be no different. The double doors opening across the room caught everyone’s attention, Laswell was thankful she’d stripped them of their guns at that point.

“Hey! Sorry I’m so late, I had to run back home for my bag.” You dropped your stuff onto the closest table and began to pull everything out.

The lights had already been set up, as well as the backdrops to help speed things along so you wouldn’t have to waste anymore time. Luckily the first round of photos would be more safe, they’d be wearing their fatigues and posing on a large gothic chair. The chair design hadn’t been your idea at first, but after some convincing you decided to use it. As you were laying out your equipment all eyes were suddenly on Soap who was nearly drooling over you.

“Down boy.” Ghost smirked under his mask as Soap righted himself, clearing his throat as his cheeks flushed a pretty pink.

Once you had gotten the camera set up for the still shots you took a step back to look at your models for the day. You quickly introduced yourself to help ease any tension in the room, though you were sure they’d gotten a full background check beforehand.

“Alright, we’re going to start with some simple poses and then move on to some other fun ones.” You were excited, given the fact that all the men in front of you were insanely attractive.

“I’ll go first, show these boys how it’s done.” Alejandro was confident, striding over to the chair and relaxing effortlessly.

You giggled to yourself and started to snap a few photos, giving him different positions and poses until you were satisfied with what you had. Gaz was all too happy to rush over next, introducing himself in front of the camera before posing. He was clearly a natural at modeling, something you were a little surprised by. Then again most people were more comfortable when they were fully clothed. Gaz gave a cheeky salute when you sent him away, winking playfully.

“Next victim please.” You straightened your back for a few seconds, groaning as your spine cracked loudly.

Rudy was a little more nervous, poses stiff and uncomfortable until you helped ease him into something that looked more natural. It was normal for people to not like being photographed, but he wanted to help people and that warmed your heart. Towards the end of his shoot he seemed to truly open up, a bright smile on his face lighting up the room.

“Thank you!” Rudy walked off to meet with the wardrobe, unaware of what they had in store.

“Alrighty, whose next.” You were beyond grateful the men weren’t giving you a hard time, most male models were worse than the women.

The man that walked over sent a chill down your spine, the mask covering his face left everything to the imagination. His eyes were sharp, an emotion you couldn’t quite decipher.

“Wow, you’re really tall.” You could faintly make out his brow rising beneath the mask, as if he was confused by your statement.

“Comes with the territory.” He plopped down into the chair, the legs groaning beneath his weight.

You simply shrugged and began taking photos, keeping your gaze on the giant of a man in front of you. He was even more of a natural than Alejandro which kind of shocked you. Having a group be so photogenic was nice for a change. Then again, how were they going to react to the next phase?

“Thank you! You’re all set.” You couldn’t keep the smile off your face, mainly to hide the nerves that were bubbling up inside.

He didn’t say a word as he walked off, following one of the assistants to “prepare” for the next set of photos. Your eyes locked on the next man, he looked proud of himself as he walked over to you.

“Pleasure to meet you, thank you for making my men feel more comfortable.” Ahh, so this was clearly their Captain.

“Just doing my job sir.” You nodded at him, waiting until he was ready before snapping the first photo.

He, like Rudy, was a little stiff at first before finding a rhythm that seemed to work best. He seemed more than happy to keep taking photos, cracking a few jokes to make you laugh. It worked surprisingly well, keeping you more calm until you felt you had enough pictures. You shooed him off, not wanting to waste any time since you only had the studio for that day. And then there was only one person left, and damn was he a cutie.

“Aye there, ‘m Soap.” He was smiling like a fool, nearly falling onto his face as he tripped over his own feet.

“Nice to meet you.” You couldn’t help but giggle when he blushed, hiding his face for a brief second before composing himself.

So far he was your favorite to photograph, from the way he smiled to the way he seemed to exude sunshine. You couldn’t help the way your face flushed, he was such a charmer and he’d barely even spoken a sentence to you. Damnit, why did you have to get the cute ones that were never single?

“Thank you Soap, you’re free to go for now.” You set the camera down, taking out the memory card to slide into your laptop.

He was hesitant to leave, watching you with close eyes before heading off to where the rest of his team had gone. Alejandro had been more than ready to strip off his shirt and get oiled up, going out of his way to help Rudy build up the confidence. The men knew they had the physical attributes most men, and women, fawned over. But modeling it felt a little more personal in his eyes. Ghost had begrudgingly taken off his coat and shirt, taking the bottle from the assistant and lathering his skin quickly. Price raised a brow at him but kept all thoughts to himself to spare the other man’s feelings.

“Hey, are you guys almost ready to go?” You popped your head inside, brain short circuiting as you took everyone in.

They’d told you what the day entailed, but seeing it in person was a completely different story. You’d figured some of them would have scars, being in the military came with baggage you’d never begin to understand, but seeing six men oiled up and looking like snacks? You were amazed you were even still standing.

“Lass, could you uhh, help me please?” Soap was holding out the bottle to you, a sheepish grin on his face.

“Umm..yeah, of course.” You took the bottle without giving yourself time to second guess your actions, pouring a generous amount into your palm.

He turned so his back was to you, shoulders relaxed as he let you go to town. His skin was softer than you’d been expecting, the muscles beneath were damn near rock hard. How the hell were you supposed to focus after this?!

“You’re all set.” You dropped your hands to your sides, voice breathy as your head tilted back to look up at him.

“Thank you lass.” His smile was enough to melt the polar ice caps, jesus you were done for.

“Mmm, if you boys don’t mind I’m going to clean my hands and get ready for the next shoot.” In reality you needed to not only clean your hands, but clear your mind so you could focus.

Price and Ghost had seen the way the two of you watched one another, chuckling to themselves at how smitten Soap was after only a few hours. They all knew better than to pursue anything when on duty, never ended well anyway.

“Let’s go boys.” Price led them back out to the area, noticing the small subtle changes.

The lighting had been dimmed, giving everyone a more somber vibe. The order had been the same as before, each one posing in different ways until you were satisfied. Ghost’s photos, while a little darker, had an edge that set him apart from everyone else. Soap had used his body to his advantage, flexing and stretching to highlight the best parts of himself. You’d nearly dropped the camera when he sat down in the chair, legs spread wide open.

“Look at you, soaking up all the attention.” Gaz snickered, watching the way you were nearly fumbling everything trying to stay calm.

“‘S what I do best.” Soap smirked over at the other man, giving you the perfect opportunity to capture the best photo of him.

You were thankful to send the boys off once more, letting them know there would be plenty of towels to help get rid of any excess body oil. Price had mumbled that it was going to be stuck in his chest hair for the next few weeks. You felt bad, somewhat, but there was only one more photo to take before you’d be done for the end of the day. In a way you were a little sad to be sending them away, they were some of your best models, in both looks and attitude.

“Alright boys, one more and then you can all leave and complain about the girl that made you oil up for photos.” Laswell knew they wouldn’t hold it against you, but watching them complain was sometimes fun.

You had them all line up, cracking a joke that made everyone laugh as you took the photo. It was simplistic and perfect. Most people would complain they looked terrible whenever someone took a candid shot, but this showed the true side of these men. Even Ghost, the man you were definitely afraid of, was grinning.

“Thank you guys so much for coming today, when I have the photos edited I’ll send them to you for final approval before sending them off to be printed.” You’d be spending the next few weeks at minimum looking over these photos. Everything had to be perfect.

Soap wrung his hands together, slightly nervous as he watched you begin to pack up your gear carefully. Should he make a fool of himself and ask you out to dinner since they’d be around for a few more days, or should he cut his losses and let you go. Ghost subtly, if you could call it that, shoved him towards where you were standing. He turned to glare at the other man, brushing nonexistent lint off his shirt before walking over to your side.

“Hey, umm, I was wonderin’ if you’d be interested in goin’ to dinner with me?” Soap was nervous, something he couldn’t shake no matter what.

“Oh! I umm…Yes, that would be lovely.” You were shocked to say the least, not expecting this stunning man to ask you on a date.

“Great! Here.” He pulled his phone out from his pocket and shocked it into your hands.

You smiled and typed your number into his phone, sending yourself a text so that you’d have his number as well. Normally you were very against going out with any models you worked with, especially someone in the military. You mainly hoped this wouldn’t blow up in your face if it happened to go badly. It’s only one date, how bad could it be?

______

“You nervous?” Price knew that Soap was damn near shitting himself, even if the other man wouldn’t admit it.

“Not at all, everything’s fine.” He’d changed outfits twice, and lost his phone four times.

It was funny to watch the normally composed Soap practically run himself ragged over a woman he just met, but it also worried Price. What if she ended up breaking his heart before the end of the night? He’d be a mess the rest of the time they were on leave, and nothing was worse than an upset Soap.

“You might wanna head out, time’s a tickin’.” Ghost had been the one to mention the time, sending Soap into a frenzy as he ran out of the hotel.

You’d been dropped off by the uber less than two minutes before he was walking over to you, a bright smile on his face.

“Hey, hope you weren’t waiting long.” Johnny was more nervous now, heart rate kicking up at the sight of you.

“Not at all, just got here actually.” You brushed down the skirt of your dress.

“Shall we?” He held out his arm, laying his hand overtop of yours when you wrapped your fingers around his bicep.

The walk to the restaurant was short, and you were thankful you’d worn your more comfortable heels. Even with the slight boost in your height he still towered over you, and that was definitely doing something for you.

“What is your name exactly? Unless you’d like me to call you by your codename for the rest of the night.” The words sounded much more insidious than you’d intended, but the night was still young.

“Johnny.” He sounded much more confident saying his name than he had the entire day, it was cute.

The restaurant was quiet when you arrived, the hostess leading you two to a secluded table towards the back. He pulled out your chair, making sure he had a clear view of everyone else in case something were to happen. Even when he wanted to shut off his brain and enjoy the moment it wasn’t easy. Nothing would happen, he was sure of it.

“Thank you, for coming out with me tonight.” Though he felt embarrassed to admit it, he hadn’t been on a date in quite a long time.

“Thank you for asking me out to dinner.” You smiled at him, resting your hand over top of his on the table.

Johnny would never admit how badly his palms were sweating, the way his heart kicked into high gear. Now he was no blushing virgin, but there was something different about you that he was drawn to.

The night was what both of you would consider perfect, from the food, to the conversation that never seemed to dull down. You were both laughing at corny jokes, and even sharing food as if you’d done this a thousand times before. You didn’t want the night to end, ready to throw caution to the wind and invite him back up to your apartment. Unfortunately you knew that would be a bad idea, realistically he’d go back to base and you wouldn’t see him for a while.

Johnny refused to let you pay, let alone put down a tip, for the bill, claiming that he’d been the one to ask you out. It was a courteous gesture and you could feel your resolve slipping more and more with each second. He waited outside the restaurant with you until your uber arrived, wanting to make sure you at least got home safe.

“Don’t be a stranger, though I can’t promise I’ll be able to reply often.” He didn’t want to lie and say he’d be talking to you all the time, it wasn’t true.

“As long as you stay safe, that’s all that matters to me.” You turned to face him as the car pulled up beside you.

He cupped your cheek gently, pressing his lips against yours softly. You wound your arms around his neck, pulling him flush to your body as your lips moved in tandem with his. He wanted to keep kissing you forever, never letting the moment end. However he knew you had to get home and work on editing the new photos.

“Text me when you get home, alright?” Johnny was the first to pull away, leaving you breathless.

You could only nod, opening the car door and slipping into the backseat. Johnny watched you leave, a sad smile on his face. He wasn’t sure when he’d get to see you again, but he’ll be damned if it wasn’t soon enough.

_______

They were out on a mission when the photos were sent to Laswell for approval, she promised not to look at any of them until everyone was safe. It was burning a hole in her pocket, both excited and nervous to see what had been chosen as the “perfect” shot. There were minor injuries, which was to be expected, but overall everyone came back alive.

“Hello boys, I have some presents for you.” She laid the manilla folder on the table in front of them.

Everyone reached for the folder at once, stopping when Laswell pressed her hand overtop of it to prevent anyone from grabbing it.

“Now, you better behave and not make any remarks about your photos. Got it?” Laswell wouldn’t deal with the team pissing each other off.

“Yes ma’am.” They spoke in unison, which to anyone else would’ve been unnerving.

Laswell was used to it.

She took out both photos for everyone, handing them face down so they could look at them and inspect without someone else being nosy. Ghost was a little nervous to see what he looked like, he hadn’t been paid a lot of compliments in his day. The photo in front of him, while he was still fully clothed, was, in lack of a better term, gorgeous. The light reflected off his mask so effortlessly, giving the illusion of a lightness he didn’t think he had. The second photo, which he’d come to call his “skin” photo, had him taking a second glance. Was that truly him? The lighting was subtle enough to hide the scars that riddled his body, skin glistening.

“Well shit, I’d say she picked some damn good photos.” Laswell was impressed to say the least, the photos would definitely sell a lot of calendars.

“Gotta admit, she caught our good sides.” Gaz was proud of how he looked, he was tempted to ask if he could use it on his dating profile.

“Now I want to make sure you’re all comfortable with these before I give anyone the go ahead.” Laswell wasn’t going to do anything without their permission.

Everyone was in agreement that the photos could be used, there was no harm in what they were doing and everyone’s identities were protected. Soap was still staring down at his, a small smile on his face.

“What’s got you so giddy?” Ghost leaned over to get a better look, eyes widening when he realized that you’d snuck in something a little more special for him.

“Just a little gift.” Soap pulled the photos closer to himself, keeping them out of everyone’s view.

“I’ll give her a call tonight and give her the go ahead. Thank you boys.” Laswell nodded before leaving, giving the boys enough time to speak up if they weren’t comfortable.

The room fell silent, save for the sound of photos shuffling and breathing as the men took in the photos more.

“Safe to say she did amazing, don’t think I’ve looked this good in a while.” Price knew he was attractive, but seeing this side of him felt even better.

“I agree, but I have to make a phone call, I’ll be back later.” Soap pushed his chair away from the table, leaving the two photos behind as he slid a smaller polaroid into his wallet.

It was no secret to any of them that the two of you were going steady, being forced to listen to the Scotsman blabber about how amazing you were. The phone calls were few and far between, mainly because of his profession. He wanted to take you on another date, show you how better of a boyfriend he could be. It just took time, and you were willing to wait as long as it took.

[estinesstories]

𝓣𝓸𝓾𝓬𝓱 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓢𝓴𝔂

𝙑𝙤𝙭 𝙭 𝙒𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙙!𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙣 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙮 𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙥/ 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙮𝙥𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙞𝙩! 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙥𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮, 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙄 𝙪𝙨𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙤. 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙪𝙮𝙨 💗

𝙉𝙤𝙩𝙚: 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙮 𝙤𝙬𝙡 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨, 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙨 𝙑𝙤𝙭’𝙨 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙑’𝙨, 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 “𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤” 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮, 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙛𝙞𝙩, 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙞𝙧 (𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜) (𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙪𝙢) (𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙩), 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙀𝙭𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙛𝙞𝙩, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝘽𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙛𝙞𝙩.

𝙎𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙮: 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙑𝙤𝙭 𝙘𝙖𝙣’𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙢 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧’𝙨 𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙨, 𝙨𝙤 𝙑𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨.

𝙒𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨: 𝙑𝙪𝙡𝙜𝙖𝙧 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙪𝙖𝙜𝙚, 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙖 𝙗𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙛 𝙛𝙡𝙪𝙛𝙛.

(𝙃𝘼𝙕𝘽𝙄𝙉 𝙃𝙊𝙏𝙀𝙇 𝘿𝙊𝙀𝙎 𝙉𝙊𝙏 𝘽𝙀𝙇𝙊𝙉𝙂 𝙏𝙊 𝙈𝙀! 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙣’𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝, 𝙨𝙤 𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙮𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙨. 𝙄 𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙛𝙛, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙮 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 😁👍)

Velvette was getting impatient.

She had this whole new collection that was inspired off of the extermination, basically a blood and angels type of deal. Now that she thinks about it, that’s not a bad title…

Anyways, she knew this was the perfect time to mess with Vox, as you had obviously had a thing for each other but were too ignorant to do anything. Velvette and Val were suffering in forced silence (thanks to Vox) as they watched you two fumble around aimlessly with each other.

But this was gonna be great, you were going to model one of the three outfits she put together: The Angel. Another reason she knew you’d be perfect to model anyways is because of your snowy-owl wings. They’d match perfectly with the outfit!

“Um, Velvette?” You called from the changing room behind the curtains of the miniature runway that Velvette had in the back of her studio. She smiled as she instructed a few of her other models already in the other two outfits to pose on the smaller platforms beside the runway.

“What’s the matter, sweet face?” She halfheartedly glanced at the curtain the your voice was coming from as she waved her hands at and moved the model wearing the Exorcist inspired outfit.

“I’m just, um, are you sure you want me wearing it? I don’t want to ruin it or anything, didn’t you say someone important was going to look at the outfits before the show?” You asked nervously; you’d never modeled before, but you knew the basics of it. Only thing was Velvette refused to tell you who was coming to watch you. I just don’t want you to get nervous! Don’t about it honey! “Just remember, I don’t want you to strut out bold and everything like that. Angels are supposed to be graceful, kind, and gentle. So just come out as yourself, don’t be nervous!”

Don’t get nervous your ass, it didn’t matter who did and didn’t come, it was always a bit nerving just doing it. Before you could think anymore about who might come though, the door to the studio opened.

“This better be fucking good, Velvette. I’ve got work to do, and you already took Y/n.” Vox grumbled, the last part a mumble which went unheard by you. But hell did you started to panic when you heard his voice. Vox? Vox? Oh my gosh, this was Velvette’s plan all along, wasn’t it? Oh no…

“Oh, whatever. I have a good reason. Now, if you don’t want to waist anymore time,” Velvette smirked and pushed Vox closer to the stage, causing him to scowl at her silently. “I suggest you watch the damn show already.”

The lights cut out, signaling your cue. You took a deep breath and ruffled your wings before extending them to half their full size behind you. They had small hints of gold glitter and accents as well as your makeup, thanks to Velvette’s assistance. You held your hands together in front of you and tried your best to be graceful as you made your way into the open.

The light was positioned behind you, giving an “angel bringing you to heaven” sort of affect to your outfit, and the moment the light hit your outfit and accents, it was beautiful. The glitter and gold shone and reflected all over the room subtly, but beautifully. Once Vox saw you, he was awestruck. His eyes widened as his mouth fell agape. You kept your gaze gentle with a soft smile, just like Velvette said. Even if you wanted to turn more red than a hellcat and jump out of the V-tower. Vox didn’t even pay attention to the other models outfits, which were also lit up nicely by colored lights from beside them.

“Holy fucking shit, you’re beautiful,” he muttered, but you caught it exactly. You widened your eyes and your face went cherry red, but rose your eyebrows in concern when Vox started glitching out immediately afterwards. Your wings silently lifted you off the ground and towards the buffering machine.

“Vox? Are you-“ before you could finish your sentence, the lights went out and Vox stumbled forward, his screen now black. You yelped, quickly catching him and instinctively wrapping your wings around him. You looked to Velvette, panicking. She only laughed for a few seconds before resting a hand on her hip and putting her phone (which she was working on as Vox was drooling over you) in her back pocket.

“Just give ‘im a few secs, hun. Anyways, I’ve gotta go do, uh, fashion things! Kisses!” She giggled before darting out of the room, just in time for Vox’s fans to start turning on again. He finally rose his head from your shoulder with a groan, unaware of his surroundings at first.

“Fucking, Jesus,” he groaned barley opening his eyes. “What happened?”

“I-I don’t know, I hope I didn’t have anything to do with it-“ you stuttered, looking him over worriedly, not noticing your close proximity or the fact you were still holding him up and hugging your wings around him. But he did, oh hell yes he did.

His eyes went wide once again as everything hit him at once, and the fact you were still in the outfit itself and three inches from his screen holding him.

He scuttered up to a stand, but kept his hands on your elbows, and yours on his waist. Your wings retreated in surprise once he had stood, and you almost stopped holding him entirely if it weren’t for his hands grasping your forearms.

You waited for him to say something, anything, because the more he just stared silently at you, the more you became worried and urging to leave. At that moment, the power came back on, and the lighting was reflecting off of you again gorgeously. It made Vox’s heart swell.

“Is everything alright?” Your voice was soft, only for him to hear, and comforting, as you maintained eye contact, it made him feel like he was the only one in hell besides you, something he’s never felt before in his death. The lightning, the mood, you; everything was perfect.

“Y/n, I wanted to say..” he choked, he didn’t know what to say. His screen turned a small shade of pink, but only you noticed. Good thing you did.

Smiling, you giggle and pull him in for a real hug, with both your wings and arms wrapped around him comfortingly. “I love you too.”

Vox’s eyes widened one last time before softening as he relaxed and hugged you back, relief washing over him like never before. “Oh, thank God.”

𝙊𝙠, 𝙨𝙤 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝘽𝙐𝙏 𝙄𝙏𝙎 𝙎𝙊 𝘾𝙐𝙏𝙀 𝙏𝙊 𝙈𝙀 😭 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙣𝙤 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙨, 𝙨𝙤 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚! 𝙏𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣, 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨. 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙪𝙮𝙨 💗

𝘿𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙗𝙮 @𝙘𝙖𝙛𝙚𝙠𝙞𝙩𝙨𝙪𝙣𝙚

[h-didanart]

So Nexus

I have been thinking a bit about my aus and decided to try and see how Nexus and their arc could potentially fit in them, as an experiment. And these results were actually pretty interesting! I like a few of these ideas and think I’m going to actively incorporate them into the aus, tho I’ll let y’all guess which ones those are :)

Man, Aus are fun

Your eyes are not deceiving you, those are indeed the Bloodmoons in Nexus and Moon’s place, not the weirdest swap in that au surprisingly.

Anyways, the first twins would be absolutely merciless in their taunts to the newer ones, just ruthless, utterly unforgiving. New BM would kinda get a bit self conscious and offended, tho I can see them taking up that suggestion and fully leaning into the plague thematic (this only came to be because I ironically called them The Plague after I drew this… it isn’t ironic anymore), might also be because of that obedience code they have though , honestly I’m not sure yet to be honest :P

(I have to talk about this au at some point lol)

This one was extra fun cuz I already had a concept for the Evil!Sun of the au and it actually kinda fits really well for a ‘Morningstar villain arc’!

In short, Dawn is a Moon that kidnaps adopts other Suns cuz he killed his and has lived with the guilt ever since, he wants to keep them safe and away from any sort of danger, Solar fucking hates him for trying to kidnap their Sun (yes Solar as in Nice!Eclipse is in the au, I’ll explain later) Morningstar would leave to team up with him to find a way to fix their little sibling who was affected by the multidimensional thing but didn’t die

Ok, now we have the not so silly stuff

I was struck with quite an idea for Get in Losers, since Old Moon didn’t die there’d be no need for a New Moon… unless someone else was counting on New Moon’s existence and decided to take things into his own hands.

So there’s an extra moon in the daycare, one “raised” by the Creator, and he’s treated well and all but is he really wanted there? It certainly doesn’t feel like it. At a point after the multidimensional event happens they’d have a breakdown over their identity, they aren’t needed, they aren’t Moon, then who are they?

One thing I feel the need to share with y’all about this is that Dusk would be watching all the drama in the dimension go down like the soap opera it is, and at the point of Nexus’s breakdown he’d just be staring at the lunar model while eating fries. It’s all entertainment for him

[Nexus’s blurry dialogue reads: You know nothing of what I’m trying to do, of what I’m going through. So stop acting as if you cared about him, we both know you didn’t. Now you’re going to stay put in your cell until I’ve got this all ready. And then you’ll finally do some good with that pathetic life of yours]

And, of course, the longest one is for Bloody and Harvest, why wouldn’t it?

Solar’s death was not only extremely unexpected, but it was also extremely hard hitting for everyone. Bloodmoon kinda just “accepted” it after a while. Solar is gone, they will never see him again, there’s nothing to do about it. They avoid the subject as much as they can besides that. Until Nexus kidnaps them. He has a plan to bring Solar back using them as a sacrifice. And this greatly upsets them. They see no point to it, moreover they reason that Nexus is just blinded by grief, so they attempt to talk to the bot.

It does not go well.

They still managed to escape the situation however, carrying weapons around turning out to be useful for once. Bloody is lowkey kinda mad they actually had to use the taser gun though. They leave Nexus locked up in that place and go tell the Daycare idiots what just happened, and then they take a really long vacation far away from that place, maybe go to some mountains or something. Would Nexus track them again? I’d like to think not.

Tho the saddest thing about this that I thought of was the fact that had Nexus not kidnapped them and actually explained the plan, Bloodmoon might have considered it.

I had a lot of fun with this ngl, feel free to leave your thoughts, I’d love to hear y’all screaming at me over the emotional heartache I’m causing :D

[we-are-inevitable]

Hi, Jac!! I am really enjoying reading "and the sun still sets the same" so far, and I would love to hear more about the frack au Jacobs siblings. Do Esther, Meyer, and Les live close to where the twins go to college? If not, what do they do to keep in touch (if they do keep in touch)? Does Les plan to go to college, and if so, what does he want to major in?

YESSSSS i adore them ugh. they are so so perf!!

so first things first, davey and sarah go to school about two and a half hours away from their family- close enough to go home if needed but far enough that they’re a little more independent.

davey has an INCREDIBLE relationship with his parents; he might be jaded and kind of prickly-looking, but he has evening yap sessions with esther nearly every day! he facetimes her while he cooks dinner, which just so happens to be when she’s cooking dinner as well, so he chats with her all the time. their dinner talks are something david tries hard not to miss!

i think sarah would definitely talk to esther a lot, too— maybe not as often as davey, but multiple times a week. i feel like that early morning talks while sarah’s on her morning run or just walking around campus would be their catch up time!

they both love mayer too obviously but he’s not a super big “use the phone” guy, so davey usually sees him in the background of facetimes (and he comes over to yap for about ten minutes or so) and sarah calls him on his lunch breaks at work!

their parents didn’t go to college, so davey and sarah are both first gen students, and esther and mayer can’t really afford to help that much but they do ALL they can. they don’t want their kids to struggle anymore than they have to.

they also both talk to les all the time. the jacobs fam is perfect in general but even MORE perfect in this au

les is around 12-14 in this fic (i havent decided yet) and he doesn’t really show up but i have thoughts. he’s the only straight Jacobs sibling, not that it matters bc he’s a middle schooler but it’s important to Me that you know that

les would be such a like….. sports marketing or business major. everyone thinks hes another frat bro douchebag because hes a straight guy business major but both of his siblings are queer and his parents didn’t raise a bitch

anyway i love them. im imagining esther and mayer being the two people that can make david smile and laugh like jack can and that’s a HUUUUGE thing that sarah notices when she first meets jack

esther thinks all of davey’s tattoos are so so cool and mayer was with him when he bought his first skirt. they completely support sarah’s love of fashion design and will even model for her if she has an idea for something they’d like. they are quite literally the best most supportive family on the planet

i could talk about them allllll day but alas, i will stop

[callmewrinkles3]

Godfather

Warnings for mentions of past miscarriage

May 2023

Em was used to keeping secrets. She kept them until they nearly swallowed her whole, they’d nearly ruined her life. She and Dan were trying to not keep secrets anymore, they’d learned their lesson. But hiding her pregnancy felt like the hardest secret they’d ever kept.

She had no idea how they’d managed to do it at the MET, Dan fixing her outfit and hiding the cotton covering the not closing zip. Anne Hathaway complementing her pregnancy boobs felt insane. But that wasn’t too hard to do when she was a nobody surrounded by the A List, even though her husband was one of them. When Karlie Kloss debuted her own pregnancy on the red carpet it was even easier, she knew nobody would be looking at her for a bump then. Especially the non existent bump.

Those first few weeks of her pregnancy were completely unnoticeable on her body except for how her boobs looked. Unless you asked Dan. He insisted he could see it.

Yeah he noticed her boobs because he loved holding them, could feel the weight of them and how they were different because they were just too big to fill his hand exactly. He was a boob man and she never had any doubts with that. But he insisted that he could see a tiny bump. Lying beside Emmy at night, resting his hand on her stomach and insisting it was there and he could feel the firmness of their baby growing. But this time, knowing she was definitely pregnant, she couldn’t make jokes that it was too much food and New York pizza on too many street corners. This time it was true and they were so happy, even with the nerves until everything was confirmed. But she still knew Dan was exaggerating his reaction to her body.

But the problem was that by the weekend of Chloe and Scotty’s wedding she was completely paranoid. Every day she tried on the gorgeous cream bridesmaids dress, panicking that it wouldn’t fit anymore. She took note of how the dress sat on her body, the ways it changed. How the bust was tighter, how the flowing body was worrying her that it might get too tight to flow. Once she finished worrying she’d call Dan in to model the dress and ask if it was obvious. She’d turn around and stand still for him to look, but Dan never really answered, instead he just giggled watching her.

They were so excited. It didn’t feel real that they were actually going to be parents. They’d been trying and nervous and unsure if it would really happen, but as they got closer to the magical end of twelve weeks pregnant the excitement was growing. Em was far more cautious than Dan, begging him not to tell anyone, even his parents. They had to keep it from everyone until she was sure that it would be safe. She couldn’t bear if something went wrong.

Meanwhile Dan was biting his tongue in most conversations, the month since their wedding meaning people had started the “are you thinking about kids?” questions. If they walked past a baby he started smiling like a tiny child, he couldn’t help but grin as he watched Scotty’s niece run around the wedding rehearsal. Everyone oohed and ahhed watching Dan with her, making Em think about Dan and their own tiny curly haired daughter.

He even bought a pair of oh so tiny baby Vans, making Em cry like a baby that she firmly blamed on the hormones. He was a giggly, bubbly mess and she had to beg him to behave. She could hide under oversized shirts and hoodies, flowing dresses that didn’t show anything, but she couldn’t hide Dan’s constant grin.

The other thing that was so hard to hide from people, especially during the wedding weekend in Venice, was that Em had stopped drinking entirely. She’d been drinking a lot less since she came back anyway thanks to the antidepressants, but the second that test was positive it stopped totally. It was easy to hide when they were away on their honeymoon, and even when they were in Miami and surrounded by their friends it was easy. But surrounded by all their friends and so much alcohol free flowing it felt almost impossible.

The excuse was simple when people asked at the night before party, her “somebody needs to stop Dan jumping into a canal for a swim if he gets drunk”, but it didn’t work at the reception. Everyone had gone wild at it, Em one of very few not drinking. The only solution was the same thing they did at the Met and exchange glasses at the dinner tables to make it look like hers was emptying slowly. When the bars were open Dan would go up to get their drinks, coming back with a coke or sprite for Em to make it look like her drinks. If anyone else offered to get anything she shook her head, pointing at Dan getting her one.

But then Blake took the seat beside her, putting a vodka soda in front of her.

“Seriously, Blakey, I’m good! Plus my husband’s on the way to become a fucking mess, I need to look after him.” She spoke into his ear so he could hear her over the music.

“You’re not going to get drunk with this, it’s just a 7up and a slice of lime.” She wanted to ask why he’d specifically got her this, but before she could think of how to say it Blake was speaking again. “I know you nearly as well as I know myself, Timmy. I won’t say anything. Congrats, lil sis.”

She could feel the panic coming over her, the tears coming up to her eyes before her brain realised it’s ok that someone else knows. It’s a good thing that Blake knows. It’s Blake, the closest thing to a big brother that she’s ever had. The man who kept her secrets even when he knew what was going on behind closed doors with her and Dan. Who walked her down the aisle at her proper wedding, who organised their asses around their world even though Dan was taking a year away from driving. She didn’t want anyone to know until it was safe, wanted to keep this to themselves, but if someone else had to then she wanted it to be Blake.

“You need to keep this quiet. Please, Blake. Nobody else knows and you need to keep it.” She didn’t care how serious she sounded. The worry that people would find out hurt too much. “Plus if you tell anyone about this then Scotty gets to be godfather, not you.”

She smiled and took the glass from his hand to take a sip. She knew he wasn’t lying but the taste proved it, it was just a 7up. As she took a second sip she couldn’t help but grin as the surprised look took over his face.

“Me? Seriously?”

“If there’s anyone except me and Dan I trust with our kid, it’s their Uncle Blake. So yeah, we already decided. Easiest decision.” He wrapped her in a hug and Em held him tight, soaking in her brothers love. She’d told someone and the world didn’t blow up. It was going to be ok.

[spilledmilkfkdies]

Hi, me again! I was just wondering, following the ‘what if the wizards were actually surrendering’ ask, if the wizards really did give up fairy hunting, what do you think they’d do? (Sorry if I’m sending you too many asks, I just really like your takes.) Thank you!

Hiii sorry it took me a sec to get to this one!! I'll put a link to that ask right here for anyone who's wondering, since it's been a bit. Never worry about sending too many asks either, like I said a while back; I'll get to them eventually! If it takes some time before you hear back from me, sincerely <3 My bad <3 Was a little occupied with another fandom this time and actively participating in both got to me djsksdk

Moving on though!

In my mind they've really already been living normally, like between locking away the fairies and Roxy's magic making itself known I mean- Of course the logistics of it are a bit um. All over the place. Considering they're immortal, sort of. Do they have legal documents? Real or fake? Did they have any mortal friends and how would that work? And JOBS?? The way none of these are obstacles for Duman btw, that's why they killed him, they didn't want him to roam and do whatever anymore. Real and Canon.

Now in a post-alt ending-S4 timeline, the one where they did surrender, do we assume that they just can't use their magic, or that they don't have it anymore? Because that'd probably change the way they live afterwards pretty drastically. Aside from the fact some of them heavily depend on magic more than the others (Ogron and Duman get help smh), HORRENDOUS case scenario, they might all be mortal. For the sake of my own mental health though, I'm just gonna say they do still have magic and are in fact not mortal, just give them a fairy parole officer, some magic blocking thing, keep them around and use them for "good" stuff after a rehabilitation period or something. That's what I'd prefer anyway.

What would they be doing during said rehabilitation period? Started out as a bit of a shared joke, but tbh Anagan model career WHEN. He'd struggle with the lack of useable magic the least too, so he'd probably thrive during the whole thing more than the others, and as he should. Besides Anagan I don't have a whole lot ngl- I mean, I'd like to think Duman had lots of jobs back in the day, not sure if I mentioned that before, but I might make a separate post if I didn't, just because I have thoughts but other stuff to talk about rn sjsjksk

Ogron and Gantlos don't have a lot either MY BAD, but I do think Ogron might be more likely to have friends, maybe surprisingly. Meanwhile Gantlos has a bigger chance of being able to hold down a stable job. What job? Great question! I'm not sure yet. If that changes I'll be sharing with the class!

Moving on once again!! What could the "good" stuff I mentioned above be exactly? Education.

Correct me if I'm wrong. But are there no. Wizard or witch school on Earth?? I know they ended up opening a fairy school later on, but those aren't the only magic users suddenly learning of the dormant magic in their roots. Let's take the comic character Gregory for example. He learns he's a wizard, he tries to enroll into a wizard school(?) off planet. Nothing inherently wrong with going to a school off planet- The Winx did it too, lots of magic users do it, what is wrong though, is being turned down and having no alternatives. And even worse?? They tell him it's because. There's a darkness in him?? Or something?? I could excuse it slightly more if it was a case of "Oh your magic is dark aligned and this is a light magic school" because wizard canonically are known to be both, right? But aside from the fact that, again, there are no alternatives for him, as far as he knows, telling a newly awakened magic user that he's basically too evil to teach is CRAZY I'm sorry??

Here's where I cutely insert the Wizards of the Black Circle. Have them become the place to go when your magic energy alignment is dark (because it doesn't inherently have to mean evil and they're worthy of education in this essay I) on Earth, or even just. Any magic user who isn't a fairy. Just give them another Terrestrial option, options are always good. I think that'd be really neat.

You might sit here and go "The evil wizards are gonna teach the next generation of wizards? Could history not repeat itself??" Well. Yeah. But are the Terrestrial fairies not teaching their next generation now too? The same fairies who canonically turned on humanity at some point? These are all 'what if' scenarios, I'd just like to think that with proper communication this time around, things will be different and both fairy and wizard get to work towards that together. I'm normal and have slept a reasonable amount.

[stoneagedevil]

Her Song | Eddie Munson x f!reader

TW/CW: slight mention of sexual activity.

You’d wondered if accepting the responsibility of opening for one of your favorite bands was worth it anymore. A choice that had initially had you choking on butterflies of excitement now left you remorseful and regretful.

Not regretful for who’ve you met and the wonderful opportunities you’ve had along the way, but regretful for who’ve you made angry. It’s not like you were there first anyways.

Chrissy was.

Chrissy Cunningham. America’s newest skinny, tan, blonde model. She had a body sculpted by the Gods, and Eddie’s sultry lyrics in his greatest hit was a constant reminder of that. Despite the fact that they broken up, you’d felt as if she never really left. The riffs to her song were ingrained in the strings of his beloved guitar, “Sweetheart,” and you’d been left wondering if you’d feel better after stealing it and replacing the strings yourself. His vocal cords and soft lips danced in harmony, performing “Midnight Blondie” night after night.

It was a song about their unbridled passion in the bedroom. All of her perfections, her taste, her eyes, her everything.

And you’d have to listen to it. You. Not a model, but a musician. Not perfect, but rough around the edges. No sleek hair, but wild and spiky. Not perfect makeup where it should be, all the sweat and emotion of performing had always left your lipstick smeared, cheeks flushed, and eye makeup running. Not a body fit for modeling, your tattoos would all be in the way. You were her opposite, and of course you were. You didn’t have a song.

But little known to Eddie, he had a million. A lot of the material you performed with your band “H/C and the Banshees” was inspired by your inability to tear your heart shaped eyes away from your rockstar boyfriend. You felt like a pathetic puppy, and your bandmates started to take notice.

“Y/N, why don’t you just talk to him? Tell him that he needs to retire that song. We’re all sick of hearing it y’know.” F/N said. At their voice, you startled, moving your somber eyes to look at your friend.

“Because. I can’t.” It had been something you’d been trying to come to terms with. “I see the comments his fans leave. They miss that good girl and bad boy vibe from Chrissy and Eddie. I came into the picture and now I wish I hadn’t.” A tear rolled down your cheek as your throat closed up and nose burned. “I-I just can’t.” You ferociously wiped your tears away, not one to normally cry. Especially not in front of others.

“Dude, it doesn’t matter what the ‘fans’ think.” They emphasized with finger quotes, “if those cretins actually support him then they’d want him to be with someone who makes him happy, and you know there’s more support than hate out there. You’re a match made in Heaven. Or Hell, whichever you prefer.” They sat beside you backstage, rubbing your back gently. The soothing gesture almost made you cry more.

“I can’t….now……but, maybe I will soon.” Is all you could really say. You couldn’t voice that you weren’t sure if you were the one that truly made him happy. Not like she did.

“You can do it. I’ve never doubted you in my life, and I’m not starting now.” They smiled warmly at you, causing the corners of your lips to pluck up a bit.

“Yeah yeah.” You rolled your eyes playfully, smiling a little wider.

But it still didn’t reach your eyes.

-

The concert was over, and after chilling in the dressing rooms backstage and getting a bite to eat at the best rated restaurant nearby, you’d have to pile into your tour bus and head to the next destination, where within another beautiful theater, you’d have to listen to that damn song you hated with your whole being.

In order to kickstart the rest of the night, you set off for your dressing room, hoping the sooner you got there, the sooner you could eat and leave another “Midnight Blondie” tainted venue. Perhaps it was a mistake to do so, as the minute you shut the door that had your name plastered on it, you broke down once more.

It’s not like you were jealous. No, jealously would imply that you had competition, and you felt you stood no chance against a literal supermodel. You kicked over your chair and plummeted onto the velvet couch sat against the wall.

The door suddenly bursted open with a palpable excitable energy.

“Hey sweets! Holy shit. It was crazy out there. Did you hear them cheering? They were louder than the last….crowd……sweets?” All at once, Eddie’s boisterous nature had left like a spirit leaving the dead. “Honey, what’s wrong?” His eyebrows morphed into that of concern, and he rushed to the couch, to you. Wrapping his arm around you, trying to comfort you, but it truly only made it feel worse.

“Yeah Eddie. I heard.” You said shortly, your voice dripping with sadness as your face dripped with tears. “You did great.” You tried to walk back the initial anger you felt. It wasn’t his fault.

“Sweetheart, tell me what’s the matter. Did you get heckled or something?” He craned his neck to meet your eyes with his. You’d began to wonder if he had some sort of superpower held within those chocolate eyes. Every gaze of concern was like a truth serum shot, and you’d give in every time.

Well almost.

“Nothing. I’m fine. I’m just, like, homesick or whatever.” That was obviously a lie. You didn’t really have a home. He looked at you with that, ‘really?’ expression. Yes. Really.

“Look, I know I’m not exactly a genius, but I think I can tell when my girlfriend is lying.” He smiled softly in an attempt to make you smile back.

Suddenly, you exploded. “Eddie. I hate that song you always sing.” Instantly, you felt rotten.

He was obviously taken aback at this. What song? Which of them didn’t you like? His fans loved a lot of them, and while he had a flop every now and then, what artist didn’t?

“Think about it.” You encouraged snidely, seeing the thoughts fizzle out.

And then the gears in his head started turning. The pieces to the puzzle started falling into place.

Ever since you guys got together and started touring, your music would get progressively more angry. Of course it always had an edge, your voice was one of the first things he fell in love with, but lately it was just different. He assumed you were just trying out a new sound, but you strained your voice as if your heart was strained just the same. You’d be happy up until the crowd’s cries for encores. And when he gave into the crowd, he’d notice that post-performance euphoria dissipate.

It was Chrissy’s song. And holy shit. He was a fucking idiot.

“I-I’m sorry! Shit. I fucked up.” He panicked, more to himself, “I fucked up bad. Y/N I’m so sorry, I wasn’t thinking.” How could he be so stupid? His current girlfriend’s band opened for his, and then she’d have to sit through his whole concert until he sang a song dedicated to his ex. More so his ex’s body. He felt slimey.

“It’s okay, I just-“

“No! It’s not! Y/N you mean so much to me. I’ve never met anyone like you before. To be honest, I’ve written like a shit ton of songs about you. About everything about you. But I never play them because I’m afraid you won’t like them. They need to be perfect because you’re so fucking perfect.” He looked absolutely desperate now.

“But I’m not her.” You looked so deeply into his eyes when you said those words, his heart felt like thin ice you were carefully walking across. He’d let you down.

“And I never want you to be. I’m with you now, and I’m with you for a reason.”

Your heart stopped for a second, you’re sure of that. “Do you really mean that? I just feel like everyone wishes you were still with her.”

“Are you kidding?! Fuck them. I don’t care what anyone thinks. Never have, never will. Well, except you.” He added, smiling, and you laughed in response. He held you tighter. “Y/N, I’m never playing that song again. It doesn’t mean anything to me. You’re worth more to me than cheers from a crowd. I’d rather hear the whole world go silent.”

Jesus. You were a sucker for Eddie Munson. And how could you not be when he said shit like that?

“You’re a dork. I love you.” You rolled your eyes, sniffling slightly. What else could you say? You were speechless. More of a singer than a talker.

“And I love you more. So guess what? I’m going to write the best fucking love song ever dedicated to you. It’ll make everyone have heart attacks with how romantic it is.” He held your shoulders in his hands, pushing you away from him in order to make eye contact, assuring that his word is truth.

And it was.

[chierafied]

Crossroads

Written for @jilychallenge August 2022. | Partner @wearingaberetinparis

Prompt: “One of the things your parents warned you about: Never pick up a hitchhiker. But she/he looked so lost and also a bit familiar so I did it anyway.”

Also for @gobletofweasleys' Jily week 2023 Meet Cute AU.

Thanks to @siriuslychessi for helping me out with this. 💖

Also on AO3

*

Tears burned in Lily’s eyes and choked sobs rattled in her throat. She paced the narrow shoulder of the four-lane motorway and kicked at the innocent grass. Her mind was whirling with stinging swearwords while in her heart the gut-twisting anger warred with the stranglehold of loss and grief. Her suitcase sat neatly near her feet while Lily walked a tight circle, stuck in the torrent of emotion.

Stuck here, on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, with nothing in sight but trees, grass, and the cars and lorries hurrying past. With nothing but her dark thoughts and hurt feelings to keep her company.

Lily’s breath stuttered in her throat as the enormity of her predicament crashed down on her and the tears finally tore free, rolling down her cheeks.

*

It hadn’t even been two hours and James was already bored. Even the guitar riffs of the classic rock playlist blasting in his car didn’t quite pump him up anymore. His restless fingers drummed at the steering wheel and he shifted in his seat. Maybe he should have stopped in Glasgow, after all. Taken a break. Stretched his legs. Got himself a big cup of coffee.

There was nothing in front of him now but hours and hours of driving south along the motorway stretching before him. There wouldn’t even be any big cities on the way for the next hundred miles or two. The mere thought of all the miles still ahead of him was enough to make him lose his bloody mind. How was he going to be able to keep himself occupied for so many hours on end?

He’d ring Sirius but that blighter was probably already on his way to Greece right now. Off to his stupid romantic holiday with his stupid boyfriend. Blowing off a road trip with his best mate like the right sod he was.

The long trip back home from uni was a complete snooze fest now that he was forced to drive through the day alone.

Although it took the whole day to drive to James’ parents’ place, back in June when they had gone back for the summer holidays the miles had flown by. They’d taken turns driving. Taken breaks in some of the towns and rest stops along the way. And all the while, the car had been filled with talk and laughter. Not James’ lonely playlist and frustrated sighs.

Maybe it was time to play a game. It wouldn’t be much fun by himself, but if it was a choice between a boring road trip game and the general boring everything, he’d rather pick the option that wouldn’t slowly turn his brain into mush.

“I spy with my little eye…” James muttered under his breath.

His gaze swept the scenery before him. There was the grey, endless road. Grass. The railing between the lanes. Trees lining the road. Cars of all makes, models and colours, interspersed with lorries.

Ah! Now there was something to break the monotony. An overhead bridge. That perked James up briefly, but as soon as he drove under it, the boredom started to creep back in.

More of the stretching road, more cars, more trees, and more inertia eating his brain until all that would remain was mush.

Hold on, what was that?

James switched lanes.

A person standing by the side of the road? In the middle of nowhere?

That was unboring. James started to slow down.

Their arm was outstretched. His parents had always warned him against hitchhikers — though James wasn’t sure why since he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d seen one — but any company would do right now.

Slowly, James pulled to a stop by the side of the road.

As he turned to look at the red-haired woman through the passenger-side window, a jolt of recognition jittered down his spine.

He knew that face. It was red and splotchy right now, but he knew he’d seen it, more than once. He just couldn’t place it, didn’t know who she was.

The woman hesitated for a moment longer. Then, she reached out and opened the door.

"Hi," she said and sniffed.

"Hi," James replied, offering her a smile he hoped was reassuring. "Need a lift?"

"Yes, please."

"Hop on in."

The woman picked up her suitcase and hoisted it into the backseat before climbing into the passenger seat next to James.

"Where are you headed?" James asked as he steered back into the traffic.

"Just drop me off at the nearest town with a train station."

James slanted her a quick glance. She was looking out of the window, turned away from him. Disappointment pressed tight around his throat.

"Ok, just tell me where. Don't have the railway map in my head."

"I'll have to look that up, too," she admitted. "Give me a moment."

While she fumbled with her phone, James turned down his music. Drummed his fingers against the steering wheel. Second-guessed himself at least four times.

Then, finally, he couldn't hold back the words anymore.

"It's too bad, though. I really could have used the company."

She looked up from her phone and frowned at him.

Great, now he'd probably come across as some kind of a creep.

"Just, it's a long drive home for me and in the previous years we've made a whole road trip out of it with my friend but this time it's just me and at this rate, I'm pretty sure the boredom will rot my brain before I reach Manchester."

"You're driving all the way to Manchester?" she asked, sounding surprised.

"No, I'm driving all the way to Devon."

She blinked. Stared at him. Slowly tilted her head.

"Are you crazy?"

"Yes," James readily replied. "But not the homicidal kind. I promise."

That startled a laugh out of her.

And that piece that had been puzzling and nagging at him at the back of his mind clicked into place. The red hair. The bright eyes. That easily recognisable voice. The laugh.

“You’re Lily, right? Remus Lupin’s friend?”

Her eyebrows rose sharply in surprise.

"Yeah. We have a lot of classes together. Are you a friend of Remus, too?"

"Yeah. I'm best mates with Remus' boyfriend. He also happens to be my flatmate so I see Remus around. A lot."

A smile tugged at Lily’s lips. "I can only imagine."

"I'm James, by the way. James Potter. I don’t think we've ever officially met though I've seen you around the campus."

"Nice to meet you, James. Officially." Her voice was warm and light with her smile.

Hearing it lifted his heart and made him smile at the road in front of them.

"Likewise. And it's nice to have someone to talk with. The time's already flying by," James told her.

"Well, I guess keeping your brain rot away is the least I can do," Lily quipped.

"That would be much appreciated," he said. "I also really appreciate this opportunity of playing a knight in shining armour. It’s doing good things for my ego."

"Nurturing male egos is the primary focus of any woman’s life," Lily spoke in a wry tone.

James burst into laughter.

"I can see why you're friends with Remus," he said 

"Yeah, we have a similar sense of humour." Lily shrugged.

"You have a brilliant sense of humour," James replied.

"Thanks."

For a moment, a silence settled over them. Then, Lily asked: "So what's in Devon?"

And so the conversation took root again. They talked about their plans for the autumn break, about their studies, about university life. They complained about their assignments and exams. They shared anecdotes of their professors and classes and the antics of their friends. They confessed where all their favourite spots on the campus were.

They chatted so easily with one another that before either of them realised it, more than an hour had passed.

It wasn’t until James saw the signpost of Gretna Green that he jolted back to reality.

“Should we stop at Gretna Green?” he asked Lily, his genial mood starting to deflate.

He could feel the weight of Lily’s long stare.

“What for, an obliging blacksmith? You seem like a nice enough guy, James, but I’d like to get to know you a bit better before we put marriage on the table.”

James’ surprise burst out in a wild guffaw.

“You’re getting ahead of yourself, Lily,” he told her, trying to match her joking tone. “I’m the grand gestures type. When the marriage is on the table, you’ll know.”

He shot her a glance and winked, before turning his attention back to the road. “What I was actually after was, I’m pretty sure Gretna fits your definition of the nearest town with a train station. If I drop you off there, I’m sure you can get a train or a coach to take you home.”

While Lily stayed silent, James held his breath.

“I don’t want to be a bother,” she said slowly, after a long moment, “but if you’re really driving all the way to Devon, it wouldn’t be a huge detour to swing by Derby, would it?”

“Not at all, it’s practically on the way,” James said, perking up and breathing easy once again.

“I’m just concerned about the state of your brain,” she continued, deadpan. “We should keep it as rot-free as possible.”

“Definitely.” James nodded. “And seriously, I would appreciate the company.”

“Well then, looks like you’re stuck with me for a while longer.”

James grinned. And though he’d only just met her, he was starting to think that he wouldn’t mind being stuck with her for the rest of his life.

*

Lily was laughing so hard her cheeks were hurting. She wasn’t sure she’d stopped laughing since they’d crossed over to Lancashire. How strange it was that in the span of only two odd hours, her mood had taken such a complete and abrupt turn, from the bleakest, darkest pit into bright, boundless joy.

Really, it was all thanks to James. James, who was funny and nice and sweet and friendly and more than easy on the eyes.

And maybe a little crazy, yes, but definitely in a good way.

It was weird that their paths hadn’t crossed much on campus before. Sure, the campus was big and they studied in different faculties and had no classes in common. But Lily didn’t shy away from parties or pub quizzes or any of the varied events peppering the social calendar of student life. So they well could have—should have—met before today. Especially given the Remus-Sirius connection. James probably spent more time in the social scene of the campus than in class, too, Lily mused. Judging by their short acquaintance, James seemed even more outgoing than she was. After all, he’d been starved enough for company to pick up a stranger from the side of the road.

Which had been fortunate for her and very decent of him. A smile playing on her lips, Lily slanted a glance at James, wondering. Really, he was a decent bloke.

That thought combined with her returned good humour and the congenial mood in the car—as well as all the many miles still ahead of them—spurred her to speak before her brain had fully caught up with her tongue.

“Aren’t you going to ask?”

His eyebrows shot up. “Ask what?”

“How I ended up hitchhiking by the side of the road.”

James kept his eyes on the road and his voice even. “I figured you’d have a good reason for that and I didn’t want to pry. Felt like there was a story there and you seemed upset enough so I decided you needed space, not questions.”

Warmth bloomed in Lily’s chest even as a mirthless chuckle left her lips. “Oh, there’s a story all right. A long one.”

“You don’t have to tell me.”

“I know. But I think I want to.”

He gave her a slow nod, still looking at the road ahead, and muted the rock music that had been faintly playing in the background.

Lily glanced out of the window and took a deep, fortifying breath. “I was heading back home with a friend. He’s from my hometown; we’ve actually been friends since primary school.”

“Wow, that’s a long time,” James said.

“Yeah, it is. Which makes it all the more wretched.” She sighed. “We wanted to go to the same uni, though we have different majors. We haven’t actually seen each other much in the past year or two, which is why I hadn’t realised how much he’s changed.”

“People grow apart,” James murmured.

“We did. Since I started uni, I’ve been so busy trying to figure out who I am and who I want to be.”

“I know what you mean. It’s been the same for me. Living across the entire country from my parents has made me glad to at least have Sirius. I like my major and I feel like I’m on the right path but it definitely has me thinking about myself as a person in a way I haven’t needed to before.”

Lily nodded. His words resonated a lot with her, reassuring her once again that James, unlike Severus, understood. “I feel so, too. Except that for me, I’ve been exploring this side of myself more that I haven’t fully even realised was there before.” Lily had to pause then because her breath painfully caught in her throat. “I suppose I’m the one who’s changed. Or maybe just becoming more of myself, if that makes sense?”

“Makes perfect sense to me,” James replied.

“So maybe that’s true for him, too,” Lily mused, more to herself than to James. Her stomach churned as she finally fully faced the possibility she’d been shying away from since this morning. “Maybe he hasn’t actually changed for the worse. Maybe I just haven’t been paying attention and this is who he’s always been.”

As the awful certainty pummeled her heart, James’ fingers tapped against the steering wheel in a lulling pattern as he waited, silent and patient, for Lily to continue. She took a deep breath and steeled her mind. She’d be going over her and Severus’ fight several times in the near future, but right now she didn’t want to dwell on it. He’d ruined enough of her day and she wasn’t going to let him get the best of her. So she took back control of the narrative. Literally.

“Last November,” Lily said, her heartbeat kicking up as her nerves made their appearance, “I was at this party. Dancing with this girl. A few drinks in. She kissed me.”

Lily paused, but James’ fingers still kept tapping. His face showed nothing but curiosity.

“Did you kiss her back?” he asked.

That was it. A simple question, lacking any kind of judgement. Lily felt like crying and beaming at the same time but chose to go on with her story instead.

“I did,” she replied. “And it was like I was seeing in colour for the first time in my life.”

“I felt that way, too, when I had my first kiss,” James said. “Though I haven’t tried kissing blokes. I’ll leave them to Sirius.”

Lily laughed. “Well, long story short, I’ve been pretty openly bisexual since then. To the point that I forgot I hadn’t actually told my childhood friend about it. And today, we were driving back home together, as we’ve done a few times before. I don’t even remember what we were initially talking about but he made a really homophobic comment which I of course immediately called him out on but the whole thing escalated and I couldn’t deal with it, couldn’t deal with him anymore. So I had him drop me off by the side of the road.”

Lily had to swallow against the knot of bitter fury in her throat. It was too soon for recollections. She needed distance right now, both from Severus and her own emotions. With a grimace, she shoved Severus into a box and slammed the lid shut. It was time to wrap this story up and move on.

“I was pretty much a mess at that point,” Lily said, her voice neutral now. “His comments and beliefs hurt, the argument had been super draining. I was riding on the anger. It was easier being angry than admitting that I’d just lost a friend.”

“I’m sorry,” James murmured in a soft voice. “Sounds like you’ve had a really shitty day.”

“I have,” she answered, “but thankfully it’s looking up now. At this rate, I might be able to end this day on a good note.”

“I hope you will.” James spared her a quick glance. “And if I can help with that, let me know.”

She managed a small smile. “Oh, you already have. You picked me up from the side of the road. Offered to drive me all the way home. You made me laugh when I wasn’t sure I had any laughter left in me. And now you’re just sitting there, listening and letting me dump this whole sordid story of my life on you like some absolute madwoman.”

“Well, we’ve already established that I’m crazy, so you’re in good company,” James joked.

“I really am,” Lily agreed wholeheartedly. “Thank you, James. For everything.”

“You’re welcome. And honestly, I’m glad you felt comfortable enough to confide in me. I mean,” James fumbled. “I, at least, think better out loud. Helps me process. And when you keep something like this in for too long, it starts to fester. So I think it’s better for you to let it out.”

“You’re right.” Lily wasn’t all right yet. She probably wouldn’t be all right for a while yet. But she was in a much better place than she had been just a few short hours ago, and she couldn’t have got here without James.

“Also, the way I see it…” James paused, his ears growing a little pink. “You’ve also gained a new friend today. If you want one.”

“The way I see it,” Lily said, “I could really use a friend like you right now. Thanks, James.”

He grinned.

She smiled back and let her head fall to rest against the window. For the next mile or two, they sat in companionable silence.

*

The clock was slowly nearing six in the evening and they were getting closer to Derby. They’d taken a few breaks on the way, for food and coffee as well as rest. And while James was getting tired, it hadn’t really felt like a 350-mile drive. All thanks to Lily, who’d turned out to be the best company. She’d really saved the whole trip and he was already growing a bit gloomy and fidgety at the prospect of parting ways.

For more reasons than one, if he was honest with himself. But no matter how he felt about her, he was not gonna make it weird and be the creep making moves on a woman while he had her entrapped in a vehicle with him and while she was probably still in a vulnerable place emotionally speaking.

“Oh, I love this song,” Lily breathed out suddenly. “Turn it up.”

James did, and to his delight, Lily started singing along. He grinned at the road ahead, absolutely delighted with her and hoping he could imprint this moment on himself so he could always return to it. Speeding down the motorway, her presence beside him warm and bright like the sun, the song intertwining with her lovely voice swelling in the car and filling his heart.

“You sing really well,” he told her as the song came to an end.

“Thanks.”

A while later, they turned off the motorway. Lily started to give James instructions and to point out familiar places and while it was fascinating to get these additional glimpses into her life, the bottom of James’ stomach was sinking.

The end was getting near.

And then they were driving along a quiet residential street and Lily spoke up, her voice subdued, “It’s the third house on the right.”

A minute later, James pulled the car to a stop. They both stared at the ordinary-looking house in silence.

Lily turned to him. “Well, here we are.”

“Here we are,” James echoed.

“Thank you again for everything, James. You’ve been great.”

“So have you. My brain has remained fully rot-free thanks to you.”

Lily smiled. “I’m glad. Are you gonna be fine for the rest of the trip?”

James shrugged a shoulder. “I’ll manage, it’s only a couple more hours.”

Lily glanced back at the house. “Yeah… I’d invite you in, for tea or coffee or a bathroom break or whatever but it’s my parents’ house and I just don’t want to deal with all the questions they’d have.”

“I get it. It’s fine. I should get going anyway so it won’t be too late when I get home.”

“Right. This is a goodbye then.” Lily’s lips twitched into a small smile.

“For now.” James winked. “You agreed to be my friend so you’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

Lily laughed. If James could bottle the sound he’d always carry it around in his pocket.

“Fine with me.”

She opened the car door and James got out to help her with her luggage.

They stood by the side of the street, staring at one another, each of them seemingly unwilling to move. Finally, James held out his hand.

“Can I get your phone?”

Lily raised her eyebrow. “Why?”

He opted for humour. It was always so easy to hide behind. “If you get too concerned about the status of my poor brain which will surely start to rot in your absence, you could ring me. Or text me. If you had my number.”

Lily’s green eyes sparked. She unlocked her phone and handed it over to James. “I guess it would be good to have your number. I might stay up all night worrying about your rotting brain otherwise.”

James beamed like an idiot as he put in his number, then handed Lily’s phone back.

“There you go.”

“Thanks.” Lily tapped at the number and after a brief moment, James’ phone started to ring in the car. “Just checking that it works.”

“Never hurts to check,” James said, both comforted and giddy about the fact that he now had Lily’s number, too.

“Goodbye, James. For now. Drive safe.”

“Thanks. Take care, Lily.”

She nodded, smiled, and turned to leave. But after just a few steps, she was back, abruptly pulling James into a hug.

He held her close, barely having time to register the warm weight of her body against his and the softness of her hair under his hand and just the utter perfection of her before she had backed away again.

“Sorry. I guess I needed to get that out of my system.”

“No need to apologise. For the record, I love hugs.”

“Good to know. Ok. Bye. For real now.”

“Bye.”

He stood by the car, hands stuffed in his pockets. When Lily reached the door, she turned back to wave. And before James could help himself, he called out to her: “You know, after the break, I’m gonna drive back to Scotland to uni. If you need a ride, I could use the company.”

Lily’s smile was so wide it lit up her face. She tucked a strand of her red hair behind her ear.

“Sure,” she replied. “It’s a date.”

[cloverque]

up on tokio hill (msby bj)

masterlist, prologue

1256 words

People will believe in whatever they want. Human minds are fickle– they will take your words as truth then turn against you the moment they please. Naturally, their beliefs and biases fuel their actions. If they hold you dearly, they are likely to side with you, even if you’re wrong. And if they hate you… Well, they will go out of their way to destroy everything you have.

Night’s gentle beams failed to penetrate the thick binds that lined along your window. Wrapped in blankets, you sat at the foot of your bed. You hid in its welcoming shadows, clutching yourself. Just like Eve after she had consumed the fruit of knowledge, you shook like a leaf with grief. Your body shivered as you sobbed into your phone.

“I tried everything, Uncle Tai… Hic… I-I swear!” You blew your nose into a tissue. The thin sheet of fiber was clearly overused; it was soaked through. You clenched it in your fist nevertheless and shook it. “My manager said there was n-nothing she could do…”

The line was mostly silent besides episodic sighs. On the other side of the phone, your uncle was seated in a bubbling jacuzzi under a blanket of stars. He swirled his sparkling glass of mojito. His phone was sandwiched between his ear and shoulder.

“So let me get this straight. Your agency fired you over a scandal involving a series of explicit content… That was anonymously posted by someone impersonating you?"

You nodded and clenched your teeth, “It’s ridiculous right? It’s so stupid–"

“And even without concrete proof, they decided to terminate your contract anyway…? Man, saying this sucks just doesn’t cut it.”

Shoulders drooping, you sniffled. Your relative hummed, deep in thought as he sipped on his drink. Meanwhile, you hugged your knees tighter to your chest.

You’d been given a week’s notice before your company fired you. Today was the day when they’d announced your leave. It didn’t matter that you were their highest earning Vtuber or most popular member. Didn’t matter that most of Japan recognised you. The countless billboards of your virtual model and merchandise posters in the cities meant nothing anymore.

All that mattered to this damned company was money, and in their eyes, you had tarnished their reputation.

A memory of your first livestream as your character flashed in your mind. You remembered the giddiness and jitters on your first day. The smiles and laughter filled on that day. Awkward rambles, elated cheers and the promises you’d made with your fans that you’d do your best.

The memory made you queasy and you resisted the urge to throw up. You squeezed your phone tightly.

“Curse it all… It wasn’t even me in the video to begin with,” You tossed the soggy tissue into a bin by the bed. It missed and you groaned. Falling back onto the bed, you bounced on the mattress for a few seconds. Your phone was warm in your cold, weak grasp.

The scandal was a hot one, the hottest you’d ever been involved with. So far it had been minor incidents, such as claims of your identity, real-life leaks such as college photos (FYI, not yours). Even non-existing drama with other famous Vtubers. Tabloid presses worked hard to tarnish your reputation since day one.

You knew it would never be this easy being a public figure, or virtual one, but still, for someone to go so far to taint your name? Whoever the devious rat was– and boy, would you love to give them a piece of your mind– they had leaked an adult tape tagged under your character’s name. It wouldn’t have been such a big day if it weren’t for the fact that the lady in it was built just like the girls from the leaked real-life photos and sounded exactly like you. It only cemented the delusions of the anti fans, supporting their deranged theories.

What was most disappointing was the fact that many of your fans had turned against you. Meanwhile, the sensible ones had questioned the film’s authenticity, but their empathy was drowned out by a tsunami of sea of hate, disgust and confusion.

Well, I guess I can’t really blame them… The bastard hacked into my Twitter account and posted it there too.

You had addressed it with your company and tried to prove your innocence. Unfortunately your promises and tears were just empty words to them. The board said that they wanted to believe you, but they couldn’t when the digital footprint of the uploader was pinpointed to you. So instead of investigating further, they chose to let you go. It was truly disappointing AND humiliating.

Uncle Tai frowned and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “So what will you do now? I know the media doesn’t know your true identity but you shouldn’t bring any attention to yourself, (y/n).”

You stared up at the ceiling blankly. The fan spun languidly overhead, undisturbed by your chokes and snot. A frown crossed your tear stricken face.

“I’m so lost right now, Uncle Tai. I have no clue what to do–“ A beep alerted you to your screen. You checked it and groaned. “ Shit . I totally forgot that my contract ends in two months too."

“You mean the tiny place you’re renting in Tokyo?”

“Yeah. And it’s not that small.” You rolled your eyes and managed a chuckle. Though it was pretty strained and you hiccuped halfway.

“Bah! Come live here in Osaka, girl. You will love it. It’s a lot better than that blasted concrete jungle. We have far better hot springs too!” He practically shouted and you pulled your phone away from your ear.

“Don’t act like you’re not chilling in Shanghai, Uncle!” You yelled back, and the man belted out a chorus of laughter.

He began his list of excuses and you drowned them out in your thoughts. You grimaced. This was too sudden (and really spontaneous) but maybe this was good timing? You could get away from the city, away from this place with your memories as the Vtuber Cheri and live a quiet life in Osaka. It was a big step moving to another city. But maybe this was a blessing in disguise..?

“If I move there, do you have any units available?”

“I do have one in a pretty lovely location. It’s in a classy suburb, ain’t not too far from the city either. Called Tokio Hill. If you move there you’d have plenty of quiet. You up for it?”

You blinked and shut your eyes. Finally, the tears had dried up and your sobs had been reduced to croaky mumbles.

“I’ll… think about it,” you answered tentatively. “You won’t overcharge me because I’m your niece, right?”

“Now what kind of uncle would I be if I did that?” He chuckled. You smiled back.

After exchanging a few lighthearted jokes, you ended the call. You snuck one more glance at the tweet that plagued you for days.

Ah, whatever. It’s no use crying anymore.

You tossed your phone somewhere on the bed. Lethargy had finally caught up to you and your eyelids began drooping close. As you crossed an arm over your eyes, thoughts floated over your head.

Maybe this was the break you deserved after years of slaving away for a company that deserted you. You managed an empty laugh and drifted off to sleep. As you descended into the plane of dreams, your uncle began texting a chain of messages in a group chat.

[blushweddinggowns]

Eddie rubbed at his temples, a headache starting to set in. Whether that was from blood loss or the insanely loud alarm that was still blaring in this hell hole, he wasn’t sure. 

Steve was fussing over him, despite how many times Eddie insisted he was fine. He was bleeding, yes, but they all were in some way or another. Yeah, the bite wounds hurt like a bitch, but he wasn’t dying, he knew what that felt like, and in comparison this was nothing. Steve’s frustrated tears were more painful than the claw marks anyway.

“Stevie, I’ll be okay, really-”

“Just shut up,” he hissed, or at least tried too. It came out more like a sad little sniffle, “What the fuck where you thinking?”

Eddie didn’t really have an answer for that. He hadn’t been thinking, critical thought had basically left his brain the second they stepped foot into this place. He had just moved, pushing Steve right out of the way of the bigger and better stream of demon bats, spilling out of another brand new hell portal.

Only a few of them managed to sink their teeth into him before El got it closed, and Steve and Hopper managed to pull them off before any real damage could get through. Maybe that was the one good thing about this place, flying monsters were a lot easier to handle in closed corridors, especially when you had a psychic wunderkind with you.

“It’s called being chivalrous babe,” Eddie tried, wiping a few of Steve’s tears away. Steve leaned into his hand, always willing to accept Eddie’s touch, even when his hands were covered in filth. 

Steve glared as he nuzzled into his hand, probably resisting the urge to choke him out, as he examined his bloody chest,“And it’s going to get you killed.”

He wanted to tell Steve the truth, that it didn’t matter if he died as long as Steve and the kids made it out alive. That he didn’t care if they’d only been together a few months, he refused to live in a world without Steve in it. He wanted to tell him he loved him, that dying for him would never be off the table, but the already devastated look on Steve’s face was enough to make Eddie hold his tongue. 

And…it felt like if he admitted everything out loud, it would be accepting the idea that they weren’t making it out of here. Eddie shrugged,“Still worth it.”

Steve was just about done with his haphazard first-aid, and Eddie took the opportunity to lean his pounding head against Steve’s, frankly nasty, shoulder, shuddering at the gross squelch sound it made. Steve’s clothes were completely saturated in Upside Down bullshit, but it's not like his hair could get anymore disgusting, and any kind of touch was comforting, for both of them. 

They were safe, for now. As safe as you could be when facing the end of the world and cooped up in a glorified storage closet in an underground government facility. He hated this place, and he’d hate it even if it wasn’t invaded by monsters. How El managed to grow up in these sterile, lifeless halls and come out the other side how she was, he had no idea. 

Eddie watched the others as Steve wrapped the last make-shift bandage around his chest. Will was fiddling with the radio, trying to get an update on Dustin’s side, while Hopper was cleaning the blood from Eleven's face, and Dr. What's his fuck was babbling to both of them, a plan on the edge of forming. Joyce was wrapping up Hopper’s leg, the blood still seeping through her clumsy efforts. 

How Eddie and Steve became the lucky ones to be in the literal maw of the monster, he didn’t know. One minute they were accepting a nice dinner invite to the Byers’ place, more than happy to help Joyce and Hopper start the whole being gay is okay conversation with Will and Eleven. Eddie never thought that he would be considered a role model for the burgeoning bi-curious youth of Hawkins, but he’d take it. And if he had to guess, Steve was supposed to be the star of that show but he was more than happy to be his leading man. 

And then the next they were watching literal demons start escaping from the cracks in the earth. Maybe it shouldn’t have been so shocking, Venca had never disappeared after all, not really. But Eleven had gone after him, in that weird psychic way that Eddie still didn’t fully understand, and she had said she found him, didn’t kill him, but did enough damage to free Max’s soul. 

She had woken up, screaming her brains out, but she had woken up. And that had been enough. 

Vecna had slinked away into the shadows, no monsters to be found, but the presence was still there, trickling into their world at a snail’s pace. El didn’t know what to do about it, she didn’t even know if she could kill him, she had barely managed to save Max, and that was without him having a physical body anymore. 

So they waited, what else could they do? And they got a year, a great fucking year in Eddie’s opinion, the best year of his life. And just like that they were facing the end of the world again. At least things were clearer this time around. 

Two things. Kill Vecna and hide Max. Neither had been as easy as they’d hoped. 

“Will, do you copy? Are you there?” Dustin’s crackling voice asked, the radio finally getting through. 

Everyone’s head immediately swiveled, anxious for an update. 

“Yes!” Will gasped into the receiver, “We’re here, are you all okay?”

Dustin paused, “We’re all alive? Did you find him?”

“We found him, but…it’s bad.”

Eddie almost laughed at that, bad was the understatement of the century. The piece of shit had gone completely insane, cooped up in the creepiest playroom that Eddie had ever seen. Which was saying something considering how unhinged Vecna was to begin with. Something had happened to him since the last time, and all of those detailed plans and fancy words had been replaced with complete chaos and disarray. They weren’t even sure if he was in control of his powers anymore, not when gateways would open and shut randomly, some even shutting before his monsters could get out. Eddie never thought he would see a demogorgon decapitated by a closing portal, but here he was.

Now, it didn’t even seem like he cared if he lived or died. He didn’t even seem like a he anymore, just a malevolent force of rage and hate, that was losing control on every level. The hive mind was fracturing, the monsters easily agitated and distracted, which was one point in their favor. They were all barely hanging on as it was, Eddie didn’t even want to think about what it would be like if all these things could think beyond killing. 

“But you guys can still kill him right?” Dustin asked, panic edging in his voice.

Will bit his lip, hesitating, “He’s protected by all those things, I don’t-”

El shook her head, hastily sitting next to Will to take the receiver, “I can still do it.”

Joyce and Hopper glanced at each other, looking just as lost as the rest of them felt. Joyce stepped forward, trying to be gentle with her words, “Sweetheart, you’re too weak-”

“So is he,” El interrupted, “I can feel it,”

“You can’t take him and all of those things at once!” Hopper insisted, kneeling down to her level, shaking her the slightest bit in his desperation, “He’ll kill you!”

“If he wins, we will all die.”

“But-”

“But could you just take him?” Steve asked, cutting through the noise. Everyone turned to stare at him, confused. 

El nodded, “I can kill him.”

“But just him?”

“I…I do not know,” she admitted, looking away.

“So they just need to be separated, right?” Steve pressed, “If you can get him alone, then we have a chance.”

Eddie stared at him, catching on to what he was getting at, his stupid, smart, self-sacrifing Steve.

“Divide and conquer,” Eddie breathed, catching on,“You want to distract them.”

Steve shrugged, “I’m the fastest runner out of all of us. A few gun shots, a look at me, they’d all come running.”

It was definitely possible. Ever since those demons had come back they were remarkably easy to distract, always focused on eating the closest living thing to them. It could work. It could be their best shot. 

But Eddie didn’t give a shit if it meant Steve dying, “They’d rip you apart!”

“Not necessarily,” Owens piped up, “This place held psychic children for years, there are places to hide.”

He fished into his pocket, pulling out the keycard he’d been using since they got here, “There’s a room, where they used to do the most dangerous experiments. The glass is bulletproof, government grade. I’m not sure it will be enough, but it’s your best shot.”

Steve nodded, a determined look on his face. Eddie knew that look, it meant that there was no talking him out of it. 

Well two could play at that game. 

Owens was still going, a solid plan starting to form around Steve’s idea,“When they start chasing you-”

“Us” Eddie interrupted, staggering to his feet, “When they start chasing us.”

Steve stood with him, brow furrowed, “Eddie-”

“Don’t even fucking try,” Eddie hissed out, snatching the keycard from Owen’s hands, “I’m coming with you.”

He was hurt, sure, but it was mostly surface level, and his legs were probably the least mauled thing about him. Steve looked ready to argue, but shut his mouth at the look on Eddie’s face. 

He turned to the group instead, “We’ll be the decoys. They come after us, and you go after him.”

No one seemed particularly happy with the plan, but it’s not like they had a choice. Hopper gave them the pistol strapped to his hip, grumbling, “You’re both too young to be doing this shit.”

Eddie shrugged, not really having an answer for that. In fact, he completely agreed. This was the last place on the planet that any of them should be in. 

“Go down the hall, one shot. Then back, two lefts. Then swipe the card on the right. It will lock automatically,” Owens instructed, going as far as to write it on Steve’s hand, “If we win, they should die with him and we’ll come get you.”

They left the room after that, not wasting any time as they quietly made their way down the hall, hearts thumping in their chests. They could hear them as they got closer, the collective sound of the hoard breathing, standing guard. 

They stopped at the corner, the last hiding spot before they could be seen. 

“You ready?” Eddie whispered, glancing at Steve. 

Steve shook his head, biting his lip before grabbing the front of Eddie’s shirt, dragging him into a bruising kiss. It tasted like monster blood and Steve, and was probably the most disgusting kiss he’d ever had. 

And he never wanted it to stop. 

Steve let him go, too soon, with a sad smile, “Now I am.”

They stepped out together, Eddie covering his ears as the shot rang out. It was a blur after that. Neither of them looked back as they sprinted down the hall, but they could hear screeching behind them, and the ugly noise of talons hitting linoleum. 

Eddie had never run that fast in his entire life, but they both made it, slamming the door shut behind them. It was only a few seconds before the monsters rounded the corner, immediately jumping against the door and clear windows, their claws screeching against the glass. 

“I told you the morning runs were going to be worth it,” Steve gasped out between breaths, hands on his knees. 

Eddie nodded, eyes skimming over the still standing glass. It was the first time Eddie could really look at the things and they were heinous. Wet, slimy skin, rows of teeth that spanned on forever, all salivating as they pressed against the glass, the shrieking never stopping. 

The noise was only gathering more of them to the same place, and Eddie didn’t doubt that they had gotten all of them, not when he was looking out into a sea of demons. 

The minutes passed, ten, twenty, thirty, with the well of monsters attacking the glass never stopping. How long did a world-altering final showdown take?

Then he heard it, the first crack. The glass was fucking breaking, government-grade his ass. The second wasn’t too far behind, but this time paired with visible lines, crawling across the surface. 

He could feel Steve’s hand slip into his, squeezing as their eyes stayed glued on the hoard of monsters. The hoard of monsters that was probably seconds away from getting to them. 

Steve tightened his grip on Eddie’s hand, grimacing, “I think we’re going to die.”

Eddie shook his head, ignoring the tears that were already starting to gather in the corners of his eyes,“Baby, we’re not going to die-”

Another cracking sound, more and more fractures making themselves known. Steve was pulling at his hand, hard, hard enough to make him face him. 

He was fucked up, they both were, bleeding from different claw marks and bites, covered in the black blood of those monsters, and the red of their own. 

He looked resigned, resigned but determined, “I love you. I’m so fucking in love with you, it’s terrifying.”

They both flinched at another loud crack, more and more spider web lines skittering across the glass. Fuck, Steve was right, they were gonna die. Three months. He had only had him for three fucking months.

Eddie put his shaking hands on Steve’s shoulders, staring into those big brown eyes, “I love you too, of course I love you. You were the best thing that ever fucking happened to me."

The tears were flowing now, for both of them, no stopping it.

Steve rested his forehead against Eddie’s, voice shaking, "I wish I could have spent my life with you,” 

It wasn’t fair, none of this shit was fair. They didn’t deserve this, Steve didn’t deserve this. All that fighting, for years, just to die in this pit? 

“The next one,” Eddie managed to gasp out in between his tears, “If there’s anything after this, I’m going to find you, understand me?”

Steve smiled, somehow still managing to look devastatingly beautiful underneath all that filth, and that just made Eddie want to cry harder, “You swear?”

“I swear.”

And then they were kissing, what else could they do? Eddie closed his eyes as their lips met, if he was going to die, he wanted Steve to be the last thing he saw. 

It didn’t take long for the glass to finally shatter, flying in all directions. Eddie could feel the air move, could feel them all scrambling towards them, eager to get the first bite.

He kept his eyes screwed shut, and kissed Steve harder as they both went down. He didn’t want to see it, never wanted to even imagine watching the man he loved be torn apart. 

He felt long teeth sink into his ribs, the pain sharp and stinging. He waited for the next bite, heart in his throat as he tried to mentally prepare to be eaten alive, again.

But then…nothing. He could hear the sound of bodies falling over each other, the scrape of talons on the tile, but that was all. Seconds passed, enough time for Eddie to snap his eyes open, in disbelief that he was still in one piece. He clutched at Steve, relief flooding him when he was staring back. He was bleeding from a scratch on the head from their fall, and a monster had sunk their teeth into his calf, deep but not deep enough where he couldn’t walk.

Dozens of bodies surrounded them, and besides the two limp creatures they had to pry away from their skin, none had gotten the chance to reach them. They both clung together as they looked around. The things weren’t just dead, they were disintegrating, disappearing into floating dust. 

"W-we're not dead?" Steve asked out loud, like he couldn’t really believe it, “Holy shit, we aren’t dead!”

Eddie could barely believe it either, but on the off chance this was some near death hallucination, he wasn’t going to waste it. He grabbed Steve’s face, kissing every dirty inch of it, “I love you, I love you, I love you.”

“I love you too,” Steve gasped out, somewhere between a laugh and a sob,“Are you okay?” 

Eddie nodded, ignoring the oozing bite on his side. In comparison to what could have happened, that was nothing. They helped each other up, both a bit wobbly from blood loss and still shocked at the fact they survived.

They heard them before they saw them, footsteps getting louder and louder from the hallway. He could hear Will talking into the walkie, probably trying to calm Dustin down, “We’re going now!” 

The group rounded the corner, all of them looking worse for wear, but they were all there, and that’s what mattered. 

“They’re alive! I told you they would be fine!” Will’s face didn’t match the confidence in his voice, the kid looked like he was ten seconds away from crying in relief, and the rest weren’t far behind. Eddie wasn’t quite sure, but he could almost swear he heard Dustin and Robin sobbing through the receiver with the rest of them, a few insults mixed in with their happy tears. 

They told them everything on the way to the hospital. El won, all of them lived, and the hell known as the Upside Down was gone for good. There were some more details in there, sure, but Eddie wasn’t listening fully, too busy being grateful to be alive and trying to wrap up Steve’s leg in the back of the van.

He got the broad strokes, what else did he need? 

The hospital was a mess, but by some miracle there were enough beds for everyone. Half of them had to stay overnight, the other half longer, but they were all still alive, somehow. 

It was hours later, Eddie was sitting up in his hospital bed, staring out the window. He couldn’t really sleep without Steve on a good day, but on the day they almost died together? No shot. Even if he was fully aware that everything, and everyone was fine, Eddie was stuck, staring into nothingness. 

He missed Steve, which was stupid considering he’d seen him an hour ago, but he still did. He wondered what he was doing now, only a few rooms away, and he wondered even more if he could get away with sneaking to his room. The staff was beyond busy, maybe no one would notice?

Eddie startled when he heard a knock on his door, too lost in thought with his silly plans. It was late, and the nurses didn’t knock. He perked up a little, already hopeful for it could be, "Come in?"

He grinned as he watched Steve slip inside, still in his own hospital gown. He limped over to the bed, sitting on the edge with an apologetic smile,"Did I wake you?"

“Not even a little,” Eddie said, deciding that he was too far away. He grabbed for his arm, mindful of his bandages, as he pulled him into his lap, his favorite place to be, “You’ve ruined me Harrington, I can’t sleep without you anymore.”

Steve gave a quiet laugh, relaxing in Eddie’s arms, “Me either.”

His presence was like a magic switch had been flipped, and suddenly Eddie could feel the exhaustion from the last forty-eight hours seep in. He kept Steve close to his chest, avoiding his side as he laid them down, one on top of the other. 

Eddie kept a hand in Steve’s hair, playing with the strands as they whispered to each other, “Hate being away from you.”

Steve smiled, pressing his mouth to Eddie’s collarbone in a half-kiss, too tired to give him the real thing, muttering against him,“Today fucking sucked.”

“It did, didn't it? But there’s nothing but up from here baby.”

Steve hummed against him, his eyes fluttering closed as he whispered, “I love you.”

Eddie would never get tired of hearing that. He’d never get tired of saying it. Here he was, a drug-dealing, high-school dropout who had almost been eaten alive twice, who had Steve Harrington love him. 

It made him feel like the luckiest man on the planet. 

He was still petting Steve’s hair, tired but a touch too happy to fall asleep yet,“Y’know, I had a big romantic plan for telling you that for the first time.”

Steve opened up one eye, peering up at Eddie with sleepy interest, “Really?”

“Mmhm, I was going to make you dinner-”

Steve tried to hold in, but a laugh still managed to slip out,“You were going to make me dinner?

Eddie rolled his eyes, the guy knew him too well, “Okay, I was going to pay Nancy to make you dinner and take credit for it.”

Steve grinned, both eyes open now as he listened,“Go on.”

“I was gonna pack it up, drive us out to Lover’s Lake at night, do some stargazing. There’s supposed to be a meteor shower in a few weeks, was gonna do it then. Adds to the romance.”

Eddie omitted the part where he was going to wish for Steve to say it back, ready to take up superstitions he didn’t even believe in for a chance for this man to love him. He went on, his voice dropping the slightest bit, “Would have brought a bunch of blankets and pillows, make the van all comfy before I fucked you nice and slow.”

Steve licked his lips, cheeks pink as he stared up at him, lovestruck, "And then what?”

“Was gonna wait right before you came. You always make the prettiest face when you’re on the verge, I’d be able to tell. Was gonna whisper it in your ear, watch as it sunk in while you fell over the edge,” Eddue kissed the top of his head, teasing, “But then you had to ruin it with your near death confession.”

Steve gave a small laugh at that, but he was breathing a little faster, clutching onto Eddie a little tighter as he spoke, “You know…if I were you, I wouldn’t let that plan go quite yet.”

Eddie smirked, “No?”

“Nope. In fact, consider this a verbal contract. You have to do it now."

“If you insist.”

“I really, really do.”

They grinned at each other like idiots, the exhaustion of the day finally doing them both in. Now that he had Steve tucked next to him, Eddie was more than ready to let sleep take them away. He was so close to passing out he almost didn’t hear it, Steve whispering into his skin, “I still like our version more.”

Eddie smiled, answering before finally letting sleep take him, “Me too.”

[imaginmatrix]

Hiiiiii just for fun I thought I’d show some irl examples of how imagine the characters in aoyaom— as always this is about ✨vibes✨ only, I don’t really think of these as “face claims” or EXACTLY how I think they’d look, but certain features capture a tangential feeling of you get me?

Anyway, here are the candidates for Academia’s Next Top Models— imagine them as slightly more realistically pretty, whatever that means? Like these same people pictured, but without a team of skin and hair and makeup artists and a lot of money for whatever treatments or physical alterations they want. People who would make you double take if you passed them on the street, but don’t look like they stepped out of an Instagram filter. Anyway.

Spoilers for aoyaom ahead!

Annabeth Chase

Pictured: Tetiana Kizko, Dorit Revelis (but older lol— maybe Annabeth in college?), Morgan Crabtree, and Julie Hocke

Honestly for her, I just focused on hair hair hair. But also I need her to have features that are like Percy said in the epilogue: soft or sharp depending on lighting and mood and stuff. But towards the beginning of the story, she’d probably look a bit more haggard and worn down than this— I imagine circles under the eyes, her poor hair heat styled smooth, and just a constant scowl on her face that makes some people (like Becky) just not notice how pretty she is at first (not Percy tho. He noticed right away.)

Luke Castellan

Pictured: Leif Stacey, Rudi Dollmayer, and Danny Smith

At first I was like “what does near 40/already 40 year old Luke even look like?!?!” because when I wrote most of aoyaom, the oldest I saw him in my head was like. 30. Similar vibes to how I pictured him in the og series as a kid (except he was barely over TWENTY in those, GOD) but then I found a photo of Leif Stacey specifically and went “oh that’s him.” A guy who’s clearly older, but young woman would still find him REALLY attractive. Charming, put together, chiseled, does good work in education, but also a total secret scumbag in one particular area— 😬 ……. I would probably be in the same position as Annabeth if I were a freshman in college, because I’m very dumb!

Percy Jackson

Pictured:

Okay listen. I. Hate. Looking for real life men who remind me of fully-adult Perseus Jackson. I hate it. None of them ever have the right vibe for me!

Evans Nikopoulos is maybe the closest? Maybe????

And Arthur Gosse is in there I think??? But I’m not even sure he’s a good fit either— idk he looks like a different man in every photo I see of him and I can’t figure out if there’s just 2 different models with this name or what!!! who even are these people? Heck if I know! Whenever I find a dark haired man on Pinterest, for all I can tell his name is Damien Alexander Ebony Dark’ness Dementia Raven Way and he only exists in wattpad’s very own “The Alpha’s Maître d’: Part Seven of the Lust Devourer Mafia Werewolf Fated Mates Cycle Part 2 Chapter 12” or whatever WATTPAD LOVES THEIR DARK HAIRED BOYS!!!!! PINTEREST’S DARK HAIRED MAN SELECTION IS ONLY POPULATED WITH WATTPAD FACE CLAIMS!!!!!!! Finding the names of these men is a total nightmare!!!!!!!

Mike Pishek is there too. I seriously labored in the Pinterest mines, and then there’s only like one specific photo of each of these men that feels like “Percy” ish to me

I think one of them is Daniel Illescas. I don’t know anymore.

Percy is just HARD because you need a guy who is intense, but can clearly be silly and have a good sense of humor and a mischievous twinkle in his eye, who can be flirty then smoldering, but then is incredibly good natured but a bit of a rebel— I hate this man there’s a reason he doesn’t exist. I never want to look at skinny pretty people on Pinterest ever again.

I was planning on doing more, but then…

Piper. Oh my GOD Piper. If I thought trying to find “Percy vibes” was hard… that’s just a whole dark haired white man. There’s trillions of those. I was trying to find a Native American woman who was specifically of Cherokee descent for Piper, and I spent almost 7 hours scouring the internet for literally any actress or model who could fit, and I’m pretty sure I’ve just. Completely lost my mind. And it certainly doesn’t help that so many results are just… disgusting displays of stereotypes!!! Maybe I wasn’t using the right search terms in google, but GOD it was just. A nightmare. It’s dire out there. I knew it would be but. I gave myself such a migraine trying to do her justice. I found ONE woman who was a model I think? In the 90s? There are so many beautiful Native American actors and models and people, yet it’s still like this! And maybe it would be fine to just use any indigenous women, as long as they’re from a tribe, but I don’t want to treat them interchangeably I guess— I don’t knooooow anyway that whole search gave me a temporary eye Twitch and destroyed any remaining dregs of my hope in society, and killed my will to keep finding examples for other characters, but I will absolutely try again!!! She deserves it!!!!!!

Anyway let me know who you’d like to see. Hopefully I will not have another breakdown. It’s probably fine.