#but this game is like. 7 years old so. uh

[sanpape]

Honestly the cut scene where nishiki drives kiryu out of kamuricho to the woods to escape the dojima clan was probably the most emotional a cut scene has ever made me. That swell of emotion was dampened mildly when kiryu decided to steal nishiki's car.

He really went l+ratio+i'd be nothing without + we'll always be blood brothers+ but not really+ I'm stealing your car.

[sludgeguzzler]

i really love all these aesthetic things ab going back to the late 2000s and early 2010s bc it makes me think about all the good stuff i did as a kid

[holydramon]

got to chapter 8 (which I believe is where things diverge)!! anyway popping the biggest bottles cause all my theories regarding haru and miyuki have been proven correct so far.

[chaotic-mystery]

Pairing: Joel Miller x f!reader (one shot)

Summary: Joel forgets date night and has guys night instead, which makes you act out. Joel isn’t too happy and has to punish you in the best way he knows how.

Content Warnings: SMUT 18+ MDNI! Mean!joel, swearing, arguing, brat tamer! If you squint, drinking, teasing Joel, a slight comment about cheating but would never, rough!joel, spanking,choking,spitting, manhandling, sir!kink, unprotected p in v, orgasm denial, pet names (little girl, little one, baby doll, Joel calls you a crazy bitch oNCE, etc) power dynamic, big girthy age gap (not specified but enough to where you call him old man) slight bullying of peepaw for forgetting stuff, rough sex. Let me know if I’m missing anything!

Word Count: 3K

This is 1000% based on this gif @worhols sent me 🖤 love u Becca

Even though your Saturday morning was filled with a shift at work, you couldn’t wait to get home to see your man and take all afternoon to get ready for your date at 7. Date night was far and in between now for you two, so some fun outside the house was what you were needing. Your key entered the lock on the front door and turned, pushing the door open to music echoing from the basement. 

The kitchen counter was covered in beer boxes and bottles of liquor, chips, and Joel’s case of poker. What the fuck?

“Joel, honey?” You called out and you could hear the thumping on the basement stairs from his boots getting louder as he got closer to the main floor. 

“Hey baby doll, what’s up? How was work?” The back of his hand wipes his forehead slowly, gathering all the sweat off of him. The look on your face was so telling that something was bothering you. 

“Work was fine, uh I’m wondering why there’s shit all over the counter like you’re going to have guys night in the basement?” You crossed your arms across your chest and met his eyes, his jaw slowing the gum chewing down as he thought carefully of what to say next. 

“Beeecause we’re playing poker tonight in the basement…” It came out more as like a question and then it became apparent to you he completely forgot about your date night. 

You pinch the bridge of your nose and close your eyes, “Joel…we were supposed to have a date tonight..did you not remember?”

For such a tan man, you didn’t think he could turn so pale with shock. His hands met his hips and he sighed, looking down at his boots. 

“Darlin’ listen I- I’m sorry I forgot we had plans. Tommy asked if we could do it here and it slipped my mind about date night tonight.” Those beautiful brown eyes found yours once more and made your body shiver with sadness and anger. “How did you forget when I’ve been reminding you all week? Jesus Christ, you don’t listen to me, old man.” You turned and started to take off your jacket, not wanting to say anymore than what you already have. 

“Watch your fuckin’ tone with me little girl. I already told you I was sorry, what more do you want me to do?”

“Nothing, Joel. I don’t want you to do anything except go down there and have a fun time with your friends and play your stupid fucking game. I should ask one of them to take me out because if you can’t remember a simple date, maybe they can show me a better time.” The smartass tone was dripping off your words and it only heated the situation more.

“What the hell did you just say?” His head cocked to the side to make sure he heard you correctly. The smirk on your face only made him more irritated and he was just about to ask you to repeat yourself when he was cut off by the doorbell ringing.

“Saved by the bell, go figure.” You muttered at him and went to open the door leaving Joel standing there in a mix of emotions. You’d never in a million years date his friends but you just wanted to get a rise from him. It was only fair he was in a shitty mood after putting you in one.

You greeted them all with small ‘hellos’ and smiles, Tommy engulfing you in a hug. 

“Are you playin’ poker with us tonight sweetheart?” He asks as he releases you from his arms, walking to Joel and hits his arm lightly. Joel is still clearly caught off guard from your snappy digs and doesn’t say anything to anyone. 

“Oh, no. No poker for me. Joel forgot to mention it to me, guess that age is starting to catch up to him, huh?” You joke, putting the clean dishes away that were still in the strainer. All the guys laugh and Tommy nudges Joel right in his side with a stupid grin on his face. 

“You just gonna take that from her? Man you’re soft now.” He says to Joel and laughs again. Joel looks up at you and burns imaginary holes into your back from staring so hard. “S’alright, she’s jus’ being a brat right now. Why don’t you guys grab the shit from the counter and we’ll start soon?” Joel asks and nods to the countertop in front of you as you stand against the cabinets and squint at him. They grab the stuff and start to head down, a few of them and Tommy hanging back to wait for Joel. 

He walks to you and grabs your wrist by your hip and squeezes it, whispering in your ear, “Knock it off. Now.” 

You snatch your wrist from him and he places a rough kiss on your cheek, barely pressing his lips to your skin. He was pissed off at you for even entertaining that stupid idea of you and his friends to him. 

“Yes, sir.” He clocked your sarcasm instantly and glared at you. Your eyes met his only for a moment as he turned around on his heel and headed to the basement. With a short moment he disappears down the stairs and you’re left sulking in your emotions. This wasn’t the first time he forgot date night, this was actually the fourth. If Joel thought he could start to get comfortable and not put in so much effort for taking you out anymore, boy did he have another thing coming. 

“Fuckin’ asshole.” you mumble to yourself and clean up the mess he left of grocery bags and receipts. 

After about an hour cleaning up the main floor and having to listen to Joel's laugh carry up the stairs and into your ears, you had enough. If he wanted to play, you could play too.

Going to your shared bedroom, you start going through his closet and grab one of his old white t-shirts he had made up for work years ago. Their logo on the back left more room in the front to see everything under it. Slipping on your shortest pajama shorts and hiking them up just under your ass, you giggled at yourself in the mirror and almost changed your mind when you noticed your dress hanging in your closet that you planned to wear tonight. With the sunset slowly turning blue for the night, that burning fire in you started to reignite. 

You make your way slowly down the steps with the laundry basket tucked into your side, clearly your excuse to even go down there. The men were circled around the table, music still blaring and the string lights glittering the ceiling. “No no no, so then I told her to stop usin’ her teeth, it-” You cleared your throat and Tommy shut up quickly, turning around to face you. Joel didn’t even bother to look up until they greeted you, much different than earlier now that you were half dressed. His eyes were zeroed on on your body, his nostrils flared and the cards being held in his hands slowly started to bend. 

“Don’t mind me, just here to do some laundry before I go to bed.” That was a bold face lie. Joel knew you weren’t going to sleep. He also knew you weren’t down here to do laundry, you hated doing laundry. 

“All good, girl. You’re no bother to us.” James said, the one who had been eyeing you since you tiptoed down here. 

You opened the dryer to empty it in the laundry basket, bending over more and more with each scoop inside to get clothes out. Joel coughed loudly when he noticed what you were doing and it made you jump, not expecting him to be so obnoxious with it. “You doin’ alright baby? Need another beer?” You ask a little too sweetly and he doesn’t blink once when you meet his gaze after standing up straight, a stupid smirk forming on your lips.

“Sure, f’you wanna get me one.” He grumbled. 

You wandered over to the small fridge in the corner with a piece of clothing tucked under your arm and grabbed a beer, walking over to him and cracking it open for him. He leaned to one side to really look at you, noticing that shitty grin plastered all over your face. 

“What kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn’t do nice things for you, baby?” You rhetorically asked and folded the pair of panties you shoved under your arm just a second ago. Everyone's eyes fell onto what little fabric there was of the bejeweled thong that said ‘Angel’ on the front.

Joel was shooting daggers at you and you knew how much you were getting under his skin at this point. You took a seat on his lap and looked at his cards, not once looking at him. “All in” James says as he pushes his chips to the middle and his eyes wander up your chest. James was older than Joel and not that good looking. It wasn’t surprising he took a liking to you since he’s cheated on his wife three times now. The other guys were out and it was just between Joel and James. Ironic. 

“You’re bluffin’ you sorry bastard.” Joel chuckles and lays down his cards, straight flush. 

James groaned and tossed his cards in the middle and you looked to see a full house. You jump off Joel's lap and bounce up and down cheering for him, genuinely happy he won. What you forgot about was your boobs were also bouncing up and down. “Alright, that’s it. Guys, I���ll be back in a second. Start over without me and don’t you fuckin’ steal any chips from me.” He states and grabs the laundry basket off the ground, your arm in his other hand and drags you up the stairs. Fuck. Too far.

He marches up all the way to your room and tosses you facedown on the bed, panting from anger. “What the fuck was that, little one? Hm?” You don’t move as he rips off your shorts to expose the white panties covering your ass. 

“What? I was just having fun, Joel.” You snap back and brush your hair from your face to look at him. His jaw clenched together as he nodded once, rubbing the stubble on his chin. 

“Ya know baby, somethin’ just tells me that isn’t the complete truth.“You wanted male attention so bad you were whorin’ yourself around down there in front of anyone who’d look at you for 5 fuckin’ seconds.” His belt was beginning to come undone and you knew what was going to happen. “Joel..baby, please I’m sorry I-”

“Shut your fuckin’ mouth. Stay still. Since I’m such an old man and can’t remember jack shit, count for me baby. If you fuck up, I’ll start over.” He straddles the back of your thighs and moves your panties up out of the way, smacking your ass hard. 

“O-one.” A grunt leaves his mouth after you start counting. His big hand comes down again, smacking the same spot, already red. You gasp and squeeze your eyes shut, whimpering at the pain.

“Two-o.” Your voice shutters. 

Joel’s hand collides with your ass cheek once more. “You’ll learn one of these times not to be a smart ass to me, baby doll.”

“Fuck, Joel- three.” You can feel the welt starting to form. 

You can hear him laughing behind you as he anchors you to the bed more, the pain making your ears ring. Joel spanks you again, the roughest he’s done it yet. 

Your mouth drops in agony and tears start to fall down your face. 

“F-fou-r.” The silent sobs slowly start to leave your lips. 

His other hand comes by your face and ever so gently wipes the tears spilling from your pretty eyes and down your cheeks.

“Cryin’ won’t get you out of this baby girl. You wanted to act like a badass, take the punishment that follows. Got it?”

You couldn’t muster up anything other than, “Y-yes.” 

“Yes, what? Say it.” 

You swallowed harshly and took a deep breath before answering.

“Yes, sir.” 

The hot sensation on your ass cheek was spreading all over your body, the sting from his hand cracking your flesh again made you wince, begging for him to stop. 

“Ahh-five.” You seemed to have been losing your voice, only able to squeak out the number rattling in your brain. 

Instead of cracking you again, Joel rubs where he’s been spanking you and groans. 

“Have you learned your lesson you fuckin’ brat? Gonna be a good girl for me now?” He leans down and whispers in your ear.

You lay there still and unable to speak, a small nod was the only way you could answer. Joel reaches in front of your face and clears your vision of your hair and kisses your cheek roughly. “I dunno princess, think I might have to punish you some more.” His evil chuckle vibrated against your cheek as he kissed it again. 

Without a single word more, Joel laid over the top of you with your arms pinned against your back and you began to wiggle. 

“Take this fuckin’ cock baby. You want attention so bad, so stupid for cock, well here it is. Stay still.” He yanks down your panties and spits on his fingers before shoving his hand between your thighs as you squirm, his fingers starting at your soaking wet cunt all the way back to your asshole. 

The pre-cum leaking from the slightly swollen red tip was spread around the head before Joel rammed his cock so far inside your aching entrance. You mule out and he covers your mouth roughly, yanking you against his chest. 

“Shut the fuck up, they don’t need to know how good I fuck you. Shut that pretty mouth up before I put it to use.” He growls and starts to thrust inside you, ramming into your cervix in no time. The rough hold on your mouth makes your cries and moans so muffled but just audible enough for Joel to hear. 

“So damn wet for me princess, knew you like when I spank ya like that. Such a nasty little thing f’me. Think those assholes downstairs could fuck you like I do?” A rough kiss against your neck makes your eyes roll back and whine out, needing him to split you open from the inside. His calloused hand still covers your mouth and you shake your head in disagreement. 

“Use your big girl words baby.” Joel grunts and uncovers your mouth, grabbing your waist roughly and thrusts into you harder. 

You whimper and bite your lip and tilt your head back, looking deep into his dark brown eyes that were hungry for you. “No, sir. I don’t think they could ever fuck me the way you do. Your big fucking dick ramming into me and making me scream while you try to fit the whole thing inside me.” You could see your words were getting him somewhere, a small smirk tugging on the corner of his mouth. 

He digs his fingers into the skin on your hip more and pounds into you, his skin smacking against yours. Joel was a grunter and wow did it turn you on. His teeth clenched, he moans your name and cusses at the end of it, tossing his head back to keep himself together. 

“I would’ve taken you right on that damn poker table and made you suck my cock in front of them if you woulda kept it up baby. You wanna act like a whore in front of ‘em, I’ll treat you like one. Would you’ve wanted to suck my cock with them watchin’?” He asks, pinching your nipple under his work shirt that was stuck to your body. 

“I would’ve done whatever you wanted, sir. I promise, sir I will do anything for you.”

He growls and bites your earlobe teasingly before licking it and the shell of your ear.

“You’re a crazy little bitch for me aren’t ya?”

“I-I’m so close sir, fuck don’t stop.” You whine and he shoves your head down into the bed, groaning loudly. 

“No baby, bad girls don’t get to cum. You better not or I’ll spank you harder than before. D’you want me to spank you much harder than the last time, angel?” Your body was aching to cum, the mascara you applied hours ago now smeared and running down your cheeks. 

“No, sir.” The tears pricking your eyes as you could feel your orgasm just sitting in your stomach wanting to be released all over Joel’s cock. 

He groans louder and pushes your head down to keep still while he drives his cock balls deep in you, slowing up as he’s bracing himself for the end of his fun. 

Joel gives your ass a few more good smacks and you have to squeeze your legs shut to keep yourself from cumming. He wasn’t fair for making you hold it, he liked seeing you helpless. 

“Gonna fill this little pussy full so you don’t forget who you belong to, you got that?” His hand wraps around your throat as he engulfs you in his arms, fucking you sloppy until he’s panting like a dog in your ear. “Fuck baby doll-fuck- I’m gonna-a cum-ah-fuc-” Joel’s hot stream shoots inside you as he grunts loudly, grabbing a handful of your hair in the midst of fucking his load deep in your hole. 

Your pussy squelches and you can feel your clit just screaming to get some attention, some relief. Joel's breaths regulate once more and he lays there behind you kissing your shoulder and back softly. “Maybe next time you won’t be a brat huh?” He chuckles and gets up to go to the bathroom, wetting a washcloth for you. He cleans you up and your eyes get heavy, sleep creeping up on you. Joel kisses your forehead, whispering in your ear, “Get some rest baby. I’ll be back up soon. Maybe I’ll let you cum then.” 

[cloudybarnes]

ex best friend

Pairing: Draco Malfoy x Slytherin!reader

Summary: when you were younger, Draco was your best friend. some years had passed, and the two of you had found yourselves estranged. one day, after a lost quidditch game for the Slytherin team, you find yourself drawn to Draco once again, hopeful to see where things had gone wrong for you two

Word Count: 1.8k+

Masterlist

✰  ✰  ✰

“Go Harry! Go Ron!” You shouted. Hermione cheered, clapping as loudly as she could. 

The first Quidditch match of the season. Ron was doing amazing as goalkeeper, and Harry was whizzing through the stadium on the hunt for the golden snitch. 

They were playing against your house, Slytherin. Even though you were a slytherin, that didn’t mean you necessarily had to root for them. You were best friends with the Golden Trio. Even though you were Slytherin, you always stood up for them against the rest of your house which led to them becoming your best friends. 

“Look!” Hermione shouted, “Harry’s almost got it!” 

Harry and Draco were going head to head for the snitch, but Harry was just that much closer to catching it. All of the sudden, Harry fist wrapped around the snitch. The Gryffindor section exploded with cheers and applause. You and Hermione jumped out of your seats. 

“Let’s go!” Someone around you shouted. 

Hermione wildly clapped her hands as the Gryffindor team surrounded Harry in cheers and laughter. “Come on,” she urged, pulling you down the bleachers, “let’s go catch up with them.”

You chuckled, and followed her down the bleachers and out of the stadium where you would wait for Ron and Harry. 

As you walked out, you couldn’t help but notice Draco coming out as well. He seemed to be the first from the Slytherin team to leave the stadium. Almost as if sensing you stare, he looked up and made direct eye contact with you. 

You and Draco had been best friends your first two years at Hogwarts. When you were younger, everything seemed to be easier. Draco had been quite mean to Hermione, Ron, and Harry, and as a result, you grew apart from him. 

Still, you couldn’t help but care for Draco. You remembered how sweet he had always been to you, how close you guys were, and how many nights you two would sneak out to the halls to cause mischief together. Quite honestly, you miss him. While you love being friends with the Gryffindors, Draco had been your best friend, and it sucked not being close to him any longer. 

“Hermione,” you said, “I’ll catch up with you guys in a little bit. Are we still gonna study for the potions exam, later?”

Hermione glanced over your shoulder, then looked back at you with a bit of a worrisome face. “Yeah, we can meet in the library around 7. Are you, uh, gonna have a chat with Draco?”

Hermione was the only one who knew you missed your friendship with Draco. While she never really understood it, what with him being so rude to her, she never made you feel bad about missing him. 

You hadn’t really talked to Draco all that much in the past year, just some small things here and there, but not like you used to. 

“Yeah, I think I’m gonna try.” You gave her a small smile and turned back toward where you had last seen Draco. He was walking away from the stadium towards an old cherry blossom tree the two of you used to conspire under. 

Your heart swelled a little. You really did miss him, and seeing him in a place so familiar to you and to your friendship brought a wave of sadness over you. You took off in stride to catch up with him. 

Draco sat under the tree, watching you as you approached. 

A little awkwardly, you sat down next to him and leaned against the large trunk of the tree. You cleared your throat, “I saw the game. You put up a good fight.”

He shook his head, his hair falling slightly into his eyes. “Yeah, I’m sure you were just so devastated when Potter caught the snitch instead of me.” The sarcasm reeked from his lips, but he didn’t seem angry. He sounded quite the opposite. You weren’t sure if he was sad or just felt defeated. It was a strange look from him; one you hadn’t had the privy of seeing from him. 

“Just because I root for Gryffindor on occasion, doesn’t mean I enjoy seeing you lose. I’m still Slytherin, I still have house pride.” 

Draco scoffs at that. “You haven’t had house pride in a long time, (Y/N).”

Your eyebrows raised in surprise. “Ouch, Draco. Going straight for my throat, huh?”

He just shook his head and looked away, staring off into the distance. The breeze picked up, shaking the leaves of the tree, causing a few to fall at your feet. 

“Dray,” you said softly. Draco’s eyes dart to your face. His mouth hung open ever so slightly at the nickname you used to call him. “What’s going on with you? You’ve never been one to sit around and sulk.”

He shrugged. “I guess there’s a first for everything.”

“I don’t believe that. The Draco I know wouldn’t have come out here in disappointment. He would have stormed to the common room and figured out exactly where he went wrong to ensure he beat those pesky Gryffindors the next time.”

Draco chuckled. “Weird hearing you call the Gryffindors ‘pesky’. You’ve always been so kind to everyone, no matter their house.”

You shrugged with a soft smile. “You must be rubbing off on me, then.”

He shook his head. “Not sure that that’s such a good thing, (Y/N/N).” 

Your heart melted at the use of your old nickname. Draco was the only one to ever call you that, and when you stopped talking, your nickname died with your friendship. You couldn’t help but think about what used to be with Draco. 

“What happened to us, Dray? How did we grow so far from each other?”

Draco rubbed his hands down his face, like he was nervous. “You’re not like any other Slytherin I know, (Y/N). Sure, you’re cunning, you can be clever at times, and as I recall, you’re quite the prankster.” He smirked. “The rest of us, though, can be quite mean and outright nasty at times. You’re not like that at all. I guess when you started to become friends with Potter and started to stick up for them, I kind of realized how different we were.”

“So my being friends with them caused us to stop being friends?” You couldn’t believe it. You knew that by sticking up for them, it caused a drift between you and Draco, but you didn’t want to think you had been ostracized because of it. 

“It’s not just that.” Draco sighed. He looked into your eyes, and you could see something swirling within them. It looked a lot like regret and sorrow. He seemed to struggle to get his next words out. “I felt like… like I wasn’t good enough for you. Don’t get me wrong, I’m better than Potter and his group of ragdoll friends in a lot of ways. I think just not in the way that you needed.”

You didn’t know what to think. You stared at him, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Draco, you’re gonna have to explain it to me better.”

He growled in frustration. “Just forget it, (Y/N). This was stupid. I don’t even know why I came over here.”

He went to stand up, but you grabbed onto his hand and held him in place. Draco’s head whipped to gape at you. 

“Don’t do that, Draco. We were friends long enough for me to know what’s going on. Don’t shut me out, because I really just can’t do this again.” Your voice quivered slightly. “You might not realize this, but it broke my heart when we stopped being friends, Dray. You weren’t just my friend, you were my best friend. I never imagined we would end up the way we are now, barely speaking to each other, very curt, very much like acquaintances.”

“I’m not like them, (Y/N)!” Draco shouted. He raked his hands through his hair. “I’m not good like them. I don’t see things the way they do, they way you do. I was only going to bring you down, and I couldn’t let that happen. Godric knows I can be awful, but never in my life did I want to see my awfulness rub off onto you. You’re sweet, (Y/N), you’re kind, and you deserved someone kind, someone loyal, someone-”

“I just wanted you, Draco!” 

The words on Draco’s lips silenced as you let out your confession. He stared at you, dumbfounded. “What did you say?”

You huffed. “I just wanted you. If you had explained all of this to me when it went down, I would have told you that you didn’t need to be good. You didn’t need to be anything other than yourself, because I liked you. If I had to choose between you and them, I would have chosen you a thousand times over, Draco. You were always my first choice.”

“You liked me?”

Your cheeks blushed. You tried to shrug your shoulders as if to brush it off. “Yeah. You were my best friend. You were the only person that really understood me. You cared about me. How was I not supposed to like you?”

“And what about now?” Draco asked. “How do you feel about me now?”

Draco placed his hand on top of yours. He leaned in slightly like he was trying to make sure he heard every word you said. 

Your heart pounded in your chest. How did you feel about him? 

“I miss you. I know that.” You confessed. “I know I still think about you. I know I long for the nights where we snuck out of our rooms to see each other. I miss seeing you everyday. Sometimes I feel like-”

His lips were soft. 

Draco’s mouth moved slowly against yours, like he was afraid if he pressed too hard it would break the intimacy of what was happening. You kissed him back gently, slowly guiding your hand up to the blonde of his hair. 

Draco softly ran his fingers up your arm to your back where he held onto you. 

Kissing Draco felt like the easiest thing in the world. It felt like nothing you’ve ever experienced before.

When Draco pulled away, you could see the biggest grin adorning his face. His cheeks were slightly pink, and his eyes shined like no tomorrow. “I’ve wanted to do that for a long time, (Y/N/N). You don’t know how much I’ve missed you, or how much I wished something like this would happen between us.”

You giggled, your own cheeks turning shades of pink. “You know, if you hadn’t lost that Quidditch match, we probably wouldn’t have been here right now.”

Draco chuckled, and pulled you close to wrap you in his arms. Softly, he whispered, “I’d lose every Quidditch match if it meant we could always be like this.”

“You don’t have to lose any matches, Draco. I’m not going anywhere ever again.”

[nixii-sabre]

ask thing or whatever

iu have done 0 research but have seen this like once in the past year so uh

send me a number in my inbox according to the question and I will answer. people can reblog this and have your followers do the same ig

rainworld ask game. rainworld related. in case you are wondering. here. below the cut. yuh.

1 - What's your favorite slugcat ship, if any?

2 - Favorite iterator ship, if any?

3 - What's your favorite slugcat?

4 - Favorite iterator?

5 - How tall do you headcanon the average ancient to be?

6 - What's your favorite campaign- gameplay/lore-wise?

7 - Favorite in-game creature?

8 - Favorite lizard?

9 - What's your favorite Rainworld OC of yours?

10 - Favorite rainworld OC of someone else'?

11 - Who's your least favorite of your RW OCs?

12 - If your Rainworld OCs could play video games, what would be each of their favorites?

13 - Do any of your RW OCs have any pets?

14 - Opinion on modern au's?

15 - Favorite in-game item?

16 - Do you like the base game or DLC better?

17 - What are your RW OC's favorite colors?

18 - How old do you headcanon Slugcats live up to?

19 - are you yeeked up

20 - What types of voices would your RW OCs have?

[dudeitiskarev]

Maybe Someday | Ch. 7

A Spencer Reid mini-series

Pairing: Spencer Reid x female reader

Chapter summary: you visit Spencer. And Henry.

Tags/warnings: food consumption.

Word count: 1.6k

Author’s note: can you tell I’m bad at summaries

Neither of you mentioned it—the almost-kiss. 

It didn’t make things awkward either, which could only mean it wasn’t that big of a deal. Even when it became all Spencer thought about. 

Day and night he craved having that close to you again; to hold you tight, smell your hair, and inhale you until you became a part of him. 

He missed you, and you didn’t mention the almost kiss, so why would he? Everything was as normal as it ever was. 

Except… that it wasn’t. 

Two weeks went by since the most wonderful moment, a few texts here and there, but he needed to see you. So when he couldn’t handle your silence anymore, he showed up at ‘Moramor’. Your face lit up the same way it did the first time but all you said was ‘Hi, what can I get for you?’ as if he was any other customer. He asked for a cup of coffee with a donut, as usual, and after you placed his order on the counter, he sat at a table for one, as usual. He was the only customer that morning while he was there but you didn’t go sit with him for a few minutes, as you usually did during slow mornings. You only glanced at him every once in a while and tore your eyes off him when you made eye contact. That wasn’t like you, he admitted, and part of him wanted to walk up to you and talk to you about it. But he didn’t. He left the cafe with a tight-lipped smile, a wave of a hand, and an empty chest yet full of things he needed to say. 

That night, the only person he had to talk to was a two-year-old toddler. 

“I probably shouldn’t tell you all this,” Spencer said to Henry. 

He’d agreed to babysit Henry for the night while JJ and Will went out for a very much-needed date. Henry was an easy kid to look after, so once Spencer gave him his dinner—sweet potato puree—they sat on the floor over the playmat JJ brought.

“I’m sorry I don’t have a TV for you, but I got you this chessboard the other day.” Spencer opened a small box. “It has flat cardboard pieces for your safety but this way you can familiarize yourself with the game until you’re old enough to play with actual pieces,” he explained, displaying the game. 

It seemed boring now that he had opened it. Still, Henry showed interest and immediately brought one piece to his mouth.

“Okay.” Spencer gently took the piece from him.

“Uh-oh,” Henry babbled. 

“Yeah, uh-oh,” Spencer chuckled. 

His house phone rang, making him stretch his body just enough to reach it while still sitting down. “Hello?” 

“Hey, you’re home.” That was your voice on the other line. His heart began to race.

“Y-yeah, I’m home.” He played with the cord. 

“Good because I’m outside your door. Open up.”

His mouth was left open as you hung up before Spencer could reply. 

“Looks like we have a visitor, Henry.” Spencer stood up rather quickly but gathered himself so he wouldn’t look too excited. He put the long front pieces of his hair behind his ears and adjusted the tie around his neck. He walked to the door, never losing sight of Henry, and opened the door for you. “Hey.”

You opened your mouth to greet him back, and your eyes went past his shoulder, widening. “Hey, there’s… a kid in your living room.” 

“I’m babysitting for the night.”

You quirked a brow. “You have a side job?” 

“No?” he laughed, stepping aside for you to walk in. “I don’t think I need a side job. And even if I did, I doubt I’d choose babysitting. That’s Henry, my godson.”

“Oh.” You took a step back. “ I should’ve called earlier. I’m so sorry. I can go.”

You had a take-out bag in one hand from your favorite Chinese food restaurant.

“No! No, come in, please.” He opened the door all the way. “We uh, we were just playing some chess. We— we would love your company, actually.” 

And by we he meant himself, of course. Henry had no idea who you were but once he met you, Spencer was sure he’d love your company too. 

“Are you sure? Because I can go.” You insisted, your eyes darting from Henry to Spencer. “We can hang out some other day when you’re not too busy.”

“Not busy. Just… with a toddler.” Spencer chuckled.

“Oh, okay.” You walked in hesitantly but made yourself comfortable anyway, taking off your shoes by the door. “Have you eaten? I brought some Chinese.”

“I was starving, actually. I don’t know why I didn’t think of making myself some food before JJ dropped him off.” 

You made your way to his kitchen, Spencer right behind you.

“I’ve got it.” You smiled. 

Okay, Spencer nodded and picked up Henry to sit with him on the couch.

“Are you looking after him all night?” Spencer could get a glimpse of you from there, moving around the kitchen as if it were your own. The sounds of plates and silverware being placed over the counter brought an odd warmth to his place, making it seem like it wasn’t made for someone to live alone.

His stomach rumbled. “I don’t think so, no. They dropped him off two hours ago. They’re usually gone for four hours,” he explained. “I also usually go to their place but this time JJ asked if she could bring him here. I don’t know why.”

You walked to him with the plates, placing them over the coffee table. “Probably because they intend to make another baby after their date,” you casually said, licking the tip of your finger clean.

“Oh.” Spencer's lips turned downward. “Didn’t think of it that way. Now we’re… traumatized.” He looked at Henry whose blinks were slowing down while looking at you.

“Sorry,” you laughed, taking your first bite. “He’s sleepy,” you smiled, looking back at Henry. 

“Yeah, it’s past his bedtime.”

Yet he fought hard not to fall asleep. Henry was too entertained watching you eat.

It didn’t feel as awkward as Spencer thought it’d be. Maybe because he didn’t allow it by talking nonstop about every little thing that made Henry… Henry.

“You’re a natural,” you commented.

“I don’t know why but kids love me,” and just he said that, Henry stretched his arms towards you. 

“Well, they love me, too.” You put your empty plate over the table. “C’mere big boy.” You were gentle to take him from Spencer and sat the kid on your lap. He stretched his little arm and caressed your cheek. “Oh, thank you, you’re so gentle,” you said, using a subtle baby voice.

Spencer’s chest swelled at the sight, and just like Henry, he stayed looking at you. 

“What?” You frowned at him.

“Nothing,” he merely said, shaking his head. “It’s just… you’re a natural, too.”

“I think he’s gonna fall asleep in my arms.” You made yourself comfortable, sitting further back on the couch, and adjusted Henry so he’d be lying down. “I might fall asleep, too.”

He could assume by your work clothes and the subtle undereye bags that you’d picked an extra shift. “That’s okay.” Spencer glanced at his watch and then back at you. You rested your head back and closed your eyes. “JJ should be back in about thirty minutes, so you can sleep if you want.”

You shook your head, glancing back at him, weary-eyed. He wanted to scoot over and hold you and Henry while he stroked your hair and fell asleep in his arms. He almost did, but he held his urges and just gave you a soft scratch on the top of your head and stood up. 

“I… I’m gonna clean this little guy’s mess,” he said. He picked up every toy, packed Henry’s bag, and did the dishes all in eleven minutes, and soon, JJ was knocking at his door.

“Hey, Spence.” She walked in and as soon as she saw you she gave Spencer a knowing look, subtly widening her eyes. 

You were on your way to her already with Henry in your arms. “Hey, I… he just fell asleep on me and I didn’t want to wake him to put him in the stroller.” You sort of apologized, looking down at him. “He seems so cozy.” And there was your subtle baby voice again. 

“It’s perfect. It’s the only way he falls asleep, actually.” JJ reached for Henry and you gently peeled off him until he was gone from your arms. You crossed them over your chest right away. “Will’s waiting for us.” JJ looked up at Spencer. 

“Yeah, I’ll go with you.” Spencer went to get Henry’s bag and hung it over his shoulder. “Hey,” he said to you. “I’ll be right back.”

You only smiled at him and wiggled your fingers goodbye. 

JJ wasted no time while going downstairs. “You’ve never mentioned how pretty she is,” she commented.

“I haven't?”

“I’ve never seen you that nervous around a girl either.”

“Yeah, she’s not any girl.” He was quick to reply. 

It was JJ, and she knew about you. To a certain level.

“Oh?” she raised her brows. 

“What?” he asked without a clue.

“You really like her.”

“Of course I like her.” 

“Does she know you like her?” 

“I think she does.”

JJ stopped in her tracks. “So, what’s stopping you?”

“Stopping me from what?” Spencer frowned. 

“Spence,” she said in an isn’t-it-obvious tone and nudged his arm. “From making her your girlfriend.” That was a question he’d been asking himself, too. And the only answer he came up with as he made it back to his apartment was you.

I hope you liked this chapter!!!! 💖

[ofcowardiceandkings]

companion piece of young Link

AAHH i finally finished something :'D

i've uh had some very specific Thoughts about Zelda's childhood for a while now so its about time i put them to paper - this is actually round TWO since the original doodles are lost to ... somewhere ... i like these second editions better though so alls well that ends well

we're looking at ages around 4, 7 and 10 years old here touchin bugs in the dirt, archery practice, and playing a lyre ;w;

more detailed Thoughts under the cut 💙

iiitssss customary ranting about my BotW/TotK opinions tiiiimeeee welcome my darlingsss jfkdjfkd 💙

i had a much more solid idea about where i was going with Zelda than with Link but some of it is kinda abstract or weird lol

we know a fair amount about her upbringing in general, or can infer as much from Zelda's interactions with her father and what they and people around them wrote. she was clearly a smart and vivacious kid with a strong personality from the start, no matter how much you sort of squash that shit for the public face, repression etc. so yknow, her mother's death when she was 6, awful. her father's change in attitude especially in her teens, awful. being under public scrutiny her whole life, awful. restrictive structure of royal life, dull (i bet it bored Zelda to death at times no matter how strongly duty-oriented she is). having said that though, she got by and just by looking at her study, she clearly got stuff done to herself - you can take the kid away from the science but the science stays with the kid !!!

additionally, forgive me for mentioning ... timelines ... but in my humble onion, BotW/TotK serve as a Dragon-Break scenario which are SO far in the future from other entries that ALL timelines will inevitably converge and lead to that point, so it doesnt matter any more (i dont like extended Timeline theory, Nindooty doesnt like extended Timeline theory, the current writing team seem to want shot of it, let me be). being a history guy i also subscribe to leaning on the LEGEND aspect of 100 and 1000 year games of telephone, it makes things spicy. tradition is a strange thing, we do things we dont have much of a context for anymore, we're still living with the cultural hangovers of people living when mammoths were around and no thats not hyperbole lol its WILD. ive typed around the point enough lets get going

she was a bugs girl !!!! she still IS a bugs girl lmao but if our 16 year old girlie is gonna pounce on frogs apropos of nothing, that 4 year old girlie is gonna go catch bugs in the Royal Gardens and freak out her maids or escorts with them, good for her 💅

the other two are where my timeline thing comes in; the triforce is never mentioned by name, its just there in symbolism ?? something about the blood of the goddess ?? divine sealing powers ??? no one knows in the same vein, i like to think that its traditional for Hylian Princesses to learn archery and play a lyre or harp ... but no one remembers quite WHY ?? so Zelda does. the Priestess-Princess* role means the public is aware that Zelda had formal singing training, but its not really common knowledge outside of the Castle that the Royal Girls do THIS (no one knows why that part is important either, but it stays in the Castle). she might be a little out of practice now, but give that muscle memory enough time and she might be able to really surprise people.

*this is part of the Japanese translation, at least in Kass' final song Zelda is referred to as an term roughly meaning Priestess-Princess - which makes total sense to me

ohhh my god i talked a lot okay i just love my gorl fhjdkfjdk

actual footage of me explaining my shit and going way long

[eddiemunsons80sbaby]

Never Say Never

Chapter 16

Pairing: SingleDad!StevexReader

Summary: You are a 32 year old single mother, raising your seven year old son on your own. After being widowed at 30 and going out on awful dates with disgusting men for the past month, you have decided that you're giving up. You already had your great love. One person can't possibly get lucky enough to have two in their lifetime. But then your son starts playing baseball and the coach might just change your mind about that.

No posting schedule.

18+ only for eventual smut

Word Count: 7.9K

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Two weeks later found you at the baseball diamond for the boys first game of the season. Your group took up an entire section of the bleachers, everyone had showed up to cheer the kids on. You were squeezed between Robin and Janice, Matt on Janice’s other side. In front of you were Dustin, Lucas, Max, Nancy, and Jonathan. Behind you was El, Mike, Will, Nolan, Joyce, Karen, and Hopper. Jeremiah had a literal cheering section that was there for him and it hit you that now, so did Eli. Somehow, the two of you were not only lucky enough to get Steve, but also the entire family that came along with him. 

You caught sight of Judith out of the corner of your eye, walking up, looking more out of place than a string quartet at a toddler’s birthday party. Who showed up to a baseball game in heels and a pantsuit? Judith did. You fought the urge to roll your eyes or hide. Judith’s eyes darted over the bleachers, looking for you, wincing at the raucous ruckus the dad she was standing next to was making as he loudly bragged about his son. 

“Uh-oh…the she-beast has arrived,” muttered Janice, nodding in your mother-in-law’s direction.

“I saw,” you sighed, rising to your feet, waving your hand to make it easier for Judith to find you. There would be no hiding. Sometimes being the responsible adult sucked.

Judith somehow managed to look both annoyed and relieved at the sight of you. Sending one last scathing look toward the oblivious father, she made her way to your section of the bleachers. 

“Judith!” exclaimed Karen, climbing carefully down, opening her arms in welcome. “You’re Eli’s grandmother. I’m Jeremiah’s grandmother. And so is Joyce.” She pointed to the petite woman who was currently holding onto Jonathan’s head to step down.

“So you’re Steve’s mom or are you Steve’s mom?” questioned Judith, her eyes roaming over the two, judgement evident in her eyes. You didn’t have to try too hard to imagine what she must be thinking. Joyce standing there in her baggy jeans and oversized sweatshirt and Karen all done up with bright makeup and a dress that, gasp, stopped above her knees and even showed some cleavage. Oh, the horror. 

Karen laughed, her hand coming to her breast, Judith’s eyes about popping out of her head at the amount of bosom on display. Because heaven forbid a woman had the audacity to dress however she wanted, to be proud of her own body. And honestly, Karen had every right to show off. The woman was stunning. 

“Oh no. Neither of us are. Steve’s parents aren’t really in the picture sadly. I’m Nancy’s mom.” She turned, pointing to the petite brunette who waved with a smile. “Nancy is Jeremiah’s mom.”

“And I’m actually Jonathan’s mom,” Joyce explained, pointing to her son who simply lifted his hand. “He’s Jeremiah’s stepdad but I’ve known Steve since he was just a young kid in high school and he’s practically a son to me. So it feels like I’m his mom, too.”

“Yeah, and I’ve known him just as long because him and Nance met in high school so he kind of feels like a son to me too. The poor boy went from having no mom to multiple moms who are always in his business whether he wants us there or not.”

Joyce shrugged, “Honestly, everyone here is family. Everyone you see behind you are Jere’s aunts and uncles.” They all waved, Dustin and Max a bit more obnoxiously than the rest. “Well, except for Hop. He’s my husband. So I guess he’s kind of like Steve’s dad for all intents and purposes.”

Hopper snorted and then shrugged, “I’ll guess I’ll claim Harrington if I have to.”

“How…unconventional of all of you,” Judith managed, her teeth gritted in a tight smile.

Your eyes slipped closed in frustration. Of course this woman had to show up and ruin what was looking to be a perfect day. She couldn’t fathom something like found family. She believed blood came before everything else. The very idea that all of these people could come together and be more important to each other than the family genetics had stuck them with was inconceivable for a brain like hers. 

“Well, come on up,” Karen invited, giving her a wave. “We can all scooch and make room for you with the grandparents.”

“Oh, that’s alright. There will be no need for any…scooching. I’ll just…” Her eyes quickly scanned the bleachers. “I’ll sit right here. I’ll be fine.” Before anyone could argue with her, she dropped down in front of Max who turned, giving you a, can you believe this woman, look. 

You rolled her eyes, letting Max silently know you could not believe her but honestly, you could. You'd learned to expect nothing less than constant judgement and absolute disdain from that woman. No one was ever good enough in her eyes. Judith raised her bar so high that no one, who wasn’t Justin, could ever manage to leap over it. And even he’d struggled to make that jump sometimes.

You zoned out as the boys began talking about their latest D&D campaign in front of you, your eyes drawn to the sight of Steve out on the field with the team. He stood, surrounded by boys in baseball pants and white shirts with green stripes. And god he looked good, fitted jeans that showed off the muscles in his strong thighs, a moss green short sleeved shirt, his rounded biceps peeking out from the hem as he leaned forward, hands on his knees to talk to the kids. A baseball cap sat on his head and she didn’t know what it was but you loved him in a ballcap, all those beautiful locks spilling out from underneath. 

It was difficult to wrap your head around the fact that it had only been two weeks since you'd both been brave to utter those three little words, three little words with an impact big enough to change the trajectory of your lives. Two weeks of you feeling like you were walking on air, like nothing could possibly go wrong, floating in your own little bubble of bliss. It felt like so much longer. You couldn’t even remember what your life had been like before Steve had become a part of it, the endless days of just trying to make it through, and you didn’t want to. 

The two of you had spent nearly every night together since that moment on the beach, much to the boy’s excitement. Not sleeping over, that was still something you were trying to move slowly with for the boys’ sake, particularly Eli. Steve had been incredibly understanding about you wanting to wait a bit before you took that step. But almost every evening the four of you ate dinner together, sometimes at your house, sometimes at his. You played board games, watched movies, went for a walk down to the local ice cream place or rode your bikes over to the park for the boys to play. 

Steve had surprised you twice at work, showing up with lunch for the two of you. Dustin, Mike, Lucas, and Will had invited the boys over one night for D&D last week and Robin had offered to take them to a movie last night to allow Steve and you some alone time. It was incredible. You hadn’t just gained Steve but an entire village of people who just showed up and were there, ready to help at a moment’s notice, and you were so thankful for every single one of them. You'd never had anyone but Janice and Matt and having so many people who were willing to pitch in, who enjoyed your kid enough to want to spend time with him, well it meant more to you than you could possibly express to them. 

Your attention on Steve broke with an elbow to your side. Looking over, you found Janice grinning wickedly at you, “What were you thinking about, huh?”

“Probably last night,” teased Robin. “I took the boys to a movie so she and Steve were all alone. Replaying the highlight reel of naked time in your mind?”

“Eww! Can we not?” Mike asked. 

“Oh please.” Robin rolled her eyes. “Maybe I had to censor myself when you were thirteen but you’re twenty-six now. I think you can handle knowing how babies are made.”

“Babies? I didn’t know we were talking about babies.” El’s face lit up. “Are you going to have a baby? Oh, I miss babies. Jeremiah was such a cute little baby.”

“No one is talking about babies,” you replied, noticing how stiff Judith’s posture had suddenly gotten. She was only sitting a couple rows in front of you and there was no doubt she was listening to every word being spoken, stocking up ammunition for later. You did not need that woman to have one more reason to come at you. “Jeez. You guys are being ridiculous.”

“Not yet anyway,” teased Nancy, turning around. “But I heard the ‘l’ word has been spoken so you never know…”

“Oh my god!” Max shrieked, spinning completely around in her seat, Judith doing the same, her eyes shooting daggers at you. You braced yourself but Judith quickly spun back around as Max continued gushing. “Are you serious? You’re using the love word? I knew you were in love. You got all red faced at the coffee shop that night when the word was even mentioned.”

“When’s the wedding?” Lucas wiggled his eyebrows. “Because I look like a million bucks in a tux and the way Dustin is going, I might never get to be in another wedding if you two don’t tie the knot.”

“Hey! I will have you know that Heather and I are going on our third date tomorrow night,” Dustin stated, folding his arms. 

“Ohhh…” Will crooned. “You convinced her to go out with you a third time? What’d you bribe her with? Oh, or is it blackmail? You got something juicy on her that she doesn’t want revealed?”

Dustin chucked a piece of popcorn at him and Will caught it in his mouth, grinning triumphantly as he chewed. Dustin shook his head in disgust.

“I don’t think Dustin needs bribery or blackmail. Heather has been talking about him nonstop at the office,” you told them, sending a wink Dustin’s way. “She really likes you. She said she had a blast at the Science Museum with you last week.”

“Oh yeah? I had a lot of fun too. What else has she said about me?”

“Hmm. Let me think,” you taunted, tapping your finger against your chin, relieved to be talking about someone that wasn’t you with Judith sitting and listening like a hawk. “That you’re adorable and funny. She thinks you have the best smile. She told me you’re one of the nicest guys she’s ever met and that you’re super smart. She says your big brain is one of the sexiest things about you.”

Mike, Lucas, and Will began gagging on cue, perfectly synced as if they’d rehearsed it first. Dustin glared at them all but you could see how pleased he was at the information you'd just relayed to him. And it was all true. You'd been teasing Heather all week about what a smitten little kitten she was. They were awfully cute together.

“And speaking of new romance,” you sang, bopping your elbow into Robin’s side. “How goes it with the lovely June?”

Robin’s face flushed a brilliant shade of scarlett. She grabbed onto a piece of her hair, toying with it, a coy smile lifting the corners of her mouth. Clearly Heather wasn’t the only smitten kitten around here.

“June?” came Judith’s voice loudly. “That’s a very strange name for a man.”

“Well, that would be because June is, in fact, a woman,” Dustin stated.

Judith made a sound like a throttled gasp, her eyes going wide, “A woman? So…you’re…one of those…?”

“One of what exactly?” challenged Max, leaning forward, elbows on her knees. “A human? A woman? An American? An Earthling? What exactlt are you asking, Judith?”

Your hands clenched at your sides, bracing yourself for an ugly scene. A scene that could destroy this beautiful thing that had been building around you. Why would any of them want you to be a part of their lives when that would mean this awful woman would be a part of it too? Judith’s mouth went tight at Max’s confrontation and you braced yourself, waiting for the nasty thing that was about to come out of her mouth. 

But Judith simply stated, “Never mind. It’s none of my concern,” and turned back around. Huh. She must have realized she was outnumbered and didn’t like her odds. 

“So anyway, back to the matter at hand,” Max said loudly, turning to Robin. 

“Yes, we’re all dying to know,” Karen exclaimed, leaning into Robin. “Are there sparks?”

“I wouldn’t say sparks…” Robin began and when they all looked crestfallen, she grinned. “More like massive explosions that could level an entire city.” She giggled. “She’s amazing. I mean, we went to the movies and it was fun, but you can’t really talk much at the movies.”

Nolan snorted, “You? You talk through movies all the time.”

“With you guys,” she huffed. “But she doesn't even know me yet. Not really. I didn’t want to give her the full dose of how neurotic I am right out of the gate. I have to give her small doses until she’s just acclimated to it and doesn’t realize the extent of my craziness. Anyway, I thought that would be the end of it. You know? I told you guys it went well but I didn’t really expect anything to come of it. Then she called and asked if I wanted to go to dinner. So we went out Tuesday night again and we were sitting in the restaurant for six hours! Six hours! Can you believe it?”

“What in the hell do you do in a restaurant for six hours?” Hopper huffed. “I mean, after you eat what else is there?” Joyce swatted him and he looked over at her, bewildered. “What?”

“Just because you have no conversational skills doesn’t mean others don’t. They were obviously talking.”

“I have conversational skills. I am very eloquent with my words, thank you very much.” He grinned when you all laughed because nothing about this bear of a man screamed eloquent. “But six hours? What could you possibly have to talk about for six hours?”

“Everything,” Robin sighed dreamily. “She was asking me all kinds of questions and she didn’t even seem to mind when I rambled. She said she thought it was cute! Can you believe it? And I learned so much about her. She loves cats. She has two of them, Hoggle and Ludo.”

“What kinds of names are those?” Judith piped up and you fought the urge to throw one of your M&Ms at the back of her head. Hadn’t the woman said enough already? Why couldn’t she just shut up?

“She’s a Labyrinth fan!” you squealed, choosing to ignore your mother-in-law completely instead. “Great taste in movies.”

“Yes! And music…she loves Blondie, Bowie, the Beatles…”

“All solid choices,” Joyce replied. 

“I don’t know,” Hopper mused. “I didn’t hear any Zeppelin or Stones mentioned.”

“You’re showing your age, Hop,” Will teased.

“The game is starting,” Judith interrupted loudly. “So maybe the inappropriate talk about love lives could finish now.”

“Damn, she’s really not any fun is she?” Robin hissed in your ear. 

“You have no idea,” you mumbled back with a groan. You had to keep reminding yourself that Judith was Eli’s grandmother. No matter how frustrating she was, you were going to have to deal with her but only as much as absolutely necessary. Hopefully she would just head home after the game and save you all from her unwanted presence any longer.

The game went far better than you had expected for it being the boys’ first time. Eli actually managed to hit the ball and made it all the way to third before the other team’s player managed to throw it in. Matt may have cheered the loudest, jumping out of his seat, proud of the kid he’d spent so much time in the batting cages with. 

Matt’s cheering had not come as a surprise but the way the rest of them all cheered for your son did. It wasn’t just a casual, yay Eli, an obligatory cheer because their friend was dating the kid’s mom. They seemed genuinely excited, celebrating his moments of glory just as loudly and proudly as they did Jeremiah’s. When Jeremiah ran into home, breaking the tie and winning the game, you leapt from your seat, you and Nancy high fiving and hugging, two moms sharing your pride in your boys. 

Both boys came racing off the field, their cheeks bright red, flushed from both the excitement and the exertion. They were swept up in a flurry of hugs and high fives from the crowd of people who had shown up just for them. 

“You boys were amazing!” Hopper yelled, pulling both boys in for a bear hug. Yeah, you could definitely see where Dustin got Smokey the Bear from this guy. 

“Did you see me slide right into home, grandpa? I saw that kid grab it but I just knew I had time! Daddy says to take chances!” Jeremiah beamed, the smile on his face so wide it looked painful. 

“I saw it, kid. You did real good. You took the chance and it paid off. You’re going to be the next Barry Bonds, just watch. And you!” He turned his attention to Eli, his massive hand ruffling her son’s hair. “That was a hell of a hit, kid. Making it all the way to third before they could get it. You gave them a run for their money. They were scrambling after that ball.”

Eli looked so proud that your heart could burst. Judith stepped forward. She’d been keeping to the outside of the group, clearly uncomfortable, uncertain how to make herself known. You had no doubt it was killing her to see Eli receiving so much positive attention from so many people that were not her. To see that he had other people in his life that were important to him, to not be the first person that had congratulated him on his game. 

Just as she stepped forward and Eli spotted her, running into her arms for a hug, Steve was making his way over from the diamond, a large bag slung over his shoulder. When his eyes found yours, he gave you one of those smiles that came with a side of a very flirty wink that he seemed to reserve just for you.

“Good game, huh?” he commented, a quick kiss planted on your lips. “The boys did a great job.”

“That’s because they have a great coach,” you replied, your arms slipping around his stomach, smiling up at this man who always had you in a state of complete awe. 

“Everybody still up for burgers and shakes at Benny’s?” Hopper boomed out over the cacophony of noise. 

You glanced over to Judith who was purposefully keeping her eyes off of you and Steve. You really didn’t want to invite her but it would be the right thing to do. She’d driven all this way for the game. 

“Judith, would you like to join us?” you asked, keeping your arms firmly locked around Steve because who cared what Judith thought. You had made it clear to her that this new future with Steve did not erase your past with Justin. The woman was just going to have to get used to it.

“Oh. I…no, I don’t think so.” She shook her head. “Henry is supposed to be getting back this evening and he’ll need dinner.” She looked around to the others, feeling the need to explain, “Work trip.”

Yeah. Henry had an awful lot of work trips. Justin had confided in you that he wasn’t so sure they were all for work but he could never prove it. And Judith chose to go through life blissfully unaware. As far as you knew, you'd never confronted him or questioned him. But the two of them had never exactly been the warm and fuzzy couple. There weren’t those moments of tender touches or warm glances ever. Their relationship seemed more like a business transaction, something that was mutually beneficial to them both. 

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah grandma. Benny’s has the best shakes!”

Jeremiah nodded his agreement. “Eli and I both love strawberry! And Benny always brings me ranch to dip my fries in.”

“Oh, that’s nice.” Judith smiled down at the boy, seeming surprised that he was taking the time to talk to her. She jumped when Joyce came up next to her, placing an arm around her shoulders. 

“Come on Judes.” You brought your hand to your mouth to cover the snort that had slipped out at Joyce’s choice of nickname. Robin clearly found it just as amusing as she shoved her face into El’s shoulder, her body shaking with laughter. “It’ll be fun. And if these two crazy kids are going to be doing the family thing, then that means we all need to do the family thing, right?”

“Yeah, Judes,” Max agreed, grinning as if this were the best moment of her life. “We’re all one big happy family now. We all love Eli and he loves us. Right, kid?”

Eli leapt from the ground as he proudly exclaimed, “Yeah!” He turned to Judith. “Dustin and Mike and Will and Lucas all play this really cool game called Dungeons and Dragons and they’re teaching me all about it. And Robin took us to see this movie, First Kid. It’s about this kid who is the president’s son and he has a bodyguard. It’s so funny and she got us popcorn and Skittles because she says Skittles are the superior candy. And Max is teaching me how to skateboard! I fell off a couple times but I’m starting to get the hang of it. She says I’ll be a pro by the end of summer. And El came over and helped us make slime when we spent the night with Nancy and Jonathan. They let us stay up until midnight and we got to do s’mores over the fire in their backyard. It was so cool. And Hopper let us ride in his police car! He even turned on the lights and the siren for us and he brought us one of those pads to do fingerprints! And Joyce makes the best spaghetti. We went to her house for dinner and Will is an artist and he showed us all these cool things he drew when he was just our age!”

Judith looked a bit taken aback as Eli kept rambling, caught off guard at how large a part of his life each of these people were now. You almost felt sorry for her, the sadness in her eyes, knowing how she wished she was closer so she could be a bigger part of Eli’s life. Almost but not quite because the woman was her own worst enemy. 

“I don’t know. Henry…”

“Is a grown man who can fend for himself,” you reminded her. “He’s fifty-six Judith. The man should know how to at least make a sandwich.”

Judith’s hands wrung together, an internal battle playing over her face. Damn. Was she really that programmed by that man or was her uncertainty coming from all the new people, the fact that she would be the one outside looking in instead of at the center of it all?

“Come on. It will be fun,” Karen urged. “My husband, Tedd, isn't here either. We’ll be two crazy ladies without their husbands. I mean, who needs them anyway, right?”

Judith laughed, her hand flying to her mouth, eyes going wide as if she couldn’t believe she’d just done that. You pressed your lips together in amusement. So there was a woman desperate for fun in there just waiting to break free. You could see it in the sparkle of those ocean blue eyes, so much like her son’s. 

“Are you sure you want me to come?” she asked, the question directed at you. 

You smiled, stepping forward, placing your arm around Judith’s shoulders, “Of course I do.”

Maybe this could work out after all. Maybe Judith wasn’t as awful as she seemed. Perhaps all that bluster and rudeness came from a place of deep fear. Fear not that her son would be forgotten, but that she would. Fear that you would move on and in turn, so would Eli, and she would be left with nothing after losing her only child besides a husband that was more boring than watching paint dry. Perhaps all of this had simply been because no one but Justin had ever really thought she mattered.

Judith’s mouth lifted at the corners, her entire demeanor changing with that subtle smile. It made her appear far more approachable and soft. She nodded. 

“Okay. I haven’t had a milkshake in years. Do they have malts? Oh, malts were my favorite.”

“Mine too!” Hopper bellowed. “And you won’t find a better malt than Benny’s. Come on. You can ride with us old folks.” He pulled his keys from his pocket. 

“Oh! That's quite alright. I don’t want to inconvenience you. Then you would have to bring me back here. I have my own car if you just want to tell me how to get there.”

“Nonsense!” Joyce looped her arm in Judith’s, tossing you a wink. “You are not an inconvenience. Us grandmas have to stick together. Come on. We’ll let the young ones be. We’ll have plenty of time to tell you all sorts of juicy stories about Steve this way.”

Steve groaned, his head rolling around his shoulders, “Or not!”

“You’ll love this one, Judith,” Karen laughed, taking her other arm as they led her toward the parking lot. “One time I found Steve climbing up the trellis of our house to sneak and see Nancy…”

“Great,” muttered Steve as their words faded, shaking his head. “Your mother-in-law is never going to like me once those three fill her head with every screw up I’ve ever made.”

“It doesn’t matter if she likes you,” you reminded him, rising up to your tiptoes to press your lips to his. “Because I do.”

“Besides, she’ll figure out for herself what a dingus you are before too long,” Robin snorted, yelping when Steve shoved her backward. 

“So, how do you think this is going to go?” asked Janice who had always chosen to keep her distance. After one meeting with Judith, Janice preferred to not deal with her at all if she could, always saying she was going to open her mouth and piss the woman off if she said one more negative thing about you in front of her. 

“With Judith…who knows…”

___________________________________________________________

But it went far better than Steve could have possibly imagined. He’d pictured Judith sitting there stiffly, staring them all down as she judged every single word they said. Or possibly offending every single person at the table with her words at some point. Or announcing to the entire table why Steve shouldn’t be with you. However, none of that happened. 

Sitting between Karen and Joyce, the woman had loosened. As if the two others had slowly unraveled the strings that had been knotting her up for years and she could finally breathe. She smiled. She even laughed. And even though he’d only known her a very short time, it had even shocked him to see. He hadn’t been sure the woman was capable of frivolity of any kind. Forget actually enjoying anything. 

And the best part of it was that you seemed to finally be relaxed. You sat at the other end of the table, Steve on one side of you and Janice on the other, keeping your distance from Judith. But every now and then you would look down at the woman and smile. Your two worlds were coming together and it wasn’t the horrendous clash you’d expected. They were actually appearing to meld quite seamlessly. 

By the time dinner was over, everyone was heading out full and in good spirits. Judith had even smiled politely when Robin asked if Steve and you would want to double date with her and June soon. She swallowed down any bullshit bias she had. If she was going to be ignorant, at least she was following the golden rule and keeping her damn mouth shut if she had nothing nice to say. 

After saying your goodbyes, Steve drove you and the boys back to his house. You fed Miles while Steve headed out back to get a fire going. The boys raced upstairs to play on the Nintendo 64 for a while. You stepped onto the back deck, sliding the door shut after Miles raced out behind her, instantly doing zoomies throughout the yard. 

God, you were pretty. Even weeks after meeting, he still found himself in awe of you. Jeans that wrapped around each and every curve in a way that had his hands twitching at his sides, wanting to follow those familiar hills and valleys. You hated shoes and socks, lost them as soon as you could, something he’d learned about you over the past weeks, so bare pink toes peeked out from beneath the flared denim. The Bowie shirt you wore was cropped, a sliver of your soft stomach exposed. Your hair was up in a high ponytail, only accentuating your neck which was just calling to his mouth.

You tilted your head, those perfectly pink cotton candy lips pursing in a way that had him thinking so many thoughts that were not anywhere near the ballpark of holy. You were the most beautiful creature he had ever seen and he fought the urge to pinch himself, to prove these last weeks weren’t some fever dream that he was going to wake from. 

“See something you like?” Your tone was light, playful, as he slowly made his way up onto the deck until he stood right in front of you. 

“I most certainly do.” Fingers gripped your hips, tugging you into him until you could feel just how much he liked what he was seeing. “You have no idea the effect you have on me.”

“Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea right now,” you chuckled, hands tracing over his chest and shoulders to loop around his neck. “But sadly for you, there are children afoot so there is not much I can do about that at the moment.”

“You simply existing does it for me. You don’t have to do anything but appear, honey. That’s it. You laugh. You smile. You cross your legs. You tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. You take a sip of coffee. It all does it for me.”

“Yeah? Well, same for me. I swear I dreamed you into existence, Steve Harrington. I didn’t believe guys like you existed. I thought they were meant for storybooks and movies.”

Heat rushed over his cheeks at your compliment. “I’m no fairytale prince, honey but I promise to try to give you a happily ever after.”

Your teeth pulled at your bottom lip, your eyes widening just slightly at his words and he was doubting himself all over again. Should he not have said that? Was that pushy? But hadn’t you said forever? Hadn’t you said it just a couple weeks ago? That if you both were all in then you had to be planning on forever?

“Happily ever after? That sounds nice,” you murmured, pulling him in until your lips met, all his doubt vanishing like vapor on the air with your words. 

His arms wound around you, lifting you up onto your toes, crushing your bodies together. You moaned softly, the sound swallowed by his lips, and his jeans felt painfully tight. You tasted just as sweet as you looked, chocolate milkshake met with cherry lip balm, a combination that had his head spinning.  

Everything else ceased to exist for him when your lips were on his. Your tongue parted his lips, slipping along his own, and he couldn’t have told you what color the sky was or what month of the year it was. There was only you and him, locked in this moment that he wanted to make last until eternity. If this was how he would spend the rest of his days on this Earth, he could be okay with that. 

But you did manage to think, pulling back, your lips now slick, curved into the prettiest smile, your eyes heavy with the desire that was racing under his skin. He wanted you. He always wanted you and with the boys, he never had you nearly enough. But the boys were right upstairs and he knew you couldn’t risk it. Those kids could be down and out the door before they even heard a sound. 

“Thank you.”

“For what?” he asked, your questioning barreling through his brain fog. “You don’t have to thank me. I’ll kiss you anytime you want.”

“No,” you chuckled, swatting at him. “Thank you for today, for dealing with Judith. I know she’s…difficult. But I don’t know. She seemed a little different today. I have hope. It's a very small hope but hope that maybe she’s coming around. But I know she wasn’t very nice to you and the fact that you are willing to put up with her…I’m just really grateful because you don’t have to, you know.”

“Of course I do.” Steve slid his hand down your arm, locking your fingers together. He led you to the lounger, sitting and pulling you down in his lap. His nose traced your jaw, nuzzled into your hair. “She’s a part of your life and she’s a part of Eli’s life. If I want to be a part of your life then that means she’s part of mine too.”

“That’s…very kind of you.”

“No. It’s not.” He took your chin between his thumb and forefinger, turning your face to his. “Look. When I said I was all in, I meant it. I don’t get to be all in and then pick and choose what I am willing to handle. Anything that comes your way comes my way now too. Anything that’s heavy for you, you got me to help you carry it. Anything that’s hurting you, I will step in front of. That’s the deal. It’s not just you anymore. It’s us. We’re a team.”

“Okay coach,” you beamed, teasing but your eyes betrayed your lighthearted tone, shimmering with emotion at his words. 

Wasn’t that what a relationship was supposed to be? Two people against the world? He loved this woman. He wanted to be in your life. He wanted to crawl inside your skin and live there the way you did in his. You had managed to slither your way inside. You were in the blood that ran through his veins, in every single beat of his heart, in the very cells that made up his skin. 

Yeah. You came with baggage but who didn't? And he was more than willing to help you carry that load because you were more than worth it. You were everything he hadn’t even known he’d been searching for. He’d looked for so long, in all the wrong places, never knowing that the one that would finally fill in all those hollow places inside him already existed in the same town as him. 

Maybe it was wrong, maybe it was an awful thing to think, but it felt like fate had brought you together. He was so sorry that your husband had died but maybe this was the course your lives had to take for you to find one another. He’d thought about what if he’d been first. What if he’d stumbled across you when you were out with your friends thirteen years ago? It had made him feel like an absolute piece of shit, but he couldn’t help but wonder what life would be like if he’d been the one.

But then there would be no Jeremiah. There would be no Eli. You wouldn’t have known the love she already had with your husband. He wouldn’t have gotten the thump on his head that he needed for him to see you, truly see you, to understand how lucky he was to have you. Maybe the two of you had to go through all that heartache and disappointment to come to this place, where you could truly appreciate what you had. So you would never take it for granted, never throw it away, or treat it carelessly. 

So yeah. Maybe Steve hadn’t been your first but he had every intention of being your last. Your last boyfriend, your last love, your last kiss, your last everything. Because he’d chosen wrong so many times before, yes, but he hadn’t this time. He knew it like he knew his own name, like he knew the sun would rise tomorrow, like he knew the beat of his son's heart. He’d chosen right this time and there was nothing that would make him walk away. He would spend the rest of his life showing you just how much you meant to him. He would never take for granted this amazing gift that had somehow walked right onto his baseball field and into his life. 

“So, can I ask…I think you were going to tell me that day at the lake but we got a little sidetracked. What is the deal with you and Judith?”

Your head tipped back, eyes tracking the stars as you inhaled deeply, “I don’t know. There was never a specific moment or an event. It’s not like we had a falling out. She’s just always been like that with me. From the moment Justin introduced me to her, she treated me like I just wasn’t good enough. I was never enough for her precious son, you know?”

Steve snorted, “She’s nuts. Has she met you?”

“You’re sweet but I don’t think there’s anything I could ever do that would be enough for her. She always wanted to be the most important to him and I feel like she saw me as a threat. I mean, it’s insane. Isn’t that how it’s supposed to work? You raise your son to be a good man. You hope they find someone who will see that and love them. They choose their person and that person should come first. I mean, it’s the logical order of things. But she never saw it like that. It was like she always had to find a flaw in me to prove that she was better, that she loved Justin more, that his love for her outshone his love for me.”

“Did he…”

“No.” You cut him off, shaking your head. “No. Absolutely not. He took off as soon as he could. That’s why he joined the Marines, to get away from her. He told me he felt like she was smothering him and he couldn't breathe in that house anymore. He also didn’t have the best relationship with his dad. I think Henry cheats on Judith all the time. I’m pretty sure that’s why he goes on so many ‘business trips…’” You air quoted the words. “I think they’re far more pleasure than business. Justin thought so too. He just had to get away from it.”

“Well, I understand the need to get away from toxic parents. Mine weren’t smothering…quite the opposite actually. They just were indifferent unless I was disappointing them. Did you two even see her very much if their relationship wasn’t the best?”

“Not really.” Your fingers trailed along his hand, running over his knuckles. “Holidays, birthdays…you know, the required stuff. But she would be Judith and Henry, well, when he was actually there, he would pick apart Justin. He thought he was a waste, going into the military instead of going to college. Justin was always in a horrible mood when we left. He would put off seeing them for as long as he could.”

“What about Eli? Did they want to be around when he came along?”

“Oh yeah. Well, Judith did anyway. Saw him as her second chance at getting someone to love her best. But Justin kept her at arm’s length as much as he could. He hated seeing what having her around did to me. She questioned everything I did, judged me, picked me apart. She always made me feel like an awful mother. When Eli was first learning to walk, he fell. You know how they are at that age. Their heads are too big for their bodies and they’re like a weeble wobble. He fell and smashed his forehead into the corner of the wall. He had a huge goose egg and I was panicked that he had a serious brain injury. We took him to the E.R. Judith showed up and immediately started telling me what an incompetent mother I was, questioning what I’d been doing when he fell, why I wasn’t watching him. Justin lost it. He blew up at her right in the middle of the hospital. That was the moment he told her that if she couldn’t respect his wife and the mother of his child, then she was no longer welcome to be a part of our lives. I’ve never seen her so put in her place. She had no idea how to respond. Anyway, we didn’t hear from her for about a month after that. It was a bit better then but things with her and I have always been a bit…precarious.”

“Jesus. She sounds awful. And she’s clearly no fan of mine but that’s alright. I don’t need to impress her. The only person I care about impressing is you.” He wiggled his eyebrows, planting a soft kiss on your lips. 

“Oh, I am very impressed Mr. Harrington. Very impressed,” you mused, your arms winding around his neck, nose nuzzling gently over his own. 

Steve was overcome with the desire to keep you there, to never let you go. Every night, when he would have to gather his things or watch you gather yours, it left him with a hollow ache. Maybe it was soon but who decided how soon was too soon? Was it too soon when all he could think about when you weren't around was seeing you again? Was it too soon when he laid in bed, inhaling the scent of vanilla and pear that you left behind, craving the warmth of your body curled into his?

“Stay,” he whispered, a plea sent on his breath to your skin, his nose tracing your cheek. 

“What?”

“Stay. Stay the night with me.” His fingers wrapped around your biceps, holding you against him, willing you to agree. “I know why you’ve wanted to wait. I understand your reasons but your reasons aren’t really reasons anymore.”

“Steve…”

He was losing you. You were going to rationalize your way out of this and he couldn’t let you. He was overcome with an irrational need to get you to stay, to sleep curled up in his arms, to cement the decision that you were real, that this was it. That he was enough for you. That you wanted this as much as he did. He was pushing and he knew it but he couldn’t stop himself. He needed to know. He was in so deep here. He needed to know that you were in it too, barely keeping your head above water, sinking into the depths with him.

“No. Look, the whole reason you wanted to wait was because you didn’t want Eli getting his hopes up just for this to all end. You didn’t want him to see this as serious with him already assuming things. But this is serious and this isn’t ending. Right?”

“I mean, I don’t plan on it but…”

“No. No buts,” he insisted, hands sliding down your arms to wrap around your hands, holding them against him. Bowing his head, he brought your knuckles to his lips, brushing a kiss over them. “This isn’t ending. I’m not going anywhere. Do you plan on going anywhere?”

“Well no…”

“So then why not?”

“I don’t know. I mean, do you really think it’s appropriate for us to share a bed with the boys in the house?”

“Did you share a bed with your husband when Eli was home?”

“That’s different and you know it.”

“Why? Because we’re not married? Marriage is a piece of paper, honey. It’s a piece of paper that doesn’t mean anything because it can be torn in half and discarded so easily. I love you. You love me. The boys want this to happen. I’m not saying let’s get down and dirty.” He grinned devilishly, his cheek running over yours. “Not that I don’t want to. But would it really be inappropriate to sleep in the same bed? When we move in together, we’ll be sharing a bed, right?”

You pulled back, a look of sheer anxiety across your face, “When we…when we move in together?”

“I mean, eventually, right? That would be the logical next step. It’s silly to keep two houses when we spend most of our time together. I mean, whenever we’re apart all I can think about is the next time I get to have you in my arms. I know it may seem soon but really, we’re the only ones who get to decide what soon is. And the way I feel about you, I know it got intense pretty fast but…”

His word died in his throat as he felt the shift in you. Your chest rose and fell rapidly against his, your heart beating a rapid tempo against his skin. Releasing your hands, he grabbed your face, attempting to get your eyes to focus on him. But they were glazed, wide, staring off into nothing as you descended into a full blown attack, an attack he’d caused.

“Hey, hey…you’re okay, baby. Look at me. Come on. Just breathe with me, honey,” he urged. 

You were gasping, small little squeaking sounds emitting as you struggled to take in air. Jesus Christ. What had he done? Exactly what he’d sworn he wouldn’t do. He’d pushed you, ran up behind you and shoved you off the ledge before you were ready. And now you w were free falling as he ran underneath you, trying to catch you but failing. 

“Shit! Baby, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. You don’t have to spend the night. We’re not moving in together. It’s okay. I’m moving too fast. I do it all the time and I’m sorry. We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. Just breathe for me, please.”

But you wouldn’t. You couldn’t. He grabbed onto your hands again. They were ice cold. Your skin was damp, clammy, a sheen of sweat coating your forehead and upper lip. And then you were shaking, trembling and he grasped your arms, pulling your body against his but it wouldn’t stop as you wheezed. 

This had gone on for too long. It wasn’t stopping. You weren't coming back down. Your breathing was only getting worse if that was even possible. He had to do something. 

“Boys!” he screamed as he cradled your quivering body against him. “Call 911!”

Chapter 17

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[viburnt]

Midoriya I.|| Childhood promises

Type: Headcanons+Snippet

Genre: Fluff

Characters involved: Midoriya Izuku (main)/Uraraka Ochaco (secondary on the reading bite)

Prompt: As kids, Izuku gifted you a plastic ring and told you he'd marry you in the future. Now it's a recurrent joke to call each other fiancé.

• It happened when Izuku was 7; the street fair was nearby and his mom had given him some money to spend with you on treats and games. He was so excited, his hand timidly holding yours as the hanging lights guided your way

• One of the stands had caught his attention: it was a lucky duck pond, one of those games where you need to catch two different rubber duckies with the same number to win. 3 chances, no skills involved.

• “Do you think if we get our lucky charms together, we could win a prize?” The lucky charms in question were an All Might collectible card and a snail shell you found at the park.

• The freckled boy was enthusiastic about it, confidently paying the old man running the game a couple of silver coins to play. His hands gently lowered the small fishnet provided to play. First number: 3.

• Izuku could hear you rooting for him by his side. All he had to do was get another one like that. Sticking his tongue out, praying to his All Might card, he sank the net once more. Second number: 9.

• He felt like crying.

• You patted his hand in a comforting way, threatening the nearby kids who mocked him. “Hey, let me try!”

• The result was the same, sadly. However, the old man was touched by you two that he gave out a consolation prize to lift your spirits. It was a plastic jewelry set: a silver crown, a magic wand and a couple of rings.

• The path back home didn't feel so bad after that.

• “At least the rings are pretty, do you think we could wear them at school?” You said, making Midoriya think. “But aren't matching rings for marriage? My mom says so.”

• After a brief silence, Izuku's green eyes lit up, feeling a slight wave of nervousness as the words rolled out of his mouth. “Then I'll marry you! W-we can wear them until we grow up and then get m-married!”

• Your face felt warm as you heard him speak, feeling his hand eagerly placing the silver ring on your left hand.

• Ever since, neither of you take the plastic piece off, even if it's old and the colors washed out. Not to mention that the whenever you see each other, the word “Fiancé/Fiancée” rolls out of your mouths.

—Hi! If you have a moment, I'm looking for a person. Do you think you can help me?

Ochako heard with attention as you spoke, tilting his head at the style you sported. Compared to the gray uniform and green tie U.A students wore, your clothes were more of an Eastern streetwear.

—Uh, sure thing! Who are you looking for?— The brunette said with a sympathetic smile. —Are they from 1st year or 2nd?

—Izuku Midoriya, 1st year!— The name popped out of your mouth, catching Uraraka's interest.

—Really? He is from my class! I'll take you there.— She offered, making you feel relieved. —Are you from his family or something? I don't think he mentioned any siblings or cousins.

You snorted a little, deciding to play a little with the round-faced girl.

—He is my fiancé! I came to visit him.

The way Ochako's jaw dropped almost had you rolling on the floor laughing, but for the sake of your little joke, you kept a straight face.

—Fiancé?— Her voice stuttered. You nodded, showing off the little plastic ring you always carried. —Since when? How did that happen?

You tapped on your chin as if thinking.

—Since kids, we promised each other. We'll be hitting it off as soon as he graduates.

Uraraka couldn't hide her shock.

—Oh, there you are! I see you've met one of my classmates already.— Izuku's voice popped in, joining the conversation as he walked towards you. —Did you have trouble finding the classroom building?

Ochako's finger pointed at him and then to you. It didn't take much for Midoriya to connect the dots.

—You just had to tell her, didn't you?— He muttered, eyeing you with an embarrassed face. — Uraraka, let me explain…

—Wanna come to the wedding?

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[speedycoffeedelight]

I believe it's time for the third and possibly final part of 'Voxs extremely safe job as a night security guard'. Because there have been multiple pizzerias built literally in the same spot over the years, so why wouldn't Vox sign up for all of them?

~ (FNAF 2)

Reader: Vox! Why are you taking that job again? Did... Did you forget how you almost died there last time?!

Vox: Don't worry your pretty head, Reader. That old pizzeria got knocked down like 2 months ago. This one's way better! They replaced those old musty animatronics with some new plastic ones. Those ghost will be long gone by the time they open up Monday.

*After Voxs first night*

Vox: *Bursting through the door at 7 am* THERE'S FUCKING MORE OF THEM! The old ones are still there and the new ones are haunted too! WHY ARE THERE SO MANY GHOST?!

~ (FNAF 3)

Reader: Fazbear's Fright? Vox... You do realise that this is just the pizzeria from last time? Like, it's literally the exact same place you almost got killed last month, but with a horror theme.

Vox: Oh, I am fully aware, BUT! I thoroughly researched this one before applying. It's a horror attraction based on the past haunted pizzarias where I'll be both a security guard and an attraction myself. You should have seen them begging me to join after finding out I worked at BOTH locations! The best part? No animatronics~

*After Voxs first night*

Vox: *Bursting through the door at 7 am* THEY FUCKING FOUND ONE. Okay, okay, it's just one and I've survived taking on like 11? But there's also like, phantom animatronics? Fuck it, does anyone know a way of setting ghost free? Or should I just burn the place down and be done with it?

~ (FNAF 4)

Vox: *Climbing into Readers bed*

Reader: *Waking up slightly* Vox? What's up?

Vox: *Whispering* Shhh. B-Bonnie's in the hallway, and Foxy's in your closest. D-don't worry, I-I'm an expert at dealing with them.

Reader: *Too asleep to register what he's talking about* Oh, okay. Just be careful not to crush Nifty.

Nifty: *Giggling under Vox* Don't worry! I like being crushed!

~ (FNAF Sister Location)

Reader: 'Circus Baby's Entertainment and Rental'? Uh, are you sure you want to go back to working with animatronics? We've only just got you to stop hallucinating about Chica in the kitchen at night.

Vox: I know what you think, but this should be fine. This isn't the pizzeria. It's a different location.

Reader: Really? Isn't this place by the sister company of Fazbear Entertainment? You sure you want to risk it?

Vox: Pfft, come on. What're the chances of this company owning 2 haunted animatronic restaurants? Be serious.

*After Voxs first night*

Vox: *Bursting through the door at 7 am* YOU WON'T FUCKING BELIEVE IT!

Angel: You know, one day he's going to rip that door right off its hinges.

~ (FNAF 6 Pizzeria Simulator)

Reader: I thought you said you were done with animatronics?

Vox: Look, this is different. They say, 'If you want something done right, do it yourself'. Well, that's exactly what I'm going to do. I've run a business before, so it shouldn't be that hard. And I get to select all the animatronics this time round, so who knows? Maybe this town will FINALLY have a pizzeria that ISN'T haunted.

Adam: Sweet! Here, be a pal and give us some 'family discounts' when we come to celebrate the grand opening.

*After Voxs first night*

Vox: *Bursting through the door at 7 am* DO THEY COME OUT THE FUCKING FACTORY HAUNTED?!

Vaggie: You know, he's really lucky we all have to be awake this early for work, or else he wouldn't have lasted this long.

~ (FNAF Help Wanted)

Reader: Honestly, I don't know why we didn't think of game development soon.

Vox: Me neither. It's a shame I'll only be a play tester. Coding is probably my greatest passion next to television. Well, I guess this is it! No more haunted animatronics or late nights for me. I'm returning to my rightful place at the forefront of technology!

*After Voxs first day*

Vox: *Bursting through the door at 7 pm* WHO WANTS TO GUESS WHAT THE GAMES ABOUT?!

Husk: Heh, fates a bitch. *pouring Vox a drink* Just be thankful it's a game this time around. I mean, who's ever heard of a haunted video game before?

~ (FNAF Security Breach + Help Wanted 2)

Lute: They're building a giant shopping mall over where the old pizzeria was.

Vox: Yeah? Well, good riddance. I mean , come on, that buildings sat burned down and decaying for almost 5 months now. Happy it's gone after the Hell those jobs put me through.

Velvette: *On her phone* It says here that the place is called the 'Mega Pizzaplax', a giant mall owned by Fazbear Entertainment and will feature all new 'glamrock animatronics' for entertainment and will be fitted with special staffing bots to help guest. But they apparently need a human to work as lead security guard. Thinking of joining, Vox?

Vox: *Whimpering*

Alastor: Oh ho! Yes, I've heard chatter of that place from the radio station. Rather interesting promotional ideas they're working on. Apparently, they're working on producing another one of those confounded virtual reality game based on the premise. Sound familiar, Vox? I heard they're looking for 'beta testers' again.

Vox: *Slowly sinking to his knees, whimpering, he knows he's going to end up signing up for both.*

Charlie: Uh, Reader? Do you think you could, um, help Vox out? I think h-he needs some, uh, kind words of reassurance!

Reader: Sorry Char, I tried to warn him in the past, but he never listened. He dug his grave, and now he must lie in it. Now, if you'll excuse me, but I'm currently trying to sort out our other ongoing issue.

Reader: *Leaning out the window* LUCIFER! STOP BRING HOME APPLE TREES! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO SELL THEM, NOT STEAL THEM!

Lucifer: *Digging a hole and planting another apple tree in the garden* BUT NO ONE'S BUYING THEM! WHO GOES TO A FLORIST TO BY AN APPLE TREE? NO ONE, THAT'S WHO!

Reader: YOU'RE GOING TO GET FIRED IF YOU KEEP THIS UP! AND IF YOU DO, SO HELP ME GOD!

Lucifer: HEY, LEAVE MY FATHER OUT OF THIS!

H O L Y

THIS IS LONG!!!

How long did you take to write it?? And just as always, you never fail you impress.

Vox not learning his lesson after his first night is the cherry on top 😂😂 He's like a magnet to the animatronics. He only gets pulled towards them, never learning his lessons.

And not him bursting through the door every damn morning at 7 am. I imagine reader is used to it by now. She's just sipping on her cup of coffee as Vox rushes through the door and reader is like 'Lemme guess? More animatronics?"

Also Luci don't steal the apple trees!! That's bad! Both Charlie and reader will scold you!!!

[rogueddie]

Sport-based Steddie Fics

Important: READ THE TAGS! Also, leave a comment and kudos! These fics are amazing and I love them and I hope y'all do too 🩰

Pep Rally Boyfriend

spaceyloser

If one thing is taken seriously by the athletes of Hawkins High, it's a wager. The craziest, most impossible bets, dares, and pranks live in infamy. The stupid teenagers involved? They are legendary. The 1984-85 school year is no exception. No bet is made casually, no dare given lightly, and no prank is half-assed.

Steve Harrington, Senior Captain of the Hawkins Basketball team, wakes up on a dewy September morning hungover and with blurry memories. All he knows is that he made a bet and he lost. The consequences? Steve must be a cheerleader for the entire Hawkins football season.

Humiliated to his core, Steve cannot avoid his punishment, lest he face much more serious consequences. Luckily, he has an ally in Chrissy Cunningham and her band friends. Robin Buckley seems nice. Eddie Munson? Well, he's interesting to say the least.

Words : 72,016 Chapters : 10/10 Rating : Mature

AO3 : x

The Beginning And End Of Everything

Kwills91

Steve Harrington has lost everything. Head injuries forcing him to retire from the sport he loves. And he's not sure how to move on.

Until he meets disgraced figure skater, Eddie Munson - who is mounting a comeback.

Eddie and Steve learn that they have more in common than they first think and Steve thinks he's found a new best friend.

But things get confusing when he realises he might want more than friendship.

Words : 80,588 Chapters : 7/7 Rating : Explicit

AO3 : x

Just two strangers, meeting at the pool

corrodedbisexual (mishabawlins)

Gold Olympic medalist Steve Harrington decides to retire at 25 years old and become a newbie swim coach.

Eddie Munson, frontman of the well-known rockband Corroded Coffin, is also 25 when he realizes it's getting too embarrassing to be an adult who never learned to swim.

Technically, they are strangers. But not really. Not with the way they have secretly followed each other's careers over the years.

Words : 1,658 Chapters : 2/2 Rating : Teen and Up Audiences

AO3 : x

Catch Me (I'm Falling)

fragilecapric0rn

He punches a number onto the keypad and hands it back to Steve. Before he can fully bring the phone back into his possession, Eddie takes hold of the dangling Hello Kitty charm, using it to pull Steve back toward him, just a bit.

“No funny business, Harrington.”

Steve looks at him then down at his cell phone, the rhinestones on it leftover from Robin’s bedazzling phase and the Hello Kitty charm he’s holding hostage and then back up at him.

“Get a fucking clue, Munson.” He laughs and snaps his cellphone shut. He doesn’t wait for Eddie’s blank stare to catch on before he’s turning to leave.

Words : 32,987 Chapters : 7/7 Rating : Mature

AO3 : x

How to Become King of the Court

Beachdreamy

"That first time he dove, scraping his knees along the court and coming away blistered and burned and with a bloody nose he knew he had found his place. His home."

In which Steve Harrington has been playing volleyball since he was ten years old. Now, at 18, he finds himself back at the court where he first found himself - this time as the coach for a rag tag team of youth co-eds.

Words : 57,148 Chapters : 6/6 Rating : Mature

AO3 : x

Thunderstruck

steadyasitgoes

By the end of the game, Eddie totally gets the whole football thing. It’s fast, there are terrifying stunts of athleticism, the muscles, the pants. He gets it

Words : 28,971 Chapters : 6/6 Rating : Mature

AO3 : x

Swing and a Miss

deadonarrival

“Hey so … I have some mixed news,” Steve says.

“Uh oh,” Eddie says, “are they changing your position, are you gonna be a — like a third base catcher man?”

Steve laughs and shakes his head, “no, nothing that bad - I found out more about the whole like, bringing a person along thing.”

“Oh cool,” Eddie says, sliding down on the couch next to him, “do I get like a fancy VIP pass?”

“You do,” Steve says, “there’s just one catch.”

“Okay?” Eddie asks, tilting his head and reaching for the tv remote.

“Apparently they usually reserve the box for the wives and girlfriends … so either you’re gonna have to be my boyfriend or you’re going to have to sit in the stands with the fans.”

Eddie makes a noise that must register to Steve as alarmed or upset because he rushes to finish.

“It’s not that bad, you just need to like, pretend to be my boyfriend so you can sit with the other WAGs and like, then you can be in the box and have all you can drink alcohol and snacks.”

“Did you agree to this!?” Eddie asks.

“If I say yes, how mad are you going to be?” Steve asks.

Words : 35,216 Chapters : 5/5 Rating : Explicit

AO3 : x

I Found Myself a Cheerleader

schrijverr

Bumped to the lowest step on the social ladder after his fight with Billy, Steve gets roped in with the cheer team. What starts as a favor to help them out when one member breaks her leg in turn for protection from the brunt of the bullying, sets the universe on a different path.

He befriends Chrissy and grows as thick as thieves with her. Over the summer he adds Robin to his friends as well. Meanwhile Eddie seems to have taken an interest in the fallen king, but Steve can’t figure out quite yet why Eddie is talking with him. Flirting with him?

Words : 174,377 Chapters : 28/28 Rating : Explicit

AO3 : x

[canirove]

My neighbour Rúben | Chapter 7

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Masterlist

“Lucy, what are you doing here?”

“I live here” she chuckled. “Why so surprised?”

“I wasn’t expecting you until later.” 

“I can tell… Are you hiding someone in your room?”

“What?” I asked. 

“I saw the beer bottles in the living room, and I don’t see you drinking all that on your own.”

The beers. Oh, good. I was so… gone after saying goodnight to Rúben and his kiss, and also so worried about Julia, that I had totally forgotten about them.  

“No, no. I shared them with Rúben.”

“Oh my God, is he in your room?” Lucy asked, lowering down her voice.

“What? No! He just stayed for a bit after we put Julia to bed, nothing else” I said, my face definitely looking bright red.

“Just a bit? I counted six beers.”

“Ok, fine. Maybe it was a bit longer.”

“And did anything happen?” Lucy asked with a playful smile.

“No. We just talked.”

“Really? You were drinking with a man like that and nothing happened?”

“Yeah” I shrugged. But it could have happened. I’m pretty sure he was planning on kissing me before Julia woke up.

“Do you like him?”

“What?”

“Rúben. Do you like him? Because I think he likes you.”

“He doesn’t like me” I snorted, crossing my arms over my chest. Why was I acting so… defensively?

“I met him not long after Julia was born, and he had never invited us to a game or come over for a movie night. Though it would have been a bit weird, because my ex was super jealous of him.”

“He was jealous of Rúben?”

“Oh, he was. Rúben has always adored Julia, he loves kids. And every time we crossed paths he would ask about her, make her laugh… those cute things. And my ex would get so mad… More than once our arguments started because he was jealous, thinking that I was flirting with Rúben when I was just being nice.”

“What a dick. He was the one actually doing the cheating, not you.” Because that was the reason why he and Lucy had divorced. He had been cheating on her with Julia’s piano teacher, and she probably wasn't the first.

“Exactly! So you can imagine our fight when I found out. It was… nasty.”

“I’m sorry, Lucy.”

“Oh, don’t be. I’m so much better like this… And I am not interested in Rúben in any shape or form beyond admiring how hot he is. He is all yours” she winked.

“I don’t…”

“Mami!” Julia said behind me, running towards her mum. “I’ve missed you so much!”

“So have I, princesa.”

“I am not a princess, I am Queen Elsa! She is the princess, princess Anna" she explained. "And Rúben is Kristoff.”

“Is he?” Lucy said, looking at me. “Isn’t he Anna’s boyfriend?”

“He is. But oh, mami, I have to show you the doll I got on my Happy Meal last night!” Julia said, jumping from her mother’s arms and running away.

“Anna and Kristoff, uh? Even Julia knows.”

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“You won’t believe what Julia’s teacher told me yesterday when I met with her” Lucy said. Since this weekend Julia was with her dad, we met to have lunch together just the two of us and organize everything for the traditional Christmas party all the neighbours celebrated together. Each year a different one was the host, and it was her turn.

“Is she struggling?”

“Oh, no, she is doing great. She actually is one of the best in her class, so I guess I have to thank you for that. But this was about a personal matter.”

“Personal? What do you mean?”

“Apparently, kids have been asking Julia if she has two mums, because someone is going around saying that the reason why my ex and I got divorced, was that I cheated on him with the piano teacher. You.”

“No way” I gasped, almost choking with my drink.

“Yep. You suddenly showed up one day, Julia said you were her piano teacher, there had been rumours about one being the cause of our break up, and they decided that that was what had happened. They believe that I sacked my old nanny and that it is you now taking care of Julia because we can finally live our love and don't have to hide anymore.”

“I… wow" I chuckled. "What about Julia, tho? What has she told the other kids? Because she hasn’t said anything to me.”

“She doesn’t understand what they mean. But her teacher told me that if they ask again, she’ll explain to them that Julia has a mum and a dad, and use that to explain to them that these days there are different types of families and they all are valid.”

“Oh, good. And the mums? Are you gonna tell them something?”

“Nah, it isn’t worth it. I’ll just wait until one day you show up with Rúben and leave them confused” Lucy smirked while taking a sip of her wine. 

“Lucy…”

“Sorry, I’m sorry. But I already told you. I think he likes you, and you definitely like him. And I know you don’t have much experience with guys and dating, but trust me, he is one of the good ones. I don’t know if he is your one or not, but whatever happens, it will be worth it” she winked, making me blush. Because I knew what was crossing her mind in that moment. “Anyway, there is something else we must discuss.”

“About the party?”

“No, but it has to do with my apartment. One of the things the mums at the school are gossiping about is that you and I are living together. And to be honest, we kind of are, aren't we? So I think we should make it official. You should move in with Julia and I.”

"I don't know, Lucy...”

“Like I said, you are basically living with us already. You have your own room and most nights you sleep there, so why pay the rent for your apartment and have to worry about missing the bus, when you could just live with us and save all that money?”

“I guess it makes sense. But are you sure? What if one day you want to bring someone home and I am there?”

“Then I’ll kick you out and send you to Rúben’s house.”

“Lucy…”

“Sorry, sorry” she apologized again. “But it is an option. And if you move in with us, it means you can see him more often, get to know each other a bit more, and see if there is something going on. I think it is a win-win situation, and Julia would love it.”

“Fine, ok” I said after thinking about it for a few seconds. It all made sense, didn't it? The Rúben part included. “I’ll move in with you.”

“Great!” Lucy said, clapping her hands just as Julia does when she gets excited. “Let’s order some champagne to celebrate.”

“I thought we were meeting to organize the party” I chuckled.

“Oh, yes. We can do that later” she replied, calling for the waiter.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“Oh, for fucks sake!” I yelled, sitting on the floor. 

It was moving day, everything was going wrong and it was all my fault.

I thought I could do it all by myself, but turns out that I had way more shit than I remembered, and I ended up with two huge suitcases and a bunch of boxes, all of them very close to exploding. Which was what had happened the moment I made it to our floor. 

I left one of the boxes on top of a suitcase but it wasn’t well balanced. When I saw it was falling I tried to catch it, failed, and both the box and the suitcase fell to the floor, making a horrible noise that I’m sure everyone in the building had been able to hear. And to make it even worse, the suitcase’s zipper had broken and half my clothes were scattered all over the floor.

While I was picking everything and cursing, I heard a door opening. 

“Please don’t be Rúben, please don’t be Rúben” I said under my breath.

“What the hell happened here? Are you ok?” Rúben said, bending down next to me.

“I’m fine, don’t worry. My suitcase, not so much.”

“Let me help you” he said, picking up some of my clothes. Or to be precise, a bag full of knickers. 

“I don’t need help with this” I said, quickly grabbing the bag from his hand, my face burning. “But you could pick those boxes over there and bring them inside.”

“Ok” he smirked. Because even though I wasn’t looking at his face due to how emabarrased I was, his voice was saying it all. “Are you sure you don’t need help with that suitcase?”

“I…” I needed help. The zipper was completely broken and I wasn’t strong enough to carry it. He, with his big arms, definitely was. “Ok. But don’t open it.”

“I won’t, I promise.” 

As expected, he lifted it with ease and I followed him inside the house while carrying the other suitcase. 

“Where should I put this?”

“My room. Over here.”

“Are you… are you moving in with Lucy and Julia?” Rúben asked after leaving the suitcase on the floor.

“I am, yes. Lucy thought it was the best idea since I spend most of my time here.”

“Are gonna be proper neighbours?”

“We are, yes.”

“Well, my door will always be open for you. Whatever you may need.” 

When he said that, I made the huge mistake of looking at him… and there it was. That smirk that made my knees feel like jelly. 

“Thank you” I muttered. “And for helping me too.”

“Do you need anything else?”

“The will to unpack all of this” I sighed.

“If you aren't in the mood for it, why don’t we go out somewhere? The Christmas market is already open, so we could have a look, get a hot chocolate...”

“Are you allowed to drink hot chocolate?” I chuckled.

“I am allowed to eat and drink many things. I just choose not to do it because I like being healthy. But when you are around, I can’t help but sin.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be. It is worth it” he smiled. But it wasn’t one of those smirks he liked giving me when he was being cheeky. This was different. This was an honest smile, though there was something else there…

“Rúben!” Julia said, running into my room and throwing herself at him. “Why are you here? Are we watching "Frozen" again?”

“Oh, hello” Lucy said from the door. “Didn’t know we had company.”

“I was just helping with the move.”

“One of my suitcases exploded in the hallway” I explained. “Anyway, why are you here? Weren’t you going to the park?”

“We were” Lucy said. “But Julia saw the lights of the Christmas market, wanted us to go there, and I had forgotten my wallet. That’s why we came back.”

“Do you want to come with us?” Julia asked. “We are going to buy decorations for the tree.”

“Oh, yes, come with us! We can have like a welcome party there and get ourselves some hot chocolate. Do you drink hot chocolate, Rúben?” Lucy asked, making us laugh. “Why is that funny? Am I missing something?”

“Nothing, don’t worry” Rúben said. “But I like the idea of the welcome party. I’m in.”

“Then it is settled. It’s three against one, and we can’t have a welcome party without the main guest. Get a scarf and a hat, it is cold” Lucy said, not giving me a chance to complain.

[boots-with-the-fur-club]

"If you always put yourself before others, one day you'll look behind and see that you're all alone."

Raph

Mikey sits cross legged in front of the screen, eyes wide as he listens to the speech Jupiter Jim is giving. He’s the only one left awake. Raph, Leo, and Donnie have already passed out on each other and Splinter was asleep a long time before that.

“If you always put yourself before others, one day you'll look behind and see that you're all alone."

He takes those words in and toys with them in his 7 year old brain. He looks back and stares at Raph, making his mind up before crawling over and laying across him to join in the pile. Raph curls around him more before Mikey falls asleep.

The next day, his brothers notice something.

Mikey refuses to let Raph walk in front of him.

No matter what they’re doing, Mikey rushes keep Raph behind him. As the self designated leader, Raph normally takes the front to make sure everything is okay before his brothers get into it. It causes a problem if Mikey is doing it. Raph needs to protect all his little brothers. Especially him.

So, he takes Mikey to the side one day while Leo and Donnie are busy playing a game about reading each other’s minds.

“Hey, Mikey….Raph has a question.” He starts.

Mikey smiles up at him.

“What question, Raphie?”

“Why do you keep walking in front of me?”

Mikey looks down, playing with his hands.

“Um…..Jupiter Jim said….if you put yourself in front of people…you’ll be alone.”

Raph blinks in confusion.

“You want to be alone?”

Mikey shakes his head no very quickly and looks back at him.

“You always go first! I don’t want you to be alone!”

Ohhhhhhh.

Raph can’t help but smiley widely, tail wagging. He hugs Mikey tight.

“Goofball, he didn’t mean it actually happening! It’s like uh….it means something else. Like when dad says we’re making him go gray when he’s already all gray.”

Mikey hugs tightly back.

“Oh! Good! Cause I wanna be able to go on your back for rides.”

Raph let’s go and turns around, bending his knees a bit.

Mikey happily hops on, giggling.

Raph puts his arms under Mikey’s legs and giggles too as he runs off with him.

@phoebepheebsphibs

@theplacewhereidumpmyinterests

[anonymouspuzzler]

To the trio, how do you like to spend your days off??

some variation on this happens, like, three times a week Minimum when they're not on or preparing for a heist.

[Full transcript / image IDs under cut!]

A black-and-white, digital ink comic featuring Puzz's OCs, Buck, Minnie and Davey. Buck is a middle-aged white man with a barrel-chested build, balding hairstyle with a tuft of hair on top, large nose, heavy brow, and large shaggy mustache; he is wearing a t-shirt with the sleeves cuffed, dark pants, and heeled boots. Minnie is a 13-year-old white girl with a stocky build, freckles, buck teeth, and hair with short bangs and large braided pigtails; she is wearing a t-shirt with a label tag on the bottom hem, a pleated skirt, shin-length socks and mary jane type shoes. Davye is a middle-aged black man with a lanky build, amputated right arm, large ears, large eyes with long eyelashes, diagonal scar across his face, large eyebrows, and lnong curly hair; he is wearing a baggy tank top and sports shorts. Each individual image is one panel of the comic.

Image/panel 1 shows shows Buck walking to the left, pushing a sponge-type mop with both hands and looking up towards the viewer with a casual expression. He is saying, "I mostly try and catch up on chores."

Image/panel 2 shows Buck having stopped in front of a messy kitchen counter, with an open bag of bread and two jars on it. One jar is tipped on its side and the other is open with a knife sticking out of it. Minnie casually walks off to the right, bringing a sandwich up to her mouth with both hands and ignoring Buck. He is looking after her with an irritated look, cartoon steam clouds coming off of him, one hand clenched into a fist at his side and the other still holding the mop. He says, tersely, "...which would be easier if some people would clean up".

Image/panel 3 shows Minnie continuing to walk off to the right, taking a bite out of the sandwich and looking in the general direction of the viewer with a casual, aloof expression. She says, "I do online classes sometimes when we're not doing heists, but I guess that's not a "day off". Other than that I mostly watch TV or play video games."

Image/panel 4 shows Minnie, back to the viewer, having arrived at the sofa. Davey is sitting in a slouched position on the sofa, one leg dangling off the edge, elbow propped up on the sofa and head leaning heavily into his hand. He is visibly asleep, drooling and snoring. A TV remote is balanced on top of his knee. Minnie glowers at him and says, "...or I would if some people weren't hogging the TV."

Image/panel 5 shows Minnie, glaring, climbing up onto the sofa, holding her sandwich in one hand and shoving Davey's shoulder with the other. Davey visibly startles awake, shouting, "I'M UP. Totally awake."

Image/panel 6 shows Minnie settling down on the sofa next to Davey, taking another bite out of her sandwich and saying, "Uh huh. So what are you watching while you're 'totally awake'?" Davey, leaning back and stretching out his arm, tongue sticking out, responds, "Mmph. Catchin' up on telenovelas." Minnie replies, "Mhm. So what's happening?" Davey responds, "Affairs, mostly."

Image/panel 7 shows another angle of the room, to Davey's left, as Buck leans in past the doorway and says, with an incredulous expression, "Don't tell me it's Julien again?" Davey, leaning forward and shouting with a similarly incredulous, outraged look, replies, "Yes!! With his own wife's new assistant this time!!! Can you believe it?!" Minnie leans forward to stare at Davey with one eyebrow raised.

Image/panel 8 flips the angle to over Buck's shoulder, showing Minnie and Davey looking at him from the sofa. Minnie, grinning smugly, says, "I thought you were all about cleaning today?" Buck glares back, looking slightly embarrassed, and replies, "I am cleaning." Davey leans slightly forward, propping his arm up on his knee, and says with a disarming grin, "Buck, you can come take a break." Buck replies, "No, no. I still got the dishes to deal with."

Image/panel 9 shows Buck standing beside the couch with his arms folded, clearly watching TV, with an arrow pointing to him reading, "Proceeded to stand there for 43 consecutive minutes." Minnie and Davey continue to sit on the couch, Minnie taking another bite of her sandwich, Davey leaning against the arm of the sofa and gasping at something on TV.

[starhvney]

𝐒𝐔𝐁𝐉𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝟑 | 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟒: 𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐒

𝐂𝐖: bullying, fighting, slight mention of blood (bloody nose)

𝐀/𝐍: me after writing this in one day :3 sleep? nuh uh

𝐖𝐂: 5,100 +

𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 ☆ 𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐓 | 𝐀𝐎𝟑 | 𝐅𝐈𝐂 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 | 𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊𝐒

the morning air felt perfect against your face as you resisted falling back asleep while standing in front of aphmau’s house. the red door that distantly stood in your vision reminded you of last evening, when you felt much less calm than now.

you hold your breath as you slowly turn to look behind you, scanning the quiet street. the black vehicle no longer stood out against your vision, your eyes only meeting vacant asphalt where it had been before. 

the early morning sun still felt cool as it reflected off the puddles on the ground, evidence of last night’s rainy storm. your lungs shakily deflate as you relax, focusing on the morning birdsong and distant cars passing on a main street nearby.

clearing your throat, you decide to just text aphmau to ask what was taking so long. your messages immediately pull up to last night’s conversation.

laurance: hey, i have to walk to school tomorrow cause my sister isn’t going

laurance: want to meet up and walk together tomorrow?

aphmau: yeah!

you: yeah for sure! meet in front of aph’s at 7:40.

laurance: cool, i’ll see you guys in the morning!

aphmau: goodnight!

you: goodnight guys :)

read yesterday, 9:20 pm

you hum to yourself, tapping your shoe against the sidewalk as you switch to your messages with aphmau.

you: i’m out front, you almost ready?

aphmau: yeah, so sorry! got distracted ><

aphmau: i’ll be outside in a sec

you: no prob!

it’s only a minute later that aphmau appears from her front door, hair bouncing as she quickly jogs down the steps and stops in front of you. her hair is down today, falling in light, natural-looking curls against her shoulder. 

“i woke up late and didn’t feel like styling my hair,” she explains, patting down her loose strands when she notices your gaze directed on her head.

“it’s pretty,” you simply return, reassuring her with a smile and a nod.

she relaxes, muttering a “thank you,” before rubbing her eyes with a yawn.

“did you stay up late or something?”

aphmau freezes, before slowly nodding her head.

“uh, yeah… there’s this online friend i have. i accidentally stayed up too late with him playing our favorite game together.”

you make a small “ooohh” sound in return.

“that’s fun. have y’all been friends for a long time?”

“yeah! like, two years.”

“aw, that’s nice. what does he look like, what’s his name?”

“uhhh…”

you blink, staring at her expectantly.

“well, we don’t know what each other looks like… and his online name is fc.” she admits, pressing her lips together and tugging on a strand of her hair. 

“…you’ve been friends for two years but you don’t even know each other's names? what if he’s some random old man?”

aphmau huffs, crossing her arms.

“well, i mean… i think it’s safer if we’re both anonymous. besides, we’re just friends.”

you hum, tilting your head in thought.

“yeah. i guess you’re right.”

aphmau bites her lip, eyebrows pinching together as she looks away in thought. she glances back at you hesitantly, like she was debating whether she should bring something up to you or not.

“what is it?”

“…i’m just nervous about the whole ivy situation.”

you sigh, biting your lip as you stare down at your feet in thought.

“she’s smart about how she’s doing it. no witnesses, holding the risk of our reputations over our heads. we need to find a way to get her caught without making it obvious.”

“morning!” laurance calls from behind you, his voice still a bit hoarse from sleep.

you turn to greet the boy, taking in his appearance. he seemed to have rushed this morning, the tie to his uniform slightly undone and hair still mussed from sleep.

“we’ll figure something out later,” you whisper to aphmau, to which she nods briskly.

“what’s up?” he asks, noticing your hushed voices and secretive formation.

“we’re having a secret girl meeting. without you.”

his eyebrows raise in surprise before he barks out a small laugh in amusement.

“fair enough.”

☆

you haven’t seen aphmau for most of the day since you parted from her at the school’s front doors—and it was something that was bothering you.

based on the smug tilt of ivy’s lips when she watched you walk into your homeroom this morning, you have a serious feeling she’s up to something, and you definitely prefer to be with aphmau when it happens.

does she genuinely not have anything better to do?

your stomach feels heavy as you enter the art classroom, especially when your eyes land on the kind-natured blonde who smiles and waves at your appearance. you feel bad at the tempting thought to ignore his welcoming face and sit on the other side of the classroom, just to avoid the wrath of the snake who now stays wrapped up in your thoughts.

your jaw sets in place, stubbornly throwing away the idea as soon as it enters your head. it’s not his fault, and you weren’t going to throw away your chance at a new friend group because of some girl’s crazy crush. 

“hey guys,” you greet your small friend group, sitting between laurance and aphmau and leaning over to smile at garroth.

your eyes stay trained on aphmau’s for an extra moment longer as you lean back. she merely blinks, smiling calmly at your silent questioning. she hasn’t had any run-ins, then. good.

“ok, class. today we’re going to practice by doing a figure-drawing exercise. would anyone like to be a model for the class?”

you blink in surprise as aphmau’s hand raises, volunteering with an, “i will!”

“not as shy as i thought,” laurance notes as aphmau strides her short legs to the center of the classroom, hoisting herself up onto the stool.

“anxious but extroverted. an interesting combo,” you conclude his thought with a laugh as garroth scoots closer to the two of you.

the three of you start your portraits, your chatter quieting as you focus on the drawings in front of you. occasionally, garroth glances at yours and laurance’s pages, his lips forming into a pout out of the corner of your eye. you turn to look at him, tilting your head forward to catch his eye as he glares down at his paper.

“what?” you question him simply, your smile light and teasing.

his eyes nervously dart to you, unable to escape as you lean into his vision.

“ugh,” he groans, scribbling his graphite harshly against the page. “i’m just not good at art.”

he hides his work from you with his arm as you lean forward, trying to get a glance at his page.

“i’m sure it’s not that bad,” you encourage, lightly tugging on his forearm.

his ears turn red, barely hidden by the medium-length sandy blonde strands that curled around them. he sighs in defeat, lifting his arm to reveal the crude drawing underneath. laurance immediately giggles in amusement from beside you, his hand muffling the noise as he glances over your shoulder. 

garroth turns to glare at him, and you deliver a light kick to the boy’s shin with a scolding look.

“no, yeah. it’s not that bad!” laurance says between laughs, before snorting as he looks down at the page again. “not bad at all.”

you pitifully glance back at garroth who was now blankly staring at his page, the corner of his lips turning down in an embarrassed smile.

“well… i see his potential. if he practiced-”

“aw, i think you’re too sweet on him,” laurance leans into you, ruffling your hair with a grin. “no need to lie.”

“don’t be rude! everyone has their strengths and weaknesses.”

laurance glances down at your page with a pointed look and raised eyebrows. 

“funny, coming from clearly the best artist out of the three of us. no need to be humble.”

you sigh, exasperated at laurance’s teasing nature.

“yeah, you’re way better than i could be, even if i practiced,” garroth glances over at your sketch.

“well, i practice art a lot as a hobby. if i went out and tried to play baseball or soccer i’d probably never be on either of your levels. it’s not a bad thing, i’ve just never played.”

garroth purses his lips, still staring down your and laurance’s pages.

“can you teach me?”

“huh?”

“can you give me some tips on how to draw better?”

you blink, before nodding with a smile. “yeah, sure. maybe you two can teach me to play your sports as payment.”

he smiles, and laurance ruffles your hair once more before leaning off of you.

“sure, sounds like a good deal to me. speaking of, laurance, how’s the soccer team looking this year?”

“you play soccer?” aphmau questions, returning back to her place as garroth makes room for her.

“yep! i’m the captain this year.”

“woah, awesome!”

“yeah, and i haven’t forgotten about the schedule. i’ll give one to both of you when it comes out.”

“like you don’t have fan girls lining up to watch you already,” garroth rolls his eyes. “looking to add to your collection.”

“hey! this is different,” laurance pouts. “and you’re one to talk about fangirls.”

you make eye contact with aphmau, who gives you a look that says, “no, seriously.”

“and to answer your question,” he sighs. “the team is a mess this year. all our good players graduated last year. we’ll be lucky to make it through the season in one piece. what about you?”

“meh, it’s fine so far. dante’s been coming to practice and he’s not half bad. we might have a decent lineup.”

that was that gene guy’s little brother, right? you haven’t met him yet.

the bell interrupts your conversation, signaling the beginning of the athletics period.

“ok, class! be sure to turn in your drawings at the front before leaving. you’re dismissed. oh, and miss salome, you can turn in any drawing next class period so i can evaluate your skill level.”

“oh, okay! thank you!”

“ooh, real quick! let’s take a selfie!” aphmau whips out her phone, pulling you in by the arm and waving at the two boys to get in frame.

“hm? what for?” garroth questions, though still leans down, perching his head close to yours.

“ummm… cause we’re art buddies!” she shrugs, making room for laurance as he squeezes his face in the shot between our shoulders.

the four of you smile, and she clicks in a few pictures before letting the three of you go.

“those were cute. send me them, please!” you ask, leaning over her shoulder and gazing at the photos on her screen.

“me too.” the boys say in unison, and she joyfully nods at all of your requests.

“oh, here’s my number so you can send that to me,” he says, pulling a loose sheet of paper from his bag and scribbling down on it, ripping it in half and handing one to each of you.

garroth and laurance wave as your group splits apart by the doorway, leaving you walking with aphmau down the hall.

“where are you going for athletics, aph?”

“i think the off season kids are running on the track today. are you going?”

“actually, i was gonna practice volleyball today. katelyn invited me.”

“ooh, that’s fun! maybe i can skip out and watch…?” she wonders aloud, stopping in front of one of the girls' bathrooms. “oh hey, i need to use the restroom, mind waiting for me?”

you shrug, following her in and leisurely stopping in front of the mirror to check yourself out while she steps into one of the stalls. you notice her go in with her backpack, and you curiously stare at the closed stall door.

“oh, are you changing in here?”

“…yeah. i don’t really like changing in front of people, and all of the bathroom and shower stalls kept getting taken before i could get to them last week. that’s how i ended up alone with ivy and her group on friday—cause i had to wait to change.”

you hum softly in understanding.

“that makes sense. i usually face the wall when i change,” you purse your lips in thought. “if you want, we can start changing in here and walking to the gym together.”

you hear a sigh of relief as you hear  her clothes shuffle some more and the stall door unlock. she comes out in the athletics uniform, tying up her hair in a ponytail and kicking her backpack out onto the floor in front of her. 

“that would be awesome, you’re the best.”

you smile with a shrug, turning to the bathroom door when you hear it swing open. the smile immediately drops when you see ivy step in, her nose wrinkling at you as if she had just smelled something foul. her shorter friend–who you still haven’t caught the name of–silently walks in behind her, face still and emotionless as she looks the two of you up and down.

“well if it isn’t the two tramps trying to steal my man from me.”

you can’t help but scoff at her, stepping closer to aphmau and picking her backpack up, singing it up for her to grab. you feel a strange burning sensation in your chest, hands beginning to shake from anger. 

“i’m not even going to entertain your petty jealousy. maybe if you weren’t so pathetic about your crush you’d actually be dating garroth, but instead you’re harassing his friends the first second he makes any,” you snatch aphmau’s wrist, dragging her past the two girls before they could block your way out and turning to the taller girl as she stares at you in disgusted shock.

“stop messing with us. unlike you, i don’t make empty threats.”

aphmau yelps as her hand slips from yours, her head snapping back as ivy’s polished fingers wrap around her ponytail.

you whip around, using the momentum to slide your bag off your shoulders and swing it around into the girl’s head. she lets go of her teary eyed victim, carmine hair flying out of place as she stumbles back.

her friend doesn’t seem too loyal about the situation, stepping back to the wall as she watches everything unfold with dispassionate eyes.

you don’t pay much mind to her, vision red as you focus in on the girl clutching her head as she turns her head back to you with an equally furious look on her face. you pull aphmau out of the way, practically sliding her across the tile before digging your fingers into ivy’s uniform shirt and using your leg to kick her knees out from under her, taking you both down to the ground.

“bitch.”

she lets out an irritated shriek, her hands flying up and catching you right in the nose. you groan in pain, eyes tearing up and giving her an opening to rip at the strands of your hair, her nails raking and scratching your cheek.

“stop!” aphmau calls your name, sounding worried and shaken.

you ignore her pleading voice, too focused on the strange burning and flooding sensation in your nose. gritting your teeth, you use one hand to hold her wrist from ripping a chunk of your hair out, sitting above her as you wind your other hand back and deliver a harsh slap against her face. her hand lets go of you, instead covering her face as you ball your fist, punching her head and pulling at her hands to try and get a better hit in.

“ladies!” a stern feminine voice pierces the hallway, causing you to freeze in place.

you turn with wide eyes to see mrs.hwit marching towards you all, her expression full of disbelief and disappointment.

“just what do you think you’re doing?!”

you immediately regret what you did, glancing down at the girl. her cheek was red from where you slapped her and her round bright blue eyes were filled with tears as she manipulatively blinked up in innocence at the teacher. 

“mrs.hwit,” she blabbers, her demeanor completely different from just before. “aphmau attacked me again and got her friend to join in!”

“silence, miss veleno.” the stern gray-haired lady snaps, hands firmly placed on her hips. 

you clamber back from where you sat on top of her, chest heavy when you realize what you just did sets in. you watch ivy flinch at the harsh tone mrs.hwit gave her, clearly unexpecting for this to not go her way.

“but—“

“this is the second fight you’ve been involved in, ivy, and from the looks of it you did a good amount of beating on this young lady as well. for goodness sake, her nose is bleeding. don’t play innocent.”

your eyebrows pinch as your hand gingerly comes up to your nose, a soft moan of pain leaving your lips at the dull pain. you retract your hand to see red smeared across it. now that the adrenaline has begun to leave your body, you also become aware of how the blood has begun to drip down into your mouth and chin, leaving a gross metal taste against your tongue. your cheek burns and pulses where ivy dug into it with her nails.

“i should give all four of you detention. this is unacceptable.”

you clamber up to your feet at this, holding your hand against your nose as it begins to feel strangely… tight? against your skin? what was happening?

“it was just me and ivy who fought each other, they didn’t do anything,” your words tumble quickly from your lips, guilt building in your chest as you finally glance back at aphmau.

she’s staring at the ground, bottom lip pinched between her teeth and eyes closed over with tears.

mrs.hwit sighs, going silent for a moment as her mouth twists in disappointment. 

“then you and miss veleno can spend your time in detention after school today apologizing to each other. if this happens one more time it’ll be an in school suspension for a whole week!”

your heart drops, and you fight off the tears pricking your eyes at the woman’s harsh tone.

“yes ma’am…”

“now i want ivy to come with me right now to explain herself, and i will be talking to you,” she looks at you pointedly. “before your detention starts.”

“now alex and aphmau get on to athletics right now. and you… go to the nurse for your nose if it’s bad enough. come along miss veleno.”

ivy clambers up in shock, holding her cheek and turning to send you one last glare before following after mrs. hyria who was now furiously marching her way down the hall. you groan again, wiping away your nose and turning to look at aphmau again.

at the other end of the hall you catch that delinquent boy from the park—gene—staring right at you with an impressed smirk on his face. he silently laughs to himself before disappearing around the corner.

“um… what?” she glances down at the empty hall before turning back to you. “are you okay?”

her voice is shaky and stuttered, and you sigh as you wipe the blood from your face, nodding with a groan.

“yeah… sorry, i don’t know why i reacted like that.”

she shakes her head, waving her hands in disbelief.

“no i—i mean—“ she stutters, before sighing. “thank you for defending me. maybe she’ll leave us alone now?”

you turn to where ivy’s friend was before, only to see she must’ve quietly left the scene when you weren’t looking.

“i hope so. hey, go on to gym class. i don’t want you to get in trouble for sticking around. i’ll talk to you later.”

aphmau hesitates. “are you sure you’re okay?”

you nod, hunching over your bag and slinging it back over your shoulders.

“yep.”

she nods, glancing at you one last time before running off, the little charms on her backpack clinking along with her. you sigh, rolling your neck as you slowly make your way to the girls’ locker room.

your eyes tear up as you process what just happened, holding back a sob as you finally make it to the door, rushing inside.

you didn’t want to go to the nurse. you didn’t want to see anyone right now.

you let your backpack fall down onto the tile floor, stepping in front of one of the many sinks and leaning forward into the mirror to assess the damage done to your face. your eyebrows pinch together when you look back at your reflection, nothing really amiss except for the blood still smeared across your nose and your hair tangled and mussed.

grabbing a paper towel, you run it under the water and use it to wipe the blood from your face. your nose only had a slightly dull pain as you pressed your fingers against it, and what should’ve been deep welts on your cheek was only a slight red irritation. ivy had dug her hand into you, you should’ve looked a lot worse for wear than you did right now.

“…the hell?”

“oh, there you are! what are you doing?” katelyn questions, appearing in the mirror behind you and taking in your ruffled hair. “did you fall asleep in class or something?”

“uh, yeah... sorry,” you nervously laugh, glancing back at your unmarked face one more time before turning to her. “i’ll change super quick and be out there.”

she stares at you for a moment, frowning at your reddened eyelids and the glossy look in your eyes. she shrugs her shoulders after you don’t say anything further, and turns to walk back out of the locker room.

“alright, me and the ladies will be waiting for you on the court.”

☆

“got it!” you call, running up to the net and jumping, slamming your hand down onto the ball.

katelyn whistles as it lands in bounds in the back end of the other side of the court, concluding the last exercise of practice. the light cheers of teony and nicole–who was a close friend of katelyn’s–follow. everyone crowds together at the center of the court, clapping and putting their hands together.

“lady phoenixes on three!” katelyn announces.

“one, two, three, lady phoenixes!” everyone chants, before tiredly retreating back to the locker room.

“you’re pretty good!” nicole comes up to you, her dark copper hair falling out of her high ponytail.

she stood shorter than the rest of the team and even just slightly under your height. she played the libero position, and was pretty impressive with her diving and saving skills from what you saw. her eyes were a brilliant shade of gray, outlined by thick black lashes. freckles dot along her face like constellations, gathering mostly along her nose and cheekbones. 

“thanks,” you smile, your mood feeling much lighter than it did at the beginning of the period.

teony and katelyn follow up behind her, the former coming to your side and wrapping her arms around your shoulders. despite her hard work all practice, she still managed to have her fruit-scented perfume stuck to her skin, the sweet smell invading your nose.

“seriously, it’s too bad the season has already started,” the chestnut skinned girl rested her cheek against your head, her chime-sounding voice.

katelyn nods, humming in thought as she rests her hand against her hip.

“yeah… do you want to come to practices during the athletics period? if you keep improving i bet you could get on varsity next year.”

“seriously?” you ask in surprise.

“yeah, you were seriously crazy with your spikes. you should think about it, we’d love you on the team,” nicole pipes in.

“for sure, sounds like fun!”

“cool,” katelyn nods, nudging your arm with a smile. “i am kinda glad we don’t have after school practice today, i’m tired.”

“seriously, i’m gonna go home and take a nap,” teony sighs lightly, releasing you from her embrace and stretching out her limbs.

the four of you gather your things in the locker room, but the girls turn to you in confusion when you turn to walk further into the school instead of going along with them to the exit.

“hey, where are you going?”

“oh, uh… i forgot something in one of the classrooms. i’ll catch you guys later.”

teony makes a small noise as if she has remembered something important, dashing back to you and pulling her phone out. she hands it to you, the sunflower charm attached to the pink phone dangling in the air.

“here, put your number in and i’ll share it with kate and nicki, okay?”

“oh, sure!” you smile, quickly tapping in your contact into the cheery girl’s list.

after you finish she waves goodbye, walking off with the other two out the doors.

that’s if i still have a phone after i get back home today.

you find the doors to detention, thankfully not finding anyone you know in the hallways on the way like aphmau had just days before. you step inside, immediately landing your eyes on the girl you had taken down in the hall just about an hour earlier.

her eyes dart to yours, mouth curling up as she glares at you. any sorrow you might’ve felt for her earlier leaves at her ugly expression. you stare her down, tongue rolling against the inside of your teeth as you sit as far from her as possible. you’re not sure what face you’re making back, but she’s the first to break eye contact, face faltering into a peculiar look.

before you can take a seat, the clicking of mrs.hyria’s shoes makes her presence known in the room. you turn around, getting a ‘come hither’ finger wave from the woman instead of words.

great. 

you two quietly make it into the hall, even going as far as turning the next corner so you wouldn’t be eavesdropped on.

“now before you go explaining yourself,” she starts, taking a heavy breath. the maternal aura she gives off sends a lump straight into your throat, especially in this situation. “you know my daughter is lucinda.”

you look up at her with confused eyes, nodding slowly at her words.

“now, i’m not one to necessarily take sides in these situations. however, from what i’ve seen, and from what i’ve heard from lucinda and her friends, i can tell you’re a good girl,” her voice lowers to a whisper. “and i wasn’t born yesterday. i know when girls are being sneaky.”

she crosses her arms, lifting her reading glasses off her head and readjusting them in her hair.

“next time something like this happens… i can promise you telling an adult will end up much better for you than handling it yourself. do you understand what i’m saying?”

“yes ma’am…”

she opens her mouth to continue, but leans forward with a confused hum.

“did you go to the nurse earlier?”

“i—no ma’am.”

one of her hands gingerly touches your cheek, as well as brushing along your nose and under your eyes.

“strange… no swelling? not even a scratch mark? it looked like she broke your nose earlier.”

you blink. so it wasn’t just your imagination.

“i guess it looked worse than it was.”

“now, what’s happening?”

you gulp, looking nervously around at the hall for any eavesdroppers.

“um… just petty drama that aphmau and i were dragged into. it’s really ridiculous.”

“boys?”

you sigh.

“yeah. jealousy, and not on our part.”

she hums, rolling her eyes.

“but, mrs.hwit?”

“yes…?”

“i—“ you hesitate, stuttering in your words. “aphmau and i don’t want to be known for… you know, all of this in our first week. can you not get ivy in any more trouble for this?”

“what?”

“i mean… if she does anything else i will definitely say something. but if she knows i said something now i’m afraid words will get passed around school no matter how it plays out,” you clear your throat. “and i have a feeling she won’t pull something like that again.”

her lips flatten against each other, and she reaches up a finger to rub one of her arched, thin eyebrows with a deep exhale from her nose.

“alright, i understand where you’re coming from. i’ll sweep it under the rug this time, but if you get into another fight you will also be in very deep trouble.”

“yes ma’am, thank you.”

“alright, now go do your homework or something,” she dismisses you, exasperatedly waving her hands for you to move along. “i’ll see you tomorrow in class, dear.”

☆

“why on earth did i get a call from the school saying you were in a fight?” mom stands waiting for you in the doorway, eyebrows raised in disbelief.

you release a tense sigh, dropping your bag onto the floor of the entryway.

“because i got in a fight.”

“did you win?” your dad calls from the living room.

“yep.”

“good.”

your mom throws up her hands in utter disbelief, turning her head to glare at him through the doorway as he sits in the living room.

“what? you know she wouldn’t have done that if she didn’t have a good reason.”

she crosses her arms, turning to look back at you. a second passes before she makes a confused face, stepping closer to you and inspecting you with her hands on your shoulders.

“well the school made it sound bad, but you don’t look like she got a single hit on you.”

“yeah well, she did. it was the strangest thing, actually. my nose bled everywhere and she scratched me really badly on my cheek, but it almost immediately healed up… like nothing happened at all. isn’t that weird? even the teacher thought my nose was broken, but i’m fine.”

she freezes, back straightening as she looks down at you with a frighteningly strange look on her face. was it almost… horror? you realize that whatever your dad was tinkering with in the living room had also gone eerily quiet, as you look up at your mom with equally widened eyes.

“…what? why are you looking at me like that?”

she seemingly snaps out of it shaking her head.

“oh no, that is weird. it must’ve looked worse than it actually was. you’ve always had a… really great immune system.”

“yeah, i guess.” you mutter.

she suddenly clears her throat, retreating further back into the house.

“so what was the fight about?”

you sigh, repressing a groan as you prepare yourself to explain everything all over again. when you finish, your mom is staring at you dumbfoundedly.

“why didn’t you tell me this?”

“cause it’s so dumb that i didn’t think it would even get to this point. and by the second week, no less.”

she raises her eyebrows, nodding.

“yeah. this story makes this ivy girl sound really silly.”

“that’s what i’m saying,” you toss your arms up, before beginning to retreat upstairs for a much-needed shower.

“well next time—“

“tell an adult. i will.”

“or just beat them up worse than last time.” your dad hollers after you.

“do not do that!”

©starhvney, 2024. please do not steal or repost my works as your own

tag list: @orinlin @pain-in-the-ashe @youmake1mistake @thenyxsky (sry i forgot to tag you last time ><)