#cw: may december relationships

[biitchcakes]

The Exes of Jessica Drew: Jerry Hunt

After escaping Hydra, Jessica lives on her own in London, desiring to be in control of her own life, to have independence for the first time, while at the same time learning her true origins, and learning how to live amongst people. However, due to the lack of control she had over her pheromones, she has an extra barrier socially ⸺ those attracted to her risk becoming obsessed, while those who wouldn't be into her, instead find her revolting and unsettling.

This makes finding a job next to impossible. So, Jess relies on stealing to eat. When she refuses to do so one night, she's ironically discovered by the police for trespassing after hours. Or, who she assumes to be the police. Turns out the man named Jerry Hunt works at Scotland Yard for S.H.I.E.L.D.

Later on, after only two more chance encounters ⸺ the first where she nearly kills him, and the latter of which she saves his life, Jerry becomes obsessed with her. I personally always assume this is a mixture of her uncontrolled pheromones with each encounter ( so he's just doused with it while he's around her, doesn't get it, and thinks those are his personal feelings ) and then just the fact he's a general cretin. You'll see what I mean as we go on.

Look at his partner's face lmfao me too pal, me too.

To those perhaps unaware, Jessica's pheromones only work if she's around someone. They don't linger, even if she specifically uses them to manipulate someone, the thoughts stop the moment the pheromones in the air do. So, two whole weeks later ? That's aaaaall him.

Naturally, the creep followers her to America, much to the shock and confusion of Jessica. As, all that's happened between them was: he attempted to arrest her, she escaped, they encountered each other again and she nearly kills him with a light pole ( lol ) but saves him, runs, later they both stop a burglary where he gets shot with a laser, and she saves him by taking him to the hospital. That's it !!! Jfc !!! 🚩🚩🚩🚩

Below is when she sees him again over five thousand miles away in a different country during a battle with Morgan Le Fey. Even makes the comment to himself once he finds her that he "won't let her get away again." 😐

After she ( and Magnus ) defeat Morgan for the time being, Jess and Jerry share a kiss, Jessica thinking now this is what love actually is. I headcanon that once she escapes Hydra, she "researches" humanity by reading books, watching movies and TV shows, and so she ends up with some unhealthy views of what love is. How often can you think of a stalking being portrayed as romantic ? How common is a young woman in her early 20's or 30's the romantic lead to a man who is nearly two, sometimes maybe even three decades her senior ?

** ( note: just want to add that obviously not all these relationship age gaps are inherently unhealthy, like someone in their 30's with someone in their 50's. . . it's just that Jessica would see these massive age differences as more of the norm; she is only anywhere from 18 - 22 canonically here, whereas Jerry is obviously much older ⸺ I wouldn't say old, but probably late 30's to mid 40's if I had to hazard a guess. )

For the first couple of weeks, things between the pair are good. But it's not long until they're not. . .

Soon, Jerry becomes fed up with Jessica's independence. How she is constantly there to save him, instead of him being able to save her. He's annoyed with her love and protection, and just wants her to do as he says. He seems to loathe her Spider-Woman persona ( something Jess herself comments on ).

And gets mad at her as above and below all because she wants to take care of him. He's the one dating someone with super powers who is constantly attempting to do good. . . what did he think was going to happen ?

Your Casual Reminder: he was not protesting to her that he wanted her to wait for him to recover, he told her he didn't want her getting involved. He is lying to her to make her feel bad !!!

( Side note: how cute is she walking through the door though ??? He deserves a red flag just for remaining mad when she's so adorable in the doorway. )

So, after this rocky encounter, the two have a date on the beach. But, out of nowhere, Jessica sees a woman flying in the sky. A woman dressed like a moth, a bug like her. And so, she takes off after the other in hopes for answers. Jerry knows Jessica's whole reason for coming to America in the first place is to learn more about herself and her past. Sure, he can be annoyed she took off in the middle of a night together. But. . . this is how he reacts when she lands back on the ground:

Treats her like a fuckin' child !!! 🙄 BASICALLY CALLS HER A FREAK !!! 😤

And she notices this, starts second guessing things. . .

I have to include this because ⸺

"She NEEDS me ! >:((((" Proceeds to get lost and immediately abducted the panel after this.

All you need to know about the sequence below is that Jerry has been gassed and is currently passed out, he is fantasising:

😐 could have fantasised literally any other fairy tale. . . . . he "sometimes wishes" she's more like Little Red Riding Hood. . . . . I hate it here 🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩 ( I guess if I give him the benefit of the doubt, the villains they are currently with are the Brothers Grimm but. . . Could have done like, Cinderella or smth idk. . . )

( also not the writers lowkey roasting him a couple times LOLJDKGS "He finally did it. He's a hero. He's saved Jessica. ... For once." kills me any time I think about it pls. )

Also above is him after waking up like ASFKS "ooooh noooo it's THEM ! The people Jess SAVED ME FROM ! 😩"

Below is their first good bye, Jessica declaring after that since both the men in her life have now left ( Magnus becomes a Vegas magician and she assumes Jerry is off back to London ), she "finally has that independence" she's "always desired".

"I thought the connection was more ethereal" 🙄🙄🙄 eat sand.

And idk read this as you will. . . . . but him offering Jess his apartment, saying she has to let him stay "whenever he's in the area", and then specifically choosing to stay in town just to be near Jessica ??? Seems suspicious u ask me. . . . .

That "dizzy blonde" is his new, perfectly competent S.H.I.E.L.D partner. Later at HER beach house, Jerry makes her dinner ( he never made Jessica dinner 🙄 ). This is where they are abducted by a cult, only to be rescued while unconscious by Spider-Woman and The Shroud ( though Jerry highly suspects that Jess is the one who saves him ).

He ends up going over to visit Jessica sometime after ( the bruise is from an unrelated fight ). Below is their final goodbye.

Just dismisses her feelings after like they mean nothing, like he never cared in the first place !!! Further confirms that by saying "that was easier than I thought it would be. Somehow, when I saw her again, all the feelings I felt for her seemed like distant memories. . ." !!! 😡😤

For the record, that "dizzy blonde" is the other woman waiting for him in the car.

Years later, in an act of desperation to find Mattie Franklin, Jessica contacts Jerry for the first time since. Bendis may have tried to erase Jerry in his origin rewrite ( even calling him Jeff here in the next panel, and this is a few years before the rewrite ), but this little nugget still exists.

This is the last time they've been in contact.

[steddieas-shegoes]

falling is easy, catching is hard

rated m | also on ao3 cw: recreational drug use, implied sexual content tags: friends with benefits, secret relationship, shotgunning, mutual pining, getting together, love confessions

HAPPY BIRTHDAY @sidekick-hero!!! Sandy, you deserve the world, but this 3000 word thing will have to do for now 💖

💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗

December 19, 1985

Steve Harrington needed sleep.

Eddie Munson had the only thing that would put him to sleep.

But Eddie Munson also held a grudge, a reasonable one, but an annoying one.

“You want me to sell you the last of my good shit? For half price?” Eddie snorted. “You’re out of your damn mind, Harrington.”

“Munson, please. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important,” Steve begged.

“Why would I do you any favors? You never did me any.”

Eddie crossed his arms over his chest, waiting somewhat impatiently for a response from Steve.

Steve didn’t have one.

Eddie was right; He didn’t really deserve a favor from someone who had let his friends make his first senior year absolutely miserable.

But Robin’s voice looped in his head: “Be vulnerable sometimes, Steve. People may surprise you.”

“Listen man, I just really need to sleep, alright? I’ve tried everything else.” Steve sighed. “This is pretty much my last hope.”

Which was a truth and a lie. He’d already tried smoking some weed, knew that it worked.

Eddie’s forehead creased in the middle.

That’s kinda cute, Steve thought to himself before shaking his head. Now wasn’t the time to get distracted by big, brown eyes and shiny lips.

“You been to a doctor?” Eddie asked.

“The sleeping pills make them worse.”

“Make what worse?” Eddie pushed.

“The nightmares.”

Eddie nodded once, understanding flitting across his face as he relaxed his arms by his sides.

“How long you been havin’ them?” Eddie asked as he walked around to the bench at the picnic table, opening his lunchbox.

“I guess…technically years. They’ve been worse since July though.” Steve knew he had to be careful about what he said, couldn’t give away more than what the public knew about what happened at the mall, but Eddie seemed trustworthy enough to handle this part. “Doctors said it’s normal for trauma or whatever.”

Eddie nodded, whispered something under his breath, and shuffled through his box.

“Forgot you worked at the mall over the summer. Kinda crazy what happened,” he said as he pulled a small discolored plastic bag from the box. “I’ll make you a one-time only deal, Stevie.”

Steve ignored the butterflies in his stomach at the nickname, kicked at the dirt under his feet, and gestured for Eddie to continue.

“I’m not giving my product away for half price. I’m a businessman and that’s not a smart financial decision for my business.” Eddie held up a hand when Steve looked like he was going to argue. “But! I will share a joint with you right here, right now, for free.”

“Um. What?”

“I was gonna smoke this one tonight as a celebration for passing all my first semester finals by the skin of my teeth. I don’t mind sharing if you don’t.” Eddie’s smirk made the butterflies even worse.

Steve was going to regret this.

God, he was so stupid.

“Yeah, okay.”

Smoking with Eddie the first time was nice, but the second, and third, and fourth times were even better.

— — — — — — —

January 16, 1986

“You’re late, Stevie. I was starting to worry you’d gotten frostbite.” Eddie’s smile warmed Steve from the inside out, the shiver wracking his body more to do with the growing fondness he had for the curly-haired man in front of him.

Eddie was bundled up like they were in Antarctica, and to be fair, it was below freezing outside right now.

Steve offered to meet somewhere else, but Eddie insisted they come to his usual spot.

And then Steve saw it: Eddie had built them a fire. It was small, he probably didn’t want to draw any attention from the road, but it was throwing heat that Steve craved.

“Come warm up before we get into it,” Eddie waved him over, his gloved hands looking out of place.

Steve was used to seeing shiny rings on his fingers, blisters on his fingertips from playing too much guitar.

Steve stood next to him in front of the fire, holding his own gloved hands out to try to warm his body as much as possible.

“Any reason I couldn’t just come to your house or something?” Steve asked, not quite getting rid of the attitude in his tone.

“My Uncle has tonight off. He’s a pretty chill guy, but I think actively watching me sell drugs to someone would maybe cause a heart attack.” Eddie sighed. “I told him I had a date tonight so I couldn’t really have you show up after that.”

“A date?” Steve grinned, nudging Eddie’s arm. “I didn’t even bring flowers.”

Eddie rolled his eyes, but looked away to cover a blush. “Yeah, well, don’t expect me to put out until there’s a dozen roses in my hand.”

He meant it as a joke surely, but something in Steve’s chest clenched at the thought of spoiling Eddie like that. Maybe not roses, that didn’t quite seem his style.

“I’ll try to remember them next time,” Steve managed to say, nearly choking on his own words.

What was he even doing? Flirting? Eddie didn’t even consider him a real friend, why would he want him to bring him flowers?

“Got a new strain tonight. It’s supposed to be a little stronger, but fades faster, so you should be good to drive back home in a couple hours.” Eddie pulled the baggie out of his pocket, lunchbox long gone after meeting twice a week for the last month.

Steve wasn’t really a customer anymore, no matter how they tried to keep up appearances that he was.

He still tipped Eddie, or tried to, but usually Eddie ignored it and just said it was a favor to help him sleep.

“How strong?” Steve finally asked as Eddie pulled the lighter from his pocket.

“Might make you a little floatier than usual. Not hallucinogenic, though.” Eddie knew he couldn’t handle that kind of trip. That’s why he stayed away from his other offerings. “I tested it out myself earlier this week.”

Steve wasn’t reading into that.

“Okay.” He fought off a shiver, this time from actually being cold. “Guess it’s worth a try.”

“I’ll drive you home if it’s too much.” Eddie’s offer was kind, going above and beyond what a dealer would do for a customer, but Steve wasn’t reading into it. “Or you can nap it off in the van for an hour or so before heading home. Whatever.”

Eddie lit the joint, breathing in long and slow, holding the smoke until Steve was sure he would pass out before slowly letting it out.

He handed the roll to Steve, who didn’t think about what Eddie meant by stronger, and took his normal pull, choking halfway through.

Eddie’s eyes widened as he took the joint from him, his hand grabbing onto Steve’s arm as he coughed.

“Jesus Christ, man, you good?” Eddie asked him.

“Yeah,” he coughed. “Sorry. It is a lot stronger.”

Eddie searched his face, relaxing as Steve’s breathing went back to normal. “Good?”

“Yeah.”

“Maybe take it slower?” Eddie teased. “Or- no never mind.”

“Or what?” Steve asked, already feeling the heaviness that came with smoking.

“Ever shotgunned before?”

Steve’s heart stopped. He’d venture to say he was even stone cold sober again after that question.

“Um. No.” He hadn’t. He’d wanted to with Nancy, figured it would be the only way she would be interested in trying weed, but it never worked out. “Would it be easier?”

“Yeah,” Eddie nodded. “Usually. We can give it a try if you want.”

Steve nodded before he really processed what he was being offered.

Eddie’s mouth would be very, very close to his. Possibly even on his.

And he’d be sharing breath with him, probably more than one if it worked.

Eddie pulled the picnic table closer to the fire and sat on the bench. He patted the seat next to him.

“Might as well get comfy, then,” Eddie said.

Steve sat next to him, close enough to feel the warmth coming from his side, close enough to hear Eddie’s hitched breath when they made contact.

Close enough to want to be closer.

“Alright, so I’ll start with a small one, and you just have to breathe in when I breathe out.”

“Is it-” Steve played with a loose thread on his gloves. “Your lips are gonna touch mine?”

Eddie suddenly looked nervous, like he regretted offering this at all, and Steve couldn’t allow that.

“I don’t mind! I mean, I want you to!” Steve panicked. “Like, it’s fine! I know we have to for the whole thing to work.”

“Yeah. Um, it’s not like, weird or anything. It’s just me helping you get high.”

It wasn’t weird, but it definitely was hot.

Eddie took a drag, leaned into Steve’s space, and cupped his jaw, tilting his head back for easier access.

Steve couldn’t breathe.

But he had to, that was the whole fucking point of doing this.

His lips parted and Eddie’s warmth coated him, covered him better than the fire.

He breathed in as Eddie breathed out, his hand seeking contact with anything solid to keep him on this earth.

He found it in Eddie’s hip, his fingers gripping tight as Eddie lingered beyond the point of the smoke clearing from his mouth to Steve’s.

Their lips brushed lightly, an agonizingly soft touch that Steve tried his best not to chase as it drifted away.

He bit back a whine at the loss, opening his eyes to see Eddie still surprisingly close, pupils huge.

It’s just the weed, Steve thought to himself.

It definitely wasn’t their almost-kiss.

Steve breathed out, swallowing once the smoke was gone from his mouth.

“Good?” Eddie asked.

Steve should answer him, should nod and thank him for doing this, maybe ask him for another hit so he could try to blame his fidgeting on being high.

But Steve wanted to kiss him.

Not shotgun, not barely brush lips, not act like this wasn’t something more than what it started as.

Robin told him he deserved nice things, and he deserved to be happy, and he did.

So Steve let himself try to have a nice thing.

“Again?” Steve asked, leaning in before Eddie had a chance to take a drag.

“Woah, big boy.” Eddie’s hands grabbed his shoulders, not pushing him away, but holding him back from making contact that he so desperately wanted. “Think that first hit might have gotten to you already. Let’s take a minute.”

“No, I-”

“Steve. You’re high.”

His tone was final, and something about the way his eyes darted away made Steve think that maybe this wasn’t the first time someone tried to make a move on him because he was giving them something.

He didn’t know Steve was into men, either.

Steve could just tell him, though. Let him know it’s not just the drugs, that he’d already had feelings for him before.

But the high was kicking in and Steve’s tongue felt like an iron weight.

“How about I get you some water?” Eddie asked, pulling away and walking swiftly to his van.

Steve didn’t protest. He did need some water.

Eddie sat on the other side of the table when he came back, handed over a bottle of water with a small smile, and watched as Steve gulped most of it down.

“This is good shit,” Steve admitted, slurring his words a little from the effort of moving his mouth. “Better than usual.”

“Yeah, it’s a nice treat once in a while.”

They sat in silence for another 30 minutes or so, though the time didn’t even feel like it was passing to Steve until Eddie stood up and guided him to the passenger seat of his van.

“Wha-?”

“I’m gonna drop you off at home. You got someone who can help you get your car tomorrow?” Eddie buckled his seatbelt, Steve tried not to be too endeared. “Maybe Buckley? Or Wheeler?”

Steve’s brows furrowed.

Nancy had barely talked to him in months, not since she gave him one awkward hug after Starcourt. Robin couldn’t drive, or at least said she couldn’t. That’s why he drove her to school and all of her work shifts.

“Maybe you could?” Steve suggested.

Eddie sighed. “I’ll see what I can do.”

— — — — — — —

February 14, 1986

Steve got him flowers.

He hadn’t seen him since the night he drove Steve home.

By the time Steve woke up the next morning, his car was parked in the driveway with a note on his keys that said ‘Promise there’s not a dent on her.’

And then Eddie had ignored his calls. He’d conveniently never been at his spot anytime Steve had ever met up with him before.

He couldn’t even pass a message through Dustin because Dustin was too curious for his own good and would probably figure out that Steve wanted to kiss him.

Which is all Steve thought about for the last month while he figured out what to do next.

Robin was no help at all, said he should just corner him after Hellfire one night and make a move if he wanted him so bad.

As if that could ever be an option.

This was his last chance, though.

He’d confirmed with one of his bandmates – Garrett, maybe? – that he didn’t have plans tonight and refused to sell on Valentine’s Day.

Steve stood in front of Eddie’s trailer, a bouquet of white and pink daisies in his hand, feeling particularly stupid.

The van was here, so Eddie was here, but Steve couldn’t bring himself to walk up the steps and knock on the door. This was maybe the most idiotic thing he’d ever done and he probably should leave before he was seen by someone.

“Steve?” Eddie opened the front door, confusion clear even from a distance. “The hell are you doing here?”

“I said I’d bring you flowers.”

He felt so dumb, standing here holding a bouquet of flowers for a guy who didn’t even want to sell drugs to him anymore. He considered dropping the flowers and making a run for it, but Eddie leaned against the door frame and scrunched his nose up.

Like he was trying not to smile.

Like maybe Steve did something right.

“Better bring them in so they can get water, then,” Eddie said with a hesitant smile.

Steve would take any type of smile, as long as it meant he wasn’t being sent away with his tail between his legs.

He rushed inside, didn’t think about the smell of Irish Spring coming off of Eddie, or the way his arm brushed against his side as he passed him.

Steve stood in Eddie’s trailer, taking in what Eddie called home, holding the flowers in front of him with hope.

Eddie closed the front door and walked over to him, holding his hand out.

“You didn’t have to get me flowers just for me to sell you drugs again, ya know.” Eddie smiled sadly. “I would have let you buy if you really needed it.”

“You won’t return my calls so how would you know if I needed it?” Steve countered.

“Ouch.” Eddie sucked a breath in through his teeth. “You’re right. I, uh, was giving you some space.”

“What made you think I wanted any?” Steve took the flowers back from Eddie’s hand, setting them on the coffee table behind him. “If I wanted space, I wouldn’t have bothered calling at all.”

“That’s what Wayne said, but-”

“Well, maybe you should’ve listened to Wayne.” Steve sighed. “I’m sorry I fucked things up by wanting to kiss you. I’m sorry if the flowers are too much. I’m sorry if I’m too much.”

Steve couldn’t look at Eddie after his confession, or his attempt at one. It may have been more of an apology, but he figured his intentions were clear enough.

“Steve. Stevie. Look at me.” Eddie cupped his cheeks, that familiar warmth covering Steve in safety. “You’re not too much. Don’t ever, ever let anyone tell you that you’re too much. You were so high, I didn’t wanna take advantage. I thought if I just left you to think about it long enough, you’d realize what happened was just from the weed.”

Steve shook his head, reaching his hands up to circle Eddie’s wrists. “It wasn’t just the weed. You’d know that if you let me talk to you before now.”

Eddie rubbed his thumb along his cheekbone, eyes dancing across the freckles that covered Steve’s surprisingly sun-kissed skin. “I’m sorry I didn’t let you explain.”

“You’re forgiven if you listen now,” Steve took a breath, letting his hands run down Eddie’s arms and settle on his hips. “I like you. A lot. Definitely more than a customer should, more than a friend should, maybe more than a regular boyfriend should. It’s okay if that’s too much, but it’s what I have to give.”

“You’re really something, Stevie.” Eddie leaned in, pressing his lips to the corner of Steve’s mouth. “I think I’ll take what you’re giving if that’s alright with you.”

“Please,” Steve breathed out as Eddie’s lips crushed against his fully.

Steve always felt so much, always gave so much, hardly ever had anyone who would take what he had to give.

But Eddie was taking it, forcing it from Steve to his own body, his own heart, like it was the only thing he wanted or needed.

“If you wanna buy tonight, you’re gonna be real disappointed,” Eddie gasped out against his lips when they came up for air minutes, maybe hours, later. “I don’t sell on major holidays.”

“Is Valentine’s Day a major holiday?” Steve asked, brows furrowing.

“It is when I get to have you in my bed.”

Steve’s eyes widened. “Oh.”

“That sound okay to you, big boy?” Eddie was smooth. Who could have possibly guessed?

Steve barely got out a ‘yes’ before Eddie was pulling him down the short hallway to his bedroom and rattling off things he wanted to do to him.

Steve Harrington probably wasn’t getting any sleep tonight.

But Eddie Munson would make it worth his while.

[maeby-cursed]

KISS ME, TRY TO FIX IT…

𓂃 COULD YOU JUST TRY TO LISTEN ?

a/n: starting a new series of songfics ! this one is very obviously inspired by sad, beautiful, tragic, so you can see where this might be going. enjoy the results of my brainrot ♡ (also, i’ve never written for gojo before, please have mercy)

✧ synopsis: you’ve been waiting for satoru gojo for ten years, but there’s no trace of the man you fell in love with when you were sixteen years old. it’s time to let go, but he might not want to.

✧ pairings: satoru gojo x fem!reader

✧ wc: 2k

✧ rating: angst. so much of it, angst to drown in. might get suggestive at some points.

✧ cw: mentions of drinking, of the great jjk tragedy of 2006 and its aftermath, implied cheating, gojo may be ooc, toxic relationship ??

An ice-cold wind blows through the window as you wait.

It’s not even December yet but it’s already snowing.

Soft snowflakes the size of stars, far away in their firmament, enter your living room. When they land on the sofa, they dissolve, leaving in their wake thousands of specks of water that look disturbingly like tears.

It doesn't matter. You don't think he's going to notice anyway.

It's been ten long years of waiting. Ten long years of fighting, of fixing what's broken and denying that it's ever been broken.

It's over. Let winter freeze everything in its path.

When Satoru walks in through the door, you hesitate for a moment. A moment of madness when you see his hair, as white as the snowfall that has invaded your home. Just a moment when you see him in his burgundy turtleneck sweater, his tight-fitting coat. One single moment when you recognize the cold in his pink cheeks.

But it's all over when you meet his crystalline eyes. The fault is theirs.

"Is the window broken again?" he asks, dropping his keys on the entryway’s table.

The window has been broken since September.

You nod and he grunts, running a hand over his face.

"I'll call someone tomorrow, although you could have said something," he says. This is your fault. Of course.

You keep your eyes fixed on the snow. From the living room you can see the sidewalk across the street, covered in a blanket of white that sparkles under the street lamps. It's so painfully beautiful it makes you nostalgic.

You and Satoru moved into this house three years ago, when he got his teaching position, and you can't quite get over the fact that it's time to say goodbye.

You've spent three years of solstices here. You've seen the sidewalks covered with dead leaves, with thousands of little flowers that broke the pavement in their wake. But it’s never snowed. 

It’s not fair, not one bit.

Satoru says no more. He goes to your room and undresses; he replaces his street clothes with a black outfit that seems very appropriate for the occasion. Since you’ve known him, he always takes off his glasses when he crosses the hall of your building, but for once, you wish he'd put them back on. 

When he returns, his hair is dripping over his forehead. You hadn't even noticed that he was taking a shower. 

But he hasn't noticed that your bedside table is empty, either; that your slippers are missing, that there's a seeping coldness in the hearth of your house, and it's not coming from the window.

"What's for dinner?" he asks, plopping down on the couch with his cell phone in his hand.

You get up.

9:26 p.m., November 8. This is where it ends.

"I don't know. I'm going out to dinner," you say.

He doesn’t even bother to look up.

"Hmm, where are you going? Are you bringing something back or should I order myself a pizza?"

It's painful to watch as nothing seems to touch him. He’s infinite — always infinite.

"I'm going to a work friend's house."

"The one with the lovely curly hair and those pretty hazel eyes?"

Christ.

"No. I'm moving in with Rhea. Dark-eyed, blonde, leggy."

"Hmm, how nice."

A moment passes where he just keeps staring at the screen, and you despair.

"Satoru."

"What's up, baby?"

"I'm moving."

At last – at last – he looks up. In his eyes you see nothing; two blue marbles that have sworn you two to an unjust fate.

"You're moving out? Why?"

Where to begin? Because you have been loving a man destined to save everything and everyone for a decade, because you have been trying to fill a void that is not your size for eight years, because the windows are broken and the bed is cold and Satoru arrives several nights smelling of anisette and the perfume of another, because you don't want to live looking at the Strongest, the possessor of the Six Eyes. Because you thought that in some hidden corner Satoru Gojo was still there, and he isn’t.

"Because it's killing me to live like this.” You settle for that as your explanation and try to keep your stare unwavering.

"Like this how?" he questions, suddenly irritated. "In a luxurious house?" He gestures around him with the cell phone in his hand. "Comfortably, with your dream job? Knowing you'll never have to worry about money?"

"No, Satoru. Like this, without you loving me."

That chills him to the bone.

"Of course I love you."

"Do you? Do you want me for anything other than to warm your bed and your cock? Do you want me here, as your partner? Do you need me for anything at all?"

You don’t gesticulate, you barely move from your spot in the middle of the room. Everything in this fucking place is white and uncannily clean; the sofas, the coffee table, the walls, even the snow; but you and Satoru. He’s in all black, you’re in all red. It’s almost dreamlike, and you struggle to stay grounded. 

The only thing you could remove from this house that would grab his attention would be you.

"Yesterday you weren't complaining about any of this, what the fuck is the matter with you today?"

And you can't stand it anymore. The winter current lifts your hair, soaks the back of your neck and disguises your tears.

"THE MATTER IS THAT I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR TEN YEARS. WAITING FOR YOU. WAITING FOR THE MAN I MET AT SIXTEEN TO COME BACK, SLEEPING WITH A MAN OF ABSENT GAZE WHO STAGGERS INTO MY BED WHEN HE'S TIRED OF BEING IN EVERYONE ELSE'S. I DON'T WANT TO BE YOUR DOG, SATORU. I DON'T WANT YOU TO COME HOME AND FEEL OBLIGATED TO GIVE ME A WALK, A PETTING."

The words come spilling out of you without remedy, every wound bursting open through the stitches. He just looks at you.

"You think I don't love you?"

It hurts to hear him say it, it fucking hurts. You were prepared for the yelling and the coldness, even for a quick vulnerable stare. But never for his trembling voice and soft frown.

You inhale deeply.

"I don't think your love is of any use to me any longer."

Satoru stands up at that.

He's tall, tall and beautiful like Michelangelo's David. All your life, you've been feeling like you had no right to touch him. His infinity assured you that was the case. 

He takes a step in your direction and whispers:

"Then what should I do now?"

Your eyes, fixed on the ground, rise to meet his. There's something in the void and you're not sure if it's just your reflection.

"What?" you mutter. 

"How do I fix it? What do you need that I can't give you? Do you want me to quit work, for us to leave, for me to come home and kiss your temple, to cook for you, to listen to you, to cherish you in bed?” A heartbeat. “I will."

There’s something about the desperation in his tone, you aren’t sure of what to say next.

Satoru knows how to lie, but you don't know how to tell the difference.

"I don't want anything, Satoru. I'm tired," you whisper back, eyes full of water. "I want it to end. I want you to let it end."

He shakes his head, frowning, and through the mist of your tears you recognize that he is crying too.

"There has to be something. Anything. Something I can do, I can do it all."

It's partly true. He's Satoru Gojo; all-powerful, all-knowing. Eternal and young and beautiful and tragic as a poem.

You are just another person. You cried when Suguru left, when Haibara died, when Kento gave up the Jujutsu world and when Ieri locked herself in her office. You clung to Satoru, who resembled an empty seashell more than a person. 

You remember those nights back in 2007. You remember blindfolding him so he wouldn't activate infinity by accident, by reflex, out of overstimulation. You remember cutting his hair when he couldn’t and looking for him in his old antics. You remember taking care of Megumi – always reluctant – and Tsumiki – who you felt was too mature for her age. You remember the burden of being eighteen and having lost a world.

And, above all else, you remember Satoru under the rain. Under the pressure of the world you had lost, the one that he was trying to put back together. There was a month where he seemed catatonic; no smiles, drinking anisette as if it were his one source of life. A thirty-day period followed by the rebirth of a person who looked like the one that stood before, but who seemed cold and alien to you.

"Don't you love me, my darling?" he seeks for you, reaching out a hand to brush against your cheek.

Of course you love him. You love him even like this, like you have loved each and every one of his versions.

"I adore you, Satoru. But I can't stay; you can't fix it."

"Of course I can," he reaches out to you, holding your face between his fingers, "Of course I can."

His lips connect with yours — one last attempt, you don't know by whom.

Snow fills the room and it's cold, but you drink from his mouth, from his everlasting warmth; everything in him lasts forever.

Between kisses, you show him everything you have been for years. Ten years of kisses, of hands looking for hands and flesh searching for flesh.

He moves backwards, keeping you between his hands and guiding you towards the hallway and from the hallway to your shared bed.

This is where it ends.

"Satoru..." you whisper.

"I'm here. I'm here, beautiful, my favorite girl. Talk to me."

A sob escapes you as he utters those words. My favorite girl. That’s what he used to call you. Talk to me, he used to plead, that year at sixteen, when everything was about to start.

Isn't it beautiful that it ends the exact same way?

"Satoru, I'm leaving," you press a farewell kiss to his jaw.

"No, you're not leaving," he murmurs, smiling against your mouth, searching for your lips.

You back away and look at him one more time. And you smile, because there's nothing left.

"I'm already gone. Just let go of me, please."

"But..." he starts, his smile hesitant, "But I'm going to fix it."

You take one of his hands between yours and kiss it as it presses against your cheek, before lowering it to your lap.

"Satoru..." You pronounce each syllable of his name carefully and he stifles a cry. "I'm not going to go any further. I've already made the move and Rhea's expecting me at her house in an hour. I love you, I’ll love you until I run out of kisses, but it does me no good to love you. It is of no use to me, this love. I wanted to tell you. I wanted you one last time. Wasn’t it my turn to be the selfish one for once?"

He watches you, and his mouth shuts close. You've never seen Satoru lose. 

No, that's not true. There was a time, one time, where you saw him lose everything.

His eyes fill up with you one second and empty the next.

This is his second time.

He lifts his chin with an arrogance that no longer means anything and lets go of your hands.

"Go then, if you want. I'm not going to do anything to stop you,” he drags the words with feign disinterest. “I can't do anything."

That's the last gift he can give you. An honesty unbecoming of him, a truth that will never belong to Satoru Gojo ever again. 

From god to human in three kisses and a goodbye.

"Thank you," you say to him. Then you get up, heading for the living room, where your coat and your escape door await you.

He stays in the bedroom – with himself as he always is – after you leave. 

And he hides you where he always hides the things he breaks, in the back of his eyes, where no one can reach to see anything.

© 2023, MAEBY-CURSED — do not copy/repost/edit.

(reblogs are appreciated !!)

[herejusttosufferalong]

Ok here's my working theory. I just feel like getting it off my chest as I've been so confused about so much since the PT ended - like I just really haven’t been able to get my head around what happened with L. I would love your thoughts!

I do believe/agree with everyone's perception that L may have had feelings for N for a long time (maybe a spark since the beginning, and a fire since season 3). I don't know if I think N had a crush on him too, before or during season 3. They clearly have love and amazing chemistry. He sparkles with her and looks at her like she’s the love of his life. She sparkles with him too, but she also sparkles with everyone and even alone.

I don't know what happened during or after season 3 between the two of them (if anything did), but we know they ended up apart last summer and L found distractions (from his breakup with J, maybe from his feelings for N) in HBS and then, eventually, a budding relationship with A (of whatever kind it is). Maybe he even started to like A, and maybe he thought it could really go somewhere, who knows? He then sees N again at reshoots in December, and then the PT starts in January, and his big feelings are still there/get stronger as they spend time together again.

What I haven't been able to make sense of is how come, with these big feelings, he not only stayed with A through it all but also brought her around to different locations during the PT, where he was with N (and flirting with N) - because it seems to me that A's presence all but guaranteed that nothing would actually happen with N, so why would he want that outcome if he in fact wants N (and if N was available)? It seems clear that he doesn't have the same big feelings for A as he does for N. I also haven't made sense of how someone who seemed soooo sweet and lovely and doting and soft on the PT with N could be with, and return to, such a (seemingly) vapid situation with A, where he seems not only miserable but almost like a completely different person than he showed us during the PT and how his costars describe him to be (and he's also been treating A more poorly than he treated N - at least publicly).

Now, JD has been in N's orbit for at least 2 years - he's been in productions with Louisa, Laurie, and Dylan (at least). I also remember photos showing that he was at CW's wedding in October, so he's clearly been an entrenched part of the friend group for some time (the fact that they more recently followed each other on insta doesn’t mean they didn’t know each other before). So let's *assume* for a second that JD and N are actually together now (and that that's what the pap pictures show us). He seems to mesh well with who N is and her friends/lifestyle. What if N and JD's friendship had been blossoming, with more one-on-one time, turning into a mutual crush, then turning into something more at some point. What if L knew about this because it was taking place before/while N and L were on the PT together. If N and L are BFFs, N could have talked to L about what was happening with JD. And this would explain why L - to protect his heart - kept bringing A around on the PT (despite not seeming to enjoy her presence there) because he didn't want to be single while watching N fall in love with JD. 

Everyone wonders why on earth L brought A to the London premiere (especially given what ended up happening with pap-gate, which I personally don’t think L planned/knew about) - but you know what, JD was there with N's friends too! Maybe L knew that JD would be there, and he knew how shitty that would feel, so he also wanted to have someone with him too (hence A's presence). But remember the conversation on the red carpet, where they're asked for dating advice, and N kind of pointedly says, "wait for the right person, you're worth it" and L looks uncomfortable. Maybe that was N subtly expressing concern about L’s situation with A, as his BFF and not because of any romantic feelings she has for him. But of course, if L had unrequited (probably not communicated) big feelings for N, it explains his discomfort and also his subsequent behaviour with A - carrying on with her after pap-gate (Milan, LA, GQ/Soho House, bday in Italy), while looking miserable, as a continued distraction from his heartbreak over N. It could also explain why he let everything with his public image kind of go to shit (both because he was sad and also because he was still protective of N).

I agree with everyone that by the end of the PT, N started to return L’s heart-eyes and that of course remains confusing. But she's such an effusive and loving person, and she was so proud of him/them for their season and PT, and nostalgic that their big adventure together was ending, that maybe she was feeling so much love for L, her BFF, but not *in love* with L. (Her heart-eyes for Luke T at the London premiere is an example of how she can be so loving with her male friends.)

An imperfect theory, but it's the only one I've landed on, after being confused for months, that helps me to reconcile the L we saw in the PT (N's version of L) with the L of the summer (A and SoHoe’s version of L) - the latter of which has frankly confounded me! - because his summer  behaviour can then be explained as a symptom of his unrequited love (for N) and heartbreak (a Sad Boy Summer).

Does this means that L is (in Suffer’s words) still biding his time and waiting for the end of N and JD?

(Of course, big caveats to all this, we don't know anything! We don't know for sure N and JD are together, or what the status really is/was between L and A. This is all my perception of things from what they show us publicly, I’m just trying to make sense of my own confusion about L.)

this is all opinion 😔

[fastcardotmp3]

fluke

for @steddiemicrofic December 2023 prompt: PINE | words: 508 | rated: G | established relationship; no CW (I wrote fluff, are you proud of me?)

They come into the land by a total and complete fluke.

An empty Tennessee plot that hasn't seen use in decades, it's got a shed of a cabin built by Eddie's great grandfather, likely no modern plumbing, and it's perfect.

A perfect fucking fluke that the Munson family is fractured in enough ways that Eddie and Wayne are the only direct decedents around to inherit the land and all of its endless potential.

Or so Steve calls it.

“I mean, look! A balcony,” he jogs out a handful of yards across the snow-dusted plot of land, spreads his arms wide like he can see it, “right here-- a table and chairs-- a spot to look out at the view.”

The view is also a fluke. A gorgeous overlook of the Blue Ridge Mountains sort of fluke.

“It could even be two-story with stairs,” he gestures upward, such a skip in his step and a flush to his cheeks that Eddie can't help but think that he's a perfect sort of fluke too, Steve Harrington, “that lead right up to a second balcony right outside the bedroom. Yeah?”

He's beaming, positively glowing, and Eddie is mostly just stunned when he nods in agreement. Arms crossed tight to hold in the warmth of his coat and the hair not tucked into his knit cap whipping across his face in the wind, he nods.

Next month, Eddie will turn thirty years old even though he was supposed to die at nineteen, and Steve Harrington's face is going soft with something like understanding as he plans out the blueprints for the house they'll grow old in.

High up in the mountains. So far from the holes in the ground that once tried to drag them to hell.

“C'mere,” Steve strides back over to him, some of the broad exuberance leaving his step but none of the joy as he grapples for Eddie's hand and drags him to the other side of the plot, “okay, so from about here--” he gestures to where they stand, “to over by those trees, there's space for a guest house, don't you think?”

“A guest house?” Eddie looks at Steve questioningly.

“For Wayne. Now that he's finally retiring.”

Eddie may be the creative force when it comes to words and sound between them, but it's in moments like this that Steve proves the kind of vision he has. He can stand here on a nearly empty plot of land, a cabin so neglected the windows are boarded up and the porch rotted through, and still he sees a life.

A future. A family. Not just a fantasy but their prize, if they choose to take it.

“Hardwood floors. Pine,” Steve says, grin only growing as Eddie gapes at him in awe, takes his face between gloved palms, “oak furniture-- I'll build it myself.”

Eddie exhales, fog of breath dancing across Steve's crooked nose. “You really would, wouldn't you?”

Steve grins and kisses him soundly in the place that will become their home.

What a remarkable little fluke.

[arealphrooblem]

Mutually Assured Destruction Part 11 -- The End!

This is the last part everyone! I may right little snippets after this one if the inspiration strikes, but this is the definitive end to the series.

Synopsis: Villain x Civilian. Civilian can sense other people's powers through auras but hides this ability. They are terrified of the most boring person at their office job, who hides the most powerful aura Civilian has ever felt.

CW: Mentions of death, low self-esteem thoughts, brief vague mention of sex at the end, two kisses

Part One Here

Part Ten Here

At first, they thought he was sick. Jonathan didn’t ever give them a cell phone number, so they couldn’t call and check on him. By Wednesday they drove round for three hours after work, trying to find the neighborhood that housed his apartment, with no luck. By Friday, worry stayed a constant pit in their stomach.

Monday morning brought the news that Jonathan had “transferred” to another in another part of the country. Civilian had to suffer all day through the cloying sympathy of their coworkers. Gloria had even hugged them. Everyone assumed a breakup occurred so horribly awkward that it drove Jonathan to move several hundred miles away a week before the holidays.

For the rest of December, Civilian kept up religiously with the news, looking for something big enough to fit the plans Jonathan had hinted at — massive art theft, large scale arson, hell even a government coup.

There was nothing save for constant Christmas ads that Civilian tuned out.

Eventually they had to accept the truth that Jonathan had just got the fuck out of dodge and didn’t look back. Fine. Civilian knew their ‘relationship’ had an expiration date, that it had never existed in the first place. But they had expected some kind of goodbye, even if it had been a threat to stay quiet — not this slipping away in the dead of night like a ghost.

Maybe his plans fell through and he had to leave before someone else discovered him. Maybe the Agency had found him despite his best efforts and he had to abandon everything. Both scenarios were more likely than the one echoing cruelly in Civilian’s head at night:

That they had driven him away; that he couldn’t take their needy loneliness anymore and bounced.

It’s a thought that hounded them for the next six months, followed them as closely and loyally as their own shadow. As the weeks drifted by, Civilian burrowed further and further inside themselves, rejecting offers from Gloria to eat lunch, rejecting their mother’s requests to call or visit, rejecting drinks after work with the other members of their department.

It wasn’t that Jonathan broke their ability to trust anyone — it was the stubborn, naive belief that if Civilian chose to be alone then they weren’t lonely, that it didn’t count because it was self-imposed, a choice, a preference. And being around other people reminded them so sharply of feeling not alone that they couldn’t handle its absence once the night was over.

The whole thing was ridiculous, and Civilian berated themselves at each night for it. They were acting childish and silly. Jonathan was right: the only thing stopping them from having friends was their own fear. They could find a new job, move to a new city, find a place where Jonathan had never set foot in and build anew.

But they didn’t.

And six months later, the bank went under.

Ironically, the one thing Civilian needed to watch the news for, they had ignored in favor of a Buzzfeed shopping list. Their mom had sent a text with a link to a video and a series of question marks.

Isn’t this your bank????

The video explained how the entire board of directors had been arrested for fraud and embezzlement to the tune of billions.

Billions with a B.

After that number, Civilian’s attention went a little fuzzy. The explanation of the complex series of fund transfers and shell corporations and blah blah blah faded to the background as Civilian tried desperate to work out just how the hell Jonathan made it happen.

Over the weeks, each man screamed his innocence of course, but camera footage and witness testimonies — even ones from the other board directors, all eager to stab each other in the back — denied those claims. Each director passed a psych test with flying colors, despite their protests of their body moving with out their consent. It all looked very much like a bunch of disgustingly wealthy men got caught trying to illegally make themselves even more disgustingly richer.

After a certain point, Civilian could have spoken up about Jonathan, and no one would have believed them anyway.

It was the perfect crime and now Jonathan was walking out there will several billion dollars in his pocket and Civilian . . .

Well Civilian was now out of a job, living off a pathetic severance package, and trying to find a solution to their problem that did not involve moving back in with their mother.

It happened in the middle of the night. The ear-popping pressure of a powerful aura dragged them from sleep. In the soft darkness of their bedroom, they could just make out a shadowy figure looming over them.

In seconds confusion crystalized sharply into fear. Civilian’s hands dove under the pillow for the knife they kept there and yanked it out. Their hand froze in the air, gripped by invisible fingers Civilian knew all too well.

“Did you just pull a fucking knife on me?” The figure asked incredulously.

The familiarity of his voice hit them like a physical ache, like a thumb on a bruise.

“Jonathan?”

The lamp switched on, bathing the room in a dim glow. Civilian squinted and blinked against the sudden light. Standing there, eyebrows raised and dressed in all black, was Jonathan Anderson.

The knife gleamed between them. He glanced between it and Civilian and shook his head.

“You should give me that before you hurt yourself.”

He took the knife gently out of their forcibly relaxed fingers and set it on the nightstand, far out of their reach.

Their chest was a swirling maelstrom of too many emotions to count — joy and fear and anxiety and relief.

But most of all anger.

How dare he just show up after ten months of nothing.

“You should go fuck yourself,” they retorted, sitting up and swinging their legs over the side.

“Awww, Civilian, did I upset you by leaving?” He gave them a mocking frown. “Did you miss me?”

The truth of his words pierced them, sending a hot flush of humiliation up their neck.

“No, I did not miss you, you sick on of a bitch — ”

Jonathan bent down, cupping their face in his hands and cutting them off with a fierce, almost desperate kiss.

“I missed you,” he breathed. “So fucking much.”

Civilian’s heart pounded like thunder in their ears. How often did they daydream this kind of moment happening, and yet now that it was here, they couldn’t help but doubt it. It felt dangerous to believe it.

“How am I supposed to believe that?” they demanded. “For all I know, you could be here to kill me and — and tie up loose ends.”

Jonathan had the gall to laugh. “Where do you think we are — a mobster movie? Do you think I’m going to tie cinder blocks to your legs and throw you off the pier?”

“You wouldn’t need the cinder blocks to make sure I drowned,” they said mulishly. “You wouldn’t even need a pier. You could make me smother myself right now with my own pillow.”

Why they were arguing this, they had no idea. Perhaps stubbornly clinging to the belief that he didn’t care about them protected them from hope. Jonathan’s grin faded into something more somber as he studied them. Then he slowly sank down on one knee before them, putting him at just under eye level.

“Why would I come here to kill you after everything I’ve done to protect you?”

“Protect me? Is that what you calling taking off with no goodbye like I didn’t mean anything?”

“Tell me, Civilian, how suspicious it would have looked if I had stolen all that money and then skipped town? How many people would be scrutinizing the newest hire that suddenly disappeared and anyone who associated with him? How long before the Agency would come sniffing around, looking for someone with my skill-set, and find you and your glorious little secret? Hmm? Tell me.”

Civilian glared at him and his tight, unbeatable logic. How dare he make sense.

“Some warning would have been nice,” they said instead, crossing their arms. “I thought I had — that you ran because — ”

They couldn’t finish the thought, it was too embarrassing. How stupid they had been, obsessing over a silly kiss, when Jonathan was executing such grand larceny on an unheard of scale. Like he had even spared it a second thought.

He gave them a knowing, crooked smile. “You thought I took off because you kissed me and I flipped out.”

“No,” they lied. “That’s ridiculous.”

“It is ridiculous,” he agreed. “It’s the one thing that made it hard to leave in the first place. And I couldn’t let you know, in case someone did question you. You were my insurance, not my accomplice.”

The one thing that made it hard to leave. Staying angry at Jonathan was getting more and more difficult. Civilian tried to hold onto it, but it slipped through their fingers like an eel.

“So the bank . . .that really was you?” they asked.

This time his smile widened into a full smirk. “Beautiful, wasn’t it?”

“Beautiful? It fucked over a lot of people — including me! I’m out of a job now, you prick.”

He shrugged. “People will move on just like they always have. As for you . . .that’s why I’m here.” He reached out and traced the pad of his thumb down their jawline. “To spirit you away.”

Civilian fought and failed to hold back a shiver at the light touch. “You mean kidnap me.”

“It’s only kidnapping if you don’t volunteer for it,” he said. “You’re being very stubbornly angry with me. You must have missed me quite a bit.”

They swallowed thickly. “I hate you,” they lied.

He smile, soft and gentle, his thumb swiping over their bottom lip. “You wish you did.”

Civilian’s pulse fluttered. They wanted very badly to kiss his thumb, his hand, anywhere they could reach. “And where would you take me?” they whispered instead.

Jonathan turned his hand so the back of his knuckles brushed over their cheekbone. “Where do you want to go? I have more money than God, Civilian. We can go anywhere in the world and disappear and never have to look over our shoulders again. What say you to that?”

“What happens if I say no?”

As tempting as his offer was, they had to ask the question, regardless. His answer determined everything.

“You will never have to see me again,” he said, taking his hand away. “And I will find a way to anonymously give you enough money to do whatever you wish in a way that can’t be traced. With me or without me, you will have the same freedom from the Agency that I do. I had planned for that for a long time.”

Whatever resentment for their months alone evaporated in an instant. This time Civilian took his face in their hands and kissed him, long and fierce.

“Take me to Greece first,” they said. “I want to see the ruins.”

Taglist: @those-damn-snippets@heroes-villains-side-blog@anonymousewrites@follow-me-into-the-fog@sunnyside-world, @rivalriotrenegade@trappedgoose-in-a-writblr-room@midnightsillusions@villain-obsessed-word-nerd@deflated-bouncingball @pickleking8 @cesspitoflove@to-sneak-away-and-hide@im-a-wonderling@hasel-anne@ghostly-writer@moonknight-s-cumdump@valiantlytransparentwhispers@galactic-squiddo@boomimhere@organizedchaos03@dungeon-roomba@vidiaka@powerflower119 @cbiom @meltedgallium@skevethefool@sarcasticlittlebook@lisapicklemagick@dragonfirephoenixflame, @royalmuffinsworld@sillypeachduck

[unreleasedwrites]

Love your writing!!! Could I request a fluff scenario with jake kim? Thank uu💕💕

Baking Shenanigans

“F’me?”

summary: You and your boyfriend are spending the weekend at your place. When you two were suddenly craving for something sweet, so you guys make the choice to try baking a strawberry shortcake using a highly reviewed recipe you guys found on the internet. Surprisingly, it went as you two hoped and tasted delicious.

character(s) included: Jake Kim x fem!reader

cw: fluff, cheesy pickup lines, teasing, flirting, idk much abt baking I just googled a recipe and the storyline follows the steps, jake is tall therefore you guys have a height difference, mentions of knives but its just for slicing strawberries, blushing/getting flustered, jake and reader are in an established and healthy relationship, nicknames or petnames like babe, kissing, waist holding, sLIGHTly just SLIGHTly suggestive at the end but not really so dw, there may be a few typos or grammatical errors so mb about that i didnt read too thoroughly

unwrapped on: Wednesday Morning, December 20 2023

wrapped up on: Wednesday Night, December 20 2023

published on: Thursday Noon, December 21 2023 (at around 12 PM)

“While you’re cutting up the strawberries, I’ll go ahead and preheat the oven!” You stated. “Oh- And I’ll also get our ingredients for the dough and some other materials we’ll need.” You added.

“Got it, shortcake.” Jake replied.

“Hey.. Just because were baking a strawberry shortcake, it doesn’t mean you should take the opportunity to give me a new nickname!”

He laughed in response as he swiftly sliced the fresh strawberries.

“You’re a natural in using knives, I thought you were more of a close combat kinda guy.” You mesmerized his hands slicing through each strawberry smoothly, glancing at the tattoos that trailed his arms.

“Well- I am, and I never really use knives. I rarely cook and it’s not my style to just stab my way through a serious match.” He shrugged.

You went ahead and got the different materials you guys needed to make the strawberry shortcake. You then took a stroll through the kitchen, from cabinet to fridge, to collect the various ingredients you’d be using according to the recipe you guys are following.

“Alright-y! I’ve got everything we were missing.”

“You’re the only one i’m ever missing,” he said as he turned towards your flustered face.

“Oh shut up, I’m right here. I always have been, and I always will be.” You replied as you got on your tippy toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek then added, “Look at how the tables have turned.. You’re the one who’s fluster-” You added before he cut you off and kissed you on your lips for a good 5 or so seconds, which made you even more flustered than you already were beforehand.

“Well would you look at that! Little miss’ no longer flustered has her cheeks as red as these strawberries,” He teased as he brought one down to your lips and fed you it. “Hmph,” was all you said in return because you knew you wouldn’t be able to top that. Which in the end, only made him chuckle.

You guys started to open the ingredients and put what’s required in the bowl you put out for the dough. Once you guys finished doing so, you mixed the dough mixture and proceeded to knead it for about a minute— which your boyfriend was the one to do so since he’s really strong anyway and wouldn’t struggle one bit. After lightly coating it in some flour, he rolled the dough into the specific thickness that was instructed and stated on the said recipe.

“Now that we’ve finished rolling the dough, we now need the biscuit cutter!” You said joyfully as you looked up at your boyfriend.

“Right! I’ll go get that for us.” He paused as he opened your cabinet with all of your tools for baking and cooking. “..What exactly does that look like..?” He added.

You laughed and walked to his side to assist, “It’s that one, silly.”

“I knew that! ..Obviously, I just wanted to see if you did too.” He laughed and so did you.

Once you guys had cut your dough into two thick circles, you went on to quickly melt some butter while your boyfriend was lining up a baking sheet for your guys’ tray. After only a few seconds, you took the butter out and greased up the baking sheet using your good ol’ brush. Once Jake placed the dough onto the tray with the greased up baking sheet, you brushed them up with some of the remaining melted butter in your bowl.

“I think its time!” You announced.

“..For you to give me a kiss?” He teased.

“Uh-uh babe. My lips are locked, but maybe later— If you can crack the code, that is. But for now, lets place these in the oven for about 12 minutes.”

“Awh,” he pouted and gave you his best puppy eyed look (although he doesnt even have to try), “Cmonn~ I promise I’ll control myself and I wont smother you in kisses like last week, pretty please” He pleaded, “with a lil’ strawberry on top?”

“Hmm..”

“Pleaseeee”

“Alright Alright!” You finally gave in as you put the tray into the oven, right after you set it to the instructed temperature and time.

Before you could even give him the go, he already grabbed onto your waist, clinging onto your body like a koala with its favorite tree. He started planting kisses all over your head and neck, down to your collarbone and shoulders— which were out in the open since you were wearing a very loose off shoulder top along with shorts.

“Babe-! You promised you’d control yourself!” You tried to speak out, but it was slightly muffled since he was too busy kissing you all over, especially in places he knew you were ticklish in— which caused you to keep laughing, ultimately forgetting you were trying to stop him in the first place from getting away with his little acts.

Twelve minutes finally passed by and you two heard a ding, signaling it was ready. So you guys made your way to the kitchen and you took out some mittens and grabbed the tray from the oven.

“Ta-da! They aren’t raw and they aren’t burnt at all! Its perfect!”

“I never doubted us for a second!” Jake spoke sarcastically.

“Well when you say it like that, I dont believe you one bit..”

“All we need now is the cream, I’ll place everything in the bowl and I’ll also mix it, could you prepare the strawberries and grab a plate with utensils so we could plate it right after?” Your boyfriend said as he looked at you with his wholesome smile you can’t get enough of.

“Will do!”

So then Jake got the remaining ingredients for the cream and made the mixture altogether, while you got the plate and a fork right after you prepared the strawberries your boyfriend was slicing earlier.

“I’ve got the spatula (for baking) here, so let’s place the cream.”

“While you do that, I’ll place the strawberries in the lathered cream,” you replied.

After finishing up the cream with strawberries on the second layer, which is also the last, you topped it off with some tiny bits of strawberries while you snacked on the remaining ones.

“We’ve finally finished!”

Jake grabbed a knife from the utensils drawer and took the fork you placed on the counter beforehand, he then sliced through the cake. “Say Ahhh~” Your boyfriend said as he lifted it up towards your lips.

“Ahhh” You opened your mouth and your boyfriend fed you the slice of cake, “How is it, babe?” He asked as you chewed your food.

You nodded in approval in a positive look, and once you finished the food in your mouth— you replied, “It’s the perfect amount of sweet! It’s not overly sweet but it isn’t missing any flavor either, here- you try!” You sliced through the cake and placed it on the fork you two were sharing, “Say Ahhh~”

“F’me?” Your boyfriend said with a hint of rasp in his voice,

“Yes sir~” You replied and brought the fork up to his lips.

“Ahhh~” Your boyfriend opened his mouth after he chuckled in amusement from watching your precious reaction to cake.

Your boyfriend smiled in approval and gave you a thumbs up. You then took some of the icing/cream on top using the fork and ate it. You hummed and your boyfriend said, “You’ve got a lil something, babe.” You turned up and looked at him with a confused look and mumbled a little “Hm?” in response.

“Here let me get that for you,” He then grabbed your waist and pulled you in for a kiss, all the while you still had a bunch of the icing in your mouth, which he started to help you with. You got insanely flustered, again. Despite this being such a regular occurrence, you’re always so flustered whenever it happens.

“So did I even have a little something? Or was that just my jake’s little excuse?”

“Believe it or not, you actually did have some icing on the side of your lips, which I cleaned up! So, your welcome~” He said with a smirk.

“Yeah yeah, whatever you say.” You scoffed.

“How about we go watch a movie, What do you say? Your boyfriend suggested.

“What movie?”

“How about this romantic movie I heard about last week?”

“Of course its romance again, huh?” You scoffed sarcastically.

“What can I say? I am a sucker for romance after all.”

notes: I HAVE BEEN GONE FOR SO LONG AND I AM SO SORRY😭 Its not like I just forgot about what I was doing here, I just got really busy with school and all the exams and everything.. I’m so sorry for disappearing out of the blue, but I have been going back and fourth in the works in my drafts, because I have been trying to finish some one’s request but it just keeps going NOWHERE. and I have literally restarted twice when I was already halfway because I really wasn’t happy with how it was going and i am struggling to get it done 💀 I hope this is good and since the pattern of my posts are fic-drabble-fic-drabble-fic-drabble/answering an ask-and this fic, I will be start working on a drabble of multiple lookism characters, im not yet sure what scenario I’ll be doing but yeah.. and to the anon who made the request about Gun, im really trying to work on it im so sorry its been almost 3 months.. 😭😭 ALSO, TO THE ANON WHO REQUESTED THIS, im sorry it took so long as well and since you just said a fluff scenario, I figured i’d go ahead with my idea to make my post about baking shenanigans a series, so yall can request a character for that

- With or without proper credits, please don't try to steal or claim any of my works as your own

I genuinely appreciate opinions, feedback, likes, and reblogs

Once again, I hope this isn't too bad for all of you that likes Jake or lookism, and I'll be doing more characters in lookism 🫶🫶

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

To the Arcana Fandom, From Brainrot

This is a confession, an apology, and a warning. To avoid needing a content warning, full details and evidence are in the document linked at the bottom.

From early May to July 21, I was part of the discord server that was responsible for the @asrabounding call out blog in April and for the series of call out posts against them in late July.

This discord server was made and run by someone who calls themself Rai (@notaguyrai, @volcanic-penis), who also said that they were in a relationship with Panda (@pandasanddragons, or @pandas-rambles, or @robbinredwood, or @snowleopard-ponderings). Rai and Panda (who may or may not be the same person) have an ongoing vendetta against @asrabounding that goes at least as far back as December of 2022.

We now know for a fact that Panda has been stalking @asrabounding since December of 2021 at the latest.

We now know that Rai's main goal with the discord server was to "recruit" people and "turn them against bounding" (to use their own words). There were well over 10 people that they fed horrendous lies about @asrabounding and @bondagebird to and manipulated through multiple tactics into doing dirty work for them with the end goal being to inflict as much pain as possible.

We now know that they personally engaged in behavior far worse than what the server knew about as well, including trying to doxx @asrabounding and @bondagebird.

The whole story, with evidence: (CW for suicide baiting & descriptions of a cult-like situation)

For my part in all of this, I sincerely apologize. Please be careful of this person, friends.

brainrot

[steddieas-shegoes]

unconventional tree tradition

For @steddiemicrofic December prompt ‘pine’

wc: 508 | rated t | cw: mild innuendo | tags: established relationship, domestic fluff

🌲🎄🌲🎄🌲🎄🌲🎄🌲🎄

“Isn’t a Christmas tree usually a pine tree?” Steve asked, tilting his head as he took in the “Christmas tree” that Eddie found.

Found. Not cut down. Not bought. Found.

Steve was looking forward to hearing that story, especially now that it was obvious the tree he’d found was what he saw on the side of the road on the way to work.

“Well, yes. But the place on Davis Street only had huge ones left and the place downtown is charging $15 for a shitty tree! Once this ones got lights and shit, it’ll be fine,” Eddie shrugged. “Speaking of lights!”

Eddie ran from the room, leaving Steve looking at the bare tree in a hand-me-down tree stand.

Their first year in their tiny two bedroom house just outside of Hawkins was proving to be…difficult.

It wasn’t the living together part, they’d already been doing that for over a year. It wasn’t even owning a home in general, Steve had already been used to taking care of a home and land on his own for years when his parents left town.

It was realizing that they were doing this, living together, committing to each other, planning a whole future.

This was the first year they could really make their own traditions for Christmas. Last year, they’d still been with Wayne, and Steve had been hesitant to impose, not that he’d had many traditions anyway.

“I found a brand new box of lights!”

“You keep saying that.”

“Saying what?” Eddie handed him the box of unopened colorful Christmas lights.

Steve resisted a shiver at the memory of Joyce Byers begging for some sign of life from Will with lights just like these. “That you found these. And the tree.”

“I found them! What, do you think I stole them?” Eddie crossed his arms over his chest and let his smile turn into a frown. “You know me better than that, Stevie.”

“Yeah, it’s just kinda weird that I mentioned needing a tree last night and now we have one. And this brand new box of lights just appeared when you needed them.” Steve didn’t feel bad about being suspicious, not when he didn’t believe in coincidences. “Also, we agreed on trying to find a pine tree in Indy right?”

Eddie’s face fell. “Yeah.”

Well, shit. Now Steve felt bad.

“Eds, it’s fine. We can make this work! We may need another box of lights, though,” Steve went to pull him into a hug, trying to comfort him the best he could, but Eddie took a step back.

“No, you’re right. I just got excited,” Eddie sighed. He grabbed the box of lights from Steve’s hands gently and turned to leave the room.

But Steve wasn’t having it. He took one more look at the tree and then tugged Eddie back to his body.

“Steve-“

“No. I love it. I love that you found this stuff for us. I love you.” Steve kissed his nose.

“You’re just sucking up to me.”

“Not yet, I’m not,” Steve winked.

Eddie smirked.

[love-toxin]

Fruity four opening Christmas presents together! Steve is 100% dad with trash bag for wrapping paper who grabs it immediately. Nancy’s taking notes so everyone knows who to write thank you notes to for what, Eddie loves unwrapping gifts (he might have done some that weren’t his too, oops🤷🏻‍♀️) and Robin’s just excited to give her gift to Angelface

oohoo.......holiday cheer, you say.....merry crimis! 🎄

(cws: fruity four, f!angelface, christmas festivities, gift-giving, fluff, some big gift surprises <3)

For the past six months of your relationship, you've agreed on one solid rule for the holidays--no extravagant spending for Christmas. You might be settled in a nice house (courtesy of Steve's parents as a graduation gift) and all have fairly stable jobs, especially since Nancy's got her promotion at the newspaper office and Eddie's officially an apprentice mechanic, but it's less about the money and more about the intention. You don't want to spoil each other to an excess, and you all can agree that the most precious thing you can have over the holidays is quality time together. So that should be the main focus, which is what you all promised and nodded your heads at.

But that was before the holiday decor was up, before you got to have your family and friend dinners at the Wheeler's and the Hopper-Byers' and at your own house, and before it really set in that this is your first Christmas as partners. Plus, it's the first Christmas after your last run-in with the horrors of Vecna and the Upside Down, so to say that you're feeling even more thankful for what you have than usual is quite the understatement.

It was also before you got to experience Steve's almost Santa-esque Christmas spirit, coming out on December 1st in your pajamas to find that the ruckus that had woken you up was your boyfriend up on a ladder, stringing coloured lights along the roof and sides of the house in nothing but his jeans and a zipped-up jacket--not even gloves to speak of, which is how you later found yourself making him a cup of tea to warm his trembling hands while he happily chattered on about the decorations he was gonna put out on the lawn. And no matter how much Eddie tried to slither out of it, Steve practically dragged him out in the snow to help plug everything in and make sure all the lights were working.

And in the days that have followed, you've had the holiday spirit build up inside you so much that you, you.....may have gone a little overboard. You've stretched that promise you all made until it's eventually broken by the third trip you make to the mall in a week, but how can you help yourself? You're constantly surrounded by beautiful, good-natured, kind-hearted people who have shown you absolutely unconditional love, how could you resist the chance to spoil them like you know they deserve yet never act like they do? Plus, there's something you've been keeping secret from them for awhile, something you're pretty nervous to give them--it took a long while to get it together, and you weren't sure if it would go as planned when you mapped it out, but all you can do is hope they'll like the risk you took....or at least, one of them will.

So you feel a bit antsy when you wake up on Christmas morning, eyes opened for mere seconds before Eddie's running into your room and jumping on top of both you and Robin, kissing you and shaking you awake cause it's Christmas! He's like a little kid in his excitement, it's just impossible for you to even be a little annoyed as you let him pull you up out of bed and into a hug. Robin isn't safe either, though she's got an arm over her face to block out the light she's still prodded at by your boyfriend, who eventually picks her right up out of bed and carries her out into the hall to duck into the master bedroom and dump her on a freshly-awakened Steve and Nancy. They're still rubbing the sleep from their eyes when they get their unexpected gift at their feet, and with you close on his heels you can all relent with a chuckle and decide that there's no reason not to start your gifts now.

While you're also excited, of course, you have to resist the urge to bite your nails out of anxiety as they get out of bed and Nancy pulls on her robe, Robin finally being jostled enough that her eyes are wide open and she's fallen right in with Eddie's jubilance--and the two of them usher you along as they hurry to the stairs and stop there, waiting for you three to catch up even though you feel a little like your heart's gonna explode. What if they don't even end up liking your gifts, and you mess it all up by spending way too much and getting them too many? And what if they don't like that gift? You don't even start moving until Steve pats you on the bum, ducking in for a kiss on the cheek as he moves past you and orders the other two to slow down, and don't go into the living room until everyone's there! He's surprisingly uptight about it, but the grin that's splashed across his face as you all migrate down the steps betrays something you can't quite pinpoint--except that he knows something that you all don't.

You're subjected to only a few more "C'mon!"s and "Hurry up!"s by the two grown children standing at the bottom of the stairs before you join them, and Steve makes a grand, sweeping gesture with his arm towards the living room through the archway--and when you all step inside, you can't quite believe what's waiting for you there, that was most certainly not there when you all went to bed last night.

Sure, the hoard of presents under the tree had been pretty sizeable before, but now there's quite the collection of mismatched boxes with all kinds of wrapping paper, from ones that were wrapped professionally in fancy paper to ones that are bound pretty messily with tape and edges sticking out everywhere. Yeah, you had definitely snuck down during the night to tuck away some extra presents you had hiding in your closet, so that they wouldn't be able to tell how many you'd bought--but you didn't put this many for sure, and not in all the varied packaging that they've come in. You've got a strong inkling that maybe you weren't the only one to have done so last night, and only now do the bags under Steve's eyes and his unusual giddiness make sense.

But that's not what stops you all dead in your tracks. What renders you silent is what's sitting on a stand right in front of the presents and the tree that's bursting with ornaments--a long, shiny red guitar with a glossy finish, strings sleek and new with black accents to compliment it. And you can't help but notice the way the slim body of the instrument has two upturned peaks at the top, framing the neck in such a way that it so resembles those iconic horns that Eddie's always doodling or throwing up on his head for a jab. It's perfect, it's the perfect guitar and it's exactly what Eddie would like, and it looks quite familiar, too.....and you know it when you look over to see him absolutely speechless, slack-jawed in awe as he and the guitar trade stares like they were meant for each other. It's for Eddie.

"Wow, looks like Santa really went for it this year. Guess you've been good, Munson." Steve is the only one able to breach the quiet that's fallen over all of you, sliding an arm around Eddie's shoulders rather sweetly while you and the girls share a look, grinning from ear to ear and giggling beside him as you watch your beloved motormouth go absolutely silent.

"How.....how did you...?"

"Santa knows all your wishes. I might have given him a tip or two, though." With a wink, Steve dips his head to peck Eddie on the cheek, and the frizzy curls framing his face go flying as he turns to look at your boyfriend.

"Steve, this....is the best day of my life. This--you--oh, for fuck's sakes," You're taken aback by the near moan that Eddie pushes into Steve's mouth, sucking on his lower lip like a vampire before pulling off with a pop and hurrying over to touch his gift. Steve, meanwhile, is left with a rosy bottom lip and wide eyes while he watches him geek out, only snapping back to attention when you and Nancy grab each of his arms, and move him forward to sit him back on the sofa that faces the tree. After Eddie's slung the guitar over his neck and fired off a few chords with childlike glee, hopping up and down and getting a little headbanging in, he manages to peel it off with a flushed and happy face and moves it on the stand to the side, so you can get at the rest of the presents underneath. Nancy joins Steve on the couch, Robin sits on the floor by the armchair, Eddie's cross-legged between them to complete the circle, and you take your position as promised--the designated gift-distributor, kneeling next to the tree.

With your spirits even higher than normal (although the rest of you are definitely worried your gifts won't be able to top that first one) you finally get to the looming pile of presents. Nancy picks up her pen, and scribbles out a list on the notepad she keeps on the side table when she gets the chance, although you manage to push a few gifts into her lap and remind her to relax! This is your family time, and you're especially insistent on everyone leaving their worries and stress aside for the day. Although you definitely feel like a hypocrite for the way your heart thuds against your ribcage as you make your way through them, nervously eyeing the spot near the back where the wall is, knowing that your biggest gift is hiding amongst that last pile.

Until the time comes, however, you stick your attention where it needs to be--on your lovers, all of whom seem to be filled with the kind of shameless joy that you hope everyone feels on such a lovely day. The only one that's really fidgeting is Robin, although that's pretty normal for her to play with the strings on her hoodie--and it's almost overshadowed by Eddie's excitedly flapping hands at the wrists when he's watching everyone open his gifts, and the sharp, short rocks of his head that he does when his hands are busy. Steve, on the other hand, has already made the brief trip to the kitchen to grab a garbage bag by the second present, and has it open by his feet for you all to crush your wrapping up and toss inside.

After a few small, feeler gifts to start off--some new polos for Steve, an organizational binder for Nancy, new headphones for Robin's walkman, blank cassettes for Eddie, socks and books you've been wanting--then comes the first of what you haven't realized will be quite a few more heartwarming presents. You still haven't made a crazy amount of progress through the pile, Steve having finally caved and admitting that he may have been keeping some presents hidden for the rest of them to put out the night before, including himself, obviously. And you breathe a sigh of relief when he says it and you can all share a laugh, one that's much more memorable with the knowledge that you all couldn't resist spoiling each other. At least it wasn't just you, you think to yourself as you pull the next gift out and scan over the tag.

"Oh! For me, from....Nancy and Eddie?" You look between the two, you curiosity piqued when they share their own look and lean forward while you tear it open, taking great care to toss the bright-red wrapping into the trash when Steve holds it open for you. All you can tell is that it feels pretty bookish, but it's heavier than usual--and when you turn the big, rectangular object over in your hands, your expression falls in shock and awe at what you see. The pretty, leather-coloured hardcover is more the style of a three-ring binder, and on the front, there's nothing but a few small white letters painted out that simply read "Angelface". Whatever you think you're gonna find when you gingerly open the book is swept away instantly, because by the first page you can already feel the tears welling up in your eyes.

"It's a scrapbook," Eddie clarifies, already huddling up to your side to sit next to you as your shaky fingers hold the plastic-bound page, while your other hand hovers in front of your open mouth. "You always get so excited about having pictures, but since we can't really hang any up....Nance came up with the idea of a scrapbook. She did most of the work, I just doodled some stuff and helped dig around everyone's storage." He speaks so meekly, shyly, almost, even though you can barely believe you're looking at something they both put so much love and time into as you flip through the pages.

There must be at least dozens of pages they've made up, each one a piece of thick, high-quality paper sealed in plastic holders that are destined to stand the test of time. And each one is stacked with photos, arranged neatly and glued to each side of the papers via Nancy's obvious handiwork--they vary from recently-processed ones to ones with frayed edges and signs of age to polaroids, but what really hits you is that they're of you, all of you. There's photos of you from recently, group photos of all five of you in the snow, on dates, at your Christmas dinners, and around the house, but there's also photos of you all by yourselves or with one or a few of the others. Silly photos, sweet photos--there's plenty you remember taking but never got to see, like the ones Steve took of you in the passenger's seat on your road trip, or one Robin got of you stretching as you sit up in bed, the sun's hazy orange glow cast over your skin through the window that gives it an ethereal feeling. They've even dug up baby pictures and childhood photos to make a section for it, a sudden bout of laughter cancelling out the tears spilling down your cheeks, as you press your finger to a photo of two-year-old Steve in a suit and tie.

"Oh my god..." You whisper in awe, your space now crowded with all four of them to take a look over your shoulders--you moon over the pictures of ten-year-old Robin with her trumpet and her band uniform, of Eddie's middle school buzzcut and missing-tooth smile as he stands by his uncle Wayne, and when you get to a few well-loved photos of Nancy with Barb, you can't help the "Oh, Nancy..." and the fresh wave of tears that comes over you at how special it is. You're so overcome with emotions you can't describe that you almost miss the fact that there's notes accompanying almost every page--little paragraphs and funny remarks and stories behind each photo, all written in Eddie's unusually careful hand, that you'll have time to pore over when you're not crying your eyes out.

"Oh, baby, it's okay! Aww.." Eddie pulls his arm round your shoulders and kisses your temple, while Robin hikes her sleeves over her hands and dries your tears with them, the four of them with pierced hearts and sweet, sympathetic smiles as they soothe you.

"...I know we can't show our love like other couples, and...and we can't even hang up pictures in our own home," Eddie mumbles through kisses placed on your wet cheek, his hand running through your hair. "But we can have this. Maybe we'll even pass it down to our kids, show them how their crusty old folks fell in love, eh?" A smile finally works it's way across your lips and stays there, your fingers hovering over a particular photo of a young Nancy holding her newly-born sister, Holly, before you close the book with a "Yeah.." and one last kiss on the lips.

"Alright, no more tears for the rest of the day." Steve announces proudly as they all disperse back to where they were sitting, though all of you know by the little sniffle he tries to hide--he was closer than anybody to shedding a tear, but you keep your grins quiet and keep moving on to the other gifts.

"Next is..." You drag your arm across your nose, smiling with a hiccup as you try to brush away how touched you are, just until the day is done. "....uh, this just says 'to Marty, from Doc'..."

"Oh," Steve pipes up, suddenly looking a little pink. "That, uh, that's for Robin. From me."

With a tilt of your head, you stretch to hand the mid-sized box to your equally-puzzled girlfriend across the floor, and it isn't until she's almost completely opened it that her head snaps up and an "Ohhh!" of realization comes out of her. "Oh, my god, you're cheesy. It's a reference--the first movie we watched together at Starcourt." She laughs nearly to the point of doubling over when it really hits her, and you're granted quite the adorable moment of Steve getting embarrassed as he's teased relentlessly, eventually pouting and stammering out that he just thought it was funny, that it's cute--and you can't disagree, especially since Robin gasps and almost bowls him over with a hug when she cracks open a fresh pair of sneakers, the exact fit and colour she's got already but clearly a much higher-quality brand. "I love you, dingus. You're way too generous."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." He huffs out, but the grin he's got and the way he clings to her hug says so much more than he's willing to give away. From there, things cool off from crying and gasping but the mood is still plenty lighthearted--you manage to get through most of the presents with the aid of one more trash bag and a relatively easy pace, with the added help of interjections from each of you when you want to spread the receivers out more. Before long, there's only a few left, and you each have a respective pile of gifts beside you filled with all manner and size of things. Judas Priest tank tops and romance novels and board games aplenty. One that's being used already is strung delicately around Nancy's wrist; a beautiful bracelet inlaid with diamonds, one that Steve had hunched down to put around her with a careful touch, before kissing her so sweetly her tears managed to abate. He's really gone above and beyond this year--you haven't forgotten the gifts he got the kids as well, the two or three he had gotten Dustin alone, and how he had ones to leave at Hopper's cabin in case El and Will didn't come back from California in time for Christmas. He'd even gotten gifts for Nancy's parents, Holly, Robin's mom, uncle Wayne, and your family....and not once, in the whole time the holidays have been in full swing, has he ever expected anything back. He had ducked into the Wheeler's bathroom to cry his eyes out when Dustin had given him a hand radio, one he'd tweaked to have a two-way channel with a radius that spans over all Hawkins--so that, if they want to talk or if either of them ever gets in trouble, they can call each other no matter where they are. You'll never forget how quickly he put himself back together and came out with a smile, though, refusing to put any attention on himself as he stepped out to keep having a good time with everyone.

So it's time. It feels like time, even though you're nervously playing with the hem of your sweatshirt, almost breaking out into a cold sweat as the last few presents dwindle until there's just one left. The one all the way back, right in the corner, so nobody would even notice it until it's time.

"Oh, honey?" Just as you're about to duck under the tree and reach for it, Robin gets your attention, a giddy grin accompanying a flushed face and burning-red ears. "There's, uh....there's one more in the tree, can you grab it? It's kinda up high."

Without correcting her, you nod happily and grunt as you get to your feet, turning towards the tree to get on your tiptoes to search for it. You certainly hadn't noticed anything in the branches when you'd been down here last night, but you weren't exactly focused on the tree--you'd been more attentive to whether there were any doors opening or footsteps as you silently placed your extra presents down. Just as you're about to ask over your shoulder for some guidance, your ears catch the sound of a gasp, one that sounds like Nancy's. On instinct, you turn round on your heel to look--but your eyes scan over Steve and Nancy's shocked and awe-twinged expressions before they land on what the three of them are seeing.

By your hip, Robin's looking up at you with a gaze so sweet it would make you melt.....and between her fingers sits a ring, the golden band glimmering under the twinkling light, just shy of the crystal that's set inside it. Somehow, it's only when you notice that she's perched on one knee that it all clicks for you, and your hands shoot to your mouth to cover how widely it's gaping.

"Robbie?"

"I, uh....wow, I don't know how to do this." She stutters out, suddenly devoid of the immense confidence it took to get down on her knee in the first place. But nothing's going to stop her from trying to get those words out, you can see it by the way her brow furrows and she takes a deep inhale. "You....are.....m-my love, you're everything to me." She sighs, turning her eyes down and away from you to collect herself before she starts right back, determination clear in her eyes.

"I didn't ask permission to do this. I'm just doing it. I love you. I want you to be my wife, a-and...I want us to be together forever. I wanna laugh with you, I wanna make you happy, and if we have to bleed, I want us to do it together." Robin tears her eyes away to cast her gaze over the other three, each of them with hopeful, happy expressions on their faces--Steve encourages her, mouths the words "Go on!", and her eyes crinkle with a brighter smile, the confidence returning as she looks back up at you. "And I don't care if we can't get married in a church, or if people always wonder why we're all so close, I just....I love you. I love you! If I could marry all of us together, I would. But....will you settle with being my wife? Just....for us?"

"Y...Yes, yes! Oh my god, yes! Robbie, I-" You can't even bring yourself to bother finishing whatever it was you were going to babble out, not when she's jumping up to meet you, pushing her lips up against yours and practically hiking you up off your feet in an embrace that feels tighter than ever. The other three make a show of clapping and Eddie wolf whistles just to make your faces burn brighter, as Robin tears herself away from the breathtaking kiss just long enough to slide the ring on to your finger, her eyes glued to the way it settles there on your hand perfectly.

Wife. That word hasn't had the same meaning for you as it has everyone else, everyone you grew up with who always dreamed of having a nice husband in a nice house and being a pretty wife with cute babies. You'd never dreamed of the same big, white wedding or the man that would fit the role of any romance movie protagonist--your dreams have always been different, weird, and you've always figured they were just that. Dreams. But when Robin kisses you again and your other partners hurry up to share the joy in a whirlwind of alternating hugs, you can feel that jubilant swirl of emotions inside you that have your eyes leaking with tears again.

"Well, I'm not gonna be nearly as well-spoken as Buckley," Eddie suddenly grins, swiping a box out from behind the armchair that none of you had noticed until now, too distracted by the tree and the presents underneath it. Upon closer examination as it sits in his hands, it's not even wrapped, just looks a bit like a shoebox with a closed, brown top. "But I had the same idea. Least we all get rings now, right?"

With a flourish, your boyfriend pulls up the flap to show off the contents--and the four of you are left speechless by what lies inside, Robin letting out a shocked laugh at how similar their thinking seems to be.

Laid out on a soft, clean blue cloth, are four more rings. Each one is different, however--the bands are all made up of entwining coils of silver, much resembling the twisting, celtic-knot-esque patterns that Eddie's excitedly shown off to you in Tolkien's books. But the crystals set in each one are the same, glittery and almost pure white like the gems of Lasgalen, cut and bound into the bands firmly so they won't ever come loose. If he didn't proudly exclaim that they're all his own handiwork, you wouldn't believe he hadn't spent an exhorbitant amount of money getting them custom-made....but they're too Eddie to be something bought from a store, and he's clearly happy to be met with a group of slack jaws and teary eyes as he passes them around. The small, dainty one with elegant designs goes to Nancy, the thicker one with wider coils is Steve's, the one with intertwining silver and gold accents is for Robin, and yours....it has such sweet simplicity that it's just awe-inspiring, it's perfect, and it's even got the tiniest symbols of leaves that surround the crystal; like the leaves of Lórien.

"Eddie, you made these?" Nancy finally speaks up, holding her own hand as she looks down on the ring like it's some priceless, royal artifact.

"Sure did, sweetheart. Can't let Harrington have all the fun dolling you up, can I?" He chuckles, and the box nearly hits the ground when Nancy grabs hold of his cheeks and bends him down to kiss her, the gem on her hand and the ones on her wrist shimmering off the Christmas lights still twinkling around the room. But there's one ring left to bestow, and when the two of them break away with flushed faces, Eddie plucks it off the cloth and meets your eyes with his own, hazily giddy ones.

"How about I wear yours, angel? More romantic that way, dontcha think?" He asks, and when you nod with a smile that could rival the sun, he happily slides it on to his own finger and finds that it fits just splendidly. All five of you hold out your hands on instinct to compare your new jewelry, the four matching rings somehow accentuating yours even more with the silver bands complimenting your entirely gold one. And it hits you all at once--engaged. You're engaged not just to one, not just at all, but to all four of the people you couldn't love more if you had the choice to pick anyone in the world. It's not traditional, but it doesn't matter, because it's yours to share for the rest of your lives.

"....I'm just gonna assume those are all yes's, right?" Eddie finally laughs, breaking the stunned silence into a hubbub of chatter and "of course!"s as you take turns thanking him with lips, hands, and tongue. Steve returns the kiss he got earlier by tenfold, his hands firmly on Eddie's hips as he swallows any other cheeky comments--but just as everyone is cooling down and enjoying that one, last high of gift-giving, you manage to find the courage to push out the words you've been waiting to say.

"So....um, actually, there's....there's one more gift." You admit, the gentle squeeze of the band on your finger allowing you a little more boldness as you look between their satisfied faces.

"Oh, god, don't tell me you got someone a car. We already broke our rule within, like, ten seconds!" Your boyfriend dramatically cries out, before your new fiancée pipes right back at him with her arm around your waist.

"Says you, mister tiffany diamonds and luxury guitars." Steve sticks out his tongue and flaps his fingers together like a fake mouth, before pinching Robin's offending cheek and getting a playful swat on the hand.

Being used to their antics, you just nervously bite your bottom lip, and turn to kneel down and reach back under the tree to close your fingers around the box. It shakes a little when you pull it out and sit back on your knees, though that's probably because your hands won't stop trembling. Just do it. It's gonna be okay. They're gonna love it.

"It's....it's for everyone, but...." You get up slowly and move towards Steve, standing in front of him meekly with your knees practically glued to each other. Without another word of explanation, you wait as they all move to crowd the couch, Robin huddled up by Nancy's side while Eddie perches on the arm next to Steve. And when they do, you feel your heart stall as you place the little box in Steve's open hands, and your stomach drops to your feet when he carefully takes the top off.

The silence kills you, so quiet that not even their breathing interrupts it--but Steve's eyes widening with nothing but shock cuts you deeper, and suddenly the ring on your finger feels too tight, like it's suffocating you.

"Are you serious?" He breathes, finally looking up at you.....but you can't tell what he's thinking, what he's feeling, and suddenly the place you're standing is the last place you want to be, an eerily quiet "Y-Yeah" escaping you with a tremor in your voice. Please don't be mad at me. Please, God.

"Steve? What is it?" You hadn't even realized that the other's vision had been obscured by Steve's hands, not until Eddie shatters that terrifying quiet and leans over for a look. But now, Steve isn't looking anywhere else but you, a glossy sheen filling his sweet, brown eyes.

"You're pregnant?"

Nancy claps a hand over her mouth, Robin's eyes nearly bug out of her head, and Eddie sits there staring like he's still deciphering the words and the little pink test sitting in the lap of your lover. You've got no idea what to do, what to say, and you feel tears start to well up in your own eyes--maybe this was all a mistake, maybe this was too much and you just crossed a line you can't ever step back over.

"Th-This is why you were sick? You're having a baby?" Your hands practically glued together, you nod without looking his way. That mysterious illness that had been pervading your mornings and afternoons had resulted in quite the concern from your partners, but even when they'd asked you to take a test, you'd managed to hide those positive results and convince them they were all negative. Hoping that it would make this moment all the more special, which....seems a little naïve now that it's happening and it's too late to back out.

"Yeah, we....we're having a baby. It....Steve, it's yours."

"I'm gonna be a dad?"

As much as he usually tries, he can't hide the tears this time, and still worried about gauging his reaction wrongly, you stammer out your explanation like you're trying to disarm a bomb.

"Y-Yeah, I planned it out....I t-tracked my cycle, and....that's why I asked Steve to take me to California. I mean, I don't know for sure, but-"

"Oh, honey," Eddie's hands suddenly hit his forehead, and he drags them down his face in a way that frightens you even more. "Is that why you asked me what you asked me?"

The girls look over at him for clarification, still not entirely sure that what's happening right now is really happening, and it's not just some elaborate prank. And while Steve's still digesting the news with teary eyes, Eddie explains.

"Angel's fuckin' clever--or I'm just an idiot--but she asked me, if we have kids, if I cared who got to be the dad first. I just said it didn't matter to me, but....I hoped Steve would get to do it first."

There's no need to say more after that. Steve's finally on his feet, sliding the box aside carefully to let Nancy grab it and hold the test up closer so she and Robin can take a look--and in one step he essentially sweeps you right off your feet, strong biceps clinging to you and his face buried in your neck as you squeal and graze your socked toes across the carpet. It isn't even until your skin warms and prickles with goosebumps that you realize he's planting kisses on every inch of skin he can reach, smiling into your skin and mumbling around mouthfuls of you.

"My baby, my baby--you've got my baby inside you, god, I can't believe I'm a dad-" Like a man that just won the lottery, he lets out a cry of pure, unbridled joy that was just bubbling up inside him so strongly he couldn't keep it down. And once he puts you back down on your feet, he drops to his knees in front of you, nuzzling his face into your belly with his arms tight around your hips, kissing and nosing at the imperceptible bump that you know will be growing even larger pretty soon. "How far along are we? When do I get to meet them?" He asks you with starry eyes, and your heart just melts at the sight of him so excited--it's a sense of relief that you can't even explain, you just have to let your own tears flow out of joy.

"The...the doctor said six weeks, just about. So we should be due in-"

"August?! We're having an August baby!" Steve cheers, though you're sure now that he'd have the same reaction to any month--he just couldn't be happier, jumping back up to his feet for another kiss before you notice the other reactions you've got waiting for you. While Eddie is pawing away his own tears to try and keep it together and Robin looks like she's so happy she's shaking, Nancy looks almost pained at the news, and it sends your heart plummeting from that glorious high all the way down into the dirt at once, her name falling off your lips with worry lacing each syllable. Her eyes shift to meet yours, big, blue oceans that tug at your heartstrings until her lips quirk up into an unbelievably pretty smile.

"You're gonna be a mom," She preens, tucking her hair out of her face as she gets up and squeezes past Steve to go in for a hug, holding you like a teddy bear but not tight enough to hurt her baby. "We're gonna have to decorate, and buy baby clothes, and....we're gonna be parents. The best parents."

As soon as she says that, it seems to light something in Robin and Eddie that has them finally moving off the couch. They hurry in and crowd around each side of you, smothering your happy tears with affection and cuddles and hands on your belly, cooing at both you and the baby growing inside you that they just can't wait to meet. It seems almost silly now, how much you had fretted and worried about breaking the news to them. How you had wasted away precious hours of sleep because you were laying beside them, watching them breathe softly with their heads on their pillow, and wondering if you had made a huge mistake by guessing this would be something they wanted. Many nights you'd warmed yourself against Steve's bare chest, throat rumbling with gentle snores and pleased hums at the feeling of your body cozied up in his arms, scratching your fingers lightly through his chest hair as you thought about the moment he would find out. If he would be happy.

You can see it now in his face, and in the other's faces, too. He's happy. They're all so happy.

"Well....I guess we need two more savings jars. Baby jar and wedding jar." Nancy finally breaks the silence as you're finally let go, cradled instead in Eddie's arms as he kisses the crown of her head with a smile and a pair of misty eyes. He's still in disbelief, but there's no coming around needed. You can see in his faraway look that he's already running through baby names in his head.

"Wedding?" Robin pipes up, looking between all of you as she tries to put the pieces of the puzzle together. But they know, they can already sense it, even though your girlfriend-turned-fiancée is still a little too delirious to believe it.

"....Yeah? You asked angel to marry you first, did you not?" Nancy replies with a grin, and pats the arm Eddie has around her. "So we need to have a wedding. Backyard should be fine, right?"

"Are you sure?" She looks between Nancy to you, eyes glimmery and hopeful. She clearly had expected some pushback from everyone else with her decision, especially considering she hadn't asked or confided with any of them before she went ahead and popped the question. You've got no idea, but in reality she didn't figure she'd actually have the courage to ask it, which is part of the reason why she didn't say anything. But regardless, you answer the question for her with a brief, but loving kiss.

"I'm gonna be your wife, Robin Buckley. You think I'd pass up on a wedding to the love of my life?" This time, you could swear she's really gonna faint. Her cheeks run hot all of a sudden, her smile quirking up slowly until it's bright and toothy, and she bounces on the balls of her feet before dipping in for a long, sweet peck. "Besides, I've got an album to put all the pictures in, now. We'll invite our friends, the kids-"

"Wait, really?"

"Robbie, I think they're already gonna be asking questions when they see me with a bump. Unwed, no boyfriend, living with my "friends"--and they love us. They'll be thrilled." You try to reassure her, because really, you want so badly to have a ceremony with your loved ones. Even if they won't know the true extent of the love you all share, and even if it's not official by any stretch of legality, it's something you've always dreamt of and if you have the chance, you want to make it a reality. Suddenly, Eddie turns on a dime and points at Steve, who snaps out of his delirious happiness when your boyfriend opens his mouth.

"We'll convince Dustin the baby's Robin's! Get that little butthead to drive himself crazy trying to figure out if it's true--bet you twenty he'll believe it." He declares with a smirk, the mischievous gears already turning in his wicked little head. Honestly, sometimes he's more of a kid than the kids are--but you love him for it, and by Steve's response, you know for a fact that Eddie's not the only one.

"You're a dingus.....and you're on. That kid needs a good kick in the head." He grabs Eddie's hand for a shake before the metalhead can spit in it first, and he relents, although Nancy just rolls her eyes and slips out of his hold as they solidify their silly little schemes.

"Anyways," She pipes up, drawing everyone's attention back to the matriarch of the household. "I think it's about time for breakfast. You're eating for two, now, mh?" Nancy delicately brushes her hand over your belly, moving past you to kiss your cheek before she heads towards the kitchen, with Steve following close behind to offer an extra set of hands. And with a little time before then, you, Robin, and Eddie all get to work on clearing up the living room and bringing everyone's present piles to their bedrooms, with the two of them eager to cut in and take anything they even remotely perceive as "heavy" from your arms to haul it around for you. They're honestly almost too excited to pamper you, their precious, pregnant angel, but even at their mother henning you just have to let go of a laugh and offer some kisses and hugs for their devotion. It's a fair trade, after all--you give them a baby, and they give you the whole world as you see it. So maybe, next Christmas, you won't worry so much about going a little over the top for your husbands, wives, and the parents of your most anticipated little addition to the family.

[steddieholidaydrabbles]

❄️Welcome everyone!❄️

If you love the winter holidays as much as I do, then this challenge is for you! It’s pretty simple:

The calendar below has a prompt for every day of the month of December. No matter what holiday you celebrate or even if you don’t celebrate one at all, I hope you find one or more that you like! You can submit as many as you'd like (I plan to do one everyday) or as few as you'd like.

All drabbles should be between 300-1000 words. I will be using wordcounter.net to check them all before reblogging!

Please tag this blog @steddieholidaydrabbles when you post. You can also follow the tag steddieholidaydrabbles to keep up with posts.

All submissions should include a rating and any CW or tags that you feel are necessary. Please put the prompt you are fulfilling as well. It’s not required, but please consider putting Explicit material under a read more. A sample of this may look like: optional title rating: G/T/M/E cw: violence, blood, etc. tags: established relationship, first time, etc.

Because there will be SO many prompts, please try to only post your submission for a prompt ON that day by 11:59 pm EST. Really early or late submissions won’t be ignored, but could easily get missed in the mix of a different prompt on a different day. A reminder of the daily prompt will be posted at 12:01 am EST on the day of the prompt.

Any of the prompts could be holiday related if you wanted them to be, but it's not required!

1st - Open mic night

2nd - Came back wrong

3rd - Mutual pining

4th - Meet-cute at work

5th - FREE SPACE (Domestic fluff)

6th - Cooking together

7th - Hanukkah

8th - Idiots to Lovers

9th - No Upside Down AU

10th - First kiss/First time

11th - Royalty AU

12th - Only one bed

13th - Roadtrip/Vacation

14th - FREE SPACE (Angst with a happy ending)

15th - Time travel

16th - Modern AU

17th - Platonic Stobin

18th - FREE SPACE (Hurt/comfort)

19th - Enemies to lovers

20th - Magic AU

21st - Snow

22nd - Sports AU (players or fans)

23rd - Uncle Wayne adopts Steve

24th - Birthday

25th - Christmas

26th - "Who did this to you?"

27th - Coffee shop/Bookstore/Tattoo AU

28th - Proposal

29th - FREE SPACE (Spicy/Mature or Explicit)

30th and 31st - New Year's Eve/Resolutions

ARTISTS The submission must be made on the day of that prompt in order to be reblogged by this blog. The image must be Steddie, Steve, or Eddie focused (with the exception of Platonic Stobin day), though other characters can be included!

Collaborations with writers are encouraged!

Always tag this blog with your submissions so we can see them and reblog them.

If you have questions, message this blog or @steddieas-shegoes.

WARM UP ROUNDS SCHEDULE AND PROMPTS:

Same rules apply (300-1000 words each, must have rating and cw/tags, and tag this blog if you want it reblogged)

August 19th-21st: High School or College AU September 18th-22nd: Fall October 28th-31st: Halloween November 18th-22nd: Bakery AU Warm Up Rounds AO3 Collection

Steddie Holiday Drabbles AO3 Collection  

Week 1 Masterlist Week 2 Masterlist Week 3 Masterlist Week 4 Masterlist

[bloodyknucklesforme]

The Night We Met | Guest Check

A chance encounter with his superior's wife at a local pub sends a young John Price down a path of heartbreak

cw: angst, abusive relationships, cheating

He still remembers how she looked that night, almost twenty seven years later. She was only twenty four, curled up in a corner, book in one hand, pint in the other. Her dirty blonde hair framed her cherub face. He was twenty one, barely a man, not yet grown into his bones.

An August night, English summer in full swing. A cold pint was all he wanted that evening, gathering around a table with his mates, talking about football scores. There she was on the other side of the room.

He was drunk but not sloppily. He kept having to tear his gaze away. He'd always thought she was pretty. Slapped some sense into himself plenty of times about her.

He'd looked before. Captain Irons' wife was hard to miss. They lived on base, she didn't work so she used any excuse to get out of the house. He'd seen her at the commissary and around town on his off days or helping one of the other wives with their babies.

There was the usual gossip. She was ten years his junior and they'd already been married for several years. It hadn't gone unnoticed, a May-December marriage. Irons was from a wealthy family so he understood. A recruit had recently been made to run 10 klicks for accidentally calling him Captain December (A name John had actually come up with one drunken night). Irons was a great solider but a pretty shite man once you got to know him.

"How's your book?" He found himself standing awkwardly in front of her table, a boyish smile on his face.

"It's okay," she shrugged, setting it down open face on the table. "Got it from a charity shop. Some cheesy mystery."

"Sorry to pull you away. John Price." He offered his hand. He cursed himself on the inside. They'd met before. She knew who he was.

"Poppy Irons." She shook his hand, chuckling. He didn't like her last name, too cold compared to her first. Though it was fitting for a Poppy to marry a solider he supposed. "Do you want to sit?"

Yes

"No, it's alright. I've already bothered you enough." He was so stupid. "Have a nice night, Poppy."

"Thank you, John. You too."

He gave her a nod and returned to his table.

"The fuck was that?" His mate, Michael Garrick asked. "You taking the piss? That's the captain's wife."

"I was just saying hello." He defended. Michael shook his head and took another sip of beer.

He saw her again a couple weeks later. Michael had bailed last minute so he was alone at the bar. She was in the same corner with a new book. This Charming Man played on the shitty old speakers. He was never a huge The Smiths fan. He could see her mouth the words to herself.

"Hope you're enjoying this one more." He said, standing again at the edge of her table.

"Barely." She smiled, dropping it haphazardly on the table. She nodded her head towards the empty seat. He sat down this time. "Do you read at all?"

"Haven't had time recently but I always liked Lord of the Rings." He felt embarrassed. He should have lied. Said something like Philip Roth or Hemingway. Something mature

"I love those books," she said, eyes bright. "I read in some magazine that they're trying to make new films based on them."

"That'd be wicked."

They spent the evening talking. He offered to walk her home.

"I appreciate it but William can be a bit weird about other men and I don't to get you in trouble." She laid a hand on his chest. "Thank you, though."

He made sure she got into a cab and when he got on base, he took the long way back to his barracks, passing the Irons' house, hoping to get a glimpse of her inside. The curtains were drawn close

It continued on like this. He'd see her in that same corner with a book, he'd interrupt and they'd talk and drink. She was an artist, grew up in a small town in the midlands. She did watercolors. Went to school for it, fancy scholarship. Irons had met her at some art gallery and they were married within the year. She didn't like talking about him.

"I fear you might never finish another book again." John chuckled.

"Believe me. I have time. I like talking to you." Her cheeks were flushed pink. It was becoming his favorite color.

They'd stay till close, end up in his car, still talking. He could recreate the first night she cried to him so perfectly in his head.

"I feel like I made a mistake. William wants kids and I...I don't know if I'm ready for that."

"He can't force you." He said, laying a hand over her's. She nodded but it wasn't believable to either of them.

She kissed him a week later. Too many drinks, tucked away some dark side street. Her lips on his, tasting like cherries. She could take him into her mouth and tie him into a knot with a mouth like that.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry, John." She took off before he could say anything else. When he walked past her house later that night she was looking down from the upstairs window.

It didn't stop them from meeting again, the same dark side street. He hid her from any curious gaze, caught between him the brick. She tasted sweet.

The next time, her husband out of town, he drove them down a near abandoned country road, turned all the lights out and flipped over the back seats.

They were like teenagers, sneaking about. She cried a lot once they finished. He'd hold her against his chest.

"Does he hurt you, Poppy?"

"No. Never... I just made a really big mistake."

"We can stop whenever you want."

"It's not you."

She wasn't happy in her marriage. It was obvious to anyone now. Any event she trailed along behind her husband like a kicked dog. He kept talking about having a son soon, maybe by the end of next year. John watched her pick at the skin around her nails whenever the topic came up.

They kept meeting in dark parking lots, driving down dark roads. They'd fuck, she'd cry.

"You should leave him."

"I can't."

"You're not happy, Pip. It kills me to see you like this." He cupped her cheek, thumb rubbing away tears.

"I don't have any savings. I don't have a job. I don't have money or even family to fall back on. John, I'm alone."

"You got me. I'll pay for your solicitor."

"If they find out... you could lose everything too."

"I love you, Pip. You're worth it to me."

He'd break his back to support her. Get her out of this marriage that dragged her down like this. Cut the chain, maybe put a ring of his own on her finger.

Michael got married that Spring. Her name was Ella. John was his best man. The captain and Poppy attended of course. Ella and Poppy seemed to hit it off. John fantasied about raising their kids together in a couple years.

Poppy bumped into him during the reception. A sly smile on her face. Her voice was low and excited.

"I'm going to leave him this Summer. I'm going to sell some paintings to pay for a solicitor. Do you promise you'll wait for me?" Her eyes were hopeful, brimming with joyful tears.

"I'll wait twenty years if I have to." He assured.

They started talking about the future. Their future.

"Do you want kids?" She asked.

"One day. Whenever we're ready."

"I want a daughter. I know you're not supposed to say that but that's what I want. A little girl."

"You have a name picked out?"

"Nina. It's simple but pretty. I read it in a book years ago and i just fell in love with it."

"I like Nina."

"Do you like any names?"

"Grace. My grandma's name. Both my parents worked and I spent most of my time with her. Good woman, kind woman."

"Nina Grace. I like it."

"Me too."

It was June. If he was lucky they could spend their one year anniversary together. Seemed wrong to celebrate an affair but he'd long gotten over the guilt of infidelity. He was putting away any cash he could. A deposit on a flat, court fees, money to tide them over till they both got new jobs, anything they needed. He'd do it all.

The night was cool. Summer was brimming at the edge of the month. He liked June. It felt like change and freedom.

She got into his car, eyes red.

"Pip, what's wrong?" Had Irons found out? He'd take her away right now. He'd give it all up right now. She shuddered, a fresh wave of tears dripping from those big brown eyes he loved so much.

"We have to stop."

"Pip... what happened?" If he hurt her, he'd kill him. Fuck it all to hell.

"Nothing happened, John. We just can't do this anymore. We never should have done this."

"You're not staying with him. Pip, tell me you're not. Baby, he makes you miserable. You can leave me but fuck leave him too. Don't do this to yourself." He took one of her hands between his two, squeezing it. "I just want to see you happy."

She sighed and cried into her other hand.

"I'm pregnant..."

He leaned back in his chair.

"You don't have to keep it, Pip. I know you don't-"

"I do! He already knows. I have to keep it. I am keeping it."

"Is it mine?" They'd gotten sloppy in recent months, rarely wearing a condom. He never asked if she was on the pill. Didn't matter if she was now.

"It's his. It just has to be his."

He felt a pain in his chest, twisting about down to his stomach.

"Poppy... do you kno-"

"I just need it to be. I need to have this baby. I need them to go to a good school and to not have to worry about their parents keeping the heat on. I need William to be the father because that's what best for him."

"Him?"

"William wants a son."

"What a cunt," he scoffed.

"John!"

"What am I supposed to say Poppy? Congratulations? You're telling me you're taking my child away!"

"He's not yours!" She slammed her hand on the dashboard.

"Four years fucking him and you couldn't pop one out but ten months with me and you're expecting."

"Fuck you!"

"You already have." He snapped. Her lip quivered before breaking down into sobs again.

"I'm sorry, John. I'm so sorry. If I leave now and its his, I will never see this baby again. I don't have the money to fight for custody. I might get a year." She laid her hands over her stomach protectively. "I'm not ready for this but its my baby. Mine. I can't risk losing them."

"I love you. I love that baby. I know I'm not rich like him. I don't have the family name or an estate. I'll work however much I need to make sure you keep them. Break my fucking back doing it. I'll do it, Pip. I'll do it for you. Don't shake your head. You know I will. I love you."

She cupped his cheek. He let his first tears rolling down to her fingers.

"You've got your whole life ahead of you, John. Don't wait for me. I'm sorry I've fucked this all up."

"You've got your whole life too, Pip."

"And I've fucked it all up already." She kissed him. "I love you and I'm sorry."

She got out of his car and ran off.

He got deployed the next month. Six months extended to eight then ten.

It was February. He and Michael Garrick were sharing a room on base. Room was a kind word for shipping container.

"Ella called today. Captain's wife had her baby."

John quirked an eyebrow. He forced the bile back down.

"Boy or girl?"

"Girl. Nina, I think."

"Good for them."

He wouldn't meet her for almost a year. A Christmas party at the Irons new house off base.

They had her in a little frilly pink dress and she kept taking off her shoes. She walked right up to him and clung to his leg. Poppy gave him a worried look as he picked her up.

"You're lucky, Captain. Two beautiful girls." He forced a smile.

"Suppose I am." William was not as good of an actor as John was. John almost refused to hand her back to them.

He saw Poppy sporadically for the next two decades. He watched Nina grow from a distance, saw that she had the same unhappy expression her mum always had.

He stole a toothbrush from their house once. Sent it off to be tested for DNA. It wasn't a strong sample but he still got the results. He was too much of a coward to look at them. He'd already failed them. He should have fought harder, come back for them. It was too late now.

A test wouldn't change anything. Nina wasn't his, no matter how much he wished she was. He never got to teach her to tie her shoes, how to ride a bike, how to fish, how to drive.

She still grew up with the Garrick's kids. Kyle and Jasmine. She grew up looking so much like her mother. Her and her little brother. On rough nights he lulled himself to sleep at the idea of being their father. Having the Captain's family.

In some cruel twist of fate, he got what he wanted. He sat in the waiting room of a small hospital near the little beach town they always holidayed at.

They were dead. Poppy, Sebastian and Captain Irons. Nina was too far in a state to identify them. It had to be him. Michael offered to go down with him. Poppy was Ella's best friend. He asked him to watch over Nina. Make sure Kyle took good care of her.

"It was quick, if that offers any comfort," the medical examiner said.

The Captain was first. Broken neck when the car rolled. An accident he caused driving too fast on a wet road.

Sebastian was next. Just sixteen, same age he was when he joined the service. Just a baby. John brushed the hair out of his face like his mum always did him. His head hit the window so hard it broke, he didn't even know he was dying. John hoped it felt like sleep.

Poppy was last. He sank to his knees when the sheet was pulled back. He hadn't seen her in years. She looked like Nina. She'd started to grey a little. She was still the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. If she'd walked into his restaurant just the day before and asked for him to take her back he would have done it. He waited for her.

John kissed her forehead.

"I'll take care of her, Pip. I'll take care of your baby. Your little girl. I'll take care of her. I promise you."

He sorted out the funerals. Let Nina wallow in her grief. He assured her that he would handle it all.

Had a solicitor go through the wills and estates. He gathered up all the papers needed. Among the birth certificates, he found Nina's.

Nina Grace Irons

He clutched that paper to his chest and sank to the floor of the Captain's office. He cried like a child.

Tag List: @queen-ilmaree @macravishedbymactavish @gogh-with-the-flow @water-bearz @pvssytrux

[strawheart-pirate]

Discount

Blackleg Sanji x gn!Reader

December 15th 2023 Words: 1177 CW: SFW / Modern AU / no/pre relationship / mentions of alcohol, but no drinking / flirting / very suggestive talk / a kiss / Sanji may be a bit ooc, but he’s precious

You met up with Sanji to go Christmas shopping and got more than you bargained for.

You waited outside the mall to meet Sanji. The traffic was much lighter than you expected, so you arrived a little early. Sanji was on time and complained that you hadn't told him. He felt bad that you had to wait. You shrugged it off and assured him that it wasn't a big deal before you both entered the mall.

"Are you ready for our big Christmas gift hunt? What do you have on your list?" Sanji asked with a determined smile.

"I have to get something for my father. He discovered his love for whisky this year. So, I thought maybe you could recommend something?" I asked Sanji. "What do you need?"

"I want to buy a new suit for myself and something for my sister, but I don't know exactly what. Could you help me with that?"

"Of course, Sanji. Let's go!"

It took you three stops to find the perfect gift for Reiju: a white headset with cat ears, neon lights and pink details. You'd been to Sanji's house many times, and you'd seen her in online games often enough. You were sure she would like it. Sanji was pleased that you were so attentive, and the two of you made your way to the next shop.

"So, what kind of whisky has your father tried so far?" asked Sanji as he slowly walked down the aisle, looking at the variety of fine whiskies.

"He had one of those classic bourbons and one with a strong, smoky aroma. The ones where you open the bottle and the whole room smells like you're sitting in the smoke of a bonfire." You wrinkled your nose.

"I see. And which did he like better?" asked Sanji, scratching his short goatee thoughtlessly.

"I think it was the smoky one." You looked at the bottles. Some were fancy, others simple.

"Then maybe we should go for something in between. Smooth, but with a nice smoky flavor. Let's see... Ah, this would be good." He took the bottle from the shelf and handed it to you. "It's not too expensive either. What do you think of it?"

"Looks good," you said, looking at the bottle and reading the text on it. It sounded very appropriate for your father and you smelled it. The smell of smoke made you wrinkle your nose, but it was a much more pleasant smell than the last one your father had.

"Yes, I like this one. We'll take it with us. Thanks, Sanji." You gave him a grateful smile.

"The pleasure was all mine." He said gently as you paid and you both left with another gift inside the bag.

Jolly Christmas music played as you entered the next shop. It was a suit shop and Sanji was a regular customer here. He knew exactly where to look. But before he decided if he wanted to try on an item, he showed it to you to get your approval. Soon he had three different suits in his arms and you walked over to the dressing rooms. Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" was playing as you sat on one of the chairs and waited for Sanij to change and show you the first suit. You bobbed your head to the music.

The song was coming to an end when the curtain was pulled aside with a flourish and Sanji appeared. His lips moved in sync with the music and he pointed his finger at you as he sang "All I want for christmas iiiiiis - youuuuuu", moving his hips to the rhythm. You giggled and so did he, this little playful banter really lightened the mood. When you regained your composure, you gave him your honest opinion about the suit and the other two he tried on. He then chose the first one, which had been both your and his favorite from the start.

Sanji put on his own clothes again. He put away the things he didn't want to take with him and the two of them went to the cashier with the suit he wanted to buy. The cashier looked like a bodybuilder and went to work. When he told Sanji the price, his jaw dropped. He had completely forgotten to look at the price... He regained his composure and looked at the man angrily. He had been shopping with Nami often enough to know all her tricks, so he tried his best.

"There's no way that suit is worth that much money. Look at the quality. Did you see the stitching on the seams? I want at least 70% off!" said Sanji loudly and overdramatically.

The cashier looked unimpressed. "You don't have to buy it, sir."

Sanji's expression changed from anger to surprise and he had to think of another way to get a discount quickly. He swallowed. There was one last thing he could try... .... He swallowed his pride and decided to try one last time because he really wanted this suit and most of all he wanted to impress you.

"You know, I want it. It just fits this masterpiece of a body perfectly. You'd be impressed." He said in a deep, flirtatious voice, his eyes half-lidded with a fiery gaze.

You coughed to keep from choking on his performance. You could tell how uncomfortable he was by the way he pressed his foot to the ground. The muscles in his thigh were tense and showing through his pants. But you had to admit, he was pretty damn tempting right now, so you distracted yourself with the socks and belts that were on a rack near the cash register.

"Oh, do you think your special someone over there would be okay with that? Because I'd like to see your body underneath me, blondie." The cashier purred and leaned over the counter to get closer to Sanji.

"Oh, don't worry about them, they are not what I want. But you, my dear, are an amuse-gueule I’d like to taste." Sanji leaned over and whispered the last words into the cashier's ear.

You had to avert your eyes because the way the two men looked at each other was steaming hot and had you blushing. You let out a sigh of relief when you saw that Sanji had paid and gotten a big discount as well as the receipt with the cashier's number on it. You were about to go over to him and leave the store when the cashier pulled him back by his tie and gave him a passionate kiss across the counter. Sanji didn't even have time to react as he let go of him and blew him another kiss as we hurried out of the store.

"Sanji, oh my..."

"Don't. I'm not going to talk about it. I have to rinse my mouth out with mouthwash or even sanitizer first..." said Sanji. His face was full of disgust, but the blush on it was sweet. You giggled and took him to the nearest drugstore. At least he got a 40% discount on the suit.

All content unless otherwise stated belongs to: ©Strawheart-pirate. Please do not copy / modify / translate / repost my writing, banners or art on other platforms. Comments, reblogs or likes are highly appreciated! Snowflake banner by ©firefly-graphics

[looks-to-the-moon-cock]

DID YOU STUMBLE INTO THE UNKNOWN, IN FEAR OF YOU?

(About Me)

[PT: In all caps and bolded reads, "Did you stumble into the unknown, in fear of you?" with the next line reading as follows, unbolded and in parentheses, "About Me". End of PT.]

Meowdy, howdy, hello hello! Welcome to my blog! This is my intro post!

(CW for sentence structure repetition in my about! Marked where it starts and ends!)

Quick Info: Kinship, They/It/Neopronouns, Intersex, Queer, December, Capricorn, Adult, White, Neurodivergent, Disabled, System, All Intro Images have IDs in Alt

My RBYF (Read Before You Follow) is included under the cut.

Stances: ACAB, BLM, Stop Asian Hate, Anti-Right Wing Extremeist, Anti-Nazi/Neo Nazi, Anti-Capitalist

Stances Ext.: Proudly Neurodivergent, Queer, and Plural. Also an angry Military Trained and Crippled Punk that supports Decolonization, Defunding the Police and Military, and crushing Fascists and Colonialists with boots, cane, and wheelchairs manually.

My Blog: I post about my special interests, hyperfixations, disabilities, and US low class and physically disabled experiences a lot here! Also I reblog my art from @death-tinkerer here to share since its my "love language" with mutuals, friends, and partners.

Credits of Art: Icon is by @death-tinkerer, Header is Rubicon's Region Screen from Rain World, LTTM and Rivulet are from Rain World, Rivulet gif is from the Rain World Miraheze Official Wiki, Live LTTM Reaction is an edit by me!

Please be aware I try my best to content warn posts! Mutuals may send in triggers and squicks for me to tag! If I miss something that I have tagged in the past, don't hesitate to tell me!

Important tags;

| | post - Posts I've made

| | reblog - Reblogs from other blogs or my own blogs

| | ask - Asks and Ask Memes

| | vent - Vent tag! Feel free to block.

Other "| |" tags - Related to people I know! Masterpost is BELOW the Live LTTM Reaction image!

My art - My art and also other creative media

Friendo arto - I don't even remember why I named it this tag but it's friend art that I reblog and tag with this!

Fandoms (limiting to SI and Hyperfixations)

Ace Attorney

The Blackout Club (is on thin fucking ice)

Darkest Dungeon

Dead Cells

Disco Elysium

DST

DOOM

Dungeon Meshi/Delicious in Dungeon (is on thin fucking ice)

Final Fantasy (7, 10, 10-2, 12, 13 Trilogy, 15) (is on thin fucking ice)

FNAF (is on thin fucking ice)

Homestuck (is on thin fucking ice)

Inscryption

Just Shapes and Beats

Kingdom Hearts (is on thin fucking ice)

Legend of Zelda (is on thin fucking ice)

Lobotomy Corporation (and related)

Minecraft

Mob Psycho 100

MLP

Rain World

Risk of Rain

Slime Rancher

Sonic

Super Mario Bros

Team Fortress 2

Undertale/Deltarune

Wobbledogs

Yakuza (Game Series)

The phrase "is on thin fucking ice" is my way of saying I have a super complicated relationship with the media so I tend to be super critical to those especially.

Topics (SI and Hyperfixations)

Ambience Music

Armorsmithing

Blacksmithing

Bladesmithing

Cafes

Cooking

Crystals

Dice

Disabilities (mostly my own)

Dragons

Fictional Species

Gardening

Marijuana/Weed

Mixed Genre Music

Queerness

Scifi Fantasy

Spirituality

Tabletop RPGs

Tarot Cards and related

Variety of Music in general

Read Before You Follow; I will block the following people with stances like these

are Transmed/Truscum or T(W)ERF/SWERF/FART

are Anti-kinfolk, Anti-fictionkin, Anti-MOGAI and LIOM

are Exclusionists (of any kind in plural, queer, physically disabled, mentally disabled, neurodivergent, etc circles and communities) (I.e. People who talk over others, exclude others because of anger caused by oppression, exclude "contradicting" labels and identities, and more)

are MAP/NOMAP/AAM

are Fujoshi

engaged in Bad Faith Discourse (i.e. discoursing only in bad faith about things you do not understand and discouraging critical and/or good faith discourse points)

engaged in Callout Post Culture (i.e. posting callouts in general UNLESS it is something well documented or documented unchanged behavior for well over a few years)

engaged in Ship Discourse (just don't be gross)

if you are or have been recently Intersexist towards intersex people regardless of identity.

practice DDLG/CCLG

support Thinspo/Proana

Think reverse oppression is real and ignore active erasure and deaths of minorities across the globe caused by (USA and European) colonialism. (example. Right Wing Extremeists, Nazis/Neo-Nazis, Fascists, Colonialists and Defenders, All Lives Matter, MAGA, Biden AND Trump supporters/defenders, JKR supporters/defenders, and a lot more so this will be liberal)

Think Amatopunk includes Incest/Consang

I would prefer Minors to not follow, send asks, or submit at all here. Following will result in a softblock. However, if you dont respect the softblock or other conditions, I will hardblock with no hesitation. Likes and RBs are hard to control, so just be considerate that I am an adult that wants primarily interactions with other adults.

Expansion of MY Stances: -(Sentence Structure Repetition CW)-

Trans Rights are Human Rights. Intersex Rights are Human Rights. All Queer Rights are Human Rights. Black Rights are Human Rights. Asian Rights are Human Rights. All POC Rights are Human Rights. Muslim Rights are Human Rights. Jewish Rights are Human Rights. Religious Rights are Human Rights. Immigrant Rights are Human Rights. Indigenous Rights are Human Rights. Ethnic Rights are Human Rights. Physically Disabled Rights are Human Rights. Neurodiverse Rights are Human Rights. All Disability, Condition and/or Other Differences Rights are Human Rights. -(CW end)-

The rich, white, ablebodied and minded, cishetallonormative people (mostly men) do not get to dictate our lives as human beings. We can stand united as minorities and fight for a better future together. We can all fight if we just uplift each other and help each other. By existing and thriving, we fight them directly. So let us be together to change things for the better. Let us do more direct change together.

I am allowed my own space and to reply to stuff if I feel like I have input that could be helpful. HOWEVER. If you think I was rude but want to better understand my point, just ask immediately. I never mean to be rude. It is just my default for giving advice and explaining can be beyond blunt and harsh due to how language has worked for me as a result of brain damage and severe CPTSD.

Feel free to also correct me if I have been wrong about something! I don't mind corrections and will correct myself from then forward.

I may have missed some things but this is just to say, I can and will update from time to time.

This is the "Masterpost" of all my mutual tags! If you'd like one and/or do not see you mentioned, Lemme know! (I can try to change tags too, I just like naming the tags myself lol)

Me:

"#| | meat suit" - Info about me OR aesthetic stuff

"#mecore" or "#me" - Stuff I like a lot and associate with Special Interests and Hyperfixations.

Closest to:

"#| | bunhun" - @scrybe-of-the-dreamworld

"#| | jackjack" - @beware-the-dog

"#| | eggcellents" - @coffeecereal

Friends:

"#| | butterfly-scholar" -

"#| | cold-as-ice" -

"#| | invaderz" - @anewed-hope

"#| | manorbuddy" - @elysiangroom

"#| | meatastic" - @molochzmeat

"#| | orb-ponderer" - @mobianheart2008

"#| | synthetic-humanoid" -

Mutuals:

"#| | disco-nnected" - @bathroomcube

"#| | re-iteration" - @lemboweeeee

"#| | cripplefunk" - @crippled-peeper

"#| | rattled-snake" - @lemon-snake

That is all! Thank you for your time, Mutuals!

Also here's an 18+ intersex only server I am running! ♡

this is the end, did you find what you are looking for? /j

[PT: The text reads "this is the end, did you find what you are looking for? /j." End of PT.]

[holy-puckslibrary]

← previous month’s round-up

here's a list of everything i published in the month of DECEMBER

˗ˏˋ main masterlist ˎˊ˗ 

━ see the special events below!

━ none this month! 

━ FICMAS (tumblr)

˗ˏˋ THE MRS. CLAUSE ˎˊ˗ pairing(s) — NATE MACKINNON x claus!reader premise — when she took the reins as the world's chief claus, her father forgot to disclose one very pressing hidden clause in the job contract…  cw — me getting way too into the lore of the council of legendary figures, reader is blinded by stress and nate is in lurrrvvv, and some mild angst wc — 2k

˗ˏˋ HOLIDATE ˎˊ˗ pairing(s) — JACK HUGHES x reader premise — in order to avoid the annual interrogation into his love life, jack hughes enlists his longtime friend to be his totally platonic plus-one for the holidays. cw — alcohol mention, jack being moody while luke and quinn are menaces, and reader and jack are idiots (in love, affectionate) wc — 2.3k

˗ˏˋ CANDY CANE GRAM ˎˊ˗ pairing(s) — teacher!JEFF SKINNER x teacher!reader premise — their students decide to play matchmaker before a school dance; will their scheming pay off? cw — me using jeff as an outlet for the degree in education i don’t use bc i would like to be financially stable, jeff and reader being sneaky sneaky, kiddos trying to play cupid, and my history major jumping out! wc — 2.4k

˗ˏˋ THE NANNY ON THE SHELF ˎˊ˗ ➤ series masterlist   pairing(s) — dilf!ERIK JOHNSON x reader premise — in erik's absence, his nanny takes over staging the family's elf on the shelf in order to keep the magic alive for his children. results are… questionable. cw — pre-relationship/pre-therapy erik being a dick and josie being sassy (if you can’t handle the heat, get outta the kitchen — looking @ you ej…) wc — 1.1k

˗ˏˋ TRADITION ˎˊ˗ (18+ // minors DNI) pairing — dbf!SIDNEY CROSBY x reader premise — it may not be the right plant, but it's close enough to justify upholding the festive tradition. cw — unspecified age gap (everyone's legal, dw), smokin' grass (oiud, a joint, mary jane, whichever term you want to use), 18+ content — innocence/corruption kink, adult language/dirty talk, sexual activity under the influence between two consenting adults, fingering (r), oral (r), slight exhibitionism kink, unprotected p in v + creampie (a very merry chrysler to you) wc — 4.4k

find more more holiday content ˗ˏˋ HERE ˎˊ˗

your fellow readers (and my lovely patrons) gifted you some spine-chilling spice this holiday season! be sure to thank them for their generosity when you get a chance <33

˗ˏˋ FARMER’S DAUGHTER ˎˊ˗ (18+ // minors DNI) pairing(s) — foreman!JOSH ANDERSON x farmer’s daughter!reader premise — she’ll always remember the time she let her daddy's foreman soil her in the middle of his pasture… cw — backdoor play, costumes/roleplay (kinda sorta), + risky location/exhibitionism, implied age gap, outdated patriarchal beliefs, innocence kink, corruption kink, slight humilation kink, spit as lube, dacryphilia, slight overstim, unprotected p in v, possessive!josh x virgin!reader (outdated definition and beliefs here, too) and just general filth wc — 3.5k

˗ˏˋ BONER-KILLER ˎˊ˗ (18+ // minors DNI) pairing(s) — camp counselor!JACK HUGHES x camp counselor!reader premise — no machetes, no hockey masks… at least, that’s what he promised. cw — a few jokes about death/dying and murder, rather short n tame ("vanilla") barely-there spice from me???, jack being a little shithead (and a little switchy omg), a smidge of angst, and spoopy ending… (kevin heimbach hive rise!) wc — 1.4k

˗ˏˋ NEW PERSPECTIVE ˎˊ˗ (18+ // minors DNI) pairing(s) — (soft)dark!stalker!QUINN HUGHES x grey!reader premise — in his own shadowy domain, he could be whatever and whoever he wanted… cw — dom!reader + subby-as-hell!quinn (ngl he’s kind of a pathetic loser here, but that’s why we love him), m!receiving oral (perhaps too much idk you tell me) + cum play x2, quinn rendered dumb and speechless by his raging humiliation kink and his need for degradation (and an itty bitty bit of praise — quinn: new kink unlocked), i have been plagued w ball play as of late so im subjecting yall to it, mention of edging and orgasm denial, oh and just some pheromone kink bits and a cute lil oral fixation moment or two, nothing to see here! wc — 4k

˗ˏˋ LIVE DEMONSTRATION ˎˊ˗ (18+ // minors DNI) ➤ series masterlist pairing(s) — camboy!MITCH MARNER x camgirl!reader (+ some special guests) premise — their first performance with a live studio audience! cw — cameos…bc cameo lol, public sex (a literal audience), unprotected boinking + creampie, some reach-around finger-bang action, unprotected coitus + cum play bc mitchy is nasty, praise kink influencer!mitch — "content, baby, content!" (name that vlogger lol), brief past phone sex (kinda? idk you'll see), discussion of sex work and the selling of items wc — 3k

˗ˏˋ A PEARL ˎˊ˗ (18+ // minors DNI) pairing(s) — captain!ERIK KARLSSON x reader premise — its the rum talking… or is it? cw — stranger sex and CMNF, 18th century purity culture and oral (f receiving)  wc — 600 (preview of my POTC au)

find more spooky content ˗ˏˋ HERE  ˎˊ˗

━ WHAT I POSTED ON PATREON 

˗ˏˋ 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐃𝐄𝐂𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 ˎˊ˗ pairing(s) — firefighter!QUINN HUGHES x reader premise — over a decade ago, jack hughes broke her little sister’s heart. out of loyalty, she hasn’t spoken to his elder brother, quinn hughes, since. the holiday season is brimming with miracles; will a mended bridge make the list this year? cw — angst with a fluffy ending, quinn and the reader being overprotective idiots, named sister!oc (for the reader), kinda non-linear timeline, and less dialogue from me than usual wc — 2.7k

˗ˏˋ 𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐂𝐇𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐌𝐀𝐒 ˎˊ˗ pairing(s) — baker!NICO HISCHIER x wedding planner!reader premise — nico, the owner of the most sought-after bakery in town, has always had a crush on the reader, an equally popular wedding planner in the area. never more than acquaintances, they still bonded over a shared love of sweetening memories for their special clients. without words, he can tell something is different this time – something is wrong. something happened last christmas; can nico save her from tears this year? cw — angst, mention of infidelity (not on or by nico), a failed engagement and some scrooge-esque pessimism, and some tooth-rotting, cliché fluff! wc — 1.6k

˗ˏˋ 𝐍𝐀𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐘 ˎˊ˗ (18+ // minors DNI) pairing(s) — MICHAEL BERZATTO (fx’s the bear) x reader premise — he should be at the celebrating, but he isn’t. he was, but not anymore. not after she called. instead, he’s playing… knight in shining sleigh for his kid brother’s childhood playmate. there’s only one way for this night to end… and it won’t land either of them on the nice list this year… cw — unreliable narrator + self-deprecation, age gap, non-canon timeline for the bear (because i don't want to do math lol), mention of reader x ritchie and implied past carmie x reader, alcohol, a lot of degradation, thigh riding / dry humping, orgasm denial, spit play, unhealthy people in an unhealthy non-relationship relationship, a pinch of misogyny, slight impact play, and slight inappropriate use of a santa costume… wc — 2.9k

˗ˏˋ 𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐘 𝐋𝐎𝐔 𝐖𝐇𝐎 ˎˊ˗ (social media au) pairing(s) — JACK HUGHES x reader; jack hughes x olivia rodrigo (iykyk); COLE CAUFIELD x reader premise — inspired by the song of the same name off of sab’s fruitcake ep cw — mention of cheating, me villianizing jack a wee bit, well-deserved cole love, and me having too much fun with famous!reader

˗ˏˋ 𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐄𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 ˎˊ˗ pairing(s) — dilf!ERIK JOHNSON x nanny!reader ➤ series masterlist  premise — (set before the main story) every member of the johnson household loves christmas. all but the patriarch, whose heart seems to be two sizes too small. there is one person, however, who might put things right… cw — too much time in grinch!erik’s head, erik being a douche canoe for no reason and mopey because he’s emotionally constipated, alarming lack of josie and reese, and mel stirring the pot wc — 2k

˗ˏˋ (𝐑𝐄𝐃, 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃) 𝐁𝐋𝐔𝐄 𝐂𝐇𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐌𝐀𝐒 ˎˊ˗ pairing(s) — JAKE ‘HANGMAN’ SERESIN (tg: maverick) x bradshaw!reader premise — a christmas miracle is orchestrated by the one person she least expects. cw — a cheesy nickname, mention of candy, an only child writing sibling banter, me not being over goose’s death (that i’ve only seen once because i physically can't experience that again), a smidge of angst followed by tooth-rotting fluff, a wee bit suggestive at the end, and my inability to keep a story contained to one upload wc — 1.8k

˗ˏˋ 𝐘𝐎𝐔'𝐋𝐋 𝐁𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐀 𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐔𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐈'𝐋𝐋 𝐁𝐄 𝐌𝐑𝐒. ˎˊ˗ pairing(s) — professor!SIDNEY CROSBY x TA / grad student!reader premise — red lips, green envy. cw — nameless biotches trying to steal our man!! power imbalance, secret situationship, references to sex but nothing descriptive, and angst angst angst but some fluff for good measure too, some oc deets added to the reader (nothing physical) for story purposes, and insecurity being a bitch but sid is so words of affirmation slay <3 wc — 2.3k new au verse coming soon!

˗ˏˋ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐍 ˎˊ˗ pairing(s) — MATTHEW TKACHUK x reader premise — during an island getaway, festive fury brings unspoken truths to the surface. cw — white people vacationing in hawai’i, mention of alcohol and liquid courage, reference to (past) underage drinking and (past) sex between consenting minors, mention of elementary age-bully, matty being a jealous, elitist douche via inner monologue and a loser-boy via sudden on-set of foot-in-mouth disease (very dangerous — stay safe out there, y’all!), reference to virginity / a lil slut-shaming, angst with a fluffy, suggestive ending wc — 3k

˗ˏˋ 𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐘 𝐂𝐇𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐌𝐀𝐒, 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐀 𝐌𝐀𝐘 ˎˊ˗ pairing(s) — grinch!JAMIE DRYSDALE x martha may!reader premise — jamie hates christmas, but it may just all be a misunderstanding. cw — jamie being a passive aggressive baby because he's emotionally constipated, references to childhood bullying, emotional cheating / physical cheating (not on jamie or the reader, brief and kinda wholesome), jamie smoking a cig bc ~stressed~ (and a lack of healthy coping skills), mention of blood/violence (super brief), and references to an angel tree topper but no religion or religious components wc — 2.3k

˗ˏˋ 𝐒𝐔𝐆𝐀𝐑 𝐏𝐋𝐔𝐌 𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐘 ˎˊ˗ (18+ // minors DNI) pairing(s) — single dad!MATT MARTIN x ballerina!reader premise — its the first role many young ballerinas aspire toward, and matt’s daughter is no different. however, matt has different aspirations for this season’s sugar plum fairy… cw — an age gap (unspecified, but mentioned), naughty things in a risky and wholesome location, me caring too much about stage costumes, non-hockey playin’ matt (implied), unprotected p in v coitus, and matt being a dirty simpy dog for his kid’s favorite person wc — 1.3k

˗ˏˋ 𝐋𝐄𝐓 𝐈𝐓 𝐒𝐍𝐎𝐖! ˎˊ˗ pairing(s) — JOE BURROW x reader premise — an unexpected road trip with his best friend’s little sister becomes a bit more than joe bargained for—in the best way possible. cw — insensitive comment about concussions, awkward!joe 🤍's the reader, + reader has a fear of storms and an overprotective brother wc — 1.4k

˗ˏˋ 𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐌𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐀 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐌 𝐆𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐊 ˎˊ˗ (18+ // minors DNI) pairing(s) — JEREMY SWAYMAN x reader premise — his california girl has never seen snow. this isn’t exactly what she had in mind, but she's not complaining… cw — this is straight-up p*rn. cum sharing/cum play, unprotected anal sex + ass eating from the back🙊, manhandling (affectionate), bondage via ribbon, spitting <3, minor objectification + minor discussion of injury, hints of overstim, personification of body parts, and dom!sway being a downright filthy menace ass man with a condescending potty mouth (pun not intended, but funny nonetheless) wc — 1.9k

˗ˏˋ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐈𝐅𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐆𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆 ˎˊ˗ (18+ // minors DNI) pairing(s) — TREVOR ZEGRAS x reader (established); JAMIE DRYSDALE x reader; MASON MCTAVISH x reader; background trevor x the boys; slight jamie x mason premise — what better gift on your friends to bestow than the gift that keeps on giving? cw — everyone’s a lil bi because why not, trevor is boyfriend of the year, mason and jamie bickering over whose turn it is to munch, tz + reader are switchy and mason + jamie are bratty and subby, oral (f receiving), fingering (f receiving), accidental edging, trevor being a cocky menace and stirring the pot, and a wee bit of a cliff-hanger bc i'm incapable of controlling myself :-) oh, and the current pet name fixation of the week! wc — 2k

˗ˏˋ 𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐊 & 𝐂𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐈𝐄𝐒 ˎˊ˗ (18+ // minors DNI) pairing(s) — movie!MIKE SCHMIDT (fnaf) x reader premise — mike has something very specific on his list this christmas. cw — slight festive roleplay, breeding kink to the max (with the explicit intention of getting her knocked tf up), mike being obsessed with tits (and having a raging lactation kink), nipple play, dry humping & domestic dirty talk, no p in v (happens off-page/screen), mention of a past pregnancy scare, me wanting abby to be happy with every fiber of my being, and potential FNAF spoilers (honestly, not really) wc — 2.5k

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[theblankstar]

For today's Still Wakes the Deep Post, I am publishing some basic facts and fun information about my oc! Fair warning, this will contain graphic content such as;

Cw : War, religion references, semi-graphic explanation of injury, child labor

IF YOU ARE FINE WITH THIS, THE INFORMATION IS DOWN BELOW

> Her name is Genesis Yolokov, but everyone calls her Yolokov since nobody (bar Rennick) knows her real name

> She's been working on the rig since she was 16, she's 46 now (so 30 years)

> She was born on December 25, 1929 (Ooo more biblical stuff- Her birthday is the same as Jesus Christ's)

> She was born in Moscow, Russia. Her father is Russian, her mother is Native American.

> She came to the rig in 1945 (year that WW2 ended)

> She served on the frontlines of WW2 (Drafted in because she appeared male)

> Graphic but, Her eyes were burned out of her sockets, and replaced with robotic ones; hence the unusual eye color and pupil shape

> Her hands were blown off in combat, and replaced with robotic ones; given the square fingers

> The crew she came to the Beira with was called "Fortune". Every crew member died in a horrific, murderous way, bar her

> She sounds like GlaDos from Portals

And here is her relationship status with (some) and not all characters! This segment will include what they think about her/have to say. Some characters contain personal headcanons for their backgrounds. This was originally written for Discord formatting, so I am NOT going back and changing it right now.

Caz:

> __Mutual Respect__

Caz and Yolokov have mutual respect for one another. They both have crossed each other's paths when heading to the canteen, and got along pretty well. Yolokov trusts Caz to the degree of knowing a bit about her family and home life. Yet not enough respect to know everything.

"*Ah? Yolokov? Yeah! Yolokov's pretty chill. I rarely see her around, but the times we have crossed, she been rather calm and reasonable.*" - Caz about Yolokov.

Roy:

> __Best Friends__

Roy and Yolokov are close friends. This is due to Yolokov having originally worked in the kitchen before being transferred to engineering. Yolokov taught Roy how to cook different meals from different places around the world, to ensure that the menu was a variety of different flavors. Roy knows Yolokov's real name, birthday, and hometown, yet he won't disclose it for privacy reasons.

"*You wanna know about Yolokov, eh? I'm not gonna tell you much. But she's a real close friend of mine- been through hell and back with her. She's for sure someone you can trust. Trust me, I know her.*" - Roy about Yolokov.

Brodie:

> __Co-Workers__

Brodie and Yolokov are just co-workers, nothing more. They've seen each other once or twice when having to work in the same area, but never really spoke much outside of their respective tasks. They do sometimes chat during lunch hours, but nothing else.

"*Yolokov? Oh her- I dunno much about her unfortunately. But she's alright.*" - Brodie about Yolokov.

Finlay:

> __Best Friends__

Finlay and Yolokov have known each other the longest. They both seem to know everything about one another. Finaly always has Yolokov's back, and Yolokov always has Finlay's back. They seemed to have known one another on the mainland for a period of time, as they both are aware of a certain dealing that happened.

"*Oh Yolokov? Oh we go waaaaay back!! Huh? Where is she from? What's her real name? Like hell I'd tell you! That secret- secrets, are going to the grave with me!*" - Finlay about Yolokov.

Sunli:

> __Roomates__

Sunli and Yolokov are bunk buddies, nothing more, nothing less. Though, Yolokov treats Sunli as if he was her son. She's always caring for him if he gets hurt, sick, or yelled at by the boss. Yolokov is never afraid to defend Sunli if he so needed it.

"*Ah, her... She acts like a parent to me. As if she knew mine wasn't good... Never mind that- she's really sweet when you get to know her! She may seem cold, but I promise, she's kind!*" - Sunli about Yolokov.

Muir:

> __Tension__

Muir doesn't trust Yolokov. There was something about her that always unsettled him. He's tried figuring out her real name- or really any information, but came up dead each time. He stays away from her, not wanting anything to do with her. He will hide behind Innes if he sees her coming close.

"*Y... Yolokov..? I don't like her. There's something about the way she showed up suddenly that unsettles me. It's the fact we barely know anything about her is what's scary too. I'm keeping my distance, thanks.*" - Muir about Yolokov.

Innes:

> __Tension__

Since Muir doesn't like Yolokov, Innes doesn't too. Though for very different reasons. There was something about the way she came in and things suddenly seemed like they were constantly being watched. Via something in the sea, or the sky, Innes always felt like he was being watched ever since she came around. He's spoken to Yolokov once or twice, and he doesn't like her.

"*Muir doesn't like her. I don't like her. Ever since she came, I can't stop thinking I'm being watched. Keep her away from me. I don't ever want to run into her. Keep. Her. Away.*" - Innes about Yolokov.

O'Conner:

> __Acquaintances__

Yolokov and O'Conner know each other pretty well! This is due to Yolokov having to do with bills that O'Conner had to pay. According to him, when she heard that money had gotten tight for him, she handed him a million dollars- where she got it? He never knew. But since then, he's tried to get closer to her.

"*You wanna know more about Yolokov? Well I'll tell you this- trust her. Don't listen to any blabbing fool about her being untrustworthy, she is trustworthy. Hell- she paid my damn bills for the next thousand years! Gave me a whole lotta money. I know I'm gonna keep her around as a friend!*" - O'Conner about Yolokov.

Rennick:

> __Hatred__

Rennick hates Yolokov. But he's also scared of her. When he was demanding answers from her, about her origins, and who she was- the room seemed to have suddenly gotten colder. And no matter how many times Rennick tried to fire her, he would always freeze up and back down. He had no clue as to why. So he keeps his distance.

"*DON'T UTTER HER NAME IN FRONT OF ME- ...Sorry for that outburst. Just- I don't want to hear anything about her... She scares me. Genuinely. I have no clue as to why. Just- don't bring her up when I'm around.*" - Rennick about Yolokov.

Boyd:

> __One-Sided Friends__

Boyd knows Yolokov from school, apparently. Though he cannot answer any questions about where he went to school to- or anything about Yolokov, he claims they're friends. But when putting it to the test, it's clearly one-sided.

"*Uh- Yolokov..? Who's- OH HER- Yeah I know her!! We are the best of friends, she's my favorite person in the world! And I'm her number one best friend! ...What's that? What's her name..? Uhhhh... I dunno.*" - Boyd about Yolokov.

Roper:

> __Co-Workers__

Roper and Yolokov worked with one another at one point during their shifts at the rig. Both didn't speak much to each other, just solved the problem then left. He knows only the name given to her by the crew, and that is about it.

"*You wanna know anything about Yolokov? Sorry. I ain't got anything. She's just another worker I happened to be doing a shift with. All I know is what the crew calls her. But hey- she does the job well, so that's all that matters.*" - Roper about Yolokov.

Addair:

> __Unknown__

According to what is known, apparently Addair had something to do with Yolokov ending up on the rig. Of course, when pressing either for information, they go silent and just stare at you. Weither or not it was some scandal that put Yolokov on the rig, or perhaps an agreement years ago, it's unknown.

"*...I'm not saying anything.*" - Addair about Yolokov.

McLurg:

> __Strangers__

McLurg and Yolokov have only passed by each other on the ship. Neither of them have spoken to each other, and don't know of each other aside from names.

"*Yolo... Kov..? I've heard the name. Dunno who that is. Sorry.*" - McLurg about Yolokov.

Trots:

> __Close Friends__

Trots and Yolokov are close friends. They can often be found together in the canteen eating, playing darts, cards, or 8-ball. Trots knows Yolokov from their homeland, yet has also never told anyone where they're from. Trots came out of nowhere, much like Yolokov, so no wonder they're close.

"*Yolokov!? Aah I know her! I know her good and well! She and I go waaaaaaaaaay back! We're from the same homeland, after all! ...No I'm not telling you her name or where we are from. You can stay away from me, if that's what you wanna know.*" - Trots about Yolokov.

Banky:

> __Friends__

Banky owes Yolokov everything. She was the reason he managed to keep his job- his source of income. Everyone and no one knows what happened that caused them to get closer. Of course, you can often find them talking about business, or the rig itself. But do not ask them about information on what happened, they will stare at you like you're dumb.

"*Yolokov? Ah. She's the reason I'm still working her. I owe her that much. ...What happened? Do you really not know? Go ask someone else. Not me.*" - Banky about Yolokov.

Dalgleish:

> __Strangers__

Dalgleish passed Yolokov once, much like McLurg. He's asked her a question once or twice, when no one else would take it, but other than that, they don't know each other.

"*Yolokov? Oh? Her- sorry. Dunno anything about her. She gives me answers to questions, and I leave.*" - Dalgleish about Yolokov.

Douglas:

> __Mentor-Student__

Yolokov and Douglas have known each other since he was employed under her. For a few years, he worked under her wing, under her supervision. She taught him everything he needed to know about the rig, and Douglas was always thankful for that.

"*I know Yolokov, yes. She taught me how to do what I do here. She knows everything about this place like it's the back of her hand. You can ask her anything about the rig, and she knows it!*" - Douglas about Yolokov.

Archie:

> __Tension__

Archie was the pilot of the helicopter when he flew the new group of workers to the rig. That group of workers included Yolokov. When he went to check on the cockpit, he found several things broken. During take-off, after a three hour delay, the helicopter almost crashed into the sea. While landing on the helipad, the wing broke and caused the helicopter to fall and hang off the rig. All of the workers in that new group, bar Yolokov, died because of a mysterious killer on the rig. It was strange.

"*...Don't go near her. It's all I can say. She's bad luck I tell you, bad luck. She's the only person to have not been murdered from that new group. She had something to do with the killings, I just know it.*" - Archie about Yolokov.

Davros:

> __Tension__

Davros knows very little about Yolokov, yet from what he has heard, he doesn't like her. Davros heard about the killings, and heard about the series of events that began to transpire as Yolokov came here.

"*...From what I heard. She isn't trustworthy. I wouldn't- I won't trust her. I can't do this with her around. I might quit.*" - Davros about Yolokov.

Gibbo:

>__Friends__

Gibbo has known Yolokov ever since she came onto the rig. Having been one of the few to open up about his home issues to her. They were pretty close, very close even. The two were often seen in the pontoons, doing the most mundane of tasks like walking around.

"*Yolokov! Ah... She's really understanding, you see... There's nobody like her I trust! Please- you must go on a walk with her! You could find out a few things about yourself you never even knew!*" - Gibbo about Yolokov.

And lastly, is her mutated form voice-lines (working on the art for that). When Caz comes across her, there's both an escape (similar to Trots) and chase (similar to Rennick) that he has to go through. The chase and escape sequence voice-lines have been separated.

Escape Sequence:

* "*Ah? Addair... We promised to not talk about that incident.*"

* "*Where are you going? We have a job to do.*"

* "*Don't run from me. I won't hurt you.*"

* "*I can see you, you know?*"

* "*Goddamnit... I lost you...*"

* "*Duncan? Can you let my mom know I'm coming home... And tell my dad I'm sorry...*"

* "*Just two weeks left for you, eh? Lucky...*"

* "*I don't get paid enough for this.*"

* "*The bombs, can you hear them?*"

* "*I see the dead in the water.*"

* "*I didn't kill them.*"

* "*...He'll be okay. I promise.*"

* "*Me? Scary? ...No... I think you're quite wrong...*"

* "*Stop hiding..! Please... I dunno what to do...*"

* "*Why are you hiding!? What's going on!?*"

* "*What did I do wrong..! Tell me so I can change..!*"

* "*I... I didn't mean to kill him...*"

* "*No- no please stay...*"

* "*STOP HIDING! HELP ME!*"

* "*...Just another monster to them...*"

* "*I've seen things. Terrible, terrible things.*"

* "*Addair please... You can change, I promise...*"

Chase Sequence:

* "*Ah. There you are.*"

* "*Can't hide now, huh?*"

* "*Get back here..!*"

* "*Help me- please..!*"

* "*What's even going on!?*"

* "*Where are you running to!?*"

* "*Give me a minute to catch up..!*"

* "*Don't you dare leave me behind- CAZ!*"

* "*CAZ! HELP ME!*"

* "*ADDAIR- ADDAIR'S DEAD- CAZ!*"

* "*WHAT'S GOING ON!?*"

* "*HELP!*"

And that's all the stuff I have for her done for now! Thanks for reading this far if you did :>