#dylan stevens x reader

[thefanficmonster]

hiii can i rq a dylan stevens x soft! fem reader??? like he’s with steve, sam and colby and his gf wanted to tag along but she gets scared super easily

Hi dear! Thank you so much for this request! I have such a soft spot (and crush) for Steve and Dylan and I was so upset to see no fanfics for them. So I decided to take things into my own hands 😂 Hope you enjoy the fic, darling 💌

Not for the faint of heart

Pairing: Dylan Stevens x Reader (Female)

Warnings: Paranormal Investigations, Swearing

Genre: FLUFF, Comfort, RPF (Real Person Fic)

Summary: see request above

Shaky hands cling onto the sleeve of Dylan's hoodie as the group makes their way through the halls of the abandoned and supposedly haunted hospital. The vibe has been eerie the whole night with bangs, cracks and even footsteps echoing off the walls all too frequently for your comfort.

You're not the biggest fan of the paranormal but, on the other hand, you are the biggest fan of your boyfriend who's made one of your biggest fears his job. Therefore, you've been finding yourself in these creepy places all too often as of recent. It doesn't help that Steve, who's decidedly become an older brother to you since you and Dylan started dating, loves messing with you and scaring you.

Tonight is no different.

A tickle to your side causes you to squeal and jump, seeking comfort by nuzzling further into Dylan's side. Looking over your shoulder, you're both relieved and annoyed to see a grinning Steve.

"You jerk!" You lightly smack his shoulder, making him and the guys laugh, "You almost gave a heart attack!"

An arm wraps around your shoulders, halting your rather ineffective offense attempt. "Alright, alright that's enough, you two. Well, mostly you." Dylan gives Steve an annoyed scolding look, "Quit messing with my girlfriend."

Raising his hands in surrender, Steve lightheartedly apologizes but you meet his words with the most distrustful, narrow-eyed glare which, again, elicits a laugh from him.

Dylan can't help but smile widely at the ridiculous scene in front of him. He remembers how nervous you were to meet his best friend, a thousand thoughts and insecurities running through your head, causing you massive anxiety. All such uncertainties were snuffed out the second you actually met Steve. You had only seen pictures of him up until that point and in each he looked so gloomy and serious. Very no-nonsense, very unlike Dylan or yourself. That's where your hesitation had sprouted from.

The second he'd climbed out of his car, a wide smile contradicted the image of him you had conjured in your head. Him and Dylan were the goofiest duo you'd ever seen and you were so easily sucked into their dynamic that now you've become a trio. Though not so much when it comes to the ghost hunting stuff.

The two sometimes manage to convince you to tag along but most of their attempts are ineffective. This time was the case of the former. Though, to be frank, Sam and Colby played a huge role in getting you to agree.

The five of you have now sat down in what the tour guide had informed you was a sort of makeshift ritual room. Not much gave away that fact if one could casually ignore the huge burn mark in the middle of the floor.

You, however, can't.

"It's said that you can still feel heat emanating from that spot right there." Sam explains to the camera, turning it to film the dark stain in question. "We'll have to check on our own though."

The first to step up to the occasion is Colby, crouching down next to the mark, being extra cautious not to step on it. "Sam, doesn't this remind you of something." He asks, looking up at his best friend whose face contorts from confusion into utter horror within a second.

"Oh my God, you're right! The Sallie house!" The blonde exclaims, his jaw hitting the floor, "Not again, dude!"

The name takes a moment to register in your brain but when you connect it to its respective Sam and Colby video - yes, the only reason you agreed to coming is because you're a huge fan - you too go wide-eyed.

"You wanna sit down in the middle of it again?" Dylan's question only worsens your terror. The fact that Sam doesn't say 'no' right away isn't helping either.

"Don't give him ideas!" You whisper-yell at your boyfriend who just sheepishly smiles at you.

"Don't worry, Y/N, I'm not doing that shit again. Well, unless money is involved, that is." He adds the last part as a joke but that still doesn't stop Steve and Dylan from reaching for their wallets. You quickly smack their hands, their laughter provoking your own.

"Yo! Come check this out! It's fucking crazy!" Colby's voice interrupts, causing you all to look over to him hovering his hand over the blackened concrete, "It feels like holding your hand up to an oven door."

Your friends, unlike you, show no sign of hesitation as they approach Colby, each sticking their hand out in search of proof that they're not being messed with. Seeing their faces morph into a look of absolute disbelief and astonishment, you realize that your fear isn't stronger than your need to confirm it for yourself.

Your friends have stepped a few feet away from the spot by now, allowing you to crouch down and see for yourself. And see, you do.

You snatch your hand back as soon as you'd extended it, quickly getting up to your feet. Your face mimics the other four reactions this bizarre phenomenon provoked from the other people in the room.

Suddenly, a gust of warm air tickling the back of your neck reminds you that you are indeed quite terrified. For just a second though, since you're quick to remind yourself of Steve's antics. You turn around to reprimand him for messing with you again just to realize him, along with Dylan, are a good ten feet away from you, helping Sam and Colby unpack their equipment.

Your rationality goes back to fear in an instant. Your blood runs cold and your eyes fill with tears. The only words that escape your lips are choked yet still somehow high-pitched, "Oh my God!"

Four heads snap in your direction. They drop what they're doing, seeing your distressed state. Dylan jogs over to you, his hands resting on your arms, "What's wrong? What happened?"

Instinctively, you reach up to the back of your neck, touching the goosebumps that have formed on your skin, "It felt like someone was breathing down my neck." You explain, moving your hair out of the way to show your boyfriend, "I-I thought it was Steve..."

"Hey!" The accused argues, now having approached you as well, eyes flooded with worry. "I swear it wasn't me."

You quickly shake your head, "I know! I'm fucking shaking." You mutter, biting your lip as you try controlling your racing heartbeat.

"Did you scratch yourself?" Colby asks, shining the camera light on your skin to make sure he's seeing correctly.

"No, why?" Your eyes blow wide open at the question but you try your best to keep your composure.

Colby's just about to reply, telling you about the red spot that's appeared on the back of your neck when Dylan catches his eye. With a sharp shake of the head he delivers his message loud and clear. "It's nothing, my bad. I was casting a shadow and it looked like a bruise." He says instead, the sigh he receives in response from you confirming that telling you would've been a bad idea.

You stay wrapped in Dylan's embrace while the guys set up their equipment for a session. One of his hands is rested on your back while the other has cupped the back of your head, keeping you to his chest as he whispers reassurances in your hair, periodically interrupting himself to kiss the top of your head.

"It's ok, babe. Nothing's gonna hurt you. Not on my watch." He says, making you giggle.

"What, you're gonna fistfight a ghost?" You ask, pulling away to be able to look him in the eyes.

His kind, adorable eyes you love so much. Especially the creases that appear at their corners when he smiles the way he is now, looking down at you.

"For you? Anytime. I'm military personnel, after all." He proclaims, resting his forehead against yours.

You can't help the blush that creeps onto your cheeks which threaten to start hurting from how widely you're smiling - a side effect of having the cutest goofball as a boyfriend.

"Dork." You chuckle, shaking your head before connecting your lips in a quick kiss.

The moment doesn't last long, curtesy of none other than...

"Get a room you two!"

...of course it's Steve.

[groupshotsss]

Duckie:

25 ~ June 22, 2000 - Cancer 𓅯 Extrovert 𓅯 She/Her 𓅯 Green 𓅯 Crochet 𓅯 Influencer 𓅯 Spacey 𓅯 Says “Yep, Yep, Yep” all the time, so Colby called her Duckie once and it stuck 𓅯 Goofy but compassionate 𓅯 Overly Trusting 𓅯 Frogs and Wildflowers 𓅯 fun outfits because you only live once 𓅯 matching dinosaur earrings and necklace set 𓅯 Jasmine and Lilac 𓅯 Small C tattooed behind her right ear for Colby, but she tells everyone it's for her cat Chase 𓅯

₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ *˚

𓅯 Geronimo - Sheppard

2 of 7 in NatureVerse 𓍯𓂃𓏧♡ - A Red String AU

[cupidysm]

Vegan Pizza

Just a fic I wrote to practice my fluff writing! edit: I’m so happy so many people enjoyed it!

Steven Grant x gn!shy!reader || masterlist ||

summary: (I gotta practice fluff writing) As Steven makes his way back to his flat after being stood up, he runs into his neighbor who helps him find comfort in a warm meal.

content: fluff, making out, awkwardness (but like in an endearing way? I hope)

word count: 1,218

Steven Grant naturally thought bad luck was simply drawn to him. However, the day he landed a date with his co-worker, Dylan, he thought his luck has finally turned around.

Until she didn’t show up.

Steven was a good neighbor. Always greeting you with a smile or a quick “Good morning.” No matter how late he was for work. Now that you were thinking about it, he was kind of cute.

Alright fine, you were enamored.

His big brown eyes, his tooth aching smile, and it didn’t matter how loose fitting his clothes were you could see the traces of muscle through his wide necked shirts. But looks didn’t matter anyways. It was simply being himself that drew you in.

You found yourself returning home later than usual from a busy day at work, and just as you’re about to enter the door to your flat you hear the steps of someone heading up the stairs.

“Bloody chocolates.” Steven mumbled as he slumped up the steps to his floor.

You didn’t mean to be eavesdropping, but earlier that week you had heard him bragging to another neighbor about a date he landed. You’d be lying to yourself if you didn’t say you were the slightest bit jealous, but Steven had a love life too and it wasn’t like he’d wait forever for you to get over your worries and ask him out.

You turned to Steven with a smile. “Hey Steven! How was your date?”

Steven doesn’t recall ever mentioning it to you, but then again he doesn’t remember much now days between his life and his dreams.

“Oh, hi. Yeah…it didn’t go well. She stood me up.” He mumbled as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Your heart twinged with excitement, but was quickly replaced with sympathy at his downcast expression. “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that Steven.”

“All I wanted was a bloody dinner with someone to spend time with.” He sighs. “Not get stood up.”

The words slip from your mouth before you can even go over them in your head.

“Wellifyou’restillhungrymaybeyou’dwanttocomeoverandhavesomethingtoeat…” you realize how fast you’re speaking and are able to slow your brain down. “I’m making a pizza..? It’s vegan.”

The first time Steven had mentioned he was vegan you immediately bought a vegan pizza, that way when you did have the excuse to ask him on a date you’d be prepared. Apparently now was that time.

His face lights up slightly at the mention of a meal. “That sounds great! Yeah…I’d like that.” He smiles.

He follows you into your flat and sits down while you take out the frozen pizza.

“I’m surprised you actually had something vegan. Most people think vegan food tastes strange.”

You laughed. “Not me.”

That was a lie. You made one a while back and weren’t entirely fond of it, but if this ended well you’d be happy to eat as many vegan pizzas if it meant you’d get to have more times like this one.

“I remember you mentioned you being vegan a while back so I thought I’d buy it.” You immediately winced at your words. You don’t know how long back he had mentioned this, but you think it was pretty far back. He was definitely gonna think you were weird for remembering something as minuscule as that.

“Yeah, that’s right, I… I am. You remember that?” He asked clearly shocked.

Shit. He did think you were weird.

“Thanks, I… no one really takes the time to listen… or care.”

You’re lucky your turned away from him as you load the pizza in the oven so he won’t see your blush.

“It’s no biggie.” You smile.

The rest of the night you chat between each other. Steven’s once dismal night took a flip from simply spending time with someone as lovely as you. When the pizza is ready, the both of you eat your pizza happily.

“This is good. I still can’t believe you remembered I was vegan.” He smiles.

“It’s really not that big of a deal.” Your face is definitely visibly red.

“It’s big to me. No one really remembers something like that about me.” He chuckles as he looks up at you with his big eyes.

You could’ve kissed him right there with the way he was looking at you. His mouth full of pizza making his cheeks puff out in such an adorable way.

“Bloody hell. must sound desperate, don’t I?” He looks off embarrassed. This time he’s the one blushing.

“No, no ‘course not.” You smile with a giggle.

He flushed again slightly before speaking out.

“You’re… you’re very pretty.” His voice trails off as he looks down at his plate embarrassed.

Your jaw practically falls off. “What?”

“You are very pretty.” His eyes glance up at you before staring locked on your eyes. “Really… beautiful.” His voice trails off.

“Did I say that out loud?” He picks his head up in a panic, his face turning beet red.

You stand up quickly. “I, uh… bathroom-“ You sprint in the direction of your bathroom before shutting the door.

You lean yourself against the wall, your beating so fast you think it might fly out of your chest. You eventually realize you just left him alone and put yourself in an even more awkward situation, so you decide to open the door.

You jump back in surprise and see Steven standing there awkwardly.

“I… er,” he fiddles with his hands. “Did I say something wrong? I- I mean you really are beautiful, and oh bollocks, I ruined it didn’t I.” He stammers out quickly.

You quickly cover his mouth with your hands in order to shut him up.

“Steven, stop it. Stop that.”

His eyes widened when you covered his mouth, a bit shocked.

“What— did I say something wrong?” He asked, his voice muffled.

“No- no of course not.” You squeeze your eyes shut to overwhelmed.

“God, if you keep saying stuff like that I won’t be able to stop myself from kissing you and I like you way too much for me to ruin it.”

He was utterly gobsmacked, his eyes wide as you spoke.

Finally, he managed to respond.

“Are—”

He lifts your hands from his mouth.

“Are you saying you… want to kiss me right now?”

You quickly cover your face.

"And it's such terrible timing too! I- I mean your date just stood you up!" You stammer out.

"I don't care if you kiss me right now. I— uh, I wouldn’t mind…" He said, almost breathless. "This— we, I…"

He couldn't find words— so instead he showed it.

His lips pressed against yours softly, just enough so I’d you were uncomfortable you had the space to pull away, but there was no way you were going to now.

A soft whimper left his lips as you pressed yourself further into him. He slid his hands around your waist, until he eventually pulled back to let the two of you breath.

“That was good.” Is all he manages. “That was very good.”

You can’t help but giggle and eventually he can’t either. He laughs alongside you, arms still entangled in eachother.

“…Could I take you on a date. A real one. No getting stood up?” His eyes sparkling with hope.

“Yeah, that would be nice.”

[have-you-seen-my-sanity]

Their comfort zone

Jake Lockley x afab!reader

Summary: Jake tried to re-establish connection with Steven's former steakhouse date. She was mean to them and now Jake seeks comfort in you.

Cw/triggers: Comfort, fluff, one or two curse words.

This has been requested via pm and wishes to stay anonymous. :)

"Wait, Dylan. Give Steven another chance, he didn't–"

"No. Whatever freakshow goes on in your head, I've already told you. Lose. My. Number!"

Jake took a breath. "Come on, I just told you about us."

There was a short sigh, then the call ended.

-

Jake slumped back, taking a moment to process the nerve wrecking call.

After a minute he dials another number - yours.

"Hi Jake." came your soft voice which made him smile.

"Hey there. Listen... I just had a rollercoaster of a call.. can I come over for a bit to clear my mind?" Jake's voice was soft, almost broken.

You've never experienced Jake this sad, only his tough, calm and menacing side, so this is a surprise.

"Of course, Jake. Is everything alright?"

"I'll explain everything once I'm there. Thanks by the way." He had a genuine smile on his face for your understanding.

Jake ended the call, getting dressed in his usual attire and his trusty hat.

It wasn't long until Jake knocked on your door.

When you opened it, Jake had a small smile on his face, not wanting to come off too hurt.

"Hey, thanks for letting me stop by."

You smile. "You know I'm always there for you guys." you stepped to the side, inviting him in.

While Jake made himself comfortable in your living room, you were in the kitchen, making tea.

Once you returned, you put both mugs down on the coffee table. "I know you guys prefer black coffee except Steven, but I thought tea might be better." you chuckle softly.

Jake smiled widely at you, taking his mug. "No it's completely fine. The tea is actually the right thing I need rightnow."

You sat down beside him on the couch, sipping on your tea. "So, what do you wanna talk about?"

"Well," Jake started, "you know the woman Steven was supposed to go on a date at the steakhouse?"

"Yeah. The one he accidentally forgot." you nod.

"Exactly," Jake gave a curt nod, "so, I called her, wanting to make her forgive us and give Steven another chance."

"What did she say?"

Jake sipped on his tea. "She was a total bitch about it, not letting me finish talking."

He continued. "She was so mean to us. Poor Steven was so done with her and Marc tried reasoning too, but she kept insulting us." Jake sighed.

Putting your mug down, you scoot closer to him, wrapping your arm around his shoulders. "Jake, she wasn't worth it. You all deserve better." you smile softly.

Jake put his hat down. "Really? You think that? I just want to be there for Steven and Marc."

"Yes I think that," you began running your fingers through his hair, making Jake lean into your touch, "you three deserve nothing but the best." you say gently.

Jake closed his eyes, smiling. "Holy shit, hearing you like that... I think we are falling for you."

You giggle. "Even Marc and Steven?"

"Even Marc and Steven." Jake admits softly, wrapping his arms around you.

Jake pulled back, looking at you with a soft expression. "Hey, do you mind if we stay for tonight?" his tone was sincere.

You smile. "Yes, of course!"

"Thanks, mi amor." Jake hugged you tighter, the three of them are looking forward on spending the night with someone who could understand them - you.

-------------------------

Wanna get tagged?

Tags:

@nekoyin @steven-grants-world @iolaussharpe-24 @buckyssugarchick @sugarplumz100 @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction @krakenkitty @silvernight-m @lunaana-02 @ivystoryweaver @chaithetics @mooksmouse @heavydirtysoulsblog @faretheeoscar @deceasedream69 @sejanusxfan

[justmeinadaze]

We're A Family Part 23 (Steddie X You)

Warnings: Dads Steddie/ Fem mom reader, SMUT, all the regular smut that comes with these three. ANGST, for me this is soft angst lol I said what I said. They run into the guys ex and Eddie deals with his emotions regarding her and the things she's said in the past, Ro struggles with the thought of her brother going away to college so the parents have to handle that. FLUFF, they love each other and their kids <3

Word Count: 3687

Series here

 Low whimpering and soft movements shook you from sleep as you rolled over to a sight you had seen many mornings in the past. Eddie was on top of Steve slowly riding him as the other boy softly smiled up at his blissed out face while languidly stroking his cock. You always wanted them to feel comfortable so you laid there quietly as you watched them like a work of art. 

“There you go, baby.”, Steve whispered. “Fuck, you take me so well.”

Threading his fingers in his husband’s hair, he pulled his lips to his own as Eddie panted against them. 

“Harder, Steve. Please.”

“Yeah? Is that you need, honey? I can do that for you.”

His large palms slide down the man’s back and grip his hips, thrusting up to meet his movements while he continued to bounce and roll his own waist above him. 

Both men smirked when they heard you heavily sigh, knowing you were awake.

“Good morning, sweetheart.”

“I bet it is.”, you tease as he bites his bottom lip. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“No interruption.”, Steve replies in his husky morning tone that you assume is what got the metalhead riled up. 

Lifting the boy from him, he turns Eddie to face you on his side as he wraps his arms around him, spooning him from behind as he slides back into his entrance and thrusts his hips at a steady but firm pace. 

After softly kissing your lips, the long-haired man rested his forehead on yours as he guided his fingers under your panties and through your core. 

“Fuck, baby, you’re so wet.”

Placing your palm over his own, you cling to him as he pushes his middle and ring fingers into your center, groaning when they clench around him at the sound of Steve’s heavy, strangled moans. 

“God, just like that, Steve. Shit.”, Eddie grunted as his hand matched the other boy’s rhythm.

“Oh, Eddie…”, you moan as his digits rapidly abuse your g-spot.

Taking ahold of his husband’s throat, Steve tilted his head back, kissing and nibbling on the man’s sweet spot as he thrust his release inside of him. While pumping Eddie’s cock with his hand, the metalhead folded into him as he came, trying to still focus on you as you guided his movements till your own release followed soon after. 

You watched with heavy eyes as they continued to softly kiss each other before pulling you closer to do the same. 

***

“Good job, Dylan!”, Steve cheered as his son hit the final homerun that ended the game with his school winning. You beamed as James clapped his tiny hands while Aurora danced in front of Eddie shouting her brother’s name in excitement. 

After the obligatory high fives to the other team and everyone congratulating him, your daughter ran down the bleachers meeting Dylan halfway and tackling him with a big hug as he lifted her off her feet.

“That was amazing, baby.”, you praise as he flashes you a big smile.

“Thanks, mom. Hey, Noah invited me to lunch but I told him I was hanging out with you guys today and I would ask if I could come over for dinner.”

“Is that a long-winded way of saying you want to spend the night with Noah?”, Eddie jokes making his son laugh as he nods.

“I’m fine with that, my love.”, you smile as you tilt up to kiss his cheek.

“Oh my god. Is that Edward Munson and Steven Harrington in front of me?”

The three of you recognized the female voice immediately as you froze in place by your car. Steve exhaled loudly as he turned first, coming face to face with their ex. 

“Hello Emily. Always a pleasure to see you.”

“Oh wow. Look at everyone in your family!”, she coos, her voice making you visibly cringe. “Is this the little boy I met before?!”

“Um, hi. I’m Dylan.” He extends his hand politely for her to shake making her giggle a bit too excitedly. 

“I don’t know if you remember me. I saw you at your talent show in elementary. My niece was the young lady who danced.”

“Ooooh yeah. I remember you a bit.”

“That’s actually why we are here now. She goes to the school you just slaughtered.”

“Well, Emily, it’s been great catching up. We’re just going to—”

Aurora cuts off her father as she wiggles out of her brother’s embrace and extends her own tiny palm to the lady in front of her. 

“Hello! I’m Aurora Munson-Harrington. It’s nice to meet you.”, she introduces with her big trademark smile. Before Emily can return the salutations, however, Eddie hastily lifted her in his arms, holding her away from his ex.

“Don’t touch my daughter.”

“Dylan, baby, why don’t you take Ro and James and get them buckled in, alright?”

Nodding, he grabbed the baby from your arms and tried to do the same with his sister but to his surprise his father wouldn’t let her go.

“Honey, it’s alright. Dylan won’t let anything happen to her.”, Steve soothed, comforting the man enough to release her from his hold. Rubbing his back, he tenderly kissed his cheek before turning his attention back to the woman in front of them. 

“I see you didn’t take my advice. I guess I was wrong though, huh. I mean it’s been what… ten years?”

“12.”, you reply with distain ready to leave her behind. 

“Was I also wrong about the genes? I’m guessing the girl came from Ed here? This is also new.”, she snarks as she points between the boys. “You two weren’t fucking when we were together.”

“Hm. Maybe because we didn’t feel comfortable being ourselves with you. Thankfully we found someone better. Come on, guys.”

As Steve tries to guide you both towards your vehicle, Eddie abruptly twists out of his embrace to face his ex. 

“My daughter is perfect. She’s smart, funny, beautiful, and very creative. She loves art and is incredibly kind almost to a fault. She’s not trash and neither was I. You made me feel like I didn’t deserve kids of my own but now I have three. Fuck you, Emily.”

Without waiting for her reply, he spins on his heels and marches towards the car.

***

Steve sighs from his spot on the couch as he watches Eddie lazily strum his guitar. He had been melancholy since everyone had gotten home choosing to remain in his own head for the time being. James was on the floor in front of him fast asleep as he sucked his thumb while you and Dylan were in the kitchen browsing for things online while Aurora nibbled on the rest of her lunch.

“This is a cute little place for you and Daisy. It’s right by the school to.”

“Can we afford it?”

“I don’t see why not as long as you two aren’t scarfing pizza every night.”, you giggle as he lightly shoves your shoulder. Your eyes scan over him taking in the young man before you. He had grown up so much and you still hadn’t dealt with the fact that soon he wouldn’t just be upstairs or in the living room but a few states away. “I’m going to miss you, weirdo.”

His grin grows as he circles his arm around you and kisses your cheek. 

“I’m going to miss you to, mom. I promise I’ll be here every holiday and a couple of weeks in the summer.”

“Where is Dylan going?”, Ro asked as she glanced your way.

“To college, sweetie, remember?”

“Yeah but… he’ll still be in the room next to mine…right?”

“Rara…”, her brother chuckled. “That would be a LONG drive every morning if I lived here. I’m moving in with Daisy to Virginia. I showed you on that map on my phone.”

Your mom Spidey sense began to sound off as her big chocolate eyes met yours before glaring at her brother. 

“Aurora, baby, it’s ok. Like he said, he’s still going to come visit us and—”

“NO! NO, YOU CAN’T LEAVE!”

Both men promptly appeared in the kitchen trying to assess the situation as it unfolded and began to spiral. 

“Ro, I don’t want to leave. I have to go to school—”

“Why do you HAVE to go so far away!?”

“I-I-I…”, he stumbled over his words as eyes pleaded with you guys for help. 

“Aurora, Dylan is moving with Daisy so they can go to school together.”, Steve tried to assist but it just made her huff as she jumped off her chair and slammed her little feet to the ground.

“I hate Daisy! And I hate you, Dylan! You’re mean!”

“Ro…”

Ignoring her brother, she turned and ran up the stairs banging her bedroom door shut for emphasis. 

“I got her.”

“No.”, Steve intercepted as he placed his palm on Eddie’s chest. “I know you’re not 100%. I can handle it.”

“Whatever.”, the metalhead sighed as he headed towards the entry way and threw on his jacket. 

“Hey, what does that mean?”

“It means, whatever, Steven.”

“I’m just trying to help.”

“Yeah, sure. As long as you’re the hero, right?”

“Eddie…” The man tried to reach for his arm to stop him but flinched when his husband pulled away angrily. 

“I can handle my kids. I can handle my parents and I sure as hell could have handled Emily!”

You and Steve watched with equally confused eyes as he matched his daughter’s tantrum, banging loudly out the front door. 

“Wait here, kid, ok?”

Dylan nodded at your instruction as you ran after Steve who promptly trailed frustratingly after the man he loved. 

“Eddie, what the fuck are talking about?! You did handle her today; extremely well in fact.”

“Thanks, Harrington. Glad I got your approval.”, he muttered under his breath, sighing as you skidded in front of him, blocking entry to his van. 

“Baby, you always shut down like this when it comes to her. I know you’re not mad at him or me. Just talk to us, Eddie, please.”

Tenderly, he kisses your forehead before firmly but gently moving you aside as he gets behind the wheel and drives off into the night.

##########

Eddie exhales heavily as he takes a long swig of the beer in his bottle. 

“Nick, another please.”

The man is startled when a hand pats his back and his son throws himself onto the stool beside him. 

“Dylan? How the hell did you get in here?”

“I don’t know if you noticed, dad, but this place isn’t restricted to people under 21 anymore.”, he smiles as he flashes him the big X on the back of his hand signaling he’s underage. “I don’t know if you two know this either but mom hates when you both leave like that when you’re upset. When you come home she’s going to pretend she’s not but…”

“How’s Ro?”

“I don’t know. She still won’t talk to me. Dad’s trying to calm her down but he’s having a bit of a meltdown himself. I mean the only one who’s not upset right now is James.”, the boy chuckles sullenly. “Can I ask what happened? Or does it involve taxes?”

They both laugh at the memory before Eddie leans back in his seat and stares into the void. 

“That woman we saw today… That’s Steve and I’s ex; the one right before your mom. It didn’t end well.” The metalhead told him the story they had told you many years ago after your first encounter with her. Dylan listened intently, absorbing his words and frowning when he told her about Emily never wanting his kids. 

“Fuck her.”, he swore making his father laugh as he spit some of his beer back into its bottle. “I mean come on. You’re a great dad and Aurora is absolutely wonderful.”

“Yeah, she is. You all are.”

“Can I ask why you felt like you needed to leave?”

Eddie sighs as he tries to figure out how to word what he’s feeling. 

“Growing up my parents made me feel like trash you throw away especially when my mom left me with my uncle. When we were dating Emily she made me feel the same. She wanted to throw me away and be with Steve. I, honestly, think you and your mom are the first people to not make me feel garbage you cast aside.”

“And Steve.” The metalhead’s eyes meet Dylan’s as he softly smiles. “Dad would have been that first non-Munson to do that.”

“Yeah…”

“And that makes you feel bad.”

“Jesus Christ, you little therapist. Yes, it makes me feel bad.”, he laughs. “Y/N has always been there and defended me which I love but Steve’s always gone that extra mile you know. Throwing himself on the preverbal sword so to speak. Usually, I just let him do his thing but, I don’t know, I guess Emily just really hurt me and I never really got to tell her to fuck off.”

“Why don’t you tell her now?”

Dylan gestures with his head and his father follows his eyeline just in time to see his ex sauntering their way. 

“I swear to God, like a fucking virus this woman. Nick! I’ll see you later.”, he announces as he throws money on the bar. 

“Hey Eddie. What are you doing out and about? Where’s Steve?”

“Steve is at home with our wife and other 2 kids. He’s spoken for Emily. Let it go.”

“Said the man who gave me shit in a stadium parking lot.”

The metalhead chuckles under his breath as he turns to face her. 

“See the only difference is Steve dumped your ass after you said everything you wanted to say. I never got that luxury. I came home from work and you were gone. I hope you know what you missed out on. All of my kids especially Aurora are amazing and my marriage between Y/N and Steve are way better than I could have ever dreamed. That could have been your life but you were too much of a selfish bitch to care about anyone except yourself.”

As both boys headed towards the parking lot, Emily drunkenly trailed behind. 

“Listen to you taking about marriage like what you have with of them is real.”, she spat. “Because of you, you denied Steve a real marriage with a real family! You’re the selfish one! I loved him, Eddie.”

“No, you didn’t. If you did you never would have asked him to abandon me!”, he growled. “We are best friends and you tried to split us apart. The fact that you thought he would even consider that shows how little you knew about him. Y/N never once tried to separate us and even encouraged our relationship allowing it to grow. I love him, Emily.”

Grabbing his son, he yanked him towards the van tossing him his keys. 

#############

When they got home, the house was quiet with most of the lights turned down except in the kitchen where you and Steve were sitting knocking back small glasses of alcohol you hid in the cabinet for occasions such as this. 

Dylan patted his father comfortingly on the back before running up the stairs to get ready for bed. 

“Eddie.”, you sighed in relief as you got up to hug him. “Are you ok, baby? We were so worried—”

The metalhead’s lips cut you off as he cupped your cheeks and passionately kissed you. 

“I told you once that after Emily, Steve and I thought we couldn’t do the shared partner thing but, sweetheart, I’m so glad we did. Everything we have is because of you. Our kids, this house, our jobs, even Steve and my relationship. You never once made us feel like we had to choose or discouraged it. You allowed us to be ourselves and I fucking love you for that.”

Tilting forward, you kissed him again, continuing to hold him tightly as he addressed his husband.

“I’m sorry I snapped at you. Steve, since I met you, you’ve always gone the extra mile for people you love. Sometimes… it makes me feel bad that you dive headfirst into certain situations allowing yourself to take those bullets for me.”

Coming around the table, Steve wrapped his arms around you both, bringing you to his chest. 

“I lead with my heart and I know it’s a strength and a fault. Eddie, I hope you know I don’t mind taking those so-called bullets. I love you both so much and those kids. I’d do anything for them and you. I hear what you’re saying though. We should have talked to Emily together. I should have talked to you about your parents. I should have asked if you wanted me to talk to Rara instead of just…being the hero.”

You both chuckle at his pronunciation of your daughter’s name before the metalhead lifts you in his arms and carries you to the bedroom. After yanking feverishly at each other’s clothes, you grin as he passionately kisses your lips, groaning into your mouth when he feels Steve between his legs eagerly sucking his cock. 

“That’s it, Steve, baby. Fuck.”

“Oh! I have an idea.”, you jump up eagerly, stumbling slightly as your tipsy legs carry you where you need to go. Eddie breathily laughs before focusing back on the other boy, petting his head as he swirled his tongue along his veins and across the tip making the long-haired boy’s eyes roll. 

Tapping on Steve’s shoulder, he glances your way and smiles at the strap on you have in your hands. Bouncing off the bed, he helps you put it on and watches with eager, lust filled eyes as you climb onto the mattress on your knees, tug on Eddie’s arm, and place him in front of you of you, wrapping your arms around his stomach as he sinks down on to the toy. 

His body folds into yours as you both moan and your lips trail along his back as he begins to bounce against you. Your own glassy eyes find Steve’s and he smiles, kissing your lips before maneuvering himself on all fours in front of Eddie as he waited. 

“Oh my fucking God. You both feel so fucking good.”, the metalhead mewls as he guides himself into the other man’s entrance. Your breath warmed his skin as you thrust your hips as hard as you could allowing the silicone inside him to hit his sensitive spot repeatedly as his own cock was being squeezed almost impossibly tight by Steve’s own warmth inside of him. “Fuck. I love you both so much.”

“Love you…baby.”, you panted.

Taking hold of his shoulder, Eddie brought Steve back to chest circling his arms around him like you had as the man’s palm covered his own while his head fell back. 

“Fuck, Eddie, honey. Just like that. You’re gonna make me cum.”

“Right there? I got you, sweetheart.” Quickly covering his mouth, the metalhead clung to the other man as he grunted loudly, ropes of his spend hitting the sheets in front of him. “I know, baby. I know. Jesus, you sound so fucking sexy when you cum.”

His words and Steve’s orgasm put you over the edge as your body trembled against his as the ball dropped and you whimpered into his back. Eddie soon followed, biting into the other boy’s neck as he released his seed into him.

Everyone fell sideways, panting as you tried to catch your breath. 

“Did you know they let minors into The Hideout now?” Throwing your arm over your eyes, you laugh hard as Eddie turns to face you with an equally wide smile, cupping your cheeks to kiss your lips. “Seriously…thank you…for everything.”

After a hastened shower, the three of you curled up in bed, murmuring soft praises and exchanging kisses till you fell asleep in each other’s arms. 

##################

“Hey Ro. You wanna play some basketball with me?”

Purposely ignoring her brother, your daughter folds her arms as she looks in the opposite direction towards the tv. Dylan hangs his head as he scoots slowly towards the kitchen where you were eating your lunch. 

“How long is she going to be mad at me?”

Placing a finger over your lips, you gesture with your eyes towards the living room and he follows your gaze just in time to see Eddie throw himself down next to his daughter.

“Whatcha doin’?”

“Watching tv.”

Her father nods as he pretends to stretch and glance towards the backdoor.

“You know it’s a gorgeous day and I think Dylan was going to play outside. Geez, I shouldn’t say ‘play’ like he’s six anymore. When your dad and I first met him we used to play basketball with him in the court right in the middle of the apartment complex. Can’t believe kid is going off to college.”, he sighs.

“I don’t want him to go…”

“I don’t either, baby, but you know what? He promised he would be here for holidays and your birthday. He’s also going to be calling mommy 24/7 because you know how much she loves you guys. Of course, we can go visit him and Daisy.”

Aurora’s bottom lip quivers as she continues to stare ahead.

“Sweetheart, you know he’s going to miss you and James as much as you both miss him. Your siblings and no matter where he is he’s always going to be there for you and love you just like me, mommy, and dada.”

Without saying a word, she jumped off the couch, running towards Dylan who placed the ball on the counter to open his arms and catch her as she jumped into them. After putting her back down on her feet, he took hold of her hand as they both smiled and ran outside to play. 

Eddie grins when he feels you lightly tug his hair, tilting him back so you could kiss his lips. 

“You’re a good man, Edward Munson.”

“Part of that is because of you Y/N Munson-Harrington.”

############

@adequate-superstar @kalinaselennespeaks @nailbatanddungeon

@dad-steddie @manda-panda-monium @alligator-person

@decadentwombatmiracle @katie-tibo @marsupiooo

@local-stoner-bitch @steamystrangerfics @lunatictardis

@adaydreamaway08 @hazydespair @actuallyspencerreid

@moviefreak1205 @waylandmorgernsternherondal-blog

@kik51199 @strngrlytn @idkidknemore @damon-loves-pie

@k-k0129 @micheledawn1975 @eddie86baby

@justmeandmymeanderingthoughts @3rriberri

@sashaphantomhive @chelebelletx @big-ope-vibes

@munsonzzgf @munsonmoonshine86

[thefanficmonster]

One hell of a love story

Steve Brodt x Reader (Female)

Warnings: Swearing, Mentioned Trespassing, Referenced Paranormal Investifations

Genre: FLUFF, RPF (Real Person Fic)

Summary: What modern love story doesn't feature a bit of crime and paranormal activity?

When two posts broke the color monotony of Steve's Instagram everyone - except Dylan, of course - was rather surprised. Not so much the sudden pop of color, but rather the content of the images.

The photos being of a beachside sunset featuring a lovey-dovey couple.

What those pictures don't reveal is the long, long story behind them, behind the relationship they display. They show the progression, but not the roots....and the tiny criminal activity they include.

So, allow me to tell you the story, for the purpose of which I will take you back to five years ago. Back before Haunted Nights was officially up and running.

A solo urban explorer and a solo paranormal investigator.

Steve knew it was a bad idea going to this warehouse when he it first came to his attention. Although it was visually in an abandoned state, it was still privately owned and under surveillance. So, despite being very used to jumping the occasional gate or fence to get into places, this one specific instance was a rather clear case of trespassing waiting to happen.

And it wouldn't have been at all like Steve to keep it waiting.

With a backpack loaded with some cheap ghost hunting equipment over his shoulder, he made his way to the warehouse, a mask covering his nose and mouth. He did a great job keeping himself incognito and below the radar as he watched each and every step he took, leaves and branches cracking beneath his feet on a few inevitable instances.

He was well aware of the risk he was taking. But it was a temptation he couldn't refuse. He'd been hearing ghost stories stemming from this very place ever since he moved to the town. He just had to live one of those said stories himself to believe it.

Little did he know he'd live a whole different genre of a story.

Three floors and an underground storage unit and nothing. Nothing concrete anyway. No activity with the motion detectors, unrelated words coming in through the Ovilus and no physical activity. Whatever energy may have been stuck between those walls wasn't intelligent or just wasn't in the mood to talk. So, to prevent his trip and taken risks to be in vain, Steve resorted to taking some pictures of the place and the surrounding area.

As creepy as it looked, it was still a beautiful location to capture a few shots of with the underlying agenda of maybe possibly catching something in the photos he couldn't spot with his naked eye.

He'd eventually figured out a way to climb up to the roof which was a pretty bad idea for several reasons. For one, that roof didn't look anywhere near safe to withstand the weight of a human, not to mention he wasn't particularly sure on how he'd get down without injury but hell, he decided he'd cross that bridge when he'd get to it.

And last, and potentially most, was the danger of being spotted by the aforementioned surveillance.

To Steve's utter dismay, that last one was the one that got him in the end.

He'd taken a seat on one of the more solid looking panels to look through the footage he'd captured when he heard the unmistakable sound of car tires over leaves and gravel. All color immediately drained from his face.

Scurrying as quietly as he could up to his feet and over to the opening he'd climbed up through, he found himself forgetting all his previous concerns regarding getting down unscathed. His decade long experience going into abandoned places came in real handy when he managed to land on his feet rather steadily from such a high drop.

He was in the middle of debating whether to make a run for it or hide until the coast was clear when he heard hurried footsteps approaching, giving him no time to pick either option before a figure rounded the corner and startled the ever-loving daylights out of him.

Except, it wasn't a cop. Something he immediately picked up on from the attire - which included a face mask much like his own and a pair of fingerless gloves - and backpack.

Steve knows an urban explorer when he sees one and this girl fit all the criteria.

He was quick to press his finger up to his lips, sliding his mask under his chin to be able to mouth "Cops" to her, eliciting a nod in response.

"We need to hide." She whispers, clearly having taken in his appearance and deemed him one of her own instead a threat she should be mindful of along with the cops that just pulled up to the site.

Fleeting was no longer an option when they heard the boom of someone's voice echoing off the walls in a shout, provoking the trespassers to show themselves.

Although his newfound companion was frozen like a deer in headlights, giving him a look of terror, Steve was luckily thinking on his feet.

With barely a couple seconds to spare, he grabbed the girl's hand, hoping to God it wouldn't earn him a slap, and whispered a quick, "Let's go..." as he tilted his head in the direction of a long hallway leading to the underground unit entrance.

He gave her a second to agree, which she thankfully did with a very accentuated nod, before the two took off down the hall, cringing at the loud thumping of their footsteps.

His heart was beating against his ribcage, blood pounding in his ears. He wouldn't be this anxious over the whole ordeal has he still been alone. The weird need to protect his companion was driving him into a faster running speed and more complex ideas.

"There..." He pointed to the gated off stairwell to the lower level, completely out of breath as he carried on to explain: "Hop the gate, I'll make a distraction."

"What if they catch you?" She whispered back, her voice further muffled by the mask she was still wearing.

Clearly, the need to protect was mutual.

Out of instinct, he gave her hand a comforting squeeze, reminding himself to drop it, "They won't." With those reassuring words, they parted ways.

He lingered around almost a second too long to make sure she got over the gate ok before he booked it to a side exit, purposefully making a ton of noise, leaves crunching beneath the soles of his shoes.

Once he was certain it'd be enough to mislead the cop(s?) that had entered the building, he made a beeline for a window he'd taken notice of earlier while he was exploring the underground unit. It was just wide enough for him to squeeze through and hop down. Just in the nick of time, as well, seeing as how there was barely five seconds of time between the sound of his feet hitting the floor and the footsteps of a cop running out to where he'd made the diversion just moments prior.

Standing stiff as a statue, he listened as the cop spoke into his radio, "I scared the fuckers off." He muffled the sigh of relief that escaped his lips with the back of his hand.

He made a point of waiting to hear the car driving off the property before going to seek out the girl. Props to her - although the space wasn't particularly large, he couldn't pin point her location even after scoping out the area for the third time.

"Hey!" He whisper-yelled, still wary of raising his voice, "The coast is clear!"

He watched in amusement, a smile tugging at his lips, as a lid of one of the empty crates was lifted, the girl emerging from within.

That's when all caution was tossed out the window as the two broke out into laughter.

"Come on, let's get you out of there." Steve said, taking the lid from her and setting it on the ground before taking a hold of her hands, helping her stay balanced as she hopped her way out of the crate.

"Damn, was it hard to breathe in there." She chuckled, finally removing her mask, flashing a bright smile at Steve in the process.

Would it be an upmost cliché to say he was enamored right off the bat? Maybe, probably. But it'd definitely not be a lie. She was indeed beautiful, he was aware of it before she even took the mask of. However now, with her full face on display there was no denying it. The tension had been lifted off her shoulders, replaced by her usual lightheartedness.

He had to recalibrate himself for a moment to regain cognitive thought and remember how to function in human interactions. He successfully managed to extend his hand for a handshake, "I'm Steve, by the way."

She captured it with hers immediately, his smile impossibly brightening, "Y/N. Nice to meet you, Steve. And thanks, I owe you big time."

He shook his head, mind racing as to how to navigate the conversation without making an ass of himself, "Nah, you owe me nothing. Us urban explorers have to look out for one another."

Her eyebrows quirked up, "Ah, so my observation was right, we're in the same boat."

"Well, actually..." Steve smiled, slinging the backpack strap off his shoulder, setting it on the ground to unzip it, "I'm more of a paranormal investigator." He explained, showing Y/N the ghost hunting gadgets inside.

The look she gave him was nothing short of amazed, much to his relief, "No way! I love that! I've always been curious but never had the balls to do it. Not on my own at least." That last bit was added as more of an afterthought but it didn't fly under his radar.

"Well, if it means anything to ya, I've been told I'm great company for ghost busting." He's never been a flirt, ever. Not a successful one anyway. Well, not that he's often put himself in situations where quick wit and a few flirty remarks would come in handy. Still, even he's aware that he handled that well. He picked up what she put down.

And if her beaming smile was anything to go by, he did so well. "Aren't I glad to hear that." She too reached inside her backpack, rummaging around for a few seconds before plucking out a pen and handing it to him, "Maybe you could show me the ropes, instruct me on how to use those thingies." She pointed at his ghost hunting equipment and offering him her arm. An action that earned her a puzzled look from him, causing her to giggle sheepishly, "I have nothing to write on, the arm will have to do. That is if you wanna give me your contact info, of course. No pressure."

All hesitation evaporated as soon as it had plagued her mind when, with the goofiest smile, Steve accepted the offered arm and jotted down his phone number.

"Thank you." She smiled, cheeks flushed.

"No, no. You'll thank me only after I've made a ghost hunter out of you." He mused back, cranking his charm up to eleven and hoping for the best.

"I'll take those words to heart."

"And I'm giving them to you as a promise."

With said that and a professional handshake to officialize it, the two made a deal. A deal that would kickstart a series of wild explorations, fun - and some slightly terrifying - memories, stories they'll be retelling their whole lives. And, of course, a company.

A company known as Haunted Nights.

That intel makes the caption under the aforementioned posts much clearer.

"It's my pleasure to introduce you to the cofounder of Haunted Nights, who also happens to be my fiancée @y/n_hn"

To top it all off, we have Dylan's comment right underneath.

@snevets_nalyd: I can't believe she said yes @y/n_hn blink twice if you need help

[fafi-and-oblivia]

About Oblivia!

Hello! You can call me Oblivia! I am one of two admins on this account. Feel free to talk to me about Buzzfeed Unsolved, Jack Manifold (+other youtubers/streamers), Taylor Swift, MCR, Lovejoy, Fall Out Boy, BTS, Minecraft, Cryptid Coffeehouse, baseball, and many other things!!

I will write: angst, fluff, fics, headcanons, character x reader

I will not write: NSFW, yandere, gore, anything morally wrong (pls use common sense, I will just delete asks with typical taboo topics), I also will not write for real people, or character x character.

Fandoms/characters I write! Asterisks(*) denote favorites to write. List is subject to change!

Blooming Panic (current obsession): Nightowl*, Quest, Xyx*, NakedToaster*, Two2, BIGLADY*, Onionthief*

Harry Potter (fuck JKR): Harry Potter, Ron Weasley*, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom*, Seamus Finnigan, Oliver Wood*, Draco Malfoy, Matteo Riddle, Lorenzo Berkshire

Percy Jackson: Percy Jackson*, Annabeth Chase, Luke Castellan*, Jason Grace*, Leo Valdez*, Piper McLean*, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, Connor Stoll*, Lityerses, pretty much anyone!

The Quarry: Ryan Erzahler*, Dylan Lenivy*, Nick Furcillo, Jacob Custos, Abi Blyge, Max Brinly, Kaitlyn Ka*

Supernatural: Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester*, Castiel, Kevin Tran*, Jack Kline, Charlie Bradbury

TSITP (boycotting season 2 bc I hate Belly): Jeremiah Fisher*, Conrad Fisher, Steven Conklin

To All The Boys/XO, Kitty: Josh Sanderson, Peter Kavinsky, Kitty Song-Covey, Min Ho*

The Umbrella Academy: Diego*, Five, Klaus

Bones: Zack Addy*, Vincent Nigel-Murray*, Wendell Bray, James Aubrey, Angela Montenegro*

The Haunting of Bly Manor: Dani, Jamie*

[uselesssomebody]

rules!

blog rules!

this blog is a safe space for the lgbt+ community as well as p.o.c., so please never feel unwelcome. anyone against these values, please just keep scrolling. be polite in requests/interaction. i love a bit of constructive criticism, but keep it contructive. heed 18+ warning and smut/trigger warnings

writing disclaimers!

i am mostly a romance blog, i.e. i write with the intention (usually) of some romantic conclusion between the two characters. i am also a (pretty much) strictly 'x reader' blog; if you have requests for two canon characters, i will most likely not be able to help you.

writing do's!

request anything to me, guys! i will be alright if you request things with triggering content, i will be alright if you choose real niche characters, and i'll be alright if you send a real specific, super self-indulgent request. of course, some asks will be neglected (due to time or other inability to work on it), but, generally, i attempt to complete works that i am alright working with.

writing don't's!

☁ no under-18/kid readers as part of plot (highschool age for e.g. stranger things & teen wolf is fine as long as the actor is over 18 - so no s.t. kids!) ☁ i'm not qualified to write about stuff like eating disorders, self harm or other mental illness especially from a reader's perspective ☁ kinks like ddlg/age play, anal penetration, bodily fluids (besides blood and cum) ☁ I do not write real person fiction ☁ while generally POC reader requests is okay, i can't write specific races for charcaters besides desi readers (cause i'm desi myself)

who i write for! (always updating)

☁ from stranger things, i write for eddie munson, robin buckley, billy hargrove or steve harrington ☁ from marvel, i write for bucky barnes, steve rogers, natasha romanoff, jake lockley, marc spector, steven grant, layla el-faouly and miguel o'hara ☁ from harry potter, i write for cedric diggory, fred weasley, ron weasley, remus lupin, sirius black, regulus black and james potter ☁ from star wars, i write for poe dameron, and din djarin (the mandalorian) ☁ from triple frontier, i write for frankie morales and santiago garcia ☁ miscellaneous oscar isaac characters i write for include basil stitt, jonathan levy, duke leto, kane and orestes (agora) ☁ miscellaneous pedro pascal characters i write for include joel miller, javier peña, jack daniels (agent whiskey), dio morrissey, and marcus acacius ☁ miscellaneous sebastian stan characters i write for include lee bodecker, carter baizen and charles blackwood ☁ miscellaneous dylan o'brien characters i write for include thomas (maze runner), stiles stilinski, and stuart (the internship) ☁ other miscellaneous characters include felix catton (saltburn), paul atriedes (dune), emperor geta (gladiator) and tess servopoulos (the last of us)

[princessazalea17]

Why I do not post on my bookstagram account: A rant on bookstagram/booktok, overconsumption, and influencer culture killing hobbies.

Some people are going to call me salty because I can’t get beyond 100 followers on bookstagram, and that’s fine, but I haven’t touched my profile in roughly two weeks, because bookstagram makes me depressed every time I open my reels page and feed. I am not active on booktok so I cannot say the same, but I heard that it is filled with thirst traps and “gooners”.

I would shit on booktok, but my generation in high school would watch edits of Matthew Grey Gubler, Dylan O’Brien, and Benedict Cumberbatch on YouTube and write shitty One Direction x reader fanfiction on Wattpad and AO3 (the era of After by Anna Todd). This was the era of Superwholock, The Walking Dead, Stranger Things, and Freeform and The CW dramas, unless you were like me and were a Cartoon Network girlie who would loyally tune into the new episodes of Adventure Time, Steven Universe, and Regular Show every time they aired (before ultimately getting rid of cable because your family could no longer afford it).

So. Here are my reasons for hating bookstagram.

1. Bookstagram promotes overconsumption through massive book hauls and huge aesthetic book shelves and reading nooks. The folks like me who don’t have aesthetic accounts don’t grow as fast on bookstagram. Where are the library hauls and appreciation videos? Getting shadow-banned by the algorithm, of course. This is why I am grateful for spaces like little free library, where you can take a book and leave a book for free.

2. This is a personal one, but using bait to gain followers through your reels. No, Amy, we know that you’re not going to take the time out to follow back and check out all of the individual 2000 profiles that commented and followed you from your reel that you posted claiming that you would follow them back. Your profile says you have over 15k in followers, yet are only following 200 people. I keep hitting not interested on these reels, but they keep popping up. “When your account only has 300 followers and refuses to go any higher” your reel is over 3 months old and you gained over a thousand followers ever since.

3. Pushing the same content, which is in this case, romantasy and romance books, and the same demographic of authors (Caucasian women). I want to see diverse content on my feed, and try to follow as many POC authors as possible. Many books I have read that were written by non-POC authors usually have poor representation, with POC characters either serving as love interests, sidekicks, or background characters, sometimes to be killed off for the plot. I am tired of seeing the same 20 books in every single reel and post. I try to tailor my feed to diversify the content I see, but it doesn’t really help.

4. Having to depend on reels and making copy and paste content just for your account to gain exposure, otherwise your account will not grow. I just want to review books, but it makes me feel like I don’t fit in the bookstagram community.

5. Lack of diversity in the community. This is also personal. Where are the Black, Latina, and Asian bookworms? Where are the books that break the norm? We need to see more books like Cinder, My Dearest Darkest, The Stranded, etc.

This is why I have gravitated to apps like Goodreads, Fable, Likewise, etc. that focus more on building community around books instead of trying to sell you something. I’m thinking of either closing my bookstagram or rebranding it to focus on art instead.

[l0caltiredgirl]

*checks the age gap between me and my favorite actors*

also me:

[kitscutie]

august (conrad fisher x reader)

𝗉𝖺𝗂𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀: 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗋𝖺𝖽 𝖿𝗂ꜱ𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗑 𝖿𝖾𝗆!𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋

𝗐𝖺𝗋𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀ꜱ: ᖯ𝗂𝗍 𝗈𝖿 𝗁𝖾𝖺𝗏𝗒 𝗄𝗂ꜱꜱ𝗂𝗇𝗀, 𝗆𝖺𝖽 ᖯ𝖾𝗅𝗅𝗒, ꜱ𝖾𝗑𝗒 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗋𝖺𝖽

𝗉.ꜱ: 𝗂'𝗆 𝗐𝗋𝗂𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺 𝗐𝖺𝗍𝗍𝗉𝖺𝖽 ꜱ𝗍𝗈𝗋𝗒 𝗂𝗇ꜱ𝗉𝗂𝗋𝖾𝖽 ᖯ𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝗂ꜱ 𝗈𝗇 𝗆𝗒 𝖺𝖼𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗇𝗍 - 𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾𝗅𝖿𝗈𝗋𝖽𝗒𝗅𝖺𝗇, 𝗂𝗍'ꜱ 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗃𝗎ꜱ𝗍 𝗒𝖾𝗍 ᖯ𝗎𝗍 ꜱ𝗍𝖺𝗒 𝗍𝗎𝗇𝖾𝖽!

ꜱ𝗎𝗆𝗆𝖺𝗋𝗒: 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗋𝖺𝖽 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 ᖯ𝖾𝖾𝗇 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝗂𝗇𝗀 ꜱ𝖾𝖼𝗋𝖾𝗍 ꜱ𝗎𝗆𝗆𝖾𝗋 𝗁𝗈𝗈𝗄-𝗎𝗉ꜱ 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗉𝖺ꜱ𝗍 𝗍𝗐𝗈 𝗒𝖾𝖺𝗋ꜱ, 𝗇𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝖿𝖺𝗂𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗈 𝗀𝗈 𝗎𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗋𝖺𝖽𝖺𝗋 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖼𝖺𝗋𝗋𝗒 𝗈𝗇 𝗂𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗐𝖺𝗒ꜱ, 𝗎𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗅 ᖯ𝖾𝗅𝗅𝗒 ꜱ𝗁𝗈𝗐ꜱ 𝗎𝗉 𝖺𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 ᖯ𝗈𝗇𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾 𝗎𝗇𝖺𝗇𝗇𝗈𝗎𝗇𝖼𝖾𝖽.

a/n: been wanting to write this for a while so BOOM here it is, sooo excited for season two, also im in a deep dylan obrien depression i need help :p ALSO sorry like all my fics are in different styles at the start i'm experimenting atm!

You and Conrad Fisher had known each other since you had popped out of the womb nineteen years ago in the same hospital, only a floor and two hours keeping you apart.

Your moms had been friends since rooming at college and so your friendship, some might say, had been written in the stars quite literally. Fate.

Things had started to change on your sixteenth birthday. It was just before the annual summer reunion, and of course, you and your mom had gone down just one week earlier in order to have a joint birthday celebration with the Fishers and stayed until the Conklin's arrived.

You had hit puberty and he hadn't seen you since the big change but when he did, his eyes could've fell from his skull. It was almost comedic. Of course at the time his stares meant little to you. He was your best friend after all.

Until last year. It was the start of summer bonfire and all was normal. Belly was at home, Jeremiah was off talking to girls with Steven which left you and Conrad. You found it strange he didn't have the same interest in girls as Steven and Jeremiah but who were you to say anything. You wanted him to stay.

Long story short he finally made a move and a kiss began in the abandoned life-guard tower a couple feet away from the main event, it was all going well, almost too well. And you were proven correct when Steven and Jeremiah came down the beach looking for you and found you in that very compromising position.

Seeing as they weren't exactly in a place to talk they agreed to keep it a secret and so it became the new norm for them, seeing the two of you together while your mom, Susannah, Laurel and Belly were non the wiser.

The bonfire was in full-swing, Summer had officially begun and what better way to start it than in the lap of Conrad Fisher on Cousins Beach.

He was sat cross legged on the blanket you'd brought from the house, while you sat atop him, legs either side of his own.

"I just think we should be nicer to her, I mean that was us three years ago." You sighed, you'd had a beer or two and were feeling increasingly guilty about the disallowance of Belly to come tonight.

"None of us were allowed out at sixteen, it's only fair." Conrad replied, voice low and relaxed. Something you appreciated about him, he was a very soothing person.

"Yeah, but that's different! We all had each other and now-" You began but he cut you off with a groan.

"Can we please not talk about Belly when your sat on me?" He said, smile gracing his lips.

You began to 'ew' and berate him but were soon cut off by his lips on yours, one of his hands holding your jaw in place while the other sat comfortably on the upper part of your thigh.

It didn't take much for you to open up, his tongue instantly hitting against yours as he deepened the kiss. When your mouths disconnected, it made a sound which made your head go light and airy.

"Do you still feel bad?" He whispered. Hand moving up to put a stray piece of hair behind your ear.

"No." You answered, shooting forward to connect your lips once more. He chuckled into the kiss, teeth clashing together but you didn't care you just wanted him.

His spare hand slowly and nonchalantly drifted to the hem of your shorts, groping your ass gently, you were still in public after all and Conrad wanted to be able to say he had an ounce of class and respect. Even if it was a lie.

A disruption to the left of you and Conrad caught your attention and you went to turn your head, lips still interlocked but he denied that, hand on your jaw tightening and turning your head back to look at him.

The final straw was a resounding 'Ooh' from the crowd and you decided no matter what he did you were going to see what was happening.

Finally turning your head you found Belly. On the floor. And looking directly at you. A lot was wrong with that.

"Shit, Conrad." You said, which finally got his face away from placing delicate kisses across your jaw and to see the same thing as you. His face also dropping.

"Belly?" He said, unable to stop himself in disbelief.

Really this would've been the right time to get out of his lap but you were frozen in fear, forgetting you were sat there in the first place.

"I thought me and Y/N were like your sisters." She said, anger painted on her face. You didn't like confrontation in the first place and so saying something was hard but you couldn't let Belly think badly of you or Conrad.

"Belly look- it's different-" You defended, but she once again cut you off in anger and while your throat tightened in anxiety, you felt Conrad's hand soothe over your back. Reassuring and subtle.

"Different? I know him just as well as you do. It's not different." She seethed. Stepping closer to the two of you.

"Belly, c'mon you know what I mean." You whispered unintentionally. Your eyes were going glassy, feeling looks from all around you. Some in agreeance with you, some with her but none knew the full story.

"We've been together since last year. It was after you left to take Steven to look at Colleges." Conrad stepped in while Belly processed. Preventing another dig at you.

"I thought you weren't ready for a relationship and that, may I remind you again, we're like sisters to you?" Belly replied.

"I didn't-" Conrad started though a hurt look from you cut him off. "Look I said that like two years ago, it isn't even relevant anymore. Clearly." He said. Eyes connecting with you to reassure you, not her.

"You're such a brat." He added, seeing the affect her words had on you.

"Well you're an asshole." Belly yelled back, all while you sat stunned and quiet.

"Belly! You came, great, we can all hang out." Jeremiah said enthusiastically running over. You appreciated his intervention, as obvious as it was that he was trying to distract her.

"I'm about to take her home." Steven cut him off.

"What?" Jeremiah said, confused. Though the situation was bad she was old enough to be out past ten pm. Whether Steven liked it or not.

"Yeah, we're leaving, are you kidding me?" Steven replied as if it was obvious. Grabbing her hand.

"Ok, Steven come on. Go hang out with Shayla or something." Jeremiah answered and you couldn't help but admire the boy and his love for Belly.

You tore your eyes away from the conversation above you as they dispersed, looking back at Conrad who was sighing and pushing hair from his face.

"It'll be okay." You said, knowing what he needed without having to ask.

"I know." He smiled gently, though his eyes didn't fully match. He was worried, and you couldn't blame him.

Belly knew, and worst of all, just five months ago she had confided in you about her crush on Conrad and so it was unclear if she would ever even speak to you again.

Guilt was swallowing you whole.

[deanstead]

Unknown Threat

Pairing: Jay Halstead x Reader

Requested: no

Summary: When Y/N walks in on a horrific scene in her own house, Jay is determined to find out who's responsible and keep her safe.

Square Filled: Facing Fears for #resa.3kfiestabingo

Word Count: 4.7K+

Tags/Warnings: mentions of sexual assault, explicit mentions of blood, panic attack

A/N: This is a fic no one asked for lol. Thanks to @creativepromptsforwriting for the confession prompt which got me out of a rut lol. Also, this got a stamp of approval from @sheetsonfire so im posting it, thank you bestie! Any mistakes are all mine.

JAY HALSTEAD MASTERLIST

You stretched as you climbed out of your car.

It had been a long day running around the city meeting clients and today was just one of those days when you wanted to put your feet up and not move any longer. You’d even regretted putting your make up on because that meant you had a longer shower process before you could finally stop for the night.

“You just getting in too?”

You turned around at the familiar voice, giving Jay Halstead a smile as you watched your best friend sidle up the driveway that the both of you shared, holding a pizza box in his hand.

You’d kind of known Jay all your life, even though you’d fallen out of touch somewhere in between. But by some stroke of luck, you’d found a perfect little house within your budget only to realize that your new neighbor was that friend you’d never totally gotten out of your mind.

At first, you’d been a little worried that it would be awkward, but somehow you and Jay had jumped right back into being best friends, the six years you’d spent without contact almost seeming to fade into the background so much that you’d wondered if those six years had even happened.

Jay noticed your eyes shift down to what he was carrying and smiled. “You haven’t eaten, right?”

You didn’t answer him immediately. You kind of wanted to go right to bed but the temptation of food was a little too overwhelming.

“Can I feed Luna and get into sweats? Please?” You asked, turning your eyes back towards him.

Jay let out a tinkle of a laugh. “Get comfortable. I’ll wait.”

You were quick, sliding Luna her bowl of kibble as she wagged her tail and ate, before you let her out into the back garden while you quickly washed up. As your empty stomach egged you on, you cleaned Luna up, patting her head gently with a “I’ll be back soon” before heading next door to Jay’s.

Jay looked up as you let yourself in, pushing a glass of wine towards you as you slid yourself in the seat across from him.

“Long day?” Jay asked, helping himself to a slice as you took a sip from the glass.

“Don’t even get me started.” You said in a low voice, gently putting the glass back down.

There was a small silence before Jay looked up. “The kid called me today.”

You glanced up. “Dylan?”

Jay nodded, taking another bite. “I think he’s just worried about his sister.”

You nodded quietly. “I’d love nothing more than to get enough evidence to sue that asshole out of his entire fortune and then let you throw him behind bars. But you know these things take time.”

Jay had met Dylan Stevens during one of his cases. He hadn’t even been a person of interest, just a witness that had helped point the team in the right direction. But there’d been something about this kid that made Jay take a second look.

And Jay’s hunch was proven right when it finally got too much for Dylan’s older sister and she’d finally asked for help - her mentor and boss couldn’t keep his hands to himself.

Other than the fact that Leah desperately needed this job so that she could support both herself and Dylan, her boss was getting more aggressive and other than the anger that was always eating at her, she was also getting a little scared.

Cases like this ate at you. All you wanted was to throw the dickbag to the DA but a case like this was complicated. There were repercussions for going forward with a trial, and being embroiled into a he said-she said situation wouldn’t help Leah. But you’d promised her that you’d help her as best as you could and that you’d be with her, every step of the way.

You held back from releasing a sigh. “I’m trying.”

Jay nodded, leaning forward for your hand, squeezing. “I know.”

It was about two seconds later that he realized he was actually holding your hand. Jay cleared his throat pulling his hand back and you reached for your wine glass to take a sip, both of you trying your hardest to ignore the sudden awkwardness in the air.

You stole a glance at Jay who wasn’t looking in your direction, before you looked back at the clock. While the both of you had spoken at length about the Stevens, time seemed to fly by and you were hours behind your intended sleep schedule for today.

“I should go. I have another long day tomorrow.”

Jay nodded. “Leave it, I’ll take care of this.”

You shot your best friend a grateful smile before standing.

“Let me know if you need any help?” Jay asked as he walked you towards his front door.

You turned and smiled. “You know it.”

Jay leaned forward for a hug that felt a little more awkward than normal before you smiled and slipped out the door, shoving your feelings for Jay Halstead back into the small secret box tucked away in your heart.

The next few days passed in a blur as you threw all your efforts into finding some form of evidence for Leah. So when you arrived at your driveway tonight, you were wiped. You hadn’t even dared to drive home, leaving your car in your regular parking lot and taking a cab from the front of your office building. You figured you could see if Jay could drop you off the next morning or you’d just call a cab again.

The fact that your door wasn’t locked or closed properly only registered after you’d stepped inside and you froze.

The moonlight streaming in through the windows illuminated the darkened interior of your house, where everything seemed to be turned upside down.

Your eyes raked the scene in front of you, where it looked like a tornado had literally ripped through your house and you took another step forward until you froze again.

The tip of the flats you had on grazed the edge of what you were now looking down at - you could see the dark color of red even with just the sliver of moonlight, the viscous pool right at your feet that could only be blood like something right out of a horror show.

You could hear your ears start ringing, feel your breathing pick up, and somewhere in the trenches of your mind, the horrific memories that you’d tried so hard to pack away seemed to be spilling out, starting with the scream of a woman right in your mind.

And then a hand slid over your eyes, interrupting the hold that the pool of blood seemed to have on you for just a second, even though your lungs still felt like they were constricting. At the same time, an arm went around your shoulders.

The rational part of your brain was screaming at you to move but you seemed to be literally frozen, until you heard his voice. “It’s me. Keep your eyes closed.”

Your heart felt like it was pounding in your head and closing your eyes only made it harder to breathe because now the traumatic memories were playing like a reel in your head, as if it was happening in front of you all over again.

You felt Jay turn you around now. “Y/N, it’s okay.”

But it wasn’t. The memory seemed to have taken a hold on you, even though you could hear Jay’s voice, feel his warm hands on your shoulder.

“Y/N!”

Your eyes snapped back open.

“Breathe. Just look at me and breathe.” Jay said, his voice calm.

You took a short breath and Jay nodded. “Alright, just focus on me, okay?”

Jay studied you as he stood close to you, watching the expressions flash across your face. You’d started having panic attacks back when the both of you were still in school, after you’d walked in to your mother lying in a pool of her own blood. So this wasn’t the first time that Jay had been here for one of your panic attacks, far from it. Even so, you hadn’t had one since you and Jay had reconnected.

Your body shook a little and Jay reached forward and swept you into his arms, your breaths so shallow that it almost sounded like you were gasping for air.

“Just focus on me, alright?” Jay said quietly. You trained your eyes on him and nodded, looping your arms towards the back of his neck for balance before he turned heel and headed out your door and towards his place.

As gently as he could, Jay lowered you onto his couch now, his eyes not missing the beads of sweat that lined your forehead.

Your arms didn’t move from where they were locked around Jay’s neck, even though you felt your body make contact with Jay’s couch.

“Y/N, it’s okay. Shh, I got you.” Jay whispered, not trying to pull away but instead leaning in further to gather you deeper into his arms.

The action seemed to calm you, even just slightly, as your breathing regulated. Before it hit you again.

“Jay… Luna…”

Jay pulled back gently to look at you, nodding his head. “Will has her. He came to get her for the vet appointment this morning, remember?”

You nodded now, slightly calmer, your arms falling gently to your sides.

Jay cast another worried glance at you, but pulled a blanket over your legs. “I’ll be right back.”

Reflexively, your hand shot out, grabbing his. “Jay.”

“I’ll take care of it, alright? Try to get some rest. I’ll be right back.”

You gently let go of Jay’s hand and nodded. Jay gave you a small smile and after a small hesitation, leaned down and pressed his lips to the top of your head, before he headed out the way he’d come as if he hadn’t noticed your surprise at the action.

“Jay, what happened?”

Jay glanced up as his older brother headed up towards him, Luna by his heel and shook his head. “She’s on my couch. Can you just check her out then put her in my bed and give her something to sleep it off.”

On any other occasion, Will wouldn’t have let Jay get away with a “put her in my bed” without some teasing or a raised eyebrow but his eyes swept across the police cars and crime scene vans before he nodded. “Luna’s gonna be in your place for a while then I guess?"

Jay just nodded. “Can you stay with Y/N?”

Will nodded, raising the bag he had in his hand. “I came prepared.”

Jay nodded his thanks, his eyes resting on his own house before he turned back around to your place and flipped a switch in his head to focus, heading towards Voight who’d just arrived.

Voight nodded at Jay. “We swept the place. The lock has obvious signs of being jimmied and they ransacked the place. There’s a pool of blood in there so the crime lab will take it back for testing but there’s no sign of where the blood came from. I think whoever did this brought it with them.”

Voight nodded quietly as Jay spoke before he looked back at his senior detective again like he was waiting for an explanation. “Sarge, she’s… she’s a good friend of mine. And it could be linked to a case we were working.”

Before either of them could say more, Hailey jogged right up towards them, glancing at her partner before she started speaking. “We’re pulling cam footage, and the crime scene guys have gone over the house twice. We’ve gotten all we can from the scene.”

Voight looked back at Jay. “Talk to her and see if there’s anything helpful she can provide for us. We’ll see you at the district tomorrow.”

Jay glanced up, knowing that Voight was giving him the night to look in on you and make sure you were okay.

Hailey nodded. “We got this, Jay.”

Jay nodded his thanks with a small smile before he turned and left, his eyes flicking towards your house just once more before entering his own place to check on you.

Will was sitting on the couch when Jay walked in, Luna curled up on the floor at his feet.

Luna got to her feet as Jay walked in, wagging her tail as she greeted him and Jay bent down to pat Luna gently on the head like a habit, even though he was distracted.

Will glanced at his brother. “I gave her something to help her sleep but you should check on her.”

Jay nodded quietly. “Thanks.”

Will smiled. “I’m gonna crash. If you need me…”

Jay nodded, reaching out to flip off the main light in the hall for his brother. “Yeah, thanks Will.”

Quietly, Jay headed up towards his room, where there was just a small dim light still on. Your eyes were closed as you lay curled up in his sheets and Jay lowered himself quietly towards the floor as he reached out and pushed a section of hair off your face, his worried eyes grazing over you.

Your eyes fluttered open and Jay registered a sliver of alarm before you recognized him and he smiled, reaching down for your hand to squeeze. “You’re okay.”

You smiled. “Sorry about this.” You whispered, your voice low.

Jay shook his head with a smile, raising his hand to stroke the top of your head. “Get some rest, we’ll talk in the morning. Will and I are not going anywhere.”

You let out a small smile, which put Jay’s heart a little more at ease. “I get both Halstead brothers? No one has been safer.”

Jay exhaled gently, glad you were at least okay enough to start making jokes. At the same time, your hand curled reflexively around Jay’s.

“I’ll stay until you sleep.” He said, reading your mind in that weird little way he’d been doing for almost all your life.

You nodded, letting your eyelids droop closed again.

When you opened your eyes to the sunlight streaming in through the small gap in the blinds across the windows, it took you a while to gather your bearings, your eyes slowly widening with alarm when you realized you were sleeping on an arm that wasn’t yours.

You glanced behind you as slowly as you could without jostling too much, even though you were pretty sure your heart was thumping loud enough to wake him. Deep down, you’d already known the quiet even breathing right behind you was Jay, one arm under you and another draped across your waist effectively putting you right in his embrace.

You wondered for just a second why you’d found yourself in this position before the memories hit you again, the fragmented memories of the night before hitting you like a punch in the gut - from what you’d found in your house, the panic attack, Jay offering to stay until you fell asleep and then the long night plagued by nightmares of screaming women or blood.

You remembered Jay pulling you out of each nightmare as gently as he could and maybe a vague feeling of Jay climbing in behind you.

Of course, that was probably why you’d finally been able to get some restful sleep. But now, you were embarrassed. Well, maybe mortified was a better word.

You felt Jay stiffen a little from where he was squeezed in behind you now and you realized he’d probably woken as well.

You knew someone had to move first so you shifted but instead of getting up, impulsively turned to face Jay.

Jay looked a little startled, like he was surprised and then confused.

“Hey.” Jay offered with a smile, taking your cue and not moving, one hand still draped under you. “You seemed like you were having some trouble sleeping last night, I didn’t mean to…”

You smiled. “Thank you.”

Jay’s smile widened a little like he was relieved but neither of you had moved yet.

“Jay, last night, I…”

Jay reached out to cup your face gently. “I’ll always be here. As long as you need… or want.”

Your eyebrows lifted slowly as you tried to read what Jay was trying to tell you.

“You will never lose me. I will always be right here beside you.” Jay whispered.

“Jay… you…”

Jay’s eyes moved across the expressions on your face like he was trying to figure out what was going on in your mind.

You didn’t know what to say, mainly because you really hadn’t expected to find yourself in this situation. Half of you wondered whether you weren’t really awake yet but all this was too real.

Sensing hesitation, Jay pulled backwards, both literally and figuratively. “Y/N, you don’t have to… I just wanted to…”

You didn’t know what to say so you snuggled just a little closer, reaching for his hand. “You can’t take it back, Jay.”

Jay paused for a bit and then smiled, before he moved closer towards you and when you didn’t move away, Jay pressed a gentle kiss on your lips. “Promise.” He whispered, as he pulled his lips away from yours.

“You ready?” He asked.

You weren’t, not really. You knew that when the both of you got up, you’d have to talk about what had happened in your house and you weren’t sure you were ready to relive it.

Jay reached for your hand and squeezed.

“I’ll be with you. All the way.”

That seemed to be enough to get you moving. Jay swung his legs out of his bed before stretching his hand out to you and you fit your hand into his, like it was meant to be there all along.

Even if Will hadn’t already gone up to check on you in the middle of the night only to find the both of you huddled together in one bed, he didn’t need to be told that things had changed between the both of you.

He just smiled because if he didn’t know any better he would have thought last night had just one of those normal pizza and beer nights. Whatever, he was just relieved that you seemed to be doing okay, considering everything.

“I gotta get to Med, alright? You’re in good hands.” Will said, smirking.

“Shut up.” You growled, punching Will on the arm but leaning in as he gave you a hug.

Will ruffled your hair gently. “Call if you need me, alright? Although I doubt it.” He couldn’t resist another gentle tease.

You just smiled this time before Will headed out Jay’s door.

Jay gave you a smile as he handed you a cup of tea before sliding into the seat opposite you. “Let’s talk here and then we can go to the district, alright?”

You swallowed and nodded.

Jay reached over, putting his hand over yours and squeezing. “I’m right here.” He reminded.

You smiled, nodding once again.

You don’t know how long you and Jay sat there in his kitchen, going over the cases you were working on recently, or had recently wrapped up. The list wasn’t small, but at least it was exhaustive.

“Alright, come on. We’re going to the district.” Jay got up, swinging an arm around your shoulders before the both of you left the house, but not before you assured Luna you’d be back as soon as you could.

“What do we have?” Jay asked as he closed the pantry door behind him where he’d left you.

Voight nodded and the team took turns speaking. Jay had sent the list of names ahead of them, so both Kevin and Kim had managed to get a preliminary look at them.

“Jay, any idea if we can narrow this down?” Kim asked, even though she kind of knew it was a long shot. “The perp doesn’t seem to be an expert at this, so we got an image to run facial recognition on.”

Voight glanced at Jay.

Jay paused for a moment, thinking. “There’s two people on that list I’d push to the top. Lucas Russell and Jake Lloyd.”

Kim nodded, heading for her computer as Jay turned towards Voight. “Remember that case we handled with the kid? Dylan Stevens’ sister later came in with the harassment accusation and Y/N took her on as a client. They’re smack in the middle of trying to get some evidence to prove their case against Russell.”

Jay paused before continuing. “Lloyd was one of Y/N’s clients but he was hopping mad that he didn’t manage to get full custody and made threats but that case wrapped up months ago. I figured we should look into these two first.”

From where he was standing at his desk, Adam put down the phone.

“That was the lab.” Adam said. “It’s pig’s blood, which is why there was nothing else but blood. They can get those at some butcher shops, I’ll get a list of places in the area.”

Voight nodded, as Adam and Kevin headed out to try the butchers they had on the list who would have and sell a large enough quantity of pig’s blood.

“I’ll scour the pods again to see if I can find anything new.” Kim said, heading back down as Hailey and Jay stayed at their desks and delved straight into both Russell and Lloyd. At least they were starting somewhere.

The monotony was only broken the few times that Jay had gotten up to go check on you. You’d reassure him that you were okay and that you couldn’t feel any safer than you felt now before Jay had thrown himself back into what he had to do.

No matter what, he was going to solve this crap.

Despite his determination, they were still at pretty much a dead end. Facial recognition had come back with a hit but they still weren’t able to connect either Russell or Lloyd directly to the man who’d broken into your house.

Adam and Kevin had gone to pick him up immediately, but he wasn’t telling them anything useful and Jay was losing his patience.

“Go on home.” Voight warned, stepping out of his office. “Take her home.”

“Sarge…” Jay stood, ready to argue but Voight gave him a look.

Jay knew Voight well enough that considering Adam and Kevin’s progress, Voight was going to go into the interrogation room himself.

Jay glanced into the pantry where you’d dozed off on the couch before he looked back at his sergeant and nodded, giving in.

Stepping into the pantry quietly, Jay roused you as gently as he could. “Y/N.”

You jumped, your eyes snapping open. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s me.” Jay whispered. “Sorry.”

You blinked and then shook your head. “Sorry. What is it? Did you get someone?”

The look on Jay’s face told you everything you needed to know. You reached forward to take his hand and squeezed. “I’m okay.”

Jay gave you a small smile. “Come on, let’s go home.”

The word ‘home’ made you smile.

“We’ll grab some food on the way.” Jay said with a smile as he took your hand, the both of you heading out of the district.

You’d had had a quick bite in Jay’s living room together before he’d curled up with you on his couch.

“You should get some sleep.” Jay said quietly, even though he didn’t seem to have any intention of letting you go, his arms still wound around you.

You smiled. “But I love it here.”

Jay let out a little chuckle, even though his mind was still racing through the information he’d gone through earlier. There had to be a connection he was missing.

Just as the thought formed in Jay’s mind, the power went off, the lights and television all shutting off at once.

Jay felt you stiffen in his arms as he sat up.

Jay reached for your hand. “Come here.” Jay reached for the drawer and pulled out his gun as you climbed off the couch as well.

Jay led you back towards the kitchen. “Stay low, stay hidden. Don’t come out until I come and get you.”

You didn’t let go of Jay’s hand.

“It could be nothing. Let’s just be cautious, alright? I’ll be right back.” Jay said quickly, pressing a kiss to the back of your hand.

A little unwillingly, you let go and nodded, crouching low behind the island counter that you’d sat at with Jay countless times for drinks.

You tried to focus on your breathing, focusing on the rhythm and making sure it wasn’t too loud. You’d breathe evenly and softly and just wait for Jay to come back and get you. Everything was going to be okay.

You’d counted to about 80 in your head when you heard the sound of shuffling footsteps.

A part of you hoped it was Jay but you also knew that if Jay was being careful, he wouldn’t walk like this. No way in hell.

The footsteps stopped and you glanced up, the terror gripping you as you looked up into the face of Lucas Russell.

Fuck.

Russell leaned forward and tugged you roughly upwards and out of where you’d been crouched. The scream was stuck in your throat but you needed to let Jay know someone else was here.

But even before you unstuck your own voice, Jay came out of nowhere, tackling Russell towards the ground.

The sudden lift in pressure from Russell's grip on you caused you to lose your balance and you tumbled onto your side, feeling the pain of crashing onto the floor resonate throughout your body.

“Get out of here. Now!” Jay yelled, as he wrestled with Russell, landing a punch across his face before Russell pushed Jay off him.

You didn’t have time to think, stumbling out of Russell’s reach.

But all you knew was that you couldn’t leave Jay behind. No matter what.

“Y/N!” Jay yelled, afraid you hadn’t heard him.

As if pushed out physically from your trance, you started moving but a crash from behind you made you turn.

“Jay!” You yelled, as your eyes registered Jay on the ground a little way away and trying to get to his feet.

Russell pulled out a knife, the blade glistened in the moonlight but before the fear could even register, you heard a chorus of voices that finally made you breathe.

“Chicago PD!”

You let Kim gently pull you towards her as Voight and Adam headed straight for Russell, Voight’s gun hovering dangerously nearer to Russell’s temple than normal as Adam forced him down to the ground to slap the handcuffs over his wrist.

Jay was already by your side. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” He demanded, his eyes roving across you.

You shook your head even though the tears were already gathering in your eyes and Jay pulled you gently into his arms. “Alright, I got you. I got you. It’s over.”

You shook gently even as you were wrapped in Jay’s arms and your legs finally gave way. You felt yourself sinking but Jay merely pulled you tighter against him, a protective hand wrapped around the back of your head. “I got you.”

The team had filled you and Jay in once they’d brought Russell back in - the guy they’d arrested had finally cracked and given them the information they needed. Even so, they’d almost sped off to his house but not before Hailey had found a message on Russell's phone that hinted at him ending things tonight. So they’d detoured back to Jay’s.

Now, after things were mostly settled, you lay in Jay’s arms, the both of you squashed into his bed that had clearly been meant for one person.

“I shouldn’t have let you get pulled into this mess.” You whispered, your fingers gently tracing his face.

Jay shook his head. “I will always be between you and a threat. I promised and I’ll deliver.”

You scooted closer towards Jay and Jay laid a protective hand on the back of your head again. “It’s over.”

“You know what?” You asked him after a short silence.

Jay raised an eyebrow as he looked down to meet your eyes.

“At least there’s one good thing out of all of this.” You said quietly.

“What’s that?” Jay asked. You could hear the smile in his voice without even looking up.

You shifted. “I get to do this now.” You leaned up to press your lips to his.

Jay chuckled even as both your lips were still pressed together. “No arguments there.”

THANK YOU FOR READING!! PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THIS!!

If you want to support me, buy me a coffee!

[groupshotsss]

Bug:

21 ~ October 13, 2003 - Libra ʚĭɞ Ambivert ʚĭɞ She/Her ʚĭɞ Animal Shelter Worker ʚĭɞ Earthy Tones ʚĭɞ Quiet at first, but mega yapper once she's comfortable ʚĭɞ Bee and ladybug farming ʚĭɞ What started as Chris joking about her being a bug girl turned into her being his Bug ʚĭɞ Overly Anxious ʚĭɞ Always feeling nostalgic ʚĭɞ Books & Bugs and Bugs & Books ʚĭɞ Fresh Brewed Coffee ʚĭɞ Collection of bracelets and anklets from friendships old and new ʚĭɞ Strawberry Snail earrings ʚĭɞ patchwork insect and plant tattoos ʚĭɞ Bug charm bracelet from Chris ʚĭɞ

₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ *˚

ʚĭɞ False Confidence - Noah Kahan

4 of 7 in NatureVerse 𓍯𓂃𓏧♡ - A Red String AU

[marc-spectorr]

lessons in touch // part 1

ˣ pairing: steven grant x reader

ˣ summary: an inexperienced steven turns to you, his best friend, for advice ahead of a date. you happily agree to give him a few pointers, including a quick guide on how to kiss. but what starts out as an innocent favor ends up unearthing feelings that steven has buried for so long, complicating things more as his lessons in touch with you unexpectedly continue.

ˣ warnings: 5.8k wc. mentions of sex. fluff/angst.

ˣ a/n: this is my first full-length fic in forever so pls be gentle with me here ;-; this will be a series with smut in later chapters, though i cant promise frequent updates lolol. still, i hope you enjoy!

- ☾-

Steven is having an exceptional morning.

He’d surprisingly woken up fully rested, had enough time to pour himself a bowl of cereal for breakfast, and caught the 8:30 bus to work without much hassle. There was even a seat available for Steven once he boarded. However, he ended up letting an elderly woman sit there after she hopped on at the next stop.

His good deed was rewarded when she handed him a piece of his favorite toffee. Although accepting candy from strangers isn’t always the best thing to do, he appreciated the lovely gesture anyhow.

It didn’t halt there, though. Much to his delight, Steven was informed that Donna would be gone for the next several days. Something about coming down with a very nasty cold over the weekend. Sure, he’s decent enough to wish his infuriating manager to get better soon. Still, her absence means that he could work in utter peace in the meantime, which is a rarity in itself.

For now, there would be no snarky remarks. No threats to shove him into a sarcophagus. No, “Stevie, stop annoying the customers and start selling to them,” or “Stevie, you bumbling idiot, why can’t you do your job right?”

God, he really hated that name. Stevie. What was so difficult for Donna to call him by his actual name?

But besides the point, everything was going splendidly well. It wasn’t too busy at the museum on this cloudy Monday. There wasn’t much to do aside from checking out at the register and tidying up the merchandise displayed ever so often.

At one point, a little boy approached Steven as he rearranged the Tawaret plushies in a neat, organized pyramid shape. The child had shown quite an interest in them, and Steven had been more than happy to introduce the stuffed toy of the hippo goddess to him.

Steven loved this unofficial part of his job, sharing tidbits of history to those willing to listen, young or old. He believes that he’d be a fantastic tour guide; he’s more than qualified for it. Perhaps one day, it’ll happen.

Perhaps, perhaps.

Noon arrives in a blink of an eye, and Steven steps out of the gift shop area in time for his lunch break. He heads to the break room on the second floor with a pep in each step. Smiling and greeting each person that he comes across, not minding if they choose to ignore him. He was in a great mood, enthusiastic and eager more than usual. Today is turning out to be such an easy shift on what’s already a wonderful day.

Not to mention how excited Steven is for the dinner he has with Dylan later that evening. She’s a total sweetheart, one of the few genuinely nice people he works with. Every time Dylan was around, she’d often stop by to say hi to him, even if she was rushing to get her tour started. He doesn’t recall the very moment he asked her out; his memory is a little spotty as of late, but did it really matter? Steven was finally going on a date after what seemed like forever, and he was planning on making it as perfect as it could be.

Rounding the corner to where the employee lounge is, Steven’s ears suddenly perk up upon catching his name through the slightly ajar door. Instantly, he recognizes one of the voices coming from inside— Dylan’s.

A part of him didn’t want to stand there and eavesdrop, but it piqued his curiosity. So he loiters in the hallway, listening to the muffled conversation in the other room.

“A date? With Steven? Steven Grant from the gift shop? Him?” The other woman chatting with Dylan asked almost incredulously. Steven is certain that it’s Leslie, a seasoned tour guide who he isn’t particularly fond of, considering how frequently she talks about people behind their back. And he is her latest topic of conversation, as it would appear.

“Yeah,” he overhears Dylan’s reply, and there’s a softness to her voice. One that made Steven’s heartbeat flutter. “He asked me out to dinner a couple of days ago, and I always thought he was cute, so I said yes.”

A demeaning chuckle erupts from Leslie, and Steven rolls his eyes. “Huh, good luck with him, I guess.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Steven shifts closer to the entrance, careful to remain unseen by pressing himself against the wall.

“Oh, you know. Steven is… how should I say this— he just strikes me as the inexperienced type, if you get what I’m trying to say.”

Inexperienced? Hearing that causes him to stiffen, his stomach twisting into a tight knot. It’s like a punch to the gut, a sensation he couldn’t easily shake off.

“Really?” There’s a mixture of disbelief in Dylan’s tone. “I mean, I don’t think that should be an issue.”

“Maybe, but come on, Dylan. Shall I go through your history of exes and recount to you the one common thread between them all, which was how they made your sex life more thrilling? As a friend, I’m only giving you a heads up. Because to me, Steven Grant has probably never even kissed a soul in his life, much less slept with one.”

The last bit stings the most. It isn’t true that Steven was a virgin or had yet to have his first kiss. He wasn’t wholly celibate, but it’d been many, many years since anything of that sort had happened.

Certainly, he remembers his first. They say you never forget your firsts, and that was a time in his life that will last in his memories forever, though not for the good reasons as one would expect.

His first kiss with his first girlfriend was understandably nerve-wracking. Awkward and hesitant, but for 20-year-old Steven, it was normal. First kisses were supposed to be that way. Yet from what he can recall, things did not get better for him, unfortunately.

Barely kissing him after that, he’d been pressured by her to have sex. It’s not that Steven didn’t want to, but he wasn’t ready. That it was still too early in their relationship to do so. Not wishing to upset her, however, he reluctantly agreed after her constant badgering.

It was only then did Steven realized the truth: that despite thinking he loved her, she only lusted for him. Took advantage of his vulnerability and robbed him of something special and intimate. He’d never felt so used.

And if that weren’t bad enough, the woman broke up with him soon after he lost his virginity to her. Giving Steven the most unoriginal excuse in the world— “it’s not you, it’s me.”

Deep down, Steven knew it was him. It’s always him. The whole experience and its aftermath have had an effect on him, lasting up to now. Though he yearns to be with someone, to find unconditional love one day, it hasn’t been easy, especially in this day and age when the hook-up culture is prevalent. Lots of people quickly get turned off if you aren’t an expert in bed, and it’s why Steven has felt so deterred from the dating scene, among other reasons that he doesn’t want to touch on just yet.

So when he found out that he had a date with Dylan, he was less fraught about it. Simply because Steven knows her, and she’d always been friendly with him. He thought that his lack of intimate experience in his late thirties wouldn’t matter to her. That she’d be different, that she’d understand and would be okay with it.

Now? Steven isn’t too sure.

And frankly, he’s crestfallen to learn that he has been possibly wrong about her all this time.

Losing his appetite entirely, Steven dejectedly saunters away from the area, tossing the cold sandwich he packed this morning into a nearby rubbish bin. He didn’t wait long enough to hear Dylan’s response. Not that he wanted to, assuming that what she’ll say next would crush his spirits further.

And just like that, his bright and jolly demeanor is washed away by his fears and his insecurities— his thoughts of not being good enough for anyone.

The remainder of his shift goes by uneventfully. Steven’s interactions with the guests have become dry and lackluster. For the first time since clocking in, he was staring at the clock and counting the minutes down until he could punch out.

He’d receive a text from Dylan a half an hour before the museum closed, not even bothering to ask him in person if they’re still on for tonight. To be polite, Steven replies, “yes,” however. Thinking it would be rude to cancel at the last minute.

Still, he already knows that his heart wouldn’t be fully into it.

Just one dinner, and don’t expect more, he convinces himself as he closes up shop for the night. He tells himself again as he boards the bus back home. Once more as he stands there in the middle of the packed bus, holding onto a handgrip while staring at the darkening horizon passing by. Steven says it a final time as he gets off at the stop across his flat, pushing past the sea of passersby crowding the street until he finally reaches the front door.

It’s quiet the moment he steps inside the building, the door shutting behind him with a soft click. Steven lingers by the entryway for some time; glassy eyes slide shut with his head knocked back against the metal frame as he lets out a long exhale from his nostrils.

“Bad day, I take it?”

Steven slowly blinks his eyes open, and it’s as if the ache in his chest swiftly settles at the sound of your voice. He allows a small smile to flicker on his face when he spots you standing by the mailboxes with several letters in hand and balancing a package on your hip.

Truth be told, you never fail to make him smile. That’s why you’re his favorite person in the world, followed by his mother and Gus, of course.

“Yeah, you can say that,” Steven mumbles lukewarm before striding across the foyer and easing your struggle by carrying the box for you. “Let me get this for you, darling.”

“Thanks, Steven,” you return, your gaze never leaving his. A hand gently closes around Steven’s bicep, then a soft squeeze in reassurance. “Seriously, though. Is everything okay? What happened at work?”

He doesn’t answer your question immediately. Instead, Steven silently strolls to the lift down the hall. He takes his time searching for the right words to explain his predicament. Not that he’s afraid of sharing details so personal— not when you and he have been close friends since you moved into the studio next door to him.

Best friends, you would call yourselves, as a matter of fact. Two inseparable peas in a pod. Steven could always count on you to have his back; he could tell you any secrets he has buried deep within, and he wouldn’t worry about you betraying his trust.

Steven has never had this— has never had someone like you in his life. A friend, a confidante. Nobody has ever been as kind and caring to Steven as you are. Before he met you, he thought people like you didn’t exist. Or perhaps they do, but he’s one of the very few unlucky ones that don’t get the pleasure of knowing someone with a tender heart similar to yours.

Fate is something Steven’s unsure of whether or not it is real. But if it were, he’d thank the universe and beyond for letting him cross paths with you.

“It’s uh— nothing. No need to worry, love,” he dismisses, offering up a smile in an attempt to persuade you to drop the subject.

Steven starts heading towards the elevator, and you trail closely behind, shaking your head. “Hey, don’t lie to me. I know you, Steven. I know you well enough to know that something’s clearly wrong. I’m not going to let you sulk around and continue having a shitty day. What kind of a friend would I be? So, spill. Please? Pretty please?”

You bat your eyes at him, and he swears you’re doing that on purpose. Steven knows you well enough to know that you could get anything you want from him just by fluttering those beautiful eyes of yours. You have him wrapped around your finger, making it nearly impossible for him to deny you right then and there.

Honestly, he could use some advice from you. Maybe a laugh or two to cheer him up. You’re always so good with that. Too good that it’s almost magical. You always know exactly what to say to make him feel incredibly happy, even after suffering a quote-on-quote, shitty day.

A light ding of the bell and the automatic doors of the lift part open, the two of you shuffling inside wordlessly, and Steven hits the last number that’ll send you both to your shared floor.

On the ride up, that’s when he explains it all. The date with Dylan, the conversation he had overheard in the break room, and the fact that he’s still going out tonight. By the time you got to your flat, he had miserably told you everything, including his lack of experience.

“And, so that’s mainly it. Apologies for boring you with my situation; I must sound like a fool for even bringing this up—”

“Steven,” you interject before he can go on with his rambling. “Don’t be sorry. I-I can’t believe you never told me about this before.”

“You never asked,” Steven shrugs, his gaze falling to the floor below but returning to meet yours when you slip a warm hand into his. “Also, I… I was a bit too embarrassed to admit it if I have to be honest. I never found the right partner, and I didn’t want to go out there to find the first stranger who’s attracted to me and willing to— you know…”

He need not explain any further. Judging by the look of sorrow etched in your features, you quickly caught on to what he meant.

A soft sigh escapes your lips, and Steven’s sure he sees tears forming in the corner of your eyes. It’s not that you pitied him. You truly care for him and learning that his firsts have soured most of the positive feelings attached to physical intimacy shatters your heart.

“Hey, that’s nothing to be ashamed of, really. I promise you, you’re not the only person in the world who’s not eager to jump into bed with just anyone. Not everyone’s so casual about sex.”

Steven gives you a small wry smile, something that doesn’t reach his eyes.

As opposed to him, you were usually an open book when it comes to sex. He’s not unaware of your escapades. He’s either known about them directly from you or when he awkwardly runs into your one-night stands as they exit from your flat in the early morning hours.

Needless to say, he never judges you for this. You have your needs, just like he has his. The only difference is that you go out and seek a remedy while he takes care of things with his hand, albeit frustratingly.

“Hey, it’s endearing that you prefer to take things slow. God, I wish there were other men like you out there,” you chuckle lightly at the end, briefly cupping his cheek into your palm. “So, are you still going on that date?”

He hums meekly as the warmth of your hand leaves him. “I-I don’t know, should I? I confirmed with Dylan because I felt terrible if I backed out at the last minute.”

“Look, from what you told me, I think Dylan is a sweet lady, and she didn’t say anything bad about you. Plus, you left before she could respond. You don’t know if she agreed with Leslie or not, but my bet is that she didn’t.”

A pause. Steven ponders over it for a moment, mulling the possibility of you being right. In which case, in all the years he has known you, you’re almost always right. It’s pretty scary at times how accurate your intuition could be. Call it a superpower or a sixth sense, but whatever your gut tells you, he would usually believe it too.

“Okay,” Steven eventually nods with a breath, beginning to feel slightly enthused with the dinner this evening. “Maybe I overreacted a bit, yeah?”

“No, you’re good. It’s all good, just a big misunderstanding,” you assure him softly, and it’s all he needs to hear from you. “Alright, let me set my stuff down inside, and I’ll help you get ready for tonight. If I’m not mistaken, this is your first date in quite some time?”

His voice grows quiet once more. “Mmhmm, yep. First date in what— a year, perhaps? I’m not even sure I have fancy enough clothes to wear in an upscale restaurant. I should have thought of that way ahead, damn it.”

“Come on, now. I’m sure we can find something in your closet! How much time do we have?”

Steven glances at the watch hugging his wrist. “We’ve got around an hour and a half.”

“Perfect,” you beam brightly at him. “That’s enough time to make you look absolutely irresistible.”

- ☾-

After two or three laborious attempts, Steven’s neck-tie is still crooked. His blue dress shirt, blazer, and trousers are all wrinkly and smell like mothballs from being stored away for the longest time. The longer he had those clothes on, the more he thought how ridiculous he looked.

It took you and him nearly thirty minutes to go through his entire wardrobe, and this is the best outfit you could put together at a moment’s notice. The reflection in the mirror doesn’t lie, and bloody hell, this is starting to become a disaster. He isn’t even out of the door yet!

Maybe he should cancel now before his appearance is what makes him a fool out of himself.

“Steven? Are you done changing in there?” He hears you checking on him from outside of the bathroom. “Hellooo?”

An amused chortle tumbles out of Steven’s mouth. “Patience is a virtue, darling. But I’m done, coming out now…”

Through his observations, there are merely a handful of things that leave you speechless. One of which is the stars. 

He particularly remembers one late night when you came over to his flat, excitingly taking him by the hand and dragging him to the nearest open window from the door.

For what seemed like seconds passing into hours, you both gazed in wondrous awe at the heavenly sight above. Trillions of white sparkling diamonds dot the inky canvas of the London sky. It was beautiful, so beautiful and breathtaking, and not a sound fell from your lips throughout the viewing. You had been too absorbed, too fascinated with the glittering stars, to utter a single word.

That very same awestruck face you made could be compared to how you’re staring at Steven right now, and he feels a gentle warmth spreading over his cheeks. The admiration gleaming in your eyes and the delicate curl of your lips makes his heart soar and his stomach light with butterflies. No one has ever looked at him the way, nothing even remotely close to it.

Steven thinks he heard the slight hitch in your throat, but before he could put a meaning to it, your lips were parting to speak.

“Whew… Dylan’s one lucky gal,” you whistle, flustering him even further. “Here, let me…”

He draws in a sharp intake of air as your nimble fingers straighten his collar and his tie, brows furrowing in deep concentration. Steven hopes you don’t notice how deeply fixated his eyes are on you or how he’s swallowing hard at the proximity of your bodies. You’re standing near enough for him to smell your lingering perfume, light and sweet with a subtle hint of floral notes.

Thoughtlessly, he licks his drying lips and then exhales your name in a soft breath, catching the glimmer in your eyes as your gaze flickers up to his.

Steven’s heart thrums wildly in the cage of his ribs, his mind locked in a daze, unable to think clearly of anything else besides you. Your bright smile, your intoxicating laugh, your gentle touch. The way you sweetly say his name and the way you make him happy without even trying.

How you’re the only person in his life that understands him, treats him like he’s worth every bit of kindness you’ve shown.

You, it’s always been you. From the moment you said “hello” to him and introduced yourself with the warmest of smiles, it has always been you. 

You, the only one he has ever loved since the first woman who’d broken his heart— and the only one who has ever loved him back, though not in the way he dreamt of.

Falling for you, falling in love with you, is the one thing Steven has never told you before. The sole secret that may never get to see the light of day. Despite how close the two of you have grown, you’d never shown interest in him beyond friendship. Your love for him is strictly platonic, or at least, that’s what he’s led to believe.

Also, it’s not like Steven has any chance with you. He’s seen the men you’ve dated, the type you’re attracted to, and he’s nothing like them. Far from it, in actuality. He’s no match for them; you’re simply way out of his league.

So Steven didn’t dare to risk it— this perfect relationship you and he already have with each other.

He didn’t dare to risk losing you.

Therefore, he pushes these feelings aside, locks them away in the furthest depths of his mind, and pretends that they never existed, that he never entertained the thought. 

Yet, it doesn’t mean it hurts less for Steven, seeing you in the arms of others, smiling in a way that makes his heart pang with disappointment. It’s a blissful agony, this pain that comes more often than it goes, and all he could do was bear the gnawing at his soul, hoping that he wouldn’t crack.

“You okay, Steven?” your honeyed voice lures him out of musings, and he stutters out a breath when you smooth your hands over his blazer.

“Y-Yeah,” he murmurs feebly. “I’m okay, just… nervous, I think. Haven’t gone on a date in a while, and I’m afraid I’ll screw things up.”

It isn’t a total lie that Steven tells you, but rather half the truth. Yes, he’s a little anxious about tonight, but most of his jitteriness is because of all these sudden thoughts he has of you. It’s as if your touch alone has brought back the sensations he has suppressed over the years. He tries to push them to the back of his head, ignoring how his heart is longing for you and only you.

It’s easier said than done.

“No, don’t say that. You’re not going to mess this up. Wanna know how I’m sure of that?” For a beat, you step aside to wet your hands at the sink behind him, returning to stand in front of him soon after to style his unruly dark curls. “Because you’re you, Steven. You’re the sweetest, smartest, and kindest man I’ve ever met. I don’t doubt for even a second that you’ll charm the hell out of Dylan so much; she’s going to want a second date right after tonight.”

Grinning, you slowly urge Steven to turn around so he can look at himself in the mirror. “That guy right there? He’s one of a kind. Every man and woman on this planet would be begging to have a chance with him, and I really hope you can see that.”

Biting the inside of his cheek, he stops himself from asking the question on the tip of his tongue.

What about you? Would you be begging for a chance to be with him too?

“Thank you,” Steven ultimately sighs, his arms wrapping around you in a tight embrace. “I– uh, I truly appreciate your help.”

“Anytime, Steven,” you whisper, kissing him softly on the cheek. “I want you to find happiness and love out there. You deserve it more than anyone.”

He deserves it.

He knows he does.

He craves it more than anything— to be happy and to be loved.

Solely by you.

Steven fidgets with his hands, his gaze drifting to the leather shoes he wears. No, it can’t be you. It won’t be you. No matter how much he wants it to be you, he must fully accept that it would likely never happen.

And to do that, he needs to start here. Right now, as his dinner with Dylan fast approaches.

But there still lies a problem.

“You’re overthinking again,” comes your remark, brows knitting a frown seeing the tension marring his face. “Talk to me, Steven. What’s on your mind?”

“Do you honestly think that me being so… inexperienced is something that she won’t mind at all? I only ask because, well— I’ve never even kissed anyone in almost… hell, I lost count of how long it’s been. Wait— should I kiss her at the end of the night?”

An interval of silence passes by before you reply to his query. “No, I don’t believe she won’t mind that. And to answer your other question, if the moment is right, go for it. But if not, or maybe you’re not comfortable enough, then don’t.”

“But what if it does feel right? What if she expects me to kiss her? I’m a little out of practice here and—”

“Then kiss me.”

Steven’s body freezes up. For a split second, he assumed that he had heard you wrong. That his brain was playing a cruel trick on him, making him hear words that were never actually spoken out loud. Words that he’d imagine leaving your lips one too many times. 

But then you ask him once more— this instance slightly firmer yet still soft enough that the request could have been genuinely sincere in his ears.

“Kiss you? Wha— why for, darling?” His voice is trembling as he feigns strict reluctance, silently hoping you don’t take it as an offense.

“You say you’re out of practice, so let’s fix that. We have like what— ten minutes before you have to leave? If it does come down to kissing Dylan at some point tonight, then I want you to be somewhat prepared. That’s if you don’t mind, of course.”

In any other circumstance, Steven would have kissed you in a heartbeat. If only you gave him a chance.

A real chance, and not this.

It takes Steven every ounce of strength in his body to maintain his composure. He blinks a few times, standing there unmoved like a deer caught in headlights. Then, there’s a hand on his shoulder— your hand— and he notices how there’s suddenly barely any space between you and him.

“Kiss me, and I’ll tell you if there’s anything you need to work on.”

Swallowing thickly, Steven stammers out your name, his face flushing with heat. “No-no, we don’t have to. It’s totally fine, dear. I-I can manage on my own, I think.”

“Oh, come on,” you grouse. “Steven, you trust me, right?”

He nods his head in response.

“Then let me help you with this. Just look at this as a trial run. You kiss me, have a feel for what it’s like again since it’s been so long for you. When it comes time to kiss Dylan, whether that’d be tonight or hopefully on a different day, you won’t get as highly strung about it.”

Time’s ticking, and Steven’s deliberating your suggestion as if it were a life-or-death decision. This isn’t a good idea. How on earth could this quell the storm of feelings he has for you? Kissing you is both everything he ever wanted and the worst thing that could happen at that moment. He’s tempted and afraid simultaneously, and he can’t focus on what his logical self is trying to say.

Do it.

Don’t do it. Are you mad?

Do it, and you won’t have to panic if the opportunity presents itself.

Don’t do it. You’ll end up suffering at the fact that you’ll never get to kiss—

Do it, or it will be your biggest regret and—

Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Don’t— do it. Just do it.

Just this once, do it.

“Never mind, it’s okay if you don’t—”

Whatever words you had to say are stolen away from your mouth as Steven claims it with his. Eyes shut tight with his hands clasped on your shoulders, the kiss is slow and hesitant, barely skimming the surface of your lips. His angle as he kisses you is off; his neck is craned in an odd position that a kink begins to form. That, plus he’s quickly running out of air, becoming mildly lightheaded as he forgets one of the most important things there is in kissing— and that is to breathe.

But how could Steven remember how to when he’s kissing you?

“Steven,” you mumble against his lips, and he forcibly pulls himself away.

“Oh, dear god, that was awful for you, wasn’t it? I-I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable in any way. Can we please forget—”

“Wait, no, it’s not that, Steven,” you express. “It wasn’t awful. I thought the kiss was nice, actually. Trust me, I’ve had worse kisses than that. Yours isn’t as bad as you think.”

That makes him smile. “I— uh, thank you. You saying that means a lot, really. Kind of reassuring, too. But, erm… what advice could you give me to, umm, be better at it?”

“Well, first thing’s first, I need you to relax a little more. I could feel how tense your body was while we were kissing.”

“Relax more, got it,” Steven agrees, writing a mental note as he steadies his rapidly beating heart. “What else?”

“Hmm… it’s much better if I show you, honestly. May I?”

Your fingers delicately reach for his hand resting on his side as he gives you a “yes” in a hushed tone. Smiling softly, you bring it to your face, pressing his palm against your warm cheek. “Hold me like this, okay?”

“Okay,” Steven sighs, waiting patiently for the following instruction.

“When you’re going in for the kiss, tilt your head a bit… a little more, yup, that’s it. Then, slowly lean in—”

Fluttering his eyes closed, his lips a hair’s breadth from yours now, breaths mingling together as your gentle voice guides him on what to do next.

“This is the part where you let instincts take over. Do whatever feels right. Just relax, and don’t forget to breathe through your nose. I’ll lead, and you follow. If you want to stop, and you can if you have to, then go ahead. Are you ready?”

“Ready,” Steven confirms, voice barely above a whisper.

And he waits. He waits, and he waits until finally, he senses you leaning in to close the tiniest gap, your plush lips pressing against his. Then, Steven’s kissing you again— this time, it’s much sweeter, more tender. More like how he pictured it would be. Your hand holds him by the back of his neck, pulling him in impossibly closer. Your noses brush against each other, and he swears he could feel you smiling into the kiss.

Eventually, your lips start to move against him. Slow at first, as if testing the waters. I’ll lead, and you follow, Steven hears your words echoing from earlier, and he does as he’s told. His lips mold into yours, and he moves in sync with them as much as he can while inhaling softly through the kiss.

Breathe. Don’t forget to breathe.

But, oh, how you smell so lovely. So sweet and so divine.

Steven would remain this way forever…

If only he could. If only he wasn’t so afraid.

He commits this all to memory; the softness of your lips, the gentleness of your touch, the small gasps escaping the back of your throat. Things that Steven would probably not experience again with you. Not when any of this isn’t truly real.

But, for now, he allows himself to melt under your touch. Letting every square inch of his body dissolve into yours as he pretends that you’re his, even if it’s only for the shortest time.

Because at least he’ll have this— the idea of what could be.

The idea of the paradise he’d wished for each night.

When you part minutes after, Steven’s out of breath, and so are you. He feels you slipping away from him, and it’s like he’s about to wake up from a dream. But as his eyes blink open, he meets your tender gaze and the smile playing on your slightly swollen lips.

You’re real; this is real. He had just kissed you, over and over again— and it had all happened in reality, not in the confines of his mind.

“H-How was that?” He breaks the calm stillness of the room.

Your smile only grows. “It’s perfect, Steven. That was… perfect.”

“Good,” he murmurs proudly. “That’s good to know. Thank you.”

“As I said before, Dylan’s one lucky gal.”

Dylan. Steven’s heart sinks at the name.

“Yeah, I guess so,” he says, shoulders slumping as he hides the brokenness of his tone. “I… uh. I should better get going now. I was thinking of buying her some flowers and chocolates to surprise her.”

“Smart move, Steven Grant,” you comment, patting him softly on his chest. “She’s going to love that, I’m sure of it.”

The next couple of minutes is almost a blur to Steven. He doesn’t recall saying much as you gave his hair and outfit one last check before he escorted you out of his flat and down to yours. With a kiss on the cheek and a final bid of good luck, you close the door when he starts ambling to the elevator at the end of the hall.

As Steven waits for the lift to arrive, the warmth of your lips remains lingering on his, his entire body still buzzing with electricity.

But now he’s left uncertain whether he regrets kissing you or not. It felt wrong. Something in Steven felt like what he had done was wrong. That he should have never let it happen, that he should have never let it get that far. 

You would have understood if he had declined your help, but he didn’t. He didn’t say no, and he kissed you.

To you, that kiss meant nothing.

But to Steven, it meant everything.

Surely, his life can’t get more fucked up than this, right?

- ☾-

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[justmeinadaze]

Can you write a short little thing about steddie x reader’s early mornings? Reader is asleep in the middle of Eddie and Steve and they have soft conversations across her body while she’s still asleep and eventually they move above her head and start kissing each other and that’s how reader wakes up, smushed between her two loves

A/N: I started writing a side thing but for some reason this felt right in the Good Neighbors / We're a Family universe.

Warnings: Mentions of smut (very light), more fluff then anything, slight angst (mentions of their ex)

Word Count: 860

Steve wakes up early to the sound of Eddie snoring on the opposite side of you. He can’t help but chuckle wondering how in the hell you can still sleep so soundly with that noise echoing so close to your ear. He imagines your answer would be the same as his; you can’t sleep without it. 

When they were merely roommates and slept in different rooms, Steve slept alright but he realized he slept even better with you three together. When Eddie used to work late at the shop before he owned it, he would wake up every other hour until the metalhead finally came home because he felt like something was off. The truth was, there wasn’t that constant drumming of his snores to comfort Steve reminding him that, yes, this is my reality and my husband and wife are still here with me. 

After tenderly kissing your shoulder, he reaches over to brush some of Eddie’s wild mess of hair away from his face. Steve had always thought his friend was handsome and not just because physically he was so fucking gorgeous but because he always had a beautiful heart. Even when Emily was berating him, he would still come with flowers and an apology hoping to smooth everything over so things would go back to the way they were. 

It still made him angry thinking about how she told him she would never have one of his kids and the way Steve saw his heart break through his eyes. He would never mention it now but after Aurora was born the thought made him even angrier. To him, just like with Dylan and James, he felt she was perfect. She had all of Eddie’s best qualities and watching them together always made his heart melt. To think that their ex wanted to deprive him of this kind of happiness…

“Hmmm…Steve?” Eddie’s eyes blink open at the sound of the other man’s low growl and heavy sigh. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah. Just someone’s snoring woke me up.”

“Hm. I know. Y/N can sound like a lawn mower.” He closed his eyes again pretending to go back to sleep as he listened to Steve laugh. He loved that sound especially so early in the morning. “What were you thinking about that made you sigh like that?”

“You.”

The metalhead’s eyes opened again as he adjusted his head so he could see his husband more clearly. 

“Anything in particular?”

“What happened that last night we were with Emily.”

“Steven Elizabeth Harrington.”, he exhaled as he rubbed his fingers into his eyes. 

“That is not my middle name, Edward.”, he chuckles. “I just remember how much she hurt you and I’m thinking about how fucking ignorant she was because look how wonderful Ro is.”

“Shhhhh…”, the other man reaches out to lightly cover Steve’s mouth. “Don’t want to wake up Y/N with all you angsty morning thoughts.”

Covering his hand with his own, he gently kisses his palm before sliding it further over towards his cheek. 

“I just love you, baby, so much. I don’t know what or where I would be without you.”

Eddie’s soft eye’s scan over his before leaning over to kiss his lips. Just like Steve, he always found his friend attractive. I mean, who wouldn’t think King Steve Harrington is sexy as hell? He, honestly, never thought he had any kind of chance with him so he was perfectly alright with at least being close friends. Emily had suggested there was a spark between them but he just thought it was because they were best friends but when you mentioned it as well those old feelings began bubbling up again. 

That day when you were neighbors during Dylan’s birthday party and had gotten into a fight they fumed in their apartment before laying together on the floor in the living room just talking about everything while smoking a joint. Eddie finally made that first move and when his lips touched his own…it felt right. When Steve’s mouth wrapped around his cock he saw stars and after he came they held each other and he never wanted him to let him go.

“I love you to, sweetheart.”

As their kisses grew more passionate, they pressed closer together with you in the middle, groaning awake at the feeling of their hips grinding on either side of you. 

“It is 6am, you weirdos.”

They laugh as Steve looks at his watch while Eddie’s kisses trail down his trail line. 

“Jesus, woman, how do you know that? Your eyes aren’t even open.”

“I’m a mom. I know everything.”, you grumble as you wrap your arms around the metalhead’s waist and kiss his bare chest before nuzzling into its warmth. His hand comes down to pet the back of your head as Steve scoots closer to you, his own palm roaming under your shirt to your breasts making you moan. 

“If it’s 6 am, that means we have a good hour before anyone wakes up.”

“More than enough time.” 

Eddie grins causing you to giggle and playfully moan in pain as he tugs Steve closer to him by squishing you between them.

###########

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[thefanficmonster]

One of the girls

Steve Brodt x Reader (Female)

Warnings: Vegas activities basically lol, Swearing

Genre: FLUFF, College AU (sort of), Exes to Lovers, RPF (Real Person Fic)

Summary: A post-graduation trip to Vegas goes a little awry - and I mean a little in every single direction, causing a whirlwind of chaos.

Angie is hanging off of Y/N's arm with the right amount of exhaustion for someone who just got off a 6 AM flight. A flight they had to catch after the third night in a row of partying as a farewell to their college life. It's rather bold of her to assume Y/N is within her capability and strength to hold her up but she's trying her darndest.

Luckily, the extra weight is lifted off as soon as they get through customs and step out of the airport into the humid air. There, the blonde runs straight into the arms of her boyfriend Aiden who seems much more chipper and prepared to withstand the challenge of balancing her weak form.

Y/N is truthfully ecstatic to see her friend in a happy, healthy relationship. So what if it accentuates how single she herself is? Who cares! Angie is a force of nature, a ray of sunshine. It's impossible not to be uplifted and fulfilled by just her presence and energy. Her happiness charges Y/N. It even partially fills the hole of not having a significant other she too can run to.

"You made it!" Aiden cheers, his smile brighter than this fine Vegas morning. Too bright for the girls' liking. Their hangover anyway.

"Barely." Y/N mutters, pulling on hers and Angie's suitcases - the latter she took to be nice and regretted immediately afterwards. "This one barely dragged her ass out of bed."

Y/N's known Aiden since freshman year in college. He's the perfect opposite to Angie which is what makes their relationship so perfectly balanced. Over time, the two created a bond over their Angie-related antics. They have a certain sibling-like understanding of one another they are both so grateful for.

"Doesn't surprise me. Pretty on-brand for her." He replies, earning himself a light smack to the chest from his offended girlfriend, causing him to laugh.

Y/N feels one of the suitcase handles escaping her grasp, causing her brief panic. Turning to see what's extracting it from her grip turns that panic up several notches when she's met with a face she recognizes.

"Let me help you with those."

Of fucking course he's here

Angie didn't warn her Steve would be here, but she assumed. She had no reason to warn her, she was never filled in on the whole-ass history textbook that resides between him and Y/N. But, knowing his close friendship with Aiden, she had an inkling he'd be here. She just hoped she was wrong.

And, like the cruelest fucking joke ever, of course she had to be right when she least wanted to be.

"No need." Saying anything is futile, considering he's already picked up both the suitcases with ease. Still, it would be nothing like her to not say anything.

"I insist." He replies, also completely unnecessary.

It's become their game these past few years - saying things they don't need to nor mean to say. Saying stuff just for the sake of it - it being pissing the other off. Bystanders like Angie and Aiden would view it as flirting. Steve and Y/N see it as vengeance. A rather ineffective kind though.

"I call shotgun!" The blonde suddenly calls, already getting herself situated in the passenger seat when the two turn to look.

Math is not on their side considering it's Aiden's car, so...

"Can I drive?" Y/N throws out in a desperate attempt which earns her nothing more than a laugh.

She's gotta face the music, and she does so by flipping her best friend off through the passenger window before climbing in the backseat, her arms instantly folding over her chest like a toddler. She's practically pressed up against the car door when Steve climbs in after putting their suitcases in the trunk. He takes up all the free space she's giving him, stretching his joints into a satisfying pop. His right arm stretches over the top of the backrests, his fingers just about touching her hair. She's painfully aware of it but remains silent, not even giving into the urge to stab him with a glare.

Thirty minutes later, they're stuck in air-tight traffic.

The radio is cranked up and Aiden and Angie are fairly deep in conversation so the atmosphere in the car is still light despite the inconvenience. Well, in the front, at least.

In the backseat, the tension could be sliced with a knife.

Passing snide remarks started flying about five minutes ago when the frustration of the situation finally got to its boiling point for the two.

"You're the fucking worst."

"Talking to yourself there, sweetheart?"

"Oh yeah. Just questioning some life decisions."

"Might wanna start back in high school with that deep-dive."

"Nah, mainly how I got talked into being stuck on a weekend trip with the biggest nuisance I've ever met."

She hears him chuckle and is just about to turn and go off at him when his fingers finally make the bold choice of tangling in the strands of her hair. It renders her speechless for a moment, paralysed even.

Shockwaves course her being when, out of the corner of her eye, she can see him leaning down toward her. "Oh come on, it's just a weekend. You can handle it." His hand disentangles from her hair to lightly rest under her chin, turning her head so their eyes can meet, "I know you can."

She wants to slap him. And then herself for the brief millisecond when her gaze flickered down to his lips.

"Thank fuck! We're moving again!" Aiden shouts out of the blue, forcing them apart. Steve quickly withdraws his hand and Y/N hurries to compose herself.

It's gonna be a long fucking weekend

The coziness of the Airbnb is almost enough to make up for it. Three bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen and a spacious living room. It's a short drive from the strip so it's mostly isolated from the typical noises of the city.

Peeking in each of the rooms, Y/N finds the bedroom with no bags strewn about and takes up residence. Deciding that the process of unpacking can wait, she dives onto the bed, face buried in the pillows. A short nap till lunch isn't the worst idea she's had today.

If only she could sleep though.

Over the past four years, she's become rather immune to the feelings her interactions with Steve provoke. Sure, they'll bicker and throw elbows but it's all just surface level. Nothing gets under her skin. Or so she claims. But their brief moment back in the car on the way over...she can't deny the effect it had and continues to hold on her.

To say the two have, um, history, puts it mildly.

They met in high school sophomore year and the chemistry was, dare I say, instant. They didn't start dating until late junior year. It pretty soon became clear it was a wrong person, wrong time and wrong place kind of situation. Sure, they were in love in that classic high school sweethearts way and they did bicker like a married couple. But neither of them could see them crossing the bridge into adulthood and college together. Not when they brought out the most ridiculous childish tendencies out of each other.

So breaking up was the first reasonable decision they made in their relationship.

With that in mind, you can probably picture the nasty surprise they were both met with when they were introduced to each other by Aiden and Angie. They were looing at each other and the upcoming four years they'd be forced to spend together with something alike exhausted amusement. They couldn't even be mad. You gotta admit a joke is funny even when it is offensive - and damn was this one very offensive joke from the universe.

They went through with the introduction without batting an eye. Exchanged names, shook hands and silently agreed on holding up this ruse for as long as they could before it would come back to bite them in the ass.

And it sure bit Y/N in the ass when she was forced to witness the quiet and mysterious Steve she knew in high school turn into the biggest manwhore on campus. Every girl she met at college was one of his girls. Even when it wasn't obvious or confirmed, Y/N knew. She started recognizing a type amongst them, a pattern. And she'll admit she's not proud of the bitterness she felt about it all, but she's only human. And so is he. They had the right to change things up for their new college life. That was his choice and although she didn't like it, she had to respect it.

After all, their friends thought they were friends with each other.

Turns out those fights that were the trademark of their relationship extended way past their brief romantic connection. They were disagreements at a fundamental level that still connect them to this day as the earlier incident would confirm.

It's just a couple days, she tells herself, you can push through...

...I know you can.

The sound of his voice in her head startles her, his words ringing in her ears. She's fucking fed up with him. All she hopes for is that after this trip is over she won't ever have to see him again.

God let this weekend end soon

* * * * *

It's been a day and a half. Literally and figuratively.

It's late Sunday night and Y/N's walking the way back to the Airbnb with her heels in hand. She can't remember how she lost nor how she found her purse before leaving but she knows she most definitely lost some of her dignity.

Specifically when, just twenty minutes ago, she almost threw up in her mouth at the sight of Steve tucked away in the corner of the club they were at, making out with a random girl.

It flooded her with rage, jealousy and some confusion to the mix. She witnessed four years of this behavior. She met and was friends with so many of 'his girls' and she was never fazed by it. She gave the matter nothing more than an eye roll, shrugging off his behavior as downright ridiculous and desperate.

But this past day and a half, something has evidently shifted in her and Steve's dynamic.

Given that they were often left to each other's company as a result of Aiden and Angie running off on their own private side quests, they've come to develop a slightly stronger tolerance. for one another. They've had some nice conversations, especially last night's trip down memory lane they had on the porch after their friends passed out drunk.

Neither of them are big drinkers, never were. So she can't even blame what she felt in that moment back there and is still feeling now as she's making her venture on the alcohol. The whole one glass of champagne she had.

Y/N's just about off the strip by this point when she hears a voice call to her.

"Y/N! Wait! Hold on a sec!" She's not at all pleased to see it's Steve.

She doesn't even look over her shoulder at him. She can't, not when she can feel tears prickling her eyes.

Truth is, even if she can't yet admit it to herself, for a second there, she thought something might happen. Second time is the charm, no? Of course not but a fool can hope. And she did have some hope this past thirty hours. She could clearly see how much they've grown since high school. How much better they could be now if they didn't stick to their old argumentative ways.

But alas, back at that damn club, he showed her he clearly doesn't feel the same way.

"Where are you going? You don't even have the keys to the house!" He's now caught up to her, his hand reaching for her arm on instinct. He feels as though he's been burned when she whips around and yanks her arm out of his grasp.

"I'll sit on the porch." She spits venom through her words before turning back around to persist on her way.

Steve doesn't let her though, "Why are you like this? What happened?"

"What's it to you?" She hisses, knowing exactly what him caring is to her. She doesn't let her thoughts travel that way for long.

"Oh for fuck's sake, Y/N, don't pretend you don't know I care about you!" He too is now slowly reaching his limit of patience.

He never wanted this. Any of it. Not the break up, not the ruse, not the whoring around, not this argument. Or any of the ones they've had. Still, he held his head up high and smiled in understanding when she broke up with him. He just nod-and-smiled his way through losing the only girl he'd ever been in love with. And he's been kicking himself for it ever since. For not fighting for her in that moment the way he fought with her throughout their whole relationship.

He's not about to make the same mistake now. Especially not when he's certain he saw a small flame of something reignite between them.

Y/N scoffs, stopping in her tracks to pierce him with a glare, "Yeah, I could sure see and feel all the care you have for me these past four years. And tonight to top it off. You've become very expressive with your feelings. Congrats, Steve, quite the character development."

She's just about to turn around yet again when...

"God damn it, Y/N, I never stopped loving you, ok?!"

...he stops her, freezes her.

He sighs, his shoulders slumping, "That expressive enough for you?"

She can only pick from a set of responses and none of them seem fitting. How does one reply to that? How can she say what she actually wants without fearing it will lead to her getting her all over again. She can't even turn to face him, damn it.

Just then, as some divine intervention, she's rescued from answering by the shrill ring of her phone. She plucks it out of her purse with shaky hands and picks up the call without checking who it's from.

"WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!" It's Angie.

That manages to spin her into facing Steve just so she can give him a look of utter horror. A look he's returning, having heard Angie's extremely loud proclamation from four feet away.

Fuck what deep shit they're in, they have more important matters to tend to.

And tend they do, rushing as fast as possible to the chapel Aiden - who's a slight degree more sober than his girlfriend - pointed them to. A wedding can't commence without the maid of honor and the best man, after all. Or at least they hope that's the case as they dash down the strip. Somewhere along the way their hands linked together but neither of them have time to dwell on it and the symbolism behind it.

Y/N stops briefly to reequip her shoes a block before their destination. Suddenly they're both painfully aware how lacking their attire is for a wedding setting. How lacking this entire situation is of any sort of logic but they both know better than to expect logic from Aiden and Angie in general, let alone when they're inhebriated.

As Y/N stops to readjust her messy hair, she catches Steve's eye. The look he's giving her brings a familiar heat to her face and neck, "What?" She asks, giving him a small shrug.

He chuckles in response, "Nothing. You're just gorgeous."

The heat grows stronger but she waves it off, rolling her eyes at him, "Shut up." With that, she intertwines her fingers with his once more before pulling him down the street to the chapel.

Where they find an interesting sight.

The almost newlyweds are sitting on the stairs outside the chapel. She's nuzzled into him, fast asleep. Aiden is caressing her hair soothingly, rocking her sleeping her form peacefully.

"Did we miss it?" Steve attempts to whisper but they're both so out of breath it sounds like they're barely grasping onto life.

Aiden chuckles lightheartedly, shaking his head, "No, it didn't happen. They said if the bride and groom are too intoxicated to stand on their feet, they're probably too drunk to get married."

"Makes sense." Y/N nods, still panting, resting her hand on her hips and being reminded that her other one is a bit occupied.

Which also brings the almost groom's attention to the linking point, "What is this?" He asks, tilting his head to the side as if to inspect it better.

To his surprise, neither of them makes an attempt to let go. Steve, however, turns to Y/N, "I don't know. What is it, Y/N?"

She shrugs, the sass not at all affected by the lack of airflow to her lungs, "You tell me, Steve."

The cheshire smile he gives her makes her both nervous and excited, "Oh I'll tell you." She hums, nudging him on to continue. The suspense is killing her. Still, she takes the time to take note that the corners of his eyes droop downwards when he smiles, it's a trait she found adorable back then and it still has her swooning today.

Nodding to the grand chapel doors, he finally voices the last bit of his thought, "It may sound crazy but...let's get married. Fuck it. We're both sober. We're both in love."

The deer-in-headlights look she gives him makes him let out a hearty laugh that stirs Angie awake with a groan.

"I never said it back." Her tone is between a realization and accusation both for him and herself. She was too much of a coward to tell him how she felt back in high school and history repeated itself a good ten minutes ago. Another not so proud moment but it's the past now.

Steve gives her hand a reassuring squeeze, "You didn't have to."

* * * * *

Y/N and Steve are sitting on the porch with a bottle of champagne they've been passing between them, watching the dawn creep upon Vegas. The first rays of sunshine are reflecting off the fake cheap ring on her finger. The breaking of the light catches Steve's gaze.

"I'm getting you an actual one as soon as we get back." He says, taking her hand in his to inspect the ring more closely.

She laughs, now looking at the ring too, "Nah, I prefer this one. It's more authentic." She lets herself drift into thought for a moment, letting out a heavy sigh as she does so.

Steve's eyebrows quirk up, "What's that? Some regrets creepin' in?"

His words quickly snap her out of it as she hurries to shake her head in response, "No! Hell no...I'm just thinking..."

"About?" He prods on, still a little nervous that she may be caving under the reservations of what they did a few hours ago.

Y/N taps the ring on her hand, giving him a smirk, "I'm now one of your girls as well. I stomped all over the promise I wouldn't and became one of 'Steve's girls'. And I was fucking sober. I can't believe it." She smiles to herself, thinking back on when she swore on her life to Angie she didn't and would never have a thing for Steve fucking Brodt.

Her best friend is gonna give her so much crap for it and expect a lengthy explanation once she wakes up. She asked no questions when she was bestowed the maid of honor role, but sober Angie is gonna be a different story.

Steve cringes at the wording, familiar with the terminology that spread across campus as a result of his reputation. "No, no way, fuck that. You're not one of the girls. You're the girl. The only girl there's ever been for me."

She smacks his shoulder trying to ignore the flutter of her heart caused by his proclamation, "Quit being corny."

He captures her hand before she can withdraw it, bringing to his lips to press a kiss to her knuckles, "Whatever you say, Mrs. Brodt. Your wish is my command."

Good thing they got the marriage bickering phase out of the way a long while ago. That gives them all the time in the world to be absolute marriage goals.