#i do have pretty fab eyebrows

[satorusugurugurl]

The idea of yandere gojo and geto (both at the same time) plotting against their darling reader using geto's cursed spirits to make her on them gets my mind reeling for nights 👀 wonder if my favorite writer has any thoughts on this

Perfect Prey

Characters: Yadere!Geto Suguru, Yadere!Gojo Satoru,FAB!Reader

Warnings: yandere!Geto/Gojo, manipulation, dub! con read is unaware that the boys are manipulating her! (consent is vital for me!!) double penetration, smut, mentions of wounds, cursing

Word Count: 3,404

A/N: Ah! thank you Nonnie! This made me smile! Oooh, this, this was fun. I loved getting into this! I hope y’all enjoy it!! (I really enjoyed writing for Suguru 🥵)

“I finally got my own mission!” Geto and Gojo glanced up at you as you proudly walked into the first-year's classroom. “Took years, but I think they finally realized I’m fully capable of destroying a curse or two by myself!”

Geto gave you a warm smile, resting his chin on his fist. “Is that so? Funny, I thought we made it clear one of us was supposed to accompany you on any mission.” He shut his eyes, tilting his head slightly to the side.



“Oh, that’s a good one, Suguru!” You excitedly plopped down on Gojo’s desk, kicking your feet back and forth. “All jokes aside, they did want to send one of you with me.”

“Wanted to send one of us?” Satoru questioned, dipping his chin to watch you.

The two men watched you closely as your pretty head nodded. “Yaga said,” you tilted your chin at Satoru, “You were assigned to come with me, Satoru. But seeing as you just returned from your mission, I insisted that I could handle a couple of curses on my own.” Gojo scoffed, his head turning to give Suguru a look of disbelief. “Oh, don't look at him like that!” Sure, the duo were best friends, but their silent communication between stolen glances made you feel left out.

“I don't think me coming back from a mission, which I handled easily because I’m Gojo Satoru, of course. Means I can't come with you. They assigned us this together.” The white-haired man’s time was thick with annoyance. “For a specific reason, I’m assuming.”

You cocked an eyebrow, eyes darting between the two men. “Why would the Gojo Satoru be needed to exorcise a handful of low-grade curses?” Looking at Gojo, you could almost hear the wheels turning in his head. “You know what—why do they even send you both you're Special-grades?” Before you could question them, Geto chuckled, soft and rich.

“Ignore Satoru; he’s just being clingy. Congratulations on your first solo mission.” Pride swelled in your chest at his acknowledgment. You happily kicked your feet faster as Geto reached over, ruffling your hair. “Just promise to be careful, and if you need any help, please know we’re but a phone call away.”

“Thank you.” The condescending tone of your voice has Satoru clenching his jaw. “I’ll get this mission done so fast, you won't even notice I’m gone!”

Geto pulled his hand back, nodding, dark hair swaying as you slid off the seal. “Be safe; we’ll see you at home.”

“I will! See you both later!”

Geto smiled, waving until the door shut, and he could no longer hear your footsteps down the hall. The instant he was confident that you weren't around, his smile fell, eyes narrowed at the door. Gojo was fuming, pulling his blindfold down, letting it pool around his neck. Between the two men, their anger could freeze Hell over.

“This is problematic.” Geto rubbed at the pulsing sensation in his temple.

“Problematic? No, this is a disaster if she gets through this mission, which we know she will! She's going to get more solo missions. Solo missions turn into group missions, with other sorcerers, other men.”

“And we can't have that. No one is good enough to protect her, let alone breathe the same air.”

Gojo sat on the edge of the desk, watching as his best friend tapped his thumb against the center of his forehead. Between the two of them, they would find a way to fix this sticky situation. Their solution had to be clean. They couldn’t have you finding out that they were the ones responsible for your lack of solo missions. The two pulled strings to ensure you were always with them.

Some might call them possessive and obsessive. But they didn't see it like that. They just knew no one on the face of the planet would ever be good enough for you. You were their darling little princess. The keywords are theirs and theirs alone.

“We could tell Yaga to pull her off, tell a white lie like maybe she changed her mind.”

“No, no, that would look suspicious. She went through all the trouble, convincing him to let her go alone. After all that, for us to ask that, she would start asking questions. We can’t have her knowing we’re responsible for her lack of solo missions.”

“Okay, do you have any ideas?” When Geto said nothing, Gojo sighed, exasperated, feeling Geto’s eyes on him. “It would be easier if we showed her how ‘dangerous’ these solo missions can be.”

A lightbulb went off in Geto’s mind. “Satoru~” he purred, “that’s a brilliant idea.” The other man furrowed crisp white brows in confusion. “She thinks it’s just a handful of curses, right?”

“Yeah?”

“It would be a shame if there were more curses than she could handle,” Geto smirked, specks of black forming behind his shoulder, his curses coming to life, revealing his intentions.

Satoru grinned wide with a sharp laugh. “That truly would be a shame, wouldn’t it? Poor sweetheart will have to call us to help.” Geto nodded, motioning for Satoru to follow.

“Come on, we got shit to do.”

Later that night, you were scrambling off the ground, wincing as the fifteen curses chased you around the corner of the abandoned building. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” You screamed, palms bleeding, knees scraped up as you stumbled back to your feet, barely avoiding the sharp teeth of the curse behind you.

This was supposed to be a simple job! One where there would be maybe two or three curses to take out! Three were okay! You were able to handle that on your own. But after you took them out, you suddenly found yourself surrounded by dozens of curses. All of them ranged from different grades, from four to two, but a couple gave off a darker presence, possibly special grades, which was not good.

How the hell did three curses turn into three dozen?! How could the intel be so off?! And how the hell were you going to get out of this?!

A low snarling snapped you out of your frantic thoughts before the curse in front of you swiped at your stomach with very long and very sharp claws. You dodged, falling back onto the ground, watching it close in on you. This was not good, not in the slightest, and it didn’t help that you were all alone!

Scrambling back, you pushed yourself off the ground, ducking into a room, slamming the door. “Goddamn, fuck me.” Pulling your phone out of your pocket, you called the two strongest men of the modern age. Sure, there was a one hundred and fifty percent chance they'd boast about how they were right, how you needed to listen to them, but that didn’t matter right now! “Pick up! Pick up, pick up!”

The phone rang and rang and rang. Just when you thought it would go to voicemail, the line clicked. Gojo yawned on the other line without a care in the world. “Hello~?” He cooed, listening to the raspy breathing.

“Satoru!” You gulped down breaths of air. “Toru, I need help!” You screamed as a curse slammed against the door.

Gojo covered the receiver, snickering as Geto eyed the building you were in. “What was that? You need our help?”

“Yes!” you cried out, “Satoru! Please help!!”

“Are you sure? I mean, I am considered a Special Grade; low-grade curses are something I shouldn’t worry about, right?”

Geto’s curse smashed through the door, dashing at you. He swore he could hear your scream through Satoru’s phone. His poor princess is getting chased around by his curses. This could have been easily avoided if you didn’t insist on taking on this mission alone. Unfortunately for you, the choices you made led to this outcome.

Your heart was hammering against your rib cage as you slipped and maneuvered around the curses slowly surrounding you. This was way out of your league, and you were beginning to regret now bringing one of the boys with you. Plus, Satoru wouldn’t drop everything and come running to your rescue, not after everything you’d said earlier.

“Toru, please.” Pleading was something you rarely did, but Satoru’s ego had been bruised, so you had to do what needed to be done. “Please, I'm begging you.”

Both Gojo and Geto exchanged a look with each other. “You beg so nicely,” Satoru commented, listening to a loud crashing sound followed by your curse. “I suppose I could come, maybe bring Suguru too.”

“Y-Yes! Yes, please!”

“On one condition.”

Despite the fact dozens of curses were chasing you, you stopped dead in your tracks. “Condition?! What fuckin’ condition?!”

“You never take a solo mission again.”

After this endeavor, he didn’t even have to ask you to do that. “Y-Yes! I agree. Just fucking hurry!” In the blink of an eye, the tall white-haired man teleported before you with Geto by his side. The curse that had been charging at you slammed hard against Gojo’s infinity before being forced back as the white-haired man stepped forward.

You fell to your knees, panting heavily as Geto peered down at you from over his shoulder. “Are you alright?” You just nodded your head, glancing down at your bleeding hands. “You don’t look alright.” You could smell the woodsy musk

as Geto knelt in front of you. “Give me.” He gently grabbed your hand, examining the scraps on the heels of your hand.

”Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Gojo chastised as he grabbed you and Geo, teleporting the three of you back to their apartment. “Guess your first solo mission didn’t quite go as well as you planned now, did it?”

There was no retort or sharp comeback because he was right. Even if the intel had been wrong, you couldn't handle this mission on your own. You had failed after you insisted that you could handle this mission without any hiccups. Now, that confidence was replaced with shame and disbelief. You had to call on your colleagues for assistance. After they warned you that this is something you wouldn’t be able to handle.

The two men who had orchestrated this scheme watched you with unreadable expressions—on the outside, their demeanor seemed unnerved, while on the inside, they were swelling with pride and excitement. Seeing you so distraught and broken had their pants tightening at the almost broken, blank look in your eyes.

“Oh, don’t be embarrassed,” Suguru announced, lifting you and ushering you towards the bathroom. “There’s nothing to be ashamed about. You’re not the only sorcerer who isn't capable of handling three dozen cursed spirits on their own. Not everyone is as strong as Satoru and I.”

Suguru moves to the shower, turning it on as you remain still, the events of the evening replaying over in your mind. “Suguru’s right. Not everyone would have handled a situation like that. You should be grateful, though. You’re lucky enough to have us willing to come to your beck and call.” Satoru is moving in front of you, holding your hands over the sink, running hot water over the wounds. “If we hadn’t shown up when we did, you could have died.” The truth of his words had your head jerking up, meeting crystalline eyes.

“I-I could have died.” The monotone repetition of his own words had Satoru’s cock throbbing at the broken throaty words that left your mouth.

“You could have.” He agreed, pressing his lips against your neck. “But you didn’t because we saved you.”

“I-I know.” You whispered as Geto joined your side. “You saved me.”

Hands, hot and rough, ran over the mounds of your breasts, gripping your hips, manhandling you in ways they had done in the past. There had been nights when the three of you had been so bored you just decided to hook up or when they just needed a little stress relief. This time, however, felt monumentally different. Like they were holding their breath, holding themselves back. Their stoic bodies jittered with anticipation, waiting to see what happened next.

To you, it was them being pent up, maybe the adrenaline rushing through their systems. Because if you were being honest with yourself, you felt just as pent up. Almost dying had you wanting to cave into your raw human desires. While the men standing on either side of you shared one of their infamous knowing glances. They weren’t driven by the adrenaline and passion of what had happened. Not in the slightest. No, their desire was driven by pure, unfiltered joy.

They finally had you right where they wanted you. Broken. You had lost a fight you knew you could have won. Due to them, your confidence in your abilities was clouded by a fabricated series of events.

First, you’d be broken, not taking missions alone any further. The next phase would be to distance you from the school slowly. Trying to convince you that you didn’t need to worry about working, the two made more than enough money to provide for the three of you. If all went according to plan, you would be their perfect little live-in girlfriend in no time.

What made all of this ten times better was the fact that you had no idea tonight's events had left you in their web of lust and desire. They were the spiders, and you were the poor innocent fly—a fly about to be devoured in the most primal ways imagined.

“Thank you for saving me.”

”Nu-uh.”

“We did save you, so you need to thank us properly.”

The men pressed lips against you, hands trailing over your body. You melted against them, gasping as hands cupped your breasts, hard cocks rubbing against your hips as they ground against you. They did save you, didn’t they? They went above and beyond to stop what they were doing and come to your aid.

“Y-Yeah, I think I will.” You whispered, turning to kiss each man on the mouth before sinking to your knees. “Please, let me thank you.”

Two thick long cock were suddenly in your face, throbbing and leaking pre-cum from angry, flushed tips. Seeing as your hands were scrapped up and ran, you took turns sucking and licking each man's cock, while they jerked off. Your tongue flicked, swirled, and lapped the two cocks, until their cum spurted over your face coating your lips and cheeks. Your appreciation didn’t stop there. You pulled both fully clothed men into the shower with you, tugging their clothes off and discarding them over the shower door.

Satoru and Suguru both help you, lifting you, your legs wrapping around Satoru’s waist as Geto’s wet, chiseled chest pressed firmly over your back. Both cock’s teased your wet cunt’s entrance, rubbing over against each other as you whined softly, tilting your head back. Their cocks both pressed past the tight opening of your pussy, stretching your walls in a painful yet pleasurable way, leaving your cock drunk the deeper they sunk into your wet heat.

A minute was all they allowed you to take to attempt to adjust yourself to the sensation of having two cocks buried inside of you. They were bullying inside of you. Satoru’s cock kissed your cervix with each thrust, While Suguru rubbed against your g-spot in the most heavenly way. Perhaps if you had been a good girl and just left everything as it was, they would have taken it easier on you. Regretfully, in their eyes, you had almost ruined their carefully constructed ploy to make you theirs in every sense of the word. Due to that, you were going to be punished severely.

Their thrusts were hard, deep, and almost painful. Fucking into you as if you were just a sex toy rather than a human being. Satoru’s teeth dug painfully into your shoulder, leaving indentations in his wake. Suguru’s mouth trailed kissed over the nap of your neck, mouth gentler than Satoru but his hands were as cruel as the white-haired man's. He pinched and pulled at your nipples, yanking them until you cried out his name before releasing his grip. The relief never lasted long; as soon as the dull, stinging sensation subsided, Suguru returned to the painful teasing.

The kisses, touch, and thrusts weren’t the only way they were mean to you. Their words stung just as bad as the scrapes on your hands and the abrasions to your knees. If you hadn’t been crying from the mere overstimulation of pained pleasure, their words might have had your eyes watering just as much.

”Our stupid dirty slut, getting herself into such a fucked up me.”

”Yes, dragging us both out to save her.”

“Then, on top of everything we did. Going out of our way to save her after she blatantly told us she was fine, she still gets fucked good like the whore that she is.”

”Yeah, she might not be able to take on a cursed spirit, but she’s sure good at taking two dicks at the same time.”

Their words had your skin flushing in shame and need, your mouth dropping into an ‘O’ as the abdomen in your lower abdomen started to tighten. “Oooh, fuk, please, ha—ah fuuck.” You were so close, so damn close to either passing out or having the most intense orgasm of your life. If you were lucky, which didn’t seem likely after all the mishaps today, maybe, just maybe, you could experience both. “G-Gonna cum, please.”

”You hear that Satoru, our little cock slut wants to cum.”

Satoru’s hips began to jerk faster, the head of his cock slamming into your cervix thrust after thrust. “Does she even deserve it?” He continued, leaving pain over your skin, his tongue brushing over the marks.

“P-Please, oooh god, please don’t tease”

“Hm, what do you say, Suguru? Nngh fuck—“ Satoru hammered his hips into you, thrust after thrust, drawing you closer and closer to the edge. “Should our precious girl cum?”

“Aaahh yes~ let her cum, make her take both our loads, then once she catches her breath, we fuck her even more.”

Reaching between your bodies, Satoru rubbed your clit, making your walls twitch around the two monster cocks inside of you. Their pace matches the others, working in harmony to send you over the edge. A scream, one that had never left you before, echoes inside the steamy shower. “C-Cummin! Cumming!” You screamed over and over until both of you stiffened, ropes of thick hot cum filling you.

“Take it bitch, take every last drop, milk me dry.” Satoru was always more vocal, nipping and sucking at your ear as his whiny groans invaded your mind.

“P-Princess, mmmhm, fuuuck.” Unlike Satoru, who was all about talking and heaving his voice, Suguru was softer, moans deep and feral, but he didn’t feel the need to announce it to the entire apartment complex. “Fillin’ you up so good~”

They both did; their hot cum leaked out of you, running down their softening shafts. In the shower, you hummed, listening to the tittering splatter in the water washing over you. The peaceful moment lasted for but a second as both men pressed kisses on your shoulder.

“You belong to us.”

“Do you understand?”

As their wandering hand dug into your skin, you nodded. Rocking slightly against them with a helpless whine. “Yes, yeah, I belong to you both!” The two friends shared a cold, knowing smirk as you began thrusting into you harder, making your eyes roll back into your head as loud moans wrecked through you. Little did you know how serious they both were.

You belonged to them in every way, shape, and form, whether you liked it or not.

[pitchsidestories]

A kiss from my enemy II Erin Cuthbert x Reader

masterlist I word count: 2811

A/N: Would you like us to write more about Chelsea's Fab 4?

A day before the CL game Chelsea against Real Madrid Erin Cuthbert found herself among her friends, drinking coffee in Sam Kerr and Kristie Mewis new home. It was a quite cozy afternoon despite the Blues knowing there was a big match ahead of them at Stamford Bridge.  

Expectantly the American midfielder sipped from her cup of coffee before looking at the Scottish woman: So, it’s true what they say, Erin? That you forget she’s your girlfriend when you two play against each other?”

“Doesn’t everyone do that?”, Erin laughed it off. Next to her sat Guro Reiten who nodded grinning: “Yeah Magda definitely said that too.” “That’s not true for Sam and me.”, Kristie announced.

Amused Millie Bright replied:” Of course not.”  “I still see her as my fiancée.”, the Westham player added beaming proudly. Smiling Erin realized: “And I’ll see her as my girlfriend before and after the game. Shit, I think she heard that we are talking about her, she’s trying to face time me right now.”

“Take the call!”, Sam advised the younger woman. Enthusiastic Millie agreed:” Yeah, let’s all say hi.” “Oh yes, hello chica!”, Guro greeted her first.

Blushing you put a loose string of your hair behind your hair:” Hola! Erin, you didn’t text me you were still with your friends otherwise I’d have tried to call you later.” “Sorry, drinking coffee with them always takes a bit longer.”, your girlfriend apologized with a sheepishly smile.

Quickly you reassured her:” That’s okay.” You paused for a moment before you turned your attention to her recently injured teammate:” How are you, Sammy?”

“I’m good. I got my girls.”, Sam waved it off, placing a hand on her fiancée’s thigh. The latter one asked curiously:” Tell me where did you get that lipstick? It’s so pretty!” “Kristie.”, Erin rolled her eyes, visibly annoyed. Innocently Kristie told her:”What?”

“I’ll send you a screenshot with it, Kristie. But back to you captain Cuthbert.”, you cleared your throat and turned the attention to your girlfriend. She furrowed her eyebrows in response:” Captain Cuthbert?” “I read you’ll captain Chelsea tomorrow.”, you snorted.  

A teasing smile played on the Scottish international lips: “Oh, you read that?” “This is going to be spice, the girlfriend’s being the captain of each of their respectable teams, I can’t wait for it.”, Sam exclaimed.

Immediately Erin tried to cool off the striker’s excitement for the roles you were about to play tomorrow: “It’s not that big of a deal, Sam.”  “Honestly.”, you underlined her message with your word. Not convinced by your reaction Sam said:” Uh huh sure.”

“The press and the fans will make a big deal out of it.“, Kristie agreed with her fiancée. Sam shrugged; “It is a big thing.“ “We’ll see but I can’t wait to see you all tomorrow.“, you subtly tried to change the topic. “Oh, we can wait.“, Sam grinned back at you. Erin shook her head; “No, I can’t. Because some of us don’t have their girlfriends living in the same city.“

She gave Sam and Kristie a jokingly accusing look. “You’re the only one she’ll get to see tomorrow anyway. And Guro. The rest of us is injured.“, Sam commented, pointing down to her knee brace. Millies who was also out with an injury announced; “But we’ll be there at the Bridge and say hi.“ “Maybe.“, the Australian added with a smirk.

Millie rolled her eyes at her teammate; “Ignore Sammy.“ “Okay, enjoy your coffee, guys. See you tomorrow.“, you waved into the camera. “See you.“, Erin answered before ending the call. Excitedly, Kristie looked at Erin; “I’ll be there tomorrow for the gay drama.“

“If West Ham doesn’t train at the same time.“, Sam reminded her. “Right.“ “But we’ll be there.“, Millie interjected. “Anyone any more coffee?“, the injured striker asked. Erin shared a smile with her friends and answered; “Absolutely.“

Champions League nights always felt even more special than normal league games. The stadium was starting to fill while both teams finished their warm-up routines. Guro was the first Chelsea player to pull you into a quick hug; “Hi.“ “Hi. Ready for the game?“, the Norwegian asked. You nodded; “Yes, I’m ready. What about you?“

She rubbed her hands with excitement; “Ready to smash Madrid.“ Unimpressed, you replied; “Oh, we will give you a good fight.“ “Like you guys did against Barcelona?“, Erins teasing voice appeared out of nowhere, immediately wiping the smile off your face. You could hear the annoyance in your own voice as you answered; “Oh shut up. You’d lose against Barcelona too.“

“But at least we managed to draw against them. Something your team hasn’t managed.“, Erin countered. “But Chelsea lost the CL final in 2021. Barca won 4:0.“, you reminded her cooly.

Your girlfriend tilted her head; “And how far did Madrid make it?“ You knew she was trying to play some mind games and that you shouldn’t react to it but you couldn’t stop yourself from snapping; “What’s your fucking problem, Cuthbert?“

She reacted with a casual shrug; “I’m just saying it as it is. You’re already out of the CL. Again.“ “Whatever you’re trying to do, this won’t work.“, you warned her before your team mate caught your attention; “Hayley?“ “Yes, we need to get in line. The game is about to start.“, Hayley Raso reminded you while adjusting the bow in her hair.

Turning into your captain mode you put your armband on:“I’m coming.”  While the CL hymn was playing the Australian forward noticed:” Did you lost your hairband?” Quickly Hayley gave you the extra hairband she had around her wrist. You mouthed a sincere thank you.

This didn’t got unnoticed by Erin who softly elbowed her Norwegian friend:” Have you seen that, Guro?” “What?”, Guro asked confused, she clearly missed the moment her teammate was referring to. Biting her lip the Scottish midfielder answered:” Doesn’t matter, let’s win this game.” “Alright.”, Guro sighed before they went to their starting positions.

The first half begun, and you were eager to prove that you’d give the team of your girlfriend a good fight. Your confidence grew as you fairly tackled Erin to get the ball. Enraged the Scottish player stood up, cursing quietly so only you could hear her words tripping with fury:” What the fuck was that?”   “Next time you got to be faster.”, you replied with a smug smile on your face.  

Under her breath she told you:” Learn to play football next time. That was a foul.” “It wasn’t.”, you shook your head.  Immediately Erin disagreed: “Of course it was.” The tension between you was almost touchable. Later your girlfriend knocked you off your feet. “Hey!”, you protested loudly.

Quickly Athenea del Castillo was at your side, shouting:” That was a foul.” “If that earlier wasn’t a foul, this isn’t either.”, the Scottish midfielder snapped. Slowly you got up, promising her:” You’ll get that back.” And you held your promise only a couple of minutes later you assisted Athenea in scoring the equalizer for Madrid.

But you couldn’t enjoy the celebration with your team as Erin whispered into your ear:” You think you’re so good, huh? You’re still losing.” She was right only a minute after Madrid scored, they did again but this time it was only an own goal, resulting in a 2:1 for the Blues.

“Yes!”, Niamh Charles cheered. Triumphantly Erin turned her head to you:” Told you, you’d lose.” “Get over yourself, Cuthbert.”, you rolled your eyes at her. Her following comment made your heart race even faster: “Don’t be such a sore loser.”  “We still have twenty plus minutes left.”, you reminded her. Confidently she remarked:” That’s not enough time for you.”  

Her words proofed to be right. From a reasonable point of view, you knew that a win wouldn’t have changed the fact that you couldn’t qualify for the next round, the loss still stung. Numbly you could hear Guro happily scream:” We’re qualified, girls!”  “Don’t you want to go over to your girlfriend?”, cautiously Hayley padded your shoulder. Stubbornly you mumbled: “No.”

Confused the Australian player furrowed her eyebrows:” Why not?” “I’m too mad at her right now.”, you replied honestly. The eyes of your teammate turned soft:” We were out anyway.” “I know.”, you sighed deeply.

Smiling Hayley tried to cheer you up:” And we did give them a tough time.” “That’s true. Sorry, I’m not being a good captain, I should comfort you and not the other way around.”, you apologized. Warmly the forward reminded you:” Sometimes even the captain needs to be comforted.”

At the same time Erin said to her teammates:” I’m back in a second.” “Don’t go away for too long!”, Niamh shouted after her grinning. The Chelsea captain of the night shook her head:” I won’t.” “Good!”, Ashley exclaimed cheerfully.

Laughing the Scottish midfielder told them:” You can start celebrating without me.”  With these words she turned to you, her kiss caught you off card, as you mumbled:” Good game, Erin.” “Sorry for what I said during the game. You know I don’t mean it.”, your girlfriend whispered into your embrace, her cheeks flushed.

Startled you looked at her:” You don’t?” “Of course I don’t.”, she answered. Confidently you glanced at her:” But I was right, we didn’t make it easy for you.” “Yeah, you were.”, the Chelsea player admitted.

 A cheeky smile appeared on your lips:” If you kiss me again, I might forgive you.” “Okay, but then I got to leave.”, Erin nodded giving you a more passionate kiss than before. “Alright.”

For a second she rested her forehead against yours: ”Come over to our dressing room when you took care of your teammates.” “I’ll be there.”, you promised her before you went to look after your teammates being back into your captain mode.

“Linda, how are you feeling?”, you asked her compassionate. The Columbian forward responded with a weak smile:” I’m okay.” “Good.”, relief ran through your veins because of the answer of the younger footballer.

Comforting hands padded your shoulder who belonged to Ivana: “Not an easy game.” “Right.”, you had to admit. Reassuringly the older woman continued:” But we’ll continue to grow.” “We’ll.”, you agreed. The defender offered:”You can go over if you want to.” “You girls will be, okay?”, you wanted to know from her. With a motherly smile Ivana waved you off:”Promise.”

You met your girlfriend in her locker room, freshly showered, her blonde hair still wet. “Hi Erin.”, you greeted her. Blushing the Scottish player put a hair string behind her ear:“Hi.” “Was that me?”, guiltily you pointed to a black eye on her body. She gave you a challenging look:” Told you, it was unfair play.” “You weren’t playing nice either!”, you reminded her. Pouting  Erin observed:” You don’t look as bad.”

“Well, I got thicker skin.“, you shrugged with a smirk. Your girlfriend quickly bridged the gap between you two and pulled you towards her. Her fingertips on your skin made you giggle; “Hey, no tickles!“

“You’re lucky it’s only tickles.“, Erin countered. Guro interrupted the two of you by throwing her shirt at you; “Behave, we have children in this room!“ You were suddenly painfully aware of the stares of Erins teammates.

Erin grimaced at Guro; “Do you mean Hannah?“ The young goalkeeper looked up in surprise; “Rude!“ “Sorry.“, Erin grinned back, obviously not even a little bit sorry. “I’m not a child!“, Hannah protested. Your girlfriend casually shrugged and pointed into the direction of her other teammates: “Maybe Guro meant Sjoeke or Aggie.“

These two protested loudly while Hannah raised her eyebrow at Erin; “I hope so!“ Ignoring the rest of her team, Erin turned back towards you; “Want to leave?“ “Please.“, you smiled back.

She quickly grabbed her bag and took your hand; “Let’s go.“ “Bye chicas!“, Guro yelled after you. Millie appeared in the door, Sam on crutches next to her; “You’re leaving already?“ “Not without a hug from you of course!“, you said and let yourself fall into the arms of the tall defender.

“Sorry, took a while to get Sam down the stairs.“, Millie apologized. The Australian striker rolled her eyes. You quickly hugged her too, careful with her knee and crutches; “And hello, Sam.“

“You two were not subtle at all after the game ended.“, she commented smugly. Erin and you shared a knowing smile while she explained; “I had to make up for something.“ “Yeah, for the things you said to each other during the match.“, Millie grinned. “Oh shut up, Millie.“

But the defenders smile only got wider; “Never.“ “How would you even know that?“, Erin asked, a slight hint of exasperation in her voice. Millie touched her fingertips to her mouth; “Lip reading.“

Your girlfriend rolled her eyes in response; “Oh, sure.“ “Now go, you two don’t have much time.“, Millie ordered, making space so you two could pass her and Sam. “You kept us here.“, Erin protested.

She took your hand in hers again; “Let’s leave.“ “Coming.“ As you moved past your friend group, your girlfriend yelled “Bye, girls!“ over her shoulder. “Bye, have fun.“, Sam replied with a smirk while Kristie appeared behind her, wrapping her arms around the strikers waist as they watched you leave; “And off they go.“

“About time. After game sex is the hottest.“, the striker laughed, turning to kiss her girlfriend. Kristie nodded; “Agreed. They wouldn’t let each other get away with anything.“ “That’s too much information!“, Millie complained, pretending that she needs to throw up.

“Sorry, not sorry.“, Kristie shrugged. “I hate that you moved here.“, the defender laughed. With big innocent eyes, Kristie suggested; “Maybe she’ll move to London to next season.“ Seeing the feigned disgust on Millies face, she added; “A girl can dream.“ “Of bringing all your girlfriends here?“

“Yes.”, the American midfielder beamed. The England defender wiggled with her eyebrows: “I see.”  “She’s unstoppable.”, Sam winked at her fiancée. Big eyed Millie looked at her close friend: “Will I have to leave?”

“No, you’re the honorary straight best friend in our squad. Let’s get Same home for no.”, Kristie told her in a friendly tone. Happy with that answer the English player clapped into her hands:” Alright. Come on, Sammy.” “On my way!”, the Australian forward announced while one of her best friends and her fiancée helped her to come home safely.

Meanwhile you had stepped out of Erins shower, wearing some comfy clothes, begging your girlfriend:” Erin, repeat that.” “What?”, she echoed. Serious you added:” What you just said.”

“Pretty sure you heard me the first time. ”, the Scottish woman answered. You bit your lip in response:  “Still.” “Well, we can just ignore it if it upsets you so much.”, the midfielder shrugged her shoulders.  

Swiftly you shook your head:” No, please, say it again.” “I want you to move in with me.”, Erin repeated. Carefully you said:” English clubs are interested in me you know that, right?” “I do.”, your girlfriend affirmed.

Slowly you revealed what you were holding black from her for quite a while now, waiting for the perfect moment to say it:” I might have an agreement with a club in the summer.” “You do?”, the Scottish player looked surprised up.  “Yes.” “So that’s a, yes?”, a hopeful shimmer appeared on her face.

Teasingly you played with her hair: “It’s a yes. I’d love to move in with you. But I won’t join your club.” “That’s okay. I love playing against you.”, Erin grinned at you. A warm laugh escaped your lips:” I knew you’d say that.” “It’s true.”, she confessed.

The smile on your face grew bigger:” Sorry but I like red more than blue.” “Arsenal!”, playfully shocked your girlfriend hit your upper arm. “Yes, bebé.” Dramatically the midfielder groaned:” Oh that’s just horrible.” “So, you take the moving offer back?”, you threw your eyebrows up.

Much softer she told you:“No, I can live with it if I get to see you more often.” “You definitely would.”, you reassured her. Beaming Erin replied: “Then you should take that offer.”  “I’ll.”

“Can’t wait to win the London derby against you.”, the excitement was written all over her face.  Confidently you countered:” Oh no Arsenal win their fair amounts of derbys do I have to remind you they just won the latest?”

“Doesn’t count. You weren’t on the team yet.“, Erin protested. You shrugged nonchalantly; “Just saying.“ “Next time we’ll win again.“, your girlfriend said, half challenge and half promise.

Smirking, you added; “Or you’ll lose.“ Stubbornly, Erin shook her head; “There’s no way.“ “But for now…“, you changed the topic, pulling your girlfriend close to you. “For now?“, she repeated so that you would continue.

“Enough talking.“ “What should we do then?“, she asked, all pretended innocence. You winked at her while you let your hands glide under her shirt; “Something equally as fun.“

[scaly-freaks]

inmate 13453

okay don't get excited, i just felt like writing a bit of a drabble to feel out the atmosphere of a potential start to this au (clicking the tag will give up the other stuff i've posted for it btw)

btw check out the playlist and the pinterest board made by @theageofsilver and @allicentsallure bc they're fab

cw: kidnapping

Soft seventeen.

Bambi eyes, bambi legs.

There’s a certain edge to the way people describe the age she’s at. Not quite eighteen, not quite legal, tangible as cherry juice on greedy fingers. She isn’t sixteen, sweet and tender. It’s a soft first step into adulthood, skirting the border, the in between, the unknowable horrors that lie ahead.

She fucking hates being seventeen.

It’s a shit number first of all. Odd numbers make her want to spew. They feel like nails on a chalkboard, polyester static on leg hair. She can’t even dance, so whatever ABBA are singing about doesn’t apply.

Amara sticks out her tongue and tastes the air as the breeze blows west. She swears she can get a sense of the world when she does.

Her stepfather mocks her for it. That blue-eyed, blonde maniac with the ugly Buick Electra he treats like a brand-name Italian from the southern coasts of Europe. He used to treat her mother the same. Until he began to tell Amara you look just like her when she was young. He leaves his porn tabs open on his computer, as if he wants her to know. ‘Teen’, ‘Latina’, ‘Stepfather’, ‘Rough’, ‘Face-fucking’, ‘Breeding.’

She doesn’t have a drop of Hispanic blood in her.

She really wants to tell her mother, but there is a chance her mother will look right through her instead. She’s been doing that a lot more nowadays. They can’t afford her meds anymore. She just sits on the porch and watches and waits. For what, is anyone's guess.

>> can you pick me up?

>> its dark

>> pls

>> sorry ik its inconvienant

'Step-Daddy' always replies quickly when it’s her. He has a heart next to her name on his phone. She never agreed to that.

>> it’s spelled inconvenient

“Suck my dick,” Amara tells the screen and switches her phone off before he can message again.

She can walk.

The route back runs dangerously close to the edge of the forest. All kinds rot away in there, but she doesn’t like to think of them by name. They’ll become real if she does. She wishes her mother had found a man who lived in the wetlands, and not here at the cursed border between life and the realm beyond. Marshes are easier to understand. Forests are cursed.

Still, life is horribly simple here. Her high school is placid and filled with the dull-eyed children of dull-eyed adults. The gas station where she works didn’t bother to interview her. She walked in and the guy behind the counter stared at her breasts until he remembered she had a face. Her breasts aced the interview for her.

Can I work here? Just until I graduate.

Sure, grab a nametag.

Four months later, and she doesn’t mind it anymore. Her brain shuts off. Her customers are a ragtag mixture of suspicious, ferret-eyed locals and the occasionally buoyant hiker from out of state. If she doesn’t look like she belongs, she’s pretty, and that usually gives people like her a pass. At least until the sleazy comments become ethnically charged. But even then, Amara has a way of making her eyes go ‘dopey’ and just smiling like she’s too slow to understand. Displaying discomfort is what eggs them on (kind of a nasty realisation she opened her eyes to one day).

An engine growls some way down the road.

Old Chevy pickup, faded gold.

She recognises it from the parking lot at the station near the end of her shift.

A guy stepped out, young, early twenties, with a shock of hair that looked white until she realised it was just really, really blonde. She remembers thinking it was odd. The range of blondes in town runs from deep and dirty to the artificial bleach rattled out of holographic boxes of dye. No one has hair like his. She’d have noticed.

His eyebrows were a little darker, and his lashes were darker still. He had a funny way of walking, and he looked at her like she had the head of a fish and the body of a human being. Amara did her best dopey eyes. She asked him if he’d had a good day, pointed out the offers they had on pork rinds. He didn’t say a word. His skin had smears of black grease, glistening with sweat and bronzed by the sun.

Deep blue eyes.

Horribly deep.

Not the kind you’d want to swim in. She likes a softer blue, blue like chlorine, reminiscent of the safety of swimming pools. His were anything but.

She picks up her speed, and for some reason, puts her phone to her ear as if mid-conversation. Nothing about him said he was dangerous at the time. At least not from the way he’d barely said a word or looked down at her body. He was just there, and then he was gone.

And now here he is again.

The Chevy hits the horn. He is creeping closer. Amara turns and waves at him to go on. She doesn’t want a ride. Why isn’t he rolling down the window to offer one though?

It slows to a crawl. Her throat closes up. She has a feeling speeding up will give him what he wants. He’s obviously trying to be a prick. But if she goes back to talk to him, that would be exponentially worse. She switches her phone back on and sees her stepfather’s message telling her to get back home herself after she didn’t reply to tell him her location.

She quickly shoots him a message, and prays he’ll respond.

He doesn’t.

Fuck it.

She walks faster. The Chevy matches the increase. Sweat blooms on the back of her neck.

Every woman has that oh fuck moment. That I’m going to be on the evening news moment. The please god if he catches me let him kill me before he gets to raping me moment.

None of that goes through her head. She keeps thinking of her mother’s cooking. Her mother hasn’t cooked in a year and a half, not since her mind began to slip. But Amara can taste the spices on her tongue, the way the rice was perfectly simmered, the cinnamon in the back of her throat, the smell that clung to the walls, the heat of it.

I wanna come home, Momma.

Her mother’s face gathers into shape in her head, built with sand particles and saltwater. When the Chevy roars, she starts running. Her mother vanishes.

The lights of the truck blink across the tarmac. It’s a signal. But it isn’t for her.

She looks over her shoulder, and she can’t see him.

Run me over. Leave me like carrion on the road. Let the maggots eat me. Don’t cut me up first.

He slows when she starts to tire out. Picks up when she tries again. No other car has graced this road since she first turned onto it. A sign points her to the right, ushering her deeper into the backwoods. The town is to the left.

He figures out where she’s going when she suddenly makes a dash for the bend in the road.

There’s no time to dodge the pickup when it goes for her this time. The wheels skid as he yanks it at an angle and blocks her way. The door flies open and misses her by an inch. His arm grabs for her. She dodges, animal fear and rust on her tongue. He still doesn’t say a word.

A heavy fist connects with the small of her back and she drops like a stone.

The pain is electric. Air turns her lungs into taut balloons, but she can’t make a sound. She twists around and the bruise forming over her spine grates. Adrenaline quickly numbs it as she lashes out with her arms and legs. Kicking, punching, scratching, biting. Her teeth hit home. A mouthful of tattooed flesh, car oil and sweat. Still no sound from him.

She never sees the fist coming, just like last time.

A blow to the head and lights out, nancy.

[sorbeau]

what are your like essentials/you have to put in accessories or traits for drawing the bad kids?

BOY OH BOY DO I HAVE A LIST FOR YOU PAL

i have so many designs for these guys but there are certain cornerstones that MUST be upheld.

for Adaine, i love giving her huge round glasses, more often than not with some cute glasses chains or dangly accessories with them. im my heart she's also very tall and lanky, perfect awkward teen girl build. i like to keep her facian features very oval shaped, a sharp chin with a rounded jawline and a straight and thin nose.

for Kristen, I like to make her hair curly and cover her in freckles. she was the chosen of helio!!! she's kissed by the sun!!!! she's always looking sunburnt and tan in my heart. I also love making her rather stocky, just a stout girl with a big smile. i like to give her very rounded and robust facial features, chubby cheeks, a big button nose, and very expressive eyes.

for Fabian, his design is the one that changes the most imo. i could put him in one million different hairstyles and one million different outfits. i think his cornerstone design aspect that cements him as Fabian is his eternal smirk and general prettyboy aura. also the eyepatch is a pretty big tell. i like to give him sharp rectangular features, a strong jawline, defined cheekbones, and a straight nose, occasionally dropping in some cheeky dimples.

for Gorgug, i really like to give him a longer haircut, as well as part his bangs to sort of cover one eye. he's very rectangular to me and has a very long but toned build. i like to keep his face very rectanguler but rounded and soft, a square jaw and defined cheekbones, but soft brows and eyes with a large downturned nose.

for Fig, her design is also one that changes a lot, but that in and of itself is a huge part of her character!!! she's spontaneous and rebellious, and I always make sure her design reflects that. her hairstyle hats lots of subtle changes, but i like to stick to alternative microbangs a lot and making her horns curve inwards slightly. a little demon tail is optional for her, but always fun. i like to give her very heart shaped features, with a pointed chin and round defines cheeks, as well as a pointed button nose and expressive but sharp eyes.

for Riz, i really like to lean into the feral/animalistic side of goblins that we see in fh. sharp teeth, big sharp catlike eyes, and large expressive ears. im also a huge fab of giving him digitigrade legs and paws and a fuzzy tail. in my heart he's sharp and scratchy and covered in fuzz. i like to keep his face sharp but round and cute, he's got round cheeks but a sharp jawline, a small downturned nose, and wild expressive eyebrows.

[possumdrawsstuff]

THAT SCAR REF SHEET I WAS TALKING ABT FOR JIM!

all of these r based off stuff that happened in canon, if you think I’ve missed any cool opportunities then feel free to point them out! I add them because I believe that while they probably couldn’t have been included in the show for the pg rating and some of the ways he would’ve gained them being somewhat violent (even for trollhunters). I feel they add to his character and in how they would grow over time show how he would gain more and more experience as a trollhunter, yet also gaining more and more pressure and experiences that are probably not the best on jim mentally.

(Ps. I have no lightning scars In my design because lichtenberg scars, while cool looking, don’t usually last)

(Ps ps, the model I used to plan them out is from sketch fab somewhere but as I had originally not made this to post I didn’t save it, if anybody knows the creator, or is the creator, feel free to hit me up and I’ll credit you in the post.

ANYWAY MOVING ON TO THE SCARS AND MY SILLY LITTLE REASONS FOR THEM BEING THEREEE!

This is prolly gonna be angsty but I have an angsty ao3 background (to whoever read my Peter Parker nwh fic yall know ,and I am sorry I haven’t updated lol)

face/ eyebrow scar: I love that they gave him a scar in the movie, however, I didn’t like how it looked very much, especially with how he got it. I mean ARRRGHHH! Literally punched him so hard (love him Frfr but bro was not messing around even w Jim) that stone on stone had enough force to scratch some off of his face, this is why I usually make it look messier and more like scratchy scars rather than the clean cut from wizards/the unspeakable movie

2. GOBLIN/GENERAL SCARS: ok y’all I haven’t seen many other people do these but they are ver important to me 😌. Just scars from sparring could be all of these, the heroes forge has literal flying axes like ?? and in earlier seasons he didn’t always have his armor on or have a helmet at his disposal so I think he would to have had to have been nicked pretty good at least once or twice. Then there’s the goblin scars, In my version they told Barbara that it was racoons that got him , but the idea is that for Jim to have landed in the hospital he must have been hurt pretty badly that night, so, I would imagine that even while facing nomura Jim was fighting against the effects of blood loss also.

3.Angor rot: if you couldn’t tell by the photo it doesn’t show up in this! HOWEVER in my silly little side project (I’m sure some of you can probably guess what it is and if you can’t, idk look at some of my reblogs and you’ll probably find it, BUT! because it takes place after canon (yes including the movie) but also has some crunchy plot twisting In the background, the angry rot man face thing (I cant remember the name of it right now for the life of me please) will show up whenever he comes near to Jim, even if time is messed up, angor rot is back and technically hasn’t died yet so yes Jim gets the spoopy glowy thing.

4.amulet scar: idk if anybody remembers but when the arcane order took Jim’s amulet, he got scars from it right? It can be seen on his beast design is all of the tendrils leeching out from the indent of the amulet, my thinking is if his human form also got scarred by ARRGHHH! Why didn’t this scar translate too? Then again it could’ve but Jim is obviously a big fan of blue jacket*tm* so we will never know, I think he did but idk 🤷‍♀️

5.Bellroc- HEY SO ANYBODY REMEMBER WHEN BELLROC LITERALLY IMPALES JIM ON HER FLAMING STAFF!?! AND HE JUST KEPT GOING AFTER GETTING THE ARMOR!?! LIKE HE DIDNT JUST GET IMPALED? (This is partly why I think he gets like an adrenaline rush magic thingy as seen in some fic i read at some point PLEASE TELL ME IF ITS YOUR FIC I LOST IT PLEASE) YA that’s gonna leave a mark! the wound I’m guessing instantly cauterized so while yes it would hurt really bad I take that as why he was just running around after the armor.

6.burnt hand, another thing that happened in the movie but didn’t really get wrapped up in the end, Jim burnt his left hand on the gaggletac (idk how to spell it) and it just stayed bandaged for the rest of the movie, so it is also included on this list

7.back scars from bular: this one is probably the stretchiest one in this list but I think that it would have been an AMAZING addition to the plot character development wise. In one scene we see bular literally crushing and sliding Jim up the bridges interior wall and Jim is literally like silently screaming in this scene (thank you Guillermo /im sad for my son) and I like to think that after rushing over and doing Romeo and Juliet, Jim got off stage, practically ran over some people trying to get home because he can feel it, the whole play. This gives him some insight on the dangers of troll hunting. Yes I know this was a lesson beforehand but this is in the arc along with the goblins where Jim is learning he’s going to have to make personal sacrifices to keep up this troll hunting thing, including his mental health probably , it will serve as a very physical reminder of the constant danger he is now and will probably forever be in (in case y’all couldn’t tell that I’ve watched Spider-Man nwh like 8 times I’m out for blood on this one)

8.face scar from morgana: slinging the mood back around and also calling back to the “scars gained while Jim is a troll also get applied to his human form”, in like one of the last episodes maybe 2nd to last or the very last one in the final battle with morgana, she scratches Jim’s cheek with a throwing dagger and from what I can remember I thought it actually stayed on his face throughout the end of the series, I could be deluxe but I still like to add it for some reminder of the OG final battle.

not mentioned here- little pit in the amulet indention from the dark shard, and various scars from the dark lands.

if you read that entire rant I’m sorry , enjoy!

[gumnut-logic]

Scott was finalising a spreadsheet from hell when he was interrupted by a curse in Gaelic?

At least he thought it was Gaelic. Whether it was Irish, Scottish or some other dialect, he didn’t have a clue. But in any case, he was pretty sure he knew why.

Only one thing pissed off John enough to go for the ancient languages.

Scott thumbed his collar. “Yes, Thunderbird Five?”

There was a growl followed by a giggle in the background.

Scott rolled his eyes. So Eos was in on it this time.

Great, just great.

“Thunderbird Five, location on our bogey.”

“Your ‘bogey’ is on the residential balcony.”

Oh, yes, John was not happy at all.

“FAB, Thunderbird Five.”

He stood up with a sigh and stretched a few kinks out of, well, everything. He’d been out on a rescue early this morning – some unrecovered ordinance in the hands of the wrong people had levelled a building or two. Virgil had been the one swearing over that one.

Fortunately, it had been in an abandoned mine complex and while the idiots, playing with what they shouldn’t, got themselves into some strife, no one else was endangered. IR had saved and delivered them to the nearest hospital and law enforcement.

Virgil had had so many words.

Scott had shared some of those words with those in need of knowing and they’d all returned home for lunch.

Two was called out halfway between Virgil’s midday coffee and the sandwich Scott had prepared for him.

Suffice it to say, his steadfast brother wasn’t having a great day. Scott had offered to come with, but Virgil had waved him off. A glance at Gordon and his fish brother had run off after Virgil, inserting himself into the equation with his usual grin.

Gordon would either cheer up Virgil or blow him up. Either would fix the problem.

So it had been with that in the back of his mind, and on his tablet while he worked, keeping an eye on his two brothers as they discovered the second piece of unclaimed ordinance for the day.

Virgil was going to be fun to listen to tonight.

But it wasn’t Virgil he had to listen to right now.

Working out the kinks, Scott jogged up the stairs to the residential areas and, with a sigh, strode out onto the balcony.

As expected, Tony was lazing in one of the loungers, drinking…

“That’s my best scotch you’re chugging, you know.”

Still dressed in his Ironman suit, Tony looked up and over his shoulder. “Thanks for stocking it.”

Scott rolled his eyes for the second time and took a seat in the lounger next to the man. “You’ve pissed off John again.”

Tony took a sip. “My life has purpose.”

Scott turned to him in exasperation. “You do realise what John is capable of?”

“Eh, Jarvis and Eos have an understanding. Heh, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were dating.”

“You really have a death wish, don’t you.” It was not a question.

His fellow billionaire turned to him at that. “What? You think the fuddley-cuddley Tracys are even on my radar? I got bigger fish to fry. Dream on.”

“Watch it, Stark.”

“Oh, I’m shivering in my boots.”

“You are an ass.”

“Fully qualified.”

“So what do you want?”

“Your tech.”

“We’ve had this discussion.”

“Yes, we have. And I know for a fact that none of you Tracys are cool enough, much less smart enough, to have come up with all this.” His hand, not occupied with a glass of Scott’s scotch waved dramatically.

“Stark…”

Stark’s face twisted. “Bruce wants a playdate with Virgil.”

“You’re not on his favourites list today. We had more unaccounted for ordinance this morning. This time in Texas.”

An arched eyebrow. “And pretty little tech it was.”

“It levelled an entire mining facility. If it had been let loose in a populated area people would be dead.”

“Fury’s working on it.”

“Yeah, sure.” Okay, so perhaps, Scott was being a bit hard on the Shield branch of the GDF, but damnit there had been so many casualties due to discarded Chitauri weaponry amongst other things that the department claimed to have under control.

“I don’t see you out there fixing the problem.”

“We’re out there every day! Cleaning up your messes.”

“While we’re saving your asses.”

“Yes, thank you for that, but we’re busy saving everyone else every time Thor throws a party, or Bruce has a bad day.”

“We’ve had this discussion.”

Yes, they had and this conversation was getting them nowhere. Old grudges.

Old friendships.

“So, we’re all doing our best. How can we do better?”

“And there’s my goodie-two-shoes Tracy.”

“Shove it, Stark.” Scott stood up. “I’ve got better things to do.”

“Scotty, Scotty, Scotty.”

Scott grit his teeth. “What the hell do you want?”

“A chat with your gurus.” He laid back on the lounger. “And a holiday. This is the only place on the planet Fury can’t reach me, you know.”

The thought of the Avengers on Tracy Island was just…no.

“Find your boy band its own tropical island. Don’t you have three in the Caribbean?”

“Sure, but none have Tracys on them. Well, unless you’ll lend me one unsupervised.” Tony grinned up at him.

“In your dreams, Stark.”

The billionaire sighed and, putting down his glass, rolled to his feet.

Scott looked down at him. It was juvenile, but he’d known Tony since they were kids and while Tony boasted his smarts, Scott had always towered over him.

It wasn’t a big thing, but Scott was going to work with what he had.

Stark poked him in the chest with one metal clad finger. “Look, I know we’ve had our…” He waved his head as if looking for a word that Scott knew he didn’t have to look for. “…differences. But we want the same thing. To keep everyone safe. Now my team is doing what is necessary, same as you. Bruce thinks he needs one of your boys to help. Cap agreed. You gonna share or be an ass?”

Scott eyed him calmly. “I know which you chose.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Tracy, I’m trying to do good here.”

Scott had to give him that. Ever since IR had yanked him out of that kidnap/terrorist scenario in Afghanistan, Tony had been doing his best.

It was also the reason why Scott was talking to him and not Kayo. No doubt his sister had every sensor trained on the man this very moment. She and John were very much of the same opinion in regards to Tony Stark.

Both got seriously pissed each time Stark breached their security without even trying.

Perhaps there was something they could share.

Scott straightened. “I’ll think about it.” He paused and let the hope drip into Tony’s expression. “If you let John and Kayo know how you get through our security.”

Ironman blinked. “Sure.” He shrugged as if he didn’t care. Which he probably didn’t. It would only give him the opportunity to work out another way to skip through their sensor net. John and Tony had been rivals for years.

One enjoying it far more than the other.

If Five had lasers like Two, Tony might not exist any more.

Note to self: Keep John out of Two while working with the Avengers.

Hell, keep John in space.

But there was the truth of it. Tony knew the answer Scott was going to give because since the man had turned back from the dark side, they were on the same team.

And goodie-two-shoes Tracy didn’t have a choice because right was right, no matter who you had to play with.

His father’s voice chanted in the background something about saving all who need saving.

But you can’t save them all, Scott’s stubborn streak replied in a manner that statement wasn’t quite intended for.

Tony grinned at him and picked up his drink again and chugged the last of the scotch.

“Good talking with you Tracy. I’ll let Brucie know he can come and play.” And with that, Ironman threw on his helmet and took off from the balcony, leaving scorch marks in the hardwood, and disappeared into the blue, blue sky.

Scott grunted. Next time he visited Avengers Tower there was going to be so much accidental thruster damage on their landing platform.

“John, update on Two?”

“Finished and on their way home. They’ve been warned about Stark in the area.”

Another grunt.

At least Tony wouldn’t attempt to vandalise Two again. Certainly not after last time. And besides, he obviously wanted Virgil’s help, so would likely be on his best behaviour.

A sigh.

“John, track Stark out of our airspace and let him go.”

“Scott-“

“I said ‘let him go’.”

He got a grumbled FAB in return before the line cut.

Scott strode back inside and headed down to security to weather the storm that was no doubt happening down there. Better to unwind Kayo before winding up half the family about working with the Avengers.

Yet another sigh.

This was going to be fun.

In every other sense of the word.

-o-o-o-

[necros-writing-stuff]

The Horrors of Humanity: Collabo'ween Day 6.

Gn!Journalist!Reader/Darius Radner.

Warnings: Serial Murders; Kidnapping; Obsessive thoughts; Someone gets skinned but it's only mentions of it having happened. That's right, no smut in this one. Just dread. He do be playing mind games.

Word Count: 2366.

Notes: Might continue this later through smaller prompts. It's a good au for Dare.

His closed fist tapped against the cold metal of the table he sat at. His tongue trailed at the back of his teeth as he sucked in his lips and rolled his jaw. People sat around him, laughing or simply taking in their drinks as they watched the crowd float on by the window. 

You were late. Meant to be here 10 minutes ago. It's how you always met, grabbing your warm drinks before walking around the local park and discussing the case you were following like a bloodhound. 

'I'm starting to feel your absence in my heart when you aren't here,' he wrote in his journal. 'It feels leaden heavy, yet beats quicker than ever from the anxious thought that you'll never come back. How did you worm your way into my heart so fast? Was it because I wasn't looking at you when I should have had my guard up? Was that how you found the missing link in the fence that let you crawl through?'

It was true, he never meant to find your company so magnetic. People weren't his forte; a low social battery and a grumpy disposition can only handle so much before the man had to retreat back to his home to recuperate. Yet, when you left after your evening walks together, he couldn't help but yearn for more. When you were around he found himself smiling, snapping less when bumped into, hell, he even paid for that lady's baby food the other week. 

'Your infectious kindness makes me feel like a new man. It was a newness I rejected at first, but I think I might like to try and be good. If it'll make you see me and not your work, I want to be good. But I still find myself playing the devil to keep you in my grasp.'

The Devil always got the contracts signed and the souls as his own in the end, didn't he?

"Hi, Dare!" You plop yourself into the seat across from him, a whoosh of air escaping your lungs as you sank into the frame. "Fucking traffic. Sorry for being so late." 

You sip your drink, he closes his journal and hides it away before your instincts kick in and you try to pry it from him. Everything. You had a thirst for knowing everything. And most of the time you found it, but Darius kept you at an arm's length. He had to. To keep you safe. 

" 's all good. You look knackered, love." 

Dark circles under your eyes crease as you give a half-hearted smile. Your hair looks like you had your hands bothering it all day. "I haven't been sleeping the best - too busy looking over everything." 

His eyes roll, already seeing that you're wasting no time on small talk today. You want straight into your little hyperfixation. Something must have really worked you up. 

"Come here," you lean forward, chest touching the table top as you whisper. Darius follows with a deep sigh, his eyes shifting around the room and he feels like a toddler playing spies. 

"Would be nice for you to ask me how I am, y'know?" It's bad manners for you to forget. 

"Right- how are you?" Your eyes are so pretty. Your lips deserve his on them. 

"Just fab, not considering skinning my employee for blunting all of my chisels." 

Your face falls for a split second. Just a little bit before your eyebrows shoot up and that smile is back. "Funny you should mention skinning - that's what our friend's done." 

A one track mind, truly. "Oh? Do tell me more." 

It's like pulling the cord on a chainsaw. Four simple words, but he'll hear the buzz of you talking for hours now. He likes hearing you talk. He could sit and listen to you instead of being at home, watching the same old shows as he got drunk enough to pass out. Or out in the woods, in his workshop, listening to birds screech and bucks bugle. 

Your excitement should be strange. It should put him off. It never has.

"Well I was talking with that constable again, you know, the tall lady? Yeah, well, there's been another body found. They don't think it's his because it's different from the others, but I know it just has to be." 

What a rat. Darius never would have let shit leak like that back when he was on the force. He'd kept a tight grip on his underlings. At least this one leaks things to you; for that he could forgive her. 

"How do you know?" Another sip of his coffee as you just keep fiddling with the lid of your drink. 

"There's signs that he's been escalating, Dare. More violent and slow as he's killing, but an increased number of deaths. He's getting bored, so he's trying new things to bring back the magic of the first time." 

The greying man considers it for a moment, his head tilting. "You should be careful, love. All this attention you give him might have him chasing you. You're well known enough that you'd end up in the news more so than the others - especially with how pretty you are. You know how the media likes a sleeping beauty sob story." 

A scoff escapes your lips as you finally have a drink. "He's not dumb enough for that. Look at his targets. They're all people society ignores. He knows shit about how people work, he knows to be careful on who he picks. Since eyes would be on me, he'll stay away."

"Surprised you want him to stay away." 

Oh, you don't appreciate that. A pitiful frown peers at him from across the table, your sweet face falling. 

"I'm not like that, Dare. I've told you before." It's barely audible. He'd bet that your cheeks are feeling burned right about now. 

A crack can be heard as he leans back and stretches his spine, his large hands combing through his hair and getting it out of his face. He's due a haircut. 

"I know, love. Just teasing."

You arch a brow at him, a look that says you believe him as far as you could throw his giant frame. "Come on then. Give me your theory, what's he up to." 

Ah, yes. The part of these meetings that caused them in the first place. Darius had seen your first article on your news site, your pretty little picture right there on the page. When he'd found you typing your next in this very café, he'd had to give his own two-cents. You'd been astonished and thankful that anyone was ready to hear you out (outside of degenerate threads on the internet full of strange people in love with the killer). 

Bless your heart. You'd tried telling the police all of your theories, but they just wouldn't listen. Insisted they had a handle on things. 

"He's lonely." A simple conclusion. A truth - not what the killings had started as. But very much what they'd turned into.

You know nothing. You never have. You know far more than anyone else but there's half of the picture you haven't filled in. And couldn't yet. That informant told you scraps of the details, but not everything about the bodies. About the messages left on them.

But you had guessed right on a few other things. Like his age range, his education or professional background - the fact that it was nine bodies so far, not six like the police believed. The fact that he is indeed a he. 

"I doubt it. He shows all of the signs of a highly functioning person. He's probably well liked by people around him, probably-"

"But do any of the people around him understand him? Quite common now, no? Mental health pandemic and all that." 

Your voice stutters as you find your response. "So he's… killing to feel connections? But he doesn't keep trophies. Not that we know of, anyway." 

"Who says it's the victims he's vying for the love of?" Dare tips his nearly empty coffee at you. 

Adorable, really. Watching the cogs in your brain turn as you recall everything you know. Watching how your tongue flicks out and wets your lips. You're a smart one. Surely you'll see what he's planting. 

"He's killing to get the attention of someone else. They didn't start out like that, though. He's changed." 

Darius nods along, proud. "How do you know he's changed?"

"Because of how slow and methodical he's getting. He used to just brutalise his victims, but now he's taking his time. Like he's… crafting messages?" 

Bingo. You don't see the messages he makes for you, but you hear about them. And they bring you to him. The only time he gets to see you is right after he kills, when you can't wait to meet up and talk about your latest findings. But you're getting too close there. 

"Or you were right the first time and he really is getting bored." 

Now you're growling, rubbing your tired eyes. "Yeah… yeah… goddamn it." 

Once again, you deflate. It's too easy, playing with your hopes and dreams like this. You want to catch him so bad, to know him inside and out. To know what makes him tick. But so long as you don't know, you'll come back to Dare to bounce your theories around. 

Taking a final drink, Darius picks up his coat and heads to the bin to toss away the empty cardboard cup. Time for your evening walk together around the park. The cool air helped you both think. 

Following suit, you chug what remains of your beverage while checking your phone. and thank him as he holds the door open even though you're enamoured by whatever is on the screen. You used to pay more attention to Darius himself, but his actions keeping your focus is close enough.

Your hand finds his, tugging him along as you rush to the park. A giddy laugh pulls from your chest. He's never touched you before. He can't think of words to say as he feels your skin against his own. 

The first two killings had been out of curiosity. A need to know if they'd alleviate Darius' boredom. To know if it would shock some excitement within him. They hadn't been exciting at all until he'd found your article. You do such strange things to his head, love. All of those extra lives gone just because he needed to see you. 

"Our friend managed to get some pictures for me! They're sending it over now, but they're messing around with emails to make sure it can't get back to them." 

"Good news, that. You'll have more to think about." Ah. He wasn't exactly expecting this to happen so soon. Your room wasn't fully finished. "Are you sure you want to look, though? It'll be a real body. Not some movie prop. A real, skinned body." 

"For better or worse, I'm very desensitised to blood and gore. I'll be fine. Are you sure you aren't the one scared to see it?" Your eyebrows waggle as you release his hand, having made it across the road and in through the gates of the park. 

"I've seen this shit before. Ex-homicide department, remember?" 

"Mmmm, but that was years ago, and we can go soft in our old age." 

If you were anyone else he'd slap you upside your head. Despite himself, Darius laughs. "Not that old, love. I'm still in my prime." 

There's a lot of trees in the park. And very little people at this time. He'd always think ahead and parked his car in a lot that just backed off into the foliage, in a blind spot from cameras, just in case. You walked to the café since it wasn't far from the office. 

Your phone buzzes, your smile ceasing as you take in a deep breath and look over the photo. Your fingers pinch and you zoom in to examine every detail you can. A paleness crosses your skin. 

"Fucking hell…" 

Yeah, that's about right. Dare went the extra mile with this one.

"He really did take his time with this. It's. God, its smooth work. He knows how to butcher." The disgust is evident in your tone and the way your lip curls. What did he just tell you? You're biting off more than you can chew.

Darius' fingers snake their way into the deep pockets of his coat. They trace the rope he has hidden away. The capped needle he prepares before every meeting.

"He's-" 

The gulp is audible as you scroll to the next photograph. Almost gag like as you zoom in as far as you can - your eyes blowing up as your expression blanks. You found it. His little note. A name, sewn onto the sole of the foot delicately. A nickname you barely tell anyone about because it embarrasses you. But you'd told Dare. 

He can't hear anything over the sound of his blood rushing through his veins in his ears. Time seems to slow as your terrified gaze meets his own. The twitch of your muscles comes too late as you realise he's already moving - that he has something in his hand. Your scream dies as a gargle when Darius' free palm meets your throat, squeezing tightly as the needle goes in. 

Oh, his poor little investigator. It was time to go home. 

To Darius, you weigh little. Trussing you up is simple work, as is getting you in the boot of his car. There's a pillow in there for your head. Memory foam. He'd bring it inside to your new bed along with you, even if the room wasn't quite ready. He could make it work. Keep you bound, chained.

Driving past the café on the way home raises his curiosity. You wouldn't talk to him like you had in there. Not anymore. You'd be scared; feeling confused. Betrayed, maybe. He'd explain it all for you, though. His journal would tell you everything you ever wanted to know. Everything about how you became his muse. 

The police wouldn't be hearing from him again. He had what he wanted. 

[taccobelle]

Teenage Dirtbag

Paring: Eddie x fem!reader, Eddie x Cheerleader!Reader

Paring: Eddie Munson x OC Pixie Dunphy

Word count: 3.4K

Summary: In the small town of Hawkins, Pixie Dunphy, and Eddie Munson couldn't be more different, living in a small town like Hawkins, where rumors define you. Pixie is a charming and independent girl who seems to have it all. Pixie is adored by many in Hawkins High, Eddie, on the other hand, is the school's freak. Their paths cross unexpectedly, igniting a love story that defies expectations, learning they have much more in common than they initially thought.

Authors note: Hiya! I am really sorry for taking so long ato post the second chapter, I don’t plan to take as long for the third one, but please be patient with me 🥹 I will be making any corrections if needed, but I believe I auto corrected pretty well. Hope you all enjoy!

Warnings: language, slow burn, opposites attract, forced proximity, descriptions of bodies, mentions of a absent father, depiction of banter, she/her pronouns, the reader is FAB, Eddie might be a little shit, I gave the reader a nickname because y/n is so cringe. There is no mention of race, but I do occasionally describe what Pixie looks like, but those are subtle enough that you can ignore it!

Chapter 2: Tutoring Troubles

"… well, did he?" said Eddie with a maniacal grin.

You release the breath you did not even realize you were holding. One thing about Eddie Munson was that he was an intimidating presence. He sat there like he owned the library. You had an unyielding demeanor that conveyed strength and resilience, making others feel a sense of intimidation; that's why you were an athlete; most jocks have this trait. You were used to the feeling of being the commanding presence, instantly capturing the attention and respect of the student body when they entered a room. But not today; you entered that cramped and suffocating study room, dimly lit, with only a flickering fluorescent light above your head, casting shadows on Eddie's overgrown bangs, making you feel small, something you had never felt before. You weren't scared of him, just cautious.

Eddie pressed on with a sarcastic smile, looking up at you. "Did the cat get your tongue Tink?" Eddie sat there as you quickly glanced at his slouched form, with his feet on the table, chewing on the end of a pencil like he hadn't had lunch. His outfit gave him a sadistic look, and you noticed Eddie wore a faded black t-shirt of probably some metal band; the shirt had worn-out graphics and strategically placed rips around his shirt. On top, Eddie wore a black leather jacket, polluted with various patches, buttons, and pins on the front, and the jacket looked old and older than him, perhaps a hand-me-down or from a thrift store.

You stood paralyzed, not knowing what to do or say. This is uncharted territory for you, and Eddie commands the room today. "I-I'm sorry?" You managed to get out. Feeling like a complete fool, you regain your composure as you realize that instead of meeting two people, you find yourself face-to-face with the infamous Eddie Munson alone. Your eyebrow creases inward in a frown, lips quivering in an involuntary pout. Who was Tink? What right did he have calling you names, making fun of your height, for that matter? "Don't call me that, and my name is Pixie, not Tink," Introducing yourself, raising your head high, and wiping the frown from your face, a pointless attempt at looking more intimidating. Extending your hand to him felt too formal, but considering you two had never exchanged words before, treating him like a close friend seemed out of place. His gaze lingered on your hand as if you were an extraterrestrial being, the crease between his brows indicating you might not have done the best job —God, he probably hates me. You don't have to make him love you; you simply have to make him act civil enough to make the next couple of weeks bearable, at the least.

After his stare left your outstretched hand, his eyes lifted, meeting your eyes directly. "As if you need an introduction, doll" Again, with these nicknames!? You knew that showing your frustration with the nicknames only made him want to call you many more just out of spite, wanting to get at jocks any chance possible, but you can't help the frustration showing. A mischievous grin spreads across his face. Eddie entertained your attempt at civility and shared his name. He's one to speak; I don't need an introduction? He doesn't need an introduction! As if anyone in this school hadn't heard his name a million times through the intercom system, Higgins' voice announcing it, dripping with annoyance, repeating on a daily like an old rhyme.

"I do hope this isn't too much of a social suicide for you, doll," Eddie remarked, his tone clearly mocking. It was no secret that he harbored disdain for practically all your friends. The most they'd ever interacted was when some jock kid would buy pot from him at some party or when that same kid would throw empty milk cartons at Munson, or knock his books from his hand, starting a war because Eddie always would strike back with insults just as harsh. To some extent, he was right, and you knew for sure that as soon as this study session was over, your friends would undoubtedly voice their concerns about you spending every Wednesday in a tiny room with Munson for the foreseeable future. "I'm sure I can handle it," you replied a hint of irony in your smile acknowledging the underlying truth in his jest.

With his legs on the study table, you had a good view of the tight ripped black jeans, making you wonder if he paid the total price on jeans to come looking like someone had gone to war wearing them, or if possibly that was on purpose. As he impatiently shook his feet, causing the old table to shake like there was an earthquake happening, the chains he undoubtedly had pinned to his pants hit the metal of the chair, sounding like the sound of aggressive windchimes on a windy autumn evening, His hair wild, the unkempt mane touching his shoulders, his untidy bangs covered the view of his eyes from the angle you stood, adding to his ominous look. The dim lighting, provided by a flickering fluorescent light above, casts shadows on his face, adding to the air of mystery; his striking presence demands attention, Munson made it his life's mission for everyone acutely aware of his existence, and it sends a chill down your spine.

Stumbling over your words, you manage to mumble; all you could think about was what Jessica would have to say regarding you being in a closed-off room in the library, alone, with "the freak." Not that you cared much about what she had to say. It was never anything interesting to add to the conversation anyways. What frightened you, to your core, was the rumors she might start; you've had enough of those brewing to suffice. Plus, it is annoying to hear her nagging voice all the time. The shock is evident on your face, but you quickly attempt to hide it, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing how surprised you genuinely are. You and Eddie are now bound to spend time together once a week, every Wednesday, thanks to O'Donnell's class.

"…I thought it was supposed to be two of you?" you manage to get out. You clear your throat, and the sound echoed softly, resonating with vulnerability and determination. You straighten your posture, aggressively smooths out the wrinkles of your cotton shirt, and raise your chin high in an attempt to make yourself seem taller and in command. From the angle you stood, that was not an arduous task. He sat sprawled on his chair, and you stood upright. You had to get it together and assert your dominance back.

When you got no response to your question, just a shoulder shrug, you continued, "Anyhow, shall we get started?" You say this with such conviction that you almost believe the awkward meeting didn't occur. You hastily make your way to the crooked table, the chemical-resistant laminate chipping off in the corners from the years of students nervously nipping at it, the various cartoon drawings in #2 pencil, only visible at an angle, mocking your foolish nervousness.

You couldn't help but wonder why you were so nervous, anyways. Sure, Eddie's reputation preceded him, but out of all people, you knew that rumors didn't always define a person; plus, it was hard to believe all the stories swirling around him, cult leader? Give me a break! The guy didn't have the stamina to pass first-year students' mile run in under 10 minutes, let alone lead a group of kids to the depths of hell by worshiping the devil! Honestly, people sometimes gave Eddie way too much credit, and you even think he took a liking to the big lousy persona people of Hawkins cultivated for him. It covered the fact that he fed kittens on his smoke breaks behind the school. You saw it yourself once during PE. And yes, he might dress differently, a little out of popular fashion, I mean, he is probably in style for whatever crowd he hangs with, and he certainly put thought into his outfits, even if they were from the thrift store. And that is more than you could say about the other boys in this school, heck! More than you can say, about half the girls in this school! And you knew better than to let leather jackets and chain belts make you scared of Munson; you despised it when people treated you poorly based on your appearance, and unfortunately, that happened all too often in this school, so you made it a promised not to do it to others as well.

You start to gather the material from your pastel pink Jan sport backpack, shoving your teddy bear keychain to your chest, a fruitless attempt to hide it from the eyesight of Eddie, you can't pinpoint why yet, but you were sure he'd make fun of your for having it, the quite the opposite from his style, you'd rather avoid the light bullying. You shove your tower of textbooks his way, slightly shoving the tip of his worn Reeboks to the edge of the table, a silent scolding that, surprisingly, Eddie just chuckled before removing his crossed feet from the table, sitting right on his chair, displaying no protest. You exhibit in the most organized manner all your highlighters, glittery pens, and scented gel pens, and take out your notes from the last lesson.

“I guess we're stuck together for this tutoring thing," Eddie’s voice spoke out, capturing your attention. Yu knew that wasn’t the true reason why’d he’d “stayed” for so long; you know that not everyone is wildly pressured into doing so well in school like you, but you’think they’at least try. "So, what subject are you struggling with?" ignoring his remark on the forced tutoring session, as if he didn't beg O’Donnell for this.

Contrary to popular belief, Eddie was not ecstatic when he got a letter last year informing him he would have to repeat his senior year, much less did he repeat on purpose. Eddie had never been one for studying, and that much everyone already figured. Eddie had made it a promise to himself he would pass and graduate this year, 86' was the year he'd finally graduate. Being in a crowded building with snotty first-year students for the rest of his life became his recurring nightmare, and that is why he mustered up the gull to humiliate himself in front of O'Donnell to ask for extra help. The old hag was the sole reason he hadn't graduated yet and never managed to keep himself awake in her class; that is when he didn't cut that entire period because it was so dull. It never made sense in Eddie's mind how people honestly thought he was a Satan worshiper just because he didn't brush his hair and he played a role-playing board game but paid no mind that the devil himself took the form of the old hag of an English lit teacher at Hawkins High.

Eddie made his way to the library from his usual smoke break after school. Eddie could feel his feet tingling with nervousness to meet the poor nerd that would have to try and keep his focus from now on, and he knew that was no easy task. As he walked through the vacant halls of Hawkins High, noting how eerie it looked with no students running amuck. He walked into the library, whistling the theme song to the animated Lord of the Rings movie, igniting a chorus of shushes from students and the librarian alike. When he entered the study room, he tossed his backpack to the corner and relaxed on the chair, waiting for the unfortunate soul who would be walking in any second now. To his surprise, what walked in was not some cross-eyed nerd with huge thick glasses as he had expected. In walked Pixie Dunphy, her manicured hands gripping the strap of her light pink backpack, looking like a deer in headlights, like she was caught in a lie. Eddie examined Pixie, Hawkins royalty herself, stopped in her tracks, clearly just as surprised as him at the prospect of seeing each other in such an environment.

He took a glance at Pixie, and the cheerleader could not have been dressed anymore like the all-American sweetheart. She wore a short-sleeved cotton polo shirt in a dull beige color; the shirt sported a small, embroidered logo displaying Daddy's money. It fits snugly on her curves, with the high-waisted pleated skirt in a Hawkins green barely hitting right above her mid-thigh, flowing with the gust of wind from the door slamming shut. Hawkins' residential princess wore on her wrists several bracelets that she probably made with little friends, with a promise of a lifelong friendship, or some crap like that, with each bead displaying a different color, a bright yellow scrunchie on her wrist, little miss perfect looked like the school mascot had thrown up on her. His eyes traveled back to her face, thinking they could not have looked more like two opposites from each end of a color spectrum, clashing. He knew who she was, and there was no way one person could go a week in this school without hearing her name, his flock of sheepies wouldn't ever hide their drool and heart eyes whenever she'd walk by in the hallways. He'd heard a lot from Miss Dunphy, mainly from the mouth of the jocks in the halls, saying all sorts of things about what they'd do if they got at least 5 minutes alone with the Pixie Dunphy as if they'd need that much time, they'd probably jizz in their pants before she even looked at them.

It was no secret to absolutely anyone that Eddie had a disdain for jocks. He hated sports too, never the type to take a liking to any kind of sports as a kid, and the disinterest turned into hatred out of spite after he started getting bullied. When he was a kid, her never understood why people never wanted their children to play with him in the schoolyard. Eddie found it early on in life that living in Hawkins, people had name invisible tags stuck to their foreheads, branding everyone with an identifier. Before Eddie could even make a name for himself, he already had an identifier, Hawkins' very own dead-beat, scheming thief, someone to be afraid of. His dad so generously passed that down to him, like the lack of morals was hereditary. Al Munson wasn't much of a dad, more like a progenitor, never raising Eddie and being there to cause trauma. Edie hated him and everything he must deal with because of him. The only good thing to come out of the whole situation was his uncle.

Snapping out of his daydream while Eddie sat there waiting for you to finish gathering all your junk out of your pink bag, how is her posture so good when she carries around all that crap? He was trying his hardest to pay attention, but not paying attention is how he found himself in this predicament—forced to endure a tutoring session with none other than Pixie, the popular cheerleader, and her perfectly styled hair. Eddie couldn't help but roll his eyes at the irony of it all; the universe seemed to be playing a cruel joke on him. Pixie, with her preppy attire and her array of glitter and gel pens, seemed a world away from his realm of headbanging and mosh pits. As she pulled in her chair at the table, Eddie couldn't help but feel a mixture of annoyance and curiosity. "I guess we're stuck together for this tutoring thing," Eddie grunted in response, unable to muster a warmer starter. He didn't expect Pixie to be any different from all the other residents of Hawkins, but the situation forced him to tolerate her presence, at least for the time being. Pixie sat opposite him, arranging her textbooks neatly on the table. She cleared her throat and glanced at Eddie before speaking. "So, what subject are you struggling with?" ignoring his remark on the forced tutoring session, as if he didn't request this, maybe the problem was her.

Eddie hesitated, momentarily caught off guard by her genuine concern. He wasn't used to people caring about his academic performance. Reluctantly, he admitted, "English, O'Donnell doesn't seem to want to let me go," Eddie joked lightly, picking the hangnail off his dry fingertips. Pixie nodded, her eyes lighting up with a determined spark; she took a deep breath and wetted her lips with the tip of her tongue, moistening them before speaking up, "Alright, let's tackle William Shakespeare then. We've got that essay due next week. I can try all I want, but you'll have to put in some effort. I can't do this all on my own."

Eddie grinned mischievously, his eyes sparkling with a hint of rebellion. "Ah, Pixie, always the queen of academic diligence," he teased, his voice laced with a playful tone. "Alright, do your worse," Eddie said with a determined glare. Pixie rolled her eyes, a familiar response to Eddie's tendencies; he was used to people doing that. Pixie smirked, her lips curling into an amused smile. "Not all of us can be so good at doing their worse, Munson," Pixie snarks out, hiding a smirk, getting a slight jab at him, getting back for his name-calling. Eddie mock gasped, placing a hand dramatically over his heart. "Sacrilege!" he exclaimed, a mischievous glimmer in his eyes. "Have you no manner Ms.Dunphy? What would dear old daddy say if he heard you treating someone with such disrespect?" Eddie adds he isn't used to having such a playful interaction with someone of Pixie's type, which is new to him, not that he misses getting picked on. Pixie smirked, her lips curling into an amused smile. "Oh, Eddie, are you sure you want to know what dear old daddy would say?" she jibed, playfully poking fun at him. "Let us hope he doesn't find out I am even here with you once a week from now on. I can't even begin to imagine what he'd think I'm doing with you"

Eddie leaned back in his chair, a smirk stretched across his face, crossing his arms defiantly "Well, my first guess would be the sacrifice of a virgin, right?" he declared, his voice filled with a mixture of playfulness but also a twinge of discomfort; her face dropped, showing something he had not yet seen on her shining eyes: fear, this made Eddie want to turn back time and take away his uncalled-for remark, knowing her identifier. "...it was a joke" he exclaimed, adjusting his seat. "I hope you know I don't perform sacrifices on my spare time."

Pixie is no longer able to hold her face straight. Laughter, all too loud for a library, comes rushing out of her plump pink lips; the most unforgiving noise comes out of her, making her hauler in her laughter in seconds, her face reddening in seconds. Eddie let a slight smile out. He had never seen Pixie laugh like this in the halls. "Okay, okay," Eddie says, surrendering his hands. "You've got me; I fell for that lame prank," he says through a smirk, looking Pixie in the eyes. She locked eyes with Eddie, letting her face relax, the slight twinge of blush lingering on her cheeks, "don't worry, I don't believe you are intellectually available for sacrifice," she remarked nimbly, slowly looking at the papers spread on the table. The clock on the wall indicated they had yet to start lessons in the last 25 minutes they had been in that room, making her jump to action. She grabbed her notebook, read the correct page, and explained the lesson. Pxir swept the bangs from her face, gathering her luscious locks with a traffic sign yellow scrunchie. "Ok, now we're ready to start," she exclaimed. That is when Eddie noticed it'd be more challenging to pay attention in this lesson than to O'Donnell's.

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I don’t intend on taking so long to update you all for the next chapter, but please be patient 🙏🏼 I am welcome to constructive criticism in the comments! if you want to join the taglist let me know

Taglist: @peachysink

[cidthesquid]

My Debut! - MODEL Debut 3 #nicola

Trying a New fashion game today! Also, Happy Valentine's Day! If you don't have someone special to spend it with, try to at least do something fun for yourself! I'm going to be spending my day trying a new fashion game!

I've seen a few clips of this, And heard it's "the best fashion game on switch!", (Released around the same time as 'Fashion Dreamer') With the only drawback being it's only available in Japanese. So We probably won't be sticking with this too long, but let's get started! ---- Alright, it looks like we just passed our audition, and we're trying to decide what to do next... and wow.. Google Translate is really struggling with this game...

That's fine, fashion is an international language,

Ok, time to create my usual character...and..oh...

Is that really the darkest skin tone? I know this game is made for japan, but really? Style Savvy Ds had more options, and so did Fab Style on the DS/3ds They have a million eye designs, and a full RGB slider for hair colors, But for skin, all you get is a very mild tan :-/

Oh well, hmm this is interesting, they have a dedicated eye size/positioning section.

Three presets for each, eyebrow height, eye height, eye size, and pupal size. It may feel a little limiting, but that's a bit more control than style savvy/fashion dreamer, without overwelmming the player,.

Here's my final character design: (I hope they let me edit it later)

Okay outfit time!

Wow, this game has full layering, bags, and lets you equip multiple accessories! Even though the starting options are limited, the fact that you can (as silly as it sounds) wear a neckless under a scarf. Means you have more freedom than the older style savvy games! (even if I still prefer the outfit designs in SS)

wow there is a lot of dialogue in this game...

umm, I just wanted to have fun making outfits, what is all of this?

Ok, so I guess this is the SS 'Photo studio' equant:

You can't move the camera, but you can adjust the pose, expression and background. (real backgrounds in a game like this look pretty weird. You'll also have added controls for head position and gaze direction:

Anyways, with our first photo shoot out of the way, we now get to see the world map:

our only option is to go to the studio, so lets start there: And once we arrive, we're given a few jobs to choose from:

I really don't know what any of these mean, so we'll go with the 'Cherry blossom viewing coordination' as I think that may just mean "style using pink", maybe?

Nope, it looks like they want me to dress in a casual top for work, Luckily everything is labeled here, so you can just scroll over an item and check the tags.

I'm not sure if all items need to match or we just need something that fits the theme, so let's try this:

This is cute, but apparently dresses don't count for the 'casual top' category, (I should have guessed.)

Let's Try again...

Nope, They're still complaining about the "illustration, I'll need to look that up..." ok, I found a fantastic video from the youtuber "HamsterButtocks", and watched the start of her playthrough. Turns out, you need both tags shown to mach the item in question, so, we'll use the search function to find a top that matches both requirements.

And here we go!

Next up is posing and framing and we're done!

Once you complete the job you get points to 'rank up' as a model, and you get little NPC comments on your post.

And it looks like once we get further in, we'll eventually unlock some fashion show type event:

So very interesting, I should have guessed from the game's title, But unlike Style Savvy and Fashion Dreamer, this game seems to be exclusively about modeling, and dressing up your own character, rather than helping others find their own sense of style. That's fine, and it's a neat idea, Style Savvy Fashion Forward ad a similar event, but I'm not sure how I'd feel about sticking with a full game based around that. I'm still super early on, and I'm sure tons more options will unlock as I go, but this seems to be the core gameplay loop. I had fun trying it out, and I may go back later, But for now, I have to work on the new fashion dreamer event that just went live, and I still have to finish Style Savvy: trendsetters, so I got plenty of stuff to do! Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed another entry in my weird fashion game blog!

[bluejaysandblackbats]

The Flames That Burn The Brightest

Fandom: DC Comics, Titans (Fab Five), Arrowfam

Summary: Donna Troy is working as a teacher at a high school, and to her surprise, she comes face-to-face with an old flame who just so happens to be the new guidance counselor.

Chapters: 2/?

Characters: Donna Troy, Roy Harper, Jade Nguyen, Lian Harper, Garth of Shayeris, Dick Grayson, Wally West

Relationship(s): Past DonnaRoy, Past CheshRoy

Additional Tags: Teachers AU, No Powers AU, Donna Troy-centric, Platonic Soulmates Dick & Donna, Parent Roy Harper, Lovers to Friends, Friends to Lovers, Romantic Fluff, Reunions

Chapter Two: Kindergarten (Roy's POV)

I awakened to the gentle purring of Fanta as she rubbed her furry face against my cheek. “Good morning, Mama. Let me get cleaned up, and I’ll feed you. I promise,” I whispered. Fanta was a pretty orange Maine Coon. She technically wasn’t mine, but I kept her when I left her the first time. Part of me hoped it’d give her an excuse to call me. She never did. Being in love made the world move faster, and I was prone to reeling out of control. Maybe I left to protect her from that. It’d been five years, and I finally learned I can’t run from everything that makes me feel something. I couldn’t have abandoned my most recent love even if I wanted to. I stretched out and sprawled across the bed. Then I felt a weight on my chest. I welcomed its heavy-handed warmth. I wrapped my arms around her as I playfully rocked side to side.

“Good morning, Daddy,” Lian whispered. I chuckled as I let go and opened my eyes. She leaned over me. “I want to brush our teeth together.”

“Yeah?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “Do I have stinky breath? D’you wanna smell?”

“Yucky,” Lian laughed as she jokingly pushed my face aside.

I sat up, and I saw Lian was already dressed. My breath caught for a moment. “You start kindergarten today,” I whispered. I covered my face, hiding my mortified expression in my palms. Lian pulled my hands away.

“Uh-huh,” Lian smiled, “Are you okay?” Lian asked.

“Yeah, I can’t believe you’re going to school today,” I replied.

“Like you!” Lian grinned. I nodded, brushing my knuckle against her chin.

“Yeah! That’s right!” I exclaimed.

“Are you still gonna take me, Daddy?” Lian questioned.

“Of course, I promised. I wouldn’t miss today for anything,” I replied. Lian jumped from my bed, and I followed her to the bathroom. I put toothpaste on her toothbrush for her while we rinsed with mouthwash.

“Is Mommy coming?” Lian asked. I nearly choked on my mouthwash. I spat in the sink and brushed my teeth.

“Um… I don’t know if Mommy’s dropping you off with me or if she’s only picking you up. I’ll call her during breakfast,” I replied. Jade and I were so hard on each other for so long after the breakup… But Lian was a constant reminder that we loved each other once. Deeply. It was nearly impossible to be upset with each other when we had to focus on co-parenting our daughter.

I was still a dumb kid when Jade told me we had a daughter, but I grew up fast. At least I think I grew up. I finished school, and I started counseling at one. I planned on coming in later because I had to get Lian settled. We brushed our teeth, and Lian sat in the kitchen watching me make pancakes. “Can I call Mommy?” Lian asked.

I reached into my sweatpants pocket and gave her my phone. “Stand here, okay?” I requested while I flipped pancakes. Lian nodded and called Jade from my phone. She put the phone on speaker and sat it beside me on the counter.

“I’m on my way right now, Roy,” Jade answered on the first ring. I chuckled. I was so relieved she’d drop Lian off with me.

“I’m not calling you. Lian wanted to talk to you,” I grinned as I winked at Lian. Lian giggled.

“Good morning, Mommy!” Lian shouted.

“Great morning! Did Daddy make breakfast?” Jade asked.

“He’s making pancakes,” Lian answered.

“Tell your mommy I’ll make her a plate,” I whispered, “We can eat together since everyone’s early.”

Lian lit up. “Mommy, Daddy’s gonna make you breakfast too,” Lian announced. We didn’t usually do meals together, but I figured Lian would enjoy having Jade with us for breakfast.

“Oh, well, tell him I’m using my key when I get there… Roy, are you dressed?” Jade asked.

“Nah, not yet. It only takes me a second to get dressed,” I replied.

“Okay… If you want, I can do the dishes after breakfast so you can get dressed… And I know you have work, so I wanted to let you know I can pick Lian up and take her out for lunch,” Jade offered.

“That’s good with me,” I replied, “Lian, do you wanna go to lunch with Mommy after school?” Lian stood on the tips of her toes.

“Uh-huh! I can’t wait!” Lian exclaimed. It was my second year at the high school, and Jade was super supportive about taking Lian when I had emergencies at work or a meeting that ran late. I had to give it to her. Jade was a great mom.

“Lian, we can go wherever you want,” Jade replied, “I’m in the neighborhood, so I’ll see you when I get there. Okay?”

“Okay, Mommy. Bye-bye,” Lian replied.

“Bye-bye, Lian. Love you… And tell Daddy I love him too,” Jade replied. I choked.

“Love you too, Mommy. Daddy’s choking, I gotta hang up,” Lian replied as she hung up and got my water bottle out of the fridge.

I took a sip and thanked her. “You know your mom means as a friend, right? She loves me like a friend,” I explained.

“Okay,” Lian replied, “How do you love her?”

“What do you mean—?” Jade walked in and picked Lian up, showering her in kisses.

“Hi,” Jade smiled. “Breakfast ready?” I nodded as I took a sip.

Jade grabbed plates and sprayed whipped cream on everyone’s pancakes. We sat at the table, and Jade snapped a picture of Lian with me before scooching in on Lian’s other side to get all three of us. It was nice.

After I ate, I slipped away to get dressed. I put on my pants and a colorblock knit shirt that Jade got me for my last birthday. It sounds weird, but things were complicated. We shared a daughter. We were family. And I desperately needed that. There was nothing more to want from life. Anything else would’ve complicated and confused things too much. I was finally content with life as it was. My phone rang, and I chuckled. “What’s up, Fish-breath? Don’t you know what today is?” I asked.

“Yeah, I called to tell Angelfish I hope she has a great first day at school,” Garth replied, “Oh… I’m canceling next Friday’s swim practice because Cerdian’s got his checkup, and Dee’s busy.”

“Okay, I’ll type up the announcement before lunch today if you forget,” I replied. We always talked about our schedules together. Because on top of being sports coaches, we were school counselors. So, whatever I couldn’t handle, he picked up, and vice versa. Garth was the one who got me the job at the high school. We’d known each other since we were kids, and he wanted an excuse to hang out. To be honest, it felt nice to stay in touch with some of my friends from the past. It was a simple life, but it was my life. I couldn't ask for anything more.

[satorusugurugurl]

can we please get something about satoru x reader x suguru 🤲🏻💖

i would absolutely love a third part

and fourth

and fifth 👀

Reversal!

Characters: Geto Suguru, Gojo Satoru, FAB!Reader

Warning: Language, smut, Reader is fuckin pissed, sitting on face, body worship

Word Count: 1,597

A/N: I received this request and a suggestion for the reader being mad. I merged the two! As for other parts, I’m so down. Send me suggestions! 😈💚

Part One Part Two

It wasn’t very often that you were sent off on a mission alone. Usually, you were stuck in Tokyo handling curses here while your partners were sent off overseas. So imagine your surprise when Yaga and the higher-ups sent you overseas to London.

You had been ecstatic!

You were looking forward to seeing sights you’d never seen before. The wonder and woe wore off the second you stepped off the plane. You were ushered off to a tiny rural village, where not one, not two, but seven curses had been spotted. It took you a damn week to exorcize all of them. You could have finished it sooner if the stupid locals stopped getting in your way.

When you finally made it home, you were irritated, exhausted, and needed stress relief. Stress relief that involved your two boyfriends and their skillful tongues and appendages. They had no idea what was in store for them as you unlocked the door.

Satoru was happily eating a cookie when the front door nearly came off its hinges just as he passed it. He choked, raising his hand to defend himself with Hollow Purple, only to see you throwing your shoes off with a dark expression washed over your pretty face.

“Oh, my fuck!” He gasped out, coughing as cookie crumbs choked him. “You scared the ever-loving shit out of my sweetheart!” When you said nothing, Satoru tilted his head, taking note of the dark circles under your eyes, the ashy tone of Your skin, and how you gritted your teeth as you threw your suitcase to the side. “Rough week?”

No words were said as you grabbed him by the front of the shirt. “Shut the fuck up.” You snarked like a lioness on the prowl.

Satoru gulped as he was yanked down the hall towards Suguru’s room. When you reached The slightly cracked door, you kicked it in, causing the raven-haired man to jump. His eyes darted from his book to the doorway, where he found your exhausted, angry features and Satoru’s terrified face.

What had they forgotten to do when you were gone? Laundry? No, that was done. Messy house? No, the duo was always neat. Dinner wasn't made? That couldn't be it; you had told them you wanted takeout before boarding the plane home. Not knowing what was going through your beautiful mind made you ten times scarier.

Several seconds passed as scenarios crossed his mind before Suguru cleared his throat. He placed his book down on the nightstand, striding towards you with a cocked eyebrow. His movements were slow and full of caution as he approached you like you were a wild beast.

“Princess? You okay?”

You moved at lightning speed, releasing Satoru before you shoved Suguru back onto the bed. He didn’t say a word as he watched you take off your panties before bunching your skirt up to your hips. Before he knew it, you were yanking down his sweats as you onto the bed. Satoru watched in horny shock as you straddled Suguru’s face and bent down over him to stroke his best friend's cock.

“Toru, get the fuck behind me, and fuck me.” You barked out as if he was supposed to know what to do.

“R-Right!” He stripped out of his clothes as Suguru groaned underneath you. His tongue wasted no time, darting out and licking at your damp folds as you took his cock into your mouth, sucking it gently. “I guess it was a rough week.”

You wanted to snap back at Satoru, but how could you when Suguru was licking your clit like it was candy. You gasped, leaning forward, taking his cock into your mouth with a hungry groan. Satoru was half tempted to sit back and watch his two sexy partners sixty-nine, but the image of your furious face had him moving despite his desires.

The feeling of Suguru’s hot wet tongue flattening and lapping over your clit, to feeling Satoru’s cock stretch you open had you gasping around Suguru’s cock, your eyes fluttering as they rolled back at the sensation. It was so good, your clit being stimulated while your pussy was being stuffed. It was like worlds were colliding; a cosmic event was taking place between your legs, and your pussy was crying happy tears.

The warmth of your mouth and hearing the grunts from Satoru had Suguru’s cock throbbing in your mouth. The stimulation was great, but having you take control, making them do what you wanted, it was just as good as them taking out their frustrations on you. Maybe he needed to talk to Yaga about sending you out more often. Oh god, what if they sent you and Satoru out together, or you and him? The possibilities were endless.

Possibilities that had Suguru furrowing his brows as he hungrily licked and sucked at your clit. If you needed them this bad, by god, he’d give you everything you fucking wanted. You wanted to cum on his face. He’d make that happen! Once you finished, if you wanted more, he’d give you more. Suguru grabbed the top of your thighs, slamming you down directly on his tongue, devouring you.

Suguru’s sudden action had Satoru wincing, his faltering as you tightened around his cock. Your walls pulsated and clenched around him. Fuck, how the fuck were you so wet but still so goddamn tight?! He felt like you were going to squeeze his cock off of the three of you and kept going at this pace. Suguru was eating you out while you gagged around his cock. The sight was better than any porn he’d ever seen. And he was fucking loving in it!

“Fuuuck~!!” Satoru threw his head back, hips jerking forward faster. “Oooh god fuck me, t-this is so hot.”

“Mmmph~ mmhm!” Suguru moaned in agreement from underneath you, sending vibrations dancing through your clit.

You gagged on Suguru’s cock pulling back enough to breathe. “If it feels that fucking good, shut up and keep going!” You shouted, sending a glare with no heat in Satoru’s direction. He didn’t freeze up under your harsh words; no, instead, he groaned as his cock twitched inside of you, his hips moving as you instructed him to do so.

His pace picked up as you went back to sucking on Suguru’s fat cock, deep-throating him with a moan as he flicked his tongue over your sensitive clit. Already, you were feeling your orgasm tightening in your belly. Satoru could feel it, too, from the way you clenched down on his cock, your gummy walls pulsating.

Satoru wasn’t the only one to notice. Your dark-haired boyfriend picked up on the telltale signs of you being close as well. Your clit twitched, and your moans grew louder, buzzing around his cock as you gagged on him. Knowing precisely what you needed, Suguru sealed his lips around your sensitive bud, sending your eyes shooting wide. Satoru picked up the pace of his thrusts.

The buzzing hum in your head wasn’t from being buzzed off alcohol. No, it was from being buzzed off of your partners. They worked in tandem with each other between Satoru’s thrust and Suguru’s insatiable skills with his tongue. You cried out, toes churching back, arching as they worked you to the brink of your orgasm.

“That’s right, sweetheart~ we got you~ cum~” Satoru growled against your shoulder as he kissed your skin. His words drew you closer, but Suguru sent you over the edge. He was moaning, growling around your clit as his balls clenched, his cum sliding down your throat. All the while, he moved his head back and forth as fast as he could, pulling you over the edge with him.

The orgasm that ripped through you had you rock back against Satoru and over Suguru’s still-working mouth. Satoru’s dick repetitively hits your g-spot over and over, making you squirt around him and all over Suguru’s face. While Suguru hummed in approval lapping up all of the juices he could, Satoru fucks you deeper and harder as his orgasm hits him. He fucked his load deep inside of your tight cunt, making you cry out as you pulled off of Suguru.

“O-Oooh~ oh fuck yes~!” You palm your breasts as your boyfriends gasp and pant, the three of you slowly coming down from your highs.

Once Satoru is positive he’s milked himself completely inside of you, he pulls his sensitive cock out of you, allowing you to get off Suguru, collapsing in the bed next to him. Satoru smirks, chuckling roughly as he stares down at Suguru’s fucked out expression, his perfectly beautiful face shimmering with your cum. Blue eyes dart towards you, panting just as heavily, looking a million times happier than when you first came home.

“N-Now I—“ you gasped, “I get it.”

Suguru turned his head towards your voice, “Get what, Princess?” He groaned. He was rolling into his stomach to watch you.

“Why your guys fuck the life out of me after a long mission.” Their smiles are palpable as you hum happily, pulling them both to either side of you. They oblige, Satoru resting his head over your breasts while Suguru buries his face into the crook of your neck. “That was fucking great, let go again.”

Suddenly, Satoru and Suguru were beginning to wonder if you going out on missions like them would be for the best. You were fucking unfathomable hot when you took control, but they also know how passionate you were. They could only pray their cocks would survive the night to come.

[mermaidsirennikita]

I have so many books on my tbr and so many books checked out on Libby but now all I want to do is reread Duke of Midnight and revel in Maximus and Artemis (their names are just perfect) and their craziness I hope you're happy with yourself...

I mean?? I'm doing a selective Maiden Lane reread on audiobook (I didn't listen to any of them on audio the first go and it's a good way to cover time and get 'er done) and I can't wait for Duke of Midnight. And because of my shock and horror at the Duke of Midnight prejudice Target seems to have... I did reread the sex scenes in that book today. And honestly? Some of the most lit Elizabeth Hoyt has written?

In part because, like, obviously... Maximus... lets loose... during sex in a way that he can't during his everyday life, which of course aligns well with the book's primary conflict, which is that he has done a lot to preserve and maintain his status and appearance... But he actually doesn't *like* any of it, and he's only really himself with Artemis OR when he's doing his crazy Georgian Batman shit. He's dead inside whenever he's being the Duke of Wakefield, but he's so committed to it. And while it's easy to pitch this as a cold, stern duke book, when you reread especially it's so clear that he is IN LOVE with Artemis really early on. Like, boyishly besotted with her. Like, he thinks that everything she does is the most adorable bullshit ever, and she's A Goddess, and he's here to worship her, and it's FAB. The scene where they have sex for the first time is one I remember initially reading and being like, oh okay, he's getting her off but once it's time to put it in he's being a little rough with her, and like... It is a little rough, and I initially read that as pure kinky vibes~ but when I reread it? He's actually pretty careful with her despite being all worked up, but when he starts to put it in he looks at her to check in and she looks back and RAISES HER EYEBROW IN CHALLENGE LMAO. And that's when he grins at her and starts going the fuck in harder. It's their weird little game! Their weird crazy one-upmanship thing!

And honestly, why wouldn't he be in love with her? Artemis is a great heroine. Quiet and very dignified, but also like... driven to reunite with Apollo, and so ready to just let herself enjoy something. The fact that she just waltzes up to Maximus in the middle of the night basically like "oh no, well I guess you might as well fuck me while we're here" is just... the kind of thing I love in a heroine. And while she's very impressed with him and wants to have him and so on, I feel like... There's this thing you see with virgin heroines especially where they're like, "oh, I'm actually not good enough for him, how did I get this man to worship me". While Artemis just ACCEPTS HIS WORSHIP. Like the scene where he like, sits down in front of her chair and just... goes to town lmao. She's very excited by this development, but there's really no maidenly "omg what's he doing" or "Dear Penthouse, I can't believe this happened to me" shit. I think from her POV she actually is like "he's not gonna scare me into stopping this" or something. She's just basking in his adoration because Artemis! Deserves! Anyway, definitely one of the best pussy-eating scenes I've ever read, he's described as "a priest worshipping at an altar" and I dig that shit.

And then they move to the floor so that she can ride him and he's freaking out and she's all "would u like some help w your pants uwu". It's LIT.

Anyway, it's a great book, and honestly criminally underrated as most Elizabeth Hoyt masterpieces are, and I'm gonna reread it in full soon.

[mykilljoyhq]

Infodump about my Killjoy Ocs written like my OCs pt.1

Gaz Guzzler-🤪

Aight, let’s get started, assholes

1. What is your full birth name and any nicknames you go by

What are you a cop? You don’t need to know all that. I’m Gaz Guzzler, friends call me Gaz(mainly DJ)

2. Who do you currently live with at the moment

The Batcave with Spellcaster and DJ. Oh and that kid we picked up in like..zone 2. Didn’t get their name, but I call them Red.

3. What is your gender identity and sexual orientation

Man I don’t know….nothing? I’m just Gaz the Killjoy. Never saw myself like a chick or a dude or something in between. As for sexual identity…I read in a book it might be something like…ommisexual…I don’t know. I like everyone but WOMEN MAN, THEY REALLY GET ME!

4. Describe yourself(features, clothes,etc)

Im like a tanish…color I think. Anyways, I have short pink hair and wild magenta eyebrows(that’s right motherfuckers I dyed my eyebrows👌) I have light blue eyes(almost looks white for some reason). There are freckles all over my nose and cheeks. I wear a pink jacket over a light magenta shirt with a blackstar on it(our gang sign). I got dyed dark magenta pants and two patches on the knees that represent DJ and Spellcaster…gotta make one for Red if he stays with us. I also got a duck earing.

5. What are some words or phrases that you use often?

Swears…so many fucking swears bitch.

6. What is your best memory?

One time me and DJ went to a zone rave and we had a bunch of fun. I remember we danced to the music like there was no one else there. Also one time, DJ showed me her favorite songs and we got high and listened to them. Yea most of my happy memories revolve around DJ.

7. What is your worst memory

Well, even though it’s where I got my name, that one time that Fun..uhh another Killjoy dared me to drink gas after I said I’d rather chug gas than be left alone with him. That was pretty sucky. Tasted like shit. Also the ummm…the botched job. Yea that was………..NEXT QUESTION!

8. Out of the people in your gang list them out of how much you like them.

Aight well, DJ’s definitely number one. She’s as sweet as soda. She keeps all of us from dying. But don’t mistake her sweetness for weakness.(looks around to see if DJ is there) Word is around the zones, one time someone tried to assault and rob DJ. They fought behind a shed.yea DJ gave one hell of a beating…legend has it…her words after she finished was “if you die, give my regards to Jimi Hendrix.” Yea…sometimes she scares me. Red…man I don’t know them that much but they seem pretty cool. Spellcaster is last. Bro is a total hothead and a complete Narcissist. But he’s our leader and sometimes he’s okay. Just don’t bring up….uhh “the four”

What four?

You know exactly which ones I’m talking about……THE four…especially the blond one. Yea unless you’re looking for a fight, don’t bring him up around Spellcaster.

…..Ok then next question

9. Any particular hobbies you enjoy

I do graffiti a lot. And I also sew shit together sometimes to make new shit. I’m also pretty good with cars.

Last question: is this a facade just to hide away from the fact that you are afraid of the future? Do you really blame the fab four for the death of REDACTED and the botched job or are you just projecting your own blame onto them to avoid facing your feelings? Do you act rude and inappropriate towards others because in reality you’re worried about being just as bad as “them”. What happened to your old gang before the Blackstars…who really are you REDACTED?

What is your favorite color?

I’m dressed head to toe in pink and magenta…I have pink hair…and i painted my blastah pink….it’s yellow.

Thank you for your time

See ya bitch-🤪

[forasecondtherewedwon]

Runaway Ride

Fandom: Never Have I Ever Pairing: Devi/Paxton Rating: T Word Count: 4889

Summary: Kamala gets herself into a pickle, Devi needs to go to her, and Paxton has a car. Problem-solving has never been so simple, but that's how it is when your new boyfriend is Paxton Hall-Yoshida. Throw in a little hand-holding on the highway and this family crisis might just be the best date Devi will ever have.

When they finally took a break from dancing—disconnecting hands from hips and shoulders, lips from lips—Devi stepped away in a dreamy headspace. She almost collided with Jonah, but he didn’t tell her to look where she was going, only offered a shrewd, indulgent smile.

Actually, everybody was treating her like that; every eye that caught hers on her way to the table where she’d left her stuff was unjudgmental, admiring, straight up fairy-godmotherly. Devi hadn’t received this much notice since her dad’s death and her subsequent paralysis. And those looks had been pitying, freaked out. Positive attention was new and cool and she wondered, as she grabbed her phone out of her turquoise clutch, whether her socials would show more of the same when she opened them. Would people have snapped stealthy pics of her and Paxton dancing now that she’d been vaulted into the pseudo-celebrity strata of the high school hierarchy? Would the Insta posts be captioned with hashtags of their ship name? Paxi? Daxton? Vishwall-Yoshumar?

Devi never got to check.

Unlocking her phone, she found two missed calls from her mother. Maybe two wouldn’t have seemed like a whole lot to someone else, but Devi knew that, in order for her mom to risk rudeness by stepping away from the company she was hosting at home not once but twice, she’d need to be pretty frantic. Two missed calls from Nalini Vishwakumar were the equivalent of six or seven from any other mother.

Skirting the edges of the gym as she headed away from DJ Humanoid—that nit-witted saboteur of slow dances—Devi was about to call her mom back when her screen changed to an incoming call from Kamala. She pressed her other hand to her ear and answered it.

“Hey. Do you know what’s going on with my mom? She called me twice and, honestly, she knows I’m at the d—”

“Devi, shut up. Sorry,” Kamala sighed. “But I may have kidnapped your history teacher and now I’m panicking a little.”

Devi stopped in her tracks.

“You did what? Why is the sound weird?”

As she was trying to identify the background noise coming from Kamala’s end, her eyes swept over the crowd of her classmates and landed on Fabiola’s. Her friend had been smiling, mid-sway as she held Eve from behind and chatted with Sasha, but it fell off her face like Devi off Dr. Jackson’s roof. Fab disentangled herself from her girlfriend and crossed the room to stand with Devi. She was frowning, silently asking for an explanation for Devi’s distress, but Devi didn’t really have one yet.

“We’re in his car on the highway,” her cousin was saying. “He was a little drunk, so I’m driving.”

Devi had imagined that Kamala was exaggerating, but no, this was really starting to sound like a kidnapping.

“You better be on hands-free right now,” she lectured. Then, because she wasn’t exactly a paragon of road safety herself—barely an hour ago, she’d walked right out in front of Paxton’s jeep—didn’t wait for confirmation. “What the hell happened? Context, Kamala!”

“Well, as soon as I snuck out of the house—”

“But why did you sneak out?!”

“Devi, I can’t talk about that right now!” Devi’s eyebrows shot up at the clear and abnormal hysteria in her cousin’s voice. “I ran out of the house,” Kamala continued, “totally directionless, and the first thing that popped into my head was Manish’s invitation for me to come to karaoke…”

“Ew, what the fuck, don’t call Mr. K that.”

What? Fab mouthed at her, but Devi shook her head.

“That is his name and what he asked me to call him. Anyway,” Kamala said, sounding strained, “I went to your school and met up with him and now I’m driving his car and I think I might have shut my sari in the car door, but I’m scared to pull over and check because if I stop the car, I’m going to have to confront things and I think I’d rather not do that yet.”

“Kamala,” Devi said in a heavy, careful voice. “You have to pull over. I totally get what you’re saying because it sounds like something I might do—minus the part where you kidnapped Mr. K—” Fabiola’s eyes went dramatically wide as she was adjusting her tiara. “—but this isn’t you. You don’t run away from your obligations and elope with my teachers!”

“Manish and I didn’t elope. It isn’t in any way romantic.”

“For sure though? It’s not?” Devi heard another voice in the car ask.

“Mr. K, back off! Kamala’s in the middle of a crisis!” she shouted. “And please be drunk enough to forget that I yelled at you.”

“Devi, what should I do?” Kamala asked, sounding desperate in a sad way now.

“Where are you?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Ok, well, which direction are you heading in?”

“Um, either north or south.”

“You’re a disaster,” Devi muttered.

“What was that?”

“Uh… I said, don’t drive any faster. Try to read the next sign you pass so you can tell me where you are.”

“Alright,” Kamala said.

Devi tilted her phone away from her mouth so her cousin wouldn’t hear her frustrated sigh. She locked eyes with Fabiola.

“Kamala panicked at her engagement dinner and ran off with Mr. K. They’re either headed for Mexico or Canada, but I’ll know more in a minute.”

Fab blinked.

“Wow.”

“I know. It’s a lot. And this is me talking,” Devi emphasized.

“I don’t know if you would do anything this big. Mainly because you don’t have a driver’s license.”

“True.”

“Santa Barbara in twenty-six miles,” Kamala said in her ear.

“Damn, you made good time.”

“The traffic was quite manageable.”

“Try to calm down a little and get off the highway when you can. Don’t go past Santa Barbara. I’m coming to talk you down in person,” Devi said. “Oh, and don’t answer any of my mom’s calls; she’ll just stress you out.”

“That doesn’t seem very responsible. How about I send her a text when I stop to let her know I’m ok?”

Devi rolled her eyes.

“Suit yourself.”

“Thank you, Devi. But how will you get here?”

“Let me worry about that. Text me when you stop so I know exactly where I’m going.”

“I will.”

“’K. I’ll see you in a bit.”

Devi hung up and sighed massively, slumping into the wall and feeling a streamer crumple against her back. She and Fabiola stared at each other.

“What are you gonna do?” Fab asked.

“Be the hero my family needs, but not the one they deserve.”

“Are you misquoting Batman to justify doing something reckless?”

“First of all, rescuing Kamala isn’t reckless, and second of all, the movie isn’t called Batman, it’s The Dark Knight. Young-ish Christian Bale, hello.”

Fabiola pointed a finger at her own face.

“Young-ish out-of-touch lesbian, hello. At least I was close.”

Devi sighed again while Fab smiled sadly at her in obvious sympathy.

“It’s after ten at night. How am I gonna get to Santa Barbara?”

“Assuming you’re not going to ask your mom—”

“No.”

“Then you need a ride.”

“You need a ride? I’ll drive you.”

It was Paxton, walking up and tentatively taking Devi’s hand while darting uncertain glances at Fabiola. Devi felt her entire face light up.

“You don’t want to know where or why?” she teased.

His expression said those were insignificant details. Wow. Devi’d never had a fantasy where Paxton joined forces with her, bounty hunter-style, to track down a flighty Kamala, but this felt oddly romantic. Passionate even? They’d see where the night took them.

“You wouldn’t wanna leave the dance unless it was serious,” Paxton reasoned. “So, I’ll drive you. You wanna go now?”

“I guess we better. Lemme just grab my…”

“I’ll get it,” Fab said, raising a hand like the nerd she was as she volunteered.

She darted back through the dancers to grab Devi’s things and Devi watched their classmates part for their Cricket Queen. She was so proud of Fab. Also, she felt kinda bad for ditching such a momentous occasion. But Kamala needed her, and would totally do the same for her if she ever went off the deep end and kidnapped a dude while fleeing a proposal. Not that Devi could see herself fleeing a proposal (she glanced at Paxton as she thought this, then quickly away, thinking, Way too soon!). Carrying out a kidnapping? With a sufficiently convincing pro-and-con list, anything was possible.

“Basically, Kamala freaked and drove to Santa Barbara with a drunken Mr. K,” Devi said, because Paxton might not have asked to be informed, but she wanted him to know what he was getting himself into. Beyond that, she wanted to give him the chance to say, No way, Devi. I came here to look hot and dance up on you, nothing more.

“Oh shit,” was what he said.

“Damn right, oh shit. You still want to drive? This is going to take a while.”

She should probably have felt guilty about trying to subtly persuade him with her eyes, but not only was Paxton the least complicated option, he was also her first choice. If she maintained eye contact long enough, Devi figured it might trigger some kind of boyfriend override that made going for a long drive at night just as appealing as staying here and dancing with her butt pressed thrillingly to his groin when the teacher-chaperones weren’t looking.

“As long as we can hit up the bathrooms first. I was going to, but then I got talking to Trent, and then Marcus was doing a handstand…”

“Definitely,” Devi assured him. “Good call. Empty the tank. Oh, actually, that reminds me… how much gas do you have in your jeep? If we need to stop at a gas station, I’ll have to factor that in to the ETA I give Kamala.”

Paxton shook his head at her, smiling in what she liked to think was affectionate amusement.

“I filled it up on the way here. I needed a minute to, uh…” To her epic astonishment, he ducked his head self-consciously, cheeks pinking. “You know. Get my shit together. Up here.” He tapped his temple with his index finger. “I wanted to show up for you, like, completely. You know?”

Right as Devi was at dangerously high risk of sagging to the floor in blissful bonelessness, Fabiola sprang to her side, shoving the rest of her possessions at her.

“Ok, ok!” Devi said, harried.

She had to dump it all on the bathroom counter a minute later anyway, but after she’d done her pre-road trip pee, she came out and gave Fab a better thank-you.

“Your Highness,” Paxton told Fabiola with a nod.

Fab nodded back, smiling wryly.

“Prosecutor.”

“I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship,” Devi assessed, “but we gotta go! Say congrats to Eve for me again!”

“Sure. Drive safe!”

Devi and Paxton pushed through the doors together, striding quickly with his hand wrapped around hers. In the parking lot, she glanced sideways to see him digging his keychain out of his front pocket.

“Oh,” she said, “so I wasn’t just feeling that you were very happy to dance with me.”

Until they got into the jeep, it was too dark to see whether she’d gotten him to blush again, but she liked to think that she had. He was definitely smiling.

They got in and Devi carefully tucked her skirt around her legs, mind on Kamala’s cautionary tale. At least it was until Paxton leaned forward to shrug out of his jacket and she saw his shoulder muscles jump beneath his fitted button-down, his narrow black tie swinging forward. Dang. Fifty shades of Hall-Yoshida.

“Santa Barbara?” Paxton double-checked once he was settled behind the wheel, steering out of the student lot.

“Santa Barbara.”

Until they were on the highway and heading out of Los Angeles, Devi did her best to keep her worry about Kamala’s situation contained to the way she flapped her phone against her thigh. Usually, she was stressing about the problems right in front of her (when she wasn’t blatantly ignoring them, only to have that approach bite her in the ass later), but with whatever was going on with Kamala, she kinda had to look ahead.

Had she wanted Kamala to get engaged to Prashant that badly? Well, the best thing about Prashant was that you never knew when having additional hot relatives would be to your benefit. (Devi was already hoping that Mr. K would get over the more nerve-wracking elements of this night and just remember having fun with her stunning cousin… and that this could possibly translate into at least a month of generous grades, if she could somehow spin these shenanigans as an intentional blind date arranged by herself.) However, an engaged Kamala was wholly different from a married Kamala. She wouldn’t be around to watch nonsensical episodes of Riverdale, or be duped into hijinks, or listen to Devi when her mom was too tired, or bitch about her shitty lab-mates in exchange for sitting through Devi bitching about her complicated feelings on the subject of Aneesa dating her ex. She wouldn’t live with them anymore, and the family that had begun to miraculously fill out after her dad had died would be back down to three. And the other two members of it would be old (Sorry, Mom, she thought) and not at all prepared to champion her dating life or the cleavage-accentuating formal dress currently buoying it.

So, yeah, Devi was looking ahead—eyes glazed over as the yellow lights of cars slipped around them to prevent her vision from fully adjusting to the blue-black sky—and feeling more than a little nervous and scared of the Kamala-shaped hole she’d have in her life if her dazzling, dorky cousin left her house for one she might eventually fill with the most beautiful children the world had ever seen.

Thankfully, Paxton was there. It startled her when he took one hand off the wheel and felt across her lap to grab hers, loosely interlacing their fingers. Devi quit hitting her phone against her leg. She sent off their updated location to Kamala and then let her phone fall flat.

“Did she say where she was?” Her boyfriend’s voice was quiet in the car and she realized for the first time that her head had been too crammed with thoughts to put on any music.

“Carpinteria State Beach. Do you know the exit?”

“We’ll find it.”

“And if you want me to drive while you rest on the way back…”

Paxton laughed.

“No way. Safety first.”

“Says the guy driving one-handed,” Devi countered, not that she was eager to surrender the hand warming hers.

He turned his head just long enough to shoot her a look.

“Whoa, pal, eyes on the road!” she said. (She had a half-baked plan to call her boyfriend ‘pal’ a few times and thereby de-weaponize the word in a memory that still felt like a fading bruise, an almost-gone sore spot in who she and Paxton were before they were openly a them.)

“Sorry,” he said, staring out the windshield again. He grinned. “You look gorgeous.”

“Really?”

“So gorgeous.” Paxton’s voice was softer this time, the underlying laugh it had carried since she’d offered to drive his jeep drained out of it. It was nearly a sigh.

“Thanks. So do you.”

“You know, I feel fucking awful for hitting you with my car, but I still think I mighta felt worse if I’d walked in and seen you dancing with somebody else.”

Devi twisted their hands, touching the back of his to her thigh so she was sandwiching it between leg and palm for a moment, aiming for reassuring.

“I wanna say I would never be that flaky, but my previous offenses speak for themselves.”

“So does doing this with me.”

“Uh,” she droned, “to recap, you left a fun thing to do a huge favour for me. You’re talking about it like this is my act of redemption. I feel like if you examine it for a sec, you’ll see how I’m actually kind of a dick for accepting your help.”

“I want us to be together,” he said bluntly. “Here we are. Together.”

“It’s that simple?”

“I don’t see why it can’t be.”

“Huh. I think you’re really gonna be good for my tendency to overcomplicate a situation.”

Paxton laughed and unthreaded his fingers from Devi’s. But it wasn’t to release her for pointing out that this date was, in actual fact, the coordinated response to a family crisis; his fingertips moved lightly over her palm, momentarily trapped when her fingers flinched inward in reaction to how it tickled, then traced along the thin skin of her inner wrist. He wasn’t trying to pull away. He was lingering. Though his touch when he sunk his hand into her hair or drew her closer by her waist had always been fairly gentle, it had often had the faint aggression of hastiness to it, clutching her as they made out in her room, always listening for footsteps in the hallway. How Paxton touched her now was pure, exploratory tenderness. It made the hairs on the back of Devi’s neck stand up as a wave of shivers rushed up her spine and crested somewhere around the nape of her neck.

He must’ve felt that wave break, the foamy aftereffects in some tic of her arm or quickening of her pulse while his fingers skimmed gradually up the inside of her arm towards her elbow, because he chanced another quick glance at her.

“That feels good,” she explained.

Paxton looked forward, nodding slowly, and shifted in the driver’s seat.

“Good.”

She thought it must have felt good for him too, knowing he’d made her shiver.

—

The miles were flicking past for Paxton—another, another, another, as fast and steady as the dashed lines painted between the lanes, his arms cutting the water on the front crawl. He wanted Devi, beside him, to believe that he was paying attention to his driving, but he was honestly kinda zoned out. Like that time he’d swum to San Diego, he let his body go through the motions (in this case, twitching the wheel, putting on cruise control when traffic thinned so he didn’t have to focus on the pedals) while his mind floated freely.

Where it floated was to his girlfriend.

At ten years old, he’d been the last kid in his swim class to jump off the 10m board. It was optional—a treat after getting water up their noses turning somersaults below the surface and doing egg-beater legs in between—but all the other boys in the group had done it eagerly, shrieking on their way down to sloppy pencil dives. Paxton had climbed the stairs all the way to the top easily enough, even stepped onto the wide platform, bordered by metal railings and rough under his bare feet. He’d walked out to the end and frozen to find himself so high above the pool.

He hadn’t feared the water, he’d feared the air. Being so exposed on his own at the end of the diving board. Eventually, he’d retreated, then surprised the coach waiting down at the poolside by turning around and taking the jump at a run. Few memories felt as good as the sensation of giving himself back to gravity and letting it reunite him with the water. He’d just had to get past the exposure.

Same thing tonight, going to find Devi at the dance. Holding her hand in his had been him reaching the platform, but when they stood together, just inside the school’s doors, Paxton hadn’t known for sure whether he would take the leap or retreat. And not just for a running start this time, but in a way that turned his sixteen-year-old present self back into one of those nervous ten-year-olds who wimped out and had to take the coward’s way down—descending each step they’d climbed. He might not have run, and yet he hadn’t needed to back up and race into their relationship either. Momentum hadn’t carried them inside for everyone they knew to see them. It had been a calm approach, even if he’d been shaking on the inside when he saw Trent staring at them.

So maybe Paxton had learned something in the last six years, or maybe it was harder to feel exposed with somebody right next to you.

She really did look gorgeous, like he’d said, and because he didn’t want her to worry about his focus if she spotted him gazing at the side of her face while she texted her cousin, the glances he stole were of the knee region. Her dress’s overlay sparkled when the high lights of eighteen-wheelers passed them and the specific teal of the dress itself reminded him of a river he’d swum in once during an out-of-state family vacation. Natural and deep and fresh, and exasperating for his parents because he’d accidentally doggy-paddled himself all the way to a small waterfall and hadn’t heard them calling him back for dinner around the campfire. He felt all that about Devi, except for hoping for a different reaction from his parents when they met her.

Holy shit. He was going to have to introduce his girlfriend to his embarrassing hippy parents. But then, she’d already met Rebecca, so maybe they were set? A sister’s approval should count for a ton.

No, no, no, Devi would have to meet his parents. He was doing this. The two of them were doing this. Paxton exhaled determinedly through his nose and made himself concentrate on the remaining miles he needed to cover. His mind, anyway. His hand continued to stroke and search, covering his girlfriend’s hand with his until he had her fingers tucked away protectively under his own, and then caressing all the way up to the crook of her elbow so suddenly that she made a noise between a laugh and a yelp because he’d unintentionally tickled her. Man, she was cute.

The very end of their journey required the most concentration from Paxton; he finally took back his hand to have both on the wheel as he steered them off the highway and Devi’s got lonely or something, because it chased across to where he was sitting and landed on his thigh. His jaw clenched. He could feel the heat of her palm through his pantleg and congratulated himself on being a driving legend for driving smoothly to where they needed to park for beach access.

Devi had a pink sweater that she put on, but Paxton grabbed his jacket out of the back as well in case she needed it. It was almost midnight and a breeze rolled up off the water, rippling his tie and swishing Devi’s dress. He didn’t have to ask what they should do next—there was just one other car parked nearby and Devi’s cousin was already standing outside of it, raising a hand to wave sheepishly as they got out of his jeep.

“Here,” he said, holding out his jacket for his girlfriend to put her arms through the sleeves. “You guys talk. I’ll be down at the beach.”

Devi turned her back to him as she accepted the jacket, but she glanced over her shoulder with a look of concern.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. You’ll want privacy. I need to stretch my legs anyway.”

“Just don’t swim away, ok?” she requested. “I don’t think I can handle more than one rescue mission per night.”

Paxton could tell by her expression that it wasn’t entirely a joke. He grinned and gripped his lapels, now on Devi, reeling her in.

“I promise. You’d probably take the opportunity to try to drive the jeep home, and I don’t want to risk that.”

“Me committing grand theft auto or me getting hurt?”

“I bet they tested you for smartness,” he said, “but you think they have a test for being a smartass? You’d score high, Vishwakumar.”

“I know, I know, you don’t want me to get hurt.”

She was so infuriatingly flippant, rolling her big brown eyes at him.

“That’s right,” Paxton said plainly. There he was, up on the platform again.

Devi straightened his tie and let her hand rest flat on his chest. He remembered how overwhelmed she’d looked the first time he’d placed her palm there, right on his skin. Even now, it almost made him laugh.

“Ok,” she said, and he was surrendering himself to the sweet strength of gravity, propelled down to the beach while Devi stayed to talk to Kamala.

—

Devi had heard that there were tidepools here, and she was nervous about stepping into one and spearing some aquatic animal on her high heel. Well, she couldn’t magically improve her night vision, but she could take her shoes off and remove the possibility of impalement. They dangled from her fingers as she picked her way down to the beach.

Her boyfriend was sitting in the sand, staring out at the ocean. It just looked so romantic—with the stars the sky was too bright to see at home, and the waves, and the back of Paxton’s white shirt in the moonlight—that Devi decided to slip into the scene without saying anything at all.

A mistake. Paxton gasped and jumped. Apparently, he hadn’t heard her over the noise of the water.

“Sorry, sorry!” she said.

He sighed and smiled, getting to his feet.

“How’d it go?”

“I think it went well. She was feeling calm enough to drive, so she’s on her way home now. She’s gonna cover for me until we get back.”

“That’s good… but what about Mr. Kulkarni?”

“He was passed out in the passenger’s seat,” Devi stated. “I guess he’s kind of a lightweight? Kamala said she’s going to drive back to our school and leave him and his car in the parking lot. She’s planning to call my mom for a ride home. If it were me, I think I’d take the bus and try to sneak back into the house as quietly as possible, but Kamala still has a lot to learn about how to thoroughly dodge your problems.”

“And maybe about how to climb to the second floor of your house from the outside?” Paxton suggested with a meaningful smirk.

She did her best to return it, but the odds were that it didn’t look nearly as sexy on her. Then again, she had moonlight and midnight and well-displayed cleavage on her side.

“How’d you learn to do that so quietly anyway?” Devi asked, tossing her shoes to the sand and stepping forward to boldly wrap her arms around Paxton’s waist.

He’d had his hands in his pockets, but as soon as she’d begun to move towards him, he’d pulled them out. His arms encircled her, his hands on the back of his own black jacket. Although Devi wanted to offer him the jacket back—he felt slightly chilly through his shirt—she didn’t want the two of them to separate. Besides, body heat was a thing. This was practically what it was for. So Devi just pressed herself closer, breathing the scent of the ocean and Paxton’s fading cologne.

“Trent,” he said.

“Yeah, actually, that checks out.”

Were there boundaries between warming someone up while having a conversation and just hugging them? It wasn’t clear to Devi, but it felt good when they both went quiet for a while. She stood unevenly on the cold sand and listened to the thud of Paxton’s heart.

“You never said yes,” he said eventually, quietly.

“Yes to what?”

“I told you I came to the dance as your boyfriend and you never actually agreed to be my girlfriend. We kinda just started making out.”

Devi lifted her cheek from his chest so she could look at him. He didn’t appear disappointed, more like he was making an observation. Maybe he’d been reflecting, out here in the dark, while she and Kamala had talked.

“In my books, that’s an obvious yes,” she said, grinning. “What more do you need?”

She could see him trying not to smile.

“A little atmosphere would be nice,” Paxton said. “Maybe a long drive, or the beach. A full moon. Romance me, Vishwakumar.”

Devi vibrated with silent laughter. Or her heart was just beating really, really freaking hard.

“Sounds like you’ve got some pretty big expectations there.”

“And stars,” he added. “There should be a shitload of stars.”

With that, he took one hand off her back to point far above them. Devi tipped her head back, the light of the stars a friendly blur as she tried to pick one to settle on, just one. Paxton’s face coming forward to hover over hers blotted them out. Her boyfriend kissed her, light and ghosting and then firm and slow.

“On the other hand,” he said, pulling back a little, “I think we were onto something with the making out.”

Devi smiled and dug her toes into the sand to make herself taller, lips at the ready and realigned with his.

“We did set a precedent.”

[a-lockman5]

Things were different now Pt. 3 - Happy to Help {Devi and Paxton}

A/n: as usual, I don’t own these characters, but I love them. This continues to follow the timeline I initially wrote so it does not coincide with season 2 at all. Paxton is a 17 year old with feelings, not a 10 year old before puberty… I hate proofreading so if it’s awful, apologies. Umm… so sorry it’s a year late.. and honestly, I kinda hate parts of it, but here we are nonetheless. Hope you like it!

Warnings: fluff, angst, phobias, I think that’s it.

Part one, Part two

Don’t forget to check out my Masterlist!

“Hey, baby,” Ben greeted her in a sing-song voice.

“Morning, Ben,” Devi replied as Ben laid a kiss to her cheek, and took the seat next to her.

“Why didn’t you come by for breakfast this morning?” he asked.

Devi felt her eyes grow wide momentarily. She had been going to Ben’s for breakfast before school all last week, telling her mom they were studying. It wasn’t a formal date though, and she hadn’t thought to plan an excuse. “Uh…” she scrambled, feeling the room close in as people filled the desks behind and on her other side. “I’m not feeling well,” she lied. “I overslept.”

She averted her gaze from Ben to dig a pencil out of her backpack from where it sat on the floor to her right. When she tried to unzip her pencil holder though, it got stuck and she flung it, one-handed, onto the floor. As she reached down to grab it, the person sitting next to her reached down to help too, and when she looked up, Paxton was grinning back at her.

“Morning, Vishwakumar. Long time, no see.”

Devi tried to swallow past a large lump in her throat. “Morning, Paxton,” she returned hesitantly, noting his hair was still damp and that it added curl to his hair that usually he used product to tame.

Devi had her first swim lesson with Paxton that morning before school. It’s not that she was hiding it from Ben, her boyfriend. It was just that she didn’t feel ready to tell him about it… so yeah, she was hiding it from him. Not because of Paxton though! She was hiding it because of her.

Not even Devi’s mom knew how afraid she was of being in the water since her paralysis was triggered. Prior to that, she loved swimming. It was the only sport she was at all inclined to and she even considered trying out for team sophomore year until she went crazy and lost her legs.

She tried to move past it. Well, kind of. Her physical therapist thought aquatic therapy may help strengthen and facilitate the functional return of her legs. Instead, it resulted in her screaming and hyperventilating in Dan’s arms as he struggled to get her back to the lift out of the pool. Devi begged Dan not to tell her mom about her newfound fear and promised she would discuss it with Dr. Ryan. Her physical therapist agreed, and Devi never mentioned it to anyone again. Until Paxton.

“You want to swim?” He repeated back, puzzled as they sat on the couch in the garage. “I’ve seen you swim.”

“When?”

“Your freshman year…” he trailed off as realization dawned on him.

Devi didn’t know Paxton had any idea who she was until she propositioned him at the beginning of school this year. He remembered her from the year before? He remembered her before she lost her legs?

“Yeah… I haven’t been able to since…”

“So when you fell in the pool at Gross’s party…?” Paxton filled the silence for her.

“I’m really glad you pulled me out otherwise it would have gotten way more embarrassing,” she admitted.

She saw his jaw clench before his next question, “Why didn’t your friends help you?”

“Um…” she took a deep breath to muster the courage up to tell him, “they don’t know… nobody knows.”

And then he gave her that same deep, calculated look. The look he gave her when they were in his car so many weeks ago. The look he gave her before they kissed. Before he kissed her.

He agreed instantly after that. And things went mildly well that morning. She wasn’t able to get in the water, so instead, she sat next to the edge of the pool and watched Paxton swim for awhile and then they talked.

She was surprised by how patient Paxton had been with her especially since she dragged him out of bed earlier than necessary. He told her it was a process though, and he agreed to help her through it. Her heart felt full when he said that. She probably would have read too far into it in the past, but things were different now.

Devi knew she would have to tell Ben eventually that she was spending so much time with Paxton, but she just didn’t want him to overreact. He knew how much she had pined for Paxton before they started dating, and even though she and Paxton were friends only now, it wouldn’t change the threat he posed in her boyfriend’s mind.

you and PHY seem awfully chummy - Fab

Devi looked over her shoulder at her friends after reading Fabiola’s text message. Both Fab and Eleanor were giving her pretty pointed looks, and Devi just responded with a grimace and raised eyebrows. This whole friends thing sounded so easy with Paxton when they were sitting on his couch in the middle of the night. No one else was around, no one could pass judgment. Things were going to be a little harder in practice.

Fortunately, class was pretty uneventful. Mr. Shapiro started a new unit, they went over the lesson, and they were dismissed. Devi gathered her things quickly and hurried out of the room without waiting for her friends, her boyfriend, or Paxton. Of course, Paxton was her friend, so she didn’t know why she listed him in his own category.

“Hey,” the object of her musings appeared beside her locker.

Devi jumped at the sound of his voice, but managed to somewhat recover. “Hey, what’s good, playa?”

Paxton smirked at her with warm eyes. “Just wanted to check on you now that it’s been a couple hours.”

“Oh! Honestly, I feel good. Watching you actually helps me calm down,” she said before realizing how it sounded. “I mean, not that I just watch you, but I mean, watching you swim… it’s nice to see how you glide through the water… it’s like a white noise machine.”

“Right,” Paxton replied slowly after a beat. “Well you should come by today after school. I have an idea.”

She nodded as he walked away down the hall. Before Devi’s imagination could get the better of her though, her friends replaced Paxton in her line of vision.

“What is going on?” Fabiola asked bluntly.

“Yeah, are you and Paxton hooking up behind Ben’s back?”

“What? Of course not!” Devi was outraged. How could they think she would do that? “Paxton is my friend.”

“Since when?”

“Yeah, last thing we knew, you went there for dinner for his sister and it got hella weird,” Eleanor added. “What gives?”

Devi had not shared the one on one conversations she and Paxton had with her friends. Sure, the initial apology after dinner would probably be okay. Having a drink with Paxton in the garage at 2 o’clock in the morning after catching him in his underwear with an erection? No, there was no good way to relay that encounter.

“Um..” Devi hesitated. She couldn’t tell them the truth now after hiding her fear for so long, and then telling Paxton before telling them. They’d think she was a bad friend. “I’m tutoring him,” she lied. “Yeah, he’s got to get his grades up to meet the minimum for Stanford swimming to offer him a scholarship so I’m helping him.”

“Does Ben know?” Eleanor asked as Devi’s phone pinged in her pocket.

She pulled her phone out and read the message from Paxton, don’t forget to bring your suit ;), and she felt her cheeks heat up. “No,” she told Eleanor absentmindedly. “No, he doesn’t know.”

“Well, are you going to tell him?” Fabiola prodded.

Devi shook herself out of her daze and really heard her friends’ questions. “No, not right now. You guys know he would freak out if he knew Paxton and I were spending time together no matter how platonic. I’ll tell him eventually but everything is still so new, I don’t want to wreck it.”

Her friends’ judgment was evident, but Devi couldn’t let that bother her. Paxton was helping her confront one of her deepest fears, and she didn’t need to feel guilty about that. Instead, she chose to focus on making the most of her time with Paxton and enjoying their friendship while hopefully ridding her of her phobia.

Devi knocked briefly before letting herself into the Hall-Yoshida garage. It was empty and so she dropped her bag and plopped down onto the couch. It was almost funny, Devi thought. Things were so different now. A few months ago, she was terrified entering this space. She’d freaked, cut her leg open and bolted. Even the last time she’d been here, she’d tried to quietly reflect and calm her nerves after having one of her sexual fantasies manifest in the form of actually seeing Paxton Hall-Yoshida in his underwear with a boner. Now, she just comes right in and —

“Make yourself at home,” Paxton’s voice broke her from her thoughts.

She intended to make a sarcastic retort, but was caught off guard by him being in swim trunks already, and not the tight spandex trunks he wore for the swim team. No, these were normal, red and black trunks. They were entirely less revealing, outside of showing off his muscled chest, but they weren’t a uniform. Something about Paxton being voluntarily half naked and not bleeding from the hand had Devi looking at him dumbly from across the room.

“Devi, you good?” He asked cautiously, coming to sit next to her.

Her gaze trailed down from his collarbone to his pecs, to his abs, to his… her eyes grew wide as she realized she was openly ogling him. She snapped her eyes back to his to find him grinning at her.

“Everything okay?” He asked again. She nodded dumbly in response. “Good. Why don’t you go change? I have an idea that may work to start.”

“Okay, I’ll go change in the bathroom and meet you back here?”

“Nah, just come out to the back yard.”

Completely disrobed in the bathroom, Devi had another decision to make. Two suits. She brought two bathing suits with her both that morning and in the afternoon. She hadn’t even bothered to change before class that morning because just entering the aquatic center was enough to bring her near hyperventilation. She couldn’t do that again, and to be fair, if Paxton had a pool, it was news to Devi. And she asked him to help her swim. If that’s what she really wanted, then she needed to trust Paxton and let him help her. That meant she had to choose: black, Speedo one-piece or bubble gum pink bikini?

“Why’d you even bring both, Devi?” She asked her reflection.

She wasn’t sure she was ready to answer that question. She knew things were different now. She was dating Ben, and Paxton was her friend. That was her choice… it was just a much easier choice to make when she and Paxton weren’t speaking to each other. If she was honest, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Paxton since their middle of the night encounter last week. He was right when he said they had come a long way. She had come a long way, becoming more comfortable around him, and seeing him on an equal level versus the Adonis pedestal she placed him on in the past. Then he became real.

Paxton became more than the unattainable sex god that riddled her darkest fantasies. He became someone she could talk with, laugh with, open up to. He became her friend. Her friend that was still a sex god that riddled her darkest fantasies… these were the thoughts that had her leaning toward the far more revealing bikini for their lesson that afternoon.

She had a boyfriend though, a boyfriend she very much liked. Sure, she and Ben were unkind to each other in the past. He had routinely referred to her by a boy’s name, called her unfuckable, and yeah, he started the rumor that she faked her paralysis freshman year. She played her own role in their antagonistic relationship though, and all that was behind them anyway. Ever since his party, Ben had been much nicer to her. Of course, that was including when he tried to kiss her while still dating Shira… but obviously, that was because he had feelings for her that when he was sober, he wasn’t ready to confront yet. He had been there for her like no one else had. He deserved a good girlfriend. That was Devi’s last thought on the subject before donning the black athletic one piece.

The first thing Devi saw when she stepped onto the patio made her heart catch in her throat. A hot tub. It was too big. It was too much. Too much. She couldn’t get in a hot tub. It was already way too hot, Devi thought, feeling the air get thicker around her. Her throat felt constricted and she wondered how anyone was as able to breathe in these conditions. It felt impossible.

“Devi! Are you okay?” She heard Paxton ask faintly.

Her head began shaking back and forth frantically, but she didn’t feel like she was the one controlling it. Instead, it was moving of its own accord, and her voice didn’t sound like her own when she said, “I can’t get in the hot tub.”

Two strong hands grasped her waist and physically turned her so her back was to the offending item. It was then she saw Paxton. His eyes searched hers desperately before a hand came to cradle her face. She immediately felt herself relax into his touch just enough that she could take a breath.

“Hey, you’re okay. I got you,” he cooed. “I know you’re not ready for that, and that’s okay. Just take a deep breath.”

She still felt like she was gulping for air, but her body melted into his as he pulled her in for a hug. They just stood like that until she could regain control of her breathing. When she did, Paxton gently released her and Devi was honestly surprised by how disappointed she was to not be in his arms any longer.

“You good?” He asked cautiously. She nodded sheepishly. “Cool. Let’s get away from this so you can see what I have set up for you.”

She nodded again and let him take her hand to lead her deeper into the backyard. When she saw it, she couldn’t believe the relief that flooded her.

“A slip n slide?” She huffed out.

“A slip n slide!” He dropped her hand to raise his arms victoriously. “I looked up some stuff about phobias and I think it’ll help. It’s called exposure treatment. We’ll start slow and work your way up.”

“You researched phobias?”

“Well, yeah,” he nodded. “And I’ll be here for you the whole time.”

Devi felt herself smile. Paxton really took the time to try to figure out how to help her. No throwing her in the deep end of the pool, but actually holding her hand through this. Being by her side while they figured it out together. She couldn’t believe how lucky she felt to have him in her life at that moment.

It wasn’t a very fancy slip n side, most likely he’d had it in the shed since he and Becca were kids. It was still in good shape though and he’d placed it over a decline at the end that allowed for pooling of water. He had the hose running and ready, but when they stepped up to the start, it became infinitely more intimidating.

As though he could sense her apprehension, Paxton said, “how about I go first, and then you can try?”

She tried to swallow past the lump in her throat in order to respond. When she wasn’t successful, she nodded. Paxton gave her a weak grin, and reached out to squeeze her shoulder. It was probably a measure of reassurance, and it worked for a moment, but the minute his touch was gone, her nerves settled in again.

“Okay, so you want to get a running start so you go faster through the slide,” he told her, taking four to five steps back. “You ready?”

“Ready,” she choked out after a beat of silence.

Paxton took off, and dove smoothly onto the track. Devi felt her anxiety melt away as he slid down the track on his stomach. It was almost like watching his perfect strokes through the water, and something about watching him made her forget her fear. Then he crashed into the small wading pool at the end of the slide, and just like that Devi’s breath was stuck in her throat again, and it felt like a bucket of ice water was dumped over her head.

When Paxton stood up, he immediately sought her gaze for eye contact. Just as quickly, he seemed to notice how her panic rose again.

“Devi,” he called down to her. “You can do this, okay? Don’t think about the water, just focus on me.” She could feel how wide her eyes were and her mouth was starting to dry out as it hung open, but Paxton’s encouragement started to wear her down when he said, “Come to me, Devi. I got you.”

She took a steadying breath and barely nodded before stepping a few paces back like Paxton had. Paxton continued to cheer her on and beckon her to his open arms as she fought her body to cooperate with her. Finally, after another deep breath, Devi let out a guttural scream, her war cry, and ran toward the slide. She slid onto her stomach much like Paxton had and did not have the good sense to close her mouth until it was filled with hose water. It got her choked up again and it was difficult to catch her breath, but just as quickly as she started, she was plunged into the wading pool. Before she had a chance to panic-swallow more water, Paxton’s strong arms hauled her to a standing position and she collided with his chest in a tight hug.

“You did it!” He whispered triumphantly. “You did great, I’m so proud of you.”

“I did it,” she breathed, arms clutched tightly around his shoulders as though he would disappear if she let go. “I did it,” she repeated, a tear slipping down her cheek.

Devi and Paxton worked with the slip n slide for three more weeks, and it was amazing how quickly she was improving. Each time, Paxton was there to catch her at the end of the slide, and she grew more confident with each trip.

“So do you have plans this weekend?” Paxton asked, passing her a towel.

“Probably just studying for the history test,” she replied, drying her hair gently.

“With Gross?”

They hadn’t talked about Ben at all during their sessions. She had also skirted the issue of spending so much time with Paxton by telling her boyfriend that she’d been assigned a new student to tutor. She didn’t tell him it was Paxton. Things had been calm the last few weeks despite how crazy the first months of the semester had been. If she was honest, she hadn’t spent much time with or thought much about Ben that week at all. Things were going so well with Paxton and their sessions that she spent most of her time looking forward to the next time she’d be in his backyard in her bathing suit.

“Uh.. I don’t know. Probably him, Fab, and Eleanor, I guess,” she told him. “Or by myself. I don’t really have anything planned.”

“Would you…” he trailed off quietly before finding his voice again. “Would you maybe want to study here… with me?”

Devi felt herself smile. “Sure, I mean, my friends think I’m tutoring you anyway so that would make sense.”

“What?”

She breathed through another smile at how his brow furrowed, but rolled her eyes at herself before answering him. “I had to have a reason for why we’re talking so much more at school… so I told them I was tutoring you.”

Paxton’s head dropped as he huffed out a laugh. “You’re really good at lying, huh?”

“No! I just… get nervous about how people will react to stuff so sometimes it’s just easier to say something else.”

He nodded. “Well, you better tutor me then. ‘Cause if I fail this test, your whole story falls apart,” he said taking a step closer to her.

“Maybe you just don’t listen to me,” she grinned.

He took another step forward, this time into her personal space. “Impossible,” he countered, “have you met you?”

Devi’s smile grew before she realized how close Paxton really was to her. It wasn’t his actual proximity. They’d been closer physically than ever in these recent weeks, but something felt different that time. She could feel the heat radiating off of him and there was electricity in the air. He seemed to feel it too, and shook himself free before taking the towel back from her. That only allowed him to take in the full view of her from top to bottom, forcing Devi to close her eyes so she didn’t feel the full force of his gaze.

She heard Paxton swallow, then clear his throat, and then he took a step back. Devi chose then to meet his gaze, and found the same calculating look she’d now seen a total of three times. He had a depth she hadn’t previously credited him with. Now that she’d seen it, it was hard to ignore.

“Uh.. yeah, I think we could study together.”

Paxton grinned crookedly at her. “Cool,” he licked his lips before changing the subject. “Why don’t you go ahead and change, and then I’ll take you home.”

“That’s okay, I can I walk.” Devi said quickly. “I mean, I’d like to walk. Helps me clear my head.”

“Oh.. okay.”

Devi didn’t feel like she took another breath until she was shut in the bathroom of the Hall-Yoshida residence. Was Paxton really flirting with her? Did he really check her out like she thought he had? She’d been so wrong about so many of their encounters in the past, but… he did kiss her. Paxton Hall Yoshida was her first kiss and it was only a couple months ago. Maybe he really liked her. Maybe they —

A text message on her phone cut off her internal rambling. When she read it, her breath caught in her throat again:

Why are you at Paxton’s?

Fuck. Ben.

How could she forget about Ben? Here she was going down the Paxton rabbit hole again when she had Ben, her actual boyfriend. Things were different now though. She wasn’t sure exactly when they changed, but she knew they had.

She quickly typed out a response and then changed into her dry clothes.

***

“So Paxton is the student you’re tutoring?

“Uh.. yeah, kinda,” Devi told Ben. “Paxton is my friend, but I am helping him study.” It wasn’t technically a lie anymore now that they’d made plans for Saturday.

“Anything else you want to tell me?”

“What are you accusing me of, Ben?”

“Obviously, I’m the only one committed to this relationship. You’re still just drooling over some dick that wouldn’t touch you with a ten-foot pole.”

Devi scoffed, as the wind left her sails. She knew Ben would be hurt, and she expected him to be jealous that she was spending time with Paxton. She didn’t expect him to say Paxton wouldn’t want anything to do with her. She didn’t expect him to imply that she wasn’t good enough for Paxton. Like Ben was doing her some great, big favor by dating her. Once a UN, always a UN, she guessed.

“You know, I came here ready to explain myself, ready to apologize. Maybe you’re right though. Maybe you’re the only one committed to this relationship. God knows, I don’t want to be in a relationship where it’s okay to talk to me like that.”

Ben’s eyes widened, and Devi watched the color drain from his face. “No, Devi, I didn’t mean” —

“You didn’t mean to, not accuse me of cheating on you, but instead, accuse me of so desperately wanting to cheat on you that I would be the lap dog to a different guy?”

Devi really thought Ben deserved an explanation. That was why she went to his house. She realized though, she didn’t owe him anything. Ben had been the constant ignition to Devi’s insecurities. She thought that would stop when they became boyfriend and girlfriend, but no. Instead, he wanted to keep them together by making her feel unwanted by anyone else. She knew better though.

“Devi” —

“You are seriously the textbook ‘nice guy,’ aren’t you?” She air quoted. “Well, I don’t need any of that. I think we’re done here.”

Ben is canceled.

Devi felt oddly satisfied when she sent the text to Fabiola and Eleanor. She thought she would feel guilty after their encounter, but honestly, she felt liberated. Ben had been there for her when no one else was, and he showed that he cared about her. Still, when confronted with the idea that she may want to spend time with someone else, he immediately turned on her. Red flag. Big red flag.

Her friends immediately made plans to have a sleepover at Eleanor’s the following night. They wanted all the details. When Devi happily supplied them, they encouraged her as enthusiastically as she expected.

“Yes, girl,” Eleanor cried, giving her snaps when she told them she wouldn’t let Ben talk to her that way.

“You’re a strong, independent woman, and you don’t need some small little white boy trying to keep you down,” Fabiola bolstered.

“Thanks, guys. That brings me to my next problem though.” And for the first time, she told her friends about when she and Paxton kissed, how her mom had yelled at them the next day and called Paxton stupid, and how he’d left her a voicemail because he’d come to see her while she was in Malibu with her family. They were shocked to say the least.

“So what’s your problem?”

“Wondering exactly how long the pole is that Paxton would touch you with?” Eleanor asked suggestively.

Nope, that is definitely not the issue, Devi thought as she recalled seeing Paxton in his underwear. No, she knew exactly how big a tent that pole could support. The question was, was she misinterpreting their relationship?

“No… I mean, do you think he could like me?”

“Well, he definitely liked you enough to kiss you, but you also chose Ben over him,” Fabiola recapped. “That’s a tough blow.”

“But he wants to spend time with Devi anyway,” Eleanor argued. “I mean, you guys have study sessions almost every afternoon.”

“Right,” Devi trailed off as she considered her encounters with Paxton since she and Ben started dating. How he’d been respectful of her relationship, never once putting Ben down or asking why she had decided to go out with him. She thought about what a good friend he’d been of late with their sessions. She thought about how close she felt to him, and how she wasn’t exaggerating their closeness like she had at the beginning of the school year. She didn’t need to dress up or fabricate the things he said or did to her anymore. Everything was really happening.

“Do you want us to come tomorrow and assess the situation?”

Devi considered Eleanor’s offer, but finally shook her head. “No, I think this is one I have to sort out myself.”

***

“Alright, who coined the term ‘Cold War’ in the British press in October 1954?” Devi asked, looking up at her companion.

“I don’t know… Russia?”

Her eyes narrowed. “No, George Orwell. You’re right, my reputation as a nerd and the best tutor in school is on the line.”

“Shut up, this stuff’s hard. We’re not all Devi Vishwakumar,” he bumped her with his elbow.

“You’re smart too though. How did you know all that stuff about Hinduism or phobias?”

“That’s different. That’s interesting stuff.”

Devi felt her cheeks heat up, and chose to stare at her textbook. Would Paxton find those things interesting if they weren’t directly related to her? Was it his way of saying that she was interesting or important to him? She chanced a glance toward him to see him was also very deliberately staring at his book. She briefly wondered why before he looked up sharply and slapped his knee.

“I guess we have a lot to get through then if we’re going to save your rep. Better get to it.”

“Yeah… for sure,” she said slowly before continuing to quiz him.

A couple hours, some poptarts and pizza rolls later, they had significantly improved Paxton’s knowledge of the subject matter. They both were thrilled with his progress.

“Okay, let’s come full circle,” Devi said. “Who coined the term ‘Cold War?’”

“George Orwell… in the British press… in 1954,” he finished sitting back in his chair confidently.

“Yes! Good job, dude. You picked up on this stuff, no problem!” She smiled.

“Well, you’re a good teacher,” he smiled back, leaning forward.

“You’re a good student,” she told him, biting her bottom lip and leaning forward towards him.

Paxton glanced at her lips briefly before licking his own. She thought, this was it. He was going to kiss her. Instead, Paxton blinked, his eyes staying closed a little longer than normal, and sighed before scooting his chair away from the table.

“Uh.. my parents won’t be home from work for a few hours, and Becca is at a friend’s house if you want to hangout some more,” he suggested, rubbing the back of his neck. “We could drag the slip n slide out?”

Devi smiled. “Umm… I think I’m ready for the next challenge.”

“Yeah?” Paxton asked disbelievingly. “You sure?”

“Yeah, I want to try.”

“Alright,” he smiled with a nod. “I’ll get changed and we’ll head out there.”

Once Devi was closed in the bathroom again, she pulled her suit out of her bag. Pink bikini, don’t fail me now.

After a quick change, and plucking any stray hairs, Devi opened the bathroom door to see Paxton waiting on the other side. Her confidence faltered as he took in her appearance. His brow nearly disappeared into his hairline, and she noticed him swallow before exhaling slowly.

“Is this okay?” She asked.

“Yeah. Yeah, totally okay,” he responded, finally meeting her eye. “I, uh, wanted to walk you out so we could avoid as strong a reaction as last time… We’re in this together, right?”

She nodded, appreciating his support. Together.

It seemed like such a good idea before. Before she was standing in front of a large container filled with water. Water that she would have to submerge herself in.

Already drowning in her own fear, Devi didn’t hear Paxton talking to her until she felt him take her hand.

“Hey, Devi,” he called, waving his other hand in her face. “Can you hear me?”

She blinked longer than usual to clear her head before finding his gaze again. “Yeah, sorry. I was just spiraling.”

“Listen, you don’t have to do this right now. There’s no pressure, okay?”

“I know,” she nodded, licking her lips apprehensively. “I want to do this. You won’t leave me, right?”

He smiled. “We’re in this together, Vishwakumar.”

With that, she carefully made her way up the steps, and stepped into the hot water. Paxton held her hand the whole way. The best part of using the hot tub? The heat further distracted her from her fear that she didn’t even realize Paxton was touching her for a moment. It wasn’t until she was sitting down and should have been relaxing that her anxiety began to spike again.

“Hey, breathe, okay? I’m right here,” Paxton’s hand slipped from hers to wrap around her shoulders.

Without thinking, without meaning to, Devi dropped her head into the crook of Paxton’s neck. Her arms clung to his waist desperately, willing her breathing to level out. She felt Paxton’s other arm come around to encircle her, and it had the very calming effect she assumed he intended. As her breathing returned to a normal pace, Devi found she felt almost sleepy. She felt warm, not because of the water, but inside. It was like her body was humming, like everything was fuzzy. She let out a deep sigh of relief, and felt Paxton shift slightly against her.

“Are you okay?” He whispered. She wondered if he could feel how peaceful things were in that moment. No, he probably just wanted to make sure she hadn’t passed out.

“Yeah,” she breathed. “This helps.”

“Yeah? Like watching me helps?”

“I can’t explain it, and I know it doesn’t make any sense especially because I’m such a disaster when we talk,” she rambled before taking a steadying breath, “but watching you, touching you, calms me down.”

Paxton took a shaky breath, and Devi pulled back slightly to look at him. His eyes were closed, cheeks flushed. She loved seeing him like this. Vulnerable, as though she affected him as much as he affected her. This time, she thought, I’ll kiss him.

Before Devi could lean forward, Paxton abruptly put space between them. One hand remained on her shoulder, but his head was hanging his eyes were closed.

“Devi,” he started before letting out a long sigh, “I am trying so hard. I mean, I love spending time with you and I want to be here for you. I want to be a good friend to you, but you’re killing me.”

“What?”

“You have a boyfriend,” he replied emphatically. “I don’t really know why, but you do. And all this,” he gestured between them, “feels a lot like cheating, and I’m not down for it.”

“Oh, no, no, no, no,” the words came tumbling out, “no, no, no. No, that’s on me. Paxton” —

“Devi, I like you,” he cut her off. “Not in the ‘I want to reinstate our sex agreement’ way, but like, I really like you. I hate studying! But you make it fun. I love the way you spit out that first five thoughts that pop into your head at any given moment. I love that you trust me to tell me your deepest fear that no one else knows, and I love that we’ve been able to work through it together. I don’t know if I can do this anymore though.”

“Sorry I didn’t interrupt, you really seemed like you were on a roll, but,” she paused to take another deep breath, “I don’t… have a boyfriend anymore.”

“What?”

“Things are different now. I broke up with Ben two days ago, and… I really like you too. I never wanted just sex from you. I just never thought we’d be here right now.”

“You don’t have a boyfriend?”

She shook her head, shyly looking down at the water. Her bottom lip found it’s way between her teeth, barely suppressing her smile. She felt his hand slip from her shoulder and snake it’s way around her waist. She looked up as he pulled her body into his so close that their breath mingled.

“Should we make another toast?” She asked nervously.

His forehead pressed against hers as he laughed. When he regained his composure, he looked in her eyes warmly. “Later.”

And for the second time, Paxton Hall-Yoshida’s lips were on hers, and it. was. electric. Somehow, it was even better than the first time. She felt everything else melt away, and it was just the two of them floating through space. Nothing else mattered for that moment. She wasn’t sure when she ended up in his lap, but she wound her arms around his neck all the same before her hands found his curly hair. Under other circumstances, she may have worried that her own hair had become so frizzy that he wouldn’t find her attractive. She realized though, she didn’t have to worry about that. No, as Paxton gripped her hips tighter, she knew very well that he was attracted to her.

This was everything she ever wanted, except it was better. Paxton’s hand came up to cradle her face as his tongue massaged hers in a way that made her spine tingle. Devi was so engrossed in having the greatest moment of her life, she didn’t hear the back door open.

“Wooooo!” Becca hollered as they jumped apart. “Finally!”

“Becca, get out of here!” Paxton yelled, splashing his sister. She laughed, making a comment about being safe as she went back inside.

“So… your sister’s home,” Devi said. They sat awkwardly for a moment before both breaking into a fit of laughter.

“Yeah, mood ruined, I guess.”

“Well, I know one thing: this is the happiest I’ve felt in any body of water in a year.”

He huffed out a laugh, eyes finding his lap before meeting her gaze again. “Happy to help.”

<< Part 2

[gumnut-logic]

Security Breach

Okay, I wrote this. No idea if it works, but I hope you enjoy the possibilities anyway. Really just getting a feel for it.

Scotty has opinions. John scorched my brain. Even Virgil is pissed.

A Thunderbirds/Avengers (2012) AU.

::dumps and runs away::

-o-o-o-

Scott was finalising a spreadsheet from hell when he was interrupted by a curse in Gaelic?

At least he thought it was Gaelic. Whether it was Irish, Scottish or some other dialect, he didn’t have a clue. But in any case, he was pretty sure he knew why.

Only one thing pissed off John enough to go for the ancient languages.

Scott thumbed his collar. “Yes, Thunderbird Five?”

There was a growl followed by a giggle in the background.

Scott rolled his eyes. So Eos was in on it this time.

Great, just great.

“Thunderbird Five, location on our bogey.”

“Your ‘bogey’ is on the residential balcony.”

Oh, yes, John was not happy at all.

“FAB, Thunderbird Five.”

He stood up with a sigh and stretched a few kinks out of, well, everything. He’d been out on a rescue early this morning – some unrecovered ordinance in the hands of the wrong people had levelled a building or two. Virgil had been the one swearing over that one.

Fortunately, it had been in an abandoned mine complex and while the idiots, playing with what they shouldn’t, got themselves into some strife, no one else was endangered. IR had saved and delivered them to the nearest hospital and law enforcement.

Virgil had had so many words.

Scott had shared some of those words with those in need of knowing and they’d all returned home for lunch.

Two was called out halfway between Virgil’s midday coffee and the sandwich Scott had prepared for him.

Suffice it to say, his steadfast brother wasn’t having a great day. Scott had offered to come with, but Virgil had waved him off. A glance at Gordon and his fish brother had run off after Virgil, inserting himself into the equation with his usual grin.

Gordon would either cheer up Virgil or blow him up. Either would fix the problem.

So it had been with that in the back of his mind, and on his tablet while he worked, keeping an eye on his two brothers as they discovered the second piece of unclaimed ordinance for the day.

Virgil was going to be fun to listen to tonight.

But it wasn’t Virgil he had to listen to right now.

Working out the kinks, Scott jogged up the stairs to the residential areas and, with a sigh, strode out onto the balcony.

As expected, Tony was lazing in one of the loungers, drinking…

“That’s my best scotch you’re chugging, you know.”

Still dressed in his Ironman suit, Tony looked up and over his shoulder. “Thanks for stocking it.”

Scott rolled his eyes for the second time and took a seat in the lounger next to the man. “You’ve pissed off John again.”

Tony took a sip. “My life has purpose.”

Scott turned to him in exasperation. “You do realise what John is capable of?”

“Eh, Jarvis and Eos have an understanding. Heh, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were dating.”

“You really have a death wish, don’t you.” It was not a question.

His fellow billionaire turned to him at that. “What? You think the fuddley-cuddley Tracys are even on my radar? I got bigger fish to fry. Dream on.”

“Watch it, Stark.”

“Oh, I’m shivering in my boots.”

“You are an ass.”

“Fully qualified.”

“So what do you want?”

“Your tech.”

“We’ve had this discussion.”

“Yes, we have. And I know for a fact that none of you Tracys are cool enough, much less smart enough, to have come up with all this.” His hand, not occupied with a glass of Scott’s scotch waved dramatically.

“Stark…”

Stark’s face twisted. “Bruce wants a playdate with Virgil.”

“You’re not on his favourites list today. We had more unaccounted for ordinance this morning. This time in Texas.”

An arched eyebrow. “And pretty little tech it was.”

“It levelled an entire mining facility. If it had been let loose in a populated area people would be dead.”

“Fury’s working on it.”

“Yeah, sure.” Okay, so perhaps, Scott was being a bit hard on the Shield branch of the GDF, but damnit there had been so many casualties due to discarded Chitauri weaponry amongst other things that the department claimed to have under control.

“I don’t see you out there fixing the problem.”

“We’re out there every day! Cleaning up your messes.”

“While we’re saving your asses.”

“Yes, thank you for that, but we’re busy saving everyone else every time Thor throws a party, or Bruce has a bad day.”

“We’ve had this discussion.”

Yes, they had and this conversation was getting them nowhere. Old grudges.

Old friendships.

“So, we’re all doing our best. How can we do better?”

“And there’s my goodie-two-shoes Tracy.”

“Shove it, Stark.” Scott stood up. “I’ve got better things to do.”

“Scotty, Scotty, Scotty.”

Scott grit his teeth. “What the hell do you want?”

“A chat with your gurus.” He laid back on the lounger. “And a holiday. This is the only place on the planet Fury can’t reach me, you know.”

The thought of the Avengers on Tracy Island was just…no.

“Find your boy band its own tropical island. Don’t you have three in the Caribbean?”

“Sure, but none have Tracys on them. Well, unless you’ll lend me one unsupervised.” Tony grinned up at him.

“In your dreams, Stark.”

The billionaire sighed and, putting down his glass, rolled to his feet.

Scott looked down at him. It was juvenile, but he’d known Tony since they were kids and while Tony boasted his smarts, Scott had always towered over him.

It wasn’t a big thing, but Scott was going to work with what he had.

Stark poked him in the chest with one metal clad finger. “Look, I know we’ve had our…” He waved his head as if looking for a word that Scott knew he didn’t have to look for. “…differences. But we want the same thing. To keep everyone safe. Now my team is doing what is necessary, same as you. Bruce thinks he needs one of your boys to help. Cap agreed. You gonna share or be an ass?”

Scott eyed him calmly. “I know which you chose.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Tracy, I’m trying to do good here.”

Scott had to give him that. Ever since IR had yanked him out of that kidnap/terrorist scenario in Afghanistan, Tony had been doing his best.

It was also the reason why Scott was talking to him and not Kayo. No doubt his sister had every sensor trained on the man this very moment. She and John were very much of the same opinion in regards to Tony Stark.

Both got seriously pissed each time Stark breached their security without even trying.

Perhaps there was something they could share.

Scott straightened. “I’ll think about it.” He paused and let the hope drip into Tony’s expression. “If you let John and Kayo know how you get through our security.”

Ironman blinked. “Sure.” He shrugged as if he didn’t care. Which he probably didn’t. It would only give him the opportunity to work out another way to skip through their sensor net. John and Tony had been rivals for years.

One enjoying it far more than the other.

If Five had lasers like Two, Tony might not exist any more.

Note to self: Keep John out of Two while working with the Avengers.

Hell, keep John in space.

But there was the truth of it. Tony knew the answer Scott was going to give because since the man had turned back from the dark side, they were on the same team.

And goodie-two-shoes Tracy didn’t have a choice because right was right, no matter who you had to play with.

His father’s voice chanted in the background something about saving all who need saving.

But you can’t save them all, Scott’s stubborn streak replied in a manner that statement wasn’t quite intended for.

Tony grinned at him and picked up his drink again and chugged the last of the scotch.

“Good talking with you Tracy. I’ll let Brucie know he can come and play.” And with that, Ironman threw on his helmet and took off from the balcony, leaving scorch marks in the hardwood, and disappeared into the blue, blue sky.

Scott grunted. Next time he visited Avengers Tower there was going to be so much accidental thruster damage on their landing platform.

“John, update on Two?”

“Finished and on their way home. They’ve been warned about Stark in the area.”

Another grunt.

At least Tony wouldn’t attempt to vandalise Two again. Certainly not after last time. And besides, he obviously wanted Virgil’s help, so would likely be on his best behaviour.

A sigh.

“John, track Stark out of our airspace and let him go.”

“Scott-“

“I said ‘let him go’.”

He got a grumbled FAB in return before the line cut.

Scott strode back inside and headed down to security to weather the storm that was no doubt happening down there. Better to unwind Kayo before winding up half the family about working with the Avengers.

Yet another sigh.

This was going to be fun.

In every other sense of the word.

-o-o-o-