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wowzer-bowzer · 22 days

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Title: Against the Odds

Summary: You and Paige’s relationship as it develops from mentor and student, to more

You had always been a fan of basketball, but it wasn’t until your junior year of high school that you realized you wanted to take the sport seriously. When you found out that Paige Bueckers, a player you looked up to, would be coaching at OTE (Overtime Elite) during your summer camp, you couldn’t believe her luck.

The first day of camp was a whirlwind of nerves and excitement. You couldn’t stop thinking about your chance to meet Paige, to learn from her, and maybe even make an impression. When Paige finally arrived on the court, the gym seemed to buzz with energy. She was exactly as you had imagined—confident, talented, and a presence that commanded respect.

Paige’s coaching style was intense but supportive. She pushed you and the other players to your guys limits, but she also took the time to offer advice and encouragement. By the end of camp, you had caught Paige’s attention. There was something about your determination and quiet confidence that stood out.

On the last day, after everyone else had left, Paige approached you. “ Hey! Yn! You’ve got something special,” she said with a smile. “If you keep working hard, I’ll put in a good word for you at UConn.”

You could barely contain your excitement. The idea of playing for UConn had always been a distant dream, but now, with Paige’s support, it felt like it could actually become a reality.

A year later, you found herself standing on the UConn campus, your heart racing as you took in the sight of the place you had once only dreamed of attending. You had worked hard, and with Paige’s recommendation, you had earned a spot on the team.

When you first saw Paige on campus, it felt surreal. You exchanged smiles and waves, but you were ultimately too nervous to approach her. After all you were only a freshman, and Paige was already a star.

But Paige didn’t let that distance last long. After a few weeks, she invited you to join her for a post-practice meal. Over burgers and fries, you talked of basketball, life at UConn, and everything in between. You were still in awe of Paige, but you had also began to see her as more than just a basketball star, you started to see her as a friend that was funny, kind, and easy to talk to.

Your friendship developed quickly. Paige took you under her wing, helping you navigate the challenges of being a student-athlete at one of the top programs in the country. You spent more and more time together, both on and off the court, and found yourself looking forward to every moment you shared with her.

As the weeks turned into months, your feelings for Paige began to shift. You admired her as a player, and friends but now, you started to notice other things—how Paige’s laugh could light up a room, the way she was always there to listen, and the warmth in her eyes when she would look at you.

At first, you tried to push those feelings aside, afraid of what would happen if you pursued them. After all Paige was your mentor, your friend. But the more time you spent with her, the harder it became to ignore the butterflies in your stomach whenever Paige was around.

One evening, after a particularly grueling practice, Paige suggested you two go for a walk. The campus was quiet, the air crisp with the hint of fall. As you walked, Paige started talking about the pressures she felt as a junior, and how much she cared about you and the team.

“I know this sounds weird,” Paige said, stopping to look at you, “but you’re one of the best things that’s happened to me here. You stand as a reminder of why I love this sport.”

You felt your heart skip a beat. “I feel the same way,” you admitted, your voice barely above a whisper.

There was a moment of silence as you both stood there, the night settling around you. Then, before you could second-guess yourself, you leaned in and kissed Paige.

The kiss was soft, tentative, and when you pulled away, both of you were smiling.

Dating Paige was incredible. You felt like you were living in a dream—how had you gone from admiring Paige from afar to holding her hand as she walked you to class and practice?

But as much as you loved being with Paige, there were challenges too. Paige was incredibly focused on her career, and as a junior with the WNBA on the horizon, her time was limited. Sometimes, you felt as if you were competing with basketball for Paige’s attention.

Despite the challenges, your relationship continued to grow. You supported each other through the highs and lows, and you constantly found yourself falling deeper and deeper in love with Paige every day.

But there were also moments of tension. Paige could be jealous at times, especially when other students or teammates paid attention to you. It wasn’t anything serious, just small comments or a slight edge to her tone, but you noticed. Still, you just brushed it off, attributing it to Paige’s competitive nature. Not seeing it as anything too serious.

As Paige’s junior year came to an end, and your freshman year followed suit, the future loomed large over your guys relationship. Paige was being scouted by multiple WNBA teams, and there was talk of her leaving UConn early to go pro. You knew Paige wouldn’t dare leave a year early, but still you didn’t know what to think.After all you wanted Paige to succeed, but the thought of losing her was terrifying.

One night, after a particularly tough conversation about the future, Paige said something that left you reeling, and feeling like your world was caving in on itself.

“I’m not sure I can do this anymore,” Paige admitted, her voice heavy with exhaustion. “I love you, but I need to focus on my career, and I don’t know if I can give you what you need.”

You felt like the ground had been pulled out from under you. You obviously knew how much basketball meant to Paige, but you didn’t expect this. You both sat in silence for what felt like an eternity before Paige finally spoke again.

“I don’t want to lose you,” Paige said, her voice softer now. “But I also don’t want to hold you back. Maybe we need to take a step back, figure out what we both want.”

You nodded, even though it felt like your heart was breaking. You didn’t want to lose Paige, but you also didn’t want to be the reason Paige didn’t reach her full potential.

In the weeks that followed, you and Paige tried to find a new balance. You both took a step back from the relationship, and focused on your individual goals. It was hard, and there were days when you felt like giving up. But every time you saw Paige on the court, playing with the same passion and drive that had drawn you to her in the first place, you knew you were doing the right thing, if not for you for Paige.

Your relationship wasn’t over, but it had changed. You were still there for her and her for you, but you were learning how to be your self without depending entirely on Paige.

As Paige’s junior year ended and the summer began, you both knew things would never be the same. But you also knew that, no matter what, you would always have each other’s backs.

And that was enough.

#100/10 picture #uconn wbb #wbb x reader #wbb #paige buckets #wlw post #college #paige bueckers #paige x reader

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lambertdiary · 10 months

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FAKE DATING WITH MIKE PLEASE IM BEGGING YOU the plot can be whatever you want but please

A/N: The 'fake dating' trope is genuinely one of my favourites so it's safe to say I had a lot of fun coming up with the plot for this one. I'll post a part two if you guys enjoy this one, so please let me know what you think!!

Word Count: 3.5k+

Warnings: language and I guess that's it

MASTERLIST ✩ SEND ME A REQUEST

This Love Is Just For Show

It was a slow day at your job. Even though it was a Thursday morning and it was usually really busy at this time, the number of customers coming through the door was significantly lower than any other morning, but you were thankful that you didn’t have to do a million things at the time this early.

You worked at a coffee shop and have worked there for a while, so you were used to the crazy job and by this point, you remembered most of the recurring customers, but you always waited for one in particular.

You heard the little bell that indicated that a customer had entered the coffee shop, so you quickly finished arranging the coffee cups behind the counter before turning to greet your customer. You fought the smile that threatened to creep its way onto your face when you saw who it was, and gave him a nonchalant expression instead.

“Hey Mike”

“Hi” He greeted you back with a smile.

“You want your usual, right?”

“So no small talk today, I suppose” Mike leant his forearms on the counter.

“Sorry, it’s kinda busy back here”

He looked around at the almost empty café “I’m not gonna steal more of your time then. I’ll have my usual”

You took a medium cup and used it to cover your smile, marking up his exact coffee order and writing his name at the bottom.

“You know, my offer to go out for coffee still stands. Maybe at a place you don’t have to make it”

You giggle as you put down the cup, typing a few words into the computer in front of you “You’re very sweet Mike but we’ve been through this, I don’t-”

“Date customers, I know” He finished your sentence.

“Look at that, you do remember. And yet, you keep on asking”

“Just hoping you’ll change your mind, I guess”

You shook your head “Not gonna happen”

“Alright, I’ll stop” He took out his wallet and paid for his drink “I’ll just try again in a month or two. Thanks”

He immediately walked to the other end of the counter to wait for his drink, constantly eying you while you took someone else’s order. You were looking his way too, but way more discreetly than he was.

When he finally got his coffee, he thanked your coworker and walked towards the door, turning his head around for a moment to face you “Bye, I’ll see you tomorrow”

Your eyes lingered on the glass doors after he left. You thought he was attractive, sweet, funny and just nice to have around, but you didn’t know whether you liked him like that or not but sometimes you thought you’d like to find out and go out with him, but you couldn’t do it. The real reason you had rejected every single one of his invitations wasn’t the one you gave him every time he asked, it was because you got out of a messy relationship 6 months ago and you weren’t ready to commit to anything, not yet.

Hours later your shift finally came to an end and you were ready to get out of there, you had a lot to do after all. You were in a hurry, so after taking all of your things you made your way to your car and drove to the grocery store.

After finding a parking spot you entered the massive building, guiding the shopping cart in front of you. You were so wrapped up in your thoughts looking down at your phone as you checked your shopping list, you didn’t notice the familiar face quickly approaching you.

“Y/N?” Your head snapped up as you immediately recognised the voice. You forced a smile while trying really hard to keep your eyes from widening.

“Nick, hi” The shock of seeing your ex-boyfriend for the first time since the breakup was more evident than you had intended.

“It’s been so long, how have you been?”

“Good, things are good” An awkward silence took over your conversation as quickly as it had started. The two of you smiled at each other politely, discomfort present in both of your eyes “How about you?”

“Amazing, actually” You nodded at him in response, unsure of what to say next. Thankfully, someone else joined the conversation. A girl you recognised as one of Nick’s friends from when you were dating him.

“Y/N! It’s been so long” She approached you for a hug, which you politely accepted.

“You remember Emily” Nick said as you pulled away.

“Of course, hi!”

“This is so funny, we were just talking about you last night” Emily said, standing closer to Nick and slowly wrapping her arm around him.

“You were? Why’s that?”

“She suggested we invite you to our engagement party this weekend”

Engagement?

“Oh my god, you guys are engaged” If you weren’t in shock before, you certainly were now “That’s amazing!” You wrapped your arms around them and pulled both of them into a hug, hoping this would prove to him that you really were happy for them. Even though that was far from the truth.

You pulled away after a few seconds, building up the perfect fake smile “I know it’s a bit of a shocker since Nick and I were just friends when you guys were dating, but I hope it’s not weird or anything”

“Please, not at all. I- I’m really happy for you guys”

“Thank you” Emily held your hand momentarily before dropping it and taking it back to her financé’s arm “So, are you coming?”

You thought about it for a moment. You really didn’t wanna go, but you thought that if you showed up you would show them how okay you were with their engagement. Even though you weren’t, since you broke up with Nick just six months ago and out of nowhere he’s engaged now, and you… you hadn’t even gone on a single date since then.

“Of course I’ll be there”

“Great! Should we save an extra seat for a special someone?” Emily asked with a wink.

You could feel your face burn as you thought of the lack of a love life, but your mouth was faster than your brain “Yes, I’ll bring my boyfriend with me”

Fuck.

“Oh” You hear Nick whisper.

“I mean I’ll ask him if he can make it, but you know, he gets really busy sometimes, so-”

“Okay, well I’ll have Nick text you the details later but I guess I’ll see you on Saturday!” Emily pulled you in for another hug, and Nick just waved at you as the both walked away from you.

You were left standing there alone, feeling like a complete loser. You didn’t have feelings for him or anything, and you wished you didn’t care about his engagement but you just couldn't help it.

Your relationship with him was complicated, and your breakup was so messy it took a while to pick up the pieces, and the main reason for that was because he swore he would never want to get married. After being together for a couple of years you moved in together for a few months, leading you to think he’d propose eventually, but he said that was the most you’d get from him. Now six months later he’s engaged to one of his friends…

You barely had the energy to finish with your grocery shopping. You were cursing yourself for saying you would go to their engagement party and on top of everything making up a fake boyfriend. Why couldn’t you just say you were busy? Any other answer would have been better than that.

You went home with a lot on your mind, and Nick’s text with all the details for Saturday just made it worse. You let out a loud sigh as you collapsed on your bed, going through your contacts list to see if you could find someone who would be willing to be your fake boyfriend for a night.

You quickly gave up as you realised how crazy it would be to make such a request, so maybe it would be better if you came up with an excuse and said you wouldn’t be able to make it.

Unless…

You typed Mike’s name on your contacts, hoping you’d find his number there. He gave it to you a couple of months ago, written on a napkin after going to the coffee shop for a week straight. You were almost crossing your fingers, urging that your past self saved it, but you assumed you got rid of it since it wasn’t on your phone.

You sigh again, too tired to think of more solutions.

⋆ ★ ⋆ ★

The next day wasn’t any better. The party that was taking place the next day was flooding your mind and unfortunately for you, the possibilities of ending up looking like a loser in front of everyone were high.

Everyone around you seemed to notice something was off, but with the busy morning that kept everyone doing something they didn’t have time to ask you the reason. That was definitely a relief, you would hate to admit what your current problem was.

Customers kept coming and that almost made you forget about the whole fake boyfriend thing, until you saw Mike approach the counter with a big smile.

“Hi” You shyly smile back at him.

“Hi, I’ll just have my usual”

You nodded as you grabbed a medium cup. You were debating in your mind whether or not it would be a good idea to ask him for help, but the simple thought of those words leaving your mouth made your face turn a bright red.

“And I’ll also have a cupcake”

You looked at him with furrowed brows. He had been going there every day for at least a couple of months and he never tried something new, so him making an addition to his order took you by surprise “Oh, what’s the occasion?”

“Buying a few extra seconds, I guess” He replied like it was no big deal. He took out his wallet ready to pay for his order, smiling when he noticed your blushed face.

If he was willing to buy a cupcake just to talk to you for a little longer, maybe he would be down to go to a party with you and pretend to be your boyfriend for a night. After all, he had been begging you for a date nearly everyday since the day you met him, and that would count as one, right?

You looked at the cupcake tray that was sitting next to you, naming the cupcake flavours while you kept a collected expression despite the heat rushing to your cheeks as you wrote your phone number down on his cup, right next to his name.

“Uh- we have vanilla, chocolate, blueberry-”

“Which one is your favourite?” He interrupted you.

“Red velvet with cream cheese frosting”

“I’ll have that one”

You tried to suppress your smile as you reached for the cupcake, blushing a little harder when your hand brushed his “Enjoy it”

“I will, or I guess I’ll let you know what I think on Monday” You looked down and grabbed his receipt, keeping your eyes fixated on the screen in front of you when you handed it to him “Thanks” Mike said, and you panicked when he started to walk away, and once again your mouth acted on instinct.

“I get off at 4” You spit out, making him stop and take a step back as you cursed yourself for how pathetic you sounded.

“Huh?”

“Today, I- I get off at 4” You repeated, thinking of something else to say “You can call me and- and maybe I’ll see you later”

A smile appeared on his face “Yeah, sure. I’ll give you a call” He nodded quickly, but stopped when he realised “I’d love to have your number, though”

“On your cup”

His smile grew bigger, and you could almost notice his tinted cheeks “I’ll talk to you later, then”

You nodded as he walked away, pushing away your embarrassment as you fixed your face to attend a new customer. You tried to stay focused on the order, but the cheeky smile from your coworker made you blush again.

“Shut up” You said, rolling your eyes at her.

The rest of the day went by painfully slowly. You were dying to check your phone to see if he had called you or at least texted you, but it was so busy that you didn’t have the time for that.

At the same time you were hoping he’d take his time reaching out to you. You felt guilty dragging him into your little show and you knew if you went out with him you wouldn’t be able to stop yourself from asking him.

When your lunch break came you literally ran to the back to get your phone, your heart skipping a beat when you read the last notification.

Unknown: Hey, it’s Mike

You saved his contact right away, and then took a little too long to think of a response, writing and deleting the message a few times before finally sending one back.

You: This is Y/N!

You rolled your eyes at your own message, and only a few seconds later your phone started ringing, his name showing on the tiny screen. You froze for a moment, but rushed to answer when it rang for the second time.

“Hi” You said in a shy tone.

“Hi. Sorry for calling but it’s way easier than texting”

“Don’t worry, I agree” You let out a little giggle before continuing “I guess I should apologise for earlier today”

“What do you mean?”

“You know, writing my number on your cup-”

“No need to apologise” He interrupted you “I’ve been meaning to ask you, what changed?”

‘I ran into my now engaged ex boyfriend and made up a fake boyfriend so I desperately need your help’ you thought to yourself, but of course you couldn’t say that, not yet anyway.

“I, uh- I thought about your offer, and coffee sounds nice”

“Well… I know a place, they have the best red velvet cupcakes-”

“Definitely not here” You stop him before you let out another laugh, even though you knew he was joking “We can meet somewhere else, what time do you get off?”

“Oh, so you really did mean tonight” Mike sighs loudly, taking a hand to his hair as he tries to think of someone who could babysit his sister.

You squeeze your eyes shut, trying to bury your embarrassment at how desperate you sounded “Sorry, we can try some other time-”

“No” He’s quick to cut you off “I just need to find a babysitter for Abby-”

“Who’s Abby?”

“My little sister, but the babysitter leaves at 6”

“Right, I understand” You try to think of a solution without sounding more desperate than you already were, but maybe it was for the best if you didn’t see him tonight.

“I’m gonna call her and ask if she can stay with Abby for a little longer tonight”

That makes you feel bad, thinking about his little sister stuck with the babysitter just because of your big mouth. You start to come to your senses, there was no way you could lead him on like that.

You let out a loud breath before saying “Mike, actually I think it’s better if we leave it for another time”

He stays silent for a moment, but then finally replies “Uh- yeah, that’s okay”

“Sorry, it’s just-” You stop when the clock on the wall tells you your lunchtime is over “I have to go but I’ll see you on Monday”

You hand up the phone immediately, the guilt coming back to you for a different reason.

You spend the rest of your shift thinking of excuses for your absence to the party, knowing that that’s what you should have done from the beginning. When you leave you’re so caught up on your thoughts you almost don’t recognise the person waiting for you outside.

“Mike?”

“Hi, yeah- uh sorry” He put his hands on his pockets, looking down at the ground “You sounded a little weird on the phone earlier”

“I had to go back to work, sorry”

“Right, I know… so, about the coffee-”

“Y/N!” Mike is interrupted by a voice you hated to recognize. You closed your eyes momentarily as you let out a breath, mentally preparing yourself to talk to her again “We have to stop running into each other like this”

“Emily, so nice to see you again” You say with a convincing smile.

“You too” She inspects your outfit and the building behind you, a smirk appearing on her face when her eyes landed on you again “I see you’re still working at the café”

You don’t say anything but your blood starts to boil, but at the same time you’re trying hard to hide your embarrassment.

Mike looked at you as soon as those words left her mouth, trying to read your expression, but when you didn’t say anything he decided to jump in “Hi, I’m Mike”

“Oh hi, I’m Emily” They shook hands and she carefully examined him almost entirely, and Mike dropped it after just a moment “I used to be friends with Y/N. Well, with her ex boyfriend, but he’s now my fiancé” She said as she showed off her ring, and the two of you simply nodded “Oh… you must be Y/N’s boyfriend”

Emily’s eyes fixated on you, giving you the same intimidating look she always gave you, making you break and fall into a moment of weakness “Yes” You replied, and she immediately turned to Mike to give him a hug.

“You should’ve said that before, she was telling us about you last night”

He was looking at you with a million questions as his eyes gave you the most confused look you had ever seen on anyone. You mouthed the word ‘Sorry’ as they pulled away.

“You guys are coming to the party tomorrow, right?”

“We can’t make it, sorry” You grabbed Mike’s arm and pulled him closer to you, giving him an apologetic smile.

“Oh well that’s a shame”

“You never said anything about a party, baby” He looked at you, amusement building in his face.

You were sure your face has never been more red than it is right now, you truly didn’t know what to say to that “Uh I- I’m sorry, I guess I forgot”

“We’ll be there”

“Mike, what are you doing?” You whisper to him.

“Great! I can’t wait to see you guys tomorrow”

She starts to walk away as she waves you goodbye, and as soon as she leaves you turn to face Mike, your apology already leaving your mouth “I’m sorry, Mike I’m so sorry, I don’t know what got into me-”

“Who was that?” He interrupted you “And most importantly, why did you say I was your boyfriend”

“That was my… I used to know her when I was dating my ex boyfriend” You explained, scratching your head as you tried to think of the answer to his next question “I don’t know why I said that. I panicked but of course that’s no excuse, I shouldn't have said that, I’m so sorry”

“What did she mean you told them about me last night?”

“I didn’t, I swear I didn’t” You simply reply, but he urges you to continue “I ran into them and they invited me to their engagement party, which already was so crazy cause I didn’t think Nick would ever get married, but he would give that to Emily I guess” You start to ramble, but stop when you realise you’ve said too much “She asked me if I would bring someone with me and I don’t know why but I said yes”

“Does that have anything to do with you giving me your number today?”

“No, of course not” You rushed to reply “Look, I’m sorry I got you into this. It’s stupid and it’s immature, you don’t have to worry about her thinking you’re my boyfriend, I promise I’ll call her”

You stared for a moment, waiting for him to accept your apology, although you’d understand if he didn’t.

“I can come to the party with you”

“What?”

“I mean she’s not very nice, why give her the satisfaction? Plus, I already promised we’d be there”

“No, Mike you don’t have to do that-”

“I tried asking you on a date for weeks, I’m not gonna let it go to waste now, even if it’s not real”

You stop to think for a little too long. If he was down then what was the problem? Asking him to do that for you did cross your mind anyway, so now that he was volunteering himself you shouldn't feel as guilty, right?

“It’s just going to be for one night, and knowing Emily there will be so much free food and drinks, you just need to stay with me and maybe hold my hand a few times”

"Deal"

Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know what you think, likes and reblogs are highly appreciated!!

#mike schmidt #mike schmidt x reader #mike schmidt x you #mike schmidt fic #mike schmidt imagines #mike schmidt fanfic #mike schmidt imagine #fnaf #fnaf movie x reader #fnaf movie #josh hutcherson

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plutoswritingplanet · 1 year

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Unpunishable (Shang Tsung x F!Reader)

a/n: no one asked for this, but hey, i've been in love with that soul stealing stink-man, i had to finally write something for him. this one is specifically MK1 story mode adjacent, but i do want to write more (for MK11 and the movie), Cross-Posted on AO3

Warnings: Dub-Con (kinda i guess), Captivity, playing fast and loose with the canon, Kinda Soft Shang?, Reader is a Blood Mage (nothing too serious tho)

Summary: After you and your friends raid Shang Tsung's laboratory, you get caught and kept captive by the Sorcerer himself.

Is it wrong to want more?

That was the thought plaguing you from the beginning of your training at the Wu-Shi temple. Blood magic was frowned upon in Outworld. For you to even cross the threshold of the realm, there had been some serious negotiations set in place. Still, the Fire God has managed to convince Empress Sindel of your assets as a healer.

And, you were a curious thing, after all. Humans were not born with magic in Earthrealm, it could only be bestowed by a God. Which is why your natural talent at commanding blood, both yours, and later someone else's, was a strange sight indeed. Strange enough to stir the interest of Outworld's nobility, granting you a safe passage to the tournament with your training companions.

Which is how you landed here. Between helping Raiden navigate the Tournament, through the secret mission on behalf of Liu Kang, and right up to now. As you sit, poised like a decorative doll, hands locked behind your back, intricate, golden cuffs digging into the skin of your wrists. There are piles upon piles of golden coins surrounding you, gold trickles down the walls in long smears of paint, golden dust stains your skin. A kink forms deep within your spine, from the uncomfortable position you have been put in.

And then, there's the deep, bleeding cut, stretching the expanse of your thigh. It was a stupid idea, tagging along for the mission to find Shang Tsung, and bring him to Liu Kang for questioning. You shouldn't have followed your friends into that one. Even more idiotic, was your short stand against Princess Mileena, as her Tarkat affliction took control of her. The fight, if you could even call it that, ended with you gaining a black eye and an awful, ugly cut, made by Princess's knives.

You shift in your position, trying to relieve some of the discomfort. Instead, the thick fabric of your pants slides on the wound, making you wince in pain. Flexing your fingers behind your back, you try to focus on the constant throbbing in your leg. If the traditional means of escape have been taken from you, perhaps a more finessed touch would be efficient.

Blood trickles on your skin, and every fiber of your being zeros in on the feeling. Sweat forms on your forehead, as you slowly force the stream to run upwards, towards your hip, and around your back. Your fingers flex into intricate positions, a thin line of your own blood reaches your wrist.

You have never tried this trick with your magic, all your life dedicating your gift to the art of healing. Dealing with the blood of other people, stopping, pushing, extracting, those were the things you were good at. Solidifying your own plasma, so it can cut through metal cuffs, was an entirely different topic.

But you have to escape. You have to. There's no telling what will happen to you, should you remain in this prison. Surrounded by gold and jewels, like some sort of perverted spoil of war. You valued yourself too much, to allow that. And, most importantly, your friends needed help. The intel you've gathered while being stuck in this wretched place wasn't much, but it was something, which in turn was enough to keep fighting.

Breathing becomes a hassle. You've already exerted far too much of your power, trying to extract from your bleeding thigh, and your hands shake behind your back, as you visualize particles sticking together, forming something solid, something that would free you of this prison. The liquid curling around your wrist shifts, an outer layer forming around it. All you've managed to achieve, is a sort of coagulated jelly, sticking to your skin.

"Your dedication to freedom in commandable." a familiar, male voice surrounds you, and you whip around, chain jingling at the sudden movement.

There he stands, in all his glory. Your captor.

Shang Tsung stalks towards you, his hands clasped behind his back as he leans down, hair flowing past his shoulders and obscuring the two of you from the world in a thick, black curtain. He smells rich. Sandalwood and jasmine, mixed with a nauseating undertone of blood and rot, no doubt, a leftover from his laboratory. It forces you to reel your head back, to try and escape it, but your efforts are quickly destroyed, as the sorcerer closes in further.

"Your skill, however…" his dark eyes fly around your face, taking in your distressed expression with a cruel smile "Well, let's just say there's some room for improvement."

Your eyebrows crease, as he flashes you a grin, before straightening up to his full height, allowing you a moment of relief from his overpowering presence. The bloody clot you've managed to form around your wrist falls to the floor as soon as you lose focus, and silently, you mourn the feeling of blood sinking between golden coins, never to be recovered again. You couldn't even if you tried, not with the Outworld's Snake right in front of you, circling your body like a hawk ready to strike.

Suddenly, he crouches down, right beside your abused leg, your breath catching in your lungs at the sudden change. The way he moved never seized to amaze you, as much as you hated to admit it. There was grace burned into his very being, every step a slithery dance. It terrified you, rightfully so, but underneath something new was brewing. A feeling, which you could easily dismiss during the rush of fighting, was no longer satisfied with staying dormant.

There was a strange pull between the two of you, like two magnets on the opposite sides of a table. Whenever your eyes met with the Sorcerer, you could feel something buried inside your soul start to wake. It felt so foreign, yet so very familiar at the same time, like a ghost of some ancient prophecy clawing at your mind.

Once you free yourself from this hellish predicament, you'll ask Liu Kang what is going on with you. He has to know, or at least, suspect something, and you knew very well, feelings like those could not be ignored. Too much was at stake, to keep secrets out of some misguided shame. That is, if you even make it out of here, because the man beside you suddenly pushes his robe outwards, producing a small box with a practiced flare, like a magician during one of his shows.

"Do not fret, Mortal" you're not sure if the "pet" name is a thinly veiled insult, or if it's just the way the Sorcerer speaks "This is simply something to heal your leg."

Now, your confusion must be palpable, because Shang Tsung's smile widens, as he takes in your face. Then, he laughs quietly to himself, barely above a whisper, and the hairs at the back of your neck stand straight at the sound.

"I don't want anything from you" it's a pathetic effort at staying defiant, and both of you know it.

Instead of entertaining your little outburst, the Sorcerer grabs your leg with his free hand. Immediately, you start to struggle, despite the sharp pain overtaking your senses, as his grip on you tightens. Then, you let out a sharp squeak, when the man's golden claws tear into the fabric of your pants just above the wound, and dangerously close to the apex of your thighs.

The wound looks back at you, swollen and bloody, and you swallow thickly, as blood flows from your face. You could treat it, successfully as well, if only your hands weren't currently bound behind your back, with very limited moving space. Shang Tsung opens the box with delicate fingers. There is some sort of salve packed inside, a rather large indent right in the middle proving it's been used quite extensively.

His hold on you becomes less of a grip, bordering almost on a soft caress, which brings an entire wave of concerning feelings to the surface of your mind. If he notices the way your cheeks flush, he says nothing, opting instead on dipping his fingers into the salve.

"This might hurt" he warns you, although there is not a single note of concern in his voice.

"What is that? Another Tarkat experiment?" you try to mask the shaking in your voice, as the thought of being experimented on genuinely frightens you.

Your leg twitches under his fingers, and he digs in deeper, turning to face you with an unexpected, serious expression. Again, you feel short of breath, as his dark eyes bear into yours with intensity you haven't yet experienced.

"I would never..." he cuts himself off.

The word, or rather, the tone in which he says it seems to startle you both. His eyebrows furrow in an expression of annoyance, or worry, you're not entirely sure, and he turns back towards your wound, his black hair shielding his face from your gaze. Was that repulsion, hidden within his voice? Your chest suddenly feels much too tight. Was the merciless Sorcerer disgusted by the prospect of conducting his inhumane experiments on you? You weren't sure if the sentiment warmed your heart… Or terrified you to the very core of your being.

Still, all your thoughts leave your brain, as soon as Shang Tsung places his fingers on your wound. At first, a cold feeling overtakes you, pain letting go for just a split second. Then, fire. White, hot, burning ache, seeping into your wound. It feels as if it reaches your bone marrow, and with a silent scream you fall on your back, writhing on the floor. Golden coins fly from under your feet, as you kick around, the golden chain tying your hands together strains, as you pull on it with all your might. Slowly, the pain fades, some sort of tight sensation pulling at the skin of your thigh.

And one more thing.

As you come down from the initial shock of the painful treatment, your brain registers something warm and firm, rubbing circles into your flesh. It takes you another while longer to realize it's Shang Tsung's hand, resting right above the wound, claws tapping on the inside of your leg. He watches you, as your breathing starts to slow, eyes following drops of sweat falling from your forehead and mingling with tears. Your lips parted, your eyelids flutter, and you let out a long sigh, finally being able to look down on your leg.

Where the wound once was, now, a long, pink scar shines in the light of the torches strung around the chamber. Shang Tsung closes the box, before hiding it amongst the many layers of his outfit. You half expect him to stand up and leave, but your hopes are squashed once again, as the man kneels down next to you, turning his attention towards your heaving chest.

His hand comes up, towards your face, claws shining gold. You wince and close your eyes, despite your best efforts to appear strong, but the pain you've anticipated doesn't come. Instead, you feel something sharp drag itself across your forehead. You risk cracking an eye at him, face scrunching, before relaxing into an expression of utter confusion.

There he was, your captor, tormentor, your enemy, brushing flyaway hairs from your sweaty forehead. Your eyes meet, and again, feelings swirl inside your gut, some you're too scared to decipher, and some need no explanation. His lips curl into something akin to a smirk, yet his eyes remain focused on you entirely, thoughts swimming behind his irises. Then, as if some magic spell has been broken, you can see him shift into his true self, the same scheming energy overflowing him, as if a new, frightful idea has formed inside his mind.

Once again, he reaches into the pockets of his robe, this time producing a deliciously red apple. Its skin is shiny, the potent smell makes your mouth water, and suddenly you remember you haven't eaten in Gods know how many hours. With a dark chuckle, the man turns the apple, from side to side, as if he wants you to take full stock of just how sinful it looks. Then, with a simple gesture, he tips it towards your lips. Your eyes snap up at him.

"I can't eat it with my hands tied" your voice sounds rough from all the pain you've experienced before.

"Nonsense, I shall feed you" he answers, as if this was the most obvious way out of your predicament, and the heat of embarrassment mixes with anger in your gut.

"You want me to eat out of your hand like some damned pet?"

Now, he laughs, fully. His eyes crinkle at the sides, as he inclines his head towards you.

"I know full-well you're too dangerous to let roam freely" your eyes flicker towards the apple, "And after all you've been through, aren't you hungry, Mortal?"

Your teeth grind against each other, as you weight your options. Shang Tsung moves the apple again in a tantalizing manner, and your resolve crumbles. Your eyes lock onto his, giving him the best performance of defiance you could muster, and slowly, you open your mouth.

"Good girl" he croons, and for a split second you ponder, if spitting at the man was worth the consequences.

He brings the apple closer, lets it rest on your bottom lip, before giving you a patronizingly inviting smile. Swallowing your pride, your teeth sink into the fruit, and you can't stop the absolutely shameful moan from slipping out of you, as the sweetness of the apple hits your tongue. Damned be precautions, damned be your dignity, you were hungry, and that apple was delicious. So you take a bite so large, it almost reaches the stem, letting some juice flow down your chin.

Shang Tsung watches you eat with a laser focus one might imagine he reserves for his experiments, teeth catching his bottom lip.

Another bite, this one silent on your part. His eyes follow the column of your throat, when you swallow. One more, and you give him a show of looking up at his darkened expression when your teeth all but tear away from the fruit.

Your hands are shaking behind your back, a coil is forming deep within you, and you press your legs tight together, to shield the rest of your dwindling dignity from completely being torn away. He notices. Of course, he does, as your actions seem to have a similar effect on him, if his bitten lips and heavy breaths are anything to go by.

"Why go through all this trouble, Sorcerer?" you ask, licking your lips from the remnants of your meal.

His eyes follow your tongue, before looking back right into your eyes. The rest of the apple is thrown somewhere amongst the golden piles of treasure, forgotten entirely. Time seems to slow down, air becomes thick between the two of you, surrounding you like a vat of tar. The pull you've been feeling since meeting this infamous monster becomes almost too strong to ignore.

Shang Tsung raises his hand, grabbing your chin and pushing it upwards. There is a myriad of emotions running rampant on his face, until it finally settles on something so dark and wanting, your stomach tightens at the mere sight. His lips come down upon yours in an avalanche, slipping towards your chin, where he provocatively licks at your skin, tasting the apple's juices and humming to himself.

Your voice comes out as a small whimper, entire body reacting to his kiss, as you fight between pushing him away and pulling him much closer. He decides for you, coming back to claim your lips again, as his hands start to travel up the sides of your stomach, gathering your shirt in the process.

His clawed gauntlets scratch at your skin, not enough to actually hurt you, but enough to elicit a wave of shudders from your body. Finally, he pulls away, considering your swollen lips and disheveled hair as one would their newest painting. Pride and mischief mix well in his black irises, and he licks his lips slowly, making you blush impossibly red.

"You look quite beautiful, like this" he croons, tangling his free hand in the hair at the back of your neck, "So pliant under my fingers."

For a moment, all you can do is stare at him, poised above you with his usual smirk gracing his features. Then a thought materializes in your head, a chance at finding an escape route, if you could play your cards right.

"Untie me" you moan wantonly, arching your neck, as if to give him better access.

He launches at your exposed pulse point immediately, licking a long stripe up, before giving your skin a few delicious nips, ones that make you almost forget your half-formed plan. Almost. Gathering all your resolve, you writhe against him. His clothes are hiding a lean, but well-muscled body, and you wish so hard, you could run your hands down his chest.

"Untie me, please" you don't recognize your voice, so broken and needy.

The Snake stops his ministrations, tugging at your hair, before sliding his hand towards your shoulders, where he grabs you and pulls you even closer, so your body is leaning almost completely on his lap. His other hand makes quick work of the zipper on your trousers and worms itself into your underwear. A wave of humilation hits you, as your pink, polka-dotted panties look at you from between the fly.

"I can't risk you getting away" he whispers in your ear and takes a long whiff of your hair, humming in pleasure, "My Benefactor has made it clear, you are crucial to their plan."

That startles you. Or it would, if the Sorcerer hadn't began to delicately rub his fingers over your lower lips, just shy of entering you. It's torture, a new brand of cruel experiment, you think, as you buck your hips against him, trying to get some sort of pressure

"I would've thought you wanted me for yourself" you pant between heated kisses you're leaving on the exposed skin of is neck, "It certainly - oh - seems so."

The hand which is currently not occupied sneaks around your middle, before grabbing a handful of your right breasts.

"Would you like that?" he asks into the crown of your head, his fingers finally dipping into your opening.

It takes you several tries to form an answer in your brain, and another few to vocalize it. His thumb makes quick work of finding your bundle of nerves, and instantly starts to abuse that newly-found knowledge. You bite your lip, hard, to stop any sounds from escaping you, but the Sorcerer wouldn't have it. His mouth finds yours, and he swallows your moans of pleasure with an approving hum reverberating through his chest,

"Would you like to be kept by me? Be mine and mine alone" his lips brush against yours as he talks, and you tug mercilessly on your binds, wanting to hold onto something, anything. Him.

"I-" you can't quite finish your sentence, because the hand that's been, for the most part, playing with your breast like it's a stress ball, begins to travel further down, until it rests on the lower part of your stomach. "No."

It comes out as choked and desperate, as his fingers curl upwards inside you, hitting a spot that nearly makes you fly off the ground. He laughs, right in your ear.

"No?"

"No" you swallow, "I'm- oh fuck... I'm too good for you."

Another deliberate motion of his fingers and your toes start to curl. He might be the key to undoing the entire universe, but hell, he does know how to use his fingers. Long and elegant fingers, trained by years spent on studying ad practicing spells, made dexterous by whatever horrors he has committed in his laboratories. Fingers, which are currently pumping in and out of you with a pace set specifically to drive you insane.

"Yes" he hisses through his teeth, pressing his nose to the crown of your head, "You are too good for me, aren't you? That's why you're here, taking my fingers like you were meant for it."

Gods, his voice really isn't helping you focus. By the feeling of something hard and rather large poking you in your thigh, you guess you're not the only one getting off on the sound of his voice. A coil starts to tighten deep within you, growing tighter with every movement of his fingers, every word coming out of his filthy mouth

"Even the Fire God couldn't keep you away from me" his thumb presses down onto your clit and begins to rub it in quick circles, "He was so scared to let you go into my lair, wasn't he?"

You nod absentmindedly, thrashing in the Sorcerer's lap, as a strong shiver of pleasure wrecks your body. Experimentally, you move your backside, rubbing against his growing erection, and the man hisses into your ear, his movements faltering for a split-second.

"He was right" Shang Tsung seethes the words into your skin, before coming down to bite on your shoulder, "We will be each other's undoing."

His palm presses flat on your lower stomach, as his efforts inside your pants increase tenfold. The coil is so close to breaking, you can feel tears start to form in the corners of your eyes.

"Ladies first, sweet thing" he hums, pressing your writhing body even closer to himself, "Come undone for me."

And you do, as if compelled by some ancient magic. Your face buries itself into his robes, teeth catching on the skin of the juncture between his neck and his shoulder. And you bite, hard enough to break his skin, taste his blood on your tongue. The coil shatters, and so does your grip on the world. You let out a muffled wail, the Sorcerer pulling you even closer, engulfing you entirely in his presence, his smell. Your legs are shaking, as Shang Tsung lets you ride out your orgasm on his nimble fingers, and soon, your body becomes boneless.

He doesn't let you go for a while longer, still pressed to your body, swaying with you in some sort of perversion of intimacy. Or perhaps, as much as the thought terrifies you, there is some link building between the two of you. Something more than lust and curiosity. Then, his hand leaves your pants, coming up out of your field of vision. You catch a glimpse of his soaked fingers, and your imagination fills in, what might be happening just above your head, as an obscenely wet sound of sucking reaches your ears.

Then, like the gentleman he is, he helps you button your pants back up, straightens your shirt and ties your hair more neatly. You want to kiss him again. There is another need brewing inside you, as you watch him stand up and dust his clothes, which are now stained with gold dust in places.

Is it wrong to want more?

You want to reach up, brush your fingers through his hair, kiss him until he can't speak clearly. You wants to feel his breath quicken again, feel his pulse run wild. You want to drain his blood and feed on his power until there's nothing left.That last thought freezes you in your spot, cold shivers climbing up your body like a dead hand gripping you from beneath the earth.

Too dark, too power-hungry, and you were none of those things. You never will be.

"Beautiful" he murmurs again, watching you from above, but this moment of sentiment is cut shortly, as his head snaps towards the entrance to the chamber, expression souring instantly

Your eyes follow his, but there's nothing you can see in the darkness. A chill runs up your spine.

"Get ready, Mortal" oh, so we're back to thinly veiled insults, "My Benefactor will want to meet you soon."

With that, he turns to leave, not sparing you a second glance, and you're back to being alone. Used and left between the piles upon piles of gold surrounding you, like your part of this chamber. A pretty thing, stained gold, made to exist only when it's owner is looking at it.

You need to get out of here, before you lose your mind.

#my writing #shang tsung #shang tsung x reader #mortal kombat #mortal kombat x reader #mortal kombat 1 #mk1 2023 #i love shang in every version but i really like the way they carried his character in this game #there's more nuance to him now #at least that's what i think mk stans don't stab me

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wood-white-writer · 9 months

Text

“Didn’t mean to make your heart Blue” || [9/…]

— OPLA!Buggy x F!Reader

“And I know no one will save me, I just need someone to kiss.

Give me one good honest kiss and I’ll be alright.”

— Mitski, “Nobody”

Pairing: Buggy the Clown (Live Action) x F!Reader

Summary: You were an apprentice of Gol D. Roger’s crew in your youth, long before his eventual demise. Along with the Red-Haired Shanks and Buggy, you were a formidable trio; the embodiment of a new generation of pirates yet to come. But times changed, and so did you and your friends. In which there is lost affections, mentions of the past, and re-bonding over a bath. Unshared thoughts and feelings of regret return from years of negligence, and whereas some aspects remain buried, others have a chance to resurface from the depths.

Warnings: fem!reader, LA!Verse, slight canon divergence, morally grey reader, mentions of violence and blood, dual-pov (though primarily Buggy's), Buggy being a simp, implications of Buggy being a horny simp

A/N: AND HERE WE ARE! FINALLY, AFTER SO MANY WEEKS, THE NEW CHAPTER IS UP! Seriously, I want to thank you all for your immense patience and support. As I mentioned in a previous post, work has been hectic as hell and I know I wrote that this chapter would hopefully be finished last week, but life took its toll. Hopefully, you'll enjoy this chapter, though I myself have mixed feelings about it.

INCLUDES SOME SELF-MADE SKETCHES AT THE BOTTOM, so you’re warned

The sun warms your face as you breathe in the fresh scent of the sea. You’re lounging on deck, hands folded behind your head and feet hanging over the railings in a rather peculiar position, but you’re perfectly content.

Luffy benched you for the rest of the voyage to Arlong Park, a decision you initially found insulting to no short degree. Well, maybe benched is not the right term to use, but more like “I don’t want you to die, and I think you need to relax this once”.

You had argued that no, you’re fine and the love bites Arlong left you are nothing compared to the marks Mihawk left on Zoro, and he’s still up and about as usual.

But Luffy is firm about his decision, and what the Captain says goes.

So, here you are, enjoying some quiet all while letting your wounds heal, and it seems that nothing can hope to put an end to this ambiance that is—

“HEY! THERE ‘YA ARE!”

…. You spoke too soon. Way too soon.

A shadow falls over your face like a curtain and blocks the view of the sun. A shadow belonging to - you make a lucky guess - a severed head that’s been talking for way longer than a severed head typically should, in your experience.

You open one lazy eye to pinpoint the exact perpetrator and see a bright red dot staring down at you from Usopp’s grip.

Buggy winks at you, making those mildly irritating clink-clink noises.

“I can’t stand it anymore,” Usopp grumbles. “You take him! He’s annoying and keeps telling me my nose is too long!”

“Because it is, you shidiot!”

“It’s average!”

“That’s what your mom said!”

“You keep my mom’s name out of your mouth, you psychotic, fucking—!”

“Be quiet.”

Both the clown and the slingshot simultaneously shut their mouths before things have a chance to escalate on a non-verbal scale, and you take this as a sign that your break is officially over and buried ten feet under.

Stretching your arms out loud enough to pop a few vertebrae, you shift to lean your back against the railing and give both boys an unimpressed look-over, like a disappointed mother having caught both of her children in the act of something. “It’s too early for you to be making a ruckus.”

“It’s 11 am,” Usopp points out.

“Still too early.” Deciding that you’d rather not deal with this with more effort than you’re willing to spend, you return to your previous position. “Leave the head, or don’t. Just let me rest.”

“Fine by me.”

With a thud and an “OW FUCK!”, Usopp unceremoniously drops the clown and forgoes his Buggy-sitting duties to do whatever he wants to do, leaving you to pick up the slack.

A string of curses flow from Buggy’s mouth, which you only vaguely pay attention to. There was something along the lines of “Long-nosed asshat,” and “Right on the nose”, but you abandon all interest in favor of feeling the sun on your cheek.

“So…” you hear him jump a little closer. “Alone at last.”

You don’t answer.

“What? Don’t give me that! I thought we were good!”

You remain selectively mute.

“Hey! Don’t ignore me! I don’t like it!”

“You survived it for twenty years. I’m sure you can stand it for a few more minutes.”

“…. Seriously?”

“Mhmm.”

You don’t know what possesses him, but he keeps quiet for most of the next thirty minutes, and you take the time to continue basking in the sun.

It’s a luxury you can rarely afford, and you’ll be damned if it gets ruined now or all time, least of all by him. You’re not going to even open the can of worms that is last night’s events, so you lock it in a chest to be dug up for another day.

Not now. It won't be that long until you reach Arlong Park, and shit will go down. This might be the only chance you get to replenish your strength and gods do you need it now more than ever.

"… Hey?” Buggy starts.

You let him decide whether to perceive your silence as an opening or a locked door.

“I’m bored.”

“Tough.”

“Can’t we do something else?”

“We could fish. Your head might serve as a good bait.” Despite yourself, your lip tugs a little in what is supposed to be a halfway smirk. The image of Buggy dangling above the shark-infested waters from a hook to his bandana would be an entertaining sight to behold.

He swallows audibly. “Was that a joke?”

“Keep bothering me and we’ll find out soon enough.”

“C’mon! Don’t be like that! Seriously, I’m bored! Ain’t much you can do when you’re just a head… except to give one, but that’s beside the point.”

Too much detailing, you think. He wants entertainment of any kind; you want peace and quiet. What to do and how to kill two birds with one stone? You open one eye and let it drift over to Buggy, who in turn is staring intently at you.

In the sun, you make out every detail of his rugged face. His make-up’s almost wiped completely off the skin, with only remnants of the red lipstick and blue diamonds vaguely in place. His stubbles have grown slightly, given the lack of access to a barber, and if you get close enough, he probably stinks of—

A lightbulb goes off in your head. A devious one, blinking to every corner of your brain.

Despite what anyone thinks, you’re not above being petty.

With a push, you sit up and glance over at him. “Anything?”

Buggy raises his eyebrows and nods desperately. “Yeah! Anything! As long as I ain’t got to sit here doing naught-shit, I’m game!”

You turn to him, put each of your hands to the edges of his jaw, and lift him a little closer to you. Whether from the sun or just him alone, he’s warm and soft under your digits.

“Alright,” is all you say.

Buggy beams much like the bulb in your head, and a loud bark of laughter erupts from his mouth. You almost pity him, pity him for being oblivious to what’s to come.

But it needs to be done.

There’s no other way around it and he’s had it coming. He deserves this, you tell yourself. He deserves every inch of ruthlessness you can offer, and you’ll deliver.

————

Buggy blanches, lips wobbling in horror as he slowly glances up at you. Betrayal fills his bright-blue eyes and, for the first time since Orange Town, he sees you as the beast you both know you are.

He’s afraid.

He’s afraid of you.

He knows you can be vindictive; he knows you can be brutal, but in all the time he’s known you, he’s never perceived you as cruel.

Maybe it’s time for him to reassess that thought.

“No,” he whispers softly. “No, please.”

Your face is blank, and cold, and he doesn’t know if it’s a trick of the light or not, but there’s a shadow across your face that darkens everything but your eyes. Those bright eyes he used to hold in such high regard.

“You want my forgiveness,” you state calmly as you gradually lower him to his demise. “You have to earn it.

“Please, anything but this. I’ll do anything other than this!”

But his pleas earn no mercy from you. He wiggles in your grasp like a fish out of water, and as much as he tries to beg and move and free himself, your hold is iron incarnate.

Buggy lets out an ear-curdling scream the moment he feels the water under his neck.

“NOOOOO!”

————

Honestly, how childish, you think as you begin to soak him in the basin you procured from the kitchens. He hisses like a cat as you pour the water over his head, rinsing his hair. Try as he might, he cannot escape your grasp.

It’s not even deep enough to reach his chin, and still, he acts like it’s acid he’s been thrown into.

But you’re determined, this has to be done.

“Oh, quit whining” you chastise, getting drops of water your way with all his scuttling. “You need this.”

“You’re gonna drown me!” he accuses.

“It’s soap and water, and it’s not even that deep.”

“You say that now, sure! But the moment you let go, plop! Oh, there goes Buggy the Clown! Taken from this world too early!”

You roll your eyes. “I’m holding you up, you’re not going to drown. Now, stop acting like a child.”

Buggy is restless and continues to thrash around for a good ten seconds more before finally relenting, a look of sour disapproval on his face. It’s so caricatured and animated that it threatens to make a suppressed chuckle leave your throat.

He still looks the same when he’s mad.

Now that he’s finally calm, you lower him so that the edge of his neck finally stands on the bottom of the basin. Then, you soak a rag and raise it towards his face.

Buggy flinches. “Can you …. Eh… leave the face?”

“There’s hardly anything there anymore, and it’ll irritate your skin if you leave it on for too long.”

“I think I can tell you what irritates me or not, like this bird bath for instance, thank you very much.” He scowls and edges further away from the wet rag. “Seriously, just leave it.”

“I’ll reapply the make-up.”

“… What?”

When you first boarded the Merry, you happened to find some leftover make-up hidden away in one of the shelves. It was strange, considering how the boat was freshly built, and imagined that one of the builders had taken some personal liberty in the large space before the project was finished.

For whatever reason, you didn’t throw it out, though you didn’t use it yourself.

If it can get him to accept the fact that he needs a wash, you’re willing to do it.

“I’ll put on your make-up if I can wash off what you currently have,” you clarify. “Deal?”

Buggy goes quiet, and his eyes widen slightly, but not out of horror or dread. It’s more like … when you catch the sight of something unexpected; a delayed reaction that stirs feelings you have yet to decipher.

Finally, after some internal debates with himself, Buggy nods. “Fuckin’ fine then,” he utters, and despite the crudeness of his words, they’re lenient.

Content, you gently place your free hand to his left to keep him stable and use the other one to carefully drag the rag across his stained cheek.

Buggy watches you intently through the process, never taking his eyes off you unless you’re wiping off the painted diamonds on his eyes. Your hands, for once, are soft to the touch. They’re soft for him, as though a single misplaced touch might shatter him like glass.

He used to be acquainted with the soft touches long before the cold and brutal ones. Soft fingers that pinched his cheeks as you helped apply the paint over his face.

Soft touches against his arm when he was feeling particular for some reason, whether it was good or bad.

Your fingers intertwined with his’ as you came to terms with your captain’s death, sitting by the edge of the docks as the rain poured from above. It was cold, he was freezing, and too close to the waters for his comfort, but he wanted nothing more than to sit in the rain with you and share the heat from your fingers.

Even after everything, you’re still capable of reserving those touches for him.

After wiping the makeup completely off him, you raise the cup and fill it with water. “Close your eyes.”

He doesn’t want to, but he does and feels the water rushing down like the rain on those docks.

When he’s finally finished, you fish him up from the basin and put him down atop a soft towel on the table. Like a cat, he instinctively shakes off the residue of water, only to find you already raising a new towel towards him.

He stops moving, and you takes this as your cue to continue. You’re attentive, he notices. You wipe his face first, then his ears, then his hair. You dry it and scratch his scalp at the same time through the fabric, and he instinctively leans against your touch.

This is … nice.

“When did you cut your hair?” You ask out of the blue as you continue to dry him, making sure to leave no spot too humid.

He almost failed to catch onto your words with how at ease he is. “Hmmm?”

“You used to have long hair before,” you elaborate. “Why did you cut it?”

“…. Too much of a hassle to maintain,” he answers after some thought. “It’s hard to find the time to take care of it.”

“… I see.”

The truth is, he cut it right after he left. Not particularly clean either. You know that feeling you get when you feel like you’re losing control, and ridding yourself of any additional weight seems to relieve it?

Well, that’s what Buggy did.

He cut it with a pair of rusty scissors, severing chunks at a time — some bigger than others — until all he was left with was pieces sticking out to each side like a madman.

It didn’t help though. It didn’t make him feel any lighter from the weight on his chest. From that gnawing feeling.

Still, he maintained the habit and got better with practice. It became more of a practical thing with time; he was a busy man, and he could do well with fewer things to get in his eyes, but it never eased the pain.

But feeling the tips of your fingers lightly graze his hair, however, he feels more relieved than he’s done in the last twenty years.

After a few minutes, you remove the towel and give him a neutral one-over. It’s the first time you’ve seen him as an adult without any of that makeup, and you’re reminded of just how much he’s changed, but also how he’s not.

Even after all this time, it’s still Buggy.

Buggy sees you watching him, and he can’t help but feel slightly self-conscious now that your eyes are on him without his usual armor.

But you don’t comment on it, nor show any surprise in any sense of the word. There are times when he hates your face, not because of anything superficial, but because you make it so damn challenging for him to figure out what goes in that brain of yours. He’s reminded of how you were when you were younger, how lifeless you used to be, and it feels like you’ve regressed to that state.

Another thing to add to the shitlist of things he’s regretful about.

He licks his lips and opens his mouth to say something when the door suddenly bursts open. Buggy jumps whereas you merely look over your shoulder to spot Zoro standing there, his eyes narrowed between you and the clown.

Buggy frowns.

“Zoro,” you speak plainly, as if you failed to notice his annoyance towards the spectacle presented before him. “Is there anything?”

“The hell is this?” His eyes flicker between you and Buggy like it’s the worst show on earth. “What’s going on?”

“He reeked,” you explain. “I have merely been rectifying it for the sake of our noses.”

Buggy wants to argue with the statement that No, he fucking doesn’t, but he suppresses it for the sake of figuring out where this conversation’s headed.

“Since when do we make it a habit of bathing prisoners?” Zoro asks, his hand resting on the handle of his sword.

“Since when have we had prisoners?” You counter.

The swordsman scoffs. “The clown’s needed upstairs in ten.”

“Sure.”

“I’m right here, you know?”

Zoro gives him a nasty look and nothing more before heading back out the door, shutting it with a forceful thud.

“Why do you even stick around with these nobodies?!” Buggy questions. “They can’t navigate for shit, they have no sense of preservation, and they suck at fighting!”

You shift back to raise a knowing eyebrow at him. “They defeated you, didn’t they?”

“That’s—! … I was outnumbered, it wasn’t a fair fight!”

“No fights are fair in the life of piracy,” you point out.

He bites the inside of his cheek. “All I’m saying is, you’re too powerful to be with these losers. You could join my crew! Think about it! We’d be unstoppable!”

“You mean, join the same people who locked me up and whose asses I subsequently kicked?”

“Exactly! Don’t worry, they’ll get over it! Once they see how awesome you are, they’ll accept you with open ar—!”

“I decline.”

Buggy pauses, his enthusiasm promptly vanishing and getting replaced with bitter disappointment. “You’re not even going to consider it?”

“Why would I?” You wipe away a descending drop from his right eye. “I have no interest in joining another crew.”

“You say that, and yet here you are with these losers.”

“I was never going to stay permanently.”

He pauses. “You weren’t?”

“I’m here for Luffy, and once I’ve decided that he can hold his own weight above the waters, I’ll leave.”

“… Where will you go? After, then?”

It takes you a moment to answer, like you don’t know the answer yourself quite yet. Your hand stills for a moment before resuming with the task at hand.

“Who knows?” You shrug. “The sea is my home. I’ve missed it, so I will remain where the waves pull me.”

That won’t do on its own. Stay with me. Buggy wants to ask, and if he had knees, he’d ask on them. Come with me. Be with me. You won’t have to be an official member of his crew; you don’t have to bend to him. You just have to stay.

Stay with him.

That’s all he’ll ask.

Stay with him until he has the opportunity to figure out a way to make it up to you.

Stay with him so he can compensate for the twenty years you suffered in each other’s absences.

Just stay.

“Hey.” He’s surprised by his own initiative. “Why’d you even leave your crew and stick your feet on land if you love the sea so much?”

You raise an eyebrow in question.

“I mean, you were Captain of the Cross-Haired Pirates, for crying out loud! You used to be legendary!” He proclaims, almost saddened by your apparent dismissal of your previous title. “You had fame, berries, a reputation that preceded everyone! Everyone feared you! Why’d you ditch all of that? Because of that rubbery prick? Because of Shanks?”

“Is that really what you want to ask me?”

“Yeah!”

You sigh through your nose and put the towel down to recline in your chair. “I didn’t become a Captain because that’s what I wanted. I became a Captain because it provided an outlet.”

“An outlet? For fucking what?”

It takes you a few seconds to finally reach a suitable response.

“Anger,” you admit calmly, your arms crossing over your chest as the words stir on your tongue. They must taste bitter. “I was angry, and it festered every day, churning into a poisonous substance in my body. Being a captain with a crew, I could take it out on whoever I wanted. Pirate, marine, unruly crew member, it didn’t matter. Nothing else mattered.”

It makes sense now, he thinks, the reputation you’ve garnered over the years. Beware the Beast in the East, people would chant in passing towns and harbors, like you were a ghost story. Her eyes were like swords, and her hands were twice as sharp.

There wasn’t a single place where blood didn’t paint your steps.

He never met you while you were a captain; he didn’t want to, couldn’t find it in himself to pop by even once. Still, he kept your poster hidden in the dark depths of the chest in his quarters, if only for acrimonious reminiscence. He would spend some drunken nights doing nothing but staring at it, and it was like he could feel your rage seep through the ink on the page and scorch his fingers. A reminder of what he did.

Now, looking at you and comparing you to the poster, he fails to see the resemblance. He doubts he could’ve spotted it had you reunited earlier on. Captain Cross-Hairs was sharp around the edges, with pecks of blood on her cheeks and fresh scars on her face.

He licks his lips in deliberation. “You were pissed… because of what?”

Because of me?

“I don’t know.” He watches your chest expand with your breath, mesmerized simply by watching you commit to living. There used to be a time when you didn’t. “I didn’t care about money or power. I didn’t care for much of anything, except to purge that rage from my body. I fought, and I killed. It helped, for a time; I felt satisfied, but after a while, you grow bored of eating the same meal.”

When he looked at you when you were younger, he imagined he saw the scorching sun. Burning and bright and enlightening.

You were … everything, but he never imagined that the same fire that used to mesmerize him would burn a thousand ships in his absence.

But he was a boy back then. He’s older now, more experienced in the ways of life, he knows better.

He knows enough.

"But the boy," you say with a certain gentleness in your voice that does not evade his notice. "He's good."

"He's weak," Buggy scoffs, feeling his belly fill with sour smoke. He recognizes the feeling. It's the feeling he got when he watched Shanks talk to you that night by the fire. The same feeling he got when he watched you stay with Shanks that day.

"He's defeated every opponent he's come across."

"Didn't beat Arlong, though." Buggy points out with a smidgen of childish pride and smirks. "Got his ass handed to him real good if I remember correctly."

You look back at him in that narrow way you usually reserve for him when he's crossed a line, and he can already tell he fucked up.

"I watched him grow, Buggy.” You say firmly. “I was there for all of it. I watched him learn, I watched him fight, I watched him leave land. He’s not like us — he doesn’t waste time on regret. He’ll become better than we ever were.”

Buggy glowers but doesn’t say anything else, insisting on letting your words simmer in his brain until he can find the will to let them go.

You procure something from the drawers and it’s only when he looks down that he realizes it’s the make-up. With gentle hands, you lift him and place him in your lap, the brush already blue and ready.

“I’m not here to talk about what used to be,” you say. “Now hold still.”

The diamonds across his eyes come first, the brushing makes his face tickle and it’s only by sheer willpower alone that he manages to refrain from staring at you.

“Takes us back,” he whispers and closes his eyes so that you can finish. “Doesn’t it?”

He hears something akin to a chortle that doesn’t quite reach your throat, but he considers it a small win.

“You looked a mess,” you answer. “A child could’ve done a better job than I did.”

“Wasn’t bad for your first try, though.”

Except that it was. It was pretty bad. Your hands were shaking, and you held your breath like you were afraid of making a mistake. By the time you were finished, he looked like a canvas painted by a child, but he didn’t have the heart to tell you that.

He used to think that it was strange. You were skilled at nearly everything you committed yourself to, without even trying.

When he thinks back on it, maybe it wasn’t skill; maybe it was just an ingrained fear of failure that drove you to become the best at what you did.

Then again, your worst could never be the worst in his eyes.

You finish his eyes, and when he looks up at you, he sees the same determination and focus in your eyes as he did that day. It’s the same look you have when you’re targeting something, be it an enemy or a point of interest. It’s always the same.

And he can’t look away.

You move onto the crossbones next, and he’s happy he won’t have to close his eyes for this one. He’s not certain you can pull off his iconic look, but he’ll give you the benefit of the doubt for now.

After all, you strive for perfection. He doubts this will be an exception.

Get it? Perfection and except— You know what? Nevermind.

He can feel your attention in every stroke of the brush, feel the white paint glisten on his skin before it dries. Your warmth lingers like burning embers, he feels like getting too close will burn him, yet he wants nothing more than blisters upon his skin.

He looks at you, looks into your focused eyes, and he feels … something tightening, back where his body is. It could be his stomach, his head… other places, but he can’t tell. Arlong’s been busy abusing his body long enough that he can’t differentiate between a kick or a punch anymore.

But this isn’t Arlong.

It’s you.

He can handle a tight body if it’s because of you.

When he was young, and his body began to work in the way of a man, he would sometimes wake up and feel sweaty and … stiff. He knew enough to know what it was, to know what caused it, but he didn’t know how to approach the situation.

He knew the source of his frustrations. He knew how to alleviate them, but he didn’t. He respected you far too much to ever dare cross the threshold. He figured that simply talking to you, simply holding your hand, and being at your side would be enough. He would be content with just that.

But he watched you … develop. It didn’t seem like such a big deal at the time, but he couldn’t help but marvel at the sight. He imagined feeling your flesh under his digits. The softness across your chest and hips. The warm skin.

He looks at you now, sees the scars peeking from under your shirt, on your face, and he wants to feel the rough edges.

Buggy gulps and he’s rather happy now that the rest of his body is not attached to him. He’s lost enough dignity as it is.

“And now, the mouth.”

Yes, he wants to touch that t—

You take the lipstick, and in a straight line, smear it across his mouth in a way that snaps him out of his thoughts. He can feel the warmth emitting from your thumb as you finish his face, and it takes him half a mind not to—

“Done.”

Disappointment lingers in the clown’s visage, and even when you present him a mirror and see the identical likeness to his wanted posters, it does not alleviate the feeling. For what it's worth, he's impressed with how far your make-up-applying skills have reached since last time.

It's perfect.

But it means you’re done, and the nobodies require his flashy expertise to get Miss Ginger back.

You dump the discolored water out and put the rest of the equipment away, and he feels his head weigh another ten pounds at so. He somewhat hopes it would; maybe it would be heavy enough that you wouldn’t bother carrying him up the deck?

… Oh, who is he kidding? It’s you. You won’t have any trouble in that department even if he were to weigh as much as a boulder. Ten boulders, even.

To his surprise, instead of reaching for him, you lounge back into your seat and nonchalantly cross your arms and ankles. He’s confused. Weren’t you going to go up with him already?

“If Zoro needs you, he can get you himself.”

That’s what you’ll leave it be like. He, freshly washed, dried, and painted. You, just casually sitting like you have no urgency to get back to the world.

“He’ll be pissed at you,” Buggy warns. “And probably threaten to throw you into the sea.”

You shrug, your eyes already closed, giving him no indication whatsoever that you’re particularly concerned with the veryscary swordsman. He grins with all his teeth on show.

Unfortunately, the green-haired asshole turns up not even five minutes later. All but ripping the clown by the roots of his hair and taking him away like a sack of flour. Buggy spews curses and threats, but they all fall on deaf ears.

It’s only when he’s positioned on deck that he’s finally free of his torment, if only for an hour or two. He begrudgingly instructs the long-nosed slingshot where to sail, adding a few creative insults along the way. Hey, it’s not Buggy’s fault they’re too easy to rile up.

“Is that long nose compensating for something?”

To which he earned a slap to the back of his head. From whom, he doesn’t know, but he’ll take his victories in whatever light weight they come in.

After a while, he shifts his head to eject another insult to the slingshot when he sees that you’re standing a few feet away, your arms crossed while leaning against the railing; eyes closed but face focused and attentive.

He cuts his verbal daggers down a notch.

It gets late, the sky darkens, and one after another, the crew members resign to their chambers save for the slingshot, who still insists on going for a while longer. Him, and you, surprisingly enough.

You stay, for all of it; neither complaining nor muttering a sound.

You're stoically positioned on the sidelines, hardly moving at all. He would've died if he'd been standing in the same position for more than one hour, but you endured a total of six without a shiver or a strain. Like a soldier in the rain. A monk in a temple of thorns.

A beast in an empty forest, lonesome in its hunger, yet content with what content remains buried in its stomach for the time being.

Long-nosed slingshot finally calls it a night and withdraws from the steering wheel with his hands outreached for the head. Before his dirty fingers can hope to graze the magnificent head that is Buggy's, you stretch your arm out like a shield between them.

"I'll take him."

Slingshot snorts. "Really? You want to?"

"Do you want to?"

With his hands raised in mock surrender, Slingshot relents. "... Fine, be my guest."

With a nod, you take the head and retire back to your chamber on the ship. Buggy yawns in your arms, tired, but satisfied with the warmth embracing him. Your steps feel like waves with each one you take, nudging him further and further toward the edge of sleep. Only unadulterated stubbornness keeps him awake.

It darkens for a moment. When he rouses back, he feels softness underneath him. A pillow of sorts, not comforting enough to offer him sleep, but enough to keep him relaxed.

He nudges around, like a fish in a small bowl, only to find that he's not on the table, nor in a barrel, nor a bag. The surface beneath him is made of fabric, and swings with his movements.

He's in a hammock.

More precisely, your hammock.

“Sleep.” He hears your command.

He finally locates you, seated by the window of your cabin with your palm under your chin, staring out into the darkened ocean.

He turns, voice diluted with drowsiness. “You too…”

“Soon.”

“Now," he almost whines.

The look you give him is not any different from the kind you usually provide, but it lacks the usual undertone of annoyance. He can tell you're tired, even if you're refusing to show it. The shadows under your eyes stand out more prominently, even in the dimmed candlelight.

With an inaudible sigh, you stand and while he expects you to move towards the hammock, he's disappointed to see you aiming towards the door instead.

"H-Hey, where are you going?"

"The kitchens," you respond. "You can sleep here for the night; I'll take the couch."

"That's not necessary!" He wiggles so that he can look at you from over the edge of the hammock, careful as not to fall from the height. A thought dawns over him, one that makes his cheeks feel warm. "We- We can share! I don't take a lot of space!"

"You still take up too much of it."

"Are you calling me fat?!"

He's almost insulted when you don't answer to contradict his assumption, yet despite the innate urge to defend his honor and spew shit at you, he decides to let it slide.

"C'mon! I promise I'll behave," he tries again. "You'll hardly notice me. Those couches suck balls anyway, so why not?"

He watches you give it some thought for probably a good two minutes. He expects you'll decline his proposition, finding that your own pride weighs more than the need for decent sleep.

Then, you lower your shoulders in defeat and make your way over to the hammock. "Scoot over."

He obliges rather excitedly, and when he wiggles back a bit too much to make space, he can feel gravity threaten to drop him on the other side of the hammock. Before it gets to that point, you grab him by the side of his face and hold him until you can lift yourself and lay down.

Only then do you lay him down, on the right side of your abdomen. He's mindful of the wounds that have yet to heal there, so he tries not to invade too much. Still, he can't deny, he's quite comfortable. Very comfortable.

He's the most comfortable he's been in a long time - twenty years.

He surpasses the urge to push closer to you, share your warmth, and elects to look up at the ceiling instead.

"Hope you don't snore," he jokes, only to have a yawn follow promptly behind.

"I don't snore," you answer, deadpan. "Now go to sleep."

He's not convinced, but he doesn't comment on it. This peace hangs by a thread, and he'll be damned if it's cut short now of all times. He shuts his eyes, and in his dreams, he's presented with the sun on the blue skies above.

He feels warm all over.

----

Taglist: @kurinhimenezu, @carpinchootaku, @ay0nha, @teh-vampire-bunny, @lokiscure, @internationalsuper-spy, @detectivesparrow , @yuriwk , @notyuralycat, @angeli-fucking-cat, @machinema7k , @shuujin, @avatar-lover, @gingernut1314, @autumn-slaves. @marvelouskatie, @floristoflillys, @dizzyenby, @redpool, @deliri-yum22, @aemondsb1tch, @ackroxia, @gayandfairycore, @knightsfavoriteprincess, @asterizee, @aamethyst23, @lizzie1107, @cyberwears, @heylookliisten, @f41k47, @beep-beep1, @crimsonflameproxy, @unpopular-sober-thoughts, @rayleeya, @timeladyrikaofgallifrey, @fanshavegottensotoxic, @fluffybunnyu, @sirenmelody23

(If you want to be tagged for this story, just send me a message or leave a comment :))

(Additionally, some sketches of how I imagine Cross-Hairs to look like while I’m writing.)

#buggy the clown #buggy x reader #one piece live action #buggy the clown x reader #one piece #one piece x reader #buggy one piece #buggy x you #buggy the clown fanfiction #buggy x female reader #DMTMYHB #didn’t mean to make your heart blue

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weemssapphic · 1 year

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Lipstick Stains - Pt. 11

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Larissa Weems x fem!reader

summary: Larissa meets your roommates - and a phone call manages to sour your evening.

words: ~4.3k | ao3 link in title

A/N: sorry for the long wait (again) 💀 really struggled with this for some reason but to make up for it, chapter 12 is complete already and will be posted soon (and will feature our darlings going on their super slutty trip <3). until then, hope you enjoy and that it turned out okay! <3

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Larissa felt so safe and so warm in your arms that she’d ended up falling asleep; her head on your chest, her feet dangling off the end of the couch, your arms snug around her waist. The slamming of the front door woke her with a start, and she buried her head into your chest, thinking perhaps that if she willed the world around her to fade away, it would. No such luck - footsteps approached the living room and a vaguely familiar voice came closer and closer.

“Hey, are we still- oh. Shit. Sorry!”

Larissa tightened her grip on you as she felt you shift beneath her, feeling the vibrations of your voice in your chest against her cheek.

“Do you always have to be so loud?” you complained, sounding groggy - it seemed you’d fallen asleep as well, and Larissa’s lips curled up into a soft smile.

“It’s not even 6 pm, I didn’t think you’d be asleep!”

“We were just taking a nap!”

“I can see that.” The smirk in Cassandra’s voice was evident from her tone. “Anyway, I was going to ask if we were all still planning on ordering pizza tonight. I’m starving.”

“I guess. When are Robin and Christin coming home?”

Larissa wondered how much longer she could keep herself out of this conversation and pretend to be asleep - your hand came up to rest on her head, nails gently scratching at her scalp, and she shivered in delight.

“Christin just texted, they’re on their way.”

“Okay. Uh, yeah, we can order pizza.”

Larissa chose that moment to peek cautiously up at you. You noticed her move and smiled down at her - that smile alone made Larissa’s heart flutter.

“Sorry if we woke you,” you murmured.

“It’s alright, darling.” Larissa’s voice was slightly hoarse and she cleared her throat, a little embarrassed as she felt the lingering presence of your roommate in the doorway. “I should probably get going…”

Pushing herself into a seated position, she smoothed her dress and ran a hand subconsciously over her updo. She felt you shift beside her, resting your cheek on her shoulder and placing an arm around her waist, giving her a gentle squeeze.

“Do you have to go?” you mumbled into her shoulder. Larissa’s heart clenched at the undertone of neediness in your voice, and she felt the familiar gnawing sense of guilt in her stomach at everything that had transpired in the past 24 hours.

“You should stay,” Cassandra chimed in. Larissa’s gaze snapped over to the young woman and was met with wide brown eyes that watched her curiously. “I mean, Y/N seems to really like you. It would be cool to get to know you.” She shrugged, leaning against the door frame as her eyes flicked between Larissa and you.

Larissa looked down at you for your reaction. “It would be cool,” you agreed softly. “But I know you’re not feeling well so it’s okay if you just wanna go home.”

She supposed it would be important to get to know your roommates - and despite how tired she was, she was craving your company now more than ever. So she wrapped an arm around your waist and smiled at Cass. “Thank you for the invite. I would love to stay for the evening.” Larissa didn’t miss your beaming grin, or the way you squeezed her tighter.

Cass left the two of you alone and padded off to her room. The moment she was gone you had Larissa pressed against the back of the sofa, straddling her lap and pressing your lips to hers in a searing kiss that took her breath away and drew a soft groan from her throat. She rested her hands on your waist, kissing you back eagerly.

“Thank you,” you whispered, punctuating your words with kisses. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Larissa pulled back, fixing you with an amused look. “What are you thanking me for, love?”

“For saying you’ll stay.” You blushed and hid your face in the crook of her neck, your words muffled against her skin. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to. I know it’s not the best time and you’re tired and maybe you just want to go back to Nevermore but-”

“Darling.” Larissa took your chin gently between her fingers and guided you to look at her. She felt her heart soar at the care and worry for her own well-being that she saw reflected in your eyes. “I want to be here with you. Your friends are important to you and I think it’s time I met them properly.”

“Okay,” you murmured with a smile. “Still, thank you.”

~~~

Robin and Christin came home shortly thereafter and the five of you ordered pizza. It wasn’t long before you were squished together on the couches, chowing down and chatting.

Larissa could tell why you liked your roommates so much. Watching you interact with them made her feel a wistful sort of grief for her own past experiences - how nice it had been when she’d come to Nevermore and met her new roommate, the beautiful and witty and mysterious Morticia. Oh, how they’d hit it off in the beginning, thick as thieves, becoming the best of friends… becoming more. And then Morticia had changed. When she found Gomez, it was like Larissa had become nothing but a toy to her. Instead of coming back to her dorm after a day of classes, excited to gossip and giggle and snuggle like in those early years at Nevermore, she would enter her room with a feeling of dread, never knowing if she’d find her roommate cozied up to Gomez, or perhaps getting ready for some party that Larissa hadn’t been invited to.

In spite of her own heartache, she couldn’t help but smile as she watched the four of you joke around, happy that you’d managed to find people who seemed to truly care about you.

The way that Christin clung to Robin, resting her head on Robin’s shoulder as they sat on one end of the larger sofa, emboldened Larissa, who found herself subconsciously reaching for your hand and wiggling her fingers in between yours.

You turned to her with a look of surprise on your face and Larissa couldn’t help but grin. With a brief glance at your roommates who were locked in a heated debate about whether or not pineapple belongs on pizza, Larissa raised her thumb to the corner of your mouth and swiped at a drop of pizza sauce, the pad of her thumb lingering on your lip for just a moment, before she lifted her thumb to her mouth and sucked it between her lips. Larissa let out the faintest of hums to tease you, heat pooling in her core as she watched your pupils dilate, your gaze fixed on her lips.

“Jesus, you guys are worse than Robin and Christin,” Cassandra whined, pulling both you and Larissa back to the present. Larissa felt her cheeks grow warm, smiling sheepishly as you mouthed an apology before turning to your roommate.

“You’re just bitter because you’re single,” you said - the brunette shot a withering glare in your direction.

“How would you like it if I brought a guy home and-”

“It’s different if it’s a man,” Christin interrupted with a playful eyeroll, you and Robin quickly agreeing as Cassandra huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

“You’re the one who agreed to live with a bunch of lesbians,” Robin said with a grin.

“Well Y/N used to be on my side,” Cassandra grumbled. “Before she met Larissa.” Her gaze landed on the blonde, her lips quirking up into a devilish grin - Larissa could feel her face grow warmer still.

“Leave Larissa out of this,” you protested.

“I’m right here, you know,” she murmured, unable to hide the wide smile that was beginning to stretch across her face.

“Don’t worry, we like you. But Y/N has turned into such a simp since she met you.”

Your other roommates agreed and Larissa looked down at you, amused to see that your cheeks were glowing just as red as hers felt.

“Moving on,” you said, clearing your throat. “Whose turn is it to choose what movie we watch?”

~~~

After pizza, Larissa agreed to stay for a movie - you were glad your roommates hadn’t sent her running for the hills (yet), and thrilled at the prospect of snuggling up to her on the couch, craving the physical closeness. It was Christin’s turn to choose a movie and she went for a classic: Mamma Mia.

Larissa’s plush thighs bracketed your own, your back pressed comfortably against her front and your head resting back against her shoulder. One of Larissa’s hands was splayed across your abdomen, pulling you snugly into her, the other hand resting on your hip as her thumb lazily stroked your curves. You could feel yourself slowly melting into your partner, as if your bodies belonged together, fitting like puzzle pieces. Larissa was warm and soft and oh so comforting, your brain going slightly fuzzy as you relished in the sensation of her breath on your cheek and her legs brushing against yours, enveloped completely in the scent and feeling of her.

A soft buzzing could be heard and Larissa’s hand left your hip, shifting you aside slightly to reach down into her purse next to the couch. With a glance at her phone screen, a sigh escaped her lips and she pressed a quick kiss to your temple before wiggling out from underneath you, whispering, “I’ll just be a minute.”

You settled back onto the couch as Larissa padded into the kitchen, nestling into the warm spot where she had been sitting moments prior. You found you could hardly concentrate on the movie, though, as you strained your ears, curiosity getting the better of you - it was awfully late to be getting a work call. It was no use, however - Larissa spoke in such hushed tones that you couldn’t make out a single word.

When Larissa re-entered the living room, you shifted aside so that she could resume her position behind you. As she pulled you between her thighs, you craned your head back to look up at her, noting a subtle shift in her demeanor - what exactly she was feeling, however, you couldn’t tell, as her features quickly settled back on neutral.

“Who was that? Is everything okay?” you whispered, trying not to draw the attention of your roommates.

“Everything is fine, darling,” Larissa whispered back, with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. You quirked an eyebrow and Larissa quickly looked away, her gaze landing on the television - you felt your stomach drop at being dismissed so quickly. She pressed her lips absentmindedly to the crown of your head, draping an arm loosely over your midsection.

Realizing you weren’t getting any more information out of her, you turned back to the movie, but your attention waned and you found yourself unable to fully relax into Larissa’s arms as you had before. Larissa was hiding something from you, and it did not feel good. It felt as though your intestines were twisting themselves slowly, excruciatingly, into intricate little knots. It felt as though a lump was rising in your throat, making itself a home and making it hard to breathe as your brain immediately jumped from one worst case scenario to the next about what Larissa could possibly be hiding.

As you felt the distant sting of tears threatening to make an appearance, you extricated yourself from her grip.

“I’m getting water, does anyone want anything?” you asked, trying to keep your voice level, purposely avoiding Larissa’s gaze.

Robin shook her head no, Christin let out a quiet “nope”, Cassandra said “no”, all turning their attention back to the movie. Larissa stayed silent, and you could feel her eyes on you as you left the room, burning a hole into your back.

Standing in the kitchen, you leaned against the counter, your back to the living room as you took deep, steadying breaths. Surely you were overreacting. Surely. It was probably just a call from someone at Nevermore about a student, routine business, Larissa was probably just tired. You were probably doing what you did best and reading too much into things. Right?

Except it felt like something bigger. Larissa seemed so stressed and on edge - no matter how often she would tell you she was fine, she clearly wasn’t, and there was nothing you could do to help her. And that feeling sucked.

Soft footsteps sounded behind you and your heart fluttered hopefully as you turned around - only to be met with the sight of Cassandra, leaning in the doorway and watching you with her dark brows knit together.

“You didn’t come in here to get something to drink.” It was a statement, not a question - you’d known each other for so long that she could see right through you. You shook your head no, worrying your bottom lip between your teeth to hide the way it wobbled.

Cass sighed and stepped closer. “You wanna tell me why you’re hiding in the kitchen instead of cozying up with your woman?”

You shrugged and she rolled her eyes in response. “Is it because of the phone call? Do you think she’s…” She bit her lip and gestured vaguely.

“No… I don’t know. I don’t think so? But she’s being weird.”

“So talk to her.”

“I don’t think she wants to talk.”

“So make her! If something is bothering her, you should know.”

“Yeah, I know…” You nodded, swallowing against the lump in your throat. The thought of adding to Larissa’s stress made you nervous - you never wanted to do that - but there was something else. What if she was hiding something from you? Would you want to know? Would you be able to handle it if she was?

“You guys get lost in there?” Robin called out from the living room.

“We’re coming,” you yelled back. Cassandra gave you a pointed look, which only served to deepen the pit in your stomach. You ignored it and poured yourself a glass of water, brushing past her to re-enter the living room, your roommate following close behind you.

You settled back into Larissa’s arms - she looked worried, her brows knit together, but there was also a hint of guilt swimming in those sapphire pools. It made you feel worse, knowing that Larissa could sense something was off, and you hoped she would address it soon.

When the movie finished, Larissa’s arms tightened around you and her lips found your cheek. You tensed at the contact - Larissa noticed and immediately pulled back, and you felt a strange sense of guilt at avoiding her concerned gaze as you sat up and stretched.

“Ah shit.” Robin stood from the couch as she checked her phone. “It’s almost midnight, I have to be up in 5 hours. It was nice to meet you, Larissa.”

Larissa smiled warmly. “Likewise.”

One by one, your roommates excused themselves - Cassandra making a point to bump your shoulder on her way out.

“They’re all very kind, I’m glad you have them,” Larissa said once the two of you were alone, tilting her head to the side and smiling softly.

“Yeah, me too…”

Larissa’s eyes searched your face, her smile slowly fading as she took in your rigid posture. “Darling, are you alright?” She took a step closer to you, taking one of your hands in her own - you were certain she could feel how clammy your hand was, and your fingers twitched nervously.

“I’m fine,” you lied, not quite able to meet Larissa’s gaze.

“Y/N, look at me.” Strong fingers gripped your chin and urged it up, your head tilting backwards. You had no choice but to look the shapeshifter in the eyes, your breath catching in your throat at the stern look on her face.

“Good girl,” she murmured, her voice low, and your cheeks turned pink. Her gaze seemed to drink in your expression - nervous, sad, needy - and her face softened, her hand dropping back down to her side. “Have I done something?”

It took you a moment to find your voice - when you did, it was hoarse. “I don’t know. Have you?”

Larissa furrowed her brow, her eyes narrowing - you could tell she was thinking. Hard. Then her face fell, seeming to take your stomach along with it.

A long, heavy silence engulfed the both of you, Larissa’s nostrils flaring as her eyes darted about the room - your own eyes were glued to her face, carefully taking in every microexpression that passed across it before it finally settled on hurt. Your stomach rolled uncomfortably as a wave of dread began to crest within you, growing larger with every passing beat of silence.

Finally, Larissa spoke, her voice strangely calm and level. “Is this about the phone call I received?”

“I… I don’t know. Is it? I feel like-” You could hear your voice start to shake and you swallowed thickly. “I feel like you’re not talking to me… What about Morticia? I don’t even know who she is and yet you’re, I don’t know, drinking yourself to death because of her?”

Larissa sighed, reaching up to cup your face. “Oh, love, it’s alright, it doesn’t matter. It’s silly. Please, don’t worry ab-”

“Don’t tell me not to worry about it, Larissa,” you hissed, feeling angry tears threaten to spill over your cheeks. “I am worried about it. I’m worried about you.” Your throat was getting tighter by the second as you stumbled over your words. “I want to help you but I don’t know what’s going on, I feel like you’re trying to shut me out.”

Larissa’s eyes fluttered shut, a pained expression crossing her face as she swallowed visibly, her throat bobbing. “I don’t mean to shut you out,” she whispered, letting out a shuddering breath. “Morticia was my roommate at Nevermore. She once meant very much to me, but that was a long time ago. Now she is nothing more than a thorn in my side and, unfortunately, the mother of one of my students.”

She looked as though she wanted to say more, her mouth opening and then closing again, no sound coming out. Then she shook her head lightly, her voice bordering on pleading. “I’m sorry. Please trust me.”

You weren’t satisfied, not in the slightest - your mind was racing with question after question. But Larissa looked as tired as you felt, and any fight you had in you was quickly draining from your body. “I do trust you,” you whispered. “You can trust me, too, though…”

Larissa’s eyes, blue and glassy and wide as saucers, snapped up to meet your gaze. “I do.”

She placed her palm, warm and comforting, on your cheek, her long fingers curling behind your ear, and you found yourself nuzzling into her touch. Her eyes darted hesitantly between yours and she leaned down to kiss you, slowly enough for you to stop her. You didn’t, allowing plush red lips to melt against your own - hesitant and loving and needy all at the same time. One of Larissa’s hands curled in your hair while the other gripped your waist and tugged you closer as her tongue swiped at your lips.

A door somewhere in your apartment creaked open and, becoming aware that your roommates were still very much awake, you pulled back. “It’s getting late. You need sleep. Proper sleep.”

Larissa peered down at you, unblinking. Finally, she nodded slowly and bent to fetch her purse. “You’re right.”

“I’m not done talking about this,” you whispered, half-hoping Larissa wouldn’t hear you as you fidgeted with the hem of your shirt.

“I know. Please be patient with me?” Larissa’s voice was soft and bordering on timid, and you nodded, offering her the most reassuring smile you could muster as you walked her to the door.

You watched her form retreat until she’d disappeared entirely into the night before closing the door and leaning back against it, your body tense and your heart aching.

~~~

In the following days, you could tell that Larissa was trying to make it up to you. She sent you more texts than usual, mundane updates of her day - she even sent you a voice note during her lunch break, the very first one she’d ever sent you, telling you proudly how she’d managed to get groceries and restock her fridge. In the evenings she called you, waiting until you’d fallen asleep before hanging up. You talked about many things, but not Morticia - never Morticia. It still left you feeling a little… off - you hoped she would be ready to talk soon.

On Thursday, you returned home from your morning classes to an empty apartment and busied yourself with making lunch when the doorbell rang.

Figuring one of the girls had forgotten their key again, you opened the door, only to be met with the sight of a delivery driver holding a large box.

“Delivery for Y/N?”

“Uh.” Your brows scrunched together in confusion - you hadn’t ordered anything. “Yeah, that’s me…”

The man thrust the package into your hands and turned to leave, wishing you a nice day. You closed the door and looked down at the package, your heart skipping a beat when you read Larissa’s name on the shipping label.

Settling on the couch, you opened the box - there was a bunch of gold tissue paper and, among it, a small card. A smile crept up your cheeks as you picked up the card, recognizing Larissa’s neat, tight cursive.

My darling, In anticipation of our trip, I have a little gift I’d like to give you. It would please me greatly if you would wait to unwrap it until we’re together, so I’d like for you to bring it with you. I hope this isn’t terribly presumptuous of me, but I couldn’t help myself. Hopefully you are looking forward to this weekend just as much as I am. All my love, Larissa

You bit your lip, your heart feeling like it could burst at any second. Carefully sifting through the tissue paper, you uncovered another, slightly smaller box and something softer and more compact - clothing? - both wrapped in gold paper. You pulled out your phone, snapping a picture of the mountain of tissue paper and sending it to Larissa.

Y/N: You really didn’t have to get me anything!

It only took Larissa a minute to respond, as if she had been waiting to hear from you.

Larissa: I know that, darling. I wanted to.

Y/N: Are you suuure I can’t open it yet? You’re really killing me with the suspense here…

Larissa: I am certain that you can be a good girl and wait for me.

You were grateful to be home alone, your cheeks growing warm and electricity spreading through your limbs. It was crazy just how much you were at Larissa’s mercy, how she was able to turn you on with so little effort on her part - you decided that Larissa deserved a little teasing.

Y/N: And if I don’t want to be a good girl? Then what?

Larissa: Then you would deserve to be punished.

Y/N: Well maybe I want to be punished by you.

It took Larissa noticeably longer to reply to that text than to the others, and you grinned down at your phone, imagining the principal getting all riled up in her office - perhaps texting you during a meeting, trying to hide how flustered you’d managed to make her. In all fairness, you’d gotten yourself worked up as well, your cunt throbbing with a need that you’d have to take care of soon.

Larissa: Noted.

You laughed - it had taken her a whole 4 minutes to reply with that one word.

Y/N: That’s all?

Larissa: Darling, you’ll be the death of me… I’ll call you tonight, alright?

Y/N: Yeah, of course. Don’t forget to eat lunch :*

Larissa: Thank you x

~~~

Larissa did call you that evening. You were snuggled up in bed, your phone lying on the pillow next to you as Larissa’s soft, lilting voice floated from the speaker. The clacking of her laptop keyboard could be heard in the background.

“Have you packed already?” Larissa purred.

“Yep.”

“And you packed what I sent you?”

“Yeah - unopened and everything.”

“Good girl,” Larissa murmured seductively, her voice dropping an octave.

“God, Larissa,” you groaned as heat spread through your body. “You know how unfair it is when you do that.”

“I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about,” Larissa said coyly - you could picture her batting her lashes and smirking, and it did nothing to help with the throb between your legs. “I’ll pick you up around 10 tomorrow, our flight leaves at 12:45.”

Your eyes grew wide. “10? In the morning? Are you sure?”

“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?” You could hear the frown in Larissa’s voice, the clacking of the keyboard coming to a halt.

“I just mean… don’t you have to work?” You worried your bottom lip between your teeth as your pulse picked up.

“I think Nevermore can survive without me for one day, love. Even principals are entitled to a vacation,” Larissa teased.

“Oh.” You were glad Larissa couldn’t see you blush. “Yeah, okay, I’ll be ready at 10.”

“You sound surprised.”

“I’m not, I just thought…” You were unable to finish your sentence - honestly, you were a bit surprised, having thought she’d want to pick you up in the evening after work.

“You mean so much more to me than you realize,” Larissa said softly. Her words overwhelmed you - you wanted so desperately for them to be true, your heart close to bursting. If Larissa had been there with you, you’d have kissed her senseless on the spot.

You swallowed, your voice hoarse with emotion. “I can’t wait, Larissa.”

“Neither can I, darling. Now get some sleep, I want you well-rested for the weekend.”

“Yes, ma’am,” you replied with a giggle, reveling in the barely audible snort that Larissa let out. “I love you, Rissa.”

“I love you, too, pretty girl.”

Taglist: @mysaviorfalsegod @imlike-so-gaydude @rainbow-hedgehog @enchantressb @alder-saan @eveymay @amateurwritescm @brienneswife @principal-weems09 @messynessi @larissaoftarthweems @anti-bright-places @lvinhs @catechristiesstuff @ladyzmilf002 @milfsloverblog @opheliauniverse @orangeisnttheonlyfruit @im-a-carnivorous-plant @alexusonfire @bigolgay @kimiinou @wastdstime @scream-queenlover @imprincipalweemspet @justcallmelittleone @willowshadenox @milfsloverblog @yourlocaldisneyvillain @leftoverenvy @yahaqueen @peggycarter3 @lilfartbox1 @makemyworldworthliving @crow-raven-crow @mosscoveredcrucifix

Let me know in the comments if you'd like to removed from or added to the taglist <3

#larissa weems x reader #larissa weems #larissa x reader #principal weems x reader #lipstick stains #lipstick stains series

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m30wk1ttycat · 2 months

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i love you

pairing: brenda x fem!reader

tw: none, just brenda being drunk :3

summary: car ride with brenda, jorge, and the others.

i wanted to post this earlier, but i lowk forgot. SORRY.

you and the others went looking for brenda and thomas. every single person there was stumbling, struggling to even stand on their two feet without having to hold onto something.

and, apparently, brenda wasn't much different.

"y/n!" she hummed, lazily wrapping an arm around you in a side hug. you weren't sure if she was doing it to support her weight or if this was her new way of greeting you, but you guessed it was the former.

"hey, bren." you gave her a smile, as if that would hide the worry you felt when you couldn't find the brunet. "where's thomas?"

she pointed towards a boy in the crowd of people, already being held up by newt and minho who had managed to find him.

"great," you huffed. now you had to find your way back.

⛧

after what felt like hours of watching jorge beat up the dude in the fancy suit -- who turned out to be marcus -- you were finally on the way to the right arm. jorge was driving, of course, and the rest of you were sitting in the back, chatting.

brenda was playing with your rings, twisting and spinning them, still in some sort of a daze. you could barely manage to get a non-slurred word out of her, so, instead, you let her toy with your hands in silence while you talked to the others, trying to get to know them. if you were gonna be stuck together in this cramped car -- that was called 'bertha' for some very odd reason -- why not at least try to learn more about them?

"ew," you said in response when minho mentioned the stew incident. apparently, some chicken had gone bad, and frypan didn't notice it. the poor gladers ate stew with spoiled chicken meat, and ended up suffering with food poisoning. now that? that sounded disgusting.

"i know, and the sloppers had to clean to clean the toilets," minho continued, newt beside him looking like he was having war flashbacks. almost as if he was the one who had to clean those toilets -- which he didn't, since he was the second-in-command, and a gardener. but damn, that sounded like a nightmare, and judging by the blond's face, it was, indeed, a nightmare.

"i feel bad for them," you chuckled.

meanwhile, brenda was looking at your hands, shifting them and angling them so she could look at the rings. in her defense, those rings looked really fucking cool.

you felt her intertwine her fingers with yours, and she shifted in your lap, holding your joined hands to her chest. you wanted to ask her if she was okay, but clearly, she wasn't. whatever it was that she was offered at the 'party', she looked very much out of it.

"i love you," she all but whispered, looking up at you for a second. then, she turned away, mumbling, "you're a nice girl, i don't tell you that enough."

barely focusing on her words, you didn't think much of her half-murmur until your brain finally registered what she said. you felt your cheeks warm up at the new information. your best friend loved you? she was drunk, though, so she probably didn't mean it.

but what if she did?

what was that one saying? drunk words, sober thoughts?

nah, you were overthinking it. she's drunk. or maybe high, you weren't even sure what the hell she took at that party.

gulping, you looked down at her.

"love you too, bren," you said after you calmed down.

this was.. unexpected. but a nice sort of unexpected.

now you just had to pray that jorge didn't hear your exchange of 'i love yous' or he'd probably shoot you dead.

#the maze runner #tmr #maze runner #brenda the maze runner #brenda tmr #the death cure #the maze runner brenda #brenda x reader #brenda x y/n #tmr brenda x reader

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katyspersonal · 2 months

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Okay the last post about SoTE progress for today!! (3/3)

1) So, after I defeated Romina, I of course....

came back and finally got to that bridge area that I wanted to get to!!!

Yes, I just wanted to get to that side of the map where I saw a Horned Knight that I just really wanted to murder for some reason XD However, to my surprise, I saw another Dancing Lion boss ;-; That one was a hard battle and I could not have imagined to need to do that AGAIN ;-; But my way layed through that spot, and also I am a perfectionist..

1.1) But surprisingly, at the Stage 2, it summoned several Basylisks and started to use Deathblight! That was significant for me! So yesterday I concluded that Scarlet Rot, Deathblight and Formless Blood (? is this even a correct term) all spawn flies and plants? And whereas Romina of course raised Scarlet Rot here since the buds in Rauh church she brought here were not always rotten, some Hornsent here use same flies swarms as Mohg's people! Seeing how a Dancing Lion here uses Deathblight, but no Deathroot was anywhere on its arena, I felt even more convinced that these three powers are basically Pokemon Eevelutions of the same initial concept, 'stagnation', whereas fly sickness that fell upon Hornsent is its initial unaltered form! + I guess all Hornsent in Rauh are runaways from Belurat particularly, then?

2) I finally killed that poor particular Horned Knight whom I had eyes on as soon as I saw them!!!!! They've dropped the greatsword if I remember correctly? Happy end! XDDD

3) So... Yeah, at last, finally, FINALLY I proceeded and burnt the sealing tree. I got to explore Enir-Ilim! It was already beautiful, with all the pale yellow trees. Took me some time to adjust, though, the place was tangled from the start!

4) Yeah yeah Inquisitors are female feminism wins whatever

Vfggghgjhgv unironically though, I love subversion of the trope xD

5) Something creepy/funny happened along the way though, I was laughing so hard wtfffff gfbfgcbfg

OKAY SO at some point my joy from the new location went down because my focus shifted towards the memory of the final boss, and I just remembered how much I dreaded them.. so, I broke my vow to not fuel the negativity which is already abundant and wrote a rant(ish) post about how much that decision soured otherwise amazing DLC and ranted about Radahn (disliking about his involvement, not the character jfhyggfg). And what do you think? That frankly sour post got eaten by Tumblr!

And yes, I know, Tumblr is a broken website and all that, but listen.. It never made the posts disappear for me. Ever. It could glitch out a post with bad internet and randomly publish it later as I log in, it could glitch an ask response and not have the draft saved thus losing it. It has invisible ask glitch and glitch where same post gets reblogged from 3 to 5 times. It never just made post disappear instead of being posted even with delay or giving me error message. Never. Ever. Ever. Except for now. The one time I spoke unkindly about that choice, not just "mannn weird how it wasn't foreshadowed :("

So since I am infamous amongst my friends for my super bizarre coincidences regarding fictional characters ( @heraldofcrow and @val-of-the-north witnessed so many they can swear I am cursed) me and my friend are joking that Miquella is real and he nuked the post for talking shit about his blorbo LMAOOOOOOO FFGDHTGG WTFFFFF 🤣

6) OK sorry hghgggggf Anyways, to my DELIGHT, I discovered variant of Hornsent Knights that wore smaller variant of Dancing Lions masks and use their powers like lighting and blizzard.... fun... :/

7) *points like in the meme* HEY I KNOW THIS ITEM, IT WAS SWORD OF ABUNDANCE AND DECAY REPRESENTING MALENIA AND MIQUELLA IN BETA VARIANT! XDDD

Kind of ironic how it is called 'Euphoria', because I could not be less happy about that lore being cut, all for...... *looks around in case if Miquella is somewhere in the walls*

8) There were so many nooks.. I found a secret passageway on accident, by trying to run from an old lady spamming so many spells under my feet that I was BARELY able to move! 🤦‍♂️

That eventually led me to a part of Belurat that I didn't get to explore before! Yes, the bridge above that area was where I picked Euphoria in! But below was poisonous swamp (truly a Miyazaki lol) where I got to fight a GREEN variant of Tree Spirit! It just dropped a Horn Charm that boosted poison and Rot resistance!

^ This find, though, was interesting for me, because it is a variant of a glove that was dropped by an NPC Maddening Hand earlier! That one had eyes and dealt Frenzy and specified to be weapon of Hornsent hunted by their own as heretics, but it was also forged in yearning for revenge! So, it is not even that exceptional; for Hornsent, it is a cultural thing to stitch a weapon of revenge from the skin of the victims! Kind of like giving victims a chance to strike back, albeit in death. Very poetic.

9) There was a lot of running, and a lot of getting lost. Found Spirit Ashes of Horned Knight, too (nothing new about them in description), had to use Rainbow Stones to finally stop running in circles, found Ancient Somber Smithing Stone secret via elevator (good because I ran out of them).. and THIIIIIIS:

I wondered where was the head piece of this set! Pieces of it are scattered and I found all previous three! And, again, isn't it interesting how white birds (death) are here, whereas bird variant of Horned Knights were favored 'gold' birds? Second half of Twin Bird is gold life bird guuuuuyyys-

10) Okay, eventually I've met Leda telling me to step away! I was given the choice to summon Thiollier and Ansbach, presumably because I finished their questlines, so I did! It just felt like it would be more fun.. and it WAS! Holy shit gfgggcbch I did NOT expect the ultimate NPC showdown XD And, again, Freyja and Ansbach had an actual CONVERSATION! Look, this is a breakthrough for Soulsborne games, trust me they just DON'T have characters interact "on screen"!

10.1) HOLY SHIT THOUGH DANE ACTUALLY SAID SOMETHING o_o GDGTHCJBB

10.2) No, seriously, I just wanted to jump on Tumblr and post just this! The best fucking moment

11) Instant interest:

Which Outer God? Is it one we know of, or some random guy? I decided to not think about it too hard, yesterday it ended in an over 3 hours long brainstorming and my brain still short-circuits! But maybe later! ...I am sure at some point I'll find a similar pattern in the game itself and it will all click..

^ They were both picked by a respective final boss personally.. Simon+Brador to Ludwig+Laurence moment and so on

^ *points like in a meme AGAIN* Hey I read about it in a post, she killed all other Needle Knights! And by the way, I never found the seal (?) that revealed that lore! @val-of-the-north help bvbgggvh

12) Ansbach also had a dialogue after that battle to praise Thiollier's poisoning skills! That was lovely!

13) I kind of wondered though: why could not we summon Vengeance-Seeking Hornsent in this battle too, if we did his questline correctly? That would make fair 4 Miquella Simps vs 4 of "us" battle! Like, why just cast away the character to have him die as invader somewhere in Scarlet Rot place? I later realized that it would crash the "balance" of the final boss later, and I guess he was the "safest" to leave behind since he already had his goal (to see Messmer die)! Whereas other two target Miquella in particular!

13.1) This distribution is still a meme material for shitposts about characters doing competitive sport, fighting in an online game etc hfgfggbhcbx 4 vs 4

14) I actually checked and just like I thought, the last painting secret was only accessible after burning the seal!

Yeah no shit man we could tell

15) So.... yeah, finally, I've met the final boss. I never wanted to fight Radahn again; he somehow gave me problems even on Torrent with all the friends summons, and now I have to somehow dodge him in a small arena т.т Or maybe I am dumb and this is just my skill issue idk gfggjhhy

16) I actually got to the second stage first try somehow! It often happens how I play better when I still don't even know what I am doing XD And...

Okay, is this a good time to say that so far I only was spoilered some footage and lore, but not the voicelines? So.. I shared that story already some time, but a few months before the DLC, I was simply one of the people here 101% convinced about Miquella being kind and the good guy and all! I wasn't like aggressive or anything about it unlike some more avid fans (got stabbed by Bewitching Branch, did you? :p), but still also said "they should read something besides Berserk" or "people are reading into 'fearsome empyrean' line too deep". However, as DLC was approaching, at some point I had an extremely vivid dream where Miquella appeared to me, and his vibe was exactly like in the DLC in retrospective! Okay, maybe more sinister; not cold or evil, just... "forceful" in a similar way, "for my sake".

So, back then, not only that dream permanently altered my brain chemistry to accept and become open to "evil/manipulative Miquella" interpretations, but also helped me to Expect Anything which softened the blow regarding the DLC xd I had a shock moment, but far not as bad as other fans from 'this' camp! ...... so now, I found out that his voice is EXACTLY like it was in my dream 2 months ago. 🌛I really am cursed LMAOOOO WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME XDDDD

_____________

Like I said I am a dumb looser with skill issue so I've been trying to beat the boss for next 2+ hours and still didn't.. I will probably get them next time, for now I have to travel for a week and then work again т.т Watching what insane ways YouTube come up maybe will help..

I also one time got a grab attack where Radahn snatches Tarnished and says "I promise you a thousand years voyage of compassion" which got me flustered a little and already made it harder to play, but NOW that I think of it, Ranni also said "a thousand years voyage (under wisdom of stars") 🤔 So that's at least two Demigods hinting at how whatever order (or lack of) they establish won't/can't last forever, but only for 'thousand of years'! Good to know that any system, good or bad, will eventually crumble x) Gwyn: TRIGGERED

All in all, it is a very hard battle and I can't see shit in second phase, everything is too bright. But also oddly enough, I no longer dread new lore/final this much..? Meeting the final boss in person helped to finally accept actual Miquella and get over my prior mental image for good, and I am no longer hung up on Radahn involvement beyond 'some more foreshadowing needs to go in base game via patch now'. I start to wonder whether I simply got caught in the shared disappointment mood and effect of not having the full picture rather than actually dreaded thing from the start? It reminds me of that time when I was clowning agreeing that Malenia was unfair boss but only when I fought her like 70 times myself I realized I exagerrated hfhyggh Not saying Twin Dunces is a good battle, but just saying I don't dread it as much as I thought from spoiler and getting there MYSELF helped

#elden ring #elden ring dlc #sote spoilers #screenshots #gameplay log

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thehusbandoden · 1 year

Text

The Twins -Dabi x Reader

Fluff, maybe a teensy bit of angst? | 681 words | First person | unedited per usual, my apologies | there's gonna be a part two cause it'd be too long if not.. idk. I'll post part 2 asap!!

(Edit): To sum it up I just added more to the story. Oh my freaking goodness. I've had a writing block for what seems like forever now. I went to try and write more and came to a blank. I added a teensy bit to a "part 2" and yk what- that'll just have to sum up the thingy thing (I cannot think for the life of me rn). I'm sorry, I'll hopefully be motivated soon.

You and Dabi have a very close, and very steady relationship. That, and being in your prime has you in a baby fever. Due to you and Dabi both being villains, you've never tried, nor even talked about it. Well~ on a mission you find a pair of abandoned twins.. and what were you supposed to do?? Leave them?! Nah, you evade pursuing heroes and bring the little angels to the League.

(V/n)- villain name

I huffed as I sprinted towards an abandoned building. Swerving my head around, I dashed inside when I didn't see the heroes that were previously chasing me.

Crouching behind a collapsed structure, I struggled to catch my breath, wondering what to do next. As my breathing evened out I pulled out the cellphone Shigaraki had given me.

About to dial Kurogiri, I stopped as I heard distant cries. Pausing, I identified the cries of a distressed child. Pouting, I ran toward the sound instinctually.

I've been dreaming of kids recently, and being in my prime, plus being in a long, and very close relationship has gotten my mama instincts all riled up. Though, we've never tried due to the both of us being well known villains.

Skidding to a halt, my heart dropped as I met eyes with two small children, both looking around the age of two. They were curled inside a blanket, sitting on a piece of cardboard.

From the little I could see, there was one boy, and one girl. The boy was a little bigger, and had blonde hair, which fell to below his ears, and the girl had jet-black hair to below her shoulders, and pink eyes.

Immediately falling in love, I took a step towards the pair, which brought the boy's attention to me, revealing a matching pair of pink eyes.

"Hi.. where are your parents bubbas?" I ask, hesitantly walking towards them. As the girl watched me, her cries worsened, while the boy's subsided.

"Hey, hey! It's okay!" I soothe, swooping the girl into my arms. At first she freaked out, but after I rocked her back and forth and patted her back she calmed down.

Shifting her into my left arm, I picked up her brother as well. Judging by their sizes and identical appearance, I would guess that they were twins. As the boy settled in my arms, my heart melted as he wrapped his tiny arms around my neck.

Cooing, I stared at the toddlers in awe, already feeling very protective over the two. Just as I started to leave, I mentally cursed as I heard the heroes calling to one another, exclaiming that they heard a child cry where I was assumed to be near.

Sprinting, I made my way back to the bar, twins protectively secured in my arms. "THERE! GET HER!" A hero yelled, making his way toward me. Panicking, I tried to find a place to quickly call Kurogiri. After a few minutes of evading the heroes, I dashed into an empty alleyway, and hid behind a large dumpster.

Setting the boy on my knee, I bounced him up and down to keep him happy as I pulled out the cellphone, quickly dialing Kurogiri.

"(V/n)." Kurogiri greeted, waiting for me to continue. "I- I need a portal.. quickly." After giving him a rough location, he quickly sent a portal my way, telling me exactly where it was and how long he'd keep it up.

Thanking him, I quickly ended the call before picking the boy back up, sneaking out of the alleyway quickly. I jogged as I kept an eye out for the heroes, desperately clinging to walls as I searched for the portal.

After a while of searching, I found it with only a minute or so to spare. Sprinting toward it, my heart sped up as I heard the heroes pursuing me. Jumping into the portal, I sighed as Kurogiri closed it just in time.

"Really (v/n)?" He asked, eyes locked onto the now sobbing twins. "I couldn't just leave them!" I spit, moving toward my shared room while desperately trying to soothe the twins.

As I shut the door, I collapsed onto the bed, gently, petting the toddlers heads while whispering sweet things to them. It wasn't long until they both fell asleep, pitifully clinging onto me as they slept, like they were begging me to stay.

Smiling, I kissed both of their heads before falling asleep as well, imagining how my sweet Dabi would react to the new addition to our tiny family.

I awoke to a familiarly warm hand placed on my exposed shoulder. Blinking my eyes open, I grinned as I saw Dabi, his turquoise eyes focused on the sleeping toddlers that were comfortably cozied up in what he deemed, "his spot".

"(Y/n).. what are these things, and what are they doing here?" Dabi asked, moving his hand down to my thigh, grasping it affectionately.

"Baby.. I found these two little angels on my mission. They were abandoned, lonely, terrified, and most likely starving. I took them back here.. and I really wanna keep em." I beg, pleading eyes bleeding into Dabi's unamused ones.

"(Y/n). We're villains."

"And they don't have a home! Besides, we're already attached so~."

"What are their names?" Dabi sighed, sitting down next to me. "I don't know.. I was gonna have you help me with that."

"Okay.. well what are we supposed to do with em?"

"Umm they're gonna wake up hungry.. so why don't you get some food? Nothing too hard to chew though. We don't want our children to choke." At that, Dabi just gave me a soft smile before going to find some substantial food.

Masterlist | Requesting Rules (requests open and appreciated)

Do not copy, repost, nor plagiarize my work. Ask before you translate or use my work in any way, minus reblogging.

#mha #bnha #my hero academia #mha dabi #dabi #mha x reader #dabi x reader #fluff #mha fluff #dabi fluff #dabi x reader fluff #mha x reader fluff #baby fever

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kurogane2512 · 1 year

Text

Lisa Birthday 2023

Character: Lisa x fem!reader

Type: Angst with happy ending

Happy birthday to Lisa once again! So much changed since the last birthday fic I wrote for her but she's still one of my top waifus in the game <3 I love her so much omg, I was so glad we got some Sumeru content on her and outfit is stunning!! I hope we continue to get more content on her, and even more affectionate content at that! <3

"Hey, Y/n. Thanks for taking over early today."

Wyratt spoke as you entered the Knights of Favonius HQ in order to begin your daily shift.

"No problem, happy to help."

You replied with a smile and walked over to the post outside of the Favonius Library, he spotted a gift box in your hand and smirked then leaned over to whisper, "Good luck~"

"H-Hey, stop it...!"

Wyratt chuckled then waved and walked out, making you sigh and turn to face the door of the library as you took a deep breath and readied yourself.

"I'll give this and tell her today...I will!"

You then opened the door and looked over at the librarian's desk to see Lisa standing in front of the table, she turned around almost too excitedly as if she was waiting for someone but calmed down when she saw it was you then smiled and walked closer.

"Oh my, isn't your shift rather early today, Y/n?"

"Y-Yes, Wyratt had some work so we changed earlier...."

"Hehe, I see~"

You smiled then walked closer while holding your hands behind your back, making Lisa curious as you fidgeted slightly before bringing your hands forward and holding a small bouquet of Cecilia flowers that you handpicked yourself in the morning along with a small gift.

"Happy birthday, Lisa."

Lisa's eyes sparkled and she smiled back softly then accepted your presents.

"Thank you very much, sweetheart. Oh, these flowers are lovely! Cecilias are my favorite~"

"Yes, I know. That's why I chose them...."

Lisa smiled then put the bouquet on the table before unwrapping the gift to find a book inside.

"Isn't this....the new novel from Fontaine that's a bestseller everywhere so much so that there are no more copies available for months? I haven't been able to get a single copy so far...."

Lisa's smile widened, "Thank you so much, darling. I don't even know how you were able to get it but I appreciate it a lot. I'll be sure to read it and discuss my thoughts with you~"

"S-Sure....Actually—"

You stopped mid-sentence as you glanced at her desk and saw 2 cups filled with tea and a plate of cakes kept on it, seemingly prepared for a guest.

"Hm, what is it?"

".....Were you expecting a guest?"

Lisa followed your eyesight towards the tea cups and sighed, "Hah~ I was. But I suppose it's pointless now...."

You thought for a moment then realized who she was referring to, "You mean the Traveller?"

"Yes....I sent him a letter some time ago asking him to stop by and visit for some time. I was expecting him to show up today considering the occasion but it's already past 9 pm now...."

You bit your tongue and averted your gaze, feeling slightly irritated.

"I see. Well, there's still a few more hours. Who knows he might show up any minute now~"

You mused with a fake smile, getting a small smile from Lisa in return. "Hehe, I'll hold onto that. Thank you once again for your wishes, Y/n."

You smiled and bowed then walked out of the library, giving her space to herself. You leaned on the wall and looked down in discontent, clenching your fists together then releasing them with a sigh.

"She has everything prepared for his welcome....I should have known. Why did I even think I stand a chance? I couldn't even confess now....For her, it's always him...."

Indeed, you had known for a long time that someone already occupied Lisa's heart the way she did yours. You remembered back to your first day here, a newly appointed Favonius Knight given the night shift to guard the library. You had heard of Lisa long before your appointment but never seen her since you weren't an avid reader and practically never visited the library; who would have guessed you would be given to guard it as your first duty after becoming a Knight.

And, who would have guessed you would come to fall in love with the very same mysterious librarian you had barely ever seen. The way she greeted you every morning before you left, the way she smiled, the way she laughed. The pleasant aroma from her tea and cakes would reach your nose even through the library door and you'd be lost in it. You had come to admire her bright and easygoing persona; she was the type of person liked by all of Mondstadt and everyone felt comfortable in her presence.

Children came to her library to read all sorts of books and she always made the effort to guide them, even sometimes holding group reading sessions for them. It was clear how much she loved books, there was something so endearing about her that you didn't even realize when you were drawn in. You'd hear parts of her conversations with different people through the door which enabled you to learn about her likes and dislikes, each of those things making her more endearing to you.

However, your position always made you uncertain. You were just a mere Visionless guard with minimal hobbies, you were not gifted in any way. You had worked hard day and night to be able to join the Favonius Knights; even then, you weren't strong enough to join the main divisions that were sent out on expeditions and monster exterminations hence you were assigned this guard duty. On the other hand, Lisa was a plethora of vibrant colors.

Not only did she have a Vision but she was one of the top graduates of the esteemed Sumeru Akademiya, seemingly their best in the last 200 years. And her wisdom was very evident; you'd overhear her discussing so many different projects and theories with Albedo and Sucrose, speaking of terms you had never even heard of. Yet, despite all her skills and knowledge....she was the kindest and most loving person you had ever met.

You had come to realize you developed a liking to her, something that went much deeper than admiration but you never felt you deserved her. You were content with just watching her as she brightened up your life with the simplest of gestures...... Then came the day when she met her match, a person equally dazzling and gifted as her— a Traveller from another world with golden hair and unmatched power, rivaling even the Archons.

He instantly stood up against one of the legendary beasts of Mondstadt and was bestowed the title of Honorary Knight, a feat you couldn't even think of in your wildest dreams. He could even use elemental powers without a Vision, the difference between you two was clear as day. Then you noticed Lisa's behaviour around him. You initially thought she was just being kind considering his situation but it quickly became clear she meant more.

Their conversations always lasted long, he even became her apprentice for some time and learned various things from her— all the while you stood outside that same door every single day and simply heard her go about her life with him. You'd overhear her talking to Grand Master Jean about him, saying how she misses him and wishes he'd come to visit sometime. She took a trip to Sumeru and you found out she met him even there.

However, you had also learned something else. Despite how much she liked him and cared for him, it didn't seem like he thought the same. He never sent any letter or information about his travels; she would always find out from other sources. He had become famous all over Teyvat which meant he certainly made many companions along the way, who knows he might have even had some lovers every now and then.

This is where you felt you stood a chance; if he continued treating her the same way then perhaps, she'd move on from him and be open to someone else. In your eyes, she didn't deserve the way he treated her at all. You had found out that even on her Sumeru trip he barely spent any time with her despite her continued invites, you couldn't deny this angered you. She thought of him the way you thought of her, you would do everything in your power to make her happy. Yet....that happiness never came from you.

You stopped your recollection of the past and looked at the door, wondering if he'd really come. It was soon close to 11:30 pm and you felt sad for Lisa, how could he be so heartless? Still, you knew you couldn't blame him. He could be anywhere in Teyvat doing great things as usual while this lovely librarian waiting for him in hope and anticipation.

It was now midnight and nothing changed, he didn't come. You wondered how Lisa was feeling, you wanted to go in and check up on her but held back. Some moments later, she herself walked out carrying some things and locked the library before glancing at you with a smile.

"Well, I'll be going now. Too bad he couldn't find the time to come, maybe I'll read about his great doings in a newspaper soon. I'll see you tomorrow, Y/n, and thank you once again~"

You smiled and bowed and watched her walk out of the building then you clenched your fist and punched the wall behind you, feeling frustrated.

"That look in her eyes....she was crying. I'm sure she was crying because he didn't even come to wish her on her birthday! What kind of Honorary Knight is he to make a woman cry like that! Dammit! She doesn't deserve this at all!"

You stomped your foot and leaned back on the wall, feeling helpless deep within.

"....I woke up early morning and spent hours picking up those flowers, even had to fight some Hilichurls and injured myself. Not to mention, for the book I....No, I shouldn't think this way. I was hoping for her to move on but....I'm the one who needs to let go here. There's no point in this...."

The next morning came and your shift changed before she came in, feeling slightly relieved you wouldn't have to see her so soon. An hour after you left, Lisa came in and brewed some tea in Jean's office as the two of them sat down together to have breakfast.

"Lisa, are you okay?" Jean asked out of concern, she could tell Lisa wasn't feeling fine.

"Yes...I just....I just wish he came."

"Honorary Knight? Did he not even send a letter wishing you like Collei did?"

"No, nothing...."

"Lisa....I'm so sorry. I know how much you like him..."

"It's okay, Jean. I suppose I was holding onto false hope and having the wrong expectations. I know he is busy and has no time for a mere librarian like me, I'll just try to....think of him less from now on."

Jean sighed and nodded then went back to looking at the documents on her table.

"What are you looking at, Jean?" Lisa asked.

"Ah these are just the vacation details of all our Knights. Since it's summer now so everyone applies for leaves but I can't send all of them away at the same time so I have to schedule their duties."

Lisa hummed and glanced at some of the papers when her eyes fell upon your name and she pulled the paper towards herself.

"Oh, is this about that week-long vacation Y/n took last month? Did she give any reason for it?"

"All I know is that she went to Fontaine to get something; something quite rare apparently considering she went all the way there for a week."

Lisa suddenly recalled last night when you gave your gift to her, a famous novel from Fontaine that had no copies in circulation anywhere else since last month.

"Could she have....No, it can't be....Why would she....?"

"Now that you bring this up, I do wonder how her trip went." Jean suddenly spoke, making Lisa snap out of her thoughts.

"Hm? Why is that?"

"Well, Fontaine is a big nation, much bigger than Mondstadt and from what I know, she has never been outside of Mondstadt until now. Not even to Liyue. It must have quite difficult for her to visit a big and fast-growing city like that all alone. I really wonder what was so important there for her...."

Lisa looked away and pondered for some time before excusing herself and walking towards the library. She sat upon her desk and took out the book you had gifted last night then began reading it. She was too lost in her feelings last night that she simply accepted it out of courtesy and didn't bother to go through it. As she read, she came across various notes you had attached inside on some sections that you found interesting, mentioning your own thoughts on them.

She smiled as she read your opinions and realized how much she agreed with them, mentally noting down several points to discuss with you later. She read through the book with such enthusiasm and excitement that she finished it by evening, only stopping for tea break and some walks in between. She reached the final page and found the last note from you, quickly opening it with curiosity only to be extremely surprised at its contents.

"Dear Ms Lisa, congratulations on completing the book! I knew you would read it till the end. I hope you liked it and that it was how you expected it to be. It was the first time I read such a long book but I enjoyed it very much, I'd love to take some book suggestions from you whenever you have time!"

She smiled to herself and was about to close the book until she realized there was another page to the note.

"My apologies for saying it this way but I couldn't think of a better way. I love you, Ms Lisa. I love you very much, a lot more than you can gather through this. I know you'd expect one to be brave enough to say it directly but I don't think I can. I just wanted to let you know how much you mean to me; ever since I was appointed here, you brightened up my life like nobody else. I came to cherish every little moment I got to experience of you, be it with or without me."

"You are very beautiful and kind, and I wish you an eternity of happiness with the person you love. You don't have to feel obliged to reply to me, I do have an idea of what you'd say and it's okay. I just wanted you to know I'm always here for you and will support you, be it as a friend or just another guard. I'm just glad I got to meet you and fall in love with you, it was one of the best feelings I have ever had. Thank you for coming to my life."

Lisa's mouth hung open and eyes widened as she almost dropped the book. She composed herself and kept the book aside then looked down and pondered deeply.

"Look how negligent I have been....All this time, I was chasing someone else when there was a person right beside me willing to do everything for me....And I barely spared any thought to her. She picked up those fresh flowers for the bouquet, I could tell by the quality. And then this book....going all the way to Fontaine for it...for me....."

She pinched the bridge of her nose then firmed herself, finally sorting out her feelings. She looked at the time and saw your shift was to begin soon hence stood up and went near the door to listen in when you would come in. Sometime later, she finally heard footsteps approaching followed by you and Wyratt exchanging greetings before he walked out and you took his post. She took a few deep breaths and thought what she'd say then was about to open the door but you opened it before her, catching her off guard.

"O-Oh, I'm sorry I didn't realize you were there, Ms Lisa. I hope you didn't get hurt."

You asked with genuine concern as she gazed in your love-filled eyes, feeling lost in their depth.

"Ms Lisa? Are you okay?"

You asked again and all she could do was grab your hand and pull you inside by force before closing the door and pinning you on it, trapping your figure in her arms.

"M-Ms Lisa?!"

You exclaimed in surprise but were soon silenced as she leaned forward and connected her lips with yours, kissing you gently. Your lips moved with hers in perfect rhythm, slowly and steadily as you tasted each other, your hands wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer and she softly moaned into the kiss before slowly moving back. The two of you gazing at each other as you panted, slightly breathless from the kiss.

"....I read your letter at the end of the book, Y/n. And....I accept, I accept your love."

Your eyes widened in surprise, "B-But, don't you love him...?"

She chuckled, "I realized I don't. You made me realize what love is and that's not how I felt about him, especially not recently."

You stared at her in shock then she cupped your face and kissed your cheek, "Would you like to date me, Y/n? I....love you too."

You were on cloud 9 at this point, it was the happiest moment of her life.

"I'd be very much honored to; I promise to keep you happy."

#genshin impact #genshin women #genshin angst #genshin impact lisa #lisa minci #lisa x reader #genshin lisa x reader #happy birthday lisa

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coffeebanana · 9 months

Note

trick or treat

HAHA WDYM IT'S NOT HALLOWEEN ANYMORE PFFFFFT

but ANYWAYS. here's a little ficlet inspired by nastic and thigmotropic movement in plants. as you requested ages ago 😂

i meant for a little light angst. but, uh...it did not turn out that way. blame ladrien--all they wanted to do was make out

.......

“Isn’t it cool?”

The enthusiasm in Adrien’s voice made Ladybug smile, but it failed to draw her attention to the video playing from his phone. Which was his own fault, really—for being so irresistible. And for letting her get far too comfortable in her current position, lying on his chest on the sofa in his room, lazily trailing her toes against his calf as the video’s musical accompaniment petered out.

“Mhm,” she mumbled into his T-shirt, her own hot breath puffing back at her. “The coolest.”

“That’s all you have to say?”

She shrugged, taking the opportunity to snuggle in a little closer. “Mmm. Tired.”

A chuckle rumbled through his chest, and as his arms tightened around her waist, Ladybug had only one thought: I never want this moment to end.

Then Adrien betrayed her.

She squealed as he began tickling her sides—lightly at first, then harder as she struggled to bat his hands away. Just as she started to run out of breath, he finally relented. She pushed herself up, pinning his arms by his side and blowing a tuft of hair out of her face as she glared down at him. “Hey!”

He smirked. “You weren’t watching.”

“I was too!”

He merely quirked an eyebrow.

“Oh yeah? So what was it about?”

“It was, well, you know. It was…” She gestured vaguely with one hand, scowling when his smile only widened. “Okay, fine. I wasn’t watching.”

He clicked his tongue. “Such betrayal—the likes of which I’d never imagine from one who claims to love me.”

Fighting back a smile, Ladybug rolled her eyes. If she’d had known Adrien could be this dramatic before she’d started dating him, then…well, she wouldn’t have changed a thing. But he didn’t need to know that.

“I guess I’ll need to find some way to repay you,” she said, trying to feign boredom. But she couldn’t help the way her eyes slid to his lips.

And she definitely couldn’t help the way her stomach fluttered when he noticed where her eyes had landed. His breath hitched, eyes glued to hers as she leaned down, sliding a hand down his arm, fingers grazing wrist, and… A-ha!

Stealing his phone right from his hand, she quickly rolled off his chest, laughing at his squawk of protest. She landed in a crouch on the floor, phone clutched to her chest. “What’s wrong? I thought you wanted me to watch it.”

He let out a low whine, running a hand through his already dishevelled hair. Ladybug bit her lip, hoping the pain might distract her from the warmth pooling in her stomach. And between her legs.

“I…did,” he said. It seemed almost painful for him to admit.

Ladybug was starting to have regrets of her own. But she had to see this through. “W-well, good then. Great!” She turned away from him, settling in cross-legged on the floor with her back against the couch. “I’ll just do that then.”

She raised the phone up to eye-level, only to be met by a locked screen.

Adrien laughed. “Need some help with that?”

“I mean, I guess. If you really want to.”

“Oh, I do.” He shifted onto his side, then slid his arm slowly past her shoulder, taking his time to punch in the code. His face hovering right beside hers. He gave her arm a squeeze when he finally retreated, breath whispering against her cheek. “Enjoy.”

Right. The video.

This time, Ladybug truly tried to pay attention. It was some time lapse of a plant curling its way up a wooden post, and even if she didn’t quite get the appeal, she loved that Adrien was so excited about it.

But he wasn’t making it easy to focus.

“You know,” he whispered, lips grazing her ear. “The way it moves at the beginning is because it’s seeking out stimuli.”

“Uh-huh...”

It took every bit of her self-control not to lean towards him as he pulled away.

Luckily, she wasn’t deprived of his presence for long. He set a hand on her shoulder as the video came to an end.

“And when it winds its way up the post…” His fingers slipped down to her bicep, curling around her arm to mimic the plant’s trajectory. “Well, then it’s just responding to touch.”

“Imagine that,” she gasped. Her back arched as his lips ghosted across her neck.

“So..." He nuzzled her cheek. "What did you think of the video, Love Bug?”

Ladybug closed her eyes and turned her head, blindly seeking the warmth of his lips.

She smiled when they connected. “I think it might have taught me a few things.”

#ask response #redundant-lava #miraculous ladybug #ladrien #ficlet #coffeebanana writes

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stardust-walker · 1 year

Text

For Cryin Out Loud

Eddie is having a bad day so Steve comes home and takes care of him. They take a bath together and end up fooling around because they're 2 idiots in love. Part of my little Hard of Hearing/Deaf Steve little one-shot I wrote that is apparently growing a mind of it's own and turning into a little series of one shots!

There may be minor typos but I haven't posted this on AO3 yet but it's been sitting in my word docs for a solid month so enjoy!

rated: E

cw: smut!! my first time really writing anything bc these boys changed my whole brain chemistry i swear 2 u

border by cafekitsune!

Steve has a feeling that it hasn’t been a good day when he walks in and he doesn’t see Eddie, but he can hear the music playing from the bathroom. The music gets louder as Steve walks through the door and calls out a greeting, almost like Eddie is cranking the music for him too. Steve can recite the opening lines to You Took The Words Right Out of My Mouth from memory at this point and he thinks Eddie must be doing the same thing in the bathtub upstairs.

Eddie had bitched up a storm at first but Steve reminded him more than enough times that it was a gift and he couldn’t be an asshole about it. He tries to listen a little closer as he mills around the kitchen cutting up fruit and gathering snacks to bring up with him. The song comes to a close as he starts back towards the hallway with his hands full of a peace offering. And yep there it is. The mixtape starts over after a few minutes of silence in which Eddie must have been rewinding the tape. He wonders how long Eddie’s been up there. Probably since Robin left for work a little over an hour ago if he had to venture a guess. Steve moves a little faster as he hums along to For Cryin Out Loud.

“You know, Meat Loaf really knew what he was talking about with this one,” Eddie had said one of the first times they listened to it together. The song had hit the 5-minute mark and Eddie was bobbing his head to the music. Steve just watched him, the corners of his mouth twitching up into a smile.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, totally,” Eddie’s smile was infectious and Steve felt like he was going to orbit another planet. He practically melted when Eddie leaned in to kiss him just as Meat Loaf continued to sing about how of course he loved whoever he was singing to. It was like Eddie himself was screaming it from the rooftops. So when Steve decided to make Eddie a mixtape, it was no surprise that was the first song he put on there.

Gareth had caught Eddie listening to the mixtape once. More like he’d gotten into the car with him and stared in horror at the radio before declaring that Eddie was some sort of saint for listening to Guns n’ Roses. At least according to Eddie, but Steve had just smiled and pointed out that he’d caught him strumming the opening notes to Patience more than a few times.

Steve couldn’t help but think the song was a little close to home for him. He climbed the last few stairs and he could hear Eddie singing the chorus quietly to himself. When Eddie started whistling along, Steve let out a laugh.

“Steve?” The water splashes slightly. Eddie must have sat up in the bath.

“Yeah,” he calls out before he enters the bathroom and leans against the doorway. Eddie reaches out to turn down the stereo with wrinkled fingers and Steve couldn’t stop the fond smile from creeping onto his face.

Eddie eyes the plate of fruit with hungry eyes before his gaze shifts back to Steve. “Is that for me?”

“I was thinking we could share actually unless you’re feeling greedy.” He crosses the room and sets the plate down on the closed toilet lid. Steve wrinkles his nose in concentration as he slowly kneels down next to the tub. In the background, Tom Petty is starting to sing about some girl who loves Elvis. “Hey,” he whispers as he brushes the hair out of Eddie’s eyes. They’re a little swollen and Steve frowns. “Bad day?”

Eddie shrugs and lets out a shaky breath. “Kind of.” He runs a hand over the surface of the water as he looks away. Steve doesn’t push it. He could easily say that the incident during spring break was 3 years ago. Vecna’s been dead for 2. But he gets it; none of them will probably really be over it. A lot of them bear the scars and the damage from it still, Eddie included. Steve notices how some days it’s harder than others for Eddie to get out of bed in the morning. Instead of saying anything, he leans in and brushes his lips over Eddie’s cheek. Eddie sighs and when Steve pulls back, the other man’s eyes have fluttered shut.

“Do you want me to get in?”

“Yeah,” Eddie’s voice cracks. He opens his eyes and they stare at each other for a second. Eddie’s big brown eyes make him look even more open and vulnerable as he scoots back against the wall. “Sit in front of me though. I want us to look at each other.”

Steve nods because who is he to not give Eddie what he wants? Eddie drums on the side of the tub as Steve rises to his feet and starts to shed his clothes. He can see Eddie in the mirror as he rests his cheek on his arm to get more comfortable looking at him. His heart swells. Eddie is mouthing the words to the next song as it starts and Steve thinks about how Eddie bitched when Steve begged him to buy the newest album from The Cure. Steve had tried not to cry the first time he heard Lovesong. Seeing Eddie mouthing the words at him makes him feel totally different. But still, he tries to control himself because Eddie is having a bad day. As much as they both might want it, he’s pretty sure that fucking in the bath isn’t going to work out anyway.

Steve takes his hearing aid out and takes a moment to adjust to the slightly more muffled sounds around him. Steve’s half-hard just from the weight of Eddie’s staring at him. He pulls his underwear off and places them with the rest of his clothes before he turns to face the tub.

Eddie’s face lights up in a way that makes Steve laugh. “Hey, gorgeous.” He leans back and wrinkles his nose as he moves his leg to make room. Steve lowers himself into the tub which is pretty warm still. Eddie probably filled it up again while he was downstairs.

“I bet you say that to all the boys,” he winks. Eddie laughs. Steve is so fucking in love with him that it hurts. “Did you actually wash your hair or were you just half underwater?”

“Hm,” Eddie hums as he slides lower into the water. “I plead the fifth.” He sighs as the water reaches the middle of his chest.

“You’re so gross,” he rolls his eyes and dodges the small splash of water sent his way. “I was going to offer to wash it for you but now I don’t want to.”

Eddie pouts. “Only if you want to.” The unspoken fear of being a burden is still there and Steve gets it. He really does. So he motions for Eddie to sit up and move closer before he reaches behind him for the shampoo. Eddie winces as he bends his knee a little too fast. “You’re too good to me.”

Steve is faintly aware of the fact that Dio starts playing and it’s one of Eddie’s favorites. Naturally.

“No, I’m not. Now shut up and close your eyes.”

“Yes, sir,” Eddie smirks as he closes his eyes and tilts his head back slightly, baring his neck to Steve. He ghosts his fingers over the scar on his neck. They match and he doesn’t think he’ll ever be over it. Eddie shivers slightly as he leans in and presses a kiss right to the center of his throat before he starts on washing his hair. It’s hard to gauge how gentle is the right amount when it’s not your hair but he tries his best. Skillful fingers comb the knots from Eddie’s hair as he relaxes, eyes only squeezing shut tighter when it’s time to rinse the suds out.

Steve cups the other man’s scarred cheek in his hand when he’s done and Eddie’s eyes flutter open. “There he is,” he whispers.

Eddie smiles as he leans in, his hands settling on his boyfriend’s biceps and there’s something heavier about his gaze now. “You’re really something else, you know.”

Part of Steve feels bad for the fact that he kind of likes the days that are like this. It’s a bad day but he can still bring Eddie back from it. They can take their time and take care of each other in whatever way they need to. Sometimes it’s just cuddling and talking about it. Sometimes Eddie doesn’t want to talk at all or Steve can’t bring himself to put in his hearing aids and connect with the world. They just deal with whatever they need.

Eddie licks his lips. Steve watches as the water drips down from his bangs and slides down the side of his face before it stops right on his cupid’s bow. He’s pretty sure it’s shit like this that Warrant is singing about in Heaven because Jesus fuck it’s insane.

Steve ducks in, nose bumping against Eddie’s as he does, and when he kisses him, their teeth click. Eddie’s smiling and it’s like a switch flips in his head. Eddie sighs against Steve’s lips as his wet hands slide up his arms to grip his shoulders. He knows they shouldn’t do anything, at least not here. He just can’t bring himself to do anything to stop it when Eddie slides forward almost into his lap. Steve groans as Eddie nibbles at his bottom lip. His hips buck up slightly and Eddie yelps as Steve slides backward an inch.

They pull apart and Steve stares at Eddie: his pupils are blown wide and his freshly washed hair starting to curl already and he can’t take it anymore. “Let’s go to bed” Eddie leans in and whispers. Christine McVie is singing through the speakers about how she’d be with someone anywhere and everywhere. He fucking gets it and he’ll scream it from the rooftops one day.

He’s gentle when he helps Eddie out of the tub and towel dries his hair. Their hands wander and the only other sound in the room aside from the music is Eddie’s quiet singing and the occasional gasp or laugh. They leave the music blaring as they hurry down the hall. When Eddie lays on the bed and motions for him to follow, Steve thinks that one day he’ll kiss every fucking scar that the Upside Down left on him if he hasn’t already.

He doesn’t need to be told twice and they’re both laughing as Steve kisses his way up Eddie’s left side. He takes special care to kiss as much of his scarred-up chest as he can. Eddie sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “Steve,” he whispers in a way that makes all the pistons in his brain fire. “Stevie, come on.”

Right now is about Eddie, so he starts moving again. Licking and kissing and biting his way up his lover’s neck and he’s already starting to fall apart just a little. Steve curses himself for not putting his hearing aid back in. Now he’s missing out on every little sound Eddie makes even though he has them committed to memory by now. Steve plants a hand on the bed on either side of the man as he pulls away. Eddie’s hair is splayed out on the pillow like a halo and Steve swallows hard as he tries to burn the sight into his brain. There’s a part of him that wants to see it every time he closes his eyes because there can’t be anything better than that.

“What do you want,” he whispers as he eyes the man beneath him with hungry eyes.

“You.” Eddie grins up at him. Steve grins right back as he presses himself down onto him. Eddie groans and Steve crashes their lips together and swallows the sound right up. Eddie slips his tongue into his mouth. Steve trembles a little as a hand slides down his back, fingers tracing down his spine in a feather-light touch. The fingers on Eddie’s other hand wind into his hair and Steve lets out a groan that mirrors Eddie’s own. It’s like a feedback loop.

They’re barely touching each other. Just grinding against each other and only breaking away to breathe until Steve sits up enough to feel around on the bedside table until he snatches up the lube. Eddie’s dick twitches in interest and yeah. He’ll give him whatever the fuck he wants whenever he asks. Within reason. So sue him. The way that Eddie’s big brown eyes stay focused on him as he flips the cap and pours lube onto his fingers is enough to make him crazy.

“This okay?”

His bangs flop in front of his eyes with how fast he nods his head. He parts his legs almost like it’s an instinct by now as Steve moves to kneel between his knees. Steve watches just as closely and he feels his breath catch when Eddie starts to melt under his touch. It’s just one finger circling his rim at first and Eddie pulls his legs in tighter as he sighs. By the time Steve has two fingers inside of him, Eddie is panting quietly. Steve curls his fingers and he hits that spot that he knows has Eddie seeing fireworks. He can’t stop himself from kissing his way up his chest again, fingers still moving inside of him.

When he’s close enough, Eddie grips him by the hair and tugs him up gently. He crashes their lips together with an intensity that leaves Steve gasping. Eddie’s all over him. All-encompassing as their mouths move together and they breathe each other in. Eddie’s thighs are trembling as they wrap around Steve’s waist. Steve pulls his fingers out of him slowly.

Then there’s so little space between them that neither of them can reach down and wrap a hand around both of them to jerk off. That might be what Eddie wants, but Steve thinks it’s close enough as he breaks the kiss only to latch onto the soft skin of his neck. Eddie’s voice is muffled and Steve lets out a confused sound as he gets shoved back by a palm to the forehead. “Wrong side,” Eddie sighs before he guides Steve to the other side of his neck and Jesus Christ he likes this angle a lot better. It’s like Eddie realizes what he needs. The hand that guided him moves to the back of his hair and the other cradles the side of his face like he’s something precious.

Steve’s hips jerk and Eddie hisses almost right in his ear. “Fuck yeah just like that. Come on.” The gasps and whispers guide him better than anything else as they grind against each other. They’re so close that he can feel the muscles in Eddie’s stomach start to tense up. He can hear his breathing pick up and the soft moans that start to spill out even when he’s trying to hold them back. Eddie’s close and so is he. It’s almost painful when he manages to sit up to slip a hand between them and it only takes two hard jerks for Eddie to finally break.

He takes in everything. He always does. The way Eddie throws his head back against the pillows and his eyes roll back just a little bit before he squeezes them closed. The way he blushes red right down to the scars on his chest. It’s the way that Eddie groans out his name that sends Steve right over the edge with him. He slumps forward, trembles, and curses through his own orgasm as he buries his face in Eddie’s shoulder. “Fuck,” he pants out as he wipes his hand on the sheets. They have to do laundry anyway.

His arms feel a little like jello as he pushes himself up off of his boyfriend. Eddie smiles up fondly at him as Steve leans in to kiss him. He stops halfway there as Eddie lets out a short laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” Eddie shrugs as he reaches up and brushes a stray piece of hair from Steve’s forehead. “Hi.”

The gentleness of it throws him off and he sputters. “Hi?”

Eddie laughs as he pulls him down again. “You know, I think I’m having a better day now.”

Steve rolls his eyes as he twirls a strand of Eddie’s hair between his fingers. “Oh, you don’t say?”

“Yeah, well you know. When the prettiest guy in Hawkins tries to woo you, it’s kind of hard to stay suffering.”

“Oh poor baby.”

“I think pizza would really secure the wooing,” Eddie sighs dramatically as he turns his head to pout at his boyfriend.

“You’re a pain in the ass.” Steve snorts as he pulls himself into a sitting position.

Eddie gasps and mockingly grabs his chest. “But you love me!”

“For cryin out loud?” Steve quirks an eyebrow before he leans over to kiss Eddie on the forehead.

“And all that other shit the guy sings about.”

“You’re a sap.”

“Takes one to know one, Stevie!”

#steddie #steve harrington #deaf steve harrington #steve harrington x eddie munson #my writing stuff #steddie smut #plz be gentle im SHY #im throwing this into the void and running away

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ellewritesandrants · 2 years

Text

I was inspired to write some Billy and Max wingmanning for each other because of this post from @11willgrahamseyes11 because why not?

Imagine it’s post S3 where Billy survived and Max just found out that Neil had left Hawkins. She heads to the hospital to tell her brother, because that’s what he was, that his dad had just skipped town to avoid paying medical bills he wasn’t even going to be charged for.

“Neil left?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry, Billy.”

“Figures he got sick of having a queer disabled freak for a son.” Billy scoffed.

Max slapped his shoulder, confident enough to do so after months of proper communication, bonding and actually getting to be siblings and not each other’s burdens to bear.

“Hey! Don’t talk about my brother that way, asshole. And anyway, Neil would have eventually realized he had two queer kids and he’d probably have run even faster.”

Billy eyes snapped to hers.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

A peaceful moment of silence passed before Billy broke it.

“Is it that psychic chick, the one that’s dating Wheeler?”

Max immediately bristled.

“How’d you know?”

“Let’s just say I know what it feels like to pine after someone who’s in love with a Wheeler.”

Max took a good minute to think before it finally clicked.

“Steve? You like Steve?”

“Don’t be so loud, Maxie! But, yeah, I like Steve. Anything wrong with that?”

“A lot. Steve’s a dumbass, Billy.”

“Hey! I think it’s cute. Anyway, that El girl isn’t the most talkative girl in the world.”

“But I like that about her.”

“Well, I guess we’re both saps for people who’ll never like us back.”

“I don’t know. I think I might have a chance if I can convince her to break up with her boyfriend.”

“Don’t you have a boyfriend?”

“Lucas? I broke up with him months ago after he didn’t even try to give you a chance to apologize. If he wanted to get me back, he knew what he should have done and if he doesn’t want to, then good riddance.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. After all, it’s me and you against the world, right, Kill Bill?”

“It’s me and you against the world, Mad Max.”

Since Billy wanted at least one of them to get their happy ending, he gets Max to ask El if she was willing to visit Billy so they could talk about the memories she’s seen and of course, El agrees.

Billy hasn't really had any visitors outside of Max ever since he was admitted into the hospital due to him being in the PICU for the first three months and only allowing a limited number of people inside to visit him. It's been another three months since he was moved to a regular room and the doctors had just cleared Billy to receive more visitors but to keep them to 2-4 people to avoid overcrowding.

None of his so-called friends actually visited but he had somewhat expected it. Tommy had promised to visit after sending a letter checking in but he and Carol were busy at the college their dads bought them into so it left the basketball team who stopped by after practice once to tell him how badly they were doing without him and how they couldn't wait to have him on the court again.

None of Max's friends have been by either but Billy heard from Max about a big fight they'd had regarding Billy and how the boys refused to think that Billy was anything but evil, forcing Max, El and Will to branch away because Will was hurt since he'd also been possessed and therefore, just as evil and El hated how they treated Billy as a monster when he was just as much a victim as she was.

Hopper doesn't really trust Billy but after he allows it on the condition that Max stays in the room which Billy doesn't fight. They have a nice chat about the memories, most of which Max wasn't aware of but it actually helps them since Billy's willing to trust Max enough to bare his soul to her willingly.

After they have an emotional talk about bad fathers who need to be kept out of their lives as well as absent mothers who tried, Billy shifts the conversation more to school because he's been helping Max keep on top of her classes so he offered the same to El.

Max quickly corrects Billy and tells him that El was homeschooled due to her not being allowed to study because of the lab. Billy has the bright idea of tutoring El during the day since he wasn't really doing anything and he was bored out of his mind and running out of books to read that Max would borrow from the library for him.

It would not only give him something to do but also a way to see if Max actually had a chance that didn't involve Max getting hurt. He could also help El who seemed like she really did need help, just like he did.

Of course, they ran it past Hopper who initially wanted nothing to do with Billy Hargrove until Max told him the truth about Neil. Hopper was eventually worn down by El who was tired of being stuck at the cabin with no one to talk to and he agreed under the condition that he'd be there during the first few sessions.

Once Hopper was there, he took the sessions as a chance to confirm what El said and when he really, truly looked at Billy, he saw a reflection of the kid he used to be, abused and alone and he realized why El had wanted to get to know Billy and to be his friend.

It also didn't hurt that Billy was an honors student who used to tutor in California during the weekdays for extra cash and he was used to being a tutor and helping students with their studies.

Hopper worked out a deal with Billy that El would come over three times a week when she was supposed to have school and he would help her for a daily rate.

She progressed in leaps and bounds under someone who was used to working around certain hang-ups and Billy was able to help El, whom he commonly called Jane or Janie to find a way of studying that worked for her that wasn't just reading books and answering worksheets.

Her progress astounded the newly together Joyce and Hopper, leading to her asking if Billy could do the same for Will since he wasn't really talking to the other boys.

Soon, Billy's hospital room became the trio's common hang-out spot after school, with Will and Max either biking, skating or walking together so that they could get help on their homework from Billy after he and El were done with their lessons for the day.

The entire time that Billy had been tutoring the kids, he'd been observing the interactions between El and Max and it really did seem like his little sister had a chance. Of course, there was still the tiny hang-up in the form of Mike Wheeler and Lucas Sinclair who apparently still didn't get the hint that their respective relationships were over.

Since El, Max and Will were all comfortable with Billy, once they were done with their homework and lessons, they usually talked about anything under the sun to help El be more familiar with popular culture and how the world worked so one day, Billy slyly got the conversation to head towards gender expression and sexuality.

He'd learned a lot in California that he couldn't really put into practice in Hawkins but he was reasonably sure that these three kids in particular would be able to accept him and would actually benefit from what he said.

Billy had ended up coming out of the closet to the kids who swore to keep it a secret and he answered any and all questions they had. El was surprised that women could be with other women and men could be with other men or with multiple people because all Hopper and Mike had ever told her was that boys went with girls and vice versa.

This led to Will and El to question their sexualities and to realize that maybe they weren't as straight as they assumed. Will was definitely getting a case of hero worship for the older teen and it showed when he got home, enough that Joyce was able to paint a clear picture of Billy's life which she didn't like.

She came to visit him once without El to confirm her assumptions and she made sure to tell him that he was always welcome at their house after everything he's done for them. Billy had teared up and he'd gotten his first hug from a mom in months since Susan had ended up falling into a pit of alcoholism again.

Joyce had reamed Hopper afterwards for not being able to help Billy beforehand and how Hopper would have to make things up to Billy after he was discharged. Joyce would keep visiting Billy, often bringing food to share and occasionally, bringing Hopper along with her to help the bigger man to see Billy as she saw him, a lonely kid in need of parental guidance.

Almost a whole school year passed with an increase in the tension between Max and El but no action on either side of the pair. Will was El's confidant and he was slowly going crazy about how El ranted and raved about how pretty and smart Max was without doing anything about it.

Billy, on the other hand, was tired about hearing all about how cute and adorable El was from his little sister and while he had partially caused this to happen, he also didn't want to keep hearing about it.

So, Billy made plans. He was getting discharged pretty soon and his physical therapy was going pretty well, enough that he was looking to be in shape and back to peak condition in a few months and that he was being allowed behind the wheel.

Truth be told, Billy had fully recovered by the time he started tutoring the kids but the doctors and scientists still couldn't understand why he was still alive and how he had survived. The past few months were heavily focused on physical and mental therapy to help him get over the ordeal and to be able to live a normal life.

Billy would be forced to take his senior year a year late but he didn't mind since it would allow him to be able to watch the kids for their first year in high school, enough to at least protect them from the worst of it after hearing how badly Will had been bullied before.

The first thing Billy did after getting out of the hospital was to get Hopper to take him to his fully repaired car so he could get over the mental block of being behind the wheel and actually being in control.

After going around town with Joyce in the front seat, cheering him on, he went to pick up the kids on their last day of middle school so they could celebrate.

The entirety of Hawkins was shocked to find Billy Hargrove driving his signature Camaro, thinner and more lithe than before but happier than they had ever seen him, picking up his little sister and spinning her in a hug and immediately pulling Will "the Fairy" Byers into an other hug after.

The rest of the party watched in awe and shock at the scene, not knowing that Will had even talked to Billy after everything. Steve was also equally in shock but it also felt like the first time he had ever seen Billy Hargrove.

After, Billy stopped by the new Byers-Hopper house to pick up El and he invited Jonathan to come with them for dinner at the diner where Joyce and Hopper would meet them. He and Jonathan had had a few conversations since he'd come to the hospital to pick up and drop off Will, El or both of the teens and they'd come to bond over shitty fathers and the small overlap of the musicians they liked.

Weirdly enough, it was the exact same diner that Steve had brought the other boys to celebrate their last day of school since it was beside the arcade. Billy had been half tempted to leave but having Max by his side made him brave enough to brave the stares that followed him.

He hadn't let their glares get in the way of his first real meal outside of the hospital and he enjoyed dinner for the first time in a long time surrounded by people who cared about him.

After he paid using some of the government’s compensation, Max managed to convince him to show El the ropes in the arcade because he had been the one who had taught her most of the tricks that she used to get the high score.

The boys and Steve couldn't help their curiosity once Billy and the rest of the kids entered the arcade and they watched from a distance as Billy blew all of the high scores on all of the machines out of the water without even breaking a sweat.

Max saw this as the perfect time to set her brother up with his crush so she tricked Steve into agreeing into a competition on the basketball shooting game with Billy. Having them play side-by-side ignited the adrenaline rush that Steve used to feel when he was playing against Billy but this time, he was happy and excited and not angry.

By the end of 5 rounds, Billy had trounced him completely but Steve took his defeat graciously, even offering a rematch in swimming in his heated pool.

While the boys were having their friendly competition, the rest of the party, namely Dustin, Lucas and Mike were apologizing to Will, Max and El about not believing them when it came to Billy. It was obvious to see that he had changed a lot from the person he used to be and they wanted their friends back.

Max and subsequently El refused to accept their apology until Billy accepted their apology but Will quickly forgave his childhood best friends. Will had missed playing D&D with his friends and being able to talk them and not just to his family, including his new sister and her crush.

As soon as the friendly competition between Billy and Steve was over, the boys apologized to Billy who decided to be the bigger person and accept it while also apologizing for how he used to be.

Billy's made leaps and bounds of progress in therapy as to why he was the way he was and he was well on his way to become the person he wanted to be which meant forgiveness and understanding on both sides of the party.

The next weekend, Billy got permission from Joyce and Hopper to take El and Max to the mall in the next town over so he could finally get them to go on a date. Of course, Max hijacked his plans by subtly inviting Will to get the boys to watch a movie and of course, have Steve drive them.

While the boys were watching a movie, Steve was wandering aimlessly just as Billy was and in a small mall in Indiana, they were bound to cross paths. Steve couldn't help but want to get to know this new Billy so they ate a snack together at the food court and they passed a few hours getting to know each other.

The mall trip was a success on both ends because Max was finally brave enough to ask El to be her girlfriend while Steve was brave enough to set a date on the swimming rematch they planned to have.

It took a few months of summer loving before Steve finally worked the courage to kiss Billy and ask him to be his boyfriend but he eventually got there even if he had needed the intervention of the party because they were tired of his pining.

The Mayfield-Hargrove siblings were good wingmen to each other and they had a 100% success rate in stealing partners from the Wheelers.

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