#i have a mall post in mind for later this week

[chxrrysangel]

Conflict of Interest

Pairing | Plug!Choso x fem!reader

Words | schmedium

Summary | Choso never quite does his intended job when you meet. Special treatment is what they call it, not that he’d outright admit to it. One day, you request his services outside of your normal routine. And things get, well, complicated.

Tags | 🍃, hotboxing, car sex, dub con (both parties are under the influence), overstimulation, kinda dom! Choso, no protection, praise kink, no use of y/n, overstimulation, creampie

Notes | I’ve had this in my drafts for so fucking long that I was getting sick and tired of going back to it instead of just posting. Overthinking is an understatement. (I’ll probably end up editing it again later)

You called up Choso a week early, stressed out of your fucking mind. It seemed like any problem the universe could throw at you, it did. You watched with anxious fingers tapping against the steering wheel as his deep blue car rolled into the empty parking lot. An abandoned mall is easily the best place for your exchanges, you both liked it that way.

He had his hair down today, catching you off guard for a moment. It’s not the first time he’s done it, but the stark contrast to his usual hairstyle was always surprising.

“Miss me?”, he asked with a smile as he closed the distance. You scoff and chuckle.

“I miss what’s in your bag. You’re not that special Kamo.”

“Oh but I am. We both know it.” He didn’t mention the break in routine, knowing it was probably something personal. You didn’t share much with one another, choosing the “basically strangers” dynamic to be a smarter option. But that doesn’t mean you didn’t break the agreement every once in a while. Even as he stands before the hood of your Jeep Grand Cherokee, your eyes can’t help but glance down at his playful smile when he talks or the movement of his fingers while he rolls. Your breath caught in your throat as he brought the paper to his lips, tongue flattening against its edge. Brown eyes glinted with mischief as they made contact with yours, a hum of satisfaction leaving his lips at catching you in the act. God if the earth could just open up and swallow me, that’d be great.

“Wanna smoke with me today?” You snapped out of your daze of distractions at the question, disbelief washing over your features.

“Really?” The large man shrugged, in a why not kind of way. How could you say no?

~~

Choso could taste the berry in your gloss as his lips wrapped around the blunt, inhaling the strain and feeling his chest grow warmer. It hadn’t been long, but the windows of Choso’s car had already begun to fog, despite the cracked windows.

That’s how you two spent the next hour, sharing two blunts and chatting together as your high began to wash over.

“Fuck, that’s strong.”

“Isn’t it?,” you softly whisper, head lolling towards him.

The two of you talk about anything and everything, minds expanding to limits you hadn’t even realized existed. Somehow the conversation drifted to the more personal aspects of your lives, such as your romantic lives.

“You’ve got a boyfriend?,” Choso whispered across the dash. You shook your head, waiting for his next question.

“Girlfriend?”

“If I didn’t know any better Kamo, I’d think you wanna date me.”

“God you fucking wish. Just curious.” Sometimes, you did wish. Not that he could ever know that.

“What about you, smartass. Dating anyone?”

“Nah, don’t have time for that.”

The car developed into a comfortable silence, neither of you feeling eagering to speak. It was like this with Choso, always has been. He understood the need for shutting up sometimes, no unnecessary pressure to converse.

“I think I need a haircut.” His random outburst prompted a barking laugh, caught off guard by the irrelevancy.

“I’m serious. It’s getting too long.” You looked over at him,pouting. You liked his hair, in fact you loved it. When he hung his head, the layers encased his face like a halo. It was the perfect haircut, not that you could really say so. Any allusion to your thoughts could ruin everything. So you settle for something simple.

“I like your hair.”

“Yeah?, he questions with a head tilt. You murmured a hum of agreement, leaning over the console to put a hand towards his face.

“I think your bangs could use a little trim though,” you remarked with a ruffle of his hair. You began to pull away a few seconds too late, eyes settling on his features and feeling yourself get too caught up. Choso’s eyes caught yours, grabbing your wrist to keep you close.

“Willing to cut it for me?” His eyes flickered across your features, analyzing them with an intensity you’ve never seen in him before. It was unnerving.

You nodded, swallowing a large gulp of nerves.

You sat outstretched over the console, not making any attempt to sit back properly on your side. He broke the silence before you could consider a regrettable choice, going on about munchies and making you laugh. That comment is what led to your current argument on the best type of cake as you unwrapped a cupcake in your hands.

“It’s very easily vanilla,” he argued, “it’s the most versatile option.” You scoff mid-bite.

“Didn’t know you were so boring, Kamo.” He looked offended at your comment, putting a hand on his chest like it hurt.

“Oh yeah? What’s your favorite then?”

“Red velvet. Hence why all of them are on my side of the tray.”

“You think you’re so special, picking red velvet over all the other options,” he teased.

“I know I’m special,” you mocked. Something shifted in the air when you said that, Choso growing quiet with no comeback prepared. The tension was so thick, you could cut it with a knife.

“You uh…you got something,” he whispered distractedly while leaning in. His thumb wiped at the corner of your mouth, dark eyes staring into yours. You watched as time slowed, his thumb reaching up to his lips and sucking.

“Frosting.” The two of you just stared at one another, high out of your minds and scared to breathe. Instinctively, you glance at his blush lips, not even remotely afraid that he would notice. His tongue darted out between the folds, covering the surface in spit and you nearly moaned.

“Fuck me,” you whispered to yourself, almost in pain.

He leans farther over the center console, putting a hand on your neck. Nothing was said as you stared into his eyes, bouncing back and forth between his irises as he wrestled with his thoughts. You leaned in , the gap between your lips just barely a sliver. You could kiss him easily, that much was obvious. But fear made you hesitate, breath fanning across his cheeks in anticipation of the next move.

“Choso,” you whispered in a barely audible tone.

“Don't talk,” he said before making the brave choice.

His lips capture yours, hesitant but curious. It takes a moment to find rhythm but soon you’re moaning softly into his mouth and gripping onto his arm for dear life. Choso was a good kisser, the soft muscle of his tongue bullying its way past your lips as he explored your mouth. He broke the kiss, staring at you with need. His lips were glossy with spit, pupils massive with lust.

“Back seat. Now.” You didn’t need to be told twice.

You watched as he impatiently pushed the seats forward, as far as the mechanism would allow.. He climbed into the backseat, a boyish smile adorning his features that you’ve adored from your first meeting.

“Choso, need you.”

He manhandles your body, grabbing your thighs to guide you into his lap.

Choso pushed your hips down on his crotch, your clit grinding against his rough zipper with earnestness. His plush lips peppered kisses down your neck and collarbone, smiling into your skin at the thought of seeing all this tomorrow. The two of you had crossed the line of friendship and he was quite intent on never going back now he’s gotten a taste. You whimpered, as though on the verge of tears, desperate for relief from the throbbing of your cunt.

“Oh, that’s cute.”

“Shut up. Not funny,” you retorted.

“Whatever you say sweetheart.” He thrust upwards, the outline of his erection rubbing so perfectly against your clit. A pathetically desperate whimper slips out, and he chuckles.

“I know baby, I know.” Choso continues to mark you, his featherlight touch on your skin sending tingles up your spine.

~~~

Had he not pushed his seat back, your ass would be pressing uncomfortably into the leather right now. Choso’s hands engulfed your hips, guiding you on his cock with every thrust. Your skin buzzed with the effects of indica, hot with desire as he fucked your brains out.

“Shit, Cho. So fuckin—ngh—good.” You whined into his neck, trying to muffle your sounds.

A chuckle reverberated through his body, dark with knowing.

“Don’t hide those pretty moans from me, baby. Wanna hear you.”

You leaned back, coming face to face with Choso. He was so pretty like this, a light sheen of sweat making his bangs stick to his skin in a pleasured bliss. Your pussy squeezed around his shaft, making him whine with need.

“Fuck that’s good,” he cried. Watching you bounce was like nothing he’d ever had the pleasure of seeing.

Just then, an idea formed in his mind. Choso angled his hips more upward, hitting your g-spot and pulling a pleasured sob from your lips. He watched with satisfaction as your eyes crossed for a moment, going dumb before his eyes. The glossed out look said everything, too lost in the pleasure to be remotely coherent.

“Feel good, pretty girl?” You could barely whimper out an affirmation, feeling your impending orgasm. You mewled incoherently, a jumble of curses and praise. With a shaking hand, you rubbed your clit as your stomach began to tighten in need for release.

“Right there baby. Fuck don’t stop don’t stop.”

Choso pushed off his own orgasm, wanting to watch you make a mess on his dick first. He grinned, taking in your fucked out state with great pleasure. The little you had shared with each other revealed that your sexual experience with men had been rather disappointing. Your last ex had no clue how to please you, too concerned with his own orgasm to ever worry about yours. He was selfish in that way, as well as many others.

He grabbed your hair, pulling you down in a sloppy kiss. If it wasn’t for how well he fucked, this kiss alone was enough to make your head spin. Your body felt miles away, the combination of the thc and the best fuck of your life making your skin tingle.

Your limbs began to tense, signals of how close you were. Your vision was blurry, teeth searing into your bottom lip with focus.

Choso felt your walls grow tighter, filling his chest with pride. He maintained his pace, pushing harder with each thrust. Your nails dug deep into the hard skin of his shoulders, imprinting moon-shaped marks.

“Close aren’t you?”

“So fucking close baby”. You stumbled over your response, struggling to say every syllable.

With a few more thrusts, your toes curled as you came. The squelching sounds in the car increased tenfold, a sound Choso was eager to revel in. He fucked you through your orgasm, thrusting getting sloppier by the second. His balls tightened, body buzzing as he fucked his cum into you. Before you could say anything, he didn’t stop. His mouth formed into an O, tip extremely sensitive.

“I think I can get one more out of you.”

A statement that felt more like a demand.

You began to shake your head, feeling the creeping discomfort of overstimulation begin to course through your shaking body.

He whispered sweet praises as you squirmed. Your body wasn’t sure of whether to lean into his touch or pull away, confused but pulsing with need. Your cunt choked his shaft, tense as you pushed through the masochistic pain. But soon enough that pain turned into pleasure, attempting to meet his thrusts to chase your orgasm.

He grinned with knowing, cheeky like a cat who got the cream.

“Shut up,” you uttered between gasps. He winked, satisfied with his clear victory. Even during the most intimate moments, he couldn’t help but be his usual annoying self

“Gonna cum Cho.” You whispered into his neck.

“Fuck. Can feel it. Doing so well for me, baby.”

His praise made you squeeze harder around him. Now that he’s had a taste, he’s unsure of how he’ll be able to let you go. Every touch, every look, every smile led up to this moment.

Every muscle in your body tenses as you cum, ears ringing as Choso praises you. His thumb rubs your clit in firm circles, the pleasure making your walls spasm around his sensitive cock.

“That’s it baby, doing so fucking good.” Choso slurred his words, head sensitive as he continued to fuck you through your orgasm. The base of his spine tingled, pushing him back towards the edge again. He blabbered incoherently as you came down, mumbling about how good your pussy is.

His hips stilled as he shot white ropes into you, filling your cunt with his warm seed. Your tired quick breaths as you gasped for air quickly faded into light laughter as you watched each other come down. Choso smiled lazily, dazed and completely out of it. With a delicate hand, he pushed some of your hair out of your face before pulling you in for another kiss. This one was much softer, gentle and unrushed. Romantic even.

“We just made things really complicated, didn’t we?,” you question against his lips. He didn’t answer really, murmuring in disagreement as he deepened the kiss.

“Choso! I’m serious”.

“So am I.”

[akunya]

“companionship.”

pairings: android!hex haywire x m!reader

summary: can a robot and human fall in love?

tw: HYPNOSIS, NONCON, manipulation, yandere, etc. robot sex, voice fetish, onahole, voyeurism. size difference, belly bulging, etc.

notes: i love this cliche au of sex robots and things like that, so here’s my take on it.. with hex.

it’s probably terrible and i guess caters a certain niche, but let me know what you guys think.

today was it - the day you’ve been waiting for! finally, after all your hard work throughout the year, you saved enough money to buy your own, state of the art, artificial intelligence assistant.

and, luckily for you, today was also the grand debut of a brand new line of androids: xsoliel.

your hands were as shaky as ever waiting in line at the mall, double checking your savings to assure yourself you weren’t dreaming. nijisanji’s new line of androids were practically everything anyone could ask for: equipped with unique and interesting designs and personalities for each member, xsoliel offered a variety of services: whether it was for your own selfish pleasure or to help with manual labor, there was surely somebody for you.

..or so, that’s how the commercial sounded anyways. you silently thanked humankind for blessing the world with this era of companion-droids. seeing the ad nearly a year ago, you were star struck at the first all-male line nijisanji had debuted: luxiem.

unfortunately, they were sold out and only resold at steep prices— but, a few lucky online bloggers raved about their features, endless posts about how amazing it was to have an assistant of your own. while they could’ve surely been exaggerating, ever since that moment, you put money aside each week, even taking on extra jobs to make a little more cash to achieve your dream.

and it was finally time to reap your benefits.

while you didn’t know much about xsoliel nor intended to coincidentally buy an android of your own on the day of their newest launch, that didn’t stop you from checking them out. reading the blurbs about each member peaked your curiosity even higher. “a delinquent? people really think of anything these days, huh?” chuckling, you let yourself playfully criticize each member. you quickly bit your tongue, thoughts coming to a halt after reading about a certain individual.

“..what kind of name is hex?” muttering to yourself, you couldn’t hide the faint blush on your face as you stared at the model inside of the store. sleek attire, it almost made him look like a professor than a robot. paired with optional glasses (why did he even need those? can’t he see perfectly?), hex’s design made your heart flutter. his official advertisement described him as a nurturing, gentle servant, perfect for new customers to start off with. illustrated to have a deep, nearly hypnotic voice, hex’s programming was assured to have his users satisfied and satiated with their purchase.

swiping your card at the checkout, you really hoped you made the right choice, signing off a couple waivers and documents the employee had given you.

just a week later, you realized you didn’t regret your decision at all.

living with an ai assistant could only be described as luxury. hex truly was made with a “newbie” owner in mind, and the way he spoke to you sometimes made you wonder who was really in charge. his sweet, charming voice, along with how gentle and kind he was towards you, lifted your spirits instantly.

for instance, hex was a wonderful outlet to talk to when things went wrong — and, as if it was magic, nearly every problem you spoke about washed away the next morning! your problems with coworkers quickly diminished, and you even got the raise you’ve been praying for months now. he’d always offer such delicate touches, hugs and shoulder massages when he notices you’re pent up from a long day. you couldn’t fight off the dreamy, floaty headspace you were in when he was around.

not to mention, hex even did some of the chores while you were at work without being told to. even though you felt too guilty to ask him to clean the house, he didn’t seem to mind, making sure you came home to a clean room and nicely folded laundry each day. hell, he even told you he was looking into cooking, something that wasn’t originally included in his list of abilities. hex seemed to go above and beyond for you each time, amazing you each day.

it was a normal friday night, and you were with him as you always were, spending most of your time with the robot.

“y/n, why don’t you ever want to use me for something else..?” the question made your face feel warm, hairs standing on the edge. you two were cleaning up the kitchen after preparing dinner. laughing awkwardly, you tried to shrug off his curiosity, shining a plate with a dish towel. “well, id never want to force you to do something you didn’t like, silly.”

hex’s brow furrowed, a hint of anger resting beneath the surface. who said i didn’t want to?” for an android , the way he spoke was jarringly natural. your eyes widened in surprise, speechless for a moment. hex talked so nonchalantly about sex, but you had to remind yourself he was still a robot after all. as human as his synthetic skin and olive eyes may look, he lacks a beating heart and flesh.

“i-im not sure i want to. im just not interested in that type of stuff right now..” you let your voice trail off, sitting and washing in silence before hex spoke up dangerously close to your ear.

“you don’t have to lie, baby. i can hear you in the middle of the night when you touch yourself.” his deep voice made you shudder, unable to move. didnt you tell him to shut himself off during the nighttime? you were sure you ordered him not to snoop around, especially on nights that you planned to indulge in yourself. gulping, you laughed awkwardly as hex didn’t seem to budge.

“ah, s-sorry for disturbing you, ill try and keep it down next time..” his hand enveloped your own, forcing you to meet his gaze. goodness, his hands were big. warm, soft, inviting — strong, too. hex squeezed your hands, not bothering to stop when you winced from the pain, smiling. “you don’t have to keep it down. you should let me help you.” the way hex spoke was as if he was demanding you, not letting go until you gave him an answer. “it’s what i was.. made to do, anyways.” his voice was filled with solemn, playing with your heartstrings.

the silence was weighing on your thoughts, biting your lip in anticipation. hex knew how to make you uncomfortable, how to give into his desires and requests even when you didn’t want to — on the surface, at least. “alright, i will..! next time ill let you help me, okay?” you huffed, hex letting go of your hands and putting them on your shoulders instead. “good boy. you’re listening so well.” you hated how warm his praise made you feel.

the next night you needed help came sooner than you thought, shamefully letting hex in when he knocked on the door. the android wasted no time making himself comfortable in your space.

“a-ah, hex, slow down! please!” his hand was wrapped around your fleshlight, pumping vigorously as you squirmed in between his legs. your back was pressed against his chest, caged in the ai’s arms as he pleasured you. he caught you trying to use it to get yourself off, and figured he’d give it a try.

except, he failed to mention that his hands also had a vibrating feature. the soft yet firm jelly of the fleshlight practically whirred against your dick, making the experience all too elevating, groaning as hex held you in his arms. this has to be what those bloggers were raving about, right? hex held the toy at the tip of your cock, squeezing a bit to snap you out of your thoughts. you practically sobbed out, eyes tears from how good his touch felt on your skin.

“yknow, when you look so vulnerable like this, it makes me want to ravage you. who knew my master could be so slutty?” you whined at that, the ai chuckling deeply. you could truly stop him by force if you wanted to, considering you were technically his owner, but god did he make it hard. spreading your legs open so he could continue to jerk you off like the pathetic loser you always were. feeling another orgasm coming, your moans started to get louder, nails digging into hex’s synthetic skin.

“shh, goodness y/n. you’re going to wake up the neighbors if you keep moaning like a slut. hmm..” the man hummed to himself, shuffling around while you were distracted. “maybe i should give you something more, right?” before you knew it, his cock was circling your hole, causing you to panic.

“wait, h-hex! that’s too much, im already tired!” you tried to fight back, scrambling in his lap. his hands held up underneath your legs, holding you in place with his strength. of course he could overpower you — he was a robot, for gods sake. even though you were still painfully hard, you couldn’t imagine having sex with an ai of all things.

that is, until you felt something whirr against your ass.

oh.

of course, that part of him vibrates too. why wouldn’t it? as if hex couldn’t be too good at what he does already, it was as if his manufacturer wanted to overkill him with all these extra functions. hex laughed at your stillness, kissing the back of your neck. “i promise it feels good.”

he didnt bother giving you any warning either, nor waiting for an answer, slamming your hips down and shoving himself inside. even if his cock was lubricated, it still hurt like hell, making you cry out in pain. you’ve never felt so full before — just how big was he? you remember a conversation with the clerk at the store that day when you first bought hex. they had asked you about sizes.. but you thought they were just talking about his height, opting for the biggest size they had available. what an idiot. no wonder the clerk blushed a bit at your response.

slowly, hex rolled his hips against yours, his dick stretching you out against your will. “i always imagined us like this, baby. id take care of you, and you’d.. well, take it.” hex smiled, groaning in your ear as his dick nearly stirred up your insides. your brain couldn’t think of anything to say in response, too full to retaliate against the androids firm grip.

“you look stupid, baby. can you feel me? riiight here? look at how well you’re taking me.” hex’s cool fingers pressed against your stomach, nudging the bulge from his cock and making you whine even louder. your poor little cock was like a fountain, leaking nonstop as his pace didn’t falter.

it felt as if you were the one helping him out in this position. the ai was unexpectedly loud in bed, moaning and whispering about how well behaved you were, and how he’ll spoil you like this everyday from now on. every day? could you even handle that? with how he was taking control, surely there was something wrong with his wiring. you started to think about how to return and maybe get someone to take a closer look at his hardware, before a painfully deep thrust snapped you out of your thoughts.

“o-oh!” you were embarrassed by the yelp you let out, your body trembling before finally releasing, soiling the sheets underneath you two. “it seems like you’re doing a lot of thinking today, y/n. what could possibly be on your mind other than me?” hex, amused, chuckled in response, kissing and licking the back of your neck. “good boy. that’s it, let it out. only think of me from now on, okay?” his voice felt so dreamy; so hypnotic.

“y-yes sir,” you managed to mutter our, much to hex’s chagrin. he didn’t need any recovery period since he wasn’t human, so the robot simply got back to milking you dry, pounding into your tight hole like an animal in heat.

you’d never find out that hex’s model was recalled for several malfunctions and viruses, he made sure of that.

how else would he give you everything so easily?

[veenus777]

◜Dad! Jason Headcanons ◞

          ┊ ᝰ﹕Characters : dad!jason todd x latino vigilant! Reader

          ┊ ᝰ﹕Summary: recently I saw a post from @super-marvel-dc here on Tumblr where she said her headcanons of Jason being a father of a big family, and it inspired me a lot! So I decided to share some of the crazy things that had been on my mind for a while about this. If you like this maybe it could become a series

(Link to the initial post by @super-marvel-dc, )

          ┊ ᝰ﹕Theme : nothing but fluffy and google translate english

- You and Jason had already been married for about two years, things were stable and happy for both of you, taking into account your busy vigilante lives.

- The first child to be adopted was Naomi, who was found when she was just 3 years old abandoned in the alley of crime, and since then you and Jason have had her as your daughter

- Shortly afterwards, things got complicated with a completely unplanned and surprising pregnancy, after all, after the incident, Jason thought he could not even have biological children,and nine months later you had twins Holden and Skyler

- Shortly after two years, a little boy named Austin had been rescued by the Gotham police after a major attack caused by the Black Mask, having arrested the culprit Jason felt the responsibility of taking the boy in

-And then came the twins Savannah and Aspen, who were adopted after a Wayne gala in support of Gotham Orphanage, the big surprise for everyone was Jason and Y/n adopted two of the children instead of Bruce

- After that came Hazel, a little girl who had been purposely abandoned at the mall by her mother.

- and then we had river, a boy from a troubled family who lived in the alley of crime, and with him little darcy who was protected by river while her parents were too busy spending all their money on drugs

- And that was how the simple routine maintained by two people over five years together, in less than three years multiplied, becoming a family of eleven people

- At first things were chaotic but over time a routine was established, Fridays were reserved for friends, Saturdays for meetings and Sundays for family.

- Jason despite initially being terrified of fatherhood and literally shaking with fear, things changed in a short time, this man read every book on pregnancy, fatherhood and positive parenting he could find, he watched vlogs and tips on YouTube and Instagram from mothers and fathers on how to care for and educate their children, and I say with conviction that he has become an incredible father and making it his personal mantra to become the father he wishes he had had

- because you have children of different ethnicities, you reserved one day a week with us. traditional cuisine dinner, holidays with foods typical of each place, you made sure your children knew about their respective cultures and origins

- As a Latina by blood and raised in a Latin neighborhood in Gotham, you made sure your children learned your native language (Portuguese or Spanish, you choose lol), in addition to obviously the house being always filled with cultural music and food

- Speaking of home, in a short time you had to exchange your beautiful industrial loft in the center of Gotham for a large farm-style house that was about 40 minutes from Gotham, after all, you refused to raise your children in the chaos that was that city. by the way, don't tell bruce but you and jason had to accept many jobs in addition to surveillance and batman's rules to be able to pay for everything, but for the comfort of your children it was worth it

- Since the family grew abruptly, visits to the mansion became less frequent, but you and the children still visited at least once a month, especially when you needed a free babysitter. It is worth mentioning that for a long time they will be the butt of jokes on family holidays due to the large number of children

- You keep the life of vigilantes away from the children's reality, they don't even know about their second identities because you feel better knowing that you are keeping them away from this world, despite this you both agree that you will bring the truth to light when they are old enough

- Despite not wanting anyone anywhere near a gun or robin uniform, they all know self-defense and some type of fight or sport.

- An additional thing is that Jason sees himself on the river a lot, especially when he was younger, and that's why he always tries to be a present for him.

-Meanwhile Austin is the little version of Dick which makes Jason wish for death many times while you just laugh at the whole situation finding it hilarious, and all of this gets worse after I give Austin gymnastics lessons which results in Jason taking his son away from him. you from the roof of the house after ending up stuck in one of the tiles.

.˚｡  💋 .˚｡ 💌

[jo-harrington]

Interview Prep (Eddie Munson x Store Manager!Reader)

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader

Summary: Reader is worried about making a change to some routines.

Previous Part: Standard Operating Procedures 1.03

Warnings/Themes: AU where the Upside Down doesn't terrorize Hawkins. Reader works at the Claire's at StarCourt. Eddie works at TapeWorld. Mutual Pining and Slow Burn, Meeting the Family, Anxiety, Fluff

Note: Special thanks to @chestylarouxx @fracturedarkness and @courtingchaos for reading my snippets, listening to my rambling, and easing my nerves with this one. It's been in my drafts since February! And it's always kind of eluded me, but it's very special so I appreciate the time you took to help me out. So so much.

You can find my masterlist here for more featuring our resident Store Manager and all of my other writing.

Please do not interact if you are not 18+.

Enjoy!

---

“…and I swear the sound is so much better than my Fender. Like a thousand times better. I’m gonna need a new amp, I think. She is way too good for that hunk of junk that Rick got from his buddy way back when.”

“Uh huh.”

“God, I wish you could come to a show to hear it. Maybe...maybe I can ask Tom at the Hideout if our set could be a little later one night so you could come out after the store closed?"

"Sure."

“And then we could get pickle and bologna milkshakes at Benny's afterwards."

"Sounds great."

"Am I boring you?” Eddie finally stopped as he hit the button on the bailer and put his hands on his hips. "You're not even listening."

“What?” You freed yourself from your thoughts and got a good look at him. "I...what? No."

It was break time, which meant cardboard got crushed and garbage tossed before you ventured into the food court for something to eat. And on a day like today when your schedules aligned, that also meant your break was spent with your closest friend--only friend--in Hawkins.

And on any other day, you would have happily listened to his story.

Hell, you actually had listened to him...for most of it at least--he boasted about his new guitar, how he named her Sweetheart, and her first actual performance outside of Gareth's garage that had occurred the night prior--before you got too caught up in your own head.

It had been a normal Wednesday when you got to the store for your opening shift. The registers were counted, gate pushed up, and you were about to confidently post the new schedule.

Then the mail was delivered.

And with it, a larger envelope from home office that contained a very hefty packet inside.

Normally a package like that would make you happy; it was a sign that one of your favorite weeks of the year was approaching: planogram week. It was, quite honestly, not only your favorite week but your favorite part of the job altogether. More than your team, more than your discount...certainly more than helping customers.

Summer was coming to an end, which meant all of the trendy accessories would make way for backpacks, water bottles, notebooks, and lunch boxes. Things that stayed hidden away for 75% of the year, but were suddenly at the forefront of every parent and pre-teen's mind as they got ready to look their best on the first day of school.

Today, however, you suddenly felt a sense of dread as you opened the package because a planogram meant that you would have to schedule an overnight shift on the one night of the week that the mall closed early.

Sunday Night.

Date Night with Eddie.

Eddie's favorite night. And yours.

Your favorite part of your job encroached on what was becoming an essential part of your life.

So you spiraled until your break because it was easier to worry and overthink than it was to just...communicate the fact that you might have to miss a Sunday and face the possibility that Eddie could be mad at you.

Unfortunately he seemed a little steamed right now because he thought you hadn't been listening to him.

His little grumpy face was cute though.

Why was this harder than having to call your team to ask if they were ok with an unexpected overnight shift? God damn it, you needed to get a grip.

“You weren’t listening to anything I said,” he repeated.

“Yes I was,” you insisted.

“What did I say then?”

“You nailed the solo.”

“And…”

“And you actually got a round of applause.”

“And?”

“And you need a new amp.”

“And?”

“Uhm… a-and…”

Shit…maybe you had delved a little bit too far.

Growing up with a big, loud family--including an overbearing mother and two annoying brothers--meant you had the innate ability to split your brain in half and listen to them while also worrying about your own shit.

However, thanks to the intensity of your worrying, that ability failed you.

You wracked your brain for a good 30 seconds until Eddie’s scowl turned into a wicked smile, and then you knew he was just being a jerk.

“You’re the worst,” you grumbled at him.

“Excuse me,” he placed a hand on his chest in fake affront and stumbled back a few steps to collapse against the side of the trash compactor. “I'm the worst? You agreed to Pickle and Bologna milkshakes and ignored your best friend. Not very metal, sweetheart."

"I just have a lot on my mind." You shook your head and sighed. "Sorry."

"Well it's a good thing that I am a great listener. Unlike someone."

Eddie pushed himself off the compactor, put his hand on your shoulder, and guided you back inside to the food court. You got your meals of choice and tucked yourselves into a table in the corner by the JCPenney entrance.

"Alright," he started with his mouth full of fries. "Tell dear old Eddie what's bothering you."

You swallowed a mouthful of food and took a deep breath.

It was now or never.

"Well...there's this big thing coming up at work...planogram...uh...floor set," you began. "And it's really important and after it's done...we'll get visitors from corporate and my boss will probably make a few visits to see how it's going. I just want to do really well."

"Well, you've been doing a good job so far right?" Eddie shrugged. "Why wouldn't they think so now?"

"I don't know, I don't wanna mess it up," you admitted. "I'm a new store manager. And a lot of the team never worked retail before. I literally cried my first floor set as a sales associate. It's tough."

"You're just giving yourself the yips. I do it all the time when we add a new song to the set list."

"Don't just say that to make me feel better."

"Last week I forgot how to do a G-chord," he crossed his heart. "Scouts honor."

"You were a Boy Scout?" you asked skeptically.

"Stop distracting me." He popped another French fry in his mouth in an exaggerated fashion. "What else?"

"Well...we have to schedule floor sets on a Sunday."

"Ok."

"After the store closes."

"...Oh."

"Yeah."

Eddie sipped his drink thoughtfully and stared at you with his abyss-like eyes; they didn't betray a single thought going through his head and it made you nervous.

And nervous meant that you didn't shut up.

"I mean I don't want to have to cancel our night out," you started with the word vomit. "It's just the way things are always done and you'll see one day if you still work at Tape World for long enough, that's one of those things that...I don't know, if you try to do things differently it always comes back to bite you in the ass.

"And I'm young and whenever we have a conference call to talk about sales...my DM doesn't let me forget that I'm a baby compared to everyone else and it's so frustrating because I feel like I can't even suggest anything new because it immediately is dismissed as naive. It's like they keep waiting for me to fail. So I wish...I wish I could make a change so we could keep our plans. Like if it was anything else I could make it work but I...this thing I just can't, you know?

"But...but...b-because I would have to work on Sunday overnight I would probably be off another day so if you're ok with it we can do something else? Maybe on...I don't think I could get Tuesday off because of everyone's availability...maybe Friday if your friends are cool with me crashing your club night. Or...you open on Saturdays. We could do Saturday night instead?"

The punctuation to the drawn out sentence was your labored breath and Eddie noisily sucking the dregs of his soda through the straw. Shithead that he was didn't even have the decency to do anything but continue watching you with his big dumb cute eyes.

"Weeellllll..." he started in a sing-song tone and then paused and sucked at the straw some more.

Could he just tell you to fuck off already so this wouldn't be as painful as it was?

"That really sucks you need to work overnight," he finished his thought with a grin and shoved his cup to the side. "Being in the mall after hours...sounds kinda creepy. Do you think there are ghosts?"

"Are you kidding me right now?" you deadpanned. "You let me go on and on like that for nothing?"

"It was funny."

"I hate you."

"You cherish me."

"It was painful." You groaned. "Like I think I'm sweating. My heart hurts Edward."

"Don't act like you've never let me do that before," he scoffed and rolled his eyes in an exaggerated fashion. You threw a fry at him. "Don't start what you can't finish sweetheart. One fry can turn into a food fight and I would hate to find out the hard way why I'm Hawkins High's food fighting champion."

"Ok so...Saturday night?" you asked. "This Saturday...are you doing anything?"

"Uh..." Eddie hesitated and sat up a little straighter. "I mean...no hot dates or anything. What did you have in mind?"

"Maybe just what we normally do?" you suggested. "Drive around, eat a bunch of junk food. Or if you want to come over to my place and I--"

"So, I have a confession to make," he interrupted you. "I actually do have plans on Saturday. More like...standing plans than anything. My uncle Wayne is off on Saturdays and we've always watched reruns on TV and ordered pizza. Family night or whatever. My mom used to do the same thing so...Wayne thought it would be...I dunno, good for stability or something.

"It's silly but I don't want to just ditch him without asking," Eddie explained and your heart melted.

Of course you didn't want to take time away from his family; you knew how important his uncle was to him.

"Oh...well that's ok...we can rain check for another day then or--"

"Why don't you just come over?" Eddie asked. "He won't mind. I am opening this Saturday so I'll be done by 5; you can get there in time for Wheel of Fortune. That way he can't yell at me when I try to solve the puzzles with lewd words." He mimics, what you assume is, Wayne's voice.

Eddie looked so eager that you immediately agreed.

Your heart stopped in your chest though.

Come over? And meet his uncle?

Sure...you'd already met Benny a few weeks ago...and yeah you'd thought of it like meeting someone from Eddie's family but...this was his actual family. What if you insulted his uncle or...or made yourself look stupid.

You needed to put your best foot forward. Make a good impression.

"How about..." your mouth started moving before your brain could catch up. "...instead of ordering pizza, I cook for you guys instead? I'll be off Saturday since I'm doing the overnight on Sunday. I can just bring everything over."

Eddie's eyes lit up and as he teased you about the impressive cooking skills that you had supposedly boasted about previously, all you could think was...

How did this situation get even more stressful?

---

The rest of the week leading up to Saturday had been overwhelming to say the least.

To you, food was life. Cooking for someone was everything that you could do to show them that you cared. How many hours had you spent with your grandma making cookies for neighbors at Christmas, or freezer meals when a distant relative had a baby, or a tray of something after a friend of the family had passed.

Food was love and friendship, and as much as what you had done for Eddie with the guitar had been a show of friendship...this meant so much more.

So you needed to hit a home run...or a bullseye...or whatever sports terminology signified that you won.

Which meant you'd spent some down time flipping through your grandma's old recipes that she had gifted you once upon a time--a thin, pocket-sized spiral notebook with a purple cover that was filled with her illegible handwriting and personal shorthand--and thinking of ideas that would be both impressive and hearty. You'd already changed your mind twice, and had made just as many trips to Bradleys for extra ingredients.

You'd also pestered Eddie several times through the course of the week to get his input without giving anything away.

"Does your uncle like cheese?"

"Of course he does."

"Some people don't."

"Would we get pizza every Saturday if we didn't like cheese?"

"There's some pizza that doesn't have cheese."

"Why the questions? Are you nervous sweetheart?"

And that was when he started to tease you. Every chance he got. Lunches, breaks, passing you on the way to the employee lot as you started a shift and he ended one.

He asked if you wanted their phone number so you could call Wayne and make kissy noises at each other for hours, if you wanted him to bring love letters home to save on stamps, and if you were planning to dress really nice for your date with his uncle.

"I'll be sure to grab extra chapstick for him so his lips are ready for you tomorrow," he laughed and leaned closer to make the biggest, noisiest smacking kiss noise in your ear as you waited for your break time cookies.

"You're an idiot," you rolled your eyes after he uttered the last one. "I don't want him to hate me because...what if he doesn't want me to hang around you anymore. I'd kind of lose my mind."

"Oh, uh," Eddie backed away a little bit and rubbed the back of his neck, then shoved his hands in his back pockets. "Wayne wouldn't do that. He's...a little bit of a grump, but he's harmless."

"Guess we know where you got it from," you muttered.

"I didn't know you were...actually worried," Eddie continued. "I'm sorry. But it'll be ok. Even if you...wore a potato sack and brought canned beans that we had to heat on the stove for dinner. He'll think you're great. Because you are."

You were both a little silent after that, Eddie staring at his feet bashfully as you felt your heart race and your head spin.

You finalized your plans that night when you got home and immediately started on your dessert, sure that it was all gonna be a hit with both Munsons.

It was gonna be great. Because Eddie thought you were great.

And Saturday, the doubt didn't creep on you at all. Not while you cooked, not as you packed your casserole dish and Tupperware into a large cooler bag, and not even as you drove across town, following Eddie's directions to Forest Hills without getting lost once.

It wasn't until you stepped out of your car and stared at the front door that you felt your stomach drop a little.

Those four cement steps might as well have been a thousand.

But...your sneakers only needed to crunch on the gravel before the door was thrown open and a slightly-breathless Eddie smiled at you...and then all the worry disappeared.

"Hey," he greeted. "D-did you need any help?"

"Yeah, if you don't mind," you shrugged.

He jogged down the steps in socked-feet and crossed to the passenger's side door of your car, talking a mile a minute as he reached in to grab your things.

"I, uh, got home an hour ago," he rambled. "The A/C at the store conked out...and then Paulie had me make a trash run before I left. Had a big shipment today. So if I'm still a little sweaty...that's why."

"You're fine," you laughed.

"Sorry."

"Don't worry. I've been cooking so I'm probably a little sweaty too. Lasagna and July...sort of don't go together that well."

He raced up the steps and held the door open for you.

"Lasagna? Oh the old man is gonna love you," Eddie chuckled.

You entered the Munson abode and were immediately hit by the strongest sense of home that you'd felt since...well, since you'd still been at home. Not necessarily that it was a place where you belonged, but...it was a place of belonging.

Mugs and hats and other memorabilia lined the walls, reminiscent of the tchotchkes that your mother stacked to high heaven on every available surface. The couch was a little faded but looked comfortable and soft as though you could sink into the cushions and disappear into a soft nether-realm.

Your grandpa had a couch like that. His spot sunk to the shape of his body. It was still your favorite place to sit when he wasn't already there. It was like a hug.

That was when your eyes found the armchair, molded around the shape of the man seated in it. He was older, a little weathered and greying, hairline receding, and even though he isn't smiling right now, the lines around his mouth were indication enough that he smiled quite a bit.

Just like his nephew.

"Uh, Wayne this is my friend from the mall," Eddie introduced you as he juggled your cooler bag and your large Tupperware to the kitchen counter. "The one I told you about. Works at the jewelry store."

"Nice to meet you," you smiled and held a hand out to him to shake. He took your hand in a firm grasp and as you shook his the way your grandfather taught you--to command respect and trust--his eyes narrowed.

"I had to hear about you through Rick, who heard about you through Benny," Wayne started. "And I haven't the slightest idea why my nephew thought he needed to keep you a secret; not the first girlfriend he's brought around--"

Eddie groaned something unintelligible from the kitchen and you fought the urge to break eye contact with Wayne so you could look at him.

"--but I just watched him run around for the past hour tidying up. And he's never done that before. So if you can help him keep the habit, you're alright in my book." Wayne smiled widely and let your hand go.

"Thank you," you chuckled nervously, suddenly realizing how silly it had been that you were even worried in the first place.

Eddie had been right.

You could never admit that to him.

"Even did the dishes," Wayne looked past you at Eddie. "He never does the dishes."

"W-we're having dinner," Eddie whined. "Gotta have clean plates."

The two of them bantered back and forth comfortably and you joined Eddie in the kitchen to get everything plated. There was a salad, buttery mashed potatoes, and of course your still-warm and gooey lasagna.

Eddie explained that it was Wayne's favorite that he rarely got to have homemade--

"Stoffers will do in a pinch," Wayne explained.

--and that you were already more loved than he was simply for making it, to which Wayne agreed. And he even pointed out the well-loved Garfield mug that he had gotten Wayne for Father's Day one year for that fact alone.

Eddie tried to protest when you took the dessert bowl from him to stow it away in the fridge until it was the appropriate time.

"I didn't even get to have cookies with you today," he reasoned. "Or a soda. See? I suffer when you're not working. How am I--a growing boy--supposed to reach my fullest potential without proper sustenance?"

You snorted and brought the plates out to the living area while Eddie trailed behind you.

"He's just grumpy because you're making him eat vegetables," Wayne chuckled as he took his plate. "A feat I have yet to achieve in 8 years. So if you weren't already in my good books, you are now."

Dinner passed relatively uneventfully at first. You and Eddie sat on the couch--which was just as comfy as you thought it would be--as Wayne occupied the armchair. They inhaled their first helping and showered you with compliments. Eddie begrudgingly admitted that your cooking was as good as you had bragged, and even said the dressing on your salad "wasn't Ranch but was still pretty tasty."

As Eddie had told you days ago, Wheel of Fortune started promptly at 7:30 and he and Wayne tried to solve as many puzzles as possible around mouthfuls of food. They teased each other when their guesses were particularly ridiculous, and celebrated when they got one right.

You solved a long puzzle correctly--your only contribution to their little competition--before there were very many tiles revealed on the board and Eddie patted your thigh in praise when you got it right with a soft "that's my girl" that nearly had you drop your plate.

When Wheel ended, Wayne stood up to grab seconds for himself and Eddie and a couple of beers for you all. Before he sat back down he grabbed a tape from a basket beside the television and popped it into the VCR.

"I hope you don't mind," he said sheepishly. "I like the background noise and Love Boat doesn't start til 9."

As the static on the screen cleared, you were treated to a good look of a Map to Illustrate the Ponderosa in Nevada.

"Mind? I love Bonanza," you laughed, and Eddie groaned beside you.

"No I already have to endure Wayne and Rick and their western reruns, and now you too?"

Conversation then turned to you. Turned to the usual stuff that you talked about when you met someone new. And you really...didn't like talking about yourself. The middle child and the only girl with two strong-willed brothers and parents that liked to pick and pick and pick at every imperfection; it was ingrained in you.

Thankfully, Eddie seemed to really like to talk to you, at you, about you.

"I work at Claire's. We do like...ear piercing and cute accessories for kids."

"She works there? She's the store manager. And the youngest one in the company. Right? Is that...no...in the district. Anyway..."

And where you faltered, he picked up the reins.

"I mean it's just community college. Everyone graduates. I'm not smart or anything."

"Are you shitting me right now? Sweetheart I can't even graduate high school."

Eagerly.

"And there was this one time, I shit you not Wayne," Eddie's hands mimed as he tried to tell his story. "She literally balanced on one foot on the top rung of a ladder. Had to have been...20 feet high...to get this kitten that was stuck on top of the bailer. How it got there? I couldn't tell you."

"It was not the top rung."

"It was."

"It wasn't 20 feet!"

"Let me tell the story."

"I'm supposed to be telling the story," you laughed at him.

"Ok, you're right, but you weren't telling it good enough," Eddie argued. "You have to emphasize."

"He means fib," Wayne clarified.

"I mean...bend the truth for entertainment purposes only," Eddie explained rapidly.

Eventually dinner was done and it was time for dessert, which Eddie eagerly followed you into the kitchen for.

"How am I doing?" you asked nervously as you rummaged in the fridge.

"You're doing great. How many times do I have to tell you he would like you?" he huffed good-naturedly.

"I don't know, I just needed reassurance."

"Are you kidding me?" he scoffed. "You're doing great. I'm sure he'll be asking me when the next time you'll be over is so he can maybe get some more lasagna. He doesn't just let anyone watch A Rose for Lotta with him. You're special."

"Am I?"

"You're special to me."

You looked up at Eddie a little shocked and he smiled sheepishly and shrugged.

You couldn't get your hopes up. You just...couldn't.

"What's taking so long in there?" Wayne asked as he ejected the tape from the VCR so he could flip to ABC. You both looked over and found him watching you with a smirk and a twinkle in his eye.

"I dunno," Eddie replied petulantly. "Someone's withholding my reward."

You rolled your eyes and grabbed another set of plates from the drying rack by the sink. You opened your container to reveal the fluffy green mounds of pudding and whipped cream and marshmallows studded with bright maraschino cherries.

"Sweetheart, you didn't," Eddie grabbed you by the shoulders and leaned over to look into the Tupperware.

"I did," you beamed.

The perfect end to a great night.

Because you might not have known that lasagna was Wayne's favorite.

But you knew that Watergate salad was Eddie's.

---

It was late by the time Eddie walked you out to your car, way past your usual bedtime, and later than you should have been up especially considering that you would be doing the overnight tomorrow.

The dessert had been consumed in its entirety; once you and Wayne had your fill, Eddie ate the remainder out of the bowl looking, quite literally, like a kid in a candy store. And as Captain Stubing and Doc Bricker bickered aboard the Pacific Princess, you began dozing on Eddie's shoulder.

He shook you awake and you said your goodbyes to Wayne.

"You're welcome anytime," he insisted as you headed to the door. "Lasagna or no. Don't let Ed trick you into spoiling us. He's still young but my waistband can't handle it."

And now you were standing with Eddie, the driver's side door between you as you sort of refused to get in and drive away. It was a real Midwest Goodbye.

"I'll see you at work..." you fumbled over your words as you tried to think of the next time you'd actually get to see him. You had the overnight tomorrow, and you'd be off Monday. Eddie would be off Tuesday which meant... "Oh god, well...Wednesday? That seems so far away."

"It doesn't have to be Wednesday," Eddie shrugged. "What if I brought you breakfast on Monday? After your floor set is over?"

"God that's gonna be so early for you," you dismissed his idea.

"So? You just made us the best dinner and there's leftovers for a few days, which you didn't want. Let me get you breakfast."

"I don't want to put you out."

The two of you bickered back and forth for a minute before you put your foot down and told him to sleep in because he had to close on Monday night.

"Thanks though," you said. "This was nice. Family dinner at home. It was really nice. Makes me a little homesick but...I guess Hawkins is my home for now."

"Hey, of course, any time," Eddie replied. He looked pensive for a second and then turned so he didn't have to look at you. Like he was hesitant about what you would say or think. "We don't...I mean I guess what I mean is...I really enjoy hanging out on Sundays and I know this is sort of a one-off thing. But...you know we don't only have to hang out on Sundays. We can do...I mean...have dinner again sometimes or meet you after work even if I'm off...or see a movie again...get something from Family Video or..."

"You wanna hang out with me more?" you cut into his rambling.

"Yeah, why not?"

"Friends hang out all the time but..." You shrugged. "Don't...skip out on...I mean I guess I don't know what it is you do with the guys outside of band practice and DnD. Don't skip out on them just for me."

"No, hey now, wait," Eddie held his hand out to stop you. "Those turds already see me all the time and are gonna see me more once school's back in session. And...I'll probably work less so...I'll take any time with you now that I can get."

"Alright." You beamed.

"Alright." He mirrored you. "More non-Sunday hangouts."

You agreed and he held out his pinky. You immediately hooked yours into it.

“See you Wednesday sweetheart,” Eddie said his farewell. “Don’t dream of me too much.”

---

"Alright guys, it's almost 7am, time to clean up," you announced to your overnight crew with a clap of your hands.

It had been a fun but trying night, but ultimately successful.

Saturday had been perfect but your whole Sunday routine had already been thrown off and you spent a majority of your day sleeping and cleaning and wondering what Eddie was getting up to at work.

As you predicted, everyone was more than a little confused by the planogram booklet but you were a patient teacher. Everyone thought they had an eye for store layout until they were faced with twenty shipment boxes of pencil cases and locker decor. You had to talk a few of them down from near-panics several times throughout the night.

Over the course of the floorset, side ponytails became even more askew than normal, a few pairs of shoes got kicked into a pile by the gate, and everyone turned into tired, sweaty messes.

To keep morale up, you had insisted on everyone bringing a favorite tape that alternated in the shop radio and you had stocked up at Bradley's with an assortment of sugary snacks and drinks for the break room. Thankfully, the treats had prevented anyone from bursting into tears or threatening to quit, as you had witnessed countless times during your time working in retail.

You really channeled Eddie's sweet tooth when making your choices and it had paid off.

But after 12 hours of unpacking, stacking, dusting, shifting, and sliding, you were all ready to go home.

You ushered everyone out of the store and locked the gate behind you, and as the group walked toward the employee exit, excitement had returned. Pride for a seemingly-impossible task completed.

"The store looks so good! Mindy is gonna shit herself when she comes in to open."

"Oh my god, do you think we're gonna have a store visit? Can you let me know what they think of the hair wall?"

"We're gonna make so many sales! Who can say no to that unicorn backpack?"

You entertained their conversation but when you set foot outside and saw a familiar van parked next to your car, you lost all ability to speak.

He had said he was gonna surprise you with breakfast...but you told him not to. Of course he didn't listen; it had you rolling your eyes in annoyed amusement.

God you knew everyone was a gossip, this was gonna get to Mindy and then she was gonna give you an earful. She already let you have it when she heard about your invitation to dinner.

You quickly thanked your team and ushered them to their cars before you meandered towards yours. You ignored the questioning looks that they shot you as you hesitated to get into your car but you waved goodbye as they drove away.

When the last car left the lot, you immediately stormed over to the passenger's side door of the van and threw it open to find a McDonald's bag on the seat, two coffees in the cupholders, and a tired-eyed Eddie in the driver's seat. His fingers tapped on the steering wheel in time with Kiss's Beth.

"I'm always somewhere else," he turned his upper body towards you dramatically and began serenading you. "And you're always there alone."

"Unbelievable," you scoffed at him.

"Just a few more hours and I'll be right home to you. I think I hear them calling. Oh Beth what can I do?" He slapped his hands against the steering wheel dramatically. "Beth what can I do?"

You climbed into the passengers seat, closed the door behind you, and opened the McDonalds bag to the delightful smell of hot, fresh, crispy hash browns and egg McMuffins.

"If it's not obvious," Eddie announced as he reached across the van to shove his hand into the bag for a hash brown of his own. "I'm Beth in this scenario because you left me alone for hours and hours and hours last night."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah I got into all sorts of trouble."

“I told you not to bring breakfast.”

“I wanted to surprise you.”

"You didn't need to come if you were tired."

"I wanted to and I pretty much do whatever I want anyways," he insisted, and then thankfully focused on his food as you felt your face heat up.

"Well, if you'd like to know, me and the boys were not actually playing all night," you remarked and dug the sandwiches out of the brown bag. You handed one to Eddie, whose mouth was already full of salty, potatoey goodness after he'd shoved the hash brown in one piece. His cheeks were all round and full like a chipmunks and you held back a giggle.

God he was too cute. And he brought you breakfast after a long overnight shift. And he had called you his girl and told you you were special. How were you supposed to stop yourself from having a crush on him if this was...just how he was?

The two of you got to talking about your night, about his Sunday shift, about what you did before work, about what he did after it. And it was nice.

And as you sat there watching him slurp the hot coffee and watch the sparse traffic around the mall dive, you finally found the right words and the strength not to make an absolute fool of yourself.

"This was really nice of you, Eddie. You're wonderful."

He put his hand on his chest and looked a little sheepish.

"I'm wonderful?"

"You're wonderful to me."

---

Next Part: Corrective Action

The tag list is currently suspended.

[kathaynesart]

Hey!

I don’t know if you’ve ever answered and ask like this, but i was wondering how you stick with a comic series. How do you manifest plot and such and stick with it without later deciding it’s not good enough for your tastes and completely changing or dropping it as a whole?

Hoo boy, ok here's a bit of a longer one. NOTE this is just what works for me and is in NO WAY educational advice.

TLDR:

Practice

Flexibility

Loving the characters and core message

Getting over your own embarrassment and respecting your growth

Keeping it FUN

If these points seem helpful, feel free to check under the cut.

PRACTICE:

I always hate this answer, but it really is true especially for work in a creative field. You ask how I manifest plot? I'm mostly just throwing ideas at a board and seeing what sticks. Then I take the things that stick and lay them out and find what's important or can support my core message. You will have to do this many many times with a long form story, in which case my brain is constantly buzzing with ideas and working at them like an ongoing puzzle. A lot of people use this method, but it's the experience of having done it many times that helps me know what's been overused, how to apply a fresh take, or what should be trimmed (even if I don't want to haha). The best way to practice I think is through personal experience and dissecting other stories to see what makes them work/not work for you as a viewer. As far as personal experience, I would recommend trying to make a story of your own but much shorter. See if you're able to finish it and once you do, come back to it with a critical (but kind) eye. Find where the moments of lull occurred in your creative process and see what you could have done to improve both the creative and viewing experience. Hindsight is a hell of a drug and pretty good at helping you see where you went wrong. If not, get a friend to help! After all is said and done, try fresh with a slightly longer story, rinse and repeat. Just know that the longer your story gets, the less you need to have the whole story figured out before you start creating. In fact I feel it’s better if you don’t necessarily know the whole plot when creating a long ongoing story, which leads me to my next point…

FLEXIBILITY:

When it comes to ongoing stories, it's practically a given that your tastes and writing style will change over time. You will begin to come up with even better ideas as you go, and if you work at it, sometimes you can find ways to infuse these new concepts into your story. Now mind you, when starting a story you should have a decent idea of the overarching plot and major points of conflict/success. However, I find it helps to be flexible with the sinew that connects them. As you move along with your story you may find themes and concepts growing within the plot and characters that you would want to lean into. Rather than forcing them down the path you had initially set, it can be a lot more fun to play in that space and see how you can improve things.

For example, in my latest post, the flashback shot of Leonardo and his brothers all resting together was an idea I came up with a few weeks ago to a plot point I had set back in January. Little things like that are the spice of life for a story and can come to you more easily the longer you work in that headspace. But what really helps me to keep coming back to that story has to come from a place of passion, especially with...

CHARACTERS AND CORE MESSAGE:

You need to make sure that when you sit down to create a story (especially a long one) that it has characters you love and a message you really want to tell, because these are themes and people you are going to be spending a LOT of time with. It's like... going on a trip. There are many people you could easily share a trip to the the mall with... but a six month trip across, Europe? You better make sure the person you're going with isn't someone you're going to want to strangle half way up the Eiffel Tower. People change... tastes change... YOU will change. So I find it's wiser to make sure that you stick to messages that hit you at your core that you already have tattooed on your heart and will not be changing any time soon. Some people use storytelling as a method of therapy, which can be great especially for short stories to get feelings and emotions out. But with a longer story, those strong feelings you have may drain and no longer be relevant by the time you're only half way through your story. I see this happen with a lot of stories that come from a place of "angst." Great for short form! Not so great when drawn out into an ongoing exhausting experience. That's not to say angst can't be done well (there's PLENTY of that in Replica), but it's not the underlying THEME of this story. Just a byproduct THAT what comes from surviving the apocalypse. So stick to those evergreen themes that you know are important to you whether you're fifteen or fifty and make sure you have characters who you WANT to see succeed and are rooting for, because it'll make you want to help them on their way all the more.

EMBARRASSMENT AND RESPECTING YOUR GROWTH:

Hoo boy. I think this is something every creative can relate to. Looking back on your old work can be a cringing experience. Having that work be the beginning part of a story you are STILL currently working on can be even worse! You may hate the way you used to write/draw or find certain elements that no longer jive with who you are now or represent you as a writer/artist. Heck there may be plot points that you wish you could change/cut because you have an even BETTER idea now. All of that can be really hard to stomach and can lead to a lot of unfinished works being abandoned. Now if the work truly does have that strong of a response, it very well may be best to cut your losses. But if you have taken the steps I mentioned above seriously, then there should be a lot to love about your story still. If so, then you have several options before you.

Try to work within the limitations of your early work to make it even better by finding ways of twisting the plot to match your new ideas (difficult but satisfying). Example: one time I had a comic where a side character had to suddenly be available for an extensive period of time... I realized this was shortsighted since I had setup how important he was within a company and there was a conflict of interest. My co-creator and I mulled over it for weeks then realized, that we could just have him get fired! Which was great because it formed more tension with the company (future antagonist) and freed up his time to be a more integral part of the story. So analyze your work and pinpoint those parts that you do not like and see if you can put your improved skills to work to make it even better.

If there's certain things that are unforgivable, then it is always within your power to go back and edit/redraw/change what happened before. I've seen it done before and it CAN work, but be careful because this is a rabbit hole you can fall down where you're just constantly editing the past rather than working on the future. I've seen many stories end simply because they get stuck in an editing loop. However, if the changes are small (but integral), it can help relieve some of the stress. Just be sure to communicate these changes to your followers to avoid confusion.

Redo. This is an extreme method, but I have seen stories be completely overhauled in this manner where the creator will take what they learned from the first iteration and make a new version of it from the ground up that is even better. However, this method is very time consuming and also a pothole that can lead to burnout. It's hard having to redo a story that you've already started telling. So if you really want to start fresh, make sure it's changed enough where you don't feel like you're just plotting over the same points you're already tired of.

Finally... be kind to yourself. Rather than being upset by looking at the early portion of your story, be proud in seeing how far you've come. One of my favorite things to do with webcomics, is to hop from the first page to the latest page and see how much they've improved. I'm sure for the creator it's a harsh experience, but as a VIEWER it's super exciting and makes me want to read even more to see that progression. Long form stories are cool because they are a living, breathing thing... a time capsule of its creator's prowess and a representation of how far they've come. Respect that. Respect yourself as a creator, and be happy to know how much you've improved.

FUN:

Ok, did you absorb all that? Get everything down? Cool, now I want you to take all that knowledge I just gave you and throw it out the window. Ok not literally. Like, keep it in your subconscious, but don't worry about it too much and remember that you're doing this for FUN. If you get too caught up in the idea of "practicing" and "due dates" it'll just burn you out. I actually hate the word "practice." It's like... the word "jogging." Most people don't jog for fun, you jog because it's good for you. But if that's the only reason it's not really great incentive. I wasn't drawing for months on end outside of work because whenever I did I saw it as "practice." So of course I'm not going to want to do it. You have to come at this with the intention of having a good time.

So instead of jogging... treat it like running around a theme park. I know it sounds silly but it does wonders for me. I've been having so much fun drawing Replica and other content for this fandom but at the end of the day, it's sneakily tacking onto my skill sets as practice. I'm not making money off of this.. but I'm learning and getting better and looking back at my old stuff I already know I've improved. It makes me want to keep going and see it to the end! Just make sure to not put too much pressure on yourself. Give yourself rests when needed and make sure to do other things in your life to balance out the workload. You'll be much happier for it.

Or at least that's what works for me. I hope some of this might work for you too. Thanks and good job if you've made it through my long-winded explanation. Gold stars all around.

[knickynoo]

I don't know if you've done this before: headcanons on Marty Junior and Marlene?

I'm almost positive I have done some sort of Junior and Marlene headcanon post, but I can't find it, so here are some off the top of my head. Gonna go with the versions of them that I imagine for the timeline that's fixed—where the Rolls Royce accident never happened—and Marty and Jennifer aren't miserable, lol. I think both Junior and Marlene would be more well adjusted in that one (especially Junior!)

• The difference in their personalities is evident to Marty and Jen pretty much from the start, with Marlene being the louder, more demanding of the twins and Junior being a much "easier" baby.

• They're extremely close, and Marlene naturally takes on the role of Junior's protector. Often, Marty and Jen have to remind Marlene to take a step back because she's being a little too much of a mother-hen to her brother, and they want Junior to learn to stand on his own two feet.

• Fixed-timeline Junior is quite different from the version of him in the 2015 we see in the movie. He's been raised in a more stable environment with a father who hasn't been defeated by life, so he's not the wimpy, scared little greasy guy who's easily pushed around. He's more sure of himself, not so easily frazzled, and is every bit as big-hearted as his father.

• Junior is not neurotypical. (How can he be? Look at Marty and George) I don't have a specific diagnosis in mind, but I know a draft of part II made reference to him being in a remedial school (and failing) so there's likely some learning disorder at play. In one of my Doctober chapters that include two-year-old versions of the twins, Clara's excited to learn that Junior has picked up a few new words—meanwhile, Marlene is using full sentences—so I do headcanon him as having been delayed in some areas.

[Side note: in that same scene, Doc tells Marty not to worry about Junior's progress, since Jules didn't start speaking until three-and-a-half, lol]

• Marty loves, loves, loves Marlene so much, but sometimes he thinks that she will be the death of him. Especially when she's young and full of sass and always getting into everything and he's struggling to keep up with her. He and Jen 100% lose Marlene in the mall on more than one occasion, and when they find her, she's just like, *shrug.*

• The twins have a special bond with Doc and Clara. Clara dotes on them but is especially close with Junior while Doc is closer to Marlene. When the kids are little and Marty and Jen feel like they're about to collapse from exhaustion, they dump Junior and Marlene at the Brown home and know they'll be well taken care of.

• As Marlene gets older, she's really into fashion, so she's close with her Aunt Linda. I can see Marlene being popular, but she's the type of popular girl who's liked by everyone. She has attitude, but she's not mean.

• Junior is just...Junior. He loves life and is out there doing his thing. He's the type who has a new hobby or interest every week, and Marty and Jen just have to roll with it. He walks in from school one day and goes, "I'm going to be a famous dancer, I decided" and then a week later says, "I want to learn to build a car" and they're just like, "Oh. Okay."

• I think they'd both try to learn an instrument at some point (likely guitar taught by Marty) but I can't decide if either of them would stick with it long term. Somehow, I don't see them being musicians.

• There's a part of me that wants to say an older Marlene eventually learns about time travel and all the wild stuff Marty went through. Idk how it would happen, though. Maybe she overhears something whispered between her parents in private or maybe she's just very perceptive and notices her father being weird about certain events in his life, so she corners him and is like, "Okay, Dad, spill the beans." Perhaps she's also put together some clues in all her time spent with Doc.

Thats about all I've got for now. Thanks for the ask!

[kaiandels]

Two Hearts pt. 5: Ellie Williams X Reader

🐚

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6

warning: making love (reader’s first time with a woman after fully accepting herself) & that’s it! No swearing! For the first time.

p.s: I got in the mood. So why not write it down. 👩🏻‍❤️‍💋‍👩🏼 and btw, it’s my first time posting smut so please be kind!! Not proofread.

‿︵‿︵୨˚̣̣̣͙୧ - - ୨˚̣̣̣͙୧‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵୨˚̣̣̣͙୧ - - ୨˚̣̣̣͙୧‿︵‿︵୨˚̣̣̣͙୧ -

‿︵‿︵୨˚̣̣̣͙୧ - - ୨˚̣̣̣͙୧‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵୨˚̣̣̣͙୧ - - ୨˚̣̣̣͙୧‿︵‿︵୨˚̣̣̣͙୧ -

It’s been a week since you and Ellie got together, and life has never been better. Ellie felt so… You don’t know how to put it in words but you’ve always thought that she’s so “Wife”. Yeah, that’s the word. “Wife”. It was that domestic feeling that you always get when she takes care of you even in the smallest ways possible.

“Baby, let me do it.”

“Let me grab it for you.”

“It’s fine, I can do it.”

“You can rest babygirl, I got this.”

“I got you”

You have never seen this side of Ellie before, after all the denial, you never thought that you could ever see this soft side of hers. But she takes care of you so good, regardless of taking it slow, as you both agreed, all of it felt as if you have your own family now. And it’s only been 1 week…

“Baby, let me get that for you.” Ellie said grabbing your bag away from you, leaving you empty-handed as you both walked around the mall looking for Jesse and Dina. “Ellie, it’s okay! It’s not even that heavy.” You said trying to get your bag back. “Nope, just let me do it for you.” Ellie said smiling as she put the bag far from your reach. You giggled and grabbed her arm, seeing Jesse and Dina from afar.

“Hey guys!” You smiled as you went up to Jesse and Dina grabbing them both by the necks. Hugging them at the same time. Ellie slowly walked up behind you, giving Dina and Jesse a kind smile. “Hey youuu! You look glowing. Wonder why..” Dina said teasingly as she looked at Ellie. “Oh shut up.” Ellie snorted as you both walk inside the restaurant.

“I have already made reservations, I’m just gonna go check in with them. You all can pick a table, sit there, and wait for me.” Jesse said as you all nodded and giggled your way to a table, big enough for 4 people. “So, how is the fresh couple? Anything bad? Good? In the middle?” Dina asked clearly excited at the new lovebirds in front of them. “Everything’s good! Right? Els?” You looked over to Ellie who seemed to be zoning out. “Yeah! It has been great so far.” Ellie smiled, earning an expression of discomfort from Dina.

“Hey guys” Jesse said smiling as he sat next to Dina, taken aback by Dina’s facial expression. “Is everything all right?” Dina nodded softly smiling as Jesse turned to the new couple. “I have a very serious question.” You fiddled with your fingers, rather nervous about the sudden change of atmosphere.

“Do you think that you both rushed in to this?” Jesse asked, intertwining his hands together and placing them on the table. Dina nodded, feeling really proud of how her boyfriend basically read her mind as it was the question that she had wanted to ask aswell. “Not really… I think.” You said turning your head to Ellie, noticing that she wasn’t herself today. “Are you okay?” You blurted out making Ellie’s head snap towards you. “Y-yeah! I’m fine Babe. It’s just that.. fuck.” Ellie muttered. It seemed as if she was completely torn.

“I’m really sorry, I don’t feel well today. It has nothing to do with me and my girl.” You smiled as you grabbed Ellie’s hand under the table. “You coming down with something?” You asked bringing her hands up to your lips to kiss the back of her hand. “I think so baby.. I think so.” Jesse and Dina pouted feeling glum that the dinner has to end early.

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll stay for a bit. M’not even sure if i’m really sick.” Ellie said softly smiling, looking at the group in front of her.

After a few hours later, you and the group decided to go their seperate ways exchanging goodbye’s. You held Ellie’s hand as you drag her to the exit of the mall. “Why are you in a rush Babe? Not gonna buy anything?” Ellie asked, her grip on your hand getting tighter. “I kind of want to do something else..” you suggested, your finger gliding to Ellie’s throat down to her chest. Ellie’s breath hitched, rolling her eyes. “Baby, we don’t have to. We agreed that we won’t rush.” You nodded dragging her to the parking lot. After arriving, you stood next to Ellie’s car, looking up at her eyes.

“Yeah, I know… But I really want it.” You whispered, the air of the peaceful and quiet night blowing the strand of hair on your face. It was so quiet that you could hear Ellie gulping. “You look like a dork right now, you know that right?” You asked giggling as Ellie smiled. “Get in the back, pretty.” You giggled as Ellie opened the door for you, you went in as Ellie followed behind you.

Ellie sighed, her back turned to you as she leaned over to the front seat to lock the doors. She sat back down, looking at you and putting a hand on your lap. “Are you sure? We could always do it at home.” You melted, looking at Ellie’s eyes knowing that her words were fully sincere. Her bright eyes lacing with concern. “I’m sure, I know you haven’t been yourself lately… I just (you leaned closer, you and Ellie’s lips inches away from eachother.) want to make you feel good.” You whispered leaning your forehead against hers. “You’re so good to me…” Ellie groaned, the “want” in her tone growing. “Please lay down for me.” Ellie said guiding your shoulders down. “Comfortable?” Ellie asked as you laid down. “Yes” you smiled, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

“Make love to me… I don’t care if it has just been a week. I’ve always trusted you Ellie, ever since we were kids. So please, prove to me that you love me.” Your breath hitched, looking at your beautiful girlfriend on top of you, the moon shining on her face. It’s almost as if the world was on her side, contrasting her beauty with the moonlight. Ellie leaned down, you both going nose to nose. Both of you chuckling at the sensation. Ellie’s breath hitched as she leaned further down, kissing you. Her hands softly caressing your arms.

You held the back of her neck, deepening the kiss. Ellie moaned, giving you the opportunity to enter your tongue inside her mouth. Exploring each and every part of her. Humming at the feeling of delight, tasting her on your tongue. She followed you, tongues dancing with eachother rather slowly. Saving time. For you, it doesn’t matter where you both were. At the car, at a picnic, maybe in a bed? Table? It really didn’t matter. Each and every moment was perfect. as long as it was with her? Every place is laced with the beauty of both of your bodies.

You both pulled away panting as you tugged on her shirt. Ellie nodded as she took her shirt off, she looked at you and tugged on the strap of your dress. You laughed as you shrugged the strap off, Ellie sat up as she slid the dress off of you. “You look so beautiful baby..” Ellie said softly, you felt like you were evaporating from that moment. It was so slow, gentle, and loving. You have never felt this sensation with the men that you’ve been. With them, it felt pure dirtiness. But with Ellie, it was pure bliss. You knew that she cared about your pleasure. By the way she touched you, kissed your body, and whispered in your ear. You knew she loved it, and you loved it. Basically, you both loved that you were loving it. It was silly, but cute.

“May I?” Ellie asked, her hands on top of your clothed cunt. “Yes, you may..” You smiled cheekily as she shook her head laughing at the formal remark. Ellie tugged on the waistband of your panties, leaning down as she bit the waistband. Her hand letting it go to rest on your thigh. She tapped your thigh, indicating for you to give space. You whined as you lift your legs up just a tiny bit to let Ellie get some space, you hummed seeing Ellie pull your panties down with her teeth. Ellie grabbed your panties as it was finally off, shoving the piece of fabric in to her pocket. She leaned on top of you once again, kissing your neck. “Mm.. I love you.” You said biting your lip, feeling Ellie place marks on different areas of your neck. You gasped as you felt her warm hands, softly caressing your breast. “Ellie, can you… just… mmph..” You paused, enjoying the sensation. “Can I what baby?” Ellie teased, her head leaving your neck. Replacing her hands on your breast with her mouth.

You moaned, trying to find the right words. “C-can you please do that while you…” Your cheeks turned red. Ellie looked at you while she worked her way around your nipples. “Are you shy, my love?” She asked, her gaze on you getting softer. “Yea-yeah.. it’s just my first time with a woman.” You whispered, hoping that Ellie would not catch on that. “It’s okay, you don’t have to do anything. I’ll take care of you, yeah?” God, you were melting. You were like a ragdoll as your body just gave up, letting her hands take over. It was almost as if your role was just to react. Ellie smiled as she saw you squirm, she let her mouth let go of your breast as she starts to kiss down from your chest, to your stomach, and finally.. to your core. “Brace yourself, baby.” Ellie teased as she placed soft kisses against your clit and your slit. “I trust you…” you paused taking a deep breath. “I always did.” Ellie groaned as she finally trailed her tongue across your slit, your body jolting up in the process. “Come on pretty, stay still for me.”

“O-okay.. okayokay.” You repeated yourself, your body getting warmer from the feeling of pleasure and also by the feeling of embarassment. Ellie worked her magic around your cunt, you moaned as you felt her tongue thrust in and out of your hole. “W-wow.. you’re good at that.” You praised, feeling Ellie’s laugh create vibrations around your cunt. You ran your hands all over your body, the embarassment slowly fading away. “Yeah keep doing that.” Ellie said, her voice muffled due to her tongue flicking inside you. “S-so.. GOD!” You yelped as you felt Ellie’s tongue curl inside you. “That’s right.” Ellie said as she pushed your thighs away from eachother, finally giving your clit attention. The physical contact making the car windows moist. “C-can you put a finger in?” You plead. Your doe-eyes meeting Ellie’s.

“Say please.”

“Please?”

“Good girl.”

Ellie praised as she slipped a finger in, groaning as she felt it perfectly slid inside. “Taking it so well.” You moaned softly, your body growing hotter from her praise. You squeezed your eyes shut, feeling Ellie tower over you once again. You arch your back, your chin meeting Ellie’s mouth. Ellie smirked against your chin as she placed kisses on your soft skin, your eyes snapped open, mouth agape from the pleasure as Ellie was starting to hit the right spots. “Add another finger..” You requested, feeling no adjustments made. You lowered your head, un-arching your back as you met eyes with Ellie. “Add another finger what?” Ellie said, expecting a correct answer. “Add another finger, please?” You said whining. Ellie smiled kissing your cheek as she leaned down, her head meeting the crook of your neck. She adds another finger, bringing up her pace, grinding on you at the same time. “Y-you want help?” You asked, your vision going a little blurry. “Don.. don’t have to baby.”

You ignored Ellie’s remark, reaching down to unbuckle her belt. Shoving her pants down. “Woah.. chill baby. We have all night.” Ellie teased, her teasing interrupted as she felt you shoving a finger inside her dripping hole. “Uh! Jesus… that’s a good girl.” Ellie praised as she moaned in your ear, and in an exchange, you moaned in hers. Both of your fingers making dirty and sloppy noises.

“I love it when you hit that spot, Ellie”

“Yeah? like.. (she shoved her fingers deeper) t-this?”

“W-wanna play that game?”

You taunt, shoving your fingers inside her hole deeper. Making Ellie lick your ears, both of you grinding on eachother’s fingers. “God! baby, that feels so good. Uhuh yeah, yeah.. like that.” Ellie said thrusting her hips on to your fingers, the action making her fingers bump in to you, sending you over the edge. “Ahhh..don’t stop baby. Keep thrusting like that please.” You said as you bucked your hips, both of you and Ellie’s fingers coated in eachother’s juices.

The constant thrusting of both of you and Ellie’s hips caused the car to shake violently. You and Ellie’s breath making the car window’s impossibly visible. “I’m gonna cum baby..” Ellie whispered. “Me too… pleasepleaseplease cum on me.” You plead as you grab Ellie’s hair with your other hand, making out with her. You both moaned in eachother’s mouth as the intensity of both of your hips increase, cumming on eachother’s thighs and fingers.

You both pant as Ellie’s weight finally laid on top of your body. You hear Ellie’s phone ring, “You should go get that.” You said, hearing multiple notifications flood Ellie’s phone. “I’ll get that later. I just want to cuddle before we go.” You giggled as you felt Ellie’s face nuzzle on your breasts. You pulled Ellie closer, the sound of both of your heartbeats filling your ears.

“I love you. You’re so addicting.”

“Don’t go crazy on me now, I love you too.”

╚══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╝

special tags (will remove if not asked to tag again): @ximtiredx , @gold-dustwomxn

[amazingmsme]

A Gift, No Strings Attached

AN: Tickletober is finally upon us! I'm so excited for this, I can't wait to see what everyone makes! Hope you all enjoy day 1: anticipation with Miguel & Peter B! Everyone seems to think a certain spiderman needs to be introduced to a certain belt, as seen in episode 17.

Miguel was a skeptical person on the best of days, so when Peter B. waltzed into his office declaring he had "got him something," he was rightfully wary. Peter hopped up on the platform as it lowered, seemingly too impatient to wait for it to lower fully.

"MJ and I went to the mall yesterday, and when I saw this I just knew it had your name all over it," he rambled before Miguel could question him. He had a small shopping back hanging off his arm and Miguel resigned himself with a sigh.

"Oh yeah? What is it?" he asked, deciding to play along.

"It's a utility belt!" Peter exclaimed, feeling only a little disappointed when he didn't share his enthusiasm. He just stared at him, a single brow raised.

"Y-you know, for tools and stuff! Thought you'd appreciate something useful," he felt the need to explain himself, growing more nervous by the second. Maybe Miguel saw through the act, or maybe he hated belts, or maybe-

"Wow, uh, thanks. This'll actually come in handy," he said, accepting the offered gift. Or maybe he wouldn't suspect a thing.

Peter hadn't expected this to be so easy.

While he really had gone to the mall with MJ, that wasn't where he got the belt. He had been watching tv with Mayday when the villain escaped from his frozen prison, now capturing his attention as well as his daughter's. He was sure that SpongeBob and Patrick would be in deep for letting the worst villain escape, chuckling when they resorted to "rehabilitating" him instead. His interest was piqued when they activated the character's iconic belt, sending him into a fit of ticklish laughter.

"Heh, Miguel could use a belt like that, huh Mayday?" he cooed before gasping at the revelation he just made. He set her in her baby jumper in front of the screen, leaving her to bounce and giggle to her heart's content. He left the door to his office open so he could still keep an eye on her as he began to draft the blueprints for Miguel's "gift."

A week later, it was finished. And of course he had to run a few tests, curtesy of his loving and very patient wife. Though when she found out who it was for, she didn't really mind testing it out, especially seeing as she always got her revenge.

Peter wanted nothing more than to activate the belt right then and there, but in a monumental show of self restraint, he held back. If he did this now, then only he would get to see the outcome, and this was too good to keep for himself. Unfortunately, he would have to be patient. Wait it out for the perfect moment to present itself.

Honestly, Peter didn't expect anyone else to know what it was supposed to be. Clearly, his universe wasn't the only one with SpongeBob.

"Gonna go out on a limb an' say he has no idea what that belt really is. Right?" Hobie questioned from behind. Peter jumped, not because he didn't know he was there, (spidey senses and all) but because of what he had said.

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about!" he bluffed, but crumbled when Hobie leveled him with a knowing look, cocking an eyebrow in mild amusement. "Okay yes, it is what you think it is, and hell no he doesn't know, are you crazy? You think I'd be standing here talking about it if he did?"

Hobie shook his head with a slight chuckle. "I doubt you'd even be breathin' mate," he teased, playfully smacking him on the back. Peter let out a slightly nervous laugh.

"Heh, yeah me either. He'd probably superglue the damn thing to my suit if he knew," he joked.

"Yeah well, keep me posted. I wanna know the second you plan on using it," he said, saluting him as he left the room.

Hobie made sure to spread the word to his friends, swearing them all to secrecy in the hopes that they could be lucky enough to witness Miguel's giggly downfall.

Too bad Miles was out sick and didn't get the memo.

He was back at the Spider-Society, catching up with his friends in the cafeteria when Miguel spotted them and decided to check in.

"Miles, glad to see you back," he greeted with a nod. "How're you feeling?"

"Oh, hey! I'm glad to be back sir," he replied, still unable to shake the urge to keep things formal between them. "B-but I'm feeling good! Much better now," he assured. He looked down at the burger in his hands, ready to take a bite when a new accessory caught his eye. He froze just as he brought it to his mouth.

"I've told you, just Miguel is fine," he assured, a soft smile gracing his features. He noticed Miles's gaping mouth and wide eyes, looking him over with a puzzled expression. "You uh, you sure you're okay?" he asked just to double check.

Miles shook himself out of it and nodded. "Yup! Never better!" Gwen shot him a look from across the table, undoubtedly wondering what had him acting so weird. She followed his line of sight and things suddenly fell into place. She locked eyes with Hobie, sharing a subtle nod as Miles continued on, "But is that a new belt? I don't think I've seen you wear it before..."

"Oh yeah, Peter gave it to me. Said he wanted to give me something useful for once," he explained, and it all suddenly clicked for Miles. "It's a nice change of pace from all the useless knickknacks. Don't get me wrong, they're fine in small doses but he seriously overestimates how much free space I have," he said, but Miles wasn't paying attention. "To be honest, I'm just glad he picked something that matches my suit."

"Heh, yeah. 'Cause that's the worst that could happen- ow." Miles wasn't sure who kicked him, but judging by all of their looks, he was clearly out of the loop on something.

"Riiiight," Miguel said, noticing how weird they were all of a sudden. "Well, you know where to find me," he said and walked off. Miles waited until he was out of the cafeteria to speak because you could never be too careful where Miguel's concerned.

"So were you guys just not gonna tell me Miguel got a tickle belt?" he blurted out as soon as he deemed safe.

"We were going to! We just... forgot," Pavitr said, a shy smirk tugging at his lips.

Miles scoffed, "You don't just forget something like that!"

"I was gonna tell you as soon as I saw you, but then we were on a mission and it really wasn't a good time, and I did forget to tell you. Sorry about that," Gwen explained.

"Nah it's cool. I just can't believe he's still wearing it," he said in awe.

"Oh he doesn't know," Gwen said, causing Miles to whip around to look at her.

"What?"

"Peter hasn't used it yet. Figured he was waitin' on you or somethin'," Hobie said, dipping a fry in ketchup.

"Wait so you guys haven't said anything to try and warn him?" he asked, a little shocked. He was met with a chorus of no's and furious head shakes.

"And ruin the fun? As if!" Pavitr exclaimed, appalled that Miles would even suggest such a thing.

"Look, Miguel is the fiercest, most stoic spider in all of HQ, and he's chewed my ass out more times than I can count. I can't wait to see what happens when he's trying to choke back laughter and you sure as hell aren't gonna ruin it for me, got it?" Hobie said, pointing a threatening finger in his face. Miles nodded.

"I won't! I won't!" he promised, hands held up in surrender.

"Good. 'Cause I honestly don't know why you'd wanna help the bastard," he teased, grabbing him in a headlock and giving him a noogie. Miles laughed, shoving him off and punching his arm.

After lunch, Miles immediately set out to find Peter. It didn't take long until he bumped into him.

"Miguel is gonna kill you," he said in way of a greeting. Peter spun around in a panic

"What? I didn't even do anything!" he froze upon seeing Miles and relaxed. "Oh, I'm guessing you saw the belt," he said nonchalantly.

"Uh, yeah! Are you crazy? I was serious, he's gonna kill you!"

Peter waved him off. "I appreciate the concern, but I'll be fine. Worst that'll happen, he'll tickle the shit outta me. But I'll avoid it as long as I can. Trust me, I've weighed my options and it's worth it to see the look in his face," he rambled, falling into step with Miles. He shook his head in amusement.

"You won't be acting so cool when he gets after you," he gave a playful warning.

Peter laughed nervously. "Hey, why do you think I haven't tested it out yet?" He smiled to himself, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Honestly, you all act like I don't already know I'm a dead man walking."

"So... why'd you do it?" Miles asked, genuinely curious. Peter shrugged.

"Eh, it was kinda a spur of the moment type thing. If I remember correctly, he kinda snapped at me for wasting his time, and I was a little ticked off, I'll be honest. Got the idea while watching tv with Mayday when I got home."

"SpongeBob?"

"Yeah."

"Nice."

"I guess I just thought he could use one, y'know?"

"Oh, you're absolutely right with that one," Miles agreed with a chuckle. "So, when do you think you'll try it out?" he asked eagerly.

"Well, I've kinda been waiting for him to piss me off again. I think that's when I'd get the most satisfaction," he decided.

All in all, it didn't take long for the man to get on his nerves. Ha, and Miguel said that he was the annoying one.

He was in one of the many break areas, letting Mayday crawl around with Pav, Miles, Gwen and Hobie. She really liked getting to see them, and they loved playing with her, so it was a win win. It gave Peter a chance to let his guard down, thankful for the extra sets of eyes watching over his daughter. It also gave him the chance to get a plethora of new adorable videos of the light of his life.

Miguel however, thought it fit to hunt him down and interrupt his break. (Yes, he knew it was going on three hours, but Miguel was trying to get him to file paperwork! He couldn't let that happen!)

"Peter, there you are." His voice alone made Peter groan. "Where the hell have you been? You went on lunch hours ago, you said you'd do that paperwork."

"Actually, I never said I'd do it. You told me to do it," he corrected. Miguel rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, it's the same thing." Peter muttered under his breath something along the lines of "no it's not." Miguel cocked his head to look at him, "What was that?"

"Oh nothing," Peter said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out an innocuous remote. He started fiddling with it, and the teens started whispering amongst themselves. Nothing super obvious, they didn't want to give themselves away.

"Just drop her off at the daycare when you're ready, you work better when you're not attached at the hip," Miguel said sternly before turning to walk away. Peter scoffed at the notion, clicking a button and cranking a dial. He stopped in his tracks, squirming where he stood and rubbing his waist in confusion. Peter smirked and turned it up, causing Miguel to double over and bark out a laugh.

He turned around, fighting off giggles as he leaned on the wall for support. He glared them all down, though the wide smile and deep chuckles that slipped out really diminished the effect. "W-whahat the hehehell is going ohohon? Ihihi know you guys hahave something to do with it," he accused through grit teeth, unable to contain his giggles as he twisted back and forth, knees buckling as he wrapped his arms around his waist, allowing himself to laugh freely.

This was what they'd all been waiting for. Phones were taking videos and snapping pictures all while Miguel cursed and writhed on the floor, tugging at his suit and the belt, unable to get it off. The wait had well been worth it. Even better, the only one to suffer any subsequent consequences was Peter.

[iamyoursonly]

Try again? (30/9/2023)

I’m trying so hard to cope please bear with me. WHEN I CATCH YOU GEGE

edited on 12/12/2023

‘Love is the most twisted curse of all.’ You always say. And yet, you fell in love with me and I fell in love with you.

“Yo.” You wave, and you walk over to me, with that soft gaze and cocky smile. I knew you well, so I would just run over and give you the biggest hug ever. I mean you loved it even though the impact would make you fall down. “I missed you so much.” You’d breathe down my neck, and I’d say it back, “I missed you more, Satoru.”

We walked down the street, hand in hand, with ice cream too, preferably. You’d steal mine when you finish yours and we’d bicker until the same old man tells us off.

“Just buy a new one you good for nothing lanky tall guy.” I’d call you to make you pissed, but you would just tell me, “You love me though don’t you.” with that signature smirk of yours, and you take advantage of your height and take my ice cream away from me. It was like that everyday. It was good while it lasted though.

I moved to England the year later, but we facetimed every night. You visit me on every single weekend and every holiday you have, but I was forced into too many activities that I couldn’t make enough time for you. That must’ve been the case, because you broke up with me a month later, saying you can’t take it anymore. I know it was a full on lie but I had to give up, or I would bring you down with me. “I’m sorry Satoru, I-” I cried on call, I could see the red stains on your eyes too, but you were pretending to be calm and cool, I know you’re lonely but I can’t do anything about it. “Save it, just take care.” Then you cut the call, and I bawled my eyes out that night.

Moving on after you was hard, those times I had with you in Japan kept appearing in my mind. I heard from Shoko that you’d moved on and was dating another girl whose name was Himeko, I knew she was pretty and I told Shoko to tell you that it’s good that you’d moved on. I started picking up drinking at the age of 17, then smoking at 18. It was hell when you weren’t around, I regret not begging you to stay when we were on call.

I knew I was dying once I was admitted to the hospital unconscious. My parents wanted to know what was wrong with me too, but I couldn’t bear to tell them after all the money they’d invested in me. Shoko visited me, she said that you didn’t know yet, because if you did, you’d go on a serious rampage and might hurt someone. I was in the hospital for two whole weeks before leaving. On the last day though, a bouquet of roses was on my table. No card, nothing was slipped in the bouquet, but I really hoped it was you who sent it.

I got up to my feet again and started working hard, hoping that I could go back to you as soon as possible, but it was too selfish for me to. You have a girlfriend and a happy life, your instagram was full of smiles and laughter, it makes me forget that I wasn’t with you anymore. When I finally posted on my instagram story, with a photo of me with a neck full of medals together with a friend, you messaged me and said ‘good job’ like you always do. To be honest, I hoped that you’d forget about me and never look back, but deep down I hoped that you had never given up on me.

Turning twenty years old and coming back to Japan to finish med school after 2 years of prior study in England, I speak fluent English and tried to appear with more confidence. I got to take glimpses of you when you caught my eye at the shopping mall I loved to go to. The only thing that was different was you were with your girlfriend, laughing. But wasn’t with me.

When Shoko told me you and Himeko broke up and I was almost overjoyed, I hope you won’t drink that much and get drunk because god knows what you’d do. Before I knew it you were at my door, apparently Shoko gave you my new address and there you were, looking as handsome as ever and was so drunk your ears were bright red.

I opened the door and you locked eyes with me, “Hey.” You say, your voice was so much deeper now, you were so much taller too, “Hi, Gojo.” I say back and you furrowed your brows, “Isn’t it Satoru for you?” My heart fluttered, it shouldn’t have been like this but I couldn’t help it, “Satoru, I thought you moved on, what happened.” You just stood there, in front of my door, and I was so glad somehow, “Can you hug me? Please? I know it’s out of line and all but-”

I cut you off with an embrace, “I missed you so much, Satoru.” and you hug me back, “I missed you too.” I bring you into the house, you were really drunk, and you kept rambling about how you were really sad when you broke up with me, “I really didn’t want to, maybe you could’ve had a better future there without me and all, and I really tried to move on, I dated Himeko because of that, but when she figured out that I was using her because I missed you, she broke up with me. I love you so much and I missed you so so much, my love. I might’ve messed up real bad when you moved to England, but I just wanted you to have a better life with someone better. I didn’t know that my heart would ache that much without you around.”

Tears were streaming down your ocean blue eyes, and I felt somewhat responsible for that, “Satoru, listen. I had no choice but to move, my parents spent so much paying for my tuition in England and I couldn’t let them down, I indulged myself in all that studying and extra activities I couldn’t even make time for you, it’s my fault too, I understand that you’d leave me for it. But hey, I never moved on from you, every night I’d think of you, hoping that you’d show up at my door all smiley and tell me that the break up thing was a joke, but you never came. I also hoped that the bouquet of flowers was you when I was in the hospital because I missed you too much but I made it, and I’m back.”

I was crying too, and we just held each other until the sun rose, “That bouquet was me. I’m sorry, I should’ve wrote a card or something.”

When I woke up, you were nowhere to be seen, I was too desperate that I had my real feelings show. The doorbell rang, and when I opened the door, you were there with your soft gaze and a somehow still cocky grin, “Hey. Wanna try again? The dating thing?”

And I mean how could I say no, “Yeah, let’s try again.”

Soon after it was my twenty fifth birthday, we were at your favourite restaurant and ordered your favourite food. You had me wear my best outfit — that blue dress I adore so much, to go to dinner with you. Everything was going smoothly, I was happy, you were happy, we were talking and laughing. The music in the background played joyfully and it made people feel like a stone has been lifted up from their lives.

Suddenly, the music stopped. And I turned around to the pianist that was playing the song. The man smiled at me, then as if on cue, the birthday song started playing.

You sung, “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to my love~. Happy birthday to youuu!”

I was overjoyed, and was ready to throw myself in your embrace and fill your face with kisses. But you knelt down on the floor, opened up your red velvet box, and asked me, “Will you marry me?” I didn’t know what to say, the shock and the embarrassment got to me — not that I mind though. Every moment with you is and will always be precious to my heart. So I helped you up and threw my arms around you, before muttering a soft “yes”. You teased me, telling me to say it again, as embarrassed as I was, I simply couldn’t resist your charms and just let you be.

“Are you ready to be my amazing wife, Mrs. Gojo?” You teased.

“Do I look unprepared?” I laugh, “I’m more than ready to spend my whole life with you, you goofy freak!”

You just laughed at the mention of me calling you a ‘goofy freak’, but added, “You love me though.” and I just said, “Too bad I do.”

And you were right, ‘Love really is the most twisted curse of all.’ But I’d still take the risk to love you over and over again.

master list

[a-sad-mage]

Redhook gets "Oldman with LORE" privileges

In response to a comment in the Mall Cavern post

Redhook, dispight living a fairly quiet life in Quietlong Cavern, keeps up to date with just about everything that's going on.

Especially since he used to be Will Shane's go-to for Blaster repairs/upgrades. Probably Jimmo Shane as well.

The Shane's probably chat with him as he worked, or more likely just talked, and Redhooked listened.

Because of this, Redhook knows the most off-kilter things ever, especially about Will and Jimmo.

Like Eli drops in because his baster trigger is acting up (and he just really wanted to see Redhook again for whatever reason).

And while he's there, poking at the dodads in the shop while Redhook works. Redhook just drops the most unhinged anecdotes about his dad and grate uncle with zero prompting or explanation.

"You know, your old man once spent an entire week in a Forest Cavern, on a stake out, and temporarily went feral for a bit," Redhook said, not looking up.

"He what -" Eli said, his head snapping to the older man, "Redhook, what do you mean my dad went 'feral'?! What happened? Redhook!"

Redhook does not elaborate.

☆

"Your Uncle Jimmo used to be quitethe Lady's Man back in the day you know. I wouldn't be surprised if he had a couple brats running around causing trouble like he used to!"

"OMF JUST FIX MY TRIGGER!"

☆

"I once punched a pirate."

"Is that how you got your hook?"

"Na, lost it because of a bet"

"What-"

"Anyway I lost my eye to a Shadow Clan creature clawin' at my face"

"YOU WHAT?!-"

☆

Redhook also probably knew of Eli's existence before Will disappeared because he had two specially made blasters.

Will probably commissioned two, one for him and one for Eli, that he was going to give to his son after Eli had spent some time is Slugterra, but you know, he couldn't because he's in the Deep Caverns because Blakks a petty A-whole.

Redhook probably asked about why Will wanted two blasters even though Will doesn't dual wield, and more likely one was a backup.

And Will who subconsciously thinks about Redhook as a grizzled grandfather just blurts out.

"Ones for my son-" and Will immediately slaps a hand over his mouth, looking like a deer in headlights.

"...."

"...."

They just stare at each other for a good while, Will visibly panicking.

"Whats the kids' favorite color?" Redhook finally speaks.

"Eh- wha-?"

"Want me to make it a specific color, or keep it orange? You plan to gift this to your boy when he starts up as the next Shane, right? So why not personalize it a little for him?"

".... Orange is fine"

"Hmph, have it you're way then, just don't come cryin' to me if the kid hates it"

And then years later Eli stumbled into his shop, and at first, Redhook is not convinced that Eli is Will's son, never mind the fact Eli lookes like an almost exact copy of the older Shane.

After that brat comes back in some hours later, more confident than ever, demanding a new blaster so he can protect Quietlong? Redhook finally sees that all to familiar fire, that was just a merger spark hours before.

And if Redhook has a white box with an orange star on it, full of unique balster mods set aside- he wasn't going to say anything. Not until the kid needs it someday. That's the Shane way after all.

thank you for sharing you HC I love it and will cherish it forever in my cold little sad mage heart, @mrros-e also, very honored to be your first reblog☆.

[imagine-you]

writin' you a letter and I don't know where to start part 1 of 3 [steve harrington/reader]

summary: You think leaving Hawkins will be a painless and easy farewell, but when you reconnect with Steve Harrington the night before you're set to leave town, you realize there's something still left in Hawkins you'll miss. You decide to write Steve a letter and when he writes back, you can't help but feel thrilled to reforge your connection with him. It's easy to fall in love with Steve, but when you fall out of touch again, you think you're officially done with him once and for all. Years later, you're visiting your parents in Hawkins for Christmas, when a deputy pulls you over and you realize maybe Hawkins and Steve aren't done with you. word count: 1.5k author's note: this was meant to be a oneshot, but I had a family emergency this week and I couldn't finish this. but the thought of not posting anything depressed the hell out of me even more than I already am, so here's part one. so much thought and love has gone into planning this fic, so to entice you a bit more, part two involves letters and longing while part three involves deputy!steve and reconciliation. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas. 💖

part one / part two / part three

Most people your age either dreaded the news that they would have to leave their whole life behind or find it exciting to wipe the slate clean and start all over. You supposed you felt it was bittersweet to leave Hawkins, but you were interested in seeing what life in Chicago had in store for you. Your dad had lost his job in Hawkins, since most businesses were either going out of business or abandoning the town in favor of greener pastures. Most businesses were heading for bankruptcy either because Hawkins now had a public image as a hellscape or because Starcourt Mall was set to open its doors in a few months, sweeping in to snatch away sales and customers.  

Your father had been offered a job at your grandfather's company and your mom was ecstatic at the thought of having more money to spend. You didn't feel like leaving Hawkins was the worst thing that could happen to you, but you still felt like you were leaving behind a few loose ends.  

You had never had many friends. Not since you hit junior high and suddenly everyone was concerned with whether or not they were 'cool.' You figured by the time you hit ninth grade and you could only count one or two people in the cafeteria who probably wouldn't give you shit for sitting with them that you had fallen short of the popularity standard everyone else had set.  

So, while you didn't mind moving away from Hawkins, you would mourn the easier times you had when you were a kid and it seemed like everyone was your friend. When everyone got an invite to the birthday parties and everyone got a card for Valentine's day. When you played tag with future cheerleaders and basketball players on the playground and shared popsicles in the park on hot summer days.  

You supposed nostalgia was to blame for why you had talked yourself into attending Tina's Christmas party. Everyone would be there, or so Tina liked to boast, and since you practically had one foot out the Hawkins door, you could make yourself say goodbye to the best memories from your past and rid yourself of anything tethering you to the place where you grew up.  

You felt out of place as you walked into Tina's house. There was a keg stand and raucous laughter and dancing and cheering. You were so out of practice socializing with so many people around that you froze inside the doorway, not sure where to start.  

Your decision was made for you when a girl you didn't even recognize passed by you and handed you a cup of punch.  

"Gotta get in the party mood! Turn that frown upside down!" She kept walking, falling into the arms of a guy who was evidently waiting for her across the room.  

You considered the punch before downing the drink, wincing at the amount of vodka in it. You hadn't even been aware that you were frowning, so if this helped you loosen up a bit and make the best of your last night in Hawkins among people you used to call friends, then you would rely on a little liquid courage. You set your sights on a game of beer pong that was happening across the room and decided to start there.  

You found yourself drifting from one group of people to the next, mentally saying your farewells while you soaked up the last vestiges of nostalgia Hawkins still held for you.  

By the time the clock struck midnight, you were leaning against the wall, nursing a glass of water while you watched people dance to Christmas music. The song changed from one to the next and you perked up at the opening notes of your favorite Christmas song coming out of the sound system.  

"Wanna dance?" 

You startled, not even realizing that someone had approached you. When you turned to look, you were surprised to see that it was Steve standing there, considering you. You hadn't talked to Steve in what felt like years but you must have said 'hi' to him or nodded at him occasionally at school. There was a time in your life when Steve was your best friend, but those days were long gone and now you were standing next to a stranger.  

"What?" You asked, at a loss for any other way to respond.  

"This is your favorite, right?" He reminded you, gesturing towards the speakers where the song was pouring into the room. Darlene Love was begging her baby to please come home for Christmas and you couldn't deny that the song had a hold on you. The idea of dancing with Steve among all the other couples while listening to the song felt exhilarating.  

"You remember that?" You hadn't had an actual conversation with Steve since you were eleven years old, but the fact that he would remember something like your favorite Christmas song touched you. You might not be having playdates or inviting each other to your birthday parties anymore, but maybe you still meant something to him.  

"Yeah," he answered, shrugging his shoulders like it meant nothing. "So, you wanna dance or keep holding the wall up? Because I'm pretty sure the song's halfway over and you're gonna be sad if you miss it.  

You rolled your eyes, barely resisting the urge to reach out and pull on Steve's hair like you would have if you were still kids. You figured at the very least you might as well dance with Steve. Tonight was your last chance for farewells and a dance with Steve Harrington sounded like the perfect way to end the night. You nodded your head in answer and Steve took your hand. You felt a fluttering in the pit of your stomach that had you hoping it was dark enough that Steve wouldn't realize how flustered you were feeling.  

Steve pulled you towards the dancing couples and turned, tugging on your hand until you were pressed against him. You felt a dizzying sense of déjà vu and a memory rushed unbidden to the forefront of your mind.  

"What?" Steve asked, sounding suspicious. "Why are you smiling like that?" 

You couldn't help the laugh that escaped your mouth as you leaned forward to rest your head on his shoulder. It was easy to fall into step with Steve, like you had been doing this little dance for years, swaying together and orbiting each other. "Remember that awful party our parents made us go to? We were five or something and the only kids there and Mrs. Lee thought it would be adorable if she taught us how to waltz." 

Steve groaned and shook his head. "I needed to ice my feet that night because you kept stepping all over them. You couldn't get the timing right." 

"Me?" You scoffed, helpless against the smile that was still tugging at your lips. "You elbowed me in the eye and I had to take my very first school picture all bruised," you said before bringing a hand up and gesturing at your face.  

"Well, on the bright side, at least we've both gotten better at dancing," he offered, his mouth tilted to the side in a hopeful smirk. "You haven't tried to crush any of my toes yet." 

"There's still time," you joked, pretending to pick your foot up with the intention of bringing it down on Steve's left shoe.  

"Alright, alright," he sighed, reeling you back in. You hadn't even noticed that you had drifted away until you were suddenly aware of Steve's heartbeat echoing through your body and the feel of his breath against the shell of your ear. "So, this is goodbye? I heard about your dad's job." 

"Yeah," you answered, fluster swiftly twisting into melancholy. You hadn't even realized there was anything in Hawkins that you would actually miss until that very moment. "We leave tomorrow." 

Steve let out a low whistle, pulling away until he could get a good look at you. "You ever gonna come back here?  

You shrugged your shoulders. "I don't know," you told him, mind spinning from having all of Steve's focus on you. "I don't know if I'll ever have a reason to." 

Steve hummed in thought before he pulled you forward again, but it wasn't to continue dancing, since the song had already ended. Steve's arms wrapped around you and it took you a second to realize Steve was hugging you. And then before you could even think to reciprocate, he was pulling back, a small, wistful smile on his face. "Don't forget all about us in Chicago, alright? We’ll miss you here." 

And then he was walking away, leaving you speechless and confused.  

That night, you were curled up on your mattress that was left lying in the center of your room so you could get one last good sleep in Hawkins before you left. You pulled your blanket tighter around you, your mind on Steve and the childhood feelings you had felt for him bubbling up and threatening to overwhelm you.  

Maybe Hawkins held nothing for you, but you couldn't help but think that Steve Harrington sure did. 

part two

[razzmothazz]

Makoto lore drop whaaaat [mostly just for me but posting it for anyone else that was interested, its kinda vague rn but ill expand it later]

-mostly uses he/him but doesnt mind other pronouns

-owner of the units sekai

-drowning in guilt after an accident + additional trauma made him feel like hes bringing misfortune to people [mostly coming from family making him feel that way]

-struggles with close connections because he convinced himself that he doesnt need them/will only hurt people etc.

-keeps accidentally making friends/getting close to people despite trying to avoid that [its always in the silliest ways too]

-constant struggle with the thought that he should hurt someone and be distant so he can be alone vs how could i ever hurt my friends when they love me and care about me so much

-struggles with empathy and showing [mainly positive] emotions

-very close with his sister, the only bond he never ever thought to break

-loves fashion!! mainly fancy clothes, he often buys 2nd hand and makes the clothing way fancier himself, only shopping at the mall/regular stores occasionally

-he loves going out and admire other peoples outfits while doing whatever it is he needs to do but he ends up feeling like an idiot for staring at strangers

-autism. his special interests are early 2000's fps horror[ish] games and fucking. physics. but specifically the kind that has to do with nuclear stuff like nuclear weapons history, radiation etc. idk how else to specify it but yeah. he went fucking crazy for half-life btw

-big fan of creepy things in general, has a lot of odd figurines of creepy little critters in his room displayed on a shelf. before anyone asks yes, he was a creepypasta kid.

-loves the aesthetic of abandoned stuff and finds it comforting. somehow

-very active on social media, likes to post snippets of music he makes, believes that his music brings luck to those listening and thats how he "fights off" the misfortune he brings

-loves admiring nature!! will often go on walks just to see some pretty flowers. often compliments rui on his work with the school garden, he thinks rui has magic hands or something cause personally makoto could NOT keep a plant alive for even a week so .

-has something of a persona? hes very chill and a down to earth guy, but for reasons unknown to him he seems to always speak fancier and puts on a demeanor of someone with a huge ego/smartass when around people he doesnt know well/at all. sometimes he catches himself doing that even around those close to him, tho to a lesser extent. it seems to make less people want to befriend him tho, so he doesnt exactly mind. hes still polite when he does that but it always throws people off somewhat, gives the vibe of some fancy pants rich guy pretending to be an average joe or however else u wanna describe it

thats all for now, some of these might change but this is what i have for now :3

[sensei-venus]

Could you maybe write something with Hawk and a plus size gf who feels pressured to lose weight and when she does lose some weight she doesn't feels good about it? And he finds her crying because she feels ugly?

(This is short & unedited, might add on to this and post on ao3 at some point.)

“Fuck off Hawk, she doesn't want to talk to you right now.”

Tory's voice was snarky as she leaned against y/n bedroom door. Her eyes narrowed at the teen in front of her.

Hawk raised a brow saying “Why are you even here? I was supposed to take y/n out for a date to the mall today. No way in hell I would let you tag along. She's my girlfriend, why can't I see her?” the thought of simply shoving the girl out of the way and going straight into y/n room was quickly bubbling up in the back of his mind. For a moment they just stud there. Hawk crossed his arms as he waited for some kind of reply. He got nothing.

That was until a muffled sob came from behind the closed door that Tory leaned against.

Tory huffed as she replied back “She just doesn't want anyone to see her right now especially you.” She tried to stand her ground. Hawk was quickly becoming irritated by the blond. The small muffled cry’s only increased the longer they stood infront of the closed door. Hawk’s could feel his impatient nature starting to bloom. A split second later he was scoffing before shoving the girl to the side and opening the door. Running into the room he quickly locked the door before Tory could try and get in behind him. He smirked for a second before turning to look around the room.

Clothes where thrown about making it look like some kind of tornado had hit. Pants and shirts lined the floor. Skirts and shorts where layered on y/n bed making it impossible to sit down on. His eyes scanned around the room trying to find where the source of the crying was coming from. He finally made his way around her bed to find her sitting on her floor, eyes glued to the body length mirror. Her eyes where puffy and glossed over with tears. He could tell she had been crying for a while from the tear streaks down her cheeks. He could even make out a few droplets that fell onto her neck.

“Hey now, why are you crying Princess? And why does your room look like someone trashed the place.” Hawk said as he kneeled down and slowly sat beside her on the floor. She sniffled out a soft “Remember how I said I wanted to loss some weight? Just a little so maybe I could fit into that cute skirt you bought me at the mall a few weeks back.” Hawk nodded, remembering how he had accidentally picked up the wrong size, he had found a cute skirt that he knew y/n would love. The style fit her perfectly in his eyes. It wasn't until he gave them to her as a gift that he realised he grabbed the wrong size. He offered to take it back and get the right size, but she quickly told him it was ok and that maybe she could loss just a few pounds and could fit into them. It was a excuse to try and loss some weight for a promising goal of fitting into a brand new skirt.

“Well I lost the weight and thought I would wear it when we went out, because when I tried them on I finally fit in them.”

Hawk could only grin and smile. Happy that his girlfriend had meet a goal that she was really trying for. Smiling he said “Well that’s great! I knew you could do it, you have been trying so hard the past few weeks to meet your goal. I’m really proud of you, why don’t you put it on and we go out now.”

Before he could say anything, she was crying again.

“I’m so fucking ugly in this! Why would I go out like this, I’m just going to embarrass the both of us Hawk!” Her tears where flowing heavy now down her cheeks. She stud up, showing the cute skirt he had bought her. Hawk’s gaze hardened as he looked at her saying “What are you talking about you look great! I love it, you look hot.” his eyes never leaving her body as he looked up at her from the floor. She stood up next to her, both of them looking in the mirror. She harshly grabbed at her lower stomach, gripping the soft flesh of one of her rolls. Hawk quickly pulled her hands away saying “Hey stop that, I like it.” he rubbed at the softness of her belly for a moment.

Huffing he looked at her saying “Y/n, I know for a fact I have said it before and I will say it again. I don't care what you weigh or even what YOU think you look like. I love you because of who you are, both on the inside and outside. I like you big, medium or small. Your always going to be attractive to me no matter what. And guess what, fuck everybody who says or thinks anything about you just because you have some chub, because me and a whole bunch of other people like Tory don’t care either. Because your beautiful, no matter what you look like.”

He rubbed at some of the tears on her cheeks and under eyes before smiling.

“Now dry those tears and let’s get going. Your going to wear that skirt out on our date, for me, because your hot and I want to show you off today.”

[seannesruins]

ANATOMY OF A FALLOUT

This may seem like a sympathy begging post but so be it dahil Tumblr lang naman ang outlet ko haha.

I've been wanting to watch Anatomy of a Fall since its theatrical release last year. Unfortunately, SM Cinemas screened it for a week only and I was not able to catch it then. Next I heard it was screening in Cinema 76 in Morato but the screenings were mostly on weekdays and early timeslots on weekends, both not feasible given my work schedule. That's why when I heard that FDCP is screening it in Cinematheque, I knew this was my one and only chance to catch it on the big screen before it gets into a streaming service, or something.

I asked my girlfriend, of course, because we haven't had the chance to celebrate our monthsary yet. We agreed to watch it yesterday, and agreed to meet up around 2pm because I still have work in the morning, while she wanted to sleep in late because it was her rest day.

It started off okay. I arrived first and got our tickets, she arrived a few minutes later and we went to Robinson's Place Manila for a late lunch. We went to Timezone to kill some time until the movie starts. Everything was okay until the movie ended.

It was 7:30 and she said that she's hungry so we walked around Taft Avenue to find a place to eat but she refused ALL the fast food that we passed by so we walked towards Padre Faura (From Kalaw) to go back to Robinson's. After walking around the mall, she looked at me annoyingly and said

GF: "Maglalakad na lang ba tayo? Nagugutom na ko."

Me: "Ano bang gusto mo? Kasi ikaw yung gutom diba, bakit ako ang tinatanong mo?"

GF: "Wag na kumain, umuwi na tayo."

Then she proceeded to walk to the mall exit. I followed close by. When we got to Pedro Gil, she asked what jeep to take. Mind you, I am not that familiar with public transport because I'm used to having a driver around. I told her that we have to walk back to Taft to get a jeepney bound to EDSA

GF: "Lakad na naman, wala na tayong ginawa kundi maglakad."

Me: "Mag book ka na."

GF: "Bakit kailangan sumigaw?"

My voice may have been raised, but it was because the streets were filled with people and she's giving me that attitude in the middle of all that.

Me: "Puro ka reklamo, pagod din naman ako."

Then I proceeded to walk towards Taft, with her trailing behind. We went home in silence. She ignored me from 8 in the evening. Not a single fucking word. Usually when she gives me the silent treatment, I would try to fix things, but even then she wouldn't talk to me until I am at the edge of my emotions, not until I've begged and begged and have drowned in my tears. Last night was different. I tried really hard to keep it in. I sent her a message at 1:30am.

Gustong kumain pero walang mapiling kainan dahil wala akong self awareness???

Yes, I've been cheated on and I lost a part of me in that relationship. I have posted about it here a couple of times. And to share that vulnerable side of me, only to be used against me in an argument dahil hindi ko kayang hulaan na gutom sya. Dahil sa gutom nya naging kasalanan ko pang niloko ako.

Kasalanan ko rin na ginusto kong manood ng movie. After a heated exchange of conversation, she stopped responding. And that's what triggered me the most. How can she just leave in the middle of an argument??? I went to my room and asked her to leave at 3am.

She didn't move. She said inaantok na daw sya, and that's when I lost it. Feeling ko there was something that snapped in me. Hindi ko deserve yung ganitong basura treatment. To not be heard, to not be reassured. Mas important yung gutom at antok nya sa buong relationship namin??? I started screaming until she gets up. I never have ever done that to anyone in my entire life. No one has pushed me to that limit before. But she was not done yet. She took her time packing her things while I am screaming for her to leave, even at the end, she couldn't adjust for me. She even asked me to lock the main door behind her. Have my tear strained face not evident of the emotional pain she has caused me already??? Hindi nya talaga kayang ako naman ang intindihin? That I want her gone that instant.

Ang babaw. Ang babaw but she refused to fix things before it reached this point. I am so tired emotionally. And the worst thing is that she never acknowledged her faults without arguing about it first. I never got an apology without BEGGING for it. And in her mind ako pa rin ang mali, ako pa rin ang may kasalanan. And we can only fix things if I apologize. This time I want to give myself the validation na hindi ako ang may mali.

[genlossneg]

Oh my god I literally cannot convey to you that stumbling on this blog felt like seeing the sunlight again after being trapped underground for months. I thought I was crazy for finding fault with genloss because I have not seen any actual valid criticism anywhere and I thought I was losing my mind for not seeing the glory that is the, ‘next wave of indie horror content’.

Please.

There’s more horror in an average retail store on any given weekend than this entire series has in its three episodes.

Christ I don’t even know where to begin with this thing.

I’m not a film student but I’ve read the other film student anons’ posts and they are so incredibly right. There is so much about the series that felt hastily thrown together and I also loathe the phrase ‘intentionally bad’ when it’s something that’s been hyped up for as long as it has and yet, fell so incredibly flat. I have never been more bored, irritated, and confused watching a piece of media before, and have continued to feel this way as I watch diehard fans of Ranboo tout how great of a series it is?

Hey, Boobers- cmere, let me tell you a secret, genloss ain’t all it’s cracked up to be.

It’s a lukewarm, lackluster production at best, and if I didn’t know going in that this was supposed to be Ranboo’s passion project, it literally feels like a school assignment he had only the bare interest in putting together. God this thing has no soul. It has no spark. And it hurts so much to know that this is what this great incredibly hyped-up project became, because from how they talked about it, it's obvious Ranboo loves this thing, and I wanted to love it too.

But it ain’t good. And someone should’ve told him long before now it needs massive edits, and I get it, getting hard criticism is painful and isn't fun, but if it makes your end product better, your piece of entertainment content more enjoyable for the consumer, then you gotta listen and bare it.

I’m an author and I know they do it because they love me, but whenever my editors are like ‘ayo this shit is whack wtf you talking about’ it does hurt my pride but!!!! But!!!!!!!! I go back and take a harder look at that section and sometimes I stand by what I wrote, but other times I now see what was wrong with it and make the edits. Sometimes entire concepts have to get cut to trim down the story and make it more cohesive and that also sucks, but you just tuck those ideas away for later or another project, and tbh I do not feel like anyone did this with the genloss concept.

This entire story feels like it is stapled together and there is literally no through line!! It is a random bag of ideas mashed together to form what I imagine an AI would generate if you typed in ‘mall, horror, evil cooperation’. Fuck it hurts. It hurts so much to be someone that is so passionate about storytelling and writing to see genloss get the attention it has, and for Ranboo to be praised for their ‘excellent writing skills’.

I do understand this was probably their second real attempt at writing a story for public consumption (first being his character’s arc in the dsmp), and like, nothing anyone writes on their second attempt to tell a story is gonna be great. Mine wasn’t, no writer’s is, and that’s okay I really genuinely get that, my problem is how the production was hyped up, how the budget was apparently blown on so much wasteful crap, and then how no one with experience telling stories took a look at his concept before production began.

It makes me sick to know that box cost 18k. Do you know what I, and many other small creators, could do with that kinda money?

This was a few weeks ago? Maybe last week? But Ranboo said over here on the tumbles that they were thinking about genloss in written form, IE a book, and I think I literally blacked out I got so angry. I am also writing a book (hahahaha hi it is not easy!) and I honestly don’t think it's half bad, but I have still been fighting tooth and nail to get eyes on it and nothing makes me angrier than knowing Ranboo could slap some half-baked shit into a word doc, get whatever kind of fancy printing they wanted, and sell more copies than I likely ever will.

I don’t wish anything ill on the dude, he seems like a nice person and I hope he succeeds, but jesus christ, someone needs to be real with them on their writing and story construction. TBH I think a large part of the problem is how rabid his fanbase is, so any kind of criticism gets buried under threats and just, people blowing smoke up his ass, and that is not helpful to him as a creator!! Dude wants to grow and improve, stop telling them genloss is the best thing since sliced bread!!

Let him get his feelings hurt over this, let them take that and make it their drive, let him know he can do better.

If you keep settling for mediocrity, you never push yourself to do something great.

But that’s just my two cents. Thank you for letting me word vomit in your inbox, I have been going crazy and I will likely be back <3

-the author anon

this blog is collecting anons representing all the creative aspects of gen loss like pokemon. first film student anon. now author anon.

but in all seriousness i'm glad this blog is a breath of fresh air for you <3 you're right! my first couple attempts at writing (mostly fanfiction, some original) i am very glad they do not exist online. part of writing well is being kind of really bad at it for a bit. ive taken a writing class (in college) and the entire foundation of that class was "we will write and then your classmates will give you feedback" and it made a lot of my work so much better. feedback is like. how you get good and i feel like you're right, the fanbase does drown a lot of that out (hence me making a dedicated blog!)

i hadn't heard of the gen loss book concept before this but. i can't imagine it would be super great at the current form of gen loss is in. and writing is so much more than "here's the plot" like. establishing a good setting and sense of place and making us actually connect with the protagonist and. author anon that awakened something in me

Let him get his feelings hurt over this, let them take that and make it their drive, let him know he can do better. If you keep settling for mediocrity, you never push yourself to do something great.

anyways. great thoughts! reposting that quote for those in the back :)

[blazingsaza]

Becoming "Mother of Succulents" Day 34:

First of all,

My roster is growing, LESSGOOOO!!!

Since the last time i've posted these, i've bought more succulents in batches. I tried to bring home the adult ones too just to compare since all i've bought were babies (with roots).

TIPS FOR FELLOW BEGGINERS: if you live somewhere hot and humid and you wanna take home a succulent that's been living it's life in nursery where it's cool and breezy,

DO NOT GET THE ADULT ONES! These plants have been pampered and living their best life in the nursery. So when you take them to the real world, they're prone to get stressed, sunburned and eventually ded.

It is better to care the smaller ones because they didn't spend their time long enough in the nursery, so it's easier for them to get acclimated in new environments.

Second, I hate to be the bearer of the bad news, i killed both Echeveria Lola (it rotted 😭) and String of Pearls (apparently i didn't know how to care string plants 🥲).

We're down to 2 in this pot. Sadge😭

Also, Topsyturvy is in a bad shape. (I didn't take pictures of her when she was at her lowest unfortunately)

I'm not exactly sure what was the cause of Turvy's deteriorating health, her leafs are getting yellow and just kept shrivelling, prunning, getting smaller and smaller. My research didn't really answer my questions either, but it gave me solution. I gave her an NPK succulent fertilizer, succulent booster and Liquinox B1 vitamins once a week. So my guess, she was both dehydrated and stressed.

After 3 weeks, she grew some healthier roots. Her colors are also returning and produce more farina. She's not 100% recovered yet but she is getting better 🤲📿

To my surprise, portulaca seems to be thriving! LESSGOOOOO!!

They seems to be more resilient, so i bought another one LOL

And now for the wild card: i went to a nearby mall. As it turns out, they're having a bazar. As far as i can see, they only sold clothings, jewelries and some other knick knacks.

So COLOR ME SURPRISE WHEN I FOUND A BONSAI TENNANT!

Of course i bought one 🤣

This is my Micro Cherry Blossom that allegedly will flower for twice a year

What i've learnt from tending these plants:

My dumbass always thought that plants needs sunlight to photosynthesis, therefore the more sunlight the better.

Wrong.

It doesn't matter what type of plants that i'm having, if the sunlight is too hot then direct light will most likely be burning my plants. Best direct sunlight for my plants would be from 6am - 9am MAX. Any later than that, it'll burn the plants. ESPECIALLY since i'm living in a tropical country. So usually, i'd move them inside until the sun doesn't scorch my porch anymore.

There's also the matter of watering. My bonsai can be watered once a day everyday but my succulents? They need to be neglected for a while. "For how long tho?" Is the question i asked the internet. Most answers "every 2 weeks". But those answers came from ppl who lives in 4 season countries and I ASSUME it's not as hot as where i am. I tried to water them after 2 weeks and Topsyturvy paid the price 😭. I also noticed my Jade's leafs gotten rrreeeaaallly soft and turning yellow after a week. So instead, i watered them once a week and give them the nutritions they need every 2 weeks.

Welp- that's all the updates regarding plants. I apologize for the lack of art contents. I am very much stressed out bcs of my upcoming wedding preparations and it affected my creative juices. These plants soothes me a lot, so i hope y'all don't mind 🙏

More plant updates and (hopefully) artworks, anon!