#i work a day job with a dress code these are my weekend looks

[flyttadigs]

per the post from doubleca5t about LBGTs that serve cunt on the regular and how they could style other gays: a small sample of outfits from the past year (⁠ㆁ⁠ω⁠ㆁ⁠) they/them

[inthe-dark-tonight]

Falling Into My Sins

chapter three: balled up fists

dbf!joel x fem!reader series - loosely inspired by the song skin by soccer mommy

chapter 1 chapter 2 chapter 4 chapter 5 chapter 6

summary: tommy and joel walk into your new job and you decide to confront joel about the events that took place at sunday night dinner. the only thing is, joel isn't alone.

word count: 2.5k

series rating: E (18+ mdni)

warnings: no outbreak AU, age gap (reader is in their 20s, Joel is in his 40s) no use of y/n, no physical description of reader, tommy and reader flirt a little, player!joel, joel being a gaslighter sorry, ANGST, theres one part where joel grabs readers wrist kinda roughly bc she’s… doing something so be aware of that, if i’m missing anything let me know!!

notes: okayyyyy here we go, i don’t want to spoil anything so… let me know what you guys think of this chapter :) thank you again to my love @shatteredbaby for proofreading for me again, i owe you my life mwah. can't forget my literal mother @pr0ximamidnight for letting me ramble for hours <3

It’s Friday morning now and Joel never got back to you. You didn’t send another text after your last one, afraid that you would seem desperate or annoying. You’ve been busy this week anyway so you try not to let it bother you.

One of the jobs you applied for finally called back, so you went in for an interview on Tuesday morning and they already have you working your first shift tonight. It’s a waitressing job, which isn’t exactly what you were hoping for, but you applied for anything and everything, just happy to be working again. It will also be good to get your mind off of everything that’s happened last weekend. 

You finish getting ready for work. Your shift starts in about an hour but you want to be early for your first day. As you leave your room, you grab your purse and your apron before running down the stairs. Your dad’s in the living room and you shout out to him. 

“I’m leaving! I’m not off until midnight so see you tomorrow!” 

“See ya bud, have fun!” He shouts back. 

You shut the door behind you and walk down your front steps to your car. As you walk to your car, you glance across the street towards Joel’s house. His truck isn’t in the driveway. You haven’t seen him at all this week, not even a quick glimpse as he was leaving for work or coming home. You saw Sarah come home from school a few times, but no Joel. 

You get into your car and turn the radio on, trying to shake the memory of the other night from your mind. You pull away, past Joel’s house and out of the neighborhood. The job you got is at a local diner near your house. Unfortunately though, it’s a 24hr diner which means you’ll probably be working nights most of the time but you’re just happy to be working again.

You pull up to the diner and step out of your car, grabbing your purse and tying your black apron around your waist. The one good thing about this job is that the dress code is simple, all black. You walk in and one of the other waitresses, Betty, greets you as you walk up to the counter. 

“Hi hon, welcome to work!” She smiles at you. 

She's an older woman, probably in her late fifties, and she’s very friendly. She was here the day of your interview and she chatted with you as you sat waiting for the manager to be ready for you. 

“Hi” you smile shyly at her.

“I’m gonna be training you tonight,” she starts. “There isn’t a lot to learn, I think you’ll get the hang of it easily so I’m just kinda here if you need any help.” 

You nod your head and follow her behind the counter. She takes about fifteen minutes to show you the ropes, how to use the register and things of that sort.

“Okay well,” she starts taking a deep breath. “I think you got this, I trust ya.” She winks at you. “It’s gonna be pretty slow for the next few hours, just watch the counter for now, I’ll handle any tables that come in.” 

You nod, acknowledging that you understand and then she walks into the back. You look around the diner noticing that there’s practically nobody in there. One booth in the back corner is occupied by an older man reading the paper and sipping on a black coffee, but that’s it. 

About an hour later you hear the bell on the door jingle as someone enters the diner. Your head whips towards the door and you see a familiar face, Tommy Miller. His face lights up as his eyes meet with yours and he walks towards the counter.

“Hey,” he glances around the empty diner, then his eyes land back on you. “Guess you heard back from some of the application’s you sent out huh?”

“Hi,” you laugh a little at his comment. “Yeah uh, I did. Today’s my first day actually.” 

He takes a seat at the counter and you hand him a menu. “Does that make me your first customer?” he raises his brow and smiles at you. 

“Yeah actually.”

“Hmmm, I’ll have to test ya then.” He opens the menu. 

You let out a small laugh “Can I get you anything? Coffee?” You watch as Tommy glances over the menu. 

He doesn’t look up at you. “Yeah actually, I’ll take a coffee while I wait.” 

Wait for what? You don’t ask. You walk to grab the coffee pot and a mug, setting it down to fill it in front of him. 

“Thanks darlin’,” he looks up at you and your cheeks heat up. 

“No problem, let me know when you’re ready.” You turn around to replace the coffee pot. 

Suddenly the doors open again, you hear the bell but you don’t turn around to look until you hear a woman laughing. You look up and your face immediately drops. 

It’s Joel Miller, and his arm is wrapped around some woman as they walk towards a booth. He doesn’t see you yet as he slides into a booth by the window, sitting on the side that faces you. Tommy turns his head glancing at him, then turns back to you. 

“Christ, when I told him to meet me after his date I didn’t think he’d bring the woman along.” Tommy rolls his eyes. 

Joel was on a date? You just hum in response, not sure what to say. You look back towards Joel, he’s smiling as he leans on the table. Once his eyes meet with yours his smile disappears. You immediately snap your eyes away from him and focus back on Tommy. 

“Ready?” You smile at him. 

He looks up at you giving you a cheeky grin “Yeah,” he rubs the back of his neck as he talks. “Gonna keep it simple I think, just a burger and fries.” 

You jot it down on your pad and then quickly rip the paper off. “You got it.” You wink at him, eyes meeting with Joel’s for a quick second before you turn around to place the order with the line cooks. 

When you turn around, Tommy’s cheeks are slightly flushed. Then you see Betty come out from the back and walk towards Joel’s table to take their order. You try not to stare as you try to catch a better glimpse at the woman he’s here with. She has long blonde wavy hair, and as she turns her head to say something to Betty you catch a glimpse of her side profile and blinding smile. You have to admit she’s quite gorgeous. Then Joel’s saying something to Betty before she walks back and gives her order to the line cooks. His eyes flicker to yours again, and then to the woman he’s sitting with. 

Your blood is boiling but you’re trying not to show it. How was he fucking you the other night and now he’s here with someone else? 

“So, what’ve you been up to this week?” Tommy says, snapping you out of your thoughts. 

“Oh nothing much,” You smile, a bit distracted.

He hesitates for a moment. “Got anything going on tomorrow?” He’s looking at you with his large brown eyes. 

You notice Joel is watching you like a hawk, dark eyes burning straight through you as you’re talking to Tommy. You peel your eyes away from Joel and look back to Tommy.

“Not sure, I don’t think so.” 

“If you’re free, maybe we could go to this bar downtown?” He stops for a second. “I mean, if not, that’s fine just-“ 

“I’ll let you know.” You smile at him before turning to grab his food and placing it in front of him. 

“Thanks.” he glances up at you quickly. 

You nod and then look back towards Joel. He gets out of the booth and the woman follows. As she stands up, he pulls her into an embrace before waving bye to her and sitting back down. As the woman walks out, you finally get a look at her. She’s gorgeous, luscious hair bouncing as he walks towards the door. She glances over at you and smiles before pushing on the door and leaving. You’re frozen there for a moment, before looking back towards Joel. You need to talk to him. 

“I’ll be right back.” Tommy looks up at you with wide eyes, nodding his head. 

You storm over to Joel, blood boiling. His eyes are locked on you the whole way over. When you get to his booth, you slide into the spot where the blonde woman was just sitting a moment ago and stare directly into his eyes. He shifts in his seat as your eyes stay glued to his. 

“We need to talk. Now.” The last part comes out low through gritted teeth and filled with anger as you try to keep it together. 

“What about, sweetheart?” He leans back, throwing his arm over the back of the booth. 

What about? He's got to be joking. You feel like you could snap any second, and you think he can tell by the look in your eyes. 

“Joel.” It comes out as a warning. 

“Okay, okay,” he glances around the diner. “Not in here.” He gets up from the booth and you follow him as he walks towards the door. 

Joel walks outside and you call out to Betty saying that you’re taking a quick break, she just waves you off. You walk out the door and look both ways before spotting Joel leaning against his truck. You walk towards him slowly, thinking about what you want to say. You stand in from of him, practically fuming at the way he’s acting so nonchalant, like he didn’t fuck you up against the side of your father’s home five nights ago and then ghost you. 

“So,” You say, finally breaking the silence. 

“So.” He says back. 

You’re silent for a moment, trying to collect your thoughts. “What exactly is going on, Joel,” your eyes meet his and your stomach flips. 

“Not sure what you’re talkin’ about.” He clears his throat and breaks eye contact with you, looking down at his boots. 

So he’s going to play dumb, you see how it is. “Seriously?” You shake your head still looking at him. 

He looks up at you apprehensively, like he’s afraid to meet your gaze. “Seriously, what are you on about.” His brows knit together as he looks at you.

You take a step closer to him. “You’re going to act like you didn’t fuck me behind my dad’s house less than a week ago?” Your voice starts to raise and he’s just staring back at you now.

“I-“ you cut him off. 

“No, let me finish.” You’re ready to let it all out. “You left abruptly Sunday night, practically ghosted me when we had plans Tuesday, and then showed up here… on a date?” He doesn’t say anything. “And then you have the nerve to ask me what we need to talk about.” 

He shoves one hand into his pocket and the other rubs at the scruff on his cheek. 

“Just tell me, were you lying when you said you didn’t want to forget about the night we met? That you wanted me,” You swallow thickly, afraid that you might not like his answer. “Was I just another girl to add to your list?” 

His jaw ticks as he stands there silently. “Yeah.” He’s still not looking at you. “It was just a fuck, that’s all.” 

You scoff. “You’re sick.” His eyes snap up to you. “Even after you found out that my dad is your best friend, who does that?” You shake your head, he has a smug look on his face that makes you just wanna- 

Your hand reaches up to slap him, but he catches your wrist before your hand even gets close to his cheek. He’s breathing heavily, anger burning behind his eyes.

“The hell are you doing?” He says it through gritted teeth. “Tryin’ to hit me?” 

You just stare at him. “You deserve it, don’t you think?” Your voice slightly breaks as the words come out. 

He grabs your other wrist and spins you around pressing you up against his truck. You try to wriggle away but he’s too strong. You’re speechless as you stand there in his grasp, a shocked look on your face. 

He’s breathing heavy as he towers over you, dark eyes staring at your parted lips now. His eyes meet yours, you have no idea what his next move will be. 

“Do I?” He’s close enough now that you can feel his breath fanning over your face. 

Your heart is racing. “Joel…” you breathe out.

Then he’s slamming his lips against yours, the kiss is needy and rough as he presses himself against you. You start to melt into him and then snap out of it, breaking the kiss. You push his solid chest as hard as you can, shoving him away from you. He slightly stumbles back releasing his grip on your wrists. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” He looks like a deer in headlights right now, stunned by your reaction. 

His mouth falls open but nothing comes out. You turn away from him and start walking back towards the door, taking a deep breath trying to hold back tears, not from sadness but from anger. Who does he think he is? 

When you open the door to the diner, Tommy’s head whips towards you. “Hey, were you on break?” He asks as you walk back behind the counter. 

“Yeah,” Your voice cracks a bit as you answer him. “So, about tomorrow,” you clear your throat.

Tommy’s eyes light up. “Yeah?”

Joel walks through the door making his way to Tommy, you glance at him before your eyes meet his brother’s again. 

“I’d love to go with you.” He smiles at your words. 

“Great, I’ll get you around 8?” He says, his dark chocolate eyes gleaming as you nod positively.

Joel’s standing behind Tommy, now staring you down. You’re unsure about how much he’s heard, but honestly, you could care less at this moment. 

“C’mon Tommy, we gotta go.” Joel says as he lightly pulls at Tommy’s sleeve. 

Tommy pulls out his wallet, setting some cash on the table for his meal then stands up. “See ya.” he’s holding back a smile.

You bite your cheek. “Yeah, see ya.” 

Joel’s standing by the door waiting for Tommy as you give him a deadly glare before clearing the counter and you hear the door to the diner close. You’re not sure what you’ve gotten yourself into, but you feel sort of excited for tomorrow night.

thank you for reading! feel free to comment or leave asks, i love to talk about this fic so I will almost always answer/chat :)

tag list and some moots: @ilovepedro @isitmeulookin4 @joelsversion @nostalxgic @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin @gracieheartspedro @jenispunk @beskarandblasters @javiscigarette @pedropascalfan221 @mellymbee @kaybee181520 @joeldjarin @akah565 @laurifern @chefchy4 @untamedheart81 @eliza-8 @fellinfromthetop @sofiparallel @znerac

[ahgasegotarmy116]

Still With You | A Jeon Jungkook Series Chapter 2

Summary: Jungkook comes over and makes dinner for a very sleepy Luna Pairing: Luna (reader) x Jungkook and Jimin, f2l love triangle Word Count: 5.9k~ Warnings: No real warning since I don't wanna spoil it 🤭 Start from the beginning

Trudging down the hall I punch in the access code and open the door to my apartment. I take my shoes off, set my stuff down, throw myself on my bed and scream into my pillow letting out all of the pent up anger and frustration I'm left with as a result of my shift today.

I flip over onto my back after letting out a heavy sigh and stare up at the ceiling, "There's no way there are that many stupid fucking people in this city" I say aloud. From drunks, pda obsessed teenagers, to perverts and really anything in between that can be labeled as a nuisance, I've dealt with. And that just in one day.

"I really need to get a new job" I huff rubbing my eyes, not minding the fact that I still have makeup on and sit up. Letting out another sigh I walk over to the kitchen to start making dinner. Or more like a late night snack at this point since it's already midnight. I still can't believe uncle made me stay this late, I guess it's just further punishment for being late today.

Looking inside my fridge I see that I have absolutely nothing to eat, "Great". I should've just picked something up at the store before I came home but I was too tired to even think about staying there another second. Picking up my phone to figure out what stores might be open at this hour I end up being interrupted by a FaceTime call.

"Hey Kook" I mumble, "Hey! What's wrong?" he asks, going from his smiling face to a concerned one. "Nothing really, just tired is all. I was thinking about walking over to the corner store near me to grab something for dinner real quick since I forgot to go grocery shopping the other day." I admit.

"This late? No, you stay home I'm coming over" he says getting up to grab his stuff. "No it's fine don't worry I'll figure something out" I say touched by his offer but feeling guilty at the same time. "Nope I don't care I'm coming over, any special requests?" he asks, picking the phone back up after putting his jacket on.

"You can pick" I say, happy at the thought of spending some time together. "Okay, can I spend the night?" he questions looking around his room for what I can only assume is his wallet.

"Do you even have to ask?" I chuckle, shaking my head. "I'm just checking" he laughs "I'll be there soon okay?". "Thank you, you're a lifesaver!" I breath out, feeling bless to have someone like him in my life. "Anything for you" he says and quickly ends the call. Smiling at his sentiment I turn my phone off and start getting ready for bed, it's just him so I don't feel the need to get dressed in anything other than comfortable clothes. 

I decide to take a quick shower as well to hopefully get rid of all the tension and irritation I still have built up in my body from all of the madness today. Luckily tomorrow I have the day off so I don't have to worry about going back there until the weekend. Although I'm working long shifts, at least I get to hang out with Jungkook again later on. 

I hear the door to my apartment open and close signaling his arrival, "Luna?" he calls out, trying to find me. "I'm in the shower, I'll be out in a sec" I yell hoping he can hear me over the running water. "Okay" he shouts back. I rush to finish up and walk out while still drying my hair with a towel, the atmosphere feeling so much lighter with him around. 

"You really didn't have to do this for me" I say walking over to him. "It's okay I wanted to, plus you looked tired so I didn't want you to have to worry about going out" he responds, bringing me in for a hug. He lets go after a while and nods towards the bathroom. 

"But I wanna eat first" I say pouting. "I don't care, go dry your hair. It's cold and I don't want you to be shivering all night because you're 'too lazy' to do it after we eat. Plus, I just brought some soup so it'll be easy to reheat. Now go!" he says raising his voice a bit at the end in an authoritative but playful manner. I roll my eyes and make my way back into the bathroom to do as he says not without protest again.

By the time I'm finished he has everything set out, ready and waiting for me. I look up at him in astonishment realizing he actually bought all the ingredients to make the soup and not just take out. 

"What's this? I thought you were just gonna pick up something quick, you didn't have to do all of this" I say, looking over all that he's brought. "I wanted to get you a few more things as well so it just seemed easier to do it this way" he says putting in the final ingredients and cutting the heat. 

He brings the pot over to the table and makes sure to place a hot plate underneath before setting it down and then stands back up looking over at my shocked expression with an amused smile. 

"So are you gonna sit down or what?" he teases. I roll my eyes as a result and sit down, him following after grabbing a bottle of soju. I glance up at him surprised yet again, "Looked like you needed it" he says, yet again amused with my reaction. "You know me so well" I say smiling back at him.

After we finish eating we move over to the couch and he decides to get down to business, "Okay what's wrong?" I look up at him confused as to where this is coming from. "What do you mean?" I question, genuinely confused. "You just look like you're hiding something. Like you're more on edge these days" he explains. 

The fact that he can clock these things about me before I even start to realize it is sometimes scary. Looking back I seem to realize that there has been a lot on my mind lately. 

"If there's something you need help with or if you want someone to talk to you know I'm here right?" he reassures me. 

"I didn't really realize that something might be wrong until you just mentioned it. I guess I've been subconsciously avoiding it" I start trying to sort through the many things that might be contributing to my change in demeanor. "And what would that be?" he questions, encouraging me to continue.

"I would say mainly money. I've been thinking about getting a new job or even just working two jobs because of how expensive things are with me living on my own. I'm already tired as is so juggling two job is just too much to think about let alone actually go through with. Just when I think I'm getting ahead and feeling like I could survive off of one, something goes wrong" I say verbally processing it all. 

"What's been going wrong? Is it your brother?" he questions, placing his hand on top of my knee. "No he's fine. Well, he's stable for the moment so that's all I could ask for right now. It's just, I don't know, I'm starting to slack off at work these days and I've been showing up late almost every other day and the only reason I still have this job is because my uncle is the owner" I say, hating that I have to admit this to him. 

"I just can't find the motivation to get up and get out of bed most days. Even when I do wake up on time I'm still dragging my feet until I'm out the door. Then as soon as I step outside the panic starts to settle in and I'm stressing trying to get there on time, knowing damn well I'll be late anyways" I continue and take a deep breath before continuing. 

"When I finally get there I'm anxious so it makes it difficult to focus and then I get in trouble on top of that and, I don't know. It's just been really difficult for me to stay afloat in all aspects of my life if I'm being honest" I let out. 

He pulls me closer and rests my head on his chest and I wrap my arms around his torso. "That's a lot. Do you how long you've been feeling like this?" he asks while rubbing my back, keeping his emotions level in an effort to keep me calm. 

"I guess I just never had the time to really stop and think about it. I mean I would've told you sooner but we've both got our own lives and struggles that we have to deal with. I don't have as many opportunities to spend time with you so when I do, I don't want to put a damper on the mood. I wanna have fun when we're together so it would make me feel selfish if I was to take away from that" I say feeling sad at the realization. 

"We made a promise to not grow apart and still be there for one another remember? We promised to tell each other everything" he argues. I pull away a bit to look up at him "But that was when we were kids and we practically saw each other everyday. We had plenty of time together so I didn't feel bad telling you when I was sad or stressed or angry or anything because it would almost feel weird not to" I explain. 

"I don't care about any of that" he says leaning towards me to brush a strand of hair behind my ear. "All I care about is you. You're my best friend and I want to be there for you, especially in those moments when you need someone to lean on. It's okay to ask for help, you don't have to be so strong all the time. Sometimes you need to feel weak and I want to be that person you can come to when you feel like that" he says cupping my face.

I close my eyes and lean into his touch, I start to feel tears welling up in my eyes so I go back to resting my head on his chest in an effort to hide them. "Thank you" I say, "For what?" he laughs. "For being my best friend. I just, I don't know what I'd do without you" I say bringing myself closer to him. 

"I don't know what I would do without you either. I need you to tell me when you're feeling like this okay?" he urges, "Okay" I agree, nodding into his chest. "Promise?" he says holding up his pinky finger. "Promise" I say as I wrap mine around his. 

"So what do you wanna do now?" I ask standing up and going to grab some more soju in an effort to break the ice and change the subject. "I don't mind, I'm here for you so whatever you wanna do is fine by me" he says. 

"Norebang?" I say with a smile on my face. "Norebang" he says smiling back. We spend the rest of the night singing, dancing and drinking in my apartment, helping me escape from reality for just a little bit. When I'm with him, it just feels like the rest of the world just fades away, like nothing else matters. It's just me and him against the world.

Once the last song plays we decide to sit down and take a breather while I start scouring the list to find the next one. "Luna" he says trying to get my attention. "Hm" is all I say in response still too focused on the task at hand. "I'm really glad I came" he admits while looking towards me with a fond smile. "Me too" I say mirroring his sentiment, taking my eyes off the screen. 

While I'm still looking over at him I can't help but see his eyes dart down to look at my lips and in turn I decide to glance down at his as well not knowing what kind of urge this might spark in him. He scoots closer to me and I can't help but widen my eyes in response. 

He settles next to me and I start to feel my heart rate pick up. He leans in and I shut my eyes, anxious as to what might happen but all I feel next is the remote being snatched out of my hand. I open my eyes realizing what just happened and reach out to take it back. 

"Hey! You said that I could pick the next song" I protest leaning up against him trying to grab it back as he stretches his arm out, making the remote out of my reach. "I changed my mind" he teases laughing at my effort. I in turn end up climbing onto his lap still trying to reach for the remote not really paying attention to what I'm doing and just focusing on my goal.

Then in a blink of an eye I find my back against the couch and Jungkook hovering over me. I can't help but feel confused with what his motive might be. "What are you doing?" I say feeling breathless. He looks down at me with a strong resolve and a mixed set  of emotions hiding in his expression but I can't quite tell what it is. 

I let my eyes wander, admiring each of his features. His rounded slightly hooded eyes, his strong brows, furrowed to match his intense gaze, his eyebrow piercing that he got over the summer, I never really liked them on guys but for some reason I can't help but think that it suits him well. 

Wandering down from there I take a second to glance at his scar which although he hates I can't help but adore since it's something that he's had since I met him and I wouldn't want to change a single thing about him. 

Ultimately my eyes wander and settle on his soft cupids bow, he hates how small his top lip looks but I think it's adorable and balances out with his full bottom lip but I tease him about it anyways and I end with staring at his lip rings for a second. Realizing moments later that we've been in this position for a while, I feel dumbfounded, not really know what to say or if I should say anything.

I glance up finally making eye contact with him again after taking in the view from his close proximity and I continue to let my question linger. 

"Can I kiss you?" he asks barely above a whisper. "I- what" I say feeling surprised by the request. "I said, can I kiss you?" he chuckles, repeating his question. "Why would you want to kiss me?" I question back. "I don't know, I just want to kiss you" he says settling on that explanation and not really wanting to elaborate on the subject further. 

I hesitate for a moment still not fully understanding how this happening and seeing my hesitation he backs off, giving me space to breathe, "It's okay just, just forget I said anything". 

Regaining a bit more awareness as to what just happened I sit up with a still perplexed expression and prod further. "No Jungkook why did you do that?" I say determined to get an answer. "I just, I don't know I've just been thinking about kissing you for a while and I wanted to see if you would let me" he says, looking down at his hands. Looking almost too embarrassed to meet my gaze. 

"But I'm your best friend, why would you wanna kiss me?" I say still not satisfied with his explanation. "Haven't you ever been curious about what it might be like to kiss me?" he questions finally looking up at me. "I-" I start not really knowing how to answer.

"It's okay you don't have to answer that" he says backing off the subject. "Well-" I start off after a period of silence. I can see his interest peek a bit hearing that I don't necessarily want to drop the subject. 

"It's just we're best friends right? So best friends shouldn't think about each other that way" I can see him start to wilt a bit, excitement starting to dwindle. "But I would be lying if I said I haven't thought about it before..." I say letting my voice get softer with each word. 

"So, would it be okay if I kiss you?" he questions trying to test the waters again. "But what would that mean for us?" I question not wanting to have a misunderstanding after the fact. "It doesn't necessarily have to mean anything. Unless you want it to" he finishes letting his voice trail off at the end. 

My heart starts beating faster and I feel apprehensive, still not sure if it's a good idea. One kiss won't hurt though, right? I think about it for a few more seconds before I respond "One kiss?". "One kiss" he responds. I then nod my head in approval and wait for him to make the next move. It was his idea so I want to see how he goes about carrying it out.

He turns towards me and studies my face making sure that I'm still okay with it. Once he sees that I haven't tried to back away he brings his hand up to cup the side of my face. I freeze a bit at the contact not really realizing the fact that this action is far more intimate than I had initially thought as he had done it so many times before. 

He takes his time and caresses my face looking at me with a kind of love that goes far beyond friendship. It scares me but at the same time I can't bring myself to look away. He looks down at my lips again seeing that I am unconsciously biting them, a habit of mine that he has grown to love. 

Leaning in he stops right before our noses touch and places his thumb on my bottom lip coaxing me to let it go and pushes his thumb between them in an effort to keep them apart. "Keep your mouth open for me okay?" he says in a deep tone that I have never heard from him before and I can't help but widen my eyes in shock at his request which in turn makes me widen my mouth even more. "Perfect" is all he says before placing his lips on mine.

It starts out slow and sweet, he feels how tense I am and takes that into account, leading the kiss and easing me into it. I unconsciously bring my hand up and place it on his chest trying to ground myself and I loosen up with every movement of our lips. 

He decides to deepen the kiss and I can feel him start to incorporate his tongue. I decided to let him do just that curious, as to what it might feel like. The kiss has been gentle so far so I can't help but want to see where it goes seeing that he wants more. 

He uses his tongue for a while and I can feel him retreat a bit almost coaxing me to use mine as well. I in turn follow his silent request and I get a new set of butterflies settling in my stomach. It takes a turn and gets a bit more intense when he guides me down into our previous position.

Tilting his head to the side he gets a bit more needy, wanting to switch up the pace. I start to feel a bit breathless and push back on his chest a bit to get his attention. He pull away and looks down at me in a questioning manner. "One kiss" is all I say and I can see him feel a bit disappointed but ultimately responds "One kiss". He sits up and I follow him and scoot back creating a bit more distance between us. 

After catching our breath for a bit I start to speak. "That was..." I say trailing off, not really knowing what to say. "Yeah" is all he says in response. He suddenly stands up and mumbles that he's going to the bathroom and gives me no time to respond before he goes through my bedroom and into the bathroom. 

I let out a breath that I didn't realize I was holding the second he closes the door. 'What was that? Why- why did I let him kiss me? Why did I let him kiss me like that? He said one kiss so why did I let it continue?' All of these questions start circling my brain but I push away the ones that would tell me all the emotions it had brought on. Taking a few deep breaths I try to calm myself down and bring my heart rate back to normal.

He spends quite a while in there before I hear the toilet flush and the sink turn on. Once he comes out I notice how red and swollen his lips have become. Even his small upper lip seems a bit bigger now. Did I really kiss him that hard? Coming and sitting on the couch next to me he doesn't make an effort to say anything. We sit there for a second and I don't really know what to do now or where to go from here. 

"Do you wanna watch a movie?" he asks while grabbing the remote. "A movie sounds great" I rush to respond. "Okay great" he says turning on a movie that we've both seen before. Luckily he picked an action movie without any romance. I don't think watching anything to do with romance would be a smart decision right now. If anything, it would just make this whole situation seem even more awkward. 

Feeling myself start to doze off a bit as the movie progresses I can't help but fall into the habit of resting my head on his lap. Once I do I feel myself start to drift off disregarding the suspenseful nature of the current scene and surrendering to the feeling. 

I feel his legs tense up a bit at first contact but ultimately relaxes again after a second or two. He brings his hand up and starts tentatively running his fingers through my hair, ultimately coaxing me into a deeper slumber.

~~~~~~

As I watch Luna slowly fall asleep I can't help but feel glad at the fact that even though we might've seemed awkward after the kiss it seems like she still wants to go back to being normal. Seeing her fall into her habit of falling asleep in my lap just proves that fact. I can't help but feel a bit disappointed at that fact but I don't want to try and force anything on her.

Placing my arm around her back and the other under her knees I pick her up and carry her over to her bed and in the process she takes a hold of my shirt and shifts closer to me in an effort to steady herself while still half asleep making me smile. 

Once I place her down on the bed I still feel her strong grip on my shirt and as I go to place my hand on hers to encourage her to let go I hear her mumble "Stay with me" in her cute sleepy voice. I can't help but smile at her neediness "Always" is all I say in response knowing that she probably can't hear me but doing so all the same. I place my hand on hers and the warmth of my palm makes her loosen up a bit so I have a chance to release her hold on me.

I look at her once again admiring her from the close proximity and decide to place a featherlight kiss on her forehead. She stirs a bit in her sleep and flips over onto her side in an effort to make herself more comfortable. I laugh at her stubbornness, grabbing my clothes and heading into to the bathroom to get ready for bed. 

Once I'm done I slip into bed next to her and do my best not to wake her. She ends up sensing my presence in her unconscious state all the same and rests her head on my chest and wraps her arm around my torso. Laughing at her I shake my head and bring her closer to me. "Goodnight Luna" is all I say before slowly drifting off to sleep.

Waking up the next morning I realize Luna has already gotten up and I can smell the sent of bacon and egg which coaxes me out of bed. Doing my best to stay quiet I sneak up on her and wrap my arms around her waist like I always do. I hear her take in a sharp breath as her reaction to my sudden presence. 

"Good Morning" I say in her ear looking over her shoulder to see what she's doing. "Um good morning, breakfast is almost ready if you want to set the table" she says clearing her throat at the end. "Sure" is all I say in response before kissing her temple and going to do as she said. 

Once everything is ready and on the table we sit down and start eating. "So what's the occasion?" I ask trying to get her attention. She's been pretty silent since I came out and I can't help but feel a bit worried. 

"What do you mean? There's no special occasion" I raise my brow at her response and nod towards all the food she made. "Oh well I mean it's been a while since I made an American breakfast and you happened to bring all the ingredients so I figured I might as well make it for a change. Plus you made dinner last night so I thought it would only be fair if I-" "Luna everything looks great. Thank you" I say cutting off her incessant nervous rambling. She's cute when she gets nervous but I'll show her some mercy for right now.

"So what are your plans for today?" I ask while taking a bite of the waffles she made. "Oh nothing so far, I really haven't given it a lot of thought. This week has been pretty hectic as is so I figured I would just stay home. Do you have any plans today?" she asks reciprocating my interest. 

"I think some guys from my school wanted to meet up for drinks tonight or something like that. You should come! I've been meaning to introduce you to them for a while now but we just never had the chance" I say hoping she'll take me up on my offer. 

"I don't know Kook, I'm not really in the social kind of mood" I deflate a bit at her downright rejection but I understand she's been under a lot of stress lately. "Okay are you sure? I don't want you staying home alone and feeling sad all day" I say feeling a bit concerned. 

"I won't be sad all day don't worry. You coming over has put me in a good mood so don't worry. I've just got some stuff to take care of here at the house and I wanted to have a self care kind of day" she responds and I can see that she needs it based off of how exhausted she seems despite just waking up.

"Okay, I believe you. Just be sure to call me if you want me to come back. I really don't mind bailing on them if you need me" I say reassuring her. Seeing how close to tears she was last night and how she's acting this morning has got me worried. I might be overreacting but I just want to make sure she'll be okay and that things won't get bad again. 

"I should probably get going then so you can get started on that. I forgot I have an assignment due on Monday anyways so should probably get that out of the way before I go out tonight. Do you want me to help you clean up?" I question letting her know I have time to help her out. 

"No it's okay don't worry about it. I'll be cleaning all day so I don't mind doing this as well" she declines, granting me a genuine smile. "Alright well I'm gonna go get cleaned up and then I'll head out. Do you mind if I take a shower?" I question getting up and putting my plate and cup on the counter as well as placing the juice back in the fridge. 

"Yeah go ahead. You don't have to ask me stuff like that anymore Kook, my house is your house" she says laughing at me. "Hey just because you're my best friend doesn't mean that I can't be polite" I say ruffling her hair even though I know she hates it. "Tell that to Grey" she says while fixing her disheveled state. I laugh at her while walking over to her room to take that quick shower that I had mentioned before I go.

~~~~~~

While Jungkook is in the shower I let out a deep sigh and start cleaning up. I know I'm acting weird and I know he notices it but I'm just not sure how I should act after that kiss. I feel like it was more than just a kiss to him and I don't really know what to do with that information. 

After doing the dishes I head over to my room to get changed but then remember that Jungkook's still washing up. I decide to sit in the living room and wait for him to finish, taking a break from all the work I did this morning. 

I look up once he opens the door and my breath catches in my throat at the sight of him shirtless with wet hair. I've seen him like that countess times before but I can't help but feel flustered this morning. 

"Luna" he calls out for me. "Huh? What?" I say snapping myself back into reality. "I asked if I could borrow your hair dryer" he says with an amused smile on his face. "Oh uh yeah it's in the cabinet under the sink" I say looking away, embarrassed that he caught me low key checking him out. "Thanks" he responds with a slight chuckle at the end before going back into the bathroom and closing the door.

"Luna wake up wake up wake up! This Jungkook we're talking about okay, stop it!" I say aloud, careful to keep it quiet enough so he won't be able to hear. I shake my head trying to get rid of the image of Jungkook shirtless and just when I think I've managed to erase it for the time being he comes out without a shirt on again. 

"Hey I forgot to grab an extra shirt before I came here. Do you have one here that I could use?" he questions knowing that I steal his clothes half the time. I can't help it okay? He dresses well and we have similar styles, luckily he doesn't seem to mind it too much though. 

"Yeah there's probably something in the closet" I say, looking at my phone so I don't betray myself by gawking at him again. He nods and heads over and finds his grey 'Flare Up' shirt and slips it over his head. My eyes betray me and I end up checking him out from the back watching his tiny waist disappear under the baggy shirt. Man I would kill to have a figure like that man.

"Alright I'm gonna head out, call me if you need me okay?" he says reiterating his offers from earlier. I get up to walk him out, helping him grab whatever else he might've forgotten on the way there. "Okay I will" I respond with a soft smile. "And if you change your mind the offer still stands for coming out with us tonight, just let me know and I'll come get you". 

"Alright alright get going" I joke, "Don't you have an assignment to work on?" he looks puzzled for a second and then remembers the conversation we had earlier. "Yes I do! Thanks for reminding me. What would I do without you?" he says giving me a hug before bending down to put his shoes on. "Be bored and miserable?" I question laughing. 

"You're probably right, but at least I wouldn't have as many headaches" he says teasing me and booping me on the nose for good measure. "Hey!" I say pouting at his teasing. "Just kidding, all the headaches in the world are worth it if I get to keep you" he says wrapping me in a big embrace again before turning to grab the handle. "Thanks?" I question confused at whether I should take that as a compliment or not.

He laughs at my dumbfounded appearance and shouts a "Love you loser" while walking down the hall "See ya weirdo" I respond, laughing at his constant carefree nature. "What am I gonna do with this man?" is all I can say to myself as I feel another swirl of emotions building up inside of me.

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Roll Call

Chapter Two of the Through the Scope series | Chapter Three

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 4K

TW: (Very) subtle hint at SA in readers past, gym member being creepy

Chapter Overview: Today is your first day at Brass Knuckles Boxing Gym. Benny has a surprise for you after your shift.

Notes: Hey everyone ! Still no set posting schedule, but I managed to get this one done this week. I have a pretty packed week coming up so I can't make any promises as to when chapter three will come out. thanks for dealing with me (': happy reading <3

*no use of y/n & female presenting reader*

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Your alarm clock makes its presence known bright and early this morning. Normally getting up for work on a Monday isn’t anything that you would be overly excited about, but today is your first day working at Brass Knuckles. It’s also your first day getting back into a stable work and life routine. Which is something you have been craving since you moved. You feel like a nervous child the morning of a school field trip. The good kind of nervousness that buzzes around inside your body and lingers. 

After hopping out of the shower, you head into your bedroom. You see your phone lying haphazardly on your bed and think about texting Benny to ask what you should wear today. He didn’t strike you as the kind of guy to enforce a dress code at work, but you also didn’t want to look out of place. Oh fuck it. He didn’t say anything negative about the jeans and t-shirt that you were wearing while you toured the gym. Might as well just wear something in the same vein as that to play it safe. 

You slip into your clothes and wander back into the bathroom with your phone in hand. The bags under your eyes are a physical testament to all the stress you have been and are under currently. Maybe some light makeup you say to yourself. It’s not as if you had any intention of trying to find a boyfriend here much to Robbie’s dismay. You just didn’t want anyone to think that Benny hired a walking corpse to greet the guests. You check the time on your phone and realize that you need to leave right about now to make it to the gym by 7:30 A.M.. Benny had texted you over the weekend asking you to come in half an hour early so he could give you the rundown of what you need to be taking care of on a regular day to day basis. Your shoes get thrown on and you grab your tote bag as you run out the door to your car.

Thankfully Brass Knuckles is only a 15-20 minute drive from your apartment. You pull into the parking lot and turn your car off before taking out your phone. You text your dad to remind him that your new job starts today so you will be coming by to see him after 8:00 P.M. Monday-Saturday. When he quickly texts back you’re a bit surprised. You would think retirement meant sleeping in.

Dad: Have a good day, Sweet Pea! Make some friends. Remember to hit them in the throat and in the balls.”

You smile and heart the message on your phone. This is your dads not so subtle way of reminding you where men are the most sensitive. Since according to him, you were walking into the lion's den by working here. As you climb out of the car your smile drops. Maybe if you would have remembered his advice when you were 19, things would have ended differently.

“Are you ready?!”

There was only one voice you knew that had the capability to be that loud this early in the morning. You look up quickly to see Benny waving and holding the gym door open for you. 

“Morning, Benny! Yes, I think I am.” You say slipping past him to get inside. 

“That’s what I like to hear outta my employees!” 

You set your tote bag down on the desk and take a deep breath in. It still reeks, but less so now that the smell has had time to dissipate between closing and opening shifts. Benny comes up behind you and pats your shoulder encouragingly as he walks behind the desk. 

“Come on, let me show you how everythin’ is setup.”

Benny has you sit in the chair so you can get a feel for things while he teaches you how to operate the scheduling system. He shows you how to login to the program under your profile and then how to access each individual client once you’re inside. You notice that he set your profile picture to the selfie you sent the other night. It seems to be a pretty straight forward program, you note. You are able to see, create, and control Benny’s one on one training appointments up to three months in advance. He gets excited when you figure out, on your own, that you can color code clients. You’re pretty sure that he didn’t know how to do that before, but he looked so happy that you didn’t have the heart to say anything. 

Once the two of you cover all of the bases for the scheduling program he moves on to the ‘easier’ tasks, as he calls them, that you are incharge of. He shows you how to scan membership cards with the scan gun on the desk and how to register new members when they ask. He shows you how to sell and print out tickets for the Friday fights. You feel him pull your chair away from the desk and see a small black, mini fridge underneath it. 

“This is where we keep the complimentary water for the guests. Just make sure to keep this stocked throughout the day. If it ever gets low we have cases in the laundry room.”

He checks the time on his phone while he scoots you and your chair back into the correct position. 

“Last thing you need to worry about is unlocking the door at 8:00 A.M.. As for me and my tasks? I help train people, obviously, look over finances, and take care of the music.” 

“You have time to queue up songs?”

“I make time to queue up songs.”

You were grateful for his help this morning. And even more grateful that he did it in a way that didn’t come across as condescending or like he was babying you. You got the feeling that he really did trust you with the work you were assigned even after only just meeting you. 

“You’re gonna do great today! Feel free to make the desk your own too.”

“Thanks, Benny.”

You walk with him from out behind the desk and lean against the brick wall as he heads into his office. 

“Oh,” he calls back to you before disappearing into the small room. “The guys are going to swing by around closing time. They wanted to see who they were drinking too the other night. I might have also talked you up to them.”

After he drops that bomb, Benny walks out of sight. You have no idea what to do with this information. Benny talked so highly of them the other day, so it makes you nervous that he wants you to meet them. Yet, the more you think about it the more you warm to the idea. He must feel like he found a friend in you the same way you did in him. You walk around the desk and head to the front door to unlock it. Cars have already begun to pull into the once empty lot signaling that your day has started whether you're ready for it or not. 

The first few hours of your shift crawl by at a snail’s pace. Two or three guests come in an hour. Each one of them mindlessly handing you their membership card to scan before they enter the gym. This gives you plenty of time to play around and really get to know the inner workings of the scheduling program. You want to make sure that there isn’t anything you aren’t prepared for. Benny, bless his heart, checks in with you just before 12:00 P.M..

“A lot of people come in here to burn off some steam durin’ their lunch breaks. It will be pretty packed for the next hour-hour and a half, but then it will go back to how it was this mornin’.”

God is he right. An endless stream of new faces begin coming at you soon after the clock strikes noon. Some of them don’t say anything, some of them offer you a polite greeting, and some of them take it upon themselves to welcome you in their own special way.

“You’re new, huh? I could show you a move or two in the ring if you want.”

“I’ll be back tomorrow if you promise me that you will be too.”

You just smile sweetly and scan their card with a simple ‘enjoy your visit’ to help move the lingerers along. The rush dies down a couple hours later, again just like Benny said it would. Honestly, you are a little bit sad that it's over. Time went by much quicker in those few hours and you finally felt useful. 

When shopping for furniture online in between helping guests check in got boring, you look for tasks you can take care of that venture past the desk. During your initial tour of the gym, you remember seeing a dirty clothes basket that was designated for towels. You figure that this late in the day it should be full enough to do a load of laundry. 

You walk inside the gym, weaving out of guests' way, and collect the used towels. It’s not too heavy so you carry it to the laundry room and dump all of the contents into the washer. You use the detergent that's on the shelf and close the machine's lid. Benny must have seen you walk in here because he walks up next to you as you press the ‘start’ button. 

“It’s a stubborn ‘ole son of a bitch so you gotta show it a little bit of extra love to get it goin’.”

You jump slightly when he rams the side of his foot into the washer. Unsurprisingly, it comes to life after he does this. For the third time today, Benny is once again correct. You look around the small room as the washer hums and see a photo hanging on the wall. It shows Benny arm in arm with three men you have never seen before.

“Are these your friends?” You point to the picture and ask Benny.

“Yup!” You can hear the pride in his voice as he says this. “That one on the right is Will, my older brother. The handsome devil next to him is yours truly. Then there’s Pope-”

“Pope?”

“Yeah, his name is technically Santiago, but we all call him Pope. It was his call sign when we served together and it just kinda stuck. We all have one, well I technically don’t, but I’d like to think mine is Brass Knuckles. It fits well with Will’s since his call sign is Ironhead.”

“That’s really sweet.”

“I like to think so.” he says bashfully. “ And last but not least…the one on the left is Catfish or Frankie.”

You nod along to what Benny is saying, but you would be lying if you said you were listening anymore. Your attention stays on the man in the left of the photo: Frankie. You could tell he hadn’t had a haircut in a while when the photo was taken. His thick, brown curls came up to lick the sides of the ‘Standard Heating Oil’ cap he wore. He had a full mustache that looked as if it was mocking the patchiness of his beard. You didn’t mind it. You thought it made him look more approachable. One of the most handsome noses you had ever seen sat atop his mustache. It was deeply sloped and came to a soft curve at the end. He’s laughing in the photo which makes the skin around his eyes wrinkle in an endearing way.

“You comin’ or what?” 

Unbeknownst to you, Benny had walked out of the laundry room while you were still captivated by the photograph on the wall. Or more specifically one of the men in the photograph. 

“Shit, my bad.”

Reluctantly you pull yourself away and walk back to the front desk with him. Your timing couldn’t have been more perfect either because his 4:00 P.M. appointment walks through the door right as you two arrive. Thankfully, Benny is so wrapped up in talking with the other man that he doesn’t notice how quiet you have gone. While your body may have left the laundry room, your mind is still very much there. You check him in and hand both men a water bottle before they head back for their workout. 

You sit restlessly in your chair as you watch the hands on the clock above the door chase one another. No one has come in since Benny’s last appointment, but you know that will change soon. It’s almost 5:00 P.M. which means the after work rush is on the horizon. You hear Benny faintly as he talks to his client and you find yourself wondering what goes on in his sessions. It feels safe to abandon your post for a few seconds so you stand up and peek your head around the brick wall. Benny has dawned some gloves with pads attached to the palms of them. 

“You got it, man! Right in the center! Yeah, just like that, great job!”

He carries on with his encouraging words as the man across from him continues to make contact with the padded gloves. You hear him tell the man to hit harder and in a more controlled manner. When he does this, Benny showers him with praise. It warms your heart to see him in action. You can really tell that this isn’t just a job for him. This is his whole life. 

The doorbell rings out and you look behind you to greet the client.

“Oh don’t turn around my account, darlin’. I was admiring the view.” 

He wasn’t a very tall man, but what he lacked in height he made up for in misplaced confidence. He was attractive in an average sort of way. The kind of way that wouldn’t make you do a double take on the street if you saw him. However, you could give credit where credit was due. He had great hair. It was thick and raven in color and combed in an almost meticulous way. 

“Welcome to Brass Knuckles. How can I help you today, sir?” you say, biting back your new found annoyance.

“I have a 5:00 P.M. appointment with Miller. I decided to come in early to warm up and I’m happy that I did. What’s your name?”

You ignore his inquiry about your name and take a seat in your chair. When you check the schedule you see his name, Ed Brunson, under the 5 o’clock spot.

“Ed? Let me get you checked in. Benny will be with you once he finishes with his 4 o’clock.”

“You can call me Eddie, darlin’.”

“Want me to put it in your file or what?” Now unable to hide your disdain. 

“Oh you're spunky. I like that.”

Benny jogs up to the front drenched in sweat. You take advantage of his current state and ignore Brunson to grab him a water bottle. 

“Brunson, you’re on time,” He takes a gulp of water. “That’s a first.”

You watch as Benny cautiously looks between you and Brunson as he polishes off the refreshing drink.

“I was just trying to get acquainted with your new receptionist here.”

“New receptionist, this is Brunson. Brunson, this is my new receptionist. Now y’all are acquainted.” His tone is flat as he says this.

You have to pretend to do something on your computer so you don’t snort at Benny’s ‘in depth’ introduction of you.

“I don’t get to know her name, Miller?”

“Did you come here to practice runnin’ your mouth or to practice throwin’ your fists?”

Brunson chuckles lightly and holds his hands up in defeat. You dare to glance up at the two men and see a weird tension in between them. Another guest walks in so Brunson takes it as his queue to head back into the gym. Benny stays up there with you as you scan the new guests card. 

“What was all that about?” you question when the two of you are alone again. 

“I don’t fuckin’ like that guy. I’ve been itchin’ for a reason to ban him from this place. Did he- did he say anything to you before I got here?”

“Just regular run of the mill meathead shit I suppose.”

“Are you sure?” He presses.

“I’m fine, Benny, really.”

“But you’ll let me know?”

“Yes, I’ll let you know. I’m a big girl though. I can handle myself. Now you better get back there, you wouldn’t want to keep that peach of a man waiting.”

He laughs, but seems a bit wary of your answer. You wave at him as he walks into what you’re sure will be a very strange session. Before you forget, you make sure to color code Brunson’s name in a bright shade of red.

***

You’re grateful when 7:30 P.M. finally rolls around. You think you could classify your first day here as a success. It may have droned on at times, but you had Benny to keep you company which made all the difference in the world. As you put the last of your things in your tote bag you make a mental note to bring some stuff from home to jazz up your desk. After all, Benny did say that you could make the desk your own. Maybe a cute potted plant in that corner, a new pen jar up there, an air freshener right here? You’re mapping it all out in your head when you see a tired looking white pickup truck pull into the almost empty lot. Three men get out and start heading in your direction. They aren’t dressed for a workout-? Oh fuck they’re Benny’s friends.

The closer they get to the door, the more easily you are able to identify them based on the photo in the laundry room. You don’t know why you have a knot in your stomach all of a sudden. You feel completely crazy for being so jittery over their approaching presence. The man Benny referred to as ‘Pope’ walks in first, followed by Will and then Frankie. You stand, a bit awkwardly, when they approach the front desk. 

“Well you must be the reason my wallet is a lot lighter than it usually is.” Pope theorizes as he leans his forearms on the desk. He’s got a playful grin plastered on his salt and peppered face when he speaks to you.

“Guilty,” you confess. “You must be Pope or Santiago. I’m not really sure which one I’m allowed to call you.”

“You can call me whichever one you’d like. Did Benny give you an exposé on all of us?”

“Kissing and telling wouldn’t be a good way to end my first day, don't ‘cha think?” 

Will laughs heartily as he steps up to greet you next. “William Miller,” you shake the hand he offers you. “I hope Benny wasn’t too much to handle today.”

“Actually he was really helpful, but I’m getting the sense that's not always the case with him.” 

All three men shake their heads in confirmation with your statement. Last to approach you is Frankie. You feel your heartbeat quicken as you realize he is much more handsome in person. His eyes also look considerably sadder than they were in the picture. 

“And you must be Frankie-”

“Hey boys!” 

Benny comes barreling out from behind the brick wall and greets each man with a bear hug. You smile when you see the love each of them has for one other. It’s really nice to see a group of men express that so readily. When Benny makes his way to Frankie the two of you make eye contact. Something about those deep brown eyes on you makes your ears hot and you have to look away. 

“So whaddya think?” Benny says to you when he finally lets Frankie go.

“The picture Benny has in the laundry room doesn’t do y’all justice.”

“Well I could say the same thing about you.” Pope quips.

Your jaw hangs open and you turn your attention to Benny. “So thats why you asked for a fucking photo the other night! You little shit!”

“No! No! You saw that I set it as your login picture! It was Frankie’s idea anyhow!”

“You!?” you snap your head towards Frankie who looks like he has just seen a ghost.

“Don’t you fucking pin that on me, Benny! I just told you how to ask for it in a non creepy way! Pope was the one who originally wanted it!”

“Pope!” you whine in his direction. 

“Okay. Okay. The buck stops here. You caught me. I got curious and couldn’t help myself.” 

“And I guess you were just along for the ride then, huh, Will?”

“That’s usually how it goes.” He shrugs innocently. 

Benny continues talking with his friends while you log out of the computer and shut it down for the night. As you do this, you can’t help but feel like there are eyes on you. You keep your own gaze on the computer and listen in. You hear Benny so it can’t be him. Pope just made a snide comment so it isn’t him either. There Will goes laughing up a storm at what Pope just said. The only one it could be is…

“Are you going to be joining us at the bar tonight?” Pope queries. 

“I’m flattered, really, but I have a previous engagement.”

“You’re breaking my heart.”

“Lay off, Pope.” Will gives him a playful shove. “Well the invitation doesn’t expire, so maybe when you’re free next?”

“Thanks guys. I’ll keep that in mind for sure. It was really nice to meet y’all!”

Everyone says their goodbyes as Will, Frankie, and Pope head out the door towards The Barrel. You swear you see Frankie turn around one last time before he gets bathed in the darkness of the night. Then it’s just you and Benny again. The way it started.

“So? How was your first day?”

He happily walks across the parking lot with you to your car after insisting that you shouldn’t go alone. You take a deep breath of the humid night air and feel it clearing out your lungs. 

“Besides the intense and constant smell of male body odor it wasn’t half bad.” 

“Oh, fuck off.”

“No, I’m dead serious. We have got to do something about that.”

He waits patiently for you to get in your car and crank the engine on. You look up at him before you drive away, but you see him motioning for you to roll your window down. 

“Yeah?”

He rests his forearms where your window disappeared into your car. “I’m glad you want to stick around. I’m even more glad you got along with my friends. We’re kind of a fucked up bunch. But I swear we are cool once you get to know us.”

You smile sadly at him as you pull out of the parking lot. He follows behind your car as you exit the lot and get into the street. Then he crosses over to the bar on his own. You watch him in your rearview mirror until you can no longer tell the difference between him and the shadows. Part of you wants to turn around, join them at their table, and see where the night takes you. It would be so freeing. It would be exactly what you need. Unfortunately, your better judgment takes over and you punch your dads address into your GPS. Maybe you will award yourself that luxury another night. You pull out your phone and press on your dads contact before your silly, little heart tips the scale inside your brain in its favor. 

“Hey, are you still awake?”

“Well I answered the phone didn’t I?” he says sarcastically.

“Touché, dad. I’m headed your way right now.”

“Did you make any friends today?”

You feel a coy smile play across your lips before you speak. “Yeah. Yeah, I think I did actually.”

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

[ohmytomorrowisthursday]

AOT characters in university

Hiii this is my first post like this. It is literally so unserious and silly please don’t take it personally if I roast ur fave. Some of these are soooo dumb but I hope u enjoy! 

cw: drugs, weed, drinking

Floch: this dude is 100% in a frat. The guy who stands at the door decides who gets in. For the boys in absolutely every possible way. Has punched multiple holes through walls. Doesn’t talk in class, if he does his whole personality is based on being a frat boy for life. Finance major. Always wants to be ‘devil’s advocate’ in class debates. Says edgy shit just to get a rise out of people. Scared of Erwin. Posts thirst traps on instagram. Is part of the boxing club. Has never read a single page of any text book ever, just watches YouTube videos to learn. 

Connie: You meet him during freshman orientation and he is now your ride or die. He’s outgoing and makes friends easily, but would 100% rather spend Friday nights playing video games and smoking weed with his friends instead of going to a party. Calls his mom often. Studying accounting because he wants to have a stable job. Makes lo-fi tracks and posts them on YouTube. Skips his morning classes because he refuses to get up for his 8am’s. He won’t plan anything but is always a good time when he comes out. Loves going for Korean barbecue. Loves watching reality tv and talking about it in the group chat.

Jean: Certified stressed and depressed. Definitely studying comp-sci even though he’d rather be in the arts. Is in your English class and even tho he complains about the work he still would rather write essays than look at his coding. Talks so much shit about the frats, still tried to join and never stops talking about them. Will  get into a fight with Eren during frosh week.  His mom also calls him all the time but he gets super embarrassed when she does. Brings all of his laundry home over break so that she can do it. Jean is always looking for a good time, he’s definitely planning nights out and trying to get the full college experience. Something embarrassing always happens when he goes out on the weekend and Connie and Sasha always make sure to remind him of it. The person you’d call for advice when you’re having a bad day.

Levi: Sick of it and annoyed. Philosophy major. Always debates in class and wins. You met him through Hange. You see him at the gym super late at night, between 11pm-1am when no one else is around. Hates big parties- especially frat parties- but always will text u asking how it is and if you want to leave. He likes to cook and invites you to come over to eat. Likes dressing nice for class. Uses black mechanical pencils and exclusively takes notes in black muji notebooks. Likes dark humour and will only talk in the group chat to add some sarcastic remark. Always drinking tea (duh) out of the same reusable mug. Likes going to low-key gatherings with his friends and playing card games and chess. Volunteers for the student food bank. Makes Spotify playlists. Has insomnia and will answer every and all texts you send, no matter what time it is.  LOVES to talk shit and roast people who he thinks are elitist, mean and hypocritical, especially Zeke. Works as a TA and is always busy and grumpy, but his friends keep him sane.

Historia: Wants to be a veterinarian. Quiet but kind. Has a really aesthetic instagram and is always posting cute coffee shops and pictures of her pets. Her girlfriend Ymir is literally the opposite of her and they both make u laugh. You sit beside her in class because she has a gentle chill vibe and always has extra pencils to give you. Offers you gum. Would give you a tampon if u needed it. Not really in any clubs but you see her studying at cafe’s and she always says hi. 10/10 sweetie. Knits in class.

Eren: President of the frat. He doesn’t even know how he ended up here but now he’s the guy. Kind of nice when he’s alone or in class but an absolute dick when he hangs out with the boys. Gets everyone at the party fired up. His girlfriend and his best friend are so nice. Wants to be a CEO, has no idea what his business will be. Wakes up early to go to the gym and never stops talking about it. Undefeated in Catan and Risk. Secretly a reddit lurker. You helped him study for biology once and he was actually very nice to you. Invites you to the frat parties on the weekend, but doesn’t really talk to you when you go. Loves karaoke and will always find a mic to sing into wherever he is and always picks Britney Spears songs lol. 

Hange: SCIENCE MAJOR. Literally the most outgoing person you’ve ever met. Befriends you in biology and helps you study. Has so many niche interest and friends from each of their hobbies. Brings all of their friends together to hang out and its the most random group of people you’ve ever seen, but everyone still gets along. Encourages you to go to the gym, and is always hitting legs. Definitely signed up for some sports leagues; is in co-ed soccer, basketball and softball. Athletic and smart. Wants to be a marine biologist to understand life under the sea and could talk about it for hours. The person who would drag you from your depression hole after finals season. In 4th year but knows people of all ages. So nice; you miss them when they graduate. 

Sasha: Environmental science major. Loves nature and is part of a hiking club. Smokes weed and makes the most delicious sandwiches ever. Always hanging out with Jean and Connie, loves playing smash bros. Gets along with absolutely everyone and is invited to everything because she’s the most fun. Is so good at beer pong and always wins tournaments. She has the craziest stories. Gives u a sweater for no reason, she’s just the type to do it. Goes on runs every day and has a dog at home that she misses soooo much. Comes back from winter break and gives everyone cookies. Not really the type to date but everyone has a crush on her. Sends the funniest memes to the group chat. FaceTimes you with a wild story while she’s walking across campus. Always has snacks in her dorm room. 

Erwin: Law student that has a degree in political science. Active member of the student society and always trying to get better food in the dining hall. Is your tutor and is sooooo nice. Gives u advice on how to make it through university. You could ask him any question and he would be able to help you. Likes to read. Him and Armin are your late night library friends. Loves to talk about deep random scenarios with you. Drinks black coffee and he’s muscular but you’ve never seen him eat. Is too busy trying to network in the legal field to go out to parties, but when he does he’s always the most popular person there. Used to be an athlete but doesn't really talk about it. Would walk you home from a bar to make sure you get home safe. Has no tolerance for bullshit and is ruthless to mean people; you’re happy that he is your friend. Would send you book recommendations to read over the summer. Plays chess with Levi. 

Mikasa: Her major is undecided. You meet her at the gym. She always works out late and is seemingly only ever studying or doing her daily circuit. Isn’t outgoing but is nice when approached. Not really into parties or big events but will come out for dinner or go on a walk with you after class. Her boyfriend is the president of the frat and they couldn’t be more different but she still loves him and says that he is a sweetie with her. Loves it when pet-a-dog day comes around. Enjoys spending time in the women’s centre on campus. She tells every girl that she meets that if they ever need help they can call her and she means it. The frat guys are terrified of her. Has an instagram with two pictures and they’re both of flowers. Likes collecting tiny figurines. Plans self-defence classes for the girls. 

Reiner: Bruh Reiner is 100% that transfer kid who still wears his old universities hoodie EVERY DAY. History major and way too into WWII. Likes to read for fun. Loves bears and will send you the cutest tiktoks. Look like he could kill you - is a cinnamon roll. Sad boy energy and loves to watch rom-coms. Listens to emo music and Kpop while he's working out. He knows where the best lookouts are. Likes older women lol. He loves going for all you can eat wings. Will have the highest grades in the class but never seem to actually study. Wants to be a teacher. Likes painting nice little pictures. Does yoga. 

Armin: Another day-one friend. You meet him in your math class and the two of you get through it together. He is kind and always remembers stories that you tell him. Loves going to arcade bars and doing anything that involves a challenge. Engineering student. Loves to solve riddles and play Zelda. Watches the planet earth series and sends you facts that he learns about animals. Knows when the next meteor shower is happening and will drive the friend group out to go stargazing. Is doing a study abroad in a different country so that he can learn a new language and see things from a different perspective. Despite being more shy and reserved, he is an absolute riot when drunk and makes everyone dance with him. He always brings the best snacks to late night study sessions.

Zeke: Philosophy major and literally will take whatever side of the argument Levi is against. Fighting with strangers on twitter and believes his opinion is always right. Will give you his opinion about your life even if you don’t ask for it. TA’s a class and is ridiculously hard on everyone when he’s grading papers. Hot and popular but emotionally unavailable because of his daddy issues. Wants his PHD mostly just to flex lol. Is on the baseball team and is always fidgeting with his hands. Has expensive taste in food and likes craft beer and nice wine. Has broad knowledge but its not deep. Wears boujie clothes and has a nice backpack. Prefers backpacking over staying in hotels because he thinks it is more ‘authentic’. Can speak multiple languages. Loves writing silly notes on your papers. Says that he is too good for the frats but still is there with Eren and Floch every Friday night lol. 

[shieldofiron]

Okay, so, following on from my ask yesterday, and after reading the wonderful, perfect fic you wrote, I was just wondering...

What if Billy mentioned to his good friend Eddie that he'd hired an escort to play out a fantasy about his high school crush and that he could give him the number of the place he used if Eddie was keen to revisit his fantasy about a certain blonde boy he knew in high school.

Of course Billy knows about Jason from talking to Steve and somehow (totally unexpectedly on purpose) Jason is the one that gets hired for the special job.

What then?

(see what you're doing to me? now i'm thinking munver stuff!)

This is a sequel to my Sex Worker Steve fic, you can read it on tumblr here and ao3 here for the full Boyfriend Experience. Sorry it was so late Guin, but I added this fic to ao3 too, here.

Folie à Deux

Eddie had never done this before.

Well.

That wasn't true.

He'd kind of paid a guy his first time, but he'd been too chickenshit to go through with it. Like it wasn't bad enough he was gay, he also believed in true love, believed in the moon and all the stars.

And so he'd moved to California. Found his moon and all the stars. Got dumped. Found him again. Got dumped again.

He'd run into Billy again, and it was like nothing had changed. Billy had a bit, he was a bit bigger, a bit softer. He'd been a pencil pusher then, working for a company that made home computers. Even hooked up Eddie with one, though all Eddie did was play games.

"Games..." Billy scoffed, "It can do so much more than games."

"I know. But games are why people will buy it," Eddie shrugged.

"Huh. Is that right?"

Now, Eddie didn't need to work at a diner any more. They'd sold their first game a year later to rave reviews, a fantasy action adventure game. Eddie'd written the story, and Billy had coded it. They'd made several more, and now he could buy that diner if he wanted, maybe ten times over.

And so this was his celebration. Or at least that's what Billy was calling it.

Billy, who was now suddenly all secretive, blowing off late night coding sessions.

"I got something off my mind," He grinned at Eddie over coffee in their office, "And I feel about 18 again."

"Yeah, what was on your mind?"

"High school crushes," Billy's grin widened. "You ever think about high school crushes?"

"Sure, I guess," Eddie shrugged.

"You ever think about Carver? What he's up to?" Billy's voice had that teasing lilt to it. Once upon a time Eddie had thought Billy was his moon and all his stars but they were too good as friends. Even when Billy was being an annoying ass.

Eddie rubbed his chin, "Sure. He's probably got a couple a kids now."

"So you have," Billy's eyes lit up even more. God, he was exhausting. "Thought about him."

Eddie shrugged, "Yeah, here or there."

"I gotta tell you, Eds, I did something kind of crazy last weekend, but I'm like... I feel so great."

Eddie frowned, "Was it cocaine? Cuz you're starting to freak me out, man."

"No. I kinda..." He laughed, "I hired an escort."

"What?"

"To pretend to be Harrington."

Eddie furrowed his brow, "You can do that?"

"Shit, yeah you can. You call and tell them what you're looking for. He even dressed up."

Eddie really wished he'd called Billy, because this conversation would be so much easier to have over the phone. A mix of humiliation, fascination, and reluctant lust washed over him like steam from a scalding cauldron.

"You can tell them... anything you want," Billy grinned, "Like... a school play."

Eddie exhaled shakily, "So that's what has you in this weird mood?"

"Kinda," Billy shrugged, "You want the number of the agency?"

Eddie swore he can hear himself begin to sweat.

"Because it got me thinking about what you said the other day," Billy picked up a donut and waved it in the air, "About how you wished you had the same creative energy you had in high school when you wrote like five thousand words a day or whatever you said."

"Eight..." Eddie croaked.

"Eight thousand a day," Billy raised one brow, "You owe me the final levels of Maze Crawler."

"I'm working on it," Eddie turned away, "And I didn't get laid in high school. That's how I was able to write eight thousand words a day."

Billy smacked his lips, "I'm just saying. It might change your life."

Eddie didn't say anything, but there was a post it stuck to his desk at the end of the day that said, "Ask for Angel."

And it wasn't like Eddie had to tell Billy that he got lonely a few nights later and called. This could be just for him.

"Hiya!" The girl on the other end smacked her gum.

"I'm looking for uh... Angel."

"Speaking," He could hear her grin through the phone. "What can we help you with?"

"Um... I..."

"Girl or guy, honey?" She asked pertly.

"G-guy."

"Okay," She giggled, "You got any preferences?"

"Um... yeah, I'm looking for a blonde. Kind of... maybe... like a jock type?"

She hummed.

"And I... my friend said you all take special requests?"

"Sure do," She chirped.

"Do you have a fax machine?" He asked.

"A fax....? Obviously not. But I got just the guy for you. Jackson will fix you right up," She snapped her gum, "Now you just tell me what you want, and go slow, I just painted my nails, I can't write so fast."

And so that's how Eddie found himself sitting on the edge of a hotel bed, rubbing sweaty hands against his jeans.

Jackson, apparently, was running late but he'd left a message at the front desk for his "brother" which is what they were apparently.

His stomach fluttered uncomfortably when he heard the key in the lock. He wasn't sure if he should sit or stand. He'd worked over the evening in his head like a million times, and still he hadn't thought of this moment.

And then the door opened, and everything drained out of his mind.

Blue eyes stared back at him, over a familiar sloped nose, the one that had always been so hard to draw. But Eddie had tried. Over and over.

"Hey babe," Jackson was supposed to say, but it came out in Jason Carver's voice, "You didn't have to wait up."

Eddie fumbled, embarrassment and confusion and lust and humiliation sucking him down like a tidal wave, "Ja-"

Jason shut the door, his eyelashes fluttering as he tossed a bag on the ground, and walking in, sure and steady, "You miss me?"

Eddie blinked, trying to remember his own script. But his head was blanking out.

Carver's face flashed panicked, and then smoothed out, "A gift? For me?"

This was when he was supposed to present the cash, lay it down on the dresser across from the bed, all smooth. He'd wanted to give it early, so 'Jackson' could relax. He hoped that this wasn't a hard night for him. That is he hoped, Eddie hoped, that he wasn't so ugly that the guy would have to grin and bear it too much.

But all of his confidence drained out of him, and he just shakily laid the envelope on the table, wincing.

"Thank you, babe," Carver said softly, just looking at it a moment before he shook his head, "Come. Get into bed with me, and tell me about your day."

Eddie feels so raw, so ripped open hearing that. Like Jason just burned off a layer of flesh and he could see deep inside Eddie, where all the rot lay just under the surface.

Because the script that seemed so clever in his mind with a stranger, the practice, the comfort of it... it was too much in the hands of the real person. Too powerful, vulnerable, obvious.

"You can cut the lines," He whispered.

A little steel shows under Jason's soft gaze. "Get in bed. Babe."

The last time they saw each other was at graduation. It was subdued, two of their own had died under the most suspicious of circumstances. But Max Mayfield was in the back of the crowd waving her cast in the air when Eddie crossed the stage, and that was because of Jason.

Jason who'd come to confront him, and ended up getting confronted by a newly undead Billy Hargrove and a panicked Lucas Sinclair. It had been Jason's idea to sing to her, and he was the reason Max was still alive.

Eddie moved towards the bed cautiously, his mind awash in the past and the present. He recalls so vividly Jason’s face that night, when they regrouped after the final battle and he’d come out of the house looking at Lucas and Max with such sadness but also such hope.

He always, just, believed in things. Eddie had lived forever on shifting sands, parents that wouldn’t show, promises that had been broken. He wanted to believe in things. And he had believed that Jason was back in Hawkins, happily married to a woman.

“How are you here, right now? Do you need money? Like for school or something?” Eddie asked.

Jason’s face flashed with annoyance, “Uh, yeah. Sure. I need money for school.”

“Because we don’t have to do this, ok?” Eddie cringed.

“You know, for someone who wrote a whole script for me about being your boyfriend, you sure are fickle,” Jason crossed his arms on the bed, “Not being a very good boyfriend.”

“We’ll, I’ve only ever… sort of done it before. So,” Eddie shrugged, “I was just imagining.”

“Sort of done it?” Jason frowned, shaking his head a little.

“My last boyfriend was married, so…” Eddie shrugged, “And the one before that… well, I called us boyfriends. He didn’t.”

Jason kicked off his sneakers, propping his little socked feet on the bed.

“I’ve never had a boyfriend either,” Jason said simply.

“How is that possible? You’re like… god, everyone’s wet dream,” Eddie muttered.

Jason looked more startled than flattered, even though he must have obviously known that from Eddie’s embarrassing script.

Jason frowned, “It’s hard to date. With my job.”

"Right."

Jason shrugged, "Now where were we?"

"Look, I really..." Eddie actually felt like he could cry, "Really don't wanna do this."

"Why? Just because you know the prostitute, suddenly you're too shy?" Jason said with a shrug, his face hard and unforgiving. "Look. It's fine. Though I kind of don't believe that all you want is this soft stuff."

"No because it's about you. So, obviously, I don't want to squirm in embarrassment all night." Eddie's voice shook. "Doubt I can even get it up."

"Me?" Jason snorts.

Eddie just shakes his head, "Look. It's fine. I know. You know."

Jason's eyes just flutter, and he looks down at his hand. "Oh. I'm Jason."

Eddie could only throw his hands in the air.

"I used to have this client, he wanted to call me by his exes name. So Jason's really common, I didn't..." Jason shrugs, "I didn't know. I thought I just... massively turned you off."

"You? Turn someone off?"

"It's been known to happen," Jason's lips twist into a smile.

Eddie's breath dries up in his lungs and he tries to say something, very unsuccessfully.

"So... Me huh?" Jason brushes a hand over his khakis. "After all this time."

Eddie's heart took another hit, but it's mired in confusion when Jason smoothly mounts his lap.

It confusing, arousing... it's awful to look up into those sky blue eyes. Like looking for the moon and all the stars on the brightest day of summer.

"Was this how you imagined it?" Jason whispered.

"No," Eddie admitted.

His clothes are quick work apparently. He feels almost paralyzed, even though he nods along with Jason's questions.

"Is this ok? Blowjob?"

He nods feverishly, yelping when Jason swallows him to the hilt in one go, his perfect pink lips resting against Eddie's pubic bone.

"Holy fucking shit," Eddie gasped.

Jason just hummed in response, swallowing around Eddie's cock.

He had his hand resting hesitantly on Jason's shoulder, his heart in his throat as Jason handily sucked all of his brains out through his dick. He's using his teeth just a little, and Eddie was gasping and panting like he was dying.

"Fuck... Jason... please... please..." He doesn't know what he's pleading for, he's lost the plot, and Jason's eyes glow neon. He has the thought that Jason's some kind of incubus, that he was stealing something from him.

Jason popped off with an obscene sound, "Can't stop."

Eddie coupld only moan in response, yanking Jason up and pulling him into a kiss before he can consider that he's crossing a line.

He slammed Jason into the bed and covers his mouth with Eddie's and... celestial bliss. Every bit as wonderful as the big bang, and just as terrible because it wasn't real.

Fireworks detonated up Eddie's spine, ten times as potent as the blowjob. He cradles Jason's face in his hands and pours all his heart into this.

Jason melts into him, throwing his arms around Eddie's shoulders and curling his hands into Eddie's hair. Pulling.

And then Eddie gets one single brain cell back and pulls back, panting, "Sorry. Is it ok? To kiss? Sorry. Sorry. FUCK! I'm sorry!"

Eddie turns away, sitting on the edge of the bed, with his stupid dick out. Jason doesn't move, still lying on the pillows.

"It wasn't like I imagined," Jason said softly.

"What?"

"I thought... one day you would see me on the street. Like... wow, how are you? How've you been?" Jason's voice was as soft as the whisper of sheets like... everything Eddie wanted but better. "And I'd ask you out. Or you would ask me out. And it would just be... nice."

"Me?" Eddie says softly, turning over his shoulder.

"You. After all this time," Jason had his eyes on the ceiling, but he there were tears dripping down his cheeks. "Not like this. Not..."

"Hey," Eddie reached out hesitantly, brushing their hands together. "It's okay."

"I'm not l-like Steve," Jason jerked his hand back, and Eddie doesn't even know what that means.

"Okay. Listen, Jason."

"I didn't want you to see me like this," Jason buried his face in his hands.

"Like what?"

"Like... this," Jason mumbled.

"Is something... I mean... Jason. Just look at me, can you?"

It took a moment, but Jason slowly drew his hands back, looking up at him with red rimmed blue eyes.

"I don't care that you do this for your job. Clearly, I would be the worst sort of hypocrite if I did," Eddie said. "And I don't understand why you keep talking about Steve? Do you mean Steve Harrington? But... Jason. Jason."

He wrote for a living for fuck's sake. So why couldn't he think of any word to say other than Jason's name. Reached out and cradled Jason's jaw, whispering his name to the space between them, whispering against Jason's lips.

"Jason," Eddie whispered, "How've you been? How are you?"

Jason looked raw when he pulled back, his normally cocky face open and vulnerable.

He swallowed, and Eddie could feel his throat move under Eddie's hand. They stayed like that a long moment, hands grasping each other's faces, just staring.

"Okay. I'm not sure I like my job though. But I love my roommate," Jason whispered. "Steve. He started dating this guy from school, you remember Billy Hargrove?"

Eddie chuckled, brushing their lips together, "That bastard. I should have known when he started talking about how I should call up this escort and do this... roleplay thing. They set us up."

Jason's breath shivered against Eddie's lips.

"Really?"

"Yeah. He knew I had..." Eddie swallowed. "The worst crush on you. The most... astronomical crush."

Jason curled his hands into Eddie's hair, "Keep saying things like that."

"This isn't... like... this... this isn't a part of it right? All of this?" Eddie said, terror striking his heart for a moment.

Jason snorted. "I kept on script better than you. I just... no this isn't a part of it. I'm good at the boyfriend experience, usually."

Eddie hummed. "I bet you are. Look at you, so perfect."

Jason shook his head. "Perfect. J-Jesus, no way."

"You said to keep saying it," Eddie shrugged. "I like you. Think you're perfect. Get the fuck over it, Carver."

A scowl that Eddie remembered all too well flashed across Jason's face, but Eddie kisses it away.

"So... this isn't a part of it. It's real... right?" Jason whispered, stroking Eddie's hair.

"It's real for me," Eddie whispered back. "We don't have to..."

"I'm all prepped. And I'm," Jason coughed. "On prep. Tested. I'm absolutely religious about testing."

Eddie smiled. "Religious, huh? I bet I can get you praying again."

Jason's smile was slower, like night falling over a bright blue sky.

"I bet you can. Eddie."

Eddie closed his eyes. It wasn't like he imagined, not at fucking all. But it was Jason, still. Eddie'd built the sun and moon and all the stars on much less than this.

It was a little awkward, fumbling with Jason's khakis and belt so he could finally get his hands all over his perfect body. It was a little older, pale stubble dusting his cheeks. Eddie nervously pulled his shirt down over his own small ponch, but Jason ignored him, tugging it over Eddie's head and smoothing his hair back into place, hands sure and steady.

"You're so stunning. Feel so... perfect," Eddie mumbled, stroking Jason a few times and watching the flush spread across his face.

"Want me to do anything-ahhh- special-don't stop," Jason squirmed.

"No, I want it just like this," Eddie pulled Jason's knees up, digging in his pocket for the condom and rolling it on.

"Missionary?" Jason frowned.

"Not like you imagined?"

Jason shook his head and Eddie leaned in, rubbing his cheek against Jason's ear, "Next time, I'll fuck you hard and rough. Slide you across the bed, push your face into the covers... and afterwards tell you you're perfect, show you just how much I've been thinking of you, just like this. But for now, Jason, Jason, let me see you. Wanna watch your eyes when I fuck you."

He was heaven to enter, eyes widening, nails clawing, knees trembling.

Eddie does lose his mind a bit there, squeezed into scalding heat, blue eyes like an incubus's stare. He fucks Jason up the bed until they slam into the headboard, until Jason's screaming, red faced, coming across his own belly with stuttering gasps.

And afterwards, big blue eyes trained on Eddie's face, so trusting, so soft and open.

He was everything, everything. Jason, the sun, the moon, all the stars, after all this time.

[darling-to-death]

I play DoL as a dress up sim (lol) so I always like seeing how people dress up their PCs so... What clothes does Penelope have? If it's okay to ask! 👉👈

Oh my gosh! <3 Of course it's okay to ask! Thank you for taking an interest in my PC! Also playing it as a dress up sim is VALID. Lowkey I do that as well.

I have two options I use for the school uniform. I either use the school shirt and the long school skirt or the school overalls. Once I can afford them, I always buy kitten heels and a headband to look cute. I've gone back and forth on what color I use for the uniform, but lately it's been purple!

For swimwear, I start off buying the school swimsuit in whatever color the uniform is, because I think the matching is cute. Then when I have enough money I buy the cuter swimsuit, normally in pink, and not for swim class, but when I go swimming for artifacts at the beach or the lake, I wear the wetsuit.

For jobs around town I'll have a special little outfit designed to help boost my stats. I wear the nun uniform when I work at the temple, because it helps boost my purity. I wear a waitress uniform when I work at the cafe, because it helps my tips, and I splurge for the Victorian maid outfit when I do housekeeping. Any maid outfit will boost your housekeeping stat, but the Victorian one is the prettiest so it's the one I like to wear. (It's also the most expensive one. ;_;)

These are my two night uniforms. I'm either dancing or doing "other stuff" at the club/brothel. It takes a while for my exhibition to be high enough to let me wear just the cat bra/panties, but once I can wear them I think it's a very cute outfit. Then on Saturday nights I'm always with Avery, because I love him and I NEED money. I like wearing the fancy gothic gown, and I never play as a cross-dresser, but I think the top hat really brings the outfit together. (I have no style.) So even though it's a male-coded clothing item, I always add it in to be cute.

On weekends I try to use that time to do the more tedious gameplay stuff. My athletics stat is always horribly low, because I hate having to go to the park to run. Whenever I do try to get it up, I put on the cheerleading uniform, because I think the sports clothes give a slight boost to athletics. I also make sure it matches whatever school colors I'm working with at the moment. I don't make it to the farm often, because it's just so far awaaayyyyy, but when I do I wanna be the cutest little farmhand ever! So I wear the cowboy hat and the cow chaps and the plaid and the work gloves and yadda yadda. I wish I could wear the cowboy boots but for gameplay purposes I always wear the work boots, because they're rugged. Rugged footwear helps me not slip and hurt myself when I go exploring the moors.

Finally I have my everyday and my sleepwear outfits! I normally just stick with the white sundress you get at the beginning of the game, but once I learn how to make flower crowns with Robin I ALWAYS wear a flower crown. It doesn't affect the actual gameplay, but when I'm selling at the stall wearing a flower crown of my flowers I think it helps sell the quality of my product. Also, it's the cutest accessory in the game. Then for sleep I always buy the cow onsie, because yes you guessed it, I think it's the cutest. All of my clothing sets are motivated by how cute I think something is. Haha. But it also gives a boost to how effective your sleep is which I constantly need especially on the night of the Blood Moon, because I'm going to be real with you. I know the Ivory Wraith is a rather popular NPC, but I think he's too much trouble. I just have Penelope stay awake the entire night and then skip school the next day to catch up on her sleep. No possession for me. :3c

I also used to make her wear glasses with every outfit, because I myself have glasses and she's mostly a self-insert, but she's also a teeny bit of a physical wishfullment self insert, so in my ideal world I don't have shit eyesight and neither does Penelope.

Anyway, I hope you like the little doodles, and thank you again so very much for letting me talk about my OCs! Much love and best wishes! UwU.

[xxrainshadowsxx]

Interpersonal Chapter 4

Heh. I'm not going to spoil anything, but things start to get spicy this chapter.

A couple weeks later, you were putting up with a particularly slow day when your computer pings with an email. You pull it up and see that it’s an invitation to some sort of event. You forward it off to Mr. Onceler, not expecting to hear about it again. He gets a lot of these requests and so far, he’s ignored every single one of them. So you’re surprised when he comes into your office moments later, asking you to clear his schedule for Thursday and Friday so he can attend.

You pull up his schedule and hasten to reschedule and cancel his appointments for those days, trying to avoid his eyes. Despite your agreement to forget what had happened, every time you see him, you’re reminded of it, and more often than not, the memory causes your cheeks to become enflamed. You’ve also caught yourself staring at him all too often, which both annoyed and confused you. 

“Anything else you need from me? Travel ticket?” you ask, still attempting to be diligent with your job, no matter how awkward you felt.

“No need. We’ll just take my private jet,” he shrugs. The sentence is casual enough, but a few words catch you totally off guard.

“Wait a minute, pause. What do you mean, ‘we?’” you ask. He looks at you in confusion.

“You’re coming with me, of course,” he says, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “Hope you didn’t have anything important this weekend, we won’t get back until Sunday.”

“No, that’s fine. I can come,” you mumble. “So, I’ll get two train tickets then?” You’re desperately trying to distract him and make him forget about the other thing he said that you didn’t particularly like. 

“No, I told you we’ll take my plane.” Dammit. No such luck. You squirm uncomfortably.

“Do we really have to fly?” you ask desperately, abandoning all sense of pride.

He raises an eyebrow at you, looking highly amused. “We won’t get there fast enough if we take the train,” he points out. “You’re not scared of flying, are you?”

You sigh. You were hoping to avoid this topic. “I’m not overly fond of it, no,” you reluctantly admit.

He chuckles, and you attempt to glare at him, but he puts his hand over yours and your brain completely short-circuits. “Don’t worry,” he reassures you. “I’ll be with you the whole time, nothing’s gonna happen.” He begins to walk back to his own office, leaving your hand cold. “Don’t bother coming in tomorrow, I’ll pick you up at your place around nine. Plan for four days.” With that, he exits, leaving you to process your new weekend plans.

To distract yourself from overanalyzing his hand touch, you pull up the email again to try and gauge how fancy this is going to be. After you scan the invitation, you find that it’s a charity gala. Okay. So very formal. Which means you were likely going to be completely out of your element. Great.

You were also questioning why the hell he needed his PA at a gala he wasn’t even hosting, but you suppose that point isn’t worth arguing. It was very much in your job description to accompany him to events. You just hadn’t realized those events would see you rubbing shoulders with some of the richest people in the country.

Before you leave for the evening, you make a pit stop at Mr. Onceler’s desk. He’s working on some form of paperwork, but immediately looks up and puts it off to the side as you approach. You try and ignore his very obvious delight as you pull up a chair, instead doing your damndest to focus on the questions you had. “So, dress code for this? Black tie?”

“Yup,” he clarifies easily enough. “Do you have something or do you want me to bring you anything?" The question is asked with no judgment, but it nonetheless makes you squirm as you're reminded just how damn wealthy these people are, and that you absolutely don't run in the same circles.

"I should be okay… but maybe grab something just in case? I'm not exactly in familiar territory here," you say.

"It's really nothing to worry about," he promises. "Just a bunch of people trying to prove that they're more philanthropic than whoever they happen to be talking to. Just stick by me, you'll be fine."

"You say that, but you do realize the most formal event I've ever been to was my senior prom, right?" Your tone is light enough, but your words were 100% sincere. "This isn't exactly something I'm going to be comfortable at, even if you tell me it's no big deal. It's a big deal for someone like me."

"I promise, it's going to be fine," he reiterates. "All you have to do is show up, look pretty, and stay on my arm all night if you're really that nervous. I'll even pay for all your drinks."

"Oh, that's all I have to do?" you tease. Despite everything, he has managed to drastically improve your mood, and you can't resist the opportunity to slip into your easy banter with him. "Looking pretty is not as easy as you think it is."

You're fully expecting him to tease you back. You are not expecting him to snort and mutter, "Trust me, looking pretty is the least of your worries." You feel your cheeks flush crimson as you try and figure out the meaning behind that. Was that an attempt at a compliment? You really aren't sure. But before you can do more than open your mouth as you flounder for words, he beats you to the punch. "I don't want to keep you here all night. I'm sure you have packing to do."

"Oh… of course," you stammer as you collect your things and what remains of your dignity and begin to leave. You've nearly reached the door when you remember to say, "Good night, sir."

"Good night." You don't turn around, but you feel his eyes staring at you until you exit the room and shut the door behind you.

Well. It was going to be a very interesting weekend, that was for sure.

The next morning, as you wait in your living room for him to show up, there's a honk outside at 9 a.m. sharp. You wheel your hastily-packed suitcase behind you, but stop short the second you open the front door.

When he'd said he'd be picking you up, you assumed that meant he'd be driving. But you've learned Mr. Onceler is never one to do anything small, and this is clearly no exception; he's shown up in a whole ass limo, complete with a driver waiting to hold the door open for you.

"Allow me," he says when you get over your shock and manage to make your way down to the car. He relieves you of your luggage before opening the car door, and you receive another small shock when you actually do see Mr. Onceler. For the plane ride, you'd opted for comfort and were only wearing leggings and a T-shirt. He's sitting there in his usual green suit. You feel totally underdressed, which is ridiculous seeing as you're going to be on a God-forsaken plane.

"You weren't expecting me in business casual, were you?" you ask, just to confirm, as you slide in next to him.

"Nah, whatever makes you comfortable," he shrugs. "I'm just most comfortable in this." You suppose you can't argue with that, although you are questioning who the hell felt most comfortable wearing a suit of all things. That seems rude to point out, so you just stay silent as he opens a mini-fridge next to him. "Champagne?"

"At nine in the morning?" you ask with a raised eyebrow. 

"Relax, if you want to be technical with it, it's a mimosa. That makes it classy," he defends, giving you that smile that always makes your stomach jump. "Besides, I thought you could use a drink before the flight. Help with your nerves and all." Once again his logic is sound, and you accept the drink he offers you without further complaint.

"How long of a flight is it?" you ask after a couple of minutes.

"It'll take up most of the day,” he replies, watching you closely to gauge your reaction. "We should get in around six, then we'll go to the hotel and not have to do anything until tomorrow."

"And what time tomorrow should I be ready?"

This one he has to think over. "I'd say seven, to be on the safe side," he decides. "The thing doesn't start until eight, but we should leave early in case there's traffic." He doesn't mention it, but there's also the implication that you might need to change to meet the standards of the event.

The car comes to a halt moments later, and a quick look out the window confirms you've come to an airport hangar. You down the rest of your drink in one gulp to avoid turning green.

He gestures for you to exit first, which you begrudgingly do. Now you're forced to confront the plane, which looks way too big considering it was only carrying two passengers. Seeing the flying metal death trap instantly makes you queasy and you stop dead in your tracks, closing your eyes and taking several deep breaths in an attempt to calm down. 

"Hey? You okay?" His voice is a reminder that you aren't alone, but more than that, you're struck by the sincerity lacing his words. When you force your eyes open, he's looking at you with genuine concern and even some worry. 

"I told you yesterday, I don't like flying," you grit out.

"You said you weren't fond of it. I think this goes a bit beyond 'not fond' of something," he points out. 

You huff out a breath of frustration at yourself. He was completely right of course. You'd tried to downplay your fear yesterday, and now that decision was coming back to bite you in the ass. "Fine. I am utterly terrified of flying," you admit. "Once we get to cruising altitude I should be mostly fine, but takeoff and landing…" You trail off as a shudder wreaks its way through your entire body as you remember your horrible fear from the very few times you've flown.

He's still looking worried for you, but seems to have made his mind up about something: you recognize the look on his face from when he's made a particularly difficult decision at work.

He comes up beside you and slips one of his arms around your waist, holding you to his side securely but not being restrictive about it. "Nothing's going to happen. I'll be right with you the whole time," he murmurs. Normally, you'd never allow this, seeing as he's destroying all sorts of boundaries, but at the moment, you couldn't be more grateful. Any support you can get while flying is welcome, and his quiet confidence, steadiness, and reassurances are offering you an unbelievable amount of comfort.

You allow him to lead you to the base of the stairs to board the flight. He's forced to release his hold on your waist since there's only room to board one at a time, but he stays close behind you as you climb the stairs and dart to the nearest available seat in the cabin.

The interior doesn't look at all like you're used to, closer resembling a hotel suite than a commercial flight. The seat you're in is wide and comfortable, and there are no seats next to you. Instead, there's one directly across from you. That's the seat Mr. Onceler takes, allowing for that sure, steady presence to still be available for you.

However, now that you're physically on board, your fear starts to settle back in. You have to grip your own hands tightly to stop them from shaking, and you can't stop your eyes from darting over to glance out the window every few seconds.

"Stop looking outside," he gently chastises you. "You're only going to freak yourself out worse."

"I know, but I literally cannot help it," you manage to get out through gritted teeth. The plane begins to move, and you let out a whimper as your knuckles turn white as you grip the armrests.

He's now looking around frantically as well. You have no idea what he's searching for. He only stops when he looks down, his eyes fixating on something. "It'll have to do," he mutters before he grabs his own tie and begins undoing it with quick fingers. "Lean towards me," he orders.

"What are you-"

"Just lean over here!" he says with such force you can't help but obey. The second you're close enough, he wraps the tie around your eyes, effectively blocking your vision. "There. Now you can't look out the window," he says smugly as he knots the fabric just below your ponytail. You'd respond with a thanks, but now you're shaking for a whole different reason. Being blindfolded by his fucking tie feels entirely too intimate, even if it's for an innocent reason. You're also smelling pine and bergamot, a scent that over the past few months you've come to associate with your boss. You've never smelled it so strongly, and it's never smelled so good before.

"Give me your hands," he says quietly. As if acting on their own accord, your hands unclench themselves and blindly search for his. He grasps your hands in each of his own and fuck…

Whenever you'd touched his hands before, he always had gloves on. Always. But in the time it took for him to blindfold you and take your hands, he'd removed his gloves, thereby removing another barrier between the two of you.

And as dangerous, as stupid as this was, you can't find the capacity to care about these walls coming down. No, if anything you're secretly celebrating, which is ridiculous.

The plane gives a horrible lurch just then, and you're guessing it's left the ground now. You jump, your hands twitching in his before he squeezes them tighter. "Breathe," he reminds you, and you can't help but let out a horribly embarrassing, breathy little moan at his words. His mouth must be right by your ear; you can feel his breath on your neck. The fact that you can't see is pushing your other senses into overdrive, and intentionally or not, he's taking full advantage of that fact. "Relax, I'm right here, nothing is going to happen to you," he continues to murmur into your ear. And the more he speaks, the more you want him to…

He reaches behind you and removes his tie, and you have to blink a few times to get used to having your sight returned to you. "We're at cruising," he informs you. "You alright?"

"Y-yeah," you manage to gulp out as you try and calm yourself down. You'd had a visceral reaction to what he'd done, and having it end so abruptly was a bit shocking to you. You were also desperately trying to sort out exactly what had happened.

The problem with sorting yourself out was that it required being honest. And if you were being honest, that meant you'd have to come to terms with the fact that you'd wanted him to kiss you. You wanted him to kiss you so fucking badly. You were upset he hadn't. And that was so wrong of you to feel.

You shouldn't be feeling anything but friendship with your boss. But you've started catching yourself occasionally wanting more before you chastise yourself harshly. You absolutely should not have a crush on your boss. But despite your best efforts, you think you might have developed a crush on your boss.

Said boss stands up just then, and you can't help but follow his movements. "I'm gonna go take a nap in the other room. Care to come with me?" he asks as he starts making his way to the back of the cabin.

He wasn't asking what you thought he was, right? You're definitely inventing innuendos he didn't mean just because your own mind is 100% in the gutter at the moment. But best to double-check, just in case. "Are there two separate beds?"

"Nope," he says casually before disappearing into the other room.

…Was he seriously propositioning you to sleep with him?!

Before you can even wrap your mind about what just happened, he pops his head out the door. "It's a king-sized bed. There'll be plenty of room, don't worry," he says before shutting the door for the second time.

You wish you were able to put up even a modicum of resistance. But in reality, the only thought going through your head is, what the hell. Can't possibly make the situation any worse!

Besides, you actually are tired. Packing had made it so that you stayed up much later than you were used to the previous night. Getting more sleep would be good for you.

At least that was the excuse you were going to use to justify following him into the back room only moments later.

Inside, there was that king-sized bed he'd talked about, topped with a thick black comforter. Mr. Onceler was sitting on one side of the bed, and he'd changed out of his green suit into a much more understated white T-shirt and gray sweatpants.

Goddammit. You acknowledge that he's always been good-looking, but then he had to go ahead and choose now to look normal and approachable instead of a billionaire entrepreneur. And you think this more normal version of him was even better looking than before.

He looks up when you enter the room. "Do you want to change into anything first?" he offers. "I don't know if you noticed, but your luggage was brought in here before we left. You could get into something more comfortable."

"This is fine," you insist. You usually go to sleep in a tank-top and shorts, but you were absolutely not getting into any size bed with him wearing a tank-top and shorts, especially not now when you have no self-control.

You climb into the opposite side of the bed as him, staying as close as you can to the edge of the bed. You've also ensured you're facing away from him as well. "Sleep well," you mumble before you allow yourself to drift off.

"You too," you hear before you fall into sweet nothing.

When you wake up, you're snuggled up to something very warm. You're too comfortable to move at the moment, but you suppose you could open your eyes and start attempting to come to full consciousness.

But when you open your eyes, you're staring into something white, which confuses you. You didn't remember anything white on the bed. Nothing except for…

Oh. Oh no.

As you come to be fully aware, you realize you're enveloped in what feels an awful lot like arms. You don't want to confirm anything, but you have to look up.

And sure enough, there's the sleeping face of Mr. Onceler right there. Even though you'd started on the very ends of the bed, you'd somehow both migrated to the middle and gotten tangled up in each other.

Before you figure out what the hell to do, he opens his own bleary eyes. "What time is it?" he asks sleepily before seemingly noticing you for the first time. He starts right at you, wide awake now, and quickly pulls his arms back as his face turns scarlet, but you can hardly blame for that. You're sure your own face is crimson by this point as well. 

"I need you to not say anything, and roll over," he requests, his voice strained and rather higher-pitched than normal.

"Why-?"

"Please, just do it," he asks again, now refusing to meet your eyes. You're still confused, but you'll do as he asks. You bring your leg up when your knee brushes against something hard and oblong-shaped.

Well. Um. That happened. And fucker ain't little.

You both freeze and slowly look at each other, both of you looking mortified. Suddenly your brain turns back on, and you jump out of bed, making a beeline for the door.

"Wait!" he calls just before your hand touches the knob. You pause, but refuse to look at him. "Agree to never speak of this again?" he pleads.

You finally turn to face him. "Agreed. This never happened," you say before slipping into the main cabin, leaning against the door and breathing heavily.

How in the ever loving fuck were you supposed to spend a whole weekend with him and act professional after that? Death take you now. It's the only solution you can find.

[cricketnationrise]

Weekend WIP Around

so. i'm bad at responding to tag games at the best of times. and then i worked 11 days straight and lost all sense of time and space. but! ive had several days off now, my head is screwed on relatively straight again, so here we go. thanks to: @cha-melodius @three-drink-amy @inexplicablymine @affectionatelyrs @dumbpeachjuice @welcometololaland @celaestis1 @indomitable-love @14carrotghoul @rmd-writes @doggernaut @sherryvalli @kiwiana-writes @leaves-of-laurelin and @read-and-write- for the MANY tags over the last two weeks! have some words! 💜🦗

I'm using @welcometololaland's 20 question game for writers and artists (thanks Lola, this is so fun!)

1. WIP List: (from my "Active WIPs" folder otherwise we'd be here 5eva) Game Changer (Noise Boys) Tortall AU [FTH] rwrb assassination attempt AU [FTH] jon/alanna Tortall canon-divergence [FTH] an incomplete list series going platinum sequel jack's off-season wishlist series rwrb kiss-cam omgcp say yes to the dress au

2. Which of your WIPs is currently the longest? Game Changer AU ~2.4k

3. Which WIP do you expect will end up the longest? eventually an incomplete list series since it has the most parts planned, but the going platinum sequel has more than a little potential to explode on me

4. Which WIP is your favourite to write/the most enjoyable to write? Why? I am SUPER enjoying writing the Game Changer AU right now, it's really fun coming up with all the prompts!

5. Which WIP do you find the most intimidating to write? Why? jon/alanna canon-divergence. hands down. it's not a pairing i usually seek out, and i want to write them believably, especially since it's for charity

6. Which WIP do you experience the most self-doubt about. Why? see above.

7. Which of your WIPs will you seek out a beta/sensitivity reader for? Why? probably everything on this list will get a beta pass, actually. kiss cam will depend on how long i end up making it/if it actually gets a whole plot XD

8. Have any of your WIPs been struck by the curse of writer's block? jon/alanna has less of a writer's block and more of a starting block, but i'm hopeful that once i figure out the plot the writing will come fairly easily. kiss-cam au I paused on purpose because i was writing The Mummy AU and Going Platinum at the same time and a third wip was driving me crazy.

9. Which WIP has your favourite OC? Tell us about them? none of them have OC's at this time

10. Which WIP is the sexiest? Going Platinum sequel 🤝 Jack's Off-Season Wishlist

11. Which WIP is the angstiest? rwrb assassination attempt AU, for obvious reasons

12. Which WIP has the best characterisation (in your humble opinion)? well, i hope all of them!

13. Which WIP has the best scene setting (in your humble opinion)? ditto from above

14. Which WIP have you worked the hardest on? as of today, Game Changer Tortall AU

15. Which WIP do you have the highest expectations for? Why? Going Platinum sequel. I cut a lot of ideas from the original fic because they didn't make sense with the hiding identities I had going on, so now that they're together, I'm really excited to figure out how alex's job (and henry's support of it) lets their relationship evolve and grow

16. Do you dream about any of your WIPs? not about any of these, but while I was writing the Mummy AU I watched the movie so frequently that I would regularly dream about that one.

17. Do any of your WIPs have particular complexities that your other fics don't? Going Platinum sequel - choreography complications since they still aren't showing their faces on the streams Game Changer Tortall AU - working within the framework of the show itself, possibly coding the whole thing to look like a script

18. Which WIP is the funniest or has the most humour? Game Changer AU for sure.

19. Do any of your WIPs contain outside POVs or a deep dive on a character other than the main ship? How are you finding that process? not right now!

20. Tell us one thing we don't know about one or more of your WIPs. say yes to the dress au - Bitty as Randy, but it's a Nurseydex endgame fic AND a bonus snippet from the Game Changer Tortall fic to make up for all the 6/7 sentences/wip weds i've missed :D

“Tonight’s guests: coming in fresh from a shower: it’s Merric Hollyrose! Looking around for somewhere to tie his horse: Owen Jesslaw! Tallest, oldest, last – and certainly not happy about it – it’s Neal Queenscove! And your host, me! I’ve been here the whole time.” “Welcome to Gamechanger, the only game show where the game changes every show. I am your host, Kel Mindelan, and I’m joined today by these three lovely contestants. Now, you all understand how the game works?” Merric shakes his head. “Nope.”  “Haven’t the foggiest,” says Owen cheerful as always in the face of the unknown. “You haven’t explained a dratted thing.” Neal pouts and Kel feels the last wisps of nerves melt away in response. Kel knows how to do this – getting Neal to hit peak dramatically grumpy levels is as natural as breathing. She throws Neal a cheeky grin before turning back to the camera. “That’s right! Our players have no idea what game it is that they’re about to play. The only way to learn is by playing, the only way to win is by learning, and the only way to begin is by beginning, so without further ado – let’s begin.”

Consider this an open tag to play along!

[lynne-monstr]

hi, it's the anon who's stopping by! how have you been?? I hope you're having a nice week. this last month has been very hectic for me, work was very busy, which both helps with my situation and doesn't. on the one hand work is pretty much the one thing that's going okay in my life rn so focusing on that helps distract from everything else. on the other hand, when all of a sudden work becomes a struggle too, it's tough. but as always, it's best to focus on the positives (easier said than done lol). for example: it's summer! I was actually able to wear a dress to work today, finally!!

I wanted to ask: I remember you mentioned a while ago that you recently cracked the code to making salads tasty, and I was wondering if you could share some tips that worked for you? I'm trying to eat more healthily bc I haven't been doing a very good job of that lately, and I struggle with vegetables tbh. I like the idea of a salad in theory but when I try it it's either bland or straight up acidic (looking at you, lettuce). I don't mind making it "more unhealthy", veggies are still veggies. I just want to be able to eat them without the experience being absolutely miserable 🥲

as always sending you good vibes! I always enjoy seeing you on my dash! have a lovely week!! 💞

hi anon, it' good to see you again! I've been super busy lately, mostly work stuff. we're gearing up for a big deadline and so the meetings and the business travel have ramped up. my flight home on friday got super delayed and I got in late, and i think it's a sign that I'm getting older because the late night really threw off my whole weekend. I had plans to get out and explore but i just bummed around for 2 whole days, which was admittedly pretty nice.

I totally feel you on the busy work stuff being both a blessing and a curse. work was a great distraction for me when I needed it but lol I wish it came without all the stress and the pressure and the rest. it sounds like you're hanging in there, and I am sending lots of good vibes your way! looking on the bright side is SO HARD but ughhh it's one of those things I've found actually pays off. I hope work stays relatively chill for you.

and yay for summer! (it's my favorite time of year). dresses are the best! it's always so fun to break out the summer wardrobe. i've been living in long flowy skirts for a few weeks now!

okay salads! I love tasty salads. I should probably preface this with the confession that i genuinely enjoy vegetables. but i hope you can still find some of this useful. my biggest issue with salads was that i'm lazy and also hate spoiled browning salad mix, so those were the two big problems i was looking to solve for myself. i'll put my process in bulletpoionts because i love bulletpoints.

chopping the lettuce! game changer.

baby spinach stays fresh the whole week. also i can use it in morning fruit smoothies to get extra veggies.

i chop all my veggies (usually red bell pepper, cucumber, tomatoes, feta cheese) at the beginning of the week because i'm lazy. also, i roast extra veggies at dinner and use the leftovers in my salads for variety

i supplement fresh veggies with canned: heart of palm, artichokes, baby corn, roasted red peppers

carbs in the salad! couscous, pearl couscous, orzo, rice. it makes it more fun and gives good texture

also beans! (omg butter beans in salad is amazing!). canned because i'm lazy

crispy tortilla strips! yum

for protein, i braise a batch of chicken thighs and shred them up , and pop them in the salad as needed. also i keep grocery store frozen fried chicken in the freezer for if I run out of fresh.

i don't like completely cold salads so i gently reheat the chicken before i use it to give it some temperature variation

homemade tahini lime salad dressing because it's delicious. also I will 100% take the leftover salad dressings from catered work lunches.

I guess that's a longwinded way of saying that i make sure to actually put stuff I like eating in my salads. I switch things up for variety, but the combo of chopped lettuce, carbs, protein, veggies and a good dressing goes a long way. tbh, a good dressing is 100% the most important part of a good salad. I stopped buying those crappy low fat salad dressings because they taste like cardboard. I either make my own or splurge on the nice full fat ones and use them in moderation.

good luck with your salads! i've definitely felt a lot more energetic since i got better about eating more fruits/vegetables. (granted, some of that might also be the vitamin supplements I started taking on the advice of my doctor.) i hope it works for you!

thanks for stopping by, I was wondering how you were doing and I'm so glad to hear the updates!

[myveryownpersonalhell]

Introvert Issues

A generic rant, nothing more.

Being a huge introvert, I appreciate quiet time. I love my current job for a few reasons:

First, I have my own office that's away from most of the other staff, and I have peace and quiet for most of the day. Occasionally, someone will pop in to quickly say hi or ask a question, but I'm fine with that.

Second, I get to set my own schedule; my boss knows that I know what I'm doing, and he's never had an issue with me getting my work done or meeting deadlines. There's no micromanaging, nagging, or 'friendly reminders'. I'm given a job, and I do it.

Third, casual dress code (nothing really to do with introversion, but throwing on a pair of jeans and a hoodie every morning saves me the time of having to decide on what to wear, and saves me the cost of buying and maintaining dress clothes). I'm not a fashion icon, and I know nothing about brand names or high-end stuff, or even fashion itself. My clothes are functional, not classy.

Fourth, my boss and almost all of my coworkers rock. We all work well together, we collaborate well, and we're all on the same page.

Of course, there's usually always one that drives you nuts.

My job involves a lot of things. Accounting, HR, safety stuff, IT stuff, website design and server maintenance, graphic design, etc. I do a wide variety of things, and I really do love it. A lot of what I do requires concentration, which is why a quiet office is beneficial to me. Of course I deal with interruptions, but they're usually minimal. Most of my coworkers take a few minutes of my time if they have a question, and the conversations are short and necessary, or there's a quick call. But, concentration is key, and so is quiet. I can't concentrate if a radio is playing, or if someone is constantly talking. Most of my coworkers understand this.

Then, there's Emily, who is a massive extrovert, and she is literally incapable of not talking or making some sort of noise. I can avoid her most of the time, but to me, she's utterly exhausting just to be around.

She'll literally walk up a flight to stairs to use the bathroom near my office just to have an excuse to talk to me. There's a bathroom about ten steps from her desk, but she'll literally walk across the office, up the stairs and down the hall just to use the upstairs bathroom and then she MUST say hi, and tell me all about her weekend or evening for 20-30 minutes.

I've told her I'm busy multiple times, and she didn't take a hint. I've ignored her, and she still keeps talking. It's at the point where, if I hear her coming, I pick up the phone and pretend I'm on a call. But, even that doesn't work, because she's incapable of existing in silence.

If she can't talk to me for whatever reason, she'll make noise somehow. If she ran up the stairs, she'll make loud panting noises to prove how exhausted she is. If she sees me on the phone she'll 'talk' to herself and make sad, disappointed noises as she walks by. And, if all else fails, she'll burst into song and start singing to herself, loudly. If she's making a coffee, she'll talk herself through every single step and comment on what the coffee pot looks like, how long it's taking, how much water she used, and so on.

My boss has given me the go-ahead to close my door and stick a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on it, but even that doesn't do it. She'll stand outside my door and talk to herself. For fifteen straight minutes.

Holy fuck. I cannot deal.

I know extroverts need to externalize, to some degree. But, this is almost pathological. She cannot exist quietly. She's incapable. She doesn't know how. She has to verbalize every single breath, thought, action and feeling.

And I don't know how to deal with it. I'm at a complete loss. I used to enjoy coming to work, and now I dread it.

[n0toverit]

huge vent feel free to ignore

okay day is now becoming kinda bad day esp with everything that’s happened recently i haven’t worked in like two weeks bc quit old job to go to new job bc i got a car which is literally everything i worked for at old job like saving 550-650 per check so i could get a car and then i got in an accident so i have no car which is the whole reason i went to new job interview and got the job that o was so happy and so excited for and now i have no car so i got all used to having my own time and doing things in my own not asking if i can be dropped of here or if i can be brought there i could just do it on my own and i was able to see bf twice a week instead of once bc he wasn’t the only one driving all the way to me and back every week but now i get more info on new job just to find out my kinda ex friend at this point that works there told me ppl wear jewelry and have their nails and lashes done blah blah so i give myself a fresh set of acrylic nails this past weekend, i would have had lashes but that was the day of the accident just for the email to say no perfume/cologne, no jewelry whatsoever (rings of any sort, earrings, bracelets,watches) no makeup, no hair or eyelash extensions, no acrylic nails or nail polish, and above all that said that if you violate any part of the dress code you’ll be sent home and have training rescheduled for the next week which mine was already rescheduled bc the class i was supposed to be in on the 5th got too full so they moved me to the 12th now i have to remove a basically full fresh set of acrylics and take off all of my jewelry including my ring from my boyfriend which means the most to me i literally cried the one day i forgot to put it back on a couple weeks ago after washing my cat and then take out all 3 sets of earrings i have and possibly lose the 3rd holes entirely that i only got making sure with that friend that i would be able to wear at least just regular plain earrings and not have to take them out and she said yes they shouldn’t say anything so not only was i basically fully lied to but i have only a few days to figure out what to do with all my stuff idk if they’ll let me in with clear piercing retainers or not i’ll have to see how they look cause i’m not sure if i’ll have my hair up or not this is all so disappointing and upsetting with the fact that i’m pretty sure all week i’m gonna have to uber home too cause they’re doing it on a tuesday when my regular schedule has me off from sunday -tuesday and alternating wednesdays i’m happy i have the job and it’s a better working place than the last job i had especially since i know i won’t be doing 3diff ppls jobs and playing manager through the week but i wish the stupid accident didn’t happen and my stupid friend wasn’t so stupid if i can even call her a friend at this point we had this not rlly huge but idk falling out argument whatever that she complains how she feels like i don’t want hang out with her anymore or that i spend all my time with my bf who i’ve only been able to see 2-3 times a week IF IM LUCKY but normally once a week on tuesdays for over a year but she thinks i spend all my time and days off with him when he lives 45mins away from me or that i don’t wanna hang out with her when she leaves me on seen and delivered for weeks and at time and she thinks it’s like a hehe oopsies i did to that didn’t i like it’s so annoying and irritating i’ve actually fully stopped talking to her bc of it she said she was gonna be better about it and she hasn’t changed anything so i just stopped talking to her fully because it’s sad and annoying esp seeing as we were best friends since we were like 10-11 and now she just pretty much lies or pays so little attention and practically ignores me everything g is so upsetting recently i just wish i still had my car and never made that stupid appointment and that i had better friends when at this point my only friend is my boyfriend if he even really counts and maybe one other person but we can’t even really hang out now cause i don’t have a car anymore

[pickceldigital]

Engaging Millennials in The Workplace: The 'TME' Strategy

Dynamic. Energetic. Young.

Aren’t we all looking up to people who bring new ideas to the table, are super enthusiastic, and are ready to give it a shot?!

Welcome, millennial workforce! The ‘81-’97 liners are looking for more than just a stipend or some recognition and rewards; they are here to innovate, learn, experiment, and get ahead. The list goes on, from the general workforce to the most influential entrepreneurs!

Who are your millennial employees?

By definition, millennial employees are those aged between 25 to 41 years as of 2022 (yeah, pretty much the ‘young blood’ of a company).

Now, if you think the 25-year-olds are too inexperienced to understand how corporates work, let me tell you, over 66% of the workforce are millennials holding important positions in large business houses. By 2025, millennials will comprise 75% of the total new hires.

Millennial engagement 101: Remember to TME

Probably the question of the moment: What is the best way to engage your millennial employees?

And what can help you with that? The TME mantra: Train, Motivate and Engage.

Let’s discuss each of these three strategies in details.

T: Train your millennial workforce

The ‘on your marks’ agenda!

Before you put millennial employees to work, it is essential to give them a perspective on what they are about to do and why they are to do it (identify the purpose, uh-huh!)

3 Quick tips for training the millennial squad

A. Incorporating Microlearning Programs: People tend to notice and remember things that engage them in more than one way, and digital displays are the right tool for you!

Publish short quizzes with real time downloadable reports on your office screens (you can add interactivity too!)

By adding a QR code, you can also let your employees scan and download the on-screen training content on their mobile devices for self-paced learning & development.

Step up the employee productivity with Pickcel!

Manage and publish any content on your corporate screensGet Free Demo

B. Opportunities for upskilling: Millennials like to work hard, improve and own what they do. For them, setbacks or a lag in performance transgresses as an avenue to improve and learn from past mistakes. And this is why upskilling courses and mentorship are required to help them get going!

Such programs help them set realistic work goals alongside fulfilling their personal developments. Whether it is to achieve a lateral career shift or add a new badge or degree to extend their resume, vocational training is a massive motivator for GenY and GenZ workers.

C. Go Social: Did you know your Instagram posts or company tweets help millennials, especially the new joiners, understand your company’s culture?

What percentage of millennial employees are there? How diverse is the workplace? Is the management a big stickler for dress codes, or can I pull a pair of jeans and sweatshirts, and as long as I do my job, they don’t care?

Suggested article: How to use your office displays to improve employee engagement?

M: Motivate your millennial workforce

Be it for a trivial task such as folding clothes or completing a pending project, we all need that ‘get, set’ at some point in our lives. So do our millennials!

And trust me, it is not always money.

A pat on the back or a simple ‘kudos’ can make someone’s day. But you can do a lot more to keep your young employees happy.

5 tips to motivate the millennial workforce

Put up your employee of the month or an employee recognition wall to show that their hard work is appreciated.

Don’t keep work hours too rigid. Allow employees to set their time limits. Observations by Bentley University have pointed out that over 77% of millennials said a flexible work schedule helps to increase their productivity.

Plan a self-care session with your workers by planning a meditation, spa session, or a weekend trip together. It would help them calm down and get a clear mind.

Do away with that gender pay parity and provide equal opportunities to everyone.

Last but certainly not least, train managers and employees in leadership positions to be affable and approachable. A heart-to-heart conversation is the best motivator! 73% of workers in a research said that in-person meetings help to cement professional relationships.

E: Engage your millennial employees

The ‘go’ plan, yes!

In a recent survey, more than 27% of respondents said that they enjoy doing things that add meaning and purpose to their ideas, and there isn’t a better way to get your millennial workers hooked than showing them a reason for which they should keep the show going!

Be that digital whiteboard that helps plan their week’s schedule or events that test their creativity, engaging your employee is an indispensable

So, how to foster millennial engagement in your company culture? I have got you covered!

4 highly effective ideas to engage the new-gen employees at work

Show them the results: Gone are the days when your staff would work, have lunch, send some end-of-the-day emails, close their systems and forget about work when they step out of the office.The millennial workers want to know the bigger picture of the game. How does my work bring profit to the company? How does my performance look next to my peers’?As a manager, you can engage these eager minds by showing them their work results and progress. For instance, showing various project management, sales, and KPI dashboards on your office TV displays can give them the ‘bigger picture.’ Conducting retrospective meetings is another fantastic way to build meaningful engagement.

Make them your first customers: Launching a new product? Get your employees to test (and taste - if you are into the culinary world) your offerings first! Ask for feedback and incorporate these ideas to improve what you just created! This goes to show your workforce that their opinion makes a difference!

Bring in digital transformation: Millennials are digital natives; they live to love technology, play with it and make the most of it. So an office that still uses paper catalogs, pin-and-cork bulletin boards, and printed log registers will surely not appeal to them.If you want to attract the Gen Y and GenZ talent, your workplace needs to be equipped with quick collaboration & information-sharing tools, different automation technologies, and sophisticated meeting rooms.

Let them explore: An essential part of millennial employee engagement is to allow them a safe space to explore new ideas and solve day-to-day challenges through unconventional means. While doing that, it is also essential for you as a manager not to discourage them if they fail.

Do millennials find their workplace relatable? Here are 5 tricks to find out and make them do!

Here are some quick tricks to find out if your employees like your way of working and making them do!

Check on the turn-ins for a non-work session: It indicates if your employees like their workplace. If the number showing up for Friday nights or weekend trips is too low, do an opinion poll and organize something your team would like to be a part of.

Analyze feedback and see how honest they are: Very important! If there are too many yes-folks or only good things to say, time to be alert! Ask your employees to drop honest feedback without hesitating.

See how they perform when in a challenging situation: Another check-off! If your employees can keep their heads and deliver while their creativity is challenged, they are true to their craft and understand your vision.

Inter-team engagement matters: If your teams can work in perfect sync with one another, they have found their ideal co-workers. Check how collaborative they are and how much they are willing to help each other; it’s necessary for brand building.

If possible, let them choose tasks and see what they prefer: This will help you get an idea of how these bunch of millennials want to work and live (take some notes here for personal research 😊)

How are millennials changing the workplace dynamics?

For years, employers have had quite a time figuring out what millennials might relate to and what could immediately get them to sulk! And with that comes its share of myths and hits!

Myth breakers: There is a theory about millennials being the most unruly tech-obsessed of employees who only believe in smart work.

Untrue!

According to reports, millennials are the most hard-working employees using their creativity to channel hard and smart work. They are willing to listen and are honest in making the most of available technology and possible communication channels.

Prefer flexibility: Not an unreasonable demand since most millennials manage more than one job, including a side hustle! And guess what? They have managed to incorporate this culture right into the system!

Remote and hybrid work modes are the new normal (the pandemic did add some fuel, true!), with technology enabling them to manage more than one screen simultaneously!

Constant appetite for knowledge: Now, this is something even boomers will agree upon!

Millennials are the most willing to learn― be it finding inspiration in things stirring up their curiosity just like that or finding out about something they came across while doing some daily activity such as being out for an evening jog! This energy is reflected in how they communicate, juggle tasks, and keep the energy going!

Value Transparency: Millennials did pave the way here!

They prefer a clear understanding of everything before proceeding to work on them, a quality that also spills into their money management techniques! Most studies have pointed towards them vouching for a clear set of terms, conditions, and deadlines before committing to tasks- a quality that brings efficiency and clarity to their work!

So, Summing it Up…

So, what engages these people fresh out of grad school or a job that didn’t match their vision (emphasize the latter because you surely don’t want to lose out on this new hire who seemed to fit your energy)?!

Is it just the stipend or something more they are looking forward to? There are!

An innovative and collaborative work culture.

Flexible schedule

Management that understands and gives them the freedom to explore their ideas

Quick redressal of work-related difficulties and an accommodative attitude

A healthy work-life balance

Post-work week fun activities

Appreciation of their hard work and honest feedback about results

A competitive culture that allows them to upskill and find their strengths and weaknesses

So, the moral of the story?

Millennials are that team that builds up and turns a business into the brand originally envisioned. So, try to retain these young talents in your organization by chalking out a fantastic employee engagement strategy.

For more click on the link engaging the millennial workforce

[maidenariana]

Weekend stolen. That's all I can say about my last two days. When I refer to my job being busy people who don't know me might assume things got busy working a normal job.. but I have a career in IT and I am salaried. When it is month end and the accounting folks need some things looked at or emergency code changes so month end processing can happen successfully and be verified.. I am often called. I'm posting pictures of my recent red dress 💃🏼 shoot.. because this weekend I wore a red cape, sacrificing my free time once again so that 25 people were not on conference calls trying to sort out stuff that could already be sorted. Happy Monday to you all. I need a vacation. #notallheroeswearcapes #womenintech #girlswhocode #maidenariana #hazeleyes #naturalcurls #bighair #fuschiagirl #lgbt #linkinbio https://www.instagram.com/p/CdEGnvEuA97/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[wrenreid]

Conflict of Interest

Spencer Reid x feminine reader

—

Chapter one: The First Encounter

"I heard our new professor is like insanely hot," your roommate says as the two of you walk toward the classroom.

"I doubt that's true. He's probably some old retired agent like the last one," you comment, unamused.

"Mr. Garner was such a cranky little bitch," Nina rolls their eyes.

You let out a soft chuckle. "Totally. I wanted to ask him every day what crawled up his ass and bit it."

"Maybe his wife pegged him too hard."

"Pretty sure he was divorced," you say matter of factly, lips pressed together in a line.

"Right. No wonder," she huffs out a breath as the two of you walk into the classroom. You follow shortly behind, watching her short brown hair bounce as she walks.

The room is mostly empty other than the three other trainees that happened to beat the two of you to class, which hardly ever happens because you forcefully drag Nina to get there early with you every day.

Nina is the type of girl that would probably flunk out for partying too much if she could, which made her traditional Indian parents infuriated. Luckily for you though, their high school and college partying days are over, and she's been focusing on her goal of being an agent.

You keep Nina on track with your "pestering" and "mom" style encouragement to get her work done. You've been the type to try your best on everything since middle school. Your old high school counselor said you're too ambitious, but you don't think there's such a thing. Ambition is good. Ambition creates achievers, people who are the best. Which is what you strive to be... at everything, which is also borderline unhealthy, but that's besides the point.

FBI Academy is no joke. The workouts, classes, training, everything is hardcore, but if it's what it takes to succeed in your dream job, you'll do it, and you'll do it with flying colors.

Every day is pretty much the same. Routine is good though. You trainees get up shortly after sunrise, eat breakfast, then begin physical training. The work outs vary, one day you could be running two miles, and the next climbing walls. After that, everyone showers up and heads to the shooting range. Then, you eat lunch and have some down time before classes begin. Mondays and Wednesdays you have three classes, and Tuesdays and Thursdays there's only two. Friday is just for physical training and down time.

You're allowed to leave the Academy's premises, but everyone must be back by the midnight curfew. On weekends, you can sleep away from the campus.

The uniform trainees wear isn't fashionable, but it could be worse. You wear a navy or blue FBI polo style shirt and khakis or nice jeans. Outside of class, you can wear mostly whatever as long as it fits the dress code the FBI has implemented.

Nina jabs an elbow into your side, and you turn to face her, glaring into their dark brown eyes with confusion and annoyance. "What the hell?"

They point to the front of the now filled up classroom. A man walks in, clearing his throat.

"Holy shit," you mouth to your friend.

The lengthy, fluffy-haired man wears a dark grey suit and black converse. A lighter grey colored vest is closed over a black button up. An outfit that you wouldn't have put together, but he makes work.

He's probably around thirty, maybe a little older, but his stubbled face looks younger. He clears his throat again, playing with his hands in front of his stomach.

"Hello," he presses his lips together for a moment, moving strands of brown waves from his eyes. "My name is Dr. Spencer Reid. I'm a profiler for the Behavioral Analysis Unit, which is up on the sixth floor. I'm your new professor. I may not be able to make it to class every day, but I will try my best to make online assignments for you guys. Any questions before we begin?"

One of your classmates raises her hand, and Dr. Reid nods at her to ask. "Yeah, are you single?"

Soft chuckles come from mostly everyone in their seats. You smile softly as his face turns a dark shade of pink.

"I- let's just begin, shall we?" He rocks back and forth on his heals before writing something on the board. He seems awkward, definitely an introverted guy.

You watch as Dr. Reid talks about victimology, barely pealing your eyes from his body as he walks around, using his hands as he speaks. You're certain not many people are paying attention to the information he's displaying, but rather to his tall, fit figure. Honestly, you don't blame them.

You try to jot down as many notes as you can in between moments of getting distracted. This man in the front of the room is undeniably hot, and it's going to be such an inconvenience for you.

chapter two

[evanjinx]

alternative universe buddie fics recs :)

note: the links weren't working the first time i wrote the post but i edited and they're okay now!! if it still isn't working for you is probably because you're trying to open from a reblog from before i edit it, so try open directly from the original post on my profile.

Blind Date by @sassypopstar [complete | teen and up audiences | 3.8k words]

Buck feels a little ridiculous dressed in a jacket and a shirt. But Maddie had insisted on him dressing up for the occasion and even Chimney had quipped that it’s the right thing to do. So Buck, who never went on a blind date before in his life, listened to his big sister and her boyfriend because apparently that’s who he is now. Or the one where Buck goes on a blind date with someone called Eddie.

Buckley's Bouquets by awashleyno [complete | teen and up audiences | 23.4k words]

A world where Buck owns a flower shop and manages to develop a huge, massive, ridiculous crush on a handsome firefighter that comes in for a visit one day. Or, 5 times Eddie gives flowers to other people and the 1 time he gives them to Buck.

Call It What You Will - Fate? Destiny? (A Tsunami) by @abow123456 [complete | mature | 20k words]

Evan Buckley's day of relaxation is cut short when a tsunami hits the beach he was relaxing at. He has to fight to keep himself and a lost little boy safe from the water, as well as anyone else he finds. After, he meets the boys father and family, and it causes a snowball effect of good things for him, for once.

Capuccino with extra, extra sugar by buckbng [complete | teen and up audiences | 2.7k words]

Buck is the cute barista and Eddie is the grinch that hates coffee. Until, he doesn't. Because if Buck says he looks like the kind of person that would love a cappuccino, who's Eddie to disagree with him? OR Eddie really doesn't like coffee but pretends he does just so he has an excuse to see the cute barista at the coffee shop.

Confirmation Bias by strifechaos [complete | mature | 31k words]

After the fallout with his ex-wife, Eddie believed he could only trust his family with his son. He hadn’t imagined falling for his son’s sweet-hearted nanny, Buck. With his own family so distant, Buck never considered that he’d be lucky enough to find a home for himself, let alone people he could count on. Not until he meets the Diaz boys. AU: Buck was never a firefighter, and becomes Christopher's sitter when Shannon's job takes her away from Eddie and Chris for the summer. Eddie tries to not fall for his son's nanny, he's not very successful.

dream of some epiphany by extasiswings [complete | mature | 7.3k words]

Evan Buckley is lost. It’s happenstance that he wanders into the navy recruiting center—he’s been in San Diego for a few weeks, bartending late nights and weekends, living in a house with three other guys not because he needs the roommates but because he doesn’t want to be alone, and the military is…respectable. Stable. So Buck thinks maybe and opens the door. Buck leaves ten minutes later with a set of printed instructions for sending his first letter, assured that he can drop it off whenever he’s ready, and a name. Staff Sergeant Edmundo “Eddie” Diaz.

Frequent Flyer by red_to_black [complete | mature | 13.4k words]

In his entire time being a firefighter, Eddie has never met anyone as accident-prone as Evan Buckley. And Buck - well, he's quickly becoming the 118's best customer. (Or - the one where Eddie is a firefighter, Buck isn't, and Eddie finds himself rescuing Buck from increasingly sticky situations. Sometimes literally.)

Gave me no messages, gave me no signs... by @reallysmartladymariecurie [complete | teen and up audiences | 7.4k words]

"Buck is beyond nervous, and he’s really trying to convince himself that the familiarity of the situation is not some sort of bad omen. Just because there are parallels of the start of his relationship with Eddie to that of his relationship with Abby doesn’t mean that this new adventure is destined to end in the same miserable fashion. He hopes it won’t, has to believe it won’t. Because even with Abby, he hadn’t fallen this hard for her before their first official date. With Eddie, everything is already intensified by a thousand." Or, Buck covers a shift for a firefighter at the 136 and it leads to a budding relationship through text messages.

Gotta Find My Corner (Of the Sky) by doctornineandthreequarters [complete | general audiences | 31.3k words]

It was the last day of 2016 and two lost souls found themselves in a quiet dive bar, as the loud noises of the city celebrating New Year’s Eve buzzed around them. Most people chose loud, flashy bars with DJs and entrance fees and promises of champagne for New Year’s Eve. But both occupants of the dive bar preferred the quiet. They both didn’t need the added chaos when everything around them already felt chaotic. --- Or, Buck and Eddie meet on New Year's Eve, 2016, a meeting that sets of a series of events that changes the trajectory of both of their lives.

I Didn't Know I Was Lonely 'Till I Saw Your Face by @hmslusitania [complete | general audiences | 10.4k words]

After the ladder truck and the blood clot and the tsunami, Bobby makes Buck go to therapy before he does something stupid (like sue the city). Buck's not totally comfortable being alone with a therapist, but fortunately he makes a friend and ally who's willing to help him out - Eddie Diaz from the 136 who's just been caught in an illegal fight club. OR Total strangers Buck and Eddie go to couple's therapy together to get out of the therapy requirements their captains have placed on them.

i want your midnights by allyasavedtheday [complete | teen and up audiences | 36.3k words]

In which Eddie decides to rent out his spare room to help with mortgage repayments right around the time Buck decides to move out of Abby's place after some not so gentle prodding from Maddie. It's a coincidence. Or serendipity. Or maybe just really good timing.

i wanna be know (by you) by @starlightbuck [complete | general audiences | 12.5k words]

“I didn’t mean to do it.” Hen glances down at Eddie’s phone then back up at him in disbelief.

“How do you ‘not mean’ to download a bunch of dating apps but still have them on your phone?”

Or  In which Eddie delves into the intimidating world of online dating.

if i got locked away (would you still love me the same?) by @firefighterhan [complete | general audiences | 3.7k words]

Buck gets accidentally thrown in jail after meddling in a fight outside of a grocery store. There, he meets an unexpected guest, famous music artist Eddie Diaz, who is being suspiciously quiet about how he ended up here in the first place.

if only in my dreams by @buttercupbuck [complete | general audiences | 5.4k words]

Years before Eddie joins the 118, Buck meets him at an airport bar on Christmas day.

in a week by @buttercupbuck [complete | explicit | 78.9k]

in which Eddie joins the U.S. Forest Service and in the meadows of California, finds the things he thought he lost and the things he thought he'd never have.

It Started With A Bang And A Hostage Situation by JayJay__884 [complete | general audiences | 6.6k words]

Buck goes to the store one late night to buy food because of Maddie's pregnancy cravings. Whilst at the store, Buck accidentally gets caught in the middle of a robbery and gets knocked out. After waking up in the backroom, Buck finds himself as a hostage with a handsome and caring stranger.

Leading with the Left by @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels [complete | explicit | 84.7k]

When Buck said he was a "bartender" in "South America" what he actually meant was "stripper" in "Mexico." And when Eddie said, "What's your problem?" what he actually meant was, "Is this about the time you gave me a lap dance?" In other words, there's a few things the 118 doesn't know about Buck. Or Eddie. Or Buck and Eddie's relationship.

Lift me up by @captain--sif [complete | teen and up audiences | 5.5k words]

Buck gets stuck in his apartment building's broken elevator with his good-looking neighbor from the sixth floor.

Love and Bullets Both Shatter Hearts (But Only One Can Put You Back Together) by @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels [complete | explicit | 11.2k words]

Agent [Redacted] Diaz is the best at what he does. Usually. But lately there's this real pain in the ass* who's been ruining his missions: Code Name "Buck."

*stupidly handsome and annoyingly talented rival spy

Mr. Buckley's After Hours Detention by aresaphrodites [complete | mature | 11.4k words]

It’s not like Eddie Diaz planned on this. Really, there was no scenario in his mind where he would ever be bringing his son’s teacher a freaking goody basket to class; a homemade goody basket, no less. Then again, Christopher has never had a teacher quite like Evan Buckley.

MukbangsWithBuck by @reallysmartladymariecurie [complete | teen and up audiences | 19.3k words]

After growing tired of eating alone in his loft, Buck decides to start a YouTube channel where he records himself eating dinner and telling stories about crazy things his team has encountered on calls. He eventually gains a substantial fanbase, and he is led to the channel of another LA firefighter who uploads informational videos and also casual vlogs with his ten-year-old son. It isn't long before the two start a friendship through messages, both of them secretly hoping it will turn into something more. Or, Eddie and Buck are both firefighters/YouTubers and they end up falling in love.

Objects in the Mirror by SevenSoulmates [complete | explicit | 139.1k words]

The voice had always been around, Eddie remembers it, like a stream of consciousness that babbled incoherently to the point where Eddie just tuned it out.  But then the voice started speaking directly to him. Conversing like he was a whole person standing right in front of him. Like he could see what was happening around Eddie. Eddie shook his head. No one was talking to him, and Eddie most certainly was not talking back. He wouldn’t talk to the boy in his head ever again. There was no boy in his head. 

Passive Aggressive Flirting by @starlingbite [complete | general audiences | 4.5k words]

Buck and Eddie have never met. They both work at the 118 but just on different shifts. That's all about to change when Buck finds a sticky note message, signed E.

String of hearts... by @reallysmartladymariecurie [complete | teen and up audiences | 11.1k words]

“Now. Eddie is this incredible presence. He’s funny and smoking hot, and he has a son who sounds wonderful. And he’s serious and vulnerable at times. But so enjoyable to be around, every single second that he’s there. And how can I put myself out there when the expectation is so high? When the thing I might lose is so beautiful?”

In which Buck owns a plant shop in LA, and Eddie becomes his new favorite customer. Pining ensues.

check out my post of buddie fics with dad!buck