#like she called me to complain and then said goodbye and that was the whole conversation

[fox-mulder-gets-pegged]

Incredibly funny of my boss (who I barely know outside of work) to call me (sick and in significant pain) to spend 10+ minutes complaining about two of my coworkers.

[agaypanic]

hi omg i got so excited when i saw you were doing egon spengler x reader aaaa! could you do egon and an personality opposite reader? he's all serious and deadpan while she's happy and upbeat (it'd be cool if she was the new girl in the team and had a crush on him). sort of like a "she fell first, he fell harder" situation?

The Sunlight On My Spores (Egon Spengler X Reader)

Masterlist

Request Something!

Summary: The new addition to the ghostbuster’s team is a ray of sunshine, and she has her sights on a scientist with an interest in fungi and the supernatural.

A/N: AHHHHH ive been waiting for an egon/ghostbuster request!!! since i havent written for egon before, i hope i get his character right lol also idk shit about science/paranormal jargon. and idk if eegs is spelled the way it should but it’s pronounced ee-gs, like egon but s instead of on

***

Joining the Ghostbusters definitely brought amusement and hecticness to your daily life. Although you handled more of the office work, you had seen your fair share of the paranormal action. Namely Slimer, who would get ahold of your lunch every now and then.

Ray was the first on the team that you had met, being the one to interview you. You liked to call him ‘Sun-Ray’ for his bright and positive personality.

You were pretty much hired on the spot, mainly because Janine had been complaining about the lack of extra help. But as long as you had a steady paycheck, you didn’t mind. Ray had immediately showed you around the firehouse. You met Peter and Winston on the main floor, the former being flirtatious and the latter being more polite in his welcoming. 

Then Ray took you up to the second floor, where the dining area, sleeping quarters, and lab were.

That’s where you met Egon Spengler. His tall frame was hunched over one of the lab’s many workbenches, doing some soldering work on a proton pack.

“Spengs!” Ray said with a wide grin, bringing you over to the scientist. The man in question set down the soldering iron and straightened up, adjusting his glasses as he turned around.

“What is it, Ray?” He asked in a somewhat monotone voice. He glanced at you, furrowing his brows slightly before looking back at his friend. “Who’s this?”

“This is Y/n, our new recruit!” Ray replied enthusiastically, patting you on the shoulder. 

“Ah, so you’ve filled the new receptionist position.” He said, giving you a once-over. “Janine will be happy to hear that.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Dr. Spengler.” You greeted with a smile. He outreached his hand, which you grasped firmly and gave a few shakes. His hand was slightly calloused, probably from his work, but still felt nice.

“Egon’s fine.”

“I’ve read a few of your papers on paranormal studies; I think the whole thing’s fascinating.” 

Some of his research papers weren’t the only thing of Egon’s you’ve seen. Ever since the Ghostbusters had gained some popularity, you couldn’t help but find him quite cute, spending an extra few seconds looking at him whenever a picture of the group was in your newspaper or on your television screen. 

And he was definitely even more handsome in person.

“Well then, you’ve definitely come to the right place.” Ray grinned, but your focus was still on the spectacled man before you.

“Thank you, that’s very flattering.” Although his voice was a bit monotonous, the response was genuine. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to check on my spore samples.”

“Spore samples?” You asked with curiosity.

“Yes. I collect spores, molds, and fungus.” 

“That sounds like fun!” Egon was a bit taken aback by your response. That wasn’t a reply he was used to hearing. And the fact that you sounded genuine and peppy was even more confusing to him. 

Ray, wanting to show you the rest of the firehouse, started to pull you away. You gave a quick goodbye to Egon before bounding down the stairs after Ray. Meanwhile, Egon needed to take a second to get his befuddled thoughts straight before he could tend to his samples.

***

You fell into a routine pretty quickly. The job was mainly making appointments and ensuring the boys were ready for a call, scheduled or unexpected. Occasionally, you filed paperwork or got coffee for everyone at odd hours in the day. But because the job was shared between you and Janine, you often had at least a little bit of free time.

“Got another one!” Peter announced as he stepped out of the Ecto-1 that had just rolled into the firehouse, holding up a slightly smoking trap. As Winston and Ray emerged from the car, you wondered if Peter had been wearing a poncho because he was the only one not covered at least halfway in goo. “He was a real slimy one, too.”

“I can tell.” You laughed as Ray and Winston peeled out of their uniforms with a grimace. 

“You’re back.” Egon’s voice almost made you jump; you hadn’t realized he had come down from the lab. He walked until he was standing next to you, holding his hand out towards the ghost trap. “I’ll take that, Peter. Ray, come with me, I want to discuss the containment facility with you.”

“What about it?” Ray asked as he closed his locker. Egon brushed past you to walk down to the basement, Ray close behind.

Not wanting to be caught staring at Egon’s leaving form, you whipped back around to the car. It seemed that Winston and Ray weren’t the only ones who got slimed. Poor Ecto.

“I think I’m gonna clean the car.” You thought aloud. “You guys don’t have any more calls until tomorrow.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that, Y/n,” Winston said. 

“Well, someone’s gotta do it,” Peter interjected. “We gotta ride in style, after all.”

“Really, Winston, I don’t mind.” You insisted. “I don’t have anything else to do.”

“Suit yourself.” He said with a shrug.

Patting you on the shoulder, Winston went upstairs to take a shower. While Peter hung up his jumpsuit, you looked around in a storage closet for car washing supplies.

“Y/n?” You looked towards the sound of the voice, seeing Egon peeking out of the basement entrance.

“Yeah, Eegs?”

“You, uh-” He cleared his throat, cheeks going slightly pink, and you wondered why. “You can wear my jumpsuit, if you want. So your clothes don’t get dirty.”

You grinned, straightening up from your slightly bent position. Peter raised a brow at Egon, although you couldn’t see that because you were also looking at the tall man.

“Thanks, Egon!”

He nodded once before going back downstairs, Peter hot on his tail. 

“You sweet on her or something, Spengs?” He asked quietly, not wanting to gain your attention.

“Shut up, Venkman.”

***

Music blasted as you washed the soap suds of the Ecto-1. You were pretty sure everyone was out of the building, either getting lunch or just not wanting to be in the firehouse. You had taken Egon up on his offer, his jumpsuit fitting very baggy on you. You had to roll up the sleeves and pantlegs, but you didn’t mind. Especially when seeing the patch with his last name on your chest.

Over the music and your own voice singing along to Whitney Houston, you didn’t hear Egon walking down the stairs. When he reached the bottom step, he watched as you jumped around to the beat. 

“I need a man who’ll take the chance, on a love that burns hot enough to last.” You sprayed the last of the soap off the front of the car before turning the hose off. “So when the night falls, my lonely heart calls. Ohh- Oh!” You yelped in surprise as you turned around, seeing Egon, who was still looking at you. His eyes trailed up and down your form, but it was so quick that you didn’t notice. “Hey, Eegs! I thought you’d gone out with the others.” Even after turning down the radio to hear his response, you still danced a bit. Although, your movements were a bit more subdued.

“I was up in the lab, checking on my fungi.” 

“Oh! Was the music distracting you?” You asked, already sounding apologetic. “I can keep it down if you-”

“No!” Egon answered quickly, taking the both of you by surprise. He cleared his throat, adjusting his glasses. “No, the music’s fine. I wanted a snack and found that we were out of Twinkies, so I was going to get some.” 

You nodded in understanding, moving to put away the car cleaning supplies that you were no longer using. And then you noticed that Egon hadn’t made any move to leave. You looked over your shoulder, seeing that he was standing in the same spot with eyes darting around the room, and turned back around to face him. You tilted your head with a questioning look.

“Would you, ahem, would you like to come with me?” He seemed a bit shy to ask, and it made you smile brightly. “Wouldn’t want to leave you here all alone and all.”

“Sure!” You answered enthusiastically. “Lemme just put all this away.” 

Without asking, Egon helped you gather everything and put it in the storage closet. You unrolled the limbs of Egon’s uniform, and he couldn’t help but admire you in his attire, despite how much the fabric consumed you. It was hung back up in his locker with care before you grabbed your purse from your desk and skipped over to him.

“Ready?” You nodded, and the two of you walked out of the firehouse. Without thinking, you looped your arm through his. But before you could pull away and apologize for not asking, he was already pulling you along the sidewalk, the tiniest hint of a smile on his serious face.

[lokigodofmyheart]

DATE

MASTERLIST

Pairing: Zuko x Female Reader.

Words: 2.910

Summary: After escaping the Fire Nation and deciding to go to Ba Sing Se, Zuko, Iroh and Y/N found themselves working on a tea shop. Y/N and Zuko had been friends for a long time, and when he was banished, she followed him in his hunt for the Avatar. One day, while they were working, a girl that was a costumer of the shop, asked Zuko out on a date and his uncle made him say yes

Warning/Content: fluff, smut, friends to lovers.

A/N: Zuko and reader are both 18.

Zuko looked at himself in the mirror, while Y/N was sitting on the bed, reading a book “How do I look?” 

She forces a smile “You look...” 

“Like an idiot.” He finished. 

“I was gonna say good.” She chuckles. “Maybe just...” Y/N got up and messed his hair “Now, it’s perfect.” 

“Hey, uncle took his time doing my hair.” Zuko complained, making her smiles. 

“It's better now. Really. You’re looking good.”  

He smiles at her, feeling just a little more confident “Thank you. I hope she likes me.” 

“She will. She would be an idiot not to like you” Y/N says before sitting back and look at her book. 

Zuko nods, taking a deep breath as he looks at himself one more time “Alright, let’s do this.” 

“Wait.” She called him. 

“What is it?” Zuko turns to look at Y/N. 

“Don’t forget the flowers.”  

He chuckles softly, realizing he had forgotten “Right, of course. Thank you for reminding me.” 

She forces another smile “Have fun.” Zuko nods at her, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness wash over him. Y/N stays back, alone. Even Iroh had gone out that night to play with some new friends. 

His date with this girl was nice. She liked the flowers that Y/N had chosen for him to give her. She complimented him and after dinner, they went to a walk and talked. As they did, she tries to touch his face, more precisely his scar, but he grabs her wrist stopping the girl. He never let anyone touch his scar...anyone but Y/N. Zuko accompanied the girl back to her home. She kissed him a goodbye, and he step back as soon as her lips touched his. 

“I’m sorry, I...” Zuko started. 

“It’s okay. I understand.” The girl smiled “She’s beautiful by the way.” 

“Huh?” 

“The girl you like...the one you’re work with.” The girl says, making Zuko blushing as he returns home. 

After a couple of hours he had left, he was already back on the apartment, making Y/N, that was now sitting on the couch, confused “You’re back already?” 

“Yes, I...I don’t think it’s going to work out with her.” He sighed and sit down by her side, looking a bit tired. 

“I’m sorry. But hey, there are more girls on the city. I’m sure you’ll find someone.” 

“I know, it’s just...this whole situation we are is kind of messed up” Zuko sighs again and leans back into the couch, closing his eyes for a moment. 

“Everything in our lives is messed up right now.” She chuckles. “But I think we can make this new life work for us.” 

“Yeah...” Zuko replied. 

“We should sleep. We have to work early tomorrow.” She gave him a soft smile. 

“Yeah, you’re right. Good night, Y/N.” He smiled at her and stood up from the couch, heading towards their bedroom. 

“Good night, Zuko.” She stays on the couch for a few more minutes, before she heads to their shared room. Y/N tossed and turned through the night, her mind consumed by jealous and confusion about her feelings towards Zuko. 

The next day was a normal day at work. A lot of tea, costumers say how good it was Iroh’s tea, girls giggling at Zuko and making Y/N rolls her eyes. 

“You’re getting famous around the girls here.” Y/N said, teasing him. 

Zuko just rolls his eyes, trying to hide his blush, before turning to her with a smirk “Don’t worry, Y/N. I won’t forget who my real friend is.” 

She just rolls her eyes at him. As the day goes by, Zuko started noticing she was a bit distant and somewhat annoyed. When they shift finished and they went back to their new home, Y/N went to take a shower and get dressed. She was wearing a cute dress. 

Zuko was sitting on the couch, his uncle had got the play again, and he waited there, eager to talk to Y/N about what was bothering her. When she finally emerged from the room, he couldn’t help but gasp at how beatiful she looked in that dress. 

She made a small turn “So, how do I look?” 

“You’re stunning, Y/N. Absolutely stunning.” He couldn’t take his eyes off her. 

“Thanks.” She smiled at him and looked at herself in the mirror one last time. 

“Is there somewhere you wanted to go?” He asked her, trying no to sound too hopeful. 

“Actually, I have a date tonight.” She replied. 

“A date?” Zuko’s heart sunk at the news. He tried no to show it on his face, but he couldn’t help feeling a twinge of jealous. 

“Yeah. One onf the costumers always asked me out and today I thought I would give it a try.” 

Zuko forced a smile “Have fun, Y/N.” He turned away, going to the room. 

“Thanks.” She smiles softly before she left. As he hears the door close, he sunk onto his bed. 

After only an hour, Y/N was already back home. Hearing the door opening, Zuko sit on the bed and forced another smile on his face “Did you have a good time?” 

“No.” She sits on her bed. “That was the worse date ever.” 

“Oh,r eally? What happened?” Zuko felt relief that the date hadn’t gone well. 

“That guy only knew how to talk about himself and didn’t even let me talk about anything. How “amazing” he was, how “rich” he was.” She rolls her eyes remembering “He didn’t even got me any flowers.” 

Zuko chuckled at Y/N describtion of her date. “I’m sorry, Y/N/N. You deserve better than that.” 

“Yeah, I do...” She looks down. 

There was a small pause, before he took a deep breath and finally says what has been on his mind for so long “Y/N, there’s something I need to tell you...” 

“Can we talk tomorrow? I’m not in the mood do to anything but sleep.” She looks at him, she was still angry with her date. 

Zuko frowns, a bit disappointed that he won’t be able to confess his feelings. “I understand. Tomorrow then.” 

“Good night, Zuko.” She says before laying down on her bed. 

“Good night, Y/N. Sleep well.” 

The next day they did it all again. Woke up early, went to work and served tea all day. At night, when they were done, they were all tired. But tonight, Zuko had a plan. He asked his uncle to leave for the night. He then got back at the living room, looking at Y/N that was sat down on the couch “Do you want to go out and grab a dinner?” 

“Sure.” She smiles, getting uo. 

“Why don’t you put that nice dress you used yesterday?” Zuko smiled. 

“Why?” Y/N asked confused. 

“Oh, I just thought it would be nice to dress up a bit.” He tried no to sound too nervous. 

“Okay.” Y/N got the dress and went to the bathroom to take a shower and get changed. When she got back to the living room, Zuko was wearing the same clothes he used on the date with that girl. “I’m ready.” 

Zuko smiled at her, trying to hide his nervousness as he took her hand and led her out of the apartment “Shall we?” 

She smiles and nods at him. Zuko took her to a nice place to dinner and after that they walked to a fountain. He looked around and they were alone, so he used his firebend to lit all the lights. Y/N got too distract admiring the beauty of that place to notices when Zuko got a single red rose. He smiled and handles her the flower, his heart racing slightly “Here you go. This is for you.” 

“Thank you.” Her face lights up “You’re such a gentleman.” 

Zuko blushes slightly at her words, feeling even more nervous. He took a deep breath before leaning in closer to her “Y/N, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you...” 

“What is it?” She asked him. 

“I think...I think I might be falling for you.” He says. 

“...what?” Y/N asked in a whisper. 

Zuko swallows hard, his heart pounding in his chest as he looks in her eyes “I...I think, no, I know. I want to be with you, Y/N. More than just friends.” 

“That doesn’t make any sense. If you like me, why would you go on that date?” She asked looking at him. 

He sighs, he knew that date was a mistake, and he should have told her sooner. He took her hands in his and looked in her eyes “I only went on that date because uncle insisted.” Y/N just looks at him, with no reply this time. Zuko felt a knot forming in his stomach as the silence stretched out between them. He knew he messed up, but he still wanted to fix things with her. “I never meant to lie or hurt you, Y/N, I just-”  

She stops him with a quick kiss, making him froze for a moment, his eyes widening in surprise as she kisses him “You talk too much sometimes. You know, I just went to that awful date to try to make you jealous.” 

Zuko’s heart skipped a beat at her confession. He pulled her closer, his hands resting on her his as he kissed her this time “You didn’t have to do that.” 

“Well, it worked, right?” She chuckled before kissing him one more time. Zuko held onto Y/N tightly, feeling an overwhelming sense of relief wash over him. “We should go home.”  

He just nods, still a little breathless from their kiss. He took Y/N's hand and started leading her back to their home. As soon as they entered, she called for Iroh, but had no response. 

“Uncle went out today...again.” Zuko said. 

“Oh, that’s...good.” She smiled at him. They were alone. Y/Nkissed him again and soon they sit on the couch. Zuko eagerly returned Y/N's kiss, feeling his heart race while he presses his body closer to hers. His hand found her thigh, going further as he caressed her inner thigh under her dress. He could feel himself growing harder underneath his pants. 

Y/N could feel herself getting wetter with Zuko’s touch, to she decided to break the kiss. “Zuko...we need to stop.” He pulled back, panting slightly as he looked into Y/N's eyes. “Is not that I don’t want this. I do. But I want you to be sure you want it too.” She says, her hand caressing his face. 

Zuko nodded, understanding her concern. He took a deep breath to calm himself “I do want this, Y/N. More than anything.” His hand moved to her cheek, tracing her jawline gently. 

“Are you sure?” She asks him. 

His eyes locked into hers, his heart beating rapidly in his chest “Yes, I’m sure.” 

“Okay.” Y/N stands up, holding his hand “Come.” 

Zuko followed Y/N to their room, both their heart racing with anticipation. She closed the door behind her, before she smiles at him and opening slowly his clothes. He just watches as she undid his top, revealing his chest. 

Y/N smiled at him shirtless. Not that it was any news to her, while they were on the ship, Zuko used to train shirtless “ I don’t know how many times I’ve seen you like this” She chuckles. 

He chuckled too, looking at her “More than you know.” 

Her hands caressed his face, this time on the side of his scar. Unlike when the girl he went on a date, he let her do it. He had always been self-conscious about it, but with Y/N it felt different. 

Y/N smiled before she guides his hands to the back of her dress. He hesitates only for a second before opening the zipper and pulling it down, revealing her body. Her hands reached the button of his pants “You’re sure about this?” 

Zuko nodded, his heart racing feeling her hands so close to his groin “Yes, I’m sure.” Y/N nods at him, before opening his pants and pulling down with his underwear, making Zuko gasp as she finally free his erection. “Y/N...” His voice was filled with desire. 

“Relax.” She whispers in his ear, as her hand reached for his cock and started to stroke him slowly. Zuko close his eyes, feeling her touch. She kept doing it, speeding up just a little, making him moan softly as his hips starts to move involuntarily. After a few more seconds, she stops smiling at him “Sit on the bed.” 

He opened his eyes, panting slightly from the pleasure, but he nodded and did what she said. Y/N kneeled on the ground between his legs, stroking him a few times before she put him on her mouth. That made Zuko groans, feeling an intense wave of pleasure as she began to suck him. She did it slowly at first, her eyes never leaving his face. Zuko’s head rolled back, his hand was gripping the sheets tightly. When Y/N notices, she took one of his hands and guided to her hair, so he could be in control. He guides her deeper, as his cock hit the back of her throat as his hips bucked off the bed, making Y/N moans. Zuko felt his climax approaching, so he pulled Y/N off him. 

She smirked at him “Did you like that?” 

Zuko looks in her eyes, his breath heavy as he nods with his cheek red with embarrassment “I...yes...It was amazing.” 

She chuckles at how cute he was like that, and she sits on his lap “What do you want to do now?” 

He was still trying to catch his breath “I want this.” 

“What exactly?” She asked while she guided his hand to her wetness. 

Zuko felt his face flush as he slowly dipped his fingers into Y/N's wetness. He gently circled her clit, making her moan “I want to make you feel good too.” 

“Do you want me to lay down?” She asks him. 

He nods “Yeah, that would be good.”  

She left his lap and lay down on the bed, spreading her legs to him. Zuko took a deep breath, still nervous about what he was about to do. He leaned down and kissed her inner thigh, gently moving forward until his tongue found her wetness. He then slowly entered her with one finger. Y/N moans when he did that. Zuko smiled as he felt her body respond to his touch when he begun to move his finger in and out of her, carefully watching her reaction “Does this feel good?” 

“So good...” She says between her moans.  

Encourage by that, Zuko added a second finger, slowly stretching her “You’re so tight...” Y/N doesn’t answer, she just moans. He kept pleasuring her with his fingers, watching her body tremble with each touch “I want to taste you.” 

“Please.” She nods. 

Zuko leaned down tasting the sweetness of her nectar. He then slowly inserted his tongue in her wetness, exploring every inch of her. 

“Oh gods...” She moans. 

He continued to lick and kiss her, listening to her soft moans that filled the air “More?” 

“Please...”  

Zuko smiled at her answer, as he pushed her legs up to her chest, exposing her fully to him “Beautiful...” Y/N moans loudly, and she was thankful they were alone. Zuko was driving her crazy. 

He smiled devilishly as he continued to pleasure her with his mouth. He could feel her walls trembling around his fingers as he added a third, pushing her to the brink of ecstasy “Are you close?” 

“Yes...” She moans, her walls clenching around his fingers. 

Zuko picked up the pace, his tongue flicking against her sensitive clit as he felt her body tensing up. Just as she was about to climax, he pulled away, leaving her gasping “Not yet.” 

She whines desperately “Please, Zuko.” He just smiled and goes on top of her, kissing her neck. She bucked her hips against his to get some relief “Just fuck me...” 

Zuko chuckles feeling in control as he enters her with one stroke, making them both moan. He starts thrusting slowly in and out of her, feeling her walls clenching around him and loving the feeling.  

“Faster...” She whispered. 

Zuko quickened his pace, thrusting into her with more force. Y/N cried out in pleasure as he pounded into her. 

“I’m so close....” She says. That made Zuko picked up the pace even more, his hips slamming against hers as he goes deeper inside of her. His hands gripped her hips tightly as he felt himself getting closer too. With one final thrust, Zuko’s body tensed up and he let out a long moan of pleasure. His hips bucked against Y/N's, feeling her completely as he released himself inside of her. That made her climax as well. Zuko’s body trembled from the intensity of that. 

She smiles at him, laughing softly. He smiled back at her. “You were amazing.” 

Zuko blushed slightly as he kissed her cheek. They lay together on the bed, Zuko pulling the blanked on them and soon they sleep peacefully in each other’s arms. 

Iroh got back to the apartment later and had no answer when called for his nephew or Y/N. As he opens the door of their shared room, he was meet with the image of them sleeping together under the blanked and their clothes all around the room. He closed the door quietly to not wake them “Finally...” 

[superhaught]

Breaking Down

(GIF by jamie-hayter)

Pairing(s): Leighton x Tatum, Leighton & Reader

Warnings: anxiety attack, slight angst

Word Count: 1900, Part 1/?

Part 2 / Part 3

Anonymous asked: Can you write about Leighton having a panic attack just after coming out to her dad in front of Tatum and Tatum's father ? Hurt comfort ?

Leighton was quiet for the remainder of the dinner. She smiled when she had to and answered politely when prompted to. Tatum kept glancing her way, brows knit together in concern. Leighton met her eyes and mouthed “I’m fine,” feigning a pleasant demeanor.

But she wasn’t fine. Far from it, actually. She didn’t want to come out. She didn’t want the fallout. She didn’t even realize she was saying it until it was too late and the words were already vomited out. 

I’m gay. 

The look on her dads face was seared into her mind. He wasn’t disgusted or anything that horrible, he was just… shocked. But what did she have to complain about? Him needing to take a few moments to process on the bench outside of the restaurant was hardly a traumatizing reaction. When she had gone out there to check on him, he was so quick to assure her that he loved and supported her. So why did she still feel like her insides were boiling?

Leighton was the last to stand up from the table, not realizing right away that the bill had long since been paid and they were starting to say their goodbyes. Tatum’s dad shook Leighton’s hand and gave her a polite pat on her back, saying something like, “I’m happy to have met you, Leighton. I think you’ll be very good for my daughter.” She smiled and nodded while repeatedly counting to twenty in her head. 

Tatum gave Leighton’s upper arm a slight squeeze and whispered, “can I borrow you over here for a sec?”

Leighton nodded blankly, Tatum pulled her away to quiet a corner of the restaurant lobby while their dads continued to chat happily about the good old days. 

“Hey, are you alright?”

“What?” Leighton asked, taking too long to process Tatum’s words, “oh, yeah. I’m fine, really.”

“You don’t seem fine…”

“Well, I am.” Leighton snapped. She didn’t mean to come across as harsh. She just… didn’t want to get into it. “Sorry… I am fine. That went as well as I could’ve hoped, so… it’s all good.”

Tatum raised an eyebrow, “Okay, but whatever you’re feeling is valid, you know? A neutral, or even a positive reaction doesn’t always make coming out any easier.”

Leighton inhaled through her nose and sandwiched Tatum’s hand in hers, “I’m feeling fine, Tatum. Really. I’m glad my dad knows, and I’m sure I’ll talk to my mom and brother soon. This is good.”

Leighton wasn’t lying, exactly. But that was far from the whole truth. She just didn’t know right now. She didn’t know how she was really feeling. She didn’t know why she didn’t want to be honest with Tatum about that. She didn’t know why she felt like all of the air was being sucked out of the room. 

“Alright,” Tatum conceded, “well, just call me if you need anything, okay? I’m gonna go back with my dad to his hotel for another drink. See you later, babe.” Tatum gave a quick, chaste kiss that landed on the corner of Leighton’s mouth.

Leighton nodded. Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen.

She said goodbye to her dad as he climbed into the back of his ride back to his hotel. Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty. 

Leighton started walking back to campus on her own. One. Two. Three. Four.

She was nearly back at her dorm but she felt like her ribs were being compressed. The tips of her fingers were all pins and needles. She couldn’t get a full breath anymore. 

Leighton sat down on a bench and gripped the edge of the seat with white knuckles. 

You were on your way to your dorm from the library, finally finishing a study session for your upcoming chem exam. You usually never run into anyone on the path that you take but not this night. 

Sat upon a bench next to the sidewalk was a blonde, hunched over with her head in her hands. You quickly recognized her; Leighton Murray was shaking and hyperventilating. 

You look around quickly and then rush over to the bench, tossing your bag onto the ground and kneeling down in front of her.

“Leighton? Hey, Leighton… are you okay?” you ask softly. 

The blonde gasped and sniffled, quickly sitting up and wiping her cheeks on the sleeve of her shirt. She muttered under her breath, “shit…”

“Are you hurt? Sick?”

She shook her head. She still wasn’t breathing normally. You felt like you recognized what might be happening, “Leighton, could you be having a panic attack?”

She nodded at this. 

You didn’t know Leighton, well. You had been to some of the same events and parties. Run in some of the same circles. But you knew panic attacks. You knew what you would want someone to do for you. 

You sat down on the bench next to her, “is it okay if I touch you?”

She didn’t respond immediately but she eventually nodded. You took off your jacket and draped it around her, and then wrapped your arms around her shoulders and started to give her a squeezing hug. At the contact, she quickly melted into you and started to sob. You weren’t surprised by this, you would’ve done the same. 

“I want you to try breathing with me, okay? Just try to slow down, and breathe deeper…” you whispered. You made the pattern of your breathing obvious so that she could try to follow you, “try to match me, you’re doing great.” 

You seemed to be helping. It took some time but she was able to focus on matching her breathing to yours. 

Leighton coughed. You reached for your bag without pulling too far away from her and got your water bottle out, “do you want some water? It’ll help.”

She nodded and reached for it. You unscrewed the cap for her and she took it and poured water into her mouth. 

She was quiet for another minute or so and took another drink before handing the bottle back to you. Her voice was shaky but her breathing seemed to have settled.

“Thank you…”

You nod, “Course, are you feeling better?”

“Mhmm…” she paused and wiped her face again, “why did you help me? You don’t even know me…”

You shrug, “I wasn’t just going to walk by.”

“How did you know what to do?”

“I’ve had panic attacks before. In my experience, they’re a lot scarier when you’re alone.”

She nodded and sat up a little straighter, “I must look like a fucking mess… I don’t like to let anyone see me like this.”

You can’t help but chuckle a little, “like what?”

She scoffed, “crying, my makeup running down my face…”

“Ohhh, you mean you don’t like people seeing you look human?” you tease, nudging her arm slightly. 

Leighton laughed and wiped under her eyes with her thumbs. 

“Here, if you’re so worried about it, I think I can help with that, too.” You rummage through your bag once more and produce a travel size pack of face wipes, handing them over to her. 

She raised an eyebrow at you, “what are you? Some kind of genie for people having breakdowns?” Leighton took the wipes from your hand and cleaned her face. 

You laugh, “No, nothing so glamorous. I just like being able to help when I can.”

She sighed, “well, it’s appreciated. Thank you, really. I kind of thought I was dying for a minute, is that stupid?”

“No, not at all. Panic attacks are mean like that. Have you had one before?”

“I guess so, now that I think about it.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, they’re no fun.”

“Yeah…” she took a deep breath, “I’m so sorry, I feel like an asshole, I don’t even know your name.”

You tell her not to worry about it and introduce yourself.

“What dorm are you heading to? Can I walk you back? Make sure you get there okay?”

She looks a little taken aback by your offer but she nods, “that would be really nice, actually, yeah.”

You stand and start walking. Leighton immediately groans, “god why am I wearing heels? Gimme a sec…” You stop as Leighton bends down to take her shoes off and resigns herself to finishing the walk barefoot. 

“Oh gosh, no way you’re walking across a college campus barefoot, you’re taking my sneakers.” 

Before she has a chance to protest, you’re already taking off your Adidas and passing them to her. 

“What? Then you’re barefoot, that’s stupid!”

“I’m wearing socks, and this isn’t up for discussion. Just take them, please? I’ll carry your heels.”

Leighton stares at you like you’re an alien. To you, this doesn’t even seem like a big deal, but it clearly means something to her. 

She shakes her head incredulously and slides your sneakers on her feet as you take her heels from her. You then continue the walk to her dorm building in silence for a bit. 

“You’re… strange…” Leighton finally says. 

“I am?”

“Yes. You’re not like most other people here. I feel like… you’re one of the only people I’ve met who isn’t completely self-interested.”

“Huh. Maybe you’re right. Maybe you’re just meeting shitty people, though.”

“Maybe… My roommates are pretty good, but they might’ve only given me a chance after I bought them all iPads.”

“I’m sorry, you did what?”

“Oh, I bought their forgiveness with iPads. I think… I think I might be the most self-interested person here, actually.”

You shake your head, “no. No way.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Eh, I have a hunch. For one, I don’t think you’d still be talking to me if you were really as self-absorbed as you say. Also, I find that people who are completely self-interested, usually lack the self-awareness required for panic attacks to happen.”

She thinks about your words for a while and then shrugs, “I still think you’re strange. I’d rather believe that you’re the anomaly in the system and continue to pretend that I fit in just fine with the student body here.”

You smile, “you’re lucky that I take that as a compliment, Leighton Murray.”

You reach her building and she turns to face you, handing you her phone, “put your number in.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah… honestly, there’s no one else I’d rather go to if I find myself in that kind of situation again. Is… is that okay?”

She looks vulnerable then. You get the sense that you’ve seen a side of Leighton Murray that no one else is privy to. 

“Sure, Leighton. That’s totally okay. You can come to me for other stuff, too, though. If you just want to talk, or hang out. I can be a strange friend as well as a strange emotional breakdown genie.”

She laughs. You take note of how light and sweet her laugh is. It makes your stomach float a little. 

You put your contact information into her phone while she takes your sneakers off of her feet and then you trade belongings back, returning her phone and heels to her, “I hope you have a good night, Leighton. Try to get some good sleep, you’ll feel better for it.”

She smiles softly, “Thanks, genie. You too.” You watch her go inside the building before you walk away. You let out a sigh and think to yourself a sentiment that you don’t realize you share with a majority of the sapphic community at Essex: goddamn Leighton Murray.

Next Chapter

[karenandhenwillson]

About Coming Out

I've seen some discussion about "how disrespectful and misogynistic it was of Buck to come out at his sister's wedding". And at first I laughed about that take, but after some consideration, I became pretty sad. Because I feel this is one of the most queerphobic takes I've seen in this whole fandom discourse taking place since May.

What does this take imply about being queer and coming out? It tells us that coming out is a big thing. Something that you need to do with great care and put a lot of attention to, that you need to expect everyone else to put a lot of attention to. But not because people might react poorly and it's a decision a queer person needs to make carefully for their own safety's sake (which is the very reality for most queer people in any given situation) and instead because everyone else has the right to make a big deal about it and demand to talk about it and fully concentrate on it no matter what else is going on.

Coming out should not be big thing. It should not even be necessary.

That it is necessary to tell people "hey, you know, I'm not straight" or "hey, you know, I'm not cis" or any other thing people assume about others is a problem of our society. We are living in a heteronormative world. People complain about children being exposed to queer themes, but at the same time the toddlers in the sandpit--one a boy the other a girl--getting along great for the afternoon they are playing together, are called boyfriend and girlfriend. And then they are teased about their "crushes" (at least as long as it's a crush of the oposite gender, of course. In any other case they just really close friends and isn't nice to see such close friendships?).

No one should assume about any real person they see on the street, or in class, or at work, or on the news, or on TV what or who they are. But in the end all of us, the queer community just as much as everyone else, assume about people they don't know that they are straight and cis. Or they assume just by their appearances that they are decidedly not straight or not cis. (I just recently saw a meme: A picture of Christina Aguilera on a stage, and a comment beneath about "the horrors of men dressing as women" or something along those lines. That’s sad for so many reasons, but I think it very much showed the mindset of many people about how their perception is more important than anything else.)

It shouldn't matter. But sadly, it does. We live in a society where I was nervous at 16 when I told my mom "I like girls more than boys at the moment" because I had a horrible crush on a girl in my class when she asked me about dating boys (to then be told by my mother that it was a phase and would go away eventually. I haven't told her yet that it wasn't a phase but that I do use another label now). We live in a society where I used a friend's struggle with her family concerning her girlfriend to very carefully see how my dad would react to me talking about this at 21 and then blurted out "I know how my friend feels because Mom was horrible when I told her I'm bi" (to then break down in tears when my dad just shrugged, said I hadn't told him anything new about myself or my mom and if my friend and her girlfriend needed any help).

I wish we lived in a world where sitting at a café with a relatively new friend and just mentioning "this woman I once dated" without it interrupting the conversation at all was normal. And where it is just as normal that this friend shared a little while later "that's why I mostly dated women before meeting my husband" again without it interrupting our conversation in any way. Our hug when we said goodbye might have been a little bit longer and a little bit tighter than is usual, but other than that it was not a big deal coming out to each other at all. I, for my part, didn't even think about it being a big thing because I feel comfortable and secure with this friend.

I wish we lived in a world where coming out wasn't even necessary.

I wish we lived in a world where others wouldn't make assumptions based on what others look like under their closes, or about who they love, or about who they find attractive, or about who they fuck. Where people wouldn't judge how people style themselves and how they look and what the scale might show about their weight. I wish we lived in a world where none of that mattered. I wish we lived in a world where a man showing up with a boyfriend or showing up single to any event would be as much talked about as a man showing up with a girlfriend: that there would be no talk about it at all.

We don't live in such a world. And when I look at people saying Buck was disrespectful and misogynistic (really, what??? Are people once more just throwing around random words to see which of them will stick?) by coming out at his sister's wedding, I know my nieces and nephews and probably even my grand-nieces and grand-nephews won't ever experience such a world. Because instead of working to normalize being queer, people are doing exactly the opposite. (And then of course the anti-queer laws we are seeing pop up again at the moment, but that's another topic.)

All that despite 9-1-1 showing us at least a glimpse of that world I wish we could live in.

We saw Buck struggle with some internalized homophobia, of course. Because I think that's exactly what his nervousness during the first date and his panic when Eddie showed up was about. We know that Buck isn't homophobic in the slightest. We have seen him interact with enough queer people in the course of the show to know that about him. But clearly, there was a tiny voice in his head--and I'd bet money it sounded very much like Margaret Buckley's voice--telling him it was shameful to date a man. He worked through it very quickly and I think that's a testament of how much he did work through the bullshit his parents planted in his head in therapy. And it might also be a sign of how much he really likes Tommy and wants to be with him that he managed to work through that hateful voice in his head in just a couple of days.

But then we also saw that coming out is very much not a big deal at all at the wedding. I fully believe Buck knew about the soot on his face (Come on guys, he's been a firefighter for over seven years. He worked in a forest fire at least once. Buck knows exactly how soot travels and how difficult it is to get rid of it again.) He chose to have the soot all over his face to show everyone how he had greeted Tommy. He dragged Tommy into the room holding his hand. He took that slight breath to prepare himself for any reaction and then beamed over his whole face. There was no spoken announcement, but it could still not have been louder. I'm sure, if everything had gone according to plan (and Tommy hadn't been stuck fighting a fire) there wouldn't have been any big announcement then either. They'd just have danced among all the other couples dancing at the wedding and let everyone else make their assumptions about it.

And everyone else just reacted like I wish it would always go: They smiled, happy to see Buck happy, and turned back to the main event. No one talked about Buck and Tommy. No one asked Buck and Tommy any questions. No one turned to Buck and said "But you've always liked women!" or asked "Were you hurt by a woman? Is that the reason you are turning to men now?" or accused "You should have told us an age ago! Why didn't you tell us? How dare you not to tell us!".

It was such a fucking beautiful coming-out scene. Because it was full of acceptance and support. And at the same time, it also showed that coming out really isn't a big thing. It showed to beautifully that it doesn't matter who he loves or who he dates.

Buck coming out to the rest of his friends and family was not noteworthy at all among all the events of that day. Because he's found great friends and a great family in LA and all that matters for them is that he is happy with the person he is dating.

So, I would like to ask those people who say that Buck should have gone around and come out to everyone before the wedding because doing it the way he did was stealing his sister's big day (and why only his sisters, anyway? Why not also Chimney's big day?) something: If Buck had brought a new girlfriend, should he have gone around to everyone to inform them about that first? Maddie knew about Tommy, I think Chimney might have known before getting sick. Aren't those the two important people on that day and the only ones who need to know, at least that he was bringing a date?

And also: Should have Hen and Karen gone around to all the guests who don't know them and come out to them? Which includes the Buckley parents. If Josh brought a date, should he have gone to everyone and inform them first about bringing a man as his date? Or to take his one ridiculous step further: Should have Athena and Bobby gone around to everyone who doesn't know them closely to tell them they are an interracial couple? (Because there are people who would still find that scandalous and could have made a scene! No matter that they are currently attending the wedding of another interracial couple.) Why have these couples the right to assume that no one will talk about their relationship when the focus should be on the bride and groom, but Buck and Tommy don't have that right? Just because it's new for Buck? Rally?

(And I'm aware that the people who I'm asking this question probably quit reading this text after the first 100 words or so. They probably didn't get 1.7k words into my essay to get to these questions. And that might just be another problem in this fandom discourse: Certain people are just not open to take the time and energy to openly and honestly deal with opinions that don't agree with their own opinion. Because that could mean having to change their own opinion, right?)

[jog-hog]

I heard word got out...

Part 2 to "Siblings and Secrets don't mix"

Dipper x Pacifica

W/C: 1k+

Summary: The twins have Pacifica over for a game evening and Dipper is trying to be chilled out about the relationship even though he's a huge dork and ends up telling the whole thing to Mabel afterwards to her delight.

•☽────✧˖°˖☆˖°˖✧────☾••☽────✧˖°˖☆˖°˖✧──☾•

The two had been in Gravity Falls for a few weeks now and it was...well Mabel knew it was going to be different, Dipper had a girlfriend, they were older, a large chunk of Wendy's crew was off in the world while she took a gap year.

Gravity Falls had changed, and yet it had stayed the same; it had that same mysterious feeling hanging in the air and adventure spilling from every square meter. Mabel knew that Gravity Falls had changed but in just the right ways.

The twins were hanging out in the attic but they weren't alone, Pacifica was there lounging by Dipper leaning on him as the three played some dusty board game from Grunkle Stan's ancient cupboards. It didn't feel unnatural to let another person into their space, it was almost like Pacifica was meant to be there-meant to be with Dipper atleast!

She had changed a lot, she had yet to complain about the room (only the fact that Dipper hadn't washed his hair since they got down to Falls) and she was free. Free from her toxic self body image issues or her fears of being seen as less than perfect. Of course Pacifica still enjoyed the self care of her life, her hair was tied up perfectly and her no makeup makeup look made her look flawless but as Dipper had pointed out she was letting her pale freckles show even if she thought they were imperfect. She smelled like fancy perfume and crisp summer air while Dipper smelt of mens 3 in 1 and pine trees due to his time outside, it made them the perfectly imperfect couple. Pacifica had done what Gravity Falls had done: gotten different for the better.

Mabel knew Dipper was trying to act nonchalant while he held Pacifica's hand, while he tensed his shoulder to support her, how he would always wear a clean shirt when she came over because he knew they'd be close and how he'd always say something he liked about her when they met each other at the door (which he of course didn't find hard). Mabel knew about how she'd kiss him goodbye whenever she could and how they'd go out on hour-long walks together and for once, she wasn't afraid of losing her brother, she was happy for him. Mabel knew he was making an effort but in her twins classic overly wound fashion he was trying to make it seem like nothing at all.

Just last night she had to talk (yell) him out of writing another one of his convoluted plans that always end up messing him up like they did a few summers back with Wendy.

The night has passed quickly and before Mabel (and Dipper) knew it Pacifica was getting bombarded with calls from her parents to get home before the sun sets, the twins took her to the door and waved goodbye (grunkle Stan waving from the arm chair). Mabel held her breath until the door shut and immediately began teasing her twin brother:

"AHHH I saw you holding her hand you dork!"

"I- it was only for a second" Dipper opposed laughing and rubbing the back of his neck.

"HA if by a second you mean the whole game evening then we're speaking the same language" Mabel replied grinning wide, she noticed Dipper was smiling too, his cheeks turning red with embarrassment.

"Come on, not like you haven't done that with one of your partners. Mabel, I saw your first kiss!" Dipper deflected.

"HEY! Don't try and spin this on me, if we're counting that majestic man I saw yours too!” She said quickly, smiling even more"this is about YOU and how you're in LOVE!!" she yelled out a tiny bit too loud, which she knew when both Ford and Stan yelled

"If you talk about teen romance you don't do it during ducktective!" The twins heard laughter and they took it as a sign to go upstairs so that Mabel could yell to her heart's content.

The twins sat on their two beds facing each other Mabel practically bursting with excitement and Dipper a nervous wreck who was unbelievably happy with himself. Mabel knew Dipper was about to talk, he was just gathering the courage so she stayed silent looking at him waiting for his quick words, until the silence was filled with a speedy excited explanation from Dipper.

"We've been going out for a while now, she texted me at the end of last summer and we've liked eachother since we were like 13 THIRTEEN MABEL! We've been messaging ever since I'm so AHH. I asked her out and she was like 'yeah!' like YEAH? I'm so nervous-"

Mabel cuts him off by giggling loudly and shifting to her stomach and supporting her head with her hands so she could kick her feet.

“I'm just SO happy to have met her and just EVERYTHING about her is so beautiful I don't think she knows what she looks like you know? I don't even know why she'd date a guy like me…”

Mabel shot him a look “Don't you dare put yourself down ! She LIKES you lil bro that means not only did she want a guy LIKE you, she wanted YOU!” 

“I guess so I just want to give her everything I can you know?” Dipper said, holding onto his other arm for comfort, balling up in his bed. Mabel giggled knowing he was just overthinking like he always does. She broke the silence saying:

"Who knew my lil bro could be so romantic..." She teased him knowing he had never dated a girl before her. "Do you think she's like THE ONE?" Mabel asked, looking at him expectantly.

There was a long pause and Mabel began to worry she had ruined her twins first romance but he said quietly looking down embarrassed:

"... I hope she is." Mabel jumped up at the response and jumped at her brother attacking him with a hug, he pretended to get away but really he was enjoying her joy. "Mabel! Get off" he laughed.

Mabel looked at him and smiled, they knew Gravity Falls was magical.

(Who knew it was magical enough to get Dipper a girlfriend?)

[xoxo-sarah]

You, you, you

↝a/n: short and sweet since I haven't posted in forever. Also this has been sitting in my notes app, taking up space so I just decided to post it.

↝pairing: Robin Buckley x fem!reader

↝Warning: slightly suggestive, not proofread,

Disclaimer: I do not own Robin Buckley, or any character from Stranger Things. I only own y/n (reader's character) and any characters I create with my own brain. If you have a problem with my work, send me a private message. Thank you.

↝⎙ 11.19.23

You touch her body better than any man could possibly think he could. You touch her soul more than she thought possible. You touched her mind and became the only thing she could think about. You corrupted her. In the best way possible. In a way that she'd never ever blame you for. A way she'd admire you and your power over her for. With a single word, you could have her body in a puddle. Her brain in shambles, her words in stuttering messes. It was you that consumed her whole being and she was thankful you, out of everyone, held her heart (even if you didn't know it).

"-So I just walked away." You chuckled, finding whatever it was you were sharing with her actually funny. Robin had caught bits and pieces of the story, but overall just enjoyed lookiat you- watching as your nose wrinkles when you talk, the lines that formed when you smiled, that would surely get deeper with age, the way your eyes twinkled. She adored you, truly. "Anyway, how was your day?" You plopped another grape in your mouth looking up at her through your eyelashes.

You were so pretty.

"Good-it was good. Could've been better, honestly. But it's nearly over." You both know what that means.

You giggled as she took your hand, all but racing towards your room.

It was a routine. You go about your days, doing whatever, call one another up, invite the other over, talk for a little, then head to the bed room. It always ended the same. If you were at her house, you'd get up right after, get dressed, and bid her goodbye. If you're at your house, you get up, head to the shower while Robin gets dressed in whatever clothes you throw at her, and act as if nothing happened after. You two usually watched tv.

Robin couldn't really remember how it started, anyway. It just kind of... Happened. And she couldn't complain.

"Oh, God." Robin gasped out, head hitting the soft pillow on the bed. She watched as you removed the sheet from your body, about to get up. Her hand gripped yours, stopping your movement. "C'mon, stay in bed for just a little longer." She smiled, but deep down she was the most nervous she's ever been. What if you said no? What if this is the thing that tips you over the edge? What if you leave and never talk to her again?

"Robin, I need a shower." You smiled, rubbing her hand with your thumb.

"So do I."

"Yeah?" You leaned forward, mumbling against her swollen lips. Robin felt like she was dreaming. You didn't leave. You didn't throw up at her offer. "Join me then."

You made her so giddy without even trying. She giggled as you lead her towards the bathroom. She could deal with loving you quietly for a little longer. You didn't need to know exactly how deeply she felt for you right at this moment. There's always later.

-----------

•2021-2024 by xoxo-sarah on Tumblr•

•My work is not to be translated, copied, modified, and/or reposted on any other site without my permission. [I don't give permission!]

[ot3]

🔥 Mia and Maya Fey? Also i really enjoyed your op liveblogs bc all the things you complained about were things I also noticed but noone else seemed to be talking about. I thought i was going insane.

i think people go way too easy on mia for how she treated maya! its definitely Correct that mia had no obligation to be a surrogate mother for maya and had the right to get out of her extremely sticky family situation, but the thing is it's Not like mia got out of her family situation, she was in it the whole time. she spent her life trying and failing to track down the mother that abandoned her, and even after her death she is Still working to perpetuate her family's bullshit.

the fact that during 2-2 she's covering for morgan to the point where you have to break her psyche locks about it is CRAAAZYY!! girl! what's up with you!

aa1 also kind of gives the sense that most of the time when mia is hitting maya up its because she needs her to be a mule for evidence and maya feels really lonely living by herself. here's a snippet of maya and mia's phone convo at the beginning of turnabout sisters:

???: Mia! What's up? You haven't called in a while. Mia: Sorry, I've been so busy. How you been? ???: Well, LONELY. And it's all YOUR fault. Nah, I'm just teasing. I've been great! I'm finally getting used to having my own place. Mia: That's good to hear. Actually, I'm calling because I have a favor to ask. ???: I know, I know. You want me to hold evidence for you?

two thins are going on here that don't really track with what we know about kurain village: 1. maya is talking on her cell phone, but there's no cell reception in kurain. 2. maya talks about having her own place, but presumably in kurain would be living in fey manor alongside morgan and pearl. logically this is pretty much guaranteed to be because they didn't fully know what they were going to do with the fey family stuff so it's a retcon, but that said my personal headcanon is that mia was paying for maya to have an apartment somewhere between the village and the city.

this way maya could be a bit away from the family shit and get some level of formal schooling, and she could be closer to mia and easier to contact. i think maya only went back to living full time in kurain after turnabout goodbyes when she decided to fully focus on medium training, which we know she hadn't really been doing up to that point.

which i think was in many ways the best mia felt she could do in terms of taking care of maya and keeping her safe but it didn't provide maya with any kind of emotional support that she definitely needed. the "i'm LONELY and it's YOUR FAULT haha jk" is pretty transparent.

[marsbar17]

im like a woman in a desert dying we are so depraved of bloodhound x reader stuff pls just give anything at this point 😭😭😭🤲🤲🤲🤲🤲

Don't worry pookie I am here to quench your thirst <3

Bloodhound is honestly my favorite character to write about and this one flustered me a bit dbsbbsjska

CONTAINS: established relationship, alcohol consumption, jealousy, possessiveness but in a non-toxic way, a little bit of spice, not full on smut but it gets pretty spicy >:)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celebrating a win was very popular amongst the legends. Mirage often invited everyone to the Paradise Lounge for some drinks and good laughter, even the less cheerful legends attended most of the time. Caustic could be found sipping beers and glaring at people, while Ballistic complained on and on about how they didn't even serve good tea.

Today, you sat at the bar between a very tipsy Fuse and an arguably even tipsier Valkyrie. Mirage popped in and out of the celebration as he served customers, but he always made sure your glass was full with whatever drink you desired.

"Mate! That wingman shot was bloody beautiful!" Fuse practically yelled into your ear as his metal hand clapped you on the back, making you wince slightly. Somehow, you had managed to pull off a win after responding in the last ring with only a wingman and one other teammate at half health. I guess whatever god is out there took the wheel because suddenly your aim was the best it's ever been and you downed the last two enemies with two headshots.

"I know, Walter. You've told me about fifteen times since we sat down." Rolling your eyes, you down the rest of your drink before scouring the crowd of legends to try and find Bloodhound. They said they'd be there, but you hadn't seen them yet. Although, it's hard to find anyone with the flashing lights and the alcohol starting to take effect.

Giving up, you turned back to your empty glass and smiling friends. If they didn't come, that was fine. They usually didn't enjoy settings like this anyway, they only only came to guide you back to room after you got wasted.

"The old man's right, though." Valkyrie added in, dragging your attention away from Bloodhound and back into the party. "Seeing you hone into the fight always surprises me, I swear your whole energy changes. It's fucking hot."

The pilot said it so nonchalant, taking a swig of her drink and signaling to Mirage for another like she didn't just call you hot. You couldn't tell if the heat on your face was from the alcohol or how flustered you felt. Probably just the alcohol.

"I'm gonna hafta agree with Valk on this one." Fuse said, still quite loud. He put his arm around your shoulders. "You make bloodlust look bloody sexy. No pun intended." His laugh is deep and booming, shaking your body as he leans on you. What the fuck is happening? You knew the two of them were flirty drunks, but you'd never had their affections directed at you before.

Again, you found yourself looking around the room, and this time you spotted Bloodhound leaning against a wall, watching you. Fuck. They were mad, you could tell. Even without seeing their expression you could practically feel the anger rolling off of them. The fact that Fuse was now playing with strands of your hair and Valkyrie had her hand on your upper arm didn't help your case at all.

You quickly got up, saying a small goodbye to your companions before making your way to a pissed off Bloodhound. They didn't even wait for you to get to them before they walked out the door, leaving you to hurry after them.

"What was that, elskan?" Their voice surprised you as you left the building, and you whipped your head around to see them beside the doorway. They leaned again the wall once again, arms crossed over their chest.

"I'm sorry, Hound. They were drunk and they surprised me and I didn't know what to do and I didn't mean to let them keep going and I-"

"Hush." Bloodhound interrupted your nervous rambling, holding a hand out in a 'halt' gesture. You shut your mouth as quickly as you possibly could, not wanting to anger them any more than you thought you already had. Before they continued speaking, they led you around the side of the building into a less visible alleyway. "I am not blaming you, I simply wanted to know what happened."

They weren't mad at you? Thank the Allfather. Having Bloodhound mad at you was something straight out of a horror film. Your body relaxed, but you still kept your head down instead of looking into their face.

"They got drunk... and we were talking about my win." You started your explanation again, slowly this time to avoid rambling. "Their compliments started getting flirty, and then they started getting touchy. I should've pushed them off, I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. You are not responsible for the actions of drunken fools." Bloodhound grabbed your chin with a gloved hand, lifting your face to look them in the eyes. Well, where their eyes would be behind the goggles of their mask. "I trust you, elskan. I know that you are mine, and you would not betray me. Especially for someone like Walter Fitzroy."

You laughed, the tension leaving you as you slowly let yourself process the fact that they weren't mad at you. From the way their shoulders jumped slightly, you could tell they were laughing too.

"However," Bloodhound continued, letting go of you and reaching behind their head. "It seems like our other other companions need a reminder of who you belong to." You heard the familiar sound of their mask being unclasped, and soon enough you were really looking into their eyes as they set their mask along with their respirator onto an old wooden box beside the two of you.

You couldn't even speak before they grabbed your waist, spinning you around so your back was pressed up against the rough brick wall. You could only gasp as their hands gripped at your skin and their face nuzzled into your neck, leaving small kisses along your jawline.

"You are so beautiful. So perfect, ástin mín." Bloodhound muttered praise as the kisses slowly became more desperate. They nibbled at your skin lightly, not enough to hurt just yet. You looked towards the alley opening and whined slightly.

"Hound, someone could see us..." You grabbed at their shoulders, trying to push them back away from your neck. They pulled back, not even looking at the alley, only into your eyes.

"Would you like me to stop?" Bloodhound rubbed soothing circles into your hips, keeping your attention on them and not the possibility of someone seeing the two of you.

"No... but what if they see your face?"

"They will not. I will be too busy giving you tons of pretty marks."

Bloodhound didn't let you speak again as they dived back into the crook between your shoulder and your neck, sucking on the skin harshly. You couldn't suppress the moan that left your lips no matter how hard you tried, and you quickly slapped a hand over your mouth to muffle any further noise. They just continued to mutter praise into your skin while they savored every reaction you gave them.

It hurt, and you squirmed in their bruising grip. They were determined to mark you up until they were satisfied and wouldn't settle for any less. It was a miracle no one managed to walk past the alleyway while Bloodhound ravaged your neck and collarbones. It wasn't like you were being quiet either, the intensity at which they sucked and bit at your skin was enough to make tears well up in your eyes and to bring so many sinful noises from your mouth.

"I should just take you right here, where anyone could see how good I make you feel, elskan." They whispered in your ear, making your knees buckle and your eyes roll back. Good thing they were holding you against the wall, or you might've just fallen to your knees right then and there.

After what felt like forever, their teeth stopped grazing your skin and their grip on your waist loosened. You could feel their tongue darting out of their mouth to lick at and soothe the dark bruises they left on your skin. Your moans and whimpers turned to soft whined and sighs as the pain slowly faded into dull numbness. Bloodhound took a couple of steps backwards, looking at their work with a smirk.

"Absolutely gorgeous, kæri. Now, everyone will be able to see your devotion to me." They gave you one last look before grabbing their gear and putting it back on.

You just finished wiping any stray tears from your face before Bloodhound grabbed your hand and led you back into the Paradise Lounge. They escorted you back to your seat at the bar, giving you a pat on the head before walking back to the wall you saw them at before everything happened.

"....Bloody hell." Fuse's mouth was practically hanging open as he stared at the dark purple and red marks that littered your skin. "Didn't take Houndy to be the possessive type." He just laughed and shrugged before going back to his drink. Valkyrie had disappeared sometime during your absence, and all that was left was two empty soju bottles and a $20 bill on the bar.

"Yeah... So where did Valk go?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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[onpointedfeetandbrokendreams]

Day 3 - Painland Week

Day 3 of Painland Week 2024: August 5th - August 11th by @painlandweek

Prompt: First Kiss

Tags:  Alternative Universe, High-School AU, Summer Days, Everyone is alive

TW: None

--

The car left Edwin in front of his uncle’s cottage by the sea just as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. He sighed self-deprecatingly, like every year, his parents loved to ship him out there on his own and forget about him for three months.

“About time you showed up!” A voice called out from the garden.

“Good evening, Crystal, what are you doing here?” He replied courtly.

“I was waiting for you, obviously, and you’re late.”

Crystal smirked, putting the book she had been reading in her bag and moving closer. She offered her hand to shake if not a bit mockingly, having finally given up on trying to hug him after many arguments on the matter. There was a group of people he met there every year, and she was probably the only one of them he respected enough to consider his friend, not that he would ever say it to her face.

“I assume you already have something planned for tonight?” Edwin asked.

“You know I do.” 

Being the only one of his friends that sometimes stopped by the house, Edwin’s uncle had always assumed Crystal was his girlfriend, no matter how absurd the idea was to both of them. The truth was, they had bonded over a shared interest in mystery novels and making fun of other people, but more often than not, they bickered because they liked the same boys. It was all in good fun, never serious, they had actually made a game out of it the second time it happened. The relationships born at the seaside were never meant to last, after all.

After dinner, Crystal dragged him to the first bonfire of the season where the rest of the group and some new faces were already gathered. Edwin didn’t hate bonfires, there were worse ways to spend an evening, but he hated being surrounded by too many people, so he took the drink they offered him and moved to the sidelines to sit down, leaving Crystal to dance on her own for a while.

“Not a party person?” Someone said, sitting next to him.

Edwin looked around, trying to understand if the person was talking to him. Since there was no one else, he replied:

“I am accompanying a friend.”

“Same, I don’t know anyone here. Name’s Charles,” the person offered his hand and Edwin introduced himself, shaking it.

He was about to give Crystal the signal to start another one of their challenges, but his eyes locked with Charles’, and he stopped. He found himself captivated by the way the fire danced over his skin and his smile softened his entire face, making his eyes sparkle. He had the distinct feeling that something was different this time.

“So, what do you like then?” Charles asked, oblivious to Edwin’s internal turmoil.

“I am not a very interesting person, I am afraid.”

“Oi, let me decide that.” Charles’ smile, if possible, grew even wider, and Edwin felt on the verge of a precipice about to swallow him whole.

Edwin tried to force an answering smile then, even if he knew it could not compare to Charles’. “Well, I read a lot, watch true crime documentaries, and I wish to write my own novel some day. What about you?”

They talked for the rest of the evening, about their favourite books, and their plans for University, and about anything, really. When Edwin said goodbye to go back to Crystal, he felt like he was floating on air.

–

“Oh my god, that guy was so cute, why didn’t you introduce us? You’re not trying to cheat by getting a head start, are you?” Crystal complained the following day while they were walking towards the beach.

He didn’t know how to explain it. This had never happened before, to either of them, and they didn’t have rules he could apply to know how to proceed.

“Nothing happened,” he settled for. “You were dancing and I didn’t want to bother you.” It was a lie, he knew she could probably tell too.

She raised a brow. “Edwin? Spill.”

“It’s nothing. If I see him again, I’ll introduce you, okay?”

If she had any suspicions about Edwin’s real motives, she never mentioned it, but he should have known introducing them was a mistake. The three of them spent a blissful week together, laughing, playing cards, and exploring the city, but he could see Charles and Crystal growing closer as the days passed. And how could he not be infatuated with her, she was so full of life and happiness, while Edwin was a lonely bookworm who couldn’t stay for too long in the sun because he burned too easily.

After a while, he stopped going out. He wasn’t mad at Crystal, at either of them really, but he couldn’t stand the thought of seeing them together.

“Edwin, please, just talk to me, what happened?” Crystal asked for the umpteenth time. She had called him, tried to talk to his uncle, and even sent him a letter, of all things, but he didn’t know what to do. How could he explain that twist in his stomach he had felt watching her and Charles playing in the sea.

“Please, Crystal, leave me alone,” he replied, in the same way he had replied for three days now.

“I miss you,” she admitted. They had never been explicitly affectionate with one another, it had always been a silent agreement, like many others, so the phrase was like a punch to his gut, because, if he allowed himself to be honest, he missed his friend too.

“I’m sorry,” he said instead, his voice breaking a little.

He heard some shuffling noises, so he imagined she had sat on the floor in front of his door. “You were there every time I cried because my parents ignored me, and when David turned out to be super toxic, let me be here for you now, tell me what I did, please, I really don’t understand.”

Great, now we’re both crying like idiots from the opposite sides of a door, he thought, hating himself a bit more.

“I will get over it, Crystal, I just need some time,” he whispered, hoping she could hear the honesty in it.

“Is this about Charles?” she said it like it had just occurred to her, like it had not been written on Edwin’s face since the first time he met him. “Because, sure he is cute, and he would make a fun addition to my body count, but that’s it.”

Edwin’s world suddenly began to spiral, the wallowing turned into anger, and he slammed the door open. “What? How can you call him a fun addition to your body count?”

Crystal looked torn between shock and relief. “What do you mean? We have been playing this game with new guys for years!”

“I know, but I-” he stopped himself, he didn’t know how to finish that sentence.

“It’s true then, you like him for real,” Crystal brought her hands up to her mouth. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

He sat down next to her, their arms almost touching. “I didn’t know how. I was afraid to ruin our friendship by breaking the game,” he admitted. It was too honest, too raw, but Crystal had been the first to admit she missed him, so he felt like he owed her one.

“I don’t like you just because of that, you know?”

Edwin’s lips curled in a tentative smile. Still, he had to know. “So… Did something happen?”

He knew the answer from the way Crystal didn’t meet his eyes. “It was just a kiss.”

Edwin buried his head in his arms, so that his next words were muffled:

“I could never compete with you…”

Crystal bumped their shoulders together, her tone turning more aggressive:

“I don’t want to hear any of that, what happened to my friend? The one who never refuses a challenge and who thinks he is better than anyone else? Wash your face, wear your prettiest shirt and come back out there with me. He’ll never choose you if you run away to hide in your room. We make fun of people who do that, remember?”

“But,” he tried to complain, and was immediately interrupted again:

“It was one kiss, and it was messy, we were both upset. You know it meant nothing, I would tell you if it did.”

He couldn’t admit she was right on the same day he had apologised to her, but he did go back to his room to do exactly what she said, which was an admission in itself.

–

Edwin fixed his hair again, looking at his reflection on the door, earning an elbow on the ribs from Crystal. He had never felt that nervous before, usually his annoyance came from boredom or disinterest. He bit the inside of his cheek.

“Welcome, welcome!” greeted Monty letting them in. He was another new acquisition in their usual summer group, and he had been accepted instantly because he had a big house and he was allowed to throw parties in it.

They mingled with the crowd, pretending not to be searching for a very specific pair of brown eyes, but Charles still found them almost immediately, like a magnet.

“Hey Edwin, haven’t seen you for a couple of days, we missed you!”

“He wasn’t feeling well,” supplied Crystal before he could say something stupid like ‘I doubt that’. 

“Glad you are feeling better now.”

“Thank you,” Edwin replied, then, taking a deep breath, he added:

“Would you like to dance? With me?”

Charles’ eyes widened before moving for a moment to Crystal, who shrugged, and back to him. He grinned. “Yeah, mate, sure.”

“You know, I had almost given up,” Charles said with a chuckle when they were left alone. “I thought I had read this all wrong and you were not interested in me.”

Edwin had to force himself not to flinch. “Quite the opposite, actually,” he took a moment to put his thoughts in order, “I was confused because I have never felt this way about someone before, and it scared me.”

He tentatively raised his eyes to search Charles’ expression, but the other was still grinning brightly. Emboldened, he took one step closer, and then another.

“We’ll figure it out together, yeah?” whispered Charles.

Edwin nodded, bashful, before closing the remaining space and brushing their lips together. Suddenly, the prospect of spending another summer at the seaside didn’t sound so bad.

[catierambles]

Blood Moon Ch.2

Pairing: Syverson x Annalisa Caulfield (OFC)

Warnings: uhh business speak? mentions of covid? idfk

She was gone when he woke the next morning, a folded up piece of paper on the nightstand with her number scrawled inside. Smiling, he grabbed his phone, punching in the number and holding the phone to his ear. It rang for a bit before picking up.

“Annalisa.”

“Hey.”

“Good morning.” Her voice had gone from professional to soft and it made his smile widen.

“When'd you leave?”

“Shortly after dawn.” She said, “Didn't want to wake you. How'd you sleep?”

“Better than I have in a while.” Sy admitted, “They get that thing figured out?”

“Yeah.” She said, “Some overly entitled trust fund baby was pulling the whole “do you know who my father is?” and trying to get special treatment at Pendulum.”

“Ah.”

“He also brought drugs into my club, which we do not allow for obvious reasons.” She said, “He just needed to be reminded that he's a very small fish in a very big pond.”

“You ain't in the mob, are you? The kid ain't wearing concrete boots in the river, is he?” He asked and she gave a soft laugh.

“No, Sy, I'm not in the mob.” She said, “He was delivered to the police along with all the drugs he had on his person. I doubt he'll face any real consequences, but now he knows where we stand.”

“Any plans for today?”

“Working with distributors for the clubs, mainly.” She said with a sigh, “Reasonably certain we're getting gouged by one of them, so I need to go over the most recent invoices, compare them against prior. You?”

“I haven't been able to get a job since leavin' the service. No one wants to hire a vet, apparently, so I just hang out all day.”

“Do you want to come over? I can send you my address.” She suggested, “I'm not going to be the most entertaining person in the world while I do this, but it's something.”

“Yeah, send me your address.” He said and his phone buzzed against his head a moment later. “Switchin' gears. Last night was...really nice.”

“Yeah, it was.” She said and he could hear the smile in her voice. “Not what I thought would happen when I came to your rescue, but I'm not complaining.” The tone came through that he was getting another call and he pulled his phone away, looking at the screen and seeing his brothers number.

“Hey.” He said, putting it back to his ear, “My brother is callin' me. I'll call you back when I'm on my way over?”

“Okay.” She said and they said their goodbyes quickly, Sy accepting the other call before it went to voicemail.

“What's up, Pete?” He asked.

“You wanna tell me why your ex is blowin' up my phone about some chick named Annalisa?” Pete asked and Sy gave a growling sigh, running a hand over his face.

“Jesus fuckin' Christ.” He said, “Okay, here's the deal.” He told him everything that happened last night at the bar, from Tiffany approaching him to Annalisa coming to his rescue. He didn't tell him that he took her back to his place, because he really didn't need to know that.

“Ain't it usually reversed?” Pete asked.

“Apparently I make an appealin' Damsel in Distress.” Sy said and Pete snorted, “Anyway, that's what happened and Tiffany is havin' an aneurysm at the thought that I moved on.”

“I told you she was wacked.” Pete said.

“I know, I know.” Sy said, “Shove it with the “I Told You So”s.”

“Have you, though?" Pete asked, "Moved on? Because, fuck, Kyle. I saw what Tiffany did to you and what she put you through. We all did."

"Yeah." Sy said, "And yeah, I think I have. I dunno, Petey, there's somethin' about her. Annalisa, I mean. She's just...fuck."

"Yeah." Pete said with a chuckle, "That's how I felt when I met Beth. Like I got sucker punched and I was down for the count. Can't wait to meet the lady who laid you out." Out of all his brothers, only one wasn't married with a pack of kids. Military life had made that difficult for him, and his youngest brother was too busy being a shithead to settle down. They talked for a bit more before saying their goodbyes and Sy laid in bed a bit longer, staring up at the ceiling. His phone rang and he looked at the screen, but declined the call when he saw who it was. He may not have her number saved in his contacts anymore, but he still knew it.

Getting up, he walked naked into the bathroom to shower, closing the bathroom door as his phone started to ring again.

Leaning forward, he looked out the windshield at the gothic manor that rose up in front of him, double checking the GPS on his phone. Yeah, this was the place. Parking in the circular parking lot, there only one other car there, a dark SUV. Getting out, he looked down the hill, the town stretched out below. Hell of a view, that's for certain.

Heading up to the front door made of heavy wood, he gave a solid knock. It opened a moment later and he felt the smile stretch over his face that was reflected on hers.

“Hi!” She mouthed and pointed at the ear piece she had in one ear. “Yeah, I know the market's been shit, Jack. Doesn't mean you have to be.” Sy snorted, following her into the house and closing the door behind him. It was richly furnished in carved dark wood and furniture that looked older than his grandma, but was still in immaculate condition.

At her beckon, he followed her up the stairs and into an office, one side taken up by a large heavy desk with two monitors on top, the tower probably hidden below. A plush couch sat against one wall and he sank down onto it as she went over to the desk.

“COVID hit all of the entertainment and hospitality sectors hard, you're not a special case. Fact of the matter is—fact of the matter is and don't interrupt me, I compared invoices from just after restrictions were lifted, not before lockdown, to the most recent you sent us and it's gone up dramatically. Did you think we wouldn't notice?” Kicking off his boots, he swung his legs up on the couch, sinking down into the comfortable cushions further.

His phone went off in his pocket and he dug it out, declining the call and blocking the number. Maybe that would force the hint into her brain.

“You're out, Jack. We're dropping you as a distributor effective immediately. Oh yes, I know we have a legally binding contract good for another five years, but you violated that contract. Would you like to whip it out and read the fine print? Let me save you the hassle, I have it memorized. Clause number one: the quality of the product delivered will stay on par with the quality given upon initial agreement. Clause number two: the price of the goods delivered—what did I say about interrupting me—the price of the goods delivered will stay on par with market average within a margin of five percent. Jack, you've been charging us fifteen percent above market average for watered down swill in a fancy bottle, and don't you dare try to frame it as you were doing us a service because it means the patrons would have to buy more. We have a reputation of quality and integrity to maintain, and you have damaged that reputation.” She paused, a look of annoyance crossing over her features. “You are aware that your company is public, yes? That means I have access to your shareholder meeting notes. Record sales and a sixty percent increase in revenue compared to last quarter? Is that ringing a bell? You're sourcing shit product and charging your clients more for it so you can buy another villa in the Bahamas. You're done. Even if you violated one of those clauses, you would be done, but you broke both. Oh, don't worry about me, Jack. I already have another distributor lined up. Better quality and ten percent below market average. It's a better deal all around. No I'm not going to tell you who, are you joking? But you should worry about yourself, because I will be letting my network know not to do business with you and why. It's nothing personal, Jackie, it's just business. You will be paid in full for the latest shipment, but we will no longer be placing orders with you and any gratis shipments will be returned unopened. Toodles!” Touching the earpiece, she ended the call and sat down heavily in the executive chair behind the desk. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Sy said, standing from the couch and heading over to the desk. “It was kinda hot watchin' you rip that guy a new one.”

“Yeah?” She asked with a snort, looking up at him as he turned the chair to face him, leaning over with his hands on the arms. “I'm glad you came over.”

“So am I.” He said, “Annalisa—”

“Annie, if you want.”

“Annie.” He said softly, “What happened last night don't feel like a one and done thing.”

“I wouldn't have offered that you come over if I thought it was.”

“I get that feelin'.” He said, “I wanna spend more time with you, while you're workin' or whatever, I don't mind. Call me clingy, but I wanna be around you.”

“Again, I wouldn't have invited you over if I didn't want to be around you.” She said and he gave a soft smile, reaching up to hold the side of her jaw before leaning down, pressing his lips to hers. Her eyes closed as she held his wrist gently, leaning into his kiss. She suddenly pulled away, touching the piece in her ear. “Annalisa. Yeah, Eugene, I just got off the phone with him.” Sy pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead before pulling away, heading back to the couch. “Of course he was pissed, but it's not our fault he didn't read the fine print before signing.”

[kinda-cute-kinda-insane]

Ochaco with a rich!reader who loves to spoil her

I was originally a yandere blog why am I writing fluff bruh (I swear I’ll come back to my roots y’all)

Fem!reader, Ochaco is not used to being spoiled with expensive things and get nervous whenever you do, reader have a crush on Ochaco and confessed, reader is older (by one year)

You were a second year in UA business department class. And just like any other business course students sports festival is a great opportunity for you to set your eyes on potential future heroes.

Just like everyone else you’ve heard about the recent attacks on USJ, so you payed more attention to the 1A students.

You can see a lot of promising students in that class, reckless but sure you can shape them to be better.

But on particular student caught your eyes the most, Ochaco Uraraka.

Amazing quirk, passionate too, and her unexpected tactics against her blonde classmates truly amaze you. Not to mention super cute.

What the hell, maybe you’re thinking too much of this, but maybe your friends prediction for ‘the oh so serious y/n’ to fall with a cute girl is true.

Well whatever stereotypes can go to hell.

Ever since then you began trying to get close to her, approaching her during lunch, having small talks and exchanging numbers. You even got close enough to call each other by your first name(A lot of your classmates complained saying how it took them a year to be able to call you by your first name)

But there’s one thing you love to do the most; giving her gifts. You suppose it’s because of how when you were younger your parents always gave you gifts as a sign to show love(and to make up how busy they were with their business)

So you done the same, giving her small gifts. Watches, perfumes, bags and literally anything that reminds you of her.

But Uraraka feels so overwhelmed. Listen, she love love the gifts so much, it means a lot to her! But it’s just too expensive not to mention the amount you give her too.

She’s not used to having all of this gifted to her, considering her family economic condition growing up.

And she feels bad, she felt as if she was just using you for money. She was not, but she can’t help but feel like it, every time she mentioned her likings to something you always come and give it to her like nothing!

She really like you, you’re just so kind, so cool, and so beautiful to her. And it bothers her that it seems she is being a burden to you.

So she decided to confront you about it.

“Hello Ochaco, mind walking to the gates with me?” You smiled at her. “Oh hey Y/n-senpai! Of course wait a second,” she said, hurriedly closing her bags.

You stood straight in front of the large doors, some of the girls inside began whispering to Ochaco with a big smile, leaving the said girl blushing.

“Bye guys,” she bid all of her classmates goodbye, while you just gave them a small nod. The walks are quiet, which was weird. Sure you were always the quiet type, but usually Ochaco would already talk about her day, how hard her class was or how exciting her hero trainings were.

“Hey Ochaco, is there something wrong?” You asked her, worried as ever. “O-oh there’s just something on my mind I guess,” she nervously replied.

“Is that so? Mind sharing with me?” You gently smiled at her, trying to encourage her to share whatever has been bothering her. “Uhm it’s about your gifts senpai,” she whispered.

“What’s wrong do you not like it?” You furrowed your brows, maybe the things you bought for her was not to her taste?

“No! No! It’s not like that I swear!” She said panicked, afraid that you got the wrong idea. “Then what is it?” You asked her again.

“It’s just… I’m not used to get these expensive things and I feel like I’m just using you as if our whole friendship is just all about material,” she sughed. “Oh Ochaco, I’m sorry I made you feel like that,” you gently took her hands and hold them.

“That’s just how I’ve been taught to show my affection, I have a hard time trying to communicate with my feelings,” you smiled at her. “I really like you Ochaco, and if it made you uncomfortable that I shower you with gifts then I’ll try to learn to communicate my feelings for you” your other hand gently touched her cheeks.

“So I’ll start with this, I have a crush on you Ochaco.” She immediately blushed at your words. You let go of her face “I’ll give you sometime to think about your feelings too okay? Whatever your answer is please, never grew distant from me.”

She shyly nods at you, you both continue to walk to the station still holding hands. You who refused to let go of the moment, and her enjoying the warmth whilst thinking about your confession.

Unknowingly the girls were looking above from the window, fangirling of your interaction with their classmates. Hopefully Ochaco is ready for the question thrown at her tomorrow.

[rainintheevening]

West - Part II

Time moves slow

It's been a year, it's been forever, it's been a day, he feels as if he could walk down to the station right this moment and Peter would be there waiting on the platform to say goodbye. He closes his eyes, and sees Peter smiling at him, feels the hands on his shoulders and the warm kiss on his forehead. And then it blurs, he can't remember the last thing Peter said to him, he can't remember if they hugged or shook hands last, he'd told Peter he loved him, hadn't he?

When half of your heart has yet to come home

He hears the whistle of a train through the open classroom window, and it comes back like a flash, Peter leaning out of the carriage to wave, and something snapping, Ed's heart tearing out of his chest, words spilling out in a wild cry, carrying over the sound of wheels turning and steam hissing and steel track shifting. "I love you! I love you, Pete! Please! Don't forget! Don't die! I love you!"

He had run after the train, run to the edge of the platform, where he was forced to stop, but his heart hadn't, and he'd listened for a long time till he was sure he could hear nothing more.

Every minute's adding up

I miss you, Ed. It's like losing a limb, I've found. I can do without you, but nothing is the same and everything's harder. Remember Acamus—how he complained for years afterward, always grumbling about needing another hand?

And leaving a mark on us

There are scars on the back of Ed’s hand, where one of the falcons had grabbed him, and they weren't there a year ago, Peter hasn't seen those, and how many scars does Peter have now? How many places where the skin had mended imperfectly? How many marks Edmund does not know the origin of?

He wonders sometimes.

I can't get you out of my mind

They aren't on the list Mother gave him, but he buys carrots at the green grocers, the short fat ones Peter likes, and doesn't remember till he's halfway home.

I can't get you out of my mind

"Hullo, Ed," calls Benjy from down the street. "How's tricks?"

"Oh, Peter's alright," Ed says, swinging around with a smile, squinting in the sun. "Getting sent to Palastine for a bit; says that should be interesting."

I can't get you out of my mind

He has a whole book of maps of Palestine and the Middle East from Professor Kirke— maps from the time of Abraham, to the conquest of Joshua, to the time of Jesus—and he writes: Tell us all about Jerusalem, if you get there.

I solemnly swear

I'm not going to tell you to remember anything this time, brother. Just know that I feel your pain, and grieve Hans's death as deeply as you. He was a faithful friend to you, and I was always grateful to know he had your back. I'm here, at home, sitting at our desk, and there's a summer thunderstorm banging around outside, though the rain on the roof sounds nice. I'm safe, I promise.

I swear that I'll never try

"Is Peter still over there?" Colin asks when they meet on the platform in a crowd of school boys, and there's a weight, a weariness in Edmund's clipped reply: "Yes. Why?"

The younger boy hesitates, before: "Well, I rather wish he'd come back so you'd be happy again."

We'll be just fine

He aces his School Cert, he's sure, though he won't know until the end of term what his marks actually were. But Master Walsh looks very pleased the day after, and tells him, "Keeping up the family name, I dare say."

Ed glows inside as he goes down to supper.

We'll be just fine

Rags and Tarek are fast friends now, and I can see she'll be in a good hands whenever I leave. She sleeps with him, on his mat under my cot. I've tried to make him sleep with the cook, since he is on kitchen duty, but he refuses, and I won't let him be chained or locked up. He's such a good kid otherwise, nobody really minds. When he's not on KP, he follows me everywhere, like a shadow. Tarek, though. It means 'morning star'.

We'll be just fine

Took Rose out for a gallop all the way up to the tor. Sun was out and made it warm, and with a few late heather blooming, the moor was quite beautiful. Took a lunch and a hymn book; went over my tenor parts and the solo for choir. Sounds boring when I write it out like that, but I know you like to hear that sort of thing.

I know that we will

He does not cry on the second Christmas without Peter. He stands in church with his arm around Lucy, and they sing loud and clear and triumphant, Then tolled the bells, more loud and deep / God is not dead, nor doth He sleep. He laughs at Susan's stories from the hospital over Christmas dinner, and listens to Eustace breathing across the room as they fall asleep.

Somewhere out there on a dusty military base, Peter is falling asleep in his cot, and thinking of home.

We'll be just fine

The lines march across the maps, week in, week out. Pushing further and further toward and into Germany. He marks with a pencil and a steady hand. Places the one pin with the little lion head flag squarely in Belgium.

A sense of excitement builds in the boys who cluster round that wall of the Sixth Form common room, an air of hope, a taste of victory.

We'll be just fine

He kneels by his bed, letter cupped in his hands, and his lips move but no sound comes, as his heart reaches for the aching one that bleeds through in ink. Peter marches head on into the maw of the dragon, and Edmund can only beg the Lion of Judah to go ahead of him.

It's a matter of time

The chapel bells ring wild and clamorous, and the courtyard is flooded with boys doing their best to imitate them. In the middle of the unrestrained celebration, Edmund Pevensie pauses, stands still, looks up to search the May sky. He smiles, tired and worn and battlescarred, recalling victory cheers of years past, the rattle of swords on shields and the cheerful yowls of the big cats. He remembers the longing to ride home again. He remembers standing above Cair Paravel's gate, and seeing the white unicorn spring forward into a gallop.

He gets tackled into the dirt by Colin and Fred and Pat, and then he's laughing with the rest of them.

Till our compass stands still

He stands on the platform, hands in his pockets, quite still, hat pulled low in the summer drizzle. But his eyes keep moving, scanning, searching, face after face, skipping from one to another, and finding no satisfaction. Until... just dismounting the first carriage, tall, clean shaven, officer's uniform, hat in his hand, rain in his golden-brown hair, blue eyes all weary and laughing that lock onto Edmund's, go wide with startled light.

They are magnets, drawn together through the crowd, and he knows Peter is shouting, but Ed has no breath as he is wrapped in his brother's embrace, crushed against the broad chest of his king, his captain, his best friend in all the wide worlds. He clings to Peter, and weeps for a long time.

Till our compass stands still

The maps are forgotten in the dark, and he traces no lines, measures no distance, for the great heart beats against his spine, and the warm breath brushes the back of his neck, and they will sleep safe together tonight. He is here, and Peter is here.

They are home.

[mandareeboo]

Unfinished Work #60: "Untitled" (Finished)

I never felt up to publishing this, but I've been rewatching BoJack and felt it'd be good to put here! A little goodbye to an old friend between Hollyhock and Diane.

Title: N/A

Summary: N/A

"Sorry about this," the horse said. "You're probably really busy with writer things."

"You wanna know what I was going to do before coming out on the porch to have a smoke and chat with you?" Diane asked dryly. "I was about ten seconds away from telling my husband I was going out onto the porch to have a smoke. It's not even half the inconvenience you think it is."

"Oh," she responded, and fell silent.

Diane let out a gust of lung cancer in a long, drawn-out sigh. Texas is pretty in postcards but hotter than the sun in person, with the added bonus of all sorts of creepy crawlies straight out of the official nightmare catalogue, but it's kind of nice? There's trees everywhere. Lots of open, bumpy land. The spider currently weaving its web a few feet from her isn't even venomous- it's an orb weaver of some sort. All in all, better than death.

It'd be nicer if her company talked, though.

"Let me guess," Diane prompted, making her jump. "You're Hollyhock, right?"

"Bojack told you about me?" Hollyhock asked, ignoring her question.

"He told all his friends about you. He was really excited to have family he didn't loathe with all his being."

"Oh," she repeated, softer this time.

"Relax, you're not gonna end up on his wiki page or anything. And, for what it's worth, I'm really happy to meet you in person. You're shorter than I thought you'd be."

Hollyhock looked at her hands, where her phone was situated, then back at Diane. "Bojack's told me about you, too. He talked a lot about a lot of things, but you especially."

"And that made you think I had answers?"

She shrugged helplessly.

Diane took another drag. "You want the truth? He's an asshole. Whatever you feel or suspect about him is absolutely vindicated."

"Yeah." she said. "But I miss him anyway. Isn't that... awful?"

"No? I don't think it is. I mean, the part that sucks about people is that they're more than just one thing. Sure, Bojack is a sleezy, emotionally-abusive jerk who's slept with almost every woman he's ever met, but he also sends stupid little text messages about stuff he saw on his drive home, and one time when he got drunk he sang the lollipop song and it was actually the prettiest thing ever, and he helps you pack even though he complains the whole time. He's all that shit."

"He once threw his mom's doll out a window."

"I know. He told me."

"He did?"

"He's always drunk-dialed me. Fifteen years now, and I'm his drunk-dial SOS." Diane considered her cigarette a moment. It was her first one of the day. A new record low. "I never met her, but I spoke to Beatrice twice- for his book."

"Oh, yeah, that thing. I never read it?"

"It sold alright, but it wasn't the next great American novel. Anyway, I called the retirement home to get a statement- got the phone number off of Bojack's long-time manager and friend Princess Carolyn- and called. This was before the dementia really ate up her brain- think, I dunno, almost nine years before you knew her- and she was still pretty sharp. I said, 'hi, this is Diane Nyguyen, I'm ghost-writing a novel about your son, Bojack' and she said, 'what, is he too lazy to write it himself'?"

Hollyhock winced. "Woof."

"Oh, I'm just getting started." Diane flicked some ash away. "We went in circles a bit, but eventually I laid it out for her. 'Mrs. Horseman', I said, 'I'm writing about your son's life, and as such I have called to see if you had any note-worthy stories or quotes you'd like to add'. She was pretty quiet for a minute. Then she said, 'sure, why not, I'm dying anyway. Might as well debase myself even more.' She told me all about her husband, Butterscotch-"

"Bojack never said much about him."

"There wasn't much to say, honestly. Bojack took after him and he always hated himself for it. Beatrice despised her husband for being unfaithful, bitter, and sexist. And she told me, 'now, put this in your little book, girl, and put it word-for-word. Bojack took after him, but he had the sense to be a bit quieter about it; which is a bit like saying the hissing roach is less disturbing to the eyes than the American one because it eats leaves instead of garbage. They're both insects, and they're both a waste of the paper their books were written on'." She paused. "Gotta say, she was damn eloquent."

Hollyhock winced again. "Double woof."

"It's the one story I never put into One Trick Pony. Not because I thought she'd regret saying it, or because it wouldn't fit the tone of the book, but because I knew it'd rip Bojack apart. Even back then, I was putting him above my own job. He has a way of worming into things like that." Diane stamped out the rest of the smoke, then pulled out another one. "I used to smoke like a freight train, but now it's only when I get worked up. Sorry about the second-hand."

Hollyhock was quiet again, but this time it was more pensive than anything else. "I... wrote him a letter. I actually don't even know if he read it, because he kept sending me voicemails telling me he would, but he never told me he did before I changed my number. I thought it'd be over. I thought I was moving on, but..."

"Moving on isn't the same as moving away," Diane said. "Trust me. I've packed houses before. But even now, I still find myself looking for him in the news, or thinking back to the good times we had."

"Mhmm. He tried to learn sports for me, you know? Because he wanted to cheer me on. And that still means a lot to me. But then I remember that interview, and I just... I just can't do it. I can't talk to someone who's done stuff like that."

"That's completely in your right! I know you're a grown-up, but you're still pretty young, you know? Bojack's in his fifties. His problems shouldn't be on anyone, but they especially shouldn't be on you."

"You won't tell him I came, will you? I know you're friends, but..."

"I think your definition of friendship is a bit different from us, kiddo. I mean, we haven't spoken in almost a year now. I just go see his movies, and he sends me long rambling reviews about my books, and we follow each other on social media."

"That feels like friendship," she concurred. "Mrs. Nyguyen?"

"God, don't. Diane."

"Diane. Did you and Bojack….?"

"Nope. But not because he didn't want to. I was dating when we first met, and married a good chunk of the time I lived in L.A. Now I'm married again. If I hadn't been... well, he would've tried, if nothing else."

"And you?"

She pursed her lips. "There was a time where I lived in his house and spent every day getting shitfaced drunk, and nothing skeevy happened. He'd come home, I'd be drunk and when was Bojack not drunk? We'd drink more and we'd watch reruns of Horsin' Around. I liked that. It wasn't healthy, but I liked it. And I liked him. I try not to think too hard about it, but... I dunno, honestly."

Hollyhock pulled her knees to her chest. "I came here hoping to find a way to stop missing him. Now I just miss him even more? I hate emotions."

Diane smiled. It was bittersweet. "Now you sound like a true Horseman."

[starstwinkleplanetsshine]

Daughter of the Sea

Chapter Seventeen: School's Out for Summer (Read on AO3)

I never thought I would ever say this in my life, but summer came too soon. 

The minute Percy and I finished our last final (which, I would take a monster over any day), we practically ran to our subway stop, bounced our knees the whole train ride home, and dashed up to our apartment. We were packed and ready to leave by dinnertime. 

Our mom and new stepdad, Paul, had cooked us a goodbye meal. We had broken the news about how we weren’t, umm, normal, to Paul a couple weeks ago, but he still didn’t seem to believe it. 

“So, where are you two going again?” Our step dad asked towards the end of our hasty dinner. 

“To camp.” Percy said simply. 

“Camp Half Blood” I added. 

“Right. And what exactly do you do at Camp Half Blood?” He spoke as if he didn’t believe us. 

“Train.” 

I rolled my eyes at Percy’s unhelpful answers. He had been in a sour mood all day. 

“We train to fight monsters, learn to use different weapons, take mythology classes, climb lava rock walls. Everything to be prepared for life as a half-blood.” Under normal circumstances, I would’ve been itching to get back to Camp. Not that I had ever known normal circumstances. 

“Lava rock walls?” Paul questioned. 

“Dear, why don’t we let these two enjoy their last evening here.” Mom said as she put a gentle hand on Paul’s. I gave her a look that said thank you and started on my blue ice cream.

“How were your finals?” She sounded too cheery. 

Percy groaned and put his head on the table. 

“I got all A’s!” I said, beaming. Geometry had given me a run for my money, but I managed to barely get the grade on the final that I needed. My mom practically jumped out of her seat. 

“Angie, that's great! I’m so proud.” 

“She did great in my English class this year. She wrote one of the best papers on To Kill A Mockingbird I’ve ever read.” I felt like I could’ve flown. Paul was my favorite teacher at school, but I would never tell him that. 

“Yeah yeah, Angie's perfect.” Percy complained as he stuffed his face with his dessert. 

“You did well in my class, too, Percy.” Paul’s tone wasn’t convincing, and Percy raised an eyebrow at him as if to call his bluff. 

“I got a C in your class.” 

Mom winced. 

“That’s still passing! And I could tell you tried really hard this year.” Paul’s tone was encouraging, but Percy still rolled his eyes. 

I had never seen him in such a bad mood, but I understood why. Mom seemed to, too. We all knew that going back to camp was going to be tough this summer, and that everything would be different. The war between the gods and the Titans was in full swing now, and both of us had been sent on missions here and there throughout the year because of it, although Percy’s were always bigger and more dangerous than mine. 

Going to Camp would mean we couldn’t ignore it anymore, like we tried to. The reality would be staring us in the face everyday, and the battles and missions would only get worse. A part of me wished I could stay in our little Upper East Side apartment forever. 

“This is our last night, Percy.” I spoke to him in Ancient Greek. “Is this how you want to leave?” Annabeth had been giving me lessons on the language, and it had come pretty naturally to me. Percy had a harder time speaking it, but he understood it better than most. 

“I know,” He responded in English. “I’m sorry.” He had learned that phrase quickly. 

Paul raised his eyebrows. “Was that Greek?” 

Sally nodded. “It was, even though they’re not supposed to use it at the dinner table.” This was not the first time we had gotten in trouble for talking in a language only we could understand. 

“Sorry, mom.” 

“Sorry.” We both mumbled at the same time. 

Percy cleared his throat. “I’m sorry about my grades, Mom. And my English grade, Paul.” 

Sally sighed. “It’s alright, Percy. I know this hasn’t been an easy year for you.” 

And it hadn't. There were many nights that Percy had been up into the early morning on a mission or working on plans and strategies for Chiron only to go to school at 8am the next day. There were even nights when he stumbled into our room at 2am bloody and hurt, and I would wrap him in bandages, feed him nectar, and listen as he told me of his mission, sometimes through tears. I experienced some of that, too, but he got it worse than me. 

Eventually, he had stopped pretending to sleep at night, just sitting out on the fire escape into the early morning. There were some days he hardly touched his lunch at school. And through it all, he never complained. He kept up such a strong front for everyone, and I knew better than most that he felt like he had to. He was, after all, the son of Poseidon. The child of the Great Prophecy. 

Most days, I thought it was too much pressure for one person's shoulders. 

The beat of Pegasus wings outside our window told us it was time to go. 

We got our packed bags and headed up the stairs to our roof, where Blackjack and Sparkles were waiting to take Percy and I to camp. We said goodbye to Paul in the apartment, so it was just the two of us and mom in the dying June light. She was doing her best to hold back her tears, but despite her best efforts, more than a few drops fell. Percy and I took turns hugging her tightly before she scooped both of us up in her arms. 

“Just…be careful, you two.” 

“We will, mom.” I promised. Percy stayed silent. 

“I know you have to be great heroes and save the world, but you have to come home, too.” 

A sob caught in my throat. 

“We’ll do our best.” Percy said, sounding much older than fifteen. 

We’d better get going, some of the mortals are starting to stare. Blackjack spoke in my mind, and I assumed in Percy’s too. I’m not sure what the mortals saw with the mist, but it must’ve been odd. Not as odd as two Pegasi on the roof of an apartment, but still. 

Percy broke away from the hug first. 

“Blackjack said we should go.” 

Mom gave him a sad, wistful look and then ruffled his hair. He lunged forward and gave her one last hug, tight and intense, as if the action surprised himself, too. Then he peeled away, said one last I love you, and walked over to Blackjack. I followed him. 

Once we were both on our pegasi, they began to take off. 

Good to see you again, my lady.  Sparkles spoke in my head. 

“You can just call me Angie.” I responded. 

Of course, my lady. Some horses took Percy and I’s position more seriously than others. 

“Don’t forget to call!” Our mom yelled as she waved and watched us rise into the air. 

“We won’t!” I promised. I did my best to smile at her, to show her that she had nothing to worry about, but even my best efforts couldn’t fool her. Not now. Not since she knew what kind of summer we were heading into. 

As Sally Jackson became a small speck on one of the many roofs of the Upper East Side, I thought about how she must be feeling. I thought about how helpless I would feel if my two children belonged to a world I couldn't enter, a dangerous world that was violently falling apart at the seams. Not only that, but knowing your children had to keep it together and there was nothing you could do but watch? 

Not only that, but there was also a prophecy about one of them that pretty much implied they wouldn’t make it past their sixteenth birthday. Which was in two months. 

I pushed the thought out of my mind and focused on the shine of the city lights below me. 

We got to camp not too long after, and I could see the glow of the large campfire as we began to descend. We landed by the stables, and I was glad when no one came to greet us. Percy clearly wasn’t in the mood for reunions just yet, and I hated seeing him pretend to be okay in front of other people. It was hard to see him down all the time, but I was glad he didn’t feel the need to put up fronts for me. 

“I’m gonna go to our cabin and settle in. Then I’ll head to the Big House and wait for Chiron.” Percy said as he pet Blackjack's neck and slipped him an apple. 

“No sing-along tonight?” I risked a smile, and to my surprise, he returned it. 

“Not tonight. I’ve got a lot on my mind.” I couldn’t see him too well in the dark, but I saw his eyes go sad. 

“I know.” We stood in silence for too long. It wasn’t too often that we had awkward silences, but this was definitely one of them. I shuffled my feet and Percy messed with his hair. “I’m sorry, Perce.” I said finally. 

He straightened up. “Nothing to be sorry about.” 

“I know, but—” 

“I’ll see you back in the cabin.” He managed a small smile and then turned and disappeared into the darkness. 

The sound of singing got louder as I neared the amphitheater, but it wasn’t as loud as it should've been. I knew that campers would be coming in over the next few days as school got out, but even the year-rounders should’ve filled more seats than were taken. It was kind of sad to see, but I knew why. All year, Chiron had been sending demigods on different missions and assignments as a part of the war. I knew that there were probably some away right now, and there were others who would never come home. 

Despite the small jolt of pain, I put on a smile and stepped into the circle of firelight. 

I was hoping to sneak in unnoticed, but that plan was ruined immediately. 

“ANGIE!” The voice of my best friend at camp, Cadence Hayes, rang out across the amphitheater. And being a daughter of Apollo, her voice was loud. She ran over to me, drawing all sorts of attention, and attacked me with a hug. I nearly fell onto the ground. 

“I didn’t know you were coming today!” Cady said once she had let go. 

“School’s out! Of course I came.” Some of my other friends were starting to make their way over, and the other campers turned their attention back to the songs. 

Cady’s face fell slightly. “Is Percy…” 

“He’s here.” She physically relaxed at my words. I knew Cady and Percy were close, they were the same age after all, and kids in the same age bracket tended to be good friends at camp. I guess that's what happens when you spend every summer together since you’re twelve. 

“Where is he?” 

“Unpacking, and then heading to the Big House. I think he wanted to be alone tonight.” 

Cadence pulled on her braid, a habit she had when she was nervous or uncomfortable. “Oh.” 

“I’m sure you can see him later, though. It’s just been…”

“A lot?” Cady was good at knowing what I was trying to say. 

“Yeah.” 

“I get it.” I thought I was going to have my second awkward silence of the night, but our friend Rosaline swooped in just in time. 

“Welcome back, Seahorse.” It wasn’t my favorite nickname, but she had coined it last summer. Since she was the only one who used it, I let it slide. Plus, being a daughter of Aphrodite, everything sounded sweeter coming out of her mouth. 

I gave her a hug, and although she liked to keep things light and fun, I could tell by the way her arms tightened around me that she had been worried. 

“Good to see you, Ros.” I said with a smile. The daughter of Aphrodite wrinkled her nose. I wasn’t the only one with a nickname they didn't like. She was about to say something when I felt arms hug me from behind, wrapping around my shoulders. I tensed up instinctually until I heard the honey voice of Will Solace. 

“We missed you, Angie.” 

I put my hands on his arms, hugging him as best I could. More people came over: our friend Evan, son of Hephesatus, the Stoll brothers, Clarisse LaRue, Silena and Beckendorf, and a few others. They were all asking about Percy, and I told them he was okay and would say hi soon. We were catching up, all talking over each other, when the sound of hooves approaching made everyone go silent. The crowd parted, and Chiron clopped over until he was standing right in front of me. 

Chiron and I had an…interesting relationship. He was an incredible trainer and he was much better at running the camp than Mr. D, but we never really saw eye-to-eye. I always got the feeling he was on edge around me, and that he wished I wasn’t there. Especially around Percy. They had such a great relationship. Chiron respected my brother and saw his talents. And he appreciated them. With me, he treated me like I was an open flame that could start a forest fire at any moment and he was just waiting for a strong breeze to come along. A lot of the campers saw him as their father figure, which would’ve been nice since I never really had one of those, but to me he was just the man, well, centaur I looked to when I needed guidance or a really good vegetarian taco recipe. 

“Angie,” He said with a smile. “Welcome back to Camp. I trust everything was good on the way over?” 

I nodded, suddenly aware of how many people were watching the interaction. “Yes, everything was smooth. Thanks for sending Blackjack and Sparkles.” 

“The pegasi were all fighting about who got to pick you up. You and your brother are very popular.” 

I laughed, not quite sure how to respond. 

“Speaking of…Percy. He is here, yes?” 

I nodded, feeling like I was betraying my brother. He specifically did not want the whole camp knowing he was back, and here I was, telling the whole camp he was back. “Yeah, he’s here. He’s just in our cabin.” 

Some people in the crowd groaned and then began walking away. It wasn’t a rule that we couldn’t go in a cabin that wasn’t ours, but it was common courtesy. And people definitely didn’t go in a different cabin uninvited. That was just rude. 

“I see. If you’ll excuse me.” He gave me a smile and then addressed the crowd. “Don’t forget about curfew. See you all in the morning.” He turned back to me. “It’s nice to see you again. I’m glad you’ve made it back home.” 

Home. Over the past year, Camp had definitely become one of those.

Chiron disappeared into the darkness, walking in the direction of the cabins. 

“I think that’s the longest conversation I’ve ever had with him.” I said to Cady as everyone started filing out of the amphitheater. Everyone except me, Cady, Will, Evan, Rosie, and Lyric, Cady's little brother. 

“Oh stop it.” Cady said with a smile. Chiron was like a dad to her, even though Apollo was pretty cool. 

“I just don’t think he likes me very much!” I said with a laugh. 

“He likes you!” Cady protested. 

“I’m not sure about that.” Rosie interjected. “Maybe he does hate you.” Will, Evan, and I burst into laughter. Cady shoved Rosie hard. Lyric looked scandalized. 

“Thank you, Rosie!” I said through giggles.

“I think you’re crazy, as always.” Evan added. “But he definitely likes Percy more than you.” 

“Doesn’t everybody?” I groaned, only half joking. 

“Well how can you blame them?” Will responded with a chuckle. 

“Can we please not talk about how hot my brother is again.” 

“It’s just so hard to not talk about it.” Rosie said, wiggling her eyebrows. 

“I’m gonna throw up.” I said, faking a gag. 

“At least you don’t have everyone talking about how hot your dad is.” Will said in defense. “Talk about awkward.” 

“But Apollo is hot.” I said with a laugh. 

“So is Percy!” Rosie all but yelled.

“Umm, guys?!” Cadence broke in. “Little ears!” I looked over to see Lyric wide eyed and red faced, Cady’s hands clamped over his ears. No one minded when Lyric hung around, he was sweet and pretty funny, but a lot of us forgot to watch our conversation. 

“Half-bloods grow up fast, anyways.” Evan said with a shrug. “So, does anyone want to hear about the invention I’m working on?” 

Everyone groaned, but that didn’t stop him from telling us every detail. I tuned out after a while, my ADHD taking my mind in a million different directions. We all sat by the fire and talked until it was almost curfew. Since none of us felt like getting eaten by harpies, we made our way to our cabins, laughing and enjoying the start of summer. The air was cool, the stars were shining, and the smell of smoke still hung on our clothes. For a moment, hearing our laughter ring out across the grass, watching other little groups of friends make their way to their beds, I almost forgot we were in the middle of a war.

[pariskylar]

ONE

THUSRDAY: MAY 23, 2024

on the Quinjet back to the compound Tiariana kicked off her shoes and let her braids out the bun and into a ponytail. it was a long day. they were at battle for two hours at least and she just wanted to get back and go to sleep.

she took her sock off and immediately looked for her slippers she always kept on there. looking she saw them by the door.

she got up going over and sliding them on.

“every time i look up yo toes out.” Sam said from the seat from her's

“stop looking.” she shot back taking her seat.

“even if i don’t look, i can smell them.” he pinched his nose.

she grabbed her socks and tossed them in his direction.

“ewww.” he said in a nasally voice earning a smirk from her.

she truly loves Sam, he was like the big brother she always wanted. when she needed someone to talk to or just to hangout with he was the fourth person she’d call–right behind Ja'Briana, MaKayla and Renee.

Ja'Briana is her older cousin and one of the people she closest to. Tiara was the only girl and navigating growing into a woman was difficult and confusing so Bri took her under her wings and helped her come to herself.

MaKayla is their aunt. she a year older than Tiara and two younger than Bri. they grew up together. she always had her back.

Renee is her best friend. they met in pre-k. they had matching light up shoes and they had been besties ever since.

“you ok?” Joaquin came out the restroom in a different outfit, sitting next to her.

“i’m good. you?”

“bit banged up, but i’m ok.” he stretched out “what’re you doing tonight?”

she felt her heart rate increase, excited.

Joaquin was a very attractive guy and she had developed a bit of a crush on him.

they had joined around the same time and they were both new to the whole hero thing so they kinda leaned on each other for comfort and encouragement. they became work buddies, they trained together and often. they slowly became friends, not besties but still friends. they had a bit of a flirty relationship that never lead anywhere.

“same ole, same ole. why?”

“curious.” he shrugged "you need to change it up, do something to relax."

“how bout you can give me a foot massage.” she leaned back in her seat, kicking her shoes off putting her feet on his lap.

“or i can give you a back massage, let that play out.” he grinned tickling her feet.

“stop!” she quickly took her feet off him, putting her Slippers back on.

"you 'on't like that?" he stood up

"Quin, move" she got up moving away from him.

"or what?" he grabbed her.

"QUIN! CHILL!" she squealed.

"gosh, you guys are alway loud." Cassie complained, letting her hair down.

"sorry." Joaquin apologized, taking them back to their seats.

the ride back was quiet. unbearably quiet. it was intense. the only sound was the occasional hum of the jet's engines.

after two hours, which felt like an eternity, the jet landed. they all filed off, and she accidentally bumped him.

“watch it.” he simply said

“watch it.” she mocked under her breath kicking the slippers off at the exit, walking to the towers bare foot.

was being barefooted unsanitary? maybe, but she was a bit country. being from Beaumont, TX, she couldn't help it. she was used to being outside shoeless and she couldn't seem to break the habit.

as her feet hit the cool floors of the compound, she sighed. her feet were so tired, it hurt to walk.

eager to get out the nasty clothes, she sped to her room. she peeled off the sweat-soaked spandex suit. rummaging around her drawers, she pulled out a pair of well-worn sweats and an old Nike sweatshirt.

dressed, she went to the kitchen where she saw Kate and Yelena stocking up on snacks before leaving.

"see ya, Speed." Kate bid a goodbye leaving with her friend.

"bye, KB; bye Yelena."

"byeee." she waved over her shoulder.

she grabbed a bottle of wine and a glass taking a seat at the island. once she got the bottle opened Sam and Quin came walking in. they were always the last to leave.

“bye, T.” Sam hugged her over the couch.

“bye, Cap.” she smiled

“see ya, Speed.” Joaquin kissed her on top of her head.

“bye, Quin.”

and with them gone the compound was cleared out she went to her room and turned on the shower. while the water warmed up she went over to the sink and grabbed her toothbrush. she took care of her oral health and skin care before actually getting in the shower.

after that much needed shower she trudged to living room with her phone and Nintendo Switch flopping on the couch. she opened DoorDash and ordered some chinese takeout.

connecting her phone to the speakers around the compound and played her 'chill' playlist. she grabbed her switch loading up a game of Zelda.

she was stuck to the game for 15 minutes when she lost.

"com'n Link!" she yelled at the screen as she used her last heart.

she tossed the console to the side. her phone pang with a notification from DoorDash saying her takeout was here. she ran down the stairs and went to meet the dasher at the gate.

"um, hi?" he handed the bag over

"hey." she smiled handing over the ten dollar tip.

"thanks. have a nice meal Tiariana."

"you too." she ran off before she realized what she said.

you too? what the heck?

she was back at the den. she sat down and flipped around the streaming services before landing on Living Single. she began to eat and binge.

'we are living single. in a 90s kinda world i'm glad i got my girls.' she sang while blindly eating.

when the show started she heard people talking and giggling.

“and this is the family room- that’s not supposed to be occupied” Bucky said walking in with a lady. "Tiara what are you doing here?"

“Tiariana? ohmygosh! hi, i’m Leah” she grinned holding her hand out heading towards her

“um, hi” she got up and shook her hand "nice to meet you."

she nodded, looking back to Barnes “she’s so cool”

“yeah, um, Tiara can we talk in the kitchen” he left the room.

sighing she got up and following him.

“i thought you weren’t gonna be here.” he said as soon as she stepped foot in the kitchen.

“i live here.” she grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

“don’t you have an apartment?” he folded his arms.

"don't you?" she retorted, her eyebrow arched in challenge.

"if you must know, my place is under new management and the rent has spiked. so, i'm here for the foreseeable future," he explained, a hint of frustration in his voice.

"hm." she hummed, taking a long, deliberate sip of her water.

"look, is there any chance you could stay at your place for a while? just until i sort things out?" he asked, trying to sound casual but failing to hide the urgency in his tone.

her nonchalanceness was clearly grating on his nerves.

"don't have a place." she replied with a shrug.

"really? you’re like 25?" he said nearly sounding offend.

"I'm 30." she corrected him.

"that's... unfortunate." he said, earning an eye roll from her.

"your opinions are as outdated as you are" she shot back

"very funny," he replied dryly.

"why does it even matter to you? this compound is like a thousand acres" she pointed out.

"ugh," he scoffed in exasperation.

"oh, i'm sorry, is my presence here bothering you that much?" her voice dripping with sarcasm

"kinda, yeah" he admitted, not bothering to soften the blow.

"aw" she responded with a mock pout.

annoyed, he turned on his heel and walked away without another word.

"Leah?" he called out.

he collected her and head to his room.

she went back to the living room and settled back onto the couch continued watching TV. after two episode she found herself slowly drifting off until she KO'd.