#literally all of that is from THIS WEEK ALONE

[rustedhearts]

somebody told me (fratboy!steve harrington x fem!reader)

summary: steve has made it very clear that he doesn’t want you. but he doesn’t want anyone else to have you either.

uses she/her pronouns and female anatomy.

i want your things in my room (part one) the library record store

tags: angst, mean!steve, so much tension, yeah the football player is tim riggins in my mind and so what?! i literally wrote this months ago, enjoy <3

"heaven ain't close in a place like this"

— somebody told me, the killers

may 1st, 2009

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

It came hissed in the doorway between the second floor fraternity steps and the sticky wood paneled wall. Steve hovered above you, breath sour with beer and a new bottle dripping condensation through the hand dangling at his side. His eyes were slanted and directed down at your eyes watching him in surprise.

30 seconds ago, he cornered you against the wall after your swift trip to the bathroom. You caught eyes with him across the kitchen nearly an hour ago, and it took all this time of carefully scanning your movements when you weren’t looking for Steve to get you away from the junior you came with.

“What are you talking about?” you laughed. “It’s a party.”

“I didn’t invite you.”

You swallowed, trying not to let your good-natured grin drop. You were well aware that Steve didn’t invite you.

After he practically ran from your bedroom two weeks ago, things went radio silent between you and Steve. You texted, he didn’t answer. You called once, thought about leaving a voicemail, and spent a whole weekend crying when you realized: he didn’t want you. Someone who wants you doesn’t flee your room the way he did that night.

You were perfectly content wallowing in your idiocy for ever thinking Steve Harrington could have a special spot for you in his tiny, shriveled heart—until said junior you were attending tonight’s party with saw you at the dining hall.

You were studying late into the evening, sitting all alone at a table near the fireplace with your books sprawled out and your picked-at dinner in scraps. He came staggering in with a band of other men, all sweaty and half-dressed from practice. He was a linebacker on the football team, and he looked damn good easing into the chair across from you and making it squeak.

His name was Tim and he had a handsome smile, and a slow way of talking in this Texan drawl that had you blushing. For the ten minutes he sat and talked to you and asked you what you were so focused on, you forgot all about Steve.

You texted for a week, grabbed a few lunches and coffees together, and now here you were. At a frat party, invited not by Steve—but Tim.

“I know that,” you told Steve, pulling your arms up to fold them over your chest. Steve’s eyes flashed down to your breasts cupped under a black lace bra peeking through a red shirt.

“I came with Tim.”

Steve screwed up his nose, pulling back a little. “Tim? Tim who?”

Huffing, you pushed yourself off the wall and pressed Steve back by the shoulder. “Tim, Steve. Now, excuse me, but I’m gonna go find him—“

“No, hey.”

Steve snatched you by the elbow, causing you to fumble on the carpeting and narrowly miss someone heading up the steps. You gasped, stumbling into Steve still against the wall.

“Steve, what the hell?”

“‘m not done talkin’ to you.”

You glared at him, wrenching your arm away with force. “I don’t care.”

You rushed down the steps before he could speak again, head suddenly swollen with confusion, heart pounding hard in your chest. He hadn’t touched you in weeks. Hadn’t spoken to you, looked at you, so much as acknowledged you since the last time he was inside you.

All it took to get his attention was to finally attempt to move on? It was bullshit. It made your cheeks flame and your mouth line with sweetness that made your stomach coil. It wasn’t fair.

“Hey.” That soft Texan drawl called to you.

You raised your head from where you were glaring at the floor, softening when they found Tim’s green gaze. He grinned at you, still holding your red plastic cup from earlier. You retrieved it from him and allowed yourself to tuck into his side under the weight of his arm.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” you told him. “Long bathroom line.”

Steve stepped into the fluorescents of the kitchen, weaving his way through bodies with wide, squared shoulders. He tossed a quick glance your way and shook his head as he made his way through the room. And what pissed you off most was the fact that he thought he had the right. The right to be upset, the right to think anything of you.

“Baby, you look so pretty in that lil’ top,” Tim said, tipping his chin down to you with a lopsided grin. He was a few beers in and loopy.

You grinned. “Do I?”

“Mhm. Real pretty—come gimme a kiss.”

You perked up on your toes to meet his mouth. His lips were always warm and soft and soaked in beer. Lord, college boys drank a lot. If you closed your eyes and forgot where you were, sometimes he even tasted like Steve.

But Tim always called you baby, and Tim always called you back. He walked you to class with your books in his arms and a hand on your waist, opened the door for you, and helped you into his truck when he took you for coffee.

And Steve? Steve acted like you didn’t exist if his dick wasn’t inside you.

Your tongue was just slipping past Tim’s teeth when you were torn apart by force. Tim stumbled aside, knocking you as he went and catching you quickly with a hand on your waist. Both your heads turned sharply toward the assailant.

Steve stood near the island where Tim had previously been, holding a bottle of beer and a look of nonchalance. His eyes glided from Tim’s look of surprise to your absolute glare.

“Sorry about that,” Steve said coolly. “Wasn’t watching where I was going.”

Tim resumed his spot beside you, and your body felt like it was vibrating against his. Every part of you was burning—and you couldn’t tell from what. Anger? Humiliation? Arousal? Maybe all three. You swallowed with difficulty and let Tim pull you in again. But your eyes never left Steve’s.

And his never widened from their slits. The ball of muscle near his jaw bone knotted when he clenched his teeth and it didn’t move.

“You okay, baby?” Tim’s attention was on you, and you looked away from Steve to smile at your date.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.”

The footballer had an easier lightness to him. Breezy, taking things with a grain of salt. He didn’t bother fighting Steve for his ‘mistake.’ He didn’t scold him for knocking you. He only smiled at you with a pair of pretty dimples and kissed the top of your head, arm bending around your shoulders.

“Wanna get outta here?”

Because he’d be going home with you. And it only took Tim a few moments to deduce that it was that fact alone that would drive Steve crazy. Even if you couldn’t.

You nodded, hand rubbing over his chest. You spared one more glance toward Steve, who had stepped away toward the other side of the kitchen with slow, slithering steps. He took a swig of his beer and clenched his teeth on the swallow.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

Tim held your hand on the way out, guiding you down the front steps and toward the street. Your arms swung over the pavement, and you almost felt compelled to check if Steve was watching. What the hell was wrong with you?

“So what was that?”

You peered up from the pavement to Tim’s green eyes. “What?”

He cocked his head back at the brightly-lit house dimming behind you. The music faded the further you went. He was still wearing that dimpled grin.

“Back there, with that guy.”

You inhaled, looking back toward your feet. It only took a few moments to decide that you didn’t want to lie.

“We…used to hookup. But it’s completely over, I swear.” You skirted to a stop, gathering Tim’s other hand and meeting his eye again. “He’s just being a dick about it.”

He snorted. “I sort of got that when he came from across the room to ram into me.”

A giggle burst from your mouth, but it drooped into a frown. “I’m sorry.”

Tim frowned, brows creasing. “For what? You don’t got nothin’ t’ be sorry for, pretty girl.”

The warmth pulsing in your chest you could certainly make sense of now. “Okay.”

He grinned again, dropping one of your hands to squeeze your chin affectionately. “Okay. Come on.”

You walked the rest of the way to your apartment with his heavy arm over your shoulders again. And Steve watched from the front seat of his car, knowing exactly where he was going as he peeled away from the curb.

✶ ✶

“Alright, goodnight, little lady.”

“Goodnight, Tim.”

Your voices were punctuated by the slam of a door. Quick footsteps followed, a rhythmic succession ascending the staircase. Over the creaky board on the other side of the door, then—

“What the fuck?”

It burst open to a streak of lamplight in your bedroom and one Steve Harrington shadowing it at the foot of your bed. He had your university football teddy bear in his hands. It was a gift from Tim and it had his number on the bear’s soft yellow t-shirt.

Steve leapt to his feet. “What are you doing?”

You couldn’t seem to close your mouth. It hung open as you watched Steve raise his brows and jerk his chin expectantly. He tossed his arms out on either side.

“Huh?”

You came to your senses with a hard blink. “What am I doing? What the hell are you doing? How did you get in here?”

“Same way I always get in,” he quipped.

Heat touched your cheeks as you stepped into the room and gently clamped the door shut. You snatched the teddy bear from his hand and placed it back on your desk silently. Your purse fell to the floor where you were standing.

“You didn’t answer me. What the fuck are you doing?”

“Is this about the party or Tim?” You kicked your shoes off one by one, keeping your back to Steve and his stupidly pretty face.

You had such a soft spot for pretty boys, it seemed.

“You know what? Both.”

“Okay,” you sighed, pulling the first layer of your outfit off. Steve’s eyes scanned the lace of your tank top as red fabric made its way toward the hamper. “Tim and I are seeing each other. Tim wanted to go to the party, which happened to be at your frat—alas, there we were.”

The mattress springs yipped when you bounced on the edge to pull a clean pair of socks on. You wanted to strip your jeans, too, but you didn’t want to give Steve any ideas. He was already standing there with his arms crossed and his biceps and chest all puffed and sculpted. He already had that handsome pink tinge to his cheeks: his beer blush.

“Well, it’s weird,” Steve stated.

You rolled your eyes, exhaling a snicker. “Okay, Steve. Can you leave now? I’m tired.”

Steve tapped his finger on his arm, watching you shift on the bed and feign exhaustion. He chewed his cheek for a minute before reaching for his hair.

“Well…you know I missed you, right, sweetheart?”

He dropped his hands and softened his eyes into that soft, puppy-dog pout. Your scoff was sharp and sliced through the room. Steve stepped toward the bed.

“Right.”

“No, really,” he urged, sinking into the mattress before you. “You know I was just made president, and I just got super busy, that’s all. I meant to call you.”

You tipped your head at him and stared directly into those faux-pleading hazels. "How come everything you say to me sounds like a line, Steve?"

Steve sat unblinking for a moment. Then his cheeks colored a rosy shade, and he covered it with a cruel scoff and another sweep of his hair.

"What? Come on, you-you know I like you."

You pushed off the bed, head shaking. That warmth was slowly but surely returning to your body in violent form. You pulled your hair off your neck and padded toward the window to open it. Your room already smelled too much like Steve.

"You like playing with me," you corrected, keeping your back to him even as the mattress shrieked with his freed weight.

"You know, you're such a bitch-"

You spun around, shoving him by the chest. Steve stumbled a step back, but the smirk on his face made you regret even touching him at all.

"Get out."

"Hell no," he bit, lunging back into place. He grabbed at your arm again. "You think Tim wants you either? You think he doesn't just like playing with you? You always gave it up so easy."

Tears bubbled in the edges of your eyes. A tingling burn settled in the bridge of your nose. You shoved at him again and angled your head away from him and his sneering scowl and beer breath.

"Fuck you, Steve."

“You’re trying to replace me? Hmm?” Steve cocked his head to meet your eye, and you wished you could will away the hot tear trickling down your cheek. “That’s fine, sweetheart. I’ve got ten of you in my pocket.”

He shoved your arm away with a scowl, and you sniffled as he headed toward the door. All the hot-headed, enraged words pulsing on your tongue shriveled and died—and they were replaced with a hurt and heartbreak that was so familiar it was almost comfortable.

Yet as he opened your bedroom door, you rubbed your arm where he had held you and sniffled.

“Stay away from me, Steve.”

Door in hand, Steve turned and scoffed at you. “No problem.”

✶ ✶

You spent the next hour crying between makeup wipes and playing your radio on low. Pulled a faded grey t-shirt from your pajama drawer and tried not to look at Steve’s face rumpled at the bottom on a white t-shirt. Why hadn’t you thrown it away? He was so hard to let go.

With the football bear cradled to your chest, you wiggled under the covers and reached for the lamp. Your phone buzzed consecutively on the nightstand, causing pause. The plastic clicked on its hinges as it flipped open, and the sheets rustled when you shot up in bed.

u up?

tim is a fckn l0ser

answer

i’m sorry

The first time he called, you didn’t answer. You watched the small square light up with his name, felt the plastic shake in your palm with the force of its ring.

answer

Another call. You pressed the green button, but waited.

“Hello? Hey-hello?” His faded voice brought you from your daze.

You pressed the phone to your ear. “Hello?”

“Jesus, do you not read your texts?”

“Wh-what…why are you calling me?” Disbelief colored every syllable from your mouth.

Steve huffed. “I just…how much do you really know about this Tim guy?”

You looked at the bear sitting on your lap against the sheets. “About as much as I know about you, Steve.”

The line buzzed with quiet for a while. You played with the hem of the teddy bear’s shirt and gnawed on your lip. An ache balled in your chest when the thought of him hanging up occurred to you.

“Fair,” he said quietly.

Sighing, you shimmied under the covers again and reclined back against the headboard.

“Why are you calling me, Steve?” This time it was softer. You couldn’t give in to him anymore, but you had to hear him out. He never called you like this.

He never acted like he cared until now.

“Just…don’t wanna see you get hurt.”

You scoffed, pressing your palm against your head. Despite the way your heart pulsed with excitement, and the way your nerves locked up at the thought—you knew Steve didn’t mean any of it. He was just jealous. He wanted you as his personal plaything and he didn’t like to share.

You couldn’t swallow it anymore. You couldn’t keep biting your tongue to stay the perfect toy in hopes he might see you as more.

You had to end it.

“You already took care of that, Steve.”

You reveled in the buzzing silence of the other line for a beat.

“Goodnight,” you told him.

And you hung up the phone.

[janeyseymour]

Without a Shadow of a Doubt

This has been sitting in my WIPs for literal months- and here it is. I hope you enjoy her.

Summary: Melissa helps you raise a child, and on more than one occasion, you have serious doubts that you're a good mother.

WC: ~5.1k

When you moved into your new apartment complex with your three month old baby girl, perhaps the last thing you expected was to meet someone who would fill a hole in your heart that your ex-husband left when he up and abandoned you and the new baby that he claimed would be the love of his life. 

Of course, that statement came with a caveat; he wanted a son. So when the doctor gleefully announced that you had given birth to a daughter, he fumed and stormed his way out of the hospital. And when you came home the next day, once your mother picked you up and took you back to your quaint little apartment in, anything that belonged to you was in a box. He told you to get out, and the divorce papers would come through a few weeks later.

Your mother had been gracious enough to let you and your little girl stay with her for some time, but you need your freedom and space. So, not only did you have an ongoing divorce- you also had a three month old baby that depended on you for everything, and on top of that, you were dealing with moving into a new apartment. So, maybe the last thing you expected was to meet someone who would fill a hole in your heart, but the absolute last thing that you expected was to fall in love with a woman. But it would end up happening. 

Your mother has been a huge help in this whole ordeal- helping to bring the various boxes into the new little one bedroom apartment that now had your name on the lease, holding and rocking your little girl while you did as much as you could, fed you and the baby when you were too exhausted and would fall asleep sitting in the rocking chair that she had helped assemble, and above all else, she has been your rock. She’s been the one person who shows you unwavering love and support in terms of your impending divorce. Almost everyone else in your life attempted to show sympathy, but it oftentimes came off as judgmental or downright pity.

But now, your mother is sitting in the Philadelphia airport waiting for her flight back to Indiana to take off, and you’re in the new apartment all alone. All alone, aside from the baby. She’s strapped to your chest as you attempt to make dinner for yourself, but something in her little body is not having any parts of this. She wails- ear-piercing shrieks that make you want to burst into tears too. You quickly get her out of the sling and attempt to hold her and soothe her all while continuing to stir the pot of soup you have on the burner. This was so much easier when you had both hands free.

But your little love just continues to cry, her face bright red, and the tears are running down her pudgy little cheeks as she clenches her little fists and beats your chest repeatedly.

Giving up, you turn off the stove and turn your attention fully to the baby.

“Sweet Ellie girl,” you sigh. You stroke her cheek gently with the tip of your finger. “What is it?” You know she isn’t hungry- she ate half an hour ago. She burped afterward. Her diaper is dry. What on Earth could this sweet little thing want? You suppose that she just wants to be held and loved. You can do that- you can do that far better than your soon-to-be ex-husband could ever. With a little exhale, you open the pantry and grab yourself a granola bar to eat before settling into the rocking recliner that you have in the living room thanks to your father. You eat around Ellie as you mindlessly hum a few lullabies before switching into a few of the softer songs you know. You were somewhat hoping that she would be lulled to sleep with your soothing voice and sweet melodies, but your efforts are fruitless. That sweet little love of yours continues to stare up at you with wide eyes as she clutches your pinky in her own hand.

You sit there for what feels like forever, humming songs ranging from Adele to Bob Dylan to Join Mitchell and everything in between. That is, until you hear a knock on your door.

That in itself is odd. You don’t know anybody here, at least not yet. And it couldn’t be your mother. You know she had boarded her plane an hour ago and is in the air- she had texted you that much. She then followed that text up with a reminder to take care of yourself and that she was always just a phone call away if you needed her for anything. Your heart almost flies into your throat at the thought of it being Michael, your ex. Why would he show up here after serving you with divorce papers and telling you that he wanted absolutely nothing to do with the ‘little worm’ you brought into the world?

“Let’s go see who’s at the door,” you whisper to the little one in your arms. You continue to mindlessly hum a tune, one that you’ve always adored- ‘Here Comes the Sun’ by the Beatles- as you make your way over to the door. Looking through the peephole, you see a redhead with a box in her arms. Her green eyes nearly stare into your soul as she tries to decipher if you’re going to answer or not.

Out of curiosity, you open the door. “Hello, can I help you?”

The woman, whose green eyes have already been imprinted into your memory, just gives you half a shrug as she looks down at the baby in your arms.

“Uh, I didn’t think I left any boxes in the moving truck?” you question with a nervous chuckle.

The woman almost snorts out a laugh before she remembers why she’s here. “No. I uh, I’m your next door neighbor. I saw that you had a baby, and I work at a school, and I-“ she hums absentmindedly. “Some of my coworkers were getting rid of their baby items, so I came to offer them to you- if you want them.”

“Oh!” your eyebrows creep up your forehead. “That’s- that’s really kind of you.”

“Do you want the stuff or not?” the redhead asks.

“Please,” you smile softly. “Thank you.”

“Where you want it?” she asks a she looks around your place.

“If you just want to put it on the kitchen table, I can handle it once I get Ellie in her crib for the night.”

The woman, whose name you still don’t know, enters your apartment, sets the box down, and looks around.

“Did you not eat?”

You look up at her, lifting your gaze from your baby. “I did.” Your eyes dart to the wrapper from your granola bar, and you’re just a bit embarrassed that you hadn’t thrown it out. But how were you to know that she would drop by?

“All you had was a granola bar?” she asks as her own eyes follow your gaze. You nod sheepishly. Her eyes go to the pot on the stove, and before you can stop her, she looks inside. It’s just chicken stock, onion, and celery- that was as far as you got with making dinner before Ellie started wailing and effectively put your meal on hold. “Sit down,” are the next words out of her mouth. “Hold your little girl, and I’m making you dinner.”

“What?” your mouth opens and closes a few times. “I- You don’t have to do that. I don’t know you, you don’t know me.”

“Melissa,” is all the woman says as she opens up your refrigerator and grabs the chicken breast that you were meant to put into the soup. “Now sit and relax.”

Her tone leaves no room for argument, so you settle in a chair.

“Th-thank you,” you say quietly after a few moments of awkward silence.

She waves a hand in dismissal. “So, what’s your story?”

You mull over in your head just how much of your past you should reveal to this woman, a stranger- but also your next door neighbor who is cooking you dinner. You end up detailing that your husband left you days after you had your little girl, just dipping slightly into the fact that he left you due to the fact that you had a daughter and not a son. “Her name is Elizabeth, but I’ve kind of landed on the nickname ‘Ellie’,” you tell her softly.

“And your name?” she prompts.

You give her your name as she stirs the dinner she’s making. And it smells heavenly.

“Well, Y/N,” Melissa says your name in such a way that you’ve never loved your name more. “For what it’s worth, I think you’ll be better off without him. He sounds like a jackass.” And then she sets the bowl down in front of you and holds her arms out expectantly.

“Oh,” you whisper. “I uh, I can hold her while I eat. You don’t have to. You’ve already done enough.”

“Just let me hold her.” Green eyes are rolled before practically daring you to protest. “You’ve been holding her for the last hour, at least. Your arms have to be tired.”

You bite your lip before hesitantly handing your sweet pride and joy over to the woman who stormed her way into your life not an hour ago, expecting Ellie to fuss- the only people she let hold her were you and her mother. She’s not even particularly fond of your father holding her, much to his disappointment. And somehow, Melissa knows just how to keep your little girl calm and quiet while you eat one of the most delicious bowls of soup you’ve ever had. She even has your little girl giggling before managing to get Ellie to fall asleep. You see the way that she’s a natural with your daughter, watching over both her and you with soft eyes that you weren’t quite expecting.

And since that day, Melissa has been a near constant in your apartment. Whether it’s to make a meal, to hold Ellie while you simply rest and reset, or to keep you company, she’s almost always there. Her presence is always warm and inviting, which is something that you’ve come to learn isn’t necessarily the norm for the woman that lives next to you.

You’ve discovered that she usually likes to keep to herself and her personal life is under wraps to almost everybody she knows. You’ve also discovered that you are the exception. Melissa Schemmenti, a woman who is usually very reserved and has described herself as ‘an aloof bitch at times’, is beyond soft for you. She’s even softer when it comes to your little girl, who you swear is growing up before your eyes.

About three months pass of you living in this new apartment with your next door neighbor almost always keeping you company before you finally give into the fact that you have a small thing for your neighbor. It takes another month before you ask her what her game is.

“What do you mean?” Melissa rolls her eyes at your question.

You hum softly as the two of you prepare a meal while Ellie is down for her nap. “You’ve told me yourself that you’re tough, aloof- and yet you’re always so gentle and kind to my daughter and me.”

She laughs, like fully laughs. “I thought my intentions were pretty clear.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I started by helping out a neighbor, but I may or may not have fallen for her and her sweet little girl.” Green eyes search your face for your reaction. The only reaction she gets is you taking a step towards her before pulling her in by the waist and planting a soft kiss to her lips.

Her eyes are blown wide when you pull away, and for a split second you think you made a mistake. But then she’s opening her mouth again. “Wow.”

“I- I may have fallen for you too,” you admit, cheeks flushed. “But I never thought you would want to-”

“I thought you were straight,” Melissa bites her bottom lip. At the shake of your head, she breathes a quiet, “Oh thank God,” before pulling you back in for a second kiss. 

That is the beginning of your relationship with Melissa Schemmenti, next door neighbor. From the start, it’s been a serious relationship. You made it quite clear that you did not have the time for any flings, and she just rolled her eyes before heading towards the little nursery that you had set up for your daughter. Sometimes she jokes that she’s really only here for Ellie and not you.

She’s always been great with your sweet girl- and as you would come to find out, she will always be great with Ellie. So great actually… that sometimes feel that she’s a better mother to your daughter than you are. 

The first time it happens is when Ellie is turning one year old. You’ve been so wrapped up in your job and making sure that your little girl is as happy as she can be at any given moment, that you entirely forget about planning a first birthday party for her.

“Shit!” you groan as you’re finishing up a project that you brought home for the weekend. “Fucking dammit!”

Your girlfriend stops her cooking and turns to you with a raised eyebrow. “Care to share with the class why you’re yelling out curse words while our girl is asleep?”

You pause your tirade when you hear her refer to Ellie as both of yours- it’s something she’s started doing recently, and it makes your heart flutter for a second. A dopey grin washes over your face for a moment before you frown again.

“I’ve been so busy trying to work on this website that I forgot to plan Ellie girl’s birthday party,” you admit quietly, planting your head in your hands. “I can’t believe I forgot. I’m a terrible mother.”

“You are not a terrible mother, and you didn’t forget,” Melissa tells you as she turns back around to tend to the pan on the stove.

“What are you talking about? I absolutely did.”

“You’ve been mumbling about planning it in your sleep, but when I never got an invitation, I planned it all for the two of you,” the redhead reveals.

“Wha- how?”

“If you checked your personal email once in a while, you would know this,” Melissa teases you. “It was pulled up on your laptop when you fell asleep in bed a few weeks ago, so I just sent out some e-vites.”

A few clicks of your laptop later, and you see that what she’s saying is true- there are quite a few responses to a birthday party being held at the apartment this weekend.

“I’ve been quietly cleaning while you’ve been working yourself to the point of exhaustion too, so the place will be ready,” the teacher chuckles. “I figure we use your place for the actual gathering, and we can put coats and presents and things like that at mine.”

You stand and make your way over to your girlfriend, spinning her around to face you. “What did I do to deserve you?”

“I ask myself that about you every night,” Melissa hums as she leans in to give you a quick peck.

“Thank you,” you whisper as you close your eyes and press your forehead against hers. “I’m glad that Ellie at least has one mother that didn’t forget to plan her first birthday party.”

Your girlfriend rolls her eyes, not that you see it. “I already told you, you didn’t forget- you just needed a bit of a push to send out the invites.”

“You planned the whole thing,” you point out.

Melissa kisses you softly. “I’m just looking out for my girls the best I can.”

The birthday party is an absolute success. It’s filled with her coworkers who have come to love and adore your little girl almost as much as Melissa, your parents were able to fly out for the gathering, and a few of your coworkers from your new job are able to make it to help celebrate the milestone of your little girl.

After everyone heads out, you’re exhausted, Ellie is absolutely beat, and you’re sure Melissa has to be tired too. But still, she insists that you hand over your little girl for her to hold while you take a nap after all of the emotions that you’ve felt today.

“Babe, I can handle it,” you try to tell her. “I’m-” you stifle a yawn. 

“Go take a nap, hun,” the redhead says softly as she kisses your cheek. “Miss El and I are just going to do a bit of cleaning up before we come lay down with you.”

About an hour has gone by by the time your little girl and girlfriend are finished tidying up, and you’re dozing in and out of sleep. Feeling the bed dip slightly, you peel open your eyes and hold out your arms for your little girl to come into them. Ellie wiggles in the redhead’s arms and reaches for you, and as Melissa lays the two of them down, Ellie squeals with delight- she’s between two of her favorite people. She lets out the softest yawn before promptly falling asleep.

Melissa watches as your eyes soften, gaze on your little angel. “She’s perfect,” she muses softly.

“She really is,” you agree just as quietly. “And it has a lot to do with the fact that she has an amazing second mother who has really stepped up.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s because she has you for a mother,” the teacher argues.

You roll your eyes. “I’m hardly a great mother,” you sigh. “Honestly, there are some days I think you’re a better mother than I am.”

Melissa frowns, the lines in her forehead deepening. “Hun.”

You shrug. “I do my best with her, but you pulled all of this together for us. If it was up to me, there wouldn’t have been a first birthday party.”

“There would have been,” your girlfriend tells you. “And it would’ve been just as great.”

“I still should’ve-“

“You do everything you can for that little girl of ours,” the redhead says softly as she reaches over and brushes a few hairs away from your face. “Sometimes you need a little help, and I’ll always be here to help.”

As the years go on, there are times where you feel that you’re doing wonderfully as a mother, and there are other times that you feel like you have no idea what you’re doing and are beyond terrified that you’re ruining your child’s life. 

Every time, Melissa is there to reassure you that you are perfect for your little girl.  

The second time that you feel like Melissa is a better mother than you and you are feeling doubtful tenfold, at this point, you’ve been married for three years now. Ellie is five and entering kindergarten. The day where you send your little girl off comes quicker than you ever could’ve imagined, and yet here you are, walking hand in hand with your wife and your daughter into Abbott.

“You’re going to have such a great time with Auntie Barb,” you tell Ellie softly.

“It’s Mrs. Howard, Momma,” your daughter giggles. “At school, she’s Mrs. Howard.”

“How silly of me,” you playfully roll your eyes. “You’re going to have a great time with Mrs. Howard.”

And all is fine, and Ellie is excited, until it comes time to part with you and Melissa. Then it’s waterworks, and she can’t believe that you would even leave her for this long (despite the fact that she’s spent several nights with Barb and Gerald).

Despite every word of encouragement and praise that you give your little girl, she’s still absolutely hysterical. She clings to you, yes- but she’s mostly clinging to your wife. Ellie wants you, yes- but she really wants Melissa. The redhead looks down at the little girl she loves more than anything and sighs. She really should be down in her own classroom prepping for her little eagles, but Ellie comes first- she always has and always will.

“Baby,” Melissa breathes quietly as she kneels down in front of the girl in pigtails. “You’ve been so excited for school. What has you so nervous all of a sudden?”

“I want you,” Ellie mumbles into your wife’s shoulder. “I don’t wanna go to school; I just want to spend time with you.”

“Well,” the second grade teacher says softly. “Little girls have to go to school. But can you think of it this way? You get to make new friends, and I know Auntie Barb is so excited to have her little Ellie Belly in her class. During lunch, you can come say hi to Mom for the first few days, and we can call Momma if you want. And then when we get home, you get all the love.”

Your little girl looks at your wife suspiciously before furrowing her brow and sticking out her pinky. “You promise?”

You see the warmth wash over Melissa’s face as she sticks out her pinky. “I promise you, lovey. So, why don’t we let Momma head to work, and you and I can make our way down to Auntie Barb’s?”

Ellie worries her lip between her teeth before looking to you. “I guess.”

Green eyes meet your own as she pulls your little girl into her arms again. She whispers conspiratorially to your daughter, “I think Momma might need a hug before we head down, what do you think?”

Ellie flings herself at you with a bright, somewhat still teary, grin. “I love you Momma.”

“I love you too, sweet girl,” you tell her softly as you hold her close. You pepper her face in kisses before releasing her back.

Your daughter’s first day of kindergarten has you anxious as all hell. You hope she’s having an okay day, and you really do expect to receive a phone call at lunch from the two of them. You don’t.

You having a good first day? Is El? you text your wife.

It takes a minute, but you get a reply back. These kids are going to be the death of me, but El is having a grand ol’ time with Barb. She told me at lunch that she can’t wait to come back tomorrow.

You smile at that. You knew once Ellie actually made it into the room, she would be just fine. You only wish that your words of encouragement and affirmations would’ve made her feel more at ease. Instead, it was Melissa’s words. Thank you for helping get her to class today when I couldn’t. You’re the best Mom that little girl could ask for.

I’m pretty sure that’s you.

I couldn’t get her to let go of either of us, you reply. You just seem to have the magic touch with her.

Babe, you get a response. You have such a way with our daughter, but you also have to remember that I’ve been a teacher for years and have dealt with kids not wanting to go into school for forever- this is new to you just as it is for El.

That day when you get home from work, Melissa and your Ellie are already curled up on the couch relaxing. They’re both dead tired from their first days, and you can tell that it’s going to be an early night for everyone the way both of their eyelids are drooping as they try to stay awake for dinner. You drop your bag on the bench you keep by the front door before pressing gentle kisses to both of their heads and walking into the kitchen to start on dinner.

“Don’t,” your wife’s voice floats into the room as she carries a barely awake Ellie in. “I ordered your favorite on my way home, it’ll be here in about ten minutes.”

Your face falls just slightly- you were planning on making their favorite, in order for them to be able to relax and enjoy the first day of school being over. You just give her a soft smile instead, before you turn yourself back around to face the counter. And that’s when you see the beautiful bouquet of flowers sitting in a vase.

“Honey,” you sigh.

“Miss Ellie girl and I stopped on our way home to pick up flowers for Momma,” Melissa says softly. “Didn’t we?”

Your daughter nods in her arms before reaching for you. With a small grin on your face, and a few tears now beading in your eyes, you take your little girl. “Thank you,” you whisper as you delicately press a kiss to your wife’s cheek. You then dot a few sweet kisses to Ellie’s hairline.

Dinner is a quiet affair aside from Ellie sleepily telling you about her first day in kindergarten. The three of you settle on the couch to relax once dinner is cleaned up. It doesn’t take long for Ellie to fall asleep, sprawled out on both you and Melissa.

Melissa quietly details her first day- how the children were, how she was so happy to see Ellie giggling along with her classmates at lunch, and how Barbara just gushed about how your daughter was a big help in calming others’ nerves.

“She’s a good kid,” your wife finishes. “You’ve done great with her, babe.”

You look down at the little girl laying in your lap. “I didn’t do much.”

Green eyes stare at you incredulously. “Honey, I wish you could see how amazing you are. You’ve done wonderfully with her. She has your kindness and your compassion- she has your heart. And unfortunately for both of us, she picked up on my stubbornness. You’ve done so much for our little girl, and you are the perfect mother to her.”

You shrug. “I don’t know. I just… you know how I feel about this.”

“Tell me.”

“You already know,” you sigh as you rest your head against her shoulder. “And I think we need to start heading up to bed.”

“It can wait a few minutes,” your wife tells you. “So talk about it.”

With a breath, you tell her how you feel that you’re failing because you don’t know what you’re doing. You’re hurting Ellie because you’re so unsure of what you’re doing that your little girl is aware of your hesitations in the way you speak with her and act with her sometimes.

That weekend you head out to the grocery store, and for once Melissa and your daughter are not with you. No. Instead, they’re at home. Your wife has Ellie make you a card telling you that you are the world’s best mother and listing the things that she loves about you while Melissa writes it out. Then, the two of them get to turning the living room into a comfortable space to watch your favorite movies.

When you return home, your welcomed with a new bouquet of flowers (you later find out that Barbara dropped them off while you were out), the card, and what you can only describe as a blanket fort.

“What is this?” you ask softly as you carry in an armful of groceries.

“The best, for Momma,” Melissa says softly as she takes the bags out of your hands. She sets them down before pulling you into her arms. “Enjoy today.” She kisses you quickly before heading back out to the car and bringing in the rest of the groceries while Ellie pulls you into the massive pile of blankets on the floor.

“Momma, read the card,” your little girl tells you. You pull her into your lap and cuddle her close before reading the card. On one side is what Ellie had to say, while the other side is what your wife wanted to tell you. Their words and kindness bring tears to your eyes.

“Did we make you sad?” your daughter looks to you fearfully.

“No, baby. These are happy tears. Happy tears,” you promise her as you repeatedly kiss her head over and over.

Once your wife is finished putting away the groceries, she plops herself down next to the two of you and reaches for the remote. You put a gentle hand out to stop her, and when she looks at your curiously, you just kiss her gently.

“Thank you,” you sigh quietly as you press your foreheads together. The moment of silence most likely would’ve been longer if not for Ellie squealing about putting the movie on that she had picked out for you.

The rest of the day passes by in a blissful haze full of movies, warmth, and lots of snacks. The two of you put Ellie to bed before cleaning up the living room mess, and as you clean, you pick up the card again and read what Melissa had to say.

“I mean it, you know,” your wife says softly as she wraps her arms around your waist. “I am the luckiest person alive to get to have fallen in love with you, to help raise our beautiful little girl, and be the one who gets to love both of you through every high and low- every doubt and fear. But I promise you, we are the lucky ones to have you.”

You crane your neck to kiss her gently. “Thank you.”

“Thank you,” Melissa repeats back as she tucks a few stray hairs behind your ear. “Please know that I will always be here for you- my wonderful, lovely, perfect wife, as we work our way through motherhood together.”

From next to your wife, you groan as you let your head fall against her shoulder.

“What?”

“If I’m feeling like this now, how the hell am I going to feel when she’s a teenager?”

The redhead chuckles as she brings your left hand up to her lips and kisses just under the rings that sit beautifully on your finger. “I’ll be there for you, and Ellie. Always.”

And she is there for you. She always has been. She always is. She always will be.

tags and lmk if u wanna be on this list: @schemmentis @thesapphictimelady @marvel210 @itisdoctortoyousir @morgana-larkin @thesamesweetie @doesthatsuggestanythingtoyou @marvels--slut @gwennybriggs @megamultifandomtrashposts @lemz378 @http-sam @melissaschemmentisbranzino @imaginesmultifandoms @sexysapphicshopowner @lilfartbox1 @maybe-a-humanbean @imlike-so-gaydude @sapphicxrat @a-queen-and-her-throne @notinmyvocab @melanielaufeyson @dvrkhcld @cosmichymns @sasheemo @m1lflov3rrr @ricejucie

[mossyeyeballs]

TW: mentions of pretty much everything terrible. 🍇, trafficking, all of the above.

CLASS OF 09 RANT, FLIP SIDE SPOILERS

Ok not my usual post (I’ve posted twice ik but shush) but what the freak was the flip side??….. I was a huge fan of class of 09 + the re up but this game was so.. what’s the word….. dog shit? Even if we ignore half of the game being about the creators weird foot fetish, the sl@ve ending was so unnecessary. I feel like the only thing in that route that was worth writing was the issue in retail work and that wasn’t even the star focus, let alone side focus. The main plot of that route was the counselor having some weird illegal 🌽 warehouse, jecka finding it, and then him blackmailing her into human 🚙 🚙 ing?

The only ending I thought was necessary IF THAT was when Jecka found Nicole after the sue a side ending from re up. I thought it did a decent job at talking about sue a side victims, and how nobody really cares about them until it’s too late, And even then they only care for a week or so and then move on.

But the Jeffery dying one was the most out of place in my opinion (unfortunately it beats the foot ending.) For starters, Nicole was really out of character imo, like yeah she’s talked about wishing Jeffery was dead before, but her actually killing him just out of boredom is so odd. Her entire character is “I don’t put effort into anything unless it benefits me.” Killing Jeffrey was not only ALOT of effort, but she gained absolutely nothing. On top of that, saying it’s different than doing. Like how she talked about wishing her mom was dead, but then when she had a heart attack, she panicked. Plus, she PLANNED on making Jecka take some of the blame on his death, which she stated in past games she wouldn’t do. She literally never put Jecka in harms way, let alone jail if it didn’t also benefit them both. But this didn’t, she just did it to do it.

While we’re talking about Nicole being out of character, I feel it valid to mention her and Jeckas dad. For obvious (and gross) reasons, I won’t be detailing this, but her doing that to Jecka wasn’t fully out of character, but still odd. Like I mentioned earlier, Nicole never really did anything to spite Nicole, so I find it odd that she did in this game. You could blame it on “oh she’s a sociopath she doesn’t care.” But I don’t think that’s inherently true. Yeah, I guess it’s canon she’s a sociopath, but in that case they do a bad job at consistency. She’s shown in both games 1 and 2 caring about people she’s close with, whether it’s Jecka, her mom, or even Emily in one segment. So I find it completely random that she did this to Jecka over something as small as not sharing how she got into foot work. Jeckas done much worse stuff to Nicole, and Nicole just didn’t care because they were friends, or didn’t feel the need to put effort into doing something if she did care. So yeah, Nicole basically screwing Jeckas dad over something so little felt out of character.

One of the few things that bothered me the least, but I feel the need to mention was the foot work stuff. Not because it was out of character, i fear I’ve seen worse stuff mentioned in that game. But I guess the way it was portrayed as less of a story plot and more of the creator trying to live out his fantasies. He himself has stated Jeffrey is basically a self insert, so the whole being sexually obsessed with Jecka and her feet felt REALLY weird. Compared to Nicole’s my space favor thing, this just felt dirty. For comparison. Both Jecka and Nicole took up sex work to keep a home life or lackthereof, they both got money from strangers to do sexual things, and they both hated doing it. But why did Jeckas feel so much more personal and gross? Because the actual sex work was shown. In graphic detail. And all of Jeffrey’s (the creators) personal thoughts were stated with no backlash. Jeffery literally asked Jecka if she would 🍒feed him, and he was excused. When Nicole was asked the same hing from the same guy, he was insulted, yelled at, even told to leave.

So, creepy creator who’s obsessed with his barely legal characters, Jecka being sold to 🚙 🚙ing agaisnt her will, Jeffrey being murdered for no reason other than a giggle or two from his haters, Jecka accidentally killing Ari cause she was drunk driving, feet fan service, and fan service in general aside, the game is left only with the regular drug and alcohol abusage we always see. which in the game that was advertised as a new experience felt really stale and honestly left me bored. The ONE SINGULAR time during this game that I giggled was when the hat man appeared in the Ari route.

If you’ve fully ignored everything I said in this, maybe didn’t care, or didn’t even read it. Id just like to mention for everyone that the creator of this game said that anybody who disliked him, his games, his writing, or his humor were kid diddlers. In full seriousness. So yeah, no shock this game was bad, but I guess I shouldn’t have expected better from someone who thinks his haters are all child likers. All this being said, I enjoyed class of 09, and the re up. I’m hoping the anime episode that comes out soon with be a decent save. all of THAT being said, I don’t support this creator. I don’t support his actions, I think he’s a shitty person who’s made some shitty jokes, but made some not so shitty games that I decently enjoyed. I also haven’t bought them, so none of my money has gone towards him or his projects. I in NO WAY support him. Thanks for reading.

Feel free to comment down some of your own opinions if you feel so inclined, I’m interested in what everyone else thought of this game :))

[skaterhoon]

Heat of the Night

Sypnosis: After a grueling week, you seek escape at a dimly lit bar, where you meet Sunghoon, a flirtatious bartender. As he serves you with playful charm, the chemistry between you two ignites. His daring whispers and heated glances lead to an intense, passionate encounter, turning a simple night out into an unforgettable experience.

now playing: diet pepsi - addison rae

genre: smut

warnings: nsfw and explicit language

(no plot literally just smut)

wc: 1.9k

You slumped into your apartment, the weight of the week pressing down on you. Work had been relentless, with deadlines and demands piling up, leaving you feeling drained and overwhelmed. The stress was constant, and you needed a break—a chance to escape from the pressures that had consumed your life.

You poured yourself a drink, hoping it would help you unwind, but the stress lingered. A night out seemed like the only remedy, a chance to blow off steam and momentarily forget the strain of work.

The dimly lit bar you walked into was a welcome change from the chaos of your week. The soft glow of neon lights and the low murmur of conversation provided a contrast to the harsh fluorescent lights of the office. The music pulsed softly in the background, helping you start to relax.

As you approached the bar, you noticed the bartender with a confident air and a warm smile. He was busy mixing drinks, but his gaze met yours, and he offered a quick, knowing smile. You made your way over, feeling a bit of tension starting to ease.

Sunghoon wiped his hands on a towel and leaned against the counter as you approached. “Hey there,” he said, his voice smooth and inviting. “What can I get for you tonight?”

You looked up, intrigued by his easy charm. “Just a beer, please.”

Sunghoon nodded, grabbing a bottle from the fridge. “You’re really pretty,” he said casually, handing you the beer with a slight grin.

You smiled, feeling a bit more at ease. “Is that your way of flirting with me?”

Sunghoon’s smile widened, his gaze lingering on you. “Maybe. But I’d say you’re pretty captivating. I wouldn’t mind getting to know you better.”

You raised an eyebrow, a playful glint in your eye. “Oh really? And how do you plan to do that?”

He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a seductive whisper. “Well, if I had my way, I’d bend you over this bar right now and make you forget all about your problems.”

The boldness of his words made you shiver with a mix of excitement and nervous anticipation. You met his gaze, feeling a rush of desire and curiosity.

With a knowing smile, Sunghoon guided you to a quieter corner of the bar. The atmosphere was charged with an electric intensity as he led you to a more private space, away from the bustling crowd. The cool night air from the slightly open window contrasted with the heat of the moment as he closed the distance between you.

When you were alone, Sunghoon’s hands were on you almost immediately, his touch urgent and possessive. The moment you were against the wall, his lips crashed onto yours with a fierce passion. The kiss was intense, his tongue exploring your mouth with a hungry fervor.

His hands roamed your body with a roughness that made your knees weak. You moaned into his kiss, your fingers tangling in his hair, pulling him closer. Sunghoon's hands slipped under your shirt, his touch burning against your skin. His fingers grazed your stomach before deftly unhooking your bra, the straps sliding down your arms. His mouth left yours to trail kisses down your neck and chest.

He pushed your shirt up, exposing your breasts to him. Sunghoon’s hands cupped them, his thumbs brushing over your nipples with a teasing touch. You gasped at the sensation, your body arching into his touch. His mouth moved lower, his lips closing around one of your nipples. His tongue flicked against the sensitive bud, the sensation sending shivers down your spine. You moaned loudly, your hands gripping his shoulders as he lavished attention on your chest.

Sunghoon’s hands traveled down to your waistband. He swiftly unbuttoned your jeans, his fingers deftly pulling down the zipper. The jeans slid down your hips, revealing your underwear. He kissed a path down your stomach, his breath hot against your skin, until he reached the waistband of your panties. He looked up at you with a predatory smile.

“Can I?” he asked, his voice a low rumble.

You nodded eagerly, breathless with anticipation. Sunghoon slid your panties down, exposing you to him. His gaze darkened with desire as he traced his fingers through your folds, his touch light but electrifying. He kissed your inner thigh, his lips brushing over your sensitive skin. You shivered, a mix of anticipation and need coursing through you.

His tongue flicked out, brushing against your clit. You gasped, your back arching as the sensation hit you. Sunghoon’s mouth was relentless, alternating between licking and sucking, his movements skilled and intoxicating. Each flick of his tongue made you moan louder, your body reacting instinctively to his touch. The heat in your core was unbearable, the pleasure building with every stroke.

Sunghoon’s fingers slid into you, stretching you as his tongue continued its assault. You cried out, the combination of his fingers and mouth pushing you closer to the edge. Your hips bucked against him, the pleasure overwhelming as he worked you over with expert precision.

He pulled back briefly, his breath hot and heavy as he looked up at you. “You’re so beautiful like this,” he said, his voice rough with desire. Then he leaned back in, his tongue flicking rapidly against your clit as his fingers moved in a steady rhythm inside you.

The coil inside you tightened, every touch, every stroke driving you nearer to the brink. “Sunghoon, I’m gonna—” you gasped, but he silenced you with a deep, hungry kiss. His fingers continued their relentless pace, plunging into you with a rhythm that matched the intensity of his kiss. Your body trembled as the orgasm built, the pressure inside you reaching a fever pitch.

When you finally came, it was with a cry of release, your body shaking with the intensity of the orgasm. Sunghoon watched you with a satisfied grin, his fingers still moving inside you, coaxing every last bit of pleasure from your body. He pulled away, his face flushed with desire, and quickly shed his own clothes. His cock was hard and straining, and the sight of him made you ache with need.

He guided himself to your entrance, his gaze locked on yours. With a smooth, deliberate motion, he pushed into you. The feeling of him filling you was overwhelming, every inch of him stretching you perfectly. You gasped, your body reacting instinctively to the intrusion.

Sunghoon’s thrusts were relentless, each movement sending waves of pleasure through your body. He set a steady rhythm, his hips driving into you with a force that made you moan loudly. The pleasure was intense, your body tightening around him with each thrust.

“Look at you,” he grunted, his eyes never leaving yours. “Taking me so well.” His words were filthy, but they only fueled your desire. You clawed at his back, urging him on as the pleasure built.

Sunghoon’s breathing grew ragged, his thrusts becoming more erratic as he neared his own climax. “I’m gonna cum,” he growled, his voice filled with raw need.

You nodded, lost in the sensation. With a final, powerful thrust, Sunghoon came with a deep, guttural groan, his release filling you completely. The warmth of his cum and the force of his orgasm pushed you over the edge one last time, your body convulsing with the intensity of your own climax.

For a moment, the only sounds in the room were your heavy breathing and the distant hum of the city outside. Sunghoon collapsed beside you, his body still trembling with the aftershocks of his release. He pulled you close, his touch gentle and loving, his lips pressing tender kisses to your forehead.

[anamelessfool]

Somnambulist (AO3)

Papa Emeritus III x Necropolitus “ Nik” Cracoviensis II

18+ MDNI Dead Dove: Mind the Tags!

1988 This body, this body holding me…Be my reminder here that I am not alone… The newly appointed Bishop of Krakow, Necropolitus Cracoviensis II, is tasked to revitalize the destroyed archives of the Satanic Church of the Void. “Nik” comes across a mysterious young man from abroad, a brooding figure named Terzo. Nik soon learns that there’s more to this Terzo than his dark thoughts…

Dedicated to @osiris-iii-bc who inspired me to do all this. Reblog and comment, my friends.

Tags: Dead Dove, Dark Past, Family Secrets, Age Difference, Depression, Drug Use, 1980s, Art History, Watch me butcher Polish AND Italian! Other Additional Tags to Be Added

1988

Necropolitus Cracoviensis II, Bishop of Satanic Church of the Void in Kraków, was also known as Nik. Each member of the clergy had a chance to choose a new name once they had joined the ranks, an opportunity to leave their old life behind and build something new on their own terms. Nik chose Necropolitus Cracoviensis II because he wanted to frustrate his acquaintances. They considered him pompous anyway, so let them enjoy chewing on that name to save face. He then chose the shortened version “Nik” for his friends, because he wasn't a total dick.

Currently he was in the backseat of a car driving through Milan after an exhausting day in the airport. He was fighting a battle that had begun a few weeks ago when Sister Imperator herself requested he visit: a battle to be perfectly fluent in Italian in literally a week. He didn't plan on budgeting a week for the task; at a certain point he looked up over the mountains of new bishop obligations and realized he only had a week left.

Read the rest on AO3!

[danthropologie]

Maybe if team members are doing this is because Daniel told them that it’s happening? Like maybe himself decided that this will be the outcome, even if nothing is signed yet? I don’t know, I want to still have hope until there’s an official statement, but everything seems to point there, even if to me this is unbelievable (I’m writing through tears)

However, Checo still there makes me boil with rage and also Horner being so vague in his post-race interview like we don’t that he doesn’t care about anything but money!!

but even if that were the case, there's no reason for them to be posting before an official announcement is made. in what world would it be appropriate to post about such huge news like that before he's even been able to say a word about it himself. TO ME it seems more likely that they know nothing and they're jumping the gun based on pure vibes alone. either way it's fucking dumb and they need to stop.

the checo of it all is CRAZYYYYYYY to me because how is there next to no conversation about him whatsoever? fucking disaster class last week, lost them the constructors, cost them millions, was cruising around fighting with williams and haases today, finished p10 just baaaarely scraping up a single point and not a SINGLE. FUCKING. WORD. about it. it's genuinely insane.

and the christian thing is weird to me cause it's like. obviously at this point we can't trust him further than we can throw him. nothing that he says necessarily means anything. BUUUUUUT in his f1tv post race interview (idk if there was a sky one, i only saw f1tv), he did kind of get a little dig in at checo mentioning how long he spent 'staring at the back of a haas'. and then when he talked about daniel, he mentioned they know his capabilities, they know what he's done, how he proved it again with that fastest lap that ultimately helped them a bit by taking a point off lando. he also obviously said they need to 'evaluate all possibilities' or whatever the line is, but overall it felt much more positive in daniel's direction than not? it's just that that was immediately followed by daniel getting emotional in the media pen and that kind of took all the wind out of everybody's sails.

idk i just feel like there's still a way back from this, red bull needs to just fucking say SOMETHING (like literally ANYTHING) and apologize to daniel for the way this weekend was handled. the problem is i don't know if they're capable of that lmao

[honestlyreadingruinedmylife]

That’s amazing. Of course everyone needs to start somewhere. Of course I understand not everyone likes writing smut.

Young Charles Xavier x reader. She’s also has a mutation. She’s kicked out by her parents when they find out that her boyfriend is in a wheelchair. She turns up in the pouring rain with her puppy under her jacket to keep them dry and a black eye because her dad hit her (you don’t have to write that just imply it)

Hope that’s not to detailed but wanted to give you as much detail as I could to help you write it.

Can you please tag me in any future X-Men fanfiction you write.

Xx

A.N: Okay, I finally got around to finishing this. I'm actually quite proud of it given it's my first time EVER writing fanfiction and especially with it being a request. I hope you enjoy it even though it is a bit cliche at times. Also, there is slight ableism given the prompt, I did some research to make sure I wasn't using any slurs but if I am wrong PLEASE let me know. I will change it.

Word Count: 1251

Pairing: Young Charles Xavier x Female!Reader

Warnings: Ableism (Only a small sentence), gets kind angsty

You didn’t really know how they had found out. You were so careful. Building a wall of lies so thick and so far that you could no longer see the ends. 

You suppose that somewhere along the lines you’d missed a spot, one vital brick that tumbled down the entirety of your life. 

Your parents had only just started getting around to the idea of having a ‘freak’ of a daughter. Constantly telling you how lucky you were to at least look ‘normal’ and not like those ‘other ones’. 

You were one of the good ones. 

They had laid the rules out simply. They didn’t care about your abilities as long as they stayed outside the house and as long as you married a ‘regular human being’. It seemed simple enough and studying for a masters (which they paid for) you figured one more year of hiding wouldn’t be so difficult.

What you never considered was falling madly in love with another mutant. You’d been convinced for so long that you were completely alone in the walls you’d built, that when you met a man who could literally tear them apart you had no choice but to let yourself go.

The argument had started at dinner. It’d been a long day of research which had resulted in nothing but a dead end. Exhausted from sitting reading at a desk all day, you just wanted to get through the traditional family dinner and get straight into bed.

You were sitting in your usual chair, facing your mother while your father sat at the head of the table. It’d been eerily silent from the moment you’d sat down but didn’t mind given your exhaustion.

Suddenly, your father put down his utensils, “I’ve set up a dinner, next week with the neighbors boy,”

Thinking you hadn’t heard correctly, you turn to face him, “pardon?”

“It’s about time that you start thinking of settling down,” your father continues, “most normal girls your age are on their way to having their first child,”

You hear the implication in his voice even if he hadn’t outright said it. Irritated, you push your plate away.

“I am a normal girl, dad,” 

You hear your mother sigh, but you can’t seem to look away from your fathers face that twitches in irritation.

“You know what I meant,” he says your name as if it's a burden. He says it as if you were a curse on his normalcy.

You roll your eyes, “yes I know exactly what you meant, father, and I’m not going to be dressed up like some doll to be paraded for the neighbors boy,”

Another twitch, you know you are pushing him too far, but you can’t seem to care anymore.

“He is of good breeding and a wealthy background,” he picks up his utensils again, “the dinner will be on Monday,”

“Breeding?! I’m not cattle, father,” 

Your fathers face contorts into a scowl and you know he’s losing patience with you, “He will assure you are the last of your kind in my bloodline,”

You can feel your whole body shaking, “I will not go to that dinner, father,”

You hear your mother whisper your name, you suddenly realize that the shaking wasn’t just within your body but the whole house. With your emotions rampant you couldn’t control your powers as naturally as you normally could.

Breathing in and breathing out, you calm yourself enough to stop the shaking. Your father, however, is maroon with malice. You have pushed him too far.

“I will not let my grandchildren be the offspring of a freak and a paralytic!”

You feel your heart stop. Your mind is racing, unstoppable thoughts wreak havoc in your head. He knew. He knew and now your life is over.

“Father-”

“You thought I wouldn’t find out?” Your father continues to yell, “you thought I’d let you disobey me without consequence?”

You could feel your breathing increase as you enter a panic. Everything is muffled, your father continues yelling but you can’t hear a thing he is saying. You have to get away. You have to get to Charles. 

Without realizing, you stand, turning to leave the table, trying to find an escape. With one step, your father is in front of you, rough hands clamping down on your shoulders, forcing you still.

“Let me go,” you whisper, looking down away from your father. 

“I forbid you from seeing that man again!” 

“Let me go,” you feel the ground tremble beneath you.

“He’s one of you isn’t he?” Your fathers grip tightens on your shoulders, “he’s a freak!”

“Let me go!” You shout back in his face. You don’t initially feel the strike, but you can feel the heat begin to blossom around your eye. And you feel the ground erupt into endless shudders as you watch your father lose his balance and fall to the floor.

With the last of your strength, you run towards your room grabbing your research and your puppy that likes to sleep under your bed. As you race to the front door, you glance at your mother fussing over your father, who is still laid on the floor.

Stopping you turn to face your parents, “I am not a freak. Just because I am different doesn’t mean I’m lesser than,”

You turn to open the front door and with foot out your childhood home, you turn one last time, “I’ll never treat my children the way you’ve treated me, mutant or not,”

With those final words, you run into the rain, hailing the first taxi you see.

It wasn’t until you were at Charles’ front door, drenched and with your puppy under your coat, that you realized how bleak your situation truly was. 

No home, no parents, no education. 

With nothing left to lose, you knock as loudly as you can, hoping anyone would hear you over the pounding rain.

Almost immediately, the door swings open. 

Hank at first looks at you with confusion and then concern. He drags you inside and in the same breath yells for Charles.

The second you see Charles look of concern as he approaches you, you feel the tears start to form in your eyes. Finally able to let go, you feel yourself crumble with the weight of the night.

In no time, Charles holds you in his arms, stroking your soaked hair, whispering into your ear, “it’s okay darling you’re safe now, you’re safe here,”

Once you’ve calmed down, you pull away from him holding your own weight again. His hands don’t leave your face, careful with your already bruising eye.

He whispers your name. He whispers it like prayer, like there’s no one else in the world except you and him. He strokes your cheek with his thumb, “How about we run you a warm bath?”

With no strength left to speak and knowing you didn’t need to, you nod into his hands, closing your eyes and soaking in the comforting warmth he exudes. From within your jacket, you feel your puppy shuffle, stuck in between your torso and Charles’ legs. Pulling away slightly, your puppy leaps away from you and begins sniffing around Charles’ wheelchair.

“I see you’ve brought a friend, darling,” he chuckles, as he watches your puppy continuing to adventure.

You hiccup trying to find the words, “I couldn’t leave him in that house,”

Charles looks back at you, his blue eyes wide adoration, “he has a home here, he’ll always a home here,”

[idontplaytrack]

White roses

Janis ‘Imi’ike x fem! reader

Warnings: mature themes— eating disorders. Coarse language, angst, some fluff

In which reader’s attempt to understand her sister’s action lead to a complete breakdown

You weren’t sure when everything changed, but they did and it has never been the same since then. Your sister’s been faking, faking it all the time with you. Faking that she was okay when she wasn’t. You knew that, so you tried to help her whenever and however you could. She appreciates it, you knew that. She made sure you knew it. But every time you look at her, your heart hurts. Regina was struggling, now worse than ever. But two weeks ago, you couldn’t take it and talked to her. You actually sat her down alone and talked to her about it. Then it became begging. You broke down and begged her to get help. It was something you wouldn’t have done if you hadn’t seen her show signs of wanting to get help and get better in the first place. Things got better at first, then it took a huge dip. That’s when you talked to her.

For whatever reason, Regina agreed to get help. And ever since that day when she got dropped off at the hospital, you were reduced to seeing her three times a week at most. Which was a very big change compared to being able to see her everyday. Sitting in her Jeep after pulling into the driveway, you shut your eyes while you took some deep breaths. Ever since you saw her today in the hospital, your mood took a turn. While you were happy to see her, and she was more than happy to see you, having to see Regina in the hospital broke your heart every time you came by. Countless questions swam through your head after each visit. Why would she do that to herself? She knew it could literally cost her her life. She knew that, she’s told you that. But time and time again, she relapses. She doesn’t mean to, you knew that. That was why you spoke up and told her to get help. You weren’t going to risk losing your best friend.

Turning the engine off, you scrambled into the house, your mind racing as you rushed upstairs to your bedroom.The door opens with a slam, your bag falls at the foot of your bed with a thud. In a hurry, you found yourself in the bathroom, staring at the toilet. Were you about to do that? You weren’t thinking straight if at all, but one thing you knew for sure was that you had to understand why she did so. That was the main voice in your mind, urging you to…understand. You locked the bathroom door gingerly, kneeling before the toilet. You retched, the feeling was awful. Nothing came up, but It shocked you to the point where you just started to hyperventilate and cry as you fall onto your ass and sat on the marble floors. ‘Why’d you do that, y/n? You shouldn’t have. You shouldn’t have—’

You couldn’t even begin to imagine how painful this was for your sister, this was barely anything at all. After some time, you fished your phone out from your pocket. You were barely calming down and you needed Janis. You didn’t care how you were claiming you’ve been doing okay anymore, because you weren’t. This thing, showed it clearly to you. You needed someone.

“Janis—” Your breath hitched, “Jan, can you come over please?”

She didn’t even have the chance to reply.

“Please, I need you, please.” You were crying again.

Your phone falls from your hand after you heard the dial tone, you zoned out feeling absolute shame and disgust by your own decision to even think about doing that in the first place. You knew what you had to do— you had to let Dr. Cree know, you needed to squeeze in another session with your therapist this week on top of your usual two. But right now, you couldn’t even move. And you didn’t. You didn’t move until you heard knocks on your bathroom door which jolted you out of your thoughts. “Baby, it’s me.” Janis says. You sniffed, standing up unsteadily to unlock the door. She opens it a crack and you move out of the way so she could fully open the door. Seeing how distraught you were, she envelopes you in a hug instantly, rubbing your back in a soothing motion. “Hey, hey it’s okay. I have you, baby. I have you.”

You cried buckets as she held you in her arms without question.

Eventually, you and Janis sat in your bed and you started to explain all that went down before you called her to come over. “I…am texting my therapist now to get another session scheduled so I can dissect this and figure it out.”

“That’s good, baby.” She held your face in her hand, pressing a kiss to your lips before you snuggled up against her. “It’s a very difficult thing you’ve had to deal with, pretty much being the main person looking out for Regina. You have done a damn good job making sure she was being taken care of, you know? You stepped up, you shouldn’t have to, but you did. Because you love your sister, and believe me when I say this: Things will get better eventually. It’s a whole process and it might seem like it’s taking forever, but Regina is so fucking strong, she knows there’s more to life than what she’s struggling with.”

“Thank you.” You wrap your arms around her, “I— I know that, but sometimes I really just need to hear it. So, yeah— thank you.” You ended up fully laying on Janis, your legs kind of straddling her while your head rested on her chest. She kisses the crown of your head, “Do you want anything? Takeout? It’s dinnertime soon.”

“Sure.” You hummed, getting increasingly sleepy in her presence, “Not sure what I want though.”

“That’s okay, leave that to me.” She chuckles, looking down at you in adoration, “Wanna nap?”

You nodded, “Mm, yeah.”

“Okay, close your eyes, honey. Rest up.” She gives you another kiss on the head, running her fingers through your hair and scratching your scalp— very effectively coaxing you to sleep. Once you fell asleep, Janis was looking through the food delivery app on her phone to decide what to order in for dinner. She knew for sure that June wasn’t going to be home tonight.

————

“It’s not unheard of for caregivers to imitate— for the lack of better words, the affected person’s behaviour, oftentimes coming from a point where they wish to understand the reasoning or the feeling. However, unlike them, you, the caregiver know that it is wrong. Though both you and your sister are both seeking help from mental health professionals, it’s for very different reasons. She is mentally ill because of her anorexia, her bulimia. You, like we both know, are seeing me to deal with anxiety. They’re very different, rather tough in their own ways but equally valid to be seeking help for. In fact, it’s right to— it’s beneficial to get help. It is difficult to get to the first step, to ask for help. But you’ve done it, and so has she. You guys are both on the right tracks.”

“I had a completely just— worst panic attack of my life after it hit me what I was doing. I called Janis, she came over and then I managed to come down from it pretty quickly. But I just thought it was the right thing to do to get another session with you so I could work through the complexity of it all.”

“You did the right thing talking to me about it. Knowing you need to talk and when you need to talk is amazing. You have improved a lot, y/n.”

You nodded, giving her an appreciative smile.

“Your decision to cut down on the number of visits to your sister, I think it will be good for you. You’re not responsible for caring for her like you had to prior to her hospitalisation. You have to lead your own life too, y/n.”

“I hear you. It’ll take a bit of time and willpower to get used to, but I’ll try my best.”

She nodded, “Is there anything else you’d like to talk about?”

“Actually, uh, yeah. Last night, I had sex for the first time— ever. And it was…great but then when the sobriety hit me, so did the guilt.”

“Why do you think you felt the guilt?”

You chewed the inside of your cheek, picking at your nails, “I guess…because my mom and dad have always told me sex was not a ‘good’ thing. That I should never do anything until I was married.”

“Did you both consent?”

“Yes.” You nodded, staring at your nails instead of keeping eye contact with your therapist.

“Did you feel listened to? Seen? Or instead pressured in any way— for anything?”

“No. Janis was great, she really talked to me before we even did anything to make sure boundaries were set for both of us. Everything went really well, it was just the after that I started to freak out because—”

“Because?” She prompted.

“…Because I couldn’t let go of my parents’ opinion and live my life the way I want to.” You let that out. “It scares me that they are so strict about that. A part of me understands they probably just want to keep me safe, but I do feel so safe and loved by Janis. So I said yes. Actually, I initiated the thing. I asked if we could do it. Then after everything, she took care of me. You know? I felt good, it was better than I could’ve ever imagined it to be.”

“And that is absolutely fine. It’s great. But yes. Sex can be intense, it is intimate and it may seem daunting, but like you said— you were safe, and listened to and cared for. That’s all you need to focus on instead of someone else’s. It’s your life, you deserve the freedom as you see fit. You know how to speak up for yourself, y/n. You have the tools, the courage, the capability to deal with that and any moments where you feel low. But as always, you have to also remember that you can always contact me.”

“I do.” You chuckled, “Yeah I do.”

“I think this a good place to close today’s session, isn’t it?”

“Yep.” You agreed, “Thanks, Haley.”

“Of course. I’ll see you Friday?”

“You will.” You confirmed, “Janis is coming with me.”

“Ah, then I look forward to finally meeting her. Take care, y/n.”

You left the office feeling as if a huge weight has been lifted off your shoulders, and with much more clarity on just about everything. You drove home, took a shower and made yourself dinner. You hopped on a FaceTime call with Janis in the meantime.

“How was your session today?”

“Very good.” You told her while stirring the pasta in the pan. “Really, I talked about everything I needed and wanted to talk about, worked through them. Didn’t cry— which is another huge thing. She smiled, “I’m glad to hear that, baby. What ya making?”

“Pasta.” You answered happily. She gasps dramatically, “Can I come over?”

“You want to? Sure.” You nodded, grinning.

“Carbonara?”

“Yeah.” You couldn’t help it but chuckled.

“With Bacon Spam instead of bacon?” She asks eagerly.

“Mhm.”

“I’m on my way. My mom and dad aren’t home right now anyway- business trip.” Janis decided.

“Alrighty, see you soon.”

She stayed on the call the whole way over. Literally, right until she was on your front porch.

You opened the door and she just tackles you into a hug. “Missed me?” You joked.

“Of course.” She nearly snorted laughing.

“Oh yeah?” You continued.

“Yeah.” She nodded, grinning mischievously. You knew what was coming— she was going to kiss you all over your face. And she did, you giggled, as always. So she just does it more, all while clinging onto you. “Hi, cutie.”

“Right on time.” You grinned, “I’ve just plated the pasta. You want garlic bread?”

“Only if you add some cheese.” Janis shrugs.

“We’re both lactose tolerant.” You stated.

“It’s okay, we have a half day tomorrow.”

“I thought you’d be with Damian.” You told her while taking out a roll of garlic bread from the freezer and the bag of shredded cheddar and parmesan mix. You put them on a tray and popped it into the oven.

“Well, he’s on a date, so is everyone else we know.” Janis pulled out a chair for you, you sat down then she does the same opposite of you.

“Everyone?” You asked back. “Us too?”

“I know you’re joking, but I can be pretty romantic, y/n.”

“Oh I have no doubt about that, babe.”

She wasn’t kidding— she lit candles and dimmed the lights while you tried to start eating your food.

“See? Any night can be date night.”

“This is nice.” Your lips tug into a smile. She smiles back then dug into food.

After dinner, you and Janis decided to bake some cookies while jamming out to both your favourite songs. “Chocolate chips?” Janis asked, peeking into the pantry.

“Dark and white chocolate.” You nod.

“Ooh, okay. Are we gonna make both?”

“Just dark chocolate chip cookies, but I’ll be adding a bit of white chocolate chips into the dough. I’m going to see Regina tomorrow so I thought I’d bring by a few for her— it’s her favourite. We used to bake a batch every weekend.”

“Aw.” Janis set down the two bags on the counter, “I think she’d really like that.”

You smiled, grabbing ahold of the measuring cup, “Will it be bad if I want you to stay over?”

“Why would that be bad? We can just get up a little earlier so I grab my bag on our way to school tomorrow. I don’t live that far away.” She squints.

“I just— don’t wanna seem…clingy.”

“Oh, no, no, no. You can cling onto me as much as you’d like. I love holding you.” Janis took the cup from the kitchen scale and dumped the flour in a big mixing bowl.

You pondered for a few seconds, taking a deep breath, “I uh, I still have these moments sometimes, that’s not good, you know? Talking about myself like that.”

“You got this, don’t worry about any of that when you’re with me. We can talk about anything— we always do.”

————

After school the next day, Janis drove you to the hospital as planned last night. While you walked into Regina’s hospital room, Janis sat in a plastic chair outside in the hallway after smooching you on the cheek. You also had to check with Regina’s nurse to see if she could have any outside food— she was allowed, so that was great.

“Hey, baby.” Regina looks up from her book in hand, setting it down as she locked eyes with you. She was in a good mood.

“Hi, Reg.” You mirrored her smile, “I brought you a new book, and some cookies— your favourite.”

“Aw.” She says, reaching out to grab your hand, “You didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to, it’s fine.” You chuckled, your eyes then noticing this paper chain hanging behind your sister on the wall.

“That is a little project one of my nurses had me do.” She realises, “I’ve been here twenty-two days now, so each loop represents one day— yellow means it was a good day, no restriction, no purging, orange means things were a little tough but nothing happened, and pink is the…worst case scenario.”

More than half the paper loops on the chain were yellow and orange. You were proud of how much better she seemed to be doing already.

“How was the book I brought you last time?” You asked.

“I’m nearly at the end of the book already, not much to do around here. So I’m very happy you brought me another one.” She shrugs, “Could you hand me the Tupperware?”

You took the Tupperware from the table you had set it down on, and gave it to her. She opened the lid and took a cookie out to eat it, “You want one?”

“Sure.” You nod, taking one for yourself as well.

“Did you give these to my nurses too?”

“No, I got them prepackaged snacks, I wasn’t sure if they could accept homemade food or anything.”

“Right.” Regina laughed lightly, taking a bite of the cookie as she set the container down on her bed, “Wait, you’ve been seeing Haley, right?”

“Yeah, I have.” You confirmed, “And I also decided that I’m going to come by a little less frequently.”

“Absolutely, you gotta do your own things too.” Regina agreed. “I would very much rather have you be busy with things that you like to do than come here too often. The environment can be a little intimidating and depressing not gonna lie. It’s also a hotbed for bacteria and infections, so— please don’t get sick.”

“I hear ya, Reg.” You chuckled over your words.

“Is that Janis outside?” Regina squints.

“Yeah. She drove me here but wasn’t sure if you’d want her in here.”

“She can come in if she wants, would be nice to see faces I actually know rather than a bunch of people who I’ve never even met before my stay here.”

“I’ll call her in.” You nod, shrugging before you got up from the plastic chair and got Janis to join you and Regina.

“Hey.” Janis waved.

“Hi.” Regina gave your girlfriend a tight-lipped smile, “How’ve you been?”

“I’ve been pretty good. Having a lot of fun with your sister playing house. How’s therapy?”

“Janis!” You chided in a whisper.

Regina laughs though, “Actually, I’ve never been better. Sure my sessions went from one to like, three a week but that means I have ample time to work on myself. I’ve been struggling with all of it for so long, I’m actually just…relieved to be starting to get free from the claws of that horrible disorder. I want to get better, I know I am getting better but my main worry now is my ‘bad days’. I don’t want that, I’m not even thinking about that and sometimes they creep up on me and I don’t even realise.”

“Like you said, you are getting better. Which only means you’ll only improve more and more from this point.” Janis quipped.

Regina smiled appreciatively, “Thanks, I appreciate that. And for keeping my sister sane.”

You snorted, “Sane? She drives me insane.”

Janis’ mouth hung open, “What?”

“I don’t need to know that part. But, um— okay, good for you.”

“The first thing that comes to your mind is, that?” Janis teased.

“There’s no shame in that, come on.” Regina laughed heartily.

After a bit, you and Janis head home. Taking a shower, you decided you wanted to nap, so that’s what you did. Janis sat next to you, watching TV while you drifted off to dreamland feeling the soothing motions of Janis’ hand running up and down your back.

When you woke up, Janis was asleep next to you, laying on her stomach but faced towards you. You couldn’t help but smiled at the sight, pressing a kiss to her cheek before you got out of bed to see what you could make for dinner.

The decision? Spam Musubi. Low-effort, and doesn’t take long to make. So you were pretty sure you’d be done before Janis woke up. Plus, she’d get a little taste of home.In fact, you wound up having more than enough time to spare so you tried out a new cookie recipe that you were going to make for Regina at the next visit. You decided that every visit, you’d bring her a new flavour of cookie and a new book, just to keep things fresh. You knew she’d appreciate it.

Her hard work paid off. Over six months later, Regina was finally allowed to come home and continue her treatment outpatient. Your mom actually picked her up from there and drove her home. That surprised you because you weren’t so sure if you saw her do anything more than pay for the bills and expenses thus far. While they were on their way home, you and Janis made lunch. The rest of the group hung around and decorated the place before she got home.

You all hear a car pull into the driveway soon enough then the front door opens. “We’re home!” June announced.

Regina saw you first, and quite literally fought to hug you first. It made you laugh, but you took the win. “Hi, baby.” Regina hugs you tightly, pressing a kiss to your cheek, “It’s so good to be back home. Hi, guys. Thanks for doing this.”

“It’s nothing.” Gretchen beamed, “Good to have you closer to us again, G.”

Regina smiled back, giving the girl a hug. “So nice to see you, Gretch.”

Everyone else got a hug too, and as surprised as they were by the affection, they could take it. They would take a surprising hug any day over a fainting spell.

“Did you make cookies?” Regina gasped.

“Take a look for yourself.” You poked her on the arm. She held onto your hand while you all headed over to the kitchen/dining area.

“Holy shit.” Regina chuckles tearily, “Baby, this— I love it. I fucking love it. Thank you.”

Her favourite cookie flavour, big enough for everyone to share and in the shape of a rose. A white rose…Regina’s favourite flower. A flower that also symbolises new beginnings. How fitting.

“Okay, let’s dig in.” Regina declared, “They must’ve spent such a long time preparing all this. Guys— the place looks amazing, so does the food. Thank you, I really appreciate you all for doing this and sticking by me.”

💭A/N: Upload attempt number 3🥲 (please don’t disappear AGAIN)

[koolades-world]

Spellbound Secrets

chapter eight: catacomb escape

synopsis: The House of Lamentation caught fire one night, and you were the only one they recovered from the wreckage. The brothers were in the house as well when you went to bed that night, but they were nowhere to be found. The pact marks are faded, and seem to be getting more and more indefinite by the day. You and Solomon get to investigating but oddly enough, nobody can seem to remember the missing brothers. It’s up to you, with the help of Solomon, to find your beloved demons, lest you never see them again.

navigation: playlist | prologue | chapter one | chapter two | chapter three | chapter four | chapter five | chapter six | chapter seven | chapter eight (you are here!) | chapter nine (coming next week) (if you're looking for all spellbound secrets content, such as chapters ahead of this one, head to my tags masterlist or simply look up the tag spellbound secrets!)

authors note: i am literally so silly. i completed this last night and just never hit post??? oh well monday morning surprise lol

With the rest of the plan out on the table now, the two of you debated what move to make next.

"Where should we head first?" Solomon wanted you to decide, since you were the one that was fading.

"Let's head to the attic first. It's closer." The attic didn't hold the most pleasant of memories, but if some sort of clue or answer happened to be up there, you wanted to be sure you could find it. Carefully, the two of you made your way to the attic staircase. Again, Solomon demanded that he test it out first. When he'd made it to the top, he had you slowly follow behind him. At the top of the staircase, you were face to face with the warped metal bars that separated the stairs from the rest of the room. On one hand, the damage didn't seem too bad, which would only affirm your theory that the fire originated in Lucifer's study. However, on the other, you didn't find all that much. The attic was rather barren before the fire, so there was only less afterwards.

You didn't let the lack of finding discourage you. You still had the catacombs to check. Even if you came back empty handed from there, at the very least, you'd recovered memories of the brothers and potentially found a couple leads in the mysterious colored ash and the hidden paperwork. But you weren't giving up yet.

Since it was underground, it should have been relatively untouched by the fire. There were a couple things you were hoping to find down there. First, Lucifer's grimoire. You weren't sure if it would even be there. If you could, though, you wanted to keep it safe. If there was anyone he could trust with it, it would be you. You would feel bad removing it from where he kept it, because the location held significance, if it would help you find him, you'd do it. You'd also hoped to potentially find Cerberus. There'd been no mention of the beloved, three-headed hellhound anywhere. Cerberus had existed independently of the brothers beforehand, so it would be strange not to find him. You'd feel bad for leaving him alone for so long, but if he was there, you knew he was probably alright. He'd probably need a good bath and a large treat, but you were almost certain it wasn't anything a little love couldn't fix. However, if he wasn't down there though, it would raise many new questions. You decided to cross that bridge when you got there and hope for the best.

Your entire trip had been filled with ifs. It would be impossible to answer every single one. When it grew hard to forge ahead, you just remembered who you were doing this for.

As you descended the stairs to the catacombs, your lungs filled with the damp, musty smelling air. After accidently stumbling into a cobweb, and nearly hacking your lungs out from inhaling dust, you were able to quickly tell nobody had been down in a while. At most, it had only been a month or two since the fire. It would just dusty, but surely not as dusty as it was. Solomon was by your side, making sure you were alright. As soon as you were able to convince him you were alright, you led the way through the crypt in search of Cerberus and Lucifer's grimoire. You'd encounter Cerberus before you'd even get wind of the grimoire, as it was the hellhound's job to guard it. As you grew closer, though, you were greeted with nothing more than the sound of your own footsteps echoing back at you.

"You don't hear anything, do you?" You whispered, despite not needing to.

"Curiouser and curiouser." Solomon stepped into the center of the large room you'd entered together. Just a couple rooms down, you'd be able to find the grimoire, yet still Cerberus was nowhere in sight. It seemed as if your worst fears had come true. Together, you continued into the room where Lucifer's grimoire sat on a pedestal. From a distance, it looked dusty, just like everything else in the room, but upon trying to brush it clean, you discovered it was the book itself crumbling. You could only gasp and recoil as part of what you touched disintegrated.

"This doesn't make any sense. This is so important to Lucifer. He'd never let anything happen to it." You were beyond frustrated.

"I don't quite understand this either. I had wanted take this home with us, but it seems as if that might not be happening." Solomon sighed and put a hand on his chin.

"Can't we just cast a preservation spell on it? Or maybe one that could restore it?" While you were the apprentice, you improved much since your training had began. You were willing to do whatever it took.

"I could, but we'd need to do it elsewhere. A restoration spell might do the trick, but that requires more work. A preservation spell would help us transport it, but I would be afraid I wouldn't be able to maintain it as well as I know I could. We're already keeping the house together with a spell of the same nature." Solomon explained. "My fear is that if we try to do both at the same time, they'll both respectively deteriorate." You gave his words some thought.

You spoke after a moment. "Then let me handle the spell for the book. You're doing most of the heavy lifting for the house." You felt as if Solomon was doing most of the work in keeping the house from falling apart. You wanted to feel more useful.

"Are you alright with that?" While he was enunciated clearly, you could see the worry creeping into his features.

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes to find answers. Based on everything we've seen so far, this is a lead that we can't afford to abandon." You could tell your words didn't comfort him, so you decided to say a little more. "I'll be alright, Sol. If I didn't think I could do it, I wouldn't offer." The two of you exchanged a warm smile.

"Just make sure you communicate any needs with me." Solomon let you step back towards the grimoire. You'd never put more effort into a spell. As soon as you'd finished casting it, you moved as fast as you'd let yourself to pick it up. You let out a mental sigh of relief when it didn't crumble in your hands. It was too large to fit in the backpack you'd brough along, so you clutched it close to your chest.

"Let's go home." You weren't sure how long you'd been in the house for at that point, but you search had been thorough, and that alone was enough to take everything out of you. You let out a sudden yawn.

"So you are tired?" Solomon nudged your shoulder.

"I never said I wasn't." You couldn't help but let out a snicker. His uncanny ability to lighten up a dark situation never failed to work on you. While he couldn't resolve the situation the two of you were in with a snap of his fingers, he could make it more bearable. If you had to be stuck with anyone, it would be him. As a pair, you made your way back the way you came. You kept your eyes peeled for any more useful clues, and signs of Cerberus but unfortunately, you weren't able to find any. The two of you were talking when Solomon suddenly cut himself off.

"What's the matter?" You studied him with intrigue. All of the whimsy from his features drained and they quickly set into something more serious.

"We need to teleport out of here, now." He forced you to make eye contact with him. You could practically smell the urgency.

"I thought that was too dangerous to do." In the past, you'd discussed this very topic in passing, but it was something you'd never forgotten just because of it's relevance.

"It isn't safe here anymore. I think the ceiling is about to collapse." Dust began to rain down on the two of you. Solomon deflected some bigger chunks with his cape.

"What happened? Our spell shouldn't have given in so easily." You found yourself having to practically yell due to the growing background rumbling.

"We can think about that later. We're leaving." He was already close to you, but he reached out and pulled you in until your head collided with his chest. He wasn't taking any chances. You chanced a glance up, and saw that the ceiling of the catacombs had cracks running the length of the chamber. It looked like piece directly above your head was about to give out at any second.

You held your breath and braced for impact.

tags list: @bagofmice

[vyinter]

oh my god so someone rb my post about the kerala story like finally a normal post about this so i decided to look in the tag cuz i didnt think anyone would be talking about it on tumblr but theres soo many hindutva blogs writing paragraphs upon paragraphs tagging desiblr and hindublr legit what the fuckkkkk im genuinely so horrified

[cryptiduni]

“white mourning.”

[johnslittlespoon]

ch1 of the leaving!bikeriders au done. fuck

[goginaporter]

rina + iconic couples in media

this is my fun way of responding to the alternate universe prompt for @rinaweek <3. rina and their parents in every universe, finding each other and falling in love. alsooo this post was slightly inspired by this absolutely brilliant edit linked here (x) and if you want rinatroyella or rinajacey edits, please lmk and I'll send my favorite ones <3333

troyella

the essays that can and have been written about troyella and rina are extensive (and I'm happy to do a longer form one in a separate post). but from being the new girl x boy who's never moved, girl encouraging boy to audition for the musical and actually commit, kissing in the rain, starring in the school musical together, to making a huge commitment to the other person on a stage in front of a bunch of people, rina is quite literally troyella reincarnated. and yeah, lots of people can argue that troyella is perfect as is, that they didn't need another version. and on one hand, i agree. but the way in which rina takes core parts of troyella's story while standing on their own as a ship is beautiful and truly does justice to the original franchise by anchoring the story around these two, both individually and as a couple, just as was done with troyella in the original trilogy. my favorite troyella parallel moment from s4!

4x01 - ricky sneaking into gina's room just like troy would come into gabriella's room through her balcony

4x02 - the note ricky gives gina in the hallway to meet in their secret staircase is just like the note troy slips in gabriella's locker in hsm to meet on the rooftop. (honorable mention to them auditioning for and getting the roles of troy and gabriella in this ep as well <33)

4x03 - of course, it has to go to their rendition of can i have this dance. their voices sound gorgeous and though the choreo they do has similarities to the original, they've made it their own.

4x04 - this one is kinda reaching but I wanted something for each ep! in hsm2, sharpay forces troy to sing a song with her, one she prepared for the talent show, instead of allowing him to go on a date with gabriella. in a similar vein, though with considerably less scheming from dani's side, dani is selected to replace gina as gabriella because she is so busy with the movie, though this is done behind her back.

4x05 - has to go to the rain kiss obviously. although troy and gabriella only ever kiss under sprinklers, it's the same vibes. there's also a still (not included in the scene) of the rain kiss of ricky holding gina's waist as she throws her arms up that's so reminiscent of troyella in the rain during cihtd.

4x06 - ricky and gina running down the hallway at the beginning of the episode feels like a direct parallel to troy and gabriella running to auditions in hsm. also rina fighting to save the show is super similar to gabriella (and troy once gabriella convinces him) pushing for the theater department to put on a show about them for their spring musical.

4x07 - they're literally playing troyella in this ep so I could say so much. i'll just use this space to talk about how much I love them in a night to remember and how much it looked like they were dancing at their wedding. I will say that terri, gina's mom, telling ricky about gina's movie with a smile on her face, reminds me a lot of gabriella's fans setting troy up to talk shit about her on camera to convince her to focus on the decatholon. also reflects sharpay telling troy about stanford, again with a smile on her face.

4x08 - again, this ep is rife with toryella coding because they're literally playing troyella, but the show goes super meta in having them sing the right here, right now reprise as ricky has just found out that gina is potentially moving across the world to film her movie, just as troy finds out about stanford and struggles with gabriella not being there for the rest of their senior year. on a much less angsty note, ricky singing love you forever to gina has the same vibes as troy choosing gabriella and going to school close to her, not to mention that lines in the song directly reference the song "high school musical" (which you can read more about here <3). gina also deciding to move the movie to salt lake is very much her "I choose basketball but I also choose theater but more than all of that, I choose gabriella" her version is "I choose filming this movie but I also choose theater but more than all of that, I choose ricky" just a beautiful perfect scene all around.

these s4 moments only scratch the surface of the troyellarina tether but i'll stop ranting for now and move on to rina's teen drama parent sets.

jacey

after s1, tim federle did an interview where they asked him about him about the ricky / nini / gina triangle, he directly mentioned dawson's creek in guiding his writing process, stating that at the center of his thought process was "how do I surprise audience members with who they're going to ship?" (x). for those who don't know the jacey lore, to make a long story short, their love triangle centered around joey, pacey, and dawson. joey and dawson were childhood best friends and joey has a crush on dawson. pacey and dawson are best friends and joey and pacey do not get along initially. after events of life, dawson asks pacey to "look after joey" at the beginning of s3, the two get super close and eventually catch feelings for each other and they secretly date as they figure out a way to break it to dawson (sound familiar?). they do break up but come back together at the end of the show and are endgame. the parallels between jacey and rina exist both on and off screen. dawson and joey were the initial endgame for the show, just like rini was the show's s1 endgame. however, electrifying chemistry between katie and joshua (jackson) & sofia & joshua (bassett) in their respective shows changed everything. rina is one of the strongest examples of continuing this legacy of disrupting the initial plans concocted in the writer's room to make way for insane chemistry. some of my fave jaceyrina parallels

rina and jacey having a formative, chemistry presenting moment in a car (rina in 1x05 during homecoming, joey and pacey in 1x during their science project)

the sheer parallels between them in 3x19 of dawson's creek and 3x08 of hsmtmts with their kiss scenes. just watch here (x) and here (x) to see. the "stop me" "wait" parallels actually make me go crazy

joey tutoring pacey in 3x09 and gina (presumably) becoming ricky's tutor after 4x06

i'm rewatching 3x09 in preparation for this and jacey has a scene where dawson catches them talking about pacey helping joey with a ballroom dance scholarship thing in exchange for tutoring and he asks them what no one can find out about and a) pacey sucksssss at improv just like gina it's like that 4x02 scene with rina and ashlyn and b) it also feels like rina with the chocolates, again with ashlyn LMAOOO in 2x04

ALSO in this ep (wow it's a goldmine), when dawson and jen catch joey and pacey ballroom dancing, they're forced to join the class and the instructor psychoanalyzes both couples. for jacey, she mentions that the tension and bickering between them suggests their underlying attraction for one another. this is literally what val (their choreographer!!) does after watching rina perform wdykal in 3x05

too much to explain for the final scene of this episode but i just encourage everyone to watch 3x09 to get the same sense of a major scene in a coat check and an ensuing apology

pacey telling joey he remembers everything in 3x22 and ricky telling gina he's never forgotten a thing she's said in 4x03

pacey telling joey that the simple act of loving her is enough for him and that she's "off the hook" and ricky telling gina that of course she has to go and be a star, as well as singing lyf not knowing that she was staying in slc, so he just wanted to let her know that he loved her for the sake of it, not to convince her of anything

pacey having to tell joey something but lying to protect her (and ricky having something to tell gina but lying to protect her (3x07)

naley

another paragon of teen drama royalty is naley. literally the best people ever and it makes sooo much sense that rina is similar to them because they're actually rina's grandparents. naley birthed troyella, who birthed rina. a beautiful family tree. anyways, naley doesn't seem to, on the surface at least, seem to have a lot of parallels to rina. a shy tutor girl and a cocky basketball player who get married after knowing each other for less than a year? (though I will go down with my headcanon that rina gets married super duper young, will not be taking any arguments). despite this, at their core, naley's love for each other is so reminiscent of rina's love for each other, not to mention some incredibly direct parallels that the two have, listed below:

nathan dropping haley home after a party & ricky dropping gina home after homecoming ("yeah, this is my house" & "so, this is where I live")

connecting over dubious circumstances (nathan requesting haley as a tutor/getting close to her to get back at lucas & gina convincing ricky to stay in the show so she could get gabriella, attending hoco with ej to psych nini out but instead connecting with ricky)

nathan putting haley's hand to his heart after telling her it's racing (it was because of drugs but still, it beats for haley) and ricky putting gina's hand on his heart after telling her that his heart's racing (i'm telling y'all this scene is the same, just with the characters and setting swapped)

alllllll of naley's s2 angst is like the intense and more painful version of rina's angst in s4

naley invented rain kisses (even if they existed before them, no they didn't) and rina obviously does justice with their own rain kiss in 4x05

when nathan proposes to haley (their first proposal), he tells her that "I could love you forever." audience, what's the title of ricky's love song for gina? i rest my case

haley being nathan's tutor and gina being ricky's tutor <3333

nathan sneaking into haley's bedroom to study and makeout and ricky sneaking into gina's bedroom to sing and makeout

nathan and ricky being haley and gina's biggest fans when it comes to their careers, putting their success over their personal feelings (nathan collecting clippings of haley's tour, paying chris to let her record music & ricky decorating gina'ss trailer, encouraging her to go to nz to be a star)

rina served cheerleader x basketball player (though at different times and both were fictional but wtv) just like naley

this was super nonexhaustive as rina also has parallels to jam, mondler, sethmer, romeo & juliet, and so many other ships. however, I'm lazy and didn't want to write all of those out. maybe I'll return to them another time, but for now, pls enjoy this <3333

[deus-ex-mona]

the references to them in mona’s photobook q&a means e v e r y t h i n g to me

[archduke-enver-gortash]

.

[adashofniallandasprinkleoflunacy]

I miss my old coworkers!!! I miss having friends at work instead of passive aggressive assholes who don’t want to train me and then get annoyed when I don’t know things and act like my very existence irks them!!!!