#maybe i called him the gay angel too often...

[themissinghand]

Genshin Impact: Beneath His Gaze

Summary: In which you’re Capitano’s executive assistant who’s a little too good at their job (and coincidently, very good-looking too). 

Or, Capitano hates competition, after all, you belong to him. 

Pairing: Jealous! Il Capitano x Strong! Male Reader ft. Pantalone and Dottore 

Note: Yes. Capitano single-handedly took me out of my writer’s block. That 5.0 update was quite something. This became longer than I ever expected. 

Warning: Slight NSFW. Possessive behaviour, flirting, biting and non-consensual touching. Capitano has claws and sharp tongue.

★・・・・・・★

Il Capitano is a fearsome man. 

True to his title, he is powerful but honorable, respected yet feared by all. Perhaps it was his tall statue, the dark mysterious mask he dons, or maybe, it was his silent demeanor. 

Or perhaps his ruthless means and aura that screamed death.  

People do not simply stroll up to Capitano like they would with Tartaglia, but he detests flies regardless.

Then he met you, with almost an impressive statue matching himself, but with a much more…approachable face. Pretty as the Damselette would call you. 

You were competent, strong, and most importantly, adaptable. A face that could be remembered from either side of the light and dark. 

People described you as the face of an angel, but cunning like the devil. Hence, he promoted you to his only assistant (after all, he needs no assistants, much less bodyguards). However, you seemed to do more than what is required for a mere assistant. 

“Master. Please, have some tea.” When you bring him tea and snacks in the middle of work.

“Master, the weather is cold outside, please take this.” When you give him a heat pack, imbued with your pyro powers. 

“Master, please allow me to take care of these vermin for you.” When you reduced his anger with a slight touch on his hand on his sword, which almost would have destroyed a major section of his mansion. 

Capitano will not admit it, however, his life seems to be filled with a lot of noise, albeit it becoming much easier, and warmer.

“Don’t you think Commander (Y/N) would make a good malewife?” 

Capitano freezes in his steps. Honed in battle, naturally his senses are much more sensitive than others. 

“Are you drunk? I know you’re gay, but how could you go after the Commander? Didn’t you remember how terrifying he was when he almost worked us to death in training?”

There was a little infuriating laugh. 

“But, have you seen him smile and compliment us? Can you blame me? Have you seen others ogling at his half naked body after training? Hey, didn’t you have a crush on him?” 

“T-That was before, and quiet down. Someone might hear you.” 

“I wonder how he would taste…” Steps resumed in the halls, this time, they were quick, but silent. 

“You’re crazy. C’mon, let’s go before someone hears-” 

“Think about it, he has a big chest, and his ass-” 

“Shut up-” 

Suddenly, a large shadow casts over them and they slowly turn around, suddenly feeling cold all over. 

“Master-” 

A scream, before silence finally returned to the halls. 

“Master.” Il Capitano hands you his coat as always, often stained with blood. 

But as always, it was never his.

“Master, Allow me to serve you tea. I obtained this from Sumeru, and it has quite the enticing scent…” 

Again, you chatted as you prepared tea for Capitano, starting from small pleasantries, to his schedule and current affairs. You stood beside him as always and even though your Master did not say a single word of response to you, you knew he was listening. 

Everything was a routine and a reward to you, after all, you were very honoured to assist someone as highly regarded as Il Capitano. 

As fearsome as your Master appears, he allows you to speak your mind, and use his authority as necessary. It was difficult to obtain his trust and you were happy with your progress, even if you had to hide your disgusting feelings for him.

Yes, you had a crush on this man who everyone fears. 

After all, who doesn’t like a rich, powerful, and respected man? 

“Sit.” Suddenly, your Master commanded you. You stop in your ramblings at his command, and you obey. Respectfully seating yourself to his right with a look of quiet surprise. 

You were used to following his orders without question, but Capitano rarely asked you to sit with him like this. Normally, you were too busy managing his affairs or reporting on the state of his forces to sit idly.

As well, he did not touch his tea once today. 

Capitano’s mask obscured most of his face, but you could still feel the weight of his gaze on you, heavy and intense. It was as if he was measuring you, trying to read your thoughts, though you kept your face carefully neutral.

Finally, he took a slow sip of the tea, his silence stretching on as he continued to watch you. You shifted slightly in your seat, feeling the intensity of his focus, but you didn’t falter. After all, this was Capitano—your Master. You had served under him for years, and you pride yourself on your ability to remain composed, no matter the situation.

Finally, he spoke, his voice a low rumble. 

“Do you know what they say about you?”

You blink, caught off guard by the sudden question. 

“What do you mean, Master?”

“The Fatui agents. The ones who flirt with you. The ones who look at you as though you are theirs to claim.” Capitano’s words were clipped, and you could hear the irritation lacing his tone. 

“Do you know how they speak about you?”

Your brows furrowed as you recalled those moments. A fleeting regret crossed your mind; you should have dealt with those pests like everyone else.

After all, you’ve maintained your image and physical appearance only for your Master, and no one else. 

“Master, please forgive me, I will ensure this will not happen again. I assure you that their actions do not affect my duties.”

Capitano’s eyes darkened, his claws gripping the arm of his chair with enough force to make the wood creak. 

“That’s not what I asked.”

The tension in the room thickened, and for the first time, you felt a flicker of unease. Capitano rarely raised his voice or showed any outward signs of frustration, but now… there was something different in the air.

“I… don’t concern myself with such things, Master,” you answered carefully. “My focus is on serving you and fulfilling my responsibilities.”

He stood abruptly, his large form towering over you, casting a shadow across the room. His claws reached down, grabbing your wrist with a firm but controlled grip. 

“And yet, they continue. They think they can speak about you as if you’re theirs to take, as if they have any right.”

You looked up at him, the weight of his words sinking in. There was no mistaking the intensity in his voice, the tension that simmered just beneath the surface. It was an emotion you hadn’t expected from him, at least not toward you.

Could it be-

“Master, I—”

Before you could finish, Capitano pulled you up from your seat with one arm, his strength undeniable as he carried you effortlessly. Your breath hitched as you were suddenly pressed against his chest, the cold metal of his armor a stark contrast to the heat radiating from your body.

"You're mine," he growled, gripping your waist. "No one else can touch you."

Your heart raced in your chest as you stared up at him, mind spinning as you adjusted and adapted as you always had. 

This was new, unexpected. 

You had always been his assistant, his soldier, but now… it was clear that Capitano saw you as something more—his. 

A slow, sly smile tugged at your lips. 

“Master, I am loyal to you.”

Capitano’s grip on you tightened, his lips brushing dangerously close to your ear. 

“Then show me. Let them know you’re mine.”

His words sent a tantalizing shiver down your spine, and for the first time, you found yourself questioning whether you were just his assistant… or something far more dangerous.

In the dim light of Capitano’s private quarters, the air was thick with tension—unspoken, yet undeniably present. 

It had become a dangerous game between the two of you.

You stood by his desk, pretending to review the reports you had brought, while Capitano’s presence loomed behind you, closer than necessary. His claws brushed against your lower back, the contact brief but enough to send heat through your body. You didn't flinch; instead, you leaned into his touch ever so slightly, your pulse quickening at the daring proximity.

"You’re late," he muttered slowly, his voice like gravel, yet there was no malice in it—only something darker.

You turned to face him, a smirk dancing on your lips. 

"I had to ensure no one would notice my absence. Wouldn’t want to ruin your reputation, Master."

His eyes, cold to the world, burned with a heat only you had the privilege of seeing. Without a word, he reached for you, pulling you close with a force that left no room for protest. His lips were on yours in an instant, urgent and commanding.

His claws roamed your body, memorizing every line and muscle as if you were the only thing grounding him to this world.

"Careful, Master," you whispered against his lips, your voice teasing. "If we’re caught…"

He silenced you with another kiss, rougher this time, his grip firm as he pressed you against the desk. 

"No one will dare." 

You reveled in it all. 

As his executive assistant, your dedication to work and training had caught the attention of many, including some of the Harbingers.

One evening, after a rigorous training session with Capitano, you quickly changed to a clean appearance and immediately rushed to your Master’s office. However, it seems there were people waiting for you in the halls, which seemed to be a common occurrence recently. 

This time, it wasn’t just Fatui Cicin Mages or Agents though. Much more difficult, but not hard to handle. 

After all, you worked your way up to this position for a reason. 

“Well well well, who do we have here?” 

“Lord Dottore, Lord Pantalone. How can I be of assistance?” Dottore’s eyes gleamed with mischief as he observed you, something you were keen to notice. 

“A fine specimen indeed…” He approached you casually as you stayed still and kept your eyes low. 

Pantalone, ever the opportunist, leaned in with a sly grin. “I must say, you look like someone who could handle more than just being an assistant. I’m sure we could find a place for someone with your… capabilities.”

You pretend not to notice their serpentine eyes, or the sudden arm over your shoulder, or the slow squeeze on your bicep, and you couldn’t help but shiver when an arm grabbed your waist. 

“How about working for me? I’ll be sure to treat you well.” A seductive whisper to your ear. And you feel trapped beside these powerful men. 

Truly evil. 

You returned a little smirk, which somehow seemed to intrigue them even more. 

“I serve and am loyal to my current Master, however, I am honoured to receive your offer.” 

Before they could respond, you felt a familiar but imposing presence approaching you. Heavy steps that suddenly decided to reveal itself.  

(Y/N).” His voice was deep, drawing all eyes to him.

“Master.” You greet him as usual, and you hear a little ‘tch’ from beside you. 

The halls fell silent. Pantalone and Dottore straightened, their casual airs replaced by a more respectful demeanor. Capitano’s gaze was locked onto you, and you shivered in slight excitement knowing that he was angry.

“You’re late.” Capitano states before walking off, as if prompting you to follow him. After you bid farewell to the two other amused harbingers, who seemed quite intent in touching your muscles one last time before letting you go. 

You followed your Master down the hall into his office, the tension between you palpable.

Once the doors shut in his office, Capitano turned around, and you felt like you couldn’t move or breathe. 

“You are quite the vixen.” Sharp claws wrapped around your throat and raised you up to his eye level. 

Before you could respond, his lips crashed onto yours in a fierce, demanding kiss. The sudden intensity took you by surprise, but you quickly found yourself responding with equal fervor.

When he finally pulled away, you felt breathless as you stared back at him.

“You enjoy their attention.” he stated, disappointment evident in his voice.

“You’re mine, and yet, you dare covet something more?”

You met his gaze with a smirk, showing your true colours. 

“And if I enjoy their attention?”

Capitano’s eyes darkened further. He pulled you into another heated kiss, his claws gripping your hips firmly. You were sure that would leave some bruises.

“You must be punished.” 

“Master-urgh!” You resisted the urge to scream as sharp teeth sunk into your collarbone, and an alien tongue swept over your neck. 

It was the right choice as you felt a pair of eyes glaring at you, so you remained silent before he dropped you onto the floor. Instantly, you inhaled sharply and struggled to catch your breath as you quickly kneeled for your life.

“Please, forgive me, Master. My life is yours.”  

For Capitano, he felt a sick satisfaction seeing you beg like a little dog.

Il Capitano believed he had to tighten his leash. 

During the next few days, you did your best to focus on your work, trying to push aside the lingering tension. But you could always feel a pair of cold eyes constantly on you. Especially when you interact with other people. 

“Well, well, how is our little assistant holding up?” Pantalone grinned as he cornered you again in the hall. “How long before Capitano locks you away, hm?”

Dottore chuckled darkly, his fingers lightly trailing down your arm, sending a shiver through you. 

“The offer is still on the table. We’d take good care of you,” he said, his voice dripping with false sweetness. “You’d be in much better hands.”

With the same fake yet alluring smile, you slowly back away from their touch. You didn’t need to say anything after all, you could practically feel him coming.

The familiar sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the corridor.

In an instant, Capitano was beside you, his claws gripping your shoulders firmly. Without a word, he pulled you away from the two Harbingers, his strength overwhelming as he practically dragged you down the hall. Pantalone and Dottore watched with amusement, smirking at the sight of Capitano’s thinly veiled rage.

You didn’t even have a chance to speak as Capitano led you into his private quarters and slammed the door shut behind you. His breathing was heavy, and his eyes—what little you could see through his mask—burned with a mixture of anger and desire.

“You’re mine,” Capitano reminded, his voice low and dangerous. 

Before you could respond, he lifted you with ease, your feet leaving the ground as he pinned you against the wall. His massive claws gripped your waist and ass, claws digging into your flesh as his lips crushed against yours in a kiss.

You gasped into the kiss, and wrapped your legs around him. He clawed at your chest as if he was trying to prove a point—that you belonged to him and no one else, and you whimpered when you felt pain.

And despite everything, you found yourself leaning into him, drawn to the darkness that radiated from him.

"Master, I'm yours."

His touch was intoxicating, and even though you knew how dangerous this was, you couldn’t help but be pulled deeper into the web Capitano had spun around you.

[undying-love]

Paul being very secure about his sexuality: A compilation

"The reason why we didn’t do Up Against It wasn’t because it was too far out or anything. We didn’t do it because it was gay. We weren’t gay and really that was all there was to it. It was quite simple, really. Brian was gay…and so he and the gay crowd could appreciate it. Now, it wasn’t that we were anti-gay – just that we, The Beatles, weren’t gay."

“It was always obvious Brian was gay and we could talk to him about gay things, but he would never come out with, ‘Hello, Paul, you’re looking nice today.’ I was quite obviously un-gay, due to my hunting of the female hordes. I think we all gave that impression."

Q:  You must be very secure with yourself.

Paul: I think it is that. I'm OK with gay people, too, because I'm essentially comfortable with my sexuality. I can goof around with gay people. I sort of know who I am by now.  And it's about time.

"I imagine he heard it [Dear Friend]. I think he listened to my records, but he never responded directly. That wasn't his way. We were guys; it wasn't like a boy and a girl. In those days you didn't release much emotion with each other."

"One thing he told us was that one in every four men is homosexual. So we looked at the group! One in every four! It literally meant one of us is gay. Oh, fucking hell, it’s not me, is it? We had a lot of soul-searching to do over that little one."

"There's a song I do called Here Today which is specifically written for John. That sometimes catches me out. I realise I'm telling this man that I love him and it's like I'm publicly declaring this in front of all these people I don't know. I sometimes wonder what I'm doing.

Q: In “Here Today”, you talk about your love for John. Did you ever say that to him, in those days?" Paul: No. I'm sure we both felt it. But that is not something two boys use to say to each other. If they were gay, maybe. Otherwise it is rare that that happens."

"My view is that these things are there whether you want them or not, in your interior. You don't call up dreams, they happen, often the exact opposite of what you want. You can be heterosexual and be having a homosexual dream and wake up, and think, 'Shit, am I gay?' I like that you don't have control over it. But there is some control -- it is you dreaming, it is your mind it's all happening in."

"We were in New York before he [George] went to Los Angeles to die, and they were silly but important to me. And, I think, important to him. We were sitting there, and I was holding his hand, and it occurred to me — I’ve never told this — I don’t want to hold George’s hand. You don’t hold your mate’s hands. I mean, we didn’t anyway. "

"Yeah, I think he [John] did [love me], yeah. It wasn’t actually a spiky relationship at all. It was, uh, very warm, very close and very loving, I think. All The Beatles. We used to say, I think we were amongst the first sort of men to come out openly – and you remember, it was quite sort of strange in those days, we’re talking about a long time ago now when homosexuality was still sort of largely illegal."

"Because he [Robert Faser] was gay, it raised a few small-minded eyebrows, and funnily enough, one or two of them were from within the Beatles: ‘Hey, man, he’s gay, what you going off to Paris with him for? They’re gonna talk, you know. Tongues are going to wag.’ I said, ‘I know tongues are going to wag, but tough shit.’ I was secure about my sexuality. I always felt this is is fine. I can hang with whoever I want and it didn’t worry me. I mean, we didn’t share a room or anything."

"With Robert’s thing of course there would be gayness. But there was no open gayness. If there was to be gayness it would be a quiet phone call that Robert would go and take in the bedroom or something. That was one of the good things, actually, because I knew he was gay and he knew I wasn’t gay so we were quite safe in our own | sexuality. We could talk to each other. "

Lastly, there is this odd anecdote that may or may not mean anything, but here it is:

One of the strangest of these incidents came at the end of 1992 when Mark Featherstone-Witty attended the MPL Christmas lunch. Mark took an accountant friend to the meal, a McCartney fan he'd known for years, which led to a strange and unpleasant row. By Mark's recollection, Paul's manager Richard Ogden summoned him into the MPL office the next day where he read him the riot act for bringing an unwelcome guest to Paul's party. 'What do you mean by bringing someone who was so obviously gay to Paul's Christmas party? Have you any idea about the responsibility you carry in this project?' he allegedly asked. 'What are you talking about?' replied Featherstone-Witty, explaining who his friend was. 'But he was gay, you stupid fucker!' 'No, he isn't.' 'You've got to be careful. You can't do anything that would embarrass Paul...'"

Fab : An intimate Life of Paul McCartney by Howard Sounes

[alle-ni]

My thoughts about goodomensverse (I'm clinically insane) (my personal opinion) (long post)

Book Crowley:

- absolute disaster

- lonely boy

- grumpiest

- he's so in love with Aziraphale but didn't even realised yet

- a bit dumb sometimes ngl

- very tired

- he's trying so hard save earth and everything he knows but everytime he tries to explain why it's always AZIRAPHALE

- sometimes he's like... your old gay uncle, the old gay uncle of the family except it's a 6000 years old gender fluid demon

- HISS LIKE A SNAKE GANG

- got called dear once and them died (figuratively)

Radio Crowley:

- flirty

- "Humm have you ever seen me in a dress~~??"

- he's like flirting with Aziraphale 24/7

- 0 patience this man is a BOMB

- if Aziraphale ever EVER got slightly flirty with him back he will EXPLODE

- smartest of them all, he's very intelligent

- HISS LIKE A SSSSSNAKE GANG

- he's so in love with Aziraphale and it makes him SO FRUSTRATED

- his Aziraphale is the hardest one to reach, maybe this is why he's so deliberately obvious and direct with him (he's resilient, he will never give up)

- he's like a tsudere teenager collegial except he's a 6000 years old demon with serious issues

- not called dear yet poor soul </3

TV Crowley:

- SILLY

- he's the dumbest of them all, sorry 😭

- red hair

- he's so in love with Aziraphale and everyone notice it's SO OBVIOUS

- he's the most affected by The Bookshop Burning ™ event

- the only one who got to kiss the angel, good for him ig, or sorry, idk

- anxiety bomb he literally (literally) EXPLODE

- strongest soldier bc his Aziraphale is IMPOSSIBLE

- got dumped 2 times more than the others someone pls help him

- the most brave tho

- doesn't hiss a lot :/ free him from this madness let him hiss

- he's like a puppy with giant yellow eyes except it's a 6000 years old snake demon that lies all the time

- protective as hell this man wouldn't let anyone near Aziraphale if possible

- got called dear but at what cost??????????????

Book Aziraphale:

- Anxious all the time, religious trauma except the god is your father and he left you and never talk to you again and the guard angels are your siblings and they want you do be dead

- He's so soft he wants so bad to comfort Crowley but he's really hard to reach

- his Crowley is the most difficult of all of them, he needs to circle him a lot to get in touch

- this man got called names so often I don't think he even cares anymore

- he's very nerdy

- he's the calmest of them all

- really chill

- everyone is so mean to him for no reason

- he has 1 braincell tbh and it's really bad bc his Crowley is not that brilliant too they're both stupid sometimes

- he really REALLY wants to be with Crowley and Crowley only, he sounds almost obligated to be with heaven

- he is really kind to others even when they don't deserve

- he called Crowley dear once and then implode

Radio Aziraphale:

- full of himself

- bastard

- the most closed and oblivious of them all

- he tries to play cool with Crowley all the time (he's slowly getting insane and someday he will jump on this man)

- he's the most self sufficient one he barely holds on Crowley to anything and they're pretty independent

- Crowley can say shit like "Miss me angel~~??" and he would keep a bored face and not react at all (he screamed with the walls 4 hours later)

- he's also a tsudere collegial but he at least try to look cool and composed in public

- he's the Aziraphale that most believes in heaven, he's sure they are good and selfless and the right side

- he's not so brilliant tbh but he got a lot of spirit

- the most active Aziraphale ?? He really put his hand in the dirt and do the things alone

- the most angry and bad tempered of them all, bro scream "WE ARE CLOSED LOOK AT THE DAMN SIGN" when ppl barely touch the bookshop door

- he has a lot of patience with Crowley, not deserved tbh bc he thinks it's his personal job to get in Aziraphale's nerves

- overall he is polite

- he's really proud of their "arrangement" there not only one chance he let go without saying that

- he likes to provoke Crowley sometimes too but not as much as the other way around

- if he ever call Crowley dear he will explode

TV Aziraphale:

- bitchiest

- this man need to be sedated what the fuck Aziraphale

- most nuts of then all he's CRAZY

- he's the most up to do shit with Crowley they're insane together

- he doesn't let Crowley rest he is flirting and being cute and hitting on Crowley all the time

- he's so obviously in love with Crowley its embarrassing

- he's the fruitiest he's the entire salad

- the most... indulgent, if I can say, of them all

- more like an employer of heaven, different of book Aziraphale

- he's the only one with almost white hair

- he got kissed but at what cost

- he's the most intelligent of all of them how can he be this dumb

- he loves little things about earth and humans and life and he seems to be the Aziraphale that most love EARTH itself, like, the life, the humans, the food, the little pleasures we have, the little time of happiness we have between all the shit that is happening... he really loves humans <3

- he's conflicted about heaven, he seems to know that there's something WRONG with how heaven works but still doesn't understand what exactly it is

- "oh but saving me makes him soooo happyyyy~~~"

- overall kind and sweet, in a excited way

[lesbianrobin]

ok since people r very into my chris fic i shall share some of my random behind the scenes thoughts while writing it:

adriana has literally been waiting her entire life for her obviously gay older brother who joined the army to avoid his wife and then moved to los angeles to be a sexy firefighter to COME OUT ALREADY and by the time we meet her in this fic she is like Vibrating with the need to be like EDDIE IS GAYYYYYYY ARE YOU PEOPLE BLIND??? which is why it takes like absolutely zero prodding from chris for her to spill all of eddie's business. i think when eddie was little he was a very obviously gay little boy and as he grew up he learned how to Be Normal but adriana never forgot and she's like deeply sad about it.

chris is So fucking miserable at his grandparents' house he misses video games so bad. i couldn't find a way to really incorporate this without it feeling like a cheap "look he's a TEEN BOY" thing but yeah the second he gets back home he is slamming that headset on and gaming until eddie tells him he has to take a break or he'll burn his eyes out of his sockets.

there are a Lot of songs on buck and eddie's joint depression playlist that i listed and then cut for practicality's sake but if there's any like interest in that i could maybe put together + link the full playlist for y'all?

buck's "maddie" playlist is entirely music he listened to growing up bc it makes him think of her. as a younger sibling my music taste from birth to like. age fifteen ish. was just wholly whatever my older sister listened to and i think buck is the same way. i don't think buck necessarily listens to this playlist on his own very often but if he's hanging out with maddie and/or babysitting jee-yun he'll put it on because it makes him happy to enjoy some 90s/00s nostalgia with his best girls. sometimes he'll play it in the car when he's driving chris somewhere because he wants to carry forward some of those good memories he has with maddie with chris.

buck and eddie's texts were written in order to coincide with each other! eddie texts more frequently than buck but i think if you pay attention you can sometimes tell which days buck Also sent chris a text bc they match. some of them were sent specifically in the wake of very emotionally taxing shifts where they both wanted so badly to call chris and beg him to come home but they knew that wouldn't go well and they didn't want to make chris feel guilty so they tried to play it cool.

speaking of buck and eddie: i don't think that eddie's conversation with chris is necessarily the First step in eddie realizing he's gay or moving toward something romantic with buck. keep in mind that chris has been gone for at least two weeks by the time he talks to either of them, and buck and eddie spend the vast majority of their time together. this fic is restricted to chris' pov, and he has no way of knowing whether, say, buck and tommy broke up, or whether his dad has been thinking about some things differently since he's been gone. buck and eddie Also have to spend twelve hours in a car together just the two of them between the end of the fic and their reunion with chris. this is not me saying that buck and tommy DID break up or that buddie got together while chris was away (i don't actually have a solid "canon" for where they're at), just that i intentionally left space for a wide range of possibilities due to chris' limited knowledge of what's going on with them!!

i kinda intentionally did not delve too deeply into the psychology of the diaz parents here because i think their behavior is a bit inscrutable to chris. the vast majority of his memories of them are from when he was really little, and therefore i think he doesn't actually know them very well as people. he knows that there's some tension between them and eddie, but prior to this fic he never really bothered to question Why. all he knows is that his grandparents will probably come and get him if he calls, and that it'll hurt his dad's feelings, and in the immediate aftermath of the kim debacle that's all he cares about. once he's in el paso, he starts noticing some things that make him a bit uncomfortable, but he never does determine for sure what their motivations and opinions are about this whole situation, whether they're treating him a certain way bc he's the grandkid or bc of his cerebral palsy, and whether their treatment of eddie really does stem from homophobia or not. at the end of the day he's thirteen years old and i wanted to leave his grandparents' True Selves as a bit of a mystery because 1. i don't think They necessarily know why they do what they do and 2. i don't think there's any one answer that would be satisfying.

chris literally had zero intention of saying anything to eddie about the Gay Thing he just is very much thirteen years old and emotional and he fundamentally Trusts his father to never like. lash out at him for saying something like that. so he doesn't try too hard to hold it back and impulsively says Hey Dad Are You Gay Maybe because he's never gone so long without talking to his dad before and he's just bursting with thoughts and feelings. he's not even trying to do a buddie matchmaking thing it's just that the easiest way to make his argument is to be like (points at buck).

[hippiegoth97]

Relax: Eddie Munson x Reader

Collage by me :)

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@costellation-hunter @josephquinnsfreckles @leelei1980 @yourdailymemedelivery @spacedoutdaydreamer

Description: You and Eddie masturbate together as you aren't ready to go all the way with him yet.

Content Warning 18+ Only, Minors DNI: smut, gay!eddie munson, gay!reader, male reader, grinding, mutual masturbation, use of the term 'queer', one use of the F-slur, mentions of homophobia/being in the closet, LGBTQ+ references, alcohol use, smoking

Word Count: 4k

Divider by @strangergraphics

Relax

"Hey, babe? What do you wanna do tonight?" Eddie calls to you from the living room. You're currently standing in the bathroom, brushing your teeth at the sink. You'd gotten home from your shift at the pharmacy about two hours ago, and you called your boyfriend Eddie to spend the night with you in your apartment. He walks into the bathroom, wrapping his arms around your bare torso. You'd only bothered to change into some pajama pants, it’s too warm for a shirt in this weather. Your A/C doesn't work too well, and Hawkins tends to be absolutely boiling in the middle of July. The heat doesn't seem to bother Eddie though, as he came over in ripped jeans and a muscle tee.

You bend over to spit out your toothpaste, rinsing the brush before setting it in a cup you keep by the sink. You turn around to face him, smiling warmly. "I dunno, darling. What would you like to do?" You speak lowly, leaning in for a kiss. Eddie smirks, gladly accepting your invitation. His lips are always so soft and plush, and despite the heat, the room suddenly feels much warmer. Your hands tangle in his hair, lightly tugging on it just the way he likes. He moans against you, biting your bottom lip so you'll allow his tongue access to dance with your own.

Eddie had met you at a metal show at the Hideout six months ago, you remember it like it was yesterday. It was supposed to be some local bands, nothing major. But you'd always liked how loud and invigorating metal music is, so you wanted to hear it in person. There weren't a ton of people there that night, maybe twenty others besides yourself. You were dressed for the occasion, though it wasn't your typical style. Ripped jeans, a Black Sabbath shirt, and some eyeliner was really all you managed to rustle up in time. You remember going to the bar to get a beer, and noticing a particularly handsome guy leaning against the counter on his elbows. "Come here often?" He asked, turning his head to look at you. You met his gaze, really taking a moment to look him over before speaking. He had long, curly hair, a battle vest layered over a beaten leather jacket, and a smile that could make the Devil himself blush like a schoolgirl. His eyes refused to leave yours, patiently waiting for you to respond.

"No, it's my first time here." You replied nervously, almost dropping your drink as the bartender handed it off to you.

"Ooh, a virgin, huh? Is it your first metal show too?" He spoke playfully, taking out a pack of smokes from his jacket. He gestured the box at you, but you waved him away. He just nodded, slipping a cigarette between his lips. He dug out a lighter from his jeans pocket, the yellow flame illuminating his face as he flicked it.

"Um...yeah." You tried to put on a smile, but it probably looked more like a grimace. He chuckled at your expression, taking a long drag before speaking again.

"Well, you picked a good night to pop that cherry. I know the crowd ain't much, but we sure know how to party." You laughed at his charming attitude, unaware of him inching himself closer to you. "What's your name, virgin?" He leaned in real close, his breath fanning over your neck to give you goosebumps. Your breathing picked up, your heart was pounding in your chest. You'd never had a man be so forward with you, especially in such a small town like this. You hadn't even come out to your parents, and here was this man, practically within kissing distance of you. He seemed to notice your discomfort, putting a hand on your shoulder in reassurance. "Relax, hot stuff. You're safe here, I know everyone in this place. Half of 'em are queers, and the other half either don't give a shit, or know they'll get their ass kicked if they pull something. I'm Eddie, by the way." He spoke directly into your ear, almost brushing against it with his lips.

"I'm Y/N, i-it's nice to meet you." You stuttered, and your cheeks lit up red soon after.

"Y/N, that's a cute name." He looked you up and down, taking in your cobbled-together ensemble. "Well, you've certainly dressed the part. C'mon, let's get closer to the stage. The show's starting soon." He patted your back, prompting you to start walking while putting his cig out in an ashtray. You stumbled at first, cursing under your breath at your lack of coordination. You soldiered on, getting as close as you could to the stage. You noticed the band setting up, watching them with intense curiosity. You saw the band's name prominently displayed on the drummer's kit, Corroded Coffin. You thought it was a pretty cool title, conjuring an interesting mental image. Eddie tapped you again, and your gaze snapped to him. "Hey, I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere, okay?" He asked, seemingly itching to go somewhere. Maybe the restroom? You just nodded, letting him go. He gave you a wicked smile, before jumping up onto the stage and tossing his jackets to the side.

"Oh my god." You blurted out, luckily nobody heard you. But you quickly realized you'd just spent the last five minutes getting hit on by the lead singer from one of the bands you came to see that night. The small crowd cheered, and Eddie expertly slung his guitar over his shoulder. He leaned into the microphone, addressing the audience.

"How's everyone doin' tonight?" He asked, trying to hype everyone up. He was met with more cheers, and his eyes darted over to you. You awkwardly clapped for him, unable to lose his burning gaze. "Good to hear. We've got a newbie here tonight, a very hunky young man named Y/N." He pointed a finger in your direction, leading everyone to look over at you. You waved nervously, trying so hard not to blush. "Now, I expect you all to treat Y/N like one of our own. Cuz if things go as planned, I'm taking that sexy motherfucker home later." He winked at you, and you gasped in surprise.

"Shut up and play, faggot!" A man in the crowd shouted at Eddie.

"Fuck off, Derek! You're just jealous I've never asked you to come home with me." Eddie yelled as a retort, flipping the guy off. Everyone laughed, including you. "Alright, let's get down to business, huh? Who wants to hear some goddamn music?!" You cheered loudly with the crowd this time, meeting Eddie's grin with a smile of your own. Your anxiety was melting away, being replaced by unbridled lust for this man. With another wink, Eddie strummed the first note of one of the band's signature songs.

You spent the next hour rocking out to your heart's content, banging your head and truly letting loose. Eddie's eyes met yours repeatedly through their set, lighting your insides ablaze every time. His stage presence was something else, he was so confident and daring. And his voice was so beautiful, with a crazy amount of range. He could hit low, growling notes just as well as ridiculously high, belty ones. The band's sound was a glorious mix of Metallica and Dio, with their own special flavor blended right in. And it absolutely blew your mind, entrancing you like a sailor under a siren's spell. As the show went on, Eddie's hair dampened with sweat from him going so hard. His gorgeous skin glistened under the spotlight, making his tattoos almost sparkle.

Once the set was over, Eddie gestured at the bar with his head to let you know he'd meet you over there. You nodded, striding over to order two beers. "So, what did you think?" Eddie startled you when he walked up a few minutes later. You turned to look at him, handing him a beer. "Oh, thanks, man." He smiled, still catching his breath from performing.

"It was amazing, Eddie! You guys kick ass, and your voice is something else." You couldn't help your enthusiasm, this was something you'd been wanting to do for the longest time.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." His hand started stroking your arm suggestively, making your skin sizzle. "You wanna get outta here?" You were flattered by the invitation, but the thought of hooking up with him was daunting. You'd never had sex before, just oral and hand jobs. But even then, you didn't have a high 'body count' by any means.

"I dunno. I mean, I really like you. You're very sexy, but I've never really hooked up before." You gently explained, not wanting to hurt his feelings. But he just kept smiling kindly at you.

"That's okay. We don't have to do that. We can just hang out if you want, get to know each other better. And, I promise this isn't a line, but you've gotta be the most handsome man I've ever seen. You seem really sweet, and I'm more than willing to take my time with you." He held his ring-clad hand out to you, hoping you'd take it. "Shall we?"

"You're very sure of yourself, Eddie." You chuckled, unable to wrap your head around the whole thing. His expression dropped slightly, worried you were rejecting him. You rolled your eyes, smirking. "C'mon, pretty boy." You put your hand in his, and his eyes lit up like you'd never seen on a person before. He led the way to his van in the parking lot, graciously opening your door for you. "Such a gentleman." You joked, plopping into the weathered leather seat.

"You know it." He replied, jogging around to the other side to slide in himself. The two of you spent the night in Eddie's trailer, mostly talking in his room. You drank a few beers, ending up rather tipsy. You'd been sitting side by side on his bed, and you felt his eyes on you just as you polished off your fifth beer of the night.

"Something on your mind?" You asked, slightly slurring your words. You looked at his face, noticing him staring at your lips.

"Just one thing. But I don't wanna force it." He said softly, breath stuttering as he spoke. It was the first time you'd seen him act nervous all night, regardless of all the liquid courage you'd both consumed. Your own eyes flicked to his mouth, admiring how soft and plush it looked in the dim light from his bedside lamp.

"Who says you're forcing anything?" You said, barely above a whisper. You decided to be brave for the both of you, despite your heart hammering against your ribs. You leaned in, eyes fluttering closed as your lips finally met his. You both moaned into the kiss, quickly heating things up in your drunken state. Shirts came off, leading to sloppy trails of kisses littering your necks and chests. You admired his tattoos, tracing their outlines with your fingers. "You're so gorgeous, Eddie." You sighed lustfully, in absolute awe of his form.

"You're not so bad yourself, Y/N." Eddie replied, eagerly reaching his hand down to stroke your erection through your jeans.

"Fuck." You muttered under your breath, extremely aroused by everything he did to you. Your eyes met once more, burning intensely while you mimicked his actions on his own clothed cock.

"How far do you wanna go, baby?" He asked seriously, not wanting to push you past your limit. You were both breathing heavily, the scent of beer wafting between your mouths.

"Is this enough?" You asked sheepishly, hoping he wouldn't be disappointed. As much as you were attracted to him, you weren't ready to go all the way.

"More than enough. You wanna lay down for me, though? I figure it's more comfortable than sitting side by side like this." He was almost babbling, losing track of his thoughts as you continued to stroke him. You happily obliged his request, laying your head onto his pillow. He scrambled to hover over you, his knees on either side of yours. His lips met yours again hungrily, his teeth biting your bottom lip. You kept going like this for what felt like hours, kissing and grinding against one another like animals in heat. You'd never been so turned on in your life, every other man you'd been with paled in comparison to Eddie.

"You're so fuckin' hot, baby." You moaned, savoring the friction of his erection rubbing against yours. Both of your jeans were so fucking tight, it almost hurt.

"Not as much as you. You've got me ready to cream my pants right about now." He groaned, lips migrating to your neck to mark you up with dark hickeys.

"Damn, you've figured out my master plan." You joked, gasping at his tongue finding your sweet spot.

"Is that so?"

"Mmhmm." You struggled to speak at this point, thoughts scrambled by Eddie's showering of affection. "You've been playing it so cool tonight, I'd like to see how vulnerable you can be."

"Well, if we keep up like this it won't be much longer." He said between kisses, grinding even harder against you. You moaned loudly, your hands reaching across Eddie's back. Your nails trailed a reddening path down his smooth skin, slicked over with sweat. "God, you're gonna be the death of me."

"And you me." You replied, rolling your hips faster to bring you closer to the edge. Everything felt so good, and your stomach was beginning to tense up to warn you of your oncoming release. "Fuck. Go faster, baby. You're gonna make me cum." A desperate whine laced your tone, pleading with him to get you off like this. The whole thing was so ridiculously simple, but so very hot.

"Anything you want, sweetheart. I'm right there with you." Another moan ripped itself from his lungs, increasing his pace to seal the deal. He bit down harshly on your neck, sending you flying off the proverbial cliff into a pool of pure bliss.

"Eddie!" You cried out his name, hips bucking wildly as your load emptied into your boxers. Fireworks ignited themselves all over your body, fizzling with blinding embers. Your mouth fell open wide, eyebrows knitting together. Your toes curled up tight, overwhelming pleasure exploding inside you. Eddie kept going, chasing his own high.

"Fuck, that was so hot to watch. I'm almost there, baby." You did your best to bear with him despite your orgasm subsiding, your dick going limp in your sticky underwear. "Oh my- fuck!" He cried out, and you marveled at the sight of him losing control. His features mimicked yours, his breath shuddering harshly. His hands gripped your shoulders to ride it out, and his pelvis jerked into you as the waves crashed over him. He rolled over to lay beside you, panting heavily. "Jesus christ." He said simply, swallowing hard as he reached for his cigarettes. He was about to light one for himself, when you asked for one. He happily supplied it to you, holding the lighter up to ignite it. You snuggled up to him, flicking the ash into the tray he placed on his chest.

"You're so pretty when you cum." You blurted out, not fully realizing what you said. The alcohol was still weighing heavily on your inhibitions, letting any stray thoughts float past your lips. He just chuckled, kissing your damp forehead.

"So are you, baby." The two of you shared a look, realizing what was going on. This was more than just a one-time thing, the beginning pangs of budding romance thrummed between you. The two of you finished your smokes, passing out in each other's arms soon after.

That one magical night set the stage for what has been the most intense relationship of your life. There have been many cutesy dates, hot and heavy makeout sessions. You’ve frequently engaged in grinding against one another, before gradually moving on to handjobs and oral. The two of you still haven't gone all the way after all this time, but Eddie has shown you time and again he doesn't care about that. As long as you're comfortable and happy, he'll do anything you want.

Eddie's got you pinned against the cool tile of the bathroom wall now, palming your length through your pajamas as he sucks hickeys onto your neck. "Feels so good, baby." You say breathlessly, tugging his hair again to draw sexy noises from him.

"Let's go to bed, loverboy." Eddie stops touching you, and you whine at the loss. He snatches your hand, pulling you frantically down the hall to your bedroom. He leads you backwards to the bed with his palms on your chest, causing you to fall onto it when the mattress meets the backs of your knees. You scoot back, letting Eddie lay over you. He showers you with kisses, roaming haphazardly all over your neck and chest. His lips set your skin on fire, and you pull at the hem of his shirt to take it off. He sits up, slipping it over his head to toss it aside. He stands to remove his jeans and boxers, his hard cock slapping against his stomach as it's set free. You slip out of your bottoms, sitting against the headboard. He straddles your naked lap, sitting as close to you as he can. He strokes your cheek, giving you his full attention. "You want me to touch you, darling?" Eddie asks, waiting for your permission.

"Yes, please." You truly appreciate his special way of getting consent, asking if you want something he clearly desires to do to you. His big brown eyes stay on yours, almost hypnotizing you with their beauty. His hand slowly drags down your body, leaving a trail of tingles until he reaches your dick. He grasps the base of it. "Fuck." You mutter, watching as he lets a long drip of saliva fall from his lips onto your length. His large hand spreads the moisture around, pumping you at an agonizing pace. "Eddie." You moan, reaching up to bring his head to yours in a bruising kiss. You keep it brief, just long enough to steal his breath away. When you let him go, you spit into your hand before taking hold of his cock.

"Shit." Eddie groans, shuddering at the contact. You look into each other's eyes, mouths agape as pleasure builds up inside you. Your free hand grips his thigh, digging your nails into the flesh as he works you up. He leans forward, latching his mouth onto your neck again. A consistent stream of moans and curses leaves your lips as Eddie nips and sucks on your skin. "Do I make you feel good, sweetheart?" He asks lowly, taking your earlobe between his teeth.

"Yes, baby. So fuckin' good." You slide your palm up and down his cock with ease, gradually increasing speed. Eddie mirrors your actions, eagerly reciprocating the overwhelming sensation you bring him. You're both sweating profusely, every little sound and twitch heightening your excitement. "God, I love you." You say through your panting, earning a sharp bite on your throat. You moan louder than before, the pain only serves to push you further to the edge. You love when Eddie's rough with you, animalistic even. He claims you as his every chance he gets, and you happily let him do so.

"I love you too, Y/N. More than anything on this earth." He licks a long stripe over the rough bite he gave you, soothing the bruised skin. "Go faster, baby." He pleads, his own speed increasing again. He never thought an act like this could be so fulfilling, every other person he'd been with before always wanted to rush into sex. But most of those connections only lasted a night or two, and he could tell from the moment you walked into the Hideout that night that you were different. Special. And every little thing you let him do for you makes his heart flutter like nothing else can.

Immeasurable tension continues to build inside you, a burning flame in your belly stoked by undying love. Your hair sticks to your faces, and it's difficult for Eddie to continue straddling you as your legs have slicked over so much. You're getting very close, wanting so badly to lose control. You pump him as fast as you possibly can, knocking the air from his lungs. He almost falls off of you from all the perspiration, but he tightens his legs around you to hang on. "I'm almost there, baby. Keep going, just like that." You almost whine at him, and he rapidly strokes your dick in his fist. You're sprinting to the finish line together, chasing each other's highs. The unmistakable waves of ecstasy crash into you violently, threatening to drag you into the abyss.

"You gonna cum, darling?" Eddie asks, gazing over your glistening form. Your head is thrown back as far as it can go against the headboard, and your eyes beg him to give you the orgasm you so desperately want. You nod your head, unable to form coherent thoughts anymore. All you can manage is groans and calls of his name, and that's good enough for him. "C'mon, angel. Make a mess all over my hand." His words stutter slightly, signaling his own oncoming end. He crushes his lips onto yours, shoving his tongue past your teeth. This final aggressive action is exactly what it takes to make everything come crashing down. You cum simultaneously, moaning down each other's throats. Your hips stutter as your sticky load spurts onto Eddie's hand, and your nails draw blood as they scratch down his thigh.

His pelvis bucks into your fist through his own release, the thick liquid spilling between you from his clumsy thrusts. You keep your mouths glued together as the pleasure fades away, still tangling your tongues. When you need to breathe, you pull away and grab some tissues from the box on your bedside table. You hand some to Eddie, and you both clean yourselves up as best you can. The tissues are discarded into the trash, and Eddie removes himself from your lap to lay beside you. You pull the covers over the two of you, propping yourself up on your elbow to face him. "You're amazing, you know that?" You say simply, admiring his spent expression.

"Is that so?" He smirks, sitting up to get on your level. You reach forward to poke his nose with your finger, chuckling as his eyes cross to look at it.

"Yes, the most amazing man in the entire world." Eddie moves quickly to snap at your finger, but you pull it away just in time.

"Sneaky little shit." He teases, giving you another kiss. It's calm and loving, with no intention of going any further. You're both truly exhausted, barely fighting off the urge to pass out into deep sleep.

"Do you wanna move in with me?" You had been meaning to ask him for a while now, but you couldn't find an opportunity until now.

"What?" His eyes widen, unsure he heard you correctly.

"I said, do you wanna move in with me?" You repeat yourself, confident in your request. You've bonded so much over the last few months, and you want to share your space with him, build a home with him. Eddie thinks about it for a moment, before smiling wide at you.

"Yes, Y/N. I'd love to." He replies calmly, giving you yet another kiss. This one is more passionate, but he leads your heads to rest on the pillows in preparation for sleep. His warm hand cups your face, stroking your cheek with his thumb. You clumsily reach over to shut off your lamp, flicking the switch before tangling your legs with Eddie's. You break away one final time, meeting each other's gaze in the moonlight shining into the window above the bed. "I love you, sweetheart. I'm so fuckin' lucky I met you."

"I love you too, Eds. Let's get some rest, we've got a big day of packing up your stuff tomorrow." You both chuckle at that, absolutely giddy with the idea of living together. You turn over, letting Eddie spoon you. His arms wrap around your front, holding you as close as he can. You both drift off into much-needed sleep, dreaming of your future together.

The end.

[bvckleyydiaz]

I know. Guys, believe me, I know. Alright, now that we are ignoring my unintentional months-long hiatus, I come bringing a gift.

(I thought about also writing this scenario for another fandom that I’ve recently fixated on again. Say, the one with the two brothers and the gay angel. Let me know if you would want to see that.)

May also end up rewriting this one. Not sure if I like how it turned out.

So, here’s the scenario:

tw: creepy men in convenience stores

You and Aaron met years ago when you’d been finishing up law school and he’d still been a federal prosecutor. Somehow, the two of you strike up a conversation, and you offhandedly mention to him that you’re looking for work now that you’ve gotten your degree. He pauses for a moment, purses his lips, then says that he has a friend—a fellow prosecutor, you later find out—in search of a legal aide. He tells you that if you wanted him to, he could talk to his friend about setting up an interview. This takes you by surprise. A man that doesn’t even know you, a man that’s only talked to you for about five minutes, is offering to help you get a job. Aaron laughs when you tell him as much, and he tells you that over the years, he’s learned to trust his instincts, and his instincts are telling him that you’re worth the risk. He then hands you a card with his phone number on it and says to call him to set up the interview.

(No one but you has to know about the tiny zaps of electricity that shoot up your arm when you take the card from him. Nor do they have to know about the disappointment that simmers in your gut when you notice the gold band resting at the base of his left ring finger.)

For the first year or so, your friendship with Aaron was... difficult to navigate. Not because of anything he said or did but because of what he was. Aaron being a married man really limited what you felt comfortable doing within the boundaries of your budding friendship. You couldn’t text him as often as you’d like to because of the fight it could cause between Aaron and Haley. It’s for that same reason that you don’t feel comfortable inviting him to meet you for coffee or to grab a bite to eat after work. You know that you aren’t doing anything wrong, that your intentions with Aaron are pure, but you also respect his relationship enough to make certain that you don’t give Haley a reason to suspect otherwise. So, that means settling for sending him a text every now and then to check up on his family—not just him—and see how they were doing.

Less than two years into your friendship with Aaron, he tells you that he and Haley are getting a divorce.

(The giddy, child-like grin that spreads across your face when you hear the news makes you feel like shitty person. But you can’t help it.)

Aaron’s divorce serves as a blessing in disguise. Not just for you but for him, too. It gives the two of you a fresh start, a chance to properly develop your friendship without the fear of stirring up trouble for Aaron at home. You two texting maybe a couple of times a month quickly turns into you two texting nearly every day, even if you don’t really have anything to tell him about. Throughout the day, the two of you would send each other things that remind you of the other, random musings you’d have, just anything that would keep the conversation going. The most liberating thing about Aaron becoming a single man again was that you had the freedom to ask him if he wanted to grab coffee on the way into the office, even if he and the team wanted to grab drinks after a case, or if he and Jack wanted to come to the park near your apartment for a picnic.

Fast forward to the present, almost four years later.

It’s just after midnight on a random Saturday night, and Aaron’s just about to head to bed when he feels his phone buzz in the pocket of his sweats.

He mutters something along the lines of if this is another fucking case before he picks up his cell, puts it to his ear, and answers with a soft, sleepy, “Hotchner.”

“Hey, love. I know it’s late, but I was hoping we could meet up.” There’s something in your voice that feels off to Aaron, but he can’t quite put his finger on it.

His mind screeches to a halt when he processes what you say to him. Hey, love, you’d greeted him, the words coming out of your mouth like it was every-day thing. Like it was something you called him all the time.

That’s the first red flag.

“Y/N?” He asks. “Is everything alright? Are you alright?”

“No,” you laugh, a cute, breathy sound that wouldn’t be out of place to anyone else, to anyone that doesn’t know you the way Aaron does. That laugh sets off the alarm bells in the older man’s head. “No, I promise it’s nothing major. I just thought we could grab a snack.” You pause then say, “Oh, there’s a sale on those gummy bears you like at the convenience store on Fifth and Kennedy. Want me to get you some?”

Aaron doesn’t like gummy bears. You know that he doesn’t like gummy bears. Why would you—?

Aaron's body starts buzzing with adrenaline, like he got a shot of espresso straight to the head. The convenience store on Fifth and Kennedy. Aaron knows where that is; it’s only a couple of blocks from your apartment.

“Are you in danger?” He asks.

“Yeah,” you tell him. “I’ll just put it with my stuff. Don’t worry about it, love.”

“Do you need me to come to you?”

“Yes, baby, I’m sure. It’s not a problem at all. Oh, your sister mentioned something to me about coming to see her this weekend. She lives in New York now, right? How long do you think the drive will be?”

Aaron glances down at his watch. “I’m ten minutes from you. Stay out of sight until then, okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” you agree. “It shouldn’t be too bad then, especially if we leave early enough. Hopefully, we won’t get caught up in the usual weekend traffic.” You huff out something between a laugh and a tired sigh. “I’ll be there in a few minutes. I love you.” Then, the call ends. Biting out a curse, Aaron slips on his running shoes, grabs his zip-up and his keys, and rushes out the door.

Under normal circumstances, it takes Aaron roughly ten minutes to get to your apartment. That night, it takes him a little under five. He zips through the late-night Virginia traffic at speeds he’s surprised he didn’t get pulled over for. He haphazardly parks the SUV before making his way to the store.

He doesn’t even have to go into the store to find you. You’re standing just outside the double doors when he gets there, your figure illuminated by the harsh LED lights overhead.

“Y/N,” he calls to you, his steps hurrying into a jog. “Y/N, are you alright?”

You lift your head up to meet his gaze, and he watches you blink at him, as if you’re surprised that he came. “You came,” you say, your voice barely above a whisper.

“You needed me,” he says. And that’s all that matters. “You’re okay now?”

You nod. “The guy ran as soon as the kid behind the counter threatened to call the cops. He didn’t do anything, but I just... something about him weirded me out.”

“Trust your instincts,” he tells you, like the night you’d first met. “They’re usually right.”

“The night we met, you said that your instincts were telling you that I was worth the risk. Were they right?”

With as much confidence as he has in you, which is a lot, he says, “They were. You’re worth the risk.”

tagging: @greg-montgomery @ssamorganhotchner @ssahotchnerr @ssaaaronmontgomery @canuck-eh @wifeyreid @criminalskies @luvehotch @strawbeerossi @hotchs-big-hands @hotchs-babygirl @hotchnerobsessed @honeypiehotchner @hotchnerbau @hotchsdoormat @hotchsdharma @mrs-ssa-hotch @hotchandspencearedilfs

[tonberry-yoda]

I would like to request something, More like a comedy/fun/silly request :3

So... Have you ever thought about how would Alastor, Husk, Angel Dust and Lucifer would react to their female s/o calling for them in a visibly mad tone for their complete name from the kitchen?? Maybe them knowing that they didn't thawed the chicken they try and run away from her but she teleports in front of them and tuggs them from the ear (motherly behaviors entered the chat) while saying something like

"Oh, honey, you're not gonna escape from me, and NOW you're gonna clean the house for ONE WEEK"

(in headcanon format please 😌) (also I rode on one of your posts that you got many HH and HB requests so if you wanna ignore this, go ahead I don't really mind, It's your decision ^^)

notes: OMG ANON THIS IS SO FUNNY! sorry this took so long btw, ive had so many requests to get through lol and this is a pretty difficult idea to actually turn into a writing piece, but that's what makes it more fun lol. and dont worry about the too many requests about HH! I just thought it was interesting that i had a lot of fans of the show lol. thanks for the request anon and I really hope you enjoy!! WARNINGS: I left out Lucifer because I don't know too much about him and kept the reader gn because Angel Dust is gay, so I didn't want to make it a female s/o. thanks for the request <333

ALASTOR

this man isnt easily intimidated by anyone

i mean he is the radio demon frrrr

but you?

oh this man is TERRIFIED OF YOU

not when you're lovey dovey, just when you're mad

which to be fair isnt often

but you went to leave the house and pressed a huge kiss onto Alastor's cheek before leaving. You told him that you wanted him to do the dishes while you were away and he gave you a thumbs up telling you that it would get done

but then you get home

and find out that not a single plate was clean

Alastor was relaxing upstairs and you were on the verge of losing

not helpful that you had an awful day on top of it

you called him by his full and complete name from when he was alive and while he was upstairs, he felt chills down his spine

he quickly ran downstairs and realized the mistake he had made a little too late

"do you expect me to do these, Al? you've been sitting on your ass ALL DAY, I am not doing any of this!" You pointed to the huge pile of dished and Alastor felt defeated

he apologized a thousand times and ended up getting them done both clean and fast in record time

and he bought you flowers to apologize

HUSK

you were at work when you remembered you needed the chicken pulled out of the freezer to thaw

you quickly texted husk and asked him to do it and all he sent was a thumbs up emoji

you prayed that he did what he needed to do

you got home in a very chipper mood from your day at work to find no chicken on the counter

you tilted your head and checked all over the kitchen

in the pantry, on the counter, in the cabinets, in the fridge

and finally

in the freezer

you almost lost your shit right then and there

you called Husk down to the kitchen and he walked in, picking at his fingernail before noticing you there

"hey babe, welcome home."

you crossed your arms and he noticed how pissed you look

shit

the chicken

mans went to run off, but you quickly teleported in front of him and grabbed him by the ear

"oh no you dont, mister. where do you think you're going?"

"to my room?" he tried, shrugging

"not on my watch. it looks like you're not only getting me dinner out tonight, but you'll be doing the dishes for three weeks now."

husk sighed, but agreed to your terms. he hated it when you were upset

ANGEL DUST

omg mans is a brat

let me tell you

you wake up in the morning smiling

like so happy that you had the best sleep cuddled against this softie

and then you remember that you have a super important meeting that day

and then you ask angel in the NICEST voice "do you mind getting the dishes out of the way today, love? I have a meeting today."

he shoots you the DIRTIEST look and has the AUDACITY to say "no. im not up for that. Im tired"

and turns away from you

you poke him so hard in the back

"ANGEL!"

"what?!" but he turns to you and recognizes that expression

mans effed up

he apologizes immediately and then tells you that he'll do them

he doesnt end up doing them btw

~~~~~

hazbin hotel masterlist | pinned post @tonberry-yoda

[nerves-nebula]

Remembered Mikey dissociates and imagines up all sorts of fantastical stories and adventures in his head, not grounded in reality at all. And I was thinking about how I also did that as a kid, thus none of my art or stories related to my deeply suppressed trauma at all. Except I actually just now realized it definitely did, just in more subtle and hard to see ways. It was stuff like scenes accidentally paralleling all the running away from home plans I made, and deity and angel type characters being exactly what I wanted my parents to be (guiding and safe etc.)

Anyway, are there any sorts of weird consistent themes like that going on in ur Mikey’s daydreams?

dissociation as a term evades me at times. like, I actively and intentionally ignored my surroundings a lot as a kid, especially when things got bad. i'd just spend time thinking of my fantasy worlds and tweaking situations between characters and stuff. i could be snapped out of it, but it's also a reason that I can't remember a lot of my childhood lol. but like, is that dissociation? at the time i thought of it more as just "ignoring stuff" if i didn't want to listen to my siblings fighting or i was bored or tired or annoyed, i'd force myself to think about other stuff. and that other stuff was daydreams cuz its not like i had shit going on as a kid. it was a distraction and one i did on purpose.

though there was a thing called "shut down" which I would do to myself when i was under extreme stress and pressure, which was kind of a further step, and more akin to real dissociation. but also somewhat akin to autistic shutdown so idk. these things overlap.

uhh anyway i think what mikey does is more like the "ignoring stuff" thing. you could probably call it maladaptive daydreaming. that's probably what it was.

I mentioned in one of my earlier Neglected posts that he writes his stories down and has like, a long ongoing epic about him fighting what is obviously a stand in for his dad. I think at the time i said he did that on purpose but I think I'mma change that, because it'd be more likely he does it on accident. I also brought up a character he made called "pizza horse" who learns to love herself despite people calling her an abomination for being half pizza half horse.

i think a lot of Mikey's stuff has to do with people being appreciated for things that make them weird, or learning to love themselves or something. first of all cuz that's an easy and popular thing to write about but secondly because splinter thinks he sucks and is weird and stupid and Mikey. doesn't like that! he doesn't like that his dad thinks he's weird and stupid!! it hurts :D sad thing is that even if you decide to say Fuck The Man!! it won't mean u no longer care that your dad hates you :3

anyway sorry i keep rambling the answer is YEA. there are reappearing themes of like, evil guardians, or maybe princes who were stolen by evil people or thrown out into the rain as babies to die- who eventually reclaim all the praise and power they were supposed to have. Kids getting often killing or otherwise "defeating" the people who abused/bullied/hurt them. typical abused kid power fantasy stuff.

I think there's probably a few edgy oc's in there too, like, shadow the hedgehog type edgy. like black and red with glowing eyes and half angel half demon and they end up killing the evil king who keeps them in the dungeon and beats them daily. and there's blood everywhere.

ok i started rambling again about something else under the cut uhhhh sorry its not relevant to ur ask at all asdfsadf

i like the idea of Mikey snapping at Leo, Donnie, and Raph later on cuz he was the first one to realize splinter sucks and they just kind of didn't listen to him for years haha. I like to think about them sitting in like a gay ass therapy circle or something talking about their feelings and mikey thinking.... "isn't this what I wanted? they all agree with me now. We don't live with splinter anymore. It's great. they're even talking about their feelings and trauma... why am i like. kind of angry."

it's something along the lines of him getting annoyed that they all wanted sympathy and companionship and brotherhood now that they realized Splinter is awful but when MIKEY was the only one saying Splinter Sucks nobody listened. Because they believed splinter when he told them Mikey was stupid. Because as poorly as splinter treated them, at least they were all worth something to him in some way.

Like, they all believed Splinter was an Ok Dad because they had stake in believing that. They didn't want to think their dad was awful, of course, but they also had stake in their identities as the favorite (leo), as someone who was making a meaningful contribution (raph), or as helpful towards someone/something good (donnie) and if Splinter turned out to not be worth all that effort- then that'd mean they all suffered for NOTHING.

but Mikey didn't get that. The identity splinter gave him was Useless, Stupid, Annoying one who wasn't as good as his brothers at anything important. And in Mikeys mind (though the reality is more complex), his siblings didn't care enough about him for the way splinter treated him to be seen as an indictment of splinters character. saying "splinter is a bad dad cuz he says i'm stupid" gets met with "but you are stupid tho." and "splinter is a bad dad because he starves me" gets met with "omg mikey you're not special we're all hungry stop whining"

and now they all want to whine about how bad things were??? AND THE WORST PART OF IT is that a lot of the time Mikey doesn't feel like he as a right to complain- i mean they were all doing way worse than him, right? they're sharing all these horrible stories! Donnie was in mental health hell and constantly getting groomed by ppl, Leo was getting sexually abused constantly and had all these secret rules and expectations, and raph had a hand in both mental health hell and sexual abuse AND he had a ton of responsibility when it came to their houses upkeep. Mikey got ignored and belittled but, like!! so what!! that's nothing compared to them.

but it still hurts :D growing up knowing you were in no uncertain terms that your dad thinks you're untalented and wishes he didn't have to deal with you.

Donnie got to be the weird but ultimately useful prodigy, Raph got to be the strongest, Leo got to be the leader, and Mikey got to be a joke.

[jaeclerc]

my maxiel demon WIP that is mostly just vibes rn LOLLLL but i wanted to share:

if max had known that having gay sex in the catholic church would have cursed him to an eternity of bullshit, he would’ve just gone to confession and prayed away the gay like the rest of his peers. but instead he decided to fuck in one of the confession stalls in the mid 80s and then pass away shortly afterwards from a very untimely grape to the airway, which cursed him to an eternity of doing the devil’s bidding. the devil liked to call himself daniel, but max hated calling the devil anything other than The Devil because if he gave him a name then maybe he’d be a bit more personable. max would have to admit that daniel (the devil) wasn’t too bad of a guy.

he himself told max that he didn’t tempt him to fuck in a church, he didn’t even have time to deal with max, too busy dealing with actual sinners. max was just gay and had an insane amount of catholic guilt. but hell was punishment and max’s punishment was to be the dynamic demon duo with another gay 19 year old, only this one was from monaco and obnoxious. he had apparently committed the sin of fucking the priest and then managed to have a very early in life heart attack.

(“he was so hot, max. i had to!”)

max had been working with charles for 40 years. that’s a long time to spend with someone when both of you had passed away at 19 and were forever demon-ized in those bodies and minds. if he looked super deep within he could even admit that charles was his best friend.

daniel, the devil, had them working on the sinner example enforcement division (SEED for short much to max’s chagrin), going out and seducing Actual Real Life Sinners in order to entrap them and enforce that they made terrible mistakes that were actually important to the devil. like trafficking and abusing people. many of them, much to charles’ chagrin and disgust, resided in monaco, which meant that max and charles had to go there often to perform their jobs. they often donned the skins of socialites in order to properly entrap them.

daniel, despite popular opinion, was not the ever eternal enticer but rather the ever eternal enforcer. he was not the opposite of the upside (what he called Heaven) but actually their guard dog, making sure that humans didn’t stomp over each other’s free will. in the event they did, they were swiftly met with punishment, one that hopefully set them straight enough to run tail tucked back to church and having morals.

he sent charles and max out to do the dirty work before he came in, dressed like the worst millennial one has ever seen and met. he was always floating for some reason, maybe to really pack the punch that he was The Devil and he was alive (kinda) to deliver holy justice.

often, the Big Sinners would proverbially spit in his face and brag about what they’ve done. that usually brought in the wrath of daniel, red horns sprouting, tail whipping faster than a human eye can see as he struck them, lashing them. the end of his tail was like a hot poker, searing into their skin and lasting longer than humanly possible.

most gave in after that; some didn’t. so he would lash them again, telling them to repent. if they didn’t repent, he would continue to do it until they did or until their soul joined the three of them, which they would drag back to Hell and throw into the fiery pits.

while charles and max had committed sins, they never hurt anyone. they just offended God. that’s why they were demons rather than spirits, they had the ability to exist even if they had already passed. most souls that came to Hell were souls that needed to be sent up the upside, a few were those who needed to be sent to neutral grounds while the angel courts debated their lives. an even smaller few were those who needed to actually be thrown into the pits. the smallest few would be turned into either angels or demons.

when max met his first angel, a boy named lando, he was shocked to learn that lando was also gay, like him and charles. and had acted upon it. the difference was that he had not offended God, but rather had acted graciously in his name for his entire short life.

max was even more shocked to learn that daniel had selected both him and charles to be demons.

(“i had a soft spot for you both! two gay boys who had both done something homosexual and personally offended toto within days of each other. and then died? sign me up!” god presented himself as a 6’5 austrian dilf. it was very odd, the first time max had met him. god was hot.)

the minor Big Sinners would usually just shit themselves at the appearance of daniel, even without his horns and with his dorky backwards hat. but the whole floating bit did probably help, as well as his candy red tail being held up menacingly, threatening even if daniel had his dimples out and smile on. max doesn’t know if he’d personally be scared of daniel in that form, but he thinks he’s probably biased based off the fact that he watched daniel sob over the notebook a few too many times to count.

(charles tells max that it’s actually probably because he wants to have sex with daniel. charles doesn’t know what he’s talking about. max tells him so, but charles counters that he has a boyfriend and max doesn’t. max personally thinks that the angel that charles fucked after a session of angel court doesn’t count, but who is he to actually say. that angel has been around for like. at least 10 years.

actually max is pretty sure that the angel, who has a name that max refuses to ever acknowledge that he remembers, has been living with them for the past 5 years. he does see sebastian often. like every day after his shift as daniel’s PA.)

their duties after they repent are usually done. some of them take another enforcement session. most of them have the fear of toto put into them and don’t ever commit a big enough sin to ping on their radar.

most of being a demon is just: sit around with charles, being daniel’s assistant, and enforcing the laws of heaven. it’s pretty boring, which is probably the actual punishment to his offense of toto. he gets to be out of his mind bored for eternity or until daniel dies. daniel is a young devil incarnation, but he’s still going to die someday, once society has evolved for a new god, devil, and court. the demons that he created will go with him. nobody wants to serve a new master, especially demons. especially max.

if he reaches deep down, even past the part that admits charles is actually his best friend, he sees that he quite likes daniel. daniel made sure that he always had a friend, daniel always made sure that he knew that his sin wasn’t being gay, it was fucking in a church, and he made sure that max felt comfortable in his after-life. as comfortable as a demon could feel.

if he reached the deepest, most barren hidden parts of himself, he could admit that he wanted to kiss daniel. what type of demon decides that he wants to fuck the devil? not for power but just because he thinks that The Devil is quite sweet and always makes him laugh.

The Devil is delightfully immature while also guiding max through the after life and an infinity of service to the heavens and earth with a maturity that surprises.

max had once asked daniel when he had become The Devil. daniel had looked away before saying he wasn’t exactly sure of the year because it was the middle of the war. the war to end all wars, and he was deep in it, fighting in the Australian army when he got taken. he woke up to toto staring at him with a curled lip and rolled eyes, muttering about the previous devil and his choice of a protégé. he was the new incarnation, as there was a new extreme evil that had been brewing. they never really said what but it was easy to tell the implications, the way the world had seemed to be falling apart.

corporate greed and exploitation was probably what called about a new incarnation, of god, the devil, and all the heavenly figures. who knew, for sure? all they could say was that the universe had decided that it was time, and when it was time for them to go, they would know.

daniel had seen the way the world moves. the way it evolved and devolved. it reflected on his bright red eyes, the mirroring of the flames. that was also the natural appearance of the devil, a reflection of fire in cherry red eyes, but daniel’s eyes always seemed to take on more a brown tint when he spoke of his past, turning slightly sad and dark.

and then he cracked a dick joke and max laughed so hard he wheezed and these moments were over, but max imagines that it probably made his heart ache when he saw how his death, the death of his peers, and those he killed were all for nothing with the second war came. and then all the wars after that. the way the world changed vastly with the evolution of human invention, creating ways for humanity to become even more depraved. ways for humans to suffer even more.

[myboyknows]

"the confidence when he's playing a role vs the insecurity when he's being himself" is such a good way to put it, and there's times I've fantasized about having a line that deft to throw at the haters. I'll keep it in my back pocket if such a situation ever arises again.

Please do!

I've been an AtS fan for a long time, and something I've always found so compelling about Angel is how easy it is for him to slip into a disguise and walk into a situation armed only with his own confidence in the role he's playing. He does it several times - especially over the course of the first two seasons of AtS - and I am absolutely enthralled by it. He's suddenly an art museum guide, a police detective in charge of a crime scene, a priest, 'cool' vampire J-Don, a lawyer, a French guy who loves fashion. Angel would never go out in a Hawaiian shirt and beach hat on his own, but he has zero problem with becoming Herb Saunders: Clueless Tourist from Baltimore in front of a mob boss. There are a lot of things this says to me about his character:

He's clever.

He's spontaneous.

He's calm under pressure.

He's good at improv/bluffing and should probably call Rebecca Lowell's agent and just become an actor already.

He doesn't care how strangers perceive him. This is the one that I think a lot of fans don't really understand about Angel. This man does not give a fuck. The reason he wouldn't wear a Hawaiian shirt on a normal day but is happy to do it in front of Little Tony isn't because he's embarrassed for other people to see him in a loud shirt - clearly - but because Angel has his own particular style that he feels comfortable in as himself and doesn't want to wear something that doesn't appeal to him, unless he himself chooses to wear it for a reason. It's like with the pink motorcycle helmet. Angel has no problem with other people mistaking him for a gay man, so when he doesn't want to wear the ladies' helmet, it's not because it might affect anyone else's perception of him but because he doesn't want to wear that helmet and he didn't get a choice. He likes his dark clothes and he likes his car, and the fake swami accuses him of developing this type of style to cultivate a persona for other people to appreciate without taking into consideration that these things appeal to Angel himself regardless of what strangers think. The only folks that he does actually care about in terms of their impressions of him are his friends, and so he'll correct them (sometimes) when they misinterpret him, but often he lets them think what they want about him, too. Which is maybe why it feels like Angel is so often misunderstood in fandom - because so many fans simply accept other characters' opinions of Angel as if they are fact rather than actually looking at Angel himself. Like with the smiling thing. There's an overwhelming fannish opinion that Angel doesn't smile very much because there are characters in the show who say he should smile more. But outside of serious or dangerous situations, Angel actually smiles all the time, and if it's any less than Wes or Gunn then it's only because he's more often in situations where it would be really weird to be smiling. He's a pleasant guy unless he's been given a reason not to be!

I also headcanon that one of the reasons Angel is so good at pretending to be someone else is because human camouflage is something that is literally built into his physiology as a vampire. Pretending to be something they aren't is a super important skill for all vampires, not just defensively in order to move through the human-dominated world but also as a means of getting close to their primary source of food. Angel spent 150ish years using his human face to deceive his prey while hunting, then a further 100ish years using it to blend in and disappear. Wolf in sheep's clothing, except the sheep's clothing is a really fucking good impression of a normal human being and he can wear it all the time. It comes naturally to vampires to pass as something they're not (we're ignoring the friend of Xanderrrrr's here) and Angel has 250 years of experience of people-watching. If he couldn't do pretty good imitations of different kinds of people by this point, I'd be surprised and disappointed in him.

But also! When we first meet Angel in the show, he's had very little experience interacting with humans while he's trying to be himself and not play some role to accomplish some kind of purpose. He's never had friends before, at least not with a soul, and he has no example of another vampire with a soul to imitate or learn from. He's flying totally blind, navigating unfamiliar territory, AND has conflicting impulses. So when he's insecure about his feelings and actions and expectations in his own life, that is also as natural for him as the confidence when it comes to pretending to be someone else.

Er, thanks for coming to my TED Talk?

[titsgirlbuffy]

hey sorry if you've gotten a million alerts about me liking way too many of your posts!! i'm currently rewatching Buffy and Angel for the first time in over a decade (i first watched both shows between ages 10 and 13 so this has been an eye opening rewatch) and the hyperfixation has returned big time! I've been scouring the internet for meta and all of yours that i've read resonate with me a lot.

if you ever feel like writing them out (no pressure of course!) i'd love to read some more of your gay Wesley thoughts -- i've also always read him as gay, and i have such a strange time going into his tag on tumblr because soooo much of it is Wes/Lilah content. i'm particularly curious about your thoughts on how a gay reading of Wesley impacts his storylines with Lilah, Fred, and maybe Virginia. also sorry if all this is weird from a non-Buffy-blog stranger!!

Omg Thank You for sending this! It’s been sitting in my inbox for a while cause I needed to actually think about it in words rather than just. Autistic screeching. And also cause I wanted to see more of the Wesley/Lilah relationship to make sure my first thoughts weren’t totally baseless (if anything they’re being proven further). Just watched Apocalypse Now-ish so there’s probably later stuff I’d add in if I’d seen the whole show.

I’m really surprised by how many fans read him as straight (no offense but we have different eyes). Wesley’s coded as queer pretty often – part of it’s just the queer-coding of the Buffyverse supernatural in general (see This Old Gang of Mine for a questionable but really clear-cut example), but there’s also tons where it’s him specifically (in Sanctuary where the council’s kill squad call him out on his “perverted” relationship with Angel and also call him a ponce, Wesley stopping Angel in that same episode before the fight to make sure he knows he gave up a chance to go home and be accepted by his father and culture For Angel, multiple times in season one when outsiders assume he and Angel are together, that time Angel gets possessed by an old guy who assumes Wesley is his boyfriend and tries to let him down gently but freaks out when Wesley goes to touch him… etc etc etc). Plus the way he looked up to Angel in early seasons absolutely comes across as a crush, he and Gunn were So into each other but Wesley especially was repressed about it (running theme, man radiates internalised homophobia), and all his relationships with women… well, there’s Layers going on.

So his early relationship with Cordelia was the first time (if you don’t count just. Looking at him) I solidly thought Wesley must be gay, rather than any other label. To me that’s absolutely a comphet relationship on his part. The crucial parts of the Cordelia/Wesley relationship is that 1. He sees himself as “a bad, bad man” for wanting to pursue anything with Cordelia, and as such 2. She is completely unattainable, but 3. When it’s proven that she’s Not unobtainable actually, the relationship falls apart the instant they try to do anything about it. He’s attracted to Cordelia because it’s a safely straight crush where he’s not Allowed to actually follow through on anything (and panics the moment he does anyway), and to an extent because a relationship would give him a reason to stay in California.

I headcanon Wesley as actually working out that he’s gay between seasons 1 and 2 – purely because he’s the one who introduces the group to Caritas and was visiting it between seasons, which… do I need to explain why Caritas is a gay bar? Please feel to ask me to explain that if anyone doesn’t get it, but for now, trust me, as a frequenter of gay karaoke bars, Caritas is 100% a gay karaoke bar. This is also around the time he starts dressing differently, stops wearing multi-piece fully buttoned suits year round in California. He’s getting more comfortable being himself.

Which all makes his relationship with Virginia really interesting. They met when he was mimicking Angel’s Straight Man Persona (literally in the same episode where Angel was getting therapy and being told that his manly persona is an act and that it’s hurting him. Yeah), and I’m not totally sure if she was a beard or a purposefully chosen Public Relationship. She was a billionaire socialite – again, Wesley’s internalised homophobia is off the charts, and this is a relationship that got into the papers (and would definitely get back to his family, if they made any effort to look). Sidenote, I’m genuinely certain that he was just homeless until they got together. Wesley is established as Broke™, starts dating a billionaire, and suddenly has a large swank apartment? In LA? I am simply drawing connections. So yeah, while I’m undecided about how much Virginia knew this, their relationship reads as one based on public persona and just social climbing generally.

Fred’s the most complicated of his relationships with women. The rivalry with Gunn is probably a part of it, but actually I think a bigger part is Billy. As in, Billy, the guy who made any guy who touched him (or his blood, sorry Wes) become violently misogynistic. Side eyeing the writers for that one, but still, it Really fucked Wesley up. Fred was fine, she doesn’t blame him, but after the spell wore off Wesley literally hid in his room for a week then told her “I don’t know what kind of man I am anymore” then Cut His Hair Short Again. Some sort of closeness to Fred had been alluded to before this (protecting her in This Old Gang Of Mine despite her very much being able to protect herself, suddenly being given an interest in science despite being a linguist), but that was really the turning point for this being a textual Attraction. Even then, similar to the Cordelia thing, Wesley never makes a move (assuring everyone who asked that he would when he was ready. Okay), and when he talks about it, it’s an attraction to a Fred that literally doesn’t exist.

Fred doesn’t need anyone making a shovel talk on her behalf – she can and will just kill them herself (at the point I’m at, she and Gunn might break up because He killed someone when she’d wanted to do it on her own). There was a great moment when Lilah dressed up as “Fred”, complete with schoolgirl outfit and glasses, and the shot cut to Fred, hair down, glasses free, ready to hunt a ghost with Gunn. The irony is that the Fred who actually Does exist has way more in common with Wesley (it’s honestly just the gender that’s the issue here), but in a combo of self hatred and need to redeem himself post-Billy, Wesley’s created this sweet innocent young scientist who he needs to Protect™. Is that love? Well, he didn’t make a move when he thought it was.

I can see why people like his relationship with Lilah. They’re awful. Literally the first time they slept together it was because Wesley was So depressed and was hoping he wouldn’t regret it until the morning (didn’t work. Regretted it instantly). He doesn’t have a job, and Lilah’s trying to recruit him to W&H. I said, the second time we saw them on screen, that he was prostituting himself. I was joking! But uh. Canon jokes about how “giving” Lilah is. Expensive bribes (“gifts”, Lilah insists) Wesley could never afford. He makes a bet with her for ONE DOLLAR, loses, she MAKES HIM SIGN THE DOLLAR, and then LEAVES IT WITH HIM. They’re in bed for this. I just. I was joking. I wasn’t expecting an actual scene of them in bed with a dollar bill between them. What the fuck. Anyway, that aside, he really does just hate himself right now, tangibly depressed post-baby-theft, and Lilah is There. Caritas doesn’t exist any more and there’s no plausible deniability in a non-demon gay bar.

Thanks again for reading my stuff @lostupst8 <3 never apologise for spamming me, I crave attention

[youarethedancingdean]

Day 4 of @steddie-week

Prompt: Here come the Tears - Judas Priest

Why Eddie Munson had left the only place he ever called home about 10 months ago he couldn't quite tell anymore. He'd left his angel of an uncle and his friends behind in hopes of making it in the big city. "Making it" didn't necessarily include being able earn his living with music or finding success in some sort of corporate job (please, anything but that). But it included happiness and maybe being more open about his sexuality in the safety of anonymity.

So far, Eddie hadn't really made any friends here, though. He got along with the coworkers of his two and a half jobs for the most part but none of them had ever made it to his private life. It was a shame, since some of them were pretty cool. Especially Robin, his loud-mouthed colleague from the coffee shop.

He'd gotten used to being alone, which is why he was surprised when Robin invited him to her birthday party on the coming weekend. He'd gotten so used to it in fact, that he honestly considered not going. Robin wouldn't take no for an answer, though, so in the end he went. He was one of the first people to arrive, but it was fun to talk to everyone anyways. Perhaps he wasn't as comfortable being all by himself as he thought. Over time the rest of the guests arrived, one of them being a very handsome sort of preppy looking guy about his age. Eddie had always had a thing for that look which might be surprising for anyone seeing him in his metal outfits.

"Who's the guy with the good hair?" Eddie asked Robin when they both grabbed a drink from the fridge. "Oh, you mean Steve? He's my best friend from home, he recently moved to the city. You into him? I could introduce you guys. Tell him he had good hair and you're basically in." Robin was the only one here who knew that he was gay, still he thought she had to be joking. There was no way Steve was gay, Eddie had seen him flirt with some of the girls already. Not that he was stalking him or anything. "Yeah, sure," he said despite figuring he had no real shot with him. Making a friend wouldn't hurt either.

When they left hours later, Eddie and Steve were still chatting. They walked together since they lived in the same direction, shared a few cigarettes and more importantly many laughs on their way. It was nice to meet people he actually like for once and perhaps he should hang out with Robin’s friends more often.

"If you ever wanna do something again, give me a call. Just hang out or maybe go out... just let me know," Steve said as they reached Eddie's apartment building. "Go out? What do you mean? Like dancing? I don't do that," Eddie responded, looking at Steve in confusion. "I meant, like, a... a date maybe. But, as I said, hanging out is cool, too," Steve clarified, shyly rubbing the back of his neck. "You want to go out on a date with me? Okay, yeah, we can do that," Eddie replied before the other would change his mind. He was shocked, but he still knew what he wanted. "Awesome," Steve said with a grin and produced an old gum wrapper and a pen from his jacket pocket. He jotted down his phone number and handed it to Eddie, smiling brightly. "Actually call, okay?" Eddie nodded in response.

That night Eddie fell asleep with a smile, still unsure how he'd gotten so lucky just then. He couldn't wait to see Steve again and as things seemed Steve would be excited to see him again, too.

[jakowskis]

Day 23 - Discuss Tosh. Opinions? Favorite moment? Least favorite moment? Any unpopular opinions? Any fun headcanons?

tosh my babygirl my princess light of my life angel darling… shes so good. shes so good 🥺 i love her dearly. she’s so damn underutilized i hate how the show regulates her to a supporting role + only uses her for romantic plots. WACK shes so much more than that. i want a plotline about her cyberterrorism like hello??? i want a plotline about her warped little mind.. i want a plotline about her finally learning spanish ;-; that show did not do her justice and it did not deserve her. i often say torchwood’s characters are too good for the show; tosh is probs the best example of that. no other character gets screwed over as badly as she does by the narrative (not even ianto!) she’s so tragic and lonely i just wanna give her the biggest hug ever. 

fav moment… every time she smiles. (or smirks. hrgh. tosh call me.) also every time she geeks out about smth. im tryna think of a specific moment but idk if i have one?? i just love her overall i smile every time she’s on screen she’s my girlie. when i rewatch i might rmr one though

least favorite moment, the absolute only thing i can think of (hell, my only complaint with her as a character other than i wish she’d get over owen cuz bad taste queen pls u deserve sm better) - it’s always bothered me how she goes over to owen’s flat in aditd and just starts babbling about her own problems. she even says something like “you think everything’s about you”, and in that ep it’s like ??? why are they all acting like he’s unjustified being miserable and angry when he's fucking dead?? like they're all so unsympathetic and mean, even tosh, and out of her it's especially weird?? tbh it just strikes me as ooc (+ kind of misogynistic highkey) writing. i mean, by all means, let tosh bitch, she deserves to blow off some steam + esp deserves to be rude to owen tbh fhsdkjfsd, but the way it’s done in that particular moment feels ooc and, like, how men write women as talking too much and never listening lmao u kno what i mean (owen’s tuned out in the actual episode but you can see her full ramble in the original script, on page 23). tosh has never troubled anyone with her issues before, why would she choose now to, and when she knows owen’s struggling? yeah, on second thought, i don’t hold that against her actually, that’s ooc to me fhdkf. thts just the writer being a wiener.

my only unpopular opinions (slash hot takes) are that 1) towen fucking SUCKS get her away from him, and 2) most people like tosh but she’s highkey underappreciated, esp in fanfic, because of fandom racism + misogyny. she’s not bashed like gwen is but she’s ignored completely which is nearly as bad, and a lot of it’s cuz she happens to be in a show with two white men in a gay relationship who are overwhelmingly prioritized 💀 i will never not be petty about the way that ship dwarfs everything else in comparison. also throwing towen into the background of janto is so gross n cheap. if ppl cared abt her they'd do smth more interesting. and it's never well-done either. ugh.

i have a few hcs that are gonna end up in my owento verse (gwen and tosh are prominent characters in it bc i love them, and their relationships w owen and ianto and each other also have value lawl). tbh a lot of em are just things i think they should introduce into their lives to be happier. i want them happy ;-;

she starts coding video games recreationally!! nothing fancy but she rlly enjoys it + also gets into the swing of making little storylines n getting to express herself that way which is good for her. owen playtests shit for her

her and gwen go on spa dates sometimes. they put it on the torchwood credit card

she gets into fish tanks and fish tank care!!! esp like aquarium plants. shrimp and moss balls, that sort of thing. maybe plecos or loaches. she loves it + it’s grounding, which is good for her bc shes otherwise always got her head in her computers yanno. she’ll sit by her tank while she codes her games and the water sounds are calming. 

she also sits by it while she studies her spanish books which she does finally do. she doesn’t get around to the piano, though; doesn’t prioritize buying a keyboard. maybe one day (this is a nobody dies au btw so she will in fact eventually get around to it ;-;)

oh she’s autistic have i said that. the fish tanks absolutely become a spin. she has a few we know of from canon - math and computers, obviously, but also history (gbg) and the uk’s rivers (from gooseberry; i think it was just the uk maybe it was europe’s rivers. or the world’s! i don’t remember). she also loves trivia like she knows a fair amount about quite a lot of things + loves accumulating random info

lowkey also. giving her a kitty. i think tosh should have a lil fuzzy kitty to keep her company 

well this is smth from my owandy verse but i think it should happen anyway. so it kind of kicks off bc gwen mixes up a blind date (it was gonna be tosh & andy and then owen & a friend of hers, but shes an adhd icon n bungles the invites <3)... tosh ends up with gwen’s friend, who’s straight, but they hit it off and she invites tosh to have drinks or maybe come to a bookclub meet or something with some friends of hers?? point is, tosh makes some casual friends. maybe meets a pretty girl there or smth 👁️ but mainly i want tosh to have girl friends like i think she grew up very lonely i want her to have some normalcy

also sometimes i like tosh x andy maybe they have a little meet cute at a torchwood crime scene or smth fshdkfd. i think they’d be cute and he’d treat her well. she'd babble abt tech stuff and he wouldnt understand a damn word but he'd listen very intently

i also like tosh x ianto for similar reasons. i think it’d be a kind of friends to lovers sitch... they should just be close in general tbh, platonically or not yanno, and in my owandy verse i like the idea of smth kicking off between them i just think theyd be so sweet

she’s a very sleepy drunk and also a lightweight. if the team goes out to drink she’ll get two glasses of smth moderately fruity and then fall asleep against someone’s shoulder it’s very cute (this is just cuz i like the idea of a sleepy tosh 🥺 my baby my baby shes so precious to meee)

[therumpus]

The Rumpus Mini Interview with Kelly Sather

Kelly Sather’s collection of stories, Small in Real Life (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2023), won the 2023 Drue Heinz Literature. Chosen by judge Deesha Philyaw, Sather’s stories pierce the sparkle of Los Angeles and often set characters on a course with reality.

***

The Rumpus: I loved this collection. Can you talk about how these stories began?

Kelly Sather: Thank you! A story usually begins with my curiosity about a moment adjacent to an experience I’ve had, or a novel or story I’ve read. I tend to follow the darker threads. They have the most energy on the page for me. I wrote about Southern California without a lot of intention other than when I started a story; that’s where I would find myself. What did Flannery O’Connor say, “Anyone who has survived childhood has enough material to write for the rest of his or her life.” So I wrote about where I grew up, L.A. I will admit that one story came from a dream. I woke up and wrote it down. That’s only happened once, and I think because I was writing every day, really in the thick of it, and my mind kept going after I’d gone to bed.

Rumpus: Your characters and settings are inseparable, as in, “He’d never come across a woman in Los Angeles aging by nature,” and “[his friend] had asked him to Los Angeles, believing he would never come . . . just talking, talking, talking Hollywood into the phone.” Can you unpack those lines and talk about L.A. as a setting?

Sather: The lines you mention are from the perspectives of men struggling with their sense of worth, pushing that down, and what comes up is resentment. That pressure of denying vulnerability and expressing anger instead lies below the sentence so there’s a sharp emotional twisting happening that I think gives the sentences power. As I’m writing, I’m just trying to create as much conflict as possible and messing with phrases until one fits the mood. Sometimes it’s how the words sound together out loud. I read out the dialogue while I’m working. 

As for L.A., the influences of fame and beauty from Hollywood are hard to escape there. People living outside the business are pressed against it, and it’s both surreal and at the same time can implicate your sense of self, if you let it, or even sometimes if you don’t. Social media has expanded that umbrella so we can all fall under the spell. I found this particular L.A. lens had a loudness in my head that I wanted to write out and see where it led. 

Rumpus: How long did you work on these stories? Were any previously published?

Sather: I wrote the stories over seven years—a few took years of revision and others came together more quickly. My challenge is trusting the story and experimenting at the same time—writing what I may cut and not caring if I do. Maybe I’ll call it an attentive nonchalance. As soon as a story felt ready, I started submitting it to journals. So several of the stories were previously published, and I’m grateful to the journal editors. The title story was the first, published by Roxane Gay when she was the editor at Pank Magazine, which was incredibly exciting to receive her email. That yes kept me going. 

Rumpus: What writers have influenced you? 

Sather: For these stories, I found myself rereading Mary Robison, Grace Paley—I love Grace Paley’s sentences—and Deborah Eisenberg. Jennifer Egan, too. Some story writers who have influenced me: Alice Munro, William Trevor, Amy Hempel, and Bret Anthony Johnston. 

Rumpus: You were an entertainment attorney at one point. Is that when you began writing fiction? 

Sather: I can say I’ve always wanted to write fiction. But I didn’t start until I was an attorney. I started by taking classes at UCLA Extension at night. They gave me my first deadlines, which I needed to sit down and write. Thank you, UCLA. 

Rumpus: What are you working on now, and where can readers find you?

Sather: I’m working on a novel set in California and enjoying the spaciousness, for now. Online, I’m at kellysather.com and on Instagram kl_sather. 

*** Ramona Reeves is a fiction and essay writer who lives with her wife in Austin. She won the 2022 Drue Heinz Literature Prize and the 2022 Best First Book of Fiction Award from the Texas Institute of Letters for her collection It Falls Gently All Around and Other Stories. Find her on Instagram @ramoreeves.

Kelly Sather is The Rumpus's next Letters in the Mail writer. Twice a month, The Rumpus brings your favorite writers directly to your IRL mailbox via our Letters in the Mail program. Subscribe by October 14 to receive a letter from Kelly Sather!

[will-you-pick-me]

YELLOW HINT I REPEAT YELLOW HINT!!!!!!! DOES MR THE NARRATOR WATCH US THROUGH SMALL ANIMALS???? Oh my gosh he's probably a corvid lover isn't he? No, actually, that feels fitting in my mind but it'd be kind of cute if he picked a chunky lil brightly colored orb of a bird, cardinals come to mind, if thats even TRUE and he even prefers birds, maybe he watches us through squirrels? wait. no. raccoons. tis but a theory tho so i guess I will just neeeeeever know also UGH....MIKEY.....mikey is going to say be gay do crime and im gonna end up on international news as a murderer (not like i'd snitch on him though, ill take the jail time for him any day of the weak) Something I find interesting though, our lovely angel is very intent on our safety, and I can only assume that perhaps that's where.....buttons maybe pushed. Would I be right in assuming Zach is the type to see yn as someone who's perhaps not 'pure' but someone innocent and kind that's too be protected? Hmmm, if that's the case then the conflict of what Zach sees yn as vs how they actually might be.....interesting interesting! Also I so desperately want to give the narrator so many rocks from outside, and also seashells, i think i'd blow his mind with petrified wood and drift wood OH, Jessica does historical fashion quite often and it seems she makes corsets 4 a living 2 sell at ren faires? (and probably just in general) so like.....what's everyone dressing up as for a ren faire. I must know. Personally? I'm a pirate that's been cursed to be part fish

"It's not how you find me, sadly. That journey is... painful, for everyone involved. I'd almost rather you didn't set me free, considering what such a feat will demand of you. Ah, but I talk too much... Apologies, my darling Y/N. And thank you, for the thought of your gifts."

... ANYWAYS!

Mikey likely won't get you charged for murder - and even if that was a concern, who's saying the local police aren't wrapped up snugly in our man-whores wallet~? Don't worry, you're not doing any jailtime, tiger.

Zach IS very worried about your safety! It might also be that they... Remember certain things they wish they didn't. Certain timelines. Unlike someone else, though, they don't have the power to do anything about it other than to ask you to be careful this time. If you wind up dead, they can't bring you back - that's out of their hands. And it kills them every time they have to see it, and remember it. It kills them every time they have to pretend they don't remember what happened, if you don't remember.

Also I am ENAMORED with the idea of a renfaire or fantasy au!! So excuse me while I dive headfirst into this lmao---

Mikey is 100% a pirate. Aside from the whole devilish charm bit and the crime, you CANNOT tell me he wouldn't wear that jaunty little tricorn hat and an open vest with those billowy pants and absolutely KILL the look. And I just KNOW he'd use the whole character as an excuse to call Y/N his "one true treasure" or something along those lines, the whore (affectionate).

Ulrich is definitely some kind of royalty, most likely a czar due to his Russian history. Also, the rich and intricate robes suit his strict and demanding personality I think - you can't make or put on something like that without knowing exactly what you're doing and knowing the exact process behind it.

Zach is likely still an angel, but in their divine garments instead of casual human clothes. I could see them maybe spicing it up with some other kind of spirit, though. Definitely lots of white silks and star sapphire jewelry set in silver, though, to match their hair and eyes and offset their dark skin.

Jessica usually attends renfaires as her seamstress persona, Madame Rouge, who runs the shop "Fateful Threads" - a pun on the mythos of the red string of fate. A true Fateful Threads corset will have it's boning channels sewn in with red silk thread, as well as it's sizing tag sewn on and embroidered with the same. She's often recognized by the silver chatelaine (Victorian toolbelt) that jangles from her hip, brass and porcelain glaze inlay decoration of a red rose, and her distinctive red curls that she'll style and powder up into a big coiffure. She also often has a brown leather apron tied over her skirts, which has no end of pin holes marking it.

Jack is the werewolf, obviously, but a very contrite one who does his best to do right, and he has pauldrons on his (otherwise bare 👀) shoulders and a sword at his back from doing his best to become a city guard :3 While he faces some stigma still from elders, the younger ladies and small children find him quite friendly and charming, and you might find him stomping around the campgrounds with a little tot perched on his shoulder, excitedly pointing at the direction they want to go.

Narrator gets stuck working the ticket booth probably because he's not allowed fun or freedom lmao---

[shadow-laviko]

Ok, so, about my story called Imperium... Well, the tittle is temporary... maybe) And I can't say everything here because it would be too darn long, so I'll just make a quick-ish summary, give you character names and let you know details, and let you decide if you wanna know more and what you wanna know more about

So, the story is divided in two parts (I thought it would be two books, but it'll probably end up being more, so, I'll say parts) Part 1 : Lucifer, a fallen angel wakes up in the demon world called Imperium. He immediately meets Asmodeus (they are genderfluid, I love them). As Lucifer gets to know more about Imperium and its inhabitants, he starts wanting to form a government to help demons (because the demon world is a bit unruly and there are conflicts between communities and people quite often). So, he'll go on a quest to find people to form this government (spoiler, they're the six other deadly sins demons, so, Asmodeus, Belphegore (who is a closeted trans girl, I love her, she's sweet), Belzebuth, Mammon, Leviathan (they are non binary) and Satan (who is a gay drama king, he is so funny, I love him lol).

Then after that, it's part two. Part 2 : Lidatore (Belphegore's younger brother) has to form a new government (for reasons I can't explain because huge spoilers), so he'll also gather six other people (well, five technically, given Simanis his best friend (my profile pic!! Look at him, look at my child, he is handsome, I love him)) is already by his side since Part 1. And, after Lidatore has enough people, he'll do something related to the reason why the previous goverment is not there anymore. Can't say much more without huge spoilers, saddly

So, if you wanna ask anything about any characters, here's the list (also, the ideas behind some of them either come from the Dictionnaire Infernal or the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum if you wanna get any ideas)

ALSO I started working on this project before knowing about Hazbin Hotel, so please don't come at me if thing are a bit similar here and there (like, if a demon is a snake in one of the sources I linked, well, of course they'll be a snake in both here and Hazbin)

Main-ish characters

Asmodeus

Belphegore

Belzebuth

Mammon

Leviathan

Lucifer

Satan

Lidatore

Flare

Simanis

Mira (?)

???

Praesibus (?)

Trick

Lilian (human)

Sychariel (angel)

Françoise (human)

Clovis (human)

Side characters :

The Nihil brothers (Achroma and ???)

Adramelech / Andrealphus

Alphas, Malphas, Sabnock, Vine and Crocell (I don't have much to say about them, so if you ask for one, you get them all)

Astaroth

Others to come later

Please, if you ask about characters, tell me if you wan a true answer or an in character answer (basicallly for example : you have a bad character who fakes being a nice character : "Would you push someone who is about to fall of a cliff if no one is around?" true answer : absolutely | in character answer : oh of course not, that would be awful, I'd help them of course!)

I also developped world building, so I have a calendar, regions (Flora, Thalia, Serena, Eris, Pandemonium, Damara, Sophia), plants, creatures... The list is too long (not that much actually, but you know, this post is already long enough, I think you can handle thinking about asking whether or not there are chicken, without me telling you that chickens are on the list of creatures- basically, just ask anything you can think about regarding world building)