#partially bc i have a couple of small summer plans

[mlmdarkfiction]

TOMORROW IS MY LAST FINAL I WONT HAVE CLASSES TILL FALL IM GUNNA TRY TO MAKE CONTENT AGAIN

[scribblesforthemad]

There and Back Again - Part 21

Many, many thanks to @skyfall8600 whose excellent Sucked In series not only inspired this one, but brought me out of a years-long writing slump! The first few parts of this series are heavily inspired by her work, while diverging more significantly later on. Regardless, I wholeheartedly recommend her work, and thank her for allowing me to use a few of her excellent ideas!

series warnings: swearing, misogyny, canon-typical violence, fluff, insecurity; sfw but gets a little ~steamy~ in a couple places

part twenty-one warnings: swearing, discussion of canon-typical violence, discussion of period homophobia, kissing, angst, fluff

a/n: I managed to finally get out of a bit of a slump this weekend, and I'm really pleased with Part 21 as a result! Also please let me know if you're seeing my work in the tags--I think I might be shadowbanned, so any reblogging/commenting/promoting of this series would really help me out! (Also I just love hearing from y'all asdfhlaksjdfhas.) This part is partially dedicated to developing the friendship between Robin and reader, bc I love Robin and she deserves the whole world. Love to you all <3

taglist: @superflannel @kaitebugg03

“I don’t like this,” you announced yet again, causing groans from the Winnebago’s various other passengers.

“We know, Y/N,” Dustin said, sprawling over the seat like a bad-tempered octopus. “But we need weapons and the War Zone has them. What else are we supposed to do?” You rolled your eyes in response, but internally, you had to concede the point. You did need weapons, and the huge, remote store was the best place any of you could think of to get them.

“I just don’t want you running into Jason and his psycho killers,” you said, shooting Eddie a dirty look. He grinned, but you could see the worry in his eyes. “Sue me for caring about you.”

Max snorted from her seat in the back.

“I do know a good lawyer. Just ask Steve,” she said, before resuming her gaze out the window. You smiled in spite of yourself, glad to see the girl’s spirits returning—even if it was only temporarily.

“I believe it,” you said, glancing toward Steve and Nancy in the front of the RV. Steve motioned broadly with his right hand as he drove, and Nancy smiled fondly at his words. You couldn’t make out everything over the sputter of the Winnebago’s engine, but you knew he was laying out his grand plans for six little nuggets and yearly summer road trips. You felt a pang in your chest as you worried for the both of you. For Steve, who didn’t know if he would ever get to have the girl of his dreams—and for you, who might have gained the love of your life only to watch him die that very night. You swallowed heavily, and Eddie looked up at the noise.

“You okay, Siren?” he asked softly, his chocolate eyes wide with concern as he bent toward you, placing a gentle hand on your back. You closed your eyes and nodded, savoring the warmth of his touch. Who knew how many more times you would feel it?

By the time Steve pulled into the War Zone’s bustling parking lot, your heart was beating in time with your racing thoughts. What if Jason was in there? What if he went further than he had in the show? What if—

“We’ll be right back,” Nancy said, interrupting your reverie. “You two stay low—we don’t want to give anyone a reason to look too closely.” You gave her a small nod, and she turned on her heel, heading for the store entrance while the others trailed her like a row of ducklings. As the last one out, Dustin gave you and Eddie a somber nod before closing the door behind him, leaving the two of you alone in the RV.

Minutes passed. You chewed your bottom lip nervously, your left leg bouncing involuntarily as you tried and failed to think of anything besides the events of the coming night. Across the aisle, movement caught your attention. Your head shot up suddenly, looking for the source of the motion—and saw Eddie’s hand waving slowly in front of your face. Relaxing your shoulders, you let out a sigh of relief. It was only Eddie.

“Piece of gold for your thoughts?”

You raised your eyebrows, a small smile playing across your lips in spite of everything.

“I believe the phrase is ‘Penny for your thoughts,’ babe,” you said, evading the question. Eddie smirked, but didn’t take his eyes off of yours.

“Maybe for regular mortals,” he said confidently, folding his legs to sit cross-legged on the narrow bench. “But I figure that’s too cheap for your thoughts, princess. Yours oughta be worth at least a couple pieces of gold.” His lopsided grin made your heart flutter in your chest, and a warm blush spread across your cheeks.

“Oh, hush,” you said, not meaning it in the slightest. “You’re so dramatic, Munson.”

“Yeah, well,” he said breezily, lacing his hands behind his head. “We can’t all be bewitching siren queens or sword-swinging heroes, L/N. Gotta leave something for us court jesters.” He winked at you conspiratorially, but you didn’t smile. Something about his tone bothered you; though it was light on the surface, you could sense an undercurrent of bitterness—like he really believed he was nothing more than a jester, than an outlandish bit of entertainment for others to glance at and then forget. It nearly broke your heart.

“Don’t say that, Eddie,” you said quietly, rubbing your face tiredly with one hand.

“Say what?” he asked with confusion, leaning toward you with concern, his hands moving to rest on your knees. His big, brown eyes were quizzical, truly not understanding why you were upset.

“That you’re not a hero. It’s not true, and I can’t stand to hear you say it, not when—” you stopped yourself before you went further, a strangled sob rising in your throat. God, you were so, so scared.

“Not when what?” Eddie asked softly, tilting his head as he looked down at you, taking your small, soft hands into his large, calloused ones. You sniffled, taking several deep breaths as you tried to calm the storm of emotions roiling inside you. When you felt you could speak again, you looked into the deep brown eyes you’d fallen for since that first scene in the cafeteria. You took another deep breath.

“In the show,” you whispered, your eyes flicking down as your confidence wavered. “That what you said in the show, right before—”

You couldn’t finish the sentence, but it didn’t matter. When you looked at him again, Eddie’s gaze had changed. He looked more somber now, taking in the full impact of your words—but his hold on your hands never wavered. The steady pressure continued, as warm and strong as it always had been.

It amazed you how much he was focused on you in this moment—he’d just been told some of his last words, which would be spoken that very evening, and yet he was focused entirely on you. He was scared, sure, that much was obvious. But he didn’t let the fear consume him, or direct his actions, or do anything other than fuel his empathy for you. He was so much stronger than he believed; not an all-powerful comic-book hero saving the day with a roundhouse kick, but an everyday hero. A you’re-too-tired-from-work-so-I’ll-do-the-dishes, make-stupid-jokes-when-you’re-anxious, take-in-and-look-after-every-high-school-outcast kind of hero.

A real hero.

 “I love you,” you said, the words spilling from your lips before you could really think about it.

Eddie’s head shot up, his eyes widening with shock at your words. You blushed deeply at his reaction, hoping he didn’t think you were crazy, saying “I love you” after only a few days of being together. But the words were true, and you couldn’t—and wouldn’t—take them back.

“Sorry, I know it’s soon, but it’s true, and I’m just so scared for tonight, and Eddie—” Your voice broke on his name, and you looked pleadingly into his eyes. “Please, Eddie, promise me you won’t do anything stupid tonight. I love you so much, and I can’t—I can’t lose you,” you begged, your voice trailing into a ragged whisper. “I just can’t.”

Eddie’s face was still blank with shock that quickly morphed into bewilderment. He cupper your face in his hands, his eyes wide as he looked at you like he couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing. Like a thing so precious couldn’t possibly be his.

“Say something,” you whispered, your stomach twisting in knots at his silence. The afternoon light filtered through the curtains behind him, nearly forming a halo over his dark curls. You held your breath, your subconscious taking a moment to appreciate his beauty while your conscious mind was frozen with anticipation.

“I—I love you too, Y/N,” he finally stammered, an incredulous smile breaking across his face, making him look even more angelic. “More than I can say, hell—more than I thought was possible.” His voice grew huskier as emotion welled up in his throat. “I promise I’m not going anywhere. I’d spend the next fifty years doing only sensible things if it meant I could spend them with you.” Your heart swelled at his words, and you allowed yourself to hope for the first time in days. It felt like the first breath of air after a long and treacherous swim. “My Siren,” he whispered, drawing you toward him and resting his forehead on yours.

The kiss you shared next drove all thoughts of bats and spells and monsters from your mind, leaving only Eddie.

Only Eddie.

*             *             *                                              

The drive to the empty field was a short one, through a landscape just starting to acknowledge the coming of spring. Tiny patches of spring beauties and carpets of deadnettles dotted the emerging green with strokes of white and violet, shifting gently in the still-wintry wind. With the RV’s engine off, the afternoon was quieter than you’d expect, the insects not yet hatched and the birds still roosting in their warmer winter climes.

In fact, as you sat near the Winnebago with Robin, the only noise you heard was the playful fighting of Eddie and Dustin fifty yards away, charging and tackling each other before wielding sticks as imaginary longswords. You smiled gently as you watched them, loving the way Eddie instinctually put everyone at ease with his antics. The fondness you felt was so overwhelming, you didn’t even notice Robin staring until she spoke in your ear.

“You’ve really got it bad, huh?” she asked, nodding toward Eddie and Dustin, who were now mounting a valiant assault on the Sinclairs’ spear-making camp. You bit your lip, both embarrassed and happy to have been caught.

“Yeah,” you said simply, a bashful grin forming on your reddened face. “I really, really do. Lucky for me, he does too. Though I have no idea what I did to deserve it.” You gave Eddie one more fond look before turning to face Robin, who you were surprised to see was nearly on the verge of tears. “Hey, hey, hey,” you said soothingly, concern filling your voice as you reached for her, stroking her arms gently as she looked at you through glassy eyes. Your heart ached as you realized what was wrong. After all, you’d watched happy couples for years, forcing yourself to smile through the pain that came with observing the happiness you couldn’t have for yourself.

“I feel like such an idiot,” Robin said, pulling her arms from your grasp and crossing them protectively over her chest. “Like, in the face of the world ending, the stakes of my love life feel spectacularly low.” She let out a pained laugh. “And yet, I still can’t get her stupid laugh out of my head. Only it’s not stupid, its wonderful, and I could spend the rest of my natural life listening to it.” She swallowed hard. “Not that that’s likely to be very long, anyway.” Your gaze softened as you looked at your friend, the one who’d welcomed you from the start and treated you like a real, human person instead of an interdimensional freak. You took a deep breath. Fuck time paradoxes. Robin needed you.

“I can’t pretend like I know exactly what you’re going through, or that it will all magically get better and people will stop being assholes.” You took your hand in hers, causing her to look you in the eye as a single tear rolled down her cheek. “But I promise you, it does get easier.” You took a deep breath, trying to find the right words, the ones that would give even a glimmer of hope. “Like, 2022 is really, really far from perfect, and there’s still definitely homophobia, but it’s a lot less…blatant than it is now. Most of my friends came out in high school,” you said, smiling as you thought of them, “and no one gave a shit at all. A couple of them even went to prom together—slow-danced in the gym and everything.”

Robin’s eyes were wide with awe and longing, a flicker of hope stirring behind her tear-filled eyes. You glanced down at your feet, shifting your weight uncomfortably on the overturned plastic bucket.

Suddenly, there were wiry arms being thrown around your neck, holding you tighter than was strictly comfortable, but you didn’t mind. You wrapped your arms around Robin, returning the hug with a fierceness that surprised even you. Over the past month, Robin had grown into one of the best and closest friends you’d ever had. You’d shared laughter, and fear, and boredom; played pranks on Steve and plotted world-saving schemes on the weekends. Now, you were preparing for the final battle—the one that would decide if you’d done any good in Hawkins, Indiana.

And there was no one you’d rather have fighting by your side.

[jean-kayak]

Chapter 5

Summary: A relaxing summer at home after your second year of college sounds nice, until someone comes back and makes it anything but

Pairing: Eren Jaeger x black!fem!reader

Warnings: smut (18+!!), unprotected sex, reader being a tease, major sexual tension, grinding, multiple orgasms

A/N: Alrighty people, this is the moment you all been waiting for lmao, hope you like it. Here’s y’all food 🤣

Word Count: 3101

P.S.: If you listen to Body by Summer Walker, it'll make it better, I'll say when to play it and I've been dying to put this song in an Eren fic bc every time I listen to it, I only think of him lmfao

Tags: @her-majesty-kiara, @germfart3, @styxtm, @iwascrybaby, @bigdaddyzawa​, @erensblackgirlfriend​

Chapter Summary: You finally give in to him, with a little teasing of course

You cross your arms as you shake your head. "Ymir, I've already told you, I don't want a birthday party," you oppose, and she throws her hands up.

"Why not? Everyone wants a birthday party!" she argues, and you give her a look.

"Twenty's not even that big of a milestone. And my parents aren't gonna be home on the actual day, so I thought I could just relax, you know? I have a lot of shows to catch up on."

Ymir scoffs as she turns to Jean. "Please convince her that this is a good idea," she tries, and you look at Jean who shrugs.

"Why not? I mean you're only twenty once, right?" Your mouth drops open when you hear that he's siding with her, and Ymir cheers in triumph. "Come on, it's a party. It'll be fun."

"What's this about a party?" You feel your face go hot when Eren walks into the living room, and Ymir tilts her body so that she can look at Eren.

"We're throwing a party for, Y/N." You move to stand in front of her, blocking her view.

"No, you are not. I said I don't want a party. Why can't I just spend it with my two best friends and some terribly painful cliche movies?" you counter, and she gives you a bored look.

"What's wrong with a party?" Eren speaks up, and everyone turns around, putting him into the conversation. "I had one," he comments, and you roll your eyes, knowing it's not going to help your case.

"Exactly! So, did I when I turned twenty," she continues. "And turning twenty is a big milestone. It's your twenty's," she emphasizes, and you smile as you shake your head.

"Ymir, no."

"Y/N, yes!"

You both go back and forth until you're subconsciously talking. "No," Eren cuts off you, and you don't even realize it, not even turning to him as you say yes.

"Alright!" Ymir cheers and your mouth opens at what just happened. You turn to Eren who just gives you a wink, and you glare at him.

"Fine," you give in, "but no alcohol, Ymir."

~

Of course, Ymir planned to have the party in Jean's backyard, saying his had the nicest appeal, your close friends were all coming along with a few others, and you ended up celebrating your birthday with your parents the day before because they were leaving for a business trip on the day of your birthday.

Ymir thought a pool party was a good idea, but all Jean had was about a forty-two foot wide, five-foot deep pool in his backyard, but he filled it up anyway, and it was hot, so Ymir thought that was a good enough excuse for everyone to wear swimsuits.

Ymir was waiting for you to get changed, and her eyes widen when you come out in yours, a two-piece yellow suit. "What? Is there something wrong with it?" you ask, checking yourself in the mirror, wondering if maybe it was a bit too revealing.

"Absolutely not. You look smoking hot. I would sleep with you," she says, and you laugh loudly as you slip a huge t-shirt over yourself and you turn around to see Ymir walking up to you. "I'm serious. You might even get some birthday dick."

You guffaw as you shake your head and put your shoes on. "Yeah, right. Don't plan on that happening at all tonight."

You raise an eyebrow when you see a tiara and a sash in her hands. "Here, put these on," she tells you, and you scoff.

"Why? Everyone already knows it's my birthday," you answer, and she shrugs, pushing the items closer to you.

"It's for dramatic effect." You roll your eyes before slipping the slash on, looking in the mirror to put on the tiara.

You follow her downstairs, and she asks you to grab the ice cream and the waffle cones while she finishes setting up outside. You see Eren when you walk in, the only thing covering his body are the swim trunks that definitely are too small, the outline of his muscles clear as day.

Neither of you exchanges a word as you grab the stuff from the ice cream from the deep freezer before moving to grab the cones. There on the top shelf, so you have to reach up to get them, practically feeling his eyes burning into your ass, which is now partially exposed, and you jump slightly when you feel hands around your waist.

"Need some help?" he whispers in your ear, and you refuse to let him get you flustered again, so you grab the cones, before looking at him over your shoulder.

"No, I got it," you say before pushing your ass back against him, and you feel his breath hitch. "Thanks though," you say, smirking before walking away, looking back and chuckling slightly at his shocked expression.

Ymir takes the stuff from you and makes you wait in the house, wanting to announce you when you come out, and you shake your head fondly, but following anyway, and when she calls your name, you're walking out, the backyard is filled with whoops and hollers, and you find yourself smiling and laughing. Maybe this wasn't a bad idea after all.

Everyone surrounds you at the table as they sing happy birthday, and you blow out the candles, everyone clapping before Ymir starts to cut the cake. Everyone comes to you individually when they can during the party, wishing you a happy birthday and giving you a hug.

You got into the pool pretty early, about seven people being able to get in without it being crowded, and also because it was a lot hotter than you thought it would be, so people are coming in and out of the house to escape the heat. You're slipping your shoes off when you make eye contact with Eren across the yard, who's watching you, and you make a show of slowly stripping off your shirt, tossing it in a chair next to you before turning around and bending over, sticking your arm in the water, pretending that you're testing the temperature, knowing that this swimsuit was a little bit more revealing than your other ones, knowing that your ass was nearly exposed.

You look over your shoulder to see that his eyes are glued to your ass, and you can help but chuckle before you get in, feeling proud of yourself because two can play at this game. You sort of just wade in the water, talking to your friends. You don't go underwater since you just got twists, which Ymir paid for, even though you insisted that she didn't have to, but she said she was treating you since it was your birthday.

You share your slice of cake with Jean, opting for eating ice cream instead, and you make eye contact with Eren for a second time, and another idea forms in your head. He's watching you intently this time, a look in his eye you can't really pinpoint, but you check to make sure no one's looking your way before licking at your ice cream in the filthiest way, and you can see his fist clench, making you smile widely.

You dip a finger into it before raising it to your mouth, making a lewd show of licking your finger clean before popping it out of your mouth, sending him a wink, and you see him breathe out heavily before he looks away, and you laugh softly before Ymir's pulling you away saying that you have to take pictures for the occasion.

There's some alcohol because it's Ymir, but not enough for you to be overly concerned, taking a couple of shots until Ymir insists that you have a few more because you're close to being legal now, and you have to stop her when she tries to take more than you. The party's pretty much died down, the only people left are some of your close friends, and you're walking into the house to put the ice cream in the freezer when you hear footsteps behind you.

You turn around to see Eren, hiding your smirk as you close the freezer. "Happy birthday," he says as his eyes trail down your body, your suit still wet from the water, so it's clinging to your skin.

"Thanks," you respond easily, noticing that there's an edge to his voice. To Eren right now, you're basically naked, and he's pretty sure you know that. He couldn't help the envious burn in his chest at the sight of Jean hugging you, his hand resting on the exposed skin between your top and your bottoms, and he wanted to walk over there and take you in front of everybody.

His eyes were on you the entire time, never leaving you, and it's not like he wanted to, and he already knew that he was going to have you after your first little stunt, but you kept going, kept pushing him. He knew you knew that he was watching you, having to quickly stop his mouth from falling open after seeing how little your swimsuit was.

He didn't expect you to be such a fucking tease, nearly having to go somewhere to take care of his hard-on that you caused after your third stunt, and that's when he lost it. "Aren't you glad you had the party?" he asks you, and you smile softly before nodding.

"Yeah, I did. Ymir did a really good job," you admit, and he nods, his eyes catching a drop of water run down your chest into the valley of your breasts, and he feels his dick stir again. He steps closer to you until the freezer is digging into your ass.

"You think you're cute, don't you?" he asks, and you shrug as you tilt your head.

(play the music here hehe)

"Maybe. Did you like it?" you ask teasingly, and he smirks at you as he rests his hands on either side of you on top of the freezer. "Thought it would be nice for you to get a taste of your own medicine." You don't know where all of this confidence is coming from, but you don't let it ruin the moment.

"Yeah?" he says, leaning closer to your lips.

"Yeah," you echo, watching his eyes glance down at your lips before he licks his.

He watches you smirk, the lustful look in your eyes matching his, both of you more than feeling the tension in the room. You turn around, moving just enough so that he doesn't have to move his arm, and his eyes instantly fall to your ass, and his hands grip the edge of the freezer when you bend over, and he moves back to give you room, your backside flush against his dick, and he sighs heavily.

The music from outside is still clear as day, so you roll your hips against him to the rhythm of the music as his hands grip your hips. You go from moving your hips side to side, up and down, rolling them around in a circle until Eren feels like he might cum from the stimulation and the sight of your almost naked ass grinding against him.

And you can't help but admit that this is affecting you too. You're pretty sure that if your swimsuit wasn't wet, then the huge wet spot from your arousal that you know is there would show through. You gasp suddenly when he pulls you up flush against his chest but your shoulder, his hands rubbing all over your body as you continue moving your hips.

"So," you start, not even realizing that you're practically breathless from just grinding against him. "How's it taste?"

He brings a hand up to your neck, guiding you to face him, and he leans down but pulls away when you try to close in, and he smirks seeing the hunger in your eyes that matches his. "If you're gonna fuck me, Jaeger, then fuck me."

That's all it takes before he's crashing his lips down on yours, the kiss taking your breath away as he tightens his hands around your waist. He pulls away too quickly for your liking, but the next thing you know he's pulling you upstairs so fast that you're glad you took your shoes off because you're sure that you would've tripped. He's leading you to his old room, quickly opening the door and closing it behind him, the door barely clicking closed before he has you on the bed, his hands touching every part of your body that's exposed.

His lips are on yours again, and kissing him is nothing like you've ever imagined, which to your embarrassment is way too many times to count. It's sloppy, but it feels so good, like finally receiving something that you've been deprived of for so long. He unravels the string on your swim top, his lips never leaving yours as he throws the clothing to the side.

The kisses are nothing but tongue, but it's full of hunger, the sounds of your lips smacking together echoing in the room, and he moves down, sucking every mark into your neck until it's covered in love bites as his hands cup your boobs, groping them roughly, whining softly when he pulls at the hard buds.

"Come on, Eren," you plead, bucking your hips up, brushing against his raging erection, and he groans into your neck before lifting himself up to get rid of his trunks while you get rid of your bottoms. You can't help but gape at his dick, looking at how big it is, and you start to worry if it'll actually fit.

"It'll fit," Eren states, reading your mind, sitting up on his knees, looking down at you. "You're gonna take all of it, cause I'm not playing games anymore."

Your mouth opens to say something, but you go quiet when he starts stroking himself, and you realize that you haven't actually looked at him. And, God, he's so hot, your mouth watering subconsciously. This is way better than what you've fantasized, and you fight the urge to pinch yourself to make sure you're not dreaming.

You lean forward to rub down his abs which definitely feel like they could cut glass before you brush over his length on the way down, making his jaw clench. You're about to replace his hand, but he moves yours away, and you're being pushed back down onto the bed as he lines himself up.

You gulp in anticipation, but your mouth falls open when you feel the tip start to stretch you out, and you moan at the feeling. He braces himself on his elbows as he slides in further, and you feel your eyes roll back as you feel the stretch burn throughout your whole body rendering you nearly speechless.

"God," he pants, his voice breaking as he rests his forehead against yours. "You feel so fucking good, even better than I fucking imagined," he sighs once he bottoms out, and you feel so full, your nerve endings on a thousand.

"Move," you manage, and he wastes no time in pulling out, and you go from feeling completely empty to full in an instant, your scream bouncing off the walls as he thrusts into you mercilessly, his chain smacking your chin with every roll of his hips.

"Eren!" you scream when he hits those bundle of nerves inside of you, and his hips falter when you clench around him.

"Shit, say my name again, baby girl. Scream it," he demands, picking up the pace to brutalize that spot, and your nails dig into his back as you say his name over and over again like a mantra.

"Ngh, I'm close." You can barely get the words out, every cant of his hips feels like he's reaching deeper inside of you every time.

"Shit, me too. Cum, baby, please cum," he begs, running a hand down your side to thumb at your clit. You cum as soon as he makes contact, and he puts his lips on yours to muffle your scream of his name as you cum so hard you see stars. "Fuck," he whispers, his hips seeming to pick up speed, and then his body's tensing as he shoots into you.

You don't even have the chance to catch your breath because he's slipping out of you and flipping you over. You already feel the soreness starting to form, and he rubs soothing circles down your back as he props you up on your knees. "You got one more in you for me, I know you do, baby," he says, easing back inside of you, and you feel your eyes rolling at the stretch.

"Move, Eren, come on," you rush, moving your hips back against him, and he grips your hips hard before he starts moving, and your hands keep a tight grip on the sheets as you bite into the pillow, muffling the sounds that spill out of your mouth that you have no control over.

He's ramming into that spot inside of you, and your body is shaking with overstimulation, the only way you're staying upright is because he's holding you. "Too--oh fuck," you cry out, trying to tell him that it's too much, your body feeling like it's going to explode, your brain numb with pleasure.

"You can take it, you're my good girl, yeah?" He releases a broken moan when you clamp around him, and he leans over you, his grunts and suppressed moans are breathing right in your ear, and you let out a broken whine as you buck back into him as you seem to move away from him at the same time.

His head falls on your shoulder. "God, Y/N, you feel so good, I'm so fucking close," he praises, and the wrecked sound of your name is the last straw, dropping your head down to cover the loud scream that rips from your chest, your body going rigid as your eyes roll back in your head.

"Shit, shit," he swears, and he's cumming right after you, releasing another load inside of you. You both stay in the same position, your ragged breaths barely filling your ears, wincing when he pulls out, and as soon as he lets go, you're falling limp on the bed.

You barely move, every shift of your legs sends an overstimulated jolt through your body, and you feel him flop down on the bed next to you.

"Happy Birthday, Y/N."

|Chapter 4|Masterlist|Chapter 6|

[love-bokumono-fics]

Fresh Crops! Week of July 4 - July 10, 2022

This week's newest fics and chapter updates for the Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons fandom on AO3!

Barriers - by krose13; WIP, 26/?, 199k

Rating: Mature; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town, DS Cute Relationships: Claire the Farmer/Gray, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran/Cliff; Characters: Claire, Gray, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran, Cliff, Kai, Karen, Popuri, Mary the Librarian, Rick, Basically the whole Mineral Town cast, plus Forget-Me-Not Valley Additional Tags: Drama & Romance, Complicated Relationships, Sexual Content, Slow Burn, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Not for the kiddos, Fluff and Angst, Jealousy, Unplanned Pregnancy, trying to fit a realistic pregnancy in hm time is a challenge but we doin it, POV First Person, Mutual Pining, Drug Use, Dreams and Nightmares, Drowning, I’ll probably have to add more tags as we go along but Summary: Unlike everyone else in town, Gray wants nothing to do with the new farmer. He can't stand Claire, despite all her attempts to befriend him. But when one small mistake leads to an even bigger problem, he might be seeing a lot more of her than they both had planned.

Where the Ocean Meets the Sky - by TwinklingCupcake; WIP, 1/?, 3.9k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town Relationship: Claire the Farmer/Kai; Characters: Claire, Kai, Stu | Yu, May | Mei, Doug | Dudley, Duke, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran, Rick Additional Tags: Little Mermaid Elements, mermaid au, Slice of Life Summary: Claire thought she'd imagined the boy in the water, until she met him again twelve years later one summer night on Mineral Town Beach.

Let there be magic! - by BalanceofSunandMoon; WIP, 12/?, 50k

Rating: Explicit; Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings; Categories: F/M, Multi Fandom: Animal Parade Additional Tags: How Do I Tag Summary: Magic…A word that can be both a boon and a curse. For Adele, she leans either way but she learns. With her cat familiar, Mila, she’s ready to, partially, tackle what the island of Castanet has to offer her. Along with seeing what the inhabitants of its only town, Harmonica Town, has to offer.

Crush - by chewypetals; Complete, 7/7, 8.8k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: M/M Fandoms: Pioneers of Olive Town Relationships: Male farmer/Damon, male farmer/jack, Male Farmer/Ralph, Male Farmer/Emilio, Male Farmer/Iori, Male Farmer/Matsuyuki, Male Farmer/Clemens; Characters: Male Farmer, Ralph, Damon, Jack, Emilio, Iori, Clemens, Matsuyuki Additional Tags: Fluff, Crushes, Suggestive Themes Summary: Series of short stories revolving around the bachelors developing or realizing their crush on Olive Town's favorite farmer.

A Blacksmith's Guide to Happiness - by Practicado; WIP, 43/?, 250k

Rating: Explicit; Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings; Category: F/M Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town Relationships: Claire the Farmer/Gray, Claire the Farmer/Doctor Trent | Torre Additional Tags: Love Triangles, Sexual Content, Virginity, Slow Burn, Fluff and Angst, Angst and Humor, Healing, Romantic Friendship, Sarcasm, Love, Friendzone, Jealousy, Falling In Love, Religion, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Complicated Relationships, Trying to make these relationships as realistic as possible LOL, dry humour, like a lot of it, Really don't know where I'm going with all of these tags lmao, Age Difference, But the main character thinks it's okay bc she's naive, but everyone else knows better smh Summary: Rough city boy meets innocent farm girl. Disagreements, conflicts, and trials that threaten to come between them ensue. Gray is a cynical blacksmith apprentice who's been around the block a couple of times. Claire is a naïve farmer who doesn't even know where that block might be located. Both have suffered from a pain-filled past, yet they learn to heal with the help of each other. Despite their continuous fighting and inability to see eye to eye, something beautiful still manages to blossom between them. That is, until a certain doctor enters the picture. Slow-burn romance containing explicit language, sexual content, serious character development, and an overuse of sarcasm. Takes place in the aughts: Mineral Town, 2004 :)

Valentina and Maisy and New Beginnings - by Raenel; WIP, 4/?, 7.1k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Categories: F/F, Gen Fandom: Magical Melody Relationship: Ellen/Female Protagonist; Characters: Ellen, Jamie, the rest of the cast in passing Additional Tags: journal format, Fluff Summary: When Tina moves away from the City to start a new life, she doesn't know quite what to expect but decides to keep a journal of her adventures anyway.

[i-dont-want-your-hysteria]

When It’s Love- Joe x Reader

(One day in August of 2020 my favorite Van Halen song came on the radio and suddenly I was harassed by this idea so badly I screamed. True story. Anyway, here’s some more extremely reflective internal conflict romantic flash Joe fic. I put a LOT of work into this whole post ((including the first illustration)) so I really hope you like it! I had a lot of fun writing this bc of the imagery and descriptions of everything. You’ll see...)

(illustration(s) by @paper-sxn​ and myself)

Words: 2,798

Prompt: nah just read it and find out ^-^

-----

August 26th, 1988. Dublin, Ireland

The door on the rooftop of the restaurant opened, and a tall, anxious-looking man in a red suit walked out alone. He ran a hand through his dirty-blonded mullet, and shut the door behind him. Blowing out a breath, he walked up to the bar to order a single brandy. The bartender wouldn't have noticed it, but the casual, quiet tone the man used wasn't normal for him. It wasn't a facade, either; it was nothing but genuine.

He took the drink with much gratitude, slipped the bartender a bill, and told her to keep the change. She thanked him sweetly before turning up the volume on her small radio behind the counter.

The song that played proceeded to strike the man right in the heart.

"Of course," he thought with an exhausted and amused grin, "Perfect timing."

When he turned around with his glass, he was met with a glorious sunset of the late summer. Nothing but warm, soon-to-be-gold light engulfed him. He took notice of how it passed through his glass and the liquid inside of it. He gazed at the liquor for a moment, but he did not drink it.

Meanwhile, the small radio behind the bar was sounding off with a bit of static, "Everybody's looking for something, something to fill in the holes..."

Joe walked in a straight line. His left hand slipped into his pocket to anxiously fidget with whatever contents were inside of his famed red suit.

He'd only dressed up to this current degree just to make sure his outfit would be pleasing to you tonight. It was everything to him; this loudly colored look always held a place in his heart- and in yours. Hell, your relationship had begun partially because of it. The suit itself still held up in its style after all this time. Joe knew it was tacky enough, yet dapper enough for a date. It turned on his gentleman mode, which is what he suspected he needed the most right now.

He was your gentleman, after all. Just the thought of being yours made the edges of his mouth curl upwards into a bashful smile.

The singer, who was on break from tour for a short while, chose to focus this smile at the horizon before him. The slow and leisurely steps he took made him reach the edge of the rooftop where there was a ledge for him to put his drink down.

He smoothed his increasingly trembling hands over the cold cement of this ledge. He tapped all of his fingers against it. He crossed his arms on top of it.

He took a deep breath, and closed his eyes when he let it rush out.

The smile on his lips remained as he did this, pondering on what you were probably doing back downstairs at your table. Dinner had recently ended, so you were probably tapping your fingers as Joe was currently doing, looking around for him, and looking around in your purse.

Joe also pondered on what you could've been thinking about, too. He didn't have any guesses, but he knew without a single doubt in his mind that you were not thinking of the same thing he was.

He was thinking of time, and how he could not waste it.

This Leppard- shrouded in his red cloth- knew he couldn't spend more than a few minutes up here. Yet, he wanted to get one last look around before returning to you.

Picturing his return made him silently chuckle to himself. He had never felt so happy to be thinking of you- never in his whole life.

"We think a lot, but don't talk much about it..."

He picked up the brandy, and took a small sip of it. The sweetness of it spread over his tongue as he immediately associated the flavor with a memory of you. It was tranquilizing almost immediately.

Nerves were a tricky thing to deal with. Luckily, Joe knew there was a less tricky solution for this.

Joe also knew he was currently on the wagon for the duration of this tour. It was for his own good- and the tour's own good- but he needed to make a quick exception for himself. Despite whatever guilt he may have felt while sipping his drink, he knew damn well that it was an essential exception he had to make.

"Til things get out of control..."

The only other occupants of the rooftop lounge- a couple sitting and chatting at a table some yards away- subtly captured Joe's attention. He turned his head to look at them, and again, he smiled to himself. Again, you overwhelmed his mind. Seeing this couple be a match together- a duo, a pair- it only reminded him more of how head over heels he was in his own way.

He also lingered on how much he loved the sight and feeling of being in a duo of his own, too. He could only imagine if you two looked as good as these strangers did from afar.

"Oh! How do I know when it's love? I can't tell you, but it lasts forever..."

Chills suddenly trickled down his spine, and Joe shivered. Something different was in the air.

"Oh! How does it feel when it's love? It's just something you feel together, when it's love..."

He felt his head jerk back towards the sunset, and an intense wave of nostalgia washed over him. The heart within his ruby suit plunged deep into his stomach, but was resurrected instantly.

The soft green eyes of the singer were frozen- fixed on the premature descent of the sun. His clean-shaven jaw fell slightly open at the sensation running through his veins.

"This is it..." Joe whispered.

He now found himself unable to move with goosebumps forming underneath the layers he wore. This was strange to him, since he had been close to overheated for the whole meal with you.

Slowly, he felt his hand go back into his pocket. He closed his fingers around the small shape inside, and he removed it with more caution than if he were handling a grenade.

"You look at every face in a crowd, some shine and some keep you guessing..."

Without looking at it, he rubbed his thumb over the soft covering and placed it inches from his drink.

"Waiting for someone to come into focus..."

With the same carefulness, Joe lowered his eyes to observe the layout before him. Just like that, all minuscule details of what he saw jumped out at him without warning. Every spec of concrete on the ledge was suddenly visible, every single ray of light the glass refracted was defined, every single line of his skin was ingrained into his retinas, and every microscopic hair on the small surface of the object was magnified. It was as if he were now looking at an iconic still life in a museum. If he were to frame this sight right then and there, he was sure it would be priceless.

For as long as he lived, Joe knew he would never forget this exact moment. The temperature, the wind, the colors, and the air; he'd forever be able to instantly recall them. Every detail was priceless.

"Teach you your final love lesson."

Joe took a photograph of the moment with his vision when he felt tears of joy begin to sting behind his eyes.

"No-" Joe said to himself as he frantically clasped his eyes into a squint and pinched the bridge of his nose, "No, not now... c'mon..."

A faint reverberation of your voice rang through his head like a clear, concise ring of a bell, "Yeah, c'mon sweetie. Not now..."

He looked back up at the sunset while blowing out a breath, and took another quick sip of his drink. Even in the most private of reflective moments, his conscience always had a habit of manifesting your reactions. You were always there to him; he couldn't live without you.

"You can't waste any more time up here..." your voice said more clearly, as if you were right next to him, "You know that."

"Can't waste any more time..." Joe said aloud to himself again with a shake of his head. He hastily hid the small item back in his pocket.

"How do I know when it's love? I can't tell you, but it lasts forever..."

Joe knew damn well he couldn't photograph this moment, despite how badly he wanted to. If only he could capture this new level of existence in some way...

He still couldn't see you, but he heard your voice, "Work with what you're given, Joey. Use your head. Use your hands..."

Joe's eyebrows perked up at the spontaneous idea 'you' gave him. Looking around, his eyes soon located a napkin on the table of the nearby couple. He knew he'd have to be quick, lest the real you suspected something of his absence. The imaginary scenario of your suspicion was enough to make him feel the same shiver of anxiety again.

Despite the nerves surrounding him, it was still the best thing he had ever felt.

A small voice of his conscience told him you were able to feel it, too. Perhaps, back down in the restaurant, you, too, were feeling a shiver down your spine.

"Oh! How does it feel when it's love? It's just something you feel together..."

Joe knew this internal voice; it was an emotion. He knew by pure intuition that everything it said was true. As it got closer to him, he felt his heart speed up. He knew the moment was getting even closer.

Your imaginary voice was back in his ears, "Don't worry, honey. I can feel it, too."

"Sweet Y/n," he whispered aloud as he shut his eyes against the setting sun, "Darling Y/n, don't you realize what's about to happen?"

No sound of you came closer. Instead, he felt your hand caress his face. When he opened his eyes, a vision of you was finally standing there with him.

You told him one word.

"Yes."

You vanished from Joe's conscience instantly with that syllable. It gave him enough confidence to set himself into motion.

Going through with his plan, the fidgety Leppard strode over to the sitting couple, asking if he could snag their spare napkin. They granted him permission, leading Joe to head back over to the bar counter.

After obtaining a pen from the bartender, he began to write.

He didn't write much, but he wrote what he felt he needed to. The vivid, mindful memory of the rooftop ledge was stored into every letter he scribbled down. If he couldn't take a picture of the feeling, he knew he'd have the next best thing.

The pen lifted from the napkin, and Joe fought to control his smile.

He took his napkin and drink back to the ledge after returning the pen. Holding up what he had written in front of him, he engraved the new sight of it into his memory instead.

"August 26th, 1988:" the cloth read, "Our lives are about to change forever."

He was immensely satisfied with it; the last object to be created in what would soon be his 'old' life.

"Oh, when it's love... you can feel it, yeah!"

Joe repeated his own written word, and the word the mirage of you had told him, "Forever... yes."

Lowering the napkin, Joe was face to face with the horizon. It was constantly changing color, but each transition was more and more radiant. The evening was perfect; nothing could've gone more correctly for him.

Well, maybe one more thing could still go correctly for him.

"Nothing's missing, yeah!"

A simple yet powerful guitar solo reached the far edge of the roof where he stood. It was rather funny to him. It reflected his plan a little too well; simple, yet powerful.

You both had always ended your meals at this restaurant by going up to the roof for a drink. No other place on earth screamed of you and Joe more than that rooftop did. Your dinner was over, so it was almost time to head up. It was routine, and it was unquestionable. It was simple; it was powerful.

There was a sudden burning in Joe's pocket- a burning sense of raw and extraordinary power. Joe quickly reached his hand back inside to pull out the object he'd placed on the ledge before.

“Yeah, you can feel it! Oh, when it’s love...”

He held it in front of him and fixed his eyes over its whole surface area. He found it hard to believe he was given control of such heavenly power, all delicately concealed within the case in his hand. It was the sword in the stone, but only you could wield it.

And that moment when you wielded it had to be perfect.

"Can't waste any more time," Joe gasped. His fingers clasped over the piece in his hand, he closed his eyes in reverence, and slowly touched it to his lips.

"When nothing's missing!"

Joe privately declared with his lips against the small, soft surface, "Nothing's missing."

"How do I know when it's love? I can't tell you, but it lasts forever..."

Joe re-filled his pockets without looking at any of the contents. The napkin and the soft-covered object both disappeared into the scarlet suit, and the remainder of his brandy disappeared into his mouth. Before he took the finishing sip, however, he raised his glass to the sunset in a private toast accompanied with a wink. Only one word was needed to make such a toast.

"Forever."

"Ooh, how does it feel when it's love? It's just something you feel together, hey!”

The glass was returned, and all things were finally in place.

“How do I know when it’s love? I can’t tell you, but it lasts forever- when it’s love...”

Just as Joe turned in the direction of the door he came from, he stopped dead and reached back into his pocket. There was one last thing he didn't take a final look at; one very small thing.

"Hey! It lasts forever...! When it's love..."

He pulled out the deep-colored item yet again. Only this time, instead of admiring its surface, he opened it.

The glorious star within was now admiring him.

"You and I, we're gonna feel the same together- when it's love..."

Each twinkle and every finest detail of it was, in every way, flawless. It matched the very twinkle in your eye Joe knew you'd bear once you finally witnessed it yourself.

"Ooh when it's love, baby..."

Joe believed it bittersweet that this would be his very last chance to gaze upon the raw, divine power before he decided to activate it.

"You can feel it, yeah!"

The second Joe would conceal the item again, he knew he would not be allowed to look at it anymore. There was a destiny for this particular object. It beheld a future so great, so magnificent, that Joe himself would not be able to look directly at it when the moment came. He wasn't chosen for an honor such as that.

The only person who was destined to see this divine piece in action... was you.

It was you, and only you; forever. And the greatest part- you did not suspect a single thing.

Sucking back the happy and nervous tears he felt coming on, Joe closed the small box and put it back into his pocket. His hand remained on top of it as he turned away from the sunset to go back downstairs. His fingers continued to rub over its surface, and he could feel the radiant force within it. It had the ability to permanently change your lives, and that's the exact power he was about to bestow upon you.

As he opened the door to head back down to you, his nerves threatened to make him freeze again. His heart vibrated in his chest as the magic of the item within the box engulfed him.

"We'll make it last forever!"

Joe's hand squeezed the edge of the door as he just barely glimpsed the now-radiant sunset. He was aware that the time had come.

It was, at long last, about to happen. Your lives were about to change forever. It was becoming real; it was becoming perfect.

Finally, after so long, Joe could say with complete confidence that he knew the name of the strongest feeling that had ever engrossed him.

Oddly enough, that feeling also shared your name.

"Ooh, it's love."

Joe squeezed the tiny, sublime box in his pocket. He whispered to himself just before he shut away the glory of the impending dusk:

"With this ring... I thee wed."

The end

(When It’s Love by Van Halen)

[angeltrapz]

helo beloved mutual connor, im sorry ur goin thru it rn but i come bearing asks n a heart emoji (💗): bcuz i have had this thought floatin around for a lil bit, wld love 2 hear ur takes on an Adam/Eric/Mallick (+ Art too if u want!) road trip vacation! how long wld they go, do they get motels or camp or just sleep in th car? whats everyone's favorite road trip snack? what sorta shit do they like 2 stop for? (weird tourist traps like giant balls of yarn etc, small town main street stores, cool looking restaurants, nature sites, Actual Destinations, so on n so forth!)

fjkdsd thank u beloved mutual adam,,, <3

ohhh I love tht idea!! road trip fics/hcs are one of my weaknesses,,

but um!! I rly like the idea of th four of them going camping a few hours up north!! (we... don't rly know where. SAW is set so just. imagine a vaguely rural campground lmao. I'm used to camping in th upper peninsula of MI so) it's smth tht Art did a lot w his family when he was growing up, so he's th most familiar w it - Eric went a few times as a kid too, Mallick went Once, n Adam has never rly been camping, w his family or otherwise (he's slept on a trampoline at one of his friends' houses once tho). Art is p excited abt it tbh, it's not exactly smth he gets 2 do often so he's got this whole list planned of things he wants 2 show them!!

it's easiest 2 just take a week in late August, bc they can head back home on a Friday n have the weekend to settle n readjust b4 th coming week + they have to go back 2 work. so they head out around ten on a Monday morning 2 kind of get ahead of th traffic (or at least try to). Art drives both bc he insists and bc he knows they can switch if he needs to, which he does later w Eric. it's a good couple hours (at least 3) b4 they get 2 th campground Art wants to take them to, so clearly it is Music Time + Adam made sure 2 bring CDs! a lot of that time is just spent vibing 2 th music and singing very, very loudly (ESP on Adam + Mallick's end). Art's up front like u three are so fucking goofy (affectionate), but eventually he starts singing too lmao.

Mallick starts th Colour Game, where they try 2 find a car fr every colour of th rainbow. it's smth Eric is familiar w as well bc he used 2 play it w Daniel sometimes, and it's good until they come to purple bc how often do u see purple cars??? so Adam's just like "we're not gonna find pink either" n tht's when this fucking pink pickup truck (noticeably spray-painted, + not done well) passes them n Adam just groans n thumps his head against th window. Mallick is like, trying rly hard not to laugh by pressing a hand over his mouth + Art is biting his lip, but Eric is very openly cackling bc "u see what happens when u assume???" (he gets a very light slap 2 th shoulder but it's still very gentle)

ANYWAY. favourite snacks!! Adam can eat Way Too Many Sour Patch Kids. sour anything, actually, as long as it's candy. yes his tongue hurts and no he doesn't regret it. Eric just gets goldfish bc he tends 2 get a lil carsick + bc it's a food tht's familiar n comforting, n he doesn't rly want 2 be eating anything Too heavy (he's up front w Art, so he can sit by a window in case he needs some fresh air at any point). Mallick likes m&m's, but he switches fr cheez-its every once in a while bc he can only eat so much chocolate. Art likes those peanut-butter filled pretzel bites! he's also partial 2 animal crackers tho. they also bring a good amount of snacks/things they can b sure th four of them like, bc yeah there's a lil store abt a half hour away frm their campsite + they can go there to pick up things if they need 2, but it's easier 2 bring things they like, too. (there's also a mcdonald's in tht town n. they do go there at LEAST twice.)

th campsite they stay at has a lake + a beach, n one of Art + Adam's fave things 2 do is walk along it to see if they can find anything interesting! Mallick goes sometimes too, but mostly he stays w Eric bc Eric can't do tht fr as long as Adam + Art can (not tht he's resentful of it tho). he n Mallick chill on th beach w a blanket (it's kind of like. not necessarily sandy?) n just kinda sit against/lay on each other n read sometimes. Adam + Art come back 2 where they're set up to find them sleeping n Adam has never been more thankful he thought 2 bring his camera!!

on th second day Art + Mallick want 2 go swimming, so th four of them come back out to th beach, but Adam stays out of th water + Eric stays w him. they both know th water will be cold, even if it's late summer, n Adam rly doesn't like being in cold water ESP if it's over his head/he can't touch th bottom. fr Eric th cold can b kind of painful, so they chill n walk along th beach fr a little bit n just talk. Adam gets some good pictures n even gets some of Eric! he also does take a selfie of them, he can't help it. he gets a couple of Mallick + Art too. it's honestly such a nice thing fr them n it just feels like they can breathe easy, not having 2 worry abt looking over their shoulders constantly (tho they're all getting better abt that).

th third day they spend around th campsite to kind of unwind n relax. they might walk th beach a little bit again, but mostly they just sorta chill n walk some of th trails around the campground itself. when night falls they light a small bonfire (Mallick is still iffy around fire, understandably) n they sit around it in their folding chairs w th cupholders (Adam gets red, Eric has green, Art gets blue, + Mallick gets dark green) n make s'mores. they talk abt anything n everything until they're barely able 2 keep their eyes open, n then after making sure th fire is pretty much out they kinda just stumble into th tent n none of them r awake for very long after (they specifically got one tht cld comfortably hold th four of them).

fourth day!! they pack up n head into another little town about 45 minutes away; it's bigger than th one around th campgrounds. after they get situated in a motel room w two beds, they do some window shopping + going into lil stores that interest them! Adam def buys some niche graphic tees tht aren't going 2 make sense to anyone other than th four of them n he's delighted abt it. I like 2 think Eric gets a worry stone, specifically made out of rose quartz. Mallick too, but his is made of amethyst! he also gets a rly cool multicoloured jacket in a thrift store they duck into. Art gets a hoodie w th town's name on it n he's pretty happy w that. they get a few more lil things, just little knick-knacks while they're there, n then they have dinner in this lil diner they'd walked past earlier bc it's inexpensive + the atmosphere is very lowkey n honestly just Nice. there's not a bunch of ppl, the servers r rly kind n the lights aren't too bright, which Eric rly appreciates. it's such a tender moment bc they're squeezed into a booth, Adam + Mallick on one side n Art + Eric on th other, n they're talking n laughing n stealing bites of each other's food n it's Comfortable.

then they head back to th motel n channel surf while unpacking enough 2 get to their sleep clothes. Adam + Eric r sharing a bed n Art + Mallick r sharing th other one, tho Adam is very tempted 2 just push them together so they're all close by (th distance btwn th beds isn't tht big to begin with, but it's the principle of th thing). mostly tho, until they go to bed, they're pretty much just all stretched out Everywhere. Adam is only discouraged frm jumping across th divide btwn th beds bc Art breaks out his Lawyer Voice, despite trying rly hard not to laugh, to say Yr Going To Hurt Yrself, Don't Do That. he grumbles n whines abt it but Adam knows he's right jdhjks (th way he sees it is like. he can b silly sometimes. he's Earned It, but he also trusts Art + wasn't super serious abt tht idea). eventually tho Eric can hardly keep his eyes open n Mallick is just straight up asleep while he's still sitting up so tht's when they all go to bed after making sure every1 is comfortable. they leave a lamp on.

fifth day they pack everything up again n stop 2 walk th trails of this lil park b4 they head home! there's a lil shop near th parking lot so they spend a lil bit of time looking around in there first. they probably pick up a few lil things, souvenirs, n Adam walks around 2 get some pictures. he gets this rly cool one while they're on a bridge, th sun peeking thru the clouds a lil bit n shining down on th water. he's super excited to develop tht one (but he's excited to develop All of them, bc this is his family!!!) + he n Art discuss whether or not they're gonna need another cork board lol. eventually tho they round back to th parking lot n on th way home, they stop at another lil hole-in-th-wall kind of place, but it's just as nice as the first one they'd been to. after tht Eric switches spots w Art n he drives them home!!

they're all exhausted when they get back but they have room to crash w each other while they nap so tht's what they do. they fall asleep all tangled together, Art stretched out w Eric's head on his chest, Adam curled against Eric's back, n Mallick w his head on Art's stomach. there r arms n legs everywhere n tht is okay. they're happy. they love each other. they had a lot of fun on their trip n they're tired, but they're comfortable!! tht's what it's all abt!!! it's just such a good n relaxing experience fr them after all th shit they've been thru.

[birlcholtz]

any bittyholtz headcanons👀

holster knows he’s big ok? and he realizes pretty quick his sophomore year that bitty is Not Great at handling large guys coming at him quickly. so out of consideration for this tiny frosh, who is cute but holster can also tell is scared shitless by ransom and holster being their loud selves, holster tries to be conscious of bitty and respect his space (and also not yell too much around him because who knows what specifically bothers him)

and the great thing about ransom and holster being best bros for so long is that holster doesn’t have to explain what he’s doing to ransom, ransom just kind of matches him and that’s that

and holster is delighted every time bitty opens up a bit more and relaxes a bit more around the team, and when he comes out to ransom and holster holster internally is like oh. oh of COURSE. of course big loud jocks who talk about hooking up with women all the time and check people really hard on the ice bother him. duh holster

but holster would NEVER hurt someone for being gay that’s a huge asshole move and he feels it is Very Important That Bitty Knows That Holster Would Never Hurt Him. why does he feel it’s so important?? that’s a question for later holster isn’t a whole ‘analyze my feelings’ dude

so holster actively makes an effort to be around bitty in a non-threatening way. by a couple of months into spring semester they’re very comfortable around each other, comfortable enough that bitty jokes about their size difference and at one point he literally jumps into holster’s arms (who catches him on instinct) and then holster is like oh my god i’m holding bitty. oh my god he’s so small but so muscular. oh my god his hair smells so nice oh god oh fUCK

there is literally so much more under the cut. (send me ur headcanons for rarepairs/qpps!)

bitty, for his part, was initially very wary of ransom and holster for exactly the reasons holster figured out. it also doesn’t help that ransom dresses like a preppy frat bro and holster dresses like a messy frat bro. they’re both frat bros and bitty takes a long time to warm up to them.

but what does help is the way holster always lets bitty know he’s there before he gets too close (sometimes bitty is in the zone in the kitchen and doesn’t notice things like his teammates entering), and the way he doesn’t friendly-punch bitty like he does ransom. or jack. or shitty. or even lardo honestly nobody’s safe. except bitty is.

holster is also definitely responsible for putting some of bitty’s favorite songs on the kegster playlist and bitty definitely finds out and his heart warms a little more

and once bitty’s come out to ransom and holster and they don’t treat him any differently or weirdly and still profess their love for him when he bakes things without a single no homo, bitty finds himself hanging around with them a little more?

ransom likes to study in the attic without distractions so that means that bitty and holster wind up spending a lot more time together and listen. bitty can’t spend that much time with holster without noticing that the guy is a) extremely tall b) ripped and c) has an excellent jawline. and bitty is only human y’all

when he plays music in the kitchen holster will always dance (and sing along if he knows the words, or enough of the words to get them wrong in a funny way because bitty’s laugh sounds like angels singing and okay yeah holster is smitten)

holster Cannot make pies because he cannot touch pastry, bitty forbids him from trying before he even asks because his hands are too warm and he’ll fuck it all up. (holster, internally, is pleased bitty’s noticed. bitty, internally, is like fuck was that too weird) BUT if holster is in there he usually gets dragged into stirring things or chopping things or handing bitty sticks of butter from the fridge and basically whatever he can do without fucking up the pastry

and a while after that holster is like hang on wait it’s been a while since i realized i had a crush on bitty and it has Not gone away should i like. i don’t know. fucking tell him i’m into guys or something like that?? that would be smart

this is more how they get together than a list of headcanons LMAO i always get distracted and this is so fucking long omg

so he’s like rans. how do i do this. and ransom is like you should blast gettin’ bi from crazy ex girlfriend and holster is like weird. i love it.

other things holster does to subtly let bitty know he’s bi: loudly discuss his plans for going to pride that summer, make a lot of bi puns and hope one of them lands, show bitty funny posts from the lgbtq+ samwell student group on facebook

eventually bitty is like . hm. holster is either a VERY supportive ally. or he is trying to tell me something. and after the 80th bi meme post from the facebook group he’s like holster. hon. are you trying to tell me something

and holster is like YES. I AM BISEXUAL and bitty’s like oh that’s great!! (internally: can i climb him like a tree yet)

and then bitty’s like well thanks for telling me! and holster is like uh yeah! (because listen he’s good at wheeling but he is SO bad at wheeling bitty because this isn’t just someone cute he found at a kegster u know??? it’s BITTY and holster kind of wants to sweep him off his feet but in like. a gentlemanly way that won’t scare him)

when holster relates this interaction to ransom ransom is like oh my fucking god holster you could have told him and holster is like yeah and i did not for some fucking reason???????? ransom. i’m dumb and ransom is like no you just caught feelings

(bitty, to shitty: hey so uh. if a guy aggressively hints he’s into guys for like. a month. and then when i ask him straight out he tells me he’s bi. what does that mean. and shitty’s like i mean i wouldn’t know unless i know the guy?? but i wouldn’t ask u to tell me bc like. hes gotta choose who he’s out to u know and bitty’s like yeah i mean u know him but maybe i’ll ask him who else he’s out to bc i need some advice and shitty is like hell yeah)

the next day, bitty’s like holster are u out to anyone else?? just bc the team seems kinda. hetero. except for me. and holster is like oh yeah rans knows and shitty knows. also johnson. and jack if he’s not stupid because i’ve definitely had guys stay over. but mostly just the guys in the haus yeah

then they go to murder stop ‘n shop and buy baking ingredients. holster carries a metric fuck ton of flour and butter and pretends he doesn’t notice bitty staring at his arms (but he might flex just a little more than necessary)

so bitty’s like EXCELLENT. and then he talks to shitty again and is like IT’S HOLSTER AND I’M SUPER INTO HIM WHAT DO I DO and shitty’s like hooooo boy. and then HE’S like well uh. holster doesn’t like. feel the need to formally come out to people usually like the way he told me was by just telling me about a guy he hooked up with last year with zero context or warning? like i don’t know holster as well as, like, rans, but he definitely wants you specifically to know that he’s bi.

and bitty’s like intriguing. i’m gonna go combust now. and shitty’s like cool catch ya later.

so then bitty decides there’s only one way to find out if holster’s into him. and it’s not asking him, what the fuck?? no obviously not. it’s wearing very short shorts and touching him a lot and watching him to see if he blushes or gets flustered. bitty may not be a blunt or forthright person when it comes to hitting on people but he can at least make it impossible for holster to try and hide any feelings he may or may not have.

so rip holster is what i’m saying. but he also observes how much bitty is still watching him-- usually when bitty is doing something like wearing very short shorts or dancing at a kegster or flinging himself into holster’s lap-- and he’s like HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM. because also holster is like way more experienced with like. relationships in general? like he’s familiar with what someone flirting with him looks like. so he’s like alright well if bitty wants to make me suffer i’m going to make him suffer too. (’rans can i borrow your skinny jeans’ ‘is this so you can get back at bitty’ ‘yes it’s important’ ‘yeah sure whatever’)

holster knows he’s jacked, he just has to make sure bitty knows it. he also knows that bitty is comfortable with holster standing pretty close to him now so he’s going to use that to his advantage since holster is also tall as Fuck. (obviously he doesn’t do anything creepy like stand right behind him or smth but like. if they’re talking. holster is gonna get just a little in bitty’s space just so bitty has to look up at him a little. is this partially because bitty has really nice eyelashes? yeah)

basically what i’m saying is once holster decides to get back at bitty all hell breaks loose. literally nobody else in the haus can deal with the sexual tension when they’re in the same room. bitty is now pretty sure that holster is into him. shitty texts bitty saying ‘can you please bone for the love of god’. for good measure shitty also texts holster saying the same thing. he’s so tired but also this is hilarious

like it gets EXTRA. bitty and holster can both bend and snap and they DO. holster intentionally spills water on his t-shirt to make it cling more. when he sits at the kitchen table doing work bitty comes by and leans over his shoulder to see what he’s doing and if he brushes holster’s neck a little as he does it, well, that’s between them. at one point holster and bitty are both standing at the counter washing dishes and holster starts chirping bitty about not being able to reach the top shelf and asks if he wants to stand on a chair and bitty’s like hmm or you could just carry me. and holster almost has a conniption and it gets even worse when they finish washing up and bitty’s like oh great the counter’s all cleared off! and hops up and sits on it and that gets his face a little closer, vertically, to holster, who is suddenly aware that bitty is wearing very short shorts AGAIN, which like, seem to have become his uniform, and that when bitty sits like that holster can barely see those shorts, that’s how tiny they are, and it looks like bitty’s just sitting there in a shirt and nothing else and holster’s brain supplies a LOT of images once he thinks of that and hoo boy.

and holster’s like how can i get back at him. and bitty’s sitting right next to the hanging cabinets so holster grabs some of the plates from the drying rack that look dry enough and goes and stands *right* in front of bitty. like he’s not actually brushing bitty’s legs where they dangle off the counter but if he stepped forward like. half an inch. he would be. and they make eye contact for a second and then, without moving, holster starts putting plates away.

and bitty is like oh my fucking god WHAT else do i have to do (he doesn’t say this out loud) and then when holster’s done putting away the plates and it looks like he’s going to go grab more bitty just. wraps his legs around holster’s waist and pulls him in (and holster is like holy FUCK because he knew bitty’s legs were strong but not THAT STRONG HOLY SHIT) and at this point there’s really nothing else for them to do but make out at the kitchen counter and that’s what they do. (bitty does, in fact, climb that man like a tree)

okay so some actual headcanons lol. you thought you knew bitty was a clothes stealing fiend?? you were wrong. he absolutely is but you just didn’t know how much. does holster still have literally any of his sweatshirts? probably not honestly

the only way bitty will sit on the green couch will be if holster is sitting on the green couch and bitty is sitting in his lap because that way he can avoid any actual contact with the couch

when bitty makes anything with blueberries in it holster steals some but he also feeds bitty some because he’s mushy like that

they continue to go to extreme lengths to try and get each other flustered in public. shitty is so tired.

they share playlists constantly and even more of bitty’s favorites find their way onto the kegster playlist

when bitty moves into the haus holster is in his room c o n s t a n t l y. he just likes the space ok??? there’s lil reminders of bitty everywhere and of course if bitty is there too then that’s just the BEST

the puck bunny halloween costume physically murders adam birkholtz

[paene-umbra]

For the botanical ask: ALL OF THEM. Bc your answers are always so well thought out and amazing.

That is such a nice thing for you to say! I'm sorry it has taken me forever to answer this, I know you asked this about a month ago. I have been crazy busy and working on this for a while but I never had the time to post it. This is a really long post, so please bear with me. So sorry,baby’s breath (5 things you associate yourself with): snoballs, comfy socks, smiles, humming, and cuddles!bleeding heart (what makes you heart go mushy)?: honestly the thing that melts my heart is super small but okay here we go. what melts my heart is when me and my boyfriend are sitting in his room doing separate things and he randomly gets up and lays on me and rests his head on my chest for a couple minutes and then goes back to doing his work because he wants physical contact. also it melts my heart when he makes me pinky promise to do or not do something or to promise that I’m being truthful. it is so cute.bell flower: what’s the title of the song that makes you want to jump around out of joy?: Maps // The Front Bottoms. it is just such a fun and goofy song.evening primrose: what’s your sleeping playlist (give me 5 songs)?: my sleeping playlist is actually the Piano Sleep Playlist from Spotify. i don’t really check the song titles.forget-me-not: who is your favorite blog who isn’t following you?: my favorite blog who isn’t following me is definitely glumshoe! I love their wide-ranging content!daffodil: what is one plant that you want to have but can never get?: I want a WHOLE lilac bush! I am really bad at keeping plants alive (I accidentally killed so many cacti during KAMS). my roommate and I have four plants currently. two cacti and two succulents. we have them named, and they’re all silly names because we wanted to be as WHITE MOM as possible. they’re names are Ghurt, Ellha, Wrandall, and Hadley. I think it is hilarious for them to have names like that until I have to tell other people what they are named, and then it is kinda embarrassing.calla lily: are you more of a sunny day or a rainy evening? I think I prefer rainy evenings. sunny days are usually wildly hot and I really hate being hot and sweaty. rainy evenings are nice because they can be any temperature and I will still probably be comfy. I don’t like actually being in the rain because I think it feels gross to be only partially wet. I’m an “all or none” type of person when in comes to getting water on my body.foxglove: what is your favorite color and in what shade?: I really like purple a lot, which is convenient because that it what color my sorority uses. the best shade in purple is a tie between lavender and lilac.lavender: what is something that you’ve always wanted to be/have/get but can never have?: I guess I have always wanted to be given jewelry or something to wear from a significant other. Ideally it would be some necklace with their name on it or something that reminds them of me/me of them. Maybe I will get it somedaylove in a mist: what is the latest dream that you remember? the latest dream that I remember was from a while ago but it was about the horror movie IT FOLLOWS which is about a sexually transmitted demon that slowly follows you and is trying to kill you. It can’t run or do anything fast, but it is super persistent and patient and all it does is follow you to get close enough to kill you. anyway it really freaked me out and now I dream about it and always check over my shoulder to make sure that it isn’t there behind me even though I know it isn’t real.daisy: what is your favorite flavor of cotton candy, ice cream, and juice? I don’t have a favorite flavor of cotton candy because I think they all taste the same, but I prefer to have the blue or the purple cotton candy because I think it is prettier than any of the other colors. the best ice cream flavor is definitely cookies & cream. the best juice flavor is white grape juice!!painter’s palette: are you more of a singer, dancer, painter, or instrumentalist? I am more of a singer/painter. I love singing AND painting a lot.tulip: what is your most favorite make-up product? do you like it more natural, dark, or etc? my most favorite makeup product is my eyeliner. I like my eyeliner to be black and sharp as hell. a second close favorite is my wunderbrow, which is a long-lasting brow cream. it is really nice. I like my brows to be pretty dark but not black.waxflower: are you a bee or a butterfly person? a dog or a cat person? dang this is a hard question set. I really like bees because they’re so cute and bumble-y and fuzzy and so so so good for the environment. I even have a whole tattoo planned out for when I have money saved up that is centered around the seven bee families. I am 100% a cat person. cats all the way. fuzzy sweet babies that need as much love and attention as I do. (love for fuzzy things seems to be a theme with me I guess) sugarbush: do you have sweet tooth? if yes, what’s your favorite sweets? if no, why? yeah I do have a sweet tooth. the convenient thing about that is that my sweet tooth only lasts a couple minutes at a time so I don’t have to eat an excessive amount of sweets to satisfy it. my favorite sweet is probably a snoball, since it is the thing that I consume the most regularly that has the sweetest taste and most calories. for those of you who don’t know, a snoball is a basically an ICEE but so much better.sunflower: would you like to be a fairy or a mermaid?: oh heck….mermaid would be fun because I love swimming so much but also there are so many scary things in the deep water…so I would have to pick a fairy because that would probably give me the best of both words minus the scary monsters. at least in the air, I know I only have to hide from the hawks and eagles and shit.sweet pea: what would you like to call your significant other?: honey/love/sweetheart. he gets nervous about pet names though, so we usually just stick to “babe/baby”sea lavender: can you swim? which strokes can you do?: I sure can swim! I can do all the strokes pretty well. except butterfly. I’m kinda terrible at the butterfly.windflower: list 5 of your favorite blogs and explain why you like them: oh boy I don’t know. reverseracism, keybladeofsteel, bassiter, gendrie, and subtle. I just like 'em, and I think I reblog most of my stuff from them. i like to have content that is more than just memes, and they contribute a lot to that.golden rod: are you more of a baker or a cook? cook. I cannot bake to save my life, unfortunately. especially not pastries. I am a pretty decent cook when it comes to microwaves and stovetops and stuff, though. bloom: what is something that you would like to tell your children?: that their bodies belong to them and they never have to let anyone touch them if they don’t want to be touched. bodily autonomy is something I wish I could’ve known I was allowed to have. I was always taught that I have to let people hug and touch me even if I don’t want it because if I tell them not to touch me then it might get awkward, and apparently avoiding awkwardness is more important than my own comfort.peony: what is something that you wish your parents could’ve told you? that I was pretty. I know it isn’t something that matters in the grand scheme of things, but they told my sisters that they were beautiful and I never got to hear it.prairie gentian: do you have a significant other? yes : ) we have been dating for about 8 months. and I love him.september flower: are you more of a sunshine or sunset person?: sunset! sunsets are so beautiful and I prefer the nighttime to the day anyway. im more active and awake later in the day.bird of paradise: do you wake up early? do you sleep early?: unfortunately I wake up at 7:30am every day for work. I hate it so much, I am so fricken tired. I go to sleep at probably between 1am and 3am when I sleep in my dorm with my roommate but when I sleep over at my boyfriend’s house I go to sleep before midnight because he gets sleepy and I don’t want to keep him up. it is really helpful for making me feel more rested so I really like it.marigold: what’s your favorite tea?: I don’t really drink tea on its own, but I really like the Mango Black Tea Lemonade from starbucks. I got that all the time when they had it during the summer. its pretty tasty.peruvian lily: what are the names of your pets?: I have two cats named Josie and Jewels and a crowntail betta named Mahoney. me and my roommate share another crowntail betta named Nemo (because his tail fin is fucked up. I think it was almost completely ripped off or he chewed it off out of stress, but we aren’t sure. we had to rescue him from Walmart because he was floating on the bottom of his dinky little cup and he barely had any energy. thankfully, he started eating almost immediately when we brought him home and he’s swimming around a lot better.). my roommate has her own betta named Bartholomew, and we are also trying to adopt a fourth betta, as well. so we will have Bart, Mahoney, Nemo, and whatever the fourth fish is named. we are trying to adopt the fourth betta from a woman who doesn’t treat the betta very well and wants to get rid of it anyway.hyacinth: do you name your plants?: yup. the older cactus is Ghurt, the younger is Ellha. The older succulent is Hadley and the younger one is Wrandall. lmao. me and my roommate intentionally picked goofy names for them because it makes us laugh and happy.lilac: would you rather sleep and be cozy or hang out with your friends?: hang out with my friends, definitely. my friends are great and I love spending time with them. unless I am getting to be cozy with my boyfriend, in which case I would pick him alwayspoppy: do you like to dip your fries or do you like it as is?: DIP DIP DIP ALWAYS DIP. French fries are so dry on their own. I will dip them in literally anything; ranch dressing, ketchup, mayonnaise, garlic butter, barbeque sauce, etc... my favorite is probably ranch dressing at the moment. it alternates depending on how many times I’ve eaten fries during a specific period of time.dandelion: any special talent that you have?: uhhhhhh no probably not. I don’t really have anything that I am talented at.

[marydsmithny]

13 Dos and Don’ts for City Gardening

It may be only two weeks into spring, but the liveliness of lush greenery and bright blossoms is quite a captivating sight. There is immense creativity displayed in plantings in both public and private spaces. It’s heartwarming to see how people are passionate about their green spaces. No space is too small or awkward for those determined to create beautiful areas. Container plantings of all sizes, window boxes, pots, and trees growing in unusual places greet your eye from every street corner, in sidewalks and steps.

As lovely as it is, gardening in tiny spaces has unique challenges. You have to get the design right, choose the right plants and be intentional about color coordination. While such mistakes can go unnoticed in large gardening spaces, they are conspicuous in small gardens.

13 Dos and Don’ts of City Gardening

1 Do combine complementary and contrasting colors in containers for a cottage-garden effect. It’s a great way to infuse a rich color variation in your small garden.

2 Don’t squeeze all plant varieties in your mini garden.

3 Don’t place any single plant containers at the doorstep. It looks crowded and untidy.

4 Do utilize your perimeter and sidewalk. Ripe planting ground for trees and shrubs. Just put the plants in containers.

5 To create a focal point in the bigger bottles. Just be careful that it doesn’t end up looking tacky. The foxglove is the focal point in this garden, with the slim, bare branches disappearing in the background.

6 Do plant plenty of perennials if you’re gardening on a small portion of land. They’re beautiful and need little maintenance.

Brunnera macrophylla

Siberian bugloss, botanical name Brunnera macrophylla. It favors moist, acidic soil and partial shade. Dicentra spectabilis and Pulmonaria Angustifolia. Dicentra spectabilis, also known as Bleeding Heart, and Pulmonaria Angustifolia, commonly referred to as lungwort, are examples of spring-blooming perennials. Dicentra spectabilis withers as summer approaches. Probably best to plan what to replace it in advance. A herbaceous ground cover variety that thrives in the shade. 

7 Do make a bed of plantings all around your house perimeter. Fill it with annuals, perennials, bulbs, and bushes. It beautifully enhances the landscape. Fully-blooming lilac bush carefully planted on a corner anchors the rest of the plants. Tulips, lilies, hyacinths and a couple of perennials all complement each other.

8 Don’t let evergreen material sit in window boxes during spring planting. Instead, get rid of the plant content, then add fresh soil and compost to the existing ground.

9 Do add plantings around the trees on your neighborhood. Native wildflower seeds and spring bulbs are excellent choices. An easy way to add color.

10 Do draw attention to foliage in the containers instead of flowers. Fern, heuchera, begonia, ivy, hellebore and perennial grass. It’s a simple container arrangement, but the leaf colors, variegation and shapes are breathtaking.

11 Don’t overdo it, especially on the sidewalk. It’s okay to want to portray a specific look, but too much of it becomes distasteful.

12 Don’t use annual plants in color blocks when planting a garden bed. Planting would have turned out better had it been paired with bulbs and perennials.

13 Do get involved in creating more green spaces in your community. Gardens and green areas have a positive effect on health.

I hope you can use these helpful tips. Contact Bur-Han Garden and Lawn Care today for help with your garden at 604- 706-1362.

Vancouver Gardening Services

Bur-Han Garden and Lawn Care 2110 Front St, North Vancouver, BC V7H 1A3 (604) 706-1362

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