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#seriously i saw this in a vision
emzailor · 1 year
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this meme came to me in a vision. I don’t know what it means I just saw this vibrant image in my mind very suddenly and had to create it. enjoy?
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chirpsythismorning · 6 months
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#byler#stranger things#st5 predictions#hellfire club is on a hit list plastered around town with the word hunt surrounding it...#and jason who just gave a huge speech about how hellfire is a cult is now dead...#cool#oh and will byers aka zombie boy who everyone in town knows is gay apparently and whose disappearance jumpstarted these cursed events...#is back in town?#oh they're so fucked#what does intrigue me is that if this is explored at all whether it be blatantly or sub-textually#they're gonna need to establish byler's feelings fairly early on to warrant the town having suspicions about them and then acting on it#but seriously#their entire town is dust#almost everyone has left besides the party and the extremely religious folks who are using jason's words as their driving force...#shit is about to go down#i have a whole post in my drafts about mike being fuuuuuckedd#like there's just too much evidence supporting it#the fact that he is on the hellfire poster#the fact that they make a point to have jason looking for mike and also nancy say that she saw him die in the vision#the fact that the scene at the town hall has both a will and mike lookalike#but the scene with will looking at his lookalike directly as they drive into hawkins but without mike's lookalike present this tie#with the following dialogue literally acknowledging people missing and dying and the shot focusing on mike#the fact that mike has been consistently late at the start of every season#the fact that mike's accompanied by a funeral home fan in his s4 promo pics#the fact that his funkopop looks like it's getting vecna'd#the fact that finn himself joked about mike dying in the opening scene...#oh and my personal favorite#mike: 'how am i gonna survive a whole week without you guys?'#that week ain't over yet folks...#anyways
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exilepurify · 1 year
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The narrative climax of the REIGEN spin-off manga is so unexpectedly somber and tragic. Bones needs to animate it so so bad bc could you even imagine the redraws and edits and amvs that would come from it? Tome crying in fear and Reigen hugging her to transfer the curse to himself and die in place of her. Reigen walking out into the middle of the forest, rapidly declining, expecting to die alone, his only hope being Mob who he isn’t sure will arrive in time or even show up to help him at all. A weak and half-dead Reigen being yanked off the ground by his suit lapels by a vision of Mob who tells Reigen that he’s come to save him, that he knows the way out, that everything’s going to be okay. And Reigen knows it isn’t the real Mob, but he doesn’t run or try to save himself and calls it by Mob’s name anyway. An angst-lover’s paradise.
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assiraphales · 7 months
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Your posts are some of the highlights of my tumblr experience – I've always been focused on Luffy/Zoro but before OP:LA released it seemed kinda? Rare, almost? At least in comparison to other things. But now so many people like it too! And are writing wonderful little essays like yours! I feel understood. Personally they've always been a qpr to me (I hold Luffy's basically-canon aroace status VERY close to my heart) in the most soulmate, ride or die, married without even kissing once, forever and always with their own special kind of love no matter what anybody else thinks, kind of way. I love reading your thoughts because even if may not be in the exact same flavour as me (which I respect) I feel like you get them already. Keep having fun! The world of OP has so much in store for you!
don't say such nice things to me i'll cry :(
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dutybcrne · 4 months
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Was Kaeya and Diluc’s whole Confrontation before or after he left the Knights? Bc if it took place AFTER…
It wouldn’t have been fire from Diluc’s Vision that hurt Kaeya, now would it?
#☆ ┆ ( .ooc. );#//Bc according to the manhwa; Luc left his Vision as his resignation#//And allogenes without their Visons can’t use their respective elements#//So then#//It would have been the DELUSION’s fire that hurt Kae. Not DILUC’s#//Idk; good concept; I’m pretty sure Kae’s Vision story contradicts it tho#//But then it WOULD make sense why Luc was so quick to draw his blade and fight him over his truth#//Instead of hearing him out and trusting him; considering how close they were said to have been#//‘like twins’ they were said to be#//I do like this idea ngl#//WAIT WAIT#//THAT WOULD ALSO EXPLAIN WHY KAE WAS SO QUICK TO BLAME LUC FOR COLLEI’S FIRE CRIMES#//BC HE RECOGNIZED THE DELUSION’S FIRE#//I don’t think he actually SAW Crepus use it#//So either he could be operating on what he read in Luc’s discarded account of the incident#//Or he somehow SAW the flames firsthand to suspect Luc of all people FIRST#//Bc when he threw the accusations; Luc didn’t have his Vision back yet; so WHY accuse him of a fire crime otherwise#//Idk maybe I’m thinking too hard abt nothing lmao#//But it’s still a good plot bunny!#//Prolly also would make sense why Kae still wants to stick around him and not hold a grudge over the Confrontation either#//Bc Luc wouldn’t have been in his right mind; having the Delusion on him. the thing could have seriously messed with his emotional state#hc; kaeya#hc; diluc#//Canon between my muses on here; can vary for respective counterparts
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hey-scully-itsme · 1 year
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megachurches are so fucking swagless
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gikairan · 2 years
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News outlets are doing reports on the weird Neom project and like... I know theres going to be an incredibly interesting documentary about this project when it inevitably fails
But I bet it'll never happen until the Saudi crown prince dies u_u.
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hoshigray · 25 days
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Hello (◍•ᴗ•◍)
I really like your work it's so good!! And i saw your request is open soooo
Can i request delinquent/bad boy sukuna x student council president reader? Like they hate each other bc reader is very strict with the rule while sukuna just break it anyway. One day, sukuna saw the reader in a party which make him confused bc reader is not the type to do fun stuff. And moments later they fuck
Sorry if this is a very detailed request. Feel free to ignore it or change it :3
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𝐚. 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞: oh my, another sukuna req! things bout to get hot, hehe~
⊹ 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: Sukuna x fem! reader - explicit content; minors DNI - modern setting; Sukuna and you are college seniors - blackmail - fingering (f! receiving) - anal fingering (f! receiving) - oral (m! receiving) - facials - use of a phone; sexual photography - impact play (spanking) - full nelson position - degradation (cumslut, pig, slut, whore) - humiliation - overstimulation - pet names (brat, princess, woman) - dick piercing (frenulum) - usage of drugs & alcohol - mention of drool/spit and tears.
⊹ 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 2.7k
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Sukuna was grinning ear to ear as he marched his way toward you. “Y/n.”
You perked at your name, and your face contoured to brief shock before shifting to mild annoyance. “Sukuna.”
Running into you at a huge party was the last thing Sukuna expected to see. But it’s a situation he will take advantage of expeditiously. 
College is hard enough being the top dog of the student government association and trying to juggle senior classes. It is your job to keep the school and its students in order, maintaining a pretty face as it’s been doing decently for the several years before you. The entire student body knows you take your job seriously, earning the respect they give you with every step you take and being praised by professors and faculty alike — even being invited to have dinner with the university president along your association! 
But of course, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows because there are always downsides to the good — one of them being a ginormous thorn to your being. 
Ryōmen Sukuna is a man you’ve been dealing with for almost four years. Known for his intimidating cadence whenever he walks the halls, the brutality of his moves as he’s the famous trump card of the school’s jiu-jitsu club, and his cold and demeaning manner of speech when talking down to others he deems beneath him, he is regarded at the campus’ “demon dog.” Someone that many can never believe is the older brother of the freshman track star sweetheart, Yuuji Itadori.
He is a person that many say is the complete opposite face when compared to you, a fact you have no choice but to agree with a twitching brow. Looking through all the disruptive students you’ve dealt with, Sukuna would be crowned King for being the most colossal nuisance of your life. Whether it be reporting him to the campus police for picking fistfights with the juniors, smoking in smoke-free zones, adding more tattoos to his face and arms, or willingly trashing places because he thinks he can, no one has been more subject to give you more grey hairs. He just doesn’t listen — he won’t listen! 
And the worst part is that he enjoyed making your life a living hell. God, he’s such a fucking bastard, not wanting to deal with outside of your academic life.
…Until you two see each other from across the living room where a huge party is held in one of the off-campus apartments, perplexed crimson eyes locked on with widened ones, too shocked to take a sip of your drink from your red solo cup. You immediately turned to the group before you, hoping the sea of kids and the bouncing bass could distort your image from his vision. 
Too late; the salmon-haired senior couldn’t hide the grin on his face as he slithers past people to get to where you are. Students move out of the way for him to move, the group you were hanging with gasps with wary stares, and Sukuna taps your bare shoulder. 
“Never figured the student government president would be here,” his voice was chilling as always. Yet you remain a neutral face when facing him. “Something tells me there isn’t apple juice in that solo cup.”
The group you were hanging out with instantly excused themselves to somewhere else in the apartment, leaving you alone with Sukuna. You rolled your eyes, “What is it, Ryōmen?” You feel disgusted as his red eyes scan your figure, taking in the off-shoulder, long-sleeved bodycon dress you were wearing. True, you don’t wear stuff like this all the time, but you can’t expect this bastard to have any amount of decency or subtlety. 
“Whatcha doin’ here, prez?” God, you hated him calling you that, knowing good and damn well what your name was — but, again, why would he bother; not respecting you enough to do something simple as that. “Isn’t this kind of thing what you’re against for and all?”
“Hmph, am I not allowed to have some fun at a party I was invited to?” You furrowed your brows and took an aggressive sip. “Besides, this is off-campus housing; the property owners are the ones who’ll have anyone’s asses if stuff breaks or cause disruption against the codes.” 
“Oh, so the uptight President is off duty this time? Hmm, ain’t that something,” he leans against the wall beside you with crossed arms. Your gaze was averted to the crowd bumping and grinding rather than acknowledging the delinquent examining you. “I figured you’d be somewhere pulling your panties to some poor bastard.”
“Watch your tone when talking to me, Ryōmen,” you finally send him a glare through your peripherals. It humored him, a devilish chortle you could hear even through the loud bass. “Lucky for you, I’m only here to have a good time with some friends before heading home to assignments. So, do me a favor and don’t start shit for me to take home and stress over.” 
He lifts a brow, “Is that so? Miss Prez came to let loose, huh.” You didn’t like how he said that — nor how he moved to lean closer to you. His cologne disrupts your nostrils. “Never thought you had that side of you.”
“There are many things you don’t know about me, Ryōmen,” you swing your cup around with a scoff. “And I’d prefer to keep it that way.”
And you thought you’d win this round as Sukuna doesn’t say anything to you for a few seconds. However, the man goes through his pocket to pull out his phone to pull up something. And when he finds it, he flashes the screen to your direction. “You mean things like these?” You turn to look at the device, and your eyes go wide with an agape mouth. What he was showing were photos — a whole lot — of you. 
“You know, I’m sure it must be hard being president of the student body; that’s why I don’t envy you,” one photo shown is of you smoking in the Honors Lounge with a few of your student government associates, an action undoubtedly prohibited within the facilities. “So, I can’t blame you when you decide to settle down and let yourself go for a minute,” he swipes his finger to pictures of you drinking liquor with some other students who smoke blunts and have weed plastered on the coffee table. “However, you really outta be careful with what you’re doing, Y/n; you got people who look up to you and expect so much from you.” Another picture shows you at some dark nightclub with a guy friend, shoving middle fingers and sticking tongues out at the camera. 
Your lips quiver with every swipe, and lips quiver, “Wh…Where did you get those…”
“Hmm? I can’t share that information. Heh, plus, I like to keep tabs on those who can get on my nerves,” he stuffs the phones back into his dark jean pocket. “But I can’t lie; the more I look at those pictures and compare them to the little president that nags too damn much, I can’t help but wonder what would happen if someone were to leak these out for the whole school to see. Which would drop quicker: your presidential scholarship and accolades or your reputation?”
“You fucking asshole…!”
You swiftly throw your cup at Sukuna, but the pink-haired man dodges easily and grabs your wrist — the poor guy behind him gets drenched with your drink. “Hey!” The guy grabs Sukuna’s shoulder and is immediately met with the infamous death glare. “…My fault, bro, don’t worry about it. I’ll go dry off,” the student says while backtracking away from those fearsome eyes. 
You’re trembling with vexed shakes; the hand on your wrist holds you tight with no sign to let go unless necessary. Otherwise, you know he’ll break it if you make one wrong move. “…What the hell do you want from me?“
Now Sukuna has you in the palm of his hand — his sinister grin growing as he leans closer to be inches away from your face. “My apartment is on the top floor; you have ten minutes to get your ass up there,” you don’t move a centimeter when he draws near your ear to whisper. “I’ll show you how to really get loose, Miss President.”
The words felt like sharp daggers to your throat, “You…devil.”
He snickers into your ear, “Pick your poison, and you’ll see just how much of a devil I can be.”
And with that, Sukuna straightens himself up and heads out, his frame disappearing deep into the crowd till you can’t see him anymore. Your heartbeat goes at a pace way too irregular to call ordinary, and your blood too cold as it has your skin suffer in shivers. 
This was a nightmare — an absolute, horrifying nightmare. There’s no way the guy that you hate with your very guts just blackmailed you! This was not how this night was supposed to go; now your whole reputation — what you’ve built with your own two hands — is being held in front of you and is dependent on going to this asshole’s apartment. Who the hell does he think he is!?
You didn’t want to go. You wouldn’t go! Especially under the premise of that fucker, playing with your life like some toy. Your thoughts were inner turmoil, challenging your morals and conscience on what to do. Your pride was trying to pull up a good fight, holding onto whatever dignity you have to validate not going up on the elevator and seeing Sukuna for what he’s about to do to you. They’re just pictures; people will think they’re edited or question if they’re valid!
However, the fact that you spent five minutes going back and forth with this suggests those were anything but pictures. He had ammunition to bring you down — to humble and look down on you — and have everyone do the same, no matter what you could say to justify yourself. So, swallowing your ego, you exit the party and walk the hallway down to the elevator. Every floor you ascended made you feel small, and when the doors opened for you to step out and you saw him leaning on his door waiting for you, your fate had been sealed. 
The same smirk he had at the party was plastered on his face. You were no longer in control of the situation; you are now in his domain — and you should follow his commands to keep up.
“Gahhh! Mmmph, Ryooo, stop—Eeek! Y’re hitting so ha—Ahhh!”
“What? You thought I was going to be easy with you? After all those times you’ve pestered me to no end? Hah, think again, prez.”
Being in the same space with Sukuna is something you never comprehended happening civilly in all your years of knowing him. Now, being laid on top of his knees as he sits on the edge of the bed is jarring in its own sentence. The skirt of your dress was pulled up, your ass and panties out for the cool air to caress. Not until Sukuna rips you off your underwear and starts giving your bare butt unforeseen strikes. The impact of his hand was so harsh that you gripped his jean-clad leg with a scream. 
He goes about this for a solid five minutes, giving your asscheeks slaps – and your cries have him chuckle and do some more. And you can’t squirm out of his hold, or else he’ll dent the skin of your butt with his fingertips, piercing into the tense muscle to inflict pain like no other. God, it hurt so bad, every smack taking your breath away. 
“Look at you,” he coos, rubbing his hand on the hot skin. The pain was so bad to the point of your eyes watering; simply hovering his Hand over you was enough to have you in shudders. “Whatever happened to the poised and resilient Y/n who’d always dare threaten me for my behavior? This person on me, screaming like a whore, can’t be the same Y/n.” 
You grit your teeth, turning over your shoulder to express your seething glare. “Who are you calling a whore, you fucking—Deeeii! Ohhh!” Sukuna sneaks a forefinger inside your wet cunt, not bothering to warn you. “Wai—Tahhh! Take it out, take it out right—Noooh!!”
“Oh, don’t even think you’re in any position to tell me what to do, slut,” you bite your lip as he moves his finger into your vagina with such merciless vigor. “And with how you’re crying like a bitch, you sound pretty whore-ish to me.”
Oh, go fuck yourself! You could have told him that — but you didn’t because he squeezes in his middle finger to insert inside your tight chasm, both digits now rummaging inside your vaginal walls and scraping them to the point of drooling babbles on your part. You couldn’t think of anything, not when he’s still throwing smacks on your ass with his free hand. You can’t even wipe the spit that comes down your lips because he distracts you with more jabs to your inner walls and pinches to the skin of your butt. Fuck, fuuuck!!
And it gets worse when you feel his thumb dance around your asshole. “N–No, stop it, Sukuna! That’s dirty, don’t—Mmnaahh!!” He slips it inside without care; the pain of his thumb forcing inside your puckered anus almost has you shut down.
“That’s the point, prez,” he bites his lip with a pestilent snicker. “Gonna make you so fucking dirty tonight, wanna ruin that perfect image of yours that you don’t recognize yourself. He scratches your butt, resulting in you clamping onto his digits with a grip that feeds his ego. “Mhmm, just like that, princess.”
How dare he play with your ass like a toy and have the nerve to call you that? Such a sick man; the hate you have for him boils your blood to no end. “Ahhh, stoop, too fast, please, go slo—Mmmph!?”
He shoves two fingers in your mouth to stifle your cries. “That’ll keep you from squealing, fucking pig.” And he continues to toy with your slit and anus, your whimpers muffled by his thick fingers.
“Take it all in, Y/n, every single fucking inch, ya hear?…Mmmm, yeah, deep in your throat like that.” 
This. Is. The. Worst! There’s absolutely no way you’re sucking Sukuna’s cock right now; this is the very last thing you’d want to be doing! He’s standing with his dark jeans and briefs on his thighs, his hand on the back of your head to make sure your mouth remains on his dick at all times. If you could, you would’ve chewed the damn thing off and made a run for it. 
But you came here for a reason, so you keep your disdain at bay and begrudgingly suck on Sukuna’s glans, having the salmon-haired man purr from above you. And it doesn’t help that he holds his phone to take pictures of you and said add more to his collection. God, he’s so disgusting…
“Fhhh, fuck, that feels good,” he groans at you taking his girth. Your lips down to the hilt, burrowing his length deep into the warm, tight tunnel of your throat. “Who woulda thought the strict, by-the-book Y/n would take in dick so well?” You narrow your eyes at him as you bob your face up and down, earning a hearty chuckle from the pleased man. “That face of yours, baby, so furious with me, huh.”
You try to pay him no mind, distracting yourself with the task at hand by licking one of his balls before sucking them. Your hands increase in speed when stroking him, having the man above unable to stop bucking his hips to your fist for more enviable friction. 
“Shit, yeah, yes,” he throws his head back in bliss, and you can tell he’s about finished while feeling his cock pulsate under your touch. “Bring your face here.”
He does it for you – his hand on your head for a reason – and forces you close to his cock before he jerks himself for release. And his come exudes with a force, landing right on your face. You fight every fiber of your being to move away, accepting his essence to paint your cheeks, nose, and lips. It was unbelievable how disgracious he was, just plain selfish and unapologetically nasty. 
You hear the phone snap, throwing another scowl at the pink-haired responsible. “Lookin’ like a real cumslut for me, prez.”
And the worst part of all finally comes around — the thing you dreaded once you stepped out of that party and into that elevator.
“—Fffaaahh! Hooohshiiit! This is crazy—Eeeee!”
“Fuckin’ shit, you’re tight as hell, woman…Khhh…! Tryin’ to milk me dry, huh, Y/n…”
Sukuna lies beneath you with his legs bent away, his arms wrapped underneath your legs, and pushing them to your chest from behind. His cock is entombed inside your leaking slit as he thrusts up to you with every second, and the sound of your ass smacking onto his thighs fills the space.
He has his hands behind your neck, demanding you to look at the union of your sexes, and your face couldn’t get any hotter than watching the obscenity. He’s been fucking you for more than ten minutes now, his cum inside you from the last round stains a white ‘o’ around the base of him, and the sticky substance so vulgar to look at it stretching with his push and pull motions. And the squelching – the goddamn squelching! – it only furthered the fog clouding your mind.
There was no point concealing your wails; your lips were forced open with every jab from Sukuna. Jesus, he was so fucking big — your poor cunt stretched to accommodate his intrusion. You clamp onto him more when he pulls, the barbell piercing his frenulum and scraping your walls from the descent and grazing your G-spot.
“Fuck, fuuuck, hsssh…!” It was hard to concentrate on anything outside of this, and you couldn’t tell if you were speaking adequately or prattling like some sex-crazed fool. You sigh with rolled eyes when he sends sporadic ruts out of nowhere, clenching onto his shaft with a tug. 
It has Sukuna groan hotly, his breath steaming your skin. “Holy fuck, you really love gripping my cock, don’t you, princess?”
“I–I can’t help it! You keep ’n hit—Haishhh!” Your eyes meet the ceiling at the jab of your A-spot, the pressure making you feel full. “You—hic—…Yo’re the one m’king me like thisss…”
“Is that right?” He takes slow thrusts to draw out your pleasure; your broken howls were music to his ears. “Sounds like the to be enjoying yourself.” You hurriedly shake your head no, and he throws a bitter pound to your hypersensitive chasm. “Brat, why the hell else are you milking me like this for, then?” 
“Becauseee, it feels….Mmmm,” No, you can’t say that. Don’t tell him what he wants to hear.
“Hmm? Feels what?” You can hear the smirk on his lips. You don’t say anything except muffled hums, so he probes you, “You want me to send out those pictures, huh? Show just how much of a terrible president you are, how you love to go dumb on my dick?”
Of course not! “Do—Don’t you dare…!”
“Then answer the question: how does it feel, hmm? Tell me, how do you feel being fucked by the guy you hate so much?”
Oh, damn you, Ryōmen Sukuna! It was now you shed a tear, your hands grabbing for his forearms for purchase. 
“—Fucking ‘ell, it feels good,” you said it, your last bit of dignity finally thrown for the man to shred apart. “Feels ‘oo good, you make me feel—Geheehh…so damn good…!”
Oh, that was more than enough for him. Sukuna’s sneer becomes broader, and his chuckles are felt from your back. “What a dirty bitch for me, princess…”
His hips go back to an unsteady fashion, propelling his dick to his base, and the brushes of his piercing massage your walls too precisely. It doesn’t take long for your orgasm to come crashing down on you with a scream, the walls of your cunt contracting around Sukuna for the third time that night. Your nails dig into his arms, and drool leaves your pretty agape mouth as he allows you to ride out your climax.
Sukuna whistles at the sensation of you fluttering on his girth. “Phew, damn, that was a good fuck. You know how to keep up with me, woman; you’d make a great pet.”
You were sick of him, gulping to wet your dry throat. “Delete…the fucking…pictures.” Your empty threat only has him click his tongue with a scoff.
“Not so fast there, prez; the fun was just getting good.” Your heart sinks to the soles of your feet. “So, be a good brat and know your place is under me tonight.
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requests/thirsts are open hehe~ 🧸
© 𝐇𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐲 – reblogs and comments are appreciated wholeheartedly ☆ header edit done by me + dividers by @/benkeibear.
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dycefic · 1 year
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Tom Saves The World
Everyone knows that it’s super-heroes who save the world. They fight the aliens, or the monsters, or the bad guys. And mostly, that’s true.
But not always.
I’m a psychic. The thing is, my range isn’t that great. I don’t have much detail more than about 36 hours out, 48 for something really big. I’d had a nebulous sort of bad feeling for about a week before this one finally hit, and it was big. Something very tough and very supernatural was going to come up out of the harbor of Nova Roma, and the death-toll was going to be high. Crazy high.
I did all I could. I told the Unaligned Supers Job Placement Agency, and they put the word out to everyone on both sides of the Line. The Henchman’s Union don’t like natural disasters any more than anyone else, and they’re often quite helpful against eldritch horrors and stuff like that. Things that don’t hire henchmen and ruin the property values.
The trouble was, nobody big was around. The only really big team of heavy hitters on the West Coast were away dealing with some sort of doomsday cult - I never was clear on what that was about - and Guarde and Dog Fox were out of touch and even Mx Frantique was out of town at someone’s wedding. It was going to happen in less than two days and we couldn’t find anyone to help and I was seriously considering calling in some kind of bomb threat or something to get people away from the docks, at least.
And then, about eighteen hours out, it just… went away.
Which never, ever happens.
My powers might be short range, but they’re reliable. I don’t get stuff wrong, and I hadn’t been able to find any way to prevent what was going to happen, or even been able to identify anyone who could. But someone did. Someone had done something to stop the threat, something that happened literally while I was opening my car door. When I reached for the handle, thousands of people were going to die. By the time the door was open, there was no threat at all.
At first I thought it must have been a ranged thing. Like, whatever I’d been seeing (all those teeth, I saw them in nightmares for months after) had been distracted by something tasty on its way here and gotten off track, that it’d come up somewhere up or down the coast. My range isn’t that big, either. Anything outside about thirty miles might as well be on Mars for all I know about it. So we kept a watch out, and warned the chapters of the Union and the Agency in other cities.
But nothing happened. Nothing at all. I couldn’t explain it, and I was really unpopular for a while. Supers do NOT like people who cry wolf. There’s enough freaky shit we have to deal with without someone panicking everyone with a dire prophecy that fizzles out.
Thank all the gods that Tunny showed up. Nobody’s really sure what Tunny actually is - sentient fish creature, some kind of really mutated human, an alien, or what. She changes her story a lot. But she’s pretty friendly, especially for a twenty-foot-long horror-movie-mermaid-thing with four arms, so when she came into harbor to pick up some supplies a guy from the Agency went out to tell her what I’d seen. I’d gotten a wharf and dock number, so she went down to check.
I don’t think anyone had ever seen Tunny scared before. Her English wasn’t good enough to really explain what she’d found hibernating down there, but it was something very old and very powerful and very dangerous, and if it’d been woken up my vision would just have been the start of the crisis.
She rounded up a bunch of whales to help her move it, once she was sure it hadn’t been agitated and wasn’t likely to rouse if moved carefully. They towed it out before dawn, not wanting to scare the civilians, and when I saw the footage from the helicopter the Union sent up, when I saw how big the swell was, how many whales were pulling, I swear I nearly crapped myself. No wonder I’d been getting hints a week in advance. Somehow we dumbass humans had built a whole fucking city almost on top of some kind of Ancient Old… THING, and eroded the sea-bottom until it was exposed, and if someone hadn’t done whatever it was we’d all have been dead long before Tunny arrived. And not just all as in ‘all of Nova Roma’, it could have taken out half of the continent... or all of it.
It took me years to find out what happened. YEARS. It turned into a kind of hobby, tracking everything that might possibly have come into contact with Wharf 38 on that particular day.  
And what I found, eventually, was a city employee named Thomas Briggs.
I’d found out early on that 38 wasn’t in good repair. Not that bad, but not great. It was old, things were getting a bit saggy in a few places, but there’d been no sign that anything was likely to fall off on the day. It had sat there for a couple of years after the crisis that never happened,, doing its job without problems then been rebuilt without any drama at all.
Entirely, completely, and totally because of Thomas Briggs.
The story, when I finally pieced it together, went like this.
There’d been some project or other to build some sort of high-budget science project over on the other side of the harbor, hanging it off’ve Pier 8, the furthest out on that side. Something about tracking sea-life or ships or something. My conversational English is near perfect, I’ve been here for years, but I don’t speak science nerd in ANY language. It’d all been approved, some university was covering most of the cost, it was all gonna be fine. And it was gonna be over on 8 because that side of the harbor is the shallow end. It’s where the sailboats go. All the big stuff that would block visual sensors and deafen the thing with engine noise was over in the thirties, in the real deep water.
They were almost ready to install the thing when a bunch of rich dudes suddenly got their panties in a bunch over having a big sciency tower thing ruining the view from their yachts, and tried to get it moved.
To, and I’m sure you guessed this, Wharf 38.
Which was completely insane. It wouldn’t be able to do its job over there, it’d be way more in the way, and (although they couldn’t have known it) the installation would definitely have woken up the Thing sleeping by the wharf and we all would have died. But rich dudes with yachts don’t care about that stuff. They’d bitched out and bribed up their friends on the city council, and those friends had done their thing, and the scientists had been left in the dark, and it’d almost gone through. They’d figured to install it right away, so that when the science guys found out it’d be too late and they’d either have to pay a lot to move it or just use it where it was.
Enter Thomas Briggs.
Mr Briggs, Tom to his friends, didn’t give a crap about the yachts or the science. He was a senior money guy for the commercial wharfs, the one who figured out things like how much money they’d take in in a quarter, and what the repair budget should be, stuff like that. He found out about this thing two days before the disaster would have happened, and sat down and did the math.
Then he sent out an email to the guys trying to push this through, and he ripped into them like they’d threatened to knife his mother. I got my hands on that email, and I didn’t understand a lot of it any more than the council guys would have. It was ALL numbers. But at the top he wrote it out in plain English. Pier 8 was new, and rated to handle the weight of the thingy. Wharf 38 was going to be scrapped in a few years, and it was NOT rated for that kind of structure. Pier 8 had plenty of room around it. Wharf 38 was already a tight fit for the big commercial ships, and adding a structure sticking out on one side would block off at least half of the wharf to those ships completely.
Bottom line, putting the thing on Wharf 38 would cost the city hundreds of thousands of dollars more per year than putting it on 8, AND the city would have to eat the cost if 38 collapsed under it which it could easily do, AND the city would have to pay to move it in a couple of years anyway when 38 was due to be rebuilt.
And he cc-ed every important person he had an email address for, including the mayor, the anti-corruption people, and several reporters.
He must have sent that email right when I was opening my car door.
The whole plan collapsed right there, and some people got fired. There was no news story because the whole plan got killed before the reporters even got to the right office. The installation was started on Wharf 8 a few weeks later and I never connected it to a commercial wharf on the other side of the harbor.
One email, and a man who I never could have located in time, a man who had no powers at all, a man who was just conscientiously doing his job looking after the city’s money saved the city, and the continent, and maybe even the world.
Who could have predicted that? Not me, that’s for damn sure.
I can’t deny that I went home and got drunk off my ass that night. Just thinking about how close that had been made my hands shake. One man. One honest man who’d done the math.
I put the word out, once the hangover wore off. What had happened. That Thomas Briggs was the reason we were all alive and everyone better make his life real nice from now on, because he’d done what none of us could do and nobody but the supers would ever even know it.
He’s got a lot of luck coming to him, I can tell you. We don’t forget debts like that.
And I knew that’d freak him out, because honest men don’t like it when people start doing them a lot of favors for no apparent reason, so I tracked him down at the little bar where he likes to have a quiet beer on Friday nights before he goes home. Hell, I was the one who’d gone through it all, back then. I should get to tell him.
I sat down beside him at the bar and looked at him. I saw a thin, small, balding man who looked like he worried too much and didn’t get enough sleep, with lines around his eyes. Yeah, he looked like a man who’d do the math. “Thomas Briggs?”
He blinked at me through his glasses. “Yes? Do I know you?”
“No, you don’t. My name’s Barkhado Omar, and I’ve been looking for you for a long time.” I offered him my hand and he shook it, still looking confused. Which was fair, ‘cause I doubt a lot of seven foot tall Somali women came up to him in bars even when he was young. He’s got to be close to retirement now.
He frowned. “Looking for me? Why?”
I smiled at him. “Tom, let me buy you a drink and tell you about the day you saved the world.”
It’s usually us who save the city, or the world. We have all the intel, all the advantages, all the powers.
But sometimes it’s not. Sometimes it’s someone like Tom Briggs, doing the right thing at the right time and never knowing that he changed the course of history.
Wild, huh?
--
This story is a direct result of me and my ex chatting about how different the entire Marvel Universe would have been if Jean’s first ‘resurrection’ - being found in a life pod under a wharf, IIRC - had happened at like... any other time. Earlier. Later. It would have changed SO MUCH.
And we speculated about how it could happen, how someone just puttering around in middle management might have unknowingly saved countless lives, prevented Madelyne’s corruption, the legacy virus, all of it, just by postponing that particular set of repairs a bit longer.... and I couldn’t resist writing a version of the story in which Tom does, in fact, save the world.
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assassinsblade · 4 months
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Forget Me Not | 5
It is your turn to experience guilt and regret, while Azriel takes some time to himself.
WC: 4.4k
Warnings: TW: SA, brief mentions of suicidal thoughts/ideations!!! Please do not read if this is triggering for you. Angst, feelings, we are all sad but we are taking a turn for the better!
a/n: All of the comments and responses to Part 4 were seriously incredible. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday tomorrow if they celebrate!!
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 6
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Azriel's shadows surrounded him before he could command them to do anything else. Darkness swallowed his vision, his chest, his heart, gods, he was dying wasn't he? Was this what dying felt like?
He felt like he couldn't breathe. Pain was searing through his chest as if a fiery sword was sticking from his ribcage, and he barely felt his knees crashing to the ground underneath him.
He didn't know where he had subconsciously winnowed to until he heard his brother's voice, filled with shock and confusion.
"Az?"
Hands were pushing his shoulders back, trying to get him to unfold from himself, to stop grasping his chest. His chest, his chest, his chest, it burned-
"Feyre, get Madja."
Azriel tried to shake his head, but he was so dizzy he couldn't tell if he made the movement or not. He vaguely heard Feyre's movements shuffle to a halt. Rhys must have stopped her at his attempt to say no.
"What happened?" Rhys questioned, voice strong despite the panic slowly making its way in.
Azriel was sobbing. He didn't know when he had started, but he knew he had broken. His own chokes and cries echoed in Rhys' office, his tears falling onto the cold marble floor beneath their knees. Pain laced across his skin from his fingernails digging into his own flesh, and he felt Rhys trying to pry the grip away.
"Kill me," Azriel sobbed. "Please, kill me. Do something, just make it stop-"
Rhys dove for his brother at the words, pulling him into a tight hug. The embrace did little to help with the overwhelming torture raging within the shadowsinger. He was going to die, he wanted to die.
He had never hated himself more, hated how it felt like his body was going to eat him alive if he took one more breath.
The constant memories shooting behind his eyes like poison: his mother mistreated by the Illyrian men while his hands burned, Mor left naked and alone in that forest with a sign punctured to her womb and him not arriving until hours into her pain, Rhys walking into a trap because he hadn’t seen it and hadn’t stopped it, Gwyn violated and tortured because he hadn’t been aware enough to spoil the plot or get there soon enough, and then you — your bloody body being carried in Cassian’s arms, clothes torn off, having been forgotten by him.
"Don't you dare say that." The male trying to keep him together spoke with such command, but the shadowsinger's pain persisted.
"I can't do this, Rhys. She-"
He couldn't stop crying, he couldn't stop hurting, he felt like he was screaming...
"Feyre," he heard Rhys call distantly. Everything was blurry, everything was awful. His head was pounding, his body was giving up on him, and then he felt delicate hands on his cheeks, a soothing feminine voice, and then nothing.
As darkness swallowed him whole, he saw only the glinting gold swimming inside his chest, reaching like a rope into darkness.
It was quiet for a bit. Safe, surrounded by nothing but shadows so much like his own, and the small golden light flickering inside of him. He would be content to stay there forever. To no longer live as the monster he’d become, to be able to pretend he was nothing, no one, just a fluid existence stretched through space. Like the embodiment of flying through the skies of Velaris, wings splayed wide and air crisp and free all around.
Unfortunately though, Azriel’s peace was short lived. Before he could truly bask in the quiet, he was being pulled out of his mind and back into the present.
Bright light hit his face, shining through the window of his bedroom at the House of Wind. His shadows immediately swarmed the opening, pulling at the curtains until he was once again draped in darkness.
He sighed and sat up, running his hands down his face. He felt overly fatigued, his entire body weighed down with guilt, self-hatred, and the words you had spoken to him.
He did let everyone he knew down. He already knew that, reminded himself of that every single day, but that didn't make it hurt any less coming from your lips.
Rhys, one of the many people he had failed, had not stopped staring at him. Azriel knew his brother was waiting for him to break the silence.
His voice sounded broken to his own ears, weak and cracking even when spoken in a low volume. “I don’t know what to say.”
He truly didn’t. What should he have said? Hey Rhys, thanks for tucking me in after I had a complete breakdown, you can leave now.
“You can start by explaining why you came to my office and begged me to kill you.”
Yeah, Rhys was not happy.
Azriel sighed, feeling his chest pinch at the memories. He wasn't happy either.
You’re no hero. You’re a joke.
Your hands are the ones hurting me.
That’s all you're good for: inflicting damage.
“Azriel.” Rhys interrupted his thoughts.
He swallowed, feeling himself tear up again. He hadn’t cried this much since Rhys went under the mountain.
“She’s my mate,” he finally spoke, voice quiet and chest cracking open at the confession.
Rhys didn’t even blink. Azriel couldn’t meet his gaze though.
“Who?”
Rhys knew who. Based on Azriel’s reaction to the information alone, he knew.
Azriel didn’t answer the question, knowing it was unnecessary. Instead, he gazed at his scarred hands resting in his lap and said, “I went to train, and she was already in there. The bond snapped before she even turned around.”
“Does she know?”
He shook his head, focusing on the sting in his arm. “She wouldn’t have missed if she did.”
He felt Rhys eyeing the slash against his bicep, already weaving itself back together. Then his friend studied the rest of Azriel's body language. The way his shoulders were curved in on himself, the way his fingers traced over the scars on his hands, the ghostly look in the male's hazel eyes despite them glistening with tears.
"What did she say?" Rhys ended up asking after his silent observations.
"Enough."
His brother didn't let Azriel brush him off though. "Whatever she said, she didn't mean it, Az."
Azriel scoffed. "Look into my mind, see how she looked at me, and then you try to tell me she didn't mean it."
"She is angry and grieving, and you are the only person available that she can blame and take it out on. Her anger," Rhys suddenly grabbed Azriel's arm, positioning it so he could nod to the reddened gash, "that anger, is because she cares. She's hurt because she loves you."
Azriel shook his arm out of his friend's grip. "It doesn't matter. I fucked up, and I can't take that back. The damage has been done, Rhys."
"I used to think that too." Violet eyes met his. "Feyre hated me, in case you forgot."
Azriel didn't budge, so Rhys continued. "I know what you're feeling right now. That it'd be alright if she hated you, as long as she's safe. But it still hurts, knowing she thinks poorly of you, and that feeling builds up. But your journey with her is not over. She is a forgiving person, you just need to give her grace while she heals. And you need to give yourself grace, because you're in a painful position too."
He nodded, letting a few tears fall. His palm automatically reached for his chest, rubbing it in an effort to soothe the ache there.
“How did you do it? How did you live with it hurting this bad? After Feyre said…”
Rhys sighed, letting out a small breathy laugh — a genuine one. “It wasn’t easy. I left for those days before Starfall, ignored her letters, sorted out my thoughts. Came to the conclusion that even if Feyre never loved me, I would always love her and I’d be happy to do so. And I have a family who I love dearly, who also loves me.”
The pointed look he gave Azriel was obvious, reminding him that his family was there and worried about him too. They had seen the way he’d turned into a shell of himself, barely sleeping in case you had a nightmare and needed him, barely eating or training, his entire reserve of energy being put into monitoring your safety and wellbeing. And he knew they cared, he really did.
Cassian had been trying to get Azriel back into the swing of training again, wanting him to express some of his heavy emotions in the ring, or at least talk to his brother while sparring and practicing. Instead, Azriel was seclusive and pulled the punches he threw the Illyrian’s way.
Rhys had given Azriel time off from his missions, delegating the work to those under the spymaster to take some weight off of Azriel’s shoulders for a bit. Azriel had at first refused but had given in when Rhys had pointed out that time and attention needed to be focused at home anyway, what with the Illyrians’ growing mistrust of Cassian, Azriel, and himself, the threat of an uprising ever present.
But now with what you had said…
“I think it’d be best if I went away for a bit.” His voice was quiet, resigned, lifeless to his own ears.
“By yourself?” Rhys asked, clearly not liking the idea.
He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Just — I think some space from her would be good. You even said you needed that when Feyre had hurt you.”
His brother’s violet eyes softened with understanding. “You’re right. I did. But I do think this is a bit more complex. What if you went with Amren or Mor to see Jurian and Lucien? See what they have been up to for a bit? You can leave some of the work to them, but have something to distract you should you need it.”
Azriel was quiet as he considered, but Rhys cut in before he could agree too soon. “But you come back. And you come back within the month.”
Azriel nodded. “Okay,” he relented.
“Okay,” Rhys repeated. His hand clasped Azriel’s shoulder in support, giving his brother a meaningful look. “I know I sound like an asshole, but it will work out. I know it. You two are too special, in general and to each other for this not to work out.”
He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to shut out the pain that came with his brother’s words.
He swallowed, composing himself before meeting his friend’s gaze with teary eyes of his own. “Tell Mor I’ll meet her on the border in an hour.”
-------------------------------------
You skipped training the next night, too emotionally drained to make it out of your room. Cassian hadn't come to find you, either. Maybe he had even heard of your argument with Azriel.
Instead of going to the training ring, you tried to read your books (pushing away the reminder that Azriel had gotten them for you), took some long baths, tried to write, and listened to music.
Nothing kept your mind distracted from what you had said to Azriel, though.
The instant relief that had coursed through your veins when the anger had seeped into the air, draining from where it had hardened in your chest and allowing you to feel lighter, changed over the course of the day into something just as volatile.
You felt guilty. So, insanely guilty.
You kept remembering the look on his face when you had mentioned Mor, Rhys, Gwyn, his mother…
The way his hands clenched and fiddled with themselves when you had told him you see them hurting you in your dreams.
The tears that streaked down his cheeks silently as you just kept on coming and coming, attacking and attacking.
And he had let you. He had stood there possibly from shock, guilt, care, and just let you tear into him without any retaliation.
You had never uttered words so cruel to someone.
And you hadn’t even meant them.
Sure, you had been so angry at him. You had felt so hurt and demeaned, that you wanted to do the same to him. But did you actually blame him for what had happened to his friends? Did he hold the responsibility for the entire world in his scarred hands?
Of course not. But you knew that he thought so. And you had used that against him.
Azriel had never meant for you to get hurt. You, on the other hand, had intentionally hurt him.
Did that not make you so much worse?
You cried yourself to sleep that next night, your actions sending you into a downward spiral of shame. Despite taking the tonic Madja had provided you for sleeping, you found yourself at the mercy of your guilt, your mind tormenting you with Azriel’s hurt and your own mistakes.
If you had known this dream would have taken a turn for the worse, creating a scenario that would haunt you even more than the memories of that night, you never would have closed your eyes.
It had started the same as the others: the snow, the alleyway, the blonde-haired male licking up your neck and reaching for your middle. This time though, when you brought the dagger down into the male’s neck, a familiar choking sound echoed into your ear.
Azriel.
The same noise that had escaped his lips after your weaponized words stabbed into him.
Then his hazel eyes met yours, the snow falling from Velaris’ night sky dusting his black hair. And there was so much pain, hurt, and betrayal in his gold and green irises that you felt sick.
“No-” you panicked, reaching out for him as the bright red blood poured down his neck and over your hands.
No, no, no. Not him. How could you have done this? You were hurting him, you were killing him.
Your hands moved quickly, pushing against the wound as sobs loudly slipped past your lips. "Azriel-" you started to say.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. His eyes tried to get your attention, but he was already weak, slipping through your hands and falling onto the pavement below.
When the dagger fell from his neck, you saw the charcoal-colored aggressive waves adorning the top of the hilt and nearly collapsed.
You had killed Azriel with his own weapon. The weapon he had lent to help you, you had taken and stabbed him in return. His support, his offer to make amends, his kind-hearted generosity toward you, turned around to tear into his lifeline.
You killed him.
And hurting him did not feel as good as you had imagined in that training ring, both then and now, snow falling onto his tan skin in the alleyway.
As you stared into his empty eyes, somehow still sparkling with the stars of Velaris, you couldn’t help but scream.
Waking from the nightmare was nearly as difficult as wading through it in your sleep. Your ears were ringing, throat sore, and mouth dry. You were so nauseous, your stomach gurgled as if it was warning you its contents could come up at any time.
You didn’t go to the library to read or run yourself another bath in an attempt to relax. Instead, you found yourself throwing the blankets off of yourself, still trying to catch your breath, and making your way hastily to Azriel’s door.
It seemed so similar to that first week after the assault, when you had sought out Cassian before relying on Azriel for a night. Only this time, as you stumbled through the hall, your only thought was on passing Cassian’s door and finding yourself in front of Azriel’s.
You felt so scared, so anxious, and for the first time in months it wasn’t for your own safety.
Your heart pounded in your chest as your toes padded down the cold floor. But it completely stopped when you noticed the difference in the House of Wind.
Azriel’s door, always left cracked with the light on since your first nightmare after the incident, was now closed, with nothing but black on the other side.
You nearly caved into yourself.
Who could blame him? You had been a terrible person. And despite what he had done to you, it was understandable if he never wanted to see or talk to you again.
Just the thought of him being in pain because of you behind that door…
You hesitantly stepped closer, bringing your fist up to the wood.
“I’m sorry,” he had whispered in your dream.
You knocked softly, waiting a few moments before calling out his name. When no response came, you couldn’t help the anxiety that coursed through you, bringing scared tears to your eyes.
Shaking on your toes a bit, you knocked again. Blood flashed across your mind, his lifeless eyes, his look of betrayal.
"Please," you whispered, calling out to him gently.
But you couldn't wait any longer. Your hands slowly twisted the doorknob, your mind not even thinking of the consequences of entering a spymaster's room unsolicited.
You would just see that he was alright and safe, and then you would go back to your room. Plus, his shadows would let him know you were entering, they would warn him of your presence and could push you out if need be.
At this thought, you suddenly noticed the lone shadow that had trailed you for months was no longer at your side. The darkness behind his door swallowed you whole at the realization. He was gone, done, and you along with him.
You spiraled further, pushing into the room and daring to look around.
It was empty. Darkness shaded the clean room, but there was no shadowsinger, no living presence occupying the space.
Was he on a mission? Did he leave without telling anyone?
His choking noise permeated through your mind again, and you found yourself becoming dizzy with panic and anxiety, the guilt and regret spreading so far into your gut you were sure it was physically damaging you.
Stumbling over to his bed, you collapsed onto it, first sitting before bringing your knees up to your chest and allowing yourself to seek out his warmth and scent in the duvet and sheets. He was okay, you told yourself. He was always okay.
But the lack of your shadow friend spoke volumes. He was done with you. Done trying to prove himself, done trying to be your friend. And it hurt just as bad now when he actively decided to leave you compared to when he did it unintentionally.
Because despite it all, you did love him. You had just become so hurt and destructive that you ruined yourself further in the process, striking out at him as collateral.
You buried yourself deeper into his covers, not even caring when your tears soaked into his pillow. And maybe you imagined the footsteps you heard outside Azriel’s door, the way Cassian’s door had opened and closed and a presence had hesitated outside of the shadowsinger’s room as if they were listening and contemplating.
You surely imagined Azriel coming home and allowing you to speak with him, and in these hopes you understood how he felt this whole time. The silence, the darkness, the guilt and self-hatred. And the never-ending fear that you had done something you could never repair. That you weren’t good enough or redeemable enough to repair.
The last image that crossed through your mind before your swollen eyes succumbed to sleep was Azriel’s face when he had seen you that first day in the kitchen with Rhys. His nervous and devastated but hopeful expression.
You hated yourself.
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In the morning, Feyre paid you a visit.
She did not comment on you leaving Azriel’s room, but the look she gave you was observant.
The conversation had started out small with her asking how you were doing, checking in on your training progress, if you had been reading anything good lately, if you had tried the meal Cassian made last night for dinner.
Then it was silent, and she hesitated before steeling herself like the High Lady she was.
“Azriel left the other night. Whatever you had said to him, whatever had happened two nights ago, I’m not sure he deserved it.”
You didn’t want to ask about the state she had seen him in. You didn’t want to know how deep the damage you had dealt went, because if you pictured his hurt expression one more time, you thought you might actually shatter.
You stared down at your hands in disappointment and shame, gritting your teeth to stop yourself from crying. You weren’t the victim this time around; you didn’t deserve to cry. And your eyes hurt so bad from crying so much.
“I think you two should talk. Your relationship has become so destructive I’m not sure either of you will come out at the end. Talk.” She demanded, her voice firm.
You nodded in agreement, swallowing the lump in your throat down before asking what you had been wondering since last night. “Where did he go?”
“To the mortal lands with Mor. He needed some time.”
Of course. Of course he needed time, and you would give him that. But you needed him to know that you were at least sorry, because you had no idea when he would be ready to return.
“If I were to give you a letter for him, would you make sure he receives it?”
Feyre sighed, thinking about the consequences of the action, before finally softening and nodding. She understood the need to reach out after such an incident, and you noticed her eyes flicker as she doubtlessly thought back to when Rhys left for a bit before Starfall and ignored her own letters.
“Sure. But you must be kind.”
You nodded again, that pang of disappointment and shame flaring to life again in your chest, and you thought of all the things you needed and wanted to say to Azriel.
But when you actually went to put pen to paper later that night, you found yourself second-guessing everything.
You had gone too far in punishing him — for something he was not even completely to blame for — and he probably didn’t want to hear from you. You should let him breathe, give him time to think and unwind without your existence constantly ruining him.
But then you thought of him standing in the training ring, hurt, crying, alone, and your hands were moving.
Azriel, you started the letter. I know you probably don’t want to hear from me, but I think I would regret not sending this to you, not telling you everything you deserve to hear. And I don’t want to regret anything else.
First, I need to apologize. Profusely. You don’t need to forgive me or give me another second of your time, but I am begging you to know and understand that I did not mean a word I said the other night. I could name a thousand reasons why the words went past my lips, but they will never unspeak them. I will forever regret that night, more than any other night in my life.
Please know that even in the times when I am carried away by anger, when I am less than human, less than any of you deserve, I have always admired you. Sometimes I think that made the anger worse, twining together with the care I have for you until it became some kind of warped emotional weapon.
I do think you are a hero. And redeemable and brave and a savior. And I’m sorry for ever trying to put in your mind that you are anything but. You have saved me more times than I could mention in the size of this letter, just in the time I have known you. Please know that.
I have no right to ask, not after everything we have gone through the last few months, but when you are ready, I would really like to sit down and speak with you. About everything.
Maybe we can find a way forward. Or at least a way to exist together without any pain.
You don’t need to respond. I will be here, and I can wait as you’ve waited for me to be ready to talk.
Be safe. If not for me then for yourself and your family.
Then you stopped. Because how were you supposed to sign this off? You pictured his frown at reading the letter, at your words he no longer trusted or felt warmth from. You hated that frown, the sadness you had seen from him so much as of late.
In the meantime, you wrote, I will read the books you left me, continue to purchase those tart pastries from near the Rainbow, and find comfort in your bedroom light remaining on, if not just to remind me of your kindness.
I appreciate your help, even when you are not near. And then you signed your name.
You would wait for his response (or lack of) and for his return. And then you would have the chance to talk. You would be able to hear his own thoughts, emotions, apologies, and curses before letting out your own.
Strength was what you needed until then. The strength to self-reflect on the blame you had placed on him, the words you had thrown around so carelessly. Strength that would get you through the oncoming storm, the marching warriors coming for Cassian, Azriel, and Rhys. The Illyrians wishing to overthrow the high lord and his enforcers, coming to take them down in any way they could.
Their marching was coming, the stomps matching the pounding in your chest.
You’d be strong, and you would wait for him to return. You would hold your ground, dagger at your side and heart hesitantly ready to be displayed.
And maybe, if all went in your favor, you two could finally have that talk.
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A Rarity
Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader
Word Count: ~900
Warnings: fluff
Summary: You have a rare genetic code called heterochromia. You have two different colored eyes that you have tried to suppress ever since you got seriously bullied in middle school. Just when you're about to present a case, you find your contact case is missing.
Square Filled: friends with benefits (2022) for @spencerreidbingo
Author’s Note: any and all comments are appreciated <3
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Today is the day you start your new job as the team’s liaison. You’ve always been part of this since JJ was the main person to deal with it. However, she’s been promoted to profiler which means all the slack now falls on your shoulders. You love interacting with families and comforting them when they most need it.
This is the first case when it’s just going to be you, so you’re kind of nervous about it. Before going into the briefing room, you decide to touch up on your makeup and hair as if you’re going in front of millions on the TV to present the case. You take out your contacts and leave them to rehydrate on your desk while you go to the bathroom to fix your makeup.
Once you’re done, you make sure not to look into anyone’s eyes as you make your way back to your desk. The first thing you do is put away your makeup. The second thing you do is grab your contacts to put them back in but they’re not where you left them.
“Shit,” you curse and go through your entire desk. “No, this isn’t happening.”
You’re panicking at the thought of not having your contacts. You don’t need them to see, in fact, you have 20/20 vision. No, you use them only for color because you have a rare thing called heterochromia. Your right eye is bright blue and your left is bright green. You were born with two different eye colors. No one in your family has this genetic but you, so you have no idea where it came from.
Ever since you were enrolled in school, you were bullied for your eyes. It didn’t start getting bad until middle school when kids were more focused on appearances than learning and making friends. Kids in elementary school actually found them to be cool but only because they were little kids who didn’t know any better.
Your peers made you hate this part of you even though you can’t do anything about it. As soon as you started high school, you begged your mom to get you colored contacts. You’ve been wearing them ever since even into your adult years. You choose a natural blue to make yourself look more normal. Had you not had those, you would for sure get bullied even worse than in middle school.
The longer you went wearing them the more people thought your eyes were just one color. No one at work knows about this or so you thought. The only person who might know about this is Spencer but that’s only because you two have been friends with benefits for quite some time now. It helps to have one to work off the stress from work. Plus, he’s an amazing lover so there’s a plus.
You two aren’t dating just fucking a lot.
While he was getting ready this morning at your place, you were in the bathroom rushing to do your makeup. You hadn’t put your contacts in just yet so if he were to walk in the bathroom, he’d see your eyes for what they truly are. He was getting ready and peeked through the open door to see if you were close to being done when he saw the beauty in your eyes. He didn’t say anything about it so as not to embarrass you.
He walks into the bullpen from the break room to see you panicking.
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
“Where are my contacts? I just had them on my desk.”
“I didn’t know you wore contacts,” he lied. You refuse to look at him without them in. “I’m sure it’ll be alright. You have glasses, right?”
“Yes, but--”
“But what? What’s the problem?”
“Never mind,” you groan and continue looking for them.
“Hey, look at me.” When you don’t, he sets his coffee down on the desk and grabs your chin gently. He makes you look at him but you close your eyes so he doesn’t see their colors. “Open your eyes.”
“No,” you shake your head.
“Darling, open your eyes,” he says gently.
He would be the person to find out eventually. You sigh and open your eyes to show him the rarity you have. Now that he gets to see them up close, he’s falling more in love with you. You might not have feelings for him but he certainly has them for you. He only keeps you as a fuck buddy because if he were to tell you the truth, he might lose you.
“What beautiful eyes you have.”
“They’re ugly,” you sigh and pull away from him.
“Who told you that?”
“Everyone I’ve ever known,” you scoff. You look at your watch and notice the time. “Shit, I have to give the case out.”
“No one is going to notice.”
“Are you kidding me? They’re so bright. They stand out.”
“Fine, if they make comments, I’ll handle it.”
You have no choice but to go in there without your contacts. You sigh and grab your things before heading to the briefing room with Spencer. Everyone is already in there waiting so you immediately get started. As you’re talking, you notice Spencer watching you with a smile on his face.
“You’re beautiful,” he mouths to you.
Your cheeks heat up but you don’t let it show how happy he makes you. The briefing only lasts thirty minutes before Hotch announces wheels up. When everyone is packing up to get out of there, you notice something sticking out of Spencer’s back pocket. 
Your contact case. You want to be mad at him for taking it but maybe it’s time to let your rarity shine.
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Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary​​​​​​ where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)
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diordeer · 3 months
Text
౨ৎ FALSE GOD
“we might just get away with it, the altar is my hips, even if it's a false god. we'd still worship this love” - taylor swift (smau)
contains: charlie bushnell x fem!reader, where they both play in the false god music video
description: kind of obsessed with the band ‘sorry’ rn which is crazy bc its totally not my kind of music
requested by: anon!
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Liked by gracieabrams, blakelively and others
taylorswift dont miss false god, coming out tonight 12AM EST
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user1 I already love it… the colour scheme!!
user2 ok but WHO is in it because i know for a fact that isn’t taylor swifts hair
blakelively cant wait!! 🩷
user3 WE’D STILL WORSHIP THIS LOVEE
user4 i dont think i will be able to handle this
user5 whooos hands are thessee 👀
↳ user6 ikrr 🤭
gracieabrams ahhh this is so excitinggg!!
user7 i can already feel the vision
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comments:
user1 CHARLIE AND YN CHARLIE AND YN CHARLIE AND YN
↳ user2 THEY ARE SO PERFECT
user3 taylor NEVER misses!
user4 this is changing lives
↳ user2 not only is it changing lives, its bringing people back from the dead!!
user5 the SECOND i saw charlie i dropped to my KNEES
↳ user4 on my knees for Charlie AND yn, literally a sexuality nightmare
↳ user5 SERIOUSLY
user6 how do i make this mv my personality
↳ user7 my exact thoughts
user8 yn looks GORGEOUS in this literally ethereal
↳ user7 she makes me wonder things about myself i never thought i would
user9 worshipping this mv
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Liked by taylorswift, iamcharliebushnell and others
yn.ln go watch false god… RN!
tagged iamcharliebushnell, taylorswift
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user1 if u havent already rewatched it atleast thirteen times what are you doing with ur life
↳ yn.ln i vouch to this
user2 taylor is so cute!
user3 u were MAJESTIC in this
iamcharliebushnell had so much fun with uu
↳ yn.ln ur the besssttt!!! Cant wait to see u again soon!!!
user5 charlie and yn have such good on screen chemistry i actually cant get over it
↳ user3 BEGGING they r like that irl together
↳ user5 IMAGINE IF THEY WERE DATING
dior.n.goodjohn i feel like there should be context to the last pic
↳ yn.ln it was a live reaction of me finding out i had to make out with charlie 🤢🤢
↳ iamcharliebushnell oh because it was SOO horrible?
↳ user4 WHAT DO U MEAN CHARLIE
↳ yn.ln WOW WOW WOW NOT NECESSARY
↳ user6 i see a little smile in that photo 🤨
↳ user7 u cant say theres nothing going on between them
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Liked by yn.ln, dior.n.goodjohn and others
iamcharliebushnell had the best time working on this music video with everyone!!
tagged yn.ln, taylorswift
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user1 him in the last photo… LAWD HAVE MERCCYYY
↳ user5 OMG IKRRR
↳ yn.ln its so the shirt
↳ user1 u agree then? 🤨🤨
↳ iamcharliebushnell guess i should wear it more then
walker.scobell you were great!
↳ iamcharliebushnell this seems very passive aggressive
user2 can we talk ab the outfits in this tho?! Like so so gorgeous
↳ user7 PREACH! THE DRESSES?! THE SHIRTS?!
user3 working with “everyone”… we all know hes talking about working with yn
↳ yn.ln im just so amazing and loveable🤷‍♀️
user4 tell me theres nothing going on between them… I DARE
dior.n.goodjohn i cant believe YOU get to be in a taylor swift music video
↳ iamcharliebushnell i cant tell if this is a compliment or not
↳ yn.ln just take it as a compliment babe, dont question it 🥰
↳ user6 BABE?!
taglist: @lostinhisworld @lizziesfirstwife @auttumnsayshi @silkenthusiasts @taygrls @kidkrowk @kanojous @niktwazny303 @m00ng4z3r @highfidelities
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moonstruckme · 21 days
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omg omg i saw this tiktok before and it deffo gave doctor remus vibes!
this girls boyfriend was a doctor and he was using her as like a test person- like checking her heart rate with the stethoscope, making her take deep breaths and it was so intimate and uggghh remus would make me melt with that <33
This is so perfect haha, thanks for requesting! I’m thinking more med student remus than doctor for this one but we’re gonna call it the same for tagging purposes :)
doctor!Remus x fem!reader ♡ 704 words
“I have to think my patients will take me a bit more seriously,” says Remus, voice dry but hinting at a smile. 
“Sorry.” You try to quell your giggling. It had started up when he’d been feeling about your abdomen, and now you can’t seem to stop. “It’s just weird seeing you all professional.” 
“Well, that is the goal.” But Remus’ lips curve as he takes the flashlight away from your ear. He takes your chin in hand, kissing you softly. “Look straight ahead for me, dove.” 
“Wow, Doctor Lupin,” you tease as you follow his directions, keeping your gaze fixed while he shines the flashlight in your eyes, “do you treat all your patients like this?” 
“Only the cheeky ones,” he hums. “Now follow my finger.” 
“So bossy.” 
“Any chance you could let me get through this without the commentary?” 
“Not a great chance.” 
Your boyfriend huffs a laugh through his nose. “Try not to move your head. Just follow my finger with your eyes, alright?” 
You comply a bit more stoically, quiet as you track his finger across the space in front of you. Remus doesn’t make it easy for you, and when it dips out of your field of vision he tsks. 
“That’s not good,” he murmurs severely, but you know him well enough to recognize the mirth in his tone. 
“Now who’s taking things too lightly?” 
“I’m going to listen to your lungs,” Remus pretends he hasn’t heard you, slipping back into his professional tone as he takes his stethoscope from around his neck. He breathes on the end and rubs it with his hand. 
“What are you doing?” 
“Warming it up.” He sits down behind you on the bed. “Just stay facing that way, please. I’m going to put my hand up the back of your shirt.” 
“Fine, but don’t make a habit of it.” 
It’s like you can hear his eyes rolling. “Behave.” 
You stifle your laughter, trying to sit still as Remus sets the now slightly warmed metal to your back. 
“Take a deep breath for me.” 
You do. He moves the stethoscope a few inches upward. 
“Again, please.” 
You do.
“I feel like I can usually breathe better than this,” you tell him. “It’s harder under pressure.” 
“Please don’t talk while I’m listening to your lungs.” 
“Oh, sorry.” 
A soft chuckle, and then a knuckle skims over the skin just beside the stethoscope. 
“A few more breaths,” says Remus, affection warming his tone. 
You comply, feeling your face heat slightly, and then his hand comes out from beneath your shirt. 
“Alright, now I’m just going to have a listen to your heart.” He bends in front of you again. 
You watch Remus’ face as he slips his hand under the collar of your shirt and settles the stethoscope on your chest. His eyebrows twitch closer together as he concentrates, the muscles around his eyes tightening just slightly. He’s starting to accumulate freckles there already, the ones that had faded nearly to nothing during winter cropping up again near the outer corners of his eyes and on the bridge of his nose. Slowly, his lips start to curve into a smile. 
“What?” you ask. 
“It’s beating fast.” Remus raises his eyes to yours, smugness swimming lazily in the amber pools. “Any reason for that?” 
You groan and try to move away, but he sets a hand on your shoulder, laughing properly now. 
“Oi, I still need to practice. Just relax.” 
“This is mean,” you whine, but you’re smiling too. “You’re practically touching my boob, and I’m supposed to be calm about that?” 
“You’d think you’d be used to it.” 
“I’m trying to give you a realistic practice,” you joke. “If I was your patient and not your girlfriend, I’d be halfway to a heart attack right now.” 
Remus rolls his eyes but relents, putting the stethoscope back around his neck and swooping in for a kiss. “I don’t think I have the same effect on anyone else,” he says. 
“Trust me, you’re underestimating yourself.” 
He scoffs, but you spot the faint blush spreading across his cheeks. “Suppose I’ll have to adjust my methods, then. Be my practice patient a bit longer so I can figure it out?” 
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kaicubus · 1 year
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Hidden in the Trees | Karaku
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warnings ✩° : 18+ smut, cunnilingus, a pinch of degrading, mostly praise, demon sex, size difference, overstimulation!receiving, some masochism!receiving, consensual sex, cursing.
pairing ✩° : karaku x fem hashira!reader
premise ✩°  : after escaping the fourth upper moon hantengu, you find yourself running into a forest with what seems to have no exit. with no other way to go, you're forced to face the strangest of the demon clones, the pleasure demon.
word count ✩° : 4.2k
authors note ✩° : yippee another one down!! 2/4 look out for the rest...trying to get them all down in a timely fashion plz bear with me!!
©kaicubus do not steal
part one here!
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Was this the same demon from before? There was no way. The demon standing in front of you looked pleasant. Still, demon like, with thick veins pumping cold blood around his eyes and a plum-like color darkening his under eyes and forehead. What irked you most was that this clearly was one of Hantengu’s clones, but it looked nothing like who you saw before. This one, was attractive, almost, with a much more muscular built and tall stature. Now, he looks like a worthy opponent, all in all which terrifies you. Was he really the same demon who was crawling on the ground before?
You shift your feet into an instinctive kill mode, feet planted firm into the ground below, your movements making crunching noises against the plethora of dry leaves. You gain awareness of all the trees surrounding you two, the green of their lushness flurrying down. It’s an uncanny sort of feeling. For some reason, even when faced with one of the most powerful ranked demons, the setting around you was eerily calm. Not just the way the leaves fall slowly and the wind just barley picks up, but the demon who stands before you seems like he has already won the battle that hasn’t even started yet.
You stare at the green eyed demon with a murderous glint in your eyes and thinly pressed lips, mentally preparing for the worst. But, instead, the worst doesn’t happen. Rather than harvesting your life, you hear a lowly chuckle almost gurgle out of the demon’s throat, paired with a loud thumping noise start to approach you, slow enough to notice the horrible sinking feeling in your gut but too fast for you to do anything about it. With every step closer, the demon’s smile grows, watching as you move backwards right into the thick trunk of a tree.
You look back, then back at him, feeling a cold sweat start to form on your brow, mostly from confusion as to why this demon is so calm. He doesn't even look like a demon, and certainly doesn't look human. With your shoulders square, you back into the tree even more and hold your sword further in front of you, not being able to hide your shakes as the shirtless figure is now standing over you.
As the shadow of the night leak through the thick foliage of the trees above, the dark markings on this clone’s face make him even more spine chilling. He’s so close,
“And you thought I wouldn't catch up. You managed to lose me back there.” The demon speaks, holding his square shoulders up low, almost relaxed like. “I’ve fought humans before, but, I didn't think anyone could ever outrun me. I’m impressed. You have my attention.”
Have his attention? In what world would you ever want his attention? You wanted to scream at him, rip his head off with your bear hands, end this, and go home, but the demon in front of you clearly isn't taking you seriously.
“Is this a game to you?!” Your shoulders tense, anger piquing as you grip onto your sword handle more.
“To me, of course. But to you, it might be a bit more scarier than a game.” The demon in front of you draws his claws up to your chin and raises your face up to his unmatched, demonic height. The dark emerald green color fills your vision and that’s when you finally realize which clone of Hantengu’s he is.
“Karaku.” You mutter under your breath. Karaku, the demon clone who possesses the pleasure emotion of his host. You always thought that out of all the emotions Hantengu could have, pleasure was surely the weirdest one. That said, you didn’t know what you were up against, in fact the thought alone of what pleasure entailed made you nearly weep with all the gruesome feelings imaginable. But you hold your ground.
Karaku smiles slowly at you, his head tilting down and even closer to you, nearly enough to kiss you. Despite what you think, there’s no seemingly malicious bone in his body. Yet at least.
“That’s right. You know who I am. That’s good. Now, could I ask what a demon slayer like you is doing alone? And with no sword, that’s kind of like your whole thing right? You wave around a sword and slice my head off, right?” Karaku shifts his hand onto his face, curling his cold fingers on his cheek, “With no sword...and clearly no ability to actually fight me. You’re useless. Right? That makes this fun.”
You look down at your sword, confused, but suddenly feel a harsh gust of wind blow your way, knocking you off your feet.
There’s only a second from that to the moment where your back hits the ground and your sword is thrown out of your hand. Upon impact, you close your eyes and throw your crossed arms over your face, fear stinging your senses, before you open your eyes again to see the demon directly on top of you. The demonic look in his eyes is enough to make you shriek, just before he lunges down with his mouth open.
With a grunt, you kick the center of his chest, only managing to blow enough air to thrust his charcoal black hair off his shoulders. Your efforts amuse the sick entity, reflecting in a cynical grin accompanied by a squinted smile of the demon. Still, you grit your teeth and continue pushing on his firm, muscular chest. The least you can do is try to survive as long as you can before someone finds you. Surely anyone can recognize you're gone and will come search for you. Right?
“Was that supposed to hurt?” Karaku chuckles hoarsely, “Because it was more pleasant than I expected. Maybe I am stronger than I thought. That’s nice.” His smile deepens. “Don’t you realize how easy it is for me to overpower you, and kill you? I could tear you open, drain your blood, and eat your flesh in seconds. And you think a measly kick can stop me?”
With his hand straddling your ankle, you mentally curse at the undeniable realization that you can’t even get out from his grasp.
“Say, I never caught your name. What was it, hashira?”
Your eyes quickly glance down at his position, how his legs are properly situated between your trembling thighs, ankles quivering at the demon above you, yet he remains calm and stares, waiting for your response.
So you swallow all your anxiety and answer. “Y/n. My name is Y/n.”
“You’ve come to kill me? Right?” Karaku inches closer, revealing his elongated teeth poking out from his warm lips. A chill runs down your spine. He’s already thinking of eating me. “Hey, right?”
“Yes!” You grit your teeth and remind him who has a foot pressed against him, shoving the bottom of your shoe into him harder. Karaku doesn’t pay any mind to it though. He knows you’re trying to gain the upper hand, it’s a game he knows all too well. But he’s tired of fighting, and for once he deserves a break from killing and eating human flesh. Well, not entirely the second one. Being the most relaxed clone of Hantengu, it’s easy for Karaku to analyze situation and step back when he needs to. He feels no sympathy for his victims, yet the experiences they give him fulfill him so much more than any killing could. Even if sometimes he can kill two birds with one stone.
Your eyes dart around his face. You can’t even tell what he’s thinking with such a relaxed expression. But Karaku quickly reaches for the inner side of your ankle and tugs you closer to him.
“You know...” Karaku says, just barley above a whisper, “A hashira shouldn't be so worked up meeting me. Wouldn't wanna worry your pretty head, I’m just a big scary demon is all. I don’t want to hurt you.” His hands skitter up your ankle all the way to your thigh, rubbing methodically in wide circles just to avoid suspicion. With a tainted grin, Karaku’s hand travels up your skirt, pushing the pleated fabric out of the way. Before you can protest or kick him further, it finally clicks in your mind that you had no safety shorts or shorts at all protecting under your skirt. As the demon corps uniform protocol calls for, all you have on is your skirt and your panties underneath, which in this moment serves as a great disadvantage to your dignity.
Quickly, you buckle your knees together, making a quick bucking sound from your kneecaps clashing, followed by a small wince after. This in turn, piques Karaku’s interest and the devilish grin you've grown so fond of returns once again.
“Of all the things...” Karaku says giddily, “Of all the things you choose to protect. That’s, your main concern? What are you hiding from me, puny hashira?”
You feel your throat close. Just as you’d hoped to keep your life by protecting yourself, you’d failed to distract him from possibly the most insignificant worry you had suddenly realized. Now he was intrigued and now there was no way out of his curiosity.
Karaku’s claws move up your skirt further, now not pulling you into his chest, but rather peeling back the fabric akin to selfishly unwrapping a present not meant for him, revealing a pair of tight, white underwear. The best part?
There’s a wet spot smack center in the middle, all for Karaku to see and instantly take notice in. When his eyes dart to your entrance, you feel your soul leave your body. There’s no denying the attraction you’d felt to Karaku before, but you never would’ve guessed that it resulted in this. Still, you hold your breath and stare up at him, knees now separated and your face dripping with sweat. Karaku on the other hand, parts his lips, revealing his elongated canines and a raised brow, perplexed yet interested. He lets out a soft chuckle as his rough hands turn soft with feather like touches around your waist.
“Hm, that’s strange.” Karaku says, eyes widening owlishly with curiosity, “I haven’t even done anything…and yet…” he prods a finger forward and touches lightly on the front of your underwear, pressing down on the darkened wet spot growing larger by the second. You look away shamefully and mumble incoherently under your breath, too embarrassed to look the demon in his green eyes as his smile widens from ear to pointed ear. “You’re wet right here. That means you like me, huh?”
“W-Wait—” You stare helplessly at Karaku rubs his thumb over your clothed pussy, swirling the slick underneath the thin layer of cotton. Instinctively, your hips jerk forward and you find yourself gasping for air, not out of fear, but out of pleasure. It’s strange, but Karaku only smiles, his expression turning almost lovingly as he leans forward and closes the gap between you both. With his lips on yours, you feel his tongue push past your locked teeth and glide right under yours, licking every surface of your mouth.
“Mm! Mhh!” You squeeze your eyes tighter and attempt to grab hold of his wrist, failing in the process and only making the position more intimate as Karaku lowers his position onto you. When he breaks the kiss, it doesn't take long before his hungry and curious lips find another curve of your body to settle on, marking his territory all the way down to your chest, unbuttoning your uniform with his teeth, and to your skirt, where he tears that off too, and finally settling right in between your plush, doughy thighs. All the way, your breathing deepens, skin glowing red at this point, not sure what he’ll do next.
“We don’t need all those anymore, I need to see your lovely figure for me to be satisfied. Doesn’t the air feel nice, Y/n?” The demon strokes your sides with the tip of his claws, tracing lines into your untouched skin. His mind reels at your warmness, the way your blood rushes inside your body, and how he gets to feel and experience it all up close. Emerald green shimmers into your glossy eyes, and his silky, raven hair makes his demonic appearance all the more alluring, especially in such a delirious state.
“M-Mhm...” A breathy whine spills from your throat as soon as you feel his cheek press against the side of your inner thigh, his tongue soon following. You hadn't noticed it before, but now looking at it, you notice how the top of his tongue spells ‘pleasure’ in kanji.
Warm lips press against the side of your inner thigh, prying your legs open for the demon’s viewing, gently spreading your exposed cunt to him more and more. Every bone in your body tells you to stop him and kill him in fear of enjoying this too much, and yet, you watch him discover the most vulnerable part of you up close.
As if he can read your mind, Karaku looks back up to you and smirks, “Aren’t you going to tell me to stop? I don’t sense any displeasure coming from you, puny human, does that mean you want me to keep going?” Karaku says lowly, awaiting your answer.
“N-No...I-I don’t, I don’t want you to stop...” You say without thinking. That was all he needed to continue, and before you could get an understanding of what you just said, Karaku’s mouth finds your entrance and latches onto you very quickly.
You hadn’t even noticed he’d taken off your underwear a while back until you feel the heat of his branded tongue graze on the surface of your cunt, spooking you just a bit before your shoulders soften and your neck loses its structure.
Using his puckered lips, Karaku presses a soft kiss against your entrance, at first lightly. He kisses again, and again, until his welcoming kisses become more passionate and messy, all introductory formality being lost in his simmering curiosity. He’d never ate pussy before, though you could hardly tell, so naturally he’s very attentive to catering to your needs, looking up at you every chance he gets or as soon as he feels you twitch.
“H-Hah...wait just a minute...” You push your palm to his forehead to stop him, but stop instantly as Karaku presses your legs together, resulting in pushing himself further into you. The heated oral muscle greets you again, as well as the head rushing feeling of pure ecstasy. An ecstasy you're too ashamed of admitting you like.
“I’ve never tasted anything like this before.” Karaku says in between licks, “It’s so warm, and pleasant. I can’t help but wonder, isn't there a way to get more wet stuff out of here?” He purrs. Answering his own question, Karaku lowers his head and closes his eyes just enough so that only the tops of his lashes can be seen. You stifle out a struggled moan and shudder, hands curling into your messy clothes beneath you. Karaku continues to greet your dewy folds with his curved tongue, licking down on your sex and gathering up all the slick he can harvest on his tongue.
“A-Agh...W-Why don’t you just k-kill me? That’s far less embarrassing than—thIS!” You throw your head forward shamefully as Karaku’s tongue plunges deeper inside you, almost as if he’s telling you to stop talking. “K-Karaku!” Making a loud slurping noise, the demon pulls away and pants puffs of hot air onto your cunt, admiring the sheer glossiness it now has.
“You taste so good…delicious.” Karaku’s words are muffled as his mouth returns to your heat, pressing his branded tongue flat on your drooling pussy. Even if you tried moving away from him, it was no use. His fingers are practically embedded into your flesh, sharp claw-like fingernails drilling you and nearly drawing blood. You can hardly focus at the pain as Karaku licks bold stripes along your center, occasionally flicking the tip of his tongue faster than anything you’ve felt in your life. There was certainly no way to stop him.
“Karaku!” You whine, hips bucking in every which direction imaginable, “Karaku p-please!” It didn’t matter if you came once, twice, or even three times, with the speed of which he’s going, it’ll be impossible to pry him off your clit. That, and he just doesn’t want to.
“Is the puny hashira begging for me? Me? Oh, that makes me so fucking happy.” Karaku flashes his emerald green eyes back up at you, peeking up from in between your legs. “And I thought I’d never hear the words ‘please’ come out of your mouth. I guess I’ll take ‘p-please’ mh~!” Even though it’s wrong, even if this moment is frowned upon by any sane person, you can’t help but feel butterflies swarm inside the deepest parts of you, reminding you that no other person—or entity for that matter—has made you feel such pleasure. A red hue floods to your cheeks and you lean your head back, unable to withstand more than a seconds of eye contact.
Even just looking at you turned Karaku on. More than he’d like to admit. The sight of your head thrown back, mouth hung open, hair tangled and messy from the previous encounter, and now your ripped black and white uniform hanging off your shoulders, exposing your chest all to him. He relished in it all. Mostly, the feeling of being absolutely buried in your pussy, his nose poking the hood of your clit each ravenous grunt he makes to get closer to you.
Your eyes roll back as Karaku extends his tongue to fully show the kanji that says, ‘pleasure’ and presses it flat against your entrance, making a ‘slop’ sound before ravishing your wetness. Again and again, Karaku slurps at your cunt, using his huge, calloused hands to move your waist and body up and down on his mouth. One wrong move and he would surely scrape his teeth against your sensitive flesh. Unintentionally. Still, that didn't stop you from wiggling closer to him, pushing your wet pussy further into his mouth.
“Just relax,” Karaku giggles, “You like it, huh? Makes you feel good~” He slurs, ears perking up at all the soft whimpers flowing out of you, “Good girl, just like that, open wider for me.”
“H-Hngh! Karaku—NGH!” You groan breathlessly and press your legs together onto the sides of his face. His pointed ears poke into the insides of your thighs and you can’t help but want more of it. There was no way where you would have ever predicted that inhuman features like pointed ears, prodding canine teeth, and horns would ever make you feel anything other than hatred. But Karaku makes you forget it all.
You feel yourself getting hotter as Karaku doesn’t look away from you, the kanji in his eyes burning into yours, not moving an inch since when he started. There was no telling what he was thinking in his head, but the thought of all of it was making your mind go brainlessly numb.
With another bold lick, Karaku flutters his tongue in the pool of your juices, drawing a string of saliva and cum from your entrance and looking at you with a completely feral expression. “You don’t let up, do you?” He chuckles, “C’mere, puny hashira. Be a good human for me and let me taste you again, yeah? You’re so pretty...I can’t help myself, I’m getting so excited.” Karaku hums in amusement.
“Ah, hah, ah! Karaku-uh!” Your cunt continues to pulsate, growing wetter each time he suckles on your folds, wanting so desperately to please you and hear his name fall harder this time from your lips. A hashira, getting fucked out by a demon. Your mind runs rampant. All the sounds you make are practically drowned out by Karaku’s attention on your clit, gradually fucking you on his tongue and nudging his fangs against your velvet entrance, reminding him that you’re not like him and sooner or later you’re going to burst. He smiles at the thought.
A hand flies to his head and bumps into his horns, finally something to grab onto, and you suddenly get a rush of sanity back and cling onto the boney material with all your might. While it’s just to push him back for even just a second, Karaku takes the opportunity to gasp for air, now giving you a chance to look at him in all his clouded glory. His lips are red and shiny from your arousal, mouth slightly open and puffing out a mixture of his own breath and the scent of suffocating sex on his branded tongue. You can tell he’s not thinking of anything else but finding new ways to satisfy you by the hazy look in his eyes. The color almost matches the leaves above. Fitting.
“Karaku, j-just slow down before I—” The words die on your tongue as soon as Karaku pushes back your hold on his horns and dives in between your legs once more.
Like he’s getting high off the taste, his tongue laps again at your sex, squishing your sensitive flesh down with every messy lick he makes.
You begin to wail as Karaku pushes his tongue deeper inside of you, easily finding your sweet spot and abusing it with all his strength and stamina. The warm touch of his tongue along with his now rose-wet lips pressing against your entrance draws out more lewd sounds from you.
Trying to breathe, Karaku doesn’t let up and only continues to swirl his tongue on your soaked cunt, occasionally dipping into your pussy to taste you deeper. “Mm, more more more.” He chants into you. As soon as your knees start to buckle in pure ecstasy, Karaku holds them apart and opens more of your legs to suck more and more, driving you practically insane.
By now, you're too dazed to even realize how much Karaku had done, and how much of a mess you are now. So focused on the acute surges of pleasure running through your body with every little curl of his tongue or slurp of his wet lips on yours. What once was a soft, sheepish voice soon became a high-pitched cry in a matter of seconds. Pleasure rolls through your body with the overwhelming knowledge that you could sense your own high.
It almost doesn't feel real. At the hands, or rather, mouth of a demon, it just doesn't feel right. But it feels too fucking good to ignore. Karaku is completely engulfed in the taste of you, sucking on your clit harder now, with his claws biting into the plushness of your thighs to be closer to him, just to fill the insatiable hunger he possesses. “Karaku!” His name comes out as a warning, trying not to give in, “K-hh! Wait wait wait! Karaku I-N-NGH!” Just then, you jerk your head back, no longer wishing to hold back anymore, and allow his name to run freely, “Karaku! H-Hngh!” When his name leaves your lips, so does all the built up pleasure inside your body, and as if a bolt of lightning stroked inside of you, you feel the rush begin to surge. Keeping his eyes on you, you feel the demon smile widely as he quickens his pace, licking up all the wetness from leaking out of his reach.
“That’s good,” Karaku purrs and kisses your clit, not planning on stopping you from cumming all over his tongue, “Keep going...don’t stop, puny hashira.” When he pulls away, not going too far, you're met with the bitter cold of the night, hips instantly shivering from the loss of his touch.
Coating the inner walls of your thighs, and even trickling down to the fabric of your uniform placed under you, Karaku watches as arousal spills out from you, all from just his tongue. The sticky, almost briney, fluid pools on your pinkish, glistening folds, making your heart leap out of your chest as you gasp in short breaths of air. Karaku laughs at the warmth leaking onto his finger and taps the softness of your clit, amused by the tiny jerks and twitches of you and your hips, trying to ride out the aftermath of your climax. “Ah...ah...ah...” You groan and roll your hips back.
“You’re so pretty, Y/n. I wish you came here sooner. Instead of being a demon hunter, you could’ve came here to me and I’d eat this pussy out all the time.” He says, cupping the outside of your thigh. “Wouldn't that be nice...being here with me, right?” He flashes a curious look at you, to which you can’t help but look away in shame anymore. His nose, lips, and chin are all soaked in your juices, and even if he doesn’t seem to mind and even likes it, you can’t shake the feeling that he was able to do so much for you.
Your heavy lidded eyes look up at him, panting uncontrollably, “Karaku...I’m so tired...” your words make the demon freeze, but very quickly turn into a wide smile. He does his best to lick all the cum off his face, even using his fingers to suck off your arousal, laughing a bit at your blissed out expression. Instead of leaving you behind, Karaku sits up with you in his arms, planting a tender kiss on your forehead before leaving your clothes in the dirt.
“Come on, don’t fall asleep now. We still have much to do, puny hashira. I can’t wait to experience new things with you.”
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accidental eavesdropping (steddie ficlet)
based on this post by @imjust-that-shy. i hope i did this vision justice <3
The doors to the bathroom burst open, and - on some pure, inexplicable instinct and with nearly inhuman speed - Eddie darts back into the stall he'd just been about to come out of and leaps to perch on top of the toilet seat, crouched there like some sort of creature. 
He hears the sound of retching and the stench of vomit fills the air. He holds his breath, wrinkling his nose and trying to imagine what possible context could be behind Steve Harrington and Robin Buckley bursting in here together to puke their guts out. Eddie knows the two of them work together, he’s seen them sharing shifts at Scoops Ahoy when he's walked by. (Not that he often intentionally passes by the ice cream parlor and slows down just to catch a glimpse of Steve or anything… Although who could really blame him if he did? Like, come on, Steve in that uniform? Hello, sailor.) His mind is busy spinning stories of possible explanations, ranging from spoiled ice cream to sneaking alcohol and getting too drunk during their break. 
Eddie's leaning towards the 'drinking on the job' explanation, especially when the retching finally ceases and Robin says something about the room no longer spinning. Those little rebels, Eddie thinks approvingly.
“When’s the last time you, uh…peed your pants,” Steve is asking Robin now, in response to her telling him in a Russian accent to interrogate her. 
Eddie curls over his knees, tilting his head to try to peer through the gap between the stalls and the floor to put an image to his eavesdropping. Might as well, he’s kind of stuck here and there’s really not much else he can do right now. He can see Steve’s legs, one bent and the other stretched out in front of him, and Robin in the stall past him laying on the floor with her legs up against the stall wall as she answers, “Today…” 
“What?” Steve questions.
“When the Russian doctor took out the bone saw!” Robin says. 
Okay…what? Russian doctors and bone saws? Eddie’s now thoroughly intrigued, if a little (okay, a lot) confused. Maybe they’re talking about a movie they watched or something.
Steve’s legs shake with his laughter. “Oh my god.” 
“It was just a little bit, though.” Robin pinches her fingers together as she twists her body in Steve’s direction while he laughs again and mutters that whatever it is they took is still in her system. She pushes her feet off the stall and slides to sit against the opposite wall. Eddie can only see her legs now. “Okay, my turn. Have you…ever been in love?” 
Steve answers that he has, with Nancy, and makes a sound mimicking an explosion. Eddie remembers that, remembers seeing Steve and Nancy being all touchy and cute in the hallways at school while he was trying his damndest to convince himself that he absolutely definitely did not wish he was in Nancy’s place. It didn’t work very well. And it’s not working very well now either as Steve starts to go on about some new girl he likes now instead - some girl who’s funny and smart and can crack secret Russian codes (okay, seriously, what is it with these two and Russians?) and oh shit, he’s talking about Robin. 
Eddie very suddenly feels like he should not be here listening to this, eavesdropping on Steve confessing his feelings for someone. Not only is that, like, a private and personal thing, but also what if Robin likes him back and they start kissing or something right here in this bathroom where Eddie has to sit here and listen to it and that would just be horrible for him for so many reasons and- Eddie’s getting ahead of himself. Robin hasn’t even said anything yet, and her knees are pulled up to her chest and her voice shakes when she confirms she’s still alive after Steve asks if she’s OD’d there in the silence and she uncurls with a deep sigh. All signs that she doesn’t actually like Steve back. 
Eddie watches as Steve shifts and slides under the stall into Robin’s, and catches sight of the nasty bruise marring nearly half of Steve’s otherwise beautiful face as he does so. Now concern has been added to the list of emotions this eavesdropping experience has rollercoastered him through so far. The bruise looks fairly fresh and Eddie can’t help but wonder what the hell gave Steve a black eye like that and if he’s okay. 
After a brief spiral of concern for Steve’s face, Eddie tunes back into reality to find himself staring at Steve’s ass as Steve now sits with his back against the stall wall opposite Robin. Eddie blinks, expands his tunnel vision to include Steve’s lower back and Robin’s legs which are also visible beneath the gap in the stalls. 
“It’s not because I had a crush on you,” Robin is saying. “It’s because…she wouldn’t stop staring at you.”
“Mrs. Click?” Steve sounds confused.
“Tammy Thompson,” Robin clarifies. “I wanted her to look at me.”
Oh. Eddie should really not be listening to this. Robin is trying to come out to Steve, trying to share something deeply personal and vulnerable with him and only him, not knowing that she’s outing herself to an eavesdropping near-stranger as well. Eddie feels violating and intruding. He can’t imagine how he would feel if he found out someone he barely knew had been secretly listening in on him coming out - probably not great, probably terrified. This is something he shouldn’t know, not like this. 
“But Tammy Thompson’s a girl,” Steve says, his tone unreadable, and Eddie’s heart nearly stops, sure his own anticipatory anxiety is likely only just a fraction of what Robin must be feeling right now. 
“Steve…” 
“Yeah?” A pause. “Oh,” Steve’s voice goes soft. “Oh… Holy shit.” 
“Yeah,” Robin sighs. Eddie can see her hands nervously rubbing at her shins. “Holy shit.” 
Steve is silent for a few painfully long moments. Eddie’s hands curl nervously around his own shins. Is Steve going to be homophobic? Should Eddie be worried for Robin now? 
“Steve, did you OD over there?” Robin asks, trying to be light but Eddie can hear the anxiety in her voice. 
“No, I just, uh- just thinking,” Steve responds. 
“Okay…” Robin’s voice is barely audible. Eddie is holding his breath.
“I mean, yeah,” Steve says finally, “Tammy Thompson’s cute and all, but the only reason I never gave her the time of day was because I was too busy staring at Eddie Munson.” 
The aforementioned Eddie Munson releases the breath he’d been holding with an involuntary squeak and claps a hand over his mouth. Thankfully, neither of them heard him over the sound of Robin shouting. “What?! Eddie Munson?! You liked Eddie Munson?” she squawks, voicing Eddie’s own stunned thoughts perfectly.
“Yeah,” Steve confirms casually, completely unaware that he's throwing an eavesdropping Eddie into an absolute crisis right now. There's a soft thudding sound like Steve's hitting the back of his head against the stall wall. His voice gets kind of wistful, almost dreamy, as he says, “His rings, man. Rings and tattoos…and that long hair and those chains he'd wear… Honestly just his whole punk aesthetic thing had me mesmerized.” 
“Pretty sure he's metal, not punk,” Robin corrects him. 
Thanks, Robin. Also, what the fuck is happening right now? 
“Whatever. Still hot as hell,” Steve says. 
Eddie squeaks again and practically shoves his whole fist in his mouth to keep himself from making any more noise, his teeth knocking against his rings. The rings Steve likes, apparently. He feels like he's going to pass out, his heart beating so erratically it's making him lightheaded. King Steve - the popular, preppy, stupid, gorgeous, dumb jock Eddie's been crushing on since forever - just called him hot????  
“Did you hear that?” Robin asks suddenly, voice low and cautious. 
Shit. 
“Is anyone else in here?” Steve calls out. 
Fuck. 
Eddie bites down hard on his knuckles and holds his breath, going impossibly still. If they get up and search the bathroom, then he’s about to be caught red handed, crouched on top of a toilet seat with his fist in his mouth and his face flushed scarlet, eavesdropping on their private conversation about secret Russians and gay crushes. Eddie contemplates falling into the toilet and attempting to flush himself down it. Every god imaginable is receiving a silent prayer from him right now as he watches apprehensively through the gaps in the stall. One of those gods must've heard and taken pity on this poor gay disaster of a man crouched like a goblin in a bathroom stall, because after a few horrible seconds of silence, all Steve does is lean down to peer beneath the stalls for a moment before sitting back up and saying, “Looks empty. I think the drugs are making us hear things.” 
“Yeah, probably,” Robin says. Then she giggles, knocking her leg against Steve’s. “I still can’t believe you were into Eddie.” 
Steve flicks Robin’s knee. “I can’t believe you were into Tammy.”
“What’s wrong with Tammy?!” Robin protests.
“What’s wrong with Eddie?” Steve counters. “At least he’s actually got talent. Tammy’s a total dud - she wants to be a singer and shit but she can’t even hold a tune.” 
Eddie is going to die. He is actually going to die right here, right now, because Steve Harrington thinks he’s hot and talented. And then Steve starts mimicking Tammy, singing Total Eclipse of the Heart in a ridiculously goofy voice, and now Eddie is going to die because he finds that so stupidly endearing and adorable. Maybe he should just flush himself down the toilet, save himself from this hopelessly pathetic crush of his. Instead, he’s saved by the bathroom doors bursting open again and a new voice shouting at them, “Okay. What the hell?!” 
Steve and Robin collapse into a fit of giggles before being dragged to their feet by the newcomers and led out of the bathroom, leaving Eddie alone and reeling and struggling to process literally everything he’s just overheard. He finally hops down from his toilet perch and exits the stall like he’s in a daze. He’s not sure how long he had been camped out in there - probably only about ten minutes - but it felt like hours, so long that the world outside of that single bathroom stall almost feels foreign and unfamiliar now. 
Eddie grips the bathroom sink and stares at his flustered reflection in the mirror and whispers to himself, “What the actual fuck?” 
---
Later, years later, only after he and Steve are already dating, Eddie tells him all about this experience, and Steve laughs so hard he nearly cries.
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loveinhawkins · 1 year
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It’s the last period of the day, and in his peripheral vision, Steve can see Eddie Munson fighting sleep, elbow repeatedly slipping off his desk.
They’re not usually in this class together; a good handful of teachers are on a ‘field trip’—which had been sold to the principal as an educational experience, but was really an excuse for both students and staff to while away the last remaining days of the semester.
So most classes have become an assortment of students who haven’t gone on the trip, odds and ends who usually wouldn’t cross paths.
When Steve had entered, he saw that the room was sparse, people dotted about the place with no regard to a seating plan—he’d headed straight for a desk by the window, hadn’t even noticed that Eddie Munson was in the seat right beside him until he’d already sat down.
And then it turned out he couldn’t even reap the benefits of choosing a seat near said window. The room was stuffy, unbearably so, and Eddie had beaten Steve to it, actually raising his hand and asking, perfectly politely, if he could open the window.
But the substitute teacher had just sneered and replied haughtily, “No, Munson, you cannot.”
Condescending ass, Steve had thought, and he was almost looking forward to one of Eddie Munson’s infamous diatribes.
But Eddie just wilted in his seat and didn’t say another word.
That’s when Steve noticed that he kept looking down at his desk. There was a piece of paper on there, an end of year test—Steve recognised Mrs O’Donnell’s handwriting making comments in the margins. The top right hand corner was folded over in such a way that just made the hiding of the grade all the more obvious: it was clearly an abject fail.
As Eddie stared at the paper, he started to blink rapidly, and for a horrible moment it seemed like he was going to cry, so Steve quickly looked away.
By the time he dared to look back, it was a quarter of the way through the period, and the heat of the room must’ve been getting to Eddie, his eyelids fluttering as he tried not to doze.
And now Steve’s stuck with a teacher who’s clearly immune to every pointed look he shoots his way. He gets to the point where he’s glaring daggers at the dude—seriously, where does he get off, keeping the window closed just to prove some bullshit point about authority?
Every so often, Steve finds himself catching a paper airplane—what are they, five?—that had been heading for Eddie’s face, made by some meathead junior. Steve either swats them away or, if he’s feeling particularly pissy, crumples them up with one hand, throws them back at the junior’s head.
Eddie’s repositioned his elbow so it’s no longer in danger of slipping off the desk—eyes totally closed now, like he’s accepted defeat.
Steve is too late to catch the next paper airplane as it hits the side of Eddie’s head, and when Eddie stirs, blinking blearily at him, he says, defensively, “It wasn’t me.”
“Relax, Harrington,” Eddie says, yawning, “I know.” He unfolds the paper airplane with a tut. “No structural integrity to this thing at all. You’d give me quality.”
Steve doesn’t think of a barbed comment to reply with, because Eddie starts refolding the paper and uses it as a fan—and it’s not even for a bit or anything; Steve can tell that he’s just genuinely suffering.
Movement draws his eyes to the front of the room; he watches as the teacher makes his way to the door and leaves.
“Thank God he’s gone,” Steve mutters. He stands and lifts up the window as far as it will go, hears Eddie’s quiet sigh of relief as the fresh air comes in.
Steve glances over at the door; the paper airplane-throwing junior has gathered a little group, and it looks like they’ve locked the teacher out. There’s no footsteps or furious knocking yet, so Steve figures he’s got a bit of time.
He jumps up onto the window sill to better enjoy the breeze, stretching his legs and idly looking outside.
He just catches Eddie scoffing, the little aside he makes: “Oh, for fuck’s sake.”
Steve turns his head to him. “What?”
Eddie rolls his eyes, but the corner of his mouth twitches like he’s fighting a smile. “Just… you,” he says.
And it’s said with a kind of reluctant fondness, almost like they’re friends—which is bizarre, Steve thinks, since this is definitely the longest conversation they’ve ever had.
But maybe the approaching summer break has Eddie all sentimental.
“What about me, Munson?”
Eddie gestures at him, as if to say uh, everything, but it somehow doesn’t come across as an insult.
“Just… the way you do things sometimes. Like you’re in a goddamn movie.”
Steve raises an eyebrow. “Dude, I’m just sitting. Anyone could do this.”
“Nah, Harrington. It’s all in the execution, y’know?”
Steve snorts. “Bull.”
“And not all of us have the hair for it.”
Steve tilts his head, drawls, “Oh, I dunno.”
Eddie huffs out a laugh like he’s been taken by surprise.
Steve turns back to the window. It’s not all that great a view, really, the sun only highlighting the dried unkempt grass around the track. Still, there’s an undefinable something to it that gives Steve pause.
Maybe it’s because graduation is right around the corner. Even just walking down the school corridors feels like a series of goodbyes.
“Hey, Harrington. You heard of mise-en-scène?”
And Steve finds himself grinning at the French accent Eddie slips into.
“Bless you,” he says, just to be annoying, though he has heard of it, remembers it from when they looked at some plays in English. Then overheard it, really, while the aspiring film students fretted over their college applications in the library, and he listened with a jealousy he didn’t care to analyse. “I’m seeing some movie shot stuff here, is all.”Steve looks over again, in time to see Eddie adopt an over-the top trailer voice. “The fallen King—”
“Oh, fuck you.”
“—looks down at what remains of his Kingdom, setting his sights on pastures new.”
A wistful edge creeps into Eddie’s voice, something separate from the theatrics—confirming Steve’s suspicions that he won’t be graduating this year, after all.
“Not exactly pastures new,” Steve says. “I, um, didn’t get into anywhere so.” He shrugs vaguely. “Gotta hold down a summer job and then… I don’t know. Not thought that far ahead yet.”
Eddie seems to consider him. “Nothing wrong with that, Harrington,” he says quietly.
“I know,” Steve replies. Because it’s true; he knows he’ll be far from the first high school graduate staying in Hawkins, working a minimum wage job all summer.
His parents had said as much. But then…
He doesn’t know how to explain that it’s the tone in which they say things rather than the things themselves that sets him on edge. That sometimes just the way they shut doors around him inexplicably prompts a feeling of nausea.
But they’re out of town for the whole summer—already left this morning, thank God. So he’s hardly going to get into all of that with Eddie Munson, of all people. Barely addresses it within himself, honestly.
“It’s just… not really what I pictured,” he says instead. “You know, like…” And maybe Eddie’s theatricality has made him a little bolder, because he looks out at the view, and slips into a brief understated impression with ease: “I'm shakin’ the dust of this crummy little town off my feet and I'm gonna see the world.”
When he turns back, Eddie’s lips twitch again, and this time the smile wins. “Well okay, George Bailey.”
Steve smiles back. Shrugs once more. “It’s for the best, really. Means I can keep an eye on—”
And he stops himself, realises he was about to say the kids.
Eddie’s eyes light up with interest. “Oh? So you’ve found someone worth staying for.” There’s a teasing lilt to his voice when he adds, “S’awfully romantic of you, Harrington.”
Steve rolls his eyes. “Not like that. But… yeah, you could say so. They’re all worth it.”
“Huh,” Eddie says thoughtfully. “What happened to you, Steve Harrington?”
Steve laughs. Shakes his head. “Life. And, uh, got a thump to the head.”
Eddie whistles lowly. “Damn. Maybe I should try that.” He glances down at his test, frowning.
“Hey, come on. Everyone loves a comeback kid.”
“Hmm. Not everyone.”
Eddie sighs and stuffs the test into his bag. As he does so, there’s a sudden pounding on the door, and Steve hears some of the students break out into whispers that are so loud they might as well be shouting: discussing their plan to pin the blame on Eddie for locking the teacher out.
Perhaps it’s the fact that he’s soon leaving high school behind that has Steve viewing all of this with a clarity he can’t remember having a few years ago. They’re just mean, he thinks, just plain mean for the sake of it. Jesus Christ, you don’t kick a guy while he’s down.
Eddie’s eyes dart over to the group. He’s clearly overheard them too, but he seems resigned to it, like he’s got no more fight left in him.
A girl unlocks the door, and the teacher storms inside, apoplectic with rage.
And before anyone can get a word in, Steve says, “It was me. I locked the door.”
He can feel Eddie staring at him. He leans more into his lounging on the window sill, pretends to check his nails.
The teacher’s eye twitches. “And may I ask, Harrington,” he seethes, “what would even possess you to—”
“Oh,” Steve says, faux brightly, “that’s easy. I don’t like you.”
Eddie’s hand subtly rises up to cover his mouth. Steve bites back a grin; he knows a hastily stifled laugh when he sees one.
“Out you go, Harrington,” the teacher says, pointing at the door.
Steve stands up, unbothered. He’ll just ditch, head home early before the dick’s had any time to step out into the corridor and scream at him. That mall’s almost done being built; he could finish filling in a job application for one of the stores there before the day’s out.
He makes sure the window’s pushed up so far that it’ll be more of a pain to try and close it compared to just letting it be.
Then he swings his bag over one shoulder, says in a little aside, “See you, Munson. You know, Class of ‘86 has a better ring to it anyway.”
“I’ll, uh, take your word for it, man,” Eddie says, and he sounds a little taken aback.
Steve glances over his shoulder just before the door shuts behind him, and he sees Eddie’s hand raised in an uncertain wave, like he can’t believe he’s even doing it.
And if you ask Steve, that’s a movie shot all of its own.
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