#sorry I almost posted this without my normal tags and then I was like wait

[wanderlust-----witch]

So I picked up my earrings to put them away and I noticed that my pendulum earring is the perfect size to fit behind my bird skull/pentacle earring I wear for Nyx. Now I want to dig out the obsidian pendulum necklace I got at anime boston and see how that looks behind the skull. And think about how frequently I get lucky enough to create more unique body decorations just to be as different as I can be.

[regretmedaisy]

i can see you - tom riddle x fmc/reader

part II

loosely inspired by "i can see you" by taylor swift.

“I've been watchin' you for ages

And I spend my time tryin' not to feel it”

summary: She had always fancied Tom Riddle. It was an infatuation that bordered on love and obsession, that she had secretly grown and cared for, content with indulging in her fantasies and never bold enough to try and make them become reality.

When she meets him again in her adulthood, dormant longings resurface together with a newfound desire to be the object of his own devotion.

As their paths keep crossing, she starts to think he feels the same.

tags: afab mc, use of female pronouns and no descriptors (i tagged it as x reader because i guess it could be read as such if you use the same pronouns), somewhat period-accurate clothing, courtship (just a little because it's still tom riddle), fmc has a crush on tom, she's a bit anxious, a bit of fluff, explicit sexual desire, vaginal fingering, cunnilingus, vaginal sex, unprotected sex, woman is on top.

please note that mc has a crush on tom, therefore the way she refers to him could sound a bit cheesy and exaggerated. i edited this last night and didn't read it again before posting. i'm sorry for any typos or grammar mistakes i missed.

bear with her in this one, she's a little anxious.

words: 6.7K

you can find part I here, I strongly recommend you read that one first.

this is me crawling out of my hole of shame to post this chapter.

i'm really sorry for this very late update, but the smut chapter is finally here after many days of writing (but still in time for smutober lol).

it's not crazy smut, but i hope it was worth the wait.

Part II: And I could see you up against the wall with me

She tapped her foot, pursing her red lips as she jotted a few numbers down on a parchment. She sighed, taking another folder from the pile on her side and checking if the reports corresponded. 

When Serena, her boss, had showed up that morning with two delivery men in tow, she already knew her day was going to take a detestable turn.

Serena had dropped three boxes full of last year's reports in the office and sprinted out of the door before they could say anything and try to stop her.

Apparently she had hired a cheap accountant to save money and now she had to review everything before the Ministry noticed and demanded an audit. Or rather, Serena had asked her to do it.

She was now holed up in the backroom while Will had taken her place in the main office, since Serena didn’t pay her enough to care about customers and save her from bankruptcy at the same time.

She glanced at the clock, noting that it was almost time for her usual break. She chewed the inside of her cheek and returned to the reports.

She wasn’t in the right mindset to meet Tom.

The day she had gone to see him had been like the calm before the literal storm. In the past week it had rained so heavily that she had had to give up on going out and he hadn’t come to post his letters. What had happened between them had been left unresolved.

She had replayed it so many times in her mind, at night and during idle moments in the office, picturing different ways in which it could have ended, desperately wishing she could indulge in his warm lips again.

The first few days she had fretted about it, but as the week had gone by without a word from him, she had just started to accept it as the normal course of things. Perhaps it had just been an extraordinary event, a moment that wasn’t going to repeat itself and that she needed to find contentment in. Perhaps it was supposed to be one of those memories she was going to return to in twenty years, thinking about everything she could have had, or it will sour in her mind, turning into regret while her lamenting soul grieved the possibilities of youth, the chances she had been too scared to take.

It didn’t matter that she was conscious of the anxious butterflies leading her decisions, she still didn’t want to find out if what she saw in him was just a product of her infatuated imagination.

She immersed herself in numbers, refusing to go down that rabbit hole again.

Fifteen minutes after the end of her break, a customer walked in. A beat of silence followed and then Will said, “She’s in the back.”

She almost jumped out of her seat, her heart rate picking up. She quickly smoothed her hair and sat straighter, crossing her legs.

Tom appeared in the doorway, his arm half raised as if he had wanted to knock. She pretended she had just noticed him.

“Good morning,” he said.

“Hello, Tom.” She gave him a mellow smile.

He was so good-looking, with his perfectly styled curls and black coat in the muted light of the cloudy morning. Her heart fluttered painfully.

He looked hesitant as he made his way to her and handed her a folded magazine. It was the weekly crossword.

“Thank you,” she said, taking it as her gaze met his. The way he was looking at her was so compelling it was impossible for her to divert her eyes.

He had been thinking of her, she realised, he had noticed her absence, perhaps even missed her.

“I hope I’m not disrupting your work.” His gaze trailed to the numerous papers scattered on the table.

“Not at all, a distraction is more than welcome.” The distraction of his presence was most desirable.

He drew closer, reading through them as he casually rested his hand on the back of her chair.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Maths mostly,” she replied, fiddling with the parchments to hide her nervousness.

He reached out over her shoulder to grab a folder but she placed a hand on his arm to stop him.

“I’d rather you didn’t. It’s still work.”

He dropped his arm. “You’re right, I apologise. I don’t wish to put you in an uncomfortable position.”

“It’s fine.”

He stepped to the side, tickling her neck.

“I’ll see you later?” he asked.

She had to stop herself from grinning.

“Of course.” 

She watched him with desirous parted lips as he left. He said goodbye to Will and she heard the door closing. It was only a matter of minutes before Will came to pry.

She grabbed the crossword, flipping through the pages. He had bought her her favourite one.

As she got up to put it next to her bag, a small note fell to the ground. It was a plain piece of parchment. But as she picked it up, ready to throw it on the table with the rest of the documents, words started to appear.

Her breath caught in her throat. She knew to whom that elegant and neat handwriting belonged.

She read the note. Then read it again to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating. 

“I hope to see you more often in the future.

You look stunning with that lip colour.

T.R.”

She brought her fingers to her mouth, staring at the words until each swirl of ink etched into her mind, terrified they might disappear.

Instead his message remained there, visible, tangible, real. He had taken time to write her a note, to think about something he knew she’d appreciate.

Something warm diffused in her chest, a new version of a familiar feeling, and a giggle escaped her as she realised the ridiculous effect he had on her. 

She was so engrossed in her reverie that she didn’t notice Will standing in the door until he cleared his throat. 

She quickly hid the message in her purse and  he was so considerate not to comment on it.

“How is it going?” he asked.

“Awfully slowly, these numbers are all over the place,” she huffed, returning to her chair.

He dragged a chair and sat across from her. He started bouncing his knee. “I know you’d prefer not to talk about this, but how are things between you two?”

She stopped twirling her quill. “What do you mean?”

Will shuffled awkwardly in his seat. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for you but I’d hate to see you hurt.”

She tilted her head to the side, disliking the territory the conversation was heading towards.

He was struggling with his words. “He never- I never saw him interested in a girl. I just want to be sure you know what you can expect from him.”

She averted her eyes. “I have considered all the options.”

“And?”

“And I don’t know, Will!” she bursted out. 

Her flare of annoyance suddenly deflated, making room for embarrassment for what he probably saw as naivety.

“I know I’m probably getting ahead of myself.”

“You are smart, I just can’t stand watching you smile at the things he writes to you.”

She feigned offence and threw a balled up paper at him. 

“When you find someone, you’ll be just as ridiculous.”

He laughed and steepled his fingers in front of him. “I’m curious to know, when did it start?”

She scrunched her eyebrows, thinking about how much she wanted to reveal. “I don’t remember exactly. It was more like a sequence of events, until one day I was anxiously waiting for him to sit at his usual spot at breakfast,” she replied with a smile. Will was smiling too.

“You and half of Hogwarts,” he said.

She chuckled. “I miss those years sometimes. Everything was simpler.”

“I used to worry about everything,” he admitted. “But fears always seem so big.”

They really did.

“What do you like about him?” he asked after a beat of silence.

It was her turn to be at a loss of words. “He’s handsome…and always so mysterious. I think I always liked him because it was easy to imagine him being exactly what I wanted.” She looked at him hesitantly, fearing judgement, but he was just listening. “But I think it’s impossible for me to dislike the real him.”

They shared a small moment of closure. She had always wished for someone she could confide in, someone that could help her see beyond the fabrications of her wary heart, and perhaps she had finally found them.

The bell chimed and Will got up. 

“Do you want to come for lunch on Sunday?” she asked.

“I’d love to. I’m sorry for earlier, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

His gaze shifted between the door and her. “Just make sure you both want the same thing.”

He went back, leaving her at the mercy of her insidious brain and foolish heart.

Throughout the afternoon she had opened the note at least three times, giggling like a schoolgirl everytime she read his words.

Her mind kept straying to what he had said.

“I’ll see you later.”

She wasn’t sure what he had actually meant. Was he just going to stop by or was he going to wait for the office to close? She wasn’t even sure she could see him today, since she expected to stay late to solve Serena’s mess. 

Will popped in. “I have to check something at the owlery. I’ll be back in a while.”

“Alright, I’ll see you later.”

The door opened and closed and then she was submerged by stillness. It was soothing almost.

She had found out long ago that she enjoyed being alone, it freed her of any kind of expectation.

She turned up the heating with her wand and took off her jacket. Since they couldn’t light a fireplace in a room full of paper, they had refined a spell that kept the room warm and the humidity away.

It was a few minutes after the usual closing hour that the door opened again. She knew who it was.

He walked in, his cheeks slightly flushed from the cold and his lips reddened. 

“Are you still working?” he asked.

She nodded. “I’m afraid it’ll take a while before I’m free to go.”

“It’s not a problem,” he said, grabbing her crossword and a quill and sitting down on a chair, bending one leg so that his ankle rested on his other knee.

Her face heated as she watched him but she didn’t say anything.

As she returned to her work, she realised that silence was a strange assistant. It felt like every sound was heightened and she was becoming keenly aware of everything that was happening. The scratching of their quill on parchment, paper being flipped as she checked the numbers or he looked for a crossword he liked, his soft breath threatening to pull her close like a magnet, her absentmindedly chipping her nail polish.

She kept throwing glances in his direction and she could feel his eyes on her from time to time.

An unspoken craving was growing between them again. She had waited long enough.

She slowly got up, gathering her reports and stacking them in a neat pile. She then took them and walked over to the shelves, conveniently passing by Riddle in doing so. 

As she stored them, his chair scraped on the ground and she felt him draw closer. She deliberately turned around, meeting his eyes.

His gaze was deep, like he was trying to read every thought that crossed her mind just by looking at her. She wasn’t going to lay them bare for him. 

He raised his hand, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “Did you get my message?”

“I did,” she replied, stepping forward and trailing her fingers down his suit jacket, feeling the fabric. “You keep mentioning it but this is the first time I’ve seen you all week.”

“It was storming all week,” he pointed out.

She tilted her head, finding his eyes again. His eagerness was palpable. “Still,” she said.

He grabbed her waist, pressing her body flush against his. “And you still haven’t answered my question.”

She had thought about that moment since then.

“Tell me what you desire the most.”

What could she tell him? That she had been pining for him for so long she couldn’t imagine herself with anyone else? That she was jealous of even thinking about him with someone else? Will’s words played in her mind.

She leaned closer, murmuring against his ear. “Not until I know why you’re here, Tom.”

She left a kiss on his jaw, phantom lips brushing against his flawless skin.

“It’s a really uncomplicated answer,” he said, caressing her back.

“Explain it to me, then.”

Tender amusement tugged at the corners of his lips. “Do you really think I came here because I don’t own an owl?”

His words pulled at her heartstrings with raw delight and her mind went blank. Adrenaline was rushing through her as she listened to her impulses. It was enough, at least for now it was enough.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and tangled her hand in his hair, involuntarily tugging at the strands as she leaned closer. She could feel his warm breath as he pulled her in, gripping the silky fabric of her blouse.

She met his lips halfway, the burning touch consuming her as he pressed her against the shelves, one hand lost in her hair, the other splayed around her ribcage. 

She bit his lower lip, smiling as it elicited a groan from him and the kiss became more demanding.

It was a moment frozen in time, where she wanted to stay forever, like the scenery in a snowglobe.

“Hello?”

A man’s voice abruptly pulled them apart. She was breathless as she realised she had forgotten to lock the door. Was this a conspiracy? 

Tom was slightly panting and she left a small kiss on his neck.

“Don’t leave,” she whispered.

She used a finger to fix her smudged lipstick and went to see who had just dared to interrupt them.

There was a man standing in the office.

“We’re closed,” she said.

“But I saw the light on.”

There was a twitch in her jaw. “We are closed to the public. I must ask you to come tomorrow morning.”

He rolled his eyes and she ignored his grumbling as he left, locking the door behind him. When she went back, Tom was leaning against the table.

He turned his head towards her as she languidly got closer. She forgot pleasantries, immediately grabbing his face to kiss him again. He was quick to react, wrapping his arms around her.

His mouth trailed down, kissing her cheek, her jaw and then pressing against her neck, soft lips and the occasional scrape of his teeth. 

He grabbed her waist and spun her around, flattening her back against his chest and brushing her hair away from her neck to bite and lick her skin. His hands travelled down and he started gathering the fabric of her skirt. 

Merlin, it was finally happening. 

He caressed her inner thigh, tracing patterns and snapping the nylon of her stockings as his fingers moved excruciatingly slow.

Finally he pulled her underwear to the side, feeling the wetness between her folds with his fingers as his other hand cupped her breast.

She threw her head back against his shoulder as he stroked her clit, eliciting a sigh out of her, and she grabbed his thigh for support.

“I won’t drop you,” he murmured, amused, against her ear. He rubbed his palm over her clothed breast, the friction causing sparks to jolt through her body.

None of her fantasies came even close to what she was feeling right now.

“Should I trust you?” she asked, biting her lip to suppress a moan as he sunk one finger inside of her, his thumb still applying pressure on her clit.

“Such a great timing to ask me that,” he replied. She felt him smile on her skin.

“We don’t really know each other, Tom.” She dug her fingers into his flesh as he slipped in a second finger and started fingering her, stretching her as pleasure morphed her features. 

“And yet you are letting me do this.” He squeezed her breast, lewd wet sounds filling the room as he kept moving his fingers inside of her. 

She leaned her body weight completely on him, her legs unsteady as it was precarious the beating of her heart. 

He let out a low moan as she yanked his hair to catch his mouth, biting his lip hard to gain better access, their tongues tangling together.

He curled his fingers inside of her, an unrelenting wave of pleasure washing over her.

She stopped to imagine what it would be like if he dropped to his knees again, if he started kissing and licking her, if she could watch him at her mercy between her legs.

She realised in that moment that the fall down the precipice was inevitable. Tom had threatened to push her but she had allowed him to succeed, jumping into an abyss that felt unending but that could only allow two conclusions to her story.

What she had told Will was true. She loved the fantasy, all the glances, conversations, gestures that had never happened, that she had delighted herself with when the reality was harsher, but as she kissed him she knew that falling for the real Tom was unavoidable. Not if he kept touching her like that.

It was bound to happen, it was part of her story, the decision she was brave enough to take.

She focused on him, on the circles his thumb was drawing on her clit, on the indecent sounds falling from her lips, on his groans on her reddened skin, on him growing harder against her back. 

He pulled her hair back, tilting her head to meet her gaze. His eyes glimmered with rapture while hers were heavy-lidded, tension building inside of her. 

He didn’t take his eyes off of her, as if he wanted to memorise each detail of her, the way she looked at him, the way her lips parted slightly and the way she panted as she was nearing her orgasm.

“Just like that, darling,” he murmured, a pleased smile on his lips as he noticed she was still blushing.

She threw her head back, losing herself in the motion of his fingers, surrendering herself as blissed moans spilled out shamelessly. She squeezed his soaked fingers, and he kept moving, stroking her throughout her climax.

She panted, coming down from her apex in a flurry of emotions and flustered thoughts. He raised his wet fingers to her lips and she opened her mouth, tasting herself on her tongue as she sucked on them, never breaking eye contact.

“Good girl,” he said, holding her jaw and kissing her.

It was a slow kiss, meant to explore her depths in a different way from the breathless and unrestrained passion from before. She leaned into his palm, her hand closing around his wrist.

His arms snaked around her waist and he turned them around, pushing under her thighs to lift her on the table.

The kiss transformed again.

Teeth and tongues met with vehemence, burning urgency guiding their movements as he brought her legs around his waist and she quickly started to unbutton her blouse.

But at the third button, she stopped. 

Tom noticed the shift in her demeanour and drew back, observing her. Her eyes flew to the clock, as she had just remembered about Will.

She noticed with disappointment that they had no time.

“What is it?” he asked. She didn’t miss the urgent tone of his question.

“Will will be back any time now,” she replied, leaving a peck on his lips. 

He cleared his throat and stepped back, composing himself. She got off the table and

cool hands unexpectedly reached her again, adjusting her clothes and stockings. She shivered at the contact.

He smoothed her skirt and put his coat back on, watching her as she scribbled something on a piece of paper and gave it to him.

“If you want to stop by one of these days.”

“I remember where you live,” he replied, reading the address she had written down.

She shrugged, holding out one finger to wipe away the lipstick at the corner of his mouth.

“Do you have to go back to work?”

“I was supposed to meet with a potential supplier, so yes.”

“I’d stop by the bathroom before,” she advised, gesturing for him to go as she herself needed to compose herself again.

She braced herself against the threshold, leaning her head on the hard wood as she watched him unlock the door and leave. 

Then she was alone, finally finding an answer in the cluster of hypotheses that had tormented her mind.

Two days later, as she was returning from her meeting with Serena, she found Tom waiting for her.

He was talking to Will and they both turned to her as she entered, feeling tremendously self-conscious.

“How is Serena?” Will asked.

“Dim-witted as always,” she replied, earning a laugh from Will.

Her eyes trailed to Riddle, holding an unspoken question. 

Will seemed to notice because he stepped forwards.

“It’s quite late, you can go if you want, I’ll close.”

Tom didn’t wait for him to repeat himself, pushing down the handle and holding the door open for her.

She mouthed a ‘thank you’ to him and followed Tom outside. Once in the street, she huddled herself in her coat and took the arm he was offering her. 

“May I walk you home?” he asked.

“Of course,” she said, a little breathy, still not immune to the chivalrous manners he always had with her.

They strolled through the streets, passing by scarcer and scarcer people as the stores emptied and everyone returned home seeking a tranquil evening.

She held his arm tightly, her fingers tracing delicate patterns on the fabric of his coat.

The first time they had walked together it had felt like an accident, a singular mistake in the already waved threads of her life. This time, she yearned for so much more than she wanted for the error to repeat itself; she was willing to cut the strings herself and tie them back together, as messy as it might have looked. 

They crossed the road and he gently put a hand on her waist, pushing her away from the pavement. 

“Would you fancy dinner?” he asked. There was a foreign quality in his voice and when she turned to look at him, he averted his eyes. She blinked bewildered. Was he nervous?

“I’d love to,” she replied and she noticed his chest rising like he had just begun breathing again. “But not tonight.”

An almost imperceptible smile cleared his expression at her answer and she leaned her head on his shoulder, basking in his mere presence.

When they reached her front door, she looked for her keys with embarrassingly clammy hands. 

As she lifted her head to ask Tom if he wanted to stay, she found his eyes impatiently boring into her bag. 

“Would you-”

His gaze snapped to her, serious and scorching. “Don’t even ask.”

Something coiled between her legs at the way he was looking at her. She nodded and walked up the few stairs to her door, unlocking it.

“Second floor,” she said, more to fill the silence than anything else.

They stepped into the building, the sound of her heels and the soles of his shoes hitting the stone ricocheting through the empty hall.

She turned to gesture to him to follow her when he grabbed her face, kissing her as he pushed her against the wall by the foot of the stairs. Her hands tangled in his hair, tugging at it just as she suspected he loved by the way he always pressed himself harder against her. 

He curved his palm around her cheek, better angling her face as their tongues met.

“I have a nosy neighbour,” she said after they pulled apart to catch their breath. “She is probably spying on us through her peephole.”

Tom didn’t think twice about it, taking her hand and leading her up to the second floor. She stifled a laugh as she unlocked the door, Tom’s lips skimming against her neck as she did, and was left breathless when he closed it unceremoniously behind them, resuming from where they had been interrupted.

As she dropped her bag and grabbed his waist, walking backwards into her living room, she remembered there were clothes somewhere - perhaps in the bathroom but she wasn’t sure - that she had forgotten to put away yesterday.

In any case, Tom didn’t look particularly interested in how tidy she was.

They quickly took off each other's coats and discarded them on the floor.

He sat on her sofa, pulling her down with him.

She was straddling him, her knees digging into the plush cushions as his hands appreciatively caressed her back, moving up and down and occasionally squeezing. She lit the fireplace with a wave of her hand.

She rocked her hips, rubbing against him and eliciting a long awaited moan from him. She grabbed the collar of his shirt, their lips collading so hard she was sure she cut him.

She helped him out of his jacket and vest and undid his tie, smoothing her hands on his white button-down.

“I’ve waited too long,” she said, quickly unbuttoning his shirt and grinding against him. Her hands disappeared under his undershirt and ran over his pale chest, lightly scratching his skin.

“Slowly, my dear. We will get there,” he replied between kisses.

His palms kept tracing her thighs and his face buried in her neck, nibbling at the thin skin.

When she was a small girl, before she discovered sex, Tom Riddle was just a boy she liked. During puberty, sharing stories and questions with her friends, she started to understand what was the sensation that passed through her everytime she was close to him, the one that made her cheeks redden and her mind go somewhere she wasn’t yet comfortable with.

As an adult, sexual relations weren’t unfamiliar to her, but this carnal longing, the need of a physicality that went beyond her skin touching his, was.

He opened her blouse, revealing her silk slip and bra underneath.

She wanted to touch his soul, to hold it and comprehend it.

Her eyes fell on the tattoo on his forearm, black tendrils of ink in the shape of a serpent slithering out of a skull.

“Does this have a meaning?” she asked.

He followed her gaze, blinking surprised at her question. “It does.”

“Am I prying too much if I say I’m curious to learn it?”

He bit his lip, opening and closing his fist as if he was scrambling for words. Or perhaps he was just determining if he could trust her.

“It’s a reinterpretation of the ouroboros, the snake eating its own tail,” he finally said. “It symbolises eternity and the renewal of the being after rebirth.”

She traced her fingers on his skin, following the outline of the snake. “And what does your interpretation mean?”

“There is time to talk about it later,” he whispered, his teeth biting her neck and sinking lower, kissing her collarbone and her sternum, moving the fabric covering her breasts to the side.

She let go of the subject. She knew what it meant not being comfortable sharing your life.

He held one breast between his fingers, latching his mouth over the other, sucking her nipple and twirling his tongue around it.

She moaned, rolling her hips faster as he revered her bosom, the cold air hitting her moist skin and making her shiver as he took her other nipple in his mouth, lightly tugging at it until she reached the point where pleasure and discomfort mixed.

“Since we are in the mood for confessions…” she said between moans. He raised his head and looked at her waiting for her to continue. She hesitated, collecting all her courage.

“Why did you pursue me?”

His eyes softened, glimmering with fondness. He brushed a strand of hair away from her face.

“Because there is something extremely valuable in your devotion.” His voice was an intimate murmur, a confession no one else could hear.

She freezed, turning her head to the side to hide her mortification.

He took her chin, searching for her eyes until she finally gave in.

“Don’t be embarrassed, darling, I respect it, I understand it. Obsession keeps us alive, it’s what drives us.”

She swallowed the lump of embarrassment in her throat. “Do you enjoy it?”

“Being the object of the desire of such a woman? Of a witch? I do,” he replied, and he was so direct and earnest that her heart swelled.

He lifted her to sit on the sofa, sliding down on his knees on the floor and taking off his shirt and vest. She remained silent as he rolled down her tights, his lips gliding down her smooth skin. He unbuttoned her skirt and helped her out of it, tracing patterns on her inner thigh as his other hand felt her damp underwear.

She tensed, something tightening in her lower abdomen and her eyes fell down to his trousers.

He kissed the crease of the thigh, like he had done that one time at Borgin and Burkes, but this time she wasn’t letting anyone interrupt them. 

He took off her underwear, his movements deliberately slow, and kissed her everywhere, except there.

His lips felt hot on her skin, searing her flesh like she had often dreamed about, carving his way into her body the same way he had done with her mind and heart, until her entire soul was consumed by him, until he could finally close that fist and feel her in a way nobody had before. 

Her breath hitched as he delicately kissed her mound, spreading her legs apart. She leaned her head against the backrest, licking her lips with anticipation, and she couldn’t contain a whimper as he felt his tongue dragging down her slit, sweet and cruel.

He took her clit in his mouth, sucking on it as his hand splayed on her abdomen to keep her still.

She squeezed her eyes shut, overwhelmed.

“Look at me, darling,” he murmured against her folds. His breath was warm and pleasant.

She obliged, meeting his devilish grinning figure between her legs. She was incapable of looking away as he resumed his work, she didn’t want to look away. She wanted to watch him, finally allowing herself to fully indulge in him, in what he wished to do for her.

She observed his curved eyelashes, the way his perceptive eyes followed her reactions, refining his movements to please her better.

He sucked her labia and she moaned loudly, the idea of him enjoying this as much as her being exhilarating.

He threw her leg on his shoulder, resulting in her figure sliding down the cushions and him gaining better access to her. 

His tongue probed her entrance as he coated his fingers in her wetness. He slipped one finger in, working her thoroughly as she gripped his hair, keeping his head in place.

He inserted a second finger, his tongue on her clit moving accordingly to the delighted sounds she emitted.

“Tom,” she cried urgently as she tried to press herself harder against him.

He curled his fingers inside of her and her hips jolted upwards, arching her back to an uncomfortable angle as she reached her orgasm with lascivious bliss, her obscene moans matching the wet sounds he produced by licking her until she came down from her climax.

“Tom,” she said again, so breathless her voice was a raspy whisper.

“I know,” he said, kissing her leg and inhaling deeply, like he was trying to commit the moment to memory.

He brought his fingers to his mouth, licking them clean as she let her watch.

She gently pushed him onto the carpet, bracing her hands on his shoulder as she sat on top of him. The fire was burning, enveloping their almost naked figures in warm orange light, heating their already scalding skin.

She took off her blouse with quivery hands, his gaze tracing her naked form that was slowly revealing itself. She hooked her fingers into the straps of her slip, pulling it down and then getting rid of it altogether. His hands on her waist tensed as she did the same for her bra.

Her lips parted as he touched her breast with both hands, kneading the soft flesh, tracing her areolae. 

She undid his trousers, pulling down the fabric until they were both completely naked. She took him in her hand, her fingers closing tentatively around him. Her hand started sliding up and down, her pace getting quicker and more confident as moans escaped him. She brushed her thumb on his tip, her eyes admiring what was in front of her. His lips were swollen, residue of her lipstick still on them, his hair was tousled, curls falling disorderly on his forehead, his eyes heavy-lidded as he looked at her. She felt a rush of satisfaction in knowing his current state was her doing, that she had enough power over him to ruin his flawless exterior, to make him want her to do it. 

His lips caught hers and he gently pushed her hand away. 

What happened after felt like rehearsed choreography, something so familiar it was impossible to forget. Their bodies moved together, their movements responsive to each other, doing and touching exactly where it mattered.

She pushed herself up on her knees, slowly lowering herself until she sank down on him completely, shuddering breaths escaping her lips.

His jaw was tense as she placed a hand on his shoulder for support, positioning herself better.

She didn’t break eye contact as she rolled her hips, soaking in the hazy blue of his eyes, in every twitch of his jaw and emotion he was feeling as she increased her pace, in his voice murmuring her name against her ear as his hands squeezed her tights and traced her back.

Skin slapped against skin, his touch inebriating as he felt every part of her, caressing her, massaging her, kissing her until she couldn’t take it anymore. Almost.

His hand dipped between her legs again, stroking her clit as she rocked her hips, eliciting groans from both of them.

Sentiment and pleasure fused together in an exhilarating moment, seared in her mind and flesh forever.

She kissed him again - she could never get tired of that - and bit his lower lip roughly as his other hand went to her breast again, pulling at her nipple. 

She threw her head back, letting his mouth scrape over her neck and chest, leaving behind scorching wet kisses. Or perhaps those were marks reddening her skin, she didn’t particularly care.

He gripped her waist, thrusting upwards as she held onto him tighter. Her nails drew half-moons into his back and she bit his neck, the fibres of the carpet scratching her knees.

The lights in the flat fluttered momentarily.

His fingers increased the pressure on her clit as his thrusts grew in intensity with one purpose in mind. 

She bit her lip, trying to hold back, to prolong this instant of pure bliss before she inevitably plummeted onto the other side.

She arched her back, moving accordingly to his rhythm, her hips bucking erratic as she rubbed against his pelvis. 

And then she fell down, unrestrained, her walls closing around him as she moaned uncontrollably. He didn’t stop, drawing circles on her sensitive skin until her breath found a semblance of steadiness again. 

“You did so good,” he whispered against her forehead, brushing a strand of sweaty hair away.

She slumped against him, her hands grabbing onto his biceps as he chased his own pleasure, his movements turning frantic, losing his rhythm.

She found herself murmuring against his skin the same things she had never had the courage to say out loud, not even to herself. She wasn’t sure he was even listening to her, engrossed as he was, but it didn’t matter.

He squeezed her tights once and she understood, rolling to the side as he deftly touched himself, fast strokes that culminated in white spurts all over his hand. She watched him mesmerised

He turned to look at her, his chest rising and falling rapidly. The fire casted shadows on his gorgeous face. 

They stayed like that for a long moment, gazing into each other, trying to guess what the other was thinking, making sense of what remained of themselves after what had just happened.

Did it have the same momentous effect on both of them? Or was it just her that knew she couldn’t go back to being acquaintances after this?

“Do you want to stay here tonight?” she asked. Her voice sounded faint and husky to her own ears.

“I do,” he replied without a second of hesitation.

They didn’t get up, instead resting against the foot of her sofa. She curled up against him as his hand traced indistinct patterns on her skin, remaining in this haze of indiscernible unspoken feelings they were both still trying to find a name for. 

When she woke up the next morning he was gone. As she took in the cold sheets and missing clothes, her heart threatened to crack.

She got up groggily, conclusions already forming in her mind, building the most pessimistic of pictures.

She felt anxious as she wore her robe and opened the door, heading straight for the bathroom. Halfway down the corridor, the sound of someone flipping through a newspaper halted her in her steps.

She stepped into the kitchen, finding Tom sitting in a chair with his legs crossed.

“Good morning,” he said.

“Good morning,” she said back, adjusting the belt of her robe. 

She noticed he had made breakfast, a steaming coffee pot, kept warm by magic, and some pastries she had never bought waiting for her on the table. 

She turned to take a mug from a cabinet so that she could hide her smitten smile. When she closed the cabinet, she found him looking at her.

There was no need for words.

“Where did you get that?” she asked as she poured herself some coffee, referring to the newspaper. 

“I stole it from your neighbour, I hope she won’t mind.”

She laughed. “So you know how to make a joke.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

She sat next to him, crossing her legs. She perhaps needed to rethink her choice of slippers.

“You were always so serious growing up.”

She put a spoonful of sugar in her coffee. 

“That never seemed to deter you.”

“It doesn’t.”

He took a sip of his own coffee. “Good.”

“Does it deter you, knowing how I feel?”

He blinked. “It never had. It makes it more interesting if I have to be honest.”

She blushed, scared to ask the next question.

“How long have you known?”

He got up, brushing his knuckles on her cheek.

“Long enough to see you for who you truly are.” 

He bent to give her a chaste kiss. “I should go, the shop opens in half an hour.”

He put on his coat and grabbed his leather gloves from his pocket. She turned in her chair, treasuring the last few moments of him in her apartment.

“There’s still a lot you haven’t learned yet.” 

She refused to be an open book to him. There was so much about her that was still incomprehensible even to her and too much she wanted to show him on her own terms. She wanted to be enigmatic, to drive him mad.

“I know.”

Her disappointment was visible on her face as she was met with his silence. She had wanted to continue that conversation, to learn what he had observed.

Instead he opened her front door, throwing her one last glance, heavy with unsaid intention she hoped she wasn’t imagining, before leaving. 

She had almost finished her breakfast when she noticed a small note under the newspaper he had left behind. She grabbed it faster than she was willing to admit, almost knocking over her cup in the process, and unfolded it.

“Dinner tonight?

I’ll pick you up at eight.

T.R.”

the last part is a bonus scene i wanted to write to apologize for my tardiness. tom is a little different, but I hope he isn't too out of character.

i honestly had so much fun writing this short story and exploring a different tom from the one i usually read and write about. i hope you enjoyed this and thank you for reading!

[phantominzie]

Ranting about TSS

I would like to start by saying, yes, I am fully aware I don't post fandom rants very often (ESPECIALLY SASI). However, I've been feeling rather upset over the fandom and Thomas.

I would also like to mention that in no way is this attacking Thomas or any of his writers, hell, not even the fandom itself. I just need to let all of this out.

You're always totally free to skip over this, I know ts crit isn't everyone's cup of tea <3

To start, I am so just...tired? It's been so frustrating waiting for a finale for four fucking years and getting the bait and switch every time Thomas makes a post about 'upcoming Sanders Sides content!'

I understand taking time to work on something so important to cannon, but four years? I can also give him a little leeway for having some staff issues, but it's almost painful to only keep getting the series we love get downgraded so harshly over the years.

Almost all of the sides have been made so two dimensional. At first they felt so fleshed out, so real, and fandom focused their character on one sole trait (not unforgivable but a bit frustrating). Then, I guess Thomas just picked up on fandom and decided 'yeah! I'll just make them two dimensional too!' That's not what we want. And frankly that's never what we wanted. Occasionally, he'll give us breadcrumbs of character development, or show us a sliver of light to what they once were, but it's never the same.

And frankly, I feel bad for having my hopes so high for the finale. Sure it's been taking four years, but that doesn't mean it will be perfect, hell, it might suck. Of course, I will watch it, but I won't be happy about it. About the lies, about the bait and switch, about the constant merch plugs over actual content, about the four incorrect quotes over working on the finale, about the prioritizing of under five minutes long videos that no one will watch anyways.

I love that Thomas is working on things that make him happy, and I don't think I'll ever stop being happy about that, but he needs to take into heart that without content, merch won't sell anyways.

He made a tweet recently that said that we would be getting the finale in an uncertain number of weeks, but based on the past four years I don't even think it will come out at all. If it does, I swear that if we get a merch plug in the finale I'm going to lose my shit.

I want him to see that fandom can't carry itself, and that if he doesn't have that finale have the actually well done makeup we've been begging for, or have our three dimensional characters back, then he won't have a fandom at all.

I'm almost angry that this is my special interest at this point, I'm so let down by the direction the series is probably headed.

I hope that no one takes this the wrong way, and if people leave death threats in my inbox (which has happened to people posting ts crit; no i'm not joking) then trust that you won't be answered. No one is to tag Thomas on this post, and if Thomas even finds this post then heed the words I've said. This isn't a threat to you, and frankly it never was. What is it is the frustrations of a tired and exasperated fan.

I'm sorry if this has rubbed anyone the wrong way, I apologize if it has. I hope this doesn't make people think I'm becoming some TSS hater, I'm really not. But I'm frustrated, and that's normal

Thank you for reading this all the way through if your here, I love you <3

[bite-sized-devil]

🌻 500 Followers Bite Sized Event 🌻

Requested by @lolthia 💕

Characters: Obey me Levi X MC

TW: GN! MC, none, just fluff 💕

The sound of his door creaking as it opens draws his attention from his latest game. It's some calming little farming simulator where you can date some of the villagers. This is the thirteenth night in a row you've come to his room late at night. He remembers the first night so clearly, your timid little knock, the way your voice shook as you asked if you could hang out with him for a bit.

He hadn't asked then and he doesn't now. You just take your seat beside him like you have previously, unlike the first time you don't make up an excuse as to why you're here. You both know it's because you're having trouble sleeping. He can see the dark circles under your eyes, the tell tale red rim that tells him you've been crying again.

It pains him to see you struggling, you're usually so bright and bubbly. He misses seeing your smile, you light up every room you're in. That's how he feels anyway, he wants to talk to you about how you're feeling but he knows you're not ready to talk. He's happy to give you his shoulder to lean on, or rather rest on.

You've fallen asleep with your head resting on his shoulder, it usually goes like this. You come in, watch him game and within a couple of hours you've fallen asleep. Every night the time it takes for you to fall asleep shortens. And tonight you're asleep within 20 minutes, it must be the calmness of the game he's playing. It surely can't be his presence. Right?

He waits till you're deep enough in your sleep before he picks you up carefully in his arms and carries you back to your room. Placing you gently on your bed and pulls your blankets back over you and then goes to leave.

Your hand clenched around the back of his t-shirt stops him. This is a first, usually he leaves without waking you up. He curses himself under his breath before turning back to you.

"Sorry MC, I didn't mean to wa-" He starts to apologize before you cut him off.

"S-stay with me... Please." You're looking up at him with wide teary eyes, your voice comes out in a whisper but he can hear the desperation all the same.

He takes your clenched fist that's gripping his shirt so tightly and unfurles it easily, he keeps your hand in his as he says "Scooch over."

The smallest ghost of a smile graces your features while you move over to make room for him, your small hand still in his larger one. He smiles down at you softly as he lets go of your hand and lies down beside you on his back. You lift his arm and settle into his side, your head on his chest and his arm wrapped around you, he starts to rub your arm in small soothing circles. You slide your hand up his chest and rest it over his heart, he can feel it shaking so he holds it with his free hand.

It doesn't take long before he feels you relax beside him. Your breathing deepens, your heart rate dropping back to it's normal rhythm. He doesn't move, happy just to lie here beside you. Under normal circumstances he'd be a blushing mess with you being so close to him. But he doesn't feel his normal anxiety freakout now, he just feels content and calm.

He's almost drifting off himself when he here's you mumble something in your sleep. It's probably some nonsense your brain is conjuring up for you. He starves off sleep a little longer to make sure you aren't having a nightmare.

He looks down at your sleeping face to see your expression, you're smiling sweetly. Clearly you're having a good dream, he rests his head flat on the pillow, satisfied that you're ok. You mumble again and this time he hears it clearly. It might be the single most beautiful thing he's ever heard.

His name, wrapped up in a dreamy sigh spoken unknowingly from the lips of his cherished player two.

Heya cutie! Hope you liked this little piece 💕 Thank you again for requesting, I know you're a new follower 🌻 but I hope I don't scare you off with some of my posts!

Tag list: @delphi-dreamin @sassykattery @alexxavicry @your-next-daydream @rosanism @marvelous-maniac @i-hardly-know @kyungjoon-do @ria-demon29 @itsmeninerz @allielozoya @spookyscaryskeletonn @zarakem @tea-time-writes @ladyofcrowsx @yuujispinkhair @attic-club-sandwich @whimsiecat @simpsations (once again I am panicking about whether to tag y'all or not! I mean it is content by me (an idiot) that you said you wanted to see buuuuut it is an event post soooo?) Idk ignore my self-conscious ass. I've had barely any sleep!

[prophecyofwinter]

Nemophilist

;One who is fond of forests or forest scenery

Pairing: Aemond Targaryen x Stark!Reader

Summary: You are the childhood best friend of Aemond Targaryen. As children, the two of you made a promise that you two would Wed, no matter the cost. But would a war, a dance perhaps, cause issue with that promise?

Warnings: 18+, Death, Trauma, Toxic Sibling Dynamics, Cannon typical violence. More tags will be added as we go on

Notes: Finally posting the long chapters! I hope to have chapter four out by Monday or sooner!

Last Chapter - Next Chapter

Chapter 3: Vows, Goodbyes, and Promises

“And none for me? After I came all this way...”

Aemond.

Your head snapped up to make eye contact with a purple eyed shadow, illuminated by soft candle light. He only stood there as you stumbled up from the floor, tripping over yourself and your hounds.

If you were any stronger you would’ve knocked Aemond right to the floor on his ass, not that he would’ve minded.

No words were exchanged, no words needed to be. It had been, what, years? Since you’ve last seen each other? Since you’ve been allowed to see each other? Your lips melted together in a mess of lip tongue and teeth. You didn’t even have half a mind to ask how he even got up here.

Aemonds hands caressed the warm dark fur of your coat dipping his hands under the material and wrapping one arm around your waist guiding you up against a stone wall and the other going to caress your cheek. Your hands entangled themselves in his silver locks which would normally be nice and soft but at this moment they were unkept and tangled as though they'd dried from rainwater. He smelt of Dragon, not that you could really critique him. He was here wasn’t he?

You two got rougher with each passing moment as if you both feared either one of you would disappear. Getting frustrated with fabric on fabric friction, you reach down to his pants in an attempt to free Aemond from his confines. You two have never attempted to go this far, it just felt so right, it was a primal reaction.

Only for Aemond to stop you by pulling away and holding your face still with both of his hands to prevent you from chasing his lips. His one eye staring deeply into your pair, noses almost touching.

“I’m sorry my love but I fear we do not have the time.”

You were half listening still attempting to reconnect your lips, Aemond is so warm and being away from him like this felt as though you were thrown north of the wall for a year. You were so cold without him.

“Gods Aemond, I need you” You move your hands down from Aemonds hair to grasp onto his coat in hopes to reconnect. Aemond holds your face in place more aggressively bringing you out of your foggy state.

“Y/N you need to listen to me. I don’t have time, We don’t have time. I came here to take you to King’s Landing, I said we’d get married in the future didn’t I? That’s what we promised.”

Marriage. That’s why he was here, you’d come to terms by now it was just some childish promise that you’d marry Aemond one day. But, here he is. Telling you that it is true. You couldn’t believe Cregan would ever truly allow this.

“Do you Jest with me Aemond? You asked my brother? Did you come with Jacaerys-“

“Jacaerys is here?”

Aemonds eyes darkened sharply, you couldn’t pinpoint exactly what emotion he was dealing with. Whatever it was, your previous excitement was warring off and reality started seeping in.

“Well yes, I walked him to my brother not too long ago-. Wait, how exactly did you get in here Aem?”

There’s no way Aemond came through the front gates. You surely would’ve known if he had come that way, he would have been meeting Cregan right this moment if he had. Guards would never allow a man into the chambers of a young lady.

Aemond said nothing, trying to gauge your current emotions to give you an answer that wouldn’t scare you off.

You could feel your heart beating in your ears, something wasn’t right about the air of the room. The adrenaline of seeing Aemond was slowing down, allowing you to come back to your senses

Needing an answer to calm your nerves you pressed on. “Aemond. What are you doing he-“

“I killed Lucerys.”

Cold blood rushed through your bones. Aemond closed in on your body, pressing you further into the stone wall.

He towered over you, you became a small pup and he was a dragon closing in on his prey. You should run, hide, scream, call to Snow and Smoke, anything; but you stood there and did nothing.

Aemond could feel you cowering into his touch and could sense your wolves behind him becoming alert to your stress.

“I didn’t do it on purpose, I swear to you my love. I was in Storm’s End and I- Vhagar she- she was provoked and there wasn’t anything I could do.”

“I can’t hide you here Aemond if that’s what you ask of me. If Cregan heard-“

“Aegon is King. There is a war coming and I won’t allow you to stay here knowing I’d never see you again. The seven kingdoms are going to break apart and the North will not side with Aegon- I-, please, Y/N, my love. I will answer any and every question you have, but I need you to come with me now.”

Aemond pressed his forehead to yours in a show of affection. You tried to take in this information the best you could but, what? Aegon is king? Rhaenyra is Queen now isn’t she? Breaking apart? Aemond sounded like a man gone mad, did you trust him? Why else would Jacaerys if Aemond was telling the truth? He was right then, you would never see him again, not if you didn’t go with him right now. What else do you have here? Stay and be a brood mare to some cunt or go with Aemond and have a chance at something better.

You take a deep breath in, and breathe out. “This is a lot, Aemond, but I will trust you. Just give me a moment with them…”

Aemond let out a heavy sigh as though he’s been holding his breath for years and gave you a deep soft kiss. He let you go and moved to the side back into the shadows that your candlelight didn’t reach. “You won’t regret this, my beloved.”

You walked over to your greatest loves, crouching down to their level. This was the right choice, you’d see them again. It would just be a while for them to find you again, still, your heart broke a little. It had always felt that they could read your mind, knew what you wanted and what they had to do. You said nothing for you knew that they knew. You rose back up, walked for the door and peaked your head out to the guard standing out.

“Excuse me? Could you guide Snow and Smoke out of the walls? They need to do their business. Now, please.” You said with a smile to the guard, with only a nod and a ‘Yes Lady Stark’ he led your children out.

Your heart ached as they looked back to you in farewell, but not for forever.

You shut the wooden door softly, holding the door for a moment with a few deep breaths. You turned back to Aemond who still stood where you left him.

“Can I bring anything with me?”

“I fear no, nothing you can’t carry on your back anyway. Northern clothing wouldn’t be the best in King’s Landing anyway. I will see to it personally that you need and want for nothing, you will have plenty of clothes.”

“Very well. I just have a few things then.”

You went over to your bed stand and grabbed a holstered blade. It was a gift from your father when he was still alive, a Valyrian Steel sword with a Dire Wolf as the pummel, branch and leaf engravings wrapped around the handle and blade. It was the only thing left of him and you’d be damned to leave it behind.

You did one final look around your chambers, you knew that it would be a long time before you had this view again. The metal chandelier covered in melted candle wax, your bed with messily thrown around fur blankets that you didn’t need most of the time with Snow and Smoke warming you up just fine, your fireplace that definitely needed a cleaning soon.

What would become of your chambers now? Would Cregan pretend you had never existed and clear the whole room? Or would he sit in your chair and on your bed praying for you to come back because he had missed you? You fear that this is his problem now.

“Ready to go now my Lady?” Aemond came up behind you wrapping his arms around your torso and kissing the crown of your head.

“Yes, yes I am my Prince”

Aemond took your hand and guided you to the window of which he had entered through in the first place. He’d snuck in with Rope? Interesting.

With your arms wrapped around his neck and his right arm around your waist, he guided the two of you down the stone wall and made your way onto the floor of Winterfell.

———

Mirayll was a maid of Winterfell, she did her job as she was told, mainly bringing meals to Lady Stark. She was bringing a tray of Meats, cheeses, and other assortments of things for the Lady to eat for her dinner.

She kicked her foot lightly to the door, with her hands full she couldn’t use them to knock properly. No answer, normal for the Young Lady, probably napping.

Mirayll opened the door with her back to let herself in, she was met with a dead silent room, no wolves, no sound, and most importantly no Lady Stark.

Perhaps she was just taking an evening walk by the Weirwood tree, while odd, not unheard of-

Her eye caught the shine of a metal object on the window of the chambers. Placing the tray on a table by the fireplace she goes to inspect. Her blood runs ice cold when she realizes what has happened.

————-

Cregan sat at one of the dining room tables in the Throne room with the Prince Jacaerys. In such a short amount of time he’d taken a liking to the young man, having an amazing conversation with the man.

Perhaps if he wasn’t already betrothed to another he would’ve had his sist-

“Please! You have to see Lord Stark immediately! It’s the Young Lady she’s!”

Cregans head immediately shot up at the mention of his sister. ‘What has that girl done now to cause me more trouble’

“Let her in!”

Mirayll stumbled into the throne room immediately walking over to Cregan, she was red and out of breath like she had run all the way here.

“It’s Y/N my Lord! I believe she had run away or been taken! Through her window! There’s a rope-!”

Right as the maid had finished her sentence a roar had pierced through the air and through the skies. That could only mean one thing. There was a Dragon here that was not the young Velaryons…

Cregan didn’t even have time to speak before Jacaerys stood tall from his seat and bolted to the doors screaming only one word.

“Aemond!”

Gods be fucking good.

[solarmorrigan]

Find the Word Tag Game

Thank you @paperbackribs and @mentallyundone for including me! Most of these are from my Big Bang fic or my Top Secret Valentine's Day project, but there are one or two other things thrown in

My words from paperbackribs were talk, close, heart, suddenly, and realise, and my words from mentallyundone were heat, shut, insane, tight, and over

But first! Zero obligation tags (I'm sorry if I'm catching you twice): @emchant3d, @estrellami-1, @devondespresso, @tboyeddie, @spiritofcamelot, @ato-the-bean, @thestalwartheart, and @azure7539arts

Your words are: Clean, Bright, Dead, Dream, and Star

Rules: We all seem to be making them up a little bit, but so far it's boiled down to "search your WIP's (or any unposted works) for the words you've been given and post a snippet that includes them." Then, come up with some new words and tag everyone or no one or any number in between, it's like Little Caesar's in here

Now! My own answers below the cut:

Talk

“Okay,” Eddie says again. “Steve, is this normal? Like, do I need to get you to a hospital or something? Because I’m gonna be honest, you’re freaking me out a little.” If possible, Steve’s frown deepens at that. He opens his mouth, throat working, but all that he really manages to get out is another, “Hurts.” “I know. I know it does, sweetheart,” Eddie says, shooting for soothing. He reaches up and covers Steve’s hand where it’s still clenched against his scalp, apparently intent on yanking out his own hair, and manages to get him to let go. He weaves his own fingers through in its place, trying to apply pressure without pulling, without hurting. “I need you to talk to me, though. Please. I need to know if you need a doctor.”

Close

It goes quiet, and Hargrove leans in close, murmuring in his ear in a way that makes Steve shudder in revulsion, makes him want to writhe away, but all he can do is lie there as Hargrove asks him, “Who do you work for?” Steve’s mouth is dry and his tongue is thick as he tries to answer. “Scoops. I work for Scoops Ahoy.” Hargrove pulls back, and his grin is a feral slash across his face. “Wrong answer, Harrington.”

Heart

“Why no date, then, Stevie?” Eddie teases. “Waiting for the right person to ask?” Steve shrugs, glancing over at Eddie. “Maybe. Hey, you want these?” Before Eddie can address that “maybe,” Steve is holding out a small, heart-shaped box to him, deep red and tied with a perfect satin bow. Eddie blinks. His heart skips a beat. And then he falls back on the old standby: sarcasm. “You shouldn’t have,” he says drily. “I didn’t. Lindsey gave them to me, but I don’t really want them,” Steve says, shaking the box at Eddie. Almost automatically, Eddie reaches out to take the chocolates. “Is this proper etiquette?” he teases.

Suddenly

They sit in silence as Steve tries to figure out how to eat his burger without dribbling egg all over everything and as Eddie drowns his French toast in butter and syrup, and the food is good, but the atmosphere suddenly sucks. As much as Steve hates the idea of Eddie giving up something he wants just because Steve is there, he hates the sudden awkward silence even more. He reaches for something, anything, to break it. “Are peanuts really ruining the environment?”

Realise (I got this one on a technicality, because I spell the word with a 'z' like a heathen)

Because that’s another thing about being friends with Steve Harrington – Eddie isn’t at all sure they’re just friends. At least, he isn’t sure that’s what they’re going to stay. It had shaken his very foundation to realize, in less than an hour of really talking to him for the first time, even, that Steve is very probably queer. That he’s like Eddie. And that he might, in fact, like Eddie.

Heat

“Shit, man, why didn’t you tell me you were eating? I could’ve waited,” Steve says. “Seriously?” Eddie tosses him an incredulous look. “It’s pouring out. It’s cold. I wasn’t gonna make you wait. I can just heat the pizza back up!” “You can heat me back up!” Steve shoots back, and Eddie snorts into a round of surprised laughter. “What?” he wheezes, looking back over at Steve until Steve shoves him to get his eyes back on the road. “You know what I– I just mean that I wouldn’t have died if I’d had to wait an extra half hour, Jesus.” Steve rubs a hand over his face, hoping if he does it hard enough, that’ll account for whatever redness is currently rising in his cheeks. “I didn’t mean for you to put your shit on hold just to come get me, you know?”

Shut

Eddie’s hands are on Steve almost as soon as he’s across the threshold, even before the door is shut, grounding Steve back in himself, giving him a point of focus that isn’t the depressing assortment of memories skewed across his house or his own swirling anxiety. “You good?” Eddie asks, cupping Steve’s jaw and dragging his hands down his neck, his shoulders, his arms, before finally taking his hands. Steve shivers under the touch. “Getting there.”

Insane - Not found! But I did find one instance of "crazy," which is synonymous, if tonally different, so here's that:

“Okay, okay, so he picked up on you being a romantic, that’s great, but,” Robin holds her hands out in front of herself in an emphatic sort of ‘here’s the thing’ gesture, “where was all of this before?” “Right?” Steve bursts out, flinging his arms out in front of himself, narrowly avoiding knocking into one of Robin’s hands. “Thank you! I’m not crazy for wondering that!” “Of course you’re not,” Robin says, narrowing her eyes at him. “He didn’t tell you that you were, did he?”

Tight

The distinct sound of shattering porcelain is followed by a vehemently hissed, “shit,” and then silence. “Steve?” Eddie calls from the couch into the kitchen. “You okay?” “Yeah,” Steve calls back, but his voice sounds tight in the way it does when something definitely isn’t okay.

Over

“Because Eddie is Harrington’s favorite,” Oliver says, both a tease and a statement of fact. Steve says nothing, but he does turn and give Eddie another little smile, wiggling the plastic cup at him. “Well,” Eddie says slowly, reaching out to take the pudding without looking away from Steve, “I was the one who invited him over in the first place. Only seems right.” “Exactly,” Steve agrees, though it’s a little too soft to carry. “Lame,” Jeff declares, even as he starts in on the uneaten meatloaf. “No, no, he clearly has some kind of social superpowers,” Oliver insists. “If we wait long enough, maybe he’ll spot people who secretly have crushes on us, too.” “I think I’ll just settle for his lunch,” Jeff decides.

[unspuncreature]

a few weeks ago i was briefly possessed by the spirit of writing and spat out a mishmash of concept and ficlet at @renlyslittlerose, who took it all in stride and even encouraged me to post it!

i wanted to wait until i had the bandwidth to polish it, but with my limited time and energy these days, who knows when that will be.

instead, below the cut, i’ve copied the exact original messages i sent with absolutely zero editing. i hope you enjoy my candor and typos.

here’s the obikin bath & body works au ✨🫧🧴🧼

i feel like i’ve talked my way around a bath & body works-adjacent AU without ever actually talking about it but you know what?? today is the day

anakin is a retail associate at a soaps+lotions store and obi-wan comes in looking so handsome and frazzled and confused and anakin is like. oh boy one of these. ok sir who are you buying a gift for 🙄

except he can’t get all the words about because once he’s close enough to greet the man with his normal spiel. he realizes. this is the most amazing smelling man he’s every encountered in his LIFE

so he fumbles through helping obi-wan pick out a gift basket’s worth of assorted but complementary lotions and body scrubs in a daze. hoping and praying to the powers that be that he did not just help this man build the perfect gift basket for his girlfriend or, heaven forbid, his wife. and as anakin walks him all the way to the checkout counter (usually he just points customers in that direction but anakin is LATCHED onto this man), obi-wan turns to him and squints at his name tag and says “you’ve done a lovely job, anakin. i think with your help i’ll be spared my sister’s disappointment.” and anakin’s heart SOARS while his dick threatens to publicly embarrass him because he has never heard his own name sound like THAT coming out of anyone’s mouth ever

he’s almost forward enough to ask the man’s name or even give his phone number, but balks and ends up giving him a discount card for buy one get one half off any purchase of 2 or more body care products. except the expiration date is scratched out and scribbled over hastily in anakin’s handwriting, written to now expire instead at the end of the week

obi-wan blinks but pockets it with a charming smile and thanks anakin AGAIN and anakin thinks he might just pass out at this point

the rest of the shift passes in a haze, anakin makes it home and kicks himself the entire night, barely able to sleep. he barely pays any attention in his classes the next morning, worried that even if obi-wan does return, he has no idea when anakin works and they could very possibly miss each other entirely. that is, if obi-wan even comes back

his coworkers ask him what’s wrong when he clocks in the next day, and anakin grumbles and does his best to put on something akin to a serviceably customer-friendly mask. he drags like a zombie as he resets the seasonal display in the center of the store, snapping into lucidity every time the door chimes and a customer walks in, none of them his warm and spicy, flustered and handsome nameless crush

defeated and debating whether or not to feign illness so he can just go home and languish in bed, anakin hangs up his apron and goes to clock out for his break when he hears another customer enter. he doesn’t turn around, unable to stand any further self induced disappointment. one of his coworkers covering for him on his break greets them. and anakin’s stomach drops

“i made a purchase yesterday actually and was hoping to speak to the associate who assisted me. does… is anakin working today, by chance?”

“oh… i’m so sorry, he’s on break right now, but i’d be more than happy to—“

anakin doesn’t care that he must have bruised his hip on the checkout counter with how quickly he throws his apron back on and whips around to barrel through the store at lightning speed. he can’t even be bothered to bite back the stupid smile on his face.

with all the grace and propriety of any man on a mission of true love, anakin slips in beside his coworker and pipes up over her, locking gazes with the man and relishing the way his eyes widen, then soften and crinkle with warm recognition.

“i’ve got it from here, it’s really not a problem.”

anakin doesn’t even turn to see which of his coworkers he’s just so rudely dismissed. they must leave without fuss though, because then it’s just the two of them, staring at each other over a carefully stacked pyramid of passion fruit and peony hand lotion.

“short break, then? i’d hate to be the reason you forgo your lunch.”

“i’m alright. i’m, uh. i’m not hungry.”

the man smiles knowingly and cocks his head to the side, a lock of hair falling in his face as his eyes crinkle once again, just the faintest hint of age.

anakin thinks he might die. he smells even better than he remembers. it’s like nothing he’s ever smelled before. certainly nothing they sell here, at least. it can’t be cologne, right? jeez. maybe this is how all those ridiculous hallmark movie leads feel when they lock eyes with their favorite generic brown-haired man of the hour. anakin wants to fall into this man’s thick, sweater-clad arms. he wants to wedge his face in the crook of his neck and nuzzle his beard that looks oh-so-soft and inhale him. he wants to get down on one knee and ask if he—

“… can get your help with something?”

oh. right. anakin desperately hopes the flush he can feel crawling hot up his neck isn’t as visible as it feels.

“y-yeah, of course. sorry. what can i do for you?”

tl;dr because i promised myself i’d start my day at 9:50 and it’s now 9:56 BUT

obi-wan coyly asks anakin to help him find products for *himself* and anakin is like. um no offense but are you insane. you smell amazing already. and obi-wan is like 👀 and anakin is like NOT that i was smelling you because i WASNT hahahh that would be SO weird i just. there was a strong breeze. and. man that cologne you’re wearing sure is strong. plus i have a sensitive nose yknow. for example, i can smell that uhhh…… and obi-wan is like. i’m… not wearing any cologne. and anakin is like 😵‍💫

anakin helps him make his purchase just as dazed as he was yesterday. rings him up himself to make sure he gets his special anakin only discount. and then he finally gets obi-wan’s name.

obi-wan asks if he’s free after work. anakin says yes and also he’s free every afternoon for the rest of his life. in case something comes up and obi-wan needs a rain check. or something. obi-wan laughs and says today is just fine.

obi-wan picks him up and they go home and put obi-wan’s brand new body oil to excellent use 😌 the end

[robotnuts]

are there any rvb fics you still think about all the time? like i dont think a week goes by without thinking abt qed and how it def changed me on a molecular level, do you have any fics like that?

oooh good question. the most important fic is at the bottom of this post so just scroll to the final paragraph if you only want one, true recommendation of the only rvb fic that really matters.

QED is fantastic though its more of @shotgunslap's thing than mine. the partner to that is also obviously QoQ, the only rvb fic ive been able to make almost all my friends read. i think about the south/north characterization every day of my life. caboose and carolina mean so much to me, etc etc. thats a pretty easy pick though so im cracking into my ao3 bookmarks to look for more niche picks.

i know there was actually a lot of rvb fic that was just posted to tumblr that i think ive gone back and tried to reblog at some points but i never organized it, i should have archived it, people who wrote good femslash and rvb women liked to just post it under a readmore on their tumblrlog and you have to go digging through decades old tags to find it now

okay. the big one i actually do still think about all the time forever and ever is saltsanford's stuff about epsilon/wash's relationship. this is the big one i still think about that centers on their backstory, but also, put my guns in the ground, which is one of the Big fandom tuckington longfics, also has such good washpilon stuff in it and they're so fucking juicy. when tucker asks wash how many times he's broken his ribs and he says four and epsilon says "actually it was five" before realizing How Bad of a Move that would be. Hello? Hello?????? i want them to be forced to reimplant and have weird mind brain trauma sex SO BAD sorry im normal. this is another one that takes place during/after the chorus era

on the spectrum of fics that i actually dont yet feel ashamed reccomending, primtheamazing, who wrote QoQ, also wrote some other good stuff. i am a HUGE fan of this fusion fic, the punchline to the tucker/caboose fusion is HYSTERICAL. this one where grif forgets who simmons is due to temple shennanigans and flirts with him is also very like. trope-y but i like that shit so this goes here too

ok. now onto the stuff that it is actively embarrassing for me to be recommending. but. prim's logrimmons fic is hysterical and was the stepping stone to creating the lolixgrimmons mind palaces with my friends so its worth it just for that. but also its really fucking funny. so is the one where locus has to listen to them have sex and gets himself caught

the truly embarrassing one for me to have here is the piece of softboy grimmons content i participate in. sadly i do enjoy s15 content sometimes for the softboy grif sensitive emotions exploration i will admit to being a hypocrite there and i really liked that one and reread it frequently (just realized this is written by the QED person so! you might already know of it)

and then finally. the most important red vs blue fanfiction of all time, guns are for shooting. it has it all. sarge. washington. sarge again. kismesisitude. grif and simmons acting like rosencrantz and guildenstern (are dead). locus being invisible and getting caught by lopez with a bag of flour. it's written by the person who wrote QED. You want to read it right now. Read it right now. READ IT RIGHT N

wait no the cute bit about sarge declaring war on gravity and upending a bag of flour onto lopez isnt in guns for shooting. what fic is that from

[j-nipper-95]

Fic Rec (plus late Six Sentence Sunday) Monday!

Ok, so I’m late posting this, but oh well. It’s being posted!

I’m not sure if my tumblr notifications are working properly at the moment (I know I missed at least one tag last week, so if I’ve missed your tags the last couple of weeks I’m sorry, I’m not ignoring you, tumblr is acting up!) but I’m still alive. I’m back, and I have words to share!

July’s Camp NaNoWriMo has been amazing for getting words down for COTTA, and I am finally back on track with following the El Dorado plot line again! I managed to double the word count goal I had by 1am this morning, so all in all, a very productive month. So without further ado, here’s six(teen) sentences from that! Thanks for the tags @artsyunderstudy @theearlgreymage and @hushed-chorus (and anyone else if I’ve missed your posts!!)

Baz POV

“Get in the back,” he grunts, nodding at the truck. “I’ll cover you.”

“With what, Snow?”

“Just do it.”

No. I won’t leave him.

“They’ll shoot you on sight,” I say (I plead, I almost beg. Don’t make me face the thought of losing you, Simon). “I can’t get over there without your help,” I add. If there’s one thing I can count on right now, it’ll be Simon’s inner heroism.

“Bet you can,” he says, without thinking.

“Two shillings say I can’t.”

The challenge in my voice is enough to make him turn to glare at me. And knowing how much it irritates him, I cock an eyebrow and tilt my chin up to look down my nose at him.

Snow opens his mouth to argue but snaps it shut when we hear the Now Next almost at the corner we’ve just run around.

“You’re on.”

And then Jas also tagged me in a fic rec post, so here’s a few I’ve been enjoying recently!

Someone Wicked by @artsyunderstudy ([E, 53.9k, Carry On, complete]

I had the chance to beta read this fic with @cutestkilla and oh my God it was a rollercoaster of emotions and tender smut and I loved every single second of it!

Normal AU, complicated family relationships, religious guilt, chronic pain rep, escort Simon, this fic had me hooked from the second Ashton pitched it to me! It’s angsty and soft and emotional in all of the ways we’ve come to expect from her fics, and it ticks all of the boxes.

Ashton managed to tackle some really tough emotions and relationship dynamics in this one, and I don’t really want to say any more and risk spoiling any of it.

Check it out if you haven’t yet, but just remember it is explicit with plenty of on page smut/sex scenes!

More Than Friends by @fatalfangirl [E, 19.9k, Carry On, incomplete]

This fic updated today. It was a good day!

Simon and Baz are roommates, and having survived lockdown together their feelings are becoming much more than platonic. Both of them like the other, but neither is willing to compromise their friendship.

Another Normal AU, this time ‘friends with benefits’, featuring lots of unhealthy coping mechanisms, a sexually promiscuous Simon (which I for one am loving!), Baz as a writer, and some new tags that were added today (trigger warnings for mentions of past ab*se and panic attacks).

This fic is updating currently, and I cannot wait to see what Stacy has in store for the boys! (Again, it’s explicit, so minors begone!)

What Remains After the Storm by @hushed-chorus [M, 86.3k, Carry On, complete]

When I tell you this fic had (and still has) me in a fricken chokehold, that’s an understatement! I still think about this fic on a daily basis, and Demi’s writing is simply stunning.

A fantasy/historical fiction(ish) AU, with fae, curses, much pining, and plenty of cute goats.

Simon is a goatherd on the edge of a fishing town, and while he’s not entirely trusted by the townsfolk, he’s not outright despised either. He works the land, and always pays his tithe to the fae. Until he pulls something from the ocean. Or rather, someone. When Baz flees his fae captors and returns home, he and Simon have to work together to help him remember his humanity.

This fic. Oh. My. GOD! Every update had me on the edge of my seat. Do yourself a favour, and go and read this fic. Especially as Demi is considering writing more in the same AU!

Strictly Professional by @palimpsessed [E, 38.5k, Carry On, complete]

This fic completed a couple of days ago, and I didn’t have time to finish reading it until this morning, and my god was it worth the wait!

Simon is a new recruit at Baz’s firm, and he’s joined the company just in time for the professional conference. But not in time to get his own hotel room. Cue only one bed forced proximity fast burn get together!

This fic pays off so quickly in the best way possible! The emotions Pal has managed to get into such a short space of time for the boys is incredible, and had me so invested in this relationship! Baz trying to remain professional, Simon’s unabashed flirting, neither of them managing to keep their hands off each other. Again, every single box ticked!

The Selkie and his Boy by @hushed-chorus [T, 21.8k, Carry On, complete]

It’s very rare that I pick up a T or G rated SnowBaz fic. I usually go for M and above, but once again, Demi had me hook line and sinker with this one.

Every year, Baz and his family holiday in Cornwall (can I just say how much I love Demi’s writing about Cornwall? It’s so nice to see the South West represented in fic!! As a Dorset girl who holidayed a lot in Cornwall as a kid, I love this so much!). Everything goes to plan … most of the time. One year, he meets a boy with bronze hair and blue eyes that utterly captivates him, and who he expects to spend the whole summer getting to know.

But the boy never shows up the next day. Or the next. Or indeed for the next several years.

Flash forward seven years, and an embittered Baz finally meets Simon again, and finds out why Simon never came back all those years ago.

An AU where Simon is a selkie, Baz is still a vampire, and Mordelia is unabashedly sassy!

Tagging (for both SSS and fic recs): @artsyunderstudy @aroace-genderfluid-sheep @aristocratic-otter @palimpsessed @larkral @orange-peony @dragoneggos @prettylightsbigcity @stardustasincocaine @fatalfangirl @cutestkilla @ileadacharmedlife @chen-chen-chen-again-chen @ebbpettier @martsonmars @erzbethluna @hushed-chorus

[we-out-here-simping]

Living for the hope of it all (s.h. x desi!fem!reader) [part-2]

Part 1

Mixtape

Summary: Steve Harrington had almost kissed you and you realise your feelings for your recently made friend. The boy makes you feel warm but what happens when he leaves you behind cold again and again? What happens when Steve bumps into someone he's been avoiding? Leading to you finding out about a part of him he doesn't want you to see. And worst of all, what happens when you leave Hawkins?

Word count: 12k+ (this fic is ginomonosaurus)

Warnings/tags: HoH steve; talk of 'king steve' era a lot; steve Harrington being a spaced out king; angst; lovestruck pining idiots; they're both afraid of emotional intimacy just like me frfr; both reader and Steve are 19 in this one (takes place after season 3); alcohol intake; reader has a favourite colour; kissing; mention of shitty parents :(

A/n: *slaps roof of fic* this baby fits so many song references that I've lost count. this is long and i hope my Desi girlies don't mind that the writing is....... well weird cuz I might have rushed it a little I'm sorry. also really restrained a full on angsty ending with no fluff but i think we deserve better and so does stevie.

I will be taking a hiatus for a while from here because life. But I will come back! Don't you worry! Promises series will continue then but until then i might or might not make little posts or reblogs here and there but nothing too much. But just know that when i come back, which I will, the promises series will be just jam packed with angst hehehee ;)

The next day, Steve was once again climbing your window. He would've used the door like a normal person, he really would have, but that meant high chances of coming across Ravi. And we've established why that would not be a good thing.

His heart was battering loudly in his ribcage as he scaled the wall. Okay, technically he wasnt scaling the wall but one slip could be very detrimental to the state of his bones.

He hoped by some miraculous magic you would have forgotten about all that had transpired– or had almost transpired– the night before. He tried not to think of it— your breath fanning over his lashes when he had looked at you in his half sleepy state. How you had looked like an angel looking down at him.

Something had made him feel drunk enough to say those things without a drop of alcohol in his system. It was you, most definitely.

And God, had he wish to kiss you. It seemed like the simplest and easiest thing to do; it could've been, it would've been.

But he knew, he knew what it would lead to.

Because no matter how you feel, by the end of this wedding, you leave and Steve would be alone, once again.

He tried not to think about all that as his feet finally landed on the porch.

He knocked softly at the cold glass pane, the drawn curtains obstructing his view into the room. The tips of his fingers and the apex of his nose were freezing in the chilly night air. When he got no response, he knocked again and again.

The patterned curtains got rapidly pushed aside and through the screen door he was met with your face and another unfamiliar one. Your eyes were widened as you looked at him and then at the woman beside you who seemed to be older than you.

Steve awkwardly waved towards you and the other woman, his features morphing into instant regret because a random lady saw him climbing a window like a creep.

The older girl pushed past you and flung open the door. Anger and annoyance written all over her face.

"Who the fuck are you?"

"I– uh– "

"And why the fuck are you climbing into my sister's room like a creep?"

"I'm– I'm not– I'm uh….. sorry?" He stuttered awkwardly.

"You better be! Get the hell out! Or just– just you wait! I'll call everyone so you can never ever. climb. again–", she said with shaking her pointing finger vigorously in his face.

"Kajal wait– I– I know him", you finally spoke up.

"What?"

"I… know him?" You repeated hesitantly before further opening the porch door and then gesturing for him to get in, the boy however refused to budge from his place– not wanting to overstep anymore boundaries.

"How?"

"We're friends", you shrugged awkwardly.

"So, like your boyfriend or something?"

"We're not–", "Well um–", you both spoke up together.

"Because that seems to be the only reasonable reason for him to climb up a window like a creep or maybe he just is a creep–"

"I'm not a creep–"

"(y/n), you forgot to tell me?"

"We're not–", you tried repeating with wide eyes, gaze accidentally locking with Steve's– his big brown almost enchanting ones.

"What's your name anyway?"

"Uh– s- I'm sorry what?" He asked, too caught up in your pupils to pay attention to whatever the lady was asking him.

"Your name?" She repeated, frustrated.

"S– steve"

"Why not use a door to visit your girlfriend Steve?"

"Kajal, we're n–", you tried defending but were stopped when the boy beside you spoke.

"Kajal– you're the..bride?" He said, the gears in his head turning.

"Uhm, uh– yeah. Thats me" She said, lifting up her deep brown stained palms, the shiny ring a contrast against the dark intricate designs on her fingers and hands.

"So, what does your name mean?"

"Do you ask that to everyone?" She asked with squinted eyes.

"Believe me, he does", you chuckled dryly.

"You still haven't answered my question… why the window Romeo?" Kajal repeated again with squinted eyes.

"Because she ignored me"

"Ignored you? I didn't—"

"Oh, really? Why didn't you mention the event that you guys held today." Ok, so you might've forgotten to tell Steve about the mehandi function that was held. But could he really blame you? How could you remember such a small detail after what had almost happened.

"That's because you– because– " Because I kinda forgot because of a certain thing that almost happened between us. "It's a women only thing"

"That's not true", your cousin spoke up beside you with a sceptical look.

"I mean okay, yeah! It's not exclusively women's only but there are little to no guys there so I thought you'd just feel weird"

"Oh c'mon, some guys put on mehandi", Kajal scoffed, "my guy does"

"Again, stop rubbing your fiance in my face"

"Mehandi?" Steve asked, confused.

"Yeah, this", She held her palm up so the boy could see. "We also call it henna", she explained, "it's like a tattoo"

"Except not permanent or painful", you added.

"How do you put it on?" He inquired, curiosity evident in his words.

Kajal's lips turned up into a small smirk before she pulled him by his wrist and you followed them behind to your bed. "Well, this", she said picking up a crumpled up henna cone that you'd hastily thrown on your bed earlier before getting to the window, "is how you put it on", she said before handing the cone to Steve who tried to pipe some into his hand but ended up squirting a giant glob of henna onto his palm.

The boy cursed at the mess, you smiled a little before picking up the scrap piece of clothing and reaching for his hand to wipe the staining substance off. He muttered a 'thanks' into the air at your gesture while trying not to look at you too intently.

"Y'know, it's tradition to hide your partner's name somewhere in the design", Kajal explained.

"You wanna try and find it?" She questioned excitedly, holding up her palm to Steve's face. The boy hesitated a little– the sudden demeanour change from your cousin was honestly startling– before squinting his eyes, looking for the hidden name.

Your cousin couldn't help or hide her smile, her skin a little red. She'd taken every chance to flaunt the mehandi. What she and Ravi had, that was true love, you'd say.

You'd once asked her what it was like and she'd said: when you're together, you're braver, stupider, and calmer– they make you feel like you're the only two to ever exist. But it's a sneaky thing– love, it'll sneak up on you. By the time you realise, it'd be too late. A summon of love can come whenever with no warning.

When you looked at the boy beside her, you couldn't help the corner of your mouth from curling upward. Steve's gaze was fixed in Kajal's palm, eyes going over the deep maroon stained designs, looking for the name. There was a furrow in his brows, one you wished to smooth down. His tongue was slightly sticking out from between his pink lips and your mind wandered back to the night before.

After about a few minutes of squinting his eyes, Steve was able to find it. Kajal grinned at the name as if she didn't already know where the name was. She was so in love.

There was something so special about this all. It felt like two worlds colliding because Steve up until now felt like he was imaginary, like your mind had conjured him up– an imaginary friend or something to keep you company in the cold of hawkins. But now he was there and so was your older cousin-sister and it was like people from your two different lives were meeting one another.

"So, were you putting it on too?" Steve asked, a vague gesture towards your palm that had an unfinished start of mehandi that kajal had started just a minute or two before Steve knocked on your window.

"Yepp", you said looking down at the slightly smudged mehandi before wiping the paste off. "Anyone can put it on"

"Even guys?"

"Totally. If they want to", Kajal said.

"Want me to put some on?" It was more of a request than a question. "I'll make it small and unnoticeable, pleasee", you dragged out the 'please', adding furrowed brows and pleading eyes– a puppy dog expression.

"Okay, okay, fine", and how could Steve say no to you when you looked so damn cute doing it.

"You know maybe we can find a bit about your partner", Kajal spoke up, looking between you two– the ghost of a smirk on her lips.

"About my partner?" Steve asked, confused.

"It's a thing that mother's or grandmothers say– they say that the darker and deeper the shade of mehandi stain, the more loving partner you will have"

"Does it actually work?"

"It sure does for me! I think I got the most loving one"

"ok, thank you for bringing that up.. again", you rolled your eyes again.

"Might as well give it a try", Steve shrugged.

You sighed and laid on your stomach on the bed, placing Steve's hand in front of you– his palm splayed out for you to do your thing. You took a henna cone from your cousin and decided on making a small yet intricate design for the boy's palm. You took his palm in yours, his skin somehow warmer than yours despite him being out in the cold just a minute ago.

Steve was holding his breath, he knew that you could probably sense it so he tried his best to even the breathing. He failed. How could he? With your soft fingers holding his hand, sneakily stealing his warmth. He pretended that you weren't holding his hand because you were doing henna but because you were doing just that– holding his hand, just for the sake of it. The thought made his cheeks pink and hands a little trembly.

"Are you cold?"

"A– a little", he cleared his throat.

You murmured a soft 'here' before placing a fuzzy blanket on his shoulders. Steve thanked you with a shy smile and you returned it. Kajal looked between you two, she seemed to be the only one noticing the intricacies of this interaction.

You continued piping on the henna on Steve's palm. He wasn't sure what was more mesmerising– the detailed henna or you.

You with strands of hair falling from your lazily tied bun, you who was absentmindedly biting your lips as you concentrated, and you with your slightly colder hand holding his.

Steve realised that the henna could never compare to you, nothing could. You would always be more mesmerising than anything. He could just keep watching you, and stopping would never even cross his mind once.

Your gaze was on the boy's palm, never wavering. Holding the hand close to your face, forehead moulded into scrunched lines as your warm breath fanned over Steve's skin. Goosebumps arose in his skin as he realised it but you still didn't, the proximity the two of you had at that moment. It took all of him to avert his eyes from you. Eyes then looking over the mostly clean room that Kajal had helped you clean.

There was a knock at the bedroom door, both your and Steve's eyes shot up at the sound. the boy beside you stilled. Your cousin got up from her place to go towards the door.

"Kaju?" You whispered out, whipping out the nickname to convince kajal. You then gestured with your eyes towards Steve, as the boy looked between the two of you, confused. She nodded once, understanding you wordlessly– you didn't want anyone to see him.

"(Y/n)? Is Kajal in there? I have chai"

"Yes, I'm here, just wait, I'm coming", she responded to the door before turning towards you and the boy beside you, "Want tea?"

"Obviously", you whispered back.

"Was asking the white boy", the said boy nodded.

Kajal turned again and padded towards the door, making sure to barely open the door so Steve wasn't within the view range of her fiance.

"What're you guys doing in there?" Ravi asked Kajal. The man was holding a kettle and some paper cups with him.

"Uh, mehandi?" She said unsurely, "Look at mine!" She held up her pal to his face. He let out a playful huff before pouring two cups of tea.

"You're already shown me like three times… still looks amazing", he said with a small smirk.

"One more please", she said looking at the two cups in his hands.

"That's three cups", Ravi stated.

"Yeah and I love chai ok?" She said with a defensive tone.

"Yeah, trust me I know. But as your fiance", he paused,"I won't allow it. You've already had two cups"

"I'll divorce you if you separate me and my chai", she deadpanned.

"First, we're not married yet so you can't divorce me. Second, I wish you were this possessive over me. Third, You're still getting one cup."

"It's not for me, for (y/n)"

Ravi paused and finally let out a huff and caved. He poured the third cup. Kajal tried holding it but her hands were already full. "Here let me–" before she could say anything he pushed past her into the room to put the cup on the table.

You and Steve had been talking in hushed voices, all of it halted when you saw Ravi standing at the doorway.

"What in the— harrington?" Steve immediately sprung up from the bed, "What is he doing here?" He asked with a pointed finger jumping between you and Kajal.

"I invited him", you spoke up.

"Invited him?" Ravi echoed.

"Ravi.." Steve started.

"Ravi, calm down its fine– he's her boyfriend"

"No, we're not–" you and Steve both interrupted.

"I don't care what they are. I want him out of here", he said with his voice slightly higher than normal.

"You do know that he's just trying to get into your pants right?"

"Ravi-", Kajal tried to calm him down.

"Please Kajal, he's an asshole who would bully everyone just to feel better about himself." It's out of the bag now. Steve had his eyes trained on his shoes. The room was quiet and the air thick with tension.

"....what?" You finally broke the silence with all but a weak whisper. When Steve looked up at you, you were looking right back at him, he turned back to the other man in the room.

"Look, Ravi, I wanna apologise–"

"No man, I don't need your half assed apology. I need you to get out."

Steve gulped before nodding once and walked out the room.

"What the hell was that Ravi?" Kajal said.

"I'm sorry, Kajal. I just– he and his senior friends, they were— I'm sorry, I shouldn't have shouted. I'm sorry, (y/n) but you know why I moved out of here in the first place, right?"

You nodded after a moment, "I do", you whispered.

"He's an asshole (y/n), school was torture because of him and his friends "

"But what if he's changed now?" You asked.

"I'll have to see it first to believe it."

....

Steve was sitting in his car, the engine turned off. His hands were on the steering wheel, eyes unfocused, staring off into the distance.

He hated himself.

An asshole who would bully others just to feel better about himself. Yep, that was apt.

Steve thought he had changed, he thought he had proved it but he hated that the world still saw him as 'king steve'. The fake persona he had put on so people would like him, something that just wasn't ever there.

Dread filled his heart at the sight of you hearing all of that about him, however true it might've been at some point. Steve had thought maybe he could keep you out of this.

Before he knew it, his feet led him to the door of the house. He paused a beat, deciding then and there that he was going to make things right. He knocked on the door, determined to right his past wrongs.

When the door creaked open, he was met with Ravi''s face.

....

Steve knocked at your bedroom door and when you didn't audibly respond, he slowly creaked the door open. Your room seemed empty, no movement save for the flowing curtain next to the door that opened to the balcony which he had climbed onto earlier.

He ambled further towards the balcony door and that's when he caught a glance of you. You were sitting on the floor, a blanket wrapped around your frame, fingers grasping around the neck of a wine bottle while you stared at the sky.

The moonlight hit your face, gleaming. Stray hair strands flowed with the breeze before you tucked them behind your ear.

Steve quietly opened the door as if he'd ruin the pretty view in front of him if he made a single sound. The door still creaked, however you didn't look at him, only clearing your throat as an acknowledgement.

"Are you gonna drink that entire bottle all alone?"

"No, I was waiting for you, actually", you said while still not looking at him. Steve sat on the cold floor beside you, an involuntary shiver ran down his spine.

You lifted the blanket on your shoulder, an offer for the boy beside you— an indirect warm hug. Your shoulders brushed and tried your best to keep an even breathing. Steve tightly wrapped the blanket around the two of you, cocooning you both. Your gaze was still on anything but Steve.

"I apologised to Ravi", he finally broke the silence.

"I know", you went to try to open the bottle, struggling, "What did he say?"

"Says he accepts my apology but doesn't forgive me yet", Steve offered you a hand, you gladly handed him the bottle. His arm muscles flexed as he struggled a little with the cork.

You managed to steal a glance of his face before he could notice and saw his eyebrows knitted together, hair a little flatter and you wished to run your hands through the coffee coloured strands like you did the night before. You clenched your fist and quickly averted your gaze before you could do anything like that.

The bottle opened with a pop, he flashed a grin when you finally looked him in the eyes. He paused in his movements before you gave him a soft smile and took the bottle back.

You took a swig of the bottle, you hummed at the unfamiliar taste– you weren't sure if you liked it so you took another swig. You weren't a big fan of it.

You once again turned your head back to the sky. "He'll get around. All those years here and all the shit he went through, its ought to affect a person, doesn't it?", You tilted the bottle towards the boy, another offer.

"… yeah", he whispered before taking the bottle from you.

"The funny thing is when he shifted out of here, the bullying never stopped. Because to the kids there, he was too American– he could never win. And he was so, so scared. The first friend he ever made there was Kajal and they just fit. But that took him almost a year. When he first came there, he was so quiet, so scared, like he'd broken the part of his brain that allowed him to make friends."

Silence. A beat.

"I know what it does to people. These past couple years, I'm trying to right all the shit I did. Trying to be better, trying to change", Steve explained.

"That's good", you nodded curtly.

"But I know I've still got a long way to go"

"You do."

You stayed quiet for a while. The only sounds that were audible were distant cars and the chill wind rustling against the curtain by the balcony.

"What're you thinking?" Steve once again broke the quiet.

"Uh, nothing— I just— I realised that we've been friends for a week now and I don't really know anything about you. Who knows what else you're hiding from me", you joked a little trying to lighten the mood.

"It has been just a week, though"

"But I'll just be here for a few more"

"I…guess you're right", he sighed.

"So tell me something about yourself", you said.

"Um….. like what?" You let out a playful scoff, taking the halfway empty bottle from his hand and then holding a palm out for a handshake.

"Hi, I'm (y/n) (l/n)." You stated with a smile.

"Hi…I'm Steve Harrington", he returned it.

"What's your favourite colour, Steve Harrington?"

".. really?" He questioned with quizzical eyebrows.

"Just answer the question", you rolled your eyes.

"Um…. I don't think I have one."

"Decide one now"

"Oh, um– ok. I mean, blue is pretty nice, but then this red you're wearing is also good– it's also the colour of my car, but also yellow…?"

"Yellow?"

"Yeah, not fluorescent yellow, but golden yellow– like sunflowers and stuff. I have a sweatshirt that colour and I think it's my favourite one"

"It's settled then, Steve Harrington– yellow"

"What's yours?"

"Maroon, same as my sweater— my grandma made this because it's my favourite colour"

"It looks great"

"Thank you"

Talk of favourite musicians led to talk of your favourite movies (both Steve and you struggled to find a common ground in it). Talk of favourite movies led to talk of each other's past, then favourite subjects in school and then future plans.

"Ok, my turn– who's your favourite singer?"

Steve had gotten rejected from his dream college, and you were preparing to get into medical school.

You talked more and drank more and somehow all this talk led to Steve (in his drunken state) sharing confidential knowledge– that the boy had signed an NDA for.

"You know, I fought an interdimensional monster…. Multiple times actually"

"..what?" You asked with squinted eyes.

"Yeah, and there were Russians too"

".. Russians?"

"Yeah and then there was this…. flesh monster"

"Is that a euphemism?"

"No, no– it was a literal flesh monster", he explained with a chuckle, "And honestly I don't remember much– but yeah, it was pretty strange"

"Please I've seen stranger things"

"I doubt it"

"I have."

"I literally told you about a flesh monster. What else is stranger than that?"

"You expect me to believe that? Like, really? A flesh monster? You can't handle your alcohol", you chuckled. if only you knew how true it was. "Did you know that this is my first time drinking? And look at me, I'm handling it sooooo well!"

"Wow, you handle your alcohol pretty good", he snorted.

"Hopefully you're not too hungoverrr tomorrow for the Sangeet "

"Sangeet?" He echoed with a tilt of his head.

"Yeah, everyone sings songss and daances– it's great and funnnn", you said a little bit too loud, dragging out words while swaying a little.

"Am I invited?"

"I'd be offended if you didn't come, actually"

"Wouldn't want to do that", he stated while laughing a little. His eyes glanced over to his wrist watch, "Oh Jesus, the time– you need to go to bed"

"Oh c'mon it was starting to get interestinggg", you complained.

"It got plenty interesting", he chided like a parent.

"Well, I'm not moving", you whined with a pout, arms crossed dramatically over your chest.

"Oh, come on (y/n)", he said with his hands to his hips. when you showed no signs of moving, "well then I'll just have to do this". he sighed before bending down and picking you up bridal style, you giggled while wrapping your arms around his neck, a wide grin plastered on your features as he carried you to the bed.

"You're so dramatic, you know that?" Steve said with a lazy smile.

You giggled again, tightening your arms around his, slightly nuzzling your face in the junction of his neck and shoulder. "No, you're dramatic! I'm justtt… well seasoned", you mumbled into his sweater that smelled like faded cologne, mint gum and a hint of vanilla.

"You sure are", he chuckled and then carefully placed you among the pillows and fuzzy blankets. He was about to stand straight up but your hands were still tightly wrapped around his neck, restricting him to move away.

"(Y/n)..." He all but whispered into the still air of the room.

"Steve?" After a pause, you mumbled in your half asleep state, fist grasping the fabric of his sweater— refusing to let go. And as you looked into his coffee brown eyes, a silent question hung in the air– a wordless request– a plea to stay. You wanted to say it out loud, maybe you had. It was hard to remember when your mind was so hazy.

You had said it. You probably didn't even know. You definitely didn't know how to handle your alcohol.

God, did Steve want to stay. He wanted to stay and keep watching you– not in a creepy way of course. Steve could just keep watching you, he could keep laughing at your jokes, keep telling you stories and jokes– just to hear your laugh, he could make himself go insane just staring at you. All he wanted was to be near you and never leave.

All in all, he wanted to stay. But he couldn't. He knew what it meant. And stupidly so, Steve had made a self-imposed rule to be friends with you and nothing more, that is why he'd pulled away the previous night and that is why he was pulling away now.

Steve had always been a hopeless romantic, but with you, falling in love seemed like the easiest– the most natural. And he already had.

She'll leave soon.

Steve let out a breath and then unwounded your arms from around his neck, placing them on either of your side.

Now, just turn and leave….. to your empty house.

You looked up at him, big pleading yet sleepy eyes and eyebrows scrunched together in anticipation of what the boy would do.

No. Don't.

Steve bent down again, placing a chaste kiss on the top of your head. You let out a soft sigh, eyes closing at the warm breath on your temple.

"Good night (y/n)", he murmured into your hair. When he stood straight up, he was met with the slow rise and fall of your chest, indicating that you were asleep.

He smiled a little, then pulled the blanket over your frame and finally he left for his empty house.

....

Steve was wearing a baby pink kurta that actually fit him, courtesy of Ravi. You couldn't help but look at him. His sleeves were rolled up, forehead a little sweaty despite the cold climate as he carried trays of rooh-afza to the guests. Steve had offered to help around to prove himself to Ravi and the older boy had let him do so while providing him with clothes that actually fit him.

That was Ravi's olive branch to Steve.

The brown eyed boy walked over to the group you were sitting with. He held the tray between the two of you, offering you a glass. A small and shy smile grew on your face before you reached for a glass, mumbling a little 'thank you'. Steve nodded with a boyish grin and your eyes followed him as he moved to give the beverage to others there.

"Enough with the longing glances", Kajal spoke up beside you, making you jump a little as your cousin broke you out of your Steve induced trance.

"There are no longing glances"

"Sure, and I'm not getting married", she commented sarcastically, "the way you look at each other, it's the textbook definition of longing glances"

You rolled your eyes, "he doesn't look at me like that. Plus, I'm pretty sure he has a girlfriend"

"And who's that?"

"The girl he came with, he works with her", you explained curtly, "And why would he ever want to be with someone like me?"

"So are you implying that you have feelings?"

"I don't know"

"I mean, you drank with the man– that has to mean something", you glared at her, "What? i noticed you stealing sneaking away with that bottle and who else would you have drunk an entire bottle of wine with?" Kajal giggled, "Plus you also said he kissed you in your dream-- that very much means feelings"

"On my forehead", you mumbled so no one could eavesdrop.

"How scandalous", she deadpanned.

"but in the dream he also told me that he fought monsters– do you think that means something?" You asked with raised eyebrows.

"Look, all I'm saying is", she sighed, "give it a shot. You'll be leaving in a few weeks anyway. Worst case scenario, he doesn't feel the same."

"I can think of worse scenarios."

"Of Course you can– tell me when you figure it out. I'll go and show up my fiance on the fucking dance floor"

You smirked as she said so. And she did so. Kajal had always been extremely energetic. Like a small ball of electricity.

Soon she started to pull in other family members into the group, including you.

Steve watched you in the crowd with the empty tray and a glass of the beverage for himself. You looked so fucking pretty.

You had a pastel pink dress with golden yellow details on– and you looked like a princess.

Your hair was put into an intricate braid with flowers in it. Your mehandi was a deep maroon, the shade matching the small unfinished henna design on his own palm. Your eyes were twinkling like the stars, and your face, the moon–and the only word that came to mind was beautiful.

Your brows were up in delight. A wide grin was spread across your face and crinkles around your eyes. A glint of mischief in your sparkling eyes.

You beckoned him to join the crowd. But before he could do so, raindrops started falling out of nowhere. He was sure he hadn't noticed any clouds the entire day, or maybe you had distracted him. You were a good distraction afterall.

Steve asked himself why. Why did you have that effect on him? You barely knew each other, you'd met like a couple weeks ago. But he was happier than he had ever been. Even though he spent his nights in his empty house, evenings were a little lighter after talking to you.

What was it about you and this situation between you two– of teetering on the line of friends or something else. All of it had to mean something, right? Or was he just making this all up in his head?

Steve almost wanted to ask you, whisper the question into your ears, whether your sunsets were colourful as his were recently.

He wondered how you would respond. He seems to dream more during the day than at night. maybe you'd feel the same– he hoped. And you might have no clue or maybe you were completely aware, playing with his poor innocent heart.

Steve was staring at you again and you wondered if he even heard the speakers and music turning off or if he even noticed that all the other people had scrambled to seek shelter. You quickly grabbed his wrist and pulled him into shade.

"Are you okay?" You asked through a heaving chest. His eyes were trained on your face that had droplets of water rolling down your lashes, cheeks and then lips.

She'll leave soon.

He let out a "yeah" with a breath. You turned to wring your hair and dress a little. Steve's fingers carded through his dripping hair.

No. Don't.

The summon of love can come whenever, with no warning. And right at this moment, a call for Steve Harrington's name was echoing through the cold Hawkins air. Reverbing through the rainfall.

He called out your name, his hand held out– the henna design you'd made on his palm a deep brown– golden flakes swimming in his brown expecting eyes. You flashed him a quizzical look at his gesture. He silently posed like he was ball dancing with an invisible person, he swayed a couple times– eyes still asking a silent question.

You mouthed "no music", a weak excuse.

"Who needs music", Steve spoke with a wide smirk over thunder and the constant pitter-patter of raindrops. He held his hand out again.

You didn't care if anyone was looking.

you didn't realise how cold you'd been before you placed your hand into his larger and warmer one. Steve immediately pulled you into his broad chest, your breath hitched, faces just mere inches away.

Stop it, Steve. Stop.

Steve was just the right person to offer you some heat. Your face became too hot at the proximity. You felt a warmth spread across the small of your back– your lehenga giving him access directly to your skin there. Steve's palm splayed across your colder skin. Surely, you had melted as any and all stiffness disappeared from your muscles.

Stop. Before you fuck this up.

Your arms moved to wrap around the back of his neck.

Pull away, Harrington—

And before you knew it, you were moving. Steve was leading you, making you follow a beat that didn't exist. And you were just getting used to the movements when–

"I'm gonna spin you", he muttered, lips turned into a slight smirk.

"What?--"

As promised, the boy spun you, the movement dizzying. Then you were once again pulled into his chest, his hands once again on your waist, yours around his neck.

"You okay?" he asked. You nodded, quickly letting out the breath you'd been holding.

And you danced, you weren't sure how long, but you danced and through it all Steve Harrington made you feel like you were the only one that mattered. He spun you, he went as far as to dip you, pulling you back up as a fit of giggles erupted from your throat.

It all felt a little unreal. The golden rays of the sunset filtered through the rain clouds. The raindrops felt like specs of the golden sun falling down on you. And maybe if you looked up, you'd see a rainbow, but you couldn't. Not when there was Steve Harrington in front of you.

It was in that moment did you realise that Steve Harrington was someone important, someone who'll matter so much more, someone who'd be a recurring character in your life. Someone who'd steal a part of you and you'd simply let him.

At that moment you realised that Steve Harrington felt like home.

You had found home on the other side of the planet from your real one, in a boy you'd known for very little time.

Soon your movements slowed down, reduced to the two of you just swaying. Once again, a question hung in the air. an invisible line washed off by the rain. And as the two of you looked at each other, only one thing remained: anticipation for what's to come next.

Your eyes locked into Steve's, waiting with bated breath. It was like you were magnets– an invisible force pulling you two. You were sure you weren't imagining it yet you didn't shut your eyes, afraid that it'll all disappear into thin air when you do so. Deciding to only close them when it actually happens, but it never did.

"..Steve?" A raspy voice popped your bubble.

The boy in question quickly sprung away from you, carding his fingers through his wet locks. The person who'd interrupted the two of you was Steve's co-worker. Beside her was a younger boy with curly hair (who had a huge grin on his face) and behind them were a few other young teens (who had a smirk on their faces). You shifted uncomfortably on your feet, stepping a little further away from steve.

"Robin?" He quickly turned to the girl, "what happened?"

"I was gonna say that– that we should leave and drop the kids off but if you wanna stay–"

"No, no", he interrupted her, shaking his head, "it's okay", he mumbled before he started to move out of the bubble you two had been in.

"Bye", you whispered just to him but you didn't get a response or acknowledgement whether the boy had ever heard you.

The cold air started to finally seep in and no longer was there a certain brown haired boy to heat you up.

....

Steve didn't show up that night, neither the next night, or the one after it.

And as much as you'd come to know Steve Harrington in the past days is that he's clingy– enough to climb up your window if you didn't talk for one day.

So that made you believe that you had in fact done something wrong. Maybe, you'd made him uncomfortable and he hadn't leaned in, maybe your stupid mind had imagined that too, like how it prefers to imagine that the boy stared at your lips because he wants to and not because he has a hearing disability.

So, yeah, you hadn't seen Steve for three days. And you were worried. So you asked Kajal to drive you over to Family Video.

When you walked in, you weren't greeted with Steve's face instead with the same girl who'd interrupted you and the boy.

'Hi… Steve gave me these. Is he–?'

"No shift today"

"Oh, okay"

"I can help with movies too, you know– I'm actually better at them", she said while leaning on the counter, "I'm Robin by the way", she said while pointing at her name tag on her vest.

"(Y/n)"

"I know", she said as her mouth curved into a smirk– considering that Steve never shuts up about you.

"I– I'm actually here for some– American movies", you said like it was more of a question than a statement, "since I am in America"

"Well, then– then I've got some classics for you. If you'll allow me"

"Sure"

The blonde girl led you through the aisles and the different genres and different movies that she recommended while you nodded along– trying to keep up with her fast rambling. You came to know that Robin knew a lot about movies.

After some consultation and considering that lasted ten to fifteen minutes, you decided on one movie. Which Robin was now ringing up.

"Look– I know you're not actually here for the tapes– you're here for Steve", she broke the silence before clearing her throat and asking, "D'you… both have something going on?"

"Um– no, we're– you don't have to worry"

"Why would I worry?" She wondered aloud with a tilt of her head.

"Because…you seem– you're…. Together?"

"Ew. No. We're not. Under any circumstances. He's my best friend, yes. But that's like it. It entirely, completely, utterly, absolutely, fully, wholly, in every which way, in all respects platonic. With a capital P"

"Okay"

"That day….", Robin's voice trailed off, " I– I interrupted, didn't i?"

"Um, no no!" You said with a shake of your head, "He was going to pull away anyway and I shouldn't have done that. Maybe he's angry with me– i don't know"

"He's not– trust me. He just needs some sense knocked into him. Steve– he has this thing– he sometimes….. disappears?"

"Disappears?"

"Sometimes, he just doesn't talk to anyone– doesn't pick up phone calls, doesn't respond, scares the shit out of me– to be honest it's a problem and I've tried talking to him but he's just so shut off those days and then he'll show up next day absolutely normal– like he didn't just scare the living hell out of me the previous day"

".. why?"

"I..", she trailed off, " i don't know– i never got past him." You shoulders sagged, fingers fidgeting with the fraying yarn of your sweater.

"(Y/n)", she called your name out before nudging the tape you had chosen towards you."You have to return the movie by tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?", You echoed with knitted eyebrows, "I thought it was next week"

"No, you watch the movie today and return it tomorrow. Please." She spoke with determinance.

"Robin", you said with another shake of your head.

"I know you want to"

"Would he want me to?"

"Why don't you come by and find out."

....

The next day you walked through the chilly autumn breeze to go to the video store.

And there he was, in all his messy brown-haired glory. The boy didn't turn at the sound of the door bell, too concentrated in arranging the tapes in an alphabetical order– surely singing the abc's under his breath to remember what comes after j.

Robin's face, who was standing next to him, lit up at seeing you. She tapped Steve's shoulder, pointing with her eyes towards you.

When your gaze met, it was like your first meeting all over again. All fast heart palpitations, hitched breaths and warm cheeks.

The way Steve's face dropped a little didn't go unnoticed by you but you were determined to….. you weren't sure what. But you were determined. Maybe to interrogate him as to why he almost kissed you when he first climbed up the window, maybe to ask him why he almost kissed you at the Sangeet, maybe you just wanted to talk to him because in all honesty, you missed him and you also needed answers as to why the boy had been ignoring you for seemingly no reason.

Robin clapped her hand against Steve's shoulder and walked over to the counter to maybe give the two of you some privacy. However much to her surprise and Steve's, you didn't walk up to the brown eyed boy, instead padded to the counter, "here to return this", you muttered.

"Um– ok!"

Steve walked up to the counter, beside you. He awkwardly cleared his throat as to let you know of his presence, as if you weren't already aware. When your eyes stayed averted, fixed on the cover of the movie tape you had rented, he finally spoke up "(Y/n)..."

"Hey, Steve", you responded curtly.

"Hey..", he cleared his throat, communicating with Robin almost telepathically. She turned and made her way to the comedy aisle after handing your tapes to Steve. He started to ring up the movie tapes, not uttering a single word. The air was thick, and the store was silent.

"Steve," you reckoned it was easier to just rip the bandaid off, "why didn't you pick up my calls?" You finally broke the silence.

"I–"

I almost did it again. Even though I'm not supposed to.

Because you scare me. You and your pretty face, you and your eyes, the way you smell, the way you do everything.

You scare me. But everytime I look into your eyes, I'm suddenly not scared. I'm suddenly brave and stupid. Stupid enough to do shit that I'll probably end up regretting.

"I'm…. Stupid"

You broke into a smile that you didn't want to let on to the boy infront of you, "you really are." You had probably let the boy off the hook too easily, but you missed him.

"I'm really sorry"

"It's fine steve. I promise", you said with a small smile.

The boy grinned before moving behind the counter, "Y'know I tried to watch one of those bollywood movies– I didn't understand anything", he said changing the subject.

"Well naturally. They aren't dubbed or subtitled."

"Yeah, I realised so", he said before his smiled dropped, "I'm really sorry, (y/n)", he started with an earnest look in his golden eyes, "I just–"

"Just what?"

Got scared.

"I just–" he hesitated again, "I wanna make it up to you"

You paused, thinking for a moment. You then took the tapes from the counter, "Are you free after work today?"

Steve nodded.

"D'you like kids steve?"

"Um.. y-yeah, love 'em"

You hummed, "come by at the house. Don't use the windows, please"

....

The sun had just set, and Steve had turned the open sign to a close sign before leaving for your home. everything had a golden hue to it, as he drove through Hawkins street. The air was quiet when he stopped at the gift shop near melvalds, picking up a bouquet as perhaps an apology– how does one apologize for almost kissing someone and ghosting the same person for days on end?

You had been very cryptic with your invitation. As he drove through the chill autumn air, he wondered why you had asked him if he "liked kids"? He reckoned he'd come to find out soon. That's one thing he'd noticed in the little time he'd come to know you– you weren't much of a talker. Like yeah, you talked but you didn't talk. You're pretty selective with words and how many you say. Perhaps it was because of the language barrier or perhaps that's just how you were.

He rang the bell, he chuckled internally when he realised that he hadn't used the bell at your house up until now because he wa too busy climbing up windows.

A few seconds later, the door swung open. And there you were, hair in a loose braid, a baggy tshirt hung on your frame and a baby bouncing on your hip.

"Hi", you smiled widely.

"Hi", he smiled back while holding up the flowers. The baby in your arms babbled at the sight of the colourful flowers. "Hello to you too", he cooed at the baby girl with a lopsided grin. The baby was practically jumping in your arms to reach out for the steel rimmed glasses that rested on Steve's nose. And that when you noticed that he was wearing glasses– you didn't even know he wore glasses as you'd never seen him with them before. That would explain why he sometimes squints when looking at things up close. It also didn't go unnoticed by you that he looked incredible with the added glasses. Lo and behold, your cheeks were warming up again.

"You're wearing glasses", you stated the obvious.

"Yeah, doctor prescribed but they feel weird to wear– I kinda look like a nerd."

You were about to tell the boy that there's nothing wrong with wearing glasses and that he should but before you could do so– A shriek rang out behind you in the house. "I'm sorry", you apologised, "I'm babysitting all the kids, all adults are out"

You shouted back into the house at what he assumed were the kids— your cousins. He wasn't sure what you shouted exactly but it sounded similar to himself when around the party.

You turned back to him, smiled and told him to get inside. The boy thanked you as he took his shoes off by the door and followed behind you through the house.

"It suits you actually", you declared. The boy scrunched his brows. "Your glasses– I mean"

Steve pushed them further up his nose before murmuring a shy "thanks".

You then led Steve to the living room, which had the TV. You then tried to watch a movie but one of your cousins interuppted you two and stole the remote saying that he wanted to watch his cartoons. You rolled your eyes and sighed before leading Steve into another room.

With nothing else to entertain you, you settled on playing some carrom and then some Ludo. The brown haired boy beside you told you that he had never played the games before, so you gave him a little crash course all the while the toddler in your lap tried to put the pieces in her mouth. Every now and then, a random and different cousin would come and make the astute observation that there was a boy with you while wiggling their brows and leaving for whatever they were doing before.

You won a game of Ludo while Steve actually managed to beat you at a game of carrom.

Steve was holding your sister now while you walked towards the kitchen, opening and closing cabinets to hopefully find a hidden snack.

"Chai?" You offered when you found nothing of your interest.

"Sure", he whispered so as to not disturb the toddler who was resting her chin on his shoulder– her eyes droopy as she was nearly pulled to sleep. You and me both, sister, you thought.

The baby in Steve's arms let out a soft barely audible yet adorable snore, a smile broke out both your faces at the sound.

"I think you should put her to bed", you whispered.

"Yes ma'am", he saluted you jokingly before turning to put the baby in her bed. You smiled to yourself at the domesticity of it all.

By the time Steve came back, you had already set up a pot and milk. You then proceeded to add the ingredients that your mother had taught you– tea leaves, ginger, black pepper, and sugar.

The boy beside you hummed while leaning against the counter, "smells amazing"

"Thank you", you said while taking the pot off the heat, "Get the cups?"

Steve looked through a couple cupboards before finding the cups, he then took two cups out and placed them on the counter in front of you. You poured the aromatic and piping hot tea through a sieve into the cups.

You both blew on the steaming tea and finally took a sip and Steve did the same. You drew your eyebrows up as a silent question of how it was.

Steve's brows flew up, eyes widened, he blinked while nodding, "oh, wow. That's good." You smiled shyly, tucking a stray hair strand behind your ears.

He took more sips and while he did so, you took your own, appreciating how he looked. He looked so pretty. You wanted to say it– out loud, to him. you actually wanted to say a lot more to him actually. How many times your heart might've said it, and how many times did you listen? If you tried, you could even find happiness in his no, you knew that much. But if he said yes, that would be something else.

You placed your cup back on the counter, still looking at him, entranced by the freckles and moles on his skin, how his hair cascaded down to his forehead. His eyes met yours– his chestnut pupils glistening with the same golden flecks, his mahogany strands still on his forehead and you wished to run your fingers through the hair. His eyebrows pulled slightly together.

There was a magnetic pull between you two– there always had been. And you just hoped that he somewhat felt the same. Your eyes closed and your nose touched his, his warm breath on your skin, warming it up. Something you realised, Steve hadn't pulled away…. Yet.

"Are you sure?" Steve asked in the faintest whisper. You looked up at him, wishing to somehow communicate all that you wished to tell him, all you felt for him. But you didn't, instead you just nodded and crashed your lips together.

You weren't sure where this courage was coming from. Recently, you'd realised, you were more restless, more impulsive, braver.

Your chest warmed up when Steve brought his one hand to your waist to hold you steady and his other to hold your cheek. His calloused fingers rubbing the soft skin. You could taste chai he had just had on his tongue. He hummed into the kiss and when you pulled away, there was a small smile on your face.

Your chests were heaving, "Are you ok–" Steve was interrupted by your lips meeting once again. He let out a sigh into the kiss and kissed you back as his hands went up to delicately hold either side of your face as yours did the same. You pulled away again.

"I am", you whispered, "Are you?"

He nodded slightly before leaning down to peck your lips again. But before he could pull away, you wrapped your arms around his neck and deepened the kiss.

It was as if you were floating. Warmth spread throughout your skin as butterflies erupted in your chest. This was the warmest you'd even been, your skin buzzed as your lips moved in tandem.

Suddenly, a shriek rang in the house. You and Steve immediately pulled away, breathing heavily. The shriek morphed into a continuous cry of a baby– it was your sister, she had woken up.

You cursed under breath and then made way to the room steve had put your sister in. Steve arrived a few moments later, both your tea cups in hand, and a pink hue brushed over his cheeks. You let your sister cling to your shoulder. You swayed your body to lull her back to sleep, all the while looking at Steve.

You hummed a tune to your sister, who soon quieted down. And Steve wished he could kiss you again. Were you the dream he saw? The one he's been looking for? 'cause you felt unreal. A mystery he wanted to discover but keep it all to himself.

You put your sister in her crib and then pulled Steve to your room.

There was change in the air between the two of you but it wasn't a bad one.

You wanted to ask him whether what you did was okay. But he already had his lips on yours and that was enough of an answer.

That night, you kissed, looked at each other, held each others hand and traced the deep hued mehandi in his palm. And when it got late, you still held his hand– not wanting to let go. So he stayed. He stayed and you put oil in his hair again. Then he kissed you again.

That night as you watched the rise and fall of his chest as he lay in your bed, you wondered whether you'd even see him the next day. Whether Ravi was right of him just wanting to get into your pants. For him to just get a notch under his belt. Sure you hadn't slept together. But you had kissed and that was big for you. As you drifted off to sleep, you hoped for one thing that you found him there the next day.

You did.

The next day Steve took you out to a diner. And the day after, he gave you a tour of the town.

The day after that, he decided to host a pool party as it was a relatively warmer day. He had also invited Robin and the 'kids'-- as Robin had called them earlier.

Steve introduced you to them, told you their names and a little about them. Dustin, the curly haired boy with a wide grin who always had a cap on his head. Mike, a tall boy with raven hair. Max, the girl with fiery red hair who mostly kept to herself. And Lucas, a dark skinned boy who kept stealing glances towards Max every now and then. The group also mentioned other people who weren't there– Will and El.

The way Steve interacted with the kids, was reminiscent of how you were with your cousins. It warmed your heart when he pulled out snacks for you, Robin and the kids.

No one really jumped in the pool– the water being too cold. At one point it got warm enough that Steve and a couple of the boys took their shirts off. You then spended most of your time, just staring at Steve. And you did everything in your power to restrain yourself to trace your fingers over the moles and freckles on his back to write your name on it.

He then laid in the sun beside you, talked to you, told you stories and little snippets about the kids. Your heart would swell whenever he would laugh at his own jokes and you wished that you could play that sound on repeat.

The party ended when Steve playfully pushed you into the pool and jumped in after you. And you were laughing, no inkling of anger or annoyance because despite the cold water and air, you were warm– cocooned by Steve's arms. It all felt like home. A warm cosy home and Steve was starting to let you in. Maybe you could start to do the same.

....

You hadn't seen Steve in almost a week now. You didn't know why, you had thought everything was going great between you two. The previous night, he had taken you to lovers lake and you two had stargazed and had a picnic. He had dropped you back home. He had kissed you before leaving.

It all had seemed fine. So why had you not seen him for a week?

Kajal and your cousins kept inviting you to got out and have some fun with them but you kept cancelling those plans and kept waiting by the telephone, waiting for his call. But it never came. whenever you tried to call him, you were met with nothing but the same voicemail.

This particular night you were doing just the same, waiting.

You were jolted awake from your half asleep state. There was a knock at your window, your heart skipped a beat at the sound– knowing full well who would visit you at such an hour through the window.

You very quickly sprang out of the bed and made way to the door. When you opened the door you were met with the same amber eyes, dishevelled brown hair and boyish grin.

Before you could say anything, his lips were on yours as he let both of you in, closing the door behind him without ever disconnecting your lips. His hand gripped your waist while the other held the back of your head.

"Steve–", you mumbled against his lips, palm on his chest so as to break away from the kiss, "steve– stop"

"Baby? W–" he pulled back, a frown in his lips, eyebrows scrunched together.

"Where were you last week?" You interrogated.

"I– I–", he stuttered, "I was busy"

"Busy? With what?"

"My parents needed my help–"

"I thought you told me that they weren't going to be here for three more weeks"

"I– well, I–"

"If you were so busy then how did you manage time with Robin?"

"'cause I work with her!"

"Yet you were always not there when I came or called you"

"That's not true!"

"It's been a week, Steve! You've been ignoring me for a week! For no reason. You don't even show me your face for a week and then a week later you immediately start just kissing me?!"

"So, what, you expect me to always follow you around like a puppy?" He said a little too loudly.

"..is that what you feel about us?"

"What do you feel about us, then?" It wasn't like Steve never noticed it. You weren't much of a speaker, especially personal things.

"....i– i– we're–"

"'cause you wouldn't fucking tell me!"

"What are we? Huh? Friends who kiss? Boyfriend-girlfriend? What are we? Or do you expect me to always walk behind you like a clueless puppy who doesn't know anything till you leave?" He looked down at you, eyes a little glassy. "You'll leave and go back to your own life and I'll be here with nothing! God forbid, I actually have my own life"

"Because that's how you want it, right? You want me to follow you but the second you have to follow me suddenly I'm the bad guy!"

You couldn't stop the tears thg had sprung up in your eyes. You wanted to apologise to him and hold him for the rest of the night, instead-- "you should leave now, Steve", you tried your best to hide the quiver in your voice, but you failed.

"(Y/n)--" he started while moving towards you but you stepped back.

"Go…. Please", you refused to show him your glassy eyes. and just like that you closed the door on his face.

You held the door knob, staring at the wood grain– realising what you'd just done.

You flung the door open and it was empty.

What was this selfishness of both of you? Why was it so hard to pick a side?

Steve, the boy who was the physical manifestation of a warm day in winter, a warm patch of sunlight in a cold room. Yes, he provided you with warmth, more than anyone ever had. But then he would leave you cold, for days on end, with no warning or explanation.

You, the girl who bought colour, the girl with the shiniest eyes and the most pretty grin. Yes, you were the one who pushed to kiss him first, but that was the only time you did so. The girl who wouldn't shut up about a movie or food she likes but would never speak her mind.

Both of you could neither choose warmth nor the cold. Neither the sweet or the salt. Why was it so hard to pick a side?

....

It was soon going to be almost a week since steve had seen you. Sure, he had seen you but there had been no conversation.

You weren't necessarily angry at him, more like indifferent. You were ignoring him. And the span of wait for you to come around seemed to be longer than any callousness or rage he could suffer from you. Indifference was always worse than rage.

It was killing him– your indignation. During that one week away from you, he realised that it wasn't his love that'll kill him, nor his stupidity. Your resentment could kill him more than any death or monster ever could.

Ravi and Rohan had invited Steve for a chai. Kajal was also there. It felt a little weird without you there-- the link that connected them to him.

Steve and Ravi were… what he would consider, friends now. He reckoned the older boy had finally forgiven him.

"I don't see you and (y/n) hanging out", Rohan pointed out.

"Yeah.. uh", Steve scratched the back of his neck, "I guess we had a– an argument "

"An argument? With (y/n)?" Kajal wondered aloud.

"Are you sure we are talking about the same person?", Ravi chuckled.

"What?"

"She's a quiet person– you might've noticed. Not that much of a talker", your brother said.

"But recently she's… quieter– more than normal, at least." Kajal continued.

You were hiding your own thoughts from yourself, these days. You wondered. All this thinking, opening your heart like this; is it truly necessary to convey something by saying it out loud? If it's real and if it's meant to be then wouldn't they just know?

"Yeah, I've never seen her argue with anyone", Ravi added.

"Well we did", Steve shrugged with a shake of his head.

"You might've really fucked up then."

"I did",he said with his head hung low.

"What happened?"

"Y'know, I just said something stupid. Like I always do"

"Can I tell you something steve?" Ravi said. "(Y/n) asked me what if you had changed and I said that I'd have to see if to believe it." He stated with a reassuring hand on the younger boys shoulder. "I have seen it and I do believe it."

The corners of Steve's mouth curled up into a smile, "Thanks man. It just feels like she doesn't feel the same. She doesn't say much as you said" everyone nodded at that.

"You do know that you're her first, right?" Kajal spoke up.

"What?"

"She hasn't ever had something like this, y'know? Sure crushes, here and there but those go away in like a month. This is big for her"

"yeah, and we don't have the best parents who've ever taught us to communicate feelings", Rohan articulated.

"What do I do?" He turned to the three people with pleading eyes, "How do I fix this?"

....

Kajal was standing near the foot of your bed. She called out your name to which let out a groan to acknowledge her.

"Why aren't you ready yet?"

"I'm not coming, I told you."

"So you're just going to wallow in self pity on my bachelor's party just because of Steve?"

"I don't feel well, Kajal."

She rolled her eyes, and sighed before pulling the blanket from above your body. You whined in response and curled up into yourself. The older girl immediately pulled you up, "(Y/n) please come.. for me– I'm begging you. It's my last night as a bachelor and then I'll be under the shackles of marriage", she said theatrically.

You stared at her for a bit and then finally caved with a groan, "Okay, fine. But only because of you"

She let out a squeal before hugging you so tight that you didn't need a chiropractor to crack your spine anymore.

"Get ready?"

You nodded.

....

Your sister was dancing with her soon-to-be husband. You were nursing a glass of alcohol, of which you hadn't taken more than two sips because it reminded you of a certain boy with golden eyes. You didn't want to do it, wallow in your self pity as Kajal had put it, you'd didn't want to do it– especially today. Because it was your sister's special day, and she deserved it.

You were just thinking of finally joining your cousin when you heard your name called out. And you didn't need to turn your head to recognise who it was. Your name always sounded better when it came from his lips.

You turned around and there he was. Wearing a black kurta, sleeves rolled up, hair perfectly set, cheeks a little rosy. "Hi", he said softly.

"Hey", you couldn't help but smile a little.

"You look really pretty", he complimented before pausing for a second before continuing, "And I'm sorry for all the shit I said"

"It's okay"

"I really am. I'm stupid and say shit sometimes that I don't mean and I'm just so so sorry–"

"You're wasting your time, steve"

"...What?"

"You're wasting your time. On me. I thought about it and you were right. I won't be here forever."

"(Y/n)--"

"You're wasting your time, Steve. It won't work out"

"That's not true–"

"It is, Steve. I don't want to keep fighting– I… "I don't want to argue in my last week here, please", you said, fingers fiddling with the fabric of your lehenga. "I don't want to argue. I see enough of that with my parents", you averted your eyes from him– mumbling the last part.

Steve's eyes were fixed on you and if you looked up at him, you'd be met with the biggest puppy dog eyes. But you didn't look up, suddenly the hem of your dupatta was very interesting.

"So I…. Guess that's it for us." You said it more to maybe convince yourself. There was a finality to your words, one that Steve thought he wasn't allowed to deny– despite how much he wanted to.

"Okay", he whispered, "Can we…", he trailed off, trying to arrange his thoughts, "can we..still be friends?"

You smiled at that, the boy would never forget to make you warm. You finally looked at him, his big brown eyes with gold flecks swimming in them. And despite the circumstances and the topic of the conversation, warmth spread through your chest. Whenever you see him, it feels like home– he feels like home. Even though you were across the world from your real one. But despite all that, why did you feel scared?

"We can", you finally said.

....

This was it. This was the day.

Your cousin was finally getting married. And she looked so pretty with her beautiful lehenga, extravagant jewellery, perfect hair and a glittering wide grin that was plastered on her face.

You were supposed to do a little performance with a few of your other cousins– everyone had to do something. So, you had picked a dance, where they stood you in the corner because dancing really wasn't your forte.

But the only person Steve looked at was you. If he thought that your dress on the Sangeet was like that of a princess, this was even more grand and shiny. The dress was perfect, the hair was perfect, you were perfect.

But you two were just friends now. That's the most that you wanted.

As he watched you come off the stage, he felt a pang in his chest because the wedding was close to being done. Which meant you were close to leaving. And although you two were now just friends, it hurt.

He threw a thumbs up your way when you spared him a glance. His heart nearly melted when you mouthed a 'thank you' with a smile.

The rest of the ceremony started, Steve sat beside you but didn't say a thing through it.

When everything was said and done, and your sister was now a married woman, you hugged her. And she wept. You'd never seen her cry before, in all the years you'd known her, but the tears on the edge of falling down her cheeks were there. Before you knew it, your own eyes were stinging with unshed tears.

"Why are you crying?" Kajal asked.

"Why are you crying?" You echoed.

"I'm just very happy!" She wailed before hugging you again.

You stayed that way for a bit before the bride was pulled away from you by other relatives.

Steve watched the entire exchange. He then watched as you retreating out the hallway door. When he followed you, he was met with a sight of you standing on a porch by the lovers lake-- they had rented the place around the lake for the event.

The wooden floor creaked a little as his feet moved towards you.

"Hey, you okay?"

"I am. Just– I've known her all my life, I've grown up with her and now… I'm going to miss her, you know?" you sniffled.

"You're gonna be fine", he said, putting his hand over yours on the railing, squeezing it to give you comfort. "And you can always visit her?" Visit me, he wanted to add.

You nodded. A silence settled over both of you.

"(Y/n)?" You hummed before looking at him, "I know what you said about us but just hear me out– heart me out. I wanna make things right"

"I like you. Like really, really like you. I like you so much it scares me. And it's crazy 'cause you're so fucking adorable and pretty and beautiful and perfect and I–"

I love you.

He once again squeezed your hand but this time to get some comfort himself, "I want us to work out"

"...Me too."

"You do?"

You nodded, "I do."

"Then let's fucking do it", he said, taking both your hands in his.

"... I– I'm scared", how you said it, it broke Steve's heart.

"So am I", he stepped a little closer to you, hands still holding yours, "But you know what scares me more?"

"Letting you leave without giving it all a try."

"But how Steve?", You said with glassy eyes, "How? My parents live in the same house and they don't even communicate. How will we do that when we're going to be across the world?"

"We are not your parents, (y/n). We're not mine either", he stepped even closer, raising his right hand to brush out the hair out of your eyes and the to hold your cheek, "We are us and we're nothing like them."

"Tell me that you want this too and I'll prove it to you that we're going to work out"

"I do."

That's all it took for Steve to connect his lips to yours. You gasped in the kiss, as the boy's hand move to its place on your waist and the other on your cheek. Your skin buzzed and your heart swelled. Your hand moved up his chest and grasped the fabric of his kurta in your fist while the other hand held his cheek.

Your lips moved in tandem as Steve pulled you even close rand kissed you even deeper. A giggle erupted from your throat when he dipped you a little. You could feel him smiling into the kiss. His nose rubbed over your cheek and his over yours, warm breath spreading across the skin.

You both pulled away with heaving chests at the sound of the door opening. When you turned towards the source of the sound, you were met with your cousin sister's face. "Okay, you both are stealing my thunder– it's supposed to be my wedding", Kajal said.

....

"Everything packed up?" Steve asked put the the final bag into the car.

You nodded with a melancholy expression over your features, "I'll miss you so much."

"Me too." He tucked a strand behind your ear, and then held your face. You reached up your hand to put your palm over his, leaning into his warm touch. "but it's okay. We'll talk. Write"

You nodded once again before leaning in, and he did the same-- connecting your lips in a soft and long goodbye kiss. You wanted to live in it forever. At the very least memorize the feeling of his lips on yours. Of his thumb drawing small circles over your cheeks. Of his warmth.

You pulled away after a few seconds, looking into his big brown eyes that your were going to miss so much. Oh, how you wished to steal him and take him with you. "Oh, I almost forgot..", you started while turning to take something out of your bag and hand it over to Steve.

"What's this?" He looked with his eyebrows pulled together at the piece of paper.

"Wedding invitation…. Remember my brother and his girlfriend? Well, he managed to tell our parents a couple weeks ago and now here it is." You chuckled.

"It's not the official invitation, that'll take some time but you better come man", your brother added, appearing out of nowhere and then once again leaving.

"You better", you said it as a non threatening threat.

"I will", he said squeezing your hand.

"We're ready to leave", your brother called out again.

"Yeah I'm coming", you shouted back before turning to the boy infront of you and softly saying, "I really wish I could stay."

"It's okay" He wished he could hide you, all for himself. But he couldn't, so he let go of your hand. You turned to leave and get into the car but then run back and tackled his torso, wrapping your arms around his frame tightly, "I love you", you mumbled into his sweater. Your voice, so quiet and so small.

"I love you too", he said while rubbing your back and kissing the top of your head.

"All right", your brother's voice rang behind you and Steve loosened his grip on you, "that's enough. I'm suddenly very compelled to make you two break up", he joked.

A/n: Here it is people! I love this series so much and seeing ur responses on the previous part made my desi heart soar :))

That ending was kinda bleh :((

for the love of God tell me how you felt about this story c'mon give me validation and constructive criticism pls I'm begging

Taglist:

@555stargirl555 @luvsersi @angelulls @bitch-biblioklept @1derfulzxyn @avianawrites @lauenderhaze @cicaspair418 @pl4ybhaicarti

[thegeminisage]

tng update time and oooooh am i ever mad about it. tonight we watched "hero worship" and "violations."

hero worship: i wanted to like this episode. but, firstly, it's just yet more evidence why children should not be on starships. this has been bothering me the entire time i've watched this fucking show. i hope there aren't any kids on voyager or whatever because this is literally fucking killing me

secondly, i felt really weird about everyone just...going along with this kid's idea that he was an android. i feel like there's a way to be lenient of his trauma without reinforcing the delusion or whatever sorry ik that's not how you're supposed to say it. it just didn't seem like solid therapeutical practice is all. i will admit there was also some secondhand embarrassment watching this kid's impersonation of data but i think it COULD have been cute (which seems to be what they were going for) with a better execution

i DEFINITELY think data's interactions with him should have been supervised too, not because i don't love and trust data wholly but because he has this way of missing certain emotional cues. and while that isn't a problem in day-to-day life, like, that's just the way he is and i resent anyone who would make him feel like it's a bad way to be/there's something wrong with him because he is PERFECT the way he is!!! for someone who is so vulnerable i think that data could accidentally do harm where it isn't intended (almost did a couple of times!), and data wouldn't be happy about that either because of course it would never be his intention. like i LOVE episodes where we just throw data into the deep end and let him figure it out, i love watching him go, but this is a child whose entire family/ship just DIED HORRIBLY who thinks he is responsible for the event. im not saying dont let data be his buddy data deserves so many buddies im just saying give data some INSTRUCTIONS at least. for both their sakes

anyway it was mid at best. it had a few good moments but ultimately not enough to salvage it for me

violations:

okay wait hold on i feel like i need to start a brand new text block for violations. you're only allowed 4000 characters per paragraph and i have stuff to say. i have Things To Get Off My Chest. please picture steam pouring from my fucking ears right now

actually forget the bullet list i don't need a bullet list this is not a normal liveblog Post. do you know every day i see threads on r*ddit and sometimes even tags here on tunglr dot edu about how people don't like tos because it's sexist. thats all well and fine and good. tos IS sexist. ARE WE SAYING TNG IS BETTER?????

tasha yar and the rape gangs. the naked time: 2! where both women got turned into insatiable sex object. deanna's impromptu and nonconsensual pregnancy. tasha's impregnantion by rape and her death at the hands of her rapist. that time they filmed deanna's feet. beverly crusher for all of season 1 having absolutely no personality outside of being a mother. lwaxana troi getting gang raped by ferengi for laughs. genuinely uhura on tos in the fucking 1960s got treated better than deanna troi on tng in the 1990s. yes tos has extremely bad moments sexism wise. JUSTICE for janice fucking rand. but truly how can you be as sexist against women when they aen't there. meanwhile, tng has women in every goddamn episode and all it takes is for one bad writer to

actually you know what is so funny. gene roddenberry and two women are credited with writing this episode. ALL of them are going to hell, gene roddenberry especially. i hate hate hate HATE his rape fetish. justice for janice rand AND tasha yar AND DEANNA TROI!

the thing about this episode is, it could have been good. there were good parts about it. for example: worf's joke about being probed. they knew what they were doing and it was hilarious. deanna getting to talk about her overbearing mother. riker's little speech to deanna when she was in the coma with literal tears in his eyes and this is a WHOLE separate rant but

my problem with tng is that you don't see them care about each other. we're TOLD that they care about each other. they SAY, "oh, x is worried about [character who's in danger this week]." but we almost never SEE them act it out. every once in awhile riker gets weirdly protective of picard, and worf seems kind of protective of everyone which i like, and picard also does a good righteous rage on behalf of others, but i don't usually get to SEE it. like when wesley goes missing or whatever he and his mom don't always immediately rush into each others arms on their reunion. when deanna passes out you don't always see riker abandon what he's doing and rush to her side. nobody asks "are you okay?" with genuine concern. and even when we DO get for example geordi driving himself crazy wondering what went wrong over data's fake death we don't get any follow-through - there's no reunion between geordi and data at the end the way there would be for kirk and spock.

BUT RIKER AT THE HOSPITAL BED. ohhh i was eating. it was so good. he wasn't even saying anything of merit but just the SIGHT of her passed out like that had him almost in tears. riker, who is the epitome of good humor and dealing with space horrors with laughter. IN TEARS. it was so good. a true show instead of tell moment. and in THIS fucking episode

my issue is: they had three on screen rape scenes. the first rape scene was extremely long. like they couldn't show anything explicit because this is 90s tv but it was VERY VERY LONG so it hardly seems to matter. and THAT was bad enough. but then they made us watch it AGAIN when he planted his dad's face in the memory and A THIRD TIME when he was like "ugh she's being so sweet to me even though i raped her i can't NOT rape her again." like at least that time she was able to hit him and get away but it feels like a hollow victory when he's already gotten away with it TWICE, AND!!! when worf had to come in and save her anyway at the end.

it was doubly horrible that he got away with the crime SO WELL that nobody suspected him - like, picard is out here asking deanna to let him into her mind a second time and she GOT RAPED. A SECOND TIME. deanna is like oh yeah you can come in! and it could have been a compelling mystery and plot twist to be like OH IT'S THE DAD but really it's the son except we SAW HIM DO IT the first time. there wasn't even any mystery to solve or anyone to suspect, he wasn't misdirecting US, we just got to watch him successfully misdirect this poor stupid naive trusting WOMAN

also, the thing about deanna's attack being a rape scene while riker's was someone dying under his command and beverly's was IDing her husband's dead body is that for riker and bev these are REAL THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO THEM. deanna never got raped by riker. like, he wouldn't do that and they wouldn't still be as close and comfortable with one another if he had. (i am mad on his behalf TWICE now that they left it open whether or not he committed that particular crime when every other piece of evidence says he wouldn't. the guy is not a closet serial rapist and leaving the endings open to be edgy is extremely poor form.) like, they literally JUST made deanna's attack a rape scene to sexualize her and feed roddenberry's fetish and HE'S DEAD. HE WAS DEAD WHEN THIS AIRED. HE CAN'T JERK OFF TO IT ANYMORE

they didn't even explain why that guy kept leaving people in comas. deanna i get because he was stalking her and wanted to fuck her but why riker? why beverly? that made it MORE suspicious. why all those other people on the other planets? was he raping every single one of them? how did he plan to keep going after he'd framed his dad for his crimes?

and it COULD HAVE BEEN GOOD. beverly's thing with IDing her husband's body was fun and terrifying. deanna could have gotten a memory that spoke to character development instead of being sexualized like this. in fact i think it was lowkey a pussy move not to deal with any of riker's close encounters because of the two of them riker is the one who has actually been raped! "someone died under my command" is generic and lame. but the way the telepathy worked was cool, the plot twist could have been cool, you could have felt real betrayal from liking this dude if he hadn't been all evil smiles from the beginning. and they dropped the ball SO HARD. and i could forgive them for doing that! i have given tng so many benefits of the doubt! BUT THREE RAPE SCENES IN 45 MINUTES?

the worst part is, there was no emotional resolution. they had that guy say the word rape out loud and then the credits rolled. deanna and riker didn't speak one word to each other. she was never like, i know you didn't actually rape me like that's not what happened. no one was like, beverly go have a hot drink and call your son. there's NO EMOTIONAL FOLLOWTHROUGH ON THIS SHOW. tos was guilty of that sometimes too but this level of it is fucking unreal

tng enjoyers im sorry for my meanie posts earlier. love who you love etc etc. i'm just. baffled. HOW IS THIS BETTER THAN TOS. at least what happened to janice rand (and uhura one time) was over quickly and didn't replay three FUCKING times!!! "tos is too/more sexist" I AM TURNING MY BRAIN INSIDE OUT TO TRY AND UNDERSTAND THIS FUCKING STATEMENT

[married-to-google-translater]

I posted 1,929 times in 2022

That's 219 more posts than 2021!

1,739 posts created (90%)

190 posts reblogged (10%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@married-to-google-translater

@crazyyanderefangirlfan

@otomeanimemanga-fandom-writer

@twst-discourse-bot

@lemonandlime22

I tagged 1,477 of my posts in 2022

Only 23% of my posts had no tags

#yandere imagine - 450 posts

#yandere imagines - 434 posts

#yandere headcanon - 413 posts

#admin werty - 397 posts

#yandere headcanons - 395 posts

#twisted wonderland - 390 posts

#twst - 371 posts

#twisted wonderland x reader - 327 posts

#twst x reader - 327 posts

#twisted wonderland imagines - 235 posts

Longest Tag: 42 characters

#fantastic beasts the secrets of dumbledore

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Riddle Explain to Mc his dorm rules: And rule 34 is-

Mc: *start laugh*

Riddle: Mc what fun is in Rule 34?

Mc: Oh Riddle you could never understand that without context. And I'm not going to give you context. The work of a health education teacher does not belong to me.

Riddle: Mc rule 45 forbids keeping ä secret from me. I demand you reveal the secrets of rule 34.

Mc: *hysterical laughter on the floor* I'm going to take that sentence out of context

3,039 notes - Posted July 19, 2022

#4

Mc: *Sits on the grass and pat's Malleus' head*

Malleus: *Lie on Mc's lap and purr*

Leona: MC! What are you doing? Why are you petting that lizard when you haven't petted me in weeks?

Mc: But Leona that Lizard purrrrrrrr's. You don't purr.

Leona: Mc don't be stupid lizards don't purr.

Malleus: *smiley and purr louder*

Leona: What the-

Malleus: Ever heard of magic? It's really useful sometimes. *Purr harder*

Mc: So you don't purr naturally... I feel like I have been tricked.

Leona: Wait so you think that purring dragon was normall?

Mc: Yeah. That's the first dragon I've ever met.

3,223 notes - Posted November 18, 2022

#3

*At the dorm leaders' meeting*

Vil: So Mc what were you thinking of doing this weekend?

Mc: Smash

*everyone stares at Mc*

Leona: *instant waking up*

Azul: *blushes* Oh with who

Mc: With my friend.

Riddle: *is Red* You what-

Mc: Smash with friends

Vil: *almost choking on tea*

Azul: *almost choke's too*

Malleus: *whisper to Kalim* Kalim what is smash?

Kalim: I have no idea...

Leona: *laugh really hard*

Mc: What... Why are you acting strange? I just said that- Ooh. Pervert's. I meant I'm going to play Smash bros with a friend.

At this point, all the dorm leader's are relieved. Even Malleus and Kalim who don't realize what's going on.

If you're wondering where Idia is, he left as soon as the meeting officially ended

3,376 notes - Posted September 30, 2022

#2

A Twst request where female reader gets hugged by them and they can feel their chest without knowing they were a girl, with the dorm leaders + Rook, Floyd,Jade.

Rest of them are here...

Malleus is worried. Are you all right? Mc, you know that this is not normal. The dragon boy is innocent. Then it hits him. Mc is a female? Oooooh. Malleus is a little hurt when you didn't tell me earlier. His tail wags excitedly. This would be a good fake excuse to get him to marry you. Dragons are greedy and don't like sharing.

Leona just wanted a goodnight hug. Well, now because of that goodnight hug, he can't sleep. Leona thinks about two things 1) How did he not notice your gender? 2) Do you think he's an asshole? Leona would try his best to show respect to you. But at least he knows what others don't. This is going to be fun.

Riddle would be really red. He never would have expected this. Riddle is now even more sorry for attacking you during the overblot incident. He would try to stay matter-of-fact. But it's hard if you can't form sensible sentences. Definitely won't tell anyone.

Azul would have had a crush on you even before this information. It must be hard to be the only girl on campus? What if he helped you? Azul will be happy to make a contract with you. You just have to start dating him. Isn't it easy? Azul just tries to hide his shock.

Kalim wouldn't really get it. He is such an innocent boy. He doesn't even suspect that you could be a woman. Instead, he's scared. You must have a serious illness. He tells you to stay put so he can get Jalim. Jalim surely knows what's wrong. You need to explain the situation to him. Now Kalim is a bit red.

Vil would be shocked. How did he not recognize you female? Are you so unfeminine and take such poor care of your appearance? This won't work. No way. Guess who gets Vil's beauty care lectures for the rest of the day? That's right you will. Vil is surprisingly strong.

Idia.exe will never work again. He would already be shocked by the hug. But then he felt your breasts. Mc didn't you have an accident in alchemy class that changed your gender? Say it's the truth. Idia is shocked when you say it isn't. He needs time to recover.

3,582 notes - Posted August 16, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Mc: *pat Leona* Why you don't purr?

Leona: Mc lions don't purr... That's what cats do. Now be more quiet. I try to sleep

Mc: *looks disapointed* Oh...

Ruggie: *Walks nearby and notices that Mc looks sad* Oh hey mc what's wrong?

Mc: * points at Leona while stroking his head * That big cat doesn't know how to purr

Ruggie: Oh yeah lions don't purr... But hyenas do... Maybe you want to test it?

Leona: *instand waking up*

Leona wasan't happy

3,660 notes - Posted November 4, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[pitxroxas]

there are almost 200 (196 if i counted right) tsukasa suou gifs covering my dashboard. i can barely see any other posts and it made my app just loop the dashboard posts at some point, meaning i cannot use the app until i either unfollow you or wait for some hours to pass which hopefully wont end in another same post spam. i get liking a character and 'spam post funneh xD' but could u maybe. have like a tag for that so someone who enjoys following u for ur normal reblogs can still enjoy the app without getting the entire dashboard post spammed about 200 times?

uhm. uh. first and foremost, sorry!!!! i’m completely abnormal about suou and i apologize for that

secondly, i probably wont be using a tag, but instead my sideblog since nobody follows it and i literally expect no one else to :3

sorry for the inconvenience, again!!

[rhoeysama]

Few things are as pretentious and arrogant as putting a watermark on AI-compiled "art" and post it as your own. I see this lately on DeviantArt (an artist community/ art sharing and hosting platform I've been a part of for 15+ years). As if you made it. As if you thought it up and made 10-20+ sketches before you found a composition you actually liked. As if you spent 20, 50, 100+ hours making it. As if you lost sleep making it. As if you sat on your ass for so many hours that your ass got flat and numb and your back aches, your wrist aches, you're hungry, you have to pee, and you're running on coffee just to function, and just realized that you haven't eaten or showered or even been outside all day.

Unless you have dedicated your life and sacrificed yourself - i.e. chosen your ART for years over hanging out with friends, partying, dating & hooking up, lying on the beach, clubbing, binge-watching Netflix or gaming, etc etc - you don't get to call yourself an artist and claim you MADE anything. Sorry, not sorry. This isn't me gatekeeping art; this is me calling out art theft.

I've "made" stuff with AI too. It literally took me less than 5 minutes. All I had to do was type some words into a program and wait for it to compile some images. THAT'S. IT. It takes existing artwork from the internet and pretty much mashes it together. It's not new. It's not original. You didn't make it. Honestly, I'm so sick of seeing it. DeviantArt is almost nothing but AI art anymore, and some people are blatantly posting AI images and calling them "digital art", deliberately not tagging it or disclosing it as AI. What's even more infuriating is that some have "subscriptions" and "take commissions", as in you can pay them to type some words into a program and have it steal art from around the web so they can call themselves an artist. Wow, that was easy! So glad they didn't have to WASTE years of their lives practicing their craft and honing those skills, am I right??

What comes cheap has no value. If anyone can be an artist by the press of a button, then art has no value. True value is the sacrifice - the energy that went into creating the work. The time and attention it took, the LOVE, and YES, the SACRIFICE. I know that's not a popular word these days. Everyone wants to have everything, but nobody wants to compromise and sacrifice for it and do what it takes to get there. Do the hard work without the guarantee of success.

Yes, I am salty. No, I don't care if you're offended. This is such a big fuck you to artists like myself, who have worked our whole lives to hone our craft. It's taking narcissism to a whole new level.

I'm not making art for praise or attention and recognition. I'm making art because I'm passionate about it, I LOVE it, and because it's my way of honoring God, my creator. It gives me purpose and meaning, it's my way of prayer and meditation and healing. It's fun and makes me feel alive and like a child.

AI is fun and all, don't get me wrong. But it isn't YOUR art. It's actually other artists' work that's being stolen and used to render "your" art. Let's not forget that. Be very mindful of this when using AI.

Humility is out of fashion and narcissism and hubris are the new normal. Welcome to Clownworld.

[worldwright]

Good evening !

I'm terribly exhausted and one fic i followed just ended today :/

and we got another visit on wednesday, i hope it won't be canceled at the last minute...

i don't feel great at all today, and it's not even because of the 7th month anniversary of my attempt. like, yeah, a bit, but it was bc i talked about it with my friend yesterday -she was the one i waited for the ambulance with so, yeah

because i lied so badly that day, i said i went to a walk without Laika, me and only me, a walk ?! wtf, and i was high as fuck, and i literally said to my mother that i saw my friend "by chance" during my walk and that she asked if i was good for a sleepover at her house. my mother literally went to her place to give me my pj and my keys, and she thought everything was normal

and my father ? this cunt ? he saw me leaving the house and just thought "weird huh"

like, i tagged almost all my mutuals in that post that day, and you were all better than my family ever since my attempt. they don't fuckin care enough

have a wonderful morning and some good rest my friend, i'll get myself some good fics tonight (and yep, i ate today ! <3)

good morning! ughhh sorry your mind is being mean to you :') my second tattoo session is tomorrow, super excited :3333333333 gotta remember to pack lunch n all

doing laundry today instead, cuz someone was taking up the entire laundry room all yesterday afternoon lol. not that i blame him, i kinda do the same. just comes with having a fuckin tiny-ass communal laundry room and the tendency to procrastinate chores...

gonna coordinate with my mom to have her help me take stuff to be donated, since i'm not super eager to carry a giant basket of random dishware on the bus LMAO

oh also some exciting news: my sister is officially no longer allergic to peanuts!! she was always deathly allergic, but apparently grew out of it cuz she just passed the test to be able to eat them! i'm really excited for her, just makes life so much easier

hope you find some good fics or games to help you relax tonight, friend!!

[neochan]

GENRE | smut, idolverse!

WARNINGS | smut

WC | 2.6k +

A.N | this is a repost of my older work. i hope you enjoy it <3

You could still hear the unintelligible screaming of thousands of fans as the boys filtered off the stage and into the greenroom. Another successful concert in the long string of tour stops. You couldn’t even remember what state you were in because the days of traveling, unpacking, setting up, and doing it all again the next day ran together.

The boys were dripping sweat, immediately grabbing bottles of water and towels to wipe themselves off. They had worked harder than normal today since during one of the sets the microphone cut out and they had to perform acapella. Someone was getting fired for that.

Taeyong flopped onto the leather couch dominating the center of the room, water in one hand, phone in the other. “People are already uploading photos.” He outstretches his arm so the others could view the pictures pulled up on his screen.

“Johnny you look ridiculous,” you point out, laughing as a fan had caught Johnny in the act of wildly waving his light stick.

“I was having a good time, okay?” He chuckles and walks into the dressing rooms to change out of his stage outfit. Half of the group filtered out to change and half stayed to peruse through the gifts left by venue staff and play on their phones until told otherwise.

You were wondering where Hyuck was when you heard his voice from the hallway. He saunters in and gives you a kiss on the cheek, “Enjoy the show?” His golden skin was tainted pink, hair matted to his forehead by the sweat that was trickling down the side of his face. He grabbed his shirt and lifted it to swipe at his face, revealing his cute tummy. You had to resist the urge to poke it.

“I enjoyed hearing thousands of pretty fans scream your name” You give him a smirk knowing that he hates when you downplay your relationship.

He nudges you with his shoulder, “You know I meant the songs,” his doe eyes look into yours, his long lashes brushing against his cheek when he blinked “Besides, you know I love you and only you.”

Mark began to nervously giggle in the corner while Doyoung made fake gagging noises from the vanity he sat at. “Oh, shut up.” You say, throwing empty water bottles at the two, “And hurry up I wanna go swimming before it gets too late.”

The ride home was peaceful once the swarms of fans cleared a path for the bus. Per the managers request you slouched down in your seat so know one could see you through the window. It didn’t make much sense because the windows were tinted, but Haechan had to argue for his life to allow them to let you tag along on the tour, so you didn’t question them. Once you were on the road, you sat back up and snuggled close to Haechans side. He rested his hand on your thigh, absentmindedly stroking you with his thumb. His head leaned back against the seat, eyes closed, listening to music. It was so loud you could almost make out the words but you didn’t say anything – you let him stay in his post concert utopia for the whole trip.

The hotel was about an hour away from the venue so that no one would find them, and they’d be closer to their next destination. It was nicer than the others because it actually had a pool. You and Haechan made an agreement to go swimming after the concert, and you couldn’t wait. The staff also rented more rooms, so instead of four people to a bed, it was just you and Haechan.

After checking in everyone filtered off to their rooms leaving the both of you to freely do whatever you wanted - within reason of course. You both got changed, your gaze admiring the hard lines of Haechans back. “Don’t stare.” He blushed, wrapping a towel around his upper body.

You pulled on your bikini which made Haechan go silent. You specifically picked this one because it brought out your skin tone well, and cupped your features beautifully. “Now who’s staring?”

It never failed. The butterfly feeling you got in the pit of your stomach when Haechan watched you with loving eyes. You wrapped a towel around your waist, allowing Haechans eyes to roam the tops of your breasts, peeking out from the almost too small bathing suit.

His cheeks turned pink once he noticed he was caught, “Let’s go”.

The hallways were quiet since it was almost midnight, so you wordlessly made your way down the stairs and out into the night air. It had grown considerably cooler than when guys first arrived that morning, but the sky made up for it. Pretty stars pricked the vast expanse of dark blue and black infinity. You could see the moon peaking out from behind a single cloud, casting a shadowed glow on Haechans honey skin.

The gate was closed when you walked up to it so you stopped to read, “Aw man, the pool closed an hour ago,” You set your lips in a pout, “no wonder the lights weren’t on.”

“Hey it’s okay, no lights, no cameras, they probably wont even notice we’re here if we keep quiet.” He moves closer to you, eyebrows raised expectant for an answer.

You hesitated wondering if you really could pull it off, after all you’d been looking forward to this for the whole day, “I don’t wanna get in trouble..”

“You said you wanted to swim and I’m going to make sure that happens,” He gets down on one knee, “step on my leg, I'm gonna help you jump the fence.”

He boots you over, and grabs your arms to help lower you on the other side, but his hand slips and his nails dig into your shoulder. “Ow, fuck.” You wince rubbing the spot he scratched.

“Sorry, sorry” He says giggling, jumping the fence with such quietness and ease that it looked unreal. “Come on, dare you to do a canon ball!?”

He ran ahead throwing his towel on one of the pool chairs and jumping in the water. You cringe away from the loud slap his body hitting the water made. You walk slowly to the chair, deeply inhaling the addictive chlorine scent.

He finally stands up waist deep in the water and pushes his hair back. The blue water reflected against him, making his skin sparkle. “Come into the water y/n” he splashed some water into your general direction, but not enough to touch you.

“Okay, Okay.” You drop the towel and slip into the water. It was cold. Really cold. You gasp and recoil away, but not fast enough, because Haechan has wrapped his arms around you and started carrying you towards the deep end. You struggle a bit in his grip but his arms provide an iron cage that you can’t get out of. “Haechan let me go!”

He presses a warm kiss to the back on your neck but doesn’t comply with your wishes, instead making a curve and bringing you towards the underwater benches. He fixes his hold on you so that now he’s carrying you bridal style. You stare up at him, water droplets falling off his chin. His eyes were already red from the chlorine and you hoped that it cleared up by tomorrow nights concert. His plush lips sat in a pout, strong jaw set. He was so very pretty; and all yours. You smiled to yourself, deciding to keep that image locked away in your memory forever.

Once he gets to the benches he sets you down and glides in beside you. “You know It’s colder than I thought it was going to be.” He lifts a hand and sheepishly rubs the back of heck, “and you look way hotter in that bikini than I thought you would.”

“I don’t know if that’s supposed to be a dig or a compliment.” You scoot closer to him so that your thighs were pressed against each other. Finding his hand underwater, you intertwine your fingers with his own.

“A compliment babe.” He chuckles and slouches in the water so that only his head sat above it. You both sit there for a moment until it becomes too cold to sit still.

“Well I’m going to put it to use and go swim.” You push off from the cement and paddle around. The only way to stay slightly warm was to keep moving. Haechan watched you, eyes crinkled in a smile, bottom lip caught between his teeth. It was fun to watch you play in the water but the bathing suit was making him think of other things you two could be doing.

And that was how it stayed. Haechan watching while you performed for him.

A while had passed, the calm exterior of the pool getting to you, making you drowsy. The cold blue water washed over your hands while you gently skimmed the surface, making your way over to where Haechan was. You hummed a short tune under your breath, trying to keep yourself distracted. it was close to one in the morning now, but Haechan still sat on the bench, slightly shivering from the brisk air, hands gripping his thighs under the water while his mind wandered far away from the present.

“Watcha thinkin’ about” you ask, moving closer to him, hoping to catch some lingering body warmth.

“Fucking you ,” he moved off the seat and dove under the surface, only leaving small ripples in his wake. You stand there for a second wonder how he could be so blunt, so forward in his desires; he was never like this.

He swam a single circle around your body before popping up in front of you, giving you a mini heart attack. He pushes you back against the tiled walls, “I’ve spent the last hour thinking about fucking you. Thinking about how pretty you’d sound.” His head dips down to kiss along your collarbone, and your hands grab the back of neck, holding him there while his tongue sucked bruises into your tender skin. His hands grazed the bare skin of your arms, giving you goosebumps.

He moaned into the side of your neck, biting and sucking away, wanting you to yearn for him like he did for you. He lifted his head so that his mouth hung over yours, his small puffs of breath fanning over your face while he tests the waters. “Can I kiss you?”

Without giving him an answer you pull him closer by the roots of his hair. His kissing was messy and sweet, and while your tongues moved together, his hips began rubbing circles against you, trying to gain some friction in the cool water. Small heavy breaths were the only sound you could hear, aside from the occasional splash as Haechan moved restlessly.

Your hand wandered down his chest and below the surface to where you could feel him straining against his shorts. You began to stroke him over the fabric, his hips pushing against your touch. He broke the kiss to watch as you peeled down the elastic from his hips, his cock freed from the restricting material of his swim shorts. You watched him twitch slightly as the cold water met his length.

“You can’t make any noise.” You place a single finger against his lips.

“No promises.” He whispers, a devilish smirk breaking way on his face. His hands caress you thighs, pushing your bottoms to the side. The cold water hit you, making you gasp and push into Haechan who just whimpers against your touch.

He tried to stay quiet, only soft grunts between gritted teeth and muffled moans as his hips pushed into your own. The water created resistance but it just enhanced how good he was feeling. He hurriedly grabs at your legs, pulling them up so that they sat around his waist. Your back dragged up the tiled walls, scraping your tender skin, but you could only focus on Haechans cock thrusting deeply in and out of you. He stared longingly into your eyes, filling you up completely, wanting to savor the way they fluttered in the back of your head.

“You love the way I fill you up huh?” He groans into your ear, a hand falling forward to grip the cement ledge of the pool.

You couldn’t respond without fear of moaning so you nod your head wildly. He began to bite and suck at your collarbone, pushing you closer to the edge. Looking down he sees your nipples, erect, poking through the wet fabric of your bathing suit. His eyes grow wide, hips stuttering into you. Fuck you were hot.

“Haechannie, I think I’m going to come.” You squeezed your eyes shut trying to focus on the feeling coiling in your stomach.

“Not yet.” He growls, hands moving to pin your wrists against the cement ledge, “Hold it princess, I know you can.” The water began to slosh around faster as Haechan thrusted harder into you. The sound was so loud its no wonder you didn’t hear the keys jangling against the hip of the guard making his way towards you two.

“Hey!,” he shouts running towards you, “The pool is closed! Get out! Are you two-” He didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence as you and Haechan spring up out of fear and take off. It was easy to push yourself up onto the pool deck. The guard made the mistake of following you two and leaving the gate unattended. You and Haechan ran out, giggling, making your way back into the hotel. You didn’t stop until you got into the room and slammed the door behind you.

With your heart hammering in your chest you lean against the dark cherry wood . “Holy fuck we could’ve gotten in serious trouble.” You gasp out, clutching a hand against your wet bathing suit top.

“Babe we’ll be gone by morning, no one is gonna know.” Haechan paces in front of you trying to catch his breath. His shorts hung dangerously low on his hips, it was miracle he got them up in time.

“We’re so banned from this hotel.” A knock on the door makes you jump away from it, the worst of punishment's filling your mind. What were they going to do? They couldn’t arrest you, could they?

Haechan walks forward and turns the knob slowly, revealing a sleepy Doyoung. His oversized t-shirt hung off one shoulder showing off his gaunt collarbone. He was rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“What do you want Doie?” you ask softly.

“How was getting chased by the guard?” he gives a sleepy chuckle, still half in his dreams.

“How did you-,” A look of realization hits Haechan, “You reported us?” He whined, pushing Doyoungs bare shoulder so that he stumbled back.

“Sound travels over water dumbasses and you guys were loud, I was trying to sleep!” Protesting, he pushes Haechans wet shoulder back.

“Well, now we’re going to be twice as loud.” Haechan slams the door in Doyoungs face and grabs you, throwing you on the bed. You give a squeal, and hear Doyoungs fist hit the door.

“I swear I’ll make a noise complaint.” He sounded more irritated than sleepy now.

“Go ahead, you’re just mad I’m getting laid and you aren't.” You playfully slap Haechans arm, but he nips at your hand. The other side of the door grows silent, Doyoung either going to report you two, or going back to his room defeated.

“Shall we pick up where we left off princess?”