#subtlety isn’t her forte.

[shalpilot]

[ladydekarios]

Love Ain't No Stranger

(Inspired by the Whitesnake song)

Fic summary: You and your friends spend most of your days, with everything nerdy. You’re the only girl in the group, but they never treat you differently. That is until prom comes around and Eddie starts feeling strange when you’re asked to prom by someone that isn’t him, Could Eddie be jealous?

A/N: So here it is, my very first Eddie Munson AU fic. Please be kind, as I wasn’t even sure whether to post it. I’ll write a part two, but only post it depending on how well this does. Shout out to my good friend @ladyfogg for all her help with this.

Warnings: Angst, jealousy, basically they’re both idiots, strong language, eventual SMUT

Word count: 3525

18+: MINORS DNI

I do NOT give permission for my work to be copied, translated or posted on any other platform. Support content creators by reblogging.

——————————————————

Lunch is your favourite part of the school day, mostly because you got to spend it with your friends. Today is particularly rowdy in the cafeteria. “What’s going on? It’s like everyone is in heat,” Eddie asks.

“Yeah, and you’d know what that’s like,” You reply with a roll of your eyes, but then wiggle your eyebrows and flash a grin.

Jeff spits out his drink as he laughs at your response to Eddie’s question. “That’s why you fit in so well y/n, you’re one of the guys!” he says. The entire Hellfire Club erupts into laughter, making half of the cafeteria turn towards the noise. You smile, but there it is again. The phrase they say all the time that you never used to mind, but now absolutely hate.

When you were younger it was fine. That was then. Now you’re a young woman. You might not be a girly girl, however, you aren’t a child anymore.

Eddie pouts at your comment yet his eyes still sparkle with humour. “Oh, I know more than you think, Sunshine!” he says with a wink.

You gulp imperceptibly. Eddie openly flirting with you wasn’t anything unusual, no one seemed to notice usually but today it was met with a chorus of “Oooooohs” from the rest of the boys. Eddie looks at you with a smile, his eyes glued to yours.

“I think there’s a dance or something coming up, my sister is on the committee,” Mike says with a roll of his eyes.

“That would be prom dingus!” you say to Mike before facing Eddie again. “Have you asked anyone?”

Eddie scoffs, “ I doubt that Eddie ‘The Freak’ Munson would even be welcome.” You cock your head to the side, questioningly.

“Eddie, it’s prom. Everyone is supposed to go, it’s a rite of passage.” He snorts and the rest of the guys snicker. “Whatever!” You throw your hands up in defeat. The hint you were dropping is completely lost on him. You sigh, Eddie notices that. Ugh! Why are boys so stupid?

You think about Eddie holding you as you slow dance to some cheesy power ballad while you look into his eyes. Eddie’s eyes… those dark chocolate pools that you get lost in on a daily basis. You knock the thought out of your head and stand up, grabbing the loose change out of the back pocket of your skinny jeans, and walking toward the vending machine to get a soda. You completely miss Eddie watching you, his eyes momentarily on your ass as you grab your change.

“Subtlety isn’t your forte is it, Eddie?” Dustin asks with a grin.

“What are you talking about Henderson?”

“Yeah, like you don’t know,” Eddie looks at Dustin’s grin, confusion written all over his face. “Holy shit, you really don’t, do you?” Dustin goes to speak again but Eddie cuts him off with a raise of his hand.

He furrows his brows as someone else approaches the vending machine. Patrick, one of the jocks that is a part of Jason Carvers’ crew. The crew that bullies members of the Hellfire Club on a daily basis. He shoots Patrick daggers as he watches the interaction between the two of you; how your eyebrows shoot up as Patrick talks, your reddening cheeks, how your eyes widen as you open your soda. He watches you excuse yourself and head back to the table.

“What did he want?” Eddie asks, his face turning a light shade of red, indicating his internal rage.

“Nothing,” you reply, chewing on your bottom lip.

“Sunshine, what did he say? Was he mean to you?!” Eddie persists with his questioning. The bell goes off indicating that lunch period is over.

You stand, pick up your backpack and start walking toward the exit. Eddie catches up to you and grabs you by your wrist, turning you to face him.

“What did he say y/n?” he demands. You’re slightly taken aback by Eddie using your given name, he always calls you by your nickname.

“He asked me to prom,” you say, he drops your wrist, a look of shock on his face as you turn and leave the cafeteria.

The rest of the day passes in a blur, you’re still confused as to why Patrick would ask you; was it a prank? You have no idea, but you didn’t want to think about it. You’d told Patrick you would consider his offer, even though you don’t want to. The truth is, you want Eddie to ask you to prom, even though you know it isn’t his scene. So, you’ve resigned yourself to either not going, or going alone.

You’ve been in love with Eddie Munson since you were a sophomore when he was a senior the first time. You were the first girl to ever join Hellfire and he treated you with kid gloves, until he learned you could give as good as you got. Sometimes you thought that maybe he likes you too, but that is unlikely as you know about his crush on Chrissy Cunningham.

The bell rings, indicating the end of the school day so you grab your stuff and head to your locker to get your jacket. Eddie is usually leaning against it by the time you get there, except this time he isn’t. You don’t think anything of it as there’s a new Hellfire campaign starting this week. Maybe he’s already in the Club room planning? You’re a little annoyed because Eddie was supposed to be your ride to work. You sigh and close your locker, preparing for the long walk ahead of you.

——————————————————

Eddie is watching you from the end of the hallway, he sees your slumped shoulders and knows that you are disappointed that he isn’t there, but he just can’t face you right now. He has no idea why he feels the way he does. He watches as you leave the building, your hair swishing as you walk. He lets out the breath he didn’t realise he’s been holding and leans against the wall. His mind working overtime. Why did he feel this way? Why did the thought of you going to prom with Patrick make his skin crawl? Why did the thought of you going with anyone, make him feel sad? But the thought of you going to prom alone makes him even sadder. Your mom had told Eddie about your dress, the one she bought earlier in the year when she got a bonus at work. The more he thinks about it, the more he longs to see you in it. He’s never felt like this before, and it’s beginning to scare him.

He slowly makes his way out of the doors, looking around the parking lot to make sure you have gone, before running to his van.

——————————————————

“So…?” Robin says as you take your place behind the counter with her, ready for your shift at Family Video. “Patrick asked you to prom?”

You turn to face her. “How did you know?” you ask, eyes slightly wide.

“Dustin,” she says with a grin. “You know that boy has no filter. He told Steve when he picked him up from school.”

You sigh. “Just because he asked doesn’t mean I’m going.”

“You’re gonna turn him down? Any particular reason?” she asks, feigning ignorance.

“Because I’m not going.” You turn to face her, arms folded in front of you defensively.

“Why?” Robin asks. She knows how much you’ve been looking forward to prom, you’ve been talking about it non-stop for weeks. And now that Eddie is actually graduating, she knows he’s an option for a prom date.

“Because I don’t have a date, I don’t want to go alone and… boys suck!” You mini rant at her.

She chuckles, “Preaching to the choir there!” You smile weakly at her.

“I just thought this would be the start of a whole new thing, they wouldn’t see me as one of the boys anymore.” You sigh.

  She opens her mouth to speak, but you cut her off. “Robin, I really don’t want to talk about this anymore, can you just drop it?”

She raises her hands and replies, “Okay y/n, but I see what’s going on here.”

“Oh? And what exactly is going on here, that you think you know?” You taunt.

“Could it be that you want to go to prom with a certain metal head?” You shoot daggers at Robin, and she mines a zipper across her mouth.

——————————————————

“I don’t get it!” Eddie groans in frustration as he chats to his uncle, Wayne. “I don’t get why Patrick, one of Jason Carvers’ cronies, would ask her to prom! She’s one of the freaks!”

“Son, if she wants to go with him to prom, why is that such a big deal?” Wayne asks as he smokes his cigarette.

“Because they’ve bullied all of us throughout school, y/n included,” Eddie replies, flopping himself back on the trailer’s small couch, his hair splaying out behind him. His voice lowers to almost a whisper, “Why y/n? Why would they do this, why ask her?”

“Why is this bothering you so much, Eddie? I know you’ve both been friends for a long time. Do you want to be, more than that?”

“I… Wha….” Eddie stammers, not managing to confirm Wayne’s suspicions, yet not denying them either.

Wayne doesn’t push. “Do you think they’re playing a cruel joke on her?” he asks as he stubs his cigarette in the ashtray.

Eddie sits up, “I didn’t even think of that!” He lets out a growl and drags his hand down his face. “If they hurt her and I swear to God!”

——————————————————

You wake up Saturday morning with a groan, wanting more sleep. Wrapping yourself with your comforter, a black design with purple roses, complementing the décor of your bedroom. Last night’s Hellfire meeting had drained you. You had tried to keep your cool while Eddie, who hadn’t even spoken to you since you told him about being asked to prom, started his sadistic campaign. Everyone in the room felt the tension as you played. Eddie didn’t look at you the whole night, not even when it was your turn, or when he was narrating. He usually sent a grin your way as he told his long and often complicated stories, or asked your opinion. But not last night. And no matter what you did, you failed miserably. Your level 20 sorcerer had been defeated by Vecna within an hour of starting, so you’d left the club room while it was still going on. Wanting to be away from Eddie and whatever his problem was.

And it wasn’t just at Hellfire that Eddie was treating you differently, he’d been off all week. Ignoring your questions, avoiding eye contact, or just avoiding you all together. You’re fed up and about ready to call time on your friendship.

The phone on your nightstand rings and you groan, not wanting to talk to anyone right now, but you answer anyway. “Hello?”

“Hey y/n, it’s Dustin. I didn’t get a chance to talk to you last night, as you left so abruptly. Everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything is fine. I’m just about to shower.”

“Oh, I won’t keep you then. The guys and I are going to the arcade around one, wanna come?”

“Nah, I’m meeting a friend at the diner. Thanks for the offer though.” You hang up the phone and get out of bed. Stretching before walking out of your bedroom and into the bathroom across the hall. You strip out of your clothes and get in the shower, the hot water relieving the tension in your shoulders. The problem with being alone with your thoughts is they are almost always thoughts of Eddie.

Remembering things you’ve shared; good and bad times, the laughs, the jokes, the pranks, the music and just… Eddie. The person you trusted most in this world. Knowing he would never feel the same way about you makes the tears start flowing down your cheeks and wash away with the cascading water.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

“She said no?” Eddie can’t believe it. He didn’t think you’d be taken in by Patrick’s prom invite, but it seems you’ve already made up your mind. Eddie slouches in his chair, his bag of pretzels forgotten for a moment.

“She said she’s meeting a friend at the diner,” Dustin says. Eddie’s head whips to the side to look at him. “That doesn’t mean she’s meeting Patrick, Eddie, she said a friend. I don’t think she would refer to him as a friend, not after everything he and Jason have put us all through over the years.”

“I dunno, the lure of the dark side is quite strong,” Gareth says. Eddie throws one of his pretzels at him, missing by a hair. “Hey! I wouldn’t be taken in by it, and neither would you, but y/n is a girl. They long to be popular!” Eddie throws another, hitting him on the forehead.

“Don’t say that! Has she ever given any of us a reason to believe that she wants to be popular?” The group shake their heads. “She didn’t even question sitting with us that first day! New school, no friends, and she chose us. Not them!” Eddie sighs in defeat as he remembers that day, his memory is vivid.

You walked into the cafeteria, heading to the vending machine. Eddie noticed you almost immediately, your Motley Crue shirt grabbing his attention. When you turned around and he saw you properly, his heart leapt into his throat. You were the most beautiful person he’d ever seen.  You saw him and smiled, walking over to the Hellfire table. Jason stopped you before you could reach them, the light in Eddie’s eyes died for a moment. But was back seconds later when you brushed past Jason, as he loudly comments, “What a bitch!”

You took a seat at the Hellfire table and flashed a grin at Eddie before introducing yourself.

A hand waving in front of his face brings Eddie back to the present. “Eddie… can I talk to you alone for a moment?” Dustin asks.

-----

You sit in the diner, nursing a milkshake, waiting for your friend to join you. You lean your chin on your hand and turn your head, catching a glimpse of leather and brown curls. When you look again, there’s no one there. You could’ve sworn Eddie was there, but Dustin had said they were at the arcade.

Eddie sees you from across the street, sitting alone in a booth at the back of the diner. Like you didn’t want to be seen, ashamed of it even. You turn your head and he ducks behind a trash can, not wanting to be seen.

Eddie takes a breath when he notices it’s not Patrick that has joined you, but then frowns. You said no to going to the arcade with them, to have lunch with Steve Fucking Harrington! He begins to cross the street but stops when he sees your eyes, shiny with unshed tears. Whatever you’re talking about, you trust Steve more than him, and that hurts. He always thought he was your best friend, looks like he was wrong. He puts his hands in his jacket pockets and turns away, heading toward the arcade.

The door of the diner opens and you look up, your lunch date has arrived. He slides into the booth opposite you and takes you in. The band tee haphazardly tucked into the jeans you threw on this morning, showing how out of it you really were. “Y/N?” You give a weak smile. “Why exactly did you ask to meet me on my lunch break? You know Saturday is our busiest day!”

“Patrick asked me to prom,” you tell Steve.

He shakes his head. “One of the basketball players?”

You nod. “I’m not sure if I should accept or not, what do you think?”

“I’m confused as to why you’re asking me y/n, why can’t you ask Munson? Isn’t he your best friend?” Steve asks. You gulp, and he sees instantly why you can’t ask him. “Ah… okay I get it.” His eyes glaze over, with what you’re guessing are thoughts of Nancy Wheeler. “You like him, but you don’t think he feels the same.”

You hang your head with shame. “I’ll always just be one of the guys to him, he’ll never see me as anything else. I just don’t want to go with Patrick, he’s tormented me for years! Lemme tell you how he asked me. ‘Hey y/n, damn girl! I never noticed how nice your tits are, wanna go prom with me and maybe fool around after?’ I mean… who says that?!”

Steve opens his mouth to speak but you carry on, “I’m not naïve Steve, I know all about that. I’m not exactly a nun but still. Prom is supposed to be fun and I can’t help but feel like mine is ruined already.”

Steve puts his hand over yours. “I don’t wanna tell you what to do y/n, but I think you should tell Patrick no. Then figure out what you’re gonna do about Munson.”

——————————————————

The drive to your house doesn’t take long, especially when Eddie is flooring it. He parks outside your house. He can see the light on in your bedroom, but the rest of the house is dark. Eddie remembers that you said your mom was out of town for a few weeks for her work. He takes a deep breath, before walking to your front door and ringing the bell.

You’re not expecting anyone, so you head down the stairs and approach the door with caution.

“Open up, Sunshine!” Eddie says as he knocks on the door. You smile at the nickname, remembering why he calls you that. He had noticed how you always wear something yellow, a hair tie around your wrist or maybe a pin on your shirt or jacket, so he’d started calling you that because that’s the colour of the sun. Yellow is also your favourite colour, so you’ve grown to love the nickname. You straighten your face, not wanting him to see how sad you are, and reach for the door, opening it to see Eddie standing there, leaning against the frame.

“What do you want, Eds?” You ask. “I’m not exactly in an entertaining mood.”

“We need to talk,” he says. Stepping past you and walking up the stairs to your bedroom. You sigh, before shutting the door and following him up the stairs.

He’s leaning against your dresser when you enter the room. You head over to the bed and sit down. He looks great, his Ozzy Osbourne shirt tucked into his ripped skinny jeans and his leather jacket with the Dio vest combo. You can’t believe how fucking hot he looks.

You however have changed into what you plan to sleep in, a yellow tank top and shorts set, a set that you had bought from Starcourt Mall, before the fire. You’re embarrassed that he’s seeing you in your pjs, so you look at the floor. “Someone should speak before we graduate.”

“Are you going to prom with Patrick?” Wow, he just jumped straight in there.

“Why do you care?” you counter, an eyebrow raised.

“Because he’s an asshole and I don’t want to see you get hurt,” Eddie says, standing upright.

“You can’t just ignore me for days and then tell me who I can and can’t go on a date with!” You yell, frustration breaking through. “It’s not like I’ve had guys falling over themselves to ask me, Patrick is the only one who’s asked!”

Eddie is taken aback by your outburst. “Well, it’s gonna be either Patrick, or Steve fucking Harrington, right?”

So, he was there! And he thought you were meeting Steve so you could ask him to prom?

“What exactly is your problem Eddie? You’ve been a dick to me all fucking week and now you’re here telling me how to run my life!”

Eddie drags his hand through his hair. “I’m not trying to tell you how to run your life y/n, I just… I don’t want you to go with Patrick, or Steve.”

“Look, I know I’m just one of the guys to you but if you have such an issue with someone else asking me, maybe you should’ve manned up and asked me yourself!” Your eyes go wide as you realise what you just said.

“I…”

End of part one

Next

Taglist: @sweetpeapod

[rviner]

@wilddwcrds loki x esje - idk somewhere watching the holding camp dec 31st

-

Impending conflict charges the air. A crackle of tension, a shiver of anticipation in the night’s frost. Loki’s senses sharpen to his surroundings, his whole body morphing into a snarling hound that strains at the leash. He’s lived so long like this that the fire in his veins is barely noticeable as he sits in serenity, but keen eyes are locked onto prey.

The holding camp looms before them while they lurk in the shadows of trees, and suddenly Loki can feel Esje’s trepidation as if it echoes in his own chest. His gaze shifts to her, studying the way she’s mesmerized by the camp. Subtlety has never been his forte, and their unspoken bond has long since transcended formalities. Which is why it’s all too natural for his hand to take a gentle hold of her chin, tilting her head so she looks at him. “You have trained every day. You are ready.” his head lowers into a solemn nod, letting go of her face with a caress of fingertips before he glances briefly to the other wolves with them. “Visser spirit can not be taught.” he adds when his attention pulls back to her, a smirk forming as it’s obvious who he speaks of. It’s his duty to follow Alpha and Beta, but it doesn’t mean he can’t have opinions. Ruben is a strong wolf, but he seems clumsy to Loki. Like a pup still growing into massive paws.

“This will be an easy fight.” another glance to the camp, where movement has slowed thanks to the howling snow and plummeting temperature. “Just stay by me, you will be fine.” he speaks not to her but he doesn’t need to. The previous months since finding her, despite riddled with violence and danger, have been a blessing to Loki. Not a single interruption from meddlesome Grimms. Having Esje to himself is a reward, he thinks. A gift that he isn’t ready to return. “Are you scared?” Loki asks as if he can’t hear the thumping of her heart, but he predicts that she’ll insist otherwise.

[riddle-me-ri]

BTAS, Arkham, ZY Riddler S/O has trust issues and doesn't really do flavors for rogue unless he can give something back. When they're more serious he finds out it's because she gave her ex a kidney since he was sick and he still cheated on her later.

I'm actually not making this up, some girl shared her story on TikTok and everyone was asking if she can get refund.

A/N: Oh no, I know you’re not making it up, lol. I’ve seen that EXACT TikTok, it’s so fckin’ terrible that happened. I was just thinking it as I read your rq and then you confirmed it, when I was like “isn’t that a tiktok?” I don’t blame her if she developed trust issues after that. I have trust issues when my ex admitted he didn’t actually mean it when he said he “loved me” the last four months of our relationship…no one out here is safe! Also I wrote these as headcanons cause they sorta came to my head as headcanons…I hope that’s okay. The ideas just seem sorta cut short to be turned into drabbles, but if it reads awkward I can change it…

Trigger Warnings: none really, other than some sleaziness on Zero Year Riddler, but that should be the norm by now

Riddlers x F!Reader - Trust Issues

Batman The Animated Series Riddler: 

Eddie was content with how things worked in your relationship. You helped him when he needed gear for his contraptions or needed an upgrade in the latest technology, and he rightfully compensated you for it. Whether that was with money or information from highly secured corporations.

Suffice it to say, the Riddler wasn’t expecting to catch feelings for you, but he was very impressed with your vast knowledge. You were like him and had a sponge for a brain and you wanted to know more. Plus you were pretty good at his riddles. 

He was taken aback by your hesitant response, but was happy you accepted his invitation to develop a more intimate relationship. However, even with this new development you were insistent that his services come with a price. 

“If I fix this for you, Ed what do I get out of it?” You asked examining a busted trap mechanism in one of his false toys. 

Edward blinked in confusion. Romantic relationships were new to him, but he was fairly certain people that cared for each other did things for one another because…they cared. 

“My dear, I…I must say I-I don’t know…I thought you could do it to help me…because you care about me? Am I wrong in that assumption?” 

You sighed exhaustedly. You really didn’t want to bring it up, but it was only fair. Edward was so patient and kind to you. Thoughtful, gentle, and leagues smarter than your ex.

“I-I’m sorry Eddie…um…I-I just..it’s hard for me to do a favor and not make sure I get something in return, because I gave something to someone I loved and I can never get it back..”

Edward’s eyes furrowed in concern. “May I ask…what favor did you provide them?” His eyes practically widened into tea saucers when you told him you gave your ex one of your kidneys so they could have life changing surgery, only for them to cheat on you not long after they recovered.

Ed lifted your chin so you could look him in his green eyes. With a single finger he wiped away the small droplets of tears that fell from your eyes. 

“My darling, Y/N…my sweet, intelligent, brilliant, Y/N…I-I would never, ever take advantage of you, your skill, your heart, and…y-your organs.” He smiled sheepishly. You couldn’t help but giggle. 

“I know there’s nothing I can do to get your kidney back, but I can promise you. I will never take you for granted. And I’ll protect you and your heart from anyone that tries to use you.”

Arkhamverse Riddler:

Needless to say you both have trust issues. 

After his falling out with Catwoman, it was hard for him to trust another thief, but he would be a fool not to utilize one. He may be a genius but he was aware that subtlety and sneakiness weren’t his forte.

Therefore he enlisted you to help him. You got whatever materials, valuables, information he wanted and he paid you tenfold than what you would make from other rogues. “As ever generous as I am brilliant, you should thank me, most would kill to get to work for me!” 

Yeah right, like you’d do something for someone just for posterity sake. Even when the two of you got closer. Despite his protests, you checked on him occasionally even if there wasn’t a job for you. 

You meddled in his projects and assisted him, not that he’d ever outright gratify your support and presence…deep down he did begin to appreciate you. He looked forward to seeing your face and hearing your voice. It kept what little sanity he had left grounded to something tangible. 

Because of this, he has made attempts to open up as did you. However neither of you did something for the other, not without certainty there was compensation for it. 

“I don’t see why I have to do something in return? Ha! I thought you actually cared about me…” Edward tried not to sound defeated at that last statement, but he failed. 

“Because last time I did something for someone I cared about I had something taken I can’t get back!” You snapped. 

“Oh, please. I was foolish to trust an ally like Catwoman and she stole every penny to my name and destroyed everything I worked and slaved over!”

“I gave my kidney to my terminally ill partner and they cheated on me!” You almost screeched, hot tears dripping down your face.

Edward dropped the screwdriver he was using on a circuit board. He turned back around on his workstool to look at you. 

“I-I…uh…wasn’t expecting that..” He cringed. 

“Yeah, well…neither did I..” You crossed your arms, but not before wiping your nose and eyes with your sleeves. 

Edward gulped. He didn’t know much about romantic partnerships but…he knew enough to know he screwed up. He just had no idea how to fix it. He took off his gloves and his goggles and made his way towards you.

“I-I…I’m not sure what to say, but…I can assure you I would never ask for anything more than you’re willing to do. I would never ask you to give up..an organ…besides my brain is already finely tuned to the skeleton, muscle, and intestinal structures of my body.”

You quirked your eyebrow at him. He shrugged with a tight smile. You couldn’t help but chuckle, that’s as best of a reassurance you were going to get out of him. Even for an egomaniac like him, that wasn’t so bad, you could believe his word. 

Zero Year/Capullo Riddler:

Okay so, like, you shouldn’t trust this man. Like period. 

I mean, you kinda can because he’s blunt and honest, he won’t lie to you for the most part. Unless he's manipulating you, but that's beside the point...

You were the cute new rogue on the block. You were revered in the underworld for your vast hacking capabilities. Anything and anyone from Wayne Enterprises, Daily Planet, Lex Corps. You were impressive. 

Of course any person with that skill wouldn’t sell their expertise for free. Ed was willing to compensate you for your services and the information you gathered for him. However, it didn’t take long for him to take a more carnal interest in you. 

You weren’t budging on the proposition. “No thanks, Nygma.” 

“Aw, c’mon, don’t be like that…I’ll make it worth your while!”

“Somehow I don’t believe that, what exactly do I get out of this…arrangement?” 

Edward looked at you rather puzzled. A quirk to his brow and a sly grin, his hands went down to his waist and he dragged them up to his chest. He repeated this motion, gesturing that he was the great prize to be hold. 

You blinked uninterested, but not before you muttered. “Right, I’ve already given a kidney to an asshole that cheated on me, like I’m gonna give you my body…”

“I’ll have you know…wait what?” 

“Yeah, my last…intimate relationship, I gave them my kidney so they could have life altering surgery. They cheated on me not long after they recovered.” Your eyes darted between your computer screen and your feet. Not sure what moved you to indulge Edward to such personal information. 

“Damn, um, look…I-I like you, anything we do between you and I, I intend to make it mutually beneficial for both of us.”

“So you respect my decision to decline? Since you like me?”

“Sure, doll, you should know by now there’s nothing I love more than a puzzle.” He winked and you proceeded to cringe, but not without smiling fondly.

[wackybuddiemewbs]

WIP Wednesday

Here's to another canon divergence no one was looking for, and still ain't (and shouldn't). I'm a hoe for the drama of that whole arc, what can I say?

Working title: No Love Letters

Basic idea: Buck returns to the 118 after the lawsuit, all the more unsure of his standing at the station and with his friends. Sadly, someone seeks to take advantage of that, leaving some none too kind messages feeding right into some of Buck’s worst insecurities. Can his friends get through to him before it is too late?

Find out more here: Part 1

Buck stares at the wrapped boxes sitting on the kitchen island. He spent way too many hours wrapping them carefully last night. It seemed like a nice idea to distract himself from the letters. From his damn life right now. But after the one he found earlier today, Buck finds the glittery bows and colorful paper only mocking.

Christopher’s birthday is next Monday. Eddie didn’t say anything to him, so he is not sure whether there is a party, and if there is if he’s supposed to come. If he’d even be welcome anymore. And Buck was too afraid to ask Eddie or anyone about it. He spent restless hours, going back over the scarce conversations they’ve had. To make sure he didn’t miss a subtle cue somewhere down the line. Because subtlety is not his forte.

At least that was his worry until he opened his locker to the message that narrowed his world down to close to nothing. Now Buck knows he is not supposed to be anywhere near Christopher. So yes, the bows and papers are mocking him, hard.

Fear after fear after fear is breathed into existence, to make it less a fear than another sad part of his reality. Before, he could at least tell himself that it was an irrational thing, that he just felt that way, but that it wasn’t real.

But now it’s real.

It’s real and it hurts, even though it won’t bruise, won’t bleed, even though he does it so easily these days.

Just like that, he feels like a small kid again, not knowing how to make his parents see how much he hurt unless he did indeed bruise, bleed, break.

Buck wants to drink himself to oblivion. He wants to punch something till his knuckles are bloody and the pain too much to take. He wants Maddie to hug him and tell him that everything is going to be okay again. He wants Chim and Hen to joke with him like they used to, call him Buckaroo with that fond expression he treasured in a small chest in his heart. He wants Bobby to squeeze his shoulder and drop some wisecrack to set him straight. He wants Christopher to giggle at him to make him forget his demons and let himself be blinded by that shining light. He wants Eddie to forgive him, smile that certain smile at him that always had Buck believe that he had a place in that man’s life, now earned or not.

He wants it all, right now, all at once, but none are happening.

Because he is alone, by the end of the day.

Because that is what he returns to, an empty apartment with only his own presence to fill it. Which isn’t much. Definitely not enough.

Because of the lawsuit, because of what it got twisted into.

And now Buck has no family anymore, other than Maddie. And even her he’ll eventually have to push to the sidelines of his life. Because she is with Chimney, happy with Chimney, looking towards a future. And he is done dragging her down with his own issues. Because Maddie deserves to have her happiness with Chim at long last. Because they are each other’s something, their little everything.

Some time back, Buck likened himself to be at least a little bit something in Eddie’s life. Not just Christopher’s, but Eddie’s in particular. Eddie is his best friend, someone who stuck with him even when he was being all of himself and too much of it. Eddie said there’d be no one he’d trust more with Christopher than him. And Buck still dares to think that Eddie meant it. But maybe he can’t anymore, after he betrayed that trust. Because Eddie expected him to be there. And he wasn’t. And now he’s alone again, wondering why.

Kind of stupid if you think about it, right?

Buck managed to push himself to the sidelines of Eddie’s life with the stupid lawsuit. It’s plain, obvious, bleak. Right on the nose. And that even though Buck thought he was actually heading the right direction – until he ran into the damn brick wall he built with his own damn hands.

Before the stupid lawsuit, that is.

There was that sweet, okay, maybe bitter-sweet, spot after the tsunami and before he talked to Chase Mackey for the first time. Buck felt like he’d manage somehow. Because he had Christopher and Eddie.

Eddie had rewarded him with something Buck didn’t know he needed until the other man had given it with the gentlest of touches, never expecting anything in return: A place in his life that wasn’t just the narrow distance between colleagues or good friends.

It was suddenly so palpable for Buck. That he could show up uninvited and still be invited inside, no questions asked. That it was very much possible to climb out of bed and find Eddie already inside his apartment, munching breakfast he’d brought along the way to pick him up for some early workout together. That he wasn’t alone.

Because he had Eddie.

In that bitter-sweet spot, Buck thought that maybe he could figure out that other issue that had been bubbling up in his stomach for longer than he cared to admit. Things that had started likely much earlier, in fact. Back when he was still being a rotten, petulant child about Abby going away, fearing that Eddie would take his spot.

He had tried to put those feelings off as being needy for attention after his breakup with Ali, too, but she disappeared fast from his mind. And all there was was Eddie and Christopher. Coming back from PT exhausted and drained, sagging down on the sofa with them, Chris sandwiched in the middle, watching cartoons and forgetting about the pain in his leg. So long he was in their orbit, it felt like his stars aligned. And that was enough. In fact, it turned out to be more than Buck could ever wish for.

Suddenly, there was a spotlight on Eddie and Christopher, like a halo almost, a big sign telling him that this is what he wants and that maybe he can have it. Buck just had to go for it and hold on.

A family of his own. With them.

Buck was almost there, he was so damn close. But in true Buck fashion, he managed to fuck up the one good thing that may have pulled him even though the personal low of losing his job, his purpose.

Because maybe that could have been enough. Buck was enough for that, right? Being there for Eddie and Christopher, being part of their lives. He didn’t have to act, didn’t have to pretend to be anyone less bothersome. He was loud and unapologetically himself, and that was fine with them. They were, too. They were themselves together, and to Buck, it felt like it all was falling back into place.

Got greedy though, huh? See where that got you. See where it gets you every damn time.

Buck was almost there, so damn close, before he fucked it all up. He was so close to gather the courage and say it, make it real. Because yes, Buck isn’t as courageous about these things as he is on the job he used to do, to tell Eddie. To tell him all the thing he’d left unsaid, had only ever felt so very intensely that he could barely contain all those big feelings. He was almost there, right within reach.

And now he has a million things left unsaid to Eddie, and Buck doesn’t even know where to begin with that part of himself, even less so if Eddie is indeed behind those letters. If apologies don’t open the door by just a single inch, if Eddie wants to throw the door shut, how is he supposed to squeeze enough of himself into the room to take a deep breath and say it loud and clear, unapologetically, hoping for the best:

Eddie, you’re more to me than just a colleague or my best friend. You were there for me when I didn't know how to put myself back together. You showed up for me. It was you, all along. You and Christopher are everything to me. I love Chris as though he was my own. I love…

Buck’s eyes fall on the printouts from last night, tasting bitterness on his tongue. Transfer papers. He didn’t have intention to fill them out. He just wanted to get his mind used to the idea. To the inevitable now, it’d seem.

But maybe that’s too much wishful thinking.

Transferring means someone would want him instead.

And who’d want a traitor on a team? A family? Right?

[imakemywings]

Mass Effect Trilogy Tag

Let’s spread some positive vibes by remembering what we love about the trilogy. Fill in and tag your friends. Feel free to add your own categories to this survey.

Tagged by @illusivesoul

I've been a fan since: Summer 2019

Favorite game of the series: 2

MaleShep or FemShep?: Femshep all the way

Earthborn, Colonist or Spacer?: Spacer

Paragon or Renegade? Renegade

Biotics or Tech? Ooh that’s hard! I think they’re both cool.

Favorite class: Vanguard

Favorite companions: Thane, Tali, Samara

Least favorite companions: Vega, Zaeed

My squad selection: I really try to change it up so I feel like they’re all getting enough exercise

Favorite in-game romance: Shrios TT_TT It breaks my heart but I love it anyway. I love later-in-life romances which is the feel I always get from this one, especially with Thane having already had a long-term partner that he lost. Also, I feel like he asks some important moral questions for Shepard.

Other pairings I like: Second place goes to Shiara just because they really do have an epic 3-game romance after Liara arguably falls for Shepard very early in the first game. I would love to do Tali or Ashley’s romances but tragically I’d have to play as mShep which I don’t want to do. I do have Samantha queued up for my paragon run though!

Favorite NPC: Can I pick the biotic god volus? No? Aria then! She’s terrible but she’s interesting. Urdnot Bakara is also a really neat character, love getting to talk with her.

Favorite antagonist: Sovereign. Meeting Sovereign is when it really hits home how serious this whole situation is and I feel like they bring an excellent sense of foreboding in that even when Sovereign is dead, you can’t shake the fear of something worse coming. Also, I feel like Sovereign does a better job of being neutral about the mission which is how the reapers really should operate--Harbinger crosses into malice at times which seems to counter the notion that the reapers are just carrying out protocol to the best of their ability and don’t understand why what they’re doing is wrong.

Favorite mission: Oh man, I know I’m going to forget a bunch. Tali’s loyalty mission in 2 was really well done though and there’s a great blend of both the terror/horror of what you’re seeing combined with your pain for Tali.

“Acquire the Reaper IFF” in 2 is also a great one; the defunct reaper is so creepy and the hints along the way of the previous workers going insane from being inside it is great. I wish they’d played a bit harder on the unsettling factor vs. getting swarmed by husks, but subtlety is not really ME’s forte XD

Favorite loyalty mission: See above. Jack also has a great loyalty mission.

Favorite DLC: Lair of the Shadow Broker was pretty well done, although I knock points because if you didn’t get it you have no idea how Liara ended up becoming the Shadow Broker in 3 and I don’t think that kind of key information should be relegated to a DLC.

Control, Synthesis or Destroy? Fun fact: the first time I completed the game I chose “none of these” because I thought there would be some like, secret 4th option (and I thought Shepard might be resentful about getting this far only to be presented with 3 questionable options)...there isn’t. The galaxy was destroyed by reapers. Good thing Liara made that history USB.

That said, synthesis or destroy, for sure. I’ll still do a control run just to see how it turns out but honestly I don’t think anyone should have the kind of power Shepard would have in that position.

Favorite weapon: I’m counting biotic charge as a weapon. Also, that salarian gun you can get in 3 that shoots gel bullets or wtv at people that one’s cool

Favorite place: I love Omega

A quote I like: “I’d rather gargle acid after chewing on a razor blade “ -- Femshep after a dude in Flux asks her to have a drink with him.

Tagging: @sad-mage-central @irikahkrios @clarevoience anyone else who follows me and is into ME I forget who is

[celandeline]

Disagreements (Eddie Munson x Reader) (Part Three)

“So did you ever find out what Munson wanted?” Lula asked, glancing up at you from the open notebook in front of her.

“Why do you ask?” You deflected, poring over your own notes.

“He’s looking at you again.”

You glanced up from your notes to see Eddie across the library, hiding partially behind a magazine. Catching your eye, he grinned, sending a bawdy wink in your direction. You rolled your eyes, fought back a smile, and looked back to your work.

“It was nothing.” You said. “Just school stuff. He’s trying to actually pass this year.”

“Good for him, I guess.” Lula said, returning to her own studies.

Once you were sure she was absorbed in her studies again, you looked back up at Eddie, unsurprised to find him still looking at you. In the week it had been since your date, the staring hadn’t gotten any better - if anything, it had gotten worse.

Catching your eye again, Eddie grinned. You watched as he made a show of closing his magazine and getting up from his seat, not so subtly beckoning for you to follow him.

“I’m gonna go grab another book.” You excused, getting up from your seat. Lula barely noticed as you left.

You ducked into the library shelves, following the direction Eddie had went. It wasn’t long before you found him, tucked away in the fantasy/sci-fi section, leaning against the shelves.

“Funny running into you here.” Eddie said, shooting you a grin.

You returned the smile, rolling your eyes a bit. “Subtlety really isn’t your forte, Eddie.”

“Never claimed it was.” He said, pushing off the shelves. “So listen, I had an idea.”

“Okay.” You said, a smile coming over your features. You were pretty sure you knew what he wanted - another date. And you were pretty sure you were going to say yes. The last one - though you had been reluctant at first - had been the most fun you’d had in weeks.

“Here’s what I’m picturing.” Eddie began. “You. Me. My trailer. A copy of Cannibal Holocaust. A blanket. Maybe some microwave popcorn.” He raised an eyebrow. “Sounds good, right?”

“Cannibal Holocaust?” You asked.

“Horror flick from a couple years ago.” Eddie explained. “Unless you don’t like horror?”

“No that’s fine.” You said. “I don’t scare too easy.”

“We’ll see about that.” Eddie said. “But yeah, you’re down for another date?”

You smiled. “Against all odds, yeah.”

Eddie’s smile widened, impossibly. “See, I told you you had a crush on me.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.”

“Yet.” Eddie corrected. “I wouldn’t go that far, yet.”

You rolled your eyes, turning to go back to your table. “I’ll see you later Eddie.”

“Same spot, same time, baby.” Eddie called as you walked back to your seat.

—

Which was how you found yourself waiting on the corner down the street at eight for a second time. It was strange, how quickly your opinion on Eddie had shifted. You had thought yourself above the opinions of your peers, disliking him for a different reason, but the more you thought about it, the more you realized your dislike wasn’t because of his loud demeanor, but because you simply hadn’t known him.

You were sort of glad you did know him - at least a little - now.

The blaring of a horn broke you from your thoughts, and you watched as Eddie’s van came barreling down the road, careening to a stop at the corner. You circled to the other side, climbing in then passenger seat.

“Hello hello.” Eddie said. “You ready for the night of your life?”

“Is that what it is?” You asked. “I thought we were just watching a movie.”

“You’re watching a movie with me, and it’s not just any movie, it’s Cannibal Holocaust. You’re gonna be so scared, you’re gonna piss yourself.”

“Yeah okay.” You said.

“Just you wait.” Eddie said, punching the gas as you pulled away from the corner. The van started forward, and you clicked your seatbelt closed. Just in case.

—

Your heart jumped into your throat as a shot of adrenaline went through you, watching as the antagonist of the film jumped out from behind the protagonist. Eddie howled in laughter on the couch next to you, one hand in the bag of microwave popcorn you were sharing.

“Seriously?” He asked. “That was like the most obvious jumpscare ever. You watched a dude get eaten before without flinching, but that’s what gets you?”

“Shut up.” You said, leaning back into the couch. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

“It’s okay if you’re scared babe.” Eddie drawled, slinging an arm around your shoulders on the back of the couch. The position forced you closer, until your thighs were pressed together and your head was almost on his chest.

“I’m not scared.” You said. The fear had only been instinctual, and only lasted a second. If anything, Cannibal Holocaust was turning out to be mediocre at best.

“You don’t have to lie.” Eddie continued, puffing out his chest a bit. “I’ll protect you.”

You had to bite back a laugh at that - skinny scrawny Eddie Munson, protecting you? Comical.

“Okay Eddie.” You said, relaxing into the side embrace. You could feel his heartbeat against your cheek, thumping rather fast. “You sure you’re not scared?”

“Not in the slightest, m’dear.” Eddie said. “I’ve seen this movie hundreds of times by now.”

“Then why’s your heart beating so fast?”

Eddie took a minute to respond. “No idea.”

“Hm. Mysterious.” You said, smiling to your self. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think it had something to do with you.

“Mysterious indeed.” Eddie repeated.

[skania]

Tommy & Lizzie in S5

I’m a sucker for parallels and show-and-don’t-tell, and Season 5’s writing of Lizzie and Tommy was so good in that regard, that it honestly kind of shocked me. I was absolutely not expecting that because subtlety isn’t exactly their forte when it comes to the Peaky Blinder romances lol

I ended up gathering my favorite bits as I watched it but I wanted to finish S6 before posting this, to go over everything at once. Having finished the series, I think I’d much rather just share my thoughts about S5 and S6 separately, so here it goes lol

The TL;DR is that before watching S5, I kept seeing people say that Tommy doesn’t love Lizzie. Since I had seen so many people say it, I assumed there must be some truth to it.

But when I watched S5, I found the show told me the exact opposite.

In the first episode, Lizzie and Ada get angry at Tommy because of what happened in Chinatown. Lizzie is particularly offended by the fact that he kept this from her. What does Tommy do?

Lizzie, you need to understand. Lizzie? Lizzie, if Finn had listened to me. He keeps going Lizzie, Lizzie, Lizzie. He zeroes in on her, something he doesn’t do with Ada.

It’s a very simple scene, but it stablishes something important in regards to Tommy’s and Lizzie’s marriage. Despite what he might not say, Tommy cares about Lizzie’s opinion. He values it.

This is further developed in Episode 2. The very moment he is alone with Arthur, Tommy asks him about Lizzie and Ruby.

He doesn’t need to know what she’s been saying, because he trusts her—and her reading of him—enough to know it must be true. This, again, shows just how highly Tommy values Lizzie’s judgement.

But that’s not the only thing it shows.

Since he knows Lizzie would say nothing but facts, knowing what she’s saying about him isn’t really important. So, he asked because through that information, Tommy would be able to gauge where Lizzie stands in regards to him now.

What Tommy wanted to know is how Lizzie is feeling about him.

Again, this is further developed in their next scene together.

Just like Arthur, Tommy burns Lizzie’s letter. Unlike Arthur, Tommy does read it first.

I feel like that alone sets the context for the scene. The reason Arthur didn’t read Linda’s letter is because he knew it was going to hurt him. He was scared of the contents. Tommy said so himself, earlier, that he and Arthur are the same person. Tommy could’ve easily burnt the letter without reading it, for the very same reasons Arthur himself did it.

But, Tommy read his. Tommy knows Lizzie is so disappointed in him that she’s even thinking of divorcing him.

So, Tommy deliberately tries to hurt Lizzie because he is hurt. Whether it’s because of ego or his own feelings, at this point it’s ambiguous. But what matters is that Tommy isn’t being callous because he doesn’t care. He is being callous because he does care, and he doesn’t like it. Because caring means giving Lizzie power over him, and no one can rule over Tommy Shelby but Tommy Shelby himself.

There’s a lot to say about their conversation here, specially about what Tommy tells her about the dreams he has been having. But this is already long enough as it is, so I’ll focus on two things:

Lizzie is hurt by everything his dream implies—that he has considered taking his own life, that living in peace and quiet with them isn’t enough for him—but she refuses to give him that pleasure, so she talks business. Lizzie puts on an act and implies the only thing she cares about is knowing whether there would be enough money left for her and the kids. So, Tommy does the same. He puts on an act and talks business; tells her he still feels like he pays her for it. Neither of them are saying this because they mean it. They’re just building a wall so the other won’t be able to get through to them.

Despite all this, Tommy still shows up to Ruby’s birthday just like Lizzie asked him to do. Which once again plays into everything the show has stablished about them so far this season.

Despite what Tommy may or may not say, he cares and he cares a lot. The way his usual mask breaks when Lizzie comes out screaming that she doesn’t want him back says it all. There’s raw hurt on his face, which shows it isn’t all about his ego, no.

But of course, Tommy is awfully good at making it all about his ego either way. So he pulls himself together and lashes out. When he tells her that everyone (she) fucking needs him, it’s as much of a reminder to Lizzie as it is Tommy convincing himself that it’s true.

But the moment Lizzie shows she’s willing to take him back? The guy literally melts into her.

When Lizzie asks him to let her into his head, Tommy says that doing so would “clear out” that which “needs clearing out.” This immediately reminded me of the scene where Tommy revealed that it was Lizzie who kept his heart from breaking some nights. No one else.

This is extremely important. Huge, even. But it’s not the most important line in their scene.

His wording here is pretty funny. You’d think he would tell her that he loves her, but that would be too big an admission—it would leave him too vulnerable. So instead, he tells her he owns her. That she is his.

And, really, hasn’t Tommy always been rather possessive of Lizzie? He’s always had good excuses as to why. She wasn’t telling John the truth, she shouldn’t be dating rival families.

Except, now they’re married. So, Tommy finally admits that he wants Lizzie to belong to him. That he wants no other man touching her.

But this parallel right here reveals what Tommy doesn’t say aloud.

Remember the S2 finale, where Tommy gives his infamous speech?

For Tommy, having everything meant having the woman he loved (Grace), his business, his family, his status. Everything.

And now, he is telling Lizzie that “everything” belongs to him. Including her.

So, by this point, Tommy does indeed already love Lizzie, because everything is already his. I love how the series shows it through subtle clues and parallels rather than spelling it out. It fits the characters perfectly and gives their dynamic a layer of complexity that really caught my attention.

Episode 4 only further confirms Tommy’s feelings for Lizzie. When Mosley implies that if he wants Lizzie, he will have her, Tommy has a melt-down. It’s not the business and the dangers Mosley represents that get to Tommy, no; it’s the thought of putting Lizzie in danger.

Right on cue, Grace shows up to haunt him. And what she tells him says it all. It’s not the stone that was cursed, it’s him. It’s Tommy who got her killed.

Grace bringing that up at this point shows that what is making Tommy freak out is the fact that he is terrified that the same fate will come to Lizzie. That he will bring her harm, too.

In the next scene, he is contemplating jumping off a bridge when he sees himself ferrying Grace off, buried under coal. While Tommy refuses to accept it, Ada spells it out. That vision is a representation of his guilt.

Of course, the show just happens to confirms this through a conversation between Tommy and Lizzie out of all people.

When Lizzie feels guilty about her past as a prostitute, Tommy caresses her cheek and tells her that it’s all a “pile of bodies” just “floating by”. The imagery is clear parallel to when Tommy saw Grace’s body ‘floating by’.

It’s at this very moment that the season finally confirms what Tommy hallucinating Grace actually means. The first episode is a misdirection; Grace doesn’t manifest because of the love they felt for each other.

No, Grace manifests because she is the embodiment of Tommy’s guilt. She is not there because Tommy is still in love with her.

After this, the season is much more straight-forward about Tommy and Lizzie. Tommy went as far as to convince Aberama Gold to temporarily let go of his grudge so Tommy could carry on his business with Mosley. But if Mosley “lays a hand” on Lizzie, Tommy will disregard it all and murder him.

And then we get this gem.

So, I really do think that when you look at all the parallels and calls-back, the show does make its case clear even without putting it into words.

To wrap this up, I feel this scene right here plays an important role into Tommy’s behavior around Lizzie in S6.

He trusts Lizzie, he trusts that she knows him. So when Lizzie tells him what she sees on his face, Tommy doesn’t want to deal with it because she’s seeing things that even Tommy himself doesn’t want to admit are there.

Lizzie knows him, yeah; but she isn’t supposed to know him better than he knows himself. That scares Tommy, because he needs to be in control and how can he do so when Lizzie can read him like a book?

But I digress because I’ll probably end up writing a post about S6 too lol

[sourcherryandsprinkles]

Silent breakup (part 2) | Jess Mariano x Reader

Summary: Your boyfriend of three years get down on one knee, but there's someone else on your mind

Pairing: Jess Mariano x Reader

Word count: 1.4k

Taylor Swift bingo square: Champagne problems

Prompt: You think you can do a part two to silent breakup where readers moved on and is dating someone and the same time Jess comes back her boyfriend proposes.

Notes: Set during season 6

.

''You'll never guess who I saw this morning,'' Rory said when you met for lunch.

''Is Lane back from her honeymoon? I would've thought they'd stay more than a weekend.''

''No. She and Zack are still in Mexico.''

''Who is it, then?'' you asked.

Rory bit her lip, hesitating. ''Jess.''

A frown creased your forehead. ''As in, Jess Mariano?'' His name felt strange on your tongue. You hadn't pronounced it in a long time.

Rory nodded. ''I ran into him when I was out to get printing paper. His book got published and he's trying to get it to be sold in small bookstores.''

You were surprised but also very proud. All his life, Jess believed he would never achieve anything because of where he came from. You kept telling him he could become someone if he tried - he was incredibly smart and had a way with words -, but he had no ambition, no dreams. It was sad. What a waste of talent.

Years later, he wrote a book. You wanted to cry.

''He invited me to the launch tomorrow night. Wanna come with me?''

''I don't know, Rory...'' you protested.

''I'll pick you up at 4pm.''

.

Your stomach was tied in knots as Rory drove to Philadelphia, anxious to see Jess again. You hadn't seen him since he left Stars Hollow three years ago and you didn't know what to say to him. Will he be happy to see you again? Or will he be upset that Rory brought you to his book launch? Does he have a new girlfriend? Is he married?

''Stop pulling at the sleeves of your sweater, it'll stretch the fibers and look terrible,'' Rory warned as she took a turn. Her eyes widened. ''Wow, I sound like my grandmother.''

You laughed. She did sound like Emily. ''I'm nervous,'' you explained. ''Sorry.''

.

Rory parked her car in a nearby parking lot and you headed inside Truncheon Books. The room was filled with other small artists - writers, poets, etc. - who each had their own exhibitions. You should've known it wasn't going to be an event for only Jess. It was his first book.

''Rory, you came.'' Jess walked over to Rory, not knowing you were there since your back was to him. ''Oh, you brought a friend-'' You saw him stiffen when you turned around. ''Y/N. That...that's a surprise.''

''Hi, Jess.''

He looked the same as you remembered, but older. His jaw was more angular and his hair was styled differently. His clothes were also more mature. He was no longer the little troublemaker of Stars Hollow. The Jess you knew would've never been caught dead wearing a blazer.

Jess gave you a small tour of Truncheon and introduced you to Matthew and Chris, his business partners. They seemed like nice guys. A little nerdy, but they were book publishers. What were you expecting?

Then, Rory left you two alone to talk. She made up something about wanting to check some paintings, but you knew it was bullshit.

''She left us so we could talk, didn't she?'' Jess said once Rory was out of earshot.

''Subtlety isn't her forte.''

''Let's go sit.''

You took seats on the ottomans, facing each other.

''I'm sorry. For the way I left.''

''Jess, it was three years ago-''

He shook his head, not letting you brush it off. ''I owe you an apology.''

You didn't expect him to apologize and admit his wrongs after so long. It was nice to hear.

''Leaving like that was cowardly. I should've told you I was leaving, I should've given you a proper goodbye. You deserved a proper goodbye.'' Jess paused, going back to that time in his life. ''I was scared to tell you I wasn't going to graduate because I knew what would happen if I failed to fulfil my part of Luke's conditions.''

You wanted to tell him that Luke wouldn't have kicked him out, but although he liked having Jess around, Luke had been clear about graduating. It's not like he was asking something Jess wouldn't have been able to do. He was smart, so smart. School would've been easy for him if he had opened his textbooks and showed up in class.

''I don't want you to think I left because I didn't love you anymore. It was so hard to leave you, Y/N.'' He glanced into your eyes, showing his sincerity.

''Why didn't you call?'' you asked, after all this time, the question still burning on the tip of your tongue. He had called you from payphones before, why didn't he do it this time.

''I wanted to call you, there's so many times where I almost picked up a phone and called you, but I didn't want to hurt you more than I already had.''

You had to give him that one. Hearing his voice would've made your pain worse.

''So, how are you? Are you still in Stars Hollow?'' Jess asked, moving the conversation to a lighter subject.

You and Jess talked for half an hour, catching up about each other's lives and projects. It was nice to talk to him again. You missed it.

''I'm proud of you, Jess,'' you said, speaking the truth.

He smiled, but stayed humble. ''I'm glad you're here, Y/N.''

''Me too.''

.

When you're a little girl, you imagine yourself saying 'yes' to the man on his knee, asking for our hand. You imagine yourself celebrating this next step with your family and friends - and fiancé. It's a beautiful day - the best day of your life.

But, life doesn't always go how we imagined it. Sometimes you don't know the answer until someone's on their knee and asks you.

''No.''

Your voice echoed in the room, causing surprised gasps and whispers from everyone around you.

No one applauded. No one popped the bottle of Dom Pérignon.

Alexander was on his knee before you, his mother's ring in one hand and yours in the other. You saw the spark in his eyes vanish as the single word left your lips. He dropped your hand, his heart shattering.

Tears blurred your vision. ''I'm sorry.''

.

''Alexander asked me to marry him.''

''Oh my god!'' Rory screeched, smiling wide, really happy for you. ''Forget about coffee. We need champagne.'' She got up from the couch and started looking for a bottle of champagne in the wine rack. ''First Lane, and now you. I'm gonna be the only one who isn't married.''

You held your breath, about to snap Rory's bubble.

''We're not getting married, Rory.'' You looked down, the carpet in Logan's apartment suddenly very interesting to look at.

There was a short silence as the brunette put back the champagne bottle and went to the liquor cabinet instead. ''I think we're gonna need something stronger,'' she said to herself. She took two shallow glasses and poured whiskey on a couple blocks of ice.

When you came here, you didn't think you'd have to relive the moment to explain everything. But how else would she know what happened? Alexander's sister had filmed the whole thing on her phone, but you couldn't ask her to send you the video. She probably hated you for breaking her brother's heart.

Rory returned to the living and handed you one of the glasses she was carrying.

''Careful. This is fancy whiskey. If you drink it too fast, you'll get drunk real fast. It might come back up too...''

''Got it.'' You took one sip, feeling the burn of the whiskey. God, this was disgusting.

''So...what happened?'' Rory asked, sitting on the couch.

Rory didn't want to push you, but she was impatient to get explanations. A proposal was a huge thing. Rejecting one was even bigger.

''You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I'm just confused. Two weeks ago you were telling me how Alexander was your second chance at love.''

''He is,'' you confirmed.

''Then why did you tell him 'no'?'' There was no judgement in her voice, she just wanted to understand you.

You bit your lip and held your breath, worried about how Rory would react when you'll tell her the reason you had declined Alexander's proposal. ''Because I didn't want to be dishonest and say 'yes' when there's someone else on my mind.''

[heyheydidjaknow]

Hiya! I have a request for an x reader songfic. Snap out of it by the Arctic monkeys gives me so many 2012 Donnie vibes. Maybe one where the reader is in love with Donnie but he likes April and the reader wants Donnie to, you know, "snap out of it" and notice that maybe April isn't the best person towards him. It can end in unrequited love or with a happy ending, that's for you to decide but I just really want to see this concept. Thanks! :>

(feel free to ignore this request if you want 👁️👁️)

Oh, I’m not about to turn away a chance to be pushed out into foreign territory. I admittedly hadn’t known what a songfic was until wikipedia and @kunimikat saved my ass, so this was fun-- and a bit scary-- to write. I hope you like it, even if it might not have been exactly what you were expecting.

April was your friend. She had been for a while, now, since she had moved to NYC. The two of you had come even closer after her kidnapping and initiation into the “Hamato Clusterfuck” as you had affectionately called it at first—you had wisely made a conscious effort to only get involved with them as far as you could throw them, sticking solidly to offering emotional support and half-decent food. At the beginning, you had, on multiple occasions, even begged her to stay out of it, trying to reason with her that getting herself killed by a psychotic armored man with an axe to grind for the crime of hanging out with four teenage shut-ins was an incredibly bad idea. When your logical arguments fell on deaf ears—her owing them apparently being her ball and chain—you had designated yourself as her supervisor to make sure she did not do something overly impulsive. She was reckless, overly trusting, immature, but you loved her like a sister. You balanced each other out.

One of the benefits of knowing someone for so long is that you learn things about them that they do not know about themselves. In April’s case, it had been that she was terrible at making up her mind

 What's been happenin' in your world?

You had borne witness to the love triangle transpiring between Donatello Hamato, Casey Jones and her for the better part of a year now. You were relieved that the two boys had backed off each other’s throats somewhat over the period, but it was as infuriating as it was fascinating to watch them fight over her like a chew toy. Of course, April had her preference between the two, favoring the hockey player mainly for his general normalcy, which was a decision you could approve of, but she had hesitated until recently to make that obvious to the other point because, in her words, “The last thing I want is to deal with is all of that awkwardness.” You could hardly blame her for her hesitation, but you thought it almost cruel not to make her feelings apparent to her lovestruck puppy.

 What have you been up to?

Donnie was the most tolerable of the five, the most normal in your opinion. He was an infatuated, insecure teenage boy with more an affinity towards machines and, best of all, seemed concerned for your friend, all things that you could get on board with. In your opinion, overbearingness is preferable to negligence in this case, and you were just happy that someone physically capable had her back. As such, when you were stuck at the lair for hours waiting for her lessons with Splinter to be over—you were her ride—you found yourself spending the most time around him, and as time went on, you started going out of your way to do so.

Seeing as April and Casey were your only other friends, it was natural you would get romantically attached. They—a couple by high school standards—approved of your crush, and all you told your guardian(s) was that they were smart, fit, and financially responsible, so they asked few questions.

You knew, logically, this was not a competition and that April had little interest in him.

But something about the way he gazed at her made you burn green with envy.

 I heard that you fell in love, or near enough.

His eyes were just so… wistfully longing. He watched as the redhead and her boyfriend played against Michelangelo and Raphael in a game of charades. His expression was just so soft, lips pursing and popping silently as he grieved from his seat in his lab.

It had been a downhill spiral on your end from there, and as your own attachment grew for him, his own depression worsened. Your eyes drifted from your friend as you tried to make him see that, no, the world was not ending because his first crush did not like him back. You would make subtle comments about how happy his brothers were, how happy she and Casey were together, how smart he was and how many people would die for a kind, loving, smart guy to come around and sweep them off their feet. This, again, fell on deaf ears; he would always comment on how, if he were such a catch, April would not have chosen Casey, like It is his fault for her having more of a taste in cocky, fun-loving guys than intelligent ones. Half of it was probably your lack of experience in subtlety, but no matter what you would try to say, whenever romance came up in conversation, his words turned sharp and bitter.

On that day, you just cracked.

 I gotta tell you the truth.

You walked over to the lab door, closing it in a single fluid motion. ‘I’m better at being blunt, anyways.’

He blinked; his trance was interrupted by the small slam.

“She’s not into you.”

“Huh?”

You crossed the room and placed your hand on the desk, expression stern and stone cold. “April,” you repeat. “She’s not interested.”

He did not meet your gaze. “You don’t know that.”

“I do, actually.” You leaned down to look him in the eye. “You aren’t her type. You’re supposed to be smart.” You placed the other on the back of his chair, arms cagging him in, almost. “ She has a boyfriend,” you continued, softer. “You know that, right?”

“I do.” He tapped the side of his thumb against the table absently, throat tight. “But what else do you suppose I do? Submit to the fact that I’ll be alone forever?” He looked up at you. “I know this may be hard for you to believe,” he continued, easily slipping out from under your arms, “but I don’t exactly have a ton of options. She’s the only person who’s ever looked at me like that; how am I supposed to move on from the only person who’s ever even given me a chance?”

 I wanna grab both your shoulders and shake, baby.

 You rolled your eyes, turning to watch him as he crossed to the other side of the room. “That is some blatant bullshit,” you glared curtly.

“Is it, though?” His back was to you as he crouched down in front of his centrifuge, fiddling with it. “As someone who’s never—”

“So help me, if you go off about me not understanding being rejected and feeling like they’d die alone, I’ll rip your tongue out.” You stood back up properly.

“What would you know about it?” He followed suit, eyes locking on yours. “You have other people to choose from.”

“And you don’t?” You crossed your arms, smiling incredulously. “How do we differ, exactly?”

“Besides the obvious?”

You scoffed. “You’ve seen your brothers. Never stopped them.”

“And I’m happy for them, that they’re so charismatic as to be able to find partners so easily.” You could taste the bitterness in his words. “But I’m not them, in case you didn’t notice. That girl out there?” He pointed to the door. “She’s the first and only person in the universe who’s ever given me a second glance.”

“So you’re just fucking blind, now?” You heard your voice rise without your input.

“What’re you talking about?” His voice grew with yours.

“You’re lovesick,” you spat. “Snap out of it.”

 Snap out of it.

You ran your fingers through your hair. “Or maybe you’re just dense.” You felt a laugh rise in your throat. “I mean,” you gestured, “clearly picking up on verbal subtext isn’t your forte.”

You gave him five seconds. “What,” you continued, rubbing your face with your hands, “Are you—” You stopped. “You are, aren’t you?”

Nothing.

You took a slow breath, hearing your heartbeat in your ears. “Let me put it in simple, plain English for you.”

 I get the feelin' I left it too late, but baby—

 “As her friend? You’re a fucking creep.” You crossed your arms across your chest. “Following her the way you did—wait your turn—” A finger interrupted his defense. “Following her the way you did? Objectively creepy. Staring at her all the time? Also fucking creepy.” You felt your nails dig into your skin. “Any person would call it as it is.”

He opened his mouth again to argue. You did not interrupt him this time, but he did not argue, the silence falling like a weighted blanket over the two of you.

“As your friend,” you continued, voice lowered, “as someone who cares about you, I know April, and she can’t give you what you want. It’s not her; she needs to be free, and I love her, but you’re looking for something that’s just not there.” Your voice was certain. “You’re looking for someone to spend your life with. I’m right, aren’t I?”

 Snap out of it.

 He was still for a moment, looking off into the ether. He nodded, face melancholy.

You walked over, resting a hand on his shoulder tentatively. “I’m not saying it’s stupid of you to not be over her. Again, I love her to bits, so I see the appeal.” You broke eye contact, trying to articulate exactly what you meant. “But I’m worried,” you explained slowly, “you’re only hung up on her because you’re scared of being alone. That’s not fair to her or yourself.”

“Do you know that?”

“No,” you admitted easily, “but you and I are the same way, and trust me, I’ve been around the heartbreak block.” You smiled, trying to relieve the tension.

That earned a chuckle. A small one, but a chuckle none the less.

You reached up, cupping his cheek in your hand. “There are seven billion people on this planet. Any one of them—myself included—would be lucky to have a life with you.”

 If that watch don’t continue to swing—

 A pause.

“Do you honestly believe that?”

You nodded, your thumb running along the line of his eye socket. “I do.”

 —or the fat lady fancies havin' a sing—

 You leaned forward, pressing your lips against his cheek gently.

 —I'll be here, waitin' ever so patiently—

 “Y/N!” You pulled back as you heard April calling your name. “We need a moderator!”

You started back towards the door, waving gently. “I wish you good tidings, Donatello.” You smiled quietly, serenity itself standing in the doorway. “May whoever is fortunate enough to call you their own bring you happiness. You deserve it.” You slipped out of his lab, running over to break them up.

Donatello rested his fingers on where your mouth had lit his skin. He felt a bittersweet smile fade onto his face.

—for you to snap out of it.

And that was when it began.

List of Works

[mrsalwayswrite]

To Call Forth Love - Chapter 6

Haha, I’m so excited for this chapter. Please let me know what y’all think! Also a huge thank you to everyone who has liked/commented/reblogged. You guys deserve all the love and cookies possible! 

Warnings: swearing, fluff (i think that’s it, sorry if i miss something)

Words: 7300 (i feel like my chapters keep getting longer. oops?)

Tag List: @heavenly1927 @youbloodymadgenius @zuxiezendler @punkrocknpearls​

Series Masterlist

The aroma of coffee surrounded Kari like a warm, comforting blanket. The café was just the perfect amount of busy, there were a few other tables occupied but without feeling cramped or overwhelming. The lunch rush was just beginning, indicated by the number of patrons standing in line to order now. 

 The brunette sipped on her latte as she slowly swiped through the pictures on Gyda's phone. The two were finally meeting up for an early lunch and coffee after a yoga class. Gyda had been gushing about the trip she just returned from to Phnom Penh, telling stories of the week she spent there and letting Kari slide through the pictures on her phone. 

 "These are just gorgeous. Gods, you have the best job, I swear."

 Gyda laughed, picking at the muffin in front of her. "I know. I can't imagine doing anything else though."

 "When do you leave again?"

 "Mmmm…. I’m not sure yet. The company is wanting me to go to Vancouver, British Columbia next. I might wait until the end of September to go. I'm not sure. Either way, it won't be for at least a month. Depends on how soon I want to go visit mom."

 "Why wouldn't you want to go soon?" Kari perked up at the mention of Gyda's mother. She knew the two were close, but all she really knew about Lagertha was from what Ivar told her.

 "I'm not a fan of her new boyfriend. Sorry, she prefers the term "lover". Kalf works for her, specifically with contacts from their Mediterranean partners and overseeing some of the shipments."

 "Why don't you like him?" She swiped to the next image, a stunning picture of the Cambodian royal palace. 

 The blonde waved her hand vaguely, as if swatting a fly. "He hasn't done anything; I just don't like him."

 "That's fair. Does he treat your mom well?"

 "Yeah. She just has shit luck with men and I'm worried how this one will turn out." She sipped on her coffee, gazing out the nearby window for a moment. 

 Kari turned back to the phone, guessing there was more that Gyda was not saying. Not that she needed to know. No, she had enough drama in her life currently and his name was Ivar. 

 Both women lounged in the wooden café chairs, still in their yoga clothes, having come straight from the studio. Except Gyda changed her footwear, losing the sandals for a pair of wedge heels that made her long legs look like skyscrapers. It was hard not to envy Gyda's body, and Torvi for that matter. They both had the perfect hourglass figure, with all the right assets and gorgeously braided, blonde hair. Maybe it was some standard that women around the Lothbroks had perfect bodies. It made Kari wonder why Ivar paid her any attention then. Her body was far from perfect. Her chest side was decent, but she always thought her hips and thighs were too large. Most likely leftover critiques from her mother who not-so-lovingly would say Kari was pear-shaped and needed to focus on losing all that extra or no man would want her. Not that she was trying to get a man. Over the past two years she had finally come to embrace her body and was learning to be comfortable in her own skin. Though some days were better than others. It was still difficult to watch Gyda receive appreciative looks from many of the patrons as they passed by their table and know none of them would even give her a second glance. The blonde was effortlessly beautiful. Perhaps there was a way for her to teach Kari that. 

 Suddenly Gyda zeroed in on the brunette with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "Speaking about men…."

 "Are you going on a date?" 

 Gyda snorted, with an amused grin on her face. "Hell no. I'm not interested in a relationship right now. I am perfectly fine being single. Stop changing the subject. There is a little something going around the Lothbrok rumor mill that Ivar took you on a date to Casa mia, Maggiore."

 "Not a date, it was just as friends." Kari clarified. 

 She gave her an incredulous look. "Just friends?"

 "Yes."

 Gyda narrowed her eyes at her. 

 "What? We went out to Casa mia, Maggiore and then I convinced him to go to Masterpiece. After he dropped me back off at home. Nothing happened."

 "Right…." Gyda hummed. "So, it was a date."

 Kari dropped her face into her hands with a groan. "Not a date. Just friends."

 "Whatever you say. Just know Ivar doesn't take just anyone to his favorite restaurant. Hell, I think he only took his ex there once in the ten months they were dating. He usually only goes with Aslaug."

 "Oh? Um, I didn't know…" The brunette hated how she perked up at this new information. It should not matter hearing that he never took anyone, that it really was his favorite restaurant and he wanted to share it with her. In their texting, he made reference to when they went back, what food he wanted her to try next. Something apparently, he was not even inclined to do with an ex. No, none of that should matter. But it did, and the way her heart swelled at the realization only proved that to her. 

 "Clearly he really likes you to take you there. Do you like him?"

 "Sure, he's a good friend."

 Gyda sighed dramatically, tipping her head back. "You're killing me, Kari! Fine! When was this not-date? A week ago?"

 "Eight days, yeah."

 "Have you hung out since then?"

 "Yeah, he picked me up once and we went out for dinner. Another time, he took me out on my lunch break. He had to go on a business trip so I haven't seen him in…. three days?"

 "Right. I'm guessing he's blowing up your phone while he's been gone?"

 Kari took a sip of her drink as she mumbled, "sort of." The truth was they were practically texting non-stop. It was mostly discussions, and arguments on his side, of superficial things like TV shows, the proper time to wake up in the morning and her lack of clothing that was more than yoga attire. Other times they sent memes back and forth or links to funny YouTube clips. Kari never realized how lonely she was before Ivar thrust himself into her life with all the force and subtlety of a rocket. 

 "What does that mean?" Gyda eyed her for a long moment before she gasped and slapped the table. "Oh shit! Is he sending you dick pics?"

 Kari choked on air. After hacking for a couple of seconds, tears coming to her eyes because of the action, she vigorously shook her head. "No! No! Ewww....no! We keep sending stupid memes to each other and talking about where we should go out next. That's it. I promise."

 The blonde laughed loudly at Kari's reaction, who fiddled with her earring, face burning with embarrassment. The two sat quietly for a couple of minutes, sipping their drinks and watching the line of lunch patrons increase. 

 "So…. it kind of sounds like you're dating."

 "No, we're just friends. Why can't friends just hang out?" Kari tried to argue. The beginning tendrils of annoyance creeping in at constantly having to defend their friendship. 

 Gyda stared at her. "Have you made-out?"

 A blush colored Kari's cheeks before she could figure out a good enough lie, giving away the truth. 

 "What?! How often?!" Her enthusiastic friend cried, before waving her hand once again. "Never mind. Listen, he's taking you out to his favorite restaurant. He is clearly going out of his way to spend time with you. He is texting you! You don't realize how big of a deal this is for him! He generally hates people. I'm positive he has murder plans for most of those he is forced to be around. Does he know you're just friends? Because to me, it doesn't sound like it."

 Kari covered her face with her hands, tears of frustration springing to her eyes. Ivar and her could only be friends, that was what she promised herself. If he knew her, the real her…. it would never happen. He would never want her. So it was best to remain friends, to protect both of them from the inevitability that anything more would never happen. Even though their line of friendship was blurring…. and that was the worst part. She found herself wishing to continue to blur that line, even when she knew it would only end in disaster. Taking a deep breath, she could smell his cologne, a scent she had become so used to now. Her mind could easily conjure the feeling of being in his arms, his mouth on hers as she gave in under his touch. She cared for him, deep down she knew more than a friend. Although he could annoy her to no end, she enjoyed his presence, his humor, that vulnerable side that peeked out occasionally, how he made her feel safe and beautiful. 

 Now hearing Gyda pointedly telling her that Ivar was treating her as more than a friend. It left her speechless and wondering if she was making a mistake. 

 Gyda’s tone softened when she spoke next. "Why are you so set on just friends?"

 "I just…. I don't want to date right now. After my last relationship, I just want to focus on myself."

 "That's fair but listen, he isn't going to wait around for you forever."

 "I know. I don't want him too." She admitted, tugging on her earring. Though her statement was the truth, it still tasted bitter on her tongue. 

 "Ok, but does he know that? It sounds like he’s set on you, but I'm going to warn you. Don't break his heart. He isn't the type to recover from heartbreak. His heart is already locked up more securely than Fort Knox but if you break it…."

 "I promise, that isn't my intent. I just…. can't. I like him, more than I thought I would. He is funny and charming and sweet but also infuriating and demanding and I've had more fun with him than I've ever had with a guy friend before. He…. I can be myself around him and I think he can too. But I just…. It can't go further than friendship."

 Gyda mulled over her words. "Alright. I don't fully understand but I get it. It's nice to hear that he's connecting with someone. None of us liked his ex. He only really spends time with family or Floki."

 "I don't want to hurt him." Kari whispered. 

 "I know. You're too sweet to purposefully do something like that." The blonde tilted her head to the side with a slowly growing smug look. "I give it until the end of the year and you'll be naked in his bed."

 "Gods! What? Why would you say that?"

 "He's a Lothbrok. They always get what they want."

 *****

 Kari laid curled up on her full-size bed, her laptop up and watching Downton Abbey. A heating pad rested on her abdomen as she waited for the pain relievers to kick in. Most of her life she was happy with, but the one thing she would easily trade out would be the painful cramps when PMSing. The birth control she took helped out, but there was usually still one day that the dreaded cramps hit hard. 

 Her phone dinged. Languidly reaching over, she grabbed it from beside her pillow and opened it to check the text. 

 Ivar: wat r u doin?

 He texted her earlier that day saying he was returning home from his sudden business trip. 

 Kari: nothing

 Ivar: good. bts. 

 She groaned, slamming her face into her pillow. She did not have the energy to deal with him right now. All she wanted was to relax and eat her body weight in chocolate. After a moment of self-pity, she texted him back, hoping she could get out of whatever he had planned already. 

 Kari: no, I don't feel good.

 Ivar: wat wrong?

 Kari: nothing bad.  

 Sure, they had been talking daily for over a week but that did not mean she wanted to divulge her period issues to him. There were a few things she knew and one was that guys did not like talking about the menstrual cycle. 

 When he did not text back right away, she turned her attention back to her laptop and the TV show playing. Soon enough the magic of pain relievers and hot pads kicked in and her pain was minimal, though she had no intentions of leaving her warm cocoon. Alana was at her night class, so Kari was home alone. Not unusual really, but tonight she certainly felt the urge to lay around and do nothing. 

 After about twenty minutes, she heard a loud knock on her front door. Alana was not home, so it could not be any of her friends. Her neighbor, Erik, never just showed up. He always made sure to text before coming to her door. Maybe there was some kind of emergency? Or a package being dropped off? Though at this time it was certainly getting late for any kind of deliveries. Then it hit her. 

 Ivar. 

 "Ughhhh," she groaned, rolling out of her bed. For a split second she contemplated not answering it, just staying in her warm bed. She knew, though, if she did not get it, he would probably bust the door down. Maybe even set it on fire to make a point. He seemed like the type to light things on fire for fun. 

 As soon as she opened the front door, those intense blue eyes scanned over her body as if looking for some unseen disease. "What's wrong with you?" He barked at her, one hand still on the doorframe.

 "What?" She blinked owlishly. 

 "You said you don't feel good." He gestured towards her, his gaze still searching. "What's wrong?"

 "Um, it's nothing. Just cramps. It's better now."

 "You sure? It's nothing worse?"

 She was touched by his concern, the way his last questions were said in a breath of relief as if actually worried about her health. "Yeah, happens every month. I'm fine."

 "Ok, good. Get changed, Hvitty and I are going to see a movie. I want you to come with us."

 "Ivar, you should hang out with your brother…."

 "I fucking live with him. He's fine with it. Go change."

 She sighed, knowing by now there was no way she was making it back to her warm cocoon and Downton Abbey. Besides, she had missed him while he was gone and found herself wanting to spend time with him. Not that she wanted him to know that, it would only inflate his ego. "I'll only agree to come with you on two conditions."

 "Fucking what?" He growled, though she could see the amusement in his eyes. 

 "First, I'm wearing my comfy clothes." She waved her hand at the pair of soft, black leggings she wore and the thin, slouchy sweater with the word 'beautiful' printed on it. "Second, and this is the most important condition, you have to buy me a stupid amount of chocolate."

 He rolled his eyes, but a smile tugged on his lips. "If that's all, princess…."

 "Oh, give me a minute. I'll think of something else… and it's not princess. It's m'lady."

 "Shut up. Get your shit. I'll meet you at the car."

 She laughed as she raced up to her room to grab her purse, not even bothering to change out of her clothes. The only addition was to throw on a zip up jacket that was a size too big on her. She always found movie theaters too cold to be fully comfortable without a jacket. 

 The vehicle waiting for her this time was a luxury SUV. She stopped for a moment in the driveway, unsure what to do. She wondered what the neighbors would think of her getting picked up in this and how many knew Lothbroks were sitting in it. Hopefully no one was paying attention. The one of the back doors opened so she headed that way. Ivar slid over and she followed him into the vehicle, closing the door behind her. 

 "Took you fucking long enough, m'lady."

 She smirked at the nickname. "Well, you did just show up at my door and told me we were going to see a movie. At least the other times you gave me a heads up to be ready."

 "Ivar, you said you text her we were coming." A man she had not noticed said. He sat across on the bench seat facing them, watching her curiously. It was now Kari noticed how both Ivar and the guy were dressed casually, both in jeans and t-shirts, though Ivar had a light jacket on also. 

 "She said she wasn't doing anything." 

 The flaxen-haired man sighed, before reaching his hand out. "Hi, I'm Hvitserk. This idiot's older brother."

 "It's nice to meet you. I'm Kari." She took his hand, but instead of shaking it like she expected, he turned it over and pressed a lingering kiss to the back of her hand. When he released it, he gave her a quick, flirty wink and leaned back in his seat. 

 Startled by his bold action, she looked at Ivar, unsure how to respond. What was with these Lothbroks and their unabashed flirting? 

 He had his eyes narrowed at his brother, teeth practically grinding. "Fucking touch her again." He snarled. 

 Hvitserk chuckled, a smug look on his boyish face. "Relax, brother. I know you don't share…. even if you're just friends." Either he was purposefully antagonizing his younger brother or did not notice the anger seething off of him. 

 Ivar started to lean forward but Kari wrapped her arms around his, pulling him into her. She was not about to watch a fight go down between the two. "Didn't you just get back from your trip? I thought you'd be home resting." She quickly asked, trying to distract. 

 After a long moment of the brothers staring at each other, Ivar with a glare and Hvitserk looking amused, the raven-haired brother leaned back. He turned his head to look at her as he answered. "You said you wanted to see me earlier, and going to see a movie isn't strenuous."

 "Everything involving you is strenuous."

 As soon as she muttered the words, she wished she could take them back. 

 A devilish grin spread across his face, those blue eyes dancing with something mischievous and forbidden. "I can show you strenuous." He shifted to hover over her, lips dangerously close to hers. "All. Night. Long." He whispered, one hand leaving a trail of fire as it slid from her thigh up to the curve of her breast. A shiver ran down her spine at the low, hungry tone and the naked want in his gaze. "You'll be begging for more of me…. to destroy that pussy and leave you completely undone and hoarse from screaming my name." His tongue flicked at her earlobe, a choked gasp leaving her mouth at the sensation. Her eyes fluttered shut on their own accord, the knot in her core tightening painfully. She both hated and loved what his touch did to her, how it gave her a taste of pleasure otherwise unknown. His nose traced her jawline as he spoke again, tone filthy, making her core ache. "You'd like that, wouldn't you, kattungen?"

 She gulped, her voice coming out far more timid and needy than she wanted. "That's...um, that's nice." 

 Hvitserk's laughter broke the smoldering tension. Her blue-green eyes blinked rapidly as if wakening from a dream, darting to stare at the older brother before returning to the one who still lingered over her, his presence alone keeping her pinned to her seat. 

 "En dag, søte Kari, blir du min." Ivar whispered into her ear, then kissed her temple tenderly. After he leaned back, legs splayed out and arms across the back of the seat. A rapid conversation in that foreign language started, Hvitserk saying something that had Ivar snarking back and rolling his eyes. 

 The whole time, Kari focused on slowing down her breathing and trying to tamper down the warmth radiating from her core. There was no denying it, Ivar did something to her on a primal level. Her body wanted him. Even her mind wanted him. When he directed that sensual, seductive side at her, she melted like an ice cube in June. Her panties were testimony to that. Thankfully, he did not turn that powerful ability onto her frequently. She doubted they would remain 'just friends' for long if he did. 

 Suddenly, Ivar tugged on the sleeve of her fleece jacket, drawing her from her thoughts. "What is that?"

 "Um… a jacket?"

 He hummed then glanced over at his brother. "Sigurd had the same one, doesn't he, Hvitty?"

 "I think so." Hvitserk ran a hand over his braids, a smile on his lips. "Didn't you set it on fire?"

 Ivar waved off the question, still scrutinizing her jacket.  "Whose is it?"

 "Mine now." She replied, wondering what he was getting at. 

 "Whose was it?"

 "A guy friend. He lent it to me years ago and I never gave it back."

 "He's in England?"

 "Yeah…"

 He grunted, rubbing a hand over his mouth for a moment. "Take it off."

 "Wha…. what?" She sputtered. 

 "Take it off. I don't want you wearing another guy's clothes."

 "Ivar, this is stupid. Plus, I always get cold in movie theaters. That's why I brought it in the first place."

 With a deep scowl, he tugged off his own gray, soft shell jacket. When he saw she was not moving, he tugged on her sleeve roughly. She huffed but gave in, not willing to fight him over something so childish. She slipped the fleece jacket off and placed it in her lap. Before she could stop him, Ivar snatched the jacket out of her lap and threw it on the seat to his other side. He dropped his jacket in her lap then leaned back, watching her with a serious expression. This was one of those times she wondered why she put up with him. Who cared where the origins of her clothes came from? It was comfy. Sure, it had some sentimental value but it was a nice, warm jacket. 

 Quickly, she slipped his gray jacket on…. and was immediately hit with his scent. A salacious side of her wondered if he would let her keep it. He always smelled incredible and having his jacket now wrapped around her, enveloping her in that…. her libido definitely woke up, begging for attention. Especially after the tease he just bestowed upon her.  

 "Happy?" She asked flippantly, smoothing the gray jacket down over her and trying not to be obvious with her sniffing it. 

 He grinned. "You look better in my clothes."

 "Ugh. Is he always like this?" She turned to Hvitserk.  

 "I wouldn't know. He's never asked me to take my clothes off. But if you did, I'd happily oblige." He playfully winked at her. 

 She groaned. "You both are unbelievable. No wonder you're brothers." She looked at Ivar beside her. "Can I have my jacket back?"

 He raised a single eyebrow as if surprised by her question. After a second of mutual staring, he slid over and opened the window, maintaining pointed eye contact the whole time. Before she could process what he was going to do, he balled up her jacket and threw it out the open window. Without a word, he rolled the window back up and slid over to her side again. 

 "What jacket?" He questioned impishly. 

 She stared open-mouthed at him. "Was…. was that really necessary? Gods! Why did you do that?" 

 "I don't want you wearing another guy's clothes." He shrugged. "If it's that big of a problem, I'll buy you some new clothes."

 "That's not…. that's not the point! You can't just get rid of something of mine without my permission!"

 "But it wasn't yours, it was some guy friend's."

 She covered my face with her hands. Why should she expect anything different from Ivar? He had a vendetta against her clothes. With a sigh, she scooted away from him. "I feel like we need to make a list of things that are not ok for you to do."

 "I'm not following some fucking list."

 "Alright, I'll stop wearing clothes that belong to someone else if you promise not to throw away my clothes without my permission."

 He yanked on her arm until she was at his side again, despite her half-hearted attempt for space. "You can wear my clothes anytime, especially if I can take them off of you."

 "Ivar, I'm serious."

 He nuzzled the crook of her neck, making her squirm. Sweetly, he pressed a kiss to her neck before leaning back. "Fine." He muttered, tucking her into his side. 

 She glanced over at Hvitserk, having momentarily forgotten his presence. A broad smile covered his face, highlighting his handsome features. 

 "I like her." He declared, meeting his brother's eye with a nod. Next he looked at her, cocking his head to the side. "What are you doing with his sorry ass?"

 That earned a low growl from the youngest Lothbrok, causing Kari to jump faintly and Hvitserk's smile to grow.

 "Well, I didn't have much of a choice. He showed up at my work the first time." She answered honestly, though she mostly did it to tease Ivar. 

 Hvitserk threw his head back with a groan before narrowing his eyes at his brother. "I told you not to stalk her!"

 "What the fuck is this? Gang up on Ivar day? She wouldn't have gone out with me otherwise and afterward she said she had fun, so it's not a big deal."

 Hvitserk's brown eyes met her blue-green ones with true sympathy in them. "I'm sorry, Kari. I would say he isn't normally like this but I'm guessing you know that's a damn lie by now."

 She giggled, "Yeah, I do. Thank you though."

 "You know, we could always ditch him and go to the movie just us."

 "Oh yeah?" She tapped her chin, pretending to think the offer over. "That sounds like fun. Ivar did promise to buy me a stupid amount of chocolate though. It'd be a hard sell to pass that offer up."

 "I'm sure I can come up with something." He wiggled his blond eyebrows, smiling again. 

 "Shut the fuck up, both of you." 

 Kari laughed at the look on Ivar's face. Peering up at him, she changed the subject. "What movie are we seeing?"

 "Ask your new friend over there."

 "Come on, Ivy. You know we're just fucking with you." Hvitserk sighed.  

 Ivar grumbled, looking out the window and ignoring both of them.

 Hvitserk answered her question. "That new horror movie."

 "Oh ok." She hoped she sounded confident but kind of wished she had known before coming. Horror movies were not her thing. As a child, she had watched 'IT' at a sleepover and decided then that purposefully being scared was something she could do without. Though knowing Ivar, he would have laughed and pushed her out the door, saying something about how she needed to watch better shit than she normally did. Maybe this one would be more action-based than real horror. She could only hope. 

 Thankfully, they pulled up at the movie theater soon after. The driver dropped the three off at the door, driving off after to go park and wait. 

 "Ivar, hold on." She tugged on his arm, forcing him to slow his steps instead of walking ahead of the other two. "Give us a minute, Hvitserk."

 The blond brother gave her a quick nod. "I'll go buy some snacks."

 After he walked away, she tried to meet Ivar's gaze, though he pointedly stared over her shoulder. "Hey, we're just teasing. I'm sorry if we pushed it too far. I'm really happy you asked me to come out with you and your brother. It's been years since I've gone out to the movies."

 He remained stubbornly sullen, continuing to stare just over her shoulder as if her presence was a nuisance. 

 With a sigh, she shifted closer, taking the initiative to wrap her arms loosely around his waist. Something she had noticed during the times they had hung out was he liked touching her, not always sexually, but just casual, intimate touches. A stray thought of him being touch-starved crossed her mind. 

 "I also really like your jacket, it's soft and it smells like you." She softly said, peeking up at him, suddenly nervous about her forwardness. 

 "Yeah?" He breathed out, placing his arms around her and tugging her closer. In just that movement, she could feel the hostility drain out of him, the hard tension in his muscles easing away into a softness she was beginning to doubt many people were allowed to see. 

 "Since you threw my other one away, can I keep this one?" She teased, lips curling up at the edges. If he said no, she was inclined to steal it anyway. For emotional damages, of course, not because it smelled good. 

 "Fuck, yes, kitten." He nuzzled her neck, making her squirm in his arms and giggle at the sensation. After a moment, still chuckling, he kissed her neck then laid his forehead against hers. When he spoke, it was with a quiet hint of vulnerability, his voice just above a murmur. "You really are happy to be out with me?"

 "I am." She confirmed with eyes closed, soaking in the heat from his body against hers. This moment felt so strangely intimate that she struggled between prolonging it or tearing herself away. It was in these touches, she found her resolve wavering, a longing rising within her to give in. His arms around her, just holding her, their foreheads pressed together as if grounding one another. It was euphoric and dangerous. 

 He broke the silence between them, tone muffled as if regretting speaking up. "We should go in; the movie is going to start soon."

 "Ok. Hvitserk will probably come looking for us if we don't." 

 "Ah, fuck. He will." 

 They untangled, but as she moved to step away, he snaked his arm around her waist, tugging her next to him. When she glanced up at him, he only looked down at her in wide-eyed, mock innocence. She rolled her eyes but giggled. He was like a puppy afraid to let go of his new toy. 

 As they started towards the doors, she finally paid more attention to his gait. Each step was stiff but powerful. One more than one occasion she ogled him and his swagger that seemed to scream predator, a dark and deadly thing meanwhile also being so enticing. She wondered how he managed so well without his cane but decided not to bring it up.

 Once they passed through the door, Ivar slowed down, pulling his phone from his pocket. 

 "Shit. I've got to take this. Go wait with Hvitty. Oh, here." He pulled out his wallet and handed her his credit card. "Go buy all that chocolate I promised you and drinks for us."

 Normally she would protest, saying she could buy her own stuff. This time she had full intentions of spending his money on chocolate. "Do you want anything to eat?" 

 "Are you on the menu?"

 "Gods, unbelievable!" She laughed though, watching him smile genuinely. After an arrogant wink, he stepped away, bringing his phone to his ear and speaking rapidly in a foreign language. She scurried over to Hvitserk, who stood near the confessions counter. 

 "Everything alright?" 

 "Yeah," she glanced over her shoulder at Ivar quickly, "he just got a phone call he said he had to take."

 Hvitserk hummed, watching Ivar across the lobby with a peculiar expression. 

 While they waited, she ordered her snacks and the drinks for both of them. Though her doubts rapidly spun out of control as she realized she did not know what Ivar would like or want. With a pleading look thrown at him, Hvitserk gave in with a chuckle. Together they picked out snacks and drinks that would have the youngest Lothbrok's approval. Once done, they gathered their stuff and moved over to an open, standing table to continue waiting. 

 "While Ivar is busy, I wanted to talk to you."

 "Ah, sure." She felt a tendril of dread grow in her belly. Nothing good ever came out of a conversation with such an inauspicious beginning. 

 "I know Ivar can be a lot, closer to fucking insane, and not many people can tolerate him." He looked down at her with brown eyes that seemed to see more than they let on. "But you're good for him. You don't take his bullshit. Fuck, he even listens to you. I could count on one hand how many people Ivar actually listens to. What makes you different?"

 "I don't know. I'm just…. I don't know." She stared down at her chipped, teal fingernails, unable to meet his eyes now. 

 "Well whatever you are, we've already noticed a difference since you two started talking. He's not as angry, he doesn't just hole up in his room as often."

 "That's good."

 "Mmmm…. Ivar is my brother and I love him. But I also know his temper can get the better of him and when he is on a rampage, nothing can fucking stop him. He is easily jealous and possessive of things he deems his own…. and he clearly had staked a claim on you."

 "But…. we're just friends."

 "Not to him." He huffed, running a hand over his braids. After checking to make sure his brother was still on the phone, he continued, lowering his voice even more. "You seem like a nice girl so I'll only say this once. Be careful of what promises you make to him…. and if he ever does something to harm you or scare you, I want you to call me. I'll do what I can to protect you. Alright?"

 She nodded, unnerved by his warning. Sure, she knew about the Lothbrok reputation. Yet this was the first time someone point blank warned her with true understanding. She was unsure if she should appreciate the warning or be terrified that he thought Ivar could hurt her. 

 "Give me your phone."

 Silently, she handed it over. He plugged his number in and called himself. With a satisfied nod, he gave it back to her. 

 "Good, don't ever hesitate to call me. Besides, if my brother has his way, none of us would ever meet you. My other brothers want to meet the girl who has Ivar wrapped around her finger already." He winked at her, making her blush. 

 "Hvitty, stop flirting with her!" 

 The flaxen-haired brother grinned, as he watched his brother approach. "I'm not. Just telling her the others want to meet her."

 "Fuck no." Ivar growled, coming to stand between the two. 

 "I'd love to meet your brothers." She commented lightly. "After hearing you talk about them, it'd be nice."

 "Awww, Ivy, you talk about us?" Hvitserk teased, nudged his shoulder with his own. 

 "Not you, asshole."

 Hvitserk laughed, pressing his forehead swiftly to Ivar's. "Come on, the movie has probably started."

 Ivar and Kari followed behind Hvitserk, as he led them to the correct auditorium. Along the way, she handed Ivar a couple of the boxes of candy she bought and the drink picked out for him. 

 "How much fucking candy did you buy?" He grumbled, eyeing the boxes suspiciously. 

 "Enough. If you ask nicely, I might share." She quipped. "I even bought Heksehyl for both of us. Hvitserk said it's your favorite…. and I also got Dumle. Oh, and Guld Barre!" 

 "I did promise you chocolate."

 She giggled. "Yes, you did."

 The three of them found the auditorium and took seats off to the side. Ivar sat in the middle with Kari on his right and Hvitserk on his left. The movie had just started as they sat down, the lights and noise minimal. Though apprehensive about the movie, Kari found herself smiling at just the nostalgic feeling being here evoked. There was something so simple yet profound at being with friends, eating sweets and watching the silver screen. Let alone the darkness of the theater and the nearby munching of popcorn by others and the occasion sound of people talking. She missed this. So, she endowed to enjoy every part of this. Quietly eating her chocolates, she kept her gaze on the screen.

 After some time, Kari felt a large hand on her upper thigh, inching slowly higher and higher. Jolting at the sudden feeling, she grabbed it, trying to stop its further ascent. Immediately, Ivar flipped his hand over and entwined their fingers. She tried to half-heartedly tug out of it, but he maintained a vice-like grip on her hand. In an attempt to glare at him, she swiveled in her seat to gain his attention. Only for him to remain solely focused on the screen. Rolling her eyes, she gave in, shifting back to continue watching the movie. Their fingers remained entangled. 

 Eventually, the chocolate lay forgotten in her lap as the images on the screen became more disturbing and graphic. A few chuckles came from Ivar and Hvitserk and whispered comments made between them. Once someone in the theater screamed as a person on the screen was suddenly killed. The abrupt sound made Kari jump, squeezing Ivar's hand. He laughed, but squeezed her hand back. Not long after, she gave up on watching the movie and just tucked her face against his shoulder. Horror movies were never her thing, the idea of purposefully being scared never appealed to her. And this movie had a thing for people being eaten alive. Not something she wanted imprinted into her brain. The thought crossed her mind that Ivar orchestrated this on purpose, since he seemed to be fully enjoying her cuddling into him. As if without concern, his head lay on top of hers, continuing to hold her hand. If she was not so concerned about having nightmares and trying to block out the hair-raising screams, she might have liked the cuddling. In this instance though, if he moved, she was going to punch him. 

 Once the movie ended, Ivar and Hvitserk argued about the movie- how some of the people should have died or about the graphics of the terrifying creatures. They both became more and more animated as the three of them walked out of the movie theater and towards the waiting SUV. 

 "What did you think, Kari?" Hvitserk asked, taking his seat across from the others, once they all piled in. 

 "She was scared." Ivar answered, leaning back, his arm on the back of the seat and behind her. 

 "That creature was eating that girl's brain while she was still alive! I did not want to see that! I'm going to have nightmares."

 Smirking, Ivar tilted closer, invading her personal space. "Want me to stay with you? I'll keep you safe…. and make sure you dream of other more, pleasurable, things."

 "No, you'd probably try to scare me on purpose." She accused, pushing his body away from her with a pout. 

 "Well, thanks for seeing it with us." Hvitserk spoke up. "Gods, Bjorn would love it. We'll have to tell him."

 The youngest brother nodded before turning back to the brunette by his side. "You coming out with us for drinks now? We always get drinks after."

 "No, I can't. I have to open tomorrow. I need to sleep."

 "Come on, it'll be fine."

 "No. I'll be getting up at 5:30. That's in like…. six hours." This was one thing she was not going to give into. He had dragged her from her bed already once tonight. He was not about to make her lose out on anymore sleep. Not everyone was able to sleep all morning like certain people. 

 "Next time," Hvitserk said with a shrug, a grin on his face as if amused by the interaction across from him. "I'm sure we can all go out again soon. Right, Ivy?"

 Ivar snorted, "Fine. We'll drop you off."

 A discussion about the movie and comparing it to others swiftly captured the two brothers' attention. Finding herself growing tired, Kari just leaned back and listened, her head resting on the back of the seat, and consequently, Ivar's arm. It was different and refreshing seeing him interact with someone he clearly trusted and cared about. His guard was down and even if some of his comments sounded more like sharp barbs, it was said without true malice. The flaxen-haired brother took each verbal jab like water off a duck's back, either making a joke out of the comment or ignoring it. Throughout the interaction, the care and respect for one another was evident, even if on the surface level it appeared dysfunctional. A smile hinted on her lips as she listened to the brothers. She hoped this was not the last time she spent time with Hvitserk. Though his warning still rang in the back of her mind, she liked him. The whole ride back, Ivar kept his arm behind her, sporadically playing with the ends of her hair. 

 At their arrival to her townhouse, Hvitserk said his goodbye to her in the vehicle, surprising her with a swift hug and peck on the cheek. Her face must have been quite flushed if his laughter after meant anything. Ivar grumbled something at his brother in their foreign language as he pulled her out of the SUV. To her further surprise, Ivar walked her to her front door instead of staying with his brother. 

 "Thanks for inviting me out." She said honestly, once they reached the door. 

 "Next time we'll watch something you enjoy."

 Before she could second guess herself, she stepped closer and wrapped her arms around him. Instantly, his arms went around her, pulling her closer. While the hug at the movie theater was sweet and intimate, this hug carried a different tone. It was more urgent and passionate. Her face rested on his collarbone, allowing his scent to envelope her. He laid a soft kiss to the top of her head, resting his chin there after. For a split second, she realized she never wanted to leave this moment. To be safe and warm and comforted and wanted. It was all she had ever hoped for. This was dangerous water they treaded in. With each intimate action, she could feel their friendship sailing closer and closer to the waters of something more. The gentle, easy waters of friendship would not be enough to maintain them. 

 With that thought in mind, she regretfully pulled back. "Goodnight." She murmured. 

 "God natt, kattunge."

 "One of these days, you have to tell me what you're saying."

 A devious smirk grew on his lips. "No, I think I like you being in suspense."

 She laughed, shaking her head. They both hesitated to move, the air tense with something, as if both were waiting for the other to say or do something. 

 "Ok, bye." She finally said, opening her front door. 

 He nodded, taking a step back without removing his heated gaze off of her. 

 Shuddering at the feeling of his smoldering gaze, she let herself into the townhouse and made sure to lock the door behind her. Releasing a deep breath, she leaned her back against the door. What was it about him that tempted her so? He was bad news for her. Yet the more time she spent with him, the more she craved being with him. 

 Glancing down, she stared at his soft, gray jacket she still wore and wondered how symbolic this unintended action was.

[xnchxntmxnt]

OMG HAPPY 2OO LUV!! ILYSM, AND YOU DEFINITELY DESERVE MORE!! AS EXPECTED I'M HERE FOR THE MATCHUP EVENT AND I'M SO SORRY FOR BEING LATE KSDJFHSDF

1 | name : amie 2 | pronouns : s/her 3 | preferred gender : doesn't really matter 4 | self-description :

— it's ya clown sho <3 anyway, i'm an ambivert but more inclined towards the introvert side. my MBTI is INFJ and i'm a Gemini. i'd describe myself as someone who's very observant? yea, i guess. i'm awkward and you know it. My favorite color is blue, specifically sapphire, but i love all pastel colors. My fav show is Chicago Medical and all the psychological and crime thrillers out there are my favorite ( silent patient is my #1 though ) I love painting, playing piano and basketball!

— what i look in a partner you ask, uh, someone who can tolerate my silence. there are times when i go quiet for a whole day, i'll barely speak, no interaction nothing. i want someone who'd not exactly 'deal with it' but 'understand it.' also, i want someone who i can talk to without any hesitation. i have a hard time opening up so i don't do it but when i do, i spill almost everything. i might cry, might have anxiety attack, i might even shout. i know it's not very healthy but i want someone who can help me with those. plus someone who i can read with please <3 cheating and not having any respect for personal space would be the major deal breaker for me

5 | gen. aesthetic : my fashion sense starts from sweats and ends in sweats. i'm a big fan of those oversized hoodies and shirts, like something really comfy. however, i do have a collection of formal wears like blazers and dress.

6 | color/s to describe myself : red, actually. if not read then blue. it switchers but red 90% of the times.

7 | fav song/s : literally everything by Chase Atlantic and The Neighborhood. However, my absolute favorites are some of the famous classical pieces like Experience by Ludovico Einaudi and Chopin's Ballade No. 1 Op 23.

8 | fav genre of music : classical music ( Beethoven, Einaudi and Chopin own my heart )

Lol this is very lengthy I'm sorry, btw congrats again!

I looked into MBTI, I looked into zodiacs, I went off of what you said

Here he is, the man, Seijoh’s do-it-all guy

HANAMAKI TAKAHIRO ur new boyfriend

There is not enough content for him, anyway

How You Met

Bear with me here

Think about this

Artist!hanamaki

You love painting? Art club.

Idk if youre actually in any art club but shhh

Anyway, it was probably some sort of community thing full of tons of different age artists (bc you’d have basketball or something after school and he had volleyball)

So like once a week on thursday afternoons everyone gets together and does all sorts of artsy stuff

Everyone listens to lo fi music (or you can bring headphones) and chit chat and just paint for a couple hours

Its in the back section of a library (bc the library near me does stuff like this its awesome) so if you want you can go read a book while you wait for things to dry

One day the person that ran it suggested you talked to the new guy

He was about your age, it was his first day, they didn't know what all he was good at, and tbh they thought you two would look cute together

Just the vibes yk

So you set up your canvas and stuff next to him and introduced yourself

And you guys just vibe to the playlist

He’s REALLY good

Compliments you a lot too

Which is fun because he’s cute so it makes you a little flustered

You find out you guys go to the same school and he’s on the VB team

And says he has a (practice) game that weekend and asks you to come if you can

Which you do

And they win! So its fun!

Matsukawa basically asks you out for him though

He’s heard all about you already

“You don't get it issei! She’s so pretty!! God, she touched my hand and I thought I was gonna die!!!!!” “the enthusiasm is new for you” “shut up asshole” (conversation from the night before)

So he walks up to you after the game and is like “Hey so,,, we’re going out to get some lunch, you wanna come?”

Makki thinks HES flirting with you and is pissed off about it

Until you all sit down for lunch and oh, the only open spot for him is next to you (since when is matsukawa willing to sit between iwaizumi and oikawa??)

He asked you out after art club that week (Mattsun threatened not to give him any more monster for the rest of the month if he didn't get the guts to do it)

General Headcanons

You date hanamaki, you're also dating matsukawa

There’s no separating them (good thing ur MBTIs work together too, especially for strong friendships)

This was literally my first thought

So

Good luck with both these trolls

More on that later

Of course he’s going to be worried if you go radio silent for a while, but he'll understand

There are some days he’s not gonna wanna talk either

He’s really supportive on your bad days of course

Expect a random text in the middle of the evening from him

“Hiya sweetheart, just wanted to remind you that you’re beautiful, I love you, and I hope your day is going well.”

When he’s having a bad day, the same thing is all he needs from you to keep moving

He’s a really honest person. If you want to talk to him, be prepared not to get any sugar coating. If you tell him to shut up because you don’t want advice, he will. But if you expect advice from him, expect brutally honest advice. Subtlety is not his strong suit, so when it comes to advice, he’s going to tell it like it is. He's just trying to help, yknow?

However, he’s pretty good with people, so will know how to comfort you when something is bothering you. Tea and cuddles? Gotcha. Dancing at 11pm because neither of you want to sleep yet? On it. You want him to hold you? Perfect.

He’s not like...the most touchy person? There are some things he’s really indifferent on, and other things he’s stubborn as hell with. Whatever you wanna do, though

His weakness though

⚠️this part is slightly little bit suggestive⚠️

He will randomly walk up to you and pull you against him, give you a really deep kiss, smirk and walk away like nothing happened

Like hands in hair probably almost making out and then just

Walk away

Because that’s how he kisses and it’s breathtaking every time

It’s either little temple kisses or forehead or cheek pecks or something

Or that

And probably leaves you flustered and it’s funny (to him) (and to me if I was there with you) (bc that would be funny)

Hmm I’m thinking

I’m thinking hair dye dates

He needs help doing his hair from time to time Y’know (he doesn’t he just likes spending time with you) and he wants to make it pink again

So he teaches you how to do his hair and even offers to dye yours one day

Either just a strand or the ends or everything, up to you

Imagine having twinning hair dye with makki isn’t that cute

I think it’s cute

I said ur platonically dating mattsun right

Yes you are now

He absolutely adores you and loves how much makki loves you

Probably would have asked you out if makki didn’t but he was really pushing for makki to because he was just all over you in the beginning

He wasn’t overly attached to you romantically so being friends? Perfect. Sounds great

You two get along wonderfully though like you act like siblings once you warm up to each other

Again, very brutally honest person, but a little more awkward so doesn’t know what he’s saying might come off as he’s acting like a dick

He doesn’t try to though and he does really care about you

Flat out told makki if he breaks up with you and breaks your heart he’s gonna kick his ass (makki doesn’t know he had the same (less aggressive) conversation with you)

Tbh all of the VBC at seijoh loves you

Oikawa loves talking to you he thinks you’re great for makki

Gets you in on he and makki and mattsun’s antics

Iwa thinks you’re good too he just doesn’t know you as well

I think that kunimi would like you (he was almost a runner up--)

Kindaichi too

The first years just think you’re cool even if they won’t say it out loud

Seijoh VBC loves you

You got mattsun’s approval

And hanamaki loves you with literally everything in his life

So

You’re pretty set with your strawberry baby huh

Date Night!

SLEEPOVERS

I was waiting for some matchup to come along that gave me sleepover vibes

In a perfect world where you could do sleepovers with your bf because most parents would,,,not let that happen

Imagine…

He shows up at like 7:00 after practice, pizza in hand because he picked up dinner

You two eat, chat about your day, he probably scarfs down half the pie bc it’s after practice ofc he’s hungry

So when you guys are done eating you head up to your room

And make pillow fort

It’s mandatory

Different design every time, but there’s a pillow fort nonetheless

And then when there’s just enough room for the both of you to climb in

You get a blanket and a couple pillows and one of your phones or laptops or whatever and watch a movie and cuddle

When the movie is over you guys break out the face masks

You ever wonder why he has such great skin? It’s thanks to you (or if you don’t have masks, he picks them up on the way home from practice)

But anyway you guys talk shit about people for a while and sit with the masks on (it’s usually him talking about how Oikawa is a bitch as much as he loves him) (or about whatever he and Mattsun were talking about lately)

You both get chances to vent while the masks sit on your face and you just vibe with music (usually that you pick) (he listens to like,,,meme songs and like CORPSE yk)

After masks you guys make/get some snacks and munch on those during another movie but this time you’re in comfy jammies and more relaxed Y’know

Less paying attention to the movie you’ve seen a million times and just vibing in each other’s presence and it’s just really sweet

Fall asleep on his chest

Let him fall asleep on yours

Either way, you’ve got him whipped for you he loves you

Not that he doesn’t already but that’s his favorite thing ever so please just let him do that

Always makes sure to tell you he loves you before you sleep too

If you fall asleep first he takes embarrassing pictures of you with your hair being a mess & you best bet he sends them to mattsun because “she’s so cute omfg” “dude” “dude what” “you’re so fuckin stupid” “?” “Whatever—good luck being whipped just tell me when you need to get a ring, k” “you’re such a jackass” “yeah yeah Gnight”

Zodiac/MBTI

Okay so I’m not doing a big long paragraph for all this BUT from what I understand, Gemini/Aquarius are really compatible, and ENTP and INFJ are known as “perfect matches” sO (I had a really hard time deciding between Atsumu and Makki because they're both ENTP)

Psst Gemini + Leo is compatible and so is INTP + INFJ,,,, so, again, asking you to marry me sho 💍💍

Aesthetic/Vibes

Playlist

Prelude and Fugue No. 1 in C major, BWV 846

Linus and Lucy by Vince Guaraldi Trio (meme song)

Sky Full Of Stars by The Piano Guys

Someone To You by The Piano Guys

Shut Up And Dance - Simply Three

Runners Up

Miya Atsumu, Tsukishima Kei

[fallencrowns]

@griim​ 

❝  They say you’re good. For a HUMAN, anyways.  ❞  Her lips curled up in a smile, as twisted as it was. She was well aware of the dark underbelly of the city, had dealt in it multiple times. So of course this woman would turn up. Normally, Ava would turn to other mutants but this needed far more subtlety and fewer EYES on her own community. Leaning on the table between them, hazel eyes took in the other woman.  ❝  I’ve got a job for you. Not necessarily a KILLING kind of job but could lead to that. I need help getting in somewhere and subtlety isn’t exactly my forte, you get it?  ❞  Either a distraction or even someone to escort her, Ava didn’t care. She just needed to get inside that lab. The lab supposedly working on a ‘CURE’. But fire and stealth didn’t exactly go hand-in-hand.  ❝  What’re your prices? Keep in mind, the job could entail a lot of FUN as well.  ❞  

[darkpoisonouslove]

The Links That Can't Be Snapped

Summary: Now that they don’t serve an organization whatever magic Griffin and Valtor are after, is all for themselves. Sheltered inside a library full of horrible spells, they rediscover just how strong their bond is. Kinktober 2021 Part 3.

Kink - Chains

CW: Chains, blood, blood magic, surprise bondage, implied blowjob

This one isn't as explicit as the previous ones because it already got long enough. I accidentally included some worldbuilding in this but I love it so sorry not sorry.

Griffin ran a feather-light touch over the pictograph inscription. She had to find the correct imagery before she grated her fingers on the sharp edges sanded into the stone to open the blood-sealed lock. The walls of the cylinder around them were imbued with a curious spell absorbing the essence of those who sought to enter to match it to their home planet's, encrypted into the corresponding pictograph. The library was open to any witch that was familiar with the secrets of ancient inscriptions and magic. Or that's what Valtor's argumentation had been when he'd coaxed her into taking a day off from work to accompany him.

Standing a few steps behind her, he was ogling her ass as she bent down in search of the one pictograph her blood could activate instead of assisting her. Normally, history was his forte but without having his own he was counting on her roots to get them inside. He hadn't dwelt on that devoting his energy to watching her work.

All the attention she could spare went into a smile at the casualness of their raid in the absence of a mission. They were on an exploration journey, the library only the setting for their search to rekindle the good from their Coven days. Whatever they found inside was just an excuse to leave the comfort of their apartment and the demand of their jobs to rediscover the harmony of their partnership without the meddling of unwanted outside forces. Inside the hard stone structure of the tall library they were sheltered from the storm that was raging over the uninhabitable surface of Spheria and she was the one who could open the last door in front of them.

There were numerous pictographs to sift through that had remained confined to the ancient scrolls in museums long before the library had been built. So far back in the history of the Magic Dimension it was easy to spot the shared origins of magic and people. Many of the pictographs only differed in the subtleties of the techniques used to carve them in the stone. The precision in recreating the ancient lifestyles behind the inscriptions was frightening and fascinating.

A setting sun drowned in a sea of red where she bloodied her fingers on the stone. Her breath caught in her throat in the silent pause throughout the chamber and adrenaline rushed through her bloodstream. Valtor had been right to usher her along. Her knowledge was gathering dust on the shelves of Cloud Tower without the Council's permission to include it in the curriculum.

Her magic swept over her fingers healing the tender wounds. Her blood ate through the pictographs like acid and the rest of the wall crumbled to reveal a dozen times larger room. There were shelves lining the walls up to the dome-like ceiling high above. The whole library was one chamber stretching into the depths of the sky they couldn't see.

Shackles surged from the floor under her feet. They dropped to the ground with a clank when they closed around empty air as she hovered above their reach. Chains sprang from the floor like the stalks of a vine only to dissolve, eaten through by her magic.

Griffin smirked, her heart pounding in her chest with triumph. Valtor had disabled the rest of the security system but this last trap was the most insidious one. Falling in the magic-suppressing hold of the metal could kill you slowly over the course of days if you didn't pay attention to the signs around you.

"Knowledge is a chain linking to the heights," she quoted the inscription engraved over the entrance of the library. The nasty weather conditions had distorted it to near illegibility but she'd held Valtor back by the arm out in the severe downpour until she'd deciphered it. It had been too poetic for a library full of spells so dangerous that utmost concentration was the bare minimum for handling them. The place had been buried in magic and once again in documentation. Valtor had had to use the Dragon Fire to get his hands on the location.

He offered her a hand and her heels tapped on the floor with her landing. "See? And you didn't want to come."

If the Council found them, their "rehabilitation into society" wouldn't mean shit. They'd execute them without a trial, and with an unsealed library on Spheria no one would argue the decision. Magic surged to her fingertips wild and unrestrained like her pulse. She'd bet her life in vain for a lie dozens of times. With Valtor having her back, she could face more than a bunch of old, wrinkled morons imposing their vision on the world outside. The power they possessed had the weight of the paper on which it was written compared to the obstacles Griffin and Valtor had overcome side by side. They'd make the library–or any other corner of the universe–their fortress if anyone came after them.

"We're lucky they didn't expect my magic," Griffin extracted her hand from Valtor's to subdue the rush of energy from their proximity. The chains would neutralize any and all magic upon contact with biological tissue but were rolling around her pocket dimension in atoms now. Only living beings were exempt from her particle manipulation.

"No one expects your magic." Valtor's smugness made her heart flutter up into her throat as if on wings. "What the-" His struggle against the chains wrapping his wrists was useless. The magic-suppressing metal solidified on his skin to cancel out his powers and hold him in the place and position she picked for him.

"Giving you a taste of your own medicine," Griffin licked her lips catching his attention on them. He'd wanted her in the chains. That was why he'd surrendered the lead without a fight. "You're right. No one expects my magic." Including him. She hadn't seen it coming when his own Dragon Fire had escaped the scope of her powers during their first meeting in a library similar to this one but she'd learned her lesson. "One would think you would since you're so taken with it. But you're too distracted by my ass to even consider delayed gratification."

Griffin leaned in but kept out of his attempts to capture her mouth in a kiss. The magic lingering under her skin pulled on him like a magnet with the reminder of his own, locked too far away, and her refusal to strip him of his clothes–like she'd done countless times to draw out his appreciation of her skills–at least now that he was helpless to do it himself. With the chains holding his arms, she slid her palms over his ass, nails scraping over his pants at the squeeze of her fingers.

Valtor's scowl softened at her touch. His lips parted and his body strained into her. A grunt tore from his throat when the chains held him back despite his strength tugging at them.

"Don't fret so much. I'll get you out in no time once I'm done." Her magic was more effective on the chains, though she had no doubt he could build up to freedom with his inextinguishable flames. It would simply take time that she had to spare. "You're in good hands," Griffin whispered in his ear as her fingers drew near his cock. "I deserve a reward for all my hard work getting us in here."

"What about my hard work?" Valtor pushed his hips in her palm, his erection hardening. His lips brushed against her cheek in his attempt to follow her with his gaze when she circled him. "I found this place."

"Well then, lean back," the chains rose in the air to suspend his arms above his head along with her fingers trailing up over his shirt. "And relax while I take it from here." Griffin tugged the shirt loose from his pants before stepping away.

They had all the time in the world when no one else existed outside the walls of the library. They'd rarely indulged themselves on missions for the Coven or the Company and there was a lot to appreciate about Valtor's vulnerable form bound in a room full of the most powerful and vile magic in the universe – all of it at her fingertips. She could bring the world down to its knees and all she cared about were Valtor's cries of pleasure. And the sound of his begging next to the jangle of the chains. They'd be the only thing holding him up once she was done.

"Just let me make myself comfortable and I can find us a spell to use that won't do any damage." It would take quite some time in the archives drenched in Spherian hexes and curses.

Griffin slipped out of her coat and put it away in her pocket dimension. The zipper of her dress sliding down had the chains rattling again with Valtor's attention and impatience. She could use her magic to pin his focus on her naked flesh but she let the fabric drop off her form inch by inch instead to make his mouth water.

"It's a little chilly in here," she stepped out of the dress pooling in her feet and left it there to tease him as she ran her hands over her exposed body. The lacy bra and panties didn't leave much to the imagination and the cool air pricked over her heated skin but she was hardly naked with Valtor's gaze coating every inch of her. "I'll have to look for a fire spell first seeing that you're out of commission."

"I don't need magic to keep you warm," Valtor sized her up hungrily as she strutted up to him. His pride was swelling proportionally to his cock. She had the entirety of the never-ending storm outside to pry his ego out of his hands slowly, gently. To ensure he saw even through half-lidded eyes and with a hazed mind once she got on her knees that it was her devotion to him she'd made herself comfortable in, not magic or power. His heart was the only place she needed to be let in.

Griffin put a hand on his chest. "I don't doubt that," she leaned in to kiss the corner of his mouth. Valtor rolled his hips into her to make her smile against his lips in the stream of his rushing breath. "But you can't even unclasp my bra with your hands tied," she patted his cheek with a grin.

He twisted his arms in the hold of the chains to make them clang again. No magic rose from him despite the tangible desire in his aura. He'd need more time and concentration, and she held all of those in her palms. "I'm always up for a challenge," Valtor caught her eye, the heat in the ice blue stroking pleasant shivers down her spine.

"Then you can find a way through the rest of my clothes," Griffin fixed the strap of her bra on her shoulder sending his gaze tracing the contours of the cups when he couldn't slip it under the fabric.

She rose in the air and picked a spot to start poring through the books. Behind Valtor's back, just above head.

The chains rattled with his struggle to twist in their grip and follow her movements.

Her gaze slid over the titles in front of her. Touching without caution was most unwise. They may have avoided all the traps but they couldn't afford distraction now when focus was what had saved them. Maybe she had to stay away from the books altogether. Her mind was still on Valtor's erection pushing into her, her tongue darting out over her lips on impulse where his breath was missing. And her scalp prickled with the absence of his fingers in her purple tresses now that he was tangled in the chains.

"I have a spell for you," Valtor's husky voice kept her off the dangerous tomes. "It's the one I would've used on you. To keep you desperate until I was ready to let you come." She had one or two of those but if he was offering it–and had kept it from her this far–then it had a different flavor to it.

Griffin flashed through the space between them showing off her magic to steal his breath along with every rational thought from his head. "I'm all ears." She pressed her hands into his abs to lean on him.

A loud moan overshadowed the whisper of the chains as they both lulled backwards with her weight on him and his shirt still separating their skin. "As long as you don't leave my side again," Valtor leaned into her, hot breath caressing her cheek to make her heart quiver. She'd touched him a million times and he was more tempting than the forbidden magic around them that could give her the safe future she'd envisioned for dark magic users so often. He was her future and she wasn't taking a step away from him even if the rest of the world burned.

"I'm right here. Like I said I'd come." Her magic loosened his buttons for her hand sliding down his chest. Griffin lowered herself to her knees, lips tracing over his abs as she worked his belt free. To hell with the spell. She didn't need it to keep him involved and treading the edge. She could focus on the melody his tugging on the chains was stringing together.

Valtor grunted at the strokes of her tongue over the skin she'd exposed to the chilly air. Her hot breath drowned out their surroundings and his command of his own magic. They weren't in a hurry to steal spells. They'd brought their own warmth from the home that was waiting for them every time they left – together or separately. All they had to do was enjoy the way they were spilling into each other like a live symbol of infinity.

[forgottenoracle]

(ardynzunia, merdyn. lets be honest this prompt was made for him XD) “Claimed!”

Send “Claimed!” For My Muse’s reaction to Your Muse wrapping their arms around them and protecting them from another’s unwanted advances..

Parties and large social gatherings were never Aera's forte. Even after coming to Altissia and becoming familiar with the social formalities of the floating city, the oracle still loathed going to such advents. She wished for nothing more to return to her home and loom; however, she was here to show face. At least she wasn't here alone.

Ardyn had decided to accompany her to this evening's festivities. Aera was grateful for his company; she wasn’t sure if it was because of his height or his muscular build, but people tended to keep their distance. But every so often, there would be one brave soul that would approach the pair. Usually, it was a few polite words of conversation before losing their nerve and excusing themselves. But tonight, they were approached by someone different.  

Count Marius Chavalerio was one of Aera’s former suiters. In the early months after meeting Ardyn, he would try and sing to her in a gondola outside her garden. It was, in a word, Interesting. Especially since he somehow managed to flip over in his boat every time. However, after her relationship with Ardyn went public, the count backed off somewhat, but not completely. Whenever Aera attended parties, he would often single her out subtlety pursuing her as if nothing has changed. 

“Lady Aera, such a surprise to find you here! I thought you were busy paying to the Tide Mother.” Marius gave Aera a smile that made her skin crawl. 

“The Tide Mother’s festival isn’t until next week,” she answered politely, “ so we were free to attend tonight's celebration.” She motioned to Ardyn when she said, ‘we’ to lay down the hidden point. 

But sadly, it appears Marius missed this as he pressed forward. “Oh! If that’s the case, then-” he was suddenly cut off by a low rumble. 

Aera blinked as she felt Ardyn’s broad arm wrap around her waist and pull her securely to his side.  She looked up and noticed a set glare on his face; unsure what was going on, Aera leaned into him and then looked back over at Marius. The count had turned extremely pale, much to her continued confusion. Her eyes moved between the two before the Count hurriedly excused himself. 

"I wonder what happened...” She murmured. 

@agent-jaselin @ardynzunia

[aye-masakalii]

Raghav/Pallavi | Vijay’s Worst Nightmare

This extremely silly idea took root in my head when I was listening to the song, and the story demanded to be told, so here goes...

In an alternate universe, Vijay Deshmukh’s worst fears are realized. Despite her family’s explicit disapproval, Pallavi and Raghav have, indeed, been in a relationship all this while. From clandestine meetings to sneaking out, they go the whole nine yards (or at least try to- much to his girlfriend's frustration, subtlety isn’t really Raghav Rao’s forte) and eventually elope and settle into marital bliss, all while the Deshmukhs watch on in horror and helplessness.

Of course, be it the show’s universe, or this alternate one, Raghav has been blessed with the most disapproving in-laws one could imagine, so I truly believe this song should be Pallavi’s anthem.

Silly as it is, I couldn’t stop laughing while editing this. I hope it makes some of you smile!

Archived from indiaforums, dated 8 June, 2021. Original post (x)