#this set is really just a hair journey lmao

[pressure-machine]

"I never said The Killers were the best band of the last fifteen years, that'd be be crazy arrogant. Top three though, I'll stand by that."

[tonberry-yoda]

A Nice Girl - Zuko

Pairing - Zuko x f!reader

Warnings - none!!

Word Count - 3,211

Notes - I have been pumping out these really long fics lately lmaoooo. i dont mean to i just simply get carried away. i need to stop before i get a block tho lmao. AND IM ALMOST AT 400 FOLLOWERS OMG!!! im like so excited about it tbh. maybe ill open my request when we get there. thank you all and i hope you're all well. stay hydrated!!

You yawned and stretched, the silk from your nightgown tickling you. That had to have been the best sleep you have gotten these past couple of weeks. As the oldest in the “gaang” at 17 years old, you had to act as the mother of the group and felt this awful need to protect everyone all the time, thus granting you several sleepless nights.

Sure, Ba Sing Se didn't feel like home and it didn't feel 100% safe either, but you got to sleep in a comfy bed and wear some really nice clothes. You had to admit that it was nice to be working with the Avatar sometimes.

You pushed your tangled hair out of your face and looked into the full length mirror next to your bed. Yeah, you definitely slept well, that was no question. You could tell by the rat’s nest created on your head and the sleep lines across your arms and face. You definitely needed to wash up before you started your day.

You got out of bed, stretching as the sun kissed your warm cheeks. You were going to make the best out of today. Lots of planning, but lots of downtime too, so that was nice.

As you finally walked out of your room, you were welcomed to cackling laughter from Sokka, his finger pointed at you.

“Ha, ha,” you said sarcastically, Katara handing you a brush. “Very funny, Sokka.”

“Not just funny,” he said through laughter. “It’s hilarious, y/n! You look so stupid!!!”

You rolled your eyes, hiding a smile, and tamed the rat’s nest on your head, looking a little more yourself.

Aang walked in the house holding a bowl of snacks with a smile on his face. “Oh, good morning, y/n! You sure slept in this morning!”

“Slept in?” You tilted your head. “What time is it?”

Katara took the brush from you and set it down on a nearby drawer. “Almost 10 am.”

“What?!” You were shocked. You were usually the first one up always and if not, you never slept past 8.

Katara giggled. “Listen, y/n. I think it's great that you finally got some sleep. We never really see you rest well, so none of us had the heart to wake you up.”

You beamed. “You guys are the best. Well,” you stretched. “I'm gonna get washed up so I don't look like a sleepy monster all day.” Something about Ba Sing Se gave you the creeps, but at the same time, it was nice to be back in a place where you could bathe in warm water and not fear Zuko coming after you. It's not like you had anything against the Fire Nation prince… it's more like… he was an inconvenience to you and the rest of the gaang. Since you and Zuko were about the same age, you understood him. Well, kinda. You escaped the Fire Nation when you were younger, disagreeing with all of their ideals and overall how they treated the world. You did see the prince as Fire Nation scum, but at the same time, you saw him as a kid, just like you. He was banished for god knows what and he just wanted to go home. You didn't hate Zuko. Not one bit. You understood that he may just be in some sort of hidden pain. But you had to admit that it was kinda nice to not have him around to bother you.

You got out of the shower refreshed and ready for the day. It was nice to have a day off, so you were probably going to get some tea and write in your journal about how the past couple of weeks have been. You figured it would be nice to log everything that has ever happened on this little journey just in case you all wanted a refresher in the next twenty years or so. You slipped on some Earth Nation attire and smiled at yourself in the mirror as you braided your hair. Today is going to be a good day, you thought. Nothing better than tea and some late breakfast.

“I'm going out for the day,” you said, placing your bag on your shoulder. “Stay out of trouble today, got it?”

You looked at Aang and he laughed. “I will, I will! Have a nice day, okay, y/n? You deserve it.”

“You’re all too kind to me. Thank you.”

“And let me know if you find Appa!”

“I will, don't worry.”

You smiled and walked out of the house, smelling the fresh Earth Nation air. Luckily, the walls didn't cover the fresh air, so you could still get the almost afternoon breath.

You spent the beginning of the day walking around shops, buying some supplies and new clothes for yourself and the others. The markets were busy, but it was nice to get some of the things you needed without Aang begging for some stupid trinket that you always ended up buying him because you thought it was cool too. That was always your impulse, stupid things that Aang showed you. Those could be the death of you.

As you finally finished your browsing journey, you overheard a conversation while looking over a map.

“I swear their tea has gotten better.”

“Really? I dunno.”

“I'm serious. It has to be the best tea shop in Ba Sing Se.”

“Fine, we can go try it later.”

You turned to the two men a little embarrassed that you were eavesdropping. “S-Sorry, but I was kinda listening to your conversation… uh… where’s that tea shop you were talking about? I've been trying to find a nice place to get some tea all morning.”

The man hyping up the shop smiled at you. “Don't worry about eavesdropping, kiddo. It's right here.” He pointed to the map you were looking at and you were satisfied that it wasn't too far from where you currently were.

You thanked the man and began your journey to the shop. It was a little closer to afternoon and you could feel your stomach rumbling, so you just decided to skip right to lunch.

You walked into the tea shop and saw people smiling and laughing together, the heavenly scent of tea filling your senses. You were quickly seated at a lone booth and given a menu. Everything looked so good, you could swear that you were about to drool just thinking about food.

You decided to order something that the waitress recommended and as she walked away, you flipped through your journal, going over everything that you and the gaang had been through. You quietly laughed to yourself as you passed a page that said: note to self - slap Zuko’s bald head at least once. Imagine the sound that would make.

It’s definitely been a long trip of both laughter and struggle, and honestly, you were really happy. You don't remember the last time you had laughed so hard before you met Aang and the others. It was nice. Really nice.

“Here’s your tea. Is there anything else you need?” Your tea was set in front of you along with your lunch and you tilted your head at the familiar voice that wasn't your waitress from earlier. It was on the tip of your tongue.

“I think I'm alright, thank-” You looked up and the smile you had suddenly dropped. No way. “Zu-”

Before you could say his full name, Zuko covered your mouth and quickly let go, hoping no one saw or heard any of that. “P-Please don't.”

“But you’re-”

“I know,” Zuko’s voice was low. “Just… can we talk… in the back?”

You looked around the restaurant at all of the other people and back at Zuko. He looked so different. Barely recognizable. His face didn't look so pissed off and he had a short head of hair now that looked healthy. The only reason you recognized him was the scar, but honestly, if he covered it up somehow, you wouldn't have a clue that he was the prince of the Fire Nation.

You nodded and stood up, collecting your things. You followed Zuko to the back, almost a little scared. You had no means of defending yourself. You were a non bender, so if he wanted to pick a fight, you were screwed. You didn't even have a simple weapon on you. Maybe you were getting too cozy.

Zuko brushed off a small table and pulled out a chair for you, which you sat in with slight hesitation.

“How did you get into Ba Sing Se?” You didn't mean to sound so defensive. Well, you did, but you weren't expecting to. Especially not on such a good day like this.

“It's… a long story.”

“Why are you here?”

“Listen… It’s not for the Avatar.”

“Huh? Is that so?” You crossed your arms and looked him dead in the eye. “Then explain to me how you always end up where we just so happen to be. That’s suspicious, isn't it?”

“I-”

“If you hurt Aang, I swear to-”

“I don't care about Aang right now!”

The whole room went quiet. You had never heard Zuko say Aang’s name before, let alone not care about what the Avatar is doing.

“Then why…”

“I have my own stuff to deal with. It's none of your business, okay? I do have a life outside of the Avatar, you know.”

You nodded and looked down at your tea. “I'm… assuming your uncle made this?” You giggled softly.

“Yeah. He did.” Zuko’s voice was small and way less frustrated.

“So that’s why this tea shop has hype all of a sudden.” You wondered aloud, your eyes wandering to the ceiling.

Zuko cleared his throat and shuffled in his spot. “So… uh… what now?”

“Promise not to hurt Aang and I won't say a word about you being here. I believe that you have your own stuff to deal with, so prove it to me.”

“I promise.”

Your eyes locked with his and you smiled, shocking Zuko a bit. You smiled at him, the guy that’s been trying to hurt you and your friends this whole time. The guy who would’ve done anything for the Avatar to be in his hands.

“You probably hate me, don't you?” Zuko spat out, rubbing the back of his neck.

You tilted your head. “Hate’s a strong word, don't you think?”

Zuko looked at you, appalled. “I mean, I would understand if you did.”

“It's been a long road for you, hasn't it, Zuko?”

He nodded at you and you pointed to the other side of the table, just realizing that he was standing that entire time. “Let’s share some tea.”

“I-I don't know if that’s a good idea.” Zuko took a step back.

“Ah, I see,” you stood up, scooting your chair back in. “You’re a busy man with a job now.”

He just nodded at you.

“Well, I'll let you get to it then, but I expect to see you at 6 tonight ready to hang out, okay?”

“Wh-What?! Won't your friends notice that you’re gone?”

You just smiled, collecting your things. “Zuko, I do have a life outside of the Avatar, you know.”

Zuko’s face went bright red as you walked out of the room with a smirk on your face. It was actually kinda cute to see Zuko not being some evil kid with his heart set on hurting anyone.

“You’re leaving?” Sokka whined, watching you grab your bag.

“Yes Sokka,” you said for what seemed like the hundredth time. “I'm leaving. I just want to go get dinner out by myself tonight. Maybe go for a nice walk.”

“Aww man,” Sokka pouted, crossing his arms. “Who’s gonna make dinner now?”

You rolled your eyes, trying to hide the smile creeping on your lips. “Sokka, I left some money on the table. You guys should go out and get something to eat tonight.”

“Why aren't you coming with us?” Sokka tilted his head, counting the money on the table.

“I just want to go out by myself tonight, that’s all.”

“So you’re just gonna have a lonely dinner all by yourself?” Sokka questioned, looking skeptical.

“Yes!”

“She’s lying.” Everyone turned to Toph and your face went bright red. You forgot she could tell if you were lying or not, and it definitely didn't help that you were outside on the concrete so Toph could really feel right through you.

Sokka turned back to you quickly. “You’re going to dinner with someone?”

“Fine, yes, I am, so what?”

“Who is it?”

You rolled your eyes, already late. “Just somebody.”

“Is it a boy?” Sokka gave you a mocking look and you pushed his face away.

“Fine, whatever! It's a boy! So what?! Now let me leave before I'm late. Have a nice dinner everyone.” You waved at the group and ran to the tea shop, hoping that Zuko didn't leave yet.

The bell rang as you opened the shop door. “Sorry, we’re not serving tea anymore, we’re closing at the moment,” a familiar voice said. Iroh peeked his head out, surprised to see you. “y/n?”

You smiled, “hi Iroh.”

“How are you?” Iroh set down the broom he was holding and pulled you into a soft embrace. You never told the others, but you spent quite a bit of time talking to Zuko’s uncle when you got the chance. He was a wise man and kind as well. Maybe that's why you understood Zuko so well, you had someone to give you some insight on the boy.

“I'm good, Iroh. How are you?”

“Oh I'm fine,” he beamed at you, pulling away from the hug. “I'm getting to live my lifelong dream of making tea for the people of Ba Sing Se, so that feels pretty nice.”

“Well, you are the best at making tea, Iroh.”

“Oh, stop. You’re so full of flattery, y/n.” Iroh blushed with a smile. “Is there a reason you’re here?”

“Is your nephew here?”

“You’re looking for Zuko?” Iroh cocked an eyebrow at you and you chuckled, surprised that you were even here.

“I am.”

Iroh gave you a skeptical look, but honestly didn't care much. He thought it was nice that someone wanted to visit Zuko. “He is here. Let me go grab him. Would you like some tea in the meantime?”

“Tea sounds great,” you admitted, sitting at a table.

As you got comfortable, Zuko ran into the room, completely surprised. “You’re here?”

You laughed. “Of course I am! I said I’d be here at 6 didn't I?”

“I thought you were bluffing.”

“Well now you know I'm serious. Wanna hang out?”

Zuko gave you a side eye and thought for a moment. “I think I know what you’re trying to do.”

“And what might that be?” Iroh entered the room, placing two teacups and a kettle on your table. You thanked Iroh as he left with a smile.

“You’re trying to get info out of me. About the Fire Nation… aren't you?”

You shook your head. “You’re so defensive all the time, Zuko.”

“Can you blame me?” Zuko shut all of the blinds in the shop and sat across from you, taking a sip of tea.

“I guess not.”

“I'm surprised you’re not a little more on edge.”

“Why’s that?” You took a sip of tea as well, humming at how delightful it tasted.

“I'm a firebender. You don't bend right? I could literally take you down at any moment. And it doesn't seem like you have any weapons either.”

“I trust that you won't do anything. Your uncle would probably be pissed about the mess to be honest.”

For the first time in all of your time knowing Zuko, you heard him laugh. He laughed so hard that he snorted a bit, which made him laugh harder. Because of all of his laughter, he made you laugh too, sending you both into a laughing fit. It felt good. You haven't laughed this hard since you first met Sokka, all covered in Appa’s snot.

Zuko literally had tears in his eyes by the time he stopped laughing. Seeing him happy made you feel… good. Really good. It was almost a relief. It made Zuko more human. You didn't know if you could even remotely call him your enemy anymore.

You two ended up talking all night, Iroh occasionally bringing more tea or just little treats every now and then. You literally couldn't stop talking to Zuko. To hear about what it was like to grow up in the Fire Nation as a prince was interesting. To hear what Ozai was really like in person sent chills down your spine. To hear where that scar on his face came from almost brought you to tears. Zuko didn't even know why he told you all of this, but he could say one thing. It felt nice. It felt this giant weight on his chest had been lifted.

After a few hours, you looked at the clock in the shop and frowned. “Bad news, Zuko. I gotta go.”

“Already?” He turned to face the clock and pouted his bottom lip. “Alright then.”

You stood up and collected your things. “Thanks for the tea, Iroh!” You shouted, which was responded with a big smile and a thumbs up from Iroh.

“Thanks for stopping by.”

“Anytime,” you said, opening the door of the shop. “I'll be back.”

“You will?” You turned to Zuko, who almost looked excited that you said that.

“Of course I will. Goodnight guys.”

“Wait,” Zuko ran up to you, holding the door open. “Let me walk you home, it’s late.”

“Zuko, I don't know if that’s a good idea.”

Zuko frowned, but you were probably right. If Aang spotted him for even a second, both of you would be done for. “R-Right. Well… thanks.”

“For what?”

“Hanging out. That was fun.”

You smiled. “That was fun. Thank you for not killing me, Zuko.”

“Anytime.” He giggled, immediately taken aback when you pulled him in for a hug after dropping everything.

He was so… warm. I mean, duh. He was a firebender. But even so, his hug felt so genuine, so nice, and you didn't want to leave. “Goodnight, Zuko,” you said as you pulled away from the hug.

“Goodnight, y/n.” This time, he shocked you by pulling you in for another hug and pulling away only to pull you in again, but this time, your lips were inches apart.

“Can I kiss you?” His voice was in a whisper, his warm breath dusting over your lips.

You just nodded and closed your eyes as his soft lips brushed against yours. You wrapped your arms around the back of his neck pulling him closer. He smiled into the kiss, wrapping his arms around your waist.

When you pulled away from the kiss, both of you said a quick goodbye, your cheeks dusted pink.

Zuko quickly walked back into the tea shop to help Iroh close and put his back on the door.

“I'm glad you found a nice girl, Zuko.” Zuko jumped hearing his uncle’s voice, his face turning a dark shade of crimson.

Though if he was being honest, he was glad he found a nice girl too.

~~~~~

atla masterlist --- pinned post

@tonberry-yoda

TAG LIST: @ede1faecam

[writesleah]

august ౨ৎ m. riddle

౨ৎ mattheo riddle x fem!reader

౨ৎ fluff/angst

౨ৎ a whirlwind summer with mattheo leaves your head spinning and craving more, but when he chooses to ignore you at school, you know there has to be something going on. you just didn’t expect it to crush you so much

౨ৎ sex references, mentioned loss of virginity, cheating, slight toxicity, no war au

౨ৎ 2.2k words

౨ৎ I LOVE FOLKLORE i honestly might make this a little series and make a oneshot based on every song from the folkmore sister albums because it’s so fun lmao!!

mattheo riddle. a concoction of every terrible, addictive thing you could think of. a drug to your susceptible mind. the one person who ruined everything by giving you such happiness.

it all started back in the summer before 7th year. of course, most teenagers flee to the coast during the warmer summer months, a desperate attempt to absorb as much sun as possible before having to return to scotland's less than scorching weather for yet another year of classes at hogwarts. you were no different, and it seemed mattheo wasn't, either.

—

salty ocean air filled your nose as his lips met yours, a desperate action to be close to each other. he blindly searched for the rusty door handle of his hotel room behind you, wanting to get you out of the hall and into his bed as quickly as possible. sure, you’d had a couple of heated make-outs before, but nothing like this. it had never gotten to this point.

quickly pulling you down onto his sheets, he let his hand wander, beelining towards the plush of your ass, your hands searching through the chocolate curls atop his head.

“you sure you want this?” he whispered into your ear, planting sloppy kisses along your neck, his breath loud and heavy next to you, “i mean it. are you sure?”

you let your head fall back into the pale pillow, a place to rest whilst you tried to understand all of the new sensations pumping through you like blood from your heart, giving yourself a second to think.

“i’ve never done this before, matty,” you replied, your tone timid and weak compared to the rough husking of his voice swirling around your head, a constant memory of the boy you knew you’d never get over.

“it’s fine. you trust me, yeah?” mattheo pulled away for a moment, wanting to check before going any further with you.

“i want this,” you nodded, giving him all the reassurance he needed, prompting him to continue his journey down your body with the knowledge that you wanted to do this with him. you trusted him with something as fragile as your purity. that made him feel fucking insane.

his dark eyes took in the sight of you sprawled out across the white hotel bed, your soft lips and innocent eyes, your hair forming a halo around your head. his angel.

—

“red or white?” you smiled up at mattheo, your eyes darting to the bottle of wine in his hands as he handed it to you with a small shrug.

the two of you had decided to have a little picnic by the beach, a day to relax together as if that wasn’t what you did every day, anyway.

“not a clue,” he huffed, sitting down on the blanket you had set out on the sand, his hand instantly going for some cheese and crackers.

you slapped his hand away, a small pout on your face as he met your gaze, having absolutely no clue what you were stopping him for.

“wow, this looks fantastic! this is so good! thank you so much for getting all the food!” you mocked quietly, rolling your eyes. no matter how hard you tried to appear annoyed, you couldn’t hide the small smirk that crept its way onto your lips.

“oh, shut up,” he chuckled, tugging his shirt off and tossing it to the side, shaking his head, “thank you for putting it together. it looks really nice. you’re really nice, angel,” he added, his words playful, yet still a genuine thank you.

you poured each of you a glass of wine, laying down next to him, both of you on your stomachs, as he began to absolutely demolish the small buffet on the picnic blanket, your fingers lightly ghosting over his back. you couldn’t help but trace your own name, an invisible claim on the boy you adored more than anything.

“what are you doing?” he huffed quietly, turning his head to look directly at you and the way that a pink blush quickly spread across your cheeks as you got caught, your fingers pulling away, “i didn’t tell you to stop. i asked you what you were doing.”

“just… enjoying the moment,” you shrugged, shuffling close to him in an attempt to brush off the way you got flustered at his words.

his arm snuck around you almost instinctively, his lips planting a small kiss buried deep in your hair. a secret. a mark so important to you, but invisible to everyone else.

“i’m enjoying it, too,” he mumbled in reply, his free hand covering his mouth to hide all the food he’d shoved in it.

—

mattheo walked along the side of the road, watching the white-rimmed waves roll over on each other, bored of having nobody to speak to when you weren’t there.

he looked to the left as a car rolled around the corner, his head tilted slightly. he knew those sunglasses.

“no way,” he huffed, his jaw dropping as the car stopped next to him, “no fucking way. you passed?”

you looked up at him with a wide grin, absolutely ecstatic that you had not only taken your driving test whilst on holiday, but had passed, meaning you could drive anywhere you wanted. mattheo had already passed his a couple months before, so you’d been using him as your personal chauffeur for your time together, but you could finally go wherever you wanted on your own.

“get in, then,” you rolled your eyes playfully, nodding to the passenger seat of the convertible as he quickly made his way around to the other side, seeming just as excited as you were.

mattheo’s arms wrapped around you, pulling your head close to his chest as he smiled down at you.

“i’m so fucking proud of you, angel,” he muttered, planting wet kisses on your cheek, holding you tighter than ever before, “we should go out to celebrate. that italian behind the mall that you like? i’ll pay.”

you nodded, not wanting to turn down an opportunity to do anything with him, especially when you were already in such a good mood.

you drove to the restaurant, a regular place the pair of you went together since it was so small and intimate, yet never felt overcrowded.

—

you both got your meals and began eating, laughing and joking as normal, casually celebrating you passing your test.

“mattheo?” a girl’s voice came from behind you, his eyes immediately hardening as he glared up at whoever it was, “where’s-”

“don’t,” mattheo cut her off with a warning, your head craning around to see who it was.

pansy parkinson.

pansy was a fellow slytherin girl in your year; you knew her a little due to sharing some classes, but you were nowhere near being friends.

pansy just glanced between the two of you, her jaw slightly dropping further and further until she caught herself, pulling her phone out of her pocket.

“you’re fucked up, mattheo riddle,” she hissed as she walked past your table and out of the door, seeming not only shocked, but angry.

you turned your head back to the boy, your brows furrowing in confusion. it seemed that mattheo and pansy had a silent understanding of whatever it was they were talking about, and you were not part of it.

“what was she talking about?” you asked, but he completely ignored you, slamming his drink onto the table and walking out of the restaurant, leaving you even more bewildered.

you watched through the front window of the restaurant, watched them argue and shout at each other about something. it seemed as if pansy was calling him out for something, but you couldn’t think of what he could’ve done. sure, he was a bit of a troublemaker, but why would it affect pansy?

after a couple minutes, mattheo walked back into the restaurant, seeking incredibly annoyed about whatever the situation was.

“what was she talking about?” you repeated, your head tilting with not only confusion but concern.

“nothing, oh my fucking god,” he spat back, before checking himself on the way he was speaking to you, “sorry. it’s just… it’s nothing. it’s not going to ruin today. this is about celebrating you, not wasting time on whatever pansy parkinson has to say.”

you nodded and continued with your meal, though couldn’t help but feel there was more to it than he was letting on.

—

after the summer, you returned to hogwarts for your final year, everyone talking about their breaks incessantly. the issue was that mattheo had told you not to tell anyone about your involvement with him.

“let’s keep this as much of a secret as we possibly can, okay?” he’d muttered to you as you laid next to each other in bed, your head on his stomach and your body between his legs.

“why?” you’d asked, completely oblivious to why he wouldn’t want to share your feelings for each other with your friends and be happy in public, but he’d just shut you down every time it came up.

“i wanna keep this private, angel. there’s no need to have everyone else involved in whatever it is that we’re doing.”

if only you knew.

you’d spent the first week confined to your dorm, cancelling every plan anyone tried to make with you to wait for a single call or text from him, but nothing ever came. the second you got back to school, mattheo ghosted you.

—

you were sitting in your defence against the dark arts class, occasionally catching mattheo’s gaze every now and then. you’d always give him a small smile, but he would just look away or glance at you with a vague, unidentifiable expression. he showed no hint of compassion or knowledge of you in public past the odd conversation about the work you were doing in class when one of you were a bit lost and nobody else was willing to help. that had only happened once or twice. it was frustrating.

a small tap on the shoulder caused you to turn around, a girl sitting behind you with a sour expression on her face.

“did you fuck daphne’s boyfriend?” she spat, glaring at you with a look that could kill.

your cheeks instantly grew a little red. you’d only ever done anything with mattheo. who was daphne’s boyfriend?

“who?” you replied, your brows furrowing in pure confusion.

“don’t be fucking stupid,” the girl hissed, rolling her eyes, “mattheo riddle, daphne’s boyfriend.”

that one comment, that one single question seemed to bring the whole world to a stop.

you quickly asked your professor if you could go to toilet, a chance to escape the room that seemed to be clawing at your skin, ripping it raw. your eyes began to burn, a dangerous waterfall of tears threatening to spill down your face.

quickly rushing off, you brought a little attention to yourself, though it wouldn’t surprise you if everyone knew what it was about. pansy must’ve told them. it hurt more that he didn’t tell you.

it seemed that mattheo noticed, because, only seconds after you entered the prefect bathroom, he came rushing in after you, immediately trying to pull you into his chest, but you resisted.

“how could you do this to me?” you whispered, unable to stop yourself from crying as you looked up at him, “how could you do that to her? you’re… god, i should’ve listened when people said that you were out of control. this isn’t right, mattheo. you lied to me!”

he just stood there, seeming completely and utterly unbothered by your meltdown and rambling, his head tilting slightly.

“out of control? who told you that?” he scoffed quietly, rolling his eyes. it shocked you that the one comment he chose to pay any attention to was the one that was purely about him as a person, and not your words about how he affected everyone else.

“everyone, mattheo, everyone says it,” you huffed out, letting out a breath of shock at how he brushed it all off, “everyone always talks about the troublemaker that can’t keep himself away from a fight and can’t be nice to people. god, i thought they were so wrong. i thought that i had been the way to find a good side of you, but it wasn’t even real.”

he screwed up his face slightly at your words, but didn’t say anything, leaning against the wall as he mindlessly picking at his nails and giving you no attention whatsoever.

“i was so scared, y’know that?” you whispered, your voice quiet and soft now, your eyes pleading, begging with him to hear you out, “you were ignoring me. i thought i’d lost you and it turns out that you weren’t even mine to lose. do you even know how much that hurts? you could’ve told me, at least. yeah, i would’ve been upset, but at least you would’ve been honest,” you continued, watching his eyes flick up to you.

“it was just a summer fling, angel,” he muttered, realising that you weren’t going to stop crying. with that, he walked out of the bathroom, leaving you stranded with your own thoughts. your own reflection.

it was just a summer fling.

[laurrrelise]

alright i can’t remember who but someone said josh’s hair is naturally wavy / curly and i always wanted to believe it but he just has his hair straight too much that i doubted it so much.

however i revisited my many photos of josh saved on pinterest and im really realizing its like, impossible for this man to not have a bit of wave to his hair

like these are just him out in public or during covid, and the WET HAIR?? i have naturally wavy /curly hair and let me tell you that is exactly what it looks like when it’s soaking wet (most people already know this LMAO but just in case, trust me on this)

i’ve convinced myself for too long that there’s no way his hair is textured at all but im accepting it, josh HAS to have wavy / curly hair. plus like every time his hair looked straight ish it was on the set of something, like future man / journey (both of them) / detention etc.

anyways nobody really cares about this as much as i do (i just love curly haired josh characters so much)

[bingwriterxo]

five more minutes

pairing: sam carpenter x reader

summary: in which sam just wants five more minutes together

warnings: probably OOC sam

word count: 1170+

author's note: this was a request! and this is my first time writing for sam, so i don't really have her personality down. also, got carried away with the dream sequence LMAO

You’re alone in a field, the sun beginning to set in front of you and painting the sky various hues of pink, orange, red, purple. Birds are chirping in the trees that frame the grassy terrain, a smooth, somehow familiar tune falling out of their beaks and into your ears. There’s a light breeze painting over your skin, refreshing you from the otherwise humid air. As you stand there, all you can think is, Sam would love this place.

And then, suddenly, she’s beside you. 

“It’s beautiful, huh?” she asks, her arm brushing against yours. “So peaceful.”

“Yeah,” you agree, not bothering to question how she had appeared and instead reveling in the fact that she was there. “It really is.”

Sam takes a few steps forward and then glances over her shoulder, holding a hand out for you to take. “Come on.”

You don’t hesitate as you intertwine your fingers with her own. “Where are we going?”

“I have a surprise for you,” she says, grinning from ear to ear. Her eyes are shining with pure joy, so who are you to refuse?

“Okay.”

She leads you through the field with slow, lazy steps, and you don’t think you’ve ever seen her so content in her life. Here, in a place where she knows there are no threats, where she can relax and relieve herself of her anxieties. For the first time, her shoulders aren’t tense, and she’s not squeezing your hand like she’ll have to drag you along in a high-speed chase at any point. 

The two of you travel farther into the field, and you see no end point, but you don’t raise any questions. You simply follow her, enjoying her hand in yours and the ease that she’s at. 

Suddenly, she stops, and you have to dig your heels into the dirt below you to stop yourself from running into her back. You peek around her shoulder yet see nothing, and you furrow your eyebrows. 

“Sam, what—”

Before you can finish your question, she’s spinning around, her hand still in yours, and kneeling down on one knee. You gasp, realizing quickly what’s happening, and your eyes widen. Your heart is fluttering, and you think your legs might be shaking, but you can’t really feel them. 

“Y/N,” she begins softly, “I know we got off to a rocky start.” You giggle, thinking about the first time the two of you had met, in which Sam nearly tased you when you tapped on her shoulder to return her wallet that she had dropped. “But the journey that we’ve been on since then has been the most wonderful years of my life, and I’ve never trusted anyone in the way that I know I can trust you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, if you’ll let me.”

She reaches behind her with her freehand, digging into her back pocket, and returns with a ring box. You briefly wonder how you hadn’t seen it early but almost immediately dismiss the thought as she pops the box open, revealing a beautiful ring within. 

“Y/N, will you marry me?”

“Ye—”

A loud, incessant beeping woke you from your dream, and you groaned. Without even opening your eyes, you reached out for your phone, bringing it close to your face. You cracked one eye open, ready to turn off the alarm, but you were met with a blank screen, which meant only one thing. 

It was Sam’s alarm. 

You turned over and were met with the sleeping brunette, her hair mused and breathing still even. For a moment, you simply looked at her, taking in her beauty, but then the alarm seemingly got louder, and you knew that you had to wake her. You reached over her body, careful not to jostle her too much, and turned the alarm off before returning to your original position. 

“Sam,” you whispered, placing a hand on her cheek. You were always careful when tasked with raising the woman from sleep because you knew how high-strung her body ran, even if she didn’t mean for it to. The first time you had to wake her up, she had tackled you to the ground, strong even though she was barely awake, and then proceeded to apologize profusely. 

You tried again when your first murmurings didn’t work. “Sam, baby.” You rubbed your thumb along her skin, ran it over the bridge of her nose. Your gentle touches seemed to work as Sam’s eyes fluttered open, dark brown peeking out from beneath her lashes. 

Her immediate reaction, as per usual, was offering you a small smile. “Morning, pretty girl,” she said, lifting a hand to pick up your own. She brought yours to her lips, pressing a kiss to your knuckles. “Any good dreams?” she asked, in the same way she did every morning. 

You hummed, thinking about what had occurred just before you were woken up. “They were amazing.”

She rubbed her thumb along the skin of your hand, squeezed it slightly. “Good.” Her eyes started to close again; she was clearly extremely tired, which you already assumed because Sam always woke to the first ring of her alarm. 

“Your alarm went off, baby,” you said. “You have to wake up for work.”

Sam grumbled softly. “I’d rather stay right here.” To emphasize her point, she reached out, wrapping an arm around your waist and pulling you into her. She rested her chin atop your head and intertwined her legs with yours. Warmth was radiating off of her, and you were tempted to fall back asleep. 

“Baby,” you mumbled into her chest. You slipped a hand beneath her t-shirt, fingers running along the skin over her ribs. “You have to get up.”

“How am I supposed to get out of this bed when you’re cuddling into me like this? It’s not fair,” she murmured. She tightened her hold on you and you felt more than heard as she let out a content sigh. “What if I just called out sick?”

You laughed into her. “You know you can’t.”

If you looked up, you were almost positive she would be frowning, her eyebrows knitted together in disappointment. “I know,” she groaned, “but let me have five more minutes. Please?”

“Okay,” you agreed, nuzzling further into her. Your hand slipped from her side to her back, tracing over her spine lightly until you reached the nape of her neck, where you lightly played with her hair. “Five more minutes.”

bonus: when you woke up again, you were still pressed against sam’s front. you sighed happily and tried to bury yourself deeper into her touch before thinking, wait, sam?

you sat up, hand flying toward your phone. you picked it up, turned it on, and your eyes widened at the time: 10:56AM.

“oh, fuck,” you said. you glanced at the woman still sleeping and shrugged. well, she’s clearly not gonna go in anyway, you thought as you slipped into her hold again. might as well let her sleep.

[yeyinde]

Just saw a TikTok where a kid send their favorite stuff animal to his dad who's deployed. Just imagine this happening with 141 🥺 (I'm actually sending this to my favorite writers hoping I can get a cute scenario 😅)

I admire your honesty lmao. So. Here ya go:

—Gen. Reader (but tbh, *you're* a very minor part of this). Child is not named or gendered, either, and can easily be read as adopted instead of bio (with cheeky little hints geared toward this). Fluff(ish).

—I'm not really sure if this constitutes as cute but I wanted to try and write something that was extremely vague but also incredibly...not vague. Transparent, almost. This is that. A thought experiment. Enjoy.

On the surface, the package isn't anything special. Nondescript beige. Square. It's a bit beat up from its journey, bruised and dented like most boxes shipped halfway across the world tend to be, and much too light to be a care pack. 

He sits in his assigned cot with a heavy sigh that creaks through aching bones and tender muscles, eyes already half mast from a day staring at sand dunes and trying to divine answers in gunpowder, reading bullets like tea leaves. Sleep isn't beckoning, it's screaming. Howling loud in his ears and knocking all his thoughts asunder. 

He has half a mind to tuck the box aside, lay down with his boots still on, and sleep until it doesn't make his head split at the seams to keep his eyes open. It's needed, too. They head out tomorrow. Sure, firm, and bound in brass. An unavoidable calamity as they chase shadows with grasping hands, fingers always a hair too short to reach. He might, yet, he thinks, but the box is nearly weightless in his hands, and despite its featherlight heft in his lap, it calls to him. 

If he waits, it'll never leave the sanctity of this safe house. It'll get lost in the shuffle. In the tumult tomorrow morning, a breath before dawn, will surely bring. 

So, he opens it. 

Clumsy fingers, numbed from curling around the butt of a gun all day, paw at the tape until it unravels in a messy cluster, sticking to the palm of his hand. He presses it to the side before slipping his fingers through the flaps. 

It might be a letter asking for a divorce. He thinks about laughing, maybe, but the humour is bereft of reprieve. 

You'd hit him, he thinks. Smack him upside the head for the very thought. 

(Maybe dislodge the monsters in there, too.)

But when he peels back the lips, and peers inside, it isn't a letter. It's a bear.  

Pocket sized, he remembers saying. A negotiation tactic in the middle of a toy aisle to keep the tears from flooding over a glistening lash line. It was as effective as he expected it to be, but the compromise, however shaky, was reinforced with the promise of McDonald's if they didn't cause a scene in the middle of the shops. Sniffles meet his ears still, but they slow, considering the offer. Head tilts adorably to the side (ladies in the aisle over coo). Then, sticky, wet fingers slapped his palm. Deal made. Done. 

Done. 

The bartering tool—a subpar toy for less than twenty dollars in lieu of a roaring dinosaur that was nearly seventy (Jesus fuckin' Christ)—becomes a reluctant ally against a set of imagined enemies, and then trusted friend. A companion, one carried everywhere—the bath, school, bed—and its loved state is shown through its disarray. Carried in patches of scant fur, in a nose that lost its glossy shine from too many kisses at night and in the morning, and just because ("because he's cute and he needs a kiss!"), and from rips and tears, and clumped cotton when it was hung to dry lopsidedly after spending a day at the beach. It's in the missing button on the little dungarees it wears, and the loose threads that split the seams. 

It's just a bear, but—

"If anything happens to Mr Bear, I will die, dad!" 

Little feet pounding the pavement, frantically searching for the fallen friend who slipped from the basket after a walk to the park. Eyes wide, wild, and filled with tears. Head swivelling in all directions. 

"Why will you die, exactly?" He hedges, brows drawing taut. He's not versed in this well enough to know if this is alarming yet. Maybe. He thinks it might be, has a nagging suspicion that it is, but you offer a shrug in response, and he's calmed a bit by your nonreaction. Normal, then, he thinks, and turns back the way they came, peering at the grass for any signs of an ugly little bear. 

"Because!" It's snapped in that waspish huff only children can muster—the one that says, duh! despite the absurdity of it all. "We share a heart. That's what mum says. And if a cat got him and he's all chewed up, and—"

You have the wherewithal to be a little bit sheepish when he turns to you, mouthing the words back. 

"It was—," you start, shrugging. A touch embarrassed. A little flustered. It suits you, he finds. You wear it like an endearing garment. "It was just a joke, but kids take everything so literally, and so now—"

"Mind, body, heart, and soul!" 

More little stomps. A pout forms. Wobbles. He bends down before the tears fall, gentle as he thinks he can be (and gentler some, because if parenthood has taught him anything, it's that his patience for a little being that picked him, that looked at him and said, you, you, you; I want you, is infinite) he places his hands on trembling shoulders, and tries to soothe the pain that etches in glossy eyes. Hand bearish and uncertain, but quivering from holding back, from offering nothing in this moment except liquid adoration and unfettered devotion. He feels it writ across the lines in his face.

"It's alright," he gruffs, and then hides a wince when the boney, fragile shoulders beneath his hands tense, shake. Soft as smoke, he adds: "we'll find the bastard—"

"Ahem!" 

"—the bear."

A sniffle. "His name is Mister Bear and I love him to the moon and back."

It melts him in ways he never expected. Unthaws tundric parts of himself he thought were lost to permafrost; empty and void of life. It cracks, shatters. He moves, tugging the little body wracked with sobs tight to his chest as if he means to tuck them between his rib cage where they'll stay, a little bird safe and sound and untouched by the uglier parts of the world that wants to maim and hurt. Gentle shushes fall from his lips. Clumsy affection he doesn't know how to give but will learn if it means he can whisper the same words—to the moon and back—until his throat rots and his words turn to ash. Until his bones are brittle and weary, and the earth reclaims his life. 

He says them, then, stilted and unsure, but firm. Heavy. 

"Love you, little bird," he rasps, lips pressing tight to a plump cheek. "Now let's find that Bastar—" ahem! "—bear. That bear. Okay?"

The bastard was in a pile of rubbish by the side of the road. His ear was lost to the many washes he went through to rid the stench of trash and cat piss from his fur. 

You'd scrubbed the bear in the sink before, it's little dungarees hung up to dry in the garden. He startled you, then, when his hands wrapped around your middle, tugging you tight to his chest. Your ring caught, cutting a clean stripe through the one beady it had left. 

He paid it little mind at the time, too busy nipping the nape of your neck as you offered weak protests that fell apart when you arched into him. Pretty and wanting. 

"Maybe another?" He'd rasped into your ear, eyes drifting down to the ugly, sodden bear in the sink. "Call up the stork and have one delivered tomorrow, mm?"

"You're ridiculous," you huffed but it wasn't no. 

And it wasn't meant to be, either. He was called away three days later, the words murmured out while you stitched up the misshapen mess of a teddy bear in the living room. Patient to a fault, you'd simply smiled at him, taut and painful around the edges, and said, be safe. 

The announcement of his departure wasn't nearly as smooth, though. A tantrum, fraught with heavy sobs and howled no's seemed to threaten to topple the house down over them all. 

But you'd spoken words he couldn't hear, and moon-shaped eyes turned to him, fogged over with tears. There was acceptance buried in the webbing nebula, but it was shaky. Tenuous. 

Childish hands hold him tight before he leaves. "Mr Bear always keeps me safe.

The sentiment was overlooked at the time. A passing murmur that was lost in the shuffle of packing, leaving. Kisses and whispered worries in the middle of the night. 

But he thinks about it now, and tries not to laugh. 

At the bottom of the box is a note. He'll keep you safe, too! Love you to the moon and back.

He tucks the bear into his breast pocket where it'll be the safest on this journey, and wonders what you thought about the whole mess. It makes his lips curl. 

Halfway across the world, and they still make him smile. 

[woltourney]

ROUND 3 / SIDE B / POLL 3

Stelak Ganzthuv (@drtanner) v. Lopu Rhaavuna (@mages-ballad)

Stelak Ganzthuv:

q. What is your WoL name and pronouns? a. Stelak Ganzthuv (he/him)

q. What is your WoL's species? a. Roegadyn

q. What is your WoL's class? Or classes? a. Gunbreaker, Bard

q. What data centre/server are you on, if you want people to find you? a. Crystal/Malboro! Come say hi!

q. Tell us a bit about your WoL! a. Stelak is an amnesiac and can't remember anything about who he was before he arrived in Gridania. He woke up in the back that cart with nothing but a name, the clothes on his back and a robust set of instincts and principles, and while he has no memory of his life before then - if, indeed, he existed at all - he knows he's a whore. That's his literal job, he's a sex worker, he knows how to do that and he's very good at it. He's also picked up playing music suspiciously quickly, so there's a decent chance he might have been a bard previously, too. To Stelak's knowledge, Hydaelyn pretty much just plucked him out of the aether, or from wherever, to be Her hero, and Stelak is a little reluctant in his role but he's keenly aware that he has little choice in the matter; everything will go to shit in a big hurry if he doesn't step up when people need him to step up, and as much as he'd rather be doing other things and really doesn't enjoy the recognition or fame he gets for being the WoL, there's precious little to be done about it. He's doing his best, lmao.

q. Why should YOU win? (Answer IC!) a. "I'm gonna be honest with you, darlin'. I don't mind, I'm just here for a laugh." Stelak pauses, glancing away for a moment, considering. "… Sayin' that, though. Please. I'm very tired." His brow knots as he gives a weary smile. "It would be very nice to get a little appreciation for once."

q. Anything else you wanna add? a. Stelak is available for hire. Just sayin'. 💜

Lopu Rhaavuna:

q. What is your WoL name and pronouns? a. Lopu Rhaavuna, she/her

q. What is your WoL's species? a. Keeper of the Moon Miqo'te

q. What is your WoL's class? Or classes? a. IC-ly her primary jobs are Bard and Dancer. Secondary to that, Sage and Reaper. (Note from submitter: CUL and BOT)

q. What data centre/server are you on, if you want people to find you? a. Mateus [Crystal]

q. Tell us a bit about your WoL! a. I took inspiration for Lopu's character and story from the mahou shoujo genre, with the core elements being that a seemingly-average girl discovers she actually has the capability for magical powers, and uses those to help spread hope and save others. Love is a major theme for Lopu, and its what gives her the strength and motivation to do what she does. Lopu grew up in Gridania, where she left and became the Warrior of Light at age 25. She's always had a deep feeling of wanderlust within her, and the events of the MSQ are what kickstart her into being able to get out and see the world. She's lived her life knowing there had to eventually be more out there for her, and her assumptions are proven right as she takes up the title of the WoL and makes herself known. She's no doubt had her ups and downs, but never once has she regret her journey. Others may call her a hero; but even after all this time she still considers herself just an adventurer that likes to help people. In her free time, Lopu has a few hobbies she likes to indulge in! She's very big on cooking and sharing the food she makes, gardening and growing her own ingredients, hunting, training, running Treasure Maps, and of course hanging out with the Scions. Outside of saving the universe, she's a very sweet and humble woman.

q. Why should YOU win? (Answer IC!) a. "Ah? Um…" Lopu takes a lock of her thick hair to twirl around and play with while she ponders the question. "I think I should win because… It would make me really happy if I did?" She laughs a little, giving a flash of fangs. "Truthfully, I can't really think of a good reason! I guess there is the fact I saved the universe, but I wouldn't want people to feel obliged to put me on a pedestal just for that." "Maybe… If I win, I'll bake a huge celebratory cake to share with everyone! That works, right? People tend to be more motivated to vote if there's food involved, yes?"

q. Anything else you wanna add? a. AS HER CREATOR I SAY VOTE FOR LOPU BECAUSE SHE IS SO CUTE AND HUGGABLE AND SILLYGIRL-CORE AND HAS THICK THIGHS AND I LIKE HER A LOT AND ALSO IF SHE WINS I WILL ACTUALLY DO A GPOSE OF HER AND THE CAKE AND EVERYONE CAN HAVE SOME!!!!! VOTE FOR LOPU #LOPUSWEEP #LOPUSWEEP #LOPUSWEEP #LOPUSWEEP #LOPUSWEEP

[hairstevington]

Freaky Friday (Steddie's Version) - chapter 2!

Eddie Munson x Steve Harrington

Summary: Eddie and Steve have swapped bodies. They have to shower and it's weird. Time to set some ground rules, I guess. Chapter 1, Link to Ao3

Word Count: 3K, more chapters to come

Warnings: Enemies to lovers, slow(ish??) burn, canon universe (more or less) set before season 4, me adding in lore than the show didn't touch on such as how Eddie and Steve met etc, body swap, ANGST, revenge, POV switching, honestly just tons of fun lmao

A/N: WOW this got so much attention and that makes me happy because I love writing it. I will definitely keep this one going, I have soooo many ideas. Stay tuned for next chapter, because it's going to be a wild one!

“I gotta get out of these clothes, dude,” Eddie said, itching at the stiff material of the vest and Steve’s jeans. “I’m gonna shower, I promise I won’t ogle your naked body or anything, I just wanna get clean.”

“Yeah, me too,” Steve agreed. “Why do you wear these chains? They’re weighing me down, I keep having to pull these goddamn pants back up.” He said this as he demonstrated what he meant. Eddie had never really thought about it much. Staring at himself was making him feel weird. 

“Okay, well you have a shower at home, don’t you?” Eddie asked as he took the vest off and threw it to the floor. “Probably something voice activated with a robot butler who hands you a fresh towel.”

“Jesus, Munson, you’re so dramatic,” Steve groaned. “My bathroom is normal.”

“Whatever you say,” Eddie dismissed. Steve’s shirt came off next, joining the vest on the floor. Eddie walked back down the hall to the bathroom. He felt like he wouldn’t be able to think until he was dirt-free and in his own clothes. 

“I can’t go home like this!” Steve shouted from the living room. Eddie smirked, then turned around. 

“Why not?” he hissed. “Is Daddy Harrington gonna beat you up for looking like that? No, sorry. Would he beat me up for having the audacity to enter his perfect home?” Steve’s jaw clenched, and there was a look in his eyes that made Eddie immediately feel like he’d gone too far, and not in a fun way. 

“Watch it,” he warned. “My dad’s out of town, but my mom would probably call the cops, yeah.”

“Charming,” Eddie replied as he turned back around and continued his journey to the bathroom. He unfastened the jeans and shimmied himself out of them, leaving him only in Steve’s boxers. 

Steve’s body was far more toned and muscular than Eddie’s was. It was clear he worked hard to keep himself looking good, even post-graduation. It was the kind of body that probably hadn’t so much as seen a carb in the last ten years. 

Eddie didn’t really care about any of that, of course. But also, almost everybody wanted to look like this, deep down. 

As he stood there in boxers alone, he began to feel the trepidation that Steve referred to about seeing each other naked. It definitely felt like a weird, nonconsensual line to cross, but what other option did they have?

Eddie heard his own rough hand clamor against the doorframe, the rings making a distinct noise against the wood.

“Hey, asshole, I'm serious,” Steve said. “I’m trying to be a good guy here, and you just -”

“I see what you mean,” Eddie interrupted. He also in that moment realized that Steve was right in pointing out the amount of times Eddie cut him off. Oops. “About the showering thing. It’s weird. Let’s talk about it.”

Steve was clearly stunned by Eddie’s rapid turnaround into compliance. 

“Y-yeah, okay,” Steve stuttered.

“You have, like, a lot of chest hair,” Eddie said, looking at the newly exposed parts of him in the mirror. 

“Is that what you want to talk about? Seriously?” Steve balked. Eddie smirked. 

“No, just an observation. I don’t have much chest hair. I mean, you’ll see.”

“Okay, I think talking about it is making it worse,” Steve said, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. 

“Well soooorryyyy, I’ve never done this before!” Eddie exclaimed, throwing his hands up in exasperation. Steve chuckled. “What? Is my misery fun to you?”

“I mean, yeah,” he replied. “I’m laughing because this whole thing is, like - I mean, you know. It’s funny.” Eddie would never have chosen that particular word to describe their situation, but whatever. “Okay, so when I take this shirt off am I gonna see a third nipple or something?”

He wasn’t expecting Steve to make a joke like that. It caught him off guard so much he genuinely laughed. 

“I don’t have a third nipple, but are you afraid of spiders?” Steve raised one eyebrow, confused, then shook his head. “Good. I have a big one tattooed riiiight around here.” Eddie took a step forward and pushed his index finger into Steve’s chest - his own chest, really - at the approximate location of the tattoo. It was a bit of a mindfuck to make physical contact with his own self and not be able to feel one side of it. 

“Why a spider?” Steve asked with genuine interest.

“Because it looks badass,” Eddie responded. There was a far more meaningful reason, but Steve Harrington didn’t deserve to know it. He may have had Eddie’s body, but Eddie still had his mind, and thank god for that. It was dark in there sometimes. “Okay, so I’m gonna go in there -” Eddie pointed at the shower, “- and I’m gonna shut my eyes and just not think about it. Then you’re going to do the same thing, and then we’re gonna bury the whole experience deep into the depths of our souls and never talk about it ever again. Poof! Error message. Memory does not exist. Deal?”

“Works for me,” Steve agreed with a shrug. Eddie sighed deeply, then motioned for Steve to leave so he could shower in peace. 

Okay, maybe not in peace, but at least he was alone. Just him. Eddie. 

In someone else’s body. In Steve Harrington’s fucking body. 

What a nightmare.

-

Steve waited on Eddie’s couch and stared into space, the sounds of running water through the wall. He tried to wrap his head around the entire sequence of events that had led him here. If I had just let Eddie rescue Dustin, and stayed at my goddamn job, none of this would have happened.

His father really would have been so disappointed in him.

Steve thought about his first time interacting with Eddie, way back in middle school. Steve was a seventh grader, but he still hung around with the popular kids and had a decent reputation. He was funny and didn’t take things too seriously. At the school talent show, he and some buddies did a choreographed dance to the song I Will Survive, and everybody loved it. A real crowd pleaser. 

Steve sat in the audience and let the next act go, still high off his own performance, and saw a 13 year old Eddie Munson walk up on stage with his band, Corroded Coffin. His hair was buzzed, and he was a lot smaller than he was now. 

They played alright, considering they were a bunch of kids. That didn’t stop Steve’s friends from making fun of them, though. 

“Freaks,” Tommy coughed loudly into his hand. The rest of Steve’s group laughed, making other similar comments. Steve laughed with them, because that was the thing to do. Something uncomfortable stirred inside of him, but he chose to ignore it, as he continued to do throughout the rest of middle and high school. 

That was his first brush with Eddie, but it wasn’t the last. 

Yeah, he’d been a douchebag. Robin had reminded him of this enough for him to come to terms with it. He did and said a lot of shitty things, and watched in silence as his so-called friends said and did even shittier things. 

He hadn’t even noticed that the water had stopped running until Eddie poked his head back out into the living room. Steve’s jaw dropped as he watched Eddie absolutely manhandle Steve’s well-kempt locks. 

“Dude,” he announced, offended. “Fuck, I - I didn’t even think about-”

“What?” Eddie asked, concern flashing across his face. 

“My hair,” Steve explained. “What did you even use on it?” Eddie stared at him in disbelief as he stood up from the couch and reached out to feel the damage. “Jesus Christ, man, have you ever heard of conditioner?” His fingers grasped a few strands and rubbed them together, before Eddie swatted his hand away. 

“Don’t touch me.” Eddie warned, his face gravely serious.

“Technically, I’m touching myself,” Steve replied, before immediately regretting it. Eddie opened his mouth to say something, but Steve wouldn’t let him. “Stop. Whatever you’re about to say, don’t do it. I’m gonna shower now.”

So, he did. He went into the bathroom and stripped off Eddie’s shirt, seeing the spider and skull tattoo underneath for the first time. It did kinda look badass, he realized. Steve had no tattoos - although he’d thought about it a few times. He just couldn’t commit to anything he’d really want on his body forever. He continued removing clothing, placing the rings on the counter and pants on the floor. Here goes nothing, I guess. 

He tried to do what Eddie had proposed - he kept his eyes closed as often as he could and did his best not to think about it, but it was damn near impossible. He was washing a body that was foreign to him, and running his hands through hair with different length, texture, and style. The skin he was in felt completely different. Softer, in some places, like on the stomach. Rougher in others, like on the fingertips. The stubble on his chin was courser than what he’d been used to.

Same parts, different sizes and shapes.

There was basically just a bar of soap and some cheap drug store shampoo in there. Steve shuddered at the thought of his own hair being a victim of that shit - he wondered how many times his hair would have to be washed to really mess up what he’d carefully crafted over the years. 

With any luck, Steve wouldn’t have to find out. He hoped and prayed this was the first and last shower he would ever have to take in Eddie’s body. 

He dried himself off and opened the bathroom door once he was done. 

“Eddie?” he asked, unsure whether he should just walk out in the towel. It’s what Eddie had done before, but he still wanted to tread lightly. 

“In my room.” Steve followed the voice towards the sound. “I didn’t say you could come in here.” 

Apparently, Eddie had heard Steve’s approaching footsteps.

“Okay,” Steve said, backing up again. “Should I…put your clothes back on?”

“Nah,” Eddie said. Steve noted how his voice sounded from outside of himself. It was higher than he thought it would be. Eddie was speaking in a much less angry tone than he had before, which made Steve even more uneasy. “You’re in luck. Everything in here is in your size.” Steve heard shuffling of drawers before Eddie resurfaced in his doorway with jeans and a t-shirt bundled in his hands. 

The light from the bedroom shone behind him, casting shadows on his face. Steve’s face. He was only wearing pajama bottoms, which hung low on his hips. Steve’s eyes locked in on the lit cigarette resting in Eddie’s mouth. 

“I quit years ago,” he noted. 

“Yeah, well I didn’t,” Eddie responded. Steve frowned, thinking of all the times Robin had rambled on and on about the dangers of smoking and the health complications it leads to. He had promised her he wouldn’t smoke again. 

“Just -” Steve hesitated, knowing he sounded whipped. “Don’t smoke in front of Robin, okay?”

“What’s your deal with her anyway?” Eddie asked, the snark in his voice returning. 

“Friends,” Steve said with a shrug. 

“Sure. Friends.” Eddie repeated the word sarcastically, then handed the clean clothes to Steve, who didn’t have the energy to argue. “I don’t plan on seeing her, but sure. I’ll refrain from smoking in her presence, your honor.” 

“You’re gonna see her,” Steve countered, “because we work together tomorrow.” Eddie scoffed. 

“Are you seriously suggesting we just pretend to be each other? Cuz I gotta say, Harrington, that idea is pretty stupid.” 

“You got a better one, super senior?” Steve snapped. He’d been cold stepping out of the shower before, but the anger within him was keeping him warm, now. Eddie chuckled darkly. 

“Jesus Christ,” he muttered. He threw his head back and groaned. “I can’t believe this is happening with you of all people.” 

“Look, man,” Steve began, trying to express what he’d been thinking about earlier. “I know I was an asshole in high school, but a lot has changed since then.”

“Oh, I’m sure,” Eddie replied with a roll of his eyes.

“I’m serious!” Steve insisted. “And there were so many other people who treated you worse than I did.”

“You mean your friends?” Eddie countered, his words like venom. 

“They’re not my friends anymore.”

“That’s great for you, Harrington. Juuuust great. Really makes up for all the times you hung around and brushed off the shit they did.” The conversation was getting heated again, and Steve started to feel his heart pounding in his chest. “Get the fuck out of my trailer.”

Steve could have hit him. He still had pent up anger from the assholes that had hurt Dustin, and then there was the ever-growing frustration that his body and life was entrusted to someone he despised. He didn’t want to hate him - no, Steve was trying to be nice now, but since when had Eddie shown him the same effort?

“Fine.” Steve spun around and headed back to the bathroom so he could quickly slip the clothes on. They were, of course, a perfect fit. The pants were well worn and shaped to his body, the shirt soft and loose. The two men were about the same size, Steve noticed. 

“Fuck!” Eddie exclaimed from his room. Steve peeked out from the bathroom only to see Eddie trudging back out to meet him again. “I can’t miss school or I won’t graduate. And I have to graduate okay? I have to. So fine, Harrington. You win. I’ll work at Family Video tomorrow so you can keep your stupid job, and you’ll go back to high school for me. Sound good?”

Shit. Steve had no interest in going back to school. He wasn’t that good at it the first time around. 

“None of this is good, Munson.” Steve sighed, suddenly feeling very tired. Irritable. He felt a craving for cigarettes. God dammit, I have his fucking nicotine addiction. The residual smell of smoke in the trailer didn’t help. “Okay, yeah. You’ll work, I’ll go to school. We both have shit at stake.”

“Seems that way,” Eddie admitted. “Not that you’ll be any better in school than me. Maybe I should have body swapped with Nancy Wheeler or something -”

“I’m leaving.” Steve turned around and headed down the hall, picking up his car keys on the way to the front door. He paused, then turned back around. “People are gonna notice if I show up to work in your red van.”

“Yeah, like I wanna be seen showing up to school in your prissy car, Harrington,” Eddie called from out of sight. “I don’t care if people notice. Don’t let the door hit me in the ass on your way out.” 

Steve chuckled dryly at the humor and shook his head in disbelief. This was ridiculous. This was going to end in disaster. But what other choice did he have?

He got in his (nice, perfectly normal car) and drove back to his house. The light in his parent’s bedroom was on, which meant his mom had turned in for the night and would be sleeping soon. This was good, because he could sneak in without being noticed - which would surely have caused commotion. Steve wasn’t that close with his mom, but he was closer with her than he was his dad. She was just kind of distant. She didn’t really know Steve at all. If he tried to convince her of the body swap, he wouldn’t even know what he would say to prove his identity. 

Robin and Dustin on the other hand? Easy. Steve figured he could convince any of the Upside Down gang, if he had to. It was something to keep in mind when this whole thing inevitably got worse. 

He had to wake up early and go to goddamn high school in the morning. Jesus. At least he’d be leaving before his mom woke up. That crisis was averted, for now, but if this lasted through the next day he wouldn’t be so lucky.

He hoped as he crawled into bed that night that he would wake up in his own body. He wondered if this whole thing was payback for all the stupid shit he’d done years before. 

He thought that maybe, this is what he deserved.

-

Eddie hated Steve, and he hated being in Steve’s perfect, chiseled body. He hated that he had to wash the stupid green vest and put it back on in the morning, then act semi-normal at Family Video. He had to, because he did have something to lose after all. 

Wayne Munson had taken Eddie in a few years prior, and he’d been more than kind despite the amount of trouble Eddie frequently got into. Wayne didn’t ask questions about Eddie dealing drugs, or coming home after school with swollen knuckles and a chip on his shoulder. He supported Eddie through his failing senior year, then failing it again. 

But Wayne had made it abundantly clear that this year was Eddie’s last chance. If he didn’t graduate, he was cut off. 

It made sense, of course. Eddie didn’t blame Wayne for that decision. Eddie had grown complacent in high school, running Hellfire and avoiding all the future responsibilities he desperately wanted to avoid. He didn’t have much of a future anyway, so why hurdle himself towards it?

He wasn’t even bullied so much in school as much as he was avoided and hated. People thought low of him, but it was manageable. They feared him too, at least. 

He wanted to stay in his weird bubble, but if he did he’d end up on the streets, and probably be found dead somewhere. 

He wondered how he’d be treated in the world now that he looked like Steve. He imagined the difference would be vast. Of course it would be. Society was a prison for which there was no escape and no bail. 

Eddie hated Steve, and rightfully so. Steve had always been popular, charming, and adored. It was silly to think that years ago, Eddie had hoped that maybe Steve would be different. He hoped that Steve would be better than the others who looked down on anyone who didn’t come from money or who maybe looked a little different. 

The first few times Eddie had been the victim of harsh stares and rude comments, he’d looked for Steve’s face in the crowd and hoped he would speak up. Eddie gave him a few chances, and then he realized that Steve wasn’t better than those other assholes. If anything, he was worse. 

Eddie wanted to burn his whole world down.

(next chapter)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

@thegoatscoat @ao3screenshots @stevessluttywaist @tartarusfairy @croatoan-like-its-hot @mightbeasleep @ofherscarlettwitchways @livvyshmiv @paintballkid711 @abraca-fxckyou @allbimyself26 @jellybabiesforall @allbymyselfexceptformycactus @justaloadofgarbage-blog @alliemunsonsstuff @undreamingscatworld @thefruityfours @hobbitnarwhal @calivanus @wreckmyplans-thatsmyman @antheia @goodolefashionedloverboi @lillemilly @missmagillicuddy @steviesbicrisis @gamerdano @menamesniall @eyeslikewildflowers111 @callmesirkay@stringischeese @eds-trashmouth @mnl-enuh @redfreckledwolf @itsanarrum @soulsofstarsliveinyourveins @gregre369 @stevesbipanic @momotonescreaming @aryakanojiaa @wrenisflying @comicmadlover @lilacrobin @itch-my-b0nez @anonymousbandgirl @disastardly @Dang_Dirty_Demons @daisyellsong @val-from-lawrence

[lxmine]

how i think they’ll confess. + itto, kazuha x gn!reader

+. fluff, small angst in kazuha’s

+. A/N this is my first try in making hcs so pls bare with me

itto

He’ll probably blurt it out accidentally

Like the both of you are playing beetle fight with kids and then some cocky grown up went to show their beetles off.

Bro was pissed off LMAO

He’s supposed to be the one adored by the kids ya know!

He felt really annoyed cuz their beetles were bigger than his.

But you’re one lucky person and found a bigger one just yesterday and intended to give it to him but you wanted to show off >:)

He was in awe and so the match started

He was behind you the whole time watching intently with the kids on your side, and his hands were on your shoulders.

And of course you won! He’s so happy with the kids and then he just says it out loud like.

“OH MY, YOU WERE SO COOL! YA SEE???! THIS IS WHY I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!”

The kids were looking at him smugly, they knew of his feelings for you but they also know that the two of you aren’t ‘married’ as one of the kids say.

“You what??” “I… Uhmm.. Well thats not how I wanted it to be…”

He shyly looks away, coughing after another. You chuckled and one of the kids chimes.

“Are you two married now? Can we play house now!?” One happily says.

kazuha

He’s one of the romantics and we all know that.

You’re a childhood friend from Inazuma, and the two of you admitted of liking each other but he never really got to say it properly.

So once the decree is lifted, he can now come back to you. Even for a short while before he leaves to travel at least.

“Good evening, [name].”

He smiled opening his arms as he watched you look at him in shock, dropping the things you’re holding to run up to him and be enveloped in his loving arms.

“I missed you, Kazuha! How have you been!? I heard what happened in Tenshukaku, are you alright!? You’re not badly hurt are you!?”

And many more questions are asked by you, but he only looked at your face, your lips, your eyes. You still looked beautiful as ever.

And the orange sky reflected your face, you looked ethereal, you always did. He chuckles, tucking your hair behind your ear.

Oh, how much you missed the feeling of his calloused hand touching your skin. “I am fine now, dove. Now that I get to hold you once again.”

He then kissed your forehead, you wished this moment would stay forever. Wished that he’ll never leave again. Wished that he would stay with you again. “Shall we re-visit out hiding place?” He smiles holding out his hand for you to take.

He took you back to where the two of you would run off to whenever your parents were hard on you, where he would tell you nothing but sweet things.

It’s a cliff end, but you felt at home every time you would come there. Especially in golden hours. The sunset to be specific.

“The sunset looks beautiful, don’t you think?”

He caressed the back of your hand, your eyes focused on the setting sun while his is focused on your face. Like he would forget it if he looked away just for a second, and so he memorized your features.

He knew what you looked like already, your face was all he could think off back in the crux. “Indeed it does… But..”

“I never got to say it properly, and I figured I’d tell you now.” He squeezed your hand before bringing it closer to his lips to kiss the back of it. “I love you, I love you dearly.”

Your breath hitched upon hearing those words leave his lips once again. “So I ask you.” He smiled taking out a flower from a foreign land and bends down on one knee. “Will you travel the word with me?”

Tears pooled your eyes, looking down at him. “I remember how you said you wanted to journey this world with me. So, my love. Are you willing to spend your lovely time with me and venture the world together?”

You quickly nodded, pulling Kazuha into a hug. “I’d love to.” You replied.

NENRIDBDJ DDJBDJD HOPE YALL LIKED THIS ONE I LOVE YOU <3

MASTERLIST

[ndeyebaby]

"This Is My Time to Shine!"

So, I'm pretty sure some of you have heard of/seen the trend on TikTok where a bunch of creators talked about the importance of being delusional with your goals. In other words, even when shown negative circumstances, or being told that something was unattainable, these people continued to think "oh I'm going to achieve this no matter what". Sound familiar? If you haven't heard of this trend, I've attached a compilation of these videos here. They can serve as great motivation!

I just realized the other day that I lowkey used their videos to help me with my manifestation journey- um sorry it took so long but I feel like what I did might really be helpful lmao

I know that the word "delusional" isn't the best way to describe manifesting, as the true delusion is letting the 3D affect your 4D, instead of the other way around. Still, I noticed this trend really was just a bunch of success stories from people outside of the LOA circle - just people who realized that changing their mind can really change their world. It was a *HUGE* deal for me when I was still manifesting a lot of my goals. Whenever I felt down or demotivated, or that I had to "start over", I would search up "be delusional" on TikTok for the push I needed to achieve my goals.

I know that most blogs would agree that manifestation is/can be instant in the 3D, but I've never really had that experience. It always really happened when I let go of time and chased the feeling of fulfillment instead of worrying about when it would happen or time crunches (was never really good at those lol.) So you can imagine that there were plenty of times where I would wake up and still see my undesirable circumstances. I won't lie and say I didn't feel disappointed cuz girl I was definitely having mental breakdowns, recording voice messages of me crying, writing in my diary and all that like girl that shit was trifling. But the mindset that helped me in the end was "this is my time to shine!"

What do I mean by that exactly? Well, in my mind, I would already live in the end, and whenever I was faced with shit in the 3D that would otherwise set me off, I would laugh it off and say "THIS IS MY TIME TO SHINE!" 'Shine' meaning to be like the protagonist of my own story and being just like those TikTokers who manifested their dream lives - by being delusional even in the face of hardships. I no longer fell asleep worrying that even if I did my technique I would fail.

I no longer felt unhappy when looking at the 3D and seeing my broke ass bank account or looked in the mirror and seeing my old body/damaged hair/dead skin.

I seriously felt like the hero of my own inspirational story, because I technically was lol. And look where I am now!!! I'm still a bit hesitant to share details of my life because I want this blog to serve as a message for all of you to receive and to be of guidance, but I'm definitely living the way I want to, after a lifetime of being bullied, told I couldn't do certain things, felt like I wasn't enough. Maybe I'll share the deets another day but .... ;)))))

If I can do it, you certainly can. Believe me, I was that girl who believed you need to meditate on one foot while drinking a gallon of water and I was that person who was like "omg it's homophobic that the universe won't let me shift like ????? that was ghetto

[looseratinthegarage]

Heyyy can I get a little yautja x reader? Make up your own lil story or scenario or something, just go wild lmao

I just wanna see more thirsty pred content hehe. Please and thanks 🙏

This is about my Oc Muahrou. I hope you like it!! sorry it took so long <3

(Not proofread)

Debt

You lock your apartment door and put the keys in your back pocket. You walk down the mixed stone steps and start walking down the street. The sun had begun to set and you changed your pace to speed-walking. You make a left and walk through the emptying park, it’s a nice shortcut. You see families picking up their picnics and gathering their children. You shake your head and continue your journey. You place your hand in your pockets and repress a shiver.

You make a right and see your destination come into view. You happily skip up to the mom and pop diner and open the door, hearing a little jiggle.

“Ah, y/n, want your usual?” Mr Barone asked as he wiped the counter.

“Yes sir!” You smile and sit down at a table.

He chuckles and walks into the back. He begins barking orders at the chiefs and you shake your head fondly. You look down and pull out your phone. You scroll through social media for a moment and sigh when seeing no notifications.

You play a mindless game to pass the time while your mouth is practically watering. You look up at your battery and quickly turn the phone off. It was pretty close to dying and you’d really rather not walk home in the dark without a phone.

Mrs Barone walks out of the back with steaming food in hand. If you had a tail, it would be wagging. She giggled at your eagerness and placed the food down.

“Thank you ma’am!” You dig into your meal as if it would be your last.

“Of course, y/n! You really have to come over more often.” She smiles and pinches your cheek.

You smile back and resume inhaling your dinner. She walks behind the counter and starts counting the money in the register. Mr Barone comes out of the back and is seemingly fixated on something outside. He squints his eyes into the darkness then clears his throat and moves his attention to you. He plops down at your table on the other booth with a groan.

“It’s gettin pretty late, I’ll walk you home, don’t want any weirdos messin with ya.” He offers and leans back.

You smile at his concern and roll your eyes.

“I’ll be fine, grandpa.” You joke.

“I just want you to be safe, if I gotta be your grandfather to do that then so be it.” He laughed and you felt your face heat up in embarrassment.

You’ve become rather close with Mr and Mrs Barone, to the point of viewing them like family. You liked the idea of Mr Barone being your granddad, but you guessed he was only joking.

“I have my phone with me,” You try to convince him but he interrupts you.

“And you got my number?” He asks as he crosses his arms.

“Yes,” you roll your eyes fondly.

“And what do you do if something happens?” He raises an eyebrow.

“I’ll call you,” you reassure him.

“And it doesn’t matter what time it is, eh?” He shifts slightly.

“If I ever run into trouble, no matter what time, you’ll be the first person I call.” You smile at the grumpy old man.

“That’s my boy/girl/kid.” He ruffles your hair and stands up.

He walks over to the Mrs and kisses her on the cheek as she counts. At least he seems more at ease now. You finish up your food and begin walking to the back.

“Ah, ah,” he corrects.

You sigh and place the plate on the counter. You always try to clean up after yourself but he never lets you. It’s not like you weren’t allowed back there. You’ve gone many times, often when he proudly shows you new equipment or appliances. He just never wanted you to work, guess he likes taking care of you. Not that you're surprised, he had a son that died when he was young. Leaving a big hole in his heart, one that you happily filled.

You gave them both a kiss on the cheek and tried to pay, but as you expected he didn’t let you. He asked one more time if he could walk you home but you politely declined. He sighed and nodded.

You waved to them and opened the door, hearing the jingle once again. You took a deep breath and started your walk back home. Through the park is the easiest and quickest way, even though Mr Barone isn’t a big fan.

You enter and see that all of the families have moved on long ago. You hear a crunch underneath your foot and stop. You look down and see a brown paper bag, people really need to clean after themselves. You look around for a trash can and spot one. Sadly the light post above it had gone out. You walk into the darkness and throw the bag away, feeling rather satisfied with yourself.

You turn around and begin walking away then hear a bone chilling noise. Unnatural hisses. You slowly turn around looking for the cause. If it was a cat, it’s a weird freaking cat, you’ve never heard one making these noises. Then something all black walks into the light of the moon. You gasp and start slowly backing up.

It chased you, your heart pounded so heavily you thought it’d explode. It trips you with its tail and you fall to the ground hard. You gasp for air as the wind has been knocked out of you. The creature leaped at you, you screamed but managed to roll out of the way. Then out of nowhere a strangely dressed person jumps out and stabs the thing in the back of the head. It shrieks and turns around beginning to fight them.

Everything in your body told you to run, neither of them are human. But you couldn’t move, you were frozen. You snapped back to reality and grabbed your phone. You fumbled with it and went into the calling app. While you were distracted the thing had tried attacking you. Luckily the other creature blocked the attack and pushed you out of the way. You hit the floor and your phone goes flying.

You crawl towards it and grasp it in your hand. You hastily click his name and wait while it rings. He picks up the phone quickly.

“Are you alright-” He speaks worriedly but you interrupt him.

“Please help!! I’m scared!! Aah!” You roll out of the way from the two battling creatures.

“I’m at the park!! Please!!” You cry as you watch the two fight.

You look down at the phone and your heart sinks, it died. He won’t know where you are. You throw the phone to the side and look around for something to defend yourself with. You see a fallen tree branch and bolt for it. The ‘good’ creature was on the ground. It took your brain a minute to figure out that it was going to kill him.

Without thinking you start running at the thing. You hit it over the head but the branch brakes on impact. You gulp and back up slowly as it turns around. It stabs you through the chest with its tail. The world went in slow motion and your eyes widened. Once it pulled it out, time returned to normal. You cry out and fall to the ground.

Then something shoots it, and it wasn’t the other creature. You turn your head weakly and see Mr Barone with a shotgun. It only seemingly stuns the monster, but in that time the ‘good’ one was able to strike it fatally.

He threw the shotgun into the grass and ran to your side. He knelt down and cupped your cheeks. He pulls something that resembles a coin out from his pocket and shows it to the tall bipedal. They nod and walk over to you. The last thing you remember is being picked up by rough scaly hands and Mr Barone kissing your forehead.

[fff777]

watched the wayv 5th anniversary stream

It's pajama themed!!!!!! :3

Ten called Kun gege and Kun was like this is definitely a thing I am not used to wtf

When Winwin introduced himself in English he was like "I'm uh-Winwin" and Xiaojun and Hendery in Mandarin were like "you're a Winwin???"

Ten: 你可以叫我欽欽哥哥 WayV: *o*

Kun voluntold Sicheng to introduce the stream :3

Ten wanted them all to introduce their pajamas first :P

Yangyang introducing his pants and housecoat pattern combo

Ten had a nature wildlife theme lmao

Sicheng said that Dejun's was a ocean theme and Hendery and Dejun were like "no this is a hospital patient theme" lol. Ten said that his pajamas reminded them of Dream Launch.

Sicheng said that his pajamas were Dalmation vibes and the guys were like ehhhh that's not quite it

Ten: You are my star Sicheng: ...So romantic

Dejun asked Sicheng for help on taking off his eyemask (probably so as not to disturb his hair).

Apparently Hendery's not the kind of guy to wear pajamas. Like I think he doesn't wear much when he goes to sleep based on what the guys are saying.

Kun's housecoat is very dadlike lol.

He's showing off the bear

Ten saying that Kun looks like an esteemed guest at a hotel and Sicheng saying that he looks like rich president (like of a company)

Discussing what they did in 2023

Sicheng: *Sneezes* Sicheng: Bless me (I think that's what he said lol)

They said it would be game time but they're just reading comments first

Ten said he cut his hair for the rookie mentality lol

Kun reading the comments: 劉揚揚好嫩 Yangyang: Hah

Commenting on Yangyang's haircut and Hendery chopping the mullet

This stream has no subs as of right now so I can't understand the Korean parts unfortunately

They noted that the stream was happening around dinner time/bedtime

Aw cute collage journal

Sicheng calculating the number of days in 5 years XD

He said he calculated it with astrology lmao

Hendery was like uhhh do we have to read our own entries? And Sicheng was like yeah we love seeing other people embarrassed (so you have to)

Hendery's entry was about going to the amusement park together and buying animal hats together

Yangyang explained that it was during Kick Back promos and it was on a day when they had free time

Hendery telling us to guess what this picture is of. Apparently it was the merry-go-round.

Kun finally found pictures of them on that day.

Kun pointing to the animal hats

Yangyang said that on that day, they'd agreed to dress more low key. And Hendery said that it was because all of them had dyed hair. But then they all wore animal hats which kind of defeated the purpose.

Hendery was looking to see who wrote the next entry and it was not signed by anyone but he knew it was Dejun's :3 Probably recognized the handwriting.

Dejun's was about visiting Rain Day filming. He'd taken 1.5hrs to get there and bought drinks. But because it was raining the people on set were going to get changed. So Dejun saw them for one minute. And then he went home, another 1.5hr journey XD

Sicheng's entry was about a time he had stubble and he thought he looked good and wanted to take a bubble for fans but the members said that if he did, he'd lose fans and scare people so he didn't X'D All the members denied this or claimed they forgot that such a thing happened lol.

Sicheng's picture of his facial hair that Ten said looked a lot like Sicheng XD

Yangyang explained that it was just stubble, it wasn't full-fledged facial hair. And then Hendery asked the fans to weigh in on whether they want to see Sicheng with facial hair.

Ok so it's a promise, Sicheng will have facial hair like Guan Yu/Guan Yunchang for the next comeback XD Guan Yu aka Guan Yunchang is a historical figure often depicted with a very long beard.

Kun wrote a really long entry

Apparently WayVs went to an escape room and Kun asked the fans to weigh in on who was the most courageous/cowardly in escape rooms

According to Kun, Hendery was the bravest, and Ten was the most cowardly XD

Apparently Ten just go through the escape room with his eyes closed XD

Ten also talked about escape rooms. He said that if he was scared in the escape room, then he would make animal sounds to scare away the scary things lol. But apparently the NPCs would just get confused lol.

Kun demonstrating a scared Ten

Ten would get mad in the escape room when he had to do certain things XD Sicheng's example was that if the NPC said that person #1 had to do something and Ten was person #1, he'd be like "why do I have to do it?!" and argue with the NPC lol

Yangyang talked about Christmas hotpot with the members :3 They also did Secret Santa but they had to buy impractical things. They can't share them with us though ToT

They have to write an entry for memories with the fans. They're all going to do it in different languages and Kun has to write it down.

Yangyang hoping that there'll be lots of opportunities to meet fans and that fans will come and see them.

Kun struggling to keep up with summarizing and writing while the other guys are talking

Ten voluntold to keep the journal lol

Sicheng wearing Dejun's eye mask

Polaroid decorating time

Aw Yangyang did Ten's photo with a kitty theme

Ten did Yangyang's photo

Lol Dejun decorated Hendery's. He also used the kitty sticker.

LMAO Sicheng has experience with polaroid decorating and he just slapped as many stickers as he could onto it lmfao.

Hendery calling out Sicheng for speaking with such little enthusiasm as he explained his work X'D and they made him do a take 2 XD

Hendery used stickers and washi tape for Kun's photo, and explained that the face was Weishennies doing a kissy face to Kun :P

Kun explained that he went with a simple approach to Winwin's photo :P

Game time!

Ten arguing with Kun about moving the game piece X'D

Lol choose the phrase that Ten has not spoken before X'D

Hendery trying to game the tissue blowing game

Ten's trick did NOT work lol

Ok is it just me or are they NOT moving the game pieces properly???? like 1 space should be the next space over lol

Yangyang told Sicheng to be the person that they have to blow the balloon over because he's the tallest and then he lay down like this X'D

Balloon: *Lets out air* WayV: OMG Winwin!!!!!! dId YoU fArT?????

Dejun succeed by flinging the balloon a bit as he let go X'D

Ten was unsuccessful X'D

Question: Which one is not Sicheng's hobby?

Question: Which has Yangyang and mom not said to each other?

Hendery said that Yangyang's mom definitely did not say he was ugly because she always says good things about Yangyang to Hendery

Lol Hendery was wrong lmao

Confusion over whether they should be standing up or not lol

Lol the guys really have no 默契

Interesting how when they're talking about dancing, they revert to Korean. I wonder if it's because their dance trainers speak to them in Korean.

Kun voluntold to light the cake I guess (they were speaking in Korean for much of this)

Wayv: 錕哥今天是什麽日子 Kun: 今天是我五歲的生日啊 *aegyo*

Bro like no one reacted to his joke X'D

Lol thinking about what their debut song was, but settling on a simple Happy Birthday

Wtf is this candle??? lol

Ohh it's a spinning cake. Kyungsoo had a spinning cake for his Expectation livestream, I wonder if this is the new cake trend.

Yangyang always coming in with the emotional messages :3 He was saying how it was their fifth anniversary, but they'd known each other for longer than that, and that he hopes they'll continue to grow old together :3

Kun arguing that he will NOT be fifty years old in twenty years X'D

ASMR sleepy times with mood lighting

Lol Yangyang doing his qipaoyin which I looked up is called vocal fry register XD

Dejun preemptively drying Sicheng's tears

Nuisance strikes again

Sicheng: 晚安, 我愛你 ;_; <3 <3 <3

They were not prepared for this ASMR because the background noise is so loud....

Hendery saying the end of his message in Cantonese T_T

NUISANCE JUN

Not paying attention during Kun's bit ^^;;

Extra not paying attention during Ten's bit OTL

A fan asked if Hendery's teeth still hurt lol. I think this was a reference to when he'd gotten his wisdom teeth out earlier.

Sleepy times :3

[bambiraptorx]

FANTASY AU??? MY FAVOURITE REPTILES SHOVED INTO MY FAVOURITE GENRE??? TELL ME MORE PLEASE?!? <3

Okay, so the setting is more or less Generic Medieval Fantasy Land, but instead of having the standard fantasy races, yokai and humans pretty much coexist alongside each other. The land is currently in a time of peace. Sure there's some conflicts, but those tend to be more based on issues between nobility/ landed gentry than widespread war. Many cities and villages are fairly isolated, and there isn't really an overall ruler, just a scattering of city-states that occasionally try to conquer each other.

That being said, let's get into actual characters!

Leo is something of a traveling bard who wanders from town to town, with a 'magic flute' that can turn into a sword. (It's worth noting that the flute is not actually magic and it's actually Leo's ability to magically transform objects into swords that's at play here. He is not aware of this.) Nobody knows what exactly he's searching for, but he consistently takes an interest in unusual magic and strange occurrences, often offering the villages he stops in to help with their mystic problems if he can. Sometimes the issue is that a slumbering dragon under the hill that the town is built on is waking up, sometimes it's that everyone in town is turning into frogs because their main well got enchanted somehow (and seriously guys, just dig a new well at this point? please?)

Raph is his main traveling companion, often seen as the brawn to Leo's brains. He's actually more of the impulse control to Leo's hare-brained schemes though, except when the hair-brained schemes are coming from him lol. Between the two of them, they've earned a reputation as something of a pair of folk heroes, to the point that people will occasionally seek them out to ask them for help. Raph isn't as fond of the traveling as Leo is; he doesn't like the constant inconsistency and change. But until they find what they're looking for, they have to keep going.

April is something of a travelling storyteller, who's crossed paths with Leo and Raph enough to know that wherever they go, crazy things follow. Sometimes she travels with them, sometimes they split up. Occasionally she does odd jobs in villages, especially if she wants to keep a low profile. Half of storytelling is gathering information, after all, and if there's a shady merchant selling bad potions or a count whose servants keep disappearing, you can bet that April is going to find out about it. (She's kinda like the fantasy/pre-movable-type printing press version of an investigative journalist.) She may or may not be under an oath to never tell a lie.

Donnie doesn't travel with his brothers, partly because he prefers the city life to the open road and partly because, as the youngest master craftsman of his guild, his work is constantly under demand. He's known for having a special touch when it comes to his creations, whether clockwork, iron, or precious metals, and his precision and focus are something to behold. Unlike many metalworkers, he refuses to make weapons (something the rest of the guild is fine with because of the demand his work receives). Rumor has it that the trade coming to his city has doubled since he started selling his work. Also, he draws his eyebrows on with charcoal. They tend to get smudged.

Mikey's just stuck in a magical amulet lmao. Leo and Raph have spent the last several years trying to figure out how to get him out without having to go back to the person that put him in it initially, but hope running slim on that front.

Draxum is... interesting. He lives in a massive forest known for its mystical wildlife and properties. They say that he lives in the exact center of the forest, twenty days' journey from any side, in a decrepit tower as old as the trees themselves. Some call him the forest's witch, others its guardian spirit, still others its god. All anyone knows for sure is that he's been there longer than any of the villages built tentatively on the forest outskirts, and that no one wants to get on his bad side. There are rumors of trophy hunters travelling a bit too deep and coming out irreversibly changed, both physically and mentally. Forest fires may rage for decades, then extinguish themselves in a single night. Paths seem to open between the trees and close at random. There is a saying in many towns on the fringe: as crazy as spending a week in the forest. Locals never explain the meaning, apparently finding it self-evident.

And almost everyone who's spent any length of time within the forest boundaries reports a tall shadowy figure that lurks just outside the boundaries of torchlights and campfires, never engaging, just watching. Sometimes, upon close inspection, the shadow is revealed to simply be a tallish pillar of stone, one so covered in moss and vines that it can't have been touched for centuries. It's unwise to get too close to the pillars, though.

Sometimes they'll follow you. And that's never a good thing.

[natasha-in-space]

Hello! So I really like your writing and your takes on the characters. Your ability to make them feel grounded in canon is something I really love! I especially liked your post on Jaehee's acceptance on her femininity, because I feel like you really got a point there, and it's something I see fans either ignore or don't like for some reason? Like, I've seen someone say that it's not logical for Jaehee to want to be more feminine, and that made me kinda upset, ngl. I know it's stupid, but as a girl who had to struggle with accepting my own femininity, it makes me upset when people refuse to acknowledge the feminine development of female characters as a positive one. Some of us want to be feminine. It's not bad or oppressive. We are allowed to have those stories told. It makes me so uncomfortable when it automatically gets assumed that it's somehow bad, and a female character can't be free and feminine. Why not create an OC for Jaehee with those traits instead of ignoring a crucial plot point in her story? Idk, maybe I'm being too petty. - anon

Hi anon! Tumblr is being silly and I accidentally messed up your ask, so I'll be answering you this way! That's an interesting point to discuss, and I do get your frustrations. That said, I do wanna say that we all can interpret the same character differently, and I don't wanna invalidate others readings on Jaehee! Creation is all about having fun, after all, so there's no need for any obsolete rules.

I'm honestly very surprised that post of mine has so many notes? I wrote it in a very sleepy state to just get my thoughts out, and I frankly don't think it's that good, lmao. Maybe I'll do a follow-up of it one day and do the subject justice, with screenshots and more grounded points! It's certainly an aspect of her character I like thinking about a lot, especially due to my own experiences.

As to your point, I do think that if you actually pay attention to Jaehee's dialogue and her overall route progression, her embrace of her femininity makes complete logical sense to her as a character. At least to me. The path of actually throwing aside your environment's expectations of you and just pursuing what you like is hard. Including the acceptance of your own femininity. Especially so if you have been denying it to yourself for a long, long time. And that's something Jaehee expresses her struggle with many times. I think it's perfect in line and actually logical for her to lean into the more 'feminine' side after her good ending.

And, y'know, just because she has long hair and likes to wear dresses sometimes doesn't mean she lost her snark and badassery! I'm pretty sure she's actually way more confident and open after her good ending, so just because she is more 'feminine', doesn't mean she'll grow all soft and timid or something like that. It has been expressed that she has many leadership qualities, and she can hold her own just fine. Femininity is a spectrum, not some set of rules you have to follow. You can explore it in different ways to your desire, and I think that's a journey she'll explore at her own pace.

So, that's my two cents on it! I'd say just scroll down or block the content that you don't like seeing. There's nothing wrong with using the block button for your own comfort, y'know? If you don't like seeing a certain interpretation, just manage your online experience to avoid seeing it!

[swtsuna]

STRANGER THINGS 5: THEORIES

These theories envolves around Will, Max and Eddie. (I know what is the first stage of grief, thank you very much). Take your time.

Also, this contains spoilers of Stranger Things VOL. 2. If you haven’t watched and don’t want to be aware of what happens, I advice you to stop here.

As we all know, there will be a timeskip from S4-VOL2 to S5. Based on this account (and I’ve seen in other places around Twitter) S5 will take place on 1988, making that a two years timeskip!

If in one week a lot can happen in Hawkins, let alone two years. Based on that, let me start the theories (made by this unhealthy mind of mine).

Max

Our beautiful Kate Bush enthuasiast ended season four in a hospital bed. She died for over a minute but Eleven made her heart beat again. That was really lovely if not for the fact that while in her mind, El couldn’t see a thing. Max is in coma, brain-dead.

On that scene we saw Lucas reading “The Talisman”, book written in 1984 by Stephen King and Peter Straub. Let’s see the plot, shall we?

“Jack Sawyer, twelve years old, sets out from Arcadia Beach, New Hampshire, in a bid to save his mother Lily, who is dying from cancer, by finding a crystal called "the Talisman". Jack's journey takes him simultaneously through the American heartland and "the Territories", a strange fantasy land that is set in a universe parallel to that of Jack's United States. Individuals in the Territories have "twinners", or parallel individuals, in our world. Twinners' births, deaths, and (it is intimated) other major life events are usually paralleled. Twinners can also "flip" or migrate to the other world but only share the body of their alternate universe's analogue.”

Tell me this isn’t similar to what’s happening in our beloved fictional city, Hawkins. I dare you. Do you really think I was finished? There’s more.

“In rare instances (such as Jack's), a person may die in one world but not the other, making the survivor "single-natured", with the ability to switch back and forth, body and mind, between the two worlds.”

The “earthquake” in Hawkins happened when Max was “dead”. Vecna was still in her mind and that’s why I believe she is not dead. Remember season one? When Eleven saw Barb dead? El can see dead people. Max is alive, but she is still trapped to Vecna. And as we know, Vecna can manipulate scenarios, so maybe he did that so Eleven wouldn’t know where she was.

And of course, she can’t switch back and forth with her mind and mostly body. But in two years? There’s likely a chance to her bones be back on the road (not literally lmao)

Therefore, there is a chance to, fully, save Max. Hinting the book and making some parallels: to save our favorite red-haired, someone will have to go to Upside Down and search the “Talisman”. I just don’t know what would be this Talisman. And since Lucas was the one reading... (Lumax endgame, they are my parents I can prove.) 

ANOTHER MAX THEORY:

This is Raven Queen, Goddess of Death, from D&D. 

“The Raven Queen is trapped by her fascination with the past. She sits in her fortress, amidst all the memories of the world, looking at the ones that please her most as though they were glittering jewels. Many great wizards have attempted to understand her motives, but like a raven she has always remained cryptic, keeping her cache of secrets just out of their reach.” —  Alustriel Silverhand

“The whole existence of the Raven Queen was focused on collecting memories and strong emotions, typically associated with loss and tragedy.” (click here to see more).

Technically, it’s impossible to Max be Raven Queen (or sorta), since she’s almost as old as Vecna (in D&D world), but I see some similiarities between them, mostly on the “memories” part. Vecna is also her enemy (lmao who isnt) since he wants her power so he can deal, more properly, with the Realm of Death.

She was never mentioned in Stranger Things so this is basically bullshit but that would be hot because Raven Queen is hot.

Eddie

As I said before: yes I know what is the first stage of grief. I will never accept what the Suffer Brothers did to us. They can run away with US Government but not with small-town people? That sounds weak to me, hallowed be Vecna’s name doing the job for us. Yep, hunt the freak (Hawkins people).

Anyways, let me stop pushing my personal agenda and let’s go with the theory.

Did I say Raven Queen wasn’t mentioned in Stranger Things? Well, at least this character was:

But Vecna lives.

Kas is a vampire knight, known as Vecna’s right hand. Kas was a valiant warrior and it was said that he could enter a battlefield at the most complete disadvantage and still emerge, not only victorious, but also without a single dent in his armor. This skill in battle attracted the attention of none other than Vecna, who invited him to be their general. Kas' years of loyalty and efficiency led Vecna to present him with a mighty sword, which would become known as the Sword of Kas (yes, one of the most famous artifacts in D&D). 

Kas and Vecna. (two bros chillin in a hot tub five feet apart cuz theyre not gay lmao i miss vine)

On top of that, there are a lot of explanations on how Kas became vampire, but the 3rd and 4th are most likely on ST universe:

1. Nerull & Battle of Thousand Eyes 

During the Battle of Thousand Eyes, Nerull (God of Death) whispered to Kas to betray his master in exchange for a divine favor. Kas, with his lust for power, accepted and attacked Vecna with the sword he had been gifted from his master. That cost Vecna his left hand and one of his eyes (got that eddie "left eye" scene?)

Nerull nevertheless decided to grant Kas a minor favor: his soul was given strength and speed, but accompanied by an insatiable thirst for blood, which would be known as the Vampiric Curse.

2. Sword of Kas 

The sword itself whispered to Kas, convincing him to slay his master and usurp his power. The battle destroyed Vecna's Rotting Tower, and cost his left hand and eye. Kas himself was flung across the multiverse to Vecna's Citadel Cavitius on the Plane of Ash. The time he spent so close to the Negative Energy Plane changed him into a vampire.

3. The Silver Mask of Kas

Kas became a vampire with the help of Vecna and through a ritual involving The Silver Mask of Kas. Menadora Zarovan (Vistani fortune teller who knows a lot about Vecna and Kas), claims that any other stories regarding the origin of his vampirism are lies spread by The Cult of Vecna.

4. Bats.

Bats? Vampire? Hello, there’s a connection! I would say it’s hard to believe (or happen) that the bats-bite turned him into vampire but Bram Stoker would be hella mad at me. And, literally, everything is possible.

Bats, in the Upside Down, can’t kill, as I saw people say. And I’ve seen people have a theory that Eddie actually fainted (since he lost much blood) and found somewhere safe to hide (jesus arms lmao im joking). That’s why his body wasn’t brought up to Hawkins. And, I mean, since he is a wanted by police, hated by his city who see him as a murderer, wouldn’t be easy to just bring his body back and “finish” that?

Also, see that:

“Presumed dead”. Not dead. Presumed. Okay, I might be surviving on crumbs BUT LISTEN: Dustin couldn’t walk properly but what about the others? Nancy, Steve and Robin could’ve brought is body back to Hawkins. And really, that two-days timejump was ridiculous to say at least.

So, they saw Eddie’s body lying there and did nothing? Knowing it would bring “peace” to Hawkins (since he is wanted even tho by something he didnt do)? They saw his body and were like lmaooooo jokes on you metalhead freak how can you be an ozzy fan and die by bats lmao POSER

Vecna is coming back, and stronger than he ever was. And he’s absolutely coming back with an army. Final season? Epic fight between the most powerful people on that show? They need to gather strenght and our 001 needs his right arm on battle. And what is the better place to search if not the Upside Down?

Still, I think if Eddie becomes Kas, would be by a brainwashing made by Vecna, but Dustin would “free” him. I even have the script:

“You said ‘Never change, Henderson’, but you did”. I can see myself crying again. I just want some like void!stiles on Teen Wolf S3. That was hot.

I don’t see Eddie/Kas with a sword, I’d rather see a guitar (LMAO it suits him better). And then, who knows, he can play “The Final Countdown” since people hyped that song on TikTok. 

Apparently, “When It’s Cold I’d Like to Die”, song that played during Eddie death scene, is the same song that played when Eleven was trapped in the Upside Down on Season 1.

Will

Last but certainly not least: William Byers. You would’ve loved to meet Eddie, two of the greatest brains in D&D campaigns. But I’m not here for that.

Everything started with Will, so shall everything end with him.

I personally would love to see him becoming the “traitor”/villain along with Vecna. I hate seeing gay people suffer, I like seeing them MAKING OTHERS SUFFER!!! YAYYYYYY!!

He is connected to the Upside Down, to Mind Flayer, to Vecna and it all makes me remind of The Serpent

(you nicknamed my baby after the loch ness monster?????? got that? twilight reference? vampire? bats? eddie- ok.)

“The Serpent is a mysterious and powerful entity associated with the lich-god Vecna, who whispered to him the secrets of power and lichdom. It is believed by some to be a deity of overwhelming other, by others the force of magic itself with a will of its own, and by some a fiction of Vecna's madness.”

"An entity known only as the Serpent speaks directly to Vecna. Others—daring to call themselves wizards, magicians, and sorcerers—manipulate the tiniest aspects of the Serpent and call it magic. But Vecna speaks to the Serpent, and the Serpent speaks back."— Vecna Reborn (1998), p.4

We all know he will be the main character on that last season and that he is connected to Vecna

“He’s a sensitive kid” — Joyce Byers & Victor Creel talking about their respective children

In my opinion, he will be possessed by Vecna (if he can EVEN MORE) somehow during season 5, I’m not sure if Vecna’s physical body “died”/”ended” when Robin, Nancy and Steve were shooting at him and setting in on fire but it would be either him or Max, to be his vessel.

And I rather believe it’s Will, because as I said: Everything started with Will, so shall everything end with him.

(note: lmao thats what happens when a tv show kills off one of your comfort characters and favorite white boy of the month. dont be like me kiddos, sleep well and drink water. also that kas part applies to the 3 of them if you analyze i dont know why i wrote that lmao lemme know your theories)

[beneathashadytree]

SNOW DILEMMA - MIRKO/RUMI USAGIYAMA X READER

Warnings : there’s no plot whatsoever and this isn’t proofread, lots of ass jokes and a couple of curse words, reader is gender-neutral!

Genre : crack lmao

Word count : 2.2K words

Additional notes : This was a request by @welovemonstergirls over DM. Thank you for requesting! It took me a while to finish the requests I had before yours, but the request itself only took me around two days to fully flesh it out like you wanted. I hope you enjoy this!

Requests : Are open! Check the rules over here.

Want to support me financially? Here’s my CashApp.

Masterlist

Rabbit Hero Mirko realized that she hated snow.

Maybe she hadn’t really realized it before, since she’d always correlated snow with cuddles with her lover in bed on Christmas Eve, or with kisses under the Christmas tree in the middle of the mall, but now, with her head plunged in the snow as she struggled to get out, she decided she hated the white fluff.

“Fucking hell,” she hissed, her gloves snagged on a branch buried underneath the layers of snow, feeling a distinct chill as the wind whipped at her butt. She’d dove after her scarf and gloves when a particularly strong gust had blown them away and down the hole, but she’d miscalculated how tight it was, and now found herself unable to get out. Wriggling her butt from side to side in hopes of unwedging herself, she only took one glance at her watch and grew more panicked.

Rumi’s plans for Christmas had been to (begrudgingly) spend it on patrol, since it was her turn this year. Though her lover hadn’t really show any discontent, she knew damn well just how they felt about them spending Christmas apart. And it only grew more apparent as they parted, the sad smile on their face doing little to hide how much they’d miss her this time of year. Rumi would have to be an absolute idiot to let that slip by.

It was only with a stroke of dumb luck that Hawks had asked her to switch years with her, since he’d nothing to do this Christmas and didn’t want to spend it doing God-knows-what; an opportunity she jumped at in hopes of making it home in time for Christmas dinner.

And yet here she was, face down and ass up, with the clock nearing 7 PM and her hair certainly more disheveled in its updo than it was when she set out on the journey. She thanked her lucky stars that she, at the very least, had great cold tolerance and wasn’t out there freezing to death (still, though, it wasn’t a very pleasant feeling). Swearing to herself at the thought of her beloved sitting at the head of the dining table on their own, she roughly kicked her legs back, finally managing to break through the snow and widen the hole enough for her to pull out.

Inhaling deeply, Rumi shook the crumbled snow on her hair, running a hand ontop in an attempt to tame it. Though it was mostly in vain, she bet she looked fairly decent now, at the very least. Stretching her legs once again, she decided she’d simply activate her quirk. It’d save her the time she’d take to get to their house, and probably even manage to make it before they got back from their usual trip to the convenience stoor next door.

With a new spring in her step (quite literally), she kicked off on her way once again. No sooner had she hopped a few hundred meters, did her sensitive ears pick up on a rustling sound coming from behind. She stilled in place, ears twitching for a moment as she tried to discern where the sound had come from. It probably wasn’t good news though; at this time of year, most non-hibernating animals snuck out of their shelters and began their hunt for food as soon as twilight fell upon the forest. It could be anything that was tailing her.

A low growl came from the bushes where she’d first heard the rustling of leaves, and the hair at the nape of her neck stood up, her ears pushing back as fear grew in the pit of her stomach. “Yeah, that’s not good news at all,” she mumbled under her breath. Humans, quirk-users and non-quirk-havers alike she could handle, but animals were far too unpredictable for her to deal with. And honestly, she wanted to live past the ripe age of 27.

With a small panicked cry, she finally met the eyes of the beast that came charging at her from behind. A large grizzly bear that seemed to be twice her size was bounding her way, and she barely had time to leap off the ground before its jaws snapped around her tail.

The pro-hero landed on a fir tree branch above, before reconsidering for a moment and jumping onto a higher one, just as an extra safety measure. She didn’t want to find out the height of a wild bear when standing on its hind legs; no sir, not today. For a few moments, she quivered in her snow boots, clinging onto the tree trunk as the bear seemingly glared up at her, mouth stained red with mottled flesh, and drool slipping past its bared teeth. Before too long, it finally gave up on the chase, turning its back on her and going the opposite direction, probably in search of less troubling prey.

Rumi shakily breathed out, warmth flooding back into her body as she did. She hadn’t realized just how terrified she’d been at the mere sight of the great beast, and she hoped she wouldn’t get to experience it again. Feeling a little safer now, she she shifted back across the branch, reading herself to hop off—but it seemed that her luck was running out even quicker than before, as the branch suddenly snapped underneath her weight and sent her tumbling downwards at the ground at a speed to high for her to get to twist herself mid-air and readjust.

Less than two seconds later, she found herself slamming headfirst into a snowman she hadn’t even noticed before (and God, did she wish she had). A chill ran down her spine as the snow dug into her skin and between her clothes, but what felt even worse was how compacted she was. Whoever had made this snowman was quite skilled at the art of forming perfectly round and stiff balls, she bitterly thought to herself, as she once again found herself ass-up and stuck.

This time, though, her feet were swinging in the air as well, so she was even incapable of catapulting herself out as she had before. “You’ve got to be shitting me,” she huffed, voice all muffled amidst the snow that surrounded her head from all around. The only viable option Rumi could see was to elbow her way out, but even that was proving to be difficult with the way her arms were tucked into her sides. “Kids usually make the sloppiest snowmans, and now they’re experts all of a sudden?!” she groaned, before shaking her head in the small space, “Focus, Mirko. Think of the weakest part to break through.”

She wiggled her hips as she did, hoping that doing so would create enough force to break the perfect sphere, but to no avail. If anyone were to see her like this, ass-up and legs protruding at an awkward angle, she would’ve died of shame. All she could do as she struggled was sincerely hope that the path was abandoned as it had been for the past thirty minutes.

She gasped, suddenly remembering what her destination was. “Oh, crap,” she whined, panic causing her to twist a little in place, trying to glimpse at her watch. As she did, the snow finally began to crumble at her waist, the snowman falling apart due to her rapid heated movements.

Tumbling out into the open air, she wheezed, breathing properly for the first time in a good couple of minutes. A quick glance at her wrist informed her that it was creeping onto 7:15, and this time she didn’t even bother to tidy herself up before quickly kicking off and bounding between the trees. It didn’t matter if clumps of snow stuck to her nape, or if her hair was sticking up everywhere like she’d just got electrocuted; she had no time to lose, and just over w kilometer to go. Her powerful legs carried her, almost soaring in the forest in a way that had her chest swelling with pride. It felt good to race against the wind in her own way.

Rumi’s happiness was short-lived, however, as she soon found herself slamming head-first into another perfectly-shaped snowman, before she could stop herself. “I’m starting to really hate kids,” she grumbled bitterly, her legs poking out in the air uncomfortably, her muscles burning as she refused to be held back anymore, “And if an adult is behind this, I hope they don’t get tax returns this year.” With a great thump, she propelled her upper body out of the snowman-prison, landing gracefully on her feet.

Only half a kilometer to go. There was little she could tell herself to comfort herself, but repeating that one sentence helped her a bit. Pushing the tree trunks gave her a little more force behind her jumps, and cut the remaining distance some more. Before she could rejoice in finally seeing the chimneys of the village houses in the horizon, that ominous growl came from behind her again.

“This has to be some kind of sick joke.” Rumi’s eyes blew wide open, fear tingling down her body as they met the bottomless eyes of that same bear whose snout was drenched in the remains of its dinner, apparently. “What kind of beast hunts the same prey twice?!”

Frustration rang in her voice as she frantically looked back and forth, before finally finding a tree whose trunk was slightly hollowed out halfway. Maybe it was a squirrel’s shelter, and she’d hate to intrude on a harmless creature’s home, but at this point in time she was past caring for more than staying alive. Digging her heels into the ground, she kicked off it like it were some sort of launch pad, landing herself in the darkness of the tree trunk.

Only she still couldn’t manage to fit her entire body in. Her butt still remained outside, legs wriggling helplessly. Try as she might, she could neither push herself further inside, nor could she push herself out and seek safety somewhere else. Something like a whimper escaped her lips, feeling more than just terrified as her ears twitched nervously upon hearing the thudding of the bear as it approached her.

Any second now her muscles would completely lock out of fear, and Rumi scrambled to squeeze herself inside the hollowed trunk (which, thankfully, was empty at the moment). A deep growl came from two of three meters behind, and she could feel her legs tremble with both the effort and the adrenaline.

“Everything’s pint sized today,” she groaned, trying to shimmy her hips a bit, and only managing to move an inch of two. Now for her thighs to fit in, she’d have to stretch her torso inside the tree to give her some leeway. Her blood rushing through her ears, she could almost hear her heart pounding in her chest as she tugged her upper body this way and that. Just as the bristle of fur was almost on top of her, she managed to fit in with a ‘pop’—right before a large, clawed paw batted at the trunk. As it shook, Rumi heaved a sigh of relief, which sounded more like a shudder than anything else.

She couldn’t see much in the dark of the tree, and so she waited for a couple of minutes to pass, before pulling back her fist (or as much as she could in the tight space), and punching the bark to enlarge the hole. Making a cleaner exist than her mortifying entrance, she made it back onto (relatively) solid ground, mumbling a quick apology to the tree. She didn’t have much of a choice, yes, but that didn’t make her feel any better.

Another quick glance at her wrist watch reminded her that it was 3 minutes to 7:30. If she jumped—not hopped—the remaining distance, and then leapt downhill, she could make it right before the half-hour chime. With the wind whipping her hair and anxious sweat making her clothes stick uncomfortably to her skin, she bounded across what remained of the forest path, her speed increasing potentially as she did.

Before Rumi could stop her aching leg muscles, she found herself tumbling down the short hill. “Fuck!” she managed to cry out, eyes wide as she realized that she was probably going to crash into their front doorstep—literally too, seeing as theirs was the first house at the end of the footpath. Wincing in preparation, her entire body shook as she rolled over and into the wall with a violent thud, squeezing her eyes shut with the impact.

And when her darling stepped out, frown on their face and eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the loud sound they’d heard, and looked to their right, they couldn’t help but double over with laughter at the sight of their girlfriend’s ass sticking out of the snow, muddy snow boots dangling off her feet and a series of muffled “ow, ow, ow”s coming from the pile of snow where her head ought to have been.

“Well, this is certainly an… interesting Christmas gift,” they wheezed out, their laugh only growing louder at the expletives yelled at them from beneath the fluffy white, “Welcome home, Rumi.”

Taglist: @thispersoniscrazy @wifeofkyojuro