#wow!! flats!! never thought i’d see the day…

[lakituus]

i live vicariously through daisy

[luveline]

More spencer x hotch's sister? I love her relationship with hotch so much btw! Maybe spencer learns some of what she went through in her past?

“What did you get Haley for your six months?” you ask. 

Aaron shakes his basket of fries. You can smell them from your side of the table, salt and grease from the fryer. He doesn’t need to see you looking, maybe he doesn’t care that you want one or not, he tips half of the basket onto your plate and shrugs. “It was a long time ago, I’m not sure I remember. For our first year together I gave her a promise ring, I think.” 

“I don’t think I can get him a promise ring…” You swirl your drink with your straw. Fizzy bubbles rush to the surface. “A ring might be nice, though. Can he wear jewellery in the field?” 

“One nondescript ring would be fine.” 

“Maybe a necklace.” You stab a few of his given fries on your fork and smile. “I’m very stressed, but he’s been so kind the whole time. He never makes me worry about anything.” 

“Spencer is kind.” Aaron glances to the side as a couple sits in the booth opposite. “Admittedly, I was worried. But you’re happy, so I’m happy.” 

“Six months is a long time for no fights.” 

“Honey, some people don’t fight.” 

You toy with a stray piece of lettuce. “I’m really glad that we don’t, but I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.” 

“It won’t drop. You think I’d let you date Spencer if I suspected he was secretly evil?” 

“There are a few things wrong with that question…” You wipe your mouth with a napkin. “Okay, it won’t drop. Can we get, um, dessert? Rocky road sundaes?” They’re Aaron’s favourite, so they’re yours, too. 

Despite his assurances, you keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. You think about your conversation with Aaron for the days leading up to your six month anniversary with Spencer, which he aptly names your ‘half anniversary’. He doesn’t plan any surprises —he sends you a PDF with different options for everything. Five different restaurants with different options for courses, moods, and settings. There are notes for each place and why you might like them, and there are activities for each one afterwards based on the location. It’s so thoughtful it makes you feel sick. The other shoe looms, and looms. 

You choose a smaller restaurant just outside of the busy city, with a beautiful outdoor eating area on a stone veranda. It’s lively but not crowded, secluded but not completely private. 

Spencer tucks your seat in, and he kisses your cheek before he takes his own. When he does, he looks across the table at you, and says, “Wow, you’re so pretty.” 

“You think so?” 

“You’re beautiful.” He gives you one of his not so shy, almost cheesy smiles, like he wants to laugh. “Do you want your gift now or later?” 

“Is it rude to say I want it now?” 

“No, it’s not rude. I’ll feel better once I know you like it.” 

He presents you with a box wrapped in dark blue crepe paper and rounded silver star stickers. There’s twine wrapped around it and bowed, too beautiful to want to open. You look between him and the present in awe. “This is real pretty,” you say softly. 

“It’s nicer inside,” he says. 

You unravel the twin carefully, and you take off the paper to reveal a large, flat box. You put the paper in your jacket pocket, folded primly to keep. Spencer waits patiently. 

You press your thumbnail into the box’s seam and push. 

It’s four pieces of jewellery. What catches your eye first is the sapphires, blue crystal with deep dark hearts pressed into the pendant of a necklace, the heart of a bracelet, and the main bodies of their matching earrings. All simple, elegant pieces, and compiled, their impressiveness is amplified. Your breath catches. You don’t need to be an expert in jewellery to immediately assign a ballpark price tag, and it’s a lot. It’s sort of startling. 

But the price doesn’t matter half as much as the sentiment. 

“Do you remember them?” he asks softly. 

Fourth date. Hand in hand, you and Spencer walked through a shopping centre with iced drinks and churros, and you’d paused for a few seconds to ogle the jewellery display. You’d pointed straight at the sapphire bracelet and said, “That’s gorgeous. I think if I save, I can get it for Christmas.” 

“I know it’s not Christmas,” Spencer says, “I’m sorry, I cheated. But I hope you like them.” 

“Spencer, I love them, I love them,” —you reach your hand across the table— “I love you. Thank you.” 

He smiles at you. “Yeah, I love you, too.” 

You can’t stop yourself from getting up to hug him. He bends under your weight and holds your arms, doesn’t wince when you press the entirety of your face to his hair and breathe. “Thank you,” you whisper, kissing his forehead twice, “thank you, I love you.” 

“I love you, too.” He takes your face into his hand before you can leave. “You like them?” he asks. 

“I love them.” 

His smile is everything. “I really did cheat, I wrote it down when we got home and you know I can’t forget the things I read,” he murmurs, pulling you in for a kiss. 

Six months later and your heart still skips a beat. Doesn’t matter that he has an eidetic memory, what’s important is that he wrote it down. 

You take another hug, to his delight, and return to your seat. Your presents wait in a bag under the table. Two books, one jewellery box. He goes for the smaller box first. 

“It’s a ring,” you say, too nervous to let him discover it by himself. “I know you don’t often wear them, but I thought maybe it’s because it’s not something you’d get for yourself, and I think it would look good on you.” 

He opens the box with a smile. So pretty, and exuberantly bright. “Oh, wow.” 

“I don’t know if brands mean anything to you, but it’s Vivienne–”

“It’s beautiful,” he interrupts, “I love it. What finger do I wear it on?” 

“Most wear it on their marriage finger, I think, but you obviously don’t have to do that.” 

He slips it onto his ring finger, turns his hand one way and another, and there’s this joy that echoes all the way across the table from his very core. “Thank you. I love it, and now every time I look down I'll remember why you gave it to me.” 

You spend a lot of time apart, what with both of you working. “I thought that, too.” 

He takes the books next. His laugh is soft. “I’m not surprised.” 

“They’re… they’re my personal copies.” 

He startles at that. “They are?” 

“Yeah. Uh,” —you point at the first— “that’s my favourite, and I think it could be your favourite too.” 

“And this one?” he asks gently, slipping the first underneath the second. 

“Aaron gave that one to me. I know what you’re thinking, okay, that I’m giving something to you I should really keep. Maybe it makes you uncomfortable, I don’t know, but I love you.” You lick your lips. “It’s nice to fall in love. And you’ve made it so easy.” 

He stares at you, lips parted. 

You panic. “It was hard, growing up, and I know everyone struggles but it was hard. If it weren’t for my brother… I feel like it sticks to me and you’ve never made me feel that way. You love me for me. I was convinced nobody would ever do that.” 

“I know it was hard,” he says. 

“Really hard, sometimes, but you aren’t. I’m never scared of you.” 

He reaches across the table to touch your hand. “You aren’t supposed to be scared of anyone, angel.”

Warmth blossoms under his touch. You shake off the fog. “It’s not just about all of that, I swear, I really do think you’ll like them. But if I got it all wrong just lie to me, okay?” 

“You didn’t get anything wrong, shut up,” he says. Spencer stands, his turn to hug you, but he goes about it differently. He tips your head back and he kisses you, and his nose is a pressed line in your cheek as he squeezes you to him. “I’d be surprised if anybody who’s ever met you didn’t love you. Okay? Thank you for trusting me with it.” 

It, and not them, not the books. 

He peels away. You beam at one another. 

“Should we eat?” you ask, feeling pleased and shy at once. 

He kisses you again, one quick peck. “Yes, we can eat.”

[flawless-imperfections]

Look who’s back!!

After 5 months missing, my amazing girl Morgana has emerged!! Genuinely thought I’d never see her again! I’m in disbelief, amazement and euphoria - ecstatic isn’t even the word!

Also, look how good she looks despite how long she was gone! She’s active, nice tongue flicks, eyes are clear, no sign of injuries, she’s clearly grown, she has great body condition and she’s weirdly tamer than she was before she went missing.

For precaution she’s on paper towel until I can get a fecal done to test for parasites to be on the safe side (she was obviously finding food somewhere!)

She’ll be in a large flat faunarium for a couple days just while I silicone her vents and make sure they’re sealed off properly. Once I’m happy they are I’ll deep clean the enclosure and put her back in her viv. I’ll give her a few days to settle back in before I give her a meal. She shouldn’t be in there too much longer though as all my reptile enclosures are being upgraded.

But wow…it’s great to have you back my spooky little noodle, I missed you so much🥹🥰🩷

UPDATE: Morgana’s fecal came back completely free of parasites, this girl literally escaped, thrived, and came back months later like nothing happened😂

[upsidedownwithsteve]

A Couple Days In (I Call You Baby)

Modern!Steve Harrington x fem!reader [6.8K] 18+ the two night stand au no one asked for, or, the fic where you meet steve on a dating app and then a snowstorm ensures you can't sneak out the next morning. PART ONE | PART TWO | PART THREE

Being single was becoming boring. 

Boring in the way that seeing your friends in love and having fun in a way that you weren’t was starting to hurt. A full ache, settling in your chest until it bore a hole there and stayed, taking up space where the heartbreak used to live. 

You weren’t heartbroken. Not anymore. You were less sad, less angry. You were bored. And almost always perpetually turned on. You didn’t want love, you certainly didn’t want another relationship but you were at the stage of feeling that yearning pull when you watched a romcom on your sofa, slumped against your roommate with a frown on your lips. 

“I think I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be touched,” you said mournfully, your gaze fixed in the way Patrick Swayze’s hand trailed down Jennifer Grey’s side. 

“Babe, this is rated a fifteen,” Robin snorted in reply but she ran a hand over your hair anyway. “It’s that bad huh?” She grinned when you whined at the screen, watching with wide eyes as Johnny Castle took off Baby’s shirt. 

You sat up, taking the blanket with you and Robin huffed, dragging her half back. There was an empty bottle of red wine on the table, Chinese takeout cartons and a mess of charging cables, your laptop, Robin’s cell phone. 

“I just want some fun,” you grumbled. “Nothing serious, just— just someone to fool around with.”

“You want a fuck buddy?” Robin grinned salacious, the movie forgotten as she turned to face you, leaning against the arm of the couch. “Should I go through my Instagram? Give you the name of every boy I know?”

“You know like, seven boys,” you scoffed but Robin reached for her phone anyway. “And no, god, no fuck buddies. Even that’s too much commitment.”

She laughed and pressed a foot to your thigh, the touch familiar and friendly. “Shit, are you actually considering a hook up?”

You squirmed, too warm. 

“You are!” Robin squealed, “wow. I never thought I’d see the day. Little miss relationship just wants a one night stand, a fuck ‘em and chuck ‘em kinda—”

“Robin,” you groaned, hands rubbing at your face because the idea of it was so out of your wheelhouse that it was comical. But then Patrick Swayze started crawling across the floor on your TV screen. You paused, frowning. “Fuck, is that bad? Is it bad if I want that?”

Robin scoffed, leaning over to grab the bowl of popcorn you’d both forgotten about. “What? Dude, no. Of course not!” Her voice turned softer, kinder. “You can do whatever you want to do. You deserve to have some fun.”

“I don’t know how to,” you whispered and your chest felt tight again, like that well of boredom was filing again, spilling over with sadness and heartache. You hated it. 

“What, have fun?”

You frowned. “No - well, maybe - no, how to hook up with someone.” You chewed at your lip, confused and panicking despite the fact you were still firmly seated in yours and Robin’s apartment. “Do I just walk into a bar? Pick a guy and ask him if he wants to come home with me?”

Robin spluttered out a laugh, gasping into her wine glass and she looked at you over the rim of it, eyes filled with humour. “Jesus, if you do, can you make sure I’m there to watch it happen?”

You set her with a withering stare, pulling the blanket up to your chest and gazing back at the TV, wistful. You sighed, resigning yourself to the fact that you most definitely couldn’t march into a bar and claim a prize for the night, no matter how many glasses of wine you’d nursed. Robin seemed to understand this, because she nudged you again, a socked foot poking at your knee. 

“You could always try online dating,” she told you mildly.

You scrunched your nose, not taking your eyes off of the way Johnny Castle was thrusting his hips. “Ew,” you replied, voice flat. “Like tinder? Nancy told me I’d never be desperate enough for tinder.”

Robin snorted at the mention of her prim and proper girlfriend but she shook her head anyway. “Nah, go old school with it. Try a website or something, one that doesn’t rely on a carousel of shirtless photos and men holding up either a fish or a puppy in their profile.”

You laughed, draining the last of your wine as you eyed your friend, liking the way the buzz lingered over your tongue, your head. "I bet this would be easier if I were gay,” you replied mournfully. 

Robin cooed, making a soft noise that definitely wasn’t a protest and she grinned. “You’d definitely be Nance and I’s third,” she poked at your cheek, smirked when you bit at it and rolled your eyes. 

----------

Robin left the apartment the next night with her good boots on, a smudge of blush on her cheeks and sad eyes. She stood at the door with her coat on, fussing with her bag as she tried for the twentieth time to wheedle you into going out with her. Guilt laced the small apartment, something that made your chest ache, but you tried not to let it show on your face.

“Are you sure you don’t wanna come out with us? It’s Saturday,” Robin coaxed, “we can all get dinner, some drinks, go dancing…”

“Robs, I’m not crashing your date night with your girlfriend,” you told her again. “Go. I’m fine.”

The girl frowned, checking her hair one last time in the mirror, ‘cause she’d tried to curl it and you’d heard her cursing from the bathroom. “You know my girlfriend,” she replied, as if that was enough of a reason for you to join them. “Nance won’t mind.”

You smiled, a little sad, although you tried hard to make your eyes match your lips. You gestured to the TV, the soft blanket you’d pulled from your bedroom, the new bottle of wine on the coffee table. “Go,” you repeated again, this time more sternly. “I’m good. I’m great, in fact. I’ve got all the good ones.” You pointed to the lineup of films on your Netflix list, each cover showing off a different type of Hollywood boy of the month. 

“Top Gun?” Robin snorted, “that’s not even the new one, babe.”

You sniffed, mildly offended. “Young Tom Cruise has a certain je ne sai quois, alright?” 

Robin held her hands up, giving in. She smiled and backed towards the door. “Whatever does it for you. I’ve got my keys, ‘kay? Don’t wait up.”

“I won’t,” you called back, already hitting play on the movie. “Have fun!”

It took two glasses of rosé before you grabbed your phone, face feeling flushed, lips chewed to bits after you sat through scene after scene of handsome men, your mind wandering, your fingers drawing absentminded circles over your stomach, hand underneath your t-shirt. You groaned under your breath as you typed some buzz words into Google, hoping for a website that didn’t sound too terrifying, one that didn’t conjure up images of finding the love of your life, or a husband, one that left out religious words, ones that sounded too cult-like.

You hit the fifth result and quickly made a profile, one eye screwed shut in fear as you uploaded a photo, entering all the details they tried to glean from you, making it as vague as you possibly could. You hit submit, stared wide eyed at the loading screen and then within a blink, your own picture was staring back at you, one Robin had taken last year when you had very much been in a relationship. You were alone in it, in some corner of a party, the lights low, the shadows showing off the way your eyeshadow glittered, your lips a little glossy, your skirt short. 

You looked pretty, not too sweet, not too boring. 

Immediately, requests flooded in. Anonymous looking profiles with no photographs, empty descriptions and usernames like: ‘pu$$yworshipper69’ and ‘callmedaddy1982’.

You wrinkled your nose in disappointment, hitting delete on the messages that spammed your inbox, requests for feet pics, men wondering if you had more photos of your tits, bots that wanted to know if you were looking for love and, could you send your social security number?

Defeat was bitter on your tongue and you sighed, exiting out of your inbox only to be greeted with a new page that displayed singles in your area. One photo caught your interest, a boy with wild hair, kind brown eyes and a smile that seemed genuine. He wore a red shirt over a white tee, tanned in the setting sun, sitting on a beach and looking pretty. 

You clicked, the movie forgotten but the glass of wine lingering at your lips as you scrolled through his page, eyes flicking over details of his likes and dislikes, his age, his job. His name. 

Steve Harrington. Living in Hawkins, Indiana. You swallowed, wine glass left on the coffee table as you curled into the sofa and brought your phone closer to your nose. He had more photos in his gallery, all seemingly taken by someone else instead of the usual topless selfies that had bombard you at first. 

The boy and some other people - friends, you assumed - swimming in a lake in the sun, smiles brighter than the sky. Steve outside, sunglasses covering his eyes and dressed in an old faded band tee. He looked like he’d smell nice, like he’d give good hugs. Another, the last one, where the boy was shirtless. But someone else had taken it as he stood at the edge of a lake again, smiling like he’d been caught off guard. 

You hit the button at the top of his profile, the one that said: “send a message.”

A new page popped up, a little chat box that was intimidatingly empty and you stilled, staring at it. What did you say? How did you begin?

‘Hey, I’ve looked at precisely five photos of you and I know you work at some video store and I think you’re hot. Wanna have sex?’

You cringed, eyes squeezing shut as you quickly deleted the words, groaning at the empty space once more. You remembered what Robin had said, about how wanting to hook up with someone was okay. Loads of people did it. It was fine. 

It was fine. 

@INDIANAGIRL: Hey, how’s it going?

The response took a minute or two, but the wait was agonising, time stretching too slow. A speech bubble appeared on the screen, a sign that pretty boy was replying. 

@HARRINGTON98: hi.. i can't lie, it's going a lot better now. you're really pretty. you sure you clicked on the right profile?

You snorted, trying to remain unaffected by the harmless flirting. But a smile pulled at your lips and you pushed yourself further into the cushions, knees bent and phone resting close. You took a breath and typed back. 

@INDIANAGIRL: Ooh, self deprecating and daddy issues? You’re lucky you’re cute.

You stilled, letting out a groan that you smothered with a pillow after you hit send, ‘cause you were never this forward and it made your insides curl around each other, your heart beat too fast for you to keep up with it. 

There was a pause before his reply and you breathed out a sigh of relief at the little bubble of text.

@HARRINGTON98: haha, what can I say, I’m a catch. honoured to know that you actually took the time to read my profile though. 

@HARRINGTON98: so, apart from your friends and the bottle of wine persuading you, what’re you doing on this on a saturday night?

You smiled, knowing he’d taken the time to read through your page too, as short as your answers were. You tucked your bottom lip between your teeth, nails tapping on your phone screen as you tried to think of the best way to reply. 

@INDIANAGIRL: Like you said, it’s a Saturday night. I’m definitely not here looking for love, if that answers your question. But I’m free, if you are?

You held your breath, waiting, eyes wide as the bubble appeared again, three dots dancing across your screen. It stopped, disappeared and started again. 

@HARRINGTON98: cool. do you wanna get drinks or something? 

@HARRINGTON98: it’s no pressure if you don’t. i’ve never done this before? can you tell? but we could hang out. if you wanted. 

You smiled when the second message came through almost immediately after the first. The boy’s obvious nerves settled your own and there was a sense of familiarity in his words, his ramblings. 

It made you feel bolder. 

You typed quickly, as if tapping out the letters faster made it easier to send. You looked around your shared apartment, at Robin’s half open bedroom door. She’d be back in a few hours, maybe less, with Nancy in tow and they’d take up residence on the sofa, Netflix on and another bottle of wine opened. 

@INDIANAGIRL: Neither have I but, we could skip the bar? Maybe hang at yours. 

Oh my god, you thought to yourself. I’m going to get murdered. This is how people end up murdered. Karen and Georgia would be so disappointed. And then:

@HARRINGTON98: 82 rowan street, BLDG A, unit 26

@INDIANAGIRL: Wow, you’re eager. 

@HARRINGTON98: like I said, you’re really fucking pretty

Your heart thundered. 

@INDIANAGIRL: Wait!

@INDIANAGIRL: Can we FaceTime or something? Before? 

@INDIANAGIRL: So I know you’re not a murderer. Or 80. Or both. 

You panicked then, realising what was happening, eyes scanning over the address this Steve Harrington had sent. It wasn’t too far from you, a subway ride out of the city and maybe a ten minute walk at best. You chewed your lip, cheeks burning as you scanned back through his photos. Cute smile, kind eyes, hair you wanted to pull on. 

Your phone buzzed and you swore. A cell number,  a smiley face.

“Oh god, oh god, oh god,” you chanted to yourself as you typed the digits into the FaceTime app, stopping with a curse when the front camera showed your wide eyes and couch mussed hair. 

You flung the phone onto the cushions, jumping up so you could straighten out your sweater, smoothing down the flyaway strands that stuck to your forehead. You caught sight of one of Robin’s lip balms on the table, swiped some over your lips and you dabbed a little on your cheeks for good measure. 

Taking a deep breath, you picked up the phone again and hit the call button. Maybe the boy was panicking too, maybe he’d backed out, maybe he was standing in front of a mirror as well, swiping hand through his hair and checking his shirt for stains ‘cause it rang and rang and rang. 

Then, he picked up. Fuck. 

@Harrington98 wasn’t eighty years old. In fact, he looked exactly like his photos. He was really pretty. Really, really pretty. Jesus Christ. 

Tanned skin, brown eyes, wild hair, freckles scattered across his cheeks and jawline, creeping down to disappear under his shirt. He had the nicest lips you’d seen on a boy, pink, soft looking, smiling at you. 

“Uh, hey!” The boy greeted brightly, “I'm here for the murder test? Have I passed?”

You grinned, laughing a little nervously as you tucked your hair behind your ear and cleared your throat. “I mean, I haven’t seen your place yet. Any red string boards on the walls? Black and white photos of the same person? Jars of body parts in the fridge?”

He laughed, a nice sound, soft and throaty and warm. “Nah, nah,” the boy shook his head, his smile playful, brows furrowed. “Not in the fridge. The freezer, however…”

You watched the screen as he trailed off, smiling still, looking soft and too handsome in a plain, white T-shirt. “So. I’m Steve. S’nice to meet you.” He lifted a hand, endearing and only a little awkward, waving at you through the phone. 

You waved back, fingers wiggling. “Hi,” you felt shy, nervous. Flustered. You told Steve your name, smiling when he repeated it, trying it out on his tongue and it sounded a lot nicer on his lips than yours. 

“So, this is my place,” Steve announced, spinning his phone around to show you the apartment. It looked loved in, boyish, some old movie posters on the walls in frames, a clock that was showing the wrong time, exposed brick and a big leather couch. “There’s no bodies to be seen, but that’s ‘cause they’re under the floorboards. Obviously.” He turned the camera back to himself, eyes glittering, smile full of trouble. 

“Obviously,” you agreed, grinning, ‘cause it was hard not to. Not when he looked like that. “So shall I, um, bring anything with me or?”

You didn’t know hookup etiquette. Did you bring beers? Condoms? Your own pillow? Would you stay? Would he want you to leave? What if you couldn’t get a train back into the city if he kicked you out at three am?

God, would he kick you out at three am?

Steve glanced down at his watch and smiled sheepishly. “Uh, well. It’s almost eleven at night so I’m gonna guess you’ve had dinner. But I have some buds in the fridge, if you like beer.”

He said it like a secret, like you were both still skirting around the edge of the truth. But he looked down the camera at you with the right amount of flirt and confidence that let you know that he knew what you both wanted out of tonight. 

It wasn’t dinner. It wasn’t a date. It was just sex. And that was okay with the both of you. 

You nodded, fingers skimming across your lip out of nerves, out of curiosity, staring at the boy’s own mouth and wondering if he’d be nice to kiss. He looked like he would. You’d not kissed someone new in so long. 

Years. 

Fuck. 

“Okay, yeah, great!” You said it too brightly and you winced. “I’ll uh, I’ll probably be there in like, half an hour?”

Steve smiled and nodded, told you to call him if you needed directions but you waved him off, noncommittal, too busy wondering if you needed to shave your legs and I’d you’d be able to find your last good pair of black underwear. 

This was the part of the bad rom com movie where an early 2000’s pop punk song would play over a montage of you tearing the apartment apart as you tried to get ready. But Blink 182 didn’t start playing and instead, you could only hear the sound of your heart thudding in your chest. 

So when you hung up the phone, you launched it onto the table, almost sliding past the bathroom door as you ran to it, shedding off your comfy clothes as you went. You took the worlds fastest shower, ran your razor over all the parts you declared not smooth enough and drowned yourself in peach scented body wash. 

Deciding what to wear was difficult, ‘cause dresses were easier to take off but it was below zero outside and you weren’t fucking around with tights and extra socks. So you stole a pair of Robin’s jeans, ankles tripping over the hem of them as you struggled to pull them on at the same time you yanked a brush through your hair. Some concealer, a smudge of blush, mascara, more lip balm and you grabbed your bag on the way to the door, keys and phone in hand as you texted the group chat. 

‘82 rowan street, BLDG A, unit 26. I’m about to get dicked down. I think. Don’t wait up. But call the cops if I’m not home in the morning. Do I bring a gift to a hook up?’

Your phone pinged once, twice, three times. 

#1 gay friend: ‘bitch, what the fuck?’

gay friend’s girlfriend: ‘Babe, no. No gifts. Be safe though. Do you know this guy? Do we know this guy? Share your location rn.’

eduardo: ‘GEDDIT’

You sighed but did as Nancy asked, not bothering with a real reply but sending the link to find your iPhone. Your hands shook as you swiped your metro card and you weren’t sure if it was from the cold or nerves. Did you spray perfume? You couldn’t remember. But you were wearing your best bra, the one that made your tits sit up pretty but god, the wire was pressing into your ribs. 

And when you got out into the streets, out of the city where it was quieter and the sky held more stars, you revelled in the cold and the silence of it all. The world seemed lighter, a little rosy, in that way that only snow in the night could mean but the roads were still clear and the threat of it seemed weak. 

Still, you hurried, arms crossed to your chest, chin tucked into your coat as you followed the directions your phone gave you, Steve’s address a bright red pin on the map, a neon beacon, a big, fat booty call. 

His building came into view after a walk through a quiet Main Street, past the line of spruce trees and locked up businesses, a sweet town hall, a trailer park that vibrated with the hum of generators. The roads led you away from the middle of Hawkins, the map telling you which left and which right until an apartment block rose up between the parks and cafes, new looking and with shiny buzzers at the front door. 

You wondered if you should text him. You wondered if you should go home. You blew out a breath, a shaky one, watched how it lingered and  froze in the air in front of you and before you could stop yourself, your finger was pressing the button for number twenty six. 

--------

Steve Harrington’s apartment door had an alarm. It was loud and shrill and incessant - and it completely ruined your escape plan. 

There was a quiet countdown as you wrestled with the front door lock, keys jingling, chain clinking and then a beepbeepbeep begun, counting down like a ticking time bomb until it blared through the rest of the apartment. You’d managed to make it back into the bed in time, just as Steve jerked awake, shirtless and messy haired. 

“Wha—?” He grabbed a bat from the side of his bed and stumbled out the bedroom door, still half asleep. And when he seemed confident no one was breaking in, he dropped the bat and fell back into the bed with a soft thwack as his face hit the pillow. “Mornin’.”

You startled, still on edge, ‘cause the night before was… fine, but you hadn’t meant to stay the night. That wasn’t the plan, that wasn’t the idea. You were lying with your coat on, wide eyed with the duvet up to your chin and you yawned, all over exaggerated drama as you stretched out. 

“Oh, good morning,” your voice was too quiet. You felt nervous all over again. “Did your alarm go off? Weird. Well, I guess I should head home.”

You were already out of bed before you’d finished talking and Steve sat up, eyebrow quirked as he took in the way you were already fully dressed, searching for your shoes. 

“Did you sleep with your jacket on?” 

“I got cold,” you lied.

He snorted, easing himself back into the sheets and he watched you with careful eyes. Steve was just as pretty in the morning as he was in the dark. “Right. Do you always leave your hookups this quick?”

You turned, frowning at the obvious amusement in his voice. “I told you last night,” you reminded him. “I haven’t done this before.” The reminder of your lack of experience made your skin itch, heat flushing over your chest. 

The sex had been okay. Nice. It was good. Nothing mind blowing, but who was expecting that from a stranger they just met? And yeah, maybe you had to fake it, ‘cause you’d been on the edge of coming so many times that eventually it refused to return. Steve had spilled into a condom, tied it off and chucked in the trash and fallen asleep before you’d come back from peeing. 

Maybe you just weren’t cut out for one night stands. Maybe that was the problem. 

Steve laughed again and it wasn’t unkind, but it still set your teeth on edge. You shoved your foot into your boot and straightened up, staring at him. “What?” He laughed again, “c’mon, you’re fully dressed and tryin’ to sneak out my apartment before it’s even time to have breakfast. You have your escape plan down pat, I respect that.”

Again, you bristled. “Um, no, I clearly don’t,” you huffed out a laugh but there wasn’t any humour in it. You gestured to the front door down the hall, still closed and locked. “I told you. This is my first time doing— this.” You saved vaguely at him and the bed. 

Steve sighed and got out of bed, a small smile playing on his lips that were still a little swollen and red from where you’d bit and kissed them the night before. He pulled on a shirt, shrugged and padded barefoot to the hallway. 

“Listen, s’nothin’ to be ashamed of,” he drawled, leading you to the front door where he punched in the code to switch off the alarm. “Girls get horny too, everyone has needs. I, for one, have absolutely no problem with a girl that knows what she wants and if that’s all you’re after then—”

“Oh my god,” you scoffed at him, lips parted, eyes wide. Suddenly escaping the apartment wasn’t as high on your list of concerns as before. “You’re totally slut shaming me!”

Steve looked at you, bewildered, face scrunched up. “What? No I’m not!”

“You are!”

“No, I’m not!” He shot back. His hand left the chain on the door, your departure forgotten about. “I’m jus’ sayin’, that it’s totally okay for you to, you know, wanna get your rocks off.”

You spluttered, incredulous. “Okay, one: rocks off? What is this, 1986? And two, I know it’s okay for me to wanna have sex with a complete stranger! I don’t need a man to confirm that for me.”

The boy stared, lips parted and a look of genuine confusion overtaking his pretty features. He grimaced and then waved a hand at you, an unfortunately dismissive gesture that had your back up even further. You set your shoulders. 

“No, no, look,” he explained. “You’re taking this the totally wrong way.”

“Oh I am?” You grinned, sharklike, edging closer for a fight. He still smelled like last night's cologne, like your perfume and sex. “Want to tell me how I should be taking it? Wanna explain it to me?”

Steve narrowed his eyes, lips lifting, a sardonic kind of smile that made your heart race too fast. “That feels like a trap.”

“Wow, ten points for the smart guy,” you snarked. “If only you were as patient as you were clever.” You jostled around him, a hand on the door. 

“What does that mean?” Steve snapped, the door clicking shut as he leaned his weight onto it, too close to you, staring down as you gazed up, chin lifted, still defiant. “Patient about what?”

You laughed, humourless and mean, ‘cause you just wanted to go home. You raised your brows, still giving the handle a jiggle despite the way Steve blocked your exit, frowning. “Yeah, okay jackhammer,” you grinned, “maybe give a girl some time to try and come before you seal the deal and pass out.”

Steve gaped at you, offended and full of shock, and you felt a little bit guilty. Sure, you hadn’t come, but only ‘cause of a timing issue, not a skill issue. But still— 

“Yeah? You wanna play it like that?” Steve shot back, pushing off of the door so he could stomp into the kitchen. He rattled in his cupboards, pulling out a coffee mug that he slammed on the worktop. “What about you? Huh? Lights off, shedding all your clothes like a damn snake person and like, what’s with the whole—” he made a lewd motion with his fingers, mimicking rubbing at the air. “Way to make a guy feel benched, sweetheart. Got me fumblin’ around in the dark like a damn blind pig.”

You scoffed, eyes narrowing to slits, the door forgotten - again. 

“Yeah, well, points for enthusiasm pig boy, maybe next time you’ll find some truffles.”

“Oh, fuck you, man.”

“Fuck you too!” You said it cheerily, despite the anger that made your throat and cheeks feel too hot, the sneer that was on your lips. “It was so nice to meet you Harrington98!” And with that, you left, door slamming shut so hard your hand vibrated, and something on Steve’s kitchen wall fell to the floor. 

You heard him swear and you smiled, the most satisfied you’d felt. 

The stairwell was freezing as you stomped down it, more frigid than the night before. All you could think about was your own bed, that didn’t smell like a pretty boy with a bad attitude, where your sheets were softer and you could watch reruns of Schitt’s Creek until you forgot Steve Harrington’s name. You were never doing this again. In fact, you were deleting the damn app. 

You scowled, rooting around your handbag for your phone, huffing when your screen stayed back, no matter how many times you tapped angrily at it. You could only imagine the texts and missed calls that would be waiting on it for you, the shrieks that would greet you when you finally got home. You hoped Nancy had made waffles. Or pancakes - Nancy made good pancakes. 

And as you were trapped in a daydream about strawberries mixed in sugar, maple syrup and cream, you shoved your shoulder mindlessly against the front door of the apartment block, wincing when it didn’t give under your weight. You frowned, trying again, both hands shoving at the wood. It budged, just a little, leaving enough of a gap for you to see the whiteout that was on the other side of it. 

You made a sound of indignation, shock making your mouth fall open and you peered out through the gap. 

No. No, no, no, no. 

Snow crept up the door like an icy landslide, covering almost half of it, the rest of the parking lot covered in what you deemed to be a couple of feet of snow. Cars were half hidden and the sky was white, blending into the ground, a blank landscape that was just barely broken up by the still falling snow. The flakes were thick and heavy, dropping down over the town with an urgency rhat told you this wasn’t letting up anytime soon. 

Fuck. 

“—dude, I’m telling you, it was like falling asleep next to a princess and waking up to a raging dragon. She was like stupid hot and all, but then she started yelling at me? And I don’t know what I’d apparently done but… Jonathan, I’m gonna have to call you back.”

Steve stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking handsome and awfully guilty as he pulled his phone from his ear and ended the call he was on. He cleared his throat and tried to avoid the narrow eyed stare you were sending him, clutching the basket of dirty clothes he was seemingly talking to the laundry room. 

“You’re still here,” he noted and his voice was overly casual. “Interesting.”

“I can’t leave,” you replied, sounding as frosty as the weather outside. “Snowstorm. Can’t get the door open.”

“What?” Steve scoffed and shoved the basket into your hands. You tutted, moving out of his way when he jostled into your space. “You’re just not doing it right.”

You made a face, disgruntled and tried not to stare at the way the boy’s arms flexed with muscle when he strained at the door. You huffed out a laugh, smug, when it still didn’t move. 

“What was that?” You smirked, more haughty that you would like to admit. “You’re not doing it right, Steve.”

The boy smiled sarcastically, narrowed eyes and annoyance on his features. He took his basket from you and tutted. “Well. Good luck.” And then he walked away. 

“You’re kidding me?!” You were almost yelling, the sound making the boy stop and turn. “You’re not just gonna leave me here, it’s like the North Pole out there, I could be here for days.”

“That seems dramatic.” Steve walked back to you, too close, his laundry basket pressed between you. He made a show of thinking it over, lips twisted, humming. “So, what? You wanna come back to mine, is that it?”

You glared at him. “Unless you want me to sit in the freezing cold hall, I don’t have any other choice.”

“You called me pig boy,” he reminded you. He was smiling. He was enjoying this. “Among other names. You’re mean, sweetheart. Why should I help you?”

You resisted the urge to smack at his shoulder, bringing your hands to your lips in a prayer position as you took a deep breath and counted to three. Smiling - albeit tightly - you took your time to also remind him: “you were literally inside of me six hours ago.”

So you found yourself back in Steve’s apartment, grudgingly, and with nowhere else to go. You rolled your eyes when he brushed past you as you stood by the door, aimless and wishing you could be anywhere else. You showed him your phone with it’s blank screen. 

“You got a charger?”

Steve pointed to a cable that was plugged in by the couch and he ignored you as you moved through the living room. He clicked on the TV, groaning when he landed on the news and saw live footage of the city, the streets covered in marshmallow soft looking snow, untouched, ‘cause nobody could get out of their damn home. The train lines were empty, the streets deserted, and the local weatherman Richard Raines was standing in a blizzard, yelling at the camera. 

“Well, folks, I hope you’ve got enough food and someone to keep you warm at night, because this snowstorm isn’t done yet!”

Steve groaned at the same time you did. 

“We’ve got more arctic winds pushing in from the east and we’re expecting more snow over the coming days. Stay home, stay safe and keep warm! We’ll do our best to update you as more news comes in from across the State. I’m Richard Raines, live from Indi—”

The TV screen blinked and blacked out as Steve chucked the remote on the couch, letting himself slump down after it. Still, you stood, coat and shoes still on, bag still over your shoulder like you had somewhere to be. 

“Make yourself at home, I guess,” Steve muttered, waving a hand at the armchair across from him. “Fuck knows when you’ll get to go your own.”

Hell. You were in hell. 

“Okay. Right. I guess… shit.” You fell down onto the armchair, head in your hands and bag clattering to the floor by your feet. Your phone was still dead, charging slowly. “I need to tell my friend where I am. She’ll be worried.” You chewed at your lip and imagined Robin, pacing the apartment, calling your cell and yelling at the voicemail.

“About the possibility of you being murdered? Or will she be devastated to know her bestie had bad sex?”

You scowled at the boy’s surly tone, hating that he still looked good as he said it. Sprawled out on his sofa, legs spread, cotton sweats low, his T-shirt covering broad shoulders and strong arms. His hair was still a riot, deliciously so and now that he’d opened his blinds, you could see the faint purple mark you must’ve sucked onto his neck. You flushed. 

“I didn’t say it was bad,” you grumbled. “Just— shut up. If we’re going to be trapped in here, can we at least agree to pretend we didn’t sleep together? For sanity’s sake?”

Steve sighed, his expression unreadable, and he stood. Chucking his phone into your lap, you watched his face soften, if only just. “Sure we can, sweetheart. Call your friend, tell her you're safe.” And then he walked into the kitchen. 

The next few hours went by in relative silence, the buzz of the TV, the whirr of Steve’s coffee machine, the two of you sitting on either end of his sofa. You’d given in and taken off your shoes and jacket after calling Robin, the girl only quietening down after she yelled about how she’d planned your funeral, her words cutting off into a hush when she realised you were still at your hook-ups house. 

“Is he hot? Was the sex mind blowing? Oh my god, this is like, insane! Are you gonna have sex all day?”

You cut off her rambling with a noise of desperation, wary of Steve nearby. You promised you’d text her when your phone came to life, that you’d fill her in on the details when you got yourself home. 

By noon, Steve asked if you were hungry, his voice a little hoarse from pointedly not speaking to you and you nodded, feeling awkward when he went to the kitchen and started clattering around. So you sheepishly followed, taking up residence on a stool at the breakfast bar. He opened his fridge and you both cringed at the lack of contents inside. 

“D’you like ramen?” He asked instead, closing the door and heading for the cupboards instead. Steve pulled out two packets of instant noodles and shook them enticingly. 

“I do,” you answered, sounding way too polite and proper, but you were starting to feel increasingly guilty about your anxiety led argument that morning. “Thank you,” you added. 

He smiled and it seemed less forced than before. “S’not like I’m gonna let you starve.”

“I wouldn’t have blamed you if you did,” you replied quietly, and you met his gaze a little reluctantly. “I was kind of a bitch.”

Steve snorted but it wasn’t as mean as his laughter earlier. He dumped the noodles in a pot and winced when the hot water bubbles angrily at him. “Kind of?”

“I was a bitch,” you confirmed, nodding with pursed lips. “I shouldn’t have—”

“Look, I wasn’t exactly nice either,” Steve waved off whatever words you were going to say next. “I’m grumpy as fuck in the morning. And stupid, like, most of the time. I didn’t mean to imply that you were—” 

He gestured vaguely, the words dying on his lips, ‘cause he was more awake now to know not to say it again. 

“Slutty?” You said for him and Steve groaned before he realised you were grinning. 

“No! No, yeah, well, fuck,” he laughed, self depreciating and low. “You’re not a slut. But if you are, good for you! You know? And I guess that would make me a slut too… so, shit, cheers to that.” He slid your bowl of noodles, hot and spicy smelling and he grinned when you clicked the offered chopsticks against his own. 

“Cheers to that,” you agreed and it felt a little like a truce. 

————

Five hours later the snow was still falling and the sky had turned back into that dark pink-red that could only mean more to come. Steve had played through too many levels of Crash Bandicoot to count, laughing and throwing half hearted tips at you, because you were clearly a lost cause when it came to video games. 

Switching from his Xbox back to the TV, you were both unsurprised to find Richard Raines back in front of Indianapolis City Hall, red nosed and standing in a flurry of white. 

“Bunker down folks! This storm is here for the night! With another sixteen inches expected by eleven o’clock, we can all—”

The TV blanked out, Richard Raines cut off once again mid speech and Steve let his head fall back onto the couch cushions. There wasn’t much room between you both now, not nearly as much as there had been early in the afternoon and as you looked over at him, you were reminded of why you hooked up with him in the first place. 

God, he was stupidly pretty. 

He huffed out a tired sigh and pushed the gaming controller to the side, blinking before turning to look over at you, cheek pressed to the couch cushions. Steve was all floppy hair and honeyed eyes, five o’clock shadow and sharp cheekbones, a sharper jaw. 

You regretted not kissing him more when you had the chance. 

“Hey,” he murmured. “Wanna get high?”

....

[finniestoncrane]

2.5k Event Request - Nick x GN!Reader word count: 970 a/n: what i wouldn't give for this idiot to teach me everything he knows, because i just know he's picked up a few tricks (and infections) along his way... cw: reader is afab, inexperience, loss of virginity, first kiss, dirty talk kinda 🔞minors dni🔞 • masterlist • kofi link • tag: finnie2.5k (to follow or to block)

Nick was speechless, for once, in the face of your confession. Shocked at how you had said it so passively, how you were willing to be so vulnerable with a man who took everything anyone said to him to use as ammunition when it suited him, whether as a serious threat or as playful teasing.

“Are you… are you kidding me?”

“Does that sound like something I’d joke about? Is my situation funny in any way to you?”

He raised his hands quickly, averting his eyes from your intense gaze as he let you repeat yourself, listening intently to make sure he hadn’t misunderstood.

“I can’t really find the joke when I’m so pissed off, y’know? What kind of bad luck do you need to have to be a virgin at the end of the world?”

“Yeah, no, that’s… That sucks. But you can always remedy that situation.”

In your peripheral you caught a glimpse of that signature Nick smirk, one that seemed playful and cruel all at the same time.

“Oh yeah, because there’s tonnes of eligible partners walking around these days, huh?”

“Listen, being picky got you in this mess, you wanna keep that up?”

You were read to scold him as you turned his way, about to correct him and tell him off for making assumptions, but the words stuttered to a halt in your mouth as you caught his expression. Eyebrows raised expectantly, smirk turning into a sneer as he waited for you to catch on. And when you did, you let out an exclaimed, short laugh.

“I’m up for it if you are. There’s nothing better to do out here.”

“Oh wow. I’m very flattered.”

Your tone was flat, unamused, and as you turned away from him, you felt his hand reach for your arm, grabbing you and keeping you close to him on the roof of the abandoned motel where you intended to spend the night.

“No, no, no, hey! Wait! Come on, that’s not what I meant… I’m just trying to… make it less of an event. It’s casual. No big deal. One friend helping another.”

Eyeing him up, you turned your body back around to him.

“No big deal? Just casual? Promise?”

“Of course, completely! I’ve done this so many times. Just a one-night stand… My experience speaks for itself. Besides, rooftop at sunset? The world all ours? Can’t think of a better time to knock that one off the bucket list.”

“Well… tell me what you’re going to do, first.”

The request flustered him, something you’d never seen before in the man who had always remained cool, calm and collected in the face of even your more monstrous enemies.

“I think we should kiss first. Helps ease the tension, makes the next steps easier.”

“I’ve never kissed anyone either…”

“Fuck me…”

Nick could feel his cock twitching, and he shifted to hide the obvious tenting at the front of his white pants. The thought of you, so sweet and innocent, being corrupted by him, completely at his will, eager to learn, eager to have him show you everything he knew… it was enough to make him lose control of himself. He had to stay focused. So he took a deep breath and continued.

“Ok then. Kiss first. Nothing fancy. No tongues to start. Soft and gentle. Then, I guess we should keep our clothes on as much as we can… Which I have to admit is a little disappointing, because I have been admiring your ample physique when I’ve had a spare moment… But we don’t want to be caught off guard. But I could pull your pants down a little, see what we’re working with.”

“Oh my god.”

He blushed, immediately trying to smooth over his clumsy wording.

“Sorry, I just mean a little foreplay never hurt anybody. Even people who are desperate to get to the main event. Plus, it’ll be a little taste of what’s to come if I use my fingers first.”

“Oh? Are they comparable size-wise then?”

He snorted, scoffing at the ridiculous insinuation.

“No, it absolutely is not. But I wouldn’t want to hurt a pretty thing like you by barrelling into it, even if you have plenty of cushioning where it’s best to have it…”

He was distracted again, focusing on your body, the curves and rolls that he’d thought about running his hands over each night as he tried to fall asleep.

“Nick…?”

Distracted once again, he scolded himself quietly and tried to get back on track.

“Right… once you’re ready, I’ll just…”

“Just what?”

“I don’t know how to word it.”

His cheeks were reddening, brighter than before.

“Are you embarrassed, Nick?”

“No! It’s just hard to figure out how to word it in a way that isn’t just me telling you that once that tight hole of yours is wet enough, I’ll spread you open, push my cock inside of you and start fucking me until you cum quick like the desperate virgin you are. Doesn’t sound that romantic, does it?”

“That… actually sounds good.”

“Really? Well, what are we waiting for then?”

As Nick leaned in, his lips close enough to yours that you could almost feel them on you, a screech echoed across the car park behind you, the warning sign of impending doom in the form of whatever creature might have inadvertently stumbled upon you both. As you looked to Nick, he cocked his gun and stood up, offering you a helping hand as he spoke.

“Looks like you might need to wait a little longer.”

In response to his mean-spirited wink, you offered a sarcastic smile, more a grimace.

“Hopefully I find someone better before we’re alone again, then.”

His smile widened, the flirtatious teasing only securing his desire to make sure he was the one who cured what ailed you.

[neversilent]

Reader with a slightly possessive/dark John Doe? (Basically similar to his S1 personality but I’d be interested to see what you do lol)

《YES YES OFC-》

Possessive John Doe! x Reader Headcanons!

SFW:

He loves you to death. Literally. He'd do anything for you. Uncomfortable some place in public? He's getting you two out of there. Need some guy off your back? Already done.

He probably won't kill someone for you.. but, he will threaten it against them. Sometimes with you around to see it.. but at other times, he'd prefer if you didn't see his threats. He goes into detail and wouldn't want you worrying about what he says.

You get lots of date nights, this man spoils you. He'll tease the hell out of you too. Compliments, gifts, more compliments, and did I mention the compliments? This man never shuts up and you won't get a moment of peace where he isn't trying to say how much he loves you, or how nice you look.

"Is your milkshake good? Hey, hey, don't come at me! Just making sure they got it right, heh.. God, you look stunning. Y- you always do, don't get me wrong. But, tonight? Wow.."

He's holding your hand almost everywhere you go. If not, then his arm is likely wrapped around you.

He tries not to get jealous of your friends, he just wants all of your attention. He was sure that if he was to show how jealous he was when your friends would hug or touch you in any way, you wouldn't want to be around him.

He claims out loud that he is not a jealous lover, understanding that he cannot truly own you, even if he wants to. But on the inside he knows he's easily jealous, and he almost hates it. He deeply wants you.. He sees you as his after all.

He doesn’t care what you wear, because he’ll threaten to break any man’s jaw if they so much as try to look at you. It's rude to stare at what isn't theirs, and John hates rude people..

"Look at you.. so pretty.. and all mine.."

NSFW:

Oh, he taunts you. No doubt about it.

He wants contact. All types. ESPECIALLY eye contact.

He'll bend you over just about anywhere when it's just you two. Kitchen, bedroom, bathroom..

Maybe even an alleyway when you two are out? That's when it's time for the quiet game..

"Look at me, little puppet.. I want you to see who is making you cum. S- See who makes you feel this good, and know that nobody else can make you cum like this. I'm the only one who can satisfy you like this."

He laughs a lot during sex. A LOT. Some frantic giggles, filled with excitement. Others sounding flat out psychotic. He can't help it though, it just happens! So best to just let him do it.

If you two are separated from the day for any reason and he's alone, he gets off to the thought you. He's proud of it too, sometimes admitting to you that he had before having your legs wrapped around his waist.

"Y- yeah, you like the sound of that? You like what you do to me? Why don't we make it a reality, hm? C'mon, it'll be fun. I saw how red you turned when I confessed my actions, surely you want to do something about it."

[hannahssimblr]

At the house, I am conscious of the mess. Nobody has made an effort to clean up properly for weeks, and now dishes and miscellaneous bits of rubbish litter every available surface. The bins are full. Tangles of chargers and cables pile up on the table, and water damage has well and truly set in on the oak flooring under our feet. The same patch of floor that Evie’s hair is dripping on now, but while it’s too late to save it, she might as well add to it. 

“Wow, this is a beautiful house,” she says, and I have to check her face to see if she’s taking the piss out of me. She looks genuinely charmed. I frown.  

“I’ll get you a towel downstairs.”

As we descend to the living room, I find myself holding my breath. It seems even dirtier than the kitchen there, and I wonder how and when this happened, how it is even possible. Yet here we are, and it is. I pray there are clean towels, at least let there be clean towels…

Oh, thank God. 

I hand her one from the hot press. It is old and scratchy, and likely a victim of my mother, back when she used to dye her hair at home, evidenced by the big, bleached patches all over it, but at least it’s clean. I show her the bathroom. 

“Feel free to take a shower if you want to. The water is hot.” As it constantly is, because I turned it on at the beginning of the summer and found the system so complex that I never risked turning it off again. I’ll be hearing about it when my dad gets the bill, but that’s an issue for September. 

Evie peeks in. “You don’t want to go first?”

“No, go ahead.”

As soon as I hear the hum of the shower, I pounce into action and tear into my bedroom. I yank all the dirty clothes off the floor and fire them into my already heaving hamper, then kick a pair of shoes under the bed, followed by a mucky football and some art magazine Jen thought I’d like, but I never read.

There are chocolate wrappers on the floor. What kind of creature am I? Was I sitting on the floor at some point, feasting on a family packet of dairy milk bars, or did these just fall out of my pockets? I rush around, picking them all up, then reach the wastepaper basket to find it full. I curse under my breath and yank the bag out, tying it in a hasty knot, then carry it and the two handfuls of coffee mugs strewn about the place up to the kitchen. There is nowhere for them to go, so I shove the mugs into the sink and toss the bag on the floor. 

She’s showering for ages. Good. 

Next, I tackle the bed, straightening out the duvet and pillows, which are, mercifully, clean. I could tongue-kiss the past version of myself that ran them through the wash two days before. To make extra sure, I give them a good, long sniff. They still smell like detergent. The clean clothes from that same wash go from the armchair to the wardrobe, and books on the bedside table. The tennis racquets… they’ll be fine, leaning against the wall. When I step back and examine my work, I determine that it’s barely passable, but time is surely running out, and she can’t shower forever. The dust on the floor can stay another day. 

Lastly, I toss my sweaty clothes onto the pile and peel off my sodden shorts. Once I have changed into something clean, I carry all the laundry out and heave it into the washing machine, right by the door of the bathroom. Evie hums tunelessly in the shower, and for a moment or two, I stand and listen. I wonder whose shower gel she is using, and shiver inexplicably at the idea of her choosing mine. 

I arrange myself in a casual position when she comes back into the room, hanging out on the end of the bed. She’s rosy from the hot water, and her hair lies flat against her head, so straight and fine that her ears poke out the sides. 

“You don’t have to wear the same wet t-shirt,” I inform her. “I can put your clothes in the dryer.”

She pulls at the hem and looks down at those two, damp, triangular patches. “It’s okay,” she shrugs. “They’ll dry on me.”

“You can leave all your wet stuff on the floor. I’ll sort them out after my shower and I’ll just find you something else to wear.”

“But I won’t fit in your clothes.”

“You’ll fit in a t-shirt, won’t you?” I saunter over to my wardrobe and lift a t-shirt from the stack. It’s old, and has a hole in the armpit, hence it’s permanent relegation to the beach house wardrobe, but like everything else in this house in its current state, it will suffice. 

“Thanks,” she says. I leave her to change and head for the shower. 

“What are you looking at?”

She jumps and turns around. I’ve caught her nosing around and looking at my notice board. She points at it. “Your ticket to a music festival.”

I hesitate, trying to gauge whether Claire has blabbed to her about what I said or not. “Oh yeah, are you coming?”

“I don’t know.”

“You should. All of us are heading up to it.” I pull a pair of socks out of a drawer and plonk myself onto the bed to put them on. 

She sits with me. “I’m not sure. It’s kind of a bit complicated.”

“Is it?”

“Yeah,” she hesitates before deciding to divulge. “Kelly and Claire are in a big fight about it. Claire wants to go, and Kelly doesn’t want to, even though it’s Claire’s eighteenth birthday the same weekend. It’s… it’s all a bit silly if I’m honest.”

I frown. “She doesn’t want to celebrate her friends’ birthday in a fun way?”

“No, it’s more than that. It’s that she doesn’t want to hang out with Shane for the whole weekend. She’d be too embarrassed to. She’s weird about that kind of thing.”

I should proceed with caution. I say, “sounds a little selfish to me.”

“Kelly’s a complicated person. I think she means well, she just… isn’t great at expressing herself. She gets angry at people instead of telling them how she feels in a normal way.”

I could talk a lot of shit about Kelly Healy, but I‘ll save it. I know that teenage girls’ friendships are strange and nuanced in ways my brain will never fully comprehend. Things never seem to be simple enough to just end the friendship. It must drag on for eternity until one of them is irreparably damaged in its wake. “So what, she’s forbidden you both from going to the festival?”

“She hasn’t said that we’re forbidden.”

“But you’re not going because you think she’ll be angry with you.”

“Pretty much.”

“So what about Claire? It’s her birthday.”

She groans. “I know. I hate this. I hate when people are fighting, and I feel like I’m in the middle of it. I don’t know what the right decision is.”

Tell me about it. “The thing that you want to do more, that’s the right decision.”

“I knew you’d say something like that.”

“What do you mean?” 

“Something wise.”

I laugh. If only I could take my own advice. 

She heaves out a sigh and slumps over her knees. “I can’t talk to either of them about it. Kelly is impossible, and Claire hasn’t been around. I’ve barely seen her at all since they fought. I don’t even know where she’s been.”

I blink. “Oh, she’s been here.”

“What?”

“Yeah! I thought you knew. She’s been coming here every day for ages.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“And did she tell you why?”

“No, I didn’t ask. I thought it was just to hang out with Shane.”

“With Shane?” She straightens to look into my face and I grin.

“Yeah, they’ve been hanging out.”

“Go ’way.”

“I don’t know exactly what’s happening, but they hang out a lot, go for walks together and watch TV in the living room. I usually just leave them alone, but…” I tap my nose.

“Oh, I knew it!” She throws herself back on to her elbows and shakes her head. “I wonder what this is going to mean for Kelly.”

“Kelly can grow up. She doesn’t have a say.”

“Ugh. I know. It’s just impossible not to worry about it.”

“Evie, how often do you let that girl live inside your head? Forget about it. Let Shane and Claire deal with her.”

“Okay, I’ll try.”

It’s not lost on me, the juxtaposition between this conversation and the one I had with Alison this morning. These two girls are only a year apart in age, and yet somehow their lives oppose so diametrically. Am I the same boy with them both, or have I somehow split in two? How can I be worrying about Alison and all that she’s been through, while hours later coaching Evie through friend drama? I know the turmoil and stress is real for her. I can tell by the things her face is doing, how she nibbles on her lip, the way her brow furrows, but I am comforted by it, by how simple it is. Maybe it would be good for my soul to spend more time with Evie. 

Regardless, I move on from this specific theme and bring the conversation back to where it began. “And as for the festival, I think you should come.”

“Hm.”

“Will you?” She doesn’t answer, so I assume she hasn’t heard me. I nudge her. “I want you to come. Will you come?”

“You want me to?” She echoes, like she doesn’t exactly believe it.

“I do.”

“Okay then.”

Perhaps someone else would find it worthwhile to read into the fact that she seems to want to do everything that I do, but I’m not really that bothered. I’m just glad that she agreed for the sake of herself. I suspect it may be a rarity for her. 

Beginning // Prev // Next

Corresponding LG Chapter [2]

[reverie-starlight]

small atsumu thing bc he IS the loml and i had a thought~

gn!reader, lowercase intentional, fluff with a small trace of angst but it’s pure comfort.

“you know you’re always going to be my first choice, right?”

it was quiet in your bedroom up until those words were murmured. moonlight was the only thing making it possible to see the concerned, almost desperate look on his face. like he needed to get those words out right then or he’d combust.

“what?” you asked, not sure why he was bringing it up as you were both about to fall asleep.

“my first choice. it’s always going to be you.”

you were silent for a minute, touched by his words, more than you could handle, but still not understanding why he was bringing it up. he must have seen the confusion written on your face because he continued speaking.

“earlier when we were talking about our school days, you mentioned that you weren’t really anyone’s first choice, that it kind of followed you from elementary through to university.”

you understood where he was coming from now. you had only offhandedly mentioned it, not really dwelling on it for too long before jumping into a story about your favourite teacher. you had mostly learned to make peace with it after so many years of internalizing it, anyway.

had he been thinking about that all day?

your eyes welled with tears a bit and your lower lip wobbled. “tsum.”

“and I know what it feels like. or I did when I was a kid, anyway. so I just want you to understand that you’re my number one,” he placed a hand on your cheek and wiped away a stray tear. “you are my first pick for everything, my first choice always. I’d pick you first a million times over. and I’m always going to fight for you and defend you and be on your side. I mean that with everything I have. It’s a promise.”

more tears were flowing now, on both of your faces, and you had never felt more seen in your life. you hadn’t realized how much you longed to actually hear those words until they were coming out of someone’s mouth.

and not just anyone’s mouth, either- someone who loved you unconditionally, someone who understood you. you couldn’t be more grateful for someone like atsumu. you felt so at home with him.

you wrapped your arms around him as best you could while laying face to face on your sides and sobbed into his shoulder.

he just rubbed up and down your back and whispered sweet nothings to you as your cries died down. “i love you so much atsumu, you’re always going to be my first choice as well. i mean it.”

“thank you, baby. that means the world to me. I love you, too.” he sealed it with a tender kiss against your lips. you happily reciprocated, hands moving from around his neck to lay flat against his chest. the arm that was casually draped over your side pulled you closer.

you broke apart and looked into each other’s eyes for a moment before you sighed and snuggled up against his chest, letting sleep attempt to take over once again.

wow both miya twins in under 24hrs! this was SO comforting for me, I didn’t even know I still felt this way until I got the idea for it. I hope you enjoyed!! Please consider Reblogging and commenting <3

[alphaformation]

I was wondering if you could do a mm Mikey x reader who is like really involved in the fine arts? (Stuff like singing, dancing, and acting) Maybe reader does musical theatre or songwriting? Is on the dance team? Or maybe on the improve team with him? It’s up to you but I just think it’d be really cute! I’d prefer a fem reader but you can do a gn reader if you’re more comfortable with that!

Thank You!🫶

hi hi anon!! this is such a cute request, & I figured it'd be more fun to explore in a headcanon format, so I hope you don't mind :)

╭──────.★..─╮ Limelight. ╰─..★.──────╯

Mutant Mayhem; Michelangelo / Fem!Reader Content Warnings: N/A

Summary: A girl in Mikey's Public Speaking class catches his attention, and he decides he needs hers in return.

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

Though he was more than excited to dive into his improv elective, Mikey was just a little apprehensive about the iceberg that was Eastman's performance and fine arts courses.

They weren't massively funded, it wasn't a great school mind you, but it WAS a big one. There were so many people and so many groups, he found it a bit arduous to know where to start.

So he started small.

He took a public speaking course for his first semester, figuring it was a good start without taking a headlong dive.

That was where he met you.

You were so cool!!

Mikey admired you so much when you met, seeing your confidence in every silly exercise or warmup your class did.

While his brothers made their goals around grades and extra-curriculars, Mikey's number one top-of-the-list plan was to get your attention.

and like.. let's be real, it's true of all of the Mutant Mayhem boys that he made a complete fool of himself trying.

so many jokes that fell flat... So many gags that went nowhere......

but like, humor was his thing! If he couldn't impress you with that, he was never going to.

Fortunately, you didn't require all too much pandering. As soon as Mikey flat out asked to hang out with you, you were happy to accept.

Let me tell you, Mikey's so excited for you when it comes to every school production that you're a part of.

Even if you get screwed over in casting, you KNOW he's still gonna drag his brothers to that musical.

"Dude, she doesn't even have a speaking part, why are we here?"

"Wow, Don, I thought YOU of all people would appreciate good choreography."

When he eventually asks you out, it's a whole affair.

Unlike Donnie, he's confided in his entire family about his crush, and you can definitely expect some odd looks from all three of his brothers in the time that hes working up the nerve to ask you out.

He shows up to a study date one day with a pizza and one of those heart teddy bears you get on valentines day.

"hey so, like, It's.. Totally cool if you don't vibe with this, but. I like you. Like... a lot?"

He tries to downplay it-- he really values your friendship, and if you don't feel the same he doesn't want you to feel weird about it.

When you tell him that you do reciprocate, he gets so excited.

He.. definitely forgot to actually bring his backpack and stuff to this study date, since he was pretty distracted with the whole confession thing.

When you eventually step foot in the lair, prepare for his entire family to place their attention on you. Every single one of his cousins is going to want to meet you, and naturally Splinter is going to have to sit you down.

Prepare for the whole "What are your intentions with my son." Talk. Splinter doesn't care that you're a girl, he's protective!

But once he's deemed you a good fit, you're practically part of the family.

As the two of you have been dating for longer, expect him to start following you into your extra-curriculars more.

Mikey is taking a shot at everything! If there's something you're auditioning for, he's two steps behind you.

In short, he adores you, and he owes a lot of his growth to you! He's really come out of his shell since meeting you, hehe.

[joes-sha-la-la-la-girl]

Love Bites: Chapter 13a

Series Masterlist

Warnings: Mentions of smut

A few months had passed by and it was finally the end of the tour. As much fun as everyone had been having, they were all exhausted. Almost everyone was looking forward to going home. Everyone but Y/N and Joe.

For Y/N she had to move in with Tammy, which obviously she didn’t mind, but moving flats the same day as getting off tour was going to be exhausting. Thankfully, Tammy’s sister had organised everything ready for Y/N to sort but she would be sleeping on the couch for a while.

For Joe, the idea of leaving Y/N in London when he had to go back to Sheffield felt sickening. Especially when he couldn’t be there for if Doug came back around again. Not Just that but the idea of not waking up next to his girlfriend everyday left a sour taste in his mouth.

Y/N and Joe had discussions about how their relationship would work long-distance and the only solution was phone calls everyday and occasional trips between London and Sheffield. It wasn’t the most practical solution but neither one of them wanted to end what they had. For the first time in a long while the two of them were at their happiest.

After the last show, they were all booked into a hotel so that they could fly out the next morning well rested. Every member of each band welcomed the bed they were able to sleep in rather than a bunk where they could hardly roll over.

Like normal, Joe and Y/N shared a hotel room. The two of them were laying naked between the hotel’s cotton sheets, sweating and panting from the activities that they had just partaken in. Although it wasn’t the end, it felt weirdly like a goodbye and Joe couldn’t bring himself to let go of the women in his arms.

“I’m gonna miss you.” Y/N whispered to him as she drew shapes on his chest with her fingers.

“I’m gonna miss you too, love, but I’ll see you really soon, I promise.” Joe told her as he kissed the top of her head. He felt a gentle kiss to his chest and he let out a silent sigh. 

“I know, but after tomorrow, I’m not going to see you for a while.” She smiled sadly as she leaned up and kissed Joe again. 

“I have a crazy idea.” Joe said, making Y/N sit up slightly and look at him.

“Okay?” 

“It's really insane.” Joe said as he grabbed both of Y/N’s hands and placed a delicate kiss on them.

“What is it Joe?”

“What if you moved to Sheffield with me? Not tomorrow but in a week. Get all your stuff sorted and come live with me.”

“Oh wow, um…” Y/N started quite speechless. Joe was right, it was a crazy idea. “As much as I’d love that, what about Ultraviolet?”

“I’m sure you will all work it out, love.” Joe told her.

“I don’t know Joe. Isn’t it too soon?”

“Maybe but there are no rules for that.” Y/N’s heart broke as she watched the excitement drain out of his eyes.

“I’m not sure. Can I think about it?”

 Joe just nodded in response, an awkward silence taking over the room.

*

“He asked you what?” Tammy exclaimed in a whisper as Y/N told her what Joe had said the night before.

“Shhh Tammy.” They were all on the plane home and after Y/N had told Joe that she couldn’t move in with him, there had been tension between them. “He asked me to move to Sheffield with him.”

“And you said no?” Tammy looked at her like she was crazy.

“I told him that I don’t know.”

“Y/N what were you thinking?”

“I was thinking about the band Tammy. We are just getting started and you are all in London.”

“Y/N/N listen to me.” Tammy looked at her with a soft smile. “We can work that all out. You have never been happier than you have been with Joe and after everything you went through with Doug you deserve this.” 

“Go to Sheffield Y/N.” Both women turned to look at Benji as he spoke. “Stop thinking about the band for a moment. We are portable. There are studios up and down the country. Joe is in Sheffield.”

Y/N thought about her bandmates words for the rest of the flight. A part of her wanted to go without hesitation but the other part of her was screaming at her to stay in London and she didn’t know which part to choose.

*

When the plane landed both bands exchanged phone numbers, agreeing to keep in contact. Y/N didn’t know how long it would last for but she hoped that they could all tour together again at some point. 

Joe stood off to the side as he watched the woman he was falling in love with say goodbye to his bandmates. When she spotted him watching her, she quickly finished her goodbye to Phil and Steve and made her way over to Joe. Immediately he wrapped her up in his arms and placed his lips on hers.

They could hear their bandmates whistling and cheering but they didn’t stop for another minute or two. When they eventually pulled away Joe brushed some hair behind Y/N’s ear.

“Promise me you’ll think about it?” Joe asked her as he looked down at her now crying face.

“That's all I’ve thought about.” She told him. “Call me as soon as you’re home?” She asked as she unwrapped her arms from his around his neck and grabbed his hands.

“Of course darlin’” Joe smiled at her before wiping her tears away. “Don’t cry otherwise you’ll start me off and no one wants to see that.” He joked earning a small giggle.

Their little moment was ruined by Peter encouraging Joe along. The two kissed one last time before they pulled apart. No more words were exchanged as Joe walked away, leaving Y/N crying in Tammy’s arms.

Ultraviolet all said goodbye to each other as Tammy and Y/N found Tammy’s sister waiting outside the airport. Tammy’s sister hugged Y/N before Tammy earned a scoff from the bassist but deep down she knew Y/N needed a hug more.

The two musicians fell asleep on the small journey back to the flat and when they arrived they thanked Tammy’s sister again before going inside and making a start on Y/N’s bin bags. They were about halfway through the exhausting task when there was a knock at the door.

Y/N got up to answer it but felt chills down her spine when she saw who it was.

“Hello Y/N.”

Taglist:

@genxrocker

@elliotts-personal-property

@friccinfricks

@i-love-def-leppard

@vintagerocknrollgirl

[greenpanda-basicfakewitch]

Divination | Ouija

[Or as I keep calling it and being teased for it Luigi board] [Source] [Take this with a grain of salt- Ouija isn't my thing]

A controversial tool, a flat board with letters/alphabet along with the words yes or no alongside a planchette, heart shaped with an eye in the centre.. Quoted as “A board that is both pure and evil.” Created several lawsuits by the Library of Congress. A supernatural tool to commune with the dead.

[Personally the board gives me the wiggies, I know people think a pendulum is the same thing. But I just think requesting the help of a friend or some spirit is different than going knees deep into dead spirits and other things. Idk I just think its different]

So. give respect. Never ask how they died. Always say goodbye. NEVER finish until they say Goodbye [although its said its leaving it open, and some say it's to be polite and close the connection its okay if they don't say goodbye…I’d rather be safe than sorry]

 If the Planchette leaves the board? Burn the board. Never leave the Planchette on the board keeping the connection open for the possible spirit to leave the board.

Watch out for zozo. Or creating a figure eight. Treat it as a board game and keep calm dont bring in anxiety, or any depressive energy or thoughts.

Seven Subtitues For a Ouija Board [Source]

As a substitue You can use a Coin. A washer coin. A poker Chip. Upside down shotglass. [More info Below] Make a wood plachette etc. More info in the Link Above.

[Personally I do respect the craft/believe in ghosts and spirits a little. But sometimes its weird that ALL ghost story/sightings happen in America and possessions specifically happen in spain/mexico. Given that other countries dont have footage like in the UK for ghost sightings [we have OLD as fuck buildings older than america at least] so yeah sometimes it feels a bit huey.]

So the dangers of Ouji board?

This is the recent article for 2023. “28 girls hospitalised with anxiety. All fainted after a ouija board had gone wrong.” Posted March 7. 2023. [Source]

But luckily an exorcist police officer CLAIMS girls opened a Doorway to- […A police officer just HAPPENS to be an exorcist? What are the odds thank god an exorcist who happens to be an OFFICER was THERE at the same time! wow thank god *sarcasm*]

“One mother complained: “I work here in a hospital kiosk and every day I see three or four children arrive after fainting.”

So kids fainting is a regular thing? Is there some health/environmental issues and they're using an occult board to cover it up. Sounds like confirmation bias and fear mongering for christian loving cultists to prove that wiccan/occult are devil worshipping sinners oh joy. Or Group psychosis, look I love Wicca but I don’t believe in that supernatural shit, I honestly doubt it was a wooden board that caused that and instead was teens being dramatic or the school has some issues and want to hide the responsibility. Oh 36 now [Source]

_____________________________________________________________

Seance

[Source Image: The Dreaming Queeniechan Manga]

A Cup Seance. A meeting. Typically with a medium or other spiritualists in which people intend to communicate with the dead.

The rituals of the seance and the medium are opening up insights into the mind, shedding light on the power of suggestion and even questioning the nature of free will.

How to perform a Seance

 A ceremony to contact the dead.

 To perform this ritual you will need six candles, white and purple in colour and a white cloth. In Addition you will need to sweeten the air by burning cinnamon frankincense and sandals wood. As the fire burns, concentrate on contacting the spirit and chant the spell that follows. If you know the mortal name of the deceased, adjust the chant accordingly. 

 Beloved unknown spirit, we seek your guidance. We ask that you commune with us and move along us. 

[Humanity has been attempting to commune with the dead since ancient times. As far back as Leviticus, the Old Testament God actively forbade people to seek out mediums. Interest peaked in the 19th century, a time when religion and rationality were clashing like never before. In an era of unprecedented scientific discovery, some churchgoers began to seek evidence for their beliefs.

 [Source]

Table Tipping

 Table tipping, or turning has gone out of fashion but is easy to replicate for four or more people, a small table. Or aka Ouji Boards Big Brother.

 dim lights and a relaxed atmosphere. The group places hands on the table and wait. After 40 minutes or so the table should start to move. It soon appears to have a mind of its own, sliding, swaying and even pinning people to the walls.

The reason why household furniture can appear to be possessed was exposed more than 160 years ago by Michael Faraday, the discoverer of the link between magnetism and electricity. In 1852 Faraday was fascinated by the new craze of table tipping – and whether people or spirits were responsible. So he took bundles of cardboard roughly the size of a table top and glued them weakly together. Each sheet got progressively smaller from top to bottom, allowing Faraday to mark their original positions on the card above with a pencil. He then placed the cards on a table and asked volunteers to put their hands on the cards and let the spirits move the table to the left.

If it was spirits, the table top would slide out the cards from the bottom up. But if the participants were doing it, the top cards would be the first to move. By examining the position of the pencil marks Faraday showed that people, not spirits, moved the table. 

A youtuber created a video on how to summon a Spirit into a bottle:

[Source]

[junecast-moonfast]

hi this is santa :^)

i didn't know christian vander at all, although he's french :o he seems like a very peculiar man and his music sounds really interesting

oh wow brian eno made windows system sounds?? so coooool i didn't know either

what's your fav pink floyd album? i didn't ask you :^) is it the wall since it's the first cd you bought?

yay muse! i kinda like their music, not everything but some songs are very very good. the two biggest concerts i've been to are the who and the rolling stones, i had a good time but to be honest i don't really like BIG concerts. a concert much more intimate in a smaller concert hall i've "recently" been to was for pokey lafarge and i loved it. surprisingly, i'm soooo much more touched and moved by live jazz/classical music than by rock concerts. the times i cried during rock concerts was during tribute songs to late members while the times i cried during jazz and classical music concerts was because the music went deep down my guts and brought the tears to my throat (weird sentence but that's basically how it felt like ahahah) i also once cried during a berlioz concert in a church because the acoustic was phenomenal and there was a brass entry from the upstairs balcony ; i didn't expect it at all and it resonated inside, it was amazing

have you ever cried to music simply for its musicality (aside from sentimentality)?

see you later, have a good day/night :^)

Hi!! How are you doing? :D

Christian Vander is a very peculiar man indeed haha. His music, especially his work with Magma, is very unique. I can’t think of another band that really sounds like them!

When I was in middle school, The Wall was my favorite Pink Floyd album, and even though it still holds a place in my heart, I’d definitely have to say Animals is my favorite now! :]

Yeah, I can definitely agree on liking smaller concerts. The Yungblood concert was especially bad, not only because I’m not really a fan of that kind of music, but the large crowd kinda removed any intimacy that comes from the live music experience. People were screaming and recording on their phones the whole time, and it just wasn’t my thing at all. Some people enjoy that kinda environment, but it stresses me out and makes it hard to listen to the music. The Muse concert was a little better because it wasn’t standing room only, but it still felt very distant.

Unfortunately I haven’t been able to go to any jazz/classical concerts, but from how you’ve described them I think they’d be something I would enjoy :D If you could see any musician, perform live, who would it be, and are there any songs in particular you’d want to hear them play?

My whole life, I’ve never really cared about audio quality. After lurking on audiophile subreddits, I caved and decided to get some good quality headphones. When I first listened to Watcher of the Skies by Genesis with them, I cried. I thought it was a beautiful song before, but after being able to hear it with more clarity I was overwhelmed with just how good it was. I’ve never been able to go back to cheap headphones after that, they just make the music sound so flat.

I hope you have a good day/night! :D

[whatisreggieshortfor]

Episode Two- The Physiotherapist, The Baker, The Crane Worker

@lasswithumor’s OC used!

Narrator voice: What’s weirder than being stuck in a van with two other guys?

Well, for these three it’ll be watching a girl they’ve never met rifle through their homes.

Gary tries to muffle a yawn behind his hand, Bobby’s cracking some kind of joke he’s too tired to listen to, but Lucas is listening with a polite smile on his face until the screen in front of them starts to flicker to life.

“Hey there boys!” A girl appeared with skin the color of honey, defined cheekbones, hair done in twisted braids, and brown eyes sparkling with mischief, “My name is Naleah! I’m a linguist, I’m 27, and I’m looking forward to finding each of your deepest, darkest secrets. They even gave me some ‘spy tools’ to help!” She laughed brightly, “Onto flat number one, yeah?”

“Wow, she’s got some energy.” Lucas chuckled, admiring the floral crop top and flared vintage jeans she wore as she skipped into his flat on the screen.

“I like it!” Bobby agree, “Maybe her energy can rub off on this bear beside me that’s still trying to hibernate.”

“Ha ha.” Gary rolled his eyes, “‘S my day off. I stayed up later than I shoulda last night.”

“Time to find out your secrets, boy number one!” Naleah winked at the camera, giggling as she walked in, “Ooh, what are we going to find? Something embarrassing? Something sweet? There’s a million possibilities!” She walked around the living room as she spoke, taking in the neatness of it all. “Not much of a messy bloke, are you? That’s nice.” She trailed over to plaques hanging on the wall, “‘Physiotherapist of the Year’. ‘Doctors Without Borders Service Award’. Wow, you’re smart and caring, yeah?” She pulled the gloves on from the kit, sliding her fingers over the top of the awards, then over the top of his tv, “Not a speck of dust on them! Good on you, lad!” She giggled again, making her way down the hall until she reached his closed bedroom door and knocking a rhythm into it, “I know no one’s home but it’s impolite not to knock, right?” She winked at the camera.

“Oh, god.” Lucas blanched, “Whelp, one of you blokes is about to win this.”

Gary raised an eyebrow, but Bobby shrugged.

“Wow!” Naleah’s mouth fell open, eyes skirting around the room and taking in the figurines that lined every shelf, “This is either very bold, very sweet, or very weird, and I’m honestly not sure.” She picked up the first one, seeing a tag written in Korean. The next was written in Spanish. Then French. German. Portuguese. Chinese. Each one was in a different language, from a different country. “I never thought I’d see a grown man collecting like this, but I gotta admit it’s cute. Do you travel a lot?”

Gary turned to Lucas, mouth agape, as Bobby shook with laughter, “Unicorns, mate!?”

Lucas shrugged, “When I was younger, my sister gave me one from the country our dad was stationed, and she did every time we moved. So every time I go somewhere new I get one.”

Naleah looked around the room, fingers on one hand lightly tapping each of the horns on the figures while the other played with the ends of her braids, “This room is real clean for a guy. It’s nice, knowing I wouldn’t be tripping over your laundry piles or anything if I’m here. But I think it’s time to head to flat number two!”

“Wonder who it’ll be.” Gary yawned again.

“Hopefully you so you can nap while she looks at Bobby’s room.” Lucas chuckled to himself.

Bobby pointed at the screen, “No such luck. Looks like I’m number two.”

As Naleah walked into the second flat, she was immediately sniffing the air, “Some smells absolutely gorgeous.” She followed the smell, finding a very messy kitchen with a cupcake stand with a neatly place glass cover. “Ooooh, cupcakes! Do you think he’d be upset if I stole one?”

“I’d be upset if she didn’t!” Bobby commented back, making Gary laugh before the blonde was asking for one when this was over.

Naleah delicately pulled the cover off the case, slipping the first dessert she could reach out and discarding the wrapper to bring it to her lips. The first bite and she almost moaned in delight, “This is amazing. I can forgive the messy kitchen. If you aren’t a baker, you absolutely should be.” She giggled again, munching on her stolen cupcake as she made her way down the hall, stepping over various shoes and looking at dozens of guitar picks that seemed to be scattered like someone tossed them like you would flower petals at a wedding. “I haven’t seen a guitar. Do you play or just play with them and lose them a lot?” She tried to picture what kind of music a guy like this would play, and when she finally got to his room she laughed, “No guitar in here, but I see drums. So a musician but not a guitarist? Hobby or profession?” She teetered about in the room, looking at the baking awards, “I don’t need the gloves to see the dust collecting up there.” She turned to the bed and gasped, “Is that frosting? On your sheets?” She pointed to the incriminating upturned cupcake.

“I was startled when the doorbell rang!”

“Who eats cupcakes in bed, mate?” Lucas scrunched his nose, “The crumbs, man.” Gary just snorted.

“Well, we are onto flat number three!” She sprang away from the cupcake, muttering on the way, “What a waste of such a delicious pastry.”

“I guess that means I’m up next.” Gary sighed before a look of horror crossed his face, “I really hope Nan isn’t home.”

Bobby broke into laughter while Lucas offered him a smirk.

Gary had no such luck. As the door opened, Naleah hadn’t even made it to knock yet, and it revealed an older woman who narrowed her eyes at the cameraman. Naleah smiled at her, with a wave that sent her charm bracelet tinkling, “Hello! Uh, I’m Naleah! I don’t know if your son-“

“My grandson. You must be from that show he was talking about. Come on in, I won’t get in the way.” Naleah sent the camera a funny face, but she was excited to hear what his nan would have to say, and she followed the woman inside. “I understand the very basics of this,” the woman admitted, “You can’t see him or whatever. His bedroom is down the hall there on the right.”

“Thank you, ma’am! I’ll be quick so we can get out of your hair.” Naleah relaxed a bit, releasing the braids she’d had tangled in her fingers, as his nan gave her a smile. She led the cameraman down the hall, leaving her to her tea in the living room, and opened the door to…an absolute mess. “Oh my days.” Naleah blinked.

Gary groaned, “I didn’t think it looked that bad this morning. Meant to clean it when I woke up today but these guys beat me to it.”

Bobby whistled, “Mate, what color even is your carpet?”

Naleah pulled the tongs out of the case, picking up various articles of clothing and dumping them into his laundry basket, “Is this…grease? It’s on everything, mate. How does that happen? You a blue collar fellow?” She peered around, catching sight of a collection of action figures and a toy weapon hung on the wall, “Lightsaber! Star Wars fan, not bad. But red? Please. With a nan like that? You’d be wielding blue and you know it.” She stepped carefully around the RC cars and toy cranes that seemed to be spilling all over the floor from…somewhere. “You’re a lad, aren’t you? All these toys.” She giggled as she rifled through his closet, “From all the laundry I’ve seen, you seem to have a penchant for flannels. But we should head out. Give your nan her house back.”

Lucas walked in the slowest when they were led into Naleah’s flat, just admiring the decor. Gary and Bobby made a beeline for her bedroom, opening it to find every neat and tidy, laptop set up on her desk and language books lining the walls.

“She seems brilliant.” Bobby muttered, “I don’t know how anyone can keep this many languages straight in their head.”

“Might help that she’s not straight,” Gary joked, pointing to the bisexual pride flag that hung on the wall as Lucas joined them.

“That was a bad joke,” but he laughed, “She has a lot of awards in the living room, mostly from organizations as an outstanding linguist.”

They heard the front door open, peering around the doorway to see her in all her glory, mischievous smirk on her face, “Sorry to cut your fun short, boys.”

“Good to meet you!” Bobby cheered, pulling her into a hug. Gary followed suit, and so did Lucas, and then they all stood in front of her knowing what came next.

“Okay, now you all seem very sweet, but we all know I need eliminate someone immediately. So I’m sorry, room number three. As cool as it is that you love Star Wars, your clothes were too stained with grease. I work in too many offices to get on my clothes.”

Gary nodded at her, “I understand, love.”

“Your Nan was so nice though! Clean up a bit, give her hand,” she laughed, and Gary smiled and agreed before venturing out the door. “Next…room number two. Your cupcake was delicious, but you seem a bit disorganized.”

“Fair shout,” Bobby laughed, “Guess I need to clean up before I have a lass over next time.” He gave her another hug before leaving the two of them alone.

Lucas gave her a smile, “Collection didn’t put you off, then?”

She laughed, big and bright, “It’s definitely a conversation starter. But I work with the world’s languages and you seem to work with the world. Seemed fitting.”

Masterlist

[levi-da]

Teaching Professor Braun

Pairing: Levi Ackerman/Reiner Braun, Eren Yeager/Mikasa Ackerman (for like 3 lines)

Tags: Domming From The Bottom, Bottom!Levi, Top!Reiner, Teacher!AU, Anal Sex, Anal Fingering, Drunk Sex, Office Sex

Summary: Prof. Ackerman and Prof. Braun have an ongoing rivalry between the English and math departments of Shiganshina High. A night out with some other professors leads them to relieving some tension together.

Word Count: 3.2k

A/N: Here's my first post! I hope you enjoy :)) This took me WAY longer than it should have.

Read on AO3

The bell rings as laptops and textbooks are shoved into bags.

“This class sucks, man. Why’s Professor Ackerman always up our asses?”

“I dunno, dude. Professor Braun never makes us do anything like this.”

The class clears out as the day ends, leaving Levi alone in the room. He’s halfway through grading the students’ most recent essay when a knock sounds out against the door.

“What the hell are you doing to these kids to make them so miserable? You got a stick up your ass or something?”

Levi rolled his eyes and looked up from the paper he was grading. He let out a sigh before he asked, “Making them use their brains. You should try it sometime.”

Reiner clenches his jaw. “Whatever, just remember that Hanji is forcing everyone to go out for drinks tonight. I know you’d much rather read a dictionary, but they’ll kill you if you don’t show up tonight.”

“What’s so special about tonight?”

“They won’t say. Just make sure you’re there at nine.”

Levi waves his hand towards the door dismissively. “Fine, just get out of my classroom and stop distracting me.”

Reiner quietly leaves the room, though Levi’s eyes follow him every step of the way. How that man got anything done, he could never guess. Levi shakes his head, clearing his thoughts before returning back to his work.

---

The music of the club rattles through Levi’s skull. Already annoyed with the circumstances, he looks for his gaggle of idiots. Scanning the room, he finds most of them grouped together at a table.

“Look who finally decided to show up! Fashionably late, too, might I add.” Hanji slurs, slipping her arm around his neck. He wasn’t the biggest fan of contact, but trying to stop Hanji from touching would require more energy than it’s worth.

“I made it,” Levi says, a smirk sneaking up on his face. He slips onto the chair next to Hanji.

“Wow, you actually made it,” Connie says from across the table. “Never thought I’d actually see you here.”

“Even Levi has to destress once in a while,” Jean exclaims, pouring Levi a shot. Feeling the migraine already kicking in, Levi takes the shot, feeling the burn the whole way down. He immediately starts coughing.

“Can’t even take a shot, huh?” Reiner snorts, walking over to the table with Armin, more drinks in their hands.

Armin hands a glass of whiskey to Levi. He takes the glass gingerly before leaning against the table and glaring sharply at Reiner.

Reiner rolls his eyes, putting down the rest of the drinks. “This is why the kids hate being in your class. You’re such a dick.”

“Where’s Eren and Mikasa?” Sasha asks, interrupting Reiner.

Armin sighs, sitting down next to Jean, “Who knows at this point, I don’t question it anymore.” Hanji giggles, stumbling off the stool to get another drink.

“They’re probably fucking in the bathroom or something,” Annie says, downing her fourth drink of the night.

“Are you sure that’s a smart choice, Leonhart? Don’t you have midterms to finish grading this weekend?” Levi lets out against the rim of his glass.

“Fuck off,” Annie says, then lays her head flat on the tabletop.

Apparently, Levi can’t catch a break since he feels someone looming over him. With a sigh, Levi spins around on his stool. He looks up at the person towering over him.

“What is it now?” Levi asks.

Reiner slots himself in the gap between Levi’s legs. “Are you just going to sit around all night? Get up and dance.”

“I’m here. Shouldn’t that satisfy you?”

“You’re not here to be a lameass. Let’s go.” Reiner grabs Levi’s wrist, dragging him to the dance floor.

Where had this man gained the balls to act towards Levi like that? Though, Reiner may have a point. He should just enjoy himself for once. He could do with letting loose a bit. Just a bit.

The grip of Reiner’s fingers around Levi’s wrist pulls him from his thoughts as they move throughout the club. As they arrive upon the dance floor, Reiner tightened his grip on Levi.

“Stay close to me, yeah?”

Levi’s body presses close to Reiner as they work their way through the crowd of people. Once they settle on a spot in the middle, Reiner pulls Levi close and releases his wrist.

A random bump from behind has the two pressed together, chest to chest. The lack of space between the two causes Levi to feel Reiner’s body heat across every inch of his skin. Reiner’s skin felt like a fucking furnace, practically burning Levi with each point of contact. Reiner’s hands graze over Levi’s hips and he wonders how it would feel if they actually made contact; if Reiner actually held on to him… The music consumes them, and they dance, as if they don’t pick a fight with one another every time they interact.

Eren and Mikasa emerge from the depths of the crowd, drinks in hand. They each hand off a drink to Levi and Reiner, then venture off, likely to do some dancing of their own. Not a word was said, just a knowing look in the couple’s gaze.

The pair knock back their drinks and leave the glasses on a nearby surface. Not wanting to stop dancing, Levi drags Reiner back to the dance floor.

“Look at you. Who knew you could be so outgoing?” Reiner whisper-screams over the music.

“Don’t push your luck. I just decided to do something different for once.”

A hint of mischief in his eyes, Reiner pushes, “Your perfect decisions finally starting to bore you?”

“Shut the fuck up,” Levi says, as he pulls Reiner closer, by the same wrist that had grabbed on to him. Reiner stumbles a half step, caught off guard from the sudden pull. His hands reach for something to support his slip up and it’s Levi. He grabs Levi’s hips for balance, tipping them back.

They still, breathing against each other's lips.

“Shit. Sorry.” Reiner goes to release Levi, but smaller hands are grabbing his and holding them down before he even gets the chance to pull away.

“Don’t apologize.”

Frozen in the moment, Reiner’s eyes glance down at Levi. Their eyes lock and, in that moment, it’s just them. Levi’s shoulders relax, his eyes softening as he gazes back up at Reiner.

That’s all Reiner needs to decide they’ve spent enough time in this club. Maybe it’s the drinks making the decision, but that’s an issue for a later time. He just wants Levi now. His fingers slip around Levi’s wrist as Reiner pulls him through the crowd again. Shouts from the others follow them but are ignored entirely once they’re out the club.

Outside, Reiner pulls out his phone and calls a cab. He slips his phone away and looks back towards Levi.

Levi, who looks devastatingly handsome in his loose button down and fitted slacks. Levi, who’s staring at him like he wants to devour him. And Reiner can’t get enough.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Reiner hand cups Levi’s cheek, pulling him closer, closer, closer. Levi pulls him in just as much, his back hits the brick of the building as Reiner closes in on Levi.

Their breaths overlap, mix, and then lips graze one another.

“Just fucking kiss me already.” Levi’s hands are tugging his hair at the nape of his neck. Then their lips are finally pressing against one another.

They kiss and kiss and kiss, nipping each other’s lips in retaliation.

Just when Reiner’s hands start drifting under Levi’s shirt, a honk interrupts the pair. They part, resituate themselves, then crawl together into the back seat of the car.

“Whose place are we going to?” Reiner mumbles, lips against Levi’s jaw.

“Mine, I don’t trust that yours is clean enough for me,” Levi lets out, voice breathy as his eyes roll shut.

Unable to argue with that logic, Reiner gives the driver directions to Levi’s place. The drive being 20 minutes long is apparently too long for them, as the pair are unable to keep their hands off each other. The cab driver must be sneaking looks through the rearview mirror since there’s a blush spread lightly across her cheeks.

Levi’s hands can’t stop touching. From Reiner’s knee, to his inner thigh, it’s all just Levi. Reiner is breathing slowly through his nose, trying to will himself some control, but once Levi starts brushing his fingertips over his zipper, his restraint all but vanishes.

Reiner rips the last two buttons on Levi’s shirt open as the cab slows to a stop outside Levi’s apartment. Levi hastily shoves a bunch of bills into the driver's hand with a quick thank you, pulling Reiner’s hand.

They make it all the way to the elevator before clinging to one another again. They could’ve only been a few inches from each other, but it takes everything in Reiner to not reach out to Levi.

Blood rushing in his ears and trying not to pant, Reiner sneaks a look at Levi pressed against the wall beside him. Levi’s already looking up at him, pinning him down just with his stare.

How the fuck did he end up here? Nothing could have prepared him for sleeping with Levi of all people. Not that he was going to complain.

The elevator dings, letting them know they’re that much closer to what they’ve been chasing.

Levi slides out as soon as the doors open, leading the way down the hall. He stops right in front of a door, fumbling with the key.

Reiner presses right up against him, “Need help with that?”

Levi stills, feeling the heat of Reiner fully pressed behind him. The hardness pressed against his ass only spurs him to unlock the door faster, get that dick inside him faster.

As soon as the door opens, it slams shut against his back. Reiner slides his hands under Levi’s thighs, grip tight as he lifts him up. Without a thought, Levi locks his legs around Reiner’s waist.

Reiner’s lips trail down his neck. Faint marks litter the column of Levi’s throat. Levi fists Reiner’s hair and pulls his lips close. Their lips crash against one another. Levi’s hands travel everywhere, tugging Reiner’s shirt off and throwing it on the floor. 

Levi kisses Reiner like his air has been stolen and the only way to breathe is to steal it back.

Clearly Levi wants Reiner’s dick in him yesterday, lacking any regard for cleanliness at this point if he’s chucking shirts. Reiner shoves Levi’s shirt off his shoulders, buttons already gone.

He thumbs over Levi’s nipples.

Levi moans into the kiss. “Can you fucking be any slower?”

Reiner huffs a laugh and shoves his pants just past his ass, pulling Levi’s slacks off entirely. Levi’s boxers are gone too, leaving a trail of clothing across the room.

“Do you have any lube?”

Levi tilts his head. “In my office.”

Reiner just carries Levi, hands squeezing his ass as he walks into the office. He plops Levi on the desk, scouring the drawers for the bottle.

“Check the bottom drawer.”

Fingers wrap around the bottle and he slams the drawer shut. Instantly, he’s back on Levi. He kneels between his legs, kissing and marking up Levi’s inner thighs.

Levi, in all of his short glory, already looks properly fucked out spread on his desk. Face and chest flushed, slightly dazed eyes, and a heavy stare.

“Just fucking look at you.”

Levi rolls his eyes. “Hurry up already. How many times do I have to repeat myself?”

With a hand on each knee, Reiner forces Levi’s legs open. He slicks a finger with lube and traces around Levi’s hole. A moan rips itself from Levi’s throat as Reiner slips his finger down to the second knuckle. He sneaks a second one beside the first, curling once inside.

Levi lets out a broken moan at that. “Fuck.”

Reiner kisses his way back up Levi’s body, stretching out his hole.

“Any fucking day now. Seriously, just fucking put it in me already. I can take it.” Levi hooks his foot around Reiner’s shoulder, urging him closer.

“I’m just trying to find the stick that’s up here.”

“Very funny.”

Reiner slides his fingers out, “Yeah, I’m fucking hilarious.”

Whatever Levi planned to say gets cut off by Reiner pressing his tip to the rim. Levi’s legs slide down to wrap around his waist. Broken moans fall from Levi’s lips as Reiner slides in fully, pelvis to pelvis. Maybe it’s the booze talking, but Levi looks practically holy. His hair splayed out, head tilted back and moans filling the room. Offhandedly, he hopes the neighbors won’t wake up.

Hands tug on his hair, pulling him from his thoughts and pressing his lips down to meet with Levi’s. Reiner grips his hips, thumbs digging into hip bones. They move together, timing their thrusts with one another. Their pace picks up as they get closer to their release.

“Fuck, I’m close,” Reiner breathes out between their barely pressed lips. He wraps his fingers around Levi’s cock, bringing him closer to the edge.

Reiner wants Levi to finish first, so he whispers out, “Come on baby, cum for me.”

That’s all Levi needs before the tension snaps and he’s spilling into Reiner’s hand. He’s not too far behind either because with a few more thrusts, Reiner is filling up Levi.

Their breaths are loud in comparison to the sudden silence of the room. A few minutes pass with them in silence before Reiner slowly slides out and leaves the room.

When he comes back, it’s with a damp washcloth. His pants are buttoned again and he’s slightly less rumpled. He gently wipes the cum and some sweat off Levi’s boneless body. Reiner scoops him up and carries him to bed, crawling under the covers and pulling him closer as the two fall asleep.

---

Levi wakes up to sunlight peering through the window directly in his eyes. Details of the night before slowly start to piece together as rustling was heard from beside him.

“Morning Sunshine,” Reiner says, his voice rough from sleep. He smirks at Levi.

“Shut the fuck up.”

Reiner lets out a snicker as he slides up behind Levi, hooking an arm around his waist. His heat spread out along Levi’s backside, settling a chill he didn’t realize was there. 

“Not a morning person?”

“Not at,” he glanced over at the clock, “6:30 A.M.”

Reiner’s hand slides over his stomach, pausing in the middle. “You could go back to sleep.”

“What, and leave you to mess around my apartment alone? Absolutely not.”

Despite not wanting to wake up, Levi made no effort to get out of bed. In actuality, Levi was hiding deeper under the covers. He pushed back against Reiner, seeking out his warmth.

Reiner’s breath is hot against his neck as they slot together. Levi can feel Reiner’s hardness pressing against his bare ass.

“You‘ve got to be kidding me. The sun is barely out and you’re hard already?”

A nip at the back of his neck is all he gets as a response.

“Is this how you always are? So desperate to fuck a hole, disregarding the world around you?”

The lips trailing across his neck still as Reiner takes in what exactly Levi just said. He lets out a huff.

“I shouldn’t be so surprised you could be so bossy in bed. You were so pretty last night under me that I didn't even think about you on top.”

Levi rolls his eyes at that. He pushes his hips back, drawing a hiss from Reiner.

“Lay on your back. I’m getting back at you for the bruises.”

Not waiting for Reiner to move, Levi shoves him onto his back. Reiner is left stunned, earning him a lapful of Levi. He grips Levi’s thighs.

Levi leans over Reiner, going for the bedside table to grab lube. He pours some lube over his fingers and starts to open himself. Muffled moans slip out as Levi tips forward, catching himself on Reiner’s chest.

“Fuck, you look so perfect like this.”

“Shut up.”

His thighs tighten around Reiner’s hips as he lowers himself down, Reiner’s thickness filling his hole. Levi fully plants himself on Reiner’s cock, feeling the veins against his walls.

“Is this what you wanted? Just to fuck a hole?” Levi lifts himself from Reiner’s lap, just to drop himself back down. The pair let out a moan at this. The tip of Reiner’s cock barely brushes over Levi’s prostate, leaving him seeing stars. 

Reiner’s grip tightens on Levi’s hips as he thrusts up. “Maybe it is. Doesn’t seem to be an issue.”

His hands are shoved off Levi and pinned above his head faster than he can register. Levi slips his hips back down, leaving Reiner feeling too close too quickly. With Reiner’s hands trapped above his head, there’s not much stopping Levi from taking what he wants from him.

“If you keep going like this, I’m gonna–”

“I’m not finished with you.” Levi’s lips are harsh against his throat, giving him matching dark marks.

With his lack of control, Reiner thrusts up as best as he can, matching Levi grinding down in his lap. His nails dug into Reiner’s wrist as he slams down for the last time, cumming between them. Levi loosening his grip is the opening Reiner needs to grab Levi’s hips and snap them together swiftly. Within a few thrusts, Reiner’s finishing inside.

Levi collapses on his chest. Reiner pauses to catch his breath as Levi begins to still against his chest.

“Fucking bastard,” Reiner mumbles, wrapping his arms around Levi, joining him in his slumber.

---

Levi wakes up with the feeling of sweat and cum stuck to his skin. Feeling disgusted with himself, he slowly goes to sit up, ready to shower. Just as he’s about to crawl out of the blankets, his phone rings.

“Hello?”

“Hiya, Levi. How’s your morning been?” Hanji’s cheery voice rings out from his speaker.

He flinches at the volume. “Fine until you called me. What do you need so early in the morning?”

“It’s already eleven, it’s not that early. Besides, I had to make sure you got home safe, considering you left so soon without telling anyone.”

A beat passes. “Okay?”

“You know, the whole reason I wanted us to go out is because I thought you needed to get laid. You’ve been extra grumpy lately. What I didn’t expect was you going home with Reiner of all people, but honestly I should’ve seen that coming.”

Reiner lets out a snicker behind him.

“Shit happens I guess.”

“Well, considering Eren and Mikasa have been dating for years without Administration finding out, you guys would probably be fine as long as it doesn’t affect your work.” The smile in their voice is evident.

Levi glances over at Reiner. “It’s not going to be a recurring event. We don’t need to worry about all that.”

“If you say so. I’m gonna go now, have fun! But not too much fun.”

With a click, the call ends and it’s just Reiner and Levi in the silence of the bedroom.

Reiner gaze locks on the comforter. “Did you mean that?”

A flash of confusion spreads across Levi’s face. “I mean, we were drunk. I figured this was going to be the end of it.”

“We weren’t drunk earlier.”

A moment of consideration sits between them before Reiner speaks again. “It doesn’t have to be just this one time.”

Levi feels Reiner’s eyes finally look up at him. “No, I guess it doesn’t. But don’t expect much from me.”

The two finally look at one another.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

[lovedetlost]

hi bby. i had to tell someone this bc everyone else is like “cool” about what i’m about to say but i’m like mind blown.

so back in dec 22’ when i was working at a western store, this super cute guy came in with his friend. his friend was buying jeans and boots. well making a christmas list. anywho, he had super dry humor almost to the point where you might think he’s an asshole but he was funny about it. and i’m almost certain he just has super super dry humor bc he was the same way with his buddy. anywho found out then he was at the firefighter academy. he left that day and i never got his number. i never thought i’d see him again. (i found his insta but that’s besides the point). i was too scared to ask him for his number, especially while on the clock. like i said i never thought i’d see him again.

fast forward a few months (february 23’) i put my 2 weeks in at the western store and went back to work at my old job (health foods store. kinda like whole foods. essentially a grocery store but lots of healthy stuff) town over from the western one and i’ve been back since.

fast forward AGAIN to september 22, 2023, aka yesterday where i am cashiering at the register near the left entrance and i hear the doors open so i automatically look by instinct. and i see a guy and his friend. the guy looked so so familiar. and so did his tattoos. they almost resembled tribal ones? idk. and then it clicked in my head that the guy was the SAME one i helped back at the western store almost 10 MONTHS before. i keep hawk eyeing him down the whole time. waiting for him to get to the front. i knew he’d go to self checkout bc who doesn’t at that age (20s).

i finally get off my register and make my way over just before he leaves and asked him if he was a firefighter at the city he’d told me he was going to back last december. he simply replied, “i am a firefighter but not for (blank). i’m one for (current town we’re in atm).” and before i can even ask him if he shopped at the western store he goes “hey, didn’t you work at (old job)?” and i was taken ABACK!

i ask him if his name starts with a ‘c’ and he says “no, it’s an ‘a’” and then i told him nvm i have nothing. and he goes again, “i’m just messing with you it’s c****” i’m laughing and say “i was gonna say that” and he goes on to say “you just said you didn’t know. you have to be more confident” all with a smile.

i didn’t think he’d remember me bc tbh 1. i’m not the best looking in my eyes. and 2. i feel like ppl want to forget me bc i’m so weird. so i respond with something along the lines of “oh my god you beat me to the question. wow you remember me? i’m flattered” and he asked about my job and why i left the old one. i asked him about his job. and he flat out goes “i was thinking if the firefighter gig doesn’t work out i could work here with you” as a joke bc he’s sarcastic.

we say a few more things and then he leaves and says something like “i’ll see ya. have a good day”

and now i’m having so many regrets ALL OVER AGAIN! for not asking for his number. i had the perfect way to say/ask for it. i only came up with it AFTER he fucking left.

“i’ll be sure to call you next time i’m in distress” and knowing how sarcastic he is he’d probs say something like “you don’t even have my number” and i’d just say “shit you’re right. what is it?” UGHHHHHH IM SO MAD AT MYSELF RN. also ps he even remembered our convo from december. what does that even mean when a guy remembers you and a convo you two had after only meeting once for 2 hours 10 months before??

-much love bby 🦈<- idk i’m making this my signature i’m sorry. hahahah

OKAY FIRST a) sorry i forgot to reply; and b) the universe loves you bringing him back into your life; AND C) HE REMEMBERED YOU!! GET IT BABYYY. okay but now i will reply at length.

there are so many incidents in which i regret not taking the leap of faith. honestly more than once i've considered making up business cards to slip to people with my name, number, link to my nudes, because for some reason giving out a number seems so gauche these days. and i hate it! when i get home, i really am going to order some. modern dating is ridiculous and i'm bringing some of the fun back.

BUT THE UNIVERSE HAS GIFTED YOU! HE HAS COME BACK! HE HAS FOUND YOU AT YOUR NEW PLACE OF WORK!! AND HE HAS REMEMBERED YOU AND FLIRTED WITH YOU!! your friends are playing this was too cool i'm obsessed with this story.

okay that is a good line but do not blame yourself for not thinking of it in the moment. it is literally impossible to be smooth and suave while you're all flustered over a cute guy remembering you. i had a crush on a customer and i would hide every time he came in because i would turn into such a hot mess when he was around.

now, the question is, how crazy was you finding him on IG? like i fully understand and i back the FBI nature to seek out crushes i do it to every single man i've ever fancied, but is actually following him a major red flag. aka when he asks how you find him is it more than a two step process haha. because if it's not more than a two-step (he gave you his full name, or he's featured on the local firefighter IG) you can totally follow him. if it required a little more stealth than it's probably not a good move.

also, he knows where you work now. so be on the lookout for him. if he comes back in, take your chance. and ask him out for coffee. be nonchalant about it. like you ask out men all time and if he says he can't it won't make you cry in the bathroom (if he does say no it's totally fine to cry in the bathroom i've done it before). i asked my ex boyfriend out, and that's how we started dating.

honestly babe, these kind of meet cutes and little crushes get rarer and rarer as we get older (which no one warned me about and i am incredibly disappointed in adulthood). so revel in it! get excited. enjoy the butterflies. i hope you see him again! i am so invested in this. and thanks for telling me, i am beyond honoured.

and the 🦈 is yours. PLEASE KEEP ME UPDATED I WILL THINK ABOUT THIS CONSTANTLY.

[sanddusted-wisteria]

A Builder, a Researcher, and a Rooftop, Ch. 16: The Perseids

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

The builder stared down at the hardwood log slowly being taken in by the processor’s saw, the sound of its buzzing only barely louder than the buzzing of their thoughts.

It had been several weeks already since that night, but memories of it still flashed across their mind whenever they were left idle. The bags under Qi’s eyes… Qi’s sleeping face…  Pressing a kiss to Qi’s forehead…

They furiously shook their head, focusing extra hard on the board taking shape on the other side of the saw.

Everything had been…weird since that night. Usually, they’d go up to the research center almost every day, either to get a new diagram or just to say hi to Qi. But now, the thought made them feel almost sick, in a way. They still kept showing up to stargaze on Saturdays, but the once-peaceful mood was now replaced by something else. Silence on the rooftop wasn’t unusual, even after they’d gotten closer, but it wasn't the calm and soothing silence that let them unravel after a busy week. It was…tense. Both from them and from Qi. They could feel it. They briefly considered not coming, but decided to do it anyway. It was better to stomach the tension than the possibility of a concerned Qi showing up on their doorstep again, wondering where they were. And then having to explain themself.

He didn’t…know…did he? He had to have been knocked out after that…

Their thoughts were cut off by the sound of someone clearing their throat behind them. They whirled around to find…Qi? At their gate? Their heart suddenly jumped.

“Builder,” he said plainly. “I hope I haven’t interrupted anything.”

They padded over to the gate. “Um, no, you’re fine. Why, uh…why are you here?”

“Erm,” he mumbled, eyes darting around at anything but the builder. They frowned a little. “There…is a meteor shower.”

The builder blinked. “Oookay…?”

“Um. What I meant was, there is a meteor shower peaking tomorrow night.” Despite the uncertainty in his voice, his face was as flat as ever. But looking close enough, the builder could see every muscle in his face straining to keep it that way. “I was w—er, perhaps…” He swallowed, trying to regain his bearings. “I…believe you might be interested in observing it. It’s not our usual time, and it’ll be very late into the night, but I just thought I’d let you know.”

The builder was silent, mind completely drawing a blank. Was he…?

“I-if it’s too inconvenient for you, I understand,” Qi babbled, his composure breaking for a split second. “Perhaps I can find another way for you to see it. Hopefully a camera will work, or maybe I can fashion it to the telescope somehow and—”

“No, no! It’s fine!” the builder yelped instinctively. “I…I’ll go. That sounds pretty cool, actually.”

Qi’s eyes widened, his lips fighting a smile. “Excellent! Not tonight, but tomorrow night starting around 1 AM. That is the earliest optimal time for viewing.”

The builder let out a low whistle. “Wow, 1 AM… looks like I’ll have to get some early sleep.”

Qi nodded stiffly. “I will be on the rooftop all night. Come at your earliest convenience.” And with that, he spun on his heel fast enough to dig a clean circle in the sand under his shoe, and set off back to his lab without waiting for an answer. Not that the builder had one in mind.

They blinked incredulously at the retreating form of Qi’s back.

What…just happened?

After Qi disappeared back into the tunnel next to the ranch, they went back to their processor, picking up the now-completed board and blowing the sawdust off.

This definitely sounded like a date… Well, more of a date than stargazing alone together every single weekend, anyway. At that thought, the stupid, irrational part of their brain suddenly thought about bringing the blanket again. They sighed. Might as well, honestly. After tomorrow night, they might get a whole lot more chances to bring it in the future…or never again.

They set the board aside and looked out at the research center, its telescope breaching the town’s humble skyline.

Fortune favors the bold…right?

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

12:45 AM.

The builder yawned, still trying to wake themselves up from their nap. They looked out to the sleeping town, streets barren and windows darkened. Up on the slanted roof of the research center, they could see a blip of movement, only barely visible with the dim moonlight. That could only be Qi. Maybe he was looking right back at them with that lightly curious gaze of his.

They gulped. Now or never…

They left their yard and slowly made their way into town, eyes on the ground to make sure they didn’t trip over anything. The unease in their stomach twisted in every step up the stairs to the rooftop, their scattered thoughts trying to solidify to tell them that—

“Shit.”

“Hm? Is everything alright?”

They looked over from where they were frozen on the landing to see Qi glancing at them with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh, um. Yeah, I just realized that I forgot to bring my blanket with me. Thought it would make the experience better, but…oh well.”

“Ah. That shouldn’t be too much of a problem. We’ll be looking at around 40 degrees above the horizon anyway. It’s best if we keep sitting.”

Maybe that was for the best.

The builder nodded, not sure what else to say. They made their way over to where Qi was, sitting down close to his side, but not too close. Not close enough to risk an accidental hand bump. Meanwhile, Qi turned and messed with something on his other side.

“Oh no…” they heard him mutter.

They leaned over to see the tiny table over there, two cups sitting on top. The tea thermos was in Qi’s hand, turned completely upside-down over one of the cups, with only a drop or two coming out.

“Er… I thought I had more than that,” Qi said. “I know I drank a cup a little earlier…but I must’ve drunk more without realizing it. My apologies.”

“Oh…that’s fine. I already took a nap, so I’m wide awake now.”

Qi only nodded, an uncertain look on his face as he screwed the lid of the thermos back on.

They both looked out towards the sky, trying to spot any telltale flashes of meteors. The builder felt their muscles go stiff. That tension was still there. They took a couple silent, deep breaths, trying to let it pass over them. But it refused to budge, hanging stubbornly over them both like the looming shadow of the telescope.

A flash of movement suddenly caught the corner of their eye. They gasped, trying to focus on precisely where it was. But there were nothing except static stars. Was that a hallucination, or…?

“Did you spot one?” Qi asked in a hushed voice.

“Maybe…?” The builder frowned. “Thought I saw something move, but maybe my eyes are tricking me.”

“That happens sometimes when you’re observing meteor showers. They pass incredibly quickly, so sometimes you can’t quite catch them. Where are you looking?”

They pointed up at the sky directly in their line of sight.

Qi shook his head. “Try focusing over there,” he said, pointing to a spot a bit down and left. “That’s the radiant point.”

“Radiant point…?”

Qi suddenly snapped to attention. “Ah. Yes. The radiant point is the region where meteors appear to travel from,” he explained in his stuffy lecturer voice. “Obviously, they don’t actually come from there, but that’s just where they seem to come from based on our point of view. For this shower, it happens to be positioned right around the constellation Perseus, hence its name: the Perseids. Oh. Maybe…I should have explained that first.”

“Uh-huh…?”

“Right. The Perseids. Observed since ancient times. The result of Earth’s annual crossing into a debris cloud left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle.” His words were speeding up. “It has an orbital period of 133 years. Unfortunately, the last time the comet passed over was during the early Age of Peach, so no one of our generation has ever witnessed it—”

The builder looked over at Qi. He was insistently staring out at the sky with a strained look on his face. They could see his hands clenching, bunching the fabric of his pants.

He was speaking at a feverish pace now. “—and usually the zenithal hourly rate is around 100 or so but I’ve read some records that said that it can get up to about 200 some years. But even with that the main problem is always the moon half the time it’ll be full right at the peak so you wouldn’t be able to observe the smaller ones—”

They frowned. Usually when Qi got into one of his hyper-thorough explanations, he was…brighter than this. He’d gesticulate excitedly, his voice would soar, he’d look back at them with a glint in his eye to try and get them excited too. Something was wrong.

“—the Perseids are alright and all but they can’t really compare to the Leonids at their most brilliant with their meteor storms unfortunately the last one happened when I was only 2 so I have to wait until I’m 35 to see the next one and—” Qi suddenly spotted their blank stare out of the corner of his eye and froze. “Um…have you…been listening?” he panted, trying to catch his breath.

The builder jolted, their stomach suddenly going into free-fall. “U-uh… Sorry, but uh… I kinda…lost you for the last couple…minutes.” They shrunk into their shoulders, bracing for the inevitable chastising for being supposedly uninterested in such wonderful science.

But Qi only stared at them, something between shame and nervousness in his flickering gaze. Then he turned away, shoulders sagging with a quiet sigh. “...Sorry.”

In the silence that fell, the builder’s brow furrowed. Something tugged at their heart. That wasn’t like Qi at all.

“Hey…” They cautiously raised a hand, hovering over his shoulder for a moment, before setting it down gently. They felt him flinch. “You feeling okay? You’ve been kinda…off tonight.”

Qi’s shoulder tensed under their hand. “I…” He took a deep breath. “I admit that I wasn’t entirely truthful with you.”

“About…what?”

“I invited you on the pretense of simply observing an interesting astronomical event, but…” His shoulders were so tense that their hand was almost touching his cheek. “I…wanted this to be…um. No, I wanted this to have…ugh.” He brought his other hand to his forehead. He took another deep breath before turning back towards them, meeting their eyes as firmly as he could.

“I…have romantic feelings for you.”

His words were only barely louder than the breeze that swirled past them. The builder swore that they flatlined for a second.

Qi couldn’t hold their gaze any longer. “I only realized recently,” he whispered. “But I highly suspect that they started developing much earlier. After I came to that conclusion, I poured so much time into researching how best to convey that to you, how to…how to confess.” His hands clenched. “But I’ve completely neglected everything I researched from start to finish. I’ve done everything wrong. Dominating the conversation, inducing boredom, poor preparation…”

He glanced back at them, and the builder felt a stab through their heart at the dejected look in his eyes. “I’m not sure if it’s my inexperience, or if I’m just naturally inept with romantic affairs, but regardless, I can’t apologize enough. I understand if this has all been deeply underwhelming for you.”

The builder was stunned. Underwhelming?! A single sentence was completely derailing their train of thought, and Qi thought that he was being a disappointment?

At their continued silence, Qi’s face twisted with fear. “A-And of course, if you–if you don’t reciprocate my feelings, then I’m more than willing to forget that any of this ever happened and—”

The sudden rise in his voice shocked the builder back into focus. They shook their head while frantically waggling their hands. “Hey, no no no no! I–I do! I do…reciprocate. It’s okay!”

Qi’s eyes widened even more. “You…You do?!”

The builder couldn’t help but laugh, their face heating and their heart singing. “Of course I do! Why do you think I come here so often?”

“Um, well, I assume for diagrams…and out of…habit?”

“No, silly! Because you’re here!” They playfully poked his cheek. “I can look at the stars from anywhere, but up here, I get to look at them with you. Hearing you talk about what’s up there… Sharing tea and dinner and everything… It makes it so much better.”

Qi flushed. “I…could say the same to you. At first it was strange, having you up here with me. But I’ve come to enjoy your presence…a lot. I’m all too happy to share the stars and all this knowledge with you.” Uncertainty grew on his face again. “My statement from before still stands, though. The last thing I want to do is set a false pretense for how I'll act in a relationship. So, if you’re not satisfied with this, then…”

The builder squeezed his shoulder. “Qi, it’s okay. I’m serious. You don’t need to do anything so elaborate for me. I know the kind of person you are. You always get straight to the point, nice and clean. …Sometimes a little too straight, but still. That’s…part of why I like you.”

“Is that so…?” Qi’s expression lightened. “That’s…a relief. I still have much to learn about what it’ll mean to be your…your partner…but I’d say this is a good place to start.”

The builder smiled and nodded. “An excellent place to start.”

Silence fell again, neither sure what to say after all of that. The builder could still hear their pulse thrumming.

“Well, um,” said Qi after a minute or two. “What…happens now? I never exactly planned this far…”

The builder hummed. “Well, why not this…?” They scooted closer and wrapped their arms around him, pulling them as close together as they could. They heard a gasp, before warm arms encircled around them in return. They giggled, while Qi let out a blissful sigh.

Their arms fit so perfectly around each other, the warmth outshining even what had been simmering deep inside them for weeks, when their thoughts were mired with nothing but Qi. They could feel his heartbeat against their chest, solid and quick. He smelled faintly of tea, earthy and grassy.

“This sense of ease…” Qi whispered as the builder rubbed slow circles into his back. “…I only ever feel it when I’m around you. It’s never a struggle to work with you, or to talk to you, or to just…be with you.”

“I…I’m glad,” the builder whispered back. “I always liked seeing you happy. Whenever you talk about science or space, you always get so excited… I don’t get like half of the things you say, but I just love seeing you smile. And…if I’m able to make you that happy…that just makes it all the better.”

They slowly pulled away, already missing the warmth of Qi’s arms. That rare, soft smile lifted Qi’s lips once again. Their heart fluttered at the sight. “You’re so cute.”

Qi grimaced, instantly wiping the smile off his face. “I am not.”

They snorted. “Yes you are.”

Qi just let out a light huff. His expression slowly eased into a shier one, almost as unsure as it was a few minutes ago. “Right, um…” He cleared his throat. “There is one last thing I researched about this whole ‘confession’ business. Perhaps I can at least give it a try as well…”

The builder raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? What is it?”

Qi swallowed, hesitant. “May…may I kiss you? I-if you’re comfortable, of course.”

The builder silently nodded, their smile softening.

Qi’s eyes flitted around their face for a bit, looking almost a bit lost. He raised a cautious hand up to their cheek, his eyes silently asking if that was alright. They answered by leaning into his touch, and gently placing their own hand over his.

He leaned in, the lostness in his eyes only deepening as they grew closer. The builder moved to meet him halfway, their eyes slowly closing as their lips finally met his.

It didn’t feel explosive or bombastic. Not like what all those love stories made it out to be. But it did feel like a bunch of little things.

A little klutzy, a little misaligned, a little shy.

A little curious, a little unsure, a little skittish.

And so, so right.

They pulled away when their lungs started hurting, eyes fluttering open to see Qi gazing back at them with more awe and wonder than any relic they gave him. Their body tingled from their face to their fingertips, almost electric. The stars seemed to glow brighter in the aftermath, both in the sky above and in the depths of Qi’s eyes.

“I…hope I did that correctly,” Qi murmured. “There wasn’t any way for me to rehearse that…”

The builder giggled. “Who cares if it’s wrong? We can work on making it better.” They winked.

Qi’s entire face was red now. “Ehm. Indeed we can. But maybe that’s a…future goal. For now, I think…this will make a suitable control. Yes.”

They laughed again. “Well, whenever you need another data point, all you need to do is ask.”

“G-good. We’ll…need a large sample size, after all.”

They both chuckled, feeling the nerves and the electricity in their veins dissipate until they were only left with that familiar, mutual ease. The builder turned back to the sky, leaning their head against Qi’s shoulder. They felt him lean back into them, tickling their hair.

“What say we watch this meteor shower properly now?” the builder murmured.

“Indeed. And I will…refrain from overloading you with information this time.”

They let out a short, soft laugh. “You can tell me again some other time.”

Qi hummed. A simple sound, but the builder could still hear the smile behind it.

Their eyes scanned the skies once more for shooting stars, as the two of them basked under the stars, in the silence, in each other.

An especially bright one shot across the sky, fully in the builder’s line of sight this time. They gasped, and felt Qi do the same against their side. “Did you make a wish?” they asked.

They felt him sigh. “I never understood why people decide to ‘wish’ on meteors. It all seems a bit ridiculous to me. Absolutely unscientific.”

They lightly elbowed his side. “Oh, come on. There’s no harm in it.”

“Alright, alright, I suppose that’s true. What…did you wish for, then?”

They closed their eyes and smiled. “I wished for more nights just like this. With you. On this roof.”

Qi’s hand found theirs, clasping it with a gentle squeeze.

“I…believe that is my wish as well.”

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

A/N: And that'll wrap up Act 1! Yes, Act 1. This fic has become so lengthy at this point that I had to split it into acts in order to keep things organized. Thank you all for the incredible support for this fic so far. All of your kudos and comments are wonderful and I rotate them in my head on a daily basis.

With the end of this act, this fic will be going on hiatus for a bit (at least a month) so I can take a break from it, pull out some of the ideas/outlines/drafts I've had on the back burner, and get a head start on Act 2! In which the game's main story will catch up with our two dorks...and very quickly.

And with the upcoming release of MTAS 1.0 in a little under 2 months, let's quickly talk the future of this fic and canon compliance. At the moment, I have *a* plan for the plot outlined from start to finish, with some gaps in between. Depending on the new content with the release, those plans could potentially change. If something new/different in the game comes up in the future, if I can work it in smoothly, then I'll add it. So for example, if Qi ends up getting a reverse confession quest, obviously, I can't implement that. I'll add tags to the work to indicate when/where I'll be deviating from canon. In general, just keep in mind that this fic was mostly outlined with the EA versions in mind. I started planning this fic pre-Knives Out!

...Oh, and one last thing. If you're reading this as it's coming out, the Perseids are actually peaking right around now! If you're in the northern hemisphere, it's definitely worth staying up late to watch. Go out and look at the stars, why doncha? 💖

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