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ddejavvu · 9 months

Note

Steve telling robin about this girl who he’s spoken to a few times and reallly wants to ask out and she’s a big hype man for his love quest. But then he comes in one day to see robin very innocently flirting with you bc she doesn’t know you’re the girl Steve’s talking about. So queue shenanigans of him trying to get robin away in anyway that won’t make you think he’s weird, but maybe he’s going to trip her over or something so he can tell her that’s you and she can be his wingman instead, just a funny shenanigans plot haha

Steve doesn't think twice about the bell to the shop tinkling over the door from where he's rewinding tapes in the back. He watches the picture rapidly flit from scene to scene of Pretty in Pink, until the credits appear and he ejects the VHS from the player. He slides it into its sleeve, but then he hears your voice, a sound that breaks him out of the monotony of his job, and has his feet moving towards the door of their own accord.

He rushes out to the counter, cursing himself for letting Robin take the counter for this shift. You usually come later, so he'd been prepared to swap with her before 5PM, but it's 3 now and you're chatting jovially over the counter with her.

"Your bracelet is gorgeous," She croons, and there's something more-than-friendly about the way she cradles your wrist in her hand to admire it, "It suits you really well."

"Aw, thank you!" You gush, grinning at her, "I called ahead to reserve The Goonies, Steve said he'd put it behind the counter?"

He had put it behind the counter. He'd set aside cash there, too, because he was going to pay your rental fee, and when you'd thank him for it, he was going to say that it was no big deal. But that if you wanted, you could come over to his place to watch it? And he'd pay for pizza too, you wouldn't have to worry about that. So when Robin reaches for the movie, Steve jumps into action.

"Oh, yeah! Here it is," Robin grabs the tape from where it's tucked beneath Steve's jacket near the trash can, "Okay, $1.99 for the rental fee, and you'll have to pay another $0.99 for every day after this Friday that you keep it."

"Actually, Rob," Steve rushes to the counter, cheeks slightly flushed as you turn to watch him, "Uh, I can take this one."

"I got it," She stares awkwardly at him, hand already reaching for the two dollar bills you're handing her

"Uh, no I- I need your help in the back," He jerks a thumb towards the rewind room, "Would you-? I'll- we'll be right back," He smiles at you, gripping her bicep and tugging her away from the counter before she can take your money, "Just give me a second!"

"Dude!" She hisses the moment the door is shut, "What's the matter with you? I totally could have handled that!"

"That's the girl I was telling you about," Steve gushes, his eyes wide and his hands tense at his sides, "I- You can't flirt with the girl I like!'

Her eyes widen momentarily, and her shoulders sag, "Oh, Steve, I didn't know. Okay, uh- alright, you can ring her up. God, why do you always call dibs on the pretty ones?"

"Thanks, Robin," Steve grins, patting her on the shoulder as he rushes for the door. He jogs back to the counter, matching your kind smile with his own where you've set your $2 on the counter.

"Hey, uh, no worries," He stands at the cash register, pushing your bills back towards you and pulling out his own, "I got this one."

Your brows furrow, "Wait- you...? No, I got it! Steve, I'll pay for it, it's okay."

"Don't worry about it!' He insists, pointedly ignoring the way you're holding the cash up for him and sticking his own bills in the register, "I just- I thought that, uh, it would be nice if you came over to my place to watch it. Tonight. Or- or some other night, if tonight doesn't work. But I-," He stammers, grinning sweetly at you, "I can pay."

Your eyes soften, and the hand with the money in it sags. Your confused frown morphs into a smile, "I'd love to come over, Steve. Tonight doesn't work, I'm babysitting." You lament, "But I'm free tomorrow, if you are?"

Steve has a closing shift tomorrow.

"Yeah, no I'm- I'm free." He nods vigorously, already thinking about what food he can bribe Robin with to switch her hours with his tomorrow, "Uh, I can come pick you up at six?"

"Six-thirty," You bargain, and he hands you the tape with a smile and a nod, "Thanks, Steve."

"Yeah, anytime! See you then!" He calls after you as you head for the door, and he waits until you're safely out of the parking lot to rush for the back room, not wanting you to see his desperation.

"She said yes!" He practically shouts, scaring Robin so much that she drops the tape she's holding. It shatters on the ground, plastic spewing over the scratchy carpet, and she shares a horrified glance with Steve.

"Shit. Uh," He stammers, floundering for a solution that won't cost him more than his allowance, "I'll buy a blank tape, just- stick it in there and don't tell anyone. Here," He digs in his pocket, pulling out a ten dollar bill he'd planned to use for gas, "Take this, that's, like, $4 for the tape and $6 for dinner tomorrow night, you're closing."

"I don't have a closing-" She starts, her brows furrowing, then her eyes narrow and she fixes him with an unimpressed stare.

"Really?"

"She wants to meet tomorrow!" Steve insists, running a hand through his hair, "Just- take the cash, Rob. Plus, you owe me one," He reasons, "You flirted with my girl."

"She's not your girl," Robin gripes, but she's more than happy to take the money, "Just be glad I'm an easy bribe, doofus."

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington scenario #steve harrington oneshot #steve harrington one-shot #steve harrington one shot #steve harrington headcanon #steve harrington headcanons #steve harrington hc #steve harrington hcs #steve harrington fanfiction #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington fic #steve harrington blurb #steve harrington drabble #steve harrington dialogue #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington angst

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dont-f-with-moogles · 3 months

Text

The Envelope (Part 2) (NSFW) Dazai x Reader 1261 words

Cold morning. A tentative blue threaded with pale clouds. Mist had gathered in the corners of the windows. The double doors remained closed for now; you still had time to unload the gleaming cups and saucers from the dishwasher. Your manager - Uzumaki’s renowned, veteran barista - passed by the counter. His mouth was pulled to the side as though he was suppressing an uncomfortable smile.

“I, ah… think someone is trying to call you.”

With a wave of his hand he gestured to the lit smartphone which lay, singing idly to itself, nestled between a tray of glasses and the petty cash tin. A leaden weight had settled in the pit of your stomach. You didn’t need to check to know who it was.

As you continued stacking the cups within a wall-mounted cupboard the phone’s melody ceased, only to be followed by the sound of a chime. One insistent ping followed another; a flurry of notifications without pause. With a pained sigh, you retrieved your phone. Refusing to scroll back and read the long reel of previous messages, your eyes settled on the most recent.

Not that I want you to rush back of course! It’s only a small fire after all.

There came the rapid tap of your thumbs in reply.

I told you this morning that I’m not coming back until after my shift.

Dropping the device down with a thud, you continued to put cups, glasses and cutlery away, all the while ignoring the series of shrill sounds which rang impatiently from your phone.

“Sounds like someone wants to talk to you,” the café owner observed, unlatching the double doors and releasing a flood of warm light into the long room. Rather than answer, you pretended to search for something in the dishwasher’s cutlery basket.

“Perhaps you ought to answer him?”

“What makes you think it’s a him?” you countered, looking up at just the wrong moment. The café manager’s smile was all-knowing. He was a people watcher; an inadvertent gatherer of secrets. He had held his position with quiet pride for many years, unobtrusively pouring coffee as the lives of his customers played out around him.

Lifting a small bag of sugar cubes, you began to refill the ceramic containers on the tables.

“...in any case, if you don’t answer, he might come up here.”

Hesitating, sugar tongs still in hand, you managed a derisive snort. It did not take long for your false bravado to cower upon itself. Thinking better of it, you stalked back to the counter to seize your phone.

I won’t be back til 6. Grab a shower or a coffee or some fresh bandages if you have indeed set fire to yourself - whatever you need, but don’t wait for me to get back. Spare key in the teapot.

The device had hardly touched the surface when its screen glowed in response.

Good to know there’s another spare. I took the key you hid in the sconce. Think I’ll hang onto it ;)

You do that. Think I’ll have the locks changed.

Ah! You’re driving me insane! <3

“Miss?”

“Coming!” you called, relieved by the distraction. A steady queue of customers had formed from the cash register, snaking out into the hallway beyond. Stifling a yawn, you poured coffee into paper cups, adding a dash of milk here; a shot of syrup there. Plastic lids were fastened on in succession. You stretched your arms and arched your aching back. Names were penned on cardboard. The morning rush was always this busy, only to be followed by… silence. There was the respite after the madness. The calm before the storm. Only a visit from your rather irregular regulars could break up the monotony now. The Armed Detectives from the fourth floor, with their wild antics and raucous laughter… You ground your teeth. Not that you were thinking about him though. Not that you were, even now, considering checking your phone for his messages. Too often you had witnessed those poor souls who fell for his superficial charms. They would weep, helpless, struggling to comprehend the reason for his sudden absence. How ignorant they were, never knowing he had already moved on to his next person of interest…

Even as you stood, reasoning so calmly with yourself, your hand was inciting a mutiny against your mind and body. You reached for your phone again.

Ditch work. Tell the boss you have a headache and need to stay in bed ;)

I think he might see through that brilliant scheme?

Cruel mistress! Don’t make me beg :(

This is on you. I’m not making you do anything.

Three little dots danced, taunting, as he crafted his reply. You set the device to one side each time the café owner strode past. It was more than your job’s worth to be caught sending messages to one of your regular customers.

As the manager stooped to clear one of the tables, your phone buzzed irritably.

Don’t pretend. And for the record, I hate being made to wait.

Wait for what exactly? You smiled; it wasn’t like you to behave so coyly but, somehow, his persistence had reeled you in like a spider’s silk.

Seriously? Don’t forget that I’d been trapped behind bars for WEEKS. You know I couldn’t stop thinking about you in there. I thought last night was all I needed but holy fuck, I already miss your pussy…

The weight in your stomach shifted. Something sparked, like flint on stone.

It’s 9:28 am! We’ve only just opened.

Well what time does your pussy open? Cause I’m

Heat flooded your cheeks. You felt your pulse beating in your throat; blood roared thunderously in your ears. You looked up - another poorly-timed gesture - to witness Ranpo glance away thoughtfully, his finger tapping his chin. The detective who saw through everything.

You dropped your phone with a clatter.

“I thought the temperature was mild today,” he observed dryly, such was his way of small talk. “Is it hot in here?”

“Yes,” you answered automatically, placing your phone face down before you could read the rest of Dazai’s message. Given the brief glimpse of the words hard scream beg and gag you could only assume it contained some tangible threats. You dusted down your black skirt self-consciously and reached to tighten the fastening in your hair, remembering that you had been forced to wear it loose today. Only its dark curtain, as it swung about the white frill of your collar, could hide the blemishes he had left upon your skin the night before. Incriminating marks which had branded you as his.

“Sorry, I uh- Let me pass you a menu-”

“Sweet curry,” Ranpo declared without pause. “And, not that it’s any of my business, but Dazai thrives on dysfunction. Nothing bores him more than having his own schemes go smoothly. I wouldn’t be so quick to give him the replies he wants.”

You gaped in astonishment. “That’s not- that’s-”

“One doesn’t need ultra deduction to read it in your distracted demeanour; the way you’re repeatedly picking your phone up, cursing to yourself… we’ve seen it all before. It’s the Dazai effect. Not to mention the circles under your eyes, your constant yawning…”

“Plus those hickeys speak for themselves.” Yosano had appeared behind him. “Pour us both a coffee - you look like you need it.”

Ruefully brushing your hair down against your neck, you turned away, poured out two cups and grabbed a blue Ramune from the fridge. What had ever made you think that sleeping with Osamu Dazai would have gone unnoticed by a group of professional detectives?

Part 1 (tw)

#part 2!#dazai osamu #dazai x reader #dazai x you #dazai x y/n #dazai x fem!reader #text replies #bungou stray dogs #bsd #n.sfw #my writing

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monstrouslyobsessed · 3 months

Text

love’s lethal bouquet

concept: in which the floral shop boss is in love with you—and isn’t a human. —momster

—a/n: well i havent posted in ages because of how bad my writers block was :( and i’m vvvvv iffy about this one. this is much more subtle and tamer than my usual too, but at least its something for the valentine’s day?

anyway, ima try and tackle a commission i owe next so please take care yall<3

—tw / tags: gn reader, implied drugging intention, implied teratophilia, implied exophilia, general yandere themes, sfw.

—featured character(s): the floral shop boss / plant monster (implied)

Valentine's Day proves to be one of the busiest days at the floral shop where you work. Breathing in the heady floral scents that permeate the store, you find yourself in continuous motion, assembling bouquets of pink roses, carnations, violets, and every red flower known to man into the van. With your back straining from the constant lifting, you absently listen to the gentle voice of your boss reassuring an irritated customer about their belated delivery—

and you wince.

Although you should be in a rush taking care of the deliveries, you tiptoe inside the back of the shop to avoid interrupting your boss—

But he merely hangs up the phone upon seeing your flustered face.

“S, sorry—” You begin.

He shakes his head with a gentle smile playing on his thinly bearded lips and says, “Don’t worry about it, love.”

The way he addresses you as ‘love’ used to bother you. It always seemed so…formal, old-fashioned, but coming from him—your boss—he somehow makes it work without needing to force the romantic undertone. Perhaps it is because he is on the older side and being a foreigner in this little town of yours.

The town lies deep within the trench of an endless forest, and you wonder how your boss had found his way here.

His arrival several years ago stirred many gossips about him, with him keeping his lips sealed about his past, but everyone slowly warmed up to him. His succulent blooms, never seen before even in the gardening magazines, certainly helped. Now, your boss is a familiar face among the townspeople, with very few not knowing who he is. And, of course, his handsome and charming demeanor won the hearts of many too.

“But I would’ve made the deliveries on time if I didn’t eat brea—” you try.

His piercing green eyes soften as you nervously fixing your rolled sleeves. You halt when he suddenly leans in.

“Boss—?” You rasp at the new weights on your shoulders, trying to pay no mind to the strange dark strains on his thick fingers.

The way he held you was almost…fond—

And he pushes you outside to the doorway. “Go finish the deliveries, won’t you?”

“Really?” You huff, trying to ignore the red tinge to your cheeks and the heavy thumping of your heart.

Your boss smiles that damnable handsome smile of his and pats you on your head, saying, “Get to it. The sooner you finish, the sooner I can give you your little Valentine’s Day bonuses for working so hard.”

While giving his employees gifts during holidays and special events is not new to your boss, you still perk up in eagerness and reward him with the biggest smile you can muster. As you dart away with a confident promise to complete the deliveries, he watches you scurry to the van, inhaling sharply,

“Soon.”

Your boss murmurs, rubbing his knuckle with his other hand—as if to hide the sudden green spot on it. Tiny vines emerge briefly, before he rubs them away and pivots back to his cash register where his impatient customers have started to queue. Flashing them with a dazzling smile to reassure frustrated customers with a wordless apology, your boss absently peers over to his office.

There, on his desk, is the special bouquet he prepared for you and only you.

Imagining you burying your face into the fragrant cluster of your favorite flowers, oblivious to the true intention of its purpose, the toxic drugging qualities meant to lure you into his arms—into his ivies and his binds of vines and creepers—had him biting back a shudder. Restraining himself before the antsy crowd, your boss rings up a customer with an invisible countdown ticking in his head.

A countdown to have you.

The blooms nearby writhe and shudder, with most dismissing it as mere breezes from the air conditioner.

It was not.

—end…?

#my writing #monster's writing. 👹#yandere #yandere imagine #yandere imagines #tetrophilia #exophilia #reader insert #long post #unedited #sfw #concept #gn reader #implied drugging intention #plant monster #floral shop boss #[[idk what to tag him lol]]#short #valentine's day

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little-miss-dilf-lover · 10 months

Note

heeeeyy i saw that u write for steven…?

if you wanna- could u write a flustered/ blushing steven with a forward/ teasing reader. could be that they work together at the museum and are a couple on the dl cuz if donna found out she would fire one of you. but the reader keeps teasing steven and making it really hard for him to focus on his costumers. could end in him losing his patience and dragging the reader to the bathroom orr a broom closet? or maybe the reader corners him??👀 idk you can obvs decide how far this could go (fluff/ lime/ lemon) whatevs- entirely up to you👹✨

thanks so muuuuuch ur a really great writer💗💗

hiii!! I absolutely love this!? and anything like this tbh🤭 and omg stop it, thank you sm!! <33 🥹 thank you for requesting, hope you like it💌

interrupted break

steven grant x fem!reader

wc || 655

warnings || a little suggestive, but no ‘vulgar’ words used, just making out

・₊✧ masterlist + taglist

You and Steven were in the early stages of your relationship, so things were still very new and exciting. As you worked together at the museum, you had to be wary and careful around one another. Donna had a strict 'no dating policy', so if she were to catch you together during a moment, one of you would be reprimanded or even fired.

Recently, you couldn't keep your hands off Steven. You found any possible opportunity to touch or stroke him. You'd always be sly when engaging in contact- a light brush on his arm as you walk by, lingering touches, eye contact from across the room, just anything you can do without being caught.

Steven knew the game behind your constant teasing and flirting, and he was determined not to give in to your ways. He loves his job, as you do yours, so he had to carry the strength for both of you and resist the temptation, even though it was hard.

You were stocking shelves while Steven was on tills and attending to customers. You peek up at him, gazing at him over the stuffed hippos with a devilish glimmer in your eye. You place down the box of keyrings and pick up the new stock of pens and pencils before making your way to Steven.

"Oh hey," you subtly smirk, pulling out a fistful of stationery. "Fancy seeing you here,"

"Yup," he nods, avoiding your gaze as he knows that he wouldn't be able to refuse your allure. "Gotta get back to my customers now," he says quietly, gesturing to the non-existent queue.

"Oh really? It seems like you're avoiding me," you smile, furtively leaning over the counter to allow him a sneak peek down your top, inconspicuously showing him your cleavage. His eye line focuses on your breasts sitting perfectly in your bra, and you see his failed attempts to conceal a reaction.

"Yeah, nice try," Steven sighs, covering his crotch with his hands. "Good one,"

"Hm, seems like you're lying, Steven," you grin, resting your chin in your palm.

"Nope. I know your silly games,"

"Silly?"

"Mhm," he nods, making himself look busy as he flicks through items by the cash register. "I'm not a teenage boy anymore,"

"Okay, I'll drop it," you shrug, playing with a stray strand of hair. "What time do you get off?" you whisper, stroking his forearm, battering your lashes up at him.

"God," he exhales, visibly frustrated. "Come with me,"

You follow him towards the staff bathroom, leaving an unsuspicious gap as you walk after him. Steven checks the surroundings before yanking you into the stall, closing the door behind you, and immediately pushing you up against it. His lips brush over yours, and you instantly feel his pent-up frustrations melt away.

His lips hungrily work over yours as his hands cup and guide you, holding your jaw to manoeuvre you in the way he wants, like he's desperately trying to regain control after all your teasing. A soft moan slips past your lips as he deepens the kiss, working over your mouth more urgently, pushing you back into the door behind.

A harsh knock interrupts. "Stevie, what you doing in there?" Donna snaps, pounding on the door. "Taking forever— you have customers waiting,"

Steven pulls away, clearing his throat. "Yeah— yep, I know. Just a minute," he says with a slightly raised voice.

"What's taking so long? Having a poo or something?"

Your eyes instantly snap up to Steven's as you conceal a cackle, muffling your mouth with your palm.

"... yeah," he says reluctantly, an unamused expression on his face.

"Distugting, hurry up— and wash your hands,"

"Alright, yep— okay," he whispers, dropping his forehead into the crook of your neck. "That was so embarrassing,"

"For you, yeah— very," you snicker.

"We'll finish this at mine," Steven smiles, adjusting himself. "... for payback." he merely brushes your lips before walking out.

— — — — — — — — — — ☆ — — — — — — — — — —

steven taglist: @thewinterv @bubblezuku @idontknowwhattohaveasmyuser @queerponcho @selfryed @ugh09876554444

#steven grant #steven grant imagine #steven grant fanfiction #steven grant x reader #steven grant drabble #steven grant x fem!reader #steven grant x you #moon boys #moon knight

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ad0rechuu · 11 months

Text

★ MILKY WAY. ━━ (025) kang pompompurin

WORD COUNT. 1384

WARNINGS. hate comments and hints at anxiety

credits to @ari-shipping-stuff for being my beta reader / writer <33

YOU JUST DECIDED THAT THIS WAS THE LAST TIME YOU PLAYED ROCK PAPER SCISSORS WITH YOUR MEMBERS.

You scan your surroundings carefully, eyes moving from the paper in your hand to the sign plastered on the building in front of you. It’s exactly the same as the one that Seulgi had shown you before you left.

‘Hanuelsan.’

You adjust your headphones and step inside without much thought, repeating the words you had to say to the cashier in your head.

As you joined the short queue, you finally look around. It isn't busy inside the small cafe as it's close to dinner time. The day was coming to an end for most. But for people like you, it had only just begun. You were kind of grateful that you had to wear a mask and disguise in public; the dark circles underneath your eyes aren't the most appealing to your fans.

Before you know it, it's your turn in line. You lower the volume on your headphones and make eye contact with a girl. She regards you politely, greeting you with a pretty smile.

“Hello, I’m here to pick up an order for.. Kang Pompompurin—?!” You pause abruptly and try to regain your composure. But your voice only gets quieter the more you spoke as the embarrassment settles in. “..Yes. I’m here to pick up an order placed by, uhm.. Kang Pompompurin.”

Out of all the names to choose, she just had to use the one of her favorite Sanrio character.

If the cashier feels your embarrassment, she does a good job at hiding it. She nods and checks something on the cash register in front of her.

“Your order will be ready shortly. Please feel free to take a seat while you wait.”

You thank her and walk to a seat in front of the window, closest to the register. It's peaceful, a feeling you aren’t really used to.

Opening your phone you look trough social media. Specifically, the comments underneath your and Fatou’s new cover.

There are so many encouraging ones from people that support you and STAR, but the ones that stand out to you the most are the rude ones— the comments that tell you how bad you are at everything and that you should just quit or worse.

What if they are right? What if you really make your members and everyone else you associate with look bad? What if you are really that horrible to hear and look at? What if all those shooting stars only like you out of pity? What if—

“Order for Kang Pompompurin?” An employee calls out.

The sound of his voice interrupts the black hole your own thoughts dragged you into. You quickly stand up and make your way to the counter.

You nod along as he reads up your order, before noting the soft, mischievous sound of it with a small smile.

As he asks if the order is correct, you finally make eye contact. The confirmation in the back of your throat dies when you find yourself greeted by a familiar face.

The sharp eyes, well-shaped nose, and wide shoulders make him look like some sort of hidden Greek— well, Korean god. But the soft dimple and freckles lining his neck make him look so damn adorable. It’s a sight you’ve only ever seen in pictures before.

“San?”

His eyes widen at his name being called. You remove your headphones and pull the hood of your jacket down, as well as your mask.

Shock doesn’t leave his features but a childlike excitement joins when he gets a good look at your face. But it quickly gets replaced by concern as he reaches for your wrist over the counter, eyes darting around frantically. He pulls you closer and uses both of his hands to pull your hood back over your head. His movements are delicate, like you’re the most fragile thing on this earth.

A slightly red hue covers his cheeks when he realizes what he just did. He clears his throat and hands you your bag.

“S-So you were Kang Pompompurin. I was wondering why it sounded so familiar.”

You let out an angelic laugh that has the boy in front of you in a trance. “Seulgi ordered it. But I’m so surprised to see you here, dude.”

“Yeah, me too. I work here, my parents own this place.” He gestures to the whole cafe, which made you look around with much interest. He then points towards the pretty cashier from earlier, now busy in conversation with one of the other customers. “And that’s my sister.”

Your gaze finds its way back to San, your mouth slightly agape. “That’s so cool! I had no idea.”

He brings a hand to his nape, seemingly deep in thought. “You were actually my last customer for today. I-If you have time, would you consider having some coffee or boba or whatever you like with me maybe?

“It’s on the house of course!” He adds.

“You don’t have to do that, but yeah I’d love to.”

AFTER NOTIFYING YOUR members that you would be late, you two sit down at your previous spot in front of the window.

Time with San goes fast. He's exactly like you expected. Maybe a little shy but still really fun to talk to. It actually makes you sad that you hadn’t met him earlier in your life.

“And I loved your cover with Fatou, did you guys film it yourself?” He asks.

You nod. It feels weird having his full attention on you. You were used to being the most controversial member and people are usually more interested in what your members were up to rather than your words. Not that you mind, but it doesn't feel that way with San. He asks you questions and listens to your answers in rapt attention.

It feels… nice?

“Yeah, we did. You would be surprised how many times I embarrassed myself in public for my parts.” You reply, earning a laugh from him as you sip your drink of choice (which he refused to let you pay for).

You absentmindedly look at the big clock hanging on one of the walls. Your eyes widen as you catch a glimpse of the time. You're nearly late for evening practice.

San notices your bittersweet expression when you faced him, making his heart speed up a bit.

“I think I should go, I’m late for practice and the managers will be on my ass if they find out that I’m out alone when it’s nearly dark.”

The way he looks up at you as you stood made your heart hurt. The boy looks something like a kicked puppy (or kitty rather). Nonetheless, he nods and stands along with you.

“Would you like me to walk you back?”

“What way are you going?”

He points to the opposite direction of the way back to the company in response.

“No, thank you. I have to go the opposite way.”

You chuckle as he pouts at you. This guy truly doesn't know how much just talking to him made your day.

You take a step closer to the boy. “Can I give you a hug before I leave?” You ask, not wanting him to be uncomfortable.

San nearly chokes on air, but as nods frantically, like the moment was going to fade if he doesn't answer quick enough.

“Y-yes! Yeah, sure.” He awkwardly laughs.

You waste no time and move to embrace him. All the while, he timidly put his arms above your waist with a weak grip. You feel the warmth of his cheeks with the proximity in which you two stand by each other.

It lasts maybe less than 10 seconds, but San could barely contain his happiness, even as you two separated.

You grab your bag, leaving the flustered boy standing there. When you reach the door, you turn around one more time to wave and flash a hidden smile at him.

“It was really nice to have finally met you, San! You’re indeed very cute.”

As the chilly air outside reaches you once more, you make sure to remember the name of this cafe.

Because you have a feeling that this wouldn't be the last time you’d visit HanuelSan.

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NOTES. first written chapter i hope u enjoy it and please comment what u thought because i feel really self conscious about this one !! btw if u don’t get the get the kang pompompurin thing is a nod to seulgis priv twt username

TAGLIST. @bunnystrm @seongwin @aestheticsluut @meginthebuilding27 @gaebestie @stopeatread @pr1ncessm1ng1 @persphonesorchid @se0nghwaswife @seonghwasslytherin @leeknowsnothing @alixnsuperstxr @bluehwale-main @miriamxsworld @tocupid @lvsmeph @sunoo-bby @jcngh0-hq @dudufodd @nikisbf @mrowwww @end0rchans @qtdenks @mintgki @dear-dreamie @leo-seonghwa @legohwas @evilsailorsenshi @seonghwaddict @choichaeyiul @iw4milf @yunstarz @cvberidiot

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kekaki-cupcakes · 7 months

Note

Hiiii, hope u're doing well :)

Can I request a slow burn-strangers to lovers connor stoll x mortal reader please?

( no headcanon, just a one shot 🫡)

Like how they met, their first kiss... AND connor reveling he's a half blood

A fem reader or gender neutral is okay

Okay so this has been sitting in my drafts since the stone ages but I had a burst of motivation so here's 2.9k of teasing and fluff

It's not really a slow burn because it's a one shot but it's implied that it happens over time so yk yk. And I checked all the boxes you get first interactions a make-out session and the big reveal :)

Cafe au but it's not an au--- Connor Stoll x gn mortal!reader

»»————-　★　————-««

“We’ve got a new kid today, you wanna show him the ropes?”

You finished ripping the receipt out of the machine and smiled politely at the customer who took their change and moved to the side. The receipt made a tearing sound as you pushed it onto the metal spike [you didn’t actually know what it was called, you realized], and then spun around, “oh thank god, yes please.”

“That’s what I thought,” Maria chuckled, wrapping an apron around her middle and pining his name tag to the front of the green material that had an odd shaped stain on the pocket. “You hate the till.”

“Who doesn’t?”

“Hopefully the new kid, he should be here in a minute, I did say four thirty.” He looked up at the clock behind the queue of customers waiting for their coffees that read four forty, and then glanced towards the glass doors.

“What’s his name?” You ask, resetting the price on the cash register and taking off the stupid little cap whoever was at the til had to wear. You groaned, “oh please don’t tell me it’s his first job, i can’t explain how to count change to another pimply little-”

“It’s his first job, just moved to New York,” she said, lifting up a sticky note and reading the note underneath it on the whiteboard near the mops. “And his name is… Cecil Markowitz.”

“I’m here, I’m here!”

“We noticed.” Maria muttered drily, pulling the cap over her jagged strawberry blonde hair.

A blonde kid, maybe fifteen or so, panted on the other side of the counter. He was in a school uniform that he tugged a black hoodie over the top of as he spoke at the speed of light. “Sorry, my brother had to drive me and he ran like four red lights so we wouldn’t be late but then-”

“Then you shut up so your amazing big brother —who did not have to drive you here by the way, I have other things I could be doing— wouldn’t get arrested?” Another boy asked with a raised eyebrow, swinging car keys around his pointer finger. You had to pay a little more attention to him than the bouncing blonde currently eyeing the tip jar, because wow, the jawline he had…

“You have to look after us Connor! That’s the whole agreement!” Cecil hissed up at his brother.

“Zip it, short stuff.” Connor [you liked the name] smirked, then turned to you. His eyes widened for a moment and you ignored the fact you immediately noticed they were blue. He blinked a few times and then cleared his throat, “Um. uh, I’ll get a black coffee… please.”

You just shrugged at him, and motioned for Cecil to follow you into the kitchens, where the fridge foods were whipped up. “Don’t order from me, I'm showing short stuff around.”

A look of horror dawned on the new employee’s face. “No, not you too!”

»»————-　★　————-««

“I’m sorry, but we don’t serve pizza here, there’s a dominoes a few blocks away if you-”

“No, I want to order one here, thank you.” The customer said to you with a frown and that patronizing look you got ten times a day just for being a teenager. “I know what I’m talking about, I’ve gotten pizza here a million times, and I'd like two large meatlovers.”

You stared blankly at the woman in front of you for a moment and wondered if it was too late to drown yourself in caramel sauce just so you wouldn’t have to deal with this lady. You take a deep breath and bring out that perfectly fake smile again to-

“Oh Fucknuggets! Miss, that chick just ran off with your purse! You’d better go chase her down!”

“What?” She shrieked, and reached for her big red leather bag and went pale under her orangey powdered face. “Oh for heaven's sake!”

The woman was out the door immediately, chasing down four different people that had just left the cafe. She waved her arms wildly and wailed like a duck that had just been stepped on.

Connor watched her leave with an amused expression on his face you had to quickly pull your eyes away from. He reached into the pockets of his spiderman hoodie [SpiderHam, to be specific] and pulled out a blinged up silver purse, flicking through the contents with interest.

He turned to you and held up an ID card with that smug expression that made your stomach feel like you’d had too much bubble tea. “I reckon I could pull it off, in the right lighting.”

“I’m gonna pretend I didn’t see that.” You said quickly with your eyes narrowed, but Connor pulled the wads of cash out and stuffed it into the tip jar as he turned to the glass double doors.

“Hey!”

Cecil nearly stumbled into another customer and you motioned to the back of the cafe, pulling his apron off the rack and handing it to him as he took off his yellow beanie, which for some reason had a lot of little sun’s sewn around the edges. “Hey short stuff, you can start by taking the trash out.”

He visibly sunk, tying the apron around his middle and sighing.

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes. “Definitely don’t go over the fence to the back of the dollar store because it would be a terrible idea to see the baby racoons living in the recycling bin.”

Connor grinned, watching his little brother speed out of the room with black bags of rubbish in his hands. “So… Can I order from you today?”

“As long as it’s not a pizza, go ahead.”

“...What’s your favorite?” Connor asked, leaning on the bench littered in plastic cup lids and receipts, with his chin in his hands. He was lucky there wasn’t a queue behind him, but you probably would’ve let him sit there and distract you anyway.

You just tapped away at the ipad, sending the last of the order’s over to Maria, who was making one of the matcha teas. “Not a black coffee, if that’s what you're asking.”

“No seriously, what is it?” he said, and you felt yourself get hot when he glanced somewhere a bit lower than your eyes. Not in a gross way, but holy shit when did his own eyes get that lidded? “Maybe I’ll try it sometime…”

“Are you asking to kiss me or do you actually want an iced strawberry tea?” You blurted out, hand frozen over the screen in front of you.

Connor went red in a matter of seconds and shot up, his eyes certainly not lidded anymore. “Oh look at the time I have to go make sure my goldfish doesn’t drown,” He yelped, tripping over untied shoelaces and scrambling to the door.

“Careful… You’re looking at him like you look at those racoons.” Maria muttered as he walked past with a little grin.

»»————-　★　————-««

You dumped your school bag on a bench in the corner of the kitchen, but before you could ask Jerry if there was a new order you were supposed to pick up some new ingredients [the amount of times Connor ordered a black coffee when he dropped off Cecil meant they were seriously out of it[, someone banged on the back door.

It was pouring with rain outside, but you eased open the door and peaked out into the stormy weather, then frowned at the figure. “What are you doing back here-”

You stopped in your tracks and choked, nearly dropping the drink in your hands. Cecil rubbed his hands together to avoid frostbite, a thin line of blood down the side of his face. His hair was stuck to his forehead, and thin patches of golden powder covered it, and his clothes.

He grinned, wiping his nose. “If it’s any consolation… This isn’t my blood?”

“Maria’ll clean you up, go.” You open the door properly and shove him into the warmth, then shut it behind you and step out into the biting wind that ripped though your green apron, and marched up to the car parked near the dumpster.

Holding your hand over your eyes so you weren’t blinded by the headlights, you yelled at the driver. “Why the fuck did short stuff just come out of a fucking apocalypse movie?”

Connor leant over the passenger seat and opened the door with a totally fake innocent smile. You didn’t think he could look innocent. Hot, on the other hand…He still looked hot with blood smeared across his cheek and something shiny underneath his fingernails, apparently. He shrugged one shoulder “I mean, it isn’t our blood?”

“Connor.” You muttered, crossing your arms and squinting through the mist swirling around your feet. You looked down and had to step out of a puddle with a grimace.

Connor blinked and replied instantly, as if this was something he had to do a lot. “Do you want the technically legal version, the version that’ll make you happy, or the-”

You cut him off and glared, rain clinging to your eyelashes. “The truth.”

Connor thought for a moment and then gave you an apprehensive look. “There was a feral Harpy in the backseat of the car that popped out when we got to the intersection two blocks over.”

You sighed. “I said the truth-”

“You don’t believe me.” His voice was faint, and somehow hurt. He sounded resigned though, like he was expecting it. The look on his face made you want to climb into the pretty beat up car and grab his face and tell him you believed him so much and forever just so he’d look happy again.

Maybe if you let him talk. He could be referencing something you hadn’t seen, you reasoned. “Was the harpy like a monster or a furry?”

“Well when you think about it harpy’s really are just furry’s, but yeah it was an actual monster.” Connor said simply, and then he chewed on his thumbnail nervously “Uh, do you wanna… hop in? You look like my brother when he stuck a huntsman in Annabeth’s pillow case.”

“What does spider pranks have to do with being soaked?” You mutter, not really meaning for it to be a question. You climbed into the passenger seat, brushing pools of water off you and wiping your nose.

“You can’t even imagine.”

You raise an eyebrow at Connor. “I work in customer service, try me.”

“My dad is a god.” He blurted out, then froze and turned away from you with an odd expression, his gaze trained on the rain outside.

“Are you talking about the Romans and the Egyptians, or are you Jesus?”

“Greeks, actually.” Connor said through gritted teeth, then his eyebrows shot up and that familiar tone you might have thought about a few times seeped back into his voice. He untensed and grinned at you“One of my buddy’s did come back from the dead actually… but I don’t think Jesus would like him very much.”

“Why?”

“He’s dating one of my other buddies.”

“Oh.” You blinked, but you weren’t really sure what this conversation had to do with Connor and Cecil being attacked. “Good for him.”

“My dad’s Hermes.” Connor said suddenly, sucking in a breath and closing his eyes. When you didn’t answer, too focused on the way his face looked when he scrunched up his eyes, he glanced at you again with a cautious smile, as if your reaction really mattered to him. “Surprise?”

You thought for a moment, actually considered it, and “Yeah. That checks out,”

“Whaddaya mean? I don’t have wings on my shoes!”

“Isn’t he the god of like, traveling and stealing shit?” You ask, smiling back at him as reassuring as you could, soaked to the bone sitting in a boy’s car six minutes before your shift started. “Dude, you drive your brother back and forth across New York four times a week. And you stole that lady's purse.”

‘Oh yeah. That was fun,” he sighed, and sunk in the driver's seat. He pressed the back of his hand to his forehead and closed his blue eyes, relief painted across his face.

You wiped your nose again, sure that you’d get a cold tomorrow just from standing in the lovely New York weather for more than a few seconds. A song played on the radio quietly, and you recognised it from the playlist Maria played on the speakers in the cafe sometimes.

The lyrics went something like ‘I rob and I kill to keep him with me,

I'll do anything for that boy’. When you looked over at Connor, you gulped.

Connor glanced at you from underneath his hand, and then looked down at the drink still clutched in your hands. The pink tone of it matched the fluffy strawberry’s hanging from the rear view mirror, and it was making your fingers hurt with the cold.

He smirked. “Are you supposed to drink while you’re working?”

“You make it sound like I'm doing shots behind the counter.” You shot back with a glare, and then felt your face heat up as you spoke. “And uh… it’s not… I didn’t make it for myself.”

“There’s an angry old lady in there, you know?”

This was excruciating. You ducked your head and bit your lip a little, looking out the window so you wouldn’t have to see Connor’s face when that stupidly hot smirk spread across his lips. “Uh… I didn’t make it for a customer, either…”

“Is that-”

“Yeah, whatever.”

Connor was wide eyes and slack jawed when you turned back to him, a dark blush across his cheeks that you wanted to take a photo of because goddam he was cute, but you knew you wouldn’t be forgetting the sight any time soon. He opened his mouth to talk, his eyes no longer at, well… eye level.

You put the drink into the holder between the seats and followed his gaze. “Just kiss me.”

You hadn’t seen that smile before.

His hands were so warm on your jaw, as hot as the tight feeling in your chest that melted quickly. It happened so fast you couldn’t really register anything until you realized Connor was halfway between your seats with his teeth on your bottom lip and his soft hair threaded between your fingers.

You used it to tug him closer, as close as he could and then more, because he was warm and soft and you could feel his grin through his lips that moved against your own in rhythm that ebbed and flowed. He slid his hands off you and you nearly pulled them back, until Connor was hugging you tight around your middle, his fingers knotting through the bow tied on your apron.

You chewed on his lip, which felt puffy and pulsing under your touch, but you kept kissing him, breaking away every few seconds to breathe, but you couldn’t not press your lips along his jaw. He was just too much. You had to kiss him everywhere and pull on his hair and tilt his head back and melt into his touch like you’d die if you didn’t.

Connor sighed into your mouth and gulped, you could feel his Adam's apple bob under the palm of your hand as you pushed him back gently by his neck. You got up on your knees as he blinked once or twice, like he’d been in a trance. “You took that all very well,”

“Don’t worry, I’ll freak out later when it sinks in.” You muttered back, pushing him back into the driver's seat where he’d begun. He made an odd noise and tightened his arms around your waist, ducking his head and when he pouted you couldn’t help but slide over the cupholder and sit on his lap, as if you hadn’t been planning to do so the whole time.

Then he frowned, “Wait, you’ll freak-”

“Shhhh,” you said, pressing a finger to his soft lips. He shut up immediately. You glanced behind you at the console, checking the time. “I have four and a half minutes til I have to start, we can discuss this later.”

“Deal,” Connor breathed, dragging your hands down to his neck again and looking up with vague out eyes. You grinned at him and went back to wiping that stupid smirk off his lips.

»»————-　★　————-««

“Your boyfriends here.”

You looked up from the kitchen counter you were wiping down after an accident with the tub of coconut shavings, “Why?”

“I’m assuming he’s here for you, short stuff doesn’t have a shift til the weekend.” Maria checked the whiteboard and glanced out the swinging doors. You moved to peek over her shoulder and saw Connor standing by the doors, swinging his car keys around his pointer finger absentmindedly. He was wearing that spiderman hoodie again, the one you’d accidentally tipped black coffee down the front of once when you’d worn it.

You grinned, if you finished up cleaning and took the trash out, you’d be done in five minutes and you’d get to follow him to his car that surely wasn’t road safe and then go wherever it was he’d planned this time.

“Go. But tomorrow you have to stop the racoons from eating the tires off my Harley.” Maria sighed, crossing his arms and motioning to the exit.

“I love you.”

He raised his eyebrows “Was that directed towards me or the boy-”

“Both.”

»»————-　★　————-««

#pjo fandom #pjo #heroes of olympus #percy jackson #percy jackon and the olympians #percyjacksonfandomx reader #Connor stoll #connorstoll #Connor Stoll x reader #Connor Stoll x you #Connor Stoll c y/n #the Stoll twins #hermes cabin #coffee shop au

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gyuspeach · 10 months

Text

4:34 pm

"NEXT ON FOUR!" You scream at the queue line while rearranging your hangers behind the register. Your feet ache in the last hour of your shift. All you need is to get through a few more customers and start cleaning before you leave to your empty dorm room.

You bend down to put your last hanger onto the rack, you stand up and start your scripted line to every customer, "Hello, would you like to apply for-" you grab the pack of toothbrushes and look up. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"HI, baby," ex!Beomgyu stands opposite to you. Hands in pocket with his damned smile across his face. You on the other hand, blank.

"Don't call me that, why are you here?" The patience in your body dwindling.

"What? I can't shop now?"

"Really? A single pack of toothbrushes at a discount clothing store?"

"YES, a single pack of toothbrushes at a discount clothing store," oh, if you weren't at work, you would just punch the smirk off his pretty little face. "I'm even surprised they sold toothbrushes here."

You scoff and just stare at him, trying to read his eyes. Out of all the traits he possessed, determination and stubbornness was what you and admired the most (and least) about him. His dumbass smirk made your blood boil.

"Cash or card?" You spoke up.

"C'mon pretty, you know I don't use cash," he digs through his wallet to find his card and you caught a glimpse of a picture of you in his wallet.

It was the most stupid picture of you drooling on his shoulder when you passed out on a date with him at the park. God you hated that picture. When he first showed it to you, he would clown you for it as many times out of the day as possible. You didn't think he'd go as far as to print it out and put it in his wallet.

"Why do you still have that dumb picture of me in there?" He looked up at you, his sparkling eyes as he twirls his card between his fingers. His smirk bleeding into a sad smile.

"Cause I miss you," he scoffs. "The boys tell me not to spend time thinking about you," he inserts his card shaking his head, "I mean, I agree with them. You never told me why you even broke up with me," he looks back up to you, "and that's shit hurts, yknow?" The card reader rings and he pulls his card out, "but here I am, thinking about you. Missing you. Wanting to see you. Making pathetic excuses to see you," he sighs, "I should be the one mad at you for leaving me confused. And yet, my heart is betraying my mind and I'm following you around like a lost puppy," he shrugs and looks you in the eyes.

You're left speechless. Beomgyu grabs the toothbrushes and his receipt.

"I know you get off soon. If you want to talk, tell me now and I'll wait for you. I'll always wait for you," he continues.

"Um," you don't know what to say, you've been avoiding him to think about what to even say to him, let alone approach him to say it. The reasons why you broke up, it was all minor things. But a lot of minor cuts accumulate for a big wound. And you have to let him know that. "Yeah, we can talk, at the Starbucks or something." You look down, you felt embarrassed or shy or something. You felt ashamed, you didn't think your actions affected Beomgyu as much as it did.

"I'll see you in an hour then," and he walks away with one last glance to your eyes. His pretty smile, less bright than when you first saw him at your register.

"Next on four," you wave to the next customer. Now your feet and heart ache.

A/N literally I daydream while I work so this was something I conjured up in my head while ringing people up. I hope yall enjoy

#beomgyu x reader #choi beomgyu #tomorrow x together #txt #beomgyu #moablr #beomgyu angst #beomgyu fluff #choi beomgyu angst #choi beomgyu fluff

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sakumz · 11 months

Text

____________________________________________

₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟ. [ s. ritsu x gn reader ] ft. rei

warning❗: slight ooc

genre 𑁍 : fluff

____________________________________________

" rei-chan? " upon hearing his childhood nickname, he turns to the source of the sound, that means you.

currently holding a basket of grocery in your hands. rei had to turn to try and spot ritsu, who's currently at the candy aisle, probably picking out candies or hiding from him. rei gave you a sheepish smile. thank goodness the queue is still long, ritsu can take his time so rei doesn't have to stand like an idiot at the cash register as he waits for his brother to come.

" grocery shopping in the morning I see? " rei starts, trying to make a conversation as he prays for ritsu to come back sooner.

" yeah! mom forced me out with a list... you're not out here alone, are you? "

" I'm with ritsu. "

ritsu... the younger sakuma brother, you couldn't help but let a smile come up to your face as you recalled the last time you two hung out. it was at the school library when you tried to study with him, only for him to knock out the moment he sat down.

" speaking of which, do you mind bringing him back here? he's taking a tad bit too long picking out candies. " hearing the request, of course you agreed.

going from aisle to aisle, finding the candy category. there you spot the raven haird boy, crouched down, humming to himself.

" ah, y/n. what a coincidence, shopping for candies too? " ritsu says as he turns to look at you, his hands full of sweets.

" that's a lot of candies no? and no I'm not here for candies, I got my own errands to run. "

" it's not all for me, gonna give some to suu-chan for being so kind to me and mikarin. restocking our secret candy stash, you know. "

letting out giggles from his response, he couldn't help but smile too.

" we should go back to rei-chan. " pulling the boy from his position and taking him to his brother, ritsu wants to scream when he spots his brother.

" say, can we walk y/n to their house? I don't think I can survive a long 30 minutes with just you, " ritsu says to rei as rei let's out a sigh.

it's a dream come true that his brother even came with him all the way to the grocery store, they haven't spoken alot besides the exchange of good mornings. well at least walking you back to your house and then their dorms take at least ten minutes, he still has time to talk to ritsu a bit at least.

" yeah sure, " rei replies, looking over you as you paid your grocery.

ritsu quickly takes a bag from you, since they're gonna send you home, might as well help carry you and he doesn't have much to carry. rei offering to take your other bag so now you're walking with the sakuma brothers, side by side and you're holding nothing but your phone and wallet.

" come on, not talking to each other again? what happened? " you tried to break the silence, ad you three continued your walk home.

" anija. "

" hmm rei-chan? he did something? "

" no, wait... you've been calling him that since childhood, and you've never given me a nickname like maakun. he used to call me ricchan. "

" is that why you're not talking to rei? "

" there's favouritism here and I hate it. "

rei laughs upon hearing his brother's statement, making the two of you turn to look back at him.

" ah that was good, if ritsu doesn't love his big brother anymore its good to know there's his favourite person loving me more. "

" that's not quite true, " you say as ritsu pouts.

" so you prefer him over me? I thought I was your favourite, " ritsu fake cries as he shook your shoulders.

" well if you asked who I'd rather marry, it'll be ritsu. thought rei might be better for domestic purposes. "

" gasp, I can cook... "

" yeah your food does taste great but the appearances... what if one day I mistake your great cooking for garbage on a plate? "

" stop bullying me, anija back me up! "

" hahaha, whatever you say ritsu. "

as the three stop by your house, wave you goodbye and its just the sakuma brothers walking back. ritsu looks over to rei and sees the smile that never seem to go away eversince they exited the dorms together.

" why are you so happy? " ritsu asked.

" I got to spend a little time with you. "

" even if we never talked till y/n came? "

" seeing you, is enough for me. well its good you're still working hard and you're healthy, you've made plenty of good friends, people you can rely on. but don't push yourself too hard, if you ever need a hand to hold, I'll give you mine. "

" nah, there's still y/n's hand that I can hold in moments like those. "

" are you two lovers or something? " rei stares at ritsu as ritsu winks at him.

" that's a secret, " little did rei know, they're not lovers.

#sakumz.pdf #ensemble stars x reader #ensemble stars #enstars x reader #esworks #ritsu sakuma x reader

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summercassidy · 9 months

Text

open starter @ the human bean

Summer's eyes narrowed as she studied the menu above the cash register. She tilted her head to the side, internally pondering whether to go for the smashed avocado or eggs benedict. Letting out a sigh, she turned to the person beside her, unaware of the fact she was holding up a queue. "Do you ever just want, like, everything on a menu at once? Do you think anyone has ever actually done that?" She wondered how long it would take to get through it all. "I haven't been here in years, so I literally forget what's good and what's not. What do you recommend?"

#easthavenstart #she's famous so feel free to assume connection/already knowing her!!

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hwapetals · 1 year

Text

baked with love!

the title is so unoriginal im sorry, hope u enjoy it though! this is my first fic on here so reblogs and likes are appreciated <3! constructive criticism is as well and this wasnt really proofread oops

pairing: bakery owner!seonghwa + domestic!seonghwa x gender neutral reader

genre: fluff

warnings: mentions of food and baking

word count: 3129 words

story starts under the cut! main story is sectioned into 3 with a bonus part at the end

PREP!

the sweet scent of fresh croissants and a variety of cakes attacked (y/n)'s nose, making their stomach grumble and mouth water in response.

"my god, i'm starving. the smell is NOT helping one bit," (y/n) mumbled to themselves, tapping their foot impatiently as they stood in line.

(y/n) hated their job. sure, it paid a lot but it didn't make them happy. it took countless sleepless nights and they found themselves with a huge workload every day.

the only thing helping them hold on was their lunch breaks. they were extremely thankful that they were situated in an area where there were shops everywhere, mostly food shops.

they had tried quite a few stores but this one pastry shop in particular had caught their interest and one of their favourite places to eat at now, making them a regular there.

(y/n)'s thoughts were quickly interrupted by the queue moving in front of them, making them be at the front of the line to face the cashier now.

"what would you like— oh, hey! (y/n), right?" the male said to them. he was kitted out in a white long sleeved blouse and a blue apron with a checkered pattern with a small logo stitched in the corner.

he also had a pair of round glasses on and (y/n) could recognize him from the name tag attached to his blouse.

"oh, seonghwa! it's a pleasure to see you. you normally don't work the register, what's the special occasion?" (y/n) greeted him enthusiastically, the male matching their bright smile with his own.

“we’re currently training a new intern in the back and the cashier is having a day off today to go to a wedding so i’m taking his place for now. did you want your regular order?"

"oh, that's cool!! and i was planning to get something different today, but i'm not sure what to get so, surprise me, will ya?" (y/n) said, pulling out a 20 dollar bill from their wallet and placing it on the glass counter.

"will do! i'll bring you your change when i serve you," seonghwa said with a nod, sliding the bill into the cash register, before handing over a plastic table sign with the number 18 printed on it.

"thank you!" (y/n) said, taking it and walking towards a nearby table, directly in sight of the cash register.

their lunch times were slightly later than the typical office worker's so the café was usually quite uncrowded and quiet, allowing them to fully relax and eat in peace.

they pulled out their phone and plugged in an earphone into their ear, before putting on some music and opening their emails to check for any important emails to take note of.

unluckily for them, their boss had emailed them saying that the document originally intended to be sent out the week after was brought forward to the next day, making (y/n) sigh in response, shutting their phone off and place in on the table in front of them.

"god, this job fucking sucks. why does my boss always do this to me?" (y/n) mumbled in exasperation, not noticing the man approaching them wiith a tray of their food.

"hey, you alright?" seonghwa questioned with a concerned expression, setting down the tray onto the table gently.

"yeah, i'm fine. just work stuff, you know?"

"ah, understandable. wanna talk about it? the café isn't busy, i can keep you company for a bit," he offered, putting his hands in front of him neatly as he awaited their response.

"it would be great but the real question is, do you mind me rambling for a bit?"

"oh, of course not. i'm willing to listen and help you out if needed,"

"you're too sweet. thank you," (y/n) said with an appreciative smile, beckoning seonghwa to come sit next to them.

"it's no worries, gotta look out for one of my favourite customers!" seonghwa said, scooting closer to (y/n).

"so, where shall i start? there's so much i want to talk shit about," (y/n) said, slumping into the cushioned bench, with a loud sigh.

all seonghwa could do while (y/n) ranted away was to nod and make small remarks so they knew he had his whole attention on them. it wasn't that hard for him to pay attention to them, though.

after fifteen minutes, (y/n) stopped talking and just let out another loud sigh, checking their phone to see that their lunch break was almost over.

"well, it looks like i have to leave to continue working. it was nice chatting with you, it was more one-sided, actually. sorry about that. thank you a lot though, i appreciate it," (y/n) said, flashing a brighter smile to seonghwa and finishing the rest of the strawberry milk that seonghwa had made for them.

"oh, no! i didn't mind it at all. thank YOU for confiding in me. did you like the strawberry milk and apple pie?" seonghwa said, getting up as (y/n) did the same, dusting off his apron.

"of course! it was delicious. i'll take my leave now, i'll be able to work better, thanks to you," (y/n) replied, putting their phone into their small bag, preparing to head off before they felt seonghwa grab their wrist, making them turn to face him.

"sorry if this is a bit… sudden. would you like to maybe work here? we're looking for new workers and i need an extra pair of hands to help me with managing stuff anyways," seonghwa asked sheepishly, releasing his grip on (y/n)'s wrist while mumbling an apology.

"that sounds pretty good, actually. but i'm still kind of scared, to be honest. but i'll definitely think about it!"

"take your time! it's alright if you decide not to, it’s just an offer!”

“i’ll keep it in mind! i’ll see you tomorrow during my lunch break again,” (y/n) said, pushing an earphone in their ear before waving at seonghwa before scurrying out the door hurriedly as they felt their phone vibrate from a text from their coworker.

BAKING!

seonghwa and (y/n) leaned against the kitchen counter, both finally being able to relax after a busy day of work, both having to clean, bake and serve constantly throughout the day alongside a few other workers. this day was especially busy due to it being valentine’s day and (y/n)'s suggestion to make the menu themed specially for holidays which boosted customer rates.

"you know whats so funny? our bakery is the most popular during valentines day but we ourselves don’t have anyone to celebrate it with,” (y/n) noted, glancing over at seonghwa who laughed in response.

“you’re right, it is pretty ironic. we could change that, actually,” seonghwa said, turning his head to face (y/n).

“how do you suggest we do that?” (y/n) questioned, raising their eyebrow at seonghwa’s statement, before they were caught off guard by him turning around and using his hands to pin them between the counter and his body.

"oh? how bold," (y/n) teased, looking up to meet his eyes. they were awfully close to each other and (y/n) was panicking but they weren't going to let that show.

(y/n) had liked him for a while now, but they didn’t change much in how they were interacting with him, it seemed subtle to them at least. but seonghwa had definitely noticed their ‘subtle’ change in behaviour when in interactions with him. he noticed how nicer they began to treat him and how flustered they got when he flirted back with them amongst other small things they did.

seonghwa had his eye on them for a while now, but he wasn’t going to make a move until the right time. it killed him having to wait but seeing their reactions to every little thing he did was entertaining to him. it was worth the wait, he would say. he wasn’t going to deny that he enjoyed seeing them flustered, rather he found it cute.

“mmm, one of us had to be direct eventually,” seonghwa said, moving in closer to lessen the gap, making (y/n)'s face flush redder as their eyes flickered away, gulping in nervousness.

“eyes on me, darling. would be rude if i didn’t pay attention to you while you’re talking, right?” seonghwa purred, using his thumb and index finger to gently grab their chin to successfully guide their eyes back onto him. he smiled smugly, seeing their eyes lock on to his.

(y/n) was definitely unfamiliar with this side of seonghwa, mostly only seeing his kind and sweet side. they couldn’t deny that they found how he was acting at that moment was rather attractive.

(y/n) was conflicted as to what to do. it was painfully obvious that he was flirting with them but it was more than that, they felt. be direct or back off? they were afraid that making the wrong move would destroy their relationship.

seonghwa laughed, moving backwards slightly, after seeing (y/n)'s reaction to his previous action, before he was caught off guard by (y/n) pulling his tie forward harshly, their lips meeting with his.

he happily reciprocated the kiss, tilting his head and using his hands to hold their waist as (y/n) wrapped their arms around his neck. it felt like an eternity but they weren’t complaining. they wanted this feeling to last forever. his soft lips against theirs and his warm hands holding their waist, before they pulled apart to (y/n) and seonghwa’s dismay.

“damn. that was better than i thought it would be,” (y/n) said, smiling, as seonghwa grinned back, this time his face redder than before. it had just sunk in what happened and seonghwa was extremely embarrassed but happy.

“how’s that for being direct?” (y/n) teased, staring at the male who was looking away, his hand covering the bottom half of his face, clearing his throat while (y/n) readjusted themselves so that they were now not leaning against the counter.

“very great. ten out of ten. would do it again,” seonghwa mumbled out, attempting to look back at (y/n) and failing miserably. (y/n) laughed at his ‘review’ of the kiss, making a remark of how he sounded like a really bad food critic.

“okay, on a more serious note, i need to ask this now. what are we?”

“mm, whatever you want. we can make it official now or take it slow and go on some dates and stuff,”

“if you don’t mind, we could take it slow, go on some dates and see if we’re compatible as a couple, you know? not saying that it wouldn’t work out!!” (y/n) suggested, panicking at the last bit as they didn’t want him to get the wrong idea.

“no, no. i get you. i’d like that too,” seonghwa said with a warm smile, taking (y/n)'s hand in his.

“shall we talk more about this over a movie and some instant ramen?” seonghwa asked, awaiting (y/n)'s response.

“sounds great! never pegged you as an instant ramen kinda guy, though,”

“shhh, it’s a guilty pleasure of mine,”

SERVING!

(y/n)'s eyes opened widely, in response to their stomach loudly grumbling in the early hours of the morning.

it was barely bright enough to see outside, but the faint silhouette of the sun shining indicated to them that it was time to get up. normally, they would get up earlier to go to the bakery to prep for business but since it was a public holiday, they were allowed to wake up later and do whatever they wanted for a few hours.

(y/n)'s turned to the side of their king sized bed, shared with their significant other, with a frown after realizing that he wasn't there, quietly whining in slight annoyance before they stretched their limbs and sat up, kicking the thick blanket off their body.

they continued on with their morning routine that included sitting on the bed for an extra 10 minutes before going to brush their teeth and sleepily going to the living room to go on social media.

there was a certain familiar smell going around the house that (y/n) very much recognized and enjoyed. the scent of the butter of the crust, the mouthwatering spices and the aroma of the main and best ingredient of the pastry made (y/n) salivate. it was very surprising to (y/n) that apple pie became one of their favourite desserts, considering they weren’t a fan of it before with its mushy insides and overwhelming spices at times, but it made sense somewhat because they were literally dating the best baker they knew. biased? sure, but it didn’t matter to them.

they swung open the door quietly and peeked their head out to the living room and the kitchen. the apartment was small but cozy, and definitely an upgrade from their old apartment. the smell only got stronger, prompting them to walk out. they were greeted with the sight of their boyfriend, seonghwa, humming to himself as he stood in front of the stove, stirring as ingredients were neatly placed next to each other on the countertop.

(y/n) sneaked behind him, before placing their hands on his waist and burying their face into his shoulder.

“good morning! what’re you making?” (y/n) asked, tip-toeing to peek at whatever he was cooking in the pot.

“i’m making apple pie and strawberry milk! and also strawberry jam for the bakery, we’re planning to release scones as part of our menu,” seonghwa replied, leaning into (y/n)'s touch as he stirred constantly to avoid anything burning.

“oh, sounds great!! do you need any help?”

“no, not really! just go put something on on the tv or something and i’ll be out with the food soon,”

“alright, i’ll go put on some breaking bad and clean up the bedroom real quick,” (y/n) said, releasing their grip on seonghwa before scurrying off to do what they said before. several minutes passed, before seonghwa’s voice rang, summoning (y/n) to the dining area instantaneously.

on the table, there were two porcelain plates with apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a mint leaf neatly placed on top of it. a see-through glass cup was at the left side of it, containing a layer of chunky homemade strawberry syrup with fresh milk layered on top of it, a bubble tea straw inside, leaning against the edge of the cup.

(y/n) sat next to seonghwa, fidgeting with their hands in anticipation and excitement, as they stared down at the food, before glancing back at seonghwa who raised his eyebrow, beckoning them to try the apple pie and strawberry milk.

seonghwa watched as (y/n) happily began to dig into the pastry and drink, smiling to himself as he watched them enjoy it. the one thing in the world that made him the happiest would be seeing his significant other enjoy whatever he made for them. it was definitely great that he had a partner who shared the same passion regarding baking and cooking like him.

he couldn’t wish for anything better than this.

BONUS SCENE!

(y/n) yawned, rubbing their eyes before they continued to type away at their keyboard. it was around 2 am, and they were almost done with the new menu design. they took a sip of their lukewarm black coffee, letting out a soft sigh of satisfaction, the coffee giving them a little more energy.

“mm, what’re you doing awake at this time?” a soft voice rang out from behind (y/n), making them turn around abruptly to see it was their boyfriend, seonghwa, who was leaning against the door frame.

“oh, i’m just finishing up the menu so we can get it printed by afternoon,” (y/n) said, facing seonghwa with a tired smile. they knew that they didn’t have to get it done this early but they just wanted to for some reason.

“nope, we’re going to bed right now. it’s cold without you,” seonghwa said, making (y/n) laugh at his second statement.

“nah, i wanna get this done quickly and i’ll go to bed. i won’t take long, go get some rest, you need it more than me,” (y/n) said, with no intention of changing their mind which seonghwa could notice. he sighed, walking up to them to wrap his arms around their shoulders.

“okay, okay, fine. what if i make you something real quick? i’d feel bad if i didn’t help you or anything,” seonghwa suggested, (y/n) sleepily insisting that he should go back to bed and that he doesn’t need to do that for them, making him scoff.

“no, i insist, you deserve it for working so hard," seonghwa said, releasing his grip from (y/n) who whined in response to his stubborness, glaring at the male who just laughed and left the room to go to the kitchen.

all (y/n) could do was sigh and continue to work while they listened closely to the sounds of plates clinking and the sizzling of food as they took sips of their coffee in short intervals.

after around 20 minutes or so, seonghwa came into the room, holding a plate and set it down next to (y/n)'s laptop. they quickly took a peek at it, their eyes lighting up after seeing the golden brown exterior of french toast, with maple syrup and condensed milk drizzled over it and a small square of cold butter placed in the middle of it.

now that they were closer to it, they could smell the eggy scent of the perfectly cooked piece of toast and the subtle aroma of the maple syrup drizzled over it.

"thank you. for this. i appreciate it," (y/n) said, glancing over their shoulder to look at seonghwa whos lips stretched into a wide smile after hearing what they said.

“anything for you!” seonghwa replied, quickly kissing the cheek of (y/n) who rolled their eyes jokingly, looking back at their laptop.

“god, you’re the cheesiest person i know,”

“and you love that, don’t you?”

“no comment,”

“damn. i just got rejected, i’m so heartbroken,” seonghwa said, feigning sadness to evoke a laugh out of (y/n).

“don’t take it personally, sweetheart. now, go to bed, you need your sleep,” (y/n) instructed, continuing to type quickly and move images around with their mouse.

“nope, i’ll stay here until you’re done,”

“no, you’re going to bed. how about this? i’ll finish the food, you go to bed and i’ll work there beside you instead. and no exceptions! i want to finish this today,” (y/n) suggested, turning again to look up at seonghwa who frowned and began to protest until they shot him a look which made him whine again but leave the room.

“what a child, i still love him though,” (y/n) said to themselves with a laugh, before starting to dig into the food he made for them.

END!

#ateez fanfic #seonghwa fanfic #seonghwa x reader #seonghwa fluff #seonghwa imagines #ateez imagines #seonghwa scenarios

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soobberries · 9 months

Text

Me vs me

That's it.

All the time.

Like rn too.

#〘cash register here; queue〙#〘pocky sticks; y.en speaking〙#Oh I wanna be emo on the dash sooo bad but that's not cool

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our-stars-graveside · 2 years

Text

Week One (fluff), Day One: coffee shop

☕️ truth & happiness (an unlikely pair)

CalxGillian (Callian)| words: 1,196

⚠️tw: kidnapping and house break-in briefly mentioned

no spoilers (except maybe a little in the second to last paragraph?), set vaguely in s2, mentions s1 e12 (blinded)and s2 e16 (delinquent)

———x———

The door swung open and Gillian stepped into the midst of milling patrons of Novak Patisserie.

“Excuse me.” She smiled, apologetic, as she inevitably brushed by a man in the entrance.

At this hour, politely maneuvering the crowd whilst peering around bodies to sight the cash register’s lean-to sign was a task few could manage. Gillian Foster, half awake or not, was among them.

She could easily think of someone— someone in particular— who wouldn’t be pleased to navigate such a situation. The results of him trying generally weren’t a riot to experience firsthand (unless you meant the angry client sort of riot) but sometimes provided an amusing reflection or two.

October 1st early discount…choice of free chocolate chip, blueberry, or cranberry-orange muffin with any XL coffee order? Ugh, yes. Six in the morning and ready to work? Hardly, and yet…

bzzzt bzzzzt

“Damn,” she swore softly, and fished out her phone.

bzzz-

“Good morning Anna, how’s the office today?”

A group of haggard students swarmed to the counter; Gil shifted away. She put a hand to her phone’s speaker, listening closely to block out other voices. A few minutes conversation confirmed a case that promised to be anything but quick, and her straying attention continually insisted there was some detail in the café background she’d yet to notice.

“Yep. Oh dear…Alright. Yes, of course. I can be there in-“ A flash of the phone’s screen showed 6:25.

“-fifteen minutes. Just leave them- actually, no. Cal can deal with his own paperwork for once, leave them in his office, I’ll deal with the forms. …Yes. He’ll know.”

Gillian clicked her phone shut. One glance up: sure enough, she couldn’t even see the front of the line. What luck this fine day brought. She turned to the door with a slight shake of her head.

“Yeah, ‘s me.” Above the murmuring throng came a hollow cardboard clunking, uneven footsteps, and the classic throwaway, “Thanks love!”

Cal.

The world’s famous lie detector sauntered over to her side, doing that thing, that quirk of his eyebrows designed especially to set people off…that quirk he knew Gil only feigned exasperation at.

“Fancy seeing you here, huh?”

Gil sighed, a small smile alighting her mouth.

“You’re one to talk. Thought you wouldn’t touch a place like this..venture forth into the unknown, try new things?”

He brushed off her teasing with a familiar smirk.

“Well don’t go believing what the news tells you.” Head tilt. No analyzing off the clock, she chided herself, but that she could, and with him…her small smile was drowned in the grin that followed.

“Knew you had it in you, somewhere.” The grin relaxed. “And speaking of new things-“

The queue snaked all the way to the door by now, the noise clogging her early morning thought process. Just as the notion made its way to her face (apparently), Cal led the way to the exit, dodging customers with skilled ease.

Gillian caught the door as it swung shut past another caffeine-starved customer and the two stepped out onto the street. At least he managed to keep his takeout intact, she mused, having seen the untouched cup in his hand.

“Looks like Reynolds caught a case up in Lancaster, he needs me to supervise the vocal analysis team. I’d like to take Loker on this one, he could use the experience of operating under district rules.”

“Could get taken down a peg or two is what he could use,” Cal muttered.

Gillian sighed into the brisk air.

“Don’t be like that, he’s got a long way to go but he’s still learning. We all had to start somewhere.”

As was his wont, Cal changed the subject and his brooding expression at once.

“When’ll you be back?”

They’d almost reached Gillian’s car, which was parked a ways down the street in the only empty spot she could find.

A glance and a smile were sent Cal’s way. “There’s no telling, but I’m sure it’ll last a few days at least. If it goes on late I might stay the night,” she decided.

“Mm. I know a place or two if you’re looking for recommendations.” Was it just her or did he sound a little bit, just a tiny bit tense? She should know.

“Ooh, I’d love to hear them.” A pause. “-maybe after I’ve tracked down breakfast. Looks like half the state’s population beat me to the new café, Dean’s is closed…” she absently considered her options, rifling for car keys in her purse.

“Ah!” Cal exclaimed, just as she pulled out the keys.

“For you.” Cal pushed not just the steaming cup of coffee but also a crisp paper bag towards her. She blinked.

“Cal, I-”

In an expert move, he grabbed the keys with two free fingers and slipped the bag into her hand. She had no choice but to catch it.

“That desperate to win my favor?” Her bent eyebrows told all, though she took his behavior in stride.

“Nope.”

Her partner (lol subtext) clicked the car unlocked, dropped the keys back into her purse, and held out the coffee to her free hand.

“You’re just that desperate for your sugar fix,” Cal retorted, yet the warmth in the minuscule crinkle around his eyes…

“Cal!” Her fond admonishment met a raised brow. “…Are you sure? You had to’ve spent 20 minutes at least-“

“Course I’m sure,” he retorted, already moving to usher her into the car.

“I wasn’t going to eat it.”

Gillian grappled with the cup, purse, and bag in the driver’s seat. Cal, watching with his expression open, leaned on the door.

“See you at work then?”

Gil settled into the seat. When she looked up, she found him gazing with something akin to-

Well, something. She wasn’t going to jinx it by putting a name to it. It was just as soft without.

“I have a quick errand to run, but I’ll be around shortly,” she confirmed.

Her coworker moved to shut the door, stray leaf crunching under foot.

“And Cal? Thanks.”

Her eyes had already said everything he needed to know, but he flashed a smile and a nod just for her.

As she drove to the post office, she took a sip of the coffee: cream, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla? Smooth and delightful, yet not at all Cal. And that was a heated pastry she could smell, no doubt…

He never intended it for himself.

Gil stared blankly at the road ahead, wondering, because how? how would he know where she’d be? She’d only been going to that bakery for a week, maybe less. Had he been waiting for her?

Then a thought occurred. That car— his car— barely visible through the trees that night when she arrived home, a comfort after the attack during the Jenkins case. And after Amber and the ‘crew’. And now, apparently, after the latest debacle that she hadn’t even become victim to, though the chances of weren’t so slim.

Worrier. She took another sip, shaking her head and already planning an intervention. Still, if that warmth in her chest was because of Cal, who was to know?

———x———

lmk what you think and if you have any suggestions or requests <33

october ltm challenge masterlist

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alex-byers3 · 2 years

Text

As It Was(Steve Harringtonxreader)

Part 2

We aren’t in the car for very long before Mom tries to strike up a conversation.

“So,”

I’m laying back in the passenger seat and look over at her, headphones still on and music playing. Mom notices I’m not really paying attention and motions for me to take off my headphones. I take them off and say,

“So?”

“How have you been?”

It was kind of an odd question in my opinion, then again I’ve always been super open with her.

“Uh fine, I guess.”

“You guess?”

I roll my eyes.

“Yeah mom, I don’t know.”

“How’s work been going?”

“It’s been good. I just love scooping ice cream all day.” I let the sarcasm fly.

Mom takes a turn rolling her eyes.

“But seriously, I do like working at Scoops. I get to work with my friends.”

“You love work so much that you are going to the mall, to go to work, on your day off, to see your friends? Why don’t you go do some sightseeing or something?”

“I think you forgot how small Hawkins is, Mom. And I go to work on my day off to see my friends because they are the only friends I have that are over the age of 19.”

“I’m just worried honey.”

I give Mom a confused expression.

“Why are you worried about me? I’m fine. It’s summertime. The pool is open, Work has great tips, I get to see Steve and Robin every day and I like it. Hell, I love it.”

Mom doesn’t say anything. I know what question she is dodging. I don’t blame her. There were a lot of things we don’t talk about after El closed the gate.

“Do you have nightmares?” She finally asks.

We both look ahead on the road. I watch my mom take a few turns down the streets until I answer.

“Not really.”

That was a lie. I keep looking ahead at the road.

“Alex…”

“Sometimes.”

I know she’s looking at me. I know she knows I’m still lying.

“Honey, you can talk to me.”

“I know. But honestly, I just don’t want to think about it. I dream about it enough.”

“But maybe—maybe we do need to talk about it.”

Mom grabs my hand gently and squeezes it.

“Not right now.”

“Okay.”

Mom lets go of my hand and she turns into the mall parking lot. She pulls up to the front and I get out of the car.

“Alex?”

I shut the door and peer into the car as mom rolls the window down.

“I love you.”

I blow her a kiss with my hand.

“Love you too, Mom. Have a good day at work.”

I watch Mom’s car leave the parking lot and I head inside StarCourt Mall.

As usual, the mall was hustling and bustling with people. Too many people. For someone who hates being around people, you’d think I’d pick a job that didn’t involve a busy mall and having to deal with people’s bitchy attitudes. Honestly, if I didn’t work with Robin and Steve, probably wouldn’t last long.

I made it to the Food Court and see the ‘Scoops Ahoy’ sign in its blue LED light glory. I walk inside and see two girls at the register.

“Alrighty, one scoop of chocolate. That’s a buck-twenty-five.”

I see Steve’s head pop up from behind the ice cream case, handing the pretty curly-haired brunette the cone.

“Anything else?” Steve asks.

She shakes her head and hands him cash. I smirk to myself. It sounds awful, but I was just waiting for Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington to fuck it up.

“Ooh, Purdue. Fancy.” He comments. The girl was wearing a college sweatshirt with ‘PURDUE’ printed on the front.

“Yeah, I’m excited.” The girl replies and chuckles.

I cross my arms, now invested in this interaction, and it's hilarious because Steve hasn’t noticed I’m here.

“Yeah, you know, I considered it,” He starts saying, handing the girl back her change.

Oh no, Steve doesn’t.

“Purdue, but then I was like, you know what? I really think I need some real-life experience, you know, before I hit college, see what it feels like.”

The girl and her friend exchange weird looks. But Steve continues his rant.

“Kinda like, uh, I don’t know, see what it’s like to earn a working man’s wage, you know? Uh…I think that’s, like, really important.”

“Yeah, totally.” The girl says. She definitely says it in a mocking tone, but oblivious Steve doesn’t know social queues. Her friend snickers.

“Yeah, anyway, this was, like, so fun. We should kind of like, you know, I don’t know, maybe hang out this weekend or I don’t know. Maybe next weekend or—“

I run my hand over my face. There it is. It was embarrassing to witness.

“Yeah, I’m busy.” The girl replies.

“OH, that’s cool. I’m working here next weekend, so…you know the following weekend’s better for me.”

He’s trying to recover from the rejection but he’s sinking.

“No. I’m sorry, I can’t.”

Oof, a tough blow to Harrington’s ego.

“Okay. Bye thanks.” Her friend says. Both girls move past me. I look up at Steve, and I can’t help but grin.

“It’s my first day here!” He calls out, but the girls are long gone.

“Wow, that was really sad,” I say.

Steve makes eye contact with me and groans.

“Of course, you were right there. Why?”

I fake a frown as I walk up to the counter.

“Ouch,” I put my hand over my heart, acting hurt.

“I didn’t mean that,” He starts, now completely flustered.

“I’m teasing, come on Steve.” I smile at him.

His face relaxes a bit but he’s interrupted by none other than,

“And another one bites the dust.” Robin appears with her whiteboard. Steve lets his head hang in annoyance before turning around to face Robin. She was giving us a clear view of the infamous board. It said, “You Rule & You Suck” in both columns.

“Looks like you are oh-for-six, Popeye.” I snicker. I reach across the counter and rub Steve’s shoulders, as he stood there slouching. Robin laughs and adds the sixth tally mark in the ‘You Suck’ column. I came around the counter and stood next to Steve.

“Yeah, yeah, I can count.” Steve crosses his arms over his chest, pouting like a 3-year-old.

“You know that means you suck.” Robin states.

“Yep, I can read, too.” Steve huffs.

“Since when?” I look up at him, earning a small shove into my shoulder from him.

“Hey girlie!” Robin says to me.

“Hi, Robin.” I laugh.

“You know what? It’s this stupid hat. I am telling you, it is totally blowing my best feature.” Steve rants.

“You have a best feature? Lex, you didn’t tell me?” Robin pretends to be shocked.

“I swear I didn’t know Robin or I would’ve told you.” I walk up to the pony wall window. “You guys are awful.” Steve rubs his hands over his face.

“Yeah, company policy is a real drag,” Robin says.

I turn to face Steve, leaning up again the counter.

“You know, it’s a crazy idea, but have you considered, uh you know telling the truth?” I ask, raising my eyebrows at him.

Steve exchanges looks between his two favorite people(even though he claimed daily he hated us).

“Oh, so you mean, that I couldn’t even get into Tech and my douchebag dad’s trying to teach me a lesson, I make three bucks an hour and I have no future? That truth?”

“Hey, some girls dig the whole daddy issues and lost puppy vibes,” I say, shrugging my shoulders.

Steve chucks a pen at me, hitting me in the boob. I laugh, making no effort to block it.

“Hey, twelve o’clock!” Robin points behind Steve. Steve and I both look and sure enough a gaggle of girls come into the shop.

“Oh, shit, oh, shit, Okay…uh…I’m going in. Okay?” Steve panics.

“Steve, just be yourself and scoop the ice cream,” I say.

“You know what? You know what? Screw company policy!” He throws me his sailor’s cap and I catch it.

“Oh, my God, you’re a whole new man,” Robin says.

“Right? Ooh.” Steve chuckles and shimmies his shoulders before turning to the customers.

Robin and I have giggling so hard at this point. I know this isn’t going to go well.

“Ahoy, ladies! Didn’t see you there!” He shouts to the girls. They look mortified. It was fantastic.

“Would you guys like to set sail on this ocean of flavor with me? I’ll be your captain. I’m Steve Harrington.”

“Oh my god,” Robin exclaims.

I can’t believe he just did that.

“Can I get you guys a little taste of the Cherries Jubilee? No? Anybody? Banana Boat? Four people, Four spoons? Share it in the booth? Anybody? It’s hot out there.” Steve just kept going.

“Robin?” I turn to her behind me.

“Yeah?” She manages to get out in between the chuckles.

“Can I see that marker real quick?” I held out my hand.

She smiles and hands it to me. I add a seventh tally to the board.

#steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things #robin buckley #steve harrington smut #steveharringtonxreader #stranger things season 4 #joyce byers #jim hopper #joyce x hopper #will byers #mikewheeler #will x mike #fanfic #ao3fic #slow burn #friends to lovers #smut fic

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wilmakins · 1 year

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shipper communities would be more tolerable if their ships somewhat speculative but instead they like gravitating to 2 (white) characters who hate each other's guts, constantly fight, even attempt to kill each other in every iteration and continuity (successfully on multiple occasions) but since ppl are convinced that discord/anger(or even hatred) btwn men is gay love that they'll "i need a fic/art" their way into replacing the guys' actual friends in their solo projects w the guy they hate

So, I’m going to try and answer this as best I can, but I should probably start with the disclaimer that I’m a really bad person to ask about ‘the shipping community’ in general. And I don’t just mean because you can’t really ask any one person for an overview of a community that big – I mean I would be a particularly bad person to ask. As you can probably tell from my blog, my Tumblr and Twitter are basically handled by the queue. I’m off the internet for days at a time, and then tend to catch up randomly in bursts. I have a very low follower/reader count, I’m not known in the community, I interact with very few people and at irregular intervals. As such, I frequently miss trends or dramas, I’m often unfamiliar with the terms or names being used, and I acknowledge that I simply don’t have enough – or wide enough – experience, to speak to overall trends in fandom.

This is not me saying those wider trends do not exist, or that they shouldn’t be discussed – I’m simply being honest that I’m not best placed to comment on ‘fandom’ as a whole, and I can therefore only answer from my own personal experience and perspective. I accept that my own experience might not be in any way representative of anything.

However, in my own personal experience, fandom is a bit like a massive toy box in a communal play room. It’s filled with dolls, and action figures, and stuffed animals, and bricks-

And, of course, the kids in that play room don’t need any of that.

They’re more than capable of coming up with entire fantasy worlds in their heads – hell, they’ll still be imagining most of their make-believe world, when they do reach for a toy to add to it. And yet they do reach for toys to include in their make-believe worlds – and, if those aren’t available, they’re use ornaments, rocks, sticks, whatever – because that helps make the imaginary world fun, and accessible. And it’s even more fun, if you can find a friend to share that imaginary world and play with you.

And, of course, the toys in that box have specific forms – that’s what make them fun in the first place. The fact that they look like a soldier or a bride or an elephant or a cash register, or whatever prop you want to add to your story, is part of why it’s more fun to play with the doll than a brick.

But little kids know that those forms aren’t prescriptive. They understand that these are just aids to imagination and fun and connection, and there isn’t really a ‘wrong’ way to see them-

Some kids go through the box looking for inspiration, and end up playing a game about flying elephants because they liked the stuffed elephant they just found.

Some kids are just massively into dinosaurs, and they’re going through that box looking for a prop to use in that game – and, voila, the stuffed elephant becomes a woolly mammoth. And there’s a reason that kid picks the elephant and not the cash register to be the woolly mammoth, and hey, if it works for them, then they’re using the elephant right.

Of course, there are some kids who decide that the plastic pear is a hand grenade and the GI Joe is a Starbucks and the stuffed elephant is a fruit bowl – and, shine on you crazy diamond. Enjoy your game.

And, yes, sometimes you’ll get a kid try to join the dinosaur game, and get upset because that’s not a woolly mammoth, and they don’t like the imaginary world being built here… and that’s usually fine. They go and join the flying elephant game, and leave the dinosaur kids to their woolly mammoth game, and in both cases it’s just nice that these kids got to share their daydreams and have fun together. Sometimes a kid is quite happy playing pear grenade on their own, and that’s okay too.

…And, yes, sometimes one kid will whack another kid over the head with a plastic guitar, and the other kid gets hurt… And yeah, that needs addressing. Just because imaginative play isn’t a bad or unhealthy thing in and of itself, that doesn’t make it a magical bubble where harmful behaviour doesn’t matter and you can do whatever the hell you want without thought.

And, yes, there is a value to looking at the general trends in the games children play, and asking what biases they may be displaying, and where those come from – and you can do that without spoiling anyone’s game. If, one day, I have a little girl who loves Princesses, and turns every doll and stuffed animal into a Princess so that they can play their favourite game, I’m not going to see any problem in her indulging her imagination however she likes. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with her liking Princess games, per say. I am, however, going to ask myself what sort of female heroes I’m exposing her to, if I’m exposing her to a wide enough range of female stories, if we need to have a conversation about how monarchy works in real life, etc. My point is that the two things are not mutually exclusive. You don’t have to deny yourself your interests or judge yourself for having them in order to be reflective of them.

And, in case you’re wondering where I’m going with this, fandom is an awful lot like that toybox.

Our favourite media provide us with a cast of characters and a range of scenarios, all with existing forms and backstories. And we, as fans, pick through that box of toys for the ones that best fit our daydreams-

And everyone does that. Not just in fandom.

We all indulge in mindless, happy daydreams on occasion – whether it’s of a handsome prince rescuing a princess, or scoring the winning goal at the world cup, or winning the X Factor, or telling your boss to fuck off – and we all make use of existing motifs to make those daydreams.

It’s just that people in fandom are playing their game with a friend.

Now, even without knowing much about fandom at large, I can assume that people will all have different reasons for picking different toys – and that they’ll all choose to do something different with the toys they choose.

Some people will watch the show and be inspired, creating new worlds out of the characters as they exist on the screen.

Some people will come to that toy box with a specific interest in mind. They’ll be looking for the characters that best fit their favourite type of story/best fit their personal kink/best reflect how they see themselves and their struggles/best demonstrate a particular point they’re trying to make to the world – and a thousand other things, I’m sure. They’ll find the characters that best fit what they’re looking for, and let their imagination do the rest. If you’re a fan of childhood sweetheart narratives or war time romances or the concept of soul mates, you can pick Steve Rogers out of the box, pair him with Peggy, and use all that existing characterisation and backstory to build your perfect story – ignoring or rewriting parts of the canon if you want to, the way a kid rewrites a stuffed cat into a lion. Close enough. If you prefer to examine conflict or you’re turned on by the seemingly transgressive nature of kissing someone who tried to kill you, you can take that same Steve Rogers character and pair him with Loki, or Zemo, or the Red Skull – and it doesn’t really matter whether that would’ve been a terrible plot line in the actual movie, because this is your story your telling. You’re just using an action figure to tell it with friends. If you really identify with Gamora and you really want to get railed by Steve Rogers, you can write that story – it doesn’t matter that they never actually met on screen. You’re writing the story of how they met. And, maybe, getting to share it with others who want to play the game with you.

In terms of why *I* ship the characters that I do – which, as I say, is all I can really speak to – I can say, for a start, that I don’t have many ships to reflect on. I am a hyper fixator (understatement) and when I get my hooks into a ship I will focus on that, and only that, for years at a time. When I say that Steve/Tony is my only interest… I really mean that canon analysis of CACW is my only interest, and I genuinely have written the same fix it fic like nine times now.

So, the full list, from age 13 until now is – Buffy/Spike (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) Doctor/Rose (Doctor Who), Doctor/Master (Doctor Who), Steve/Tony (MCU)

Obviously, these are not all M/M ships – but I acknowledge that they are all ships involving white characters and there are no F/F ships. I happen to agree that this is the sort of thing we should all take the time to reflect on, and I don’t think that asking myself those questions means that I can’t continue to enjoy my ship. It might mean changing things about the way I engage with that ship – but only if that self-reflection leads to the realisation that I’m doing something harmful, or averse to my actual values, in which case I’d rather work it out and stop doing it. And, to be honest, I don’t think a rundown of my reflections on this issue is really an answer to the main point of your post, and I’m really not an expert in these issues, and I doubt anyone is much interested in a snapshot of my personal musings – and this is already far too long. So, I won’t go into a side ramble about all my thoughts on that-

I will say, however, that I don’t want to be doing or saying things that are harmful, and that if you or anyone else wants to raise these issues with me, my inbox is always open, and I’m happy to have that conversation in whatever format you’re most comfortable with. As it happens, I’m open to all kinds of constructive criticism on my work (so you’re also welcome to let me know if you just think the writing sucks), but I think its especially important to be open to feedback of this kind. If, for example, you believe that *I* have ever unfairly side-lined a canon character in the interest of the romance plot, I would be grateful to hear your comments – that’s not something I’m trying to do with my work, and I’d only be happy to learn better how to avoid that.

However, getting back to what I think is the main point of your post – why the enemies to lovers? And yes, with the exception of a brief dalliance with Doctor/Rose, that is what all my ships have in common – because that *is* what I’m into. That’s the game I have in mind when I go to the toy box – it’s the reason those particular action figures are going to grab my attention first. And I’m sure that the many fans of enemies to lovers have different reasons for liking that trope, and for the ways they like to see it unfold – I can’t speak to that. I can only say that, for *me*, it’s an interest in examining conflict. I like unpicking arguments, looking at the points from different perspectives, asking myself what would have changed if different things had happened, asking myself what it would take to fix it… To be honest, I’m not a hugely imaginative person. You don’t see me constructing elaborate AUs or detailed fantasies. My fics are mostly media analysis essays disguised as stories, or thought experiments using Marvel examples. Half of my fics are rated T or G, and even the E rated ones are usually 100k words of introspection and then a very vanilla sex scene. The reason *I* gravitated towards Steve/Tony is because it’s a pairing with a lot of canon material to explore, and a reasonably vague central argument that can twist into lots of different ideas…

There’s a reason I don’t have a massive readership, to be honest.

Well, a few reasons, one of which is – as you can see – I ramble. But this is the answer to your question, or as best I can offer right now

Of course, if you’d like to continue the discussion, then feel free to message again.

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