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vtoriacore · 1 year

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✧ all eyes on you

note: this gotta be my fave vil piece ive ever written god damn i think this is me at my peak with writing. ill never write so well again and that sucks 💀 this is like 2.4k words and i swear half of it is vils outfit description /j someone also tell me why this is becoming a vil cantered blog LMAO

warning: slightly suggestive? bit of kissing at the end but nothing explicit! some jealousy that could be interpreted as slightly yandere/toxic but not really. gn!reader

synopsis: i cannot be bothered coming up with something elaborate after writing this. -> you're in a club. you dance w a random person. vil sees you. lights camera action bestie, the stage is yours to share and exit to the very end.

reblogs much appreciated, mwah 💞💓

He's already had too much Hennessy, he knew it. But looking at you through his translucent, violet sun glasses (perfectly matching his alluring eyes) he couldn't help but want to drink you in even more. It was no surprise you were here, in the same damn exclusive club as him, dancing with some nobody - no chemistry, no feelings attached.

He gripped the glass tighter, sharp lavender nails digging into his palm enough to leave marks. The sight was nothing short of infuriating, and he wanted to do nothing more but to rip you away from the leech vying for your attention when it should only be on him. Slamming the drink onto the table with a low growl, he stood up, all eyes immediately on him.

And why wouldn't they be? As always, he was the best dressed on the scene - the rich lilac, laced, mini slip-dress perfectly hugging his curves and off shoulder matching bolero cardigan accentuating his clavicles. And with every click of his six inch plum coloured t-strap d'orsay platforms (perfectly matching the beat of the current song) he grew more and more aware of the irony of the scene; virtually everyone was admiring his form, none of whom he would spare a single glance, but you.

Golden, diamond shaped earrings jangling as he walked (something he found rather irritating the more he focused on it), Vil tucked his purse closer to his side with a nonchalant flip of his platinum blonde locks. Normally, he'd feel very confident with his stature and mannerisms, but the way you still haven't graced him with even a single look, he felt it diminish. Oh, how he hated, down-right despised the effect you had on him! What right did you, so insignificant- ah no, that'd be too harsh considering he only ever silently sought out your approval and affection, but he'd digress. What right did you have making him feel this worthless, when he has never looked better? Never felt better?

The première of this new movie, Vil being the lead protagonist, was supposed to be the best fucking night of his life! He'd already strolled the red carpet as if he owned the event, knowing damn well it wasn't the truth because even then he was only seeking your eyes and finding them to be on anything but him. How could you disregard him so coldly, even now as he was approaching your form, more restless than ever?

"[Name], fancy seeing you here of all places," voice levelled, Vil addressed you directly; he wanted you to feel nervous under his gaze once you turned, it's what you deserve after causing him this much distress when it was supposed to be his big night. His official debut into the world of heroism.

"Ah, Schoenheit. Of course you'd run into me," he absolutely hated your wording, you were making him seem desparate - and although he was, you had no right even alluding to such thing!

"Disregarding that, it's quite rude not facing someone when they're speaking to you," he felt his nerves almost snap, seeing you turn around only to grace him with a teasing smirk, head tilted and eyes full of recognition.

"What, you miss me checking you out?" you licked your bottom lip, and it drove him almost as insane as your biting remark.

"I have the whole world focused on me, the last thing I'd need is you 'checking' me out," he rolled his eyes, shimmery gold eyeshadow accentuating the gesture.

"And here I thought we'd finally get some privacy so I could admire you," you laughed, and it brought him great satisfaction seeing the person behind you narrow their eyes in discontent. Without so much as a word, they slinked away with a small click of their tongue, something Vil would comment on in a later interview just out of spite. Was it petty? Maybe, but no one disrespects him and gets away with it - especially if they dare affiliate themselves with you.

"Is that what you were hoping for?" Vil raised a perfectly done eyebrow, crossing his arms in the process. He loved the way your eyes momentarily travelled to his chest before meeting his again.

"Sure, we can go with that if it soothes your ego," you looked to the left, observing the crowd watching the interaction with great interest before narrowing your eyes at the person who walked away from you. It irked him that you cared enough about that leech to even remember dancing with them, but your annoyance at them made it worth it - it was a sign you wouldn't seek them out at the very least!

"Interesting you'd say that, seeing your own just got shattered by . . . who was that again? One of the background characters who couldn't act to save their own life?" he knew his perfect, award winning smile would irritate you as always - it was both a great pleasure and a disdain seeing you vexxed by the accusation.

"You're the one who interrupted me, you know," you placed a hand on your hip, staring Vil down (well, up), and his eyes couldn't help but rake over the upper half of your body. He knew it was probably the alcohol doing most of the thinking, but coupled with the ultraviolet lighting , he just couldn't help but wonder how good you'd feel against him in that moment - away from prying eyes of course.

"I did you a favour dear, I assume you've seen them seizing up our director just then?" you merely shrugged at the assertion, instead focusing on your perfectly done nails.

"Yeah I figured they'd try him next, anything for the headlines speculating who they're fucking, no?" you smiled once you finished your unnecessary examination, looking at Vil once more. He couldn't help but let out a low chuckle at the accusation, so genuine it turned a few heads your direction once more. And oh did Vil absolutely relish the envious stares directed your way, knowing damn well none of them could take your place.

"Very bold statement, you do know it's going to make the news and affect my own reputation?" he leaned in, whispering directly into your ear and yet all you could focus on was the gold rimmed necklace with the initials of your first and last name. Once he pulled away, Vil simply smiled - the way you suddenly flushed up made him somewhat giddy. There was no way in hell you'd even direct your gaze on anything other than him for the rest of the night, and the countless rumours of this encounter coupled with the accessory were certainly going to keep you up at night.

"W-well . . . With what you're pulling right now, I could really say the same," he found your aggrevated stutter endearing, simply shrugging as if unaffected by anything you do when the contrary applied.

"You're acting as if it isn't going to be good publicity, with your role as the lead romantic interest, this could be good for both of us," Vil knew you couldn't disagree with this, watching as for once you tried coming up with something to dspute the statement, to no avail.

"Whatever, I've had too much to drink to deal with this," you sighed out, beginning to walk away from him. This of course, wouldn't do - you were once again making him seem as if he were the one that should be following after you.

"Right, goodnight [Name]," he nodded at your back, beginning to turn around only to stop short once he noticed you turn your head, eyes brimming with confusion; it was perfect, you didn't expect a single thing and fell straight for the bait!

" . . . Oh," you furrowed your eyebrows, so softly no one but him would catch on. He was so used to seeing and observing you that by now, Vil had perfectly memorised each and every one of your gestures and mannerisms. This, although something he prided himself on as he was quite perceptive, was simply maddening. His hyper-awareness of having you on his mind too much and for way too long didn't help this fact either.

"What is it?" he was going to get a straightforward answer from you for a change, and he realised you knew it from the little twitch of your lips. You certainly weren't an easy read, to the outsiders of course.

"Well, I just thought . . ." you were reluctant to voice your thoughts, coaxing him into softening his features as silent encouragement - something you picked up on after a few brief seconds.

"I just thought you might want to come somewhere more quiet, with me" you almost whispered, no doubt letting the alcohol affect some of your judgement. Under normal circumstances, Vil knew you'd probably make more sassy remarks but this? You weren't even attempting to make your tone seem insincere, face devoid of your usual show of defiance to anything he does. Such simple action, and yet it had his pulse quicken by too much of a large margin to be considered a normal reaction.

"On second thought, that seems like the perfect remedy for my oncoming headache," he let a faux smile overtake his face, walking closer and closer up to you, until your arms were brushing against each other. To anyone else, it'd simply seem as though the club was too full, but you both knew the intimacy that came with the action - Vil found it unnerving, just how warm it made his face feel when he's already kissed you countless times, both in practice and for the official filming of the scenes. But he did suppose this was something done out of one's volition, so who could realistically fault him for feeling this way?

"You know, absolutely no one uses the corner booths, even though they're all secluded from the main body of the building and perfect to hide away," you spoke up, rather shyly for someone of your disposition, but Vil found it absolutely delightful. Everything he'd done in an effort to get you to himself was finally paying off.

"Well, this is a club for a reason. Most people don't come here to sit around," he purposefully brushed his fingers against yours, the cold, no doubt expensive jewelled rings causing goosebumps to erupt all over your arm.

"Hah, surely they get tired at some point," you playfully rolled your eyes as the both of you walked through a dark archway, music slowly fading to a pleasant, muted buzz.

"Alcohol seems to have the opposite effect it's supposed to when you're clubbing, you'll come to learn soon enough," Vil flashed you a smirk, his cherry red lips catching your attention momentarily before you glanced away. He wondered if he should be happy at your sudden change of personality- was this the real you or just another elaborate show? Either way, he loved it.

"Are you implying something there, Schoenheit?" your teasing, accusatory remark made him click his tongue in a faux display of displeasure before he replied with his own, "Must you analyse every one of my statements?"

"It's not my fault they're usually loaded," your genuine giggle almost made him break the façade.

"How flattering you think me this complex," your smile dropped at that before you turned to fully face Vil, almost catching him off guard as he stopped to mirrror your action with intrigue painting his lilac irises.

"You are," barely two words and he could feel his breath hitch - and the worst part, he didn't even know why! Was it the lack of people around that made this moment feel so intimate? Or was it the courtesy of the dim room with its scarlet lighting making it seem like some romantic scene from a movie?

"You know . . . I still don't understand," you started to speak, voice low yet sincere. He felt himself drawing in a breath but before he could ask anything you spoke up yet again, "Am I overthinking it . . . ?"

"Overthinking what?" it was a miracle he could even speak clearly with how intently you were observing him. He knew he looked perfect, but with your gaze boring so deeply into him, he felt like you could see every flaw - he can't recall a time he felt so vulnerable.

"Ah . . . Nevermind. Ignore me, I wasn't thinking straight," your sudden shake of the head popped the bubble of tension you both felt. Vil felt his eyebrows furrow, a slight pout forming on his face.

"No. You will tell me," he asserted with a hardened resolve, coming ever closer to you as you backed up; his step forward, your step back. Rinse and repeat. Yet when your back had finally hit the ebony wall, you averted your gaze instead of saying anything.

"[Name], I'm serious, don't make me pry it out a different method," Vil leaned in closer to you, grabbing your chin gently to make you look right at him. He'd be damned if he let you slip away now, just when you were about to reveal everything.

"Are you serious, though?" your disappointed gaze had his heart momentarily shatter and before his emotions got the better of him, you once again murmured before he could even breathe, "about me . . .?"

His lips parted, and for the first time in what felt like forever, he felt speechless. Was there even a way for him to convey just how serious he was about you using words, using actions, using feelings alone? Vil could physically feel the pressure of the tension pushing down onto him, and his grip on you loosened.

"I-I see," you closed your eyes in defeat at the silence, and in that very moment he hated himself more than ever.

"I am. Believe me, I am so very serious, so very sure about you. Forgive my silence, I didn't expect to . . . " he trailed off, not thinking straight when you graced him with the sight of your brilliant eyes once more. The surprised flush of your cheeks made him feel slightly nervous; his feelings were out in the open, but would you reciprocate?

He didn't need to ponder the question too long, for in the next moment and without any hesitation, you were pulling him flush against you in an effort to connect your lips. He found himself tilting his head, slipping his sunglasses off with one hand before abandoning them and his purse both on the ground. It didn't matter they were both expensive and about to be ruined, not when the price of your feelings would be too disrespectful to compare to some lousy materialistic items he could replace later.

His hands found purchase on your waist, gently caressing the curvature in an effort to memorise every inch; the way you leaned into him more had him ignoring his burning lungs as they cried out for oxygen. With the way you felt against him, Vil only wanted to breathe you in; everything else be damned. He couldn't deny the disappointment when you had pulled away, but the sight of your burning face and lidded eyes made it worth breaking away anyway.

"I- . . . Damn, I'm sorry," your sudden nervous laugh caused a small smile to rise up on his own flushed face.

"You will be. No one gets away smudging my lipstick darling," you relaxed into Vil's arms at the remark, and he absolutely relished in the bliss of your content gaze and serene demeanor.

"And how do I pay back, hm?" you regained your confidence, but found it quickly simmer down once he spoke again, "Let me smudge yours even more."

You didn't hesitate to pull him back in for a second.

#twst x reader #twisted wonderland x reader #twisted wonderland #twst #twst vil x reader #vil schoenheit x reader #vil schoenheit #twst vil #twst reader insert #im so normal about this man i swear please believe me #no delusions #anyways moving onto writing some rook stuff next there isn't enough content for that man

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evertidings · 9 months

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— AUGUST 2023.

accomplishments.

uh, so aside from almost dying of heatstroke yesterday (not literally, i'm just dramatic, though i will say i felt faint) i've been good lately. what about you? ahem.

writing's been going. going well, you could say. going horribly wrong in other ways, you could also say. last i updated, i said i had about 35% of the opening branches done. we're at 80% now. whoooooop! i'd estimate maybe about 50% of the chapter is done then? maybe 45%, but i'm trying to be optimistic here. because they're branches and kind of repetitive (it's basically writing similar things in different fonts), you may have seen me vent out my frustrations once or twice. maybe three times. K was the bane of my existence for a bit before the title was given to Rylan, where i could actually feel them mocking me for my writer's block. thankfully, that's over and done with and i only have one left so, fingers crossed i don't start slamming my head against the wall again.

as previously mentioned, the next half of the chapter is much more linear and should (emphasis on should) be easier to write, but as i was just saying on patreon, these things kind of have a life of their own. i say that and then i'll be typing something completely different from what i have planned, making it twenty times more difficult than it should've been. that's just how i do things.

in case you missed it (typing even this makes me giggle), i recently went on an angst fest and posted some super fun, fluffy and heartwarming drabbles for each of the ros. no hurt involved. just a bunch of cutesy things. so so adorable. you can find them here <3

take care of yourselves everyone :))

stats.

448,542 words (+16,450)

#update #when twilight strikes #the midnight hours #interactive fiction #twine game

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linawritestwst · 2 years

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Could you write about Rollo, left with all the unforgettable memories and peculiar feelings after y/n went back to NRC, in the City of Flower, just to realize that he was going through lovesickness? For what he decided to do after then, I’ll leave it to you 🥺. As long as yandere is not used, it’s all okay for me. Thank you for reading this (even if it’s accepted or not)! And thank you a million times if this is written 💖.

P/s: This is the first time I requested for writings, so if there’s anything that is at fault, please forgive me 🙇🏻‍♀️.

rollo missing you after you go back to nrc headcanons (gn!reader)

don't worry, your request is so cute, i had so much fun writing it! i even got a bit emotional while writing it, haha ;w;

and yes, you can see my headcanons for the nbc students' personalities here, haha-

♡ rollo didn't expect it himself, however, he really did get attached to you, even though you didn't spend that much time together. but maybe it wasn't that unpredictable, at first he got interested in you because you were the only magicless person here, so naturally he liked you more than all other students. he also felt bad for you, when he heard about your situation, he's sorry that all those magicians were still not able to help you go back to your world. how can they be so irresponsible? it's almost like they don't care about you at all.. however, as he got to know more about you and what kind of person you are, you being a "normal" human became just one of the many things he liked about you.

♡ sadly, even though he really wanted to talk to you more, he was still busy with this whole event and he had to check on other students as well. and it's not like he could just forget about that plan of his.. ah, speaking of that, when you told rollo that you think magic is not as bad as he thinks, that.. that was really painful for him. he thought that you were better than this, he thought that you will definitely agree with him! but then he tried to come up with an explanation for your behavior. maybe you just got manipulated by other nrc students? yes, that must be it, you're just an innocent victim, you have no idea what's wrong and what's right! and that made rollo want to protect you even more.

♡ rollo is surprised that you still don't hate him after everything that he has done. don't you think he deserves to be punished for his actions? he tried to take away everyone's powers and some of those students were.. uh, people who you call your friends. yes he still thinks that all magic users have bad intentions. be patient with him, he needs some time so you say to him that after everything you had to deal with because of nrc students, you just got used to this kind of stuff. you even laugh and say that you have to admit, rollo managed to impress you a little. you probably shouldn't act like this, after all, this is a very bad situation and if others weren't able to beat rollo, many people would lose their magic forever. but hey, you have to cope with it somehow. rollo can't understand your logic at all, but.. to be honest, he's relieved that you don't hate him.

♡ when you have to leave, rollo tries really hard not to show it, but he doesn't want to let you go. he doesn't know why he feels like this and he's not sure if he wants to know. he thinks that it's simply because, again, you are magicless, so he's gonna miss being able to talk to someone who's not a magic user, especially someone this kind and smart and- okay, he's getting those weird thoughts again. and he knows it probably sounds stupid, but he feels like you don't want to leave him? it took some time for you to let go of rollo's hand when you said goodbye and you kept looking at him while preparing to leave with others. maybe it's just you being polite or something like that, but for some reason rollo really hopes that it's something more than that.

♡ after you left, everything became so.. boring? no, not really boring, but it's like.. when you were here, rollo even felt kind of excited for the first time in many years. and you actually noticed that as well, because when he was talking to you, he looked like he genuinely wanted to know your opinion and your thoughts, he wanted to understand you better and he listened carefully to every word you said. you even thought it was cute, haha. but you're not here anymore and yeah, rollo feels a bit lonely now. he writes about his feelings in his diary and he hopes that no one will ever read it, because if they find out about what he's going through.. that's gonna be embarrassing. other nbc students can notice him acting weird too, he's much more forgetful now and he always looks like there's something on his mind and he can't focus on anything. they even start to worry about him and they make sure their student council president is taking care of himself.

♡ rollo still can't understand why exactly he's feeling like this and it bothers him a lot. he's such a smart and intelligent person, he always gets the best grades and he's the pride of noble bell college, he's supposed to know something like this, right? but maybe he's just a more "logical" type of person and he doesn't know much about emotions. he probably should ask someone for help, but he doesn't want to admit that he's feeling this way because of you. what would other students think? he eventually decides to mention it while talking to his assistant and his vice president, since they are the people who he trusts the most. their reactions? "um, how should i put this.. maybe you've actually got feelings-" "yeah, you're totally in love with them."

♡ so yeah, this guy just found out that he has a crush on you and he misses you exactly because of that. he hates to admit that everything is making so much sense now, he has no idea why he realized it just now. he really doesn't know anything about feelings, romance and stuff like that.. so now he's being teased by his fellow student council members and he also has to decide what he should do with these feelings. maybe he will forget about it eventually- okay, no, he won't. he thinks about you literally every day, he remembers every single conversation you two had and he's very worried about you, he hopes that nrc students are not causing too much trouble right now. and what if he's the only one who feels this way? what if you actually don't care about him at all and you've already forgot about him? thinking about it brings him so much pain, but he has to accept it. he should just move on and focus on his duties, he doesn't have any time for romance anyway.

♡ rollo thought about contacting you in some way, but he gave up every time he tried to do it. and whenever other student council members asked him about it, he just said that he's too busy, even though the true reason was him being too shy. come on, how is he supposed to talk to you after those events?? "hey, i'm that guy who tried to steal everyone's magic, remember me? yeah, wanna go on a date?" no, he's not gonna do that. so he just keeps overworking himself and trying to forget about you, but for some reason he still can't. also is it just him or other nbc students are more busy too these days? maybe it's because of exams or something like that.. that's what he thought, but then one day, his vice president and assistant ran to him, looking excited, like they had something important to tell him. "hey, hey, so we knew that we have to help you because you're obviously in love with y/n, but you're still here, not doing anything about it and-" "we are so sorry, we know that this is sudden, but we sent a letter to y/n and asked them to come to the city of flowers again, if they want and they have time for that! we just thought that you will feel better if you see them again.." "yeah, and it turns out that they would love to visit us! so you better get ready, this is your chance to confess your feelings for them!"

#twisted wonderland #disney twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland imagines #twst imagines #twst headcanons #twst x reader #rollo flamm #rollo flamm x reader #rollo flamme #rollo flamme x reader

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damnation-if · 1 year

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I just want to say, as a certified monster fucker, I'm already in love with your story hahaaa <3 I'm glad we're getting more adult stories and the themes in this one are so intriguing, can't wait for the rest ! Alsooo, I really liked the way you describe things? I do not know how to explain it haha but I could easily visualize what was happening and the general atmosphere you're going for and I thought that was neat :^)

thank you so much for your kind words!! i truly appreciate them and i'm so glad the descriptions were to your liking! i have at least some level of aphantasia, so i'm always worried that i'm not describing things enough haha... glad that doesn't seem to be the case!

i was actually talking to my friends just yesterday about how there's relatively few Creacher-y ROs around... so for whatever reason, i guess because it's on my mind, i thought i'd take a bit of time/space here to mention all of the Monsterfucker Approved (TM) ROs that i could come up with, in case anyone else might be interested. this list isn't meant to be exhaustive (in case i miss anyone) as sadly i am yet to become all-seeing and all-knowing 😔

Creacher (Alien)

Rhaxa and Imxa from Project Hadea by my beloved @nyehilismwriting. spikey, scaley, bitey, etc. 👌i also love and appreciate the attention to detail put into worldbuilding for the different ways their species communicates and thinks and so on, showing the culture gaps between them and humans. quality buggies!

Creacher (Eldritch)

Roach from The Passenger... the mc is also an eldritch creacher in this one, which may add or subtract to the enjoyment for various different people lol

Sysba from Attollo; i also think this game in general is pretty monster friendly, with a bunch of monstrous side characters and so forth. the cool kind of neo-gothic vibes give it a feeling a bit akin to a cyberpunk Penny Dreadful... it's about as Monsterfucker as cyberpunk gets i think!

Beacon from Stygian: The Abyssal Lighthouse by my good friend @salty-stories. this one is probably the most Lovecraftian of the eldritch creachers i think, heavy Call of Cthulhu vibes. it's still in progress but i'm personally willing to wait haha

Creacher (Parahuman)

Lorelei and The Other from The Golden Harp; pirates and sirens and mermaids, oh my!

Danny and Isla from When It Hungers by the wonderful @roast-ifs ... the game is still on hiatus but it still lives rent-free in my head always... the monster mcs are So *chef's kiss*

Oisein from The Nameless; due to the sheevra mc there's a Lot of really cool exploration of the boundaries of humanity and stuff like that... we love a "nonhumans shouldn't be able to feel/do this" story... we love it a Normal amount for sure.

Creacher (Indefinable)

Trace from Greenwarden by @fiddles-ifs; an iconique creacher... the game itself also has excellent kind of Appalachian gothic/supernatural vibes and a dark undercurrent of Lurking Monster Foreboding.

Games with Applicably Creacher-esque Vibes

Virtue's End by my beloved friend dani... the ROs might be human, but the mc most certainly is not<3 dark fantasy and sumptuous Monster vibes, what more can you ask?

anything by the extremely talented @thirtybythirty (links to their games in their pinned post). everything they write has a compelling undercurrent of... eldritch existentialism. perhaps the creacher is in fact the Narrative... or maybe the humans were the creachers all along...

the fabulous OFNA: Birds of a Feather - it has the perfect combination of things Not Quite Human and Not Quite Right to create a rich and ominous atmosphere, well-worth playing even though everyone is Technically human lmfao

anyway sorry for rambling on and i'm sure there's a bunch i have missed but. i do feel like it's worth giving praise where it's due for games and writers that we appreciate! thank you again for your kind message (and for giving me a chance to talk about this a bit lol)

#what does the chaos mirror see #glucosify #long post.#passing these notes out at the monthly monsterfucker conference #sorry to put trace in their own category but. also i feel like they'd have it no other way lmfao #avoiding putting my games on here like a good boi... especially the ones i haven't written yet #there's also sort of monster-adjacent things like leftski-if's orcs and werewolves but #there sort of opens up a rabbithole once you get into. Nontypical Humanoids #like i had this problem with a lot of demon!ROs as well they're kind of. Mostly Human #like don't get me wrong i enjoyed keeper of the sun and moon for example but the cambions and nephilim are not. Particularly Inhuman #however obviously my categorisations are very arbitrary and i'm not. gatekeeping monsters XD just for the sake of this post not being longe

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justmeinadaze · 2 years

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Pushing the Barrier ( Eddie X Reader)

A/N: So this one needs some explanation. Idk why it popped in my head but lol there's a movie I like with Cillian Murphy called Breakfast on Pluto. There's a scene in that movie where his character works at a strip club in Ireland but instead of being like a normal style strip club there are rooms that are cut in half. On one side is a glass case where she sits on a swing and talks to the men that come in. They can see her but she can't see them. That was my inspiration for where Eddie working in this one. There are other movies that have places like this but I love that one and Cillian Murphy is always a win lol I did set this in New York because I didn't think Hawkins would have a place like this.

Warnings: I am classifying this as Stripper Eddie even though he doesn't dance. Lol. Reader is unhappily married. A bit of angst here with much pining. Some smut for sure. I would like to make more parts to this and explore this a bit more but only if you guys like it. I definitely enjoyed writing it.

Word Count: 3196

You hugged your arms around you as you walked down the wet streets of New York. You and your husband had gotten into another fight when he came home late from work for the third time that week.

“You said you would be home three hours ago! We were going to go out for dinner and finally spend some time together!”

“Y/N, I don’t know what you want from me. I work! Do you like this apartment and these fancy fucking clothes?! Someone has to work for them, babe.”

“Oh, fuck you and your self-righteous bullshit. I work and I buy my own clothes.”, you gesture at the dress you were wearing, “Just because you bought me this doesn’t mean you pay for my wardrobe!”

He stomped out of the apartment then and a few moments later so did you. You couldn’t stand to be there by yourself any longer. You roamed aimlessly for a while before the rain started coming down heavily.

“Fuck!”, you exclaim, quickly dashing into the nearest building.

“Whoa! It’s really coming down out there.” A tall, beautiful woman greets you with a beautiful smile as she hands you a towel from behind her counter.

“Oh. Thank you. Yeah, it is.”

“Are you alright? You look like you’ve had a rough night.”

“I’m okay. Just…marital disputes.”

She chuckles to herself. “I understand that my dear. After my second divorce I said, ‘Never again!’. Then fate led me here.” She sweeps her hand around the building. “Maybe it’s just what you need as well.”

You finally take a good look around, squinting at the pictures of half-naked men and women on framed up on her walls. The signs on her desk had prices for set times of “shows” and thick binder of filled with people who were available to be viewed.

“Um, I’m not really into this.”

She laughs again as she leans her back against the wall. “Now I know what you’re thinking. I’m not really into that kind of thing either but everyone is different. This isn’t a regular ‘stripper’ style joint I run. Yes, some people want them to get naked and dance sexily. Some people just want to sit and talk. Whether it’s dirty talk or regular conversation is completely up to the client.” She scans over your apprehensive face.

“You know what? You’re first round is on me and I think I have the perfect gentleman for you.” The woman reaches for your arm and starts guiding you through the curtain behind her counter, down a long hallway.

“Miss, I can’t—”

“Oh, come on. It is pouring and I’m not going to send you back out into that.” She stops outside of a door and turns to you. “Now here’s how it works. It will just be you and him. He will be behind the glass but it’s two way so you can see him but he can’t see you unless you want him to. I usually charge per hour but since this is free take all the time you need. When you’re done just exit and leave through that back door over there. We pride ourselves on privacy.”

She winks before opening the door and practically shoving you inside.

“Fucking hell! No need to be so aggressive.”

“Mira can be a little rough, can’t she?”

You turn around to the sound of a male voice chuckling behind you. The only light illuminating the room is the dim pink neon bulbs lining the ceiling and the massive stage style light in the glass cube in front of you.

There’s a man behind its walls sitting in gigantic thrown style chair, strumming at a guitar. His long, wavy hair hung down to his shoulders and a gorgeous smile was currently stretched across his face. He tapped his bare foot against the floor as he played his instrument that was leaning on his shirtless chest. You could vaguely make out the tattoos along his body. His legs were still covered with his jeans, making you wonder if his ink on his skin trailed below his waist.

“Whoa. I didn’t lose you now, did I?”

“Um, no. Hey. I mean hi.” You clear your throat, stammering over your words as you sit in the recliner style chair. “Can you…can you really not see me?”

His smile grows as he shakes his head. “Nope. I can just see myself. Thank God I’m so damn good looking.”

A genuine laugh escapes you as you cover your mouth to stifle it. It had been a while since anyone made you laugh like that.

“Aw, no Sweetheart. Don’t cover up that giggle. It’s cute.” He leans back in his seat getting more comfortable. “Can I ask what your name is?”

“Y/N.”

“That’s a pretty name.”

“Mhmm. I bet you say that to everyone.” He playfully scoffs at your response. “Am I allowed to ask for your name?”

“You can ask me anything you want. I’m here for you. My name is Eddie.”

“Like Iron Maiden.” Eddie’s fingers freeze as he looks up at the glass in front of him. “That’s their mascot, right? The guy on all their tape covers.

He set the guitar down to the side. “I have never met a woman who knew that.” Eddie’s head tilts to the side as his eyes continue to scan in front of him. “Wow. I’ve also never hated having this glass blocking me before either.”

“The lady said you couldn’t see me unless I wanted you to. There’s nothing you can do?”

He shakes his head again as he stands up, walking forward. His long, index finger points somewhere towards his left. “There’s a switch over there that can flip off the settings and allow me to see you. As you can imagine a lot of people prefer to remain hidden.”

“So, you do do other things besides just talking and playing guitar?”

A coy smile spreads across his lips as he sits back down in his chair. “I’m here for your pleasure.” Eddie takes note that you don’t continue by playing on his words like his other clients usually do. “Y/N? Can I ask something else?”

You nod before you realize he can’t see it. “Sure. You can ask me anything.”

“Why are you here? Not that I don’t like your company but this doesn’t feel like your usual scene.”

“It’s storming outside and I needed a place to hide so I ran into the nearest building. I had no idea what this place was.”

“Why were you walking around outside so late at night?”

“My husband and I got into a fight.” Eddie leans forward waiting for you to continue. “We were supposed to go out for dinner but he said he was working late. He’s always working late.” You get up from your seat and start pacing the tiny room.

“I’m sorry, Y/N. That sounds lonely.”

“I just didn’t want to be in the apartment by myself right now.”

Eddie rises again crawling down on the floor towards the front of his chamber. He crosses his legs, staring at the void that is his reflection. “Do you really believe he’s at work?”

“Of course! He’s a businessman. Where else would he be?”

“Hey now, Princess. I’m just asking questions.” He holds up his palms in defense. “I only meant that even if I was president, if I had a dinner date with you, I wouldn’t miss it.”

“Yeah well, you’re a stripper or whatever the fuck this is so you wouldn’t understand, would you?”

Eddie’s eyes fell and you immediately regretted getting defensive. You walk toward him and lightly tap on the glass. His head comes up as his gaze meets the sound. You knock on it again as he crawls forward, pressing his hand up against it. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“Don’t worry about it. This?”, he gestures towards the room. “I do this for the money and its good money. Yeah, sometimes I jack off for strangers or just take off my clothes while they say dirty shit but I’m not going to do this forever.”

You reach up pressing your palm against his outside the glass. At that moment, you wish you could touch him. You wished you could feel his arms wrap around you and taste those beautiful lips against yours. He seemed so vulnerable in that moment you wanted to do whatever you could to make him feel better. Whether that meant going to dinner or riding him until he came inside you, you weren’t sure.

That’s when the guilt started taking over. You were married! You shouldn’t be thinking like this. This was wrong.

“Eddie, I’m, um, I’m sorry I have to go.” You quickly began gathering your things.

“Wait, Y/N, you don’t have to—”

The sound of the slammed door cut him off as you ran down the hallway and out the back door.

##############

“Y/N!” Your husband’s aggressive tone snaps you back into reality.

“For the love of God, yes?!”

“I’m talking to you here. Are you listening?”

That following Saturday, you husband tried to apologize to you by taking you out to dinner. You were hoping for a more romantic setting but this in and out style place was fine. At least he was actually there with you and not at the office.

“I’m listening, honey. I hear you.”

You glance around the restaurant as he goes on about some mundane office gossip. The door to the building dinged as it was opened and someone rushed inside, wiping his boots against the mat before walking further in.

Eddie.

Your brain froze as you watched him move. Your first instinct was to hide before you remembered he hadn’t seen your face that night. Seeing him outside of that glass case was so surreal.

“Are you finished? I am. Why don’t you wait here while I go pay.”

“No! I mean, no. I’ll stand with you.” His eyebrows come together as you smile him.

Your eyes drink him in as you and your husband wait behind Eddie to pay. His hair was down and slightly frizzy from the rain outside. His leather jacket and blue jean vest rested on his broad shoulders perfectly, making your mouth water. The blue jeans were more or less the same that he had on before except for the chain that hung below his pocket and the studded belt that wrapped around his waist.

He turned around suddenly smacking chest first into you.

“Whoa! Sweetheart, I am so sorry.” Hearing his voice so crystal clear reverberated through your body down to you core. His cologne hit your nostrils, making you wish you could lay your head against his chest all day.

“Hey guy! Watch where you are going!” Your husband shouts, pulling you to the side.

“Yeah, like I said. I’m really sorry. Just trying to get some food and get to work.” Eddie’s eyes flick to your own. “I’m sorry.” Before you can respond, he quickly shuffles out the door.

##################

“Ahhhh Y/N! Good to see you again.” Mira smiles as you cautiously enter the building. “I must say, I didn’t think you’d be coming back.”

“I, um, is Eddie here?”

Her eyes playfully squint in your direction. “He was that good huh? Yup, Eddie is here and he is available but no free rides this time. I will have to charge you.”

You hand her some cash before she beams over at you, grabbing your hand, and guiding you down that familiar hallway. This time you open the door and walk right in.

You let out a thankful sigh when you see him sitting in his usual chair. Tonight, he was just wearing some blue boxers as he leaned back, heavy eyes staring ahead of him at the glass.

“You look exhausted.”

You watch as his eyes light up at the sound of your voice. “Y/N? Hey. I thought I lost you.”

“Naw. I’m not going to lie; you scared me a little bit last time.”

Eddie’s eyes flashed concern. “Did I come on to strong?”

“No but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’m attracted to you.”

He smiles as he stands up, walking towards the glass. “It’s probably even weirder for me to say I’m attracted to you to.”

“You don’t know me.”

“I’d like to.” He eyes scan the lower part of the glass where he assumes you are. “I’ve been thinking about your voice all week. Imagining the lips that voice belongs to.” His grin widens when he hears a pleasurable sigh leave you. “What made you come back to me, Princess?”

“I saw you today. Outside.”

Eddie looks up towards the ceiling, trying to remember everywhere he had been that day. “Where?”

“I can’t tell you. You were very close to me though. You looked really handsome even with your frizzy, wet hair.” You giggle at him and he can’t help but bite his bottom lip at the sound. “It was kind of odd hearing your voice outside of here. You being so close that I could smell you.”

He sauntered closer till he was almost pressed up against the glass in front of him. “And how did that make you feel?”

You tapped the barrier between you and he glanced in that direction getting down on his knees. He couldn’t see it but he was almost face to face with you. You knock on it again causing him to smile as he knocks back.

“Tell me, baby. Please. I want to hear it.”

“Your voice sounded so beautiful. I felt my panties get wet listening to you.”

Eddie licked his lips as he swallowed down a moan. His palm came down to graze the growing tent in his boxers. “Is this ok?”, he whispers.

“Yeah, it’s ok.”

“Are, are you wet right now?”

You could have faked it. You could have told him you were without checking but it felt wrong in some way. EVERYTHING about this was wrong but you didn’t care at that moment.

Reaching your fingers into your pants and past the waistband of your panties, you dip your fingers between your folds against your clit.

“I am really fucking wet.” You both chuckle.

Eddie pulls his cock out, spitting on his hand before stroking it onto himself. You groan at the sight of him, pressing your forehead against the wall as you watch him. You start rubbing fast circles into your swollen nub.

His palm presses into the glass as he throws his head back in ecstasy. “Fuck. I wish I could see you.”

Opening your legs a bit wider, you push two fingers into your entrance. Eddie whimpers when he hears you moan. “Jesus, please tell me what you’re doing over there.”

“I’m fingering myself.”

“Mmmm. How many fingers?” He moans when you answer him, pumping his cock faster with his fist. “Is that all you can fit? Fuck. Just imagining my dick in that tight pussy. You whispering filthy words to me with that beautiful fucking voice.”

“Eddie.” Your hand slams up towards the window, meeting his own as you thrust you fingers into you aggressively.

“That’s right, baby. Make yourself cum. Fuck I bet you look so fucking gorgeous right now.”

His name continues to fall from your lips as the coil snaps and you feel yourself tighten around your fingers. You look up at him just in time to see his body shiver before ropes of his seed come out of his cock onto the floor in front of him.

Eddie lifts his head and for a moment you think he can actually see you. You’re not sure if it’s something in his eyes or the endorphins coursing through your body but you reach over with your right hand flicking the switch on the cube.

He blinks for a second, letting his eyes adjust before his gorgeous chocolate eyes land on yours. You see the recognition cross through his mind, remembering how he accidently ran into you today.

Suddenly the lights in the room flash twice signaling the end of your hour. Mira’s voice drifts through an intercom above your head.

“Alright, mama. Time is up. Eddie, I’m giving you one more client in 30minutes so be ready.”

You back away from the glass, looking away as you reach for your things.

“Wait! No, no, no. Don’t leave.” He stands up quickly, pleading with his face.

“I have to. I—”

The door abruptly opens as Mira gestures towards you. “Come on, Honey. I’d offer another hour but someone else came in.”

Eddie smacks the barrier with his hand. “Fuck off, Mira! Can’t you give them to someone else?”

“Oh, someone is feisty tonight.” She gives him a look before lightly pushing you out the door. You can hear the string of expletives leaving his mouth as you exit and head down the hallway. “Alright, baby. Come back again, ok?”

Once you’re outside, you finally allow yourself to breathe. You lean your back against the building as the tears start to flow. I’m so stupid. This is wrong and even if it wasn’t… What did I think was going to happen?

“Y/N!” Your head shoots up to see shirtless Eddie with jeans and untied boots running down the alleyway. You turn to leave but he’s quicker as he appears in front of you. “Wait. Please!” He places his hands on his waist as he pants. “Fuck, I really need to quit smoking.”

Your exasperated giggle makes him smile. “Your husband was the asshole who scolded me?”

You sigh as you nod. “I’m sorry.” A shaky sigh leaves his own mouth at the sound of your voice outside of the room. “He can be a bit uptight.”

“I, uh, hope I didn’t come off like a jerk or anything. When I saw you in there…I just… you’re so beautiful.”

You reach your fingers towards him, caressing his cheek. “This isn’t right. I should go home.”

“To be alone?”

Eddie’s arms fly forward, pulling you to him as his lips crash to yours. Your other hand comes up to his face, holding him to you. The taste of him was better than you imagined.

“Eddie Munson!” Mira’s voice carries down the alley. Your mouth chases his as he pulls away. “I swear to God, if you don’t get back in there I will fire you!”

“I’m coming! Give me a god damn second!”

Your hands glide down his chest as he turns his attention back to you. “You should get back in there.”

“Can I see you again?”

“Eddie, I don’t know…”

“Look, no pressure.” He reaches into his jeans and pulls out a small yellow flyer, handing it to you. “My band is playing here on Wednesday. You can come, hang out, listen to us play, and then after we can talk.”

His lips find yours again before receiving an answer. As he pulls away, his thumb traces your lips as he smiles. “It feels so good just to be able to touch you.” With that he turns on his heels, running back towards the front of the building.

#eddie munson #eddie fanfic #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson smut #eddie stranger things #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things #joseph quinn #joseph quinn fluff #joseph quinn fanfiction #joseph quinn smut #joseph quinn stranger things #fan fiction #eddie munson fanfic #eddie x reader #eddie x y/n #eddie x fem!reader

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herotome · 5 months

Text

Devlog #125

Hi-ho, Wudge here! Gosh! I missed last week's update.

Happy holidays from Herotome!!

I haven't drawn anything this year-- oh but hmm, I could do a quick edit, here -

Tadah! For anyone who hasn't already seen it, we got those 50 reblogs to make Warden shirtless! A pure version without the christmas lights went up yesterday, just scroll down my blog a bit or check out the #ro: warden hashtag.

I'm pleased with how much mileage I'm already getting from this picture, ha.

Anyway.

Seems like I'm gonna be focused on writing new scenes and drawing expressions for a while. They're some of the more tedious tasks for me, so I'll certainly be looking for every opportunity to do other things on the side - like coding.

Today I've decided that the LI sprites should have their eyebrows on a separate layer from the rest of their face, to offer me the greatest amount of variety in creating new expressions - and I've come up with a naming system for it, too!

I'm looking forward to implementing this. Eyebrow shapes have much, much less variety compared to mouth shapes, so I might even finish drawing every possible eyebrow for every LI sometime soon. I've already gotten a strong start with Warden and Mia's eyebrows.

Speaking of, I did turn in more expressions over on Ko-Fi!

Tadah!! Thank you again to everyone who has donated so far!

I'm realizing that in the set dedicated to Dia, Warden and Mia have the same mouth shape on the upper right side... A fascinating subconscious decision on my part.

Outside of art, I did write... once. Er, it went pretty okay. I'm usually the biggest hater of my first drafts.

I think my goal is gonna be to show off the abilities of all the characters as equally as I can; Warden and Jade have had their time to shine (during the job fair and flying MC home, respectively), and I think MC, Griffin, and Mia are gonna be queued up next.

I'll put the rest under a cut for potential spoilers and further rambling - as always, if you don't see the cut, make sure to check out my blog directly!

I have a good idea of what I wanna do with Griffin (it may or may not involve obliterating your rent debt, and I may or may not have written about that in the first-draft-I-don't-hate).

I've been thinking that this scene would involve a change of clothes btw, and did some fashion concepts for Griffin that I also don't hate;

I'm not super sure what I'm gonna do for Mia's eventual ~special show-off scene~, but I'm sure it will come to me.

For MC, I want to show off her relationship with the city, and showcase how qualified she is for the job in a low-key way. I recently discussed with a friend how Men in Black is a huge source of inspiration for me... Y'all know the scene where Will Smith has his interview and did things differently from all the other candidates?? I kinda wanna capture that vibe...!

And ah... I think that's about it, Herotome-wise.

Wudge-wise, honesty hour - I've had ssssome mild health concerns this year.

I don't want to go into detail; I want to say it's been like... nothing life threatening, thankfully, but a lot of small physical inconveniences that pile up and make it harder to concentrate.

I did rest a lot last week so no worries. <3 It's just that parts of my body have been weird and annoying, and I think it's helpful to acknowledge that the flesh prison can be a weird and annoying place. But I value it! And I'm doing my best to take care of it. Health comes first, etc, etc.

With this new year, I hope you guys take care of yourselves as best as you can, too. The person who's most qualified to take care of you is you!!!

Stay safe and keep warm,

Wudge.

#interactive fiction #oelvn #otome game #visual novel #english otome #indie game #otome #vn dev #vn development #amareteabreak #amare game #digital art #herotome update #ro: warden #ro: griffin

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loveandleases · 9 months

Note

NOW TO THE ASK

How would the ROs feel if MC's body has become super sensitive from too many hanky-panky?

Just imagine if the RO has done it with MC so much that MC's body is changing from it (sensitive ears, nipples getting hard too quickly, getting wet/hard/turned on just from a small reminder of what was done to that poor coffee table, developing kinks to the point of addiction, etc).

Just straight up ruining them for anyone else. 💜

You asked for this XD

LOL, I did ask for it. So I shall do my part! Answer below the cut!!!!

❤️ Cam - He will be so proud of himself, out of all his achievements this is up there! "No one does it like me, huh?" This will trigger his exhibitionist kink so fast. He will just be asking if you want him to breed you right where you stand, and let everyone see what a mess you make for him. MC will have to calm Cam down, he just thinks it's the hottest thing. Will he possibly use this to his advantage especially when Chris decides to come around...maybe.

💙 G - They think it's hot and mainly get a sense of gratification knowing they've ruined MC in such a way. Since G is very much into edging they will use MC's sensitivity against them. Especially when in the office and filing things away. G would think it a perfect time to just graze a finger on the back of MC's neck or a hand down their pants. They won't let MC cum though, instead, they will just get them right to the edge and make them wait until they get back to the apartment. Unless MC decides they can't wait, maybe they just need to put G in their place.

💚 Kara - She enjoys knowing how pleased MC gets by her, by the way she treats them. This makes her feel even more affectionate towards MC. I can see her purposefully using MC's sensitivity to her advantage, especially at the office. She will just caress MC's thigh, and accidentally brush her body against them. Bend over and press her breasts against MC's back when reaching for something on the desk. Then use that moment to whisper into Mc's ear. "You're liking this, aren't you? Such a needy little slut. I want you to go to the break room and start playing with yourself until I get done here. Understood?"

💛 M - They will be so flustered and yet so proud at the same time. Oh our sweet one will be so quick to suggest either MC sitting in their lap or them in MC's. M would enjoy turning on MC so easily they would want to know what exactly excited them. The way they think about using toys on them, just to see what a mess they make, or is it time for M to work on giving oral. They wouldn't stop until MC finishes in or on M's face. They promise not to write about this, but they will want to remember it somehow. Would MC be interested in that?

💜 Isaac - They enjoy knowing just how sensitive MC gets, that this bond between them has Mc only wanting only needing them. So much so that they will call them and tell them exactly what they should be doing until Isaac get's back. Isaac will have a special pair of nipple clamps that they expect MC to be wearing. Send Isaac a photo, and show them just how badly they miss their touch.

🖤 Ardent - "No one can fill you up like I do baby." He is so smug about MC being ruined by him. Does it stroke his ego, and make him think about how MC is his in every sense? Absolutely. Does it make him want to bend MC over and "warm up"...absolutely. He can't figure out what is worse, that MC only responds this way to him, or that MC is the only one who makes him feel that way. He will want MC to tell him they're ruined by him. Admit just how no one else can make them feel half as good as he can.

#loveandleases #love and leases #cam #ardent #g #isaac #m #kara #ns-fw

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rxttenfish · 11 days

Note

Asking because I’m extremely curious about this, how did MonProm’s writing get different over time? I remember you saying that the lore and characters feel different, and that it's missing sincere character interactions, too. I know almost nothing about the lore and I’ve only seen a few people mention the characters, so I’d be interested in a rundown of what aspects you think got worse in the series

I wouldn’t mind a very long response since I’m not that active in the fandom, I need to catch up on what happened

sorry for taking so long to answer this! i kinda waffled on it for a long bit, mainly because i started doubting myself again, and whether or not this was me simply overreacting or being tinted by nostalgia or simply being extremely picky and choosy in what i like (the last of which is true, i seldom get into fandoms at all for this reason and stay away from most popular media, but i wasn't sure if it applied here). i've posted about it already, but i'm in the middle of a psychotic episode where i can't feel a lot of pleasure to begin with + most things i do experience ending up solidly in the "very bad" category, so as you can imagine, i really didn't want to mislead and check that i was actually in objective reality.

as it is, this is also when a lot more screenshots started to be posted in the monster prom tag, and that helped me bridge the gap back into returning to the games themselves and feel like i was making a more accurate judgement. if you're one of those people who have been posting screenshots, i sincerely thank you, and i appreciated seeing you in the tag greatly.

for those not in the know — i've been in the monster prom fandom since it first released, prior to even the first additional ending to be added (the "Punch the sun" ending, and i recall the minor fandom drama that happened at that time due to it). my impression of monster prom is very much influenced by this, as what got me into the first game was the fact that the characters genuinely seemed to care for each other and were friends with each other (not merely tolerating each other's presences nor dressing it up, they sincerely thought of each other as friends and were open about that fact), on top of the wide variety of small details and statements that, if taken at face value, could create compounding complexity in the lives of each and every character and had wider implications for their lives.

no, they were not necessarily explored nor even necessarily "real", with so many conflicting events and statements, but i liked this too, because it meant a wider flexibility in what you could imagine, helping to create a more tailored experience for everyone who thought about these characters. this was what i liked about the early fandom too. what was baseline "canon" was so vague and minimal that you could have wildly different interpretations of the same characters' histories and relationships with each other. you would have radically different perspectives on what the world itself looked like, what it was like, that there wasn't really any wrong answers so long as their personalities remained the same. this is where you got the old headcanon of polly and liam being childhood friends who knew each other as humans, or that the world of monster prom was post-apocalypse where humanity itself had gone extinct or only existed in tiny pockets, or my personal headcanon that both monster and human society existed right next to each other and had minimal crossover for petty cultural reasons. this was also prior zoe-as-ro, and there were wildly different interpretations of zoe's personality, with most going for a far more disquieting creepy-cute than the deep nerd we got.

this is why you get stuff like the timeloop theory, where everyone is repeating the same weeks leading up to prom over and over, and are perhaps vaguely aware of it but broadly unconcerned. this is also why it felt like the joke that, the characters were still in high school but were all fully legal adults with most in their 20's, best landed, because it was absurd and strange and didn't quite make sense, but the world itself was inherently absurd and semi-malleable to begin with. realistically, i felt like everyone understood it was making fun of the trope of having adults play teenagers in american sitcoms and wildly casting outside the age range, but for more in-universe explanations it wasn't any different from the way that you would have a large, dramatic ending in which everything changed, but then you'd restart and everyone would be right back at the beginning with nothing different, or even having conflicting events in the same run. it was a dream-logic that fit with the tropes and, thus, diagetically made sense.

to be clear, i don't mind canon having a set, well, canon on which it refers back to itself. i don't mind expanding that or including more things which are set in stone. but there was a perceivable shift in how the games handled this over time, becoming a lot more... bitter, it felt, towards all of these different branching ideas and concepts that, yeah, the people making them knew wouldn't necessarily be "canon" because "canon" already liked to contradict itself so much. most people weren't even sold on any one idea, and there was a much greater sense of enjoying and appreciating all the varying ideas people would come up with even if you personally didn't share them. making the characters be out of character was the real crime, because then it didn't diagetically make sense in the same way, didn't wholly fit.

(again, this is not to say fanon didn't happen and characters weren't smoothed down into a simplified personality that fit these varying fan-interpretations instead of the game itself. certainly damien love/lust was just as bad as it had ever been, and everyone loved to mangle his character into a more stereotypical "bad boy with a heart of hold" all the time. but it certainly felt less set-in-stone about it than it does now, with any deviation from the norm being considered strange and odd and even broadly shunned from the wider fandom.)

all of this is setup for establishing what the writing, lore, and characters felt like in the earlier days. the characters were the strongest part, with their relationships to each other being equally as important. the lore played it fast and loose and was far less interested in setting anything in concrete because that wasn't the important part. the lore wasn't the important part, which was what made it all the more intoxicating to think about, all the more fun to play with.

montrip is easily the biggest offender when it comes to setting everything in all-or-nothing terms and demanding absolutism from the world. broadly i blame the hitchhiker conversations for the worst of it, but i think ultimately the way they handled the entire premise of the game is where this problem stems from. it's not really an exploration in the same sense that you might explore the first game, discovering different perspectives and different people with different relationships to each other. it's an exploration in the sense of a sequel that over-explains the monster, that takes the most boring option out of all those that were possible and floating around and settles on something that was blatant, obvious, typically rejected not because of how novel it is but how trite and par for the course it is in the rest of the genre.

yeah, okay. humans know nothing about monsters and there's a "monster dimension" that exists separately from the human dimension. there's no crossover between the two of them. of course there's a big grand-scale fight between the eldritch powers that zoe used to be a part of, from which not only are slayers the main organization against them, but also the merkingdom has some horse in this race too. it's an urge to make things so universal in explaining them, in revealing connecting threads which unite everything that's ever happened in here, that makes the worldbuilding and lore immediately much more boring than it ever was before.

and it didn't have to be this way! nothing in the first game contradicts any of this too explicitly (see the above, the first game loves to contradict itself), and i would even be happy if this was basically canon but never stated or confirmed to be the big overarching everything going on underneath it all. i believe you should probably know these things about any world that you create and have them in the back of your mind. the difference is that you can know these things and keep them in mind, even focusing on things where its very relevant, and still not reveal them. this is why you have lore bibles, after all. every horror writer knows exactly how their monster works and the full underlying reason for everything that happens, but that doesn't mean the audience will see it or possess this same information too, and leaving it intentionally obscure will make far better stories.

which, this is bad enough, but it wouldn't be the breaking point for me if this was all there was.

but the worst thing of all has to be the slow decay of the very same characters that sold me on this world, this lore, this game in the first place. monster prom is nothing without the characters in it. it's a dating sim, it has nothing but characters to get you to play, and liking these characters are the entire reason anyone would pick up monster prom in the first place.

and the first game pulls this off extremely well. it's all in the tagline: be your worst self. they are, indeed, all terrible people. yes, even that character that you just thought of right now. they all have points in the game where they commit atrocities, where they kill or hurt people, where they do inexcusable things that could not be ignored in a more serious setting.

but that's the point. i think there's something very powerful in creating a character who not only do you love and love their personality and the way they interact with the world, but who also are inapologetically terrible, and to have the humor and the charisma be so good that you don't get bogged down in the "this is awful". likewise, it never feels the urge to really go out of its way to justify what's going on. this is not to say theres no discussion of if someone "deserved it", but usually there's still the sense that the joke is on them, that this is still an extreme reaction specifically for comedy and not necessarily something that can be justified. you can have damien set leonard on fire and have it feel earned, without prompting the needed reaction of what it's actually like to watch someone burn to death.

this is what sets the prank masterz ending apart from the rest of the game, and really establishes it as the first real "bad ending". because nothing that you do or happens in the prank masterz ending is any different from anything else that happens in any other run. you summon evil beings from other dimensions as a throwaway gag on how visiting one location raises your stats. you kill other people and damn them to terrible fates. you watch as body horror happens. the only difference is that, in the prank masterz ending, the laugh track doesn't play.

the rest of the game and the writing echoes this philosophy, this careful interplay of tropes that keeps everything tongue in cheek and yet sincere enough to make sure emotional beats still land when they're needed. the characters feel true to themselves and their own emotions, even when the world is extreme and excessive, when everything else runs on comedy logic.

this is also what i noticed failing first as time went on.

like i said, fanon has always existed and there's always been very specific ideas as to what characters are like in the same way fanon always flattens down characters into the same tropes over and over. scott is stupid and innocent and doesn't know what sex is. damien is violent and hot and too cool for anyone else. miranda is the idiot girl character. repeat over and over and over until you get sick of it.

but it's been an issue as time has crept on that canon has started to approach fanon and began to merge with it. now, scott is so innocent that he can't even curse. polly starts being mean to her friends and saying things that would be very hurtful to hear. the merkingdom isn't really super evil and fucked up, it's just miranda that's like that. they become simpler, easier to digest, streamlined for social media posts and mass-sharing. they become less and less subversions of existing tropes and moreso just another example of them, something else to add to the collection, not their own individual stories.

even further from this, what more complex traits they had are now stated and not shown. polly is stated to be smart and clever in a way that her party girl persona doesn't imply and to be sincerely rather down to earth with the people she cares about, but we seldom ever see this anymore unless its the game specifically trying to make a point about it, in which case it won't let her do anything that implies cleverness and moreso will just outline it in the narration. vera is stated to care for people in a very genuine and heartfelt way, but seldom will get a chance to do so, and every opportunity for her to do so to their faces is missed while she will just outright state it later. it does not feel consistent, it does not feel like any of these are intended reads of their actions. it feels like the devs have something they want to do but no idea on how to actually do so. and forget it if you want these traits to manifest in small ways that show up in unrelated moments and scenes.

the dialogue becomes harder and harder to tell between each speaker, if you are just looking at what's said and not at the pictures attached to it. the characters' distinct voices have been eroded away, so that they speak more and more like each other, relaying the same terms and ideas in the same words. perspective becomes a suggestion, instead of a must.

this is something that started back in monster camp too, as all of the endings in that game felt ultimately the same as every other ending. it's very hard to place or define the full reason why, why there feels like there's no emotional stakes nor investment, why everything feels moreso like selecting different coats of paint and trying to find all the different ending pictures rather than being interested in exploring the characters as characters.

stranger yet, the series that started with the tagline of "be your worst self" has experienced a kind of... softening, for lack of a better word? what i mentioned about being able to handle the balance between terrible people who do terrible things and the light tone of the game starts to change, as abruptly the same characters who were down with violent murder in the first game start to lose their nerve, acting more and more on more typical morality. it's one of those things that feels like it's starting to damage the tone, as abruptly it's not as absurd as it used to be, demands less suspension of disbelief which could buffer and support the rest of the setting on it. there's even a part in one of the endings in montrip which involves current-polly and current-scott looking back on their monprom selves and reacting in horror at how violent and careless their pranks are, in a way that fundamentally felt like it was undercutting and disparaging all the things that felt fun and made monprom what it was.

which is odd, really, because more and more i feel like the characters in these games like each other less and less. the friendships and genuine enjoyment of each others company that brought me to this game in the first place has gone. now they don't mention each other as much, don't care for each other's feelings and reactions as much, aren't as willing to support each other. they are more and more found on their own, relied on their own, seem to seek out contact and interaction with their own friends less and less. it feels like they're all separating out into their own worlds, but also feels like they wouldn't willingly want to interact with each other if they weren't already forced together by some other outside contrivance.

if anything, i'd compare it to every other dating sim out there, where you, the player, are the most important person in these characters' lives, and they only feel ambivalent or antagonistic towards every other character. which, again, is not why i picked up monster prom or why i liked it so much in the first place.

and it's because of this that it feels like the current state of the series has to focus on its increasingly weak worldbuilding and lore, trying to form a more serious foundation without character relationships being so tightly bound together, without the characters themselves being more developed and rich, without an aspect of absurd humor to rely on.

more and more i've noticed monprom has to rely on referencing other series to make itself funny and create humor, which, again, it's always done. it was just easier to ignore back then, if you didn't know what was being referenced, because there was always more going on in the exact same scene to bolster it and give context clues as to the setup and punchline at play. it feels like the current games are much more dependent on you knowing pop culture references in order to have any fun with it, and i'm someone who, again, is very picky in what i like or what i'll seek out. i'm not interested in a stream of references about other things that i would much rather be doing than playing through a game that feels like it hates that i like it at all, when i could, again, just be engaging with the thing that takes itself seriously and knows what it wants.

#all the care guide says is 'biomass'#monster prom #asks #vanillabeenflower #this is. so long i am so sorry.#and its still not my entire thoughts because i have so many thoughts #this is an unedited ramble tbh and im very sorry for that #i have more complaints like #how fucking snide and condescending the narration is to its own characters #which it already had but gets even worse in the later games #which is why despite loving aaravi i dont want to play moncamp at all #where a character says they like something or feel something and the narration has to be so. sarcastic about it?#like how i mentioned about how it feels like how its looking down on them as people #instead of whats probably the intended read which is #more jokingly calling them dumb in an affectionate way like how you might do with friends #and ofc theres the whole miranda rant #i hate what theyve done with the merkingdom and i HATE adrien as a concept i wont lie #just. cool. this female character is too stupid to count as a lore character. we obviously need a MALE character to fill in instead #we cant just have miranda talk about this or center any of the other female characters #and how they feel about this and whats going on for them #no we need to make up a new man to talk to instead #im. im still really bitter about it i wont lie.#like i said i could go on and get way more specific about it #i just feel like any and all emotional weight to this has died and the characters are more and more obviously actors on a stage #for your own self gratification rather than their own people living their own lives #this is so bitter and i really shouldnt put this in the main tag #i am so sorry everyone who will see my rant. but my peace must be made.#dont worry im already asking myself if im just making all this shit up myself #what if some of us liked that the characters were so mean to the player and had no qualms about aggressively rejecting us #because it gave some illusion of them being able to make their own choices and decisions in what they wanted

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infamous-if · 1 year

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"#yes if u get the ROs to like u enough they’ll be jealous" - So...😏 how jealous are our beloved ROs on scale of 1 to 10 and how do they act when jealous?

Seven: a solid 8.5 😭Seven isn’t possessive though, and they’re more jealous in the way of “MC is so pretty/handsome/attractive they talk to anyone and that person will fall in love with them I need them to get away from them like asap” and seven is the type to to flaunt the relationship, they like making their relationship known. how they act when they’re jealous: much more touchy, PDA on a thousand, wants everyone in the room to know they’re together so people can act accordingly, very clingy and needy actually…they kind of turn into a puppy who needs to be taken care of

Orion: 5. When Orion gets jealous, he internalizes it and doesn’t really do much about it. He knows how to push it down and act regularly because he’s just hardwired to keep his emotions at bay. how he acts when he’s jealous: When he does show his jealousy, he is very…deceptively nice. A cool smile, you think he’s being kind to you but then he walks away and you realize he just insulted you in three different ways lol

Sebastian: 4. Sebastian rarely gets jealous because he is so kind that he sees it and is like “MC is an amazing person who wouldn’t want to be with them” and would think it’s a compliment towards MC lol he also just doesn’t ever think that there could be nefarious intentions in “stealing MC away” because he never stops to think that people…are capable of being bad 😭 even though he has experience with it but yk

how he acts when he’s jealous: if he does get jealous, it will be the first time Sebastian is ever cold toward someone and with MC, he’ll try to amp up his charm and try to steal MC’s attention, basically like “look here! Look here!” Victoria: 10. Victoria is a very jealous person but it stems a lot from her own insecurities.

how she acts when she’s jealous: She tries to push it down and deal with it herself so MC may not even realize she’s jealous because that’s the kind of coping mechanism she built up with G: act indifferent or normal. She doesn’t realize that…people can talk things out and communicate haha

G: 0 or 3. think it’s pretty obvious by now that G is pretty detached from their feelings, so they’re not a jealous person at all…until they’re in love. Then it’s a whole new experience they don’t even know how to deal with, but even then, they’re not very jealous mostly because they’re a pretty free person themself and understand a little flirting is harmless and fun! how they act when they’re jealous: if, by some specific reason, they get super jealous…they will quite literally pull MC away from the person making them jealous and tell MC to keep them company and be direct that they’re jealous lol or they’ll be funny/witty and say something like “hope ur not trying to steal them away from me are u? *wink wink*” to the person lol or something along those lines. Nothing too serious.

August: 6. August is pretty good at picking up people’s vibes/intentions so they’ll know if someone has their eyes on MC

how they act when they’re jealous: they shed that whole internal/reserved act and start acting real cool. make witty digs at the other person and have the whole room laughing, basically showing MC what MC would be missing 😭 but ‘Cool August’ would not be afraid to tell MC how they’re feeling but they’d also be cool enough to get MC to remember why exactly they’re is so…enticing, they’d definitely have a few people falling in love with them by the end of the night

#Inbox #queued #august pierce #g reign #seven lawless #sebastian holland #victoria valentine #orion quinn

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thegeminisage · 4 months

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it is time for. NOT a tng update. but a ds9 update!!! wednesday* we watched "emissary" and actually i'm not clear on if we watched both parts or just one since my website is wonky but either way whatever we watched FUCKING RULED. i'm dispensing w the normal bullet points so i can ramble as much as i want

*it was last night actually but it took me all day to type this up so i'm scheduling it to go up later. it got looooong lol

the first most striking thing i noticed about ds9, or at least the first half of what we watched, is that it FEELS like a video game. someone tell me if this is insane. you're playing as sisko. you get flashbacks of his backstory, you get thrown into this starbase that's in shambles and it's Your Job to fix it up. you go around meeting all the secondary characters who will be in charge of this or that gameplay aspect or upgrade system or shop: kira, o'brien, quark, odo, jadzia, julian, etc. the FOLEY in this was insane. all the noise in the back CONSTANTLY suggested a lively and whole universe outside of our direct line of focus - it felt so alive in the way not even the enterprise in tos did. i could picture myself in the opening gameplay/cutscene like slowly walking my character through what will become a hub area that i gradually upgrade over time while kira or o'brien narrates the list of problems. you're starting at the bottom rung and expected to fail, but you can FEEL the potential even in just one brief walk through the promenade. IS THIS INSANE? it feels like an insane thing to say. someone PLEASE write in if you have ever had similar feelings. if they haven't made a ds9 game yet, they should.

i also notice that not only is the quality of the ds9 episodes worse than that of tng and tos - no one has remastered them into 1080p, apparently - but the lighting is very different, as well. it felt WEIRD to see picard and the enterprise D shot this way. but it also lends, perhaps unintentionally, perhaps not, a really gritty atmosphere to what is normally a very clean universe. i guess since we mostly see it from the inside of starships, it would feel like a sterile place to us, but you know how everyone always compliments star wars on how lived-in it feels? the buttons are wearing, sand is stuck in their fancy thingamajigs, etc? this was how ds9 felt to me.

okay. the characters. let's fucking get into it. what's so fun about ds9 in general is that in all other trek shows i have picked out my specialest little guy in 5 seconds flat. tos was spock EASILY. tng i knew it was data before i started. i already know seven's gonna be my favorite voyager character, but i have NO IDEA!!! who my precious little baby in ds9 will be. what a fun surprise for everyone involved. if anybody wants to place bets go ahead.

like, i thought tng had a pretty solid lineup (hence my eternal frustration with its wasted potential) but they're not anywhere as eclectic as ds9's core cast. iirc, sisko and o'brien are the ONLY humans who for once are outnumbered by trek's cool aliens. i'm saving sisko for last because that was the part of ds9 that touched me most profoundly, but for o'brien - it was a little sad to see him leave the enterprise, because picard was right, it WON'T feel the same without him, but i'm really excited to see why everybody says he suffers more than jesus and to find out if the eyepatch is a permanent thing or if it's just mirrorverse fuckery. either way, i win. like, o'brien is cool, and i always miss him when i don't see him in tng, and i'll continue to miss him in tng from here on out, but he could never shine in that show. it's too stiff and too reluctant to put its characters through any real development. it's a shame they can't ALL move to ds9, tbh.

the next person we met was kira, who was WONDERFUL. it took me a minute to warm up to her, not because there was anything wrong with her, but because i figured at first glance she was ds9's version of ro laren, the obligatory bajoran cast member to connect us with the bajoran/cardassian plot - which would of course be good because ro is awesome, but it's not necessarily anything new and i already love ro. BUT I WAS WRONG! kira's personality is very distinct from ro's; really the only thing they have in common is not liking cardassians which lmao Yeah. my favorite thing about kira is that she smiles when she's upset or angry. that's Such an acting choic, to have her grinning at the cardassians when she's almost certain they're about to blow her whole space station to smithereens. all love light and respect to ro laren my beloved, but i think i actually like kira BETTER.

odo: WHAT is that thing he can do oh my god...is this a changeling?? i got that result in a star trek quiz once. i really loved when he snuck aboard the enemy ship posing as a bag to hold gambling winnings. i was like oh they showed us the bag to show us it will get stolen soon BUT NO it was odo!!!!!!! such a fun surprise. the exposition on his backstory was a little slapdash but i enjoyed it all the same, i cannot wait to learn more

i was most nervous to meet quark because i hate hate HATE the ferengi in tng, but he was actually so entertaining! like, you're never gonna be able to entirely remove the antisemetic undertones from the ferengi as a whole, but he was smart, practical, and endearingly longsuffering. i love his wryness and deadpan humor. i have a feeling he is gonna be so much fun to torture lovingly.

meeting julian bashir felt like meeting a famous person. for the longest time all i knew about ds9 was that cardassian guy wanted to FUCK that gay little doctor, so it was a little hilarious that in his first scene he was asking a woman* out on a date. sir do you not know you're gay?? even funnier was the fact that out of everybody in the pilot he had the least lines. we barely know him, but we finally met him. relatedly, i can't to wait to meet more cardassians, especially The cardassian. so far, they're still all gay.

*jadzia!!! gnc/trans queen! the trill stuff is SO interesting and watching that worm slither in and out of people during those flashbacks was so wonderful but also made me wince. i love that she used to be an old man and the jokes about it are actually really funny without feeling transphobic or anything SO FAR. who knows if that changes. i feel like we haven't gotten much yet from her either but i cannot wait.

SISKO. damn. where do i even...first of all, he should be allowed to bite kick kill picard. i say this as someone who experienced a genuine THRILL of pleasure upon seeing picard's borged self again. i loved that whole thing, i'm obsessed with the borg. that it comes back in this small way in ds9, and has such a HUGE impact on the storyline, was so so so fucking good. i always say tng tells and not shows, but even after just knowing sisko for a few moments i felt keenly how much it devastated to find his wife like that and THAT WAS JUST FROM THE FIRST SCENE. and it only gets better! he's a great dad. he's FUNNY. he is not above manual labor. he wants to tear picard limb from limb. and he exists HERE.

the wormhole alien sequence was. so good. it was SO GOOD. explaining linear time to aliens. the aliens using his memories to talk to him. HE EXISTS HERE. back and back and BACK to finding his wife in the rubble because HE EXISTS HERE. he CHOOSES to exist here. he existed there when he applied for a transfer to earth. he existed there when he confronted picard. he never left the ship because HE NEVER LEFT THE SHIP. they dragged him out but they COULDN'T DRAG HIM OUT. he exists here because he won't leave her to exist here alone because damn it we can't just leave her here. that was the most insane series of events i ever watched. like, because at first you DO think it's the aliens taking him back there BUT IT'S HIM. HE IS DOING IT TO HIMSELF. when the penny dropped i got literal chill bumps and when the aliens said "it's not linear" and he, openly weeping, replied "it's NOT linear," i genuinely, truly, shed a tear along with him. TNG COULD NEVER. none of those miserable fucks EVER cry!!! sisko did it in the god damn pilot!!!!!!!

and like, the fact that he can choose to stay at the space station at the end, to shake picard's hand, to exist SOMEWHERE ELSE. AAAAAUGHGHGHG

i really loved the final confrontation, too. kira is so so so so good, again, i LOVE that she smiles when she's angry, when she's sad, and it's not a fake smile, it's genuine and honest emotion, and she's genuinely and honestly going to start eating the cardassians for sport if they don't leave her alone. it was very scrappy, them pretending to be bigger and badder than they actually were because they had no other choice. you get the feeling everybody on the station and indeed the station itself is barely holding together, and what little togetherness is present comes from sheer spite.

anyway, absolutely 10/10. i was so worried ds9 wouldn't be good but it not only met my most furtive hopes it surpassed them with flying colors. it's gonna be REAL hard to go back to tng after this.

#personal #star trek blogging #ds9 lb #what an exciting tag to finally get to use!

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hotlink907 · 2 years

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request: Rosé x gp!reader making out during VMAs

pairing: Rosé x gp!reader

genre: fluffy, barely smutty

warnings: tiny bit of angst at beginning

She had told you that she would meet you backstage, but you hadn’t seen her yet, and you were starting to get a little nervous. Being the guest of a famous performer meant that you were allowed back here, so that wasn’t actually what was causing the nerves.

No, it was something much sillier. You knew it was a ridiculous fear. But Rosé was famous and beautiful. She could have anyone she wanted. So why would she pick you, when there were so many other stunning people, all around.

Taylor Swift was here, of all people, and you knew for a fact that Rosé had a crush on her. Who wouldn’t? She was tall, leggy, unbelievably talented...

And you were... who, exactly? Just Rosé’s secret girlfriend.

You looked around at all the celebrities milling about. The VMAs were one of the biggest award shows. You shouldn’t have been surprised that Rosé was busy. You sighed and moved off to the corner, out of everyone’s way. You would see Rosé later, at the afterparty. Or maybe at the hotel, if she was too busy. It was okay. You knew that she had work to do.

It wasn’t her fault. You knew that. So why did you feel so--

“Babe, what are you doing over here?”

You nearly jumped out of your skin when you heard Rosé’s voice. “What?” You whirled to the side to see her approaching you, and just like always, her beauty took your breath away. How could one person be so stunning? It just wasn’t fair. “Well... I was waiting for you, and I didn’t want to be in anyone’s way,” you explained, hoping that your disappointment didn’t show.

But as usual, she could immediately tell what you were feeling. “Hey,” she said, her face softening as she stepped into the dark corner with you. There were plenty of people still walking about, but none of them seemed to be paying attention. For the moment, it was like the two of you were in your own little world. “You didn’t think I forgot about you, did you?”

You looked at the ground. “No. I mean, not really. I mean, I just know that you have a lot going on. So it would be okay!”

Rosé looked a little sad. She stepped closer to you. “I would never forget about you. You know that.”

You could smell her perfume. You could see how her dress clung to her body, displaying every hard-earned curve. You could practically feel her bare legs pressing against yours.

And suddenly, you started to feel your dress getting a little tighter, right in the waist area.

“Rosé...” you whispered as she got even closer to you. “We shouldn’t...”

“Why not?” she asked softly. “I want your lips on mine. Right here.” “There are people around,” you protested. “Anyone could see! What if someone takes a picture?” “Let them,” she said. “I don’t care.”

And the most beautiful thing about those words was that they were true. Rosé would have given up her career, her reputation, and everything she had, just to be with you. But you refused to let yourself be the reason she lost everything. You pulled back--not much, but enough to let you clear your head from her intoxicating presence. “Let’s find somewhere more private,” you said.

Her eyes glittered. “I like the sound of that.”

---

It was a closet. Literally just a closet, but it had a lock and it had a light, and there was room enough for the both of you.

Rosé was on you the second the lock clicked shut, her lips against yours. You gave yourself fully over to the kiss, her hands roaming all over your body--your breasts, the small of your back, your butt, your hard cock that had been at full attention since the moment the two of you had slipped away.

“I missed you,” you said, when you had a second to catch your breath.

“I’m here now,” said Rosé. “Let’s make the most of it.” She leaned forward and kissed you again, hard.

You wanted to tear her dress off. To grab her and slide yourself into her. You wanted to make love to her, right there. But you knew it needed to wait.

“I wanted to kiss you all night,” you said breathlessly. “I wanted to kiss you on the red carpet. On the stage.”

“One day,” she said, playing with your hair, her breath tickling your ear. “One day we’ll let them all know. For now...”

You giggled. “For now, we’ll make out in a closet at the VMAs.”

Rosé laughed, that magical bell-like laugh that always charmed you. “Well, you can’t say I never took you anywhere nice.”

You kissed her again. You had each other. And for now, that was all you needed.

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kishmishorkissish · 4 days

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Lafda:- part 1

The things in MI camp weren't going well . The banters , pep talks, pranks which were the integral part of the camp was missing. From outside it's looking like everything is good but it wasn't.

All were practicing it was the end session, so no one noticed the absence of 2 lads. After the practice when everyone started to go inside the stadium they saw a fight was happening. It was just a verbal fight, all were pissed like you are back from practise and see the first thing happening is fight. They tried to stop that. But those two weren't even listening to them.

Ishan's pov:-

When I came back from the practice, I saw tilak and hardik Bhai fighting. Oh gawd not again. But hardik Bhai was with me how he ended up fighting him . Ohh dumb Ishu you forgot bout him. First let's stop them.

Ishan:- bhai it's enough, now stop.

Hardik:- ishan go back.

Ishan(to tilak):- Tilak leave it na bro please, all are tired and why doing this hmm.

Tilak:- Ishan step aside I ain't talking to you and why should I stop huh , this guy over here has divided the team, performs bad and blames us. Today I won't Stop and you go from here otherwise it won't be good for you.

Hardik:- Who the hell are you to say this thing and I divided the team weren't it you guys who are ganging up , and why can't you give me chance huh.

Ishan:- (holds hardik' s hands so that he can't attack tilak) bhai leave it na let's go. And Tilak calm down why causing ruckus leave it. And there is nothing to cry bout spilled milk so leave it na .

Tilak:- We are ganging up so you should have known the reason too. And ishan how can you be with this guy don't you know what he did or you are with him for benifits only and why can't you stay away from , every time you come in between the fights no one even wants you but you , do you think you are mother teresa. And tonight even you can't stop me you midget , go and be with your hardik Bhai no need to preach me.

(Ishan was hurt listening to all this , cause one year back they were happy and now all this rift. And Tilak's words weren't doing any good . In that time Hardik has pulled his hands from his grip.)

Hardik (to ishan):- do you wanna listen more , just leave and leave all this to me and I know what am doing. Just go , (pushes ishan towards the door.)

Ishan was feeling helpless and sad so he just went from there.

Now back to Hardik and tilak

Hardik(to tilak):- You ,how dare you to say all these things to him , you don't like me that's fine but saying things bout him, (saying that he pushes him like not that hard). Ofcourse I know I did the wrong thing but ain't I trying to mend the things but you guys ain't even listening. Now you know what I ain't gonna do that.

Tilak:- We don't want to make it right, like I can't even imagine how you did that ungrateful piece of shit.(pushes him harder).

So the verbal fight became real fight . Db , akash and nehal were trying to stop tilak while others were stopping hardik. But they weren't in the mood to stop the fight.

(so Tilak's friends were trying to stop him in the start too but he ain't listening so they stopped. Ishan went back cause all this was hard for him to deal with it like he has so much things to deal with it and what Tilak Said hurted him.)

Now the trio came , boom and sky stopped hardik and Rohit stopped Tilak as he wasn't listening to anyone and only Ro could stop him. So now the rift was sorted out. The trip went to their rooms

Tilak dashed out of the room , with Aakash, Nehal and DB following him behind. Cause they know it won't be wise decision to leave Tilak to be his own.

Hardik too went towards his room. He was very angry. To calm himself down he took a shower and decided to call his family, so that he can distract himself. In between Natasa asked him bout Ishan then he remembered how he pushed Ishan and he didn't even asked about him, he cursed himself for forgetting bout his kiddo. Then he heard the knock on the door. He opened the door and found Ishan who was looking like he was going somewhere, he entered inside the room.

Ishan:- bhai get ready.

Hardik:- For what.

Ishan:- We are going somewhere, now be fast.

Ishan saw Natasa was on call he started talking to her. Hardik just laughed at this and went to get ready...

Dekho criticism is allowed rudeness isn't. How is it.

Title name is given by @shanaya009 🎀🎀

#fanfiction #ishan kishan #hardik pandya #ipl2024 #mumbaiindians

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leiawritesstories · 6 months

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PART FIVE: MAY

First of all: the biggest, most heartfelt thank you to everyone who has been reading this AU. you have my heart, as angst-loving as it is, and your responses are everything to me :))

Second note: this chapter is ridiculously long, and I do apologize for the insanely long chapters... but also there is SMUT AHEAD!!! if you're not here for sexual content, stop at "Their exit from the archery range" and skip down to "It was May 25" and know that not wanting to read smut does not make any difference and i will always appreciate you reading :) okay I will stop rambling now

Word count: 10.4k (whoops...)

Warnings: swearing, weapons, crime talk, made-up police stuff, badly concealed horniness, fighting, flirting disguised as archery, SO much innuendo, and smut! NSFW!!

Enjoy!!

Masterlist

Read on AO3

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“Happy birthday, boss lady!” Elide cheered, pulling the blindfold from Aelin’s eyes with a flourish. “You can’t run back to your apartment now, so sit on down and enjoy a dinner that you aren’t paying for.”

“You’re the worst best friend, El,” Aelin complained, but she was beaming. “I thought I specifically told you nothing over-the-top.”

Elide shrugged. “You don’t turn twenty-seven every day, Ae, and it’s about damn time you took an evening off. Plus, Aedion would be griping all night if he got dragged out of work for you not to show up.” She wrapped her arms around the taller woman. “Happy birthday.”

“Fine, fine.” Aelin hugged her second-in-command fiercely. “Thanks, El.”

Gavriel was next in line, his hug stealing her breath. “Happy birthday, Aelin. Though I think I’m the one who deserves a present for getting my son here.”

She snickered. “I’ll buy you a drink or something. Thank you for being here.”

“Anytime.” He flashed her a cunning little grin. “I’d never miss a chance to see my beautiful, sharp-witted niece turn my best lieutenant into a tongue-tied mess.”

“Gav!” She swatted his shoulder. “You’re more meddling than Elide, Lys, and Ansel all together, I swear.” He just smirked and returned to his seat, leaving her to be swallowed up by Aedion’s embrace.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you without your lab coat in years, Aedy,” she teased.

“Shut up,” he grumbled. “It’s a special occasion.”

“Mhmmm,” she hummed, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively at Lysandra.

Aedion blushed an endearing shade of pink. “So what if we happen to sit next to each other? It’s a private party, little miss birthday girl.”

“Not that private,” she snickered, dodging his outraged squawk and smack. “Love you too, Aeds.”

“You’re the worst.” He groaned, but he was grinning.

Lysandra raised a perfectly threaded brow. “Do I want to know what that was about?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.” Aelin smirked. “What? My birthday present can be you and Aedy fu—”

“No!” Lys clapped her hand over Aelin’s mouth. “If you get to say things like that, then I get to ask you when you and Whitethorn are going to bang. If you haven’t already.” It was her turn to wiggle her eyebrows.

Aelin’s face heated. “Pretend I never said anything.”

“That’s my birthday bad bitch.” Lys adjusted one of Aelin’s curls. “Now go say hi to the man who hasn’t taken his smitten eyes off you since you walked in here in a dress to bring him to his knees.” She patted Aelin’s ass as she walked away.

Aelin breathed deeply, closing her eyes for a few seconds.

“Done with the party already?” Rowan’s voice broke her out of her snatch of silence. “We can probably sneak out the staff door.”

“Don’t tempt me,” she replied, finally meeting his appreciative gaze. “Hi, Ro.”

“Hi.” His eyes trailed down her body, admiration lighting his face at the way her tailored gold sheath dress molded to every angle and curve of her frame. “That is one hell of a dress, Ae.”

“Thanks.” Just to tease him, she did a slow spin, reveling in his sharp gasp as he drank in the deep V-cut of the back that highlighted the ink flowing down her spine.

“I didn’t know you had a spine piece,” he said in a soft, gravelly rasp.

A dangerously lazy smile curved across her maroon-stained lips. “I keep it hidden while I’m at work. Professionalism and all that.”

“Oh, you mean the fire-breathing dragon screaming up your spine isn’t professional?” He chuckled. “It’s…incredible. Where’d you get it done?”

“I know a guy,” she said, deliberately cryptic.

He bit back a sigh. “Does this guy have a name and a place of work?”

“Don’t tell me you’re going to arrest my tattoo artist for touching my back with my full consent while he did my tattoo.”

“I’m not.” A grin flashed across his face. “I’m just going to make him squirm a little.”

She chuckled. “You’re impossible. How about we make a deal? You overlook the simple reality that someone had to give me this tattoo, and you can see how lovely of a contrast it makes with my sheets.”

Rowan inhaled sharply, dark flames smoldering in his eyes. “The tattoo, or that dress?”

“I prefer not to wear clothes when I’m in my bed.” She smirked. “Don’t just stand there gasping like a fish, Ro. Escort me to dinner like the gentleman Uncle Gav thinks you are.”

“I think you’ll find that I’m not much of a gentleman, Ae.” His hand landed on the small of her back, its heat rippling deliciously up her spine.

“Good.” She lowered her voice to a whisper only he could hear. “Because I like it rough.”

Aelin barely had a chance to say goodbye to everyone after the absolutely delicious dinner, because Lysandra, Ansel, and Elide clustered around her as soon as she left the bathroom, shepherding her out the door and down the street. She only managed to wave to Rowan as she left, certain that she’d find more than one message from him waiting on her phone when she was able to look at it.

With Elide on one arm and Ansel on the other, Aelin found herself squeezed into an inescapable sandwich of her closest girls, and although she pretended to groan when Lysandra, three steps ahead, pulled open the door to the Vaults, a popular bar, she was beaming.

“Do you really think it’s the best idea to get drunk on a Tuesday?” she called over the thumping beat of the music pouring through the surround-sound speaker system.

Lys rolled her eyes. “It’s your birthday, bitch! You can decide tomorrow is a remote workday!”

“Shots!” Elide squealed, flagging down the closest bartender and rapidly ordering a whole string of drinks. “I’ve got this round, ladies.”

“I’m scared,” Aelin teased, sliding into the closest open booth. “If Ells is buying, I might just pass out now.”

“Fuck off,” Elide laughed, smacking Aelin’s shoulder. “We both know you’re only going to drink enough to get yourself ready to go jump on Whitethorn’s di—”

“Stop!” Aelin squawked, clamping her hand over Elide’s mouth. She composed herself and winked wickedly at the petite woman. “I don’t need liquid courage to do that, Ells.”

“My gods, you are the worst.” Ansel groaned dramatically. “Add that to the list of things your lawyer should never hear.”

“Thought you weren’t my lawyer for tonight,” Aelin shot back, grinning.

The redhead laughed. “Fair enough. Ooh, the drinks are here!” She took the tray from the bartender and passed the cocktails and shot glasses around the table. “Cheers, birthday girl!”

Aelin clinked her shot with the girls and tossed it back effortlessly, only grimacing a little bit at the burn of straight vodka. “Fuck, El! A little warning next time?”

Elide snickered gleefully. “Why?” The song changed, and she perked up, clapping. “I love this song!” She took a long pull of her cocktail, draining nearly half of it, and grabbed Aelin’s hand. “Come on, birthday bitch! We’re dancing!” She tugged Aelin out onto the crowded dancefloor without waiting for her to protest.

“You’re lucky I have alcohol in me,” Aelin giggled as she wedged herself into the sea of swaying bodies next to Elide. “God, I missed being able to do this.”

“All the more reason to—ah shit. Behind you, Ae.”

“What?” Aelin turned, following Elide’s dark brown glare, and found, to her unpleasant surprise, a rather drunk Sam Cortland less than two feet away. Burning hell.

“Hey,” Sam called over the music, surprisingly coherent for the glassiness of his eyes. “Wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

“Because the stick up my ass is too big?” Aelin asked sweetly.

Sam coughed. “Well, um, because you—because it’s a Tuesday?”

“Liar.” She snorted. “A woman is allowed to go out on her birthday, y’know.”

“Happy bir’day,” he offered, trying his best to disguise his sneer.

“I’d say thanks, but you don’t really deserve my manners.” She flashed him an angelically sweet grin. “Fuck off, Cortland.”

“Bitch,” he grunted.

Aelin’s eyes flashed with a dangerous gleam. “What was that?”

Elide grabbed her arm. “Don’t you fucking dare,” she hissed, her command cutting through Aelin’s alcohol-loosened fury. “He’s not worth it, and you’re Aelin right now.”

Aelin blinked, snapping herself out of the thoughts of violence. “Right. Okay.” She turned her back to Sam—who had wisely chosen to slither away, hopefully leaving the bar—just in time for Ansel and Lys to appear with more shots, these ones electric blue.

“Cheers!” Lys yelled, tapping her small glass to Aelin’s and throwing back the shot. Aelin laughed and followed suit, exhaling sharply at the strength of the tiny glass of alcohol.

“Lyssie, if I’m hungover tomorrow, I’m blaming you!”

“Oh, calm down,” Lys snickered. “It won’t knock you out.”

Aelin snorted in disbelief, then caught Lys’s arm before she could head back to the bar. “It’s our song, Lys! C’mon, dance!”

Lys laughed and jumped into the knot of dancers, shaking her hips the way she used to back in college when she and Aelin would hit five different bars a night on the weekends. “Still got it!”

After so many songs that Aelin’s feet were starting to cramp, the women finally half-stumbled off the dance floor and headed out of the bar, gulping down the fresh night air as they stepped out into the street.

“Fuck, it gets so stuffy in there,” Aelin complained. She shivered. “And it’s cold!”

“It is not, you little wimp,” Ansel said, poking Aelin in the side. “You just wish that man of yours was here to whip his jacket around you like a gentleman.”

“Mmm, I wouldn’t mind that,” Aelin hummed, smirking wickedly. “You know what happens after a man gives you his jacket.”

“You are the worst.” Ansel shoved her lightly. “Again, things you should never fucking ever tell your lawyer: whose bones you plan to jump.”

“If I make it home,” Aelin grumbled.

“You ladies need a ride home?” Out of nowhere, Sam Cortland appeared in front of them, his eyes still glassy with alcohol haze and an oily smirk painted across his face.

“Fuck off, Cortland,” Elide retorted, folding her arms across her chest. “You aren’t anywhere near fit to drive, anyway.”

“And I wouldn’t willingly get into a car with you if it was the last option on Earth,” Aelin added.

Sam scowled. “Have it your way, then.” He stalked off, heading down the nearby alley. “Fuckin’ whore,” he muttered, thinking he was far enough away for her not to hear.

She heard. And she followed him, her heels clicking with dangerous precision against the sidewalk. “Want to repeat that, scumbag?”

He stopped, whirled around, and apparently decided he had a death wish. “I said, you’re a fucking whore.”

Her fist smashed into his smug little grin with an immensely satisfying crunch. “Take that, you sleazy bastard,” she growled.

Sam screeched, pressed his hands into his rapidly swelling face, and moaned pitifully. “You bit–”

She kneed him in the groin, and when he doubled over, whimpering, she slammed her knee into the side of his head. His eyes rolled back, and he slumped to the ground, unconscious. She and Elide—who had followed her, of course— maneuvered his limp, unresisting body into the shadows of the alley and left him there.

“No, Aelin, you can’t kill him yet,” Elide reminded her, catching the taller woman’s wrist.

Aelin sighed dramatically. “But it’s my birthday!”

“So what?”

“So no murder in plain sight.” Ansel cut in.

“You’re no fun,” Aelin sighed. “Fine.” She delivered one last kick to Sam’s groin. “I wonder if he felt that.”

Elide snorted. “And this is where I drag you off before you ruin your life by being hauled off to jail on your birthday.” Wrapping one arm around Aelin’s waist, she directed her back onto the sidewalk and away from the shadowy alleyway. “How about we finish the night at your place?”

Aelin perked up. “I’ll make margaritas!”

She was ordering an Uber before Elide could protest that they’d all already drunk half their body mass in alcohol that night.

Just birthday girl things.

Kaltain Rompier tapped her black acrylic nails against her iPad screen, idly waiting for the guy who’d texted her last night (after weeks of absolute silence) to show up. He said he’d be there right at eleven, and it was almost at the point where she was about to leave.

“Shit, sorry I’m late.” Sam Cortland dropped into the seat opposite hers as her office door closed with a soft click. “Didn’t get out of the damn meeting until ten minutes ago.”

“Mhmm, right, I forgot how important you businessmen were.” Her reply was acerbic.

He sighed, sheepish. “I’m really sorry, Kal.”

“How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?” She picked up her stylus pencil and tapped it against the blank screen. “You’re here to give me a story, Cortland.” She glanced at him, noticing for the first time since he’d rushed into her office that he looked a good deal worse for wear. “Does your story have anything to do with the fact that you look like shit?”

“It’s because Aelin fucking punched me,” he griped.

Kaltain’s brows shot up. “Aelin…Galathynius?”

“Yeah.” Sam scoffed. “Dressed up like a fuckin’ slut last night. I ran into her at a bar; she was out with some people I didn’t recognize, and when I tried to buy her a drink, she laughed in my face.”

“Laughing doesn’t leave black eyes, Cortland,” Kaltain returned dryly.

“I haven’t got to the part where she punched me.” He scowled, the aggrieved expression drawing attention to the vivid bruising encircling his right eye and the scattered smaller bruises and little flecks of scratches on his face. “I left the damn bar before she did, ended up taking a call outside the place, and I was there when she and her friends left, all drunk and stumbling. So I did what any decent guy would do and offered to drive them home, and Aelin punched me in the goddamn face.” He was practically raving by the end of his little rant.

“You offered to drive Aelin Galathynius home?” Kaltain repeated, stylus flying over her iPad as she took notes. She chuckled. “Cortland, the woman probably has more than one driver. Not to mention that by all accounts, she’s so not interested in you that she bought your company.”

He shrugged. “Sounds like interest to me.”

“Yeah, for her bank account,” she snorted. “Anything else for the story, Cortland?”

“Just that I woke up in a goddamn alley like this.” His frown dug a deep groove between his eyebrows. “That bitch.”

“If you don’t have anything else for the story, get the hell out.” Kaltain set down her stylus, got up, and opened the door. “We’re not spending any more time together, or did you not mean it that way?” Her saccharine smile made Sam cringe.

“Kal–I–I didn’t–”

“Yes you did.” She pointed out into the hallway. “You’ve given me a good story, Cortland. Now get your fancy little ass back to Daddy’s office.” Pissed, Sam roughly stood up and stalked out of her office, muttering something about stupid bitch under his breath.

She almost pitied the man. Someday, his misogyny would get him into a tight little corner that he couldn’t crawl his way out of. But there was a column waiting to be written—a particularly sordid one, just what the public was craving—and she couldn’t let his chauvinism get in the way of her job.

The article dropped late that afternoon, and Kaltain came into work the next morning still grinning, still riding the high of an instantly viral article. Maybe being a gossip columnist wasn’t always the most rewarding job, but the times when she got to see her work splashed all over the internet were…euphoric. The short hallway leading to her office was quiet, as usual, and she was buried so far in the notifications she hadn’t read that she didn’t notice that the whole floor was also quiet.

Only when she strolled into her office and dropped her shoulder bag into someone else’s lap did she realize that she wasn’t alone.

“Good morning, Miss Rompier.” The voice was female, throaty, slightly raspy, and utterly devoid of pleasantry.

Slowly, Kaltain dragged her gaze from her desk to the lean, masked and hooded, black-clad figure lounging in the other chair, black combat boots propped carelessly on the low bookshelf beside the desk. “What is this? Who are you?” Instinctively, she reached for her belt, where she always kept a tiny can of pepper spray.

“Not so fast, Miss Rompier.” The masked woman lifted her chin, and Kaltain felt a hard, heavy hand close around her wrists in a vice-like grip. “We’re going to have a little chat about the article you just posted.”

“I–” Before Kaltain could protest, a needle pricked at the back of her neck, and everything faded to black.

She awoke in a dimly lit room that smelled faintly of mildew, sitting in a wooden chair with her hands bound behind her back. Her head throbbed, her neck was stiff, and her heartbeat raced with adrenaline and terror. Where the hell was she?

“Good to see you awake, Miss Rompier.” The woman who’d had her drugged and kidnapped sat across from her, the dim overhead light throwing shadows across her still-masked face.

“Who the hell are you?” Kaltain snapped.

The woman chuckled softly, a lethal, raspy breath that sent ominous shivers down Kaltain’s spine. “My name is Celaena.”

Fuck. “And why do you give a shit if one of those filthy rich people you supposedly hate is featured in one of my columns, Celaena?”

“Because it’s not time for that quite yet.” Celaena clicked her tongue. “Don’t ask questions you don’t actually want answered, Miss Rompier. Aelin Galathynius needs to stay out of the tabloids for now, but…” She trailed off, absentmindedly dancing a throwing star across her gloved knuckles. “But I rather liked how you didn’t hesitate to drag her through the muck.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Kaltain shot back, feeling defensive.

“It means that when it’s time, I want you to publish every dirty little detail that I send you.”

Kaltain narrowed her eyes, still suspicious. “You’re taking down Galathynius?”

Celaena shrugged. “Again, don’t ask questions you don’t want answered. The wrong things could get you killed, Miss Rompier.” She leaned in close enough for Kaltain to see the glint of steel hiding beneath her sleeves. “I wasn’t planning to kill you, but I’m not afraid to do it.”

“You–you’ll send me everything you want published?”

“Every single sordid detail.”

Slowly, Kaltain nodded. “Alright. What do you want me to do now?”

“All of them?” Rowan dropped his blue-light glasses on his desk and pinched the bridge of his nose in a feeble attempt to stave off the headache.

“All of them, sir,” Luca confirmed. “Three years of tabloid history wiped clean, and it appears that practically every mention of the recent Galathynius article is being scrubbed from the internet.”

“How the fuck is that happening?” Rowan demanded. “The damn column should have left such a large footprint by now that we’d be able to find it even though the original publisher took it down.”

Luca chewed his lower lip. “I…I don’t know, sir.”

Rowan swore viciously under his breath. “Get me Kaltain Rompier’s address, Luca.”

“One sec.” Luca rapidly typed something into his laptop, then scribbled down a few words on a plain yellow sticky note. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.” Rowan grabbed the note, threw his jacket over his shoulder, snatched his keys from the wall, and strode out to the garage. His mind was whirling with a hundred different theories about why the viral gossip article about Aelin Galathynius’s recent, rather colorful, night out had abruptly vanished from the internet, along with the last three years of the columnist’s history.

Half-baked ideas churned through his brain with dizzying speed, and Kaltain Rompier was a crucial part of all of them.

Within twenty minutes, he had pulled up to the building where Kaltain worked, parked in a visitor spot, and made sure his badge was easily visible. He strode into the office, took the elevator to the floor where her tabloid was located, and pushed open the front doors with little effort.

“I’d like a few minutes to speak to Kaltain, please,” he said to the young woman at the front desk.

The young woman’s huge blue eyes grew wider, and her hand trembled as she pointed wordlessly down the hall. “Th–that way, Officer.”

“Thank you.” He knew he was being a dick, but he headed away without saying anything else.

Kaltain Rompier was sitting at her desk typing away on her laptop when he knocked twice at the half-open door and let himself in.

She muffled a shriek, hands flying to her throat. “What the hell?!”

Rowan raised his empty hands in a show of approachability. “Kaltain Rompier?”

The columnist slowly sank back into her seat. “That’s me.” She eyed him suspiciously. “Are you going to tell me why the goddamn cops are here?”

��It’s just me.” He sat down in the chair opposite hers. “I have a couple of questions about your most recent article, if you don’t mind.”

Her expression shuttered. “I took it down, Mr…what should I call you?”

“‘Lieutenant’ is fine. I’m not police, I’m TSF.”

She nodded. “I took down the article, Lieutenant.”

“Why?” He leaned slightly forward, waiting for an answer to the question that had plagued him ever since PD had received notice that Kaltain had gone missing. That was five days ago. He’d feared that there would be another victim in the never-ending string of homicides, but she was sitting there in front of him, alive and well if a little shaken from his sudden appearance in her office.

“It was…” Kaltain sighed. “I’m a gossip columnist, Lieutenant, which means that my job is to dig up people’s dirty little secrets and make them public. I’ve never seen the true ugliness of it until I wrote that piece on Aelin Galathynius and instantly hated myself.”

Rowan blinked. “You wrote a tabloid article on Aelin Galathynius, based on whatever source you could find, and that made you…guilty?”

“It made me realize how awful the tabloid industry is,” Kaltain murmured. “It’s not like I haven’t seen the tabloids about Ms. Galathynius that have floated around, but she’s so…so highly regarded, and the tabloids have always been obviously contrived. What I wrote…it wasn’t.”

“What was your source?”

“Sam Cortland,” she admitted.

Rowan froze, pieces clicking together before his eyes. “Who?”

“Sam Cortland of Cortland Advertising,” Kaltain repeated, a tinge of bitterness clouding her tone. “He showed up at my office with a hell of a black eye and a hell of a story, and I wrote and sold it without even thinking until it was done.”

“I see.” Closing his notepad, Rowan stood up. “Will you still be working here, or are you going to seek something else?”

“I’m trying to get a real journalist job,” the columnist replied. “I just…I don’t want to feel grimy like this all the time anymore.”

Rowan nodded. “Well, best of luck.” He moved towards the door. “One more thing. You were missing for several days, Miss Rompier. Why was that?”

“Family emergency,” she admitted, a haunted look flickering through her eyes. “I had a friend drive me to the airport. Didn’t trust myself to drive safely.”

“My apologies.” Rowan stepped out into the hallway. “Thanks for letting me drop in on you, Miss Rompier, and good luck with your job search.” With that, he left the office, got back in his cruiser, and headed back to PD with a whole new chunk of information ready to add to his theory.

Sam Cortland.

As much as Rowan wanted to deny the ease of the truth, it made so much sense. Cortland was a petty, unhappy little man who hadn’t taken well to Gal Inc. acquiring his family’s company, and while his father, the elder Cortland and current CEO of Cortland Advertising, was adjusted to the merger, Sam was not. Apparently, he’d deemed it best to go after Aelin like a jilted ex-lover–straight to the tabloids–in a vain attempt to see her thrown out of power and popularity.

It didn’t entirely explain why Kaltain (or someone else) had scrubbed the internet clean of all traces of her article, but it was a start. And if he was correct, Kaltain’s “family emergency” hadn’t been an emergency at all, but an intervention from a certain unseen criminal–the barely-noticeable needle mark on the side of her neck spoke of something other than running to the airport at the last minute.

It seemed that Celaena Sardothien had something to gain from Aelin’s current status, and she wasn’t afraid to resort to violence to keep her schemes running.

Aelin swept one final gaze over her reflection in the full-length mirror mounted on the far wall of her expansive walk-in closet and nodded in satisfaction. Her dress–a casual but classy cap-sleeved sheath of powder-green linen that was perfect for the balmy spring evening–flowed gracefully down the lines and curves of her figure, her light makeup masked the dark shadows smeared beneath her eyes, and her hair was half-up in a wooden clip, the rest cascading in tamed waves down her back. Beige, wedge-heeled sandals added a few extra inches to her height (and cleverly concealed a pair of flat little knives), and a matching beige handbag completed the look.

If she’d agonized over every little detail of this outfit and this night for the last two weeks, it was only because she wanted to properly impress the man who should be about to knock on her door. It had nothing whatsoever to do with the increasingly filthy dreams she’d been having–featuring that very man–nor what she did when she awoke from those dreams.

As if her wandering thoughts had summoned the man, he knocked three times on her door, three firm, authoritative thuds of his fist against the thick, lacquered oak front door, and—though she would never admit it—the scrap of lace between her thighs dampened.

“You aren’t working right now, Lieutenant,” she teased as she opened the door, a grin unfolding across her face as she watched his face flicker through shock, nervousness, and anticipation.

“You’ll forgive me if it’s hard to get out of the work habits, Miss CEO,” he returned, emerald eyes glinting with humor.

“Fair enough.” She stepped backwards into her apartment. “Welcome to my humble dwelling, Rowan.”

“Humble,” he echoed, both incredulous and teasing. “This place’s rent probably costs more than my mortgage.”

Aelin flashed him a grin. “What good is my career if I can’t afford a comfortable place to live and still have some left to donate?”

“You donate?”

“I thought we’d established you weren’t working, Ro.”

He chuckled. “I’m…call it a first-date question or something. I didn’t expect you to say that.”

“Not many do,” she admitted, shifting her gaze out the window, where Orynth’s skyline was washed in gold and copper by the setting sun. “But nothing gives me more genuine pleasure than seeing the faces of every child who gets to go to school because I make more money than I can possibly spend.”

“You set up a foundation?”

“Have you heard of the Fireheart Foundation?”

Rowan’s face slackened in appreciative shock. “That’s you?”

“Well, my parents started it—‘Fireheart’ was Dad’s nickname for Mom—and I continue their legacy.” A soft flush crept up her cheeks, heating her face. “It’s not that big of a deal, Ro.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “And you distracted me so much that it’s after seven-thirty.”

“Hmm, we’d better get going, then. And by the way, it is a big deal, but I won’t bother you with that if you don’t want me to.” Easily, naturally, he laced his fingers with hers, and led her out into the hall, waiting for her to lock her door. “Close your eyes, Ae.”

“In my building?”

“Fine, as soon as we get to the car.” He pretended to sigh at her good-natured giggle.

As she clicked her seatbelt into place, she snickered. “Is it bad that I’m thinking this is some elaborate scheme to kidnap me?”

“I’m offended!” he gasped, mock-theatrical. “I’m the guy who rescues you from the big bad kidnapper, Ae, not the big bad kidnapper himself.”

“You can be the big bad something else,” she mumbled, just loud enough for him to hear.

He spluttered out a cough, his tan cheeks flaring scarlet. “Aelin!”

She just smirked. “You heard me, darling.”

“Dinner first,” he grunted, his voice more raspy than he probably intended. He managed to compose himself, and he shot her a blazingly hot gaze in the rearview mirror as he backed out of the parking garage and drove into downtown Orynth. “Then I’ll give you big bad something.”

“We’ll see about that,” she purred, her voice like silk and sin. Then she closed her eyes, smothering a wicked little chuckle that rose in her at his frustrated, half-strangled exhale.

About thirty minutes later, he stopped. “Open your eyes, Ae.”

She did. “East Orynth Sporting Range? Are you sure this isn’t a kidnapping scheme, Lieutenant?”

“Funny,” he deadpanned, hurrying around the car to open her door for her. “Have you ever done archery before, Miss Galathynius?”

“Drop the title, Lieutenant, and yes. I took lessons when I was younger—you know, like a good little rich girl.”

“Let’s see how well this good little rich girl can still shoot, then,” he murmured, the low rumble of his words dancing deliciously down her spine.

“If I miss every target, I’m blaming the lack of flexibility…in the bow, of course.” She laughed softly at his muted blush. “Maybe you’ll have to come stand behind me and guide my position.”

“Oh, I’ll guide your position, alright,” he agreed, the simmering heat of his gaze searing right through the soft linen of her dress.

“Only if necessary,” she said, taking his hand as they walked up to the entrance. Like the gentleman he was, he held the door open for her. “Thank you, Ro.”

“Anytime.” He strolled up to the check-in desk and waved at the middle-aged woman sitting at the counter. “Hey, Philippa!”

The woman’s kind face split into a crinkled, joyful smile. “Rowan Whitethorn! I haven’t seen you in years, you little troublemaker!”

“He’s a grown-up troublemaker now,” Aelin joked.

Philippa’s smile widened as she took in Aelin’s appearance and closeness to Rowan. “And who might this be, Rowan? She’s far out of your league, that I can tell.”

“This is Miss Aelin Galathynius,” Rowan said.

Philippa reached across the counter and squeezed Aelin’s hands. “Lovely to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine.” Aelin beamed at the maternal-looking woman. “Tell me, has Rowan really been coming here since he was a mischievous little scamp?”

“I still remember him being dragged away from the rock wall,” Philippa said, eyes twinkling.

Rowan sighed. “I suppose I’ll just go to the range while you spill all my life’s secrets, hmm?”

“I would never miss a chance to show off my little-rich-girl tricks,” Aelin returned. “Shall we?”

Philippa passed a clipboard across the desk. “Sign this, both of you, and then go on ahead. Rowan, you can show Miss Aelin everything; you know where it all is.”

Aelin signed and passed Rowan the clipboard, and he signed and handed it back to Philippa. “I’d be happy to. Thanks, Philippa.”

“Enjoy!” the older woman called, waving as the pair headed for the equipment room.

Rowan’s hand shifted to the small of Aelin’s back. “We have the range to ourselves for an hour; I convinced Philippa to let us in during what’s usually janitorial hours. Don’t worry, they don’t actually clean right now. They just use it as a built-in break.”

“How clever,” Aelin mused. “I…oh, wow!” She turned in a slow circle, sweeping her eyes over every piece of equipment that lined the neatly organized racks and walls of the equipment room. “Why didn’t my parents send me here?”

“Too afraid you’d never leave?” Rowan teased.

She swatted his shoulder playfully. “You think you’re so funny.”

“We’ll see who’s laughing when you shoot the floor.” His eyes glittered with challenge.

Aelin cracked her knuckles. “Bring it on, Robin Hood.” She perused the racks of bows, testing a few before settling on a lightweight but sturdy fiberglass recurve bow. She slung a quiver of the range’s standard blunt practice arrows over her shoulder and joined Rowan, quelling the surge of lust that flared between her legs at the sight of him with a bow slung over his shoulder.

“Satisfied with your choice, Ae?”

“Unless it performs poorly, I am.” She winked, dropping her gaze for a brief moment.

“I’ll show you poor performance,” he all but growled, leading the way into the range.

The expansive, high-ceilinged space stretched from one end of the long building to the other, with several rows of targets lined up at various distances across the turf-floored expanse. There were lines of chalk painted onto the turf, indicating where archers of different ages and heights should stand. Overhead fans blew with a low mechanical whirr, circulating the faint odor of leather and resin through the air.

Confidently, Rowan took a stance at one of the white lines, nocked an arrow, aimed his bow, took a breath, and released the arrow on the exhale. It sliced cleanly through the air and embedded itself in the tiny red bulls-eye of one of the mid-distance targets.

Aelin whistled. “Impressive.” She took her own stance three spaces away from him. “I’d tell you what that sight did to me, but then we’d never make it out of here.”

His next shot, which he’d been releasing as she spoke, shuddered and went wide, landing in an outer ring of the target. “Distraction is a cheap trick, Ae.”

“Who said this was a competition?” With a sweet smile, she shook out her arms and legs, planted her feet in a stance that her muscles had never fully forgotten—hell, who was she kidding? She’d maintained that skill, and it had come in handy more than once as she built the Boss’s empire—fitted an arrow to the taut string of her bow, aimed, and let it fly. The arrow whistled through the air and thudded cleanly into her target, exactly where she had aimed.

“Maybe it really has been too long,” Rowan teased, amusement crinkling the corners of his eyes as he looked at where her arrow had landed.

Smack dab in the middle of the wooden crossbeam from which the target hung.

“Aim a little lower next time, love,” he said, low and slow.

“Wouldn’t you like that,” she returned, a slow smirk curling her lips. She nocked another arrow and aimed again, fired on the exhale, and sent the arrow slicing straight into the bulls-eye of the target in the row behind the one she’d just shot into.

Rowan whistled in admiration. “How about a contest, Ae? A real one?” She raised her eyebrows in interest, and he continued. “We take turns picking targets, the one who’s closest gets the point, and whoever has more points at the end wins.”

“And what’s the prize?”

“Loser buys dinner.”

“That’s boring.” Her eyes sparkled with eager challenge. “If you win, you get to see what’s under this dress. Or not under it.”

He inhaled and exhaled slowly. Very slowly. “If you win, I’ll show you what you missed when you left me hard and leaking in that damn hallway at your gala.”

“Deal.” She held out her hand, he clasped it, and they shook hands, the warm heaviness of their contest settling between them with no small amount of tension. “You are going down, darling.”

“If I’m lucky, that’ll only be the beginning.” He smirked at her soft gasp. “Can’t wait to hear that sound again, love.”

“You wish.” She rolled her shoulders. “First target: the bulls-eye of that second-to-last target.” In one fluid motion, she nocked, aimed, and fired, and her arrow speared clean through the bulls-eye she’d pointed at.

Rowan whistled. “Haven’t practiced archery since you were a kid, my ass.”

“You do have a rather fine one,” she said lightly, snickering at his flustered cough.

“If you’re trying to distract me, try again.” Confidently—and dear god, the things that confidence did to her—he fired an arrow, sending it into the exact same spot she had hit. “Looks like it’s my turn to pick a target.”

“Choose wisely.”

His smirk was edged with something wild and challenging and deliciously dangerous. “Bottom left corner of the target at the hundred-meter line. Not the outer ring, the bottom left corner.” He rolled his shoulders, carefully aimed, exhaled, and released his arrow. It sang through the air and embedded into the lower left corner of the farthest target with a muted thunk.

“Impressive,” Aelin hummed. Narrowing her eyes, she carefully aimed, ignoring the sights on the bow and using her instinct to push her bow just a fraction to the right.

“You sure about that position?” Without warning, Rowan stepped up behind her and settled his hands onto her hips. “Looks like you’re aiming too far right, darling.”

She stifled the delightful tremor that shuddered through her at his closeness. “I know the path of my shots, Lieutenant.” With a bright smile, she loosed her arrow, which whistled through the air and cleanly skewered the lower left corner of the hundred-meter-away target, a good inch and a half closer to the juncture of the corner than his shot had been.

He inhaled sharply and stepped back just a smidge, but not before she’d felt the thick, hard evidence of what her shot had done to him. “I’ll have to pick a more difficult target,” he said, though there was no small amount of admiration in his voice. “Your turn.”

Aelin swept her gaze around the range, a wicked grin lifting her lips as she settled on a target. “See that target hanging up on the far wall?”

“Mhmm.” He moved to her side, sharp gaze calculating the distance. “That has to be two hundred, maybe two hundred fifty meters away.”

“There’s a chain at the top that anchors that target to the wall, which has to be padded for safety. Our target is the top link of that chain—land your shot through the chain so it goes into the wall padding.”

He stared at her in shock. “Are you insane?”

“Maybe.” She winked. “Why, are you afraid you can’t make it?”

“Why don’t you let me take the first shot to prove that I’m not afraid of anything?”

“If you want.” She stepped aside. “All yours, big boy.”

“Say that again.” His voice was a soft, gravelly rumble, laced with the kind of command that she’d only ever dreamed of hearing.

Rather than give into her fantasies and jump him right then and there, Aelin just smirked. “Make that shot, and I’ll say it again.”

“Fuck,” he murmured, mostly under his breath. He took his time lining up his shot, carefully aiming just a few inches too high to compensate for the arc the arrow would take at such a long distance. Finally, he drew back his arrow and let it fly, watching it like a hawk as it sliced through the faintly stale air of the range. The arrow arced up, then gently down, and landed with a clean thud three inches to the right of the chain suspending the target from the wall. He grinned, proud that he’d managed to get so close to the almost-impossible target. “Beat that shot, darling.”

She stepped up to the shooting line and rolled out her neck. “Let’s hope I can live up to the way I felt when I picked this target.” She took a good minute to line up her shot, her brows furrowed in deep concentration. After settling on her aim, she pulled back her arrow, took a deep breath, and released on the exhale. Her arrow whistled across the distance in a precise, beautiful arc and skewered through the second-highest link of the chain holding up the target on the far wall.

Rowan’s jaw gaped in complete shock, his eyes wide with incredulity.

Aelin sucked in a gasp, her eyes going wide as she realized that she’d made the shot. Two thoughts raced through her mind—one being fuck, what if he starts suspecting me now? and the other being I can’t fucking believe I made that shot!

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d suspect you of being some kind of archery master,” he said, unabashed appreciation replacing the shock written all over his face. “That was fucking insane, Ae.”

She laughed quietly, still stunned herself. “I honestly don’t know how in the hell I made that.”

“I think that makes you the winner.” He looped his free arm around her waist. “And I recall something about the loser buying dinner.”

“And dessert,” she added, leaning into his side and looking up at him through half-lidded eyes.

Their exit from the archery range was a blur of rapid motion and badly concealed desire, and she only blinked back into reality when they climbed into the backseat of his car and he practically lunged across the small distance between them and crashed his lips into hers.

She threaded her fingers into his hair and angled his head to deepen the kiss, her tongue tangling with his. A soft moan broke free from her throat, and he groaned in response, breaking the kiss and shifting his lips to her throat, tracking a trail of soft, hot kisses down her sensitive skin.

“No…no marks,” she managed to say. He hummed in assent and nipped lightly at her fluttering pulse point before working his way back up her throat and kissing her deeply again. She moaned into the kiss, her hips inadvertently rolling, shifting her body closer against him.

He groaned. “Aelin…” A short pause, their heartbeats so loud they could practically hear each other’s pulses. “I won’t take you in the backseat of a car this first time.”

“Why not?” She dragged one hand ever so slowly down his chest, almost reaching his throbbing erection before he caught her wrist with a growl.

“Because anyone could walk past and see us, and I don’t need an audience when I make you scream my name.”

She went silent, her slightly-swollen lips dropping in aroused surprise. “Then get me home, Lieutenant.”

A dark little smile crooked his lips. “Have I ever told you that I’ve dreamed of you using my title in bed?”

“Now you have.” She climbed into the passenger seat. “Lieutenant.”

He drove back to her apartment building with so little heed for traffic rules that she almost didn’t believe he was a cop. And when he parked and opened her door for her, the promise lighting his eyes made her knees turn to jelly.

“Nervous, Ae?” he asked as they stepped into the elevator.

“Hardly.” She pressed the button for her floor. “I recall you talking some big talk about showing me what I missed, so I’d only be nervous that you won’t last long enough to do that.”

His hands flexed against her waist, the heat of him seeping through her linen dress. “Keep saying things like that and we’ll see who doesn’t last.”

“Ah-ah, big boy.” She clicked her tongue. “Loser doesn’t get to call the shots.”

“Aelin,” he groaned, eyes fluttering closed.

“Rowan,” she echoed, giggling at his evident frustration. The elevator stopped with a ding, its door opening to Aelin’s floor. She threaded her fingers with his and led him down the hallway to her apartment, unlocked the door, and let him in. She’d just finished locking the deadbolt behind them when his hands circled her waist and his lips pressed against the back of her neck, soft but so intensely heated that she drew in a tiny gasp.

“Told you I’d hear that sound again,” he murmured into her ear.

She arched backwards, molding her body against his. “And I told you the loser doesn’t get to call the shots tonight, love.” Smoothly, she moved out of his embrace, bent down, and unfastened her heeled sandals, leaving them on the short shoe rack by the door. She strolled through the living room, mentally counting the seconds until he followed.

Five, six, seven. Seven seconds. Then Rowan kicked off his shoes, crossed the living room in four long strides, and backed her into the closest wall in another two steps.

“This doesn’t look like my bed,” she teased.

“We’ll get to that.” Cupping his hands under her ass, he hoisted her effortlessly up and kissed her, his tongue slipping between her parted lips. She groaned softly and tangled her fingers into his hair, unapologetically ruffling up the short strands as she kissed him harder, nipping at his lips, a challenge and a tease all at once.

“Gods,” she moaned as his lips worked down her neck, her hips grinding into his.

“Just me,” he mumbled into her skin.

She huffed out a breathy laugh. “How are you so funny and so hot right now?”

“Call it a special skill.” He chuckled at her wry laugh and abruptly pulled her away from the wall and down the rest of the short hallway to her bedroom, where he set her down on her feet. “Dress. Off.”

Faster than he could blink, she hooked her foot around the back of his legs and knocked him to his knees. “What did I tell you about giving me commands tonight, love?”

“Fuck me,” he breathed, cock straining at the front of his pants, probably leaving a permanent imprint of his zipper. “I didn’t know you could do that, Ae.”

“Now you do.” Her turquoise gaze trailed lazily down his body. “Clothes off, Ro.”

He yanked his shirt over his head and had his pants down to his knees before he looked up at her with a wry smirk. “Can’t exactly get my pants all the way off like this.”

She chuckled. “Here.” Leaning down, she pulled his belt out of his pants, looped it swiftly around his wrists—deliberately making the restraint very simple so that investigative brain of his wouldn’t suspect anything—and let him stand up. “Now get your pants off, love.”

“I…” His cock was practically shoving through his boxers. “My hands…”

“Don’t tell me you need your hands to get your pants off, my darling Lieutenant,” she hummed. With a wicked half-smirk, she pulled her dress up and over her head, revealing a lacy, golden bra and panties set.

It took him exactly ten seconds to kick off his pants and drop back to his knees, a desperate groan ripping from his throat as he drank in the sight of her in scraps of golden lace.

“Look at you already on your knees for me,” she cooed, sauntering across the room until she stood before him. She trailed her fingers through his hair and down his face, dancing across the intricate craftsmanship of his tattoo. “Good boy.”

“Aelin,” Rowan moaned, desperation bleeding into his tone, “please.”

“Please what?”

“Please,” he said, eyes wide and begging, “let me touch you. Let me taste you. Please.”

“Such pretty manners.” She dropped down on the end of her bed, conveniently stripping off her panties as she did, and let her legs fall open. “Only when I say so, Lieutenant.” He groaned but didn’t move, his whole body tense with the effort it took to keep in place rather than lunge for her and bury his tongue between her thighs. “Good boy,” she gasped, her head falling back as she circled her clit with her thumb, the soft touch lighting a fire in her blood. “Touch me, darling.”

She’d barely spoken the words before he yanked his hands free, launched himself forward, fell back to his knees at the end of her bed, and replaced her thumb with his.

“Fuck,” she gasped, hips jerking. “More, Ro.”

He circled her entrance with one fingertip before plunging his finger into her, the wetness that had pooled between her legs naturally slicking the digit. She moaned with pleasure, guiding him to add a second finger, and reached up to tease her nipples. His eyes went huge and pleading, and he struggled to find words before he managed to choke out a coherent thought.

“Let me taste you, Ae,” he begged. “Fucking please.”

She hummed, pretending to consider it. “Thank you for asking,” she finally said, running her free hand down his throat. “Go ahead, Ro. Put that filthy mouth of yours to work.”

Wisely, he kept his fingers moving, twisting and curling inside of her, as he buried his head between her legs and swept his tongue in a broad, strong stroke up her cunt. He circled her clit with his tongue, sucked the throbbing little bud between his lips, and groaned deeply as the taste of her exploded on his tongue.

Between his ridiculously fucking talented mouth and the headiness of ordering around the gorgeous man she’d been dreaming of since February, Aelin didn’t last long before she clamped her thighs around Rowan’s head and called out his name as she came all over his face. Her body shook as her orgasm subsided, ripples of bliss passing through her.

“Fuck me,” she sighed, her head clearing again. “That was so good, darling.”

Slowly, he lifted his head and withdrew his glistening fingers. “You want me to fuck you?”

“Oh, I want you to do much more than just that.” Languidly, she moved up the bed and stretched out against the multitude of pillows. “Take off the rest of your clothes and come here, love.”

It took him all of five seconds to tear off his boxers, revealing a thick, hard cock that made her pussy clench just thinking about how fucking amazing it was going to feel filling her up, and position himself atop her, his weight braced on his forearms so he wasn’t crushing her. “Here I am.”

“Here you are.” A softer light replaced the commanding glint in her eyes. “And here I am. What you do next is up to you, Rowan.”

He exhaled shakily, a warmth bordering on love suffusing his face. “I’ve dreamed of this since the night of that goddamn gala, Aelin.”

“Me too.” She draped one arm over his shoulder, tracing the defined planes of his upper back. “So do something about it.”

And Rowan did.

It was May 25, which made it, as Gavriel would probably scream, time to stop fucking around and start producing some concrete proof. Rowan knew he’d been putting off actually filing the evidence he’d collected, using the flimsy excuse of the amount of paperwork it would take, and he was finally having a calm enough week at Orynth PD to lock himself in his office and start the task.

He went through the homicide reports mechanically, having filed so many of them during his career that he had the process down to muscle memory. The only thing he had to consciously remember for these reports was to track the consistency of the victims’ MO’s, because that was one of the key things upon which his case rested. If he was going to get Celaena Sardothien convicted for her reign of shadow-cloaked terror—and he swore he would—he needed to make certain that he drove home the point about her preferred mode of torture-to-murder being the same.

The fact that his suspect had never been seen in person would be an obstacle, but not an insurmountable one. He had full faith that when his trap was set and baited, Sardothien would come right into its open arms.

He took a lunch break after finishing the reports, during which he allowed himself to open his personal cell phone and scroll through his and Aelin’s recent texts. He even managed to call and catch her during a break, which meant they could spend a few minutes talking. Which had him grinning like an idiot when he returned to his office.

Turning back to the evidence filing, Rowan picked up the small plastic bag containing the tiny piece of mysterious fabric. Aedion had left a copy of his analytical notes, as his explanation of the material would be just as crucial as the material itself when this case eventually came to court. Rowan flipped through the pages, noting down any key information as he filed the fabric scrap as evidence, when two separate details caught his eyes.

First, early in his initial observations, Aedion had noted that the fabric had “remarkably straight, cleanly squared edges.” Rowan turned over that thought in his head, jaw dropping when he realized the implication—the fabric had not been torn, but cut out of a larger piece.

Which left the distinct possibility that it had been planted at the explosion site.

“Fucking hell,” Rowan swore, jaw ticking as he added that note to the evidence report.

The second thing that caught his eye was towards the end of Aedion’s notes, an otherwise ordinary note about the place of manufacture. Developed at Galathynius, Inc. Laboratories. Rowan shook his head, blinked a few times, and reread the note five more times to make sure he was reading it correctly. Each time, it said the same thing.

The mysterious foreign fabric had been developed at the labs of Aelin’s beloved company.

Rowan’s mind raced a mile a minute through the possibilities of that one little note. On the extreme end, it implied that Aelin had created the fabric—which was impossible, because she’d told him herself that she had an engineering team. So perhaps her engineers had developed it? Without her knowing? But that would make no sense, since Aelin was clearly invested enough in her company to be fully aware of what was developed in her labs. So…a secret project?

Or, as Rowan began to suspect, if Celaena Sardothien was using Aelin Galathynius as a cover-up, it followed that she would have been able to use the lab and develop some kind of near-impenetrable material for her nefarious schemes.

All the more reason to end the Shadow Assassin before she decided Aelin was no longer useful.

On the unseasonably warm evening of May 30, Aelin—clad in the form-fitting black suit of Celaena Sardothien—wove her way through the shipping district, darting from shadow to shadow like a breath of nighttime breeze. A few days ago, Nox had left her a note that there had been a suspicious figure seen lurking around Warehouse 4, and because she needed to let off some steam, she’d decided to go investigate it herself. With the SecondSkin covering her true skin and her suit snug against her body, she blended into the dark little nooks and crannies of the industrial sprawl of buildings, and she made it to Warehouse 4 undetected. At the perimeter of the security cameras’ field, she tapped her boot twice against an innocuous-looking crack in the unkempt pavement, disarming the cameras temporarily.

Footsteps silent, she crept up to the steel-sided building and paced a careful lap around the structure. She’d just started a second lap when there was a faint rustle from the cluster of nearby shrubs, and a knife sliced through the night and embedded itself in her arm.

Or it would have, had she not caught it before it could make contact.

Thick, tense silence stretched across the short distance between her and whoever the fuck was hiding in the shrubbery like a damn coward.

Then, with a muffled “fuck,” a tall, muscled, black-clad male figure exploded out of the shrubs and rushed at her.

She dodged his initial brute rush, kicking out as she sidestepped and managing to get the man in the back of the leg. He grunted, reversed direction, and swung a powerful right cross punch at her, which she blocked with one forearm and returned with a left hook. He swatted away her strike, so she launched into a flurry of rapid-fire punches and strikes, distracting him enough that she was able to get in close quarters and drive one knee into the juncture of his leg and his groin. He swore viciously and retaliated with a brutal punch to her side, which made most of her breath whoosh out of her lungs.

“Dick move,” she huffed.

The man scoffed. “Says the woman who literally just kneed me in the dick.”

“Obviously you have no knowledge of anatomy.” She landed a punch to his shoulder joint and followed it up with a boot to his thigh. “Or you’d know that I kneed you in the thigh joint, idiot.”

“Nobody told me the Boss was such a smart-ass.” He smacked the small knife out of her left hand. “Now who’s not playing by the rules?”

“What rules?” With a vicious grin, she ducked his roundhouse swing and thrust her elbow into his stomach. He folded over with a groan, though he recovered rapidly. Not rapidly enough to fully dodge the high, sweeping kick she directed at his face, hitting his jaw enough to bruise and send his head jerking sideways. “There aren’t rules in this world.”

“No…shit,” he wheezed. He dodged her sudden rush and whirled around to meet her head-on again, flicking open a switchblade.

“Nice blade.” Aelin’s smirk flashed white in the blue-black darkness as she whipped twin serrated daggers from her thigh sheaths. “Little bit thuggish though, don’t you think?”

“Says the goddamn Boss.”

God, but it was fun to go into combat with someone who wasn’t afraid to dish her sarcasm right back at her. “You’ve got quite the mouth on you, hmm? Pity I won’t be able to listen to it much longer.”

“That’s what you think.” He swiped at her thigh, gasping shortly when she whipped her leg up to avoid the blade. Gasping in a more strangled manner when she wrapped that leg around his neck and half-threw, half-strangled him to the ground in a single fluid, brutal maneuver that was some kind of unholy cross between martial arts and street fighting. “Fuck!”

She stomped on his wrist, forcing him to release his knife, and swiftly immobilized him, though he was a good deal taller and heavier than she was. “Any last words?” The tip of her dagger touched his pulsing jugular, eager to rip open the skin.

“Only–”

“WAIT!”

Aelin muffled a particularly colorful curse. “What the fuck, Con?!”

“Boss, wait!” Con sprinted around so he was in her view, glancing quickly at the man she had pinned to the ground. “I know him.”

“You have fifteen seconds to explain.”

Con yanked the man’s dark mask and hood off, revealing tawny skin, blonde curls, and an oddly familiar face. “Long time no see, brother.”

“Brother?”

“Boss, this is Fen.”

The blonde–who, Aelin noted, was indeed Con’s mirror image, but blonde–grinned. “Fenrys Moonbeam, at your service.”

She snorted softly. “I’ll be the judge of that. Con, is he safe?”

Con shrugged and addressed his brother. “Where have you been, Fen?”

“Evading authority, like usual.”

The dark-haired twin rolled his eyes. “He’s safe. Good eyes, good ears, talks too much but knows when to shut his stupid face.”

“All right, Fen, you’re hired. I could use another pair of eyes, and your brother could use a break, if he knows what that is.” Aelin released Fenrys and stood up, brushing off her hands.

Fen pushed himself to his feet with a groan, shaking out his cramped, sore limbs. “So the interview consists of almost dying. Got it.”

She threw him a vicious grin. “And if I decide I won’t hire a candidate, the ‘almost’ part goes away.”

“Terrifying.” He gulped. “Well, then I’ll count myself lucky.” He shook her offered hand. “Thanks for the opportunity, Boss.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing how your particular skills can be an asset.” She winked, relishing the way he shuddered ever so slightly at the obvious hint of her scheming. “I’ve been in need of a decent trespasser since the last one had an unfortunate run-in with a bullet.”

“Unfortunate, huh?”

“Very unfortunate.” She chuckled, low and dark. “He went two steps too far.”

Fenrys grimaced. “I’ll be here whenever you need me, Boss.” With a lazy mockery of a salute, he limped off beside his brother, headed for Con’s truck.

Back at his apartment that was little more than a shitty, rundown box with paper-thin walls, tucked into one of many nondescript brick apartment buildings bordering the industrial district, Fenrys Moonbeam stretched his aching body out on his crappy couch, settled an ice pack on his throbbing knee, and picked up the cellphone lying on the side table. Opening the short list of contacts, he scrolled for a moment before tapping on an icon and letting the phone ring.

The call connected just after the third ring. “Moonbeam?”

Fenrys knew better than to waste words. “I’m in, Cap.”

“Wrong title.” Rowan Whitethorn’s grunt dripped with acerbic sarcasm.

“Apologies, Lieutenant,” Fenrys simpered. “Anyway, I’m in.”

“Good.”

Click. The call went dead.

Fenrys sighed. He really should have expected Whitethorn to be as terse as his reputation suggested; the man had sent him an actual paper printout of his instructions, for fuck’s sake. At least the assignment was fairly simple.

Infiltrate Celaena Sardothien’s ring of criminals. Check.

Get into Sardothien’s good graces enough to go with her when she inevitably committed her next murder. Check…right?

Collect as much evidence as possible of the Boss’s numerous heinous crimes so the TSF could convict her and end her rampage of villainy. He was working on that.

And preferably don’t fucking die in the attempt. That last part had been spoken in Rowan Whitethorn’s famously dry voice.

No sweat.

Aching from the unexpectedly brutal fight, Fenrys Moonbeam stretched out on his shitty couch, wincing at the unpleasant feeling of every goddamn spring in the bloody couch digging into his body, closed his eyes, and dropped into shallow sleep, hyperaware that he laid exactly twelve feet atop the equally rundown, mildew-ridden apartment of Boss Celaena Sardothien.

~~~

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king-of-fae · 2 years

Text

Summoners Return

You were supposed to die there, feeling the blood slip through your fingers, mind getting hazier, body feeling colder. But things didn’t go according to plan. Your killer wanted you dead but Fate, or something else, has other plans for you.

Synopsis

On the continent of Ludia stands a great empire bearing the same name. Since its founding over one thousand years ago, it has become an empire rich with wealth and culture. Its most prominent feature, The Institute of Magic, has served to teach Gifted to control their powers. However, not everyone sees the Institute as the beacon of hope they portray it as. You were brought to The Institute 15 years ago, but nobody would tell you why. After all, you can’t use magic.

Despite that, you remain trapped withing the confines of the main branch of the Institute. You aren’t the only one stuck here, though. Your fellow student, Callum, has been with you even while the others move on and leave you two behind. But after 15 years of imprisonment, you and Callum uncover secrets both old and new that threatens your lives.

Find a way to expose the dark secrets that led to your attempted murder. Ally yourself with a powerful demon, a cynical nomad, an enigmatic witch, a reluctant bard, a dragon scion, and a half-dragon healer.

| DEMO | PINTEREST |

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Features

Customize your Summoner!

Male, female, non-binary (Custom pronouns available!)

Hair color/length, eye color, height, etc.

Personality

Woo powerful people!

Uncover dark secrets!

Running from the authorities!

Content

This game is recommended for players 18+ for themes of violence, murder, traumatic experiences and other serious topics. This list will be updated as needed.

ROs

Evie (she/her)

Personality: Outgoing and optimistic

You weren’t expecting a demon to have such a bubbly personality. Upbeat, and filled with unbridled optimism, Evie is here to help you survive and bring back the Summoners so that her people can reconnect with the mortal realm. But never forget, Evie is far more powerful than she may seem.

Ignis (he/him)

Personality: Sardonic and stubborn

A skilled fighter with both magic and sword, Ignis is not one to be taken lightly. His nomadic lifestyle has led him to you, and he seems keen to help you out. He claims to know about Summoners and what may have happened to them. There does seem to be something off about his story though...

Vex (they/them)

Personality: Composed and mysterious

As a favorite among spirits Vex receives visions from them, telling the witch things of necessity. It seems that these spirits are eager to see the Summoners return to Ludia. Vex has made it clear that they don’t fully trust you, but if you prove yourself to them, maybe they’ll open up to you more.

Azzy (he/him)

Personality: Cautious and creative

Azzy hasn’t told you much about himself. All you know is that Azzy isn’t his real name, and he has connections in the Capital you need. Despite his reluctance, circumstances have led him to help you on your journey. There are times when you get the sense that returning to the Capital is harder for him than he lets on.

Maldovah (she/her)

Personality: Confident and loyal

Dragons have remained in solitude amongst the mountains since Ludia was founded. However, it seems that the dragons have decided that now is the time to bridge the distance, and Mal is eager to do just that. Is it fate or just luck that she and her half-brother Viik joined your team?

Viiknah (he/him)

Personality: Friendly and inquisitive

Nobody really knew that dragons and humans could have children, but there’s no denying Viik’s heritage. After spending most of his life living in seclusion, he’s eager to leave and learn more about the world that remained out of his reach. He joined his half-sister Mal on her quest into Ludia to see what he's been missing out on.

Lore (more coming soon)

Elves (Part 1, Part 2)

Dragons

Witches (Part 1, Part 2)

The Gifted

Essence

More soon...

#interactive fiction #summoners return #wip #twine wip #fantasy #updated

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justmeinadaze · 1 year

Text

We're A Family Part 10 (Steddie X You)

A/N: I had many feels with this one. From this point forward I may start aging everyone up a bit just because I have some ideas with Steddie being girl dads and then Dylan needing them for advice all growing boys need. Im also drooling to get to teacher Steve... We also may throw another kid in there. Idk. Definitely not 6 @sidthedollface2 !!!

Warnings: ANGST and SMUT with a dash of fluff. Reader interacts with her mother which is always fun (I may also be dealing with things personal in this regard that flowed into my writing...), Reader and boys fight! I know! Its a small one though. She mentions feelings from her previous marriage and feeling like she isn't enough. Um...I think that it.

Word count: 4085

“Dada…da…da…”

“I know, sweetheart. I miss them to.”

You and Aurora were sitting on the floor of your bedroom while Dylan laid a few feet away patting the floor.

“Come on, Ro. You can do it.” She giggled at her brother as she tried to take a step forward before falling back on her butt.

This was the fourth day in a row that the guys hadn’t been home in time for dinner. Eddie had been working late at the shop while Steve had stayed behind at school to work on a project he had due. You missed them terribly but you would never bring it up. They were both working so hard to take care of you and the kids but you’d be lying if you said there weren’t a few times you had some flashbacks to your previous marriage.

You reminded yourself constantly that this was different. Charlie had always been out on the town with his friends or fucking other women behind your back. Eddie and Steve were both at work. You weren’t allowed to be angry…right? It’s ok though. The guys said tomorrow everything would go back to normal…right?

The sound of your phone ringing startled you back to reality.

“Hello?”

“Hey! Is my son there?”

“Lynette? No, he isn’t and if he was I wouldn’t let you talk to him.”

She aggressively sighs. “Just like Wayne. So fucking self-righteous. I need to know if he’s going to the hearing.”

“Oh, well, I can answer that. No. Now leave him alone.”

Dylan laughed as you hung up the phone. “You’re so spicy, mom.”

“Yeah, it comes with old age.” He laughs harder as you laugh with him. “You want to watch a movie, weirdo?”

##################

Steve sighed as he quietly opened the front door to a relatively dark house. Like you had been doing all week, the kitchen light remained on illuminating the entryway enough for him so he could see.

“Hey, Munson.”

“Harrington. You’re just walking in to I see?”

He nodded as he reached for the fridge door, softly smiling at the food you left behind for them.

“We don’t deserve her.” As he turns back around, he notices Eddie reading the note you left behind. Even though you could text them, you always left a note on the counter giving them a play by play of the evening. The metalhead hands it to Steve as he retrieves a beer and leans against the counter.

“Eddie and Steve,

Dylan insisted on Chinese food so I ordered you both something and left it in the fridge. He had a good day and even told me about a new girl in his class :P. I think he likes her.

Ro still hasn’t got walking down. Our son keeps calling to her like she’s a dog and all she does is laugh lol She has definitely mastered crawling for sure. I saved the lives of one of your guitars, Ed!

She asks for you guys a lot. At night while we’re watching tv, she’ll point or look around and call out for ‘dada’. She misses you two…we all do…

Eddie, baby, your mom called my phone tonight looking for you asking about the hearing. I told her you didn’t want to go. I wanted to give you a heads up just in case she tries calling you to.

I love you both so much,

Y/N <3 “

“Steve, one of us should at least be here.”

“I know… I don’t know what to fucking do, Eddie. This is a big project for the semester and then I have to still go to work and make money. What about you?”

“I’m working to, man. I have more responsibility now and not just here. I…”, he exhales as he heads for the stairs. “I’m too fucking tired.”

Their hearts break when they enter the bedroom, finding all three of you asleep on the bed. Steve carefully picks up Aurora from your chest as Eddie pries Dylan from your hip, carrying them to their respective areas.

Without even changing, they threw themselves into bed next to you, pulling you into their embrace as they fell asleep.

#############

When you woke up, they were both already gone for work. The only reason you knew they even came home was because you could still smell their scent lingering in the sheets.

For the rest of the Saturday, you busied yourself around the house to make the time go by faster. Eddie and Steve were supposed to come home by 6 but the anger didn’t start to rise until 7 when neither of them had come back yet. Stomping to your phone you noticed a few texts you had missed. Steve said that the group he was working with in his class had some free time so he was going to run to one of their houses to finish up their project and Eddie said he had to work late again but promised he’d be home by 8 at the latest.

You fumed as you paced in the kitchen. They promised today everything would go back to normal. They told you things were going to go back to how they were so they could at least see the kids before they went to bed. Without thinking it through you grabbed your phone and texted them a response.

“Fuck you both.”

Thirty minutes later, both boys angrily barreled into the house, shocked to find not you but Kierra in the living room.

“I don’t know what you two did but my sister is pissed.”

“Where is she?”

“She said she needed to let off some steam.”

“Kierra, come on, we know you know where she is.”

Your sister glared in their direction, rising to her feet with Aurora on her hip.

“Dada. Dada.”, she clapped reaching for Steve.

“I’m taking them to my house to spend the night. Talk to her, gentlemen. Y/N can handle a lot but she won’t put up with another Charlie.” It was their turn to glare, hating being compared to your douchebag ex. “She’s at The Hideout. Bring your shield and swords. My sister isn’t exactly a happy drunk.”

##############

I’m not supposed to be angry. I’m not supposed to be angry. I’m not—”

You chugged back the liquid in your glass as you lit another one of Eddie’s cigarettes. You imagined you looked pretty pathetic in a dark bar, smoking a cigarette in a shirt and jacket that were two sizes too big but you needed them close to you. Eddie’s jacket and one of Steve’s button up shirts were blanketed in their smells that had you hugging yourself as you tried to push back the tears that tried to run down your face.

“Man trouble?” Your eyes shoot up to meet your moms as she sits diagonal from you at the bar, ordering a drink of her own as she lights up the cigarette in her mouth. “I swear me being here is a coincidence. It seems Mrs. Harrington and I don’t have a lot to talk about these days. Plus, she spends less time at that country club now that she’s at your house more.”

“Can I just drink alone, please?”, you whine.

Your mother nods as she takes a sip of the martini that was handed to her. “How’s, um, how’s Dylan?”

“You would know if you bothered to come by or even call.” She looks down as you snap at her, immediately feeling guilty. “He’s doing ok. He plays baseball now and is dead set on teaching Aurora how to walk.”

“Is that the baby’s name?”

“My daughter, your granddaughter? Yes, it is.”

Your mother sighs as she turns to fully face you. “I don’t have a problem with her. I hope you know that. Janet showed me some pictures of her. She’s really beautiful.”

“No, you just have a problem with her mother being together with her fathers.”

“That’s what I’m talking about, Y/N! She has ONE father. ONE parent. How are you going to explain that to her when she gets older. Hell, how are you going to explain it to her now?! I imagine for a toddler that will be extremely confusing. And have you even considered what school will be like for her?! You’re so selfish, Y/N.”

You chugged down the rest of the liquor in your glass as you began to subtly cry. You already felt selfish for being angry with the boys…this is the last thing you needed.

“Y/N, let me call Eddie to pick you up!”

“I’m not driving, Nick!”, you shouted as you exited the bar.

As you began your trek into the parking lot, your mother’s voice floated from behind you.

“Y/N, come on. Let me drive you home.”

“Don’t!”, you snap as you turn on her. “Don’t pretend like you fucking care about me now. Don’t patronize me and pretend like you give a fuck about me or my kids! You told Charlie all about my life and things he didn’t need to fucking know which kick started a brand-new custody filing which fucking back fired because even a court so far seems to think my home is better than his! He felt so cornered he took him from school without telling me and got arrested. Did you know that?”

“Did you know that no one makes fun of Dylan at school and most of his friends think it’s ‘cool’ he has three parents? Of course, my son doesn’t care about that. All he cares about is the fact that he finally has men in his life who are there and actually make him feel wanted!”

This was a long time coming. Everything you been holding in was finally spilling out of you and you couldn’t reel it back in. A hand suddenly touched your arm but you didn’t bother turning around. At that moment, it didn’t matter.

“Y/N, baby, come on.”, Steve murmured before you yanked out of his grasp.

“Aurora may only be one but believe it or not she understands that these two are her father. Biologically, yes, one helped make her but it takes more than that to be a parent but you wouldn’t understand anything about that, would you? I haven’t seen you in almost 2 years and why?! Because I found two good people I love and love me back? Jesus, you’re right. I am fucking selfish! I’m not perfect!”

As you spoke, Eddie and Steve tried to pull you towards the car but you kept fighting to get out of their grasp.

“Why am I not enough for you?”

Eddie finally stepped in front of you, blocking your mom from your view as he grabbed your biceps forcing you to look at him.

“Stop! Stop... Get in the car, sweetheart.”

Steve opened the back door, guiding you in before facing your mom. “You know, for someone who cares about how people perceive her, you give off a really shitty image. Maybe it’s time to consider if you’re trying to impress the right people.”

#############

You barge into the house and head straight for the liquor cabinet in the kitchen.

“Fucking child proof...garbage…ugh!”, you whine as you aggressively pull on the child lock attached to the door.

“You don’t need anymore alcohol, Y/N.” Both men were leaning against opposite counters watching you.

“I’m sorry, Steven, but you don’t get to tell me what to do. I’m an adult—”

“Whose acting like a child.”, Eddie cut you off.

“Said the man who acts like a kid 24/7.” You glare at them as you exhale. “Fuck this. I’m going to bed.” As you tried to head towards the stairs, they both cut you off. “Move.”

“Or what?”, Steve challenged.

It had been awhile since you saw this version them; the angry version that didn’t mind playing into your attitude with a fury of their own.

Turning on your heels, you planned to go around the counter through the living room but Eddie cut you off.

“What was that text about? ‘Fuck you both.’”

“You BOTH promised me you would be home today?!”

“Sorry, honey. Shit came up. It’s not like we’re out on the town or having any fucking fun! Eddie and I are working our asses off!”

“So do I! I work an 8hr shift AND come home to take care of TWO kids alone!”

“We talked about this, Y/N. You knew when Steve started school and I took that promotion our schedules would be tight. You said you were fine with it.”

“Well maybe I’m not! And tight is completely different that not seeing you at all.”

“What do we do then, huh? You want me to quit my job so we can scrape by for the next year and a half? Maybe, Ed can go back to his old position that he hated. At least everyone would be fucking happy!”

You marched outside, slamming the backdoor as you lit a fresh cigarette.

“Hey! Don’t walk away! We aren’t done.”

“I DON’T KNOW!”, you screamed. Your hands beginning to shake as the tears started to flow again. “I don’t know, Eddie. I-I know I’m not allowed to be angry and I know that you guys aren’t doing anything wrong or anything like that. But I hear Dylan talk and see Aurora search for you…then I go to bed alone and I just…I feel like I did when I was married to Charlie.”

“That’s…”, Steve aggressively sighs as he tries to control his temper. “That’s not fair, Y/N.”

“I know but, fuck. Maybe I am selfish.”

“If there’s one thing you’re not, sweetheart, it’s selfish. Don’t bring your mom’s ignorance into this because what she thinks about you and us doesn’t matter. What I do want to focus on is you’re the second person today to compare us to your ex and I don’t fucking like it.”

“Me either.”, Steve chimed in.

“Y/N, we know you went through a lot with him and still are but we aren’t him. How would you feel if we said something you did reminded us of Emily.” You cringed at the thought. “Exactly. We would never fucking hurt you the way Charlie did and we would never fucking give up on you either.” You made a funny face in his direction so Eddie continued.

“Baby, he stopped fighting for you the moment he cheated on you. Fucking asshole was so petty he wouldn’t even let the mother of his child and son stay in their home.”

“If he hadn’t done that though, I never would have met you two.” You flashed them a slanted smile as you wiped your eyes. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking when I sent that text earlier. You know me, I saw red and… I was just so excited you guys were going to be home.”

Your gaze shifted between theirs as something quickly passed through their eyes, something you hadn’t seen directed towards you since living across from them...

“I’m going to go get ready for bed.” You grin again, tossing the cigarette into the ashtray before swishing past them into the house.

A hand abruptly grabs your shoulder, spinning you around as lips crash to yours. The many rings on his fingers tells you its Eddie as he pushes you against the living room wall. There’s a neediness to both your energies as he hastily unbuttons your pants and slides his hand under the waistband of your panties, making you moan as he roughly inserts two of his fingers into your cunt.

You cling to his neck as he sucks on yours, thrusting into you at an aggressive pace.

“E-Eddie… slow…oh my god…slow down.”

Without a word, he does as you ask, choosing to curl his fingers deep inside of you. Your legs began to shake as you reached down to grip his wrist. You tried to pull at his hair to look at his face but his lips remained attached to your neck. Instead, you searched for Steve, finding him leaning beside you both, his eyes overshadowed with that determination you saw before.

Tonight, it was just you three and it had been so long since you had been together not just sexually but intimately. You were hurting and so were they. They missed you as much as you missed them and tonight they were going to show you how much. Tonight, the house belonged to you guys and they were going to make you scream their names so all of Hawkins understood you were theirs, no matter what.

You moan his name repeatedly as you cum, yanking Steve’s shirt to bring his lips to yours. As soon as Eddie removed his hand, the other man lifted you into his arms, bringing you into the kitchen and placing you on the island in the middle. The metalhead came around to grip your waist as Steve aggressively tugged off your jeans and panties.

After pulling you closer to the edge, he threw off his shirt before kneeling, opening your legs wider, and wrapping his mouth around your clit. His motions were just as fast as Eddie, not allowing you much time to catch your breath. Lips and teeth warmed your breast as Eddie switched between the two.

“I…guys…please…fuck…” You were struggling to form words as they both overwhelmed your senses. The sharp, cold temperature of the granite hit your back as you laid flat against it, thrusting your hips against the man’s face till you felt the coil snap and you came again. Eddie lifted you, placing you on your feet, and turning you so your back was to his chest.

He fumbled with his belt as he walked you towards the stairs, kicking them and his boxers to the side as you fall forward onto the steps. The man licks his hand, pumping himself a few times before pushing into you as you moan. His fingers clung to your hips as he thrust into you, the obscene sound of skin hitting skin filling the area.

Footsteps echoed beside you as Steve pushed off his own attire tossing it to the ground. After sliding himself in front of you, your hands grip his thighs for support as you encase his cock with your lips.

He grunts at the feeling as you moan and bob your head, pulling your hair into a ponytail so he can watch you take him. Eddie falls forward, grinding into your pussy hard as his hands roam your now sweaty body.

You lift your head, continuing to jerk him as fast as you can, shouting Eddie’s name as you hurtle quickly over that ledge again. He groans as you flutter around him, pulling out before taking you in his arms as he heads for the bedroom.

Throwing you onto your back on the mattress, he lifts one of your legs over his shoulder and breaches your entrance again as he chases his high. Steve climbs up beside you, licking his fingers and reaching between you to rub your swollen clit.

“Please…I can’t…again…too much…” They both silently continue what they were doing, lost in you and the moment. Eddie grunts as he cums, thrusting his hips till he empties inside of you.

Steve takes over as the other boy pulls out and backs away, sliding himself into you before pushing your legs together and turning you on your side. This position had him deeper inside of you then you had ever felt as you gripped the sheets for support, needing to hold on to something as he smacked his hips against yours.

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw his hand reaching for yours, quickly reaching over to take it as he gripped you tightly. The sound of your whimpers and moans escalated until you couldn’t hold back anymore, crying and shouting Steve’s name into the darkness. His body folded over your own slightly as his rhythm sputtered and he came, rope after rope filling you up.

The room feel quiet except for your sniffles into the blankets. Someone gently lifted you into their arms and carried you to the bathroom before placing you on your feet by the tub. Looking up, you met Eddie’s soft brown eyes as he smiled, brushing your hair behind your ear. A loud grunt left him as you practically tackled him, wrapping your arms around his waist as you cried into his chest. Steve came up behind you, hugging you as he rested his cheek on your head.

They waited for the bathtub to fill before releasing you, holding your hand as you stepped inside and immediately tugged your knees under your chin as they joined you. After Steve delicately pulled up your hair, he tenderly ran his palms along your shoulders and down your arms as Eddie cleaned your body.

“I don’t like this…the silence…” The only reason you knew they heard you was because their movements paused for a moment before they continued. “Please say something.”

“You’re more than enough.” Your eyes met Eddie’s in total confusion. “You asked your mom why you weren’t enough and I know part of the reason you feel the way you’ve been feeling is because Charlie made you believe that to. You’re MORE than enough. You are everything.”

“You’re not selfish for feeling the way you’ve been feeling, Y/N.”, Steve continued after. “We miss you to and the kids. When you said Dylan has been trying to show Ro how to walk more, I panicked like what if we weren’t here when she finally did?”

You sighed as you leaned against his chest.

“We finished our project so I’m done there and, of course, the semester ends next week so I’ll be home more. Maybe next semester, I can cut back on some of my hours at work. Things might be a bit tight but…”

“Maybe not.”

“What do you mean, Ed?”

“The owner of the shop, Scott? He’s retiring after the new year. Part of the reason I’ve been staying late is because… he’s been talking about giving the garage to me.”

“Eddie, oh my god. That’s amazing!” You lean forward wrapping your arms around his neck. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up including my own if he decided against it. But, baby, this would mean I could be home more and we would have more money. Steve could even solely focus on school but knowing him he would insist on continuing to work.”

“You’re not wrong.”, Steve chuckles.

“But what about music? Corroded Coffin?”

“I can practice more with them to. Sweetheart, I’m not going to become a rockstar in the next year.”, he laughs.

“You’re already a rockstar to me.”, you smile as you kiss his lips.

################

“Oh hey, look. The entire Munson-Harrington clan came to get you guys AND they seem happy.”, Kierra grins as she opens her door wider to allow you three into her home. “Did you fall on your knees and beg for forgiveness?”

“Eh something like that.”, Eddie laughs.

“Your mother was at the bar to last night. I’m not sure if she told you that.”

Your sister sighed at Steve’s comment. “I swear to God, that woman can be so…ugh! What did she say, Y/N?” When you didn’t answer, she turned to face you, noticing your eyes focusing on the kids.

Dylan was holding Aurora’s hand allow her to balance before letting her go. She took one wobbly step forward before falling on her butt and smiling up at him. You sunk to your knees placing yourself a small distance away from her. Your son lifted her up again, holding her hand as he guided her towards you before letting her go. She stood still just for a moment as she looked your way.

“Come here, baby. I missed you. Give mama a hug?”

You reached out your arms as she giggled before slowly taking two steps forward. She almost fell catching herself on her hands before pushing back to a standing position.

“Ma…mama!”

She took two more determined steps by herself before falling into your lap.

“Oh, Wayne’s going to hate that.”, Eddie grinned.

“God job, Ro.” Steve kissed her forehead as she keened into your neck.

“Get ready, boys. Here comes the fun part. Running after a toddler around a two story house with sticky fingers.”, Kierra laughed as she wrapped her arms around you leaning her head on the Aurora’s back.

###############

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