#based on a billie holiday song

[whisper-my-serenade]

prelude to a kiss

summary: years after their time at welton, neil and todd still live together and neil is just as in love as ever. maybe one of these days his resolve will finally break.

words: 3741

Winter.

Red noses, chapped lips, cracked hands. Scarves, hats, gloves, ten minutes getting ready to be outside for thirty seconds. Waking up to fresh snowfall that you know in a few hours will turn into gray slush because this is New York, what else would it do, but for now the world just looks like it’s been perfectly coated in powdered sugar. The hum of a radiator, always on. A warm mug of tea with too much honey poured in it. Late sunrises. 

So late, in fact, that when Neil wakes up to find the sun casting a hazy orange glow over his bedroom, he panics for a minute. 

Oh, it’s Sunday. No worries. 

Not like he’d have much to do on a weekday, anyways. Done with high school, done with college, script reading for his next show doesn’t start for another two weeks. He lays in bed, staring at the ceiling, letting his thoughts drift. The bed is small, all too similar to the dorm rooms he spent too many years of his life in, but it’s softer and warmer and the sheets are bunched up from too many nights of twisting and turning. The biggest difference is that it’s the only bed in the room. Just one wall separates this room from an identical one with the same twin bed. He and Todd bought them at the same time, back when they were first furnishing the apartment and they realized that buying beds was not exactly an aspect of adulthood they’d been prepared for.

It was the third year of college and both of them agreed that they were sick of living in dorms. Todd had suggested sharing originally, dug up the place, even, but Neil was the one who made the phone call. Soon it was theirs to be filled with books and dishes and shoes and memories. Even when they both graduated and made space on a wall for their shiny new degrees, neither suggested moving out. How could they? It’s home. 

Neil hears Todd stirring from somewhere in the apartment (his bedroom? The kitchen? He can’t quite tell). Todd has always been a late sleeper, but becoming a high school English teacher has forced him to change his habits. Now he stays up late, gets up early, and has a nasty caffeine addiction. Music floats in from the living room. An old Billie Holiday record, of course. It’s one Todd has played many times, so Neil mouths the lyrics to himself even though he can’t really hear them. 

If you hear a song in blue

Like a flower crying for the dew

That was my heart serenading you

My prelude to a kiss

Eventually Neil forces himself out of bed, the winter air hitting him sharply as he throws off his blankets. The bedroom door opens with a creak, and there’s Todd, softly singing to himself as he stirs cream into his coffee. He’s self-conscious about his voice, and he stops singing as soon as he notices Neil poking his head out. 

“Morning,” Todd says quietly, setting his coffee on the counter to grab another mug from the cupboard. Neil picks up the song. Though it's just a simple melody, with nothing fancy, nothing much, you could turn it to a symphony一a Schubert tune with a Gershwin touch.

“Did you see it snowed?” Neil asks as Todd hands him the mug. Their fingers brush for a moment, and it warms Neil more than the steaming drink in his hand. 

“Yeah, traffic’s gonna be a nightmare today.”

Neil shrugs. “Good thing we don’t have anywhere to go, then.” Todd smiles softly, still mindlessly stirring his drink. 

Oh! How my love song gently cries

For the tenderness within your eyes

My love is a prelude that never dies

A prelude to a kiss

✲

Neil’s shown him the scar. It worms across his shoulder and upper back, sometimes branching out like lightning. It’s an ugly, mottled thing that keeps fabric around Neil’s shoulders almost all the time. In fact, besides the doctors, Todd’s the only one who’s seen it. The others know about that night, of course, when everything Neil thought he knew about love was shot down with the crack of a pistol, but secretly he thinks his friends don’t really understand. Todd, who never really knew what love was at all, does. 

Todd always says he wishes he’d been there. Neil says he shouldn’t wish for that. Todd does not need to see any more love gone sour. Later, when they’re in their own rooms and there’s nothing better to do than stare at the ceiling, Neil feels guilty for having shown him. What did he want? Sympathy? For Todd to say he loved him? Clearly neither of them know a damn thing about love, so what’s the point? But the way Todd looked at him, eyes misty but no tears slipping, and the way his fingers ran across it, gentle and reverent and unafraid…maybe people don’t need to see. Maybe they only need to understand.

✲

“You haven’t finished that thing yet?” Neil asks jokingly as he pokes his head into Todd’s room, a bowl of soup in hand. He sets the bowl on Todd’s desk, right next to his typewriter, which has been dutifully clacking all day.

Todd laughs, leaning back in his chair and cracking his knuckles. “Novels don’t happen overnight, Neil.”

Neil leans in the doorway. “Will you let me read it when it is finished?”

Todd shrugs, delicately taking the bowl of soup in his hands. “Maybe.”

“C’mon, I haven’t read a word you’ve written since high school. And don’t give me that look like you don’t think you’re any good一” Neil points an accusatory finger at him. “Because we both know that’s not true.”

Todd rolls his eyes, but a small smile lingers on his face. “You have too read some of it. And besides, the book, it’s- it’s-” Todd starts stumbling over his words. The stutter still acts up when he’s nervous, but it’s been a long time since Neil’s seen it. 

“It’s fine, Todd, really,” Neil says, reaching out a hand to ruffle the other man’s hair. Todd huffs.

“It’s just一some of the stuff in there is really…personal, I guess, and I don’t want you to一”

“Judge you for it?” Neil finishes his sentence as Todd trails off. Todd nods. “Please, Todd, I know too much about you to judge you for anything. Remember that night at that bar in Queens?”

Todd groans. “I really wish you’d forget that.”

Neil laughs and taps the side of his head with a finger as he turns to leave the room. To his surprise, Todd follows him, soup in hand. “Sorry, Toddsie, it’s locked in.”

“Well, if we’re playing the blackmail game, you’re the one in danger.”

Neil’s eyes widen as Todd laughs. The two sit down at their comically small dining table in unison, feet kicking against each other on accident. Soon they’re playing footsie like they did in school, exchanging embarrassing stories and trying very hard not to spill soup everywhere. Todd laughs often, loud and unrestricted, something he only started doing in college. Neil’s eyes linger on his lips, the way they curl with a smile when he calms down, the way his tongue pokes out briefly as he structures his thoughts. Then their eyes meet, and Neil must imagine the slight blush that creeps up his face. They stop joking when the moment passes, but they stay at the table, ankles gently resting against each other.

✲

Neil’s tempted to run after that. Run like every other time his own feelings have made him dizzy and sick, shameful and exhilarated all at once. Run to a place where all this pent-up something can be released without Neil’s own head getting in the way. Not often, mind you, only on nights when Todd’s out of town and there’s something clawing at a hole deep inside his chest, begging him to set it free and try to fill that hole with the first sandy-haired man he runs into. He never gets far, either一never farther than the door to the bar. Any farther and things get too real. He likes his little worlds to be separate. The stage and his apartment. Time with his friends and time with his father. The guys in those dark little corners of the city and Todd. He always comes home shaking, throwing his blankets over his head and begging the throbbing, clawing feeling to go away. It never does. The hole, at least, is filled when Todd is there.

Todd runs sometimes too, but Neil does not know where he goes. Sometimes he thinks the other man just retreats into his own head. Neil’s been there, too.

✲

After lunch, it’s Neil’s turn to pick the music. Todd sits on the couch reading the last few pages of a book while Neil dances around, pretending to do chores. The good thing about a small apartment is it doesn’t need a lot of maintenance, but Neil needs something to do when he’s home alone all day, so he does his best to keep up its appearance anyways. Neil sings loudly despite not having the best voice, and once or twice, he catches Todd singing along in spite of himself. The two have wildly different music tastes, but neither can deny themselves a bit of rhythm and blues. 

You'll never, never know I care

You'll never know the torch I bear

You'll never know it, for I won't show it

Oh, no, you'll never, never know

Neil listens to Todd hum for a minute. Ah, irony. 

Todd finishes his book with a sigh and immediately begins sorting through the precariously stacked volumes on their coffee table for another one. He ends up pulling out Neil’s show script, flipping through it and occasionally stopping to read Neil’s infinite annotations. 

Neil laughs when he sees him reading through it. Todd, his favorite practice partner, had been running through the thing with him for weeks since he got it. “We could work on that, if you want.” Neil’s words seem to spook Todd, who jumps a little but nods eagerly.

Orestes. Neil had been apprehensive about dipping his toes into Greek tragedy, a genre he was wholly unfamiliar with after a lifetime (for that’s what four years of university feels like when you were never living before them) of studying Shakespearean comedy. Todd once mentioned he was fond of the play. Neil pretends his off-hand comment hadn’t affected his decision to join the cast. He finds himself rather enjoying it too, though, all things considered. Maybe there’s a place in his heart for the romance of tragedy after all. Maybe there always was. 

“What scene do you want to work on?” Todd asks, baby blue eyes darting between the pages. 

Neil snatches the paper out of his hands, flipping around until a scene catches his eye. “This one,” he says confidently, giving Todd the script again and settling himself on the floor, preparing his mind to sink into the thoughts of someone who is not himself. 

Todd finds the first line of the scene, and the show begins.

Todd’s not an actor. He wasn’t made to be, Neil can tell from the way he uncomfortably espouses thoughts that are not his own. He was made to read his own words and weave thoughts that feel small and comfortable and domestic, nothing grandiose or dramatic like Neil’s trying to make him do here. Even so, he has a cadence in his voice that plays with the words the way all the best actors do, a way that makes you wonder if there’s always something bubbling beneath the surface. Neil, going scriptless, can do nothing but watch him as Pylades’ words spill from his own mouth. Not terribly out of character, actually. 

"So what should I do?" Todd reads carefully, a more delicate version of Orestes’ uncertainty hanging in his voice.

"Any chance of staying safe here?" Neil asks in response, head craning slightly to ease his friend’s nerves. 

Todd’s voice is small, quiet, afraid. A little too familiar. “No, none.”

Neil poses a question again, in the gentle yet serious way he responds to most of Todd’s mindless worries. "And if you flee?"

Todd surprises him here. He looks up for a moment, the closest thing to a sly grin Neil has ever seen spreading on his face. "Maybe, with luck."

Neil realizes what he’s getting at. This was, after all, not the home they started in. He meets Todd’s smile. "Well, it's better than staying." So much better than staying.

The moment passes, the scene continues as normal, but Neil seems to find Todd’s eyes wandering up to meet his more and more. 

✲

"I must go. Unmanly to die here." Todd says in a somewhat bored drawl, as if simple matters like life and death don’t seem to hold as much weight as they used to. 

Neil一Pylades一agrees, they discuss Orestes’ sister, then something new emerges. 

“These ghastly goddesses—they'll send my wits astray.”

 Todd’s voice breaks on accident, and Neil raises his head to shoot him a joking smile. He knows the next lines, he picked the scene because of it. Because he’d seen this story play out in real life, with the same man, in the same sort of winter where everything seems to begin and end at once. 

"I'll take care of you," Neil says gently.

Todd reads from the script. "It's rotten work."

A teasing no plays in Neil’s head. “Not to me. Not if it's you."

Todd looks up now, and does not look away. There is careful determination on his face. Hope. "Beware the contagion of madness."

“Come now."

Todd gives him the smallest. fondest smile, and Neil’s heart flips in his chest. “You won't shrink back?" he asks, almost teasing. And then they’re seventeen again, running around their crowded little dorm room with stars in their eyes and hundreds of millions of words waiting to spill from their tongues. Todd’s eyes are the blue of a winter sky and yet in the center as dark as a pitch-covered night. There is no night that changes everything. There are a thousand little moments of something that coalesce and bang! a bigger, more meaningful something into existence. Todd is something, so powerful a something that Neil feels like he’s already gone mad with it. Something that gives him everything while knowing Neil’s willing to give everything back. That has seen his darkest moments and has chosen to fight for him anyways. Seventeen or fourty or a hundred and six, Todd will be the same open-sky home for Neil that he always was. Neil’s so taken by the sweeping feeling of love in his chest that he fumbles for the words. 

“Sorry, um一could you say that line again?” he stutters out.

Todd cocks his head slightly with a smirk on his face, sending shivers down Neil’s spine.  “You won't shrink back?” he asks again, voice low and leaning forwards slightly.

“I’m in love with you,” Neil suddenly blurts out.

Todd freezes and squints down at the script. “That’s not the line一”

“But it’s true,” Neil says before he can stop himself.

Todd slowly raises his head, eyes wide, and Neil feels the weight of the world fall on top of him. “Neil, I一”

Neil cuts him off, quickly standing and making to leave. He mutters a quick, “sorry,” before slamming the door in Todd’s face and rushing down the stairs as quickly as he can. His breath feels heavy in his chest, every moment with Todd from their years together flashing in and out of his brain. He barely registers the sharply cold air hitting his face as he opens the door of the building, stepping only a few feet out on the sidewalk before he freezes, unsure of where to go. Light, fluffy snowflakes fall on his eyelashes, clouding his vision, making him feel like a little figurine trapped in a snowglobe. The scar across his shoulders feels like ants crawling up his back. What the hell have I just done? And where could he go? Somewhere where he won't have to explain, where Todd can’t find him, where he won’t have the chance to ruin anything else. That place doesn't exist. The shadows of his mistakes are everywhere.

“Neil!” A voice calls from behind him, and he resists the urge to just take off. “Neil, get inside, please, it’s freezing out here.”

Todd steps in front of him, coat loosely thrown around his frame, arms crossed over his chest. “I’m sorry Todd, just please一don’t. Don’t,” Neil mutters, not able to look at him for more than a second.

“Don’t what?” Todd frowns, an ugly look on a pretty face. “You didn’t even let me finish.”

“I’m sorry,” Neil says again, staring at his feet. God, it is freezing out here, isn’t it?

“It’s fine, Neil, really,” Todd says in a small voice.

Neil shakes his head, voice crackling with the start of tears. “No, it’s not. I had no right to一and you don’t一”

He’s caught off guard when Todd reaches out and takes one of Neil’s hands in his own, both so cold that Neil can only feel the ghost of touch. “You didn’t hear me out. Just come back inside. Please.”

Todd almost sounds like he’s begging, and when Neil finally looks at him,  the misty haze in his eyes nearly splits Neil’s heart in half. Todd turns to re-enter the building, still gripping Neil’s hand, and Neil allows himself to be led back up the stairs like a toddler. Todd looks back occasionally, as if to reassure himself that Neil is still there. But God, how could he go? The twisted, sick feeling in his gut morphs into something like anticipation as his eyes follow the head of soft, dirty-blonde hair in front of him. There’s nothing else in the world to look at. 

Todd lets go of his hand to open the door, and walks into the apartment with Neil trailing closely behind him. As soon as the door is shut, Todd wheels around and hesitates for a moment before placing a hand on Neil’s neck and kissing him deeply. Neil’s eyes widen for a second before he shuts them tightly and kisses back. What started slow becomes fervent as the cold drains from all the places their bodies press together. 

It only lasts a few seconds before Todd releases slightly, a shaky breath falling between his parted lips. The hand that had been caressing his neck stretches up to cradle his jaw, fingers biting and burning all at once. Neil opens his eyes slowly, helplessly leaning into Todd’s touch.

“Were you scared to say that?” Todd whispers, thumb caressing Neil’s cheek.

Neil lets out a nervous laugh. “Yes. Incredibly.” 

Todd gives a miniscule smile, eyes darting to the floor as a blush creeps up his face. “As if I haven’t been in love with you since I was seventeen.”

Neil feels the wind knocked out of him, quickly raising a hand to rest on the one Todd keeps on his face. “Todd-” 

Todd cuts him off. “If you want it, just say it. Say it, please.” His voice breaks slightly, and he squeezes his eyes shut, as if fearing an impact. 

“I want you. I think I always have.” 

Neil barely gets the words out before Todd kisses him again, gentler this time, his hand floating into Neil’s hair as Neil grasps at his shirt collar. Neil shivers as Todd’s other hand grasps to intertwine itself with Neil’s fingers. Neil raises his free hand to graze Todd’s jaw, short stubble poking the dry pads of his fingers. Todd’s breath hitches and they both freeze. 

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Neil asks quietly, with Todd’s hands suspended on either side of his neck. 

“Jesus, Neil, yes,” he says in a pitched breath, not so much a moan as a release. 

Neil presses their foreheads together as Todd’s hands slowly work their way down his chest until they rest at his hips. Neil takes a moment to breathe before kissing him again, reveling in the feeling of Todd’s hands tightening their grip on his sides. They slowly wander away from the door, legs tangling as they nearly avoid tripping over the furniture and all the little things in the apartment that make it home. The place had always seemed so small, but now it seems to take years to cross the cold floor until finally, Neil is pulling Todd into his bedroom and those delicate hands are pulling off his shirt and Todd is muttering that he loves him in between heated kisses and winter seems the warmest season of all. 

✲

The next morning, Todd wakes him by gently caressing his face. Neil opens his eyes to see Todd laid next to him in his much-too-small bed, already dressed in a button-down and tie and hair only half-dry. Neil can’t help but smile at the sight of him as the memories come rushing in. 

“I have to go to work,” Todd says in little more than a whisper, thumb still gently grazing his cheekbone. “But if you get up in the next few minutes we can have breakfast.”

Neil smiles wider, sighing and rolling over slightly. “I’ll be up, I promise. Just give me a minute.”

“‘Course.” Todd seems like he’s hesitating, so Neil takes the lead and leans forward to gently kiss Todd’s cheek. Todd quickly turns his head so their lips meet in a single breath. Neil knows they don’t have time, that he should be letting Todd get up and go to work, but he finds that all he can think about is the feeling of waking up with Todd next to him. It’s Todd that breaks him out of it by forcing him to his feet after too short a time. 

Neil picks the music while Todd makes eggs. Ella Fitzgerald. One of their shared favorites. They eat standing up, sides pressed together, both occasionally humming along. 

When you're in my arms

And I feel you so close to me

All my wildest dreams come true

I need no soft light to enchant me

If you'll only grant me

The right to hold you ever-so-tight

And to feel in the night

The nearness of you

(I'll get back to writing more soon I promise. oh, and shout out to @saturnewaves for beta reading this!! you're an absolute darling <3)

#dead poets society #dps #anderperry #todd anderson #neil perry #dps fanfiction #fanfiction #dps fandom #based on a billie holiday song #billie holiday my beloved #still think its kind of a mess but eh

[robinfollies]

december coziness is starting to hit me sooo hard AUGH. have some more arthurstotle, as is expected from me at this point hehe 🥹💞❄️

#new oh hellos song is getting to me!!!!! i am concocting. either a piece based off it or an animatic to it. maybe both #I LOVE DECEMBER I LOVE CHRISTMAS I LOVE HOLIDAY COZINESS AAAGHHHH #it;s 3am GOODNIIIIGHT #robin’s art #billie bust up #bbu arthur #bbu aristotle #arthurstotle #2023 art

[floralcyanide]

— 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 (nsfw)

important note: if you don't like rpf (or fanfic about real people), please just scroll past. don't be rude in the reblogs or tags or I will just block you. it costs zero dollars to mind your business and keep scrolling. tom will literally never see this. I will never send it to him. therefore, no one is getting harmed by this. rpf is written by many about many real people and has been for a long time. if you'd like to file a complaint, I'd love to see you say that writing rpf is weird to the Hamilton fandom, the Billy the Kid fandom, the Elvis/ Queen/ Greta Van Fleet/ other bands and singers fandoms, (especially the k pop fandom. I pray you survive if you do.) etc etc. basically, just ignore this if you don't wanna see it. have a good day (:

⌯ pairing: tom blyth / fem!reader

⌯ warnings: mentions of alcohol, consumption of alcohol, mentions of smoking, reader smokes but it isn't explicitly described (can be an ignored detail), eventual smut, penetrative sex, unprotected sex (please protect yourself with strangers), oral sex (f receiving), nipple play, cum eating, fluff if you squint

⌯ word count: 3454

⌯ summary: at your friend's christmas party, you meet tom blyth and there's a strong connection off the bat. after a little too much to drink and a night spent talking, the two of you have an intimate christmas eve together. (based on those nights by bastille.)

⌯ author’s note: I've been so busy that I haven't been able to finish this until today lol and it took ages because I kept getting distracted ((: anyway!! merry christmas and happy hanukkah, I hope everyone enjoys this (: if you don't pls keep it to yourself

divider credit: @arminsumi | @eloquentreverie | @cafekitsune ⌯ masterlist ⌯ taglist form

this fic has been cross posted to ao3.

ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ᴄᴏᴘʏ, ʀᴇᴘʀᴏᴅᴜᴄᴇ, ᴏʀ ᴄʟᴀɪᴍ ᴍʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴀs ʏᴏᴜʀs ᴏɴ ᴛᴜᴍʙʟʀ, ᴀᴏ3, ᴡᴀᴛᴛᴘᴀᴅ, ᴏʀ ᴀɴʏ ᴡᴇʙsɪᴛᴇ.

You’re nursing a glass of half-sipped champagne, trying your best to pay attention to what your friend is saying to you through the pounding music. Being social with them is the least you can do, considering this is their holiday party you’re attending. And they’ve supplied the alcohol that you’ve helped yourself to all night. This is one reason why you can’t focus very well, but there’s another reason, too. You swear you feel eyes from somewhere in the apartment searing into the back of your head. At first, it wasn’t a big deal. But now it’s almost as if you’re scared to move in case someone is watching. Still listening to your friend, you realize you’re unable to look around to find the source. So you push away the sensation the best you can for now. A mutual friend waves at you from across the room where the makeshift bar is. Downing the rest of your champagne, you bid the friend you’re conversing with a quick goodbye for the time being. Hurrying to your friend who beckoned you over, you look at them with a raised brow when their face scrunches up into a giddy smile.

“Why do you look like that?” you ask, carefully eyeballing them.

Your friend chuckles at you, leaning into your ear, “There’s a hot guy back there who has been eyeing you for quite some time.”

Your face contorts into realization. So that’s why you’ve been feeling eyes burning into you. You hesitantly turn around, hoping you aren’t too blatantly obvious in finding who is staring. However, at this point in the night, you aren’t entirely graceful by any means. Your eyes catch onto a brunette man almost immediately, like you’re drawn to one another somehow. The man glances down at his drink before letting his eyes shoot back up to yours, his determined gaze sending goosebumps across your skin. Your friend has been too busy making you a drink to notice the tension but still manages to switch out your empty glass with a full one despite your daze.

“I’ll be right back,” you say just loud enough for your friend to hear over the song blaring through the speakers.

With the alcohol burning in your system, the atmosphere of the apartment seems otherworldly. It’s a fairly glitzy party, so you’re dressed for the occasion. Your outfit highlights your best features, allowing you to have an air of confidence. A kind of confidence you don’t usually carry. The alcohol certainly helps with that. The shimmery lighting bouncing off the walls gives off an ethereal vibe to the apartment. The dim glimmer of the room casts the shadow of the brunette man’s eyelashes onto his cheekbones. The closer you get, the more you notice about him. His aquiline nose, the contour of facial hair on his face, the tasteful and subtle golden hoop in his left ear. You see a small smile stretch across his lips as you approach him.

“I am so sorry if I’m coming off as creepy,” he shouts over the music, laughing to himself, “I promise I don’t mean to. You’re just really attractive.”

You take a moment to let your eyes take in his form as discreetly as possible, noticing his towering height and lean physique. Now that you’re close enough to properly see his face, you note that his eyes shine a hauntingly beautiful shade of icy blue. He takes a moment to study your face as well, waiting with bated breath for your response.

“That means a lot coming from someone who is also attractive. And I thought I felt someone staring,” you jokingly smile at him around a sip of your drink.

“Sorry about that,” the man rubs the back of his neck nervously, “I just never know how to approach without being awkward.”

Butterflies flutter in your stomach at the heavy weight of the brunette’s eyes on yours, your drink burning away any nervousness that had previously lingered.

“I get it,” you match his smile that has yet to wipe off his face, “I’m not the type to come up to someone I find cute. But…” you trail off, taking in the man’s attractiveness, “There’s something about you I can’t put my finger on.”

“Well,” he chuckles at you, bringing his glass to his lips before hesitating, “You’ll figure it out eventually.”

“Oh really?’ you raise your eyebrows, a playful tinge to your voice, “How’s that?”

“Do you smoke?” the man asks.

“Only when I’m drinking,” you chide. 

The two of you weave around the other party-goers toward the fire escape, and you snatch the bottle of something from your friend’s hand while passing the bar on the way out. After clambering from the window behind the tall man, who effortlessly climbed out, you take his outstretched hand. Planting your feet on the landing, you watch as the man fishes out a pack of cigarettes and a pack of matches from his back pocket. He looks up at you expectantly, patting the spot on the metal grating next to him.

“I don’t bite,” he jokes, “Not hard, anyway.”

You bite back a snort but sit down anyway. You take a swig of the clear liquid in the bottle you took before offering it to the man with a sour face. He’s in the process of lighting up, the cigarette hanging between his lips casually as he holds a lit match to the end. You watch him do this, and something stirs inside you. He takes a drag before handing the cigarette to you and taking the bottle from your hand. 

“You smoke a lot?” you ask him before taking a drag of your own, your eyes not leaving him.

He shrugs, “I picked it up while in college. It’s a bad habit I go back to sometimes.”

“I see,” you say, “I forgot to ask, but what’s your name?”

“Tom,” the brunette says, the cigarette dangling from his lips as he offers a free hand for you to shake. You gently take it.

Despite the chill of the night, Tom’s hand is warm against yours. You both hesitate to pull away, but a shy chuckle shared between the two of you causes a natural break of grip. You continue to smoke and pass the bottle to and from each other, talking about this year’s notable events in your lives. You speak for a while before more personal details begin spilling. Like how much you hate your job and how Tom missed his co-stars from his last project. Or how you both hate being single during the holidays. The more alcohol that’s consumed, the more you discuss your lives. It’s only been an hour or two, but it feels like you’ve known each other forever. 

A comfortable silence falls over the two of you. Tom looks over at you, admiring how your cigarette looked so natural in your hand. And how your hair fell perfectly around your face and how you swung your legs back and forth innocently. The corners of Tom’s lips twitch upward as he subtly moves closer to you, his thigh pressing against yours. He thinks you’re quite interesting and pretty- he doesn’t know why you’re still single when you’re such an amazing person.

You feel the roughness of his trousers against your bare thigh as you finish your final cigarette. You swish the remaining contents of the bottle around, deciding that your blurry peripheral vision means it is time to stop drinking. When you turn to offer Tom the rest of the alcohol, he’s facing you already, mere inches away. Your breath hitches as his eyes look into yours. They drop to your lips, and despite your intoxication, you feel giddy in your stomach. 

“Can I,” Tom whispers, lifting a hand to your cheek, “Can I kiss you?”

You sit the bottle down on the other side of where you’re sitting, a drunken smile growing on your face, “Of course you can.”

Tom leans in, pressing his lips to yours gently. You inhale sharply through your nose at the intense feeling of electricity between the two of you. You can taste the alcohol on him when you run your tongue across his bottom lip, testing just how far he wants to go. Your hand reaches up and cards through his dark hair, bringing him as close as possible as the kiss becomes more passionate. Tom’s free hand grasps your hip, his thumb digging deeper into your skin the harder you kiss him. Your head swims as he peppers his lips along your jawline and under your ear.

“We should probably go inside,” you pull away reluctantly, but even in your stupor, you don’t want to get carried away and fall off the fire escape.

You struggle to push up the cracked open window, and Tom giggles at you as he effortlessly pushes it open for you. Both of you climb through, and your friend shakes their head at you when your feet land firmly on the floor.

“I had wondered where you ran off to,” they chuckle, “I see you’ve met my friend Tom.”

“Uh, yeah,” you smile, looking up at him as he stands beside you.

Your friend looks closely at the two of you, noticing your bitten lips and Tom’s flushed face, “Now that the party has dwindled down, you guys can chill upstairs where it’s quiet. I have a book collection you two would enjoy.”

“Gotcha,” you nod as they walk away to mingle with other partygoers.

Looking around, you notice the remainder of the gathering is in other parts of the apartment, leaving the living room and upstairs unoccupied. Tom grabs your hand, pulling you away from the kitchen to the hallway leading to the stairs. You pull him into another kiss, Tom giggling at your eagerness as he sways slightly. He walks you backward until you feel your back against the nearby wall. Neither of you would do this on a typical day, but the energy between both of you is so intense. Your hands move underneath his shirt, your cold palms making contact with his warm skin. Tom gasps into the kiss at the contact, and you scoff, pulling away from him and grabbing his hand to drag him up the stairs.

“Careful,” Tom says to you as your legs wobble. Meanwhile, he’s struggling to climb them as well.

After a few minutes of tussling and laughing, the two of you finally reach the second floor.

“So about that book collection,” Tom raises an eyebrow, catching his breath as he grabs you by the hips, bringing you close to him.

“Only if you really want to,” you look up at him, both your and his eyes glazed over.

“I do,” Tom runs his hands along your sides, his gaze heavy on you, “Lead the way.”

You walk ahead of him, pulling him into the guest bedroom, where the books do happen to be stored in a giant bookcase along the wall. String lights around the ceiling give a soft golden glow to the room as you approach the mass of books. Tom closes the door softly as he enters the room, walking up behind you as you trace the spine of one of your favorite books. Tom wraps his arms around you, leaning down to kiss the back of your neck gingerly. You melt into his chest, closing your eyes as he travels down your shoulder. Your dress has an exposed back, and Tom is taking advantage of it as Tom falls to one knee and continues kissing down your body. He delicately unties the silk ribbon holding the two sides of your dress together, pausing before allowing it to fall to the floor.

“Let me know if you want me to stop,” Tom says.

You turn around and walk to the bed, allowing your dress to fall behind you. Sitting down, you motion for Tom to come over to you. His eyes scan your face, avoiding your intricate and deep-colored underwear as he stands up. Tom stands between your slightly parted legs, and you move your hands to the lapels of his black blazer, pushing them open. He discards it from his arms and to the floor before pulling his t-shirt over his head. You try not to ogle at his perfect body, but your hands wander anyway. Up his abdomen and across his chest until you reach his neck, where you pull him down for a heated kiss. Tom lightly pushes you onto the bed, and you move to the pile of pillows to rest your head. He climbs over you, caging you underneath him. Before you can react, Tom pulls your legs up around his waist as he rests his body on yours. His lips hover over yours, his darkened eyes boring into yours much like they did the back of your head earlier in the evening. 

“Don’t stop,” you say, crossing your ankles behind Tom’s back.

Tom attacks your neck with hot kisses and soft bites, your hand grasping the back of his head. As his body relaxes into you, his weight presses you against the bed, and you feel how hard he is. You lift your hips to lightly grind into Tom, and his soft bite into your collarbone turns harsh in reaction. He continues downward, slipping his fingers underneath the straps of your bra and sliding them down your shoulders. You arch your back so Tom has the room to unclasp the band and remove the garment from you. He wastes no time resuming his kisses on your sensitive skin, avoiding the areas you desire his kisses most. You gasp when Tom lets his hand brush against your breast, his thumb circling your nipple softly. A small moan leaves your lips, and Tom glances up at you through his lashes to gauge your reaction. He admires how your eyebrows crease momentarily in pleasure, so he circles his thumb again. You moan louder this time, craving his touch without hesitance.

“Please,” you sigh, “Don’t hold back either.”

Tom hums in response before dipping his head down and enveloping your nipple in his mouth, flicking it with his tongue teasingly. He rubs your other nipple with his thumb, simultaneously stimulating you. You whimper, heat from your still buzzed body rushing to your clit. Your hips roll in response, and you’re sure Tom can feel your dampened panties against his chest. He gives your nipple a sharp tug with his teeth before focusing on your needy core. He leaves an open-mouthed kiss on your clothed heat before removing your underwear. Still buzzed from all the alcohol earlier, Tom tries his best to be soft with you despite the pit of desire growing between you. You want him- all of him, and you want it now. And Tom wants you. Before you can speak, Tom’s warm mouth meets your folds, his tongue lapping at your arousal. You squirm from the sudden stimulation, but he stills your hips with his grip. A hand flies to Tom’s mussed-up hair as he plunges his tongue into you, his nose pressing to your clit. He inhales your scent, and it intoxicates him more than alcohol ever could. Shaking his head, Tom’s nose rubs against your clit perfectly as his tongue fucks you. Your whole body is up in flames, your fingers tightening in his hair. 

You’re muttering incoherent praises as you ride Tom’s face. He replaces his tongue with two of his fingers, your relaxed wetness allowing him to slip them in easily. They scissor against your fluttering walls as Tom sucks on your bundle of nerves. Your fuzzy mind keeps you from hiding how good his mouth feels on you, and your moans grow louder. His mouth leaves your cunt abruptly before reattaching to yours, silencing you immediately.

“Gotta be quiet,” Tom huffs against your lips, “People are still downstairs, love.”

You wrap your legs around him again, grinding yourself into his still-clothed cock. He’s the one to moan this time, slipping his tongue into your mouth and letting you taste yourself. You unwrap your legs and work to unfasten Tom’s trousers, pushing them down his thighs. He kicks them off the rest of the way, along with his underwear, as he continues to kiss you. You reach down between your bodies and palm Tom’s length, to which he groans into your mouth. You guide his tip to your entrance, allowing him to comfortably push into you. Your hands grasp Tom’s shoulder blades, your nails lightly digging into his skin with every inch that enters you. You whimper in pleasure at him finally being inside you after longing for it all night. Tom bottoms out with a content sigh, also elated at the feeling of you clenching around his length after craving it for so long. 

Your chests heave against one another, your forehead pressed to Tom’s. His enticing blue eyes meet yours as he slowly pulls out before slamming his hips against yours. You gasp, arching your back and letting butterflies swarm in your belly when Tom kisses the corner of your mouth. He fucks into you again, slowly building a steady pace. Your lips barely brush against Tom’s as he snaps his body into yours. Your buzz has now faded away, allowing you to feel him entirely sober. He sneaks his hand between you and presses his thumb to your clit, making you hiss at the sudden stimulation. Your head pushes against the pillows, exposing your throat. Tom lets his hand lazily wrap around it, not squeezing but instead holding it as he grazes his teeth on your skin there as he kisses your neck. 

“Feel so good around me,” Tom says dazedly, and you feel his eyelashes flutter under your jaw, “So gorgeous.”

Your hand rests in his hair again, gently combing through his locks as he rocks into you faster. His weight on you, his thumb still rubbing your clit, and his hand around your neck seals the deal for you as he plows into that sweet spot inside you. 

“Tom,” you moan, “I’m close.”

“Me too, baby. Me too,” he whispers into your skin, leaving soft kisses in contrast to his rough thrusts.

“You feel so good,” you mutter, your chin resting on Tom’s head.

Tom lifts your leg and places it on his shoulder, allowing him to hit a new angle inside you. You bury your face in his hair to deafen the cry that escapes you in response. 

“Right there,” you pant, your hands desperately holding onto Tom’s hair as your mouth hangs open in silent pleasure.

Tom breathes heavily into your neck, using all the energy he has left to mercilessly fuck your weeping cunt. You feel your stomach tensing, alerting you of your impending orgasm. Tom chants your name as he firmly presses his thumb into your clit, causing the tightly wound knot inside you to snap undone. Your thigh clamps into the side of Tom’s neck while the other shakes against the bare skin of his sweat sheened back. The feeling of your tight pussy pulsating around him makes Tom explode inside you with a gasp. You grip Tom’s hair desperately as you milk him of everything he has, his thumb still not letting up on your clit. Another orgasm washes over you suddenly. This time it makes you convulse, your cunt gushing around Tom and dripping down your thighs as you cry out in pleasure. 

“Fuck,” you gasp for air, Tom pulling out of you.

He moves down to your pussy, cleaning up the cum spilling from you with a hungry tongue. You’re so sensitive that your thighs slam into the sides of Tom’s head. He suckles your clit for a moment for good measure, making you writhe underneath him. You pathetically whimper when he pulls away, finally catching your breath. Tom returns to his previous position on top of you, his face buried in your neck. He wraps his arms around you, softly stroking your skin. 

“Wow,” you giggle, letting your nose dig into Tom’s brunette hair.

“Yeah,” he smirks, “You’re amazing.”

“That’s all you, I’m afraid,” you say.

Tom hums, “I disagree, sweetheart.”

He rolls over momentarily, lifting the duvet for you to climb under. He embraces you again, holding you close as if you’ll disappear like some sort of dream. You wrap your arms around Tom’s, smiling as he presses his nose to your hair. 

“I still haven’t put my finger on it,” you say after a moment of silence.

“Hmm? On what?”

“That something about you.”

“I guess you’ll have to stick around and find out, then.”

“Deal,” you chuckle, “Merry Christmas, Tom.”

“Merry Christmas, beautiful.”

taglist:

@barbaraelaine @devotedly-sassy @nowitsmissing @arzua10 @screamqueenpink

#tom blyth #tom blyth x reader #tom blyth x reader smut #tom blyth smut #tom blyth x you #tom blyth x you smut #floralcyanide writes #tbosas #billy the kid #tom blyth fanfiction #tom blyth fic #tom blyth fanfic

[nanite-city]

hey uh. remember my fallout au? its okay if you don't just know im still thinkin abt it This is "John Dory and the Fabulous BRO-TONES", often shortened to just "The BRO-TONES".

im still figuring out what Brozone's whole Deal is, but the shortened version of the convoluted thing thats in my head is that they were a singing group living in a vault, and eventually they split up, left said vault, and abandoned branch there as a baby, similar to canon except Brozone is moreso based on some of the Very First boybands, like The Ink Spots and Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers. Anyways this is them BEFORE the horrors. Read more if you're unfamiliar with Fallout and want a little more context !!

For those unfamiliar with the Fallout games, its more or less set in what America in the 1950s Thought the future would be (think robot butlers, flying cars, everything powered by nuclear fusion energy, etc), aaaand then that future had a nuclear fallout, hence the name. The "aesthetics" of the game are Very tongue-in-cheek 1930s-1950s "American Dream" with classic songs from the era, radio dramas and the general cultural "vibe" of that era, where everyone with power and money pretended everything was perfect and it was very much not. Anyways the entire world ended, some people got too irradiated and became what are known as "ghouls", the fauna and flora mutated in extreme ways, and its a desolate and hostile environment to survive in, but its all good bc we still have music by Billie Holiday. Bioshock on land. Well technically Fallout was first so Bioshock is Fallout underwater. Anyways its. its Skyrim with guns. whatever lmao.

#trolls #dreamworks trolls #brozone #john dory #john dory trolls #bruce trolls #trolls floyd #floyd tbt #bruce tbt #clay tbt #clay trolls #trolls clay #i wish these guys didnt have names that were impossible to tag #floyd #clay #bruce #branch trolls #branch #bitty b #FALLOUT TUMBLR PLS IGNORE THIS IM HAVING SOME FUN OK and im embarrassed #fallout #fallout au #trolls fallout au #i will come up with a name for this au eventually but for now its just fallout au im sorry #my art

[lilacliquors]

welcome to lilacliquors's

to ring in the holidays, it's 12 holiday theme prompts!

rules + relevant info below the cut!

unlike kinktober, this event is open to everyone and will feature 12 fluffy prompts to give us some holiday cheer

the 12 days start on december 13th and will go until the 24th, and because we only have 12 prompts, these may be longer than the kinktober drabbles

these prompts are based off of the songs they're named after / have lyrics from! yes it's cute and also it gives me a prompt to work with, so they'll be out faster than the kinktober ones <3

because we have only 12 days, i'll only write for a character once. i know we might all wanna see our faves doing every fluffy holiday activity, but we gotta share the love here

like kinktober, if you enjoyed a prompt and want longer versions, or perhaps you want that same prompt with a different character, i'll be more than happy to write it over the holidays!

i write afab reader only. however, with these being in general fluff prompts and not smut, there is a much higher chance they'll be more gender neutral

i will be tagging all posts with #12 days of ficmas, #ficmas2023, #lilacliquorsficmas, #character name fluff, and #character name ficmas so easier navigation or for tag blocking purposes

the list for my characters can be found here

make sure to check back to this post to see which prompts have been claimed!

day one: walking in a winter wonderland - steve harrington

day two: rocking around the christmas tree - steve rogers

day three: i saw mommy kissing santa claus - soldier boy

day four: dreaming of a white christmas - bi-han

day five: last christmas - diego hargreeves

day six: baby it's cold outside - johnny cage

day seven: christmas wrapping - homelander

day eight: all i want for christmas is you - poe dameron

day nine: santa baby - miguel o'hara

day ten: jingle bell rock - soap mactavish

day eleven: let it snow - tomas vrbada (smoke)

day twelve: the most wonderful time of the year - billy butcher

#johnny cage x reader #mk1 x reader #homelander x reader #miguel o'hara x reader #billy butcher x reader #bi han x reader #syzoth x reader #poe dameron x reader #soldier boy x reader #12 days of ficmas #12 days of ficmas requests #ficmas 2023 #dawn.writes

[silent-raven13]

P FKN R!!! 🇵🇷 (Warning Harsh Language!)

Miles is always proud of his Puerto Rican side. Hell, he's the first one in Spider Society to burst out his Boricua music out loud. He wears his flag on his back when there's any Puerto Rican holidays or parades. Hell, he made a special suit with the Puerto Rican flag on it when he felt like showing off his culture, his Pride!

Yet today a racist asshole test him! Miles flew in the air using his venom strike, absorbing energy to give him a boost to do a flip before launching his webs to swing! The 19 year old wore his black, and red suit with the Puerto Rican flag on his chest to his torso.

Miles blasting Bad Bunny song "P FKN R" as he sings out loud as he swings from building to building: Si no sabes de dónde soy, no me ronquen, no -getting pump as he fight a rodder trying to steal from an elderly woman- Si no sabes de dónde soy, eh-eh, (ey) eh-eh, (ey, ey, ey)! -he beats up the robber as he give the purse back to the older woman before going up in the air to look for more crimes-

He sings along to his music: Yo soy de P fuckin' R (hoo)! -bangs his head as he swings- WHOA! Bad Bunny, you know me so well! -he chuckles as he went on a building keeping watch on the City's mainstream. The roads were closed off for Puerto Rican Day parade, he knew he needs to be home early to celebrate with his family. His mom took the day off for this occasion. Little Billie is probably wearing a cute dress with the Puerto Rican flag and her hair with ribbons matching the flag's colors- I should get a closer look to see if everything is good! -he saw the parade is about to start, so he should make sure no hate crimes were gonna be committed-

A familiar voice: Luv, what are you wearing? -Miles turns around to find Hobie standing behind him-

Miles happily smiles underneath his mask to find his boyfriend: OH hey, bae! -he went to hold his partner's hand- I'm glad you came! I thought you would miss today!

Hobie arched his eyebrow being masked: I never missed anything you invited me to. Now, what is this? -he eyes on the flag- A bit too Patriotic?

Miles chuckles giving him a kiss on the cheek with his mask on: Mi amor, it's my Puerto Rican pride.

Hobie: Isn't it a bit much?

Miles pouts: No! I think it's cool! -sounding a bit upset- You don't like it?

Hobie quickly change his statement: I meant, to be devoted to a country... the government, I meant. You know, how I feel about it. -he looks down at the parade seeing massive crowds- Isn't America's way to manipulate Puerto Ricans to appreciate being part of America? When they colonize your country and set up a military base! -he did a quick research on his partner's country and it's history-

Miles understood what he meant: Well, that may be true, but! -he hugs his partner's arm- Look, mi amor! You see how everyone is excited to celebrate being Puerto Rican! It runs in our blood, our pride, our culture is who we are! We may lost too much, hell Puerto Rico never had independence, but we're still here. Still Boricua! Still proud of our flag! It's who we are, and we throw the craziest parties, baby.

Hobie hears the loud music and many families gathering around to celebrate: I guess so.. you know how I am.

Miles: Hey, you're here so you're gonna get the full effect! Come on, let's check around. I know, you may judge America for their crazy ass colonization, but remember, you love protecting POC! There might be racists trying to commit hate crime!

Hobie became alert: Oh! I have no problem beating up a racist! -he grins under his mask, he follows his partner. As they got lower to the parade. The crowds cheers as they saw their Spiderman swinging by-

A random woman: Look! Mira! Mira! Es Spiderman! Boricua Spiderman!

The crowd in the parade cheers playing louder music and getting hype: Spiderman! Spiderman! Te amo!

One guy shouted: He's Puerto Rican?

Miles laughs: Por supuesto que soy puertorriqueño! -as he got low taking a balloon to give a little boy being carried by his mother-

Hobie saw the crowd wearing their flags in outfits, makeup, all sorts to show their pride. He follows Miles through the parade seeing no crime, yet. The music plays outlaid from the parade: Yo soy de P fuckin' R (P fuckin' R) Eh-eh-eh-eh-eh (ah)!

Miles turns around swinging backwards to look at his partner while singing along: Los maliante' con la' R! Prr-prr-prr-prr-prr -he chuckles- Come on, bae! Mejor que la boca cierre, ey Ah-ah-ah-ah

Some of the crowd started to sing or dance getting hype for their parade: Antes que los mío' te entierren (oye) Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh (yeh)

Hobie chuckles: You know what, I get it.

Miles smiles under his mask: I'm glad. You know, my mom made a lot of food so you can try.

Hobie: Yum, I didn't eat just to be prepare. -The two swing side by side-

Miles laughs: She made a lot of food! So you better eat like five plates! Also everyone is coming by for the roof top party! Isn't it exciting! -The loud Bomba music plays as they watch the parade starting having the female dancers following the rhythm of the music. Everyone enjoying the large floats, organizations, and other groups walking as they wave their flags.- Wow, it's bigger than last time!

Hobie saw a small group of men looking a bit suspicious: Aye, luv. Looks like we found a couple of muppets...

Miles looks over seeing them holding up microphones: Huh oh! Let's check it out! -being quick to get over the group-

The hate group had a leader preaching out about God and shouting at the Puerto Ricans: GO back to your countries! This a hate on America! You don't belong here -causing the crowd around to get upset-

A woman speaking in Spanish: No tienes derecho a estar aquí! ¡Estás arruinando el desfile! Déjanos en paz, Puñetas! Pendejos! Mama a tu culos! -some of the other crowd tried to held her back seeing they didn't want the cops to come in or worst stop the parade-

Miles flew down seeing the group of men: Hey fellas, what's going on here?

The hate group scowls at Spiderman's outfit with disgust. The leader had his microphone on: You are an American! You are disrespecting our country's belief! USA! USA!

Miles could only scowl under his mask: Hey man, people are allowed to celebrate where they come from!

The leader kept over talking Spiderman: Your just Spiderman 2! You're not even the real Spiderman! WE WANT SPIDERMAN!

Hobie crosses his arms getting super pissed off. Miles stops him: I got this. -he turns to the group- I kinda suggest you all to leave! Your ruining-

The leader of the hate group: FUCK YOU! GO BACK TO MEXICO! -the crowd behind Miles started to get super mad, almost riling up with anger. The racist insult was enough to cause them to shout back. MEXICO? Miles got mad too. This group is testing him- You and all your Mexican, pals should go back to your country! USA! USA! -the hate group chanted wearing their American flags-

Miles: I'm giving you one chance to apologize to me and my people! Before-

The leader over talks him: Or WHAT? You're gonna hit me? I'm using my first amendment! FREEDOM OF SPEECH, BUDDY! YOUR NOT EVEN A REAL SPIDERMAN WITH THAT TACKY FLAG YOU HAVE ON! -The older leader grins widely to pissed off Spiderman-

Hobie took out his guitar: That's it. I'ma beat this bloke! -the crowd behind him agrees-

Miles push him back: NO! We are better than them! -He turns to the group- you left me no choice!

The leader said: Oh yeah! You're nothing but a dirty sp- -Miles quickly uses his webs to shut up the leader then quickly uses his webs to tied the group, then he swing them high on the building-

Miles smiling happily: Ah-ah-Ah! Tsk. Tsk. I give you a chance to apologize and to go home, but since you want to harass me and everyone here. I think I have the right to shut you up! -the crowd cheers out loud as they saw the hate group being web against the building up high. Some took photos and laugh out loud-

Hobie grins widely seeing one of the dumbass racist pissing himself crying about his fear of heights: Wonderful, luv! -He slouches on Miles being a bit handsy with him-

The leader of the group shouted spotting the two Spidermen being a bit too close for his liking: UGH! YOUR NOTHING BUT A FUCKING FAGGOT! UGH, DISGUSTING! YOUR GOING TO HELL TOO!

Miles arched his eyebrow under his mask: Oh yeah? Well -He lift Hobie's mask to reveal his lips, then he lift his own mask to show his lips. A bit of his nose showing his pierced Septum. Then his lips pressed against Hobie's without a care who was watching. When he pulled his lips away then to hide his lower mouth- I RATHER BE A FAGGOT THAN A FUCKING RACIST!

Hobie froze being too in shock by his partner's action, he felt Miles' hand pulling down his mask to hide his mouth. He could've never love any more than he already did- No, he's falling in love with Miles all over again! Miles grab the Pride flag from one of the civilians having to tie it around his neck, flaunting it. Hobie could only awe at his boyfriend.

The crowd cheers having mix reactions from being shock to joy about the scene. Hell, most of their reactions were positive. The hate group were making loud taunts, until Hobie shut their mouths up with his webbing. Then he got close to the leader: Aye, mate. You're lucky if it wasn't me! I would've throw you in the Hudson River and let you all drown! -his voice low and menacing- I'll left you off with a warning, mate. Start another racist shit, and I will fucking kill you myself, huh? -the men looked horrified.- So you will stop this crap and not bother my darling, do you hear? -they all nodded- Good! -he harshly patted the leader's cheek almost slapping him-

Miles shouted: Come on, we gotta patrol some more, bae! -he launched his web shooter causing the to swing as he wave at the crowd-

Hobie follows him seeing the crowd being so happy, they can have a peaceful parade. The hate group being stuck on the building to be made an example of. As they made their rounds, the two got up on a building to watch one last time. Miles being happy by the parade, then he heard Hobie being breathless: I love you, Miles.

Miles being surprised: Huh, what made you say that? -he giggles being so bashful-

Hobie pulls Miles close to him for a close hug: You were amazing! No Spiderman would've done what you did!

Miles: Hahaha are you implying not even you would've stop them racist assholes?

Hobie shook his head: You know, what I mean. You kissing me in front of the crowd? Heh, New York City is gonna go crazy for you being bisexual, Sunflower.

Miles snorted: Pfft, good! Let them know that this bisexual boy issuing their asses! AND HE'S PUERTO RICAN! DOUBLE PUNCHES! -he chuckles- I love you, too Hobie.

Hobie: Can I get another kiss, Brooklyn?

Miles chuckles: Do you have to ask?

Hobie holding his love: Consent is important, luv.

Miles smiles widely: Sure, baby! -The two lift their mask to reveal their lips to kiss again. This time Hobie holds Miles like his special gem, being oh so gentle. The parade being loud and proud as the crowd celebrates their Puerto Rican Day while Yo Soy Boricua, Pa'Que Tu Lo Sepas by Taino plays in the background.-

(Sorry for the harsh language! Was listening to Bad Bunny and saw a post that made me inspired @babyhellboy post and comic photo also another comic post of Hobie Brown saying he rather be a F-word than a Fascist. Hehe, you know his Sunflower is heavily inspired by him😉.)

#punkflower #flowerpunk #miles morales #hobie brown #spiderman #spider-verse #spider verse #across the spider verse

[share-the-damn-bed]

JANCYWEEK2023 | day 4: jancy and the soundtrack — with lyrics

The lyrics that play in the scene focused on Jancy...

The Bargain Store - Dolly Parton

My life is likened to a bargain store And I may have just what you're looking for If you don't mind the fact that all the merchandise is used But with a little mending it could be as good as new Why you take for instance this old broken heart Love is all you need to purchase all the merchandise And I can guarantee you'll be completely satisfied My life is likened to a bargain store And I may have just what you're looking for If you don't mind the fact that all the merchandise is used But with a little mending it could be as good as new The bargain store is open, come inside (the bargain store is open, come inside)

The Ghost In You - The Psychedelic Furs

A man in my shoes runs a light And all the papers lied tonight But falling over you Is the news of the day Angels fall like rain And love is all of heaven away Inside you the time moves And she don't fade The ghost in you She don't fade A race is on I'm on your side And hearing you my engines die I'm in a mood for you For running away Stars come down in you And love, you can't give it away Inside you the time moves And she don't fade The ghost in you She don't fade Inside you the time moves And she don't fade

Radio Clash - The Clash

This is Radio Clash can we get that world to listen? This is Radio Clash using aural ammunition This is Radio Clash can we get that world to listen? This is Radio Clash on pirate satellite Orbiting your living room, Cashing in the bill of rights This is radio Clash on pirate satellite This is radio Clash everybody hold on tight A-riggy diggy dig dang dang Go back to urban 'nam

You Better Go Now - Billie Holiday

You'd better go now Because I like you much, too much You have a way with you You'd better go now Because I like you very much The night was gay with you There's the moon above And it gives my heart a lot of swing I want you so now You have the lips I love to touch You'd better go Because I like you much, too much You'd better go Because I like you much, too much

Blue Bayou - Roy Orbison

I feel so bad I got a worried mind I'm so lonesome all the time Since I left my baby behind On Blue Bayou I'm going back someday Come what may To Blue Bayou Where the folks are fun And the world is mine On Blue Bayou Oh that boy of mine By my side The silver moon And the evening tide Oh some sweet day Gonna take away This hurting inside

Twist Of Fate - Olivia Newton-John

I'm gonna make it work this time Life, life doesn't mean a thing (doesn't mean a thing) Without the love you bring (without the love)

Open the Door - Gentlemen Afterdark

Come on with a gun Come on with a heart attack Come on suicide Yeah, just like you a trap Save a blue face for me Turn around and take it off This is mind's positive For the sake of comedy She takes me inside Says me what she wanna be This room, there is no door I crawl out on the floor Love that was new to you You open up the door I fall in love with these I crawl out on the floor

All Your Reasons Why - Smart Remarks*

To stop and think of how you fit in life To draw the poor conclusion in your mind And make it right But all your reasons why You hurt me and you cried Will man ever survive

*this song was so hard to find lyrics for and I really struggled translating based on listening alone. I ended up using Moises to isolate the vocal tracks and this is what I could come up with/hear.

#jancy #jancyweek2023 #what do you mean jancy week is over... #I'm determined to finish it all! #also season 2 song supremacy! #I love how the plot aligns with the lyrics in their scenes. It;s great! It rarely happens but it's always aligned.

[greenorangevioletgrass]

The Actress & The Aviator: Song Blurb Week!

first of all, thank you SO MUCH for your amazingly wonderful response to it's classified (part 1 & part 2)!!! im so, so happy that you guys enjoyed it bc i adore rooster & actress!reader more than life.

that being said, what better way to celebrate than to release their otp playlist and do a blurb event out of it??

the rules are simple: pick a song from the playlist below, and i'll reveal a blurb based on the song! it'll be a surprise :)))

Norah Jones - Come Away With Me Bruce Springsteen - I'm On Fire The Temptations - My Girl Anthony Ramos - One More Hour* Elton John - Take Me To The Pilot John Mayer - Not Myself Sleeping At Last - Turning Page Taylor Swift - Delicate / New Years Day* Hozier - From Eden* Anna Kendrick, Jeremy Jordan - The Next Ten Minutes Hall & Oates - You Make My Dreams Lizzy McAlpine - chemtrails Billie Holiday - Tenderly Eva Noblezada, Reeve Carney - All I've Ever Known

this blurb event will run from 1-7 Aug 2022, and i hope you come and join me celebrate in the posts and the askbox!

see y'all in the skies! ✈💕

#bradley bradshaw #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x reader #rooster x reader #top gun #top gun maverick #rooster x actress!reader #bradley bradshaw x actress!reader #the actress & the aviator #it's classified fic

[justforbooks]

Over the course of a long career, the American singer Marlena Shaw moved from jazz to soul and back again, searching for settings that would best enhance her fine voice. In later decades she commanded the allegiance of the British fans of the rare-groove movement, who rediscovered and particularly cherished her version, released in 1969, of a much recorded song called California Soul.

Shaw, who has died aged 81, made her first stage appearance at the Apollo theatre in Harlem, New York, when she was 10 years old. Billie Holiday was still alive and Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Dinah Washington were other inescapable influences on a jazz-inclined teenage singer seemingly destined to work with big bands in dancehalls and smaller groups in nightclubs. In her later years she became familiar with the sound of hip-hop artists basing their hits on samples from her singles and album tracks.

Shaw’s recording of California Soul, a song written by Valerie Simpson and Nickolas Ashford, popped up in Gang Starr’s Check the Technique and Stereo MCs’ Sofisticated. It was also used in American TV commercials for Dockers shoes, KFC fast food and Dodge trucks, and in 2022 it was awarded an official gold record by the British Phonographic Industry.

Born Marlina Burgess in New Rochelle, New York, she showed musical talent from an early age and was given her first opportunity to take the stage in 1952 by her uncle, Jimmy Burgess, a trumpeter and bandleader who was performing at the Apollo. It was through his tuition that she acquired her understanding of jazz phrasing, while her mother encouraged her to study music at New York State Teachers’ College in Potsdam, a small town close to the Canadian border.

But she failed to complete the course, marrying young and bringing up five children before picking up the threads of a performing career that had barely begun. There were more false starts. In 1963 she missed an appearance at the Newport jazz festival with the trumpeter Howard McGhee after an argument with the musicians, and an attack of nerves ruined an audition with the great talent scout John Hammond, who had signed Holiday and Bob Dylan, among many others.

But in 1966, while singing at the Playboy Club in Chicago, she was signed up by the locally based Chess label, the home of many popular soul and R&B performers. Her first single was a vocal version of Joe Zawinul’s gospel-style tune Mercy Mercy Mercy, which had been an instrumental hit for Cannonball Adderley.

In 1968 Shaw toured Europe with Count Basie’s orchestra, involving the bandleader in an amusing routine as she improvised new words to Won’t You Come Home, Bill Bailey? It was while appearing with Basie at the Sands hotel in Las Vegas that she decided to make the gambling capital her home, moving there in 1970.

A contract with the Blue Note label led to a series of albums in a smooth soul-jazz style, including one recorded live at the Montreux jazz festival. The title and content of another album, Who Is This Bitch, Anyway?, indicated a desire to challenge the then-current popularity of the sexually explicit singer Millie Jackson.

A move to the Columbia label in 1977 saw her transforming Carole King and Gerry Goffin’s Go Away Little Girl, originally recorded by Bobby Vee, from a lovelorn ballad into a statement of female independence introduced by a lengthy rap directed at a feckless, workshy lover: “I figure if I’ve got to get up and go to work every day, then every able-bodied in the household is supposed to get up and go … If for some reason you feel that you can no longer be the man you were at the beginning of our relationship, then I’ve got this one thing to lay on you, my sweet. Go away, little boy …” But eventually the attitude softens, and after a seduction scene the song fades out on a note of surrender: “You think you can get a job by Thursday? You promise? Then you might as well stay … Don’t go away … ”

It became one of her most popular songs in live performance, the prefatory rap acquiring extra twists, turns, and layers of sardonic saltiness. At the New Morning club in Paris in 2010, the man in the song had become someone who had picked her up at an airport giftshop, its final scene acted out with elaborately dramatised hand gestures, smiles, laughter and a winning command of her audience.

An elegant presence on the concert stage, she sang with a symphony orchestra in New Zealand and toured for four years with Sammy Davis Jr. There were further recordings for the Verve, Concord and South Bay labels, and in 1989 a duet with Joe Williams, another former Basie singer, on an update of the old Louis Jordan song Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby earned her a Grammy nomination.

Shaw ceased all professional activity in 2016, retiring to her home in Las Vegas. Her survivors include her daughters April and Marla, a son, Robert, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

🔔 Marlena Shaw (Marlina Burgess), singer, born 22 September 1942; died 19 January 2024

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

#just for books #marlena shaw #in memoriam

[lovebillyhargrove]

Wake me up when July is around

Chapter 19/? "Like a rock ballad"

Billy listens to Scorpions in canon (the iconic "Rock you like a hurricane"). Does he like their ballads? Probably not. Too slow, too sappy. He prefers his music fast, mad and loud.

2 songs for this chapter: "Jump" (1983) by Van Halen, and "Holiday" (1979) by Scorpions.

***

When they go out of the History classroom to move to another one - the usual "detention chamber" Steve was a frequent guest of last December - Tommy is waiting near the door. Mrs. Jenkins watches and follows the boys closely like a prison guard, but Tommy manages to walk a bit alongside whispering

"Guys where were you?"

There's offence in his voice, like when a little kid feels left out of whatever fun was taking place.

Neither of them say anything but Steve brings two fingers to his mouth, imitating smoking.

Hagan purses his lips and falls behind, still clearly upset. Billy's got a feeling Tommy is onto something. Long friendship gives you that kind of intuition. King Steve might be oblivious, but Hargrove knows that relationships between best friends are often much more than meets the eye. Hagan can throw a jealous tantrum at some point, and no-one needs that.

In detention Billy pulls out his homework, and Steve snorts. What are you gonna do for two fucking hours, pretty boy, just stare at the wall?

Mrs. Jenkins is unforgiving and unemotional, like a fearsome ancient deity. She's sitting there like a statue keeping a stern eye on the boys.

Hargrove should probably apologize to her, explain the situation, come up with a sound excuse. He can still be on time to pick Max up, and save himself from Neil's wrath.

He can't think of any excuse. His brain is still hazed over by very fresh memories of holding Harrington's impressive schlong half an hour ago. And yeah, Billy's not gonna grovel before this gargoyle. Fuck it.

What would it feel like to see it close? Bury his nose in the pubic hair, inhale the smell of .. of soap, sweat ..? Perfume?

Billy sometimes puts cologne on his privates when he's going to a party or on a date. Let it smell good. Let the ladies enjoy. Does Harrington do it? Judging by the level of self-care, he might.

How would it feel to run his tongue up Steve's dick, from the base to the tip? Look at Harrington like a bitch, standing on his knees, before the almighty king?

Hargrove sure enjoys the whole King Steve imagery and allusions. It just sounds like so much fun. To become his majesty's secret lover, gain power over him, knock the crown off his head once in a while just to get under his skin, and then - the ultimate coup d'etat, and who's the new king?

All Hail Hargrove.

Back in the fall when Billy first rolled into this bog of a town, the thought of overthrowing Hawkins royalty crossed his mind, there's no point in denying that. He even stepped on the war path at first, with basketball supremacy, breaking keg stand records and establishing himself in the school hierarchy, but then he kinda lost interest in that. Because .. because it transformed into something different? Because Billy is not even planning to go to prom? Doesn't give two pathetic fucks about Hawkins High?

Still, annoying the hell out of King Steve sure sounds amusing.

Poking him.

Making him thirst for Billy's touch. Just like half an hour ago, backstage, when Hargrove let go of Harrington's dick, and felt the shift of power.

Billy can see it on his palm, red and heavy and fucking throbbing

Pleading for attention. How would it ..

Oh shit oh fuck that's not .. no, no,

Homework. Let's do fucking homework, shall we? We've got uh .. Literature? .. Calculus?

He opens a textbook.

Harrington is wiggling in his seat.

"Mrs. Jenkins, may I go to the bathroom?"

"You may not, Mr. Harrington."

Steve's rolling his eyes.

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Hold it."

"What if I can't hold it?"

"Then you'll have to clean it up."

Harrington is sliding a palm over his face in disbelief

"Seriously? How are these medieval torture methods supposed to teach me something?" He mumbles, pouts his puffy lips and looks at Hargrove who's reading something in the Lit textbook.

Billy's biting his lower lip trying not to smile. The asshole made sure the teacher didn't hear a word he said, but of course the old witch needs to have the last one

"Excuse me, young man?"

"Nothing, Mrs. Jenkins! I'll just uhm .. everything's great!"

He's showing her a thumbs-up.

"Please stop talking, Mr. Harrington. It's detention, not an amusement park. Do something useful, don't waste your or my time."

Steve obviously wants to say

It's YOU who's wasting all of our time here, evil spinster

But makes a smart decision

"Of course."

It's quiet for some time, and Billy even manages to read a few pages.

He occasionally throws a glance Harrington's way. The pretty boy is just doodling something in his copybook.

He looks so cute. So fucking cute, all bored and stuff, in a sweater that still has Billy's and his own cum stains on it.

Jenkins is busy doing paperwork at the teacher's table.

Hargrove is letting out a sigh, and Steve raises his eyes up from the doodles, catches the other boy's stare

Billy wriggles his eyebrows at Steve and smiles. Checks that Jenkins is still busy with her papers, and runs his tongue over the lower lip. Digs his sharp teeth into it again.

Harrington's face turns red. Not because he's ashamed but because blood rushes blindly through his veins.

Hargrove keeps on eyeballing him with a smirk and

Steve can swear, what he is doing with his eyes, the sultry look, the heated implications, the shameless proposal

The asshole knows exactly what he's up to.

Steve's guess is,

Billy is eye-fucking him.

He's never been eye-fucked before. He didn't even know that's a thing until this very moment. None of his girlfriends have ever done it, like that. It's as if Hargrove is .. kissing him with his eyes, undressing him with his gaze, touching his cock with his stormy blue, all the sweet sweet consequences ensuing.

Harrington licks his lips, and Billy traces the movement, his dilated pupils become blacker than black with hunger, like he wants to catch that tongue with his teeth, chew on it, swallow it, suck on the lips till they're bruised and hurting

Steve's wiggling in his seat again, hand going down under the desk to adjust himself in his pants.

Is he touching his dick right now?

Billy's eyes are glued to whatever is happening under the desk where Harrington is sitting. He doesn't have the best view, because Steve's in a different row and a bit closer to the blackboard than Billy, so he can't really take a proper peek under ..

Steve's definitely rubbing his cock through the pants

Fuck, it's hot.

Is he .. is he trying to .. ?

"Mrs. Jenkins, I'm sorry I've got a very serious situation here, and I'm afraid I won't be able to hold it. Can you please just let me go to the bathroom?"

The dumbass is hunched over the desk as if he's in pain

Jenkins is shaking her head and frowning.

Steve's huffing out an annoyed

"Oh my god !!"

Billy's gonna burst with laughter, this is too funny. His own dick is turning hard as well, and it's hot as hell, but also Harrington begging to be allowed to go for a little jerk-off is just too goddamn funny.

"What is your problem, Hargrove?" The king is hissing in his direction

"Fucking stop it!"

Billy's grinning wide as if he doesn't have any problems whatsoever. Steve's sticking his middle finger at him and shuffles in his chair some more.

His right hand is still under the desk. Mrs. Jenkins raises her strict eyes at Harrington once again and keeps them on him. He can't really do anything while this old witch is watching, can he?

Billy's own dick is ripping through the jeans

As if he didn't cum a couple of hours ago, what kind of insatiable sex appetite is this?

Fucking insane.

I take my sword out of its sheath.

Do you see how long and strong it is?

I beg for a single favorable glance,

Oh my king

Should he write it down in his Lit copybook?

The fuck he's thinking. THE FUCK is this nonsense !!

That's some King Lear Shakespearean shit. Is he gonna scribble dumb poetry now? That's what all the tomfoolery backstage does to you

Uncanny that he even found a crown there.

***

The boys are free at last, and heading for the parking lot. Billy needs to hurry up, he has a shift. Harrington is trotting behind him.

As soon as he's out of the school building, he is scanning the lot with a faint hope that Max is still hanging around it.

"You going home now, Hargrove?"

Max is nowhere to be seen.

"The garage. Gotta work."

"You wanna maybe uh ..?"

Steve's running a hand through his hair

Repeat what we did?

"Can't. Work is work, Harrington."

Like you would know.

The evening's gonna be interesting. Billy can't really stay at work super late, can't sleep in Old Joe's garage. It's not a homeless shelter, and anyway he'll have to face Neil eventually. There's no escape from that.

Have a nice fucking day, Harrington.

He's not even looking Steve's way now, but he feels that the other boy is.

Billy opens the camaro's door, gets in. Lights a Marlboro, that's okay, he can take another slap from his dad, seriously what's the big deal.

Harrington's gaze is still fixed on Billy, and he's not in a rush to get in the beamer. It's as though he's waiting

And he wants to say

Follow me. Right now, come with me, follow me in your car. Skip work, skip whatever you have, just come with me.

Before he drives away, Billy stops at middle school, goes inside, looks around the quiet deserted hallways. Nope. He doesn't want to attract unnecessary attention of the teachers or whoever of the staff is left on school grounds, so he leaves.

He should get to work, no time for stopping at Cherry Lane for lunch or a shower.

***

When Billy comes home at around eight, Neil is expecting him. Billy knows it. He was already aware that he was gonna be in trouble the moment he heard the vice principal's voice behind his back. The moment he heard the word detention. It fucking left him no chance of warning Max. Maybe she looked for him in the gym like she did the last time he was late for pick up, but that's it, probably. She didn't know where else to look, so she had to get home on her own. Most likely, on foot.

She must've been walking home when he was exchanging heated wanton glances with Harrington.

Neil is fuming.

Billy decides not to wait for accusations and to come clean right away.

"Dad, I'm sorry, I was held up at school."

"What was the hold up? Did you get in trouble?"

"No, I was .. busy helping with the yearbook."

"The yearbook."

"Yes, and .. I got carried away. I forgot to tell Maxine, I did. I'm sorry."

Neil is nodding slowly.

"You forgot about your main responsibility."

"I did."

Why isn't he getting slapped or shoved into a wall?

"If you think that making your little sister walk home from school in cold temperatures is perfectly fine, you can walk too, right, son?"

Oh shit no no, not this. Just hit me, tell me what a piece of useless crap I am. The usual. No surprises.

Billy's feeling small and powerless. There was a time when he wasn't like that. There was a time when the little boy would blindly storm at his big angry father with his tightly-clenched fists protecting his mom.

He was able to do it at that time. He was much tougher then, because she was near him, she gave him strength and courage and purpose.

When she left, Billy had no-one else to protect and to fight for.

Alone on a battlefield, and the enemy was too strong. Is now, too.

Billy doesn't want to think of his dad as the enemy. Neil could've left him too, he could've thrown him out in the street, could've put his son in foster care. Dad didn't do any of these things. He might hate Billy but he didn't abandon him, for whatever reasons. Billy's always had a roof over his head, food on the table, clothes to wear and school supplies to study with. He can't even say that he was absolutely denied certain freedom. In his spare time he could do whatever the fuck he wanted, he got himself a badass car, he went to parties, drank beer and smoked in his room. He got his ear pierced for fuck's sake, and Neil had to live with that.

Billy doesn't know what he feels about his parents. The feeling does not fit into any category. It's a raw pile of pain, sometimes bleeding, sometimes not.

This is fucked up, and always will be, and no matter how much Billy wants to scream and shout and blame the world for being the way it is,

It won't change anything.

It is what it is.

Neil's palm is in front of him

"Give me the keys, son."

"But dad, I have school and work, how am I supposed to be on time everywhere?"

Are you fucking naive? It's not Neil's problem.

"I don't care what you have. Always wait for your sister, it's the third time you've slipped since we came here, Billy."

Oh my fucking god, of course, he's counting

"I have repeatedly told you - that's your main responsibility - to look after Maxine. That was the deal, that's why we let you have a car in the first place."

Oh, you let me have a car? You didn't spend a cent on it ..! And I've been driving Susan's daughter who's nobody to me for fucking years now and ..

"I do look after her, dad! It was just a .."

"The keys."

Billy takes out the car keys from his pocket and hands them over to Neil.

"How am I gonna get to places?"

"You can walk, obviously. Just like your sister did today, in freezing weather. Or you can take a school bus."

It's not that freezing, and she's not that little, and Billy's not gonna take a fucking school bus, okay?

"And, son, don't even think about skipping. I'll find out."

Billy wants to shout in Neil's face

"OKAY !! Jesus fucking Christ !! I don't give a fuck! It's only four months left and I'm out of here, dad!"

He does all the screaming in his head, already on the way to his room.

Max's door is slightly open. Of course, the rat is eavesdropping, that's her favourite thing to do. Comes second after ratting him out to the fucking parents.

Billy's got a spare set of keys to his car, made it just in case, a couple of years ago. He won't use them now though. It's for a bigger emergency.

He's gonna fucking walk.

***

He's already in bed when Max knocks on his door and slips into the room, carefully closing the door behind her.

"Billy? Can I borrow your pencil sharpener? Mine doesn't work."

"Piss off, rat."

"Billy, it wasn't my fault, I swear! When I got home, mom was here, what could I do? She asked me why I came home alone, I actually said you dropped me off near the house and then drove to work, but she said I was lying. Cause she saw me walking, she must've been looking out of the window or something. I swear, it wasn't my fault. I also came looking for you in the gym, like the last time, but you weren't there. I waited near the car, but then I was too cold to stand there, and the school bus had already left, so I walked."

She actually tried lying for him? That's something new.. but then, maybe she's lying now. Billy doesn't care.

"Take the pencil sharpener from the desk and get your ass out."

Max wants to say something more, but Billy turns his back on her and she just quietly takes what she needs and leaves the room.

Billy reckons, maybe in other circumstances, they wouldn't hate each other's guts so much, actually. She's an asshole, but that's what he is too.

Back in San Diego, when Max started going to middle school, Billy had to pick her up from there and they biked home together. Both Neil and Susan were busy working, and that was before Billy got his own car. He saw a really big kid picking on Max once or twice, but like .. it wasn't anything bad, until one day Billy clearly heard him call her an "ugly red-haired bitch".

"Hey! Are you giving her shit, asswipe?"

The kid was younger than Billy but almost twice his size.

"And who are you?"

"Fucking family."

Billy pushed the bully so hard, he went down on the asphalt. He quickly jumped onto his feet, and fists went flying, the boy got a chipped tooth, Billy ended up with a bloody nose and a badly hurt eye.

The kid never bothered Max again though.

Billy knows he didn't have to do it.

Max is tough and can handle everything on her own.

But probably, in another life they wouldn't hate each other so fucking much.

***

***

Ugh. Fucking Hargrove.

Who knew that Steve would be kissing a boy his senior year? Not just any boy. He's never wanted to kiss his best friend Tommy or .. or Andy, or anyone.

But Hargrove ?

..

Yeah. No comment.

Fuck. Steve's senior year is a gift that keeps on giving, honestly.

Who knew that he would take Hargrove's dick in his hand? What even got into him?

He wanted to.

In his defense, it was blackmail. He was brazenly blackmailed.

Hargrove got him all hot and bothered, and then he was like

I'm not gonna do anything unless you grab my dick as well

If that's not blackmail, then Steve doesn't know what it is.

He needed to come. He needed release. His balls were aching. It was a physical necessity.

He had no choice, so he caved to Hargrove's demand.

Rather willingly.

Steve honestly doesn't know where he stands on the gay aspect of it all. Like .. he's used to thinking .. no, he's used to being made to think that being gay is not right, it's not how things are supposed to be.

Kissing Hargrove doesn't feel wrong.

Holding his dick didn't feel wrong.

It felt fucking amazing.

Hargrove looks amazing. He .. he has this power over Steve, like he is a promise.

A promise of something extra thrilling, extra fun, exotic and sharp, like a blade that you're balancing on

Yes

Or no.

If it's a yes, it's gonna be awesome. He's in for a delicious orgasm, his sensory perceptions all sparkly, flared up.

If it's a no, it means that there's gonna be another time

Because Steve isn't good at getting rejected.

Never has come across a no, actually. It was always a yes.

It's nothing major, of course. The game's just too good to stay out of.

It all can finish at any given moment. It's not like it's something serious, in fact, it is so not serious, it's not even worth thinking too much about it.

It was hot. That's all there was to it.

So making-his-knees-wobble hot, Steve's never experienced such absolutely cutting sensations with sex, with any of his multiple girlfriends. They haven't even done anything really big with Hargrove, yet even a little kiss felt so good already. What kind of sexual magic is that.

***

***

Billy literally has to walk to school next morning, Neil didn't go soft on him or change his mind during the night. He wakes up earlier and leaves the house at - what it seems - the asscrack of dawn. That's not true, Billy's exaggerating of course but the whole situation sucks. Walking doesn't suck as much as the fact that there is a person in his life who can take away his car keys, grab him by the hair, make him feel invisible and .. so alone, so unwanted.

And there is nothing he can do about it.

The school is okay, Billy's not even late, and everything is same old, only for some reason he's not on the usual search for Harrington. Not today. Not when he's feeling like a useless piece of shit.

Basketball practice is slow and uninteresting, for the first time in a long time, and even coach Nelson asks him

"You sure you're not sick, Hargrove?"

Oh, he is sick. Has been all his life.

Something unexpected happens after practice. When Billy walks out of the gym, Steve hasn't left the parking lot yet, although practically all the other guys have driven away, even Tommy - everyone's busy and got stuff to do.

Harrington is smoking near the beamer

"Hey, Hargrove! Need a ride?"

There's only like thirty minutes left before his shift starts, and he'd never be able to walk the distance to the repair shop in half an hour from here, so Billy comes up to Steve and reluctantly says

"You offering?"

Harrington taps ash from his cigarette

And Billy can't help but look at his fingers

The fingers that were wrapped around his dick and made him see stars

Only yesterday.

"Where's your car?"

"It broke down. Nothing I can't fix but I'm horseless for the time being."

And it sucks.

"You going home?"

"Nah, I have to get to work, actually."

Steve thinks it's kinda strange, to see Hargrove without his flashy car. It never happened before. He noticed it in the morning, there was no camaro near the school, and he thought at first, maybe Billy wasn't coming to classes today

Billy dotes on his precious car, how did he let it break down, how did he not repair it right away. Weird.

"Alright. Get in."

Harrington takes the last drag and flicks the butt. They both get in the beamer. It's uh .. strange.

The boys drive in silence, there's some shit playing on the radio, but it's quiet and Harrington doesn't turn it up. He stops not far away from Old Joe's garage and takes out two Parliaments.

Hargrove accepts.

They sit in the car and smoke, Billy's looking out of the car window which he has rolled down. He looks like he's in low spirits. Subdued.

"When does it get warm here, Harrington?"

"In April it's gonna be nice."

Are we going to talk about weather, Billy?

Harrington is a little nervous. He looks at the other boy who's still staring out of the window. Maybe it isn't the right moment, but he puts his hand on Billy's thigh.

Just like that.

Hargrove is tensing up and Steve can see how his nodules are rolling under the skin.

He slowly turns his head, doesn't look Steve in the eyes but stares at the hand on his thigh. Eyelashes heavy,

Long.

So fucking gorgeous.

Billy's cock is filling up in his jeans and Harrington is just as hard, he can see the outline in his pants, jacket unzipped and allowing Hargrove to actually have the full view of Steve's crotch.

The hand on his thigh is big and warm, and he again has a vision of Harrington's fingers holding his dick, sliding over it

They could do it right now.

Billy is not in the mood. He feels .. he feels fucking homeless without his car.

Neil showing his power has gotten in his head. He's almost 18, a fucking adult and his dad can do it to him, can fucking take his car keys away, making him walk around the town like a stray dog.

"I have to get to work, Harrington."

Billy's voice is low and hoarse.

Also, it's daytime, it's dangerous, someone might walk past and see something they shouldn't.

"When are you gonna call me?"

Hargrove's shrugging his wide shoulders

"You haven't lost my number again, have you?'

"Nope."

"Give me yours?"

"No."

Not an option.

Hargrove is exceptionally talkative today.

Harrington is looking at him like doesn't get it why it's a no. Not everyone gets super lucky with parents, what's there not to understand, you silly kissed-by-an-angel mama's boy.

Steve's hand is still on Billy's thigh, but he's getting out of the car, shaking it off

"Thanks for the ride, man."

"Yeah .. no problem."

Upon entering the garage Billy greets Mr. Dailey and goes to the small room in the back to change clothes. Everything is done on autopilot, Billy's busy replaying the image of Harrington's palm laying on his leg, and his stupid heart won't stop racing.

The pretty boy did it in broad daylight. He couldn't have been more straightforward.

Maybe, jerking each other off in the school drama hall was a mistake.

Billy scoffs. Maybe, uh-huh. More like, one hundred fucking percent yet another misstep in the chain of Billy's fuck-ups regarding Hawkins fucking royalty. Doing it sober was especially dumb. It was too real. It was too fucking real and felt too fucking good.

Felt like a hazard.

Why doesn't Harrington put an end to it, but keeps on encouraging whatever this is?

Everything, fucking everything, starting with Neil's idiotic move to Hawkins, Indiana is just one huge stupid big-ass mistake.

***

***

Steve's GPA might not be as high as his parents wish for, or he himself wishes for, but despite it, he understands

There was something off about Hargrove.The opportunity to make each other feel good was right there, but he turned it down?

Looked all preoccupied. On edge. Fucking sad ?..

That's not Steve's business. He'll simply regard it as adding more spark to the chase. Hargrove might seem easy for his royal dick, but in reality it's not that simple. He doesn't call, although Steve has explicitly asked him to, many times. At the Valentine's party, although Harrington was spectacularly wasted, he remembers how Billy rejected him. In some kind of a room, when Steve tried to kiss him.

And now that.

No, Hargrove doesn't make it easy, which is even better.

Steve returns to the empty house, parents in Indianapolis, calls Tommy and invites him to come watch a movie tonight. Guys' night, beer, smokes and the "Terminator".

Hargrove had the same jacket and gloves for Halloween, remember?

That's not the question he asks Hagan, of course, but it's the one that keeps coming up in his mind throughout the evening

Tommy is happy to come over, and they end up watching movies till three in the morning. Steve leaves his friend to sleep on the couch, and goes upstairs to his room.

Whether he jacks off to the distant memory of the leather smell, the feeling of firm muscles under the jacket and Billy's stubborn resistance on that Halloween night

As well as to much fresher memories

Is unknown, it's between him and the bedsheets.

***

***

Hargrove walks back home after work. It's March, if the calendar is telling the truth, but it's still cold, especially late in the evening. Mr. Dailey offers to give him a ride, but Billy lies and says his friend is picking him up on the way.

Fuck you, dad. For making me hate you. Was never my intention.

He arrives home late, has a quick shower, makes a sandwich in the empty kitchen, thank fuck everyone's in their rooms sleeping or doing whatever, and takes it to his room to eat. He doesn't do any homework, just drops on the bed, exhausted.

Tomorrow is another day of dragging his sorry ass around Hawkins - Hargrove doesn't even look in Harrington's direction after classes, he just leaves the school parking lot, clenching a cigarette in his teeth. There's no basketball practice today, so he has enough time to get to work, no need for a ride. He heads straight to the repair shop, no point in stopping at home.

The camaro keys are waiting for Billy on the kitchen table in the morning of the next day.

It's not like Neil is gonna drive Max to school till the end of the school year. Billy got taught a lesson, but Neil isn't used to changing his usual routine because of Maxine. Also, most likely she's been pushing Susan's buttons non-stop, cause being chauffeured around in a dope ass looking Camaro is one thing, and it’s quite another when your not-so-loved stepfather drops you off at school in his Buick. It’s a completely different level of stepping down the food chain when you have to take a school bus home.

So when the shitbird plops onto the passenger's seat after two days of not having a personal driver, Billy turns the key in the ignition and they hit the road, he can see it - Max is actually glad to be back.

Billy can't help it but there's a spark of warmth inside. He crushes it with his heavy boot fast

Bullshit.

But.

It was there.

You never know what you've got until it's gone, huh step-sister dearest?

Don't even think about complaining about my music now. Billy turns on Van Halen's "Jump", to the maximum.

Hell yeah.

I get up, and nothin' ever gets me down

You got it tough, I've seen the toughest all around

And I know baby, just how you feel

You've got to roll with the punches to get to what's real

It feels awesome to be behind the wheel of his baby. He's missed her like a madman. Fuck everyone and everything else. The snow has started melting away, little by little, and although the temperatures, especially at night are still low, and the skies are grey and hostile, very often the sun breaks through those steel-like frowning clouds.

Spring is here.

Oh can't you see me standin' here

I've got my back against the record machine

I ain't the worst that you've seen

Can't you see what I mean?

Billy gently presses the gas pedal and feels the car rumble pleasantly. There's no ice on the roads, there's just dirty slush and puddles. He can actually get back to his usual speed soon, hallelujah.

***

You've got to roll with the punches to get to what's real

Time goes by, and whether we want it to flow faster, or slower, it does as it pleases.

The first week of March is coming to its end. Although winter doesn't retreat easily, still scratching Billy's face with its icy claws and occasionally sprinkling some of its last snow everywhere, spring is felt in the air, there's change, there's something new coming.

Steve openly flirts with Tammy whenever he gets a chance. Nicole is livid. She probably has voodoo dolls of both, and sticks needles in them every night. She's been waiting to get together with Steve for so long, jealous of Princess Nancy, and the moment she thought her dream had finally come true, King Steve goes and dumps her for that skank.

He didn't officially dump her, but his behaviour is that of an asshole who shoots hearts right and left. No girl can tolerate it, Nicole is no exception.

Although Jennifer is still marking her territory "Billy's mine", and she did sit on Hargrove's dick in the backseat of the camaro a couple of days ago,

He was shamelessly picturing Harrington all the way, all coiled up on his lap - so many things they could do like that.

How would it .. ? Fuuuck .. Having Steve's body, Steve's weight over him. It would probably feel so big, so heavy.

Jennifer and Billy are not gonna be an item anymore soon, he will take care of that.

She will join the Broken Hearts' club, but let her stay oblivious for just a little bit longer.

The boys keep looking at each other. Just like the spring air, there is a slight shift in the way they are doing it. There is an understanding. They have tried something and don't want to stop.

They both want more.

What at first had no shape and no substance, began to take on more definite outlines.

There's also an unspoken dare, like who's gonna ask first. Who's not going to wait until a wild opportunity presents itself out of nowhere.

They should be careful though if they ever decide to do something. Last time when they were hiding in the school hall rubbing each other's dicks, and then got into detention together, Tommy asked questions. He came up to Hargrove and asked him why they hadn't called him to join them for a smoke. Billy had already seen through Steve's hastily concocted lie - smoking was the most obvious excuse - and played along,

"Jesus, Hagan, how the hell do I know, you just weren't there at the photo thing .. I guess?"

You're talking too much, explaining too much, like you're guilty on all counts, shut up.

Hargrove can bet a thousand bucks - Tommy's got the sixth sense about Harrington. They haven't been best friends since forever for nothing. Plus Hagan's big fat crush on his pretty bff. It hasn't been confirmed or anything but Billy has always been able to read the signs.

Hargrove wants to lay his commoner's hands on King Steve once again, but he still doesn't fucking call. The note is somewhere in his bedside drawer, he sometimes takes it out, examines the handwriting, imagines dialing that number. The phone draws him in like a magnet but he's breaking all laws of physics, successfully fighting the magnetic field

He's not gonna run after Harrington. Fuck him.

It's a late evening, and Billy's lying in bed, listening to Scorpions. He's never been a fan of rock ballads but tonight when "Holiday" starts playing, he doesn't forward it or change the tape. The melody is beautiful and the guitar is soothing. Somehow the music falls differently on Billy's ears which are normally trained to feast on the energy of rough guitar riffs.

Let me take you far away

You'd like a holiday

Billy would definitely like a holiday.

Exchange the cold days for the Sun

A good time and fun

Yes, please. He's had enough of the winter frost.

Exchange your troubles for some love

Wherever you are

There is some kind of vague melancholy, sadness, lurking inside. Deep, Billy can't even put a finger on it, explain it. It's weird, it's alien.

The hell?

Well it's fucking Hawkins, middle of fucking nowhere. No sun, no ocean. Even the Germans understand it.

Longing for the Sun you will come

To the island without name

Longing for the sun

You will come

All you fucking do here is stare at the endless fields and forests that aren't even green now. And, like okay, it's pretty in its own way, but he needs to get back to what he's used to.

The gloom gives Billy's heart a squeeze. It doesn't look like the type that can be easily brushed aside. Or which Billy can get angry about. It just came and settled in, and isn't planning on going anywhere. Like it's going to become one with you, and there isn't anything to be done to prevent or avoid it.

If Billy didn't know himself well, he'd think it's something disgusting like

Affection?

For a girl? Vicky, Jennifer .. any other?

Nope.

For Harrington?

The idea is so ridiculous, it's outright hilarious, and Hargrove sneers sleepily. He's tired, it's close to midnight, he's falling ..

The asshole's always on Billy's mind though, how long can he ignore it for?

Various details of the gone day start to emerge from memory - Harrington's arm on his new girl's shoulder, the stupid bangs bouncing over his forehead, the king must take so much time styling them in the morning, the smile, his fucking smile .. During Health class Harrington was sitting in front of Billy, and Hargrove had to stare at the back of Steve's head and neck the whole time. It was torture. He ended up shoving a pencil under Harrington's shirt collar - it's third grade bullshit, but Billy's hands were itching - which led to Steve turning around and reaching out to punch Billy's shoulder, which led to Ms. Babcock's remark to watch his behaviour, which led to Steve saying that Hargrove is a jerk who's not letting him concentrate on the subject, which led to an extremely tedious and pointless exchange between him and the teacher, and her asking the "discipline violator" to go see Mrs. Donovan, the vice principal. For some reason, Ms. Babcock doesn't like Steve. She absolutely loves the ass-kisser and know-it-all Hargrove.

The pretty boy's neck. Billy doesn't want to stick pencils under the collar. He wants to hide his nose in there and breathe. Sink his teeth into it, bite gently.

Anyway, fuck it. He'll get his diploma, and maybe he'll burn rubber the second after.

The song is the last one on the tape. Billy raises his hand, rewinds it and presses play again. He likes the tune and the chords.

Let me take you far away

You'd like a holiday

What would Harrington be like if he and Billy were somewhere else, not in Hawkins? If the king was taken away from his realm? Would he still be so full of himself?

Hargrove's listening to the words and the music, his eyelids are closing. He doesn't notice how he starts drifting off into peaceful sleep. The song comes to its end and the tape whirrs a little, making the play button pop up.

Billy dreams of walking on the beach, barefoot on the warm sand. The feeling that he has missed so much, is awesome. There's someone's hand in Billy's hand, and he hears laughter, the voice sounds a lot like Steve's. The sun is high and bright, yet it doesn't burn, it's soft and enveloping him whole

For once in the last three weeks, it's not a sex dream. It's not a nightmare about his mother.

Billy won't know it but he's smiling in his sleep.

Longing for the sun

You will come

To the island many miles away from home

Away from home

When he opens his eyes in the morning, Billy doesn't remember a thing, but he feels very strange. An odd mix of elation and sadness.

The fuck is this now. Feels like a beginning.

Oh god. Of fucking what?

***

#harringrove #billy x steve #harringrove fic #harringrove slow burn #s1steve x billy #harringrove high school shenanigans

[musicboxghost]

I keep having thoughts about music in the apocalypse, esp during radio mode of Zombies, Run.

Popular music would be comparatively easy to find just because there's going to be a higher volume of AC/DC records compared to the little indie artists you can only find on Bandcamp or at your local gigs.

This isn't to shit on popular music. Hells Bells is great. It's well loved for a reason. But, having three copies of the same record does not give much variety for people with different tastes or even for people who like that genre.

You *can* record over records. It happened a lot with early ska bands. A lot of music was lost that way because the old material would just be recorded over with new songs. But I think at some point the folks at Abel Township would be willing to sacrifice their backup copy of the same songs they've heard a thousand times for something new.

Which brings us to Abel Studio Recordings.

You have all these residents with all these different tastes in music who can remember songs word for word. And even some musicians who know how to play and have access to instruments.

My Five? They'd play the hell out of some folk punk and indie folk. Conveniently, they both transfer really well to a paired down audio style because they got pretty minimalist instrumentals.

Give Sam a piano and he'll record nerdy video game soundtracks. Maybe a collection of soothing instrumentals the radio guys can play at night time full of songs like Zelda's Lullaby and Gaeta's Lament. Even with people who aren't fans of the franchises can appreciate how beautiful the songs are and how they lull them to sleep after PTSD apocalypse nightmares.

There might even be some original songwriters tucked up in the township. We know there's at least one author. And I'm sure radio boyfriends have tried their hand at writing something together. They could be the new Amazing Devil, singing beautifully romantic, emotionally fraught, and absolutely unhinged duets.

I also love the idea of the post-apocalyptic records slowly making their way around and developing small but very loyal fan bases. Dr. Meyers goes to meet with a small team of scientists and someone stops her because they know that lovely, warm alto voice with a little bit of vocal fry. And yeah, they're here on business but would it be too much trouble to ask for a live performance of one of her Billie Holiday tracks? Or Tom Waits? She does a brilliant "Drunk on the Moon".

#zombies run #zrs1 #sam yao #abel township #radio #record #post apocalyptic #hope #music #tom waits #amazing devil #billie holiday

[practically-an-x-man]

Oc question time :3

General overall tastes in music, and what their favorite song(s) actually is (like if it's in the same genre othey like or if it's something absolutely random)

Oooh good question, thank you!!

Rae: Listens to a wide arrangement of things, but mainly enjoys rock music (Aerosmith, Queen, Joan Jett, Eurythmics). However, her favorite song is April Come She Will by Simon and Garfunkel

Robin: She's Deaf, so she doesn't really enjoy music the same way? Anything with a good strong bass allows her to enjoy it without using her mutation to assist her, so she gravitates more to hard rock for that reason. And she's an opera singer, so she enjoys that as well. Don't know that she has just one favorite song though

Madison: Hm... she's a little out-of-touch from music, after living in the woods for 5 years. She'll listen to pretty much whatever's on, though she struggles with Christmas music since it reminds her of her (deceased) brother. If she had to pick a favorite, she'd probably pick Can't Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley - she claims she just likes it bc it's a nice song, but really it was the first song she ever danced with Alex to.

Ophelia: Also listens to a mix of things, but gravitates towards Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd based on what her dad likes. Her favorite song is Ophelia by the Lumineers though - Peter introduced her to it, and it's the first song she's ever heard with her name in it

Jasper: Lots of 90s and 2000s alt rock (Linkin Park, Fall Out Boy, Muse, Twenty One Pilots, Paramore, Evanescence, etc.), but they also develop a fondness for 80s pop/rock (Toto, Genesis, Huey Lewis, Hall & Oates) after dating Kyle. They like too much music to pick a favorite, though.

Quinn: Punk rock and metal all the way! Against Me!, Nova Twins, Black Flag, Slayer, Bad Wolves, The Offspring, Halestorm, etc. As for a favorite... either Black Me Out or True Trans Soul Rebel by Against Me! are good picks

Kestrel: Also tough - they're really not picky, and like Madison they're also a little out-of-touch with modern music. They'll listen to just about anything. I would need to think more on this in order to give them a favorite, honestly.

Katherine: Mainly whatever's popular around 2014 (i.e. Coldplay), but she also really appreciates classic jazz/blues singers like Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Billie Holiday, and Ella Fitzgerald. And she likes Queen, too! Favorite song... also tough to say. It jumps around a lot :D

#my friends!!! #answered asks #my ocs #rae mckinney #robin cassidy #madison douglas #jasper wilson #ophelia octavius #oc quinn/aces #oc kestrel #oc katherine johnson

[ladamedusoif]

Hello there! For the ask game:

34. Is there a song you know every word to by heart?

46. favorite holiday film?

Hi Jeanne!

34: I am currently listening to a playlist based around a cheesy pop radio station I listened to a lot in the mid 90s and realising how many songs I know by heart… but, for the sake of “I can’t believe I know that by heart”, I’m going to have to go with ‘Scenes from an Italian Restaurant’ by Billy Joel. This is my dad’s fault.

46: this is such a toughie because I love holiday movies. I’m going to go with The Muppet Christmas Carol, though - not least because it’s one of maybe two films that always make me cry.

Thank you lovely! ♥️

#asked and answered #ask game

[libras-child]

Them There Eyes

Warning: N/A

Pairing: Pre-serum Steve x Black female reader

Word count: 1266

I honestly hope y’all like it. I never see much Steve rogers x black reader based in the 40s.(if you know some tag me). If there is something you want to say to help me improve it would be a big help. I enjoy writing. I’m far from great but I really hope you like it. Sorry for the rambling 😭

——————————————————————————

“Come on Steve!”

“Buck, where are we going?”

“To this club, it’s out in Harlem, There’s this beautiful dame out there she sings on Saturday nights.”

“I’m not looking to get buzzed.”

“And you don’t have to. Just follow my lead.”

The two traveled by cab. Bucky in his uniform and Steve in a button up and slacks. Bucky was known to have rhythm and was often caught shaking a leg with a few women. Steve on the other hand had two left feet and would be seen standing near a wall or sat in a corner. Tonight would be more of the same, Steve thought as he sat in the back of the cab. Finally they pulled up in front of the Onyx Club, the name was flashing in bright white lights, jazz and people talking could be heard from the sidewalk. Bucky looked excited, while Steve looked amazed yet annoyed. As they walked in the guard asked Steve for ID,even made a comment about him being Bucky’s younger brother. Steve scoffed at that but made his entrance quickly. They sat at the bar for a few before Bucky ran off to dance with some girls. Shortly after, the fast paced jazz ended with a round of applause.

“Alright, quiet down now. We have a broad who honestly needs no introduction and don’t let her size fool you, cause boy can she blow… Ladies and Gentlemen… Madame Marie”

You walked out in a sparkly black dress that exposed your shoulders but wrapped around your neck. Your black silk gloves reached up to touch the soft curls that were spiraling around your head. Your ears were adorned with silver teardrop earrings that tugged. Plump lips painted red and a radiant white smile had Steve mesmerized.

“A beautiful dame she is.” Steve said to himself.

“That’s not her name you know…” Steve looked over at the bartender who was pouring a drink.

“Excuse me?”

“Her name. It isn’t Marie.” He said, glancing at Steve.

“How y’all doing on this fine Saturday evening?… Good?… I’m glad. Tonight I will be singing a song by the wonderful Lady Day, called All of me.”

You gaze over the crowd to see people dancing, talking, drinking, just having a good time. It makes you happy to see people enjoy your singing. It keeps you going despite the darkness your life carries. You finish up your first song and a round of applause booms through the room. You smile from ear to ear, happiness swells in your chest. You give the room another glance and your smile wavers at the sight of a man leaning on the bar. He looked so frail, sickly even, but something about those eyes. Icy blues, causing girls to catch a chill. He was staring back at you in wonderment and you lost your train of thought.

“Next song!” A lady yelled.

After looking at those eyes you had to change the next selection. You ran over to the band and asked if they knew Them There Eyes by Lady Day as well.

“We sure do!” You returned to the mic and looked at that small beautiful man as the band started playing.

I fell in love with you, the first time I looked into

Them there eyes.

As you sang you kept eye contact with him until the jazz break. You felt his eyes dance over your figure when you looked away. Your hips bounced and swayed to the horns as your feet twisted and turned. During the rest of the song you locked eyes with a few other men. All thought they had a chance. Shaking your hips seductively, lots of whistles and hollers were released from the crowd.

“Don’t go dolly dizzy, she’s got a man back at home.” Steve blinked away from you to the bartender with creased eyebrows.

“Every man in here is looking just how you are right now. She’s gonna break your heart.” He wiped the bar and went to the back for more Scotch. Steve looked back at you. That dress hugged your curves so very well, Steve thought. As the song wrapped you clapped and cheered with the crowd.

“Round of applause for this lovely band… A round of applause for the amazing Billie Holiday. Thank you, goodnight.”

As Steve watched as you walked backstage, Bucky approached him with a girl on his arm.

“What did I say… was I wrong?” Bucky said tapping Steve’s shoulder.

“You were right.” Steve smirked. Suddenly applause boomed once more. The crowd parted like the Red Sea and you were ushered to a table with other people from the jazz scene. There wasn’t much Steve could say. So he sat at the bar staring at his drink for a few.

“Are you going to drink that? One martini please, Joe.” He smelled your sweet scent before he heard you. Steve looked at you straight in the eye given you both were around the same height.

“Me?”

“We’ll, yeah you're the only fine fellow that I could possibly be talking to.”

“Fine fellow?”

“Yes, now what is your name?”

“Steve… Rogers, yours?” She swallowed her martini in one big gulp.

“So what do you do Steve?”

“I’m going to join the military.”

“Like your friend James over there?”

“You know Bucky?”

“Yea he’s only here every Saturday…Here he comes now. Hi, handsome.”

“Marie, baby, you sounded amazing.” Bucky leaned in to kiss your cheek. Steve felt like an outsider to you and Bucky's relationship.

“I know Barnes, you tell me every Saturday.” You hit his chest playfully.

“Steve, Marie, this is Anna.” Bucky was beaming at the lady on his arm.

“You look really pretty tonight. Be nice to my friend Barnes here.” You gave the woman a simple shake of the hand. Steve gave a simple wave. The pair then walked away to dance.

“He has a new girl every Saturday. Fucked, then forgotten. At least this one’s cute.” You tried your best to hide your laugh but you looked at Steve and he wasn’t laughing.

“You have to lighten up! There’s more things in this world than war. Come on, let’s dance.” As you dragged Steve to the dance floor the music slowed.

“Look, I can’t really dance…I. I have two left feet.”

“And I have two right feet. Together we make a pair.” You position your body close to him and wrap his arms around you.

“I don’t bite,” Steve had a funny feeling that you do. As the band played you swayed to the music. Minimal movement on the floor helped Steve in the long run. He wasn’t accustomed to dancing with women, they wouldn’t even look his way. He heard you sigh a couple of times. Not a dissatisfied sigh, but a content sigh. The rise and fall of your chest felt good against him. You felt warm and welcoming. He felt your hands come from around his waist to over his shoulders. During the transition he looked into your honey brown eyes.

“You’re beautiful.” Steve didn’t know what prompted him to say it. He just had to let you know.

You rested your head on his small chest. Your eyes gently closed as you two drifted away from the dance floor. You two were alone when you opened your eyes. The crowd and band were gone completely. The music sounded as if it came from another room. The music ended as you opened your eyes and you could see Steve with a smile.

“See you are a great dancer!”

“I had a great partner.”

#steve rogers #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x black female reader #steve rogers x black reader #Chris evans #1940s #bucky barnes #Spotify #Themthereeyes

[denim-mixtapes]

Navigation | Masterlist

Hi buddies! I know I said I wasn't gonna do a celebration because I'm so busy at work but I absolutely couldn't resist. I'm so grateful to everyone who follows and interacts with my fics, and I wanted to show a little appreciation back! SO what better way to celebrate 1k followers (seriously thank you thank you thank you love you) and the holiday season than a CHRISTMAS PARTY!

I'll keep this celebration goin' all holiday season and close it on Dec. 31st so send 'em in!

Fandom: Stranger Things (Don't let my masterlist fool you, I'm down to write for any and all characters except for Billy, Vecna, and the children!)

Anyone can participate, but since this is an appreciation event for my followers, I sure would love it if you gave a follow!

You can send as many events as you'd like but please just one event per ask!

Mistletoe - Send me a character and I'll write a blurb about how they'd kiss you under the mistletoe! (Only one per character, so first come first serve!)

Traditions - Send me a character and a holiday related scenario (ie. baking cookies, decorating, gift shopping, etc.) and I'll write some headcanons based on it!

Christmas Cards - Send me a character and a scenario and I'll make a moodboard based on it!

Christmas Carols - Send me a character and a scenario and I'll make a short (roughly 5 song) playlist based on it!

Nice List - Send me a character and a prompt/situation and I'll write a short blurb about it! (Fluff)

Naughty List - Send me a character and a prompt/situation and I'll write a short blurb about it! (Smut) (18+! No anons! Age in bio, or I'll delete it!)

Eggnog - FMK, This or That, WIP questions, anything else you'd like to send me!

One last big thank you and I love you and all the mushy shit! So appreciative of all of you and I'm so excited to fill these requests as they come in! Feel free to give this a reblog to spread the word!

#follower celebration #stranger things fic #stranger things x reader #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington/reader #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson/reader #robin buckley x reader #robin buckley/you #nancy wheeler x reader #jonathan byers x reader #argyle x reader #jim hopper x reader

[fragilecapric0rnn]

made this playlist for my friend @cheatghost's BEAUTIFULLY wonderful fic show me the place where he inserted the blade. i put a lot of thought into the playlist and was talked into doing an analysis. I will be diving into each part of the fic by going over how and why the songs i chose for each section relate to the themes and events that take place. each part will have it's own post.

here is Part IV. Hope

IV. Hope

There's a tone shift with this part, that begins right as the Searching portion comes to a close. Sure, the desperate optimism in Steve remains, it hasn't left, but there's something different in the air, something different about the trip, there's something hopeful lingering about, even if he's the only one who feels it, and then BOOM! He sees the rings. The flare has been detected, hope is here, and it's explicit!

The songs I chose for this section reflect that hope. I would argue that the hope lingers even past the moment when they reunite. The hope doesn't immediately turn into home. Steve just spend over a decade in his search for Eddie, he's not going to foolishly relinquish his hope when they reunite, he's waiting for the rug to be pulled out from under him. But it's not.

I. Light and Love by The Lemon Twigs

This song is pivotal to the fic, as the chapter titles are from this song and, after listening and reading, it is clear that it was used for inspiration. To me, it is the perfect start to this part of the story, as the tone of the song reflects the tonal change of the story. The intro of the song, that first minute feels like the clouds separating as light pierces through moment that Steve feels after he sees the rings on the magazine.

You're my deer inside the headlights When I'm swerving and crash into a tree

The deer in the headlights moment as MW plays on the radio is such a beautiful scene, especially since the "big brown eyes like a deer" was his descriptor for Eddie throughout his search. The letter. Where he recounts the scene. This song is just the beginning of hope!

II. Our Day Will Come by Amy Winehouse

The optimism is different this time. The hope is different, sure he's cautious, but there is this sureness that wasn't there before. Every instance of his caution feels like a reflex, to protect his heart, to protect himself from the disappointment that he's become too familiar with.

No lyrics to pull from this one, the vibes just seemed to fit perfectly!

III. I’ll Be Seeing You by Billie Holiday 

Another oldie full of longing, but also full of hope.

I'll find you in the morning sun And when the night is new I'll be looking at the moon But I'll be seeing you

I think this song compliments the scene where Steve buys the ticket to the show -

Don’t Forget Me. Same red letters, slightly faded with time. Don’t Forget Me.

He's waiting, what we come to find out, for the last time. The fear transforms a bit in this scene, he's scared that Eddie has forgotten about him. This means that he's started to convince himself in a way that this IS it. He is about to see Eddie, after years and years. We also know, based on the glimpses into Eddie's world, that is not true AT ALL. They are still looking up the same stars. Eddie is putting all of his eggs in the basket that is the Phoenix show - he will be seeing him.

IV. Never Let Me Go by Florence + The Machine

This song feels exactly like the moment for Steve. The moment - It's him. It's him. It's him. The emotional build up of this song, the powerful lyrics, the singing, the way it feels like a wave crashing is EXACTLY how it feels to read this entire part. The slow start, the way it feels like Steve is moving and reacting in slow motion and fast at the same time, how he is pushing his way closer and then -

And the arms of the ocean are carrying me And all this devotion was rushing out of me

Eddie stopping the music, jumping off of the stage, grabbing him - even if the suits showing up scares the fuck out of Steve, sending him right back to 1987. But it's 1998. "It’s 1998. Eddie gets out of their hold. He moves until they lose their grasp over him and he runs back off the stage, past the guards, towards the railing." He grabs him and he's not letting go. It's different now, he's worked for this, this is the moment. "He digs his fingers deeply into his skin and he knows it might bruise, but he can’t let go, won’t let go, won’t lose him again, not again, not again , not again" Not again.

The moment he realizes it's not going to happen again, when Locke says "'Then I’ll see you in October,' she answers, like it’s the simplest thing in the world." And it's finally over.

And it's over (never let me go, never let me go) And I'm going under (never let me go, never let me go) But I'm not giving up (never let me go, never let me go) I'm just giving in (never let me go, never let me go)

V. Hello Stranger by Barbara Lewis

This song, in general, puts me in the most feelings of feelings. It's about old lovers reconnecting, it's about lovers lost and found again. It's them. I decided to end this part with this song because it is them, but it shows that they can breathe now. Steve talks about the kids and they can breathe. Wayne looks delighted to see him, and they can breathe.

Remember that's the way it used to be Ooh, it seems like a mighty long time

This song is the representation of the last part of this chapter, the two of them picking up where they left off 11 years ago. Lovers lost, but the love stayed put, never lost. They got to bed, breathing for the first time in 11 years. "They have tomorrow."

#playlist debrief: smtp #took a day to get my brain marbles all sorted - we're back! #from here on out it'll be happier :) #steddie playlist #steddie fic rec #steddie fic #sen listens