#he doesn’t answer any summons anymore

[deargojou]

【 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐃𝐎𝐄𝐒 𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐓 𝐓𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄? 】

You watched with morbid fascination as Geto swallowed yet another cursed spirit whole. His cheeks bulged for a moment as the swirling orb disappeared down his throat. With a final gulp, it was gone.

He let out a small sigh. He turned to you with a polite smile. “Apologies, you had to see that. I know it’s not very appetizing.”

You blinked, shaking off your stupor. “Oh, no, no, it’s okay! I was just… curious.”

And curious you were. You had always wondered about his bizarre cursed technique. How could someone so polished and soft-spoken have such a gruesome ability?

You hesitated, wondering if your question would seem rude. But he had promised to answer any queries you had about him with patience.

“What… what do they taste like?” you finally asked. “The cursed spirits, I mean.”

Geto blinked, looking briefly surprised by the question. But he quickly smoothed his features back into an amiable smile.

“I suppose the closest description would be a rag soaked in vomit and shit,” he replied candidly. “Quite revolting, as you can imagine.”

“Ugh.. well, that's disgusting…” you couldn’t suppress a grimace at the vivid description. “I don't know how you can stand ingesting those things.”

He just let out an amused chuckle. “It’s not very enjoyable, I admit. But it’s a small price to pay for power.”

You nodded thoughtfully. Morbid curiosity still burning, you pressed on with your questioning.

“So… how many cursed spirits can you hold at once?”

“Several hundred, though it becomes difficult to manage after a certain point,” he answered.

“And where do you… store them after swallowing?” You felt your cheeks grow warm. It was such an odd thing to have to ask but you can’t help the curiosity.

But he doesn’t seem to be bothered. “I use my cursed energy to contain them in―let’s just call it―a pocket dimension within my body. Think of it as a stomach specially designed to hold cursed spirits.”

He smiled wryly before continuing, “It takes some getting used to. I endured many stomachaches in my early days absorbing curses.”

“That sounds awful! Do you still get sick from it sometimes?”

He waved a hand reassuringly. “Not anymore, don’t worry. My body has adapted quite well by now.”

“Well, please let me know if you ever feel unwell. I’ll make you some ginger tea for your stomach.”

Geto’s gaze softened at your attentiveness. “You’re too kind. I promise I will.”

Glad he wasn’t pushing himself too hard, you moved on to your next question. “Do all the cursed spirits have a similar flavor, or are there differences?”

At this, Geto looked a bit blank before briefly thinking. “Hmm, that’s a good question. I must admit I haven’t pondered it too deeply since the experience is unpleasant regardless. But some do seem more pungent than others.”

He tapped his chin. “Perhaps it has to do with the strength of their curses. The stronger they are, the more noxious the taste.”

You grimaced again. “I guess that makes sense. I don’t envy your taste buds.”

“It’s an acquired tolerance, to be sure.”

Seeing he didn’t mind satisfying your morbid curiosity, you pressed on. “When you release the curses to use them in battle, do you actually… throw them up?”

Geto burst out laughing at this, catching you off guard. It was the first time you had heard him laugh so freely.

“Goodness, what a vivid imagination you have,” he chuckled, mirth dancing in his eyes. “But no, I simply summon them from the dimensional pocket in my body. No need for such uncouth regurgitation.”

You felt your cheeks warm up again. “Oh, right, that makes more sense.” You giggled sheepishly at your foolish assumption.

He regards you warmly, “I don’t mind the questions, truly. It’s rather amusing since no one has ever asked such things before.”

You ducked your head, embarrassed but also pleased to glimpse this more casual, relaxed side of Geto. He was always so poised and formal.

Still, you had one final question lingering in your mind. “This might sound silly but… have you ever tried eating or drinking something tasty right after? You know, to get rid of the bad taste?”

“I can’t say I have… The thought never occurred to me.” He paused. “Perhaps a strong mint or ginger would help overwrite the unpleasant flavor.”

You tapped your fist into your palm excitedly. “Ohhh, I know! I’ll bring you candies or baked goods to eat after your next mission. Something sweet to counter all those nasty curses.”

Geto stared at you wordlessly. For a moment you worried you had offended him with your foolish suggestion. But then he threw his head back and laughed, full-bellied and gleeful. The rich, melodic sound made your heart skip a beat.

“You’re very considerate,” he finally said, wiping his eyes. “Offering sweets to improve the palatability of consuming cursed spirits―what a positively whimsical notion.”

He reached out and took your hand, bestowing a soft kiss on your knuckles. “While you don’t need to trouble yourself, I would never turn down a gift from your kind heart.”

You could only smile bashfully at his gesture. You knew his cursed technique troubled him at times, soured his pure visions. But it seemed even discussing the darker parts of his abilities didn’t dampen his spirits today.

Geto makes you feel safe to be curious.

#ღೋ𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊. #geto x reader #geto x you #geto x y/n #geto suguru x reader #geto suguru x you #geto suguru x y/n #geto #geto suguru #jujutsu kaisen #jjk geto #jujutsu kaisen geto #jujutsu kaisen geto suguru #jjk geto suguru #jjk x reader #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jujutsu kaisen x you #geto scenario #geto imagine #geto fanfiction #geto fic #geto suguru x female reader

[softgreengrass]

The Gold

Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Summary: angst, au where clint dies on vormir instead of natasha, set a few months after endgame, relationship troubles😬

Word Count: 1.3k

Warnings: survivor’s guilt, breakup

Author’s Note: based on “the gold” by manchester orchestra and phoebe bridgers

You wake to birds chirping. Natasha has opened the window. She’s nowhere to be seen, probably in the kitchen or out for a run. All at once, a crushing melancholy falls onto your chest, the one that’s been appearing with increasing frequency ever since she returned.

She hadn’t wanted to come back; anyone could see that. She wished she was dead instead of Clint, instead of Tony. And she meant it. She wanted to be dead.

Because of that, it had never felt like a victory to you. You knew the others agreed —Wanda, Peter, Bucky— but that didn’t make it much easier.

Even the things Thanos hadn’t taken, he had changed.

You get up slowly, all too aware of the lump in your throat and the fragility of your heart. If Natasha so much as looks at you wrong this morning, you’ll lose it. Again.

You know she’s tired of it, of your mood swings and sensitivity, but it all stems from her and she knows that too. Those first few weeks after her return had set a certain tone.

Natasha is standing at the kitchen counter, staring at the coffee pot. You know why instantly. You always do.

“I forgot how he used to drink straight from this,” she murmurs.

“I know.”

You’ve grown used to Natasha’s blank stare: it doesn’t twist your heart the way it used to. Some days you think she found your biggest store of sympathy and dried it all up. You shuffle past her, open the freezer, and pull out hash browns.

“I was going to visit Laura today,” she says numbly.

“You visited her yesterday, baby,” you say, glancing up at her as you dump the hash browns onto a pan. “I think she’s okay for today.”

Natasha swallows. You can see the pain in her eyes, the sinkhole of regret. “I don’t have any other plans.”

“You could stay home with me.”

Your tone is neutral, but you know she picks up on the hope in it. And you can feel the distance that grows between you the longer she takes to answer.

“Come on, Nat,” you smile, like your eyes aren’t already stinging with tears.

“I want to be useful,” she pleads. “I… you’re too good to me here. I can’t be useful.”

It takes you a second to process what on earth she could possibly mean. Natasha stands quietly.

In another life, you could’ve said the words on your tongue. Could’ve told her that you need her like water, that the most useful thing she could possibly do is just be with you. But you know you can survive without her. At this point she must know that too.

And yet, there’s something yearning in her eyes, like she has faith in you.

The hash browns crackle and give you an excuse to look at them instead of her.

Somewhere deep inside of you, you know Natasha has always been fine without you. She doesn’t love you in the way you love her, in the way that would summon sympathy and energy out of thin air. She used to, maybe. It’s all bitter on your tongue.

She clears her throat. “I got an email. Apparently they want to give us medals.“

“You brought back half the universe. The least you deserve is a medal.”

You know what she wants to say to that. The silence is frustrated and thick, the lump in your throat quickly returning. You hate that nothing is easy anymore.

“I’m going to Laura’s,” she says eventually.

You can’t find it in you to respond; you can barely make yourself nod. The oil on the pan bubbles and spatters violently, and you realize that’s how your blood feels, singing your arteries and your veins and your heart.

When the door closes behind her, you close your eyes.

Your dad’s face comes to mind. “Don’t open your eyes for a while,” he used to say, his voice gravelly but gentle. “Just breathe that moment down.”

It had helped, especially in your teenage years when you were quick to anger and quicker to hurt. Regret used to swallow you whole. You had told Natasha that once, years ago, when you visited his grave together for the first time. She had been polite.

You don’t want to resent her. God, how you don’t. But the past couple of months have worn you down to the bone, and it would be one thing if she was fighting too, but she gave up on that cliff. You don’t know how much longer you can do all the caring for.

And it’s not like your relationship was perfect before, either. You had met her at a high point. It had always been a steady decline.

A hard wave of guilt nearly knocks the breath out of you, and you have to grip the counter to keep your balance. You love her. You’ll fight for as long as you can.

You eat the burnt hash browns right out of the pan, even though you don’t feel hungry.

By ten, Natasha still hasn’t come home, and you’re back in bed, blinking back more tears, since that feels like all you do nowadays. Now accompanying the gloom and guilt in your ribcage is an unrelenting discomfort. It’s that same old helpless feeling, the one that knows things are going to change and there’s nothing you can do about it.

The vertigo of it all rocks you to sleep.

You make it another week before one of Natasha’s nightmares wakes you up and you’re so full of discontent you can’t breathe. Still, you swallow it down and find her hand in the dark.

“Nat, you’re right here,” you whisper.

A squeeze of her hand and she opens her eyes, frantically looking around.

“It was just a dream.”

Wild eyes find your own; a sheen of sweat coats her face. Her breath heaves. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.” The words burn in your throat. How many times will you have to tell her that?

Her head falls back against the pillow with a sigh.

Your eyes ache for sleep, but then there it is again, that realization that soon you might never be in bed with her again. You’re not sure how to appreciate it fully.

“Are you hungry?” she asks coarsely, staring up at the ceiling.

You’re not. “I could eat.”

She smears peanut butter onto toast into the kitchen, gives the first one to you. It must be the millionth time the two of you have been in the kitchen together, dark circles under your eyes and hair frizzy.

“You know I wish none of that ever happened,” Natasha says softly.

“Of course,” you furrow your brow. “I wish it didn’t either.”

“No, I mean,” she huffs. “I wish we didn’t change. I wish I didn’t change.”

It’s like something has pierced your heart. You can’t find anything to say to comfort her, because you wish that just as much as she does.

“I don’t want you to go,” she admits, her bottom lip quivering. “But I don’t want to hold you back just because I’m stuck.”

“Nat…”

She swallows thickly. “It’s your choice.”

You hate that you already know your answer, that you’ve known it for so long. You hate it.

Your arms wrap around her tightly as you take in her softness and her scent again. Her cheek is damp against your shoulder, your own eyes welling with relentless tears.

It feels like stiff fingers prodding at your throat and your chest: it makes you want to curl into a ball. You’re horrified at the idea of a life without her, especially one where you know she’s still walking around. But it’s either drown or freefall, and you need to give yourself a chance.

“I’m sorry, baby,” you mutter into her neck.

“It’s okay,” she whispers. “I’m sorry too.”

She holds you as wave after wave of bittersweet relief and regret crash over you, and you fall asleep in each other’s arms once more. The next morning she helps you gather your things.

#natasha romanoff x reader #angst #natasha x reader #black widow x reader #black widow #natasha romanoff #mcu #marvel #scarlett johansson x reader

[devvelle]

All Mine

Genre: fluff

Characters: dorm leaders (Riddle, Leona, Azul, Kalim, Vil, Idia, and Malleus) x gn!reader

Scenario: what makes your boyfriend jealous and what he does about it <3

Notes: none!

Riddle Rosehearts ; when you're having fun with someone else.

Even as your boyfriend, Riddle can’t do things with you that would go against the dorm rules or hurt his image—which you totally understand. But when he sees you laughing with someone else, doing things he can't partake in... it makes him really jealous.

Eventually, once it gets to him, he really won't want you hanging out with those people anymore.

He knows they probably aren’t being bad influences, but he will act like they are. He'll give them unimpressed stares when you're not looking, and if they're in his dorm he’ll use his unique magic against them to keep them away from you.

When you two are in private, he'll try let loose more. It’ll feel unnatural for him, but he wants to have fun with you, too. He’s afraid you’ll get bored of him.

If you play along for his sake and try to bring him out of his shell, he'll appreciate it. He might even be honest about his feelings once he’s comfortable telling you the truth.

But if you tell him that he doesn’t need to change for you, he'll get really shy. He'll deny feeling jealous, but reassurance of your love would mean a lot to him in the moment.

Ultimately, he just wants to be the one making you smile the most.

“As long as you’re sure you’re happy… Yes, I love you too.”

Leona Kingscholar ; when he sees others trying to take care of you.

Leona is a gentleman. Maybe everyone else has trouble believing so, but he's incredibly attentive once you're together. He escorts you places, buys you things you need, and comforts you when need be.

But if he happens to see someone else trying to do any of that for you, he will not be happy. He sees it as disrespectful, like they're trying to tell him he isn't doing a good enough job. To make it worse, you’re too kind to refuse these gestures from others, which sets his jealousy off.

With his temper, you will know immediately. Leona doesn't like to play games. He will tell you what’s bothering him and ask why you’re entertaining that behavior when he's right there. If you can’t give him an answer, he’ll stick himself to you like glue and won’t let anyone else near you for the day.

Assigns Ruggie to the very important task of keeping tabs on you afterward. Gives him specific instructions to monitor your conversations; if you’re talking to anyone for too long or if they try to do something for you, Ruggie is to interrupt and say you’ve been summoned by Leona.

Mandatory cuddles and telling him you love him is your punishment. He hates feeling jealous.

"You know what you signed up for with me. Now, come here. You’re mine."

Azul Ashengrotto ; when he becomes aware of the options you have.

Seeing how popular you are among the student body makes Azul particularly jealous.

You’re friends with so many others within the walls of Night Raven College; dozens of boys with promising futures make up your circle, including several princes, and all are just one call away from coming to your aid should you ask. So it’s a bit hard for him to not feel jealous when they don't seem to back off even after you announce your relationship.

He’ll wait it out at first, but if they don’t leave you alone he’ll be really ticked off. However, Azul is aware that he isn’t particularly intimidating and can’t fight.

So what does he do? He shows you off instead, to prove to them that you're his.

If he wasn't using Magicam before, now he's posting you every day. He's posting pictures of you with new jewelry he's bought you and images of you cuddled up to him at night, even linking sweet love songs to them.

When he checks his views and finds the individuals that triggered his jealousy, his satisfaction in through the roof. Don’t question his smirk.

If, for some reason, flaunting you on social media isn’t enough, then Azul might have Floyd give your friends a scare. Nothing serious, just enough to make them delete your number and change their routes to class to avoid you. You wont even notice since Azul is now escorting you to class on his arm.

"Do you not want me to show you off? I don't see a problem with reminding everyone who you chose."

Kalim Al-Asim ; when you might be taken away.

Kalim trusts you so much, so he just doesn’t get jealous. Your relationship is so healthy and communication between you is great.

The only time he'd maybe feel jealousy would be if someone planted the idea in his head. Like if Jamil makes a joke about you and someone you're with looking quite close, Kalim might start questioning the situation.

However, he'd be more concerned for your safety than jealous. He'd approach you and drag you away in a rush with an innocent excuse to the other individual. After all, if they're trying to charm you while knowing you’re in a relationship, they have to be bad news.

He'd talk to you about it immediately, though, before any of his thoughts spiral and before you can think he’s overreacting.

Would go heavier on the PDA to remind you he trusts and cares for you. To some extent, he might be thinking he can gross that person out this way so they’ll get the hint and give it up.

Kalim is just too sweet of a guy to feel jealous honestly. There’s not much else to say. He’ll make you feel so safe.

"Just wanted to make sure you were okay! I think we should steer clear of them for now, yeah?"

Vil Schoenheit ; when you don't see what he sees.

Vil gets annoyed easily, definitely. But it would either take something truly concerning or the involvement of someone he deems a threat to make him feel jealousy.

He often acts like he knows what's best for you, so he tells you to stay away from certain classmates. Especially the ones that he sees being a bit too kind to you.

If you dismiss Vil’s concerns and the individuals get bolder with you to spite him, he’ll be pissed. Honestly, if he didn’t have contractual obligations and a reputation to maintain, he might resort to threats.

If it goes on for long enough, he’ll start feeling jealous.

The result is a super petty Vil.

If you want to spend time with him, he'll redirect you to one of those friends. He'll ask you why you want his attention now, when you clearly preferred theirs yesterday.

Though it’s hard for him to turn you away when all he wants is to hug and kiss you, his mind turns it into a silly game to find out if you love him most of all. This keeps him in a cycle of pettiness and insecurity.

Still, he doesn't want to neglect you. He wants you to see his perspective, so once he’s had enough of going without you, he’ll explain why he feels his worries are justified.

Once you exchange apologies, he’ll return all the love he withheld.

"Now do you understand? I'm only trying to protect you from ill intentions."

Idia Shroud ; when he can't be the one that's with you.

Get jealous very often, but keeps it to himself.

Idia knows you have to hang out with others a lot because of his boundaries. He doesn’t always feel comfortable enough to go out, so you ask your other friends for company to avoid pressuring him.

Still, it doesn’t make him feel great that there is always someone jumping at the chance to be with you.

When he gets notifs that you posted to Magicam only to see you looking happy with someone else, his jealousy escalates quickly.

Unfortunately, Idia isn't very good at communication especially when it comes to his feelings. So he will give you space instead, and let you enjoy yourself to prevent ruining your day with his doubts.

He will continue lurking your profiles for the next few days, but he won't like anything or reply to your messages. He'll self-isolate until you come to him, whether it be hours or days later.

When you do come see him in person to ask what’s wrong, you'll be stuck with him a while. He won’t admit to feeling jealous, but it’ll be clear from his questions that he wants to be sure you still want to be with him.

Lots of quality time will fix his mood. He might prefer the quiet of his room to the noisy outside world, but he makes it very clear that you’re always welcome to disturb him. He’d much prefer that to seeing you with other people.

"We can go somewhere together soon, so don't ask anyone else anymore! B-but for now, could you spend the night?"

Malleus Draconia ; when you give away your time with him.

Malleus loves to have alone time with you. He's very grateful that you always reserve time in your day just for him.

But on the occasion that someone seeks to interrupt this time, and you don't turn them away or happen to cancel on Mal entirely for them, that’s when he’d get jealous.

He'd dismiss himself from the situation to let you take care of your business, but he would actually just be hiding nearby and listening.

If the person seems to be taking up your time for reasons that Malleus himself finds unworthy, he won't hesitate to use a bit of magic to make that person suddenly leave you alone, as if possessed.

He’ll return to you pouty and distracted. He’ll initiate lots of physical touch, and might even suggest going to his dorm room while he milks all your affection.

He doesn’t hide feelings of jealousy because he’s learned your instinct is to coddle him when he makes it obvious. Your giggles and half-hearted apologies in response to his melodramatic words of worry make him fall deeper in love.

When he’s jealous, Malleus doesn’t care for words of reassurance as much as he does actions. He is quite secure in your relationship, but he will never get tired of seeing how comfortable you are with him. He loves knowing that you won’t ever run away.

"Now that they're out of the way, I do wish you'd learn to say no. I am quite selfish when it comes to my time with you."

a/n: Okay so I tried to get Riddle's Halloween card but I could NOT get any SSR until freaking pity. Then that last key set gave me both Jack and Ruggie's Dorm Uniform SSRs instead of Riddle 😭 I thought, "Wow, Leona really sent his underclassmen after me?" And that gave me the idea for jealousy hcs…

Hope u all enjoy, holiday prompts will probably be coming soon! kisses <3

#twst wonderland #disney twisted wonderland #twst #twst fluff #twst headcanons #twst x reader #twst imagines #riddle x reader #riddle rosehearts x reader #leona x reader #leona kingscholar x reader #azul x reader #azul ashengrotto x reader #kalim x reader #kalim al asim x reader #vil x reader #vil shoenheit x reader #idia x reader #idia shroud x reader #malleus x reader #malleus draconia x reader

[mochinek0]

Daminette December 2023:30-Save Some for Me

Many people of the Justice League were summoned for a mission. Some were hiding in the shadows, others were stuck as civilians. Everything was going fine in the mission until Damian Wayne was suddenly thrown into building. That was the day he learned his two sunshine would go to hell for him.

Damian lay aginst the building. His vision was foggy, at best.

'Concussion. Labored breathing; likely a broken rib or two.'

He hadn't noticed people had started running away and were screaming. He hadn't even noticed Jon and Marinette calling his name until they got to his side.

'Hearing impairment.'

"Don't touch him!" Jon shouted, "He has some broken bones and some bad bruising."

"Concussion. Hearing impairment. Labored breathing." Damian whispered out, "Tired."

" Stay awake. I'll get a medic as fast as I can." Jon remarked, "I'm staying with you. I'll protect you from any more damage."

'That's good. His body can shield me from anymore debris or if there's any bullets.'

Damian felt wet drops fall on him.

'Rain?'

It wasn't until he heard the sob that he realized it was Marinette.

"Angel. I will be fine." he spoke.

He saw her hand turn into a fist and drop her precious earrings into her purse. She shoved it into Jon's arm.

"Marinette?" Jon asked.

He saw Marinette place a small ring on her hand.

"Claws out." she snarled.

Before his eyes, his angel looked like a small version of Selina in her CatWoman outfit. Her hair had turned jet black and was tied in a long braid down to her ankles. Her suit was now black. She was wearing thigh high heels with a green sash wrapped around her waist. Her hands had turned claws. She no wore a black domino mask the looked like his own robin mask and upon her head, were a pair of cat ear, trimmed with green. Then, she was gone.

"You might want to make sure Angel doesn’t kill anyone." Damian spoke, before passing out with a smile.

Jon turned to see Marinette lunging at people and blood splattering everywhere. It reminded him of watching his best friend train with his swords.

'Oh, shit! There's two of them!'

Jon quickly rushed away and grabbed ahold of her, locking her arms. She still managed to move with him holding her.

'I was wrong. She's scarier!'

The Bats quickly rounded everyone up as the rest of the Justice League avoided Ladybug, now turned Cat. She was hissing and clawing, trying to get away from Superboy. He had scratches on him from holding her back and was bleeding. Superman quickly rushed over and knocked her out. Superboy huffed and handed her over to Batman.

"Your son's girlfriend is just as deadly as he is." he huffed.

Plagg released himself from the ring.

"Do you have any cheese?" he questioned.

"What?" replied Superman.

"Another alien?" asked Green Lantern.

"Rude." Plagg answered, "I am the God of Destruction."

"Yep. That fits the bill." Red Hood responded, "Demon Spawn dating a person of destruction."

"Oh, you have it all wrong." Plagg declared "She only used me because she was pissed and you should be grateful, she did."

"She killed ten people." Batman spoke.

The kwami shrugged, "Could have been worse."

"How?" asked Nightwing.

"She could have been weilding her usual, my other half: Tikki, the Goddess of Creation. She created the universe." Plagg explained, enthusiastically, "When she gets pissed, she creates weapons of mass destruction. Instead of ten people, it could have been half the planet."

All the heroes looked at Marinette unconscious in Batman's arms.

"Who's the bad one now?" Plagg smirked, "At least she didn't used Kalki. Could have just teleported them over a volcano or a pit of death."

"So, do you have cheese?" Plagg asked again.

Jon was quick to warn the medical team about Damian's injuries and the extent of them, as he was placed on a stretcher.

"Ah, Loverboy." Plagg declared.

The Kwami of Destruction tapped on the downed Robin and let the green aura wash over him.

"Is that-?" Tim shouted.

"My magic." Plagg stated, absorbing it, "Seems he has a lot of it in him. Not as goo as cheese, but it helps. I'll talk to the bug and she can give my ring to him, for awhile. I should be able to absorb the rest. Same with Helmet Head."

"Really?" questioned Red Hood."

Plagg nodded, "Yep."

"Are you perhaps talking about the Lazarus Pits magic?" Batman asked.

"I don’t know what you people call it now, but that is our magic." Plagg explained, "Someone wished for it so we made it. It's why she works so hard to makes sure it doesn’t happen."

Red Hood shook his head, "They're a perfect match."

"Huh?" asked Wonder Woman.

"Demon Spawn and his 'Angel'. We all know if Batsy, here, wasn't around, he'd be leaving Gotham painted red. Hid girlfriend is the same way, if he gets hurt. You can't honestly tell me if she got hurt, he'd go back to being an assassin." he explained.

The Justice League loked between the unconcious couple.

"I say it's Batman's problem, now." Green Lantern stated, "His kid and future daughter-in-law."

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#daminette december 2023 #daminette #justice league mission #civilian job #damian wayne #jon kent #marinette dupain cheng #plagg kwami #plagg x cheese #superman #green lantern #red hood #nightwing #batman #savage marinette #damian injured #marinette goes beserk #wonder woman #lazurus pits #dc x mlb #marinette x damian #damian x marinette #mlb x dc #mochinek0

[midnight-moth]

Need some fluffy RainDrop maybe with Phantom? Of them just needing to cuddle and sleep after a few rough shows in a row like they've been doing. Maybe Phantoms absolutely exhausted and really craving affection and cuddled but doesn't think he's allowed to join in with any of the pack (especially Rain and Dew) but they bring him in for cuddles and give him all the affection he needs (they all need tbh, especially Rain after that video you posted earlier) <3

Sometimes it’s better not to ask. What’s wrong? What do you need? How can I help? Those questions are better suited to someone who might be able to answer them. And maybe he could, with time and perspective. Maybe not.

Phantom doesn’t know what’s wrong after all. It was all so much fun. A loud disarray of sound and light and applause. Which he enjoyed. So why does he feel like a pumpkin left on the steps after Halloween? All the guts scraped out but for a short while you were filled with warmth, a soft glow that lit up everyone around you.

But now he feels hollow, discarded. He’s fingers drift across one of the plush bats tossed to him on stage. It has a red ribbon tied around its neck. He’s so happy everyone knows how much he loves bats. He isn’t sure how they knew. But he doesn’t know them, what they love, he can’t give them anything back. Just a few hours of his time, a piece of paper with song names on it, a small triangular piece of plastic.

And he realizes that no, they don’t know him at all. Not really. But that isn’t what really gets to him, makes him toss and turn at night, leaves him staring at the ceiling all night. Listening to the muffled sounds of sleep, or the occasional moan or hiss disrupts the near silence.

It’s that he’s surrounded by the same ghouls day in, day out, and they must understand how he feels. And he can see how they all lean harder and harder on one another, ritual after ritual after ritual.

But he doesn’t know that he’s supposed to assume. That he’s allowed to lean too. Rest his weary head on Mountain’s shoulder. Ask for Dew’s burning fingers to dig into his sore muscles. Let Swiss absolutely smother him in a never-ending bear hug. Dissolve into the tattered sofa while Aurora rakes her claws across his scalp. Just be close, let them dry his eyes, a respite for his tear-stained pillowcase.

And the others, they don’t realize that they should offer. Aurora, the self proclaimed pack princess, from day 0 she had no issue asking any of them to piggy back her 4’10” frame when her feet hurt, to wrap their bodies around her like blankets at night when she was cold.

He wonders how loneliness can simultaneously feel like a gaping void, and yet have such presence. Taking up so much room in his body, when he wraps his arms around his ribs and squeezes he can feel it butting up against his insides. He wonders how there’s any room left for his heart and his lungs but they keep beating and inflating anyway.

Perhaps there was something written on his face that day, those particular lines carving a new expression on his face that they’d never seen before. Perhaps that energy they felt when he was summoned, the kind that they were sure caused the ground to shake, felt dull.

Rain noticed first, and Dew merely had to follow his line of sight throughout the day to see for himself. The way Phantom’s body sagged when he wasn’t on stage anymore. That he was barely lifting his feet off the ground as he moved about the venue.

The thud his body made when he collapsed into his bunk that night was like the exclamation at the end of the thought Rain and Dew had both been finding words for that day.

A long run on sentence that contained why didn’t we notice sooner and why didn’t he say anything and have we made him feel unwelcome, unwanted? That last thought, it had teeth, and they dug right into the most tender scar Dew possessed.

At first Phantom thought the depressions in the mattress around him were an illusion. He jumped when fingers connected with his shoulder, nearly smacking his head against the low ceiling.

But soon hands we’re guiding him back down, arms worming their way underneath his ribs and wrapping him up back to front. Rain’s cool hand soothing the ache in his head. Dew’s body heat softening the rigid form his contracted muscles forced him in to.

He tries to speak but the only thing that comes out is a ragged little croak. So Rain presses a kiss to his lips to silence him. It says tell us later, rest now.

“Sorry we made you wait so long, bug.” Dew murmurs in his ear. He doesn’t think he’s ever heard that gentle lilt in his voice before. “But we’re here now. All of us are here, for you.”

#media nocte asks #nameless ghouls #dewdrop ghoul #rain ghoul #phantom ghoul #I hope this is okay #I am trying to just not care if it isn’t the best because it’s all I can do #and maybe I can still enjoy it even if I know I can do better #because maybe this is just how it is now #midnight moth writes #cw depression #cw hurt comfort

[sofasoap]

First time - part 1

Pairing : Kyle “Gaz” Garrick x F!reader

Summary: years of pinning, you find an excuse to get close to your best friend, Kyle.

Part of Gaz Fest 2023

Warning : M rating. Slight angst. Pinning. Friend to lovers. slight talk about bedroom related stuff.

A/N: Thank you @glitterypirateduck for organising the writing festival!! * cheering *

Enjoy!!

Master list

“Kyle.”

“Mmm?”  Sipping on his beer, he answered absentmindedly as he watched their group of friends playing darts, competition heating up. 

“Can you take my virginity?”

Gaz nearly choked to death. You sighed and lightly thump his back. You knew it was a bad idea. Before he does anything you probably kill him with a heart attack and choking to death with liquid bread. 

It took you weeks of self deliberating with the demons and angels and logic vs heart to summon up the courage to ask your friend.

Your best friend. 

Your partner in crime

Your childhood crush. 

The (one sided) love of your life. 

“You… You want me… “ still coughing away, he pointed at himself , and back at you. 

One single strong nod, you averted your eyes downwards, your hand fidgeting with the tumbler glass in your hand, not elaborating more. 

Shuffling closer to you as he lowers his voice, “Are you Ok? Someone pressuring you? Who’s the asshole?“ Getting agitated, he stood up from chair, ready to defend your honour. To protect you. 

Shaking your head as you take a sip of the strong whisky you decided to order to help you loosen up and gives you a bit more courage to ask him. “No one pressured me Kyle. I promise.” 

“Then why–” he opened his mouth, confused and … is that bit of hope? As he stares at you, waiting for an answer.  

“I… I am just.. “ You are just sick of people’s judgements. All your other friends and workmates talk enthusiastically about their life and sex lives, and you just felt… left out? You don’t know how to contribute to the conversation, since you don't have any stories of your own. The logical side of you knows it’s silly to think that way. You are not a teenager anymore, why would you care about others opinion or letting the social norms affect you?

Or , deep down, you just want to fit in. Want to be part of the “club.” Or the selfish part of you is just trying to find some sort of excuse, to be intimate with Kyle. 

And you are just too scared to declare your love to him, straight on. 

You have had a crush on Kyle since the day you met him. His family moved next door to yours when you were five. 

You hid behind your mum as his parents stood at your door, introducing themselves. You saw a boy, not much older than you, with short curly hair, standing between them. 

The two of you became fast friends. Getting up to all sorts of mischieves around the neighbourhood. He was the brain of the plot and you were the executor of the plan. 

You slowly fall for him as you get older. That little butterfly that starts flipping in your stomach every time you see him. His brilliant smile shows his pearly whites every time he sees your face. The way he greets you is always different from his friends, protecting you, entrusting you with his greatest secret. Make you laugh. Comfort you in sadness. How he always prefers to sit beside you at gatherings, and offers to take you home.

Both of your parents thought the two of you will end up together, since how well two of you get along with each other. So did you.

Your heart was totally crushed when he introduced you to his first date, excitedly.

“ I want you to be the first one to meet them. Since you are my best friend.” 

The amount of tears that you shredded that night. And the night after. But you put on a brave face, for yourself, for your family, for your friends. 

And for him. 

You don’t want him to be laden with your worries. You know him too well, even if he doesn’t love you the way you love him, he still cares about you. 

Protect you and ready to defend you when he senses a change of mood in you.

Your knight in shining armour. 

The brother you have from a different mother. But nothing more.

Reaching out and patting his hand, trying to reassure him and also calming down your own nerves, “I am fine. Well, sort of. But.. I've been thinking lately. I just.. “Shaking your head, “ I just want to experience what it is like, “ To be with you.  “There is no one else I trust more than you, to take care of me.” 

He frowned as he gripped your hands tight. “I am not going to do it if there’s no love involved.”  he insisted. Pressing his lip together, contemplating something before he open his mouth again. “Let's forget about this. You are drunk, sunflower, come on. Let’s get you home.” 

You feel like your heart has been shattered again for the second time. By him. That pet name just added to the pain. 

“Sunflower?”

“You are like a sunflower!” Kyle smiled. The families were on a camping trip once, and two of you were lying on the field of grass after running around and chasing each other.  He sat up, looked down at you with his signature smile, “You brighten up my day, and I am always in a happier mood after I see you!” 

Grabbing your bag, you stood up immediately, ready to dash out the pub door, embarrassed. You shouldn’t have asked. Well done, You think to yourself. Now you have totally ruined the friendship. How stupid can you be? There was that little sliver of hope when your mutual friends gave you the nudge and shove;

“You still haven’t told him your feelings?” “Shhhhh shut the hell up!!” you hissed. Clamping their mouth with your hands. “Can you be any louder???” 

“You…” your friend swatted your hand away, looking at you as if you had grown a horn on your head, “are you kidding me.. “ they mumbled. “ Look, you know what, just talk to him. You might be surprised.” 

You ignore his calls and the way your friends look at you, holding tight onto your jacket and bag as you hold back the tears that threaten to burst the dam. Before you could raise your hand and call for a cab, you felt a hand around your waist, pulling you in. 

That familiar warmth. Your once safety net. But now it hurts too much to be so close to him, to feel him.

Because he doesn’t belong to you. 

“Kyle.. Let go of me.” whispering, trying to hold yourself together, but you can feel your voice cracking. 

“No.”  pulling you into his chest, he buried his face into the crook of your neck. “I am sorry.”

“For what?” 

“For hurting you.” 

Wriggling around to face him, putting your hand on his chest to create a bit of gap between you and him, but keeping your head down, “I should be the one apologising, I shouldn’t have asked you such stupid thing.” your voice barely above a whisper as you try to push yourself out from his embrace. “Let’s just.. I am going home.”

“And not going to hear my answer to your request?”

You froze. 

I don't know what this is. but def smut coming next chap. of sort. * blame the three glasses of reds I had * I keep changing my mind what I want to write, from crack to fluff to one shot, and now it's turning into two-part series.

Tag list:

@deadbranch

@kaplerrr

@homicidal-slvt

@voxyin

@lia0-0

@floral-force

@saltofmercury

@siilvan

@rileyslibrarian

@mistydeyes

@okayyadriana

@a-small-writer-in-a-big-world

@jynxmirage

@nrdmssgs @schr-torta @glitterypirateduck @devcica @cumikering @roosterr

@groguspicklejar

@obsolescent @whydoilikewhump

#gazfest #kyle gaz garrick x reader #kyle gaz garrick x female reader #kyle garrick #kyle gaz garrick mw2 #kyle gaz garrick fluff #kyle gaz garrick x you #sergeant kyle gaz garrick #kyle gaz garrick #kyle gaz garrick imagine #kyle garrick x reader #kyle garrick x you #kyle garrick fluff #call of duty #call of duty modern warfare 2022 #sofasoap writes #kyle gaz garrick angst #pinning #friend to lovers #two part series

[damon-loves-pie]

“Wish I Could Be Your Man.”

I had to reshare this again this morning because I couldn’t find it any of the original hashtags I had done. And I spent WAY TOO MUCH TIME writing this for it to not get the recognition it deserves. 

Pairing: Eddie Munson x female reader.

Word count: About 11k words. ( I GOT CARRIED AWAY)

Warnings: 18+, SMUTTY- FLUFFY- ANGSTY KIND OF SLOW BURN STORY. Talks of reader moving around a lot, there is angst with crying and fighting between the reader and Eddie at some point. Reader was cheated on by an ex who slept with her best friend. LOTS OF POT SMOKING.(Eddie is her dealer.) There is pussy eating, fingering, sex of course, and not really much dick sucking. No safe sex happens, (WRAP IT UP PLEASE, I AM PREGNANT BY ACCIDENT SO DON’T BE LIKE ME), Reader does drive stoned. (DO NOT DO THAT PLEASE.) Cigarette smoking, other than that I think that’s all???

I did use inspiration from Eddie’s and Chrissy scene in their first hang out.

Requested by: Anonymous, link to request is here. Overall was requested for a female reader x Eddie fic based off the ending of the song, The Summoning By Sleep Token. (I am not taking anymore request at the moment.)

Summary: Reader had moved around most of her life leaving her unwilling to let anyone close to her after having her heart broken at a young age, she’d rather spend her Senior year alone than with people who probably wouldn’t care for her. She starts working at Family Video in which she asks Steve if he knew where she could find the local dealer. After learning about Eddie Munson ,reader starts buying from him, overtime starting to grow fond of him till a small relationship forms. Eddie wants more than the reader is allowing, causing a fight to break out over him begging her to come see his band play. Reader in the end pulls her head out of her ass, and realizes she cares about the boy as much as he cares about her.

Author’s note: I WILL SAY THE BEGINING IS LONG, AND EDDIE DOESN’T COME IN FOR A MINUTE. BUT PLEASE bare with me. I HAD TO ESABILISH SOME KIND OF STORY. You don't get to see Eddie till a little over 2,000 words in. BUT I PROMISE YOU, IT’S WORTH IT.

I spent the last few days working solely on this and have proofread but it was superlong so I hope I didn’t miss anything.

But to whoever requested this I hope you enjoy the vision I had came up with.

Writing Masterlist

Hawkins, Indiana. The home of the small town high school, Hawkins High, which I'll be attending till graduation in the spring.

Other than that, Hawkins was just another small town on the list of places I've lived.

It was a place that probably won't cross my mind ever again when I leave for college in the fall just like any of the other towns I have called home over the years.

My father's job caused us to move so often that I stopped being interested in finding ties to a town I wouldn't be in for long.

Ever since getting a promotion before I went into 7th grade, he has constantly moved our family  so he could help run or set up different stores across the country.

In result of that, the longest I tend to stay in a place is just for the school year. Maybe for the summer too if I'm lucky, but that seems to be about every other year.

Growing up with constantly moving made me crave structure. I act like I hate the idea of settling down and making friends, but actually I yearned for it.

I wanted strong friendships, I wanted to be on first name basis with the gas station clerk kind of thing, I wanted everything that came with a normal life.

But over the last few years I didn't see the point in making friends who would stop answering my calls or letters after a few weeks of me moving away.

So that dream life will just have to wait till I go to college next fall.

I had been dreaming of it since the summer of my freshman year.

I even started working that summer to save up for my apartment that I'll have during the four years I plan on attending.

I have so much money saved up because how badly I want this, and have worked my ass off to make sure I will get accepted.

I needed to have control of something in my life and this was the easiest most important way I could.

I thought about my life and the things that made up it as I drove down the run down road towards the high school.

How after having been to five other schools as the new girl, this sixth one probably wasn't going to be any different.

The nerves I had in middle school about starting new were gone now, having died out by freshman year.

The thought of being the new girl wasn't scary anymore, it was now routine.

My tires screech against the pavement as I pull into the parking lot, entering into an empty space.

Knowing what awaited me I grabbed by backpack and Walkman off the passenger side, throwing the worn out headphones over my ears.

My fingers pressing play as I hopped out of the seat of my car.

Walking towards the wide open doors, my eyes studied the school.

Hawkins High wasn't anything special, but neither were most the schools I went to.

It was your normal brick building with the school colors scatter about to capture that 'school spirt', with a big welcome sign seated up front to welcome in the new and returning students.

I reach the doors feeling eyes turn towards me from the lockers lined down the hall, other students taking a glimpse at the unknown student.

I was used to people whispering about me, usually wondering about the newest girl of the year. And I defiantly knew it was going to be bigger news once people found out I was a senior.

Not paying them any mind I followed the wall signs towards the door labeled 'office.'

I spent the twenty minutes before class filling out paperwork as the secretary retrieved my schedule. Reassuring the people in the office multiple times that I didn't need a student to show me around before heading to my classes for the day.

My first few classes were as normal as they could be. The teachers having me introduce myself to the class after realizing there was a new student on their roster. Syllabuses got handed out and read, stating what was expected for each class. And then most students avoiding me like the plague or gave me a small smile and a wave when passing in the hall.

Walking into lunch I felt heads turn towards me, knowing all the small-town kids who've known each other since preschool were talking about the new girl. Wondering if she had somewhere to sit or would dare sit alone.

That was the thing they didn't know though, I would rather sit by myself any day then beg someone to be my friend so I wouldn't be alone.

Finding an empty table near the windows I plopped myself into a seat, music playing through my headphones as I pulled out the work Mrs. Click had given us already.

I wasn't wanting to worry about finishing it later tonight since my first shift at my new job started after school.

I would rather eat a quick lunch on the way there than get off tonight and have to worry about finishing the assignment.

After lunch was over the second half of the day seemed to fly by, surprising me as the clock hit four pm when I got home.

I threw my bag onto my bed, grabbing the dark green Family Video vest off my chair as I made my way back to my car.

The job didn't seem like anything special from the outside and I doubt it was going to change my life or anything. But it was a way to make money and something to keep me occupied during my time here in Hawkins.

The sound of the bell ringing greeted me as I entered the store, causing me to groan internally because I knew soon I was going to loathe the sound.

My line of vision hit the front desk, looking for the man named Steve Harrington, who Keith told me would be training me today.

A tall brunette comes from behind the shelf, huge hands holding a small stack of tapes.

"Welcome to Fam- Oh, you must be (Y/N) the new hire. I'm Steve." He smiles, eyes glimmering as they meet the vest I'm wearing.

"That's me." I shrug slightly, watching as he studied me.

Steve wasn't bad looking and defiantly was not my usual type, but he wasn't something I wouldn't mind looking at from time to time. I memorized the way his longish hair sat and freckles that scattered across his neck to the way his muscles peaked out from under his polo as he held the tapes.

Realizing he had spent 30 seconds too long staring, he coughed awkwardly motioning his head towards the back of the counter.

"We should probably get you clocked in before we start training you in the 'Family Video way." He quotes sarcastically.

His free hand making quotations causing me to roll my eyes playfully in response.

Steve notices, laughing lightly while he placed the tapes on the counter.

"It's what Keith says we have to say when we train someone new. But I think he just likes trying to make my job a little harder." Steve explains, rummaging through a drawer till he pulls out  a blank time card.

Laughing at his comment, I take the time card and pen from his grasp.

"So you can smile, I was worried you were going to have the whole 'I'm going to kill you vibe' all night long." He teases, watching as I write my name and the date across the paper.

"Don't get too excited, if I end up not liking you it could still happen." I shake my head playfully, going to sign on the time.

"You can write you were here 10 minutes earlier, Keith never checks the cameras." Steve promises, catching me off guard as my eyebrow raises in response.

"You trying to get me fired already Steve?"  I mock, watching his lips turn up into a smile.

"I wouldn't do that unless you actually tried to kill me." He jokes, causing me to grin in amusement, scribbling 4:15 onto my time card.

The bell rings again for the second time that night as I look over to him,

"Looks like we have our first customer of the night." I sigh, placing my time card with the rest on the counter.

As the night went on I realized my job here at Family Video was actually one of the easier jobs I've had over the years.

There really wasn't much to it other than helping customers, keeping track and stocking innovatory,  taking care of the store plus it's merchandise and either closing or opening the store depending on your shift.

Not to mention as well that Steve was surprisingly a good trainer. He was fun, light hearted, and didn't get upset or acted like I was stupid if I forgot how to do something. Instead he would explain it again understanding sometimes it was hard to get used to some things.

The night went by fast due to the steady stream of customers we had, which Steve promised wasn't normal for a Monday and that next week would probably feel so slow compared to today.

Steve had allowed me to do honors of locking the door after waving off the last customer of the night,  celebrating a successful evening.

We finished rewinding the brought back tapes and putting them into their designated areas before closing down the register, deciding to save sweeping and mopping for last.

Steve followed behind me as I swept, mopping the hardwood floors.

"How is Hawkins treating you so far?" Steve asks filling the quiet air while swirling the soapy mop against the walkway.

Thinking about my response I stop sweeping, turning towards him.

"Can I be honest or are you going to judge me if I say the wrong thing?" I ask him with a serious look on my face.

Stopping his movements as well, he brings his eyes to mine.

"Why would I judge you?" He asks, bringing his hand to his hip while the other hand leaned against the mop handle.

"Hawkins has been fine the past couple of days, but uh" I trail off, moving my eyes down to the broom handle I was playing with nervously.

"But?" He asks as I sigh, lifting my eyes back up to meet his.

"But I can't seem to find out where to get any uh-stuff around here." I tell him, hoping he would understand.

"What stuff?" He asks confused, causing me to roll my eyes at the boy.

"Weed Harrington, weed. I haven't learned who sells here yet." I laugh watching the realization of what I meant wash over his face.

"Oh okay. Well that's easy, you could go to Eddie Munson." He tells me, dipping the mop back into the bucket of water.

"So where do I find him then?" I ask, going back to moving the broom across the floor, picking up pieces of dirt and dust.

"Uh, I think he's actually in school again this year since I didn't see him at graduation.  So you could probably find him tomorrow." He answers, letting the loud thud of the mop head hit the floor.

"But be careful around him." Steve warns, lifting up a finger to me.

Stopping my movements again I turn towards the boy.

"Wait why be careful?" I ask him, confused on why he would say that. Unless the guy was like a serial killer or something.

"He's just a little bit of a freak. He listens to crazy music and of course as I told you deals drugs. Plus he plays that kid game, DND, and he's also in like a satanic band." Steve explains, the judgment in his voice lingering as he mops the dry wood.

"In a band you say. Does he play the guitar? Can he sing?" I joke, going back to finishing the floor.

"Yeah, I think he does play and if you want to call what he does singing." Steve answers, chuckling slightly.

"Sounds like he may be my type Harrington." I tease, knowing he's rolling his eyes behind me while we finish closing the store.

Heading into the school the next morning I was praying to find this Eddie Munson that Steve had told me to find.

I was desperate need of release because I finished the rest of my stash after getting off work last night.

If I don't get something soon I don't know how I'll survive the stress of senior year and work.

I had asked Steve before getting into my car where I would more than likely find him at school but he didn't have a clear answer since he didn't know much about the boy.

Just said I'll know he's him when I see him, that him and his friends are different from everyone else the high school.

Which basically left me with nothing, because what the hell was the supposed to mean?

I've came to notice two things over the years when figuring out who the dealer or dealers of the schools were. They were usually either the jocks no one would expect or the students with just enough charisma that they could convince anyone they wouldn't dare do that.

But they didn't always fall into those categories.

I scanned the halls as I walked to my first class, seeing the usual cheerleaders and jocks in their letterman jackets but none of them giving off the vibe of the local dealer.

The rest of the students left in the hall looked like they wouldn't dare touch it, let alone sell it.

None of them looked the way Steve had led me to believe Eddie would look like.

I felt discouraged as I sat down at my desk, hopping to find him at some point in the day. But at the moment it felt like I was looking for a needle in a haystack.

By the time lunch came around I wondered if Steve might have been wrong about him still being in school. Maybe he did graduate and Steve hadn't noticed. Or maybe he dropped out, having not wanted to finish school.

Or maybe he wasn't as bad as Steve tried to make him out to be so I'm looking for the wrong person.

Sitting down at the table I had sat the day before, I listened to the music playing through my ears. My eyes scanning the room over the top of my book.

I saw the usual cliques as I looked around the room but nothing screaming "Satan worshipers' like Steve had warned.

Turning my line of vision towards the tables in front of me I see a group stand out over the rest of the students a few tables down.

The occupants of the table were wearing leather jackets, torn vests and jeans. Just overall looking like themselves compared to the other students who looked like they walked out of a page of the latest magazine.

Leaning back slightly I eyed the table. My vision being drawn to the front to see a long curly haired brunette telling what seemed to be a dramatic story. The rest of the table watched in awe, laughing and making comments at the boy.

I took his appearance in, he was wearing black jeans that were ripped at the knee. There was a chain poking out beside him, the leather jacket he wore had a battle vest paired with. It had patches and pins scattered across it. The hand that brought whatever he was eating to his mouth were decorated in chunky silver rings, leather and chain bracelets sticking out as his sleeve rolled down slightly.

That has to be him, I thought to myself as I drooled mentally for a second.

I may have been right, this man was just my type.

I decided to let myself admire him for a second longer, not realizing he would notice the feeling of my eyes observing him so soon.

His eyes turned to meet mine as I adverted my sight quickly towards the words in front of me, feeling my face reddening slightly while the boy watched me for a moment.

I didn't dare to look up from my book the rest of lunch and wondered if the stares I felt were coming from him or someone else in the room.

I was one of the first students out of the lunch room when the bell rang to dismiss us.

Nervous about having been caught, I headed to the bathroom before going to class to catch my breath for a second.

Making my way down the hall I turn the corner not expecting to run chest first into someone this late into the passing period.

"Oh shit I'm so- you're new right?" I hear as I look at the chest of the person I ran into.

The battle vest and leather looking familiar as I took in the pins and patches, realizing as I stepped back that I had ran into the person I've been looking for.

"Are you alright?" He asks with concern in his voice, his hand moving to touch my forearm gently.

"I'm fine, just kind of shocked that's all." I laugh lightly, lifting my gaze to meet his to see the worry in his eyes disappear.

"And uh- yeah I just moved here for my senior year." I finish, watching his brown eyes crinkle while his lip curl up into a smile.

"Well welcome to Hawkins, I'm Eddie. Eddie Munson, I do wish we could of had a less painful introduction than this though." He grins, dimples popping out as he extends his hand towards mine.

"(Y/N), (Y/N) (Y/L/N)." I smile lightly, taking his hand into mine.

The bell above us rings making me pull my hand away in shock as we realize passing period is now over.

"I should get going if actually plan on graduating this year." Eddie chuckles, pulling his hand back awkwardly.

Nodding in agreement we both stand there for a second, neither of us taking the first step to leave.

"Before I go, I uh saw you sitting alone at lunch. And if you want you could always join me and the rest of hellfire." He offers, twirling the ring on his left pointer finger nervously. A small blush playing on his cheeks, while he glances down at his shoes.

"Hellfire? Is that your band?" I ask curiously, watching his demeanor change in response.

"It's not, but you have heard of me?" He questions with amusement in his voice. His body stands a little taller, moving to lean against the lockers next to me as his arms cross across his chest. Smile tugging on his lips playfully.

"I had um- asked around about finding uh- supplies and I got your name along with some warnings." I tell him sheepishly, hearing his laugh escape through his lips.

"Sounds about right, just I can't get you stuff at the moment." Eddie tells me, glancing at the clock on the wall.

"But we are already late, so how do you feel about going out to the woods?" Eddie asks with a raised eyebrow, bringing his fingers to his lips in a smoking motion.

"I would beg please." I laugh, watching his smile widen.

He leads me out the door in the hallway, showing me the way to the picnic table in the woods.

I sit down across from him watching him dig around the pack of camels he pulled out of his jacket pocket.

Pulling out an already rolled joint Eddie smiles in triumph, handing it to me along with his lighter.

"Most people around here have smoked my weed at some point before they even come up to me. So um since you're new I figured you can smoke it before you decide to buy it." Eddie explains, watching as I bring the joint to my lips. The clicking of the lighter lighting the paper into a burning ember.

Inhaling I feel the familiar haze wash over my body and mind releasing all the stress and tension the day had brought so far.

Coughing slightly due to the harsh hit, I pass the joint back to Eddie.

"Thank you, you don't know how bad I needed this." I thank him, exhaling the thick smoke into the air around us.

"Trust me, I get it. High school and life can be rough." He welcomes, bringing the burning smoke to his lips.

"So tonight doesn't work for me to meet up with you because I'm playing at the hideout tonight. But I could meet up with you here tomorrow or after school at one of our places if you're comfortable with that." He tells me, as my smaller fingers takes the joint back from between his.

"I couldn't do tonight anyway because I work Tuesdays, but I can do tomorrow. And meeting at your house will work, I need to learn my way around town anyway." I laugh lightly feeling the high starting to hit me as I breathe out what was left of my hit.

"So what's the hideout?" I ask him curiously, seeing his eyes spark up as he takes a hit.

"It's just some shitty bar here in town, and it's pretty cool actually. And we get a crowd there of about um- five drunks." Eddie tells me, humor in voice.

I hear myself giggle in response, fingers brushing against his more the higher I get.

"Yeah, it's not exactly the Garden, but you gotta start somewhere right?" He finishes, playfully shrugging his shoulders.

"So is that what you hope to do with your life? Get somewhere with your music?" I ask, taking the second to last hit that was left.

"That's the plan. I love music and love the thought of being able to travel the country while doing what I love." Eddie nods, taking the joint between his lips before putting it out on the table.

"If that's what you want, then it sounds nice. I think everyone should do what makes them happy." I tell him, touching his forearm gently.

"How about you? What plan do you have?" He questions, resting his chin on his hand.

"Um, I've moved around every year the last five, six years so I'm really trying to make it to college and decide from there." I admit to him.

"So we're on two different spectrums?" He chuckles, as I nod in agreement.

"So it would seem." I laugh lightly.

"Do you know much are you wanting tomorrow?" Eddie asks, pulling a cigarette out of the pack on the table.

"What are your prices?" I ask him, watching him light the cigarette.

He inhales, chewing on his lip for a second before talking.

"I can do a half ounce for um $20." Eddie offers, lifting the cigarette up for me to take.

"That works and would be great." I smile, taking the cigarette from him.

"You know you don't seem as bad as people say." I tell him as the cigarette rest on my lips, my glassy eyes smiling over at him.

"Mean and scary?" Eddie asks, hand rubbing his cheek while a smile forms.

"Yeah." I nod, biting back my smile as I pass him the cigarette.

"Actually in other good news- flattery works with me. " Eddie smiles, as I raise an eyebrow.

"So uh 25% discount for the half. I can do fifteen bucks. But just so you know, you're robbing me blind here." He finishes, with a grin and a blush across his face when he brings the cigarette to his lips.

The moment in the woods with Eddie helped me surive the rest of my classes and made me ready to set Steve straight at work.

"Steve, he is not that bad." I tell him grabbing my time card out of the stack.

"Who?" He asks, glancing up from the computer.

"Eddie." I tell him scrunching my eyebrow, because who else would I be talking about?

"Whatever you say." He shakes his head, tying away on the keyboard.

"So does that mean you got your stuff?" Steve asks, looking up to me as I peak over from the side of him to watch him check accounts for past due movies.

"No, but I did talk to him. We're supposed to meet at his place tomorrow." I shrug, watching him mark an account with a late charge.

"Meeting at his place huh?" Steve teases, playful smirk on his face as I bump my hip against his shoulder.

"Stop it's not like that, plus I don't do relationships. I learned that after my freshman year." I tell him, crossing my arms over my chest.

"You do know you don't have to be in a relationship for stuff to happen right?" He asks, eyes meeting playfully with mine.

"Steve, we aren't close enough yet for you to tease me like this. Now stop before I do go back to having my murderous stare." I laugh, giving him another small shove.

"I was just saying." He shrugs, going back to typing away.

The next day and a half went by fast as I waited in anticipation for meeting with Eddie.

Pulling into the Munson's drive, I felt more nervous now than I had felt about starting school.

It felt different being here than being out in the woods with him since now I knew he wasn't a dick like some of the drug dealers I had in the past.

Walking up to the door I take a deep breath as I knocked, praying to god Eddie would be the one to answer.

A few moments after my fist met the door, it opens to reveal a smiling Eddie.

"Hey, you made it, come on in." He tells me, extending his arm out into the home.

"Why wouldn't I?" I ask him, taking a step inside.

All the mugs scattered on the walls catches my eye as I scan over them. Turning towards him with a raised brow, I smile watching him redden up a bit.  

"Yeah sorry about that, they're my uncle's. It's just me and him here, but don't worry he's already gone for work. And uh, I was worried you might have decided against meeting here." Eddie tells me, leading me to the kitchen.

"But anyway, my stuff is on the counter over here." He motions to the counter where a scale and a jar sat.

I watched as he set the scale, weighting the product to measure it out.

"You want to take a look?" Eddie asks taking a step back so I could read the scale.

"Eddie that's a little more than a half?" I turn towards him to see him nodding lightly.

"Consider it a gift for being a first time buyer." He winks, going to bag it up for me.

"Can I just give you $20 then, you're already giving me a great deal." I beg digging into my purse for the money before holding it out to him.

"I told you 15 yesterday so it's 15."He shakes his head, pushing away the 20.

"That was for a half though, and this clearly isn't a half." I argue holding the bag he gives me, feeling bad because he gave me two more grams than he was supposed to on top of the deal he was already giving me.

"Sweetheart, it's fine I promise you." Eddie reassures me, as I feel my cheeks redden at the nickname.

"Whatever you say Eddie." I sigh, going to grab a 10 and a 5 to complete the transaction.

Eddie walks me to back to the front door, his hand resting in his back pocket.

"Thank you for this, it should last me a while." I tell him, tapping my purse.

"It's no problem really, thank you for coming to me." He smiles, freehand rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well it's kind of late, I should probably be heading home." I trail, looking around nervously, not wanting to intrude.

I'm about to reach the doorknob as Eddie interrupts.

"Unless you want to stay for a little while?" He asks, causing me to turn back around.

"We could watch a movie and match joint for joint?" He offers as my thumb plays with the strap of my purse while I contemplate staying.  

I don't usually hang out with people, let alone smoke with other people, especially more than once.

But he doesn't seem to be a horrible person to be around, and I probably will be seeing him for a good amount of the next year.

"Okay." I nod, watching Eddie's face light up.

We sat there watching something that was playing on TV, surrounded in thick smoke as we passed the joint back and forth. Bodies naturally getting closer with each pass we do.

"So what do you do in your free time? Other than smoke obviously?" Eddie asks me, pulling my attention away from the movie.

"Oh um, I mostly work or just do homework. Like I said the other day, I've been dreaming of college so I mostly just focus on that." I tell him, blowing out smoke.

"I wish I could say the same for me, this is my third year as a senior. My GPA is like less than 1 if that's even possible." He admits to me, a nervous laugh following as I give him the joint.

I watch him take a hit, feeling shy to look over after sharing the information.

Leaning in a bit more, I rest my hand on his freehand.

"Hey, at least you're here. There's many people who would of gave up after failing the first time. Plus everyone has their own speed, life isn't a race to win." I smile softly, Eddie's brown eyes moving to meet mine.

"Plus, if you ever need help you could just ask me." I tell him, feeling my eyes glimmer.

"Thank you." He nods before opening his mouth again.

"I actually really think this is my year." Eddie tells me smiling slightly, causing me to laugh lightly in response.

"Yeah?" I grin at him.

"Yeah," He nods, giving my hand a light squeeze.

Seeing through the cloudiness in my brain, I realize we're still holding hands after a few moments.

Pulling away, I glance over to the clock by the TV.  

"It's been fun, but I should really get going." I tell Eddie, standing up.

"It is getting late, but I'll see you at school tomorrow right?" He asks, standing up as well.

"Yeah, I'll be there." I nod at him, feeling him watch me gather my things.

"Think you might sit with Hellfire at lunch?" Eddie questions as I start heading towards the door.

Reaching the door I turn around slightly, hand resting on the knob.

"Probably not Eddie, nothing against you or them I promise. I just don't like to make friends, I've lost too many of them over the years." I confess, his face dropping slightly as he nods.

"Well if you ever change your mind, there's always a spot available." He smiles lightly, trying to mask the pain while taking a step forward.

"But really thank you for this Eddie, I really needed it." I tell him truthfully. Taking a step forward before I realize what I'm doing, I find my lips being placed on his cheek.

Pulling away shocked at my actions, I open the door quickly, turning to tell him goodbye.

"I'll see you soon, I promise," I smile, basically running out of his trailer.

It's been a little over a month of me living in Hawkins since that first transaction with Eddie.

School had been decent and working with Robin and Steve had actually been a blessing. I don't know how I would survive there without them.

Eddie and I talk quite a bit actually, sometimes just in passing through the halls. Sometimes before entering lunch as he asks me if I'm sure I didn't want to sit at his table, which I reassure him I'm okay alone especially since I usually work on homework anyway and didn't want any distractions.

Sometimes we just meet up in the woods for a smoke break on days that seem unbearable.

With everything going on with Eddie and the duo at work I've been feeling conflicted and have been questioning everything.

I don't usually allow myself to be so vulnerable with people.

I've had laughs with them, hell have hung out with them all at some point even.

That wasn't who I was when I got here, I hadn't allowed myself to feel for years before moving here.

It has me wondering what was in the air here in Hawkins.

Hell Robin even sits next me in the few classes we have together, leaving me to have a partner when a teacher says to partner up for the first time in years.

I am thankful for her though because she does make school not be as boring.

Exiting our last class for the day, Robin follows me towards my locker.

"What are you doing today on your day off?" She asks as I open the door.

"I have no idea, but I need to talk to Eddie about getting some more.. stuff soon." I whisper quietly motioning to the teachers standing outside their doors.

"On a Friday?" She smirks teasingly.

"Stop, it's not like that." I tell her, rolling my eyes while putting away the books I didn't need.

"Mmmh. Well because of Dustin I know they have Hellfire tonight, but I'm sure Eddie would love meeting up with you after its over, you know late at night." Robin says playfully, leaning against the locker next to mine.

"Robin, I swear to god I will quit our job right now leaving to work with either Steve or Keith alone on all of your shifts." I raise an eyebrow, challenging her to continue.

"Okay, I'll stop but I just think you two would be cute, and I know you two like each other. I can see it." She says holding her books in defense.

"I think you're delusional, plus shouldn't you be leaving to get to work on time since band isn't needed today?" I ask her, packing my backpack.

"Okay, I may be delusional most days but I promise you not on this." Robin laughs, removing her back from the locker.

"And yeah, Steve's probably outside. I'll see you tomorrow night at work though, and make sure you tell me everything that happens." She calls out, turning down to walk towards the exit.

"Nothing is going to happen!" I yell, hearing footsteps approach me on my other side.  

"What's not going to happen?" A curious Eddie asks as I look over.  

"Robin was just being stupid and teasing me about not having anything to do on a Friday since I'm off." I shake my head, throwing my bag over my shoulder while my free hand closed my locker.

"Oh?" He asks, playing with his rings.

"Yeah, but actually would you be free tonight for me to come... visit? I got paid yesterday." I trail off, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.

"Are you already out again?" Eddie chuckles as I redden.

"No but I'm getting close, I don't think you understand how much I uh-consume a day." I chose my words carefully, waving as Mrs. Click walks pass us.

"Would around 8:30/9 work for you? I have hellfire tonight and it's probably going to go on late tonight." He asks.

"Yeah, I'll be there then. Thank you, see you then." I smile, touching his arm before waving goodbye.

I wait till it's closer to nine to leave my house, determining it would be better to arrive later in case he wasn't done as early as he thought.

Pulling into his driveway I see his van parked and Eddie waiting on the porch for me, smoking a cigarette.

"How was your campaign?" I ask climbing out of my car as he stands up.

"It actually went really well, how was having some free time for once?" Eddie teases while I make my way to the porch.

"Actually I uh did homework for most the night, but now I don't have to worry about finishing anything this weekend." I tell him, shrugging slightly, feeling my lips turn up into a smile.

"You're something else (Y/L/N)." He chuckles, opening his door for me.

"Same as usual right?" Eddie asks as I nod.

As he goes to weight it I sit on the couch opening my draw string bag I brought with me.

"Yow know, I um checked this out last night before I left work because in the next couple months everyone's going to want it once the second one comes out. I still haven't gotten around to re-watching it, and really don't want to waste the money I spent renting it?" I explain, waving Nightmare On Elm Street between my fingers.

"Is that your way of asking if I want to watch it with you tonight?" Eddie grins teasingly, walking over to hand me the bag he filled.

"Might be." I laugh, handing him his money and the tape.

"What if I would of been busy tonight?' He questions, humor in his voice as he puts the tape in.

"Then I guess you would of had to cancel." I tell him, raising an eyebrow as Eddie shakes his head making his way towards the couch.

Smoke filled the room while we watched the movie.

Even though I had seen this a few times, I tucked my head against his shoulder throughout different portions of the movie. My high making me jump more than I would usually.

"Scared princess?" Eddie smirks, lighting another joint he had rolled.

"No," I lie, taking the joint from him as he gives me a blank stare.

"I'm not, I'm more like grossed out." I laugh, bringing it to my lips, still leaning onto him with my feet tucked under me.

"Don't like gore?" He asks, watching my mouth pull away from the joint.

"No, not at all." I admit, holding down a cough as his fingers linger longer than usual when I pass him the smoke.

"Then why would you pick a glory movie?" Eddie snorts.

"I didn't remember it being it this bad." I tell him truthfully, feeling his arm wrap around to hold me while he leans forward to ash the joint.

"You know, if you wanted to cuddle with me you could of just asked." Eddie jokes, leaning back to pass it to me.

"I didn't want to cuddle with you." I shake my head in response, inhaling the smoke.

I felt my cheeks start to redden as the air seemed to shift, wondering if there was tension between us or if I was just high and imagining it.

"Babe, you're already are." Eddie laughs, giving my side that he was holding a light squeeze.

"Munson, if I wanted to get under you I wouldn't have had to use a scary movie, that's just more work on my part." I tell him, smirk playing on my lip as I give him the last hit.

"Are you calling me easy?" He asks, eyes gleaming as he inhales the rest before putting it out, strong grip never leaving my side.

"I don't know, are you?" I tease, feeling my heart starting to beat faster at the way he was looking at me.

"Are you trying to find out?" He questions, eyes moving from my lips to my eyes while his hand traces circles on the exposed part of my hip.  

I took a deep breath, resting my hand onto his chest.

"And if I was? What would you do?" I ask batting my eyes lightly, the glimmer of the forgotten movie lighting his face.

"What would you let me do?" He gulps, other hand moving to hold my knee.

"Honestly? Anything." I barely whisper, this time taking my eyes from his to his lips and back.

Taking that as a sign, Eddie leans in gently. His lips brushing against mine as his hand lightly digs into my thigh, both of us holding our breath as our lips meet.

Kissing back slowly, I feel him part his lips lightly against mine. The tenderness of the kiss making me breath heavy as he presses into the kiss a little harder. I feel my hand grip his shirt tighter as my other hand moved to hold the back of his head.

We sit there for a few minutes, lips connecting sweetly as we explore each other's mouths. His tongue lightly licking my bottom lip before entering. The feeling of his hair between my fingers made me moan as he ran his tongue against mine, a little rougher than how he had been kissing me.

Not removing my mouth from his, I lift myself up slightly so I can slide onto his lap. Straddling him, I feel his hands move to hold the tops of my thighs as I slowly rock my hips against his. The kisses start to get a little heavier as I start pulling his jacket off his chest, biting his lip lightly between kisses.

I felt like I never wanted this moment to end, the taste of weed and cigarettes taking up my taste buds as I slide my tongue against his. Eddie groans against my mouth, his hands roaming up underneath my shirt to hold me close.

Pulling away I felt my chest feeling like my heart was about to burst through my shirt.

"Eddie?" I ask him, resting my forehead against his.

"Hm?" He hums at me, breathing as heavily as I was.

"If you want this, then that's all this will ever be. Nothing more, and I'm okay with it if you are but I just needed you to know in case you thought this was something else." I tell him watching him take in the information as I pull back slightly.

"If you don't want to do that then we can forget this ever happened." I continue nervously, loosening up my grip on his shirt.

Eddie licks his lips lightly as I held my breath. In reality it had only been a few seconds but the cloudiness of my mind made it feel like forever.

"(Y/N), I'm okay with this if you are." He reassures me, hands moving to hold my hips as he looked at me deeply.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to do something you don't actually want to do." I ask, watching as he groans teasingly.

"God, why won't you listen to what I say?"  Eddie laughs, moving to lay me down on the couch beneath him.

Climbing over me, I smile as he hovers above my face.

"When I say I'm okay with something, I'm okay with it. Doesn't matter if it's this, giving you more weed, or anything. If I said it's okay, then it's okay." Eddie tells me, smile playing on his lips.

"Okay." I nod biting my lip as he leans down to connect his with mine again.

Pulling away he starts kissing on my neck, hands running beneath my shirt to pinch my nipples lightly causing me to gasp underneath him.

"Now, let me make you feel good." Eddie breaths against me, licking a sensitive spot on my neck.

"Okay," I nod, eyes closed as I whimper at the feeling of his rough tongue against my neck. The coolness of it soothing the hash bites and nips he trails across it.

"Good, because you deserve to relax princess." He tells me, tongue connecting with my ear lobe, as my shoulder tenses in response.

"Uh, uh. Sweetheart, lets see you loosen up." He tsks, biting my lobe, causing me to cry out beneath him as I take a deep breathe in hopes of relaxing my body.

"Good girl sweetheart, how about we get these pants off?" Eddie praises, pulling up to unbutton my jeans.

Hooking his long fingers with the inside of the pants, he pulls them down completely along with the purple lace panties I had wore tonight.

"Aw did you expect something to happen tonight sweetheart?" He teases, tossing them to the floor.

"No, but I wore them in case." I admit, breathing hitching as he licks up my thigh. His mouth  leaving small bites while one of his hands moved to sperate my legs. Pulling it over on to his shoulder.

A gasp slips my lips when Eddie takes his tongue lightly between my folds, licking softly.

One of my hand move to hold his hair as he dives in, tongue meeting my clit as he slowly circles around it.

"Hold as tightly as you need baby." Eddie tells me, taking one hand and tracing his finger up and down slowly before slipping it inside of me. As I arche my back in response feeling Eddie smirk against me.

Matching speed with his finger, he flicked his tongue against my clit while he pumped his finger in and out of me leaving me moaning beneath him.

Taking my freehand I move to lift up my shirt, feeling Eddie help me slide it up with his other hand.

Pitching my nipple I look down to make eye contact with Eddie as he moans against me, brown eyes shinning towards mine.

He adjusts himself so he can support himself up and pay attention my other nipple while my hand holds his hair.

Feeling that usual squeeze in my stomach, I cry out feeling him add another finger.

The feeling of his mouth licking and sucking lightly on my clit driving me wild as the edges of his rings press inside of me when he curls his fingers, pumping them in and out.

"Come on princess, let yourself go. It's okay to relax," Eddie mumbles against me.

"I feel you tensing beneath me. Just breathe okay? Let yourself cum all over me." He assures me before diving back into pleasing me.

Nodding, I take a deep breath, allowing my body to feel the pleasure coming from all directions.

Eddie speeds up a little bit. Fingers pumping faster as his tongue rubs against my clit at the same pace.

"I'm getting close Eddie." I cry out, leaning forward more as he hums against me, bringing his eyes back to mine.

I feel the usual wave of emotion hit my body as I unwind all over him, screaming out his name as he rides out my high on his mouth and fingers.

He pulls fingers out of me, bringing them to my mouth which I opened up obediently for him, licking and sucking on them while he licks me clean below.

"Such a good girl baby." Eddie smirks, pulling away from me as he wipes his mouth clean.

"Think you're ready for me? Or do you need a moment?" He asks, sitting up to undo his jeans.

"I'm ready for you." I nod, leaning forward to help him pull them down as his cock springs up.

"You're just full of many surprises aren't you Munson?" I smirk, leaning forward to lick up his long shaft, hearing him groan from the friction.

"Sweetheart as much as I would love to see what that mouth could do, I almost came while taking care of you." Eddie chuckles, hand going underneath my chin to stop me  when I tried to go back down on him.

Nodding I sit up, pulling my shirt off completely as he pulls his off over his head as well.

Climbing on to him I position him below me, moving down slowly as his hands grip my hips harshly.

"Fuck (Y/N), you feel so fucking good wrapped around me baby." Eddie breathes, face scrunching up in pleasure as he bottoms out into me.

"You're so big Eddie, stretching me out completely." I tell him, eyes rolling to the back of my head as I rock against him.

The feeling of his huge cock hitting my cervix makes me whimper as I started to lift and roll my hips against his.

Leaning forward I attach my mouth to his Adam's apple that he had exposed while being a moaning mess beneath me.

I bite the area lightly, letting my nails dig into his chest while I worked on his neck.

"Fuck baby, just like that." Eddie groans, making me moan as I feel the vibrations through his neck while I licked and sucked all over him.  

I whimper feeling him adjust below me as he starts pounding into me while I work my hips down.  

Moving his head so his lips meet mine, I moan into the kiss, tongue sliding against his as I struggled to hold myself still against him. All the movement from both us making me cry out as I felt my stomach starting to turn again.

Feeling Eddie let go of one side of me, I feel my body shutter when his thumb meets my clit, rubbing a circular motion as we both chased to find our highs.

Eddie moves his other hand to hold my throat, making me look straight at him as he pounds up into me.

"Come on baby, you can do it. " He mutters, leaning down to bite my collarbone.

"Let yourself cum for me again baby, just remember to breathe okay?" Eddie orders bringing kisses to my jaw.

I feel my airway tightening as he brings his mouth towards my neck and ear, licking and sucking making me want to scream as I try my hardest to breathe through the stimulation at hand.

"Cum for me princess, cum all over my cock." He whispers.

Taking a deep breathe I cry out feeling my stomach twist, knowing I was done for.

"Eddie, I'm cumming. Fuck." I let out, feeling him not stop his motions as I ride out my orgasm.

Once I was done I felt Eddie twitch inside me, warm liquid pooling as his thrusts got sloppier.

Pulling off of him, I lay down onto the couch, not being able to breathe.

Eddie gets up tiredly, walking to find me a cloth get get cleaned up with.  

"Do you want to stay the night?" Eddie asks, still breathing heavily as he hands me my clothes. Shaking my head, I go to pull my shirt over my head.

"Eddie I can't, I told you what this was going to be. That's going out of territory." I sigh, standing up to put on my bottoms.

"Come on just this once, it's late and you're still a little stoned. We smoked more that usual and  I don't want to risk you getting hurt." He pleads, grabbing my hand to pull me towards him.

I sigh, looking up into his eyes while pressed against his chest, knowing he was right.

"Only this one time Munson, I swear." I tell him, watching his eyes light up the few inches above mine.  

It didn't end up being that one night only.

It's been a few more months since that night and I have spent the night at least one time every weekend, breaking my own rule because I couldn't say no to those big doe eyes.

It had became ritual to hook up either before school or after school, (sometimes even during school,) at least once a day.

Robin and Steve have teased me, especially the day after the first night because it looked like I had been mauled by a bear by the time I had gotten to work the next day.

But they say I look happier, which I shrug off because there wasn't any reason for me to be happier. We were just two people hooking up.

At least we were supposed to be.

But not long after, things started to go into a territory it shouldn't have.  

It started off with small things, Eddie leaving notes in my locker. Sometimes leaving hand picked flowers in my drivers side for me to find after school.

Hell he even brought me lunch at work a few times, trying to pass it off that it was because Dustin wanted to visit Steve.

With every action I would ask him if he was okay with what we're doing, scared he wasn't. But he would always say he was fine with our arrangement, it was my fault I listened.

It wasn't that I didn't like how Eddie was treating me, to be honest I was shocked most the time because I had never had anyone do the things he's done.  

The last time I had fully dated anyone was my freshman year and we promised each other to still talk over the summer and see about me coming down to visit. But before I was supposed to visit I found out he had started hooking up with the girl who was supposed to be my best friend.

After that I swore I wasn't going to date again, or make friends, just leave things casual with me and anyone.

Which is why I wasn't sure how casual it was with me laying in Eddie's arms cuddling with him on a Friday night after hooking up for probably the millionth time.

I felt his fingers run up and down my arm as my eyes grew heavy.

"Do you think you could come see me play Tuesday?" He asks out of nowhere causing my eyes to open up wide.

"What?" I question, sitting up slightly to look down at him.

"Would you come see us play Tuesday, it's been months of this and you still haven't came to a show." Eddie tells me, moving to sit up with me.

Holding one of his blankets to my chest, I stand up.

"Eddie, you know I work Tuesdays." I tell him nervously, looking for my clothes on the floor.

"Just ask for the day off." He shrugs, standing up with me.

Grabbing my shirt off the floor, I throw it on.

"Eddie why would I ask for a day off to see you play? We aren't serious enough for me to do that." I ask him, feeling anger starting to take over.

"Not serious enough (Y/N)? Then what the hell have we been doing?" He expresses, raising his voice slightly as I grab my jeans.

"We've been having fun Eddie, and it's not my fault if you couldn't keep your eyes on the agreement we had made." I spit at him, the words hitting him like venom.

"Well I'm sorry for thinking you had started to feel the same way I did." Eddie rolls his eyes,  grabbing his shirt to put on.

"I think we need to end this." I tell him going to grab my purse as he pulls my hand.

"Wait, please don't go." He begs as I take a deep breath, realizing how serious this fight had gotten.

"Eddie, I think I need to leave before you get hurt and your heart gets broken." I whisper, watching his eyes break.

"(Y/N) I don't care if you hurt me, because guess what if you walk out that door my heart is going to break either way. I would rather have whatever this is as long as I can before it does get broken." Eddie admits to me causing my eyes to water, tear slipping down my face.

Shaking him off my arm and wiping away the tears, I start walking towards the door before turning around slightly.

"That's why I have to go Eddie, I couldn't stand to know how much you were hurting and that it was my fault. I might as well leave before it gets worse." I apologize, turning towards the door before rushing out.

Eddie follows me out in his boxers and t-shirt calling out to me, begging for me to stay and fix things.

I ignored his advances pulling out of his drive with tears streaming heavily, seeing  him follow me out into the street, yelling as he watched me drive away.

Getting home I made my parents promise to tell anyone who may show up other than Robin that I wasn't feeling well or accepting visitors.

I called out from work the next two days, knowing Eddie would show up looking for me and I wouldn't be able to handle seeing him.

Robin came by Sunday night after work demanding to know what was going on.

"Tell me what is going on with you? It's not like you to call out one day let alone two in a row." She asks sitting next to me while I sniffle against my pillow, not wanting to look at her.

"I just feel like a bad person. I broke one of my few rules and hurt someone important to me." I tell her, feeling the sympathy radiate off of her.

"Is this about Eddie?" She whispers quietly, bringing her hand to rub my hair.

"Mmh. And god, why do you and Steve have to be so great too? All of you made me break my rules." I sob into my pillow as she laughs lightly, patting my head.

"(Y/N) most rules are meant to be broken at one point or another." Robin tells me as I catch my breath to look at her.

"You don't understand why I have them." I remind her, sitting up slightly as she scoots over.

"Then tell me, and then maybe tell Eddie." She asks as I nod slightly.

"My freshman year I fell head-over-heels for this sophomore,  thought it was love. All that 14-15 year old crap." I laugh lightly as she nods, listening.

"We did everything together, went on dates, car rides, even lost my virginity to him." I continue, playing with my hands nervously.

"And then I moved and we continued talking on the phone for the first month of summer all the time. But then he started missing calls, or getting off the phone earlier than usual. Then when I would try to call my 'best friend' she would be missing calls as well, and that went on for about a month before I was supposed to go down for the fourth of July." I tell her.

"Then what happened?" Robin asks, face in her hand as her arm rests on her knee

"Then a week before I was about to come down Bailey called me crying one night, telling me she was sorry and hated herself. Told me she had started hooking up with Michael a few weeks prior." I sigh, feeling my eyes water as hers widen.

"No way." Robin exclaims as I nod.

"Yeah, and when I confronted Michael he said it was all true. So from there on out I refused to make friends or even try to let someone in." I  finish, feeling her rest her hand on my knee.

"Why didn't you just tell Eddie that? Look I don't know him very well, but I don't think he could ever do that to you, also I think he would understand what that kind of trauma could do to you." Robin reassures me.

"I don't know if I'll ever speak to him again. He deserves better than me, I'm selfish and don't know how to be social since everything. He deserves someone who can match his energy, which isn't me." I tell her, sniffling to hold back tears as she gives me a sympathetic smile.

"Look (Y/N), you clearly care about him. And I know he gives off golden retriever energy once you start talking to him and you're more of a black cat energy kind of girl. But those sometimes are the best combinations." She tells me, smile still holding on her lips.  

"Trust me, I do work in a movie store, so I do know the best couples." She teases softly.

"Do you think you could do me a huge favor?" I ask her as she nods.

"Anything." She agrees.

I spent the next two days avoiding Eddie the best I could. I would turn back down the hall when I saw him walking, would hide in the bathroom telling the teacher's I was having girl problems. Even ate lunch in the my car and parked down the block in case he decided to go see if I was outside.

I had went to work on Monday, and spent most the night in the back putting the newest tapes into the system.

But by the end of the night Steve had said there wasn't any sight of Eddie.

Now I was sitting in my car tapping my fingers nervously as I stared at the little rundown bar in front of me, wondering if I should actually go in.

Robin had agreed to skip band practice this once to take my shift so I could come tonight.

Glancing at the clock I realized it was now and never, and knew if I didn't go in Robin would kill me for making her take my shift.

Walking inside I hear them playing from the corner stage in the bar.

The lights illuminating only the stage and the bar for those wanting drinks.

I take a seat at the bar stool closest to the door, watching as they finished the song.

Eddie looks around at the small crowed who was hooting and hollering before speaking.

"Our last song for the night is a sneak peak of something I'm working on. So far it is unheard of outside of the band, but it's something I've been dealing with recently and it means a lot to me so I hope you all enjoy." He tells the crowd before starting to strum his guitar, fingers moving up and down as the rest of the band seemed to follow.

I watched him play. Seeing his face focus in concentration, tongue peaking out slightly as he worked against the instrument.

His long hair that was usually free was held back by the black bandana that mostly took home in his back pocket.

Pieces of his hair remained free though, peaking out around his face as his arm muscles flexed slightly with every pluck he gave the cords.

I didn't know what to expect when he opened his mouth, I hadn't heard him sing at all yet.

But god when he opened his mouth I thought I was going to die. If I hadn't already fucked him, I would of wanted to right there.

His voice was so raspy and sexy as he sung into the microphone, keeping eye contact with the crowd.

I listened admiring the beauty of him and his words watching him belt out the rest of the lyrics.

"Oh and my love," He sang into the microphone. Lips brushing against the metal as his eyes came to the bar.

"Did I mistake you for a sign from god?" Eddie hums out, his eyes getting pulled to meet mine.

I feel my cheeks redden as he adjusts his guitar, clearly surprised to see me.

I watch him as he continues, not looking away from me.

"Or are you really here to cut me off?" He questions, eyebrow raising slightly, handing moving down the next of his guitar.

"Or maybe just to turn me on?" He teases into the mic, leaning more towards my side of the bar as he gets into his song.

"Cause these days." He continues as I feel different emotions start to run through my body.

"I would be lying if I told you that, I didn't wish that I could be your man." Eddie sings strongly, both hands moving to hold the mic.

"Or maybe make a good girl bad." He sings out breathy as I feel tears start to run down.

Wiping them away I leave, not wanting to be seen crying in the bar.

Wanting to run away from everything I find myself parked at lover's lake, just thinking about my life and the choices I made. Wondering if it was my fault for how miserable it was.

Laying on the hood of my car I smoked, hoping to find some peace while I decided what to do.

Moving to sit in my car I see the time flash as I start it.

10:17pm.

I start my car, not even having a destination in mind as I start to drive.

Just letting my high lead my subconscious as I head down the road.

Which is why I'm not that surprised when I find myself outside of the Munson's trailer.

But Eddie's van was no where in sight, even with how late it was I hoped he would be home at some point soon.  

I opened my car door, lighting a cigarette, listening to music as I waited to the metalhead to get home.

Eddie's P.O.V.

"What do you mean you haven't seen her Robin? She's your friend." I ask her, rubbing my temple feeling a headache starting to form.

"As far as I knew she was supposed to go see you." Robin tells me, loading tapes onto a cart.

"She did, but she left in the middle of a song. It looked like she had started crying." I explain her.

"Why did she start crying? And did you check her house?" Robin questions as I follow behind her.

"Probably because the song was about us, and yes of course I checked her house first. Do you know where else she may be?" I sigh, feeling defeated while she starts loading the sci-fi section.

"I don't really. She is always either at school, work, home, or your house." She shrugs in response.

"Okay, thank you anyway." I tell her, going to head back home in hopes of her calling.  

"Wait Eddie, I think there's something you might want to know about why (Y/N) is the way she is." Robin calls, stopping me.

"What is it?" I ask turning around.

Reader's P.O.V-

I see the van pull up as Eddie's face lights up seeing my car.

Parking next to me, he hops out as I stand up out of my seat.

Eddie takes the first step, walking to wrap his arms around me tightly.

Connecting my body with his, I hold him close. Feeling the tears start to fall down my face as I hug him.

"I'm sorry." I sniffle against his shoulder.

"No it's okay, I'm sorry. I didn't know what you had been through." He shushes me as I pull away slightly, eyes still watering as I look at him confused.

"Don't be mad at Robin, I went to the store looking for you and she told me about what happened your freshman year." Eddie tells me, bringing his hands to wipe away my tears.

"I should of told you before things got this serious." I admit, bringing my hands to hold his wrist as he cradles my face.

"Are we still serious?" Eddie asks hopefully, smiling pulling on his lips as his head tils towards me.

"Do you want to be?" I ask, eyes lighting up as the moonlight danced across his face.

"More than anything." He nods, eyes gleaming down at me.  

"Good, because I want this too." I smile, feeling Eddie bring his lips to mine.

The kiss feeling soft against my lips as he pressed his into mine.

"So does that mean you're going to be my girl?" Eddie smiles, pulling away slightly.

"And you're going to be my man?" I nod happily, referring to the lyrics he sung earlier that night.

Standing up slightly on my the tips of my toes, I connect my lips with his.

Deciding it was okay to be vulnerable with him.

----

If you made it this far just know I LOVE YOU for reading my work even if you didn’t enjoy it. Thank you so much for your time because I know it was long.  

#eddie munson fluff #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson #eddie munson smut #eddie munson x plus size reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x female reader #stranger things #joseph quinn #joseph quinn imagine #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson fic #eddie munson angst #joseph quinn x female reader

[ugh-yoongi]

Jewel, I know your requests are closed but I desperately need to hear your thoughts on who in BTS would do this: https://www.tumblr.com/writing-prompt-s/739417828719034368/you-a-powerful-demoness-have-just-been-summoned

and why is it Namjoon (the potential for crack with this 148 IQ man who is also way more innocent than we think acc to one park jimin just takes me out)

i'm so sorry it took me so long to finish and post this but thank you so much for sending it bc i have been cackling about this scenario ever since.

the prompt: you, a powerful demoness, have just been summoned to earth. this man, this human, wants you to pretend to be his girlfriend for a few days so his parents will get off his back about it.

the gang summons a demon

pairing: namjoon x f. reader genre: supernatural au; crack warnings: reader is a demon and engages in demon behavior, swearing, namjoon makes mention of not being straight, heteronormative parental expectations, jk learns about arcane things on tumblr (which is not an original idea; i read a fic ages ago where taekook are tumblr witches but i cannot find it, so credit to that author or whoever came up with it first), unedited so any mistakes are mine. rating: e for everyone wordcount: 2k

It’s been years since you’ve been to Earth—even longer since you’ve been to South Korea.

“I haven’t been here since 1910,” you say, staring at the gobsmacked man across from you. He’s tall, with tanned skin and a bleached buzz cut; a smattering of tattoos dotting his toned arms—whites and rich hues of blue, imitations of some kind of ceramic art, you think; a golden hoop through his nose; cheeks with dimples so deep you’re sure they’ll crater. “People here definitely didn’t look like you back then, so I’m going to assume we’re pretty far into the future.”

“It’s 2024,” he answers, seemingly still a little dazed. He’s staring at you with wide eyes, jaw dropped. Normally it’s nice to be looked at like that, with all the reverence and awe you deserve, but Earth is not your favorite place to be. Doesn’t even crack the top fifty, if you’re being honest. “Did you say 1910? As in the beginning of the—”

You sigh. “Uh-huh. Hey, if you wouldn’t mind hurrying this up, I’ve got things to do.” The man continues staring. Could be a trick of the light, but you think he’s turning paler by the second.

Minutes tick by. Nothing but silence.

“Are you even listening to me?” you snarl, quickly losing patience you were never given. “I said I’ve got shit to do. My schedule’s booked solid for the next eight centuries, so I really don’t have time to be dilly-dallying in mundane human affairs. Your problems are always so boring.”

More silence.

Which is irksome, sure, but what’s worse is this stupid fucking circle you’re trapped in. Drawn crudely on the floor of (seemingly) this human man’s actual apartment, which would’ve told you all you’d needed to know, if you’d taken ten seconds to take in your surroundings upon first being summoned. This place has got books stacked floor to ceiling in every available inch of space, but you’re certain this person is a fucking idiot.

“Hello?”

The man shakes his head. “Oh, sorry, I just—I’m Namjoon? Kim Namjoon.”

“I don’t care.”

“Right, right.” He sucks in a deep breath. “Well, you’re probably wondering why I summoned you here today”—you roll your eyes—“and, uh.” Namjoon scratches at the back of his neck, anxiety oozing from every pore on his body. Definitely paler. “I am too, to be honest.”

“You what—”

“I didn’t mean to!” Namjoon hurriedly adds, all of that anxiety shifting quickly into pure panic. “It’s just—it was a joke! Mostly! Jeongguk said it as a joke, because everything he says is a joke, and I should’ve known that, but—I don’t know! I’ve tried everything else, and the longer its gone on the more desperate I’ve become, and suddenly what Jeongguk said as a joke didn’t sound so much like a joke anymore! I’m sorry! I didn’t think it’d actually work!”

It takes your brain a minute to translate and decipher the useless slush that just came out of his mouth, but when it does… oh, when it does, you feel absolutely murderous. “You summoned me as a joke?”

Namjoon must see it, too. There’s no way you’re looking cool, calm, and collected right now, because you’ve seen the faces of others that have witnessed your wrath, and they were almost always on the brink of (if not outright) shitting their pants. This stupid, clueless human in front of you doesn’t appear to be faring much better.

So you continue, just to watch him squirm. “Do you have any idea who I am?”

“Um,” comes his brilliant response. “Yes?”

“And who am I?”

He holds up his pointer finger and digs through the back pocket of his jeans. Pulls out a crumbled scrap of paper, nearly soiled from ass sweat and time, and his eyes squint as he tries to read it. “I—well, it’s probably not an accurate translation, you know, since—”

“What does that piece of parchment say, Kim Namjoon?”

“Nothing,” he lies. “I can’t read it anyway, so… a-haaa…”

Patience officially worn thin, you snap your fingers, delighting in the startled shriek that escapes him as the paper goes up in a plume of smoke. “I am going to give you one chance to be honest with me,” you explain slowly, leveling him with a look. “Who do you think I am, and why am I here?”

Namjoon pales further. Looks like he’s trying to melt right through the floor into a puddle of useless slush, and you’d be more than willing to speed up the process if it weren’t for this god forsaken demon trap.

“Can I—can I sit down for this?”

Kim Namjoon, you learn, has a friend named Jeon Jeongguk.

Jeon Jeongguk, you also come to learn, has learned magic from a website called Tumblr.

“There, uh. There are definitely blogs for that sort of thing,” Namjoon explains, tattooed fingers scratching at the back of his neck. He takes a very quick glance at you. “Clearly not very accurate ones.”

You hum. “That’s the only smart thing I’ve heard you say since I showed up in this shithole.”

Namjoon gawks. “Hey, my apartment isn’t a shithole! It’s the best I could afford, alright? There was just an article in The Business Times about how archaic of a system jeonse is—”

“Uh-huh. And this… website?”

Namjoon goes red. Coughs into his fist. “Oh, right, yeah. I’m gonna be honest with you—”

���I already said that—”

“—my parents are coming to visit from Ilsan in a few days and I need a girlfriend.”

You blink. Once, twice, three times. Long enough to replace the rug that had been pulled from under you, because you’re pretty sure you heard this human man allude to having summoned you so you can pretend to be his girlfriend.

All things considered, you’re impressed by how calm you are. This is not a trait most demons have, you especially, and it makes you nostalgic for the days you used to rip men apart limb by limb for less.

“Are you insane?” you ask simply.

“In my defense,” he explains around a wince, “Jeongguk said it was a love spell.”

“A love spell.” Namjoon nods. “And you wound up summoning a demon.”

“It… appears I may have done that, yes.”

“And you want a demon to meet your parents?”

“I mean… when in Rome, right?”

“I’ve committed at least four-hundred and sixty-seven separate atrocities there, so no, probably not when in Rome.”

Namjoon’s jaw drops. He tucks his knees closer to his chest. “Christ, that’s a lot. How did you have the time?”

“I’m immortal,” you deadpan.

“Right, right. Anyway, to answer your question: yes.”

Your eyes narrow. “How bad are your parents that you’d want me to meet them?”

“They’re fine, mostly. I just… am not what they expected in a son? Like, I have the hair and the tattoos and I dropped out of my engineering program in university to pursue art and poetry, so the least I could do is find a wife and settle down and give them grandchildren, but I don’t even know if I want to ever settle down. I’m also not… heterosexual? Entirely? Do you see that a lot—”

You sigh. “Misconception. Not to launch you into some kind of existential crisis, but the gods really don’t give a shit who you humans sleep with.”

“Gods? As in plural?” You snap your fingers. Namjoon’s fingers immediately go to his temples. “Damn, I have a really bad migraine all of a sudden.”

“Yeah, that was me.”

“What’d you do?”

“Made you forget something.”

“Oh. What’d I forget?” It takes a second. “Oh, right, yeah. Um. What was the last thing I said?”

“Your parents wanted you to be an engineer and have a ton of kids but you like art and also not-women, sometimes.”

He flushes again. “I—yes.”

You sigh, arms crossed over your chest. All you want to do is sit down, or open a window. This apartment smells far too strongly of patchouli. “Look, I haven’t been to this place in a long time, but surely you aren’t undesirable by your society’s standards.”

“Are you saying I’m attractive?”

You scowl. “No. I’m saying there had to have been easier ways of doing this, and also can you open a window?”

“It’s February.”

“That means nothing to me.”

“It’s really cold outside.”

“I’m literally from Hell. Go put on a sweater, then.”

With a roll of his eyes, Namjoon stands and moves to the window. Cracks it open a millimeter, just enough for the cold to seep in, before he’s stalking off toward—you’re assuming—his bedroom. You think he’s shoving a garment over his head when he calls out, “You know, you’re really fucking bossy for someone stuck in a trap.”

You vow to kill him as soon as you’re free.

It isn’t often you’re held hostage.

Usually you can spot a trick coming a thousand miles away, but since Namjoon hadn’t meant to summon you at all, you’d been caught unawares. Doomed to be stuck in a demon trap, just like he’d said, which meant you didn’t have a ton of bargaining power.

At least that’s what you’re telling yourself, because as you sit across from Namjoon’s parents at some fancy restaurant, you aren’t convinced he isn’t a crossroads demon himself.

“So,” his mother begins, turning her attention to you, “what do you do for work?”

Namjoon elbows you beneath the table, giving you a silent warning to stick to the script. You’re only here under threat of force—because Jeongguk had stopped by Namjoon’s apartment, saw you in the summoning circle, and nearly fainted before going back to Tumblr to find a binding spell.

Except that one wasn’t great, either, because it only bound you and Namjoon together for three days instead of forever. And, as penance for all the chaos you’ve sown across the universe, Namjoon’s parents’ visit fell within that time frame, so here you are.

Out to dinner. With humans.

You’re pretending to be someone’s girlfriend.

You’re in for the most embarrassing ribbing of your existence once you’re home.

“I work with idols,” you respond, as convincingly as possible, because Namjoon had thought it’d be really funny. Get it? he’d said. Like false idols? You hadn’t laughed. “It’s very secretive, of course, but—”

You don’t finish your thought, because Namjoon’s mother looks delighted: face lit up with mirth, smile blinding, eyes half-lidded under the weight of her happiness. “Oh, how exciting! Has he told you he used to do performances to old H.O.T songs? Namjoonie, what was that one song you liked—”

“Eomma, please—”

“Wasn’t it ‘Candy’?” Namjoon’s dad offers from behind his menu. It’s the first thing he’s said all evening.

Namjoon whimpers, foregoing all social decorum and lectures on posture to sink further in his chair.

You do not, under any circumstances, feel a hint of fondness.

(Which dissipates not even twenty-four hours later.

“The blog was deleted,” Jeongguk says, eyes wide as saucers. “I—the blog is gone, I don’t know how to—”

“What do you mean the blog is gone?” The poor kid is overcome with panic and fear, tries to stutter out a response that makes no sense to you at all through his sobs. “Jeon Jeongguk, what do you mean the blog is gone?”

“I—it’s—I had it bookmarked, I swear! Once the binding spell wore off I was gonna send it to Namjoon hyung so he could send you back, but the blog is gone so the post is gone, too. I don’t—what do I even search for—oh my god, please don’t kill me, I think I’m having a panic attack, I’m gonna—”

And then this human man vomits all over your feet. Namjoon sighs as he goes to fetch a bucket, and you think it’ll be a miracle if any of these people—yourself included—live to see the end of the week.)

#namjoon x reader #bts x reader #namjoon fanfic #namjoon imagine #namjoon scenarios #bts fanfic #bts imagines #bts scenarios #jewel writes #jewel answers

[cologona]

If you won some sort of lottery contest and DC allowed you to write a comic run for any character, any topic, no limits, what would your comic be like?

What kinda plot and characters would you want to etch into official DC canon? (Or would you prefer to write an elseworlds kinda thing?)

-redhoodinternaldialectical from the "main" blog

Sorry it took a while to answer this, I got pretty carried away! Jason is my favorite character and the character I know most about, so of course I'd write about him. This is going to be pretty long winded and fanfic-y, hope you don’t mind!

First things first I’m making both UTRH and Lost Days mostly canon again. Jason was a crime lord who did Mean Crime Lord Things for a while and that’s what I’ve decided everyone is referring to when they gesture vaguely to his villainous past.

I’m also bringing back the original “big boob” backstory where Jason makes Bruce laugh on the anniversary of his parents’ death. Catherine was an opioid addict due to illness, Willis was the person who taught Jason about cars (and thus how to jack tires) and Faye Gunn is no longer Jason’s grandma. (I really disliked Ma Gunn’s “redemption” in RHATO.) Just in case, I’m also reiterating Sheila’s role in Jason’s death.

Here’s a few lines I came up with for the Todds:

Jason keeps the letters Willis sent him from prison - the ones Ma Gunn hid- in the same picture frame that holds his Robin graduation photo with Bruce. He loved and resented Willis in equal parts, but mostly he regrets not having gotten more time. It’s all the same with fathers.

Catherine is curled up in bed, her expression is half a grimace. She asks Jason, who is reading a picture-book by her side, to get her ‘medicine’ for her. Jason doesn’t know how else to help her feel better so… that’s exactly what he does. In a moment, he returns with a small heart shaped box and a cup of microwaved soup.

If I can imply in some way that Catherine is in denial about the possibility of her dying I’d like to do that too.

I’m also doing a total overhaul of the All-Caste.

Essence is getting proper Tibetan braids, Ducra is going to wear a khampa chuba instead of her current old coat, and the Acres-of-All are getting reimagined as a towering Ziggurat with all the murals, pillars, curtains, and ornate trim befitting a monastery! The All-caste of memory will be bright and fantastical, but the ruins of the present will be dark and spooky.

Some references for what I'm talking about.

I’m also reframing the “Absolute Evil” part of the All-blades’ description to be an epithet for the Untitled. The sword is not literally judging Goodness and Evilness anymore; now they cut through negative psychic energy Jujutsu Kaisen style. I don’t think I need to spell out a justification for Jason being able to summon them whenever, but for any sticklers I’ll just say it’s because Jason- like the Untitled- has a lot of bad feelings and trace amounts of Dionesium in his system (among assorted other chemicals.)

Since Lost Days is being brought back that means instead of spending an entire 3 years with the All-Caste, Jason only spent a few weeks with them during his world-wide training arc. Ostensibly because a little magic would give him an edge over Batman. Ducra wouldn’t normally just give away powerful magic weapons to any chump with a free weekend, and she knew Jason was dangerous, but since the All-Blades are so specific and the ritual to attain them nigh-unsurvivable she saw an opportunity to use Jason. Sure she's one of the Good Guys, but she's not called a conniving old witch for nothing hoohoo!

Now a few plot ideas for a vague overall mini-arc.

First, Jason goes to ugly lengths to protect or prevent consequences from finding one of his family. Maybe someone threatens their secret identity…? The ‘opponent’ should be someone innocent and/or noble but not easily bought or fought. Maybe Vicki Vale, another Hero, or some kind of wealthy heir. The point is to cast doubt on if Jason’s return to the Bats is really so unquestionably redeeming. Jason has pretty much chosen to betray his morals for them after all.

Then, Jason chooses not to kill a villain who shortly afterwards victimizes more people and skips town before he can get caught. Basically a rehash of Diplomat’s Son except the Garzonas figure gets away. It’s technically a win for Batman- his presence kept Gotham safe after all. But it doesn’t feel like a win, especially not to Jason.

And finally, Jason frames himself for various murders committed by victims against their abusers. Maybe kick the story off with one of Ma Gunn’s boys killing her and telling the cops it was Red Hood in a desperate bid to avoid jail.

Obviously Jason can’t be allowed to do this long-term. It’s a bad precedent to set, an obstruction of justice, etc… Jason hasn’t broken The Big Rule though, and Bruce can only act so sanctimonious when those same complaints could be are made about him as well. There’s no way this ends any other way than Batman running Red Hood out of Gotham again and they both know it, but neither deviates from the path set before them.

One or two “monster of the week” issues where Jason fights various assassins and bounty hunters sent by his more influential enemies might be good- one should occur right after the above story. A consequence for his “return to form” so to speak. Batfamily fans may appreciate a scene where Bruce says something indicating that he ran Jason out for his own safety as well as Gotham’s. Batman may be able to hide in Bruce Wayne’s skin during the day but Jason’s only identity is that of Red Hood, and at times that makes him vulnerable in a way other heroes aren’t. This + some panels contrasting the generic mercenary look of Jason’s guns and equipment with the Bats’ spandex future-tech will be great for showing how separate Jason is from the Bats.

Now while Jason’s out of Gotham again there’s this detail in one of RHATO’s flashbacks that I want to expand on- that being how he used to be able to summon a lot more All-blades.

Red Hood Outlaw 34

“I had a lot of soul back then” - implying that he has a lot less soul now…!?

Jason’s been through a lot, in life sure but also more recently. Fight scenes where the All-blades take the form of daggers would not only be cool and evocative of the wavy dagger Talia gifted him way back when, they’d be good visual sign of his declining emotional state.

Later on as his soul ‘shrinks’ further, I’d give him a pair of mystical guns through which he can channel his All-blades into bullets. If it’s another gift from Talia I’m thinking dark brass revolvers with paisley filigree and a red Endless Knot charm hanging from each handle. If they’re from Essence or S’aru I’m thinking black lacquer and silver cloud-patterned ornamentation, with red coral embedded on either side of the gun. Beautiful Bayonetta-style guns with glowing red veins and a cowboy flair!

antique guns which inspired me

As for what he’s using the All-blades (All-bullets?) for, I think it’d be fun to have Jason exorcising some ghosts. He can solve various murder mysteries, figure out why this place or that person is haunted, and get into fights with horrific otherworldly creatures. Jason is an interesting character to do this premise with because he might just determine that some some spirits should get their revenge, and act on behalf of a ghost rather than erasing it.

I’m not sure whether I’d want to have Essence join him or not… On one hand it only makes sense that Jason would help Isabel and Essence find a way to free themselves from the Blood Blade, and that goal would provide his character with some direction. Then again, Essence/Isabel could be cool as antagonists. Jason might see some ghosts as valid but Essence probably wouldn’t see any merit in appeasing manifestations of lingering resentment. She’s similar to him in that she also turned her back on her family, but she’s different in that she did it because she believed so wholeheartedly in their cause. She’s old and sort of a Jedi, but she’s hot-blooded and she’ll never not be Ducra’s daughter in the same way it seems Jason can never escape Batman’s shadow. I bet she has some real juicy sunk-cost fallacy type thinking too, that’d be fun to dig into.

Anyways I think this is a pretty good set-up to explore the politics/morality of forgiveness. What makes the difference between an injustice and a hatchet that ought to be buried? When is forgiveness empowering and when is it coerced? Who is it that must forgive? Justice vs Revenge, that whole kind of thing.

Other than the supernatural stuff I want Jason working with Talia, and I’m reintroducing Sasha to the post-52 continuity. Duela is getting nixed.

I don’t really have any specific plot ideas for Talia, but I would like to establish Jason as one of her associates. With Lost Days back they have basis for an actual relationship again. They’re not always on the same side but Jason can sometimes do tasks for Talia (outside the purview of Ra’s and the LOA), and Talia can occasionally support Jason with various social power-play type moves.

An instance of Jason getting into a fight with one of the Bats because he’s doing a favor for Talia would be great! I wouldn't write Talia as an evil evil bad horrible dragon lady, so it shouldn’t be a huge blow to Jason’s status as a Good Guy. Also I like the idea of Jason and Talia’s relationship mostly being inferred through their actions supporting one another, rather than directly showing much ‘on-screen’ interaction between them.

Also it’ll be interesting to go into Bruce, Dick, and Damian’s reaction to finding out that they’re not the only ones Jason is loyal to. Bruce thinking Talia was a bad influence on Jason (like fanon), silently frustrated because what he really wants is for Jason to be a full Bat-Believer (like the good old days…). Dick being fine with Jason never falling fully in-line with Bruce, provided that at the end of the day his loyalty belonged to his family.

-brief topical detour to talk about Sasha-

The new timeline of events is that Jason and Sasha met as fellow patients while Jason was in his Vague Villain era. They escaped the hospital building together (Sasha in her bloody dress, and Jason naked save for his skimpy hospital gown dhoti) and having no one else they stuck together. They got close but at some point Sasha lost her memories, giving her a chance at a fresh start. This was around the same time Jason “redeemed” himself and so just like Max Dawkins, ‘Numbers’, and Gabby Christiensen -Sasha became another person from Jason’s past that he didn’t let himself have a relationship with.

Sasha was just old enough that she didn’t have to be sent into foster care, so with some help from Wayne Foundations she got her GED and her feet underneath her. Now… she goes to work, goes to her physical therapy appointments, fights with her mother over the phone, and yes- sometimes she goes to the club.

The new Sasha still has spiky red hair but her face looks entirely normal save for a subtle scar tracing around her jawline and chin- the edges of where her mask used to sit. She wears dark makeup and even darker clothes. She’s prone to false memories and dissociation. She’s lost most of her ability to feel pain. She can’t watch certain shows she used to love anymore because they trigger her. She never returned to Russia. She doesn’t have many friends.

Since this is comics, her reintroduction will come by way of a dramatic fight. Sasha will regain her memories one day and show up out of the blue to fight Jason, angry and heartbroken that he abandoned her. He tries to explain himself but she just says look what they did to my face, referring to the facial reconstructive surgery she was given while amnesiac. She’ll be difficult to fight, not only because being a partial Dollotron gives her enhanced strength but also because she’s being reckless and the longer they fight the more strain and damage her body accrues.

After Jason apologizes and they reconcile (they will both cry) Sasha can become a recurring side character that Jason visits, keeping him grounded and up to date with Gotham. I think it'd be cute for her to bid him farewell by saying she’ll hold the city hostage until he comes back. (Is Sasha going to become Jason’s love interest? No. If I give Jason a love interest it’s going to be Numbers.)

--Going back to the previous topic, I want Sasha’s return to be part of this greater arc of Jason addressing his "shrinking soul" problem. My brain is a little fried now so I’m not exactly sure how but she is related. I think she ought to be.

Jason wants Bruce to be right. He would like for his problem to be fixed by going home and saying sorry. But at the end of my run I want him to face the reality that it’s not about that.

...Perhaps it should be about Jason 'abandoning' Gotham? I don’t really want the final thesis of my run to imply that Jason’s soul would just be fixed if he killed Rogues though, and Jason always came back whenever a big disaster was happening so it doesn't quite fit anyways… Jason does believe in the value of “pure” heroes it’s just not what he’s supposed to be. Whatever his problem's “about” , it ought to prompt Jason to stop taking Bruce’s shit. I'm saying the man is literally breaking Jason's spirit.

I’m sympathetic to Bruce but I wouldn’t write him as a nice father. I would also have scene where a younger Bat accuses Jason of being overdramatic despite 'not even having it the worst’. I don't know who 'has it the worst' but I want to make a statement that you don't need to win the pain-race to be fed up.

Ah anyways, now my brain is really fried. I hope this post was coherent all the way through, I neglected to edit and organize my thoughts as much towards the end. Thank you for asking me such a great question, I had a lot of fun thinking about it! :D

#me rambling so much #i have been holding onto this too long #I did kind of pull and UTRH part 2 electric boogaloo with Sasha didn’t I #except I characterized her as more like fanon/movie Jason #I fixed some of the typos now #oh god I forgot to mention: #I want to have a repeated motif of timekeeping sounds #beeping alarms ticking clocks beating drums #also I want Jason to show off his knowledge of bombs and poisons #Jason’s always making antidotes to shoot people with that ought to be explored #ahhhh the ideas won’t stop coming #jason todd #scarlet sasha #essence dc #headcanons #red hood #put a pin on it #📌

[cherr-22]

TNGDH 27

“I’m going to die…….”

Literally. My legs were so sore that I couldn’t feel them anymore. My vision blurred and all I could see was the earthy brown color of the ground everywhere.

To think riding a horse was this strenuous. It’s the horse that’s running, and yet why am I the one getting tired? Because the ground was uneven, I even felt nauseous. Please…… save me.

“Hang on a little bit more.”

Kyle comforted me when he heard me groan.

Of course, it didn’t comfort me. Thinking how many more hours I’d have to ride the horse later today, I felt anxious to cancel ‘Summon’ and go back to the hamster house to rest.

Phew. Such is my life. This strange, tiring life.

Glumly holding onto the reigns, I heard a loud caw above me. The Northern crows circled around in the sky, making it feel unpleasant.

“Why is it crying out loud? Such bad luck.”

“……Do you normally express it as ‘crying’?”

“If it can’t talk, then I’d say it would be crying.”

I answered grumpily and lowered back my head to focus on the road ahead.

Beyond the castle and plains was a forest full of coniferous trees. There were many ravines here and there, so the terrain was not easy to travel across. The path could only fit two horses side by side.

“Don’t worry too much about it.”

Kyle must’ve been worried after seeing my expression.

“Since this is only a reconnaissance with the new knights, we will only briefly check the forest before heading back. Cases where we go beyond the small mountain besides during subjugations or investigations are rare.”

“A small mountain……?”

You call this a small?

I clicked my tongue as I looked at the cliff stretched out in the distance.

“What is there beyond that cliff?”

“Are you talking about the types of demonic beasts?”

“Oh, no. Rather than demonic beasts…… are there any villages or anything.”

Upon asking, Kyle laughed as if what he heard was nonsense.

“The Blake estate is the only place in the North where people can survive. Well, I’m sure there would be villages where the demonic beasts gather instead.”

“……That doesn’t sound very amusing. Then what are there geographically?”

“Over this mountain is a vast rocky plain with chunks of ice and rocks here and there. Beyond that is a large mountain, and beyond the large mountain is the sea.”

He lifted his sleeve over my face to shield it from the strong winds. It felt so natural that I accepted it without a second thought.

I tilted my head and glanced up at him. Seeing how he didn’t even bat an eyelid at the harsh wind, he must’ve been used to the cold.

“I rarely go beyond the frozen sea. It’s difficult to go and there is nothing good there.”

Even if the sea is frozen, isn’t it just a regular sea? What was so different and difficult about it?

“Why is that? Is it a lawless zone or something?”

“Yes. It’s not a place that the Meinhardt Empire could even handle. Beyond that sea, even I would have to risk my life.”

Just what exactly is there?

I thought about various possibilities and then the system that has been quiet until now popped up.

[Beyond the Northern Sea is an area called the ‘Magician’s Domain’.]

‘The Magician’s Domain, huh. It sounds pretty tame when hearing the name alone…….’

But that didn’t look to be the case seeing Kyle’s expression. Well, I could think about it later. It’s not like I’ll go there today.

“Your Highness. Should we return to the northeast pathway?”

Hearing the voice from behind, Kyle paused for a moment and measured the distance.

The road ahead branched out into two paths. One appeared to be a road going up the hill to northeast and the other going down to the canyon in the northwest.

The knights murmured to each other in relief and anxiety by hearing the word ‘northeast’. 

Kyle said in a heavy tone.

“The area where the wyvern nest has not been resolved yet. Also, currently it is mating season so we must avoid northeast. Everyone, take a detour to the western canyon!”

……If it’s a detour, does that mean this reconnaissance would take more time?

I nervously checked the remaining time in ‘Summon’.

[‘Summon’ will be canceled in 20 minutes.]

It won’t be good if I suddenly disappear in the middle of the canyon……. Sigh. Today will be the day I use up all my Miracle Points.

I quickly bought a cookie from the Nut Store.

[Long-Lasting Acorn Cookies ｜Miracle Points 1% consumption ｜ Extend duration of ‘Summon’ by 1 hour]

[Current Miracle Value 25.0%]

Hopefully, I could keep my points above 20% by the end of this expedition. Meaning, I’d prefer to return back to the estate within six hours.

I quietly glanced at Kyle and took out the cookie from my pockets. Crunch. Kyle glanced back upon hearing the sound of me eating.

“Why are you trying to eat so secretly?”

Your ears are quite sharp. Couldn’t you have pretended not to hear anything?

“It is my life.”

That was 100% the truth.

“I sure get to hear a lot of interesting things from you.”

Of course, Kyle thought of it as a joke.

I’m telling you, it’s the truth. An acorn cookie I bought with the cost of my life. Although it’s savory, it leaves the mouth a little dry after you finish eating it…….

“Anyways, it means that I’m not going to share it with you.”

Kyle’s red eyes blankly stared at me as if he were surprised.

“It’s fine. More importantly…….”

He lightly squeezed my chin and turned it to the side. I muttered, “What is it,” as I glanced around in the direction Kyle pointed out using my face.

“Over there. Do you see those forest bushes?”

My eyes that were once wandering around aimlessly stopped on something sparkling in the bushes. Several pairs of round eyes gazed towards our direction.

They were furry animals that could be held within two hands. Smaller than a dog, but a little larger than a mouse. There was a short horn on its forehead between its round ears.

It was an animal I have never seen before, and yet it felt strangely familiar…….

“Those are the Northern field mice.”

What?

“That is what they would look like after growing a mana stone in their heart. They are a little small compared to other Northern demonic beasts though.”

That’s not right. Normally a mouse that size would be considered very large.

“They are quite tame if you don’t bother them first. It was around this area where I first met Cashew.”

Kyle’s tone of voice instantly went soft. His expression gradually softened as he thought of the cute squishy demonic beast waiting for him at the castle……

Forget about It. Can’t you see that the cute and squishy demonic beast is suffering here right now due to muscle pains.

[Currently Possessing Hearts ｜ ❤×198]

Cancel what I said earlier.

Think about me a lot. Just two hearts worth more.

“Should I try finding a mate for it…….”

……Huh. Wait, what did you just say?

Immediately, I yelled as he was mumbling.

“No!”

“…….”

“Most definitely not. To think about copulating demonic beasts!”

“Northern field mice are usually quite active.”

“Those are the Northern mice. Cashew is a domestic demonic beast. It has been developing slow and hasn’t even developed a magic stone yet. What if you pair it up and it ends up getting eaten by its pair?

I have no intention of sharing my house no matter how big it may be. Roommates are absolutely forbidden.

“Sure, you can adopt another one if you want to see Cashew dead the next day.”

If that day ever comes, I will kill you myself and run away from here. You understand?

Kyle nodded in disappointment under my intense gaze.

“……That makes sense. I understand. As soon as I get back, I shall have a meeting with the magicians to plan on injecting mana energy.”

I hope there won’t be any side effects from doing that.

Would I look like a fraud if I say that there is no need to inject mana? I looked at him with a wistful expression and then looked at the group of mice.

‘I wonder if I am not a normal, typical hamster?’

To not have a mana stone inside the heart and to not have any visible growth. I suspect I will never be able to grow as big as those mice over there……

“As expected…….”

Kyle made comparisons with the Northern field mice.

“There is none as cute as Cashew.”

Just like a hamster otaku.

[Currently Possessing Hearts ｜ ❤×200]

Still, as long as you’re happy.

Thanks to that, I could buy the Demonic Beast Encyclopedia. I pretended to stretch my arms and took out the encyclopedia.

“Now, let’s see…….”

“What is that?”

“A necessary textbook for a demonic beast specialist, the Demonic Beast Encyclopedia. This book was bought off from my diligent teacher who also had a bit of a grumpy personality.”

[┗|｀O′|┛]

What, why. It’s the truth. You ate up all my Hearts so be quiet.

Kyle slowed down the horse to let me read the book comfortably. The deeper we went into the canyon, the darker our surroundings became. The knights changed their formation and turned on their lights.

Let’s see…….

“Goblin, ogre, wyvern…… bear, unicorn? There’s quite a variety of beasts. Northern poisonous snake, forest eel? Why is there an eel in the forest?”

There are really a lot of strange things in this world. Korea was truly an ordinary place in comparison.

“Oh, here it is. Northern field mice.”

The word ‘field mice’ caught Kyle’s attention.

“The Northern field mice is one of the less threatening species, boasting mediocre physical abilities…… wow, isn’t this a bit too harsh?.”

System, can’t you do your work properly? Do you want to be sent to the sky?

This is definitely a revenge on me.

[（￣︶￣）]

“And?”

“The process of developing a mana stone is more complicated than other demonic beasts, but once it develops it, it could use simple magic. Generally of the earth magic……”

I then shut my mouth. It was because an ominous premonition passed through my mind.

You won’t be making me learn some kind of magic later, right? I’m already quite sad to have become a hamster…

[(⊙ˍ⊙)]

‘No, why do you have such a surprised expression…….’

Bang!

At that moment, a huge rock fell about ten steps in front of us, shaking the ground.

Don’t tell me…….

“Change to defensive formation!”

Kyle stretched out his arm to close the book in my hands.

“Shu. From now on, everything I say will be an order and disobedience will not be tolerated.”

I felt a shiver go down my body. Kyle spoke before I could respond back a ‘Yes’.

“No matter what happens, do not get off the horse.”

With that, he jumped off from the horse and unsheathed his sword.

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

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter

#tngdh

[kydrogendragon]

Febuwhump - Rope Burns

Pairing: Dreamling (ish) Words: Warnings: Dark!Hob, Captured Dream Ao3 Link Here

Dream tugs at the bindings on his wrists and ankles. The bed is soft underneath him, but that does nothing to ease the steady thrum of fear that courses through his body. The rope, lightly glowing in the dimly lit room burns in a way that he has not felt before.

Here, in the bedroom of the man he called friend just days ago, he is trapped. He had been in the Waking when he was pulled within these walls. It reminded him of the summoning he’d experienced a century past, but gentler in some aspects. When he’d awoke from his state of unconsciousness, he was here, bound and held with rope that he should not even feel let alone have it burn his flesh.

Hob enters, the smile upon his face the same one that greeted him when he first walked into the New Inn, into the temple that had been built for him. And now he lies prone, vulnerable, like a sacrifice upon an altar to himself.

“Ah, you’re awake!” Hob says, his voice cheery. “I was hoping you’d come to soon, my friend. I was starting to get worried.”

“Hob, please. Release me.” He says, his voice a whisper. He finds he cannot speak much louder. Whatever magic is within these bindings, it saps at his strength. Dream can feel himself weakening, now, with each second.

“I will,” Hob says, nodding as he drags forward the chair tucked in the corner to the edge of the bed. He sits down, resting his elbows on the edge of the mattress, head in his hands. “I will, dove. But first, I have to make sure you’ll stay. Can’t have you running off on me again, after all.”

Dream frowns as he glares at Hob. “You would keep me?”

“Oh yes. Yes, that’s what all this is for, isn’t it?” He says, gesturing to the rope and the room and to the faintly glowing runes Dream can now see painted along the walls. As Dream’s eyes scan the room, a sinking feeling of horror falls over him. The magics in this place are strong, stronger than those that Burgess had lain across his floor. These are older, more personal and true to who and what Dream is. As his eyes snap back to Hob’s face, he can see the manic glee within his old friend’s eyes.

“Why?” Is all he can say.

Hob sighs and tilts his head within his hands as if pondering the answer. “Well, for one, I got really tired of seeing you always walking away from me. You’re the only friend I truly have, after all. No one else gets me like you do. But mainly, it’s to protect you. You said it yourself, someone took you, held you. They kept you away from me. And we can’t have that happen again. I made sure that my claim would be stronger than anything else. So now you don’t have to worry! You’re safe here, with me.” He reaches a hand out and places it along Dream’s cheek, as tender as a lover’s caress. The touch makes Dream sick.

Hob stares down, with eyes full of care and love that in any other circumstance, Dream would have done anything to see. “You see? This is all for you. For us. You don’t have anything to worry about anymore. And once I figure out how to make the connection stick, we can take off these nasty ropes.”

Dream pulls against the bindings which only seem to tighten further, the burning intensifying. Hob tisks, running his fingers over the bindings. “They hurt, don’t they?” He doesn’t look back to Dream, though he nods anyways. Hob hums. “I am sorry about these. But it was the only thing I could figure out how to do that would keep you here and make sure you didn’t run out, you know? But they won’t be permanent. Just temporary. You can handle it until then, right, love?”

Dream inhales sharply as Hob’s eyes flick back to his. It is not a question, not truly. There is challenge in his eyes and Dream knows that this will go one of two ways: either Dream cooperates, lets Hob play in this fantasy he has concocted in his mind, and the pain will be minimal or Dream fights. And he gets the impression there are further tactics Hob has to ensure Dream’s full cooperation, given or not.

So he nods, slowly, and lets out a breath as Hob’s smile returns to his face. “Good. Knew you could.” He stands up, clasping his hands together. “Right! Well, I’m running late for class. Should be back home around five. I’ll make sure to pick us up something tasty to celebrate with. I know you’re not much for food or drink, but those bindings’ll make you hungry.”

Hob leans down and presses a kiss to Dream’s forehead. His eyes shut, his heart lurching in his chest. “Be back soon, dove.” Hob whispers against his skin. The heat of his breath sends shivers down Dream’s spine.

His eyes remain shut as he listens to the sound of footsteps fading away. It is only after it has been silent for a while that Dream dares to open his eyes again. He lets out a shuddering breath as he stares up at the ceiling. There are no faux stars to be seen here. He is unsure if that is better or worse.

Dream tilts his head to the side and gazes at the window with it’s blinds pulled shut. Perhaps Matthew will find him. He does not believe Hob Gadling would injure him as Alexander had Jessamy. But he did not also believe Hob Gadling would bind and trap him here.

He lets out a breath and waits. What other option does he have, after all?

#the sandman #dream of the endless #hob gadling #dreamling #ky writes #febuwhump2024 #febuwhumpday5

[idkhowbut-art]

Aether headcanons (and art)

- Summoned in 2014, was an apprentice to Omega in the infirmary. He was assigned to Omega to help him in the infirmary but then was taught his guitar role in order for him to take over once Omega retires.

- He’s so tired, like chronically so. Please give this poor man a break

- Uses his quintessence to conceal any aches and pains he has leading him to not know he has any

- Actually has chronic pain especially in his knees and elbows and has to wear compression/heat claims he’s ‘fine’

- He’s had multiple arguments with omega about overworking himself/overusing his quintessence

- Finds the pain he has normal due to the fact that he doesn’t know life without it. Once he brought it up at random and someone said that it wasn’t normal

- He’s an audio processing issue where his ears are slower. Someone always says smth and he’s like ‘huh?’ And Just before they repeat themselves answers them.

- Lots of sleeping issues. Either never sleeps or sleeps all day. He can sleep fine with other ppl in the room but cannot by himself

- He’s so focussed on being the perfect ghoul and being the ‘leader’ that he actively ignores his own feelings and emotions and focuses purely on everyone else. He pushes and pushes himself so much that one day he does snap and no one knows what to do bc they’ve never had to console him before.

- He knows that the fire ghouls are the typical ‘leader’ of the pack, but quintessence ghouls act as a mediator. However, without anyone to air out his emotions to he simply takes everyone’s grievances and keeps them. He knows so much shit and has been in the middle of so many arguments and disputes that he truly doesn’t know how to form his own opinion anymore

- He agrees with whoever is in the room when it comes to arguments in order to gain all info and to avoid further conflict.

- Always fiddling with something. Be it his clothes, his hair, his jewellery, don’t matter. He’s also got a picking habit, which has led to many tables and painted items being stripped by his claws, and multiple manicures ruined and chipped. This has also led to many of his clothes being torn or falling apart as he picks at the seams of them

- He puts out a lot of energy on stage due to the need to match up with the rest of the floor ghouls bc he feels that he’s gotta give out energy in return for some kind of praise

- Spends most of his downtime at the ministry writing music of his own. He also utilised the mini studio that they have to record said music with the help of a few older siblings

- His music taste was influenced by an international sibling that introduced him to Brit rock, which then also influenced his accent as this was before he properly learned how to speak English

- He released any music he had made under a pseudonym that then became his ‘human name’ in order to release it without the clergy knowing

- At the beginning of the prequelle tour he was the first to begin goofing around on stage, realising that as performers they can have fun and the rituals don’t have to be super serious

- At first he got yelled at but copia let it slide and after that everyone began having more fun overall

- He saw how stressed copia was after the first imperatour and decided to help him with work during the break. He then got put there full time and phantom was summoned (this is the last time he’s nice to people in that place)

- He makes so many bad puns. The type that everyone groans at except copia and mountain who chuffs when they happen. Dew hates them the most. It’s the spectrum of ghouls who knew him the longest either hating the jokes more as time goes on or becoming so used to them that they find them genuinely funny

I transed his gender bc I said so

#my art #the band ghost #ghost bc #ghost band #ghost the band #nameless ghouls #aether ghoul #aether ghost #the band ghost fanart #ghost bc art #ghost band art #nameless ghouls fanart #the band ghost fanfiction #headcanon #my writing

[deancasbigbang]

Title: Then Till Now

Author: silver_penny

Artist: spiffyflypie

Rating: Teen

Pairings: Dean/Cas, Sam/Eileen, Dean & Sam, Dean & Charlie, Cas & Anna, Cas & Claire

Length: 20000

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Tags: 17776 AU, human/nonhuman relationship, alien invasion, happy ending, dialogue-heavy, rocketry

Posting Date: November 1, 2023

Summary: It's the year 17776, and Dean Winchester is used to the peace. Humanity has stabilized the climate, vanquished world hunger, and achieved equitable global co-operation. Nanobots swoop down to heal every little paper cut, and if no one is born anymore, well, no one dies either. When the Cassini-Huygens space probe crashes into his life – newly conscious, bluntly sarcastic, and deeply skeptical of humanity's late triumph – it's the most interesting thing to have happened to Dean in millennia. But out in deep space, something truly interesting is stirring...

Excerpt: Bobby’s wrong about the house – it’s not too big, not for Sioux Falls and especially not for their family – but when he opens the door and the creak echoes out into a cavernous empty space, it kind of feels that way. Dean ends up in the Deancave, curling up in the best seat and summoning up something old and a little mindless to watch. Hello.  It’s the first thing he’s heard in hours, and for a moment Dean doesn’t even recognize it as another person. But it lingers, the way real environmental sounds do. Dean mutes the TV. “Hello?”  Yes.  Dean bites his lip. “Hello, yeah. You okay?”  I’m not sure.  “Alright. What’s up? Can I help?”  I am unsure if that is something you are capable of doing.  Dean blinks. “Okay. You just soliciting or something? Sorry, man, not interested.”  I am not...soliciting.  “Okay?”  I have no interest in solicitation.  “So any reason you decided to barge into my evening, then? If you don’t need anything, you don’t want anything...”  I am talking to you on the advice of my brother.  “Who’s your brother?”  Pioneer G.  Dean blinks again and then slowly sets his remote control back down. “The – the space probe? Pioneer G?”  He likes to be called Gabriel.  Of course he does. “You’re talking to me from space?” There’s a very long pause. Yes. “Huh.”  I don’t know where else I would be talking from.  “Yeah,” Dean says, “of course not.”  You are also talking to me from space.  “From Earth,” Dean says absently. “Not quite the same thing.” There had been, of course, probes on the news. How humanity built something that, millennia later, could wake up like that, for lack of a better term...that was still a mystery. The scientists were all over it, of course, but maybe a little less urgently than they might have been, once upon a time. And now there was a spacecraft interrupting his show. Dean clears his throat. “So, um, any reason your brother thought I would be the best person for this conversation?”  He didn’t.  Now Dean squints at the ceiling. “You know, you’re not doing a great job answering my questions.” There’s a beat. Two beats.  My apologies. Gabriel requested that I “go find one of those humans to chat with if you want to talk so much.” You were in an optimal position.  “I am, huh?”  Yes.  “You mean, like...spatially? Cosmically?”  Your position on Earth is optimal for transmission at the current moment. Also I can see your television. Huh. “So who are you, then?” Dean asks. He kicks up his feet a bit and studies the ceiling, imagining the moon and stars that might show behind it, once the sun goes down. He racks his brains, but even back when the space program was at its height, it didn’t make top thousand on the Winchester priority list. “Hubble? Sputnik?” Sam would know more.  Cassini-Huygens. Dean catches his breath.

DCBB 2023 Posting Schedule

#dcbb 2023 #fic preview #2023 promo #deancas #destiel

[thosehallowedhalls]

A Midnight Chat

Book: Blades of Light and Shadow

Pairing: Tyril Starfury x F!human!MC

Rating: Teen

Word count: 613

Summary: Raine interrupts Tyril's reflections.

A/N: For @petalouda85 who gave me the prompt "fireflies." Drabble 19 of my 30 days of drabbles.

Tyril hones his sword, his eyes on the horizon. Fae fish continue to appear every now and then, their scales glinting, and sea fireflies dance an intricate choreography that’s breathtaking in its splendor. The moon shines bright and clear against the depth of the sky, casting a pure glow on the deck of the Sun Maiden.

Too bad he’s too caught up in thought to appreciate any of it.

His mind, as usual, is on his mission. It has been almost a year since he set out on this quest, a year since he left Undermount, disgraced and betrayed. Since he lost his best friend to the darkness of the Shadow Court. And he has almost nothing to show for it except a few killings of people who were no more than pawns.

Perhaps his luck will turn now that he’s encountered this party of adventurers.

His new companions are… interesting, he thinks diplomatically. Determined, clearly, and not without abilities. He senses a tremendous amount of raw, if dormant, power from the priestess; and he thinks the rogue’s less reputable skills might prove useful.

Then there’s Raine.

He’s still surprised by the strength of his reaction to her. It’s rare for him to crave someone at first sight. He rarely craves people: his infatuations tend to begin small, a mild interest that grows into something bigger and more intense as he gets to know its object. But as soon as he laid eyes on Raine, he wanted her.

He doesn’t like it. He can’t afford to lose control, not even of his own emotions. Perhaps especially not of his own emotions.

“Still watching the fae fish?” A voice asks, and for an absurd moment, he wonders if he summoned her.

“Not anymore.”

She walks up to him and rests her elbows on the railing. “Mind if I ask what’s on your mind?”

“You may ask. But I may choose not to answer.”

“You can say you were thinking about me, Tyril,” she teases, unaware of the fact that her words are at least partially true. “I won’t judge you.”

“If you must know, I was contemplating the requirements of my quest.”

“Considering your scowl, they might not be very nice.”

“Requirements are rarely ‘nice’.”

“You got me there. What are these requirements?”

He looks at the sea. “Control. Of myself, of my circumstances as much as possible.”

“That doesn’t seem like something that would be too hard for you.” When he turns to her, she waves a hand in his direction. “I mean, control seems to be your thing. Self-control at least. Of your circumstances…”

She breaks off, a look on her face that he’s seen in his own reflection. It’s a look of regret. Of helplessness.

“Yes?”

“Well. Are we ever truly in control of our circumstances?”

He leans against the railing. “Perhaps not completely, but I believe we can bend them to our will on occasion.”

“An optimist. I like it. Well.” She straightens and gives him a little wave. “I better go back to bed.”

“Raine.” He might not know her, but he thinks he knows what she needs right now. When she looks at him, he gives her a solemn look. “I will assist however I can in the search of your brother. You have my word.”

She smiles, a little sadly. “Thanks, Tyril. I appreciate that.”

Once she’s gone, Tyril’s thoughts don’t immediately turn back to his quest. Instead, he thinks back to his last words. He didn’t stop to think before he said them, which would alarm him on any other day. But now, remembering the look in Raine’s eyes, he can’t bring himself to regret them.

#tyril x raine #tyril x mc #tyril starfury x mc #tyril starfury #raine parnassus #blades of light and shadow #playchoices #30 drabbles in 30 days

[foxofsunholt]

If it isn't inappropriate for me to ask how would the RO's react to the MC getting hurt because of something the RO's did?

Not inappropriate at all! I think I’ve answered something like this before but anyway, I’ll DO IT AGAIN. This is with the scenario that the RO did something reckless in the heat of battle that caused the MC to be so injured, they’ve lost consciousness. Also this is all of the ROs pre-time skip and pre-confession to the MC.

ADELAIDE — Silence spreads across the barren field as plumes of dust rise from the now-still bodies of monsters. Adelaide’s eyes are transfixed on you; on the blood pooling at the base of your skull and your closed eyes, deceptively peaceful. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think you were just asleep. But she does. Her sword falls to the ground, summoning another cloud of dust as she rushes to you, falling to her knees. “No, no, no,” she repeats over and over again. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she says this too, but gains no response. She cries and Camille rushes in, knowing that healing magic isn’t her forte but she is the only one capable of it. Adelaide scoops you into her arms. The verdict comes through: you’re alive but you’re not okay. Adelaide stays by your side as you heal; she orders the team to stop in the nearest town, she gets doctors (the best), a room for you (the biggest one) and she sleeps in the chair by your bed. She rests her head against your chest sometimes, sobbing softly every time she hears a beat that comes too late. She holds your hand. She whispers her apologies in-between cries. She stops eating. Her quivering hands refuse to touch another blade.

When you wake, you find a woman with messy hair and sunken cheeks. She stares at you with tired green eyes. Wordlessly, she stumbles into your arms and sobs. The apologies come again but this time they are met with your comfort. On a quest to save the world, there is little time to stop for therapy, of all things. But there is a dangerous reluctance whenever Adelaide wields her sword again. Mars feels for her; he explains to you that Adelaide has never really been in combat, not with real people at least. Adelaide realizes she’s not fit to lead a war, she’s far from ready to change anything. You seek her out; you notice this change and want to do your part in helping her through it, but she won’t speak about what happened. She’ll talk about the birds, the sky, how lovely you’re looking and how nicely you’ve healed.

“It’ll just leave a tiny scar!” She tells you about the wound on your head. “Isn’t that great? It’s like your body is moving on.” But she is not. You try again and her hand snaps up, tracing your wound. Then it reaches down, cupping your face. “Being gentle means you can’t fight,” she says softly, “that’s what Mars’s father is always telling him. Usually they argue about it. It’s so loud I can hear it from my window.” She laughs, but there’s no humour to her words. “He’s not wrong though, is he?” Her hand falls away. “What kind of person hurts someone they care about?” You try to tell her it was an accident but you watch as her fingers knead at the scar across her neck and you feel that there’s more she isn’t saying.

The mission halts again at another town and Adelaide goes off. When she returns, there’s a dullness in her eyes and cruelty in her swings. She doesn’t hesitate anymore.

CAMILLE — The forest flickers with flames; branches snap and crackle and trees groan with the effort it takes not to collapse. You are on the floor, pinned under a trunk, the last thing you see are the birds flying away in flocks. Camille stares, her face is expressionless. Her steps are steady and careful as she comes to your side; her fingers are clinical as they check your pulse. Alive, she deduces. The rest of the prognosis comes through with the help of magic. The team scream at her; they have to leave! The fire will consume them! They haven’t noticed you yet. Camille remains still, unnervingly calm. Her ceremonial knife pops free from where she keeps it strapped to her waist. She slashes across her palm, blood magic bubbling inside of her. The trunk comes up and then you, carried in the air by dark magic tethered to Camille. She emerges from the fiery brush, blood dripping from her palm. Silence falls over the others, magic is one thing, blood magic is another. Yet, no one can point a finger of accusation against her, not with you hovering in the air.

Adelaide orders a stop in the nearest city. You get a room and a fancy doctor and Camille’s presence by your door, not that you’re aware of any of it. She watches you from a distance, only coming closer to check your pulse and verify the readings from the doctor. When you wake, you nearly scream, finding a set of yellow eyes staring at you from the darkness. They quickly vanish and you’re alone. Days pass, Camille says nothing to you as the rest of the team fuses over your well-being whilst also ignoring her. Something has happened, you can tell, but no one will speak on what. As usual, it’s up to you to seek Camille out and you find her easily enough, in her usual spot out in some glade. You have figured that she had accidentally hurt you in the crossfire of a spell, and you wanted to tell her that it was okay. She says nothing for a moment but as you go on, she snaps. She turns around to face you and finally you see sunken eyes and her skin turned dull. You notice the knots in her hair and the lack of the makeup she carefully magics on to her face every morning.

“Okay?!” She hisses as she repeats you, your words are like venom on her tongue. “What kind of a Sorcerer can not control their power? Who do you think I am?” No answer you give is satisfactory. She storms past you. “It will not happen again,” she says, then she turns to face you and a softness sits in her tired eyes. “I am sorry,” she mumbles, “I think I might be…” She closes her eyes. “Do you know what it would be like to let all that power free?” They open again. “What if I just…” her hand reaches across, softly, gently, she holds your throat in her bandaged palm. Then she squeezes, not enough to hurt but enough for you to feel your muscles tense under her. Her hand falls away, trailing down your arm. “I think I might have liked it.”

For the first time since you have known her, there is fear in her eyes.

FAITH — An arrow gone the wrong way. It’s not uncommon; in the heat of battle, archers have it the worst trying to aim around their constantly moving front-line fighters. But Faith isn’t the sort of archer who sits up in a tree and waits. She’s there too, by your side, dancing around and letting arrows from her crossbow go free at close range. She’s flashy. This time, she’s done too much. At first, you don’t feel it. What you see is Faith’s eyes grow wide, her crossbow clatter to the ground and crack against the stonework below, and then your own body seemingly turned to liquid as it refuses to stay up right. You fall into her ready arms and try to speak. This is all you remember. Faith remembers a lot more.

It was her arrow. She watches as your eyes close and she shakes you, trying to get you to wake up — you make never do it again if you go to sleep now. She cries out in the middle of battle, swords still clinking behind her. The team rallies together, they abandon the fight to get you to safety. It’s a patchwork job in some alley, Camille casts magic she’s not really skilled at and Faith uses her years of living on the edge of life to put you back together. There’s still a piece of wood lodged in you when they’re done, but it’s better than nothing and you are, thankfully, alive. They take you back to the inn you’re all staying at and Adelaide hires the best doctor around. Faith paces up and down your room. She’s bit down her nails into bloody, jagged edges and she’s replaced breakfast, lunch and dinner with beer, wine and whiskey. There’s nothing to do but wait, and Faith has never been patient. She doesn’t want to go too far. But she can’t stay too close. Most days, she stands outside your room with her hand frozen above the door knob. Sometimes she’s at your window, watching. She thinks you’d probably call her a creep if you could and desperately she wishes you would. When you wake, you find her asleep on your floor, having worn herself into sleep with all of her pacing. She bounces to her feet at the smallest sound of your voice.

“Thank the seven,” she mumbles. In another moment, she’s got you in her arms. She reeks of bad liquor and you smell like someone who’s been in bed for days. Neither of you care. “I’m so sorry,” she pulls away, cupping your face. “I’m so sorry.” She cries, you feel your own eyes get wet. It’s okay, you tell her. She kisses your forehead and then down your cheeks and across your shoulder. Her head lingers there, pressed into your skin. “I don’t know what I would have done if…” she doesn’t finish the thought. She pulls her head back, intoxicated with relief. Her eyes dart to your lips and she bites down on hers as she pulls away, straightening out her ruffled clothing.

“Next round of mead we get is on me,” she smilles, “maybe for the rest of my life; it’s all on me.” She smiles even wider. “I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?” You nod.

But you never do. In fact, you never see her again.

MARS — Mars has hurt people before; good people, bad people, people he didn’t know, people he was told to hurt. He’s a knight, his duty is violence puppeteered by his King. He has fought on streets. He has battled in fields and through uneven terrain. He has not fought in the snow before. His heavy boots struggle to find balance over the icy ground. His blade has never made contact with someone he cares about before. The thought had once plagued one of his many nightmares but it was dissuaded by Camille, who told him quite callously that friendly blows were rare among knights and when would he ever be fighting a friend anyway? She did not tell him that your footsteps are silent in the snow. She did not tell him that it would happen anyway, even if he didn’t want it to. He’s a knight and he’s got a knight’s instincts. His blade cuts through the air before he realizes who it’s pointed at.

Mars has a habit of hesitating before every killing blow; his father hates him for it. This time, it’s saved you from losing your head. He lifts his blade out of your shoulder, throwing it aside and spraying blood where it swings. His gauntlets fall off next, to be lost to the snow, and his hands move swiftly, holding your body together. “I didn’t…” he stutters, gulping. “I didn’t hear you.” Adelaide rushes over next and the rest is a blur of red and black.

Mars stands watch outside your door. Adelaide has gotten a room at the tavern of the mountain town nearby, and she’s called over the only doctor in the area to look after you, with Camille and Yoon’s help. But Mars stands watch, protecting your door as if something might come in to hurt you. He doesn’t sleep. He doesn’t eat. When you wake up to an empty room, your crash the door against his armour and he stumbles in the hall. The two of you stare at each other, wordless.

It’s Mars who breaks the silence. “I’m sorry,” he says first. He’s still at attention, with his hand on the hilt of his blade and his back stiffly straight. He looks so much more like the man you met at the start of this journey than the one you had come to know. “It was my fault,” he says plainly. He bows to you like you’re Adelaide, like you’re his charge, and marches away before you can say anything.

He does this for days; he stands watch; treats you with formality; bows after every interaction you have. He guards your tent when you travel again. He cuts down your monsters before you get the chance to try. Drunk, Sidney remarks that Mars has become your knight now. The team laughs. But you don’t want a knight, you want Mars.

One night, you find him stationed outside your tent and you try to talk. The conversation is long and goes nowhere, at the end, you are both tired. “It doesn’t matter,” he says, “I have to atone.” You open your mouth to explain that your whole point was just that: he doesn’t have to. But he’s kneeling in front of you, one hand over is heart. “I swear myself to your servitude; I’ve already asked Adelaide for leave of my position to her.” But you don’t want servitude, you want Mars.

SID — When fights get crowded, it’s hard to tell where one body stops and another starts. Fists fly wildly. The sun has gone down and the best light you get is the reflection off the bandits’ blades. Sid is getting frustrated; they just keep pouring in through the trees. Camp ambushes are not entirely uncommon, but usually they’re over before Sid even realizes they’re happening — the heavy sleeper that he is. He charges with rare angers across the bodies, he brings them down one after the other after the other. You try to stop him; the bandits are running away now and he doesn’t need to keep fighting. But his fist flies out, wiping you across the face and cracking your nose along the way. You fall to the floor and welcome the darkness that follows.

Sidney carries you himself; down into the city and right into a room Adelaide is hastily paying for. She’s paid for a doctor too, but he comes much too late for Sidney’s liking. He gets Camille and Yoon together and the three of them cobble together makeshift care until the doctor does finally arrive to deliver the underwhelming news that your recovery will simply be a matter of time. Yoon has to hold Sid back from bashing the doctor’s head in. Adelaide gives him a few extra coins for the trouble. He sits by your bed, nervously tapping his foot. He cooks you dinner and leaves it on your nightstand, hoping you’ll wake up and want to eat. He starts doing this for every meal, lovingly cooked for someone who can’t eat it. He takes them all down and throws them out when they go cold. When you do wake, it’s to the scent of a steak dinner. Your head feels like it’s been split in two and Sidney feeds you patiently, tiny bite by tiny bite, until you’re full. He wipes your mouth; he holds your hand.

“I’m an idiot, alright?” He smiles at you. Smiling hurts but you smile back anyway. “I’ll give you one free punch one my face.” When you tell him that you don’t want to punch him, he laughs. The sound is free and loud and rumbling and you’ve missed it. “I’ve punched a lot of my mates before,” Sid says, “mostly they’ve deserved it; you get a lot of drunk sailors together and suddenly everyone’s insulting each other’s mums. But you…” he untangles his hand from yours. “You didn’t deserve it. I was stupid and I hurt you and I promise it won’t happen again. Not like this.”

But it does. And when his fist meets your face again, it’s because your dagger is sticking out of his stomach.

YOON — Calculated, strategic, always watchful and always ready, Yoon is not one to misstep. It’s a series of bad choices that gets the guy that should have been going after Yoon, to come get you instead. It’s not Yoon’s fists that meet your face, but it might as well have been, for all Yoon cares. He picks up the bloody pulp of your body and holds you close to him, rocking back and forth and combing through your blood-sticky hair. He’s checked your pulse already and he’s called for Camille who does her best with the little healing magic she knows. Yoon tries too, with salves and potions and Fey magic. In the end, you’re still bloody, still bent, and not any more awake. Adelaide wants to get you a human doctor, she’s already paid for a nice room for you to recover in. But Yoon doesn’t trust a human to care for you the right way. He steals you from the room Adelaide got and sets you up someplace deep in the nearby Fey community. There, you are cared for not by one, but many. As one applies salves to your head, the other’s bandage your legs. As Yoon watches, three more are praying for your speedy recovery. They do not know you, but it doesn’t matter.

When you wake, you see a dozen strange faces all attending to you. One asks if you’d like water, a few are already readying a bath. Yoon smiles. “Why, hello, sleeping beauty,” he grins wide as he steps closer, kneeling by your bedside. “Quite a nap you took, wasn’t it?” You nod but you don’t really remember. For days, you recover in the care of people you come to know. Yoon stays with you, tells you stories as you fall asleep, holds your hand as the salves burn your flesh. In the end, the truth comes out: “It was me,” he says. “I did…I did this. It should have been me in that bed.” But it doesn’t matter now; maybe it never mattered at all. He says he’s sorry over and over again, but it doesn’t matter.

When the two of you return, it’s to the vicious worry of everyone else. Adelaide is the most furious you’ve ever seen her. Even Sid is upset. But Yoon turns to you and winks. From now on, Yoon doesn’t make a decision if you’re not by his side.

So when you’re gone, he stops making them.

THE SEVENTH RO — Blood stains the grass below. You look up as more bubbles out from your mouth. The knife twisted into your gut is held by a hand adorned in worn leathers. The owner of that hand grins. They lean in to your face. “Finally,” they snarl, sending their hot breath down the collar of your shirt. “I’ve got you, fox.”

#asks #idk if the formatting on this is okay I am MOBILE #also I don’t even think I answered the question but uhhhhhh

[voldemorts-tap-shoes]

Not sure if there’s a way to make the ultimate lost love song into an otp fic that’s NOT full of angst, but I tried y’all 😅

@cruelsummer-ficfest era #5 folklore/speak now

if one thing had been different

Hermione can’t completely explain why she’s here. Why she thinks a man she hasn’t seen or spoken to in multiple years—God, how many has it been now?—will have answers that she doesn’t have. Why she hopped on a plane yesterday morning to fly halfway around the world without the faintest idea of what she’s looking for or what she’ll say if he turns up. When he turns up. Because he will. She knows that, at least.

She’s not sure of anything in her whole fucking life right now except the fact that Ron will meet her for the sole reason that she asked him to, no explanation required.

Which is a good thing, because she doesn’t have one. About this, or anything else. It wasn’t any one thing, any huge monumental decision that led her to where she is now, but rather a series of tiny little decisions that painted her whole world a different set of colors than the one she had planned. It’s like she woke up one morning and looked around and didn’t recognize her own life and can’t quite pinpoint where things shifted.

Hell, she barely recognizes herself anymore. But if there’s one person who knows her better than anyone—better even, maybe, than she knows herself—it’s Ron. Even now. She’s sure of it.

Her heart jumps into her throat every time the little bell over the front door announces a new patron to the little coffee shop, but so far, none of them have been Ron. She hasn’t spotted anyone else she recognizes either, but that was by design. Meeting Ron somewhere in Diagon Alley would have meant a chorus of “long time no see” and “didn’t know you were in town” that she doesn’t have the energy to respond to. No, meeting him in Muggle London is the safer option.

She checks her watch for what must be the hundredth time, even though it’s still a few minutes ahead of the time she gave him. And just like that, as if summoned, the next chime of the bell announces Ron’s arrival.

Tucked into a little corner in the back, she allows herself a moment to watch him before he spots her, and her heart thunders in her chest as she drinks him in. So much for moving on. Is there ever going to be a day when he doesn’t have this effect on her? Five years apart ought to have done it, but apparently not.

She’s told herself time and time again that she’s over him, and it’s easy enough to believe all the way in Sydney. And a second chance with Ron isn’t why she came to London on this impromptu soul-searching mission, truly. Hermione just needs a friend. Someone who understands her. Her friendships in Australia all seem superficial in comparison. People there know her day-to-day: where she works, how she always gets takeout on Fridays, that she has a cat. Ron is big picture. Ron knows her, down to the very fabric of her being.

Even if she wanted to dig that grave up another time, Ron has more than moved on, too, as far as she knows. The couple of times she’s seen him since she left, he’s always been with someone, though never the same someone twice. Besides that, he’s the one who put the brakes on them in the first place. He wasn’t ready, after the war, so soon after losing his brother, and she understood that. She assumed once he was ready, he would have reached out, but he never did. At some point he must have healed enough for a relationship—just not with her.

His eyes finally lock on hers as he scans the room, and his steps pull up short. She gives him a tentative wave, and he smiles in return, though it’s not the big cheerful grin he used to give her. Ron weaves his way through the cafe to her table, hesitating a moment before he takes the seat across from her. “Hey.”

“Hi,” Hermione returns. “Thanks for meeting me. I hope I haven’t taken you away from anything important.” Or anyone.

She hears the awkwardness in her voice, but she’s not sure where to start. Small talk will have to do for now.

Ron shrugs and folds his hands on the table in front of him. “Nah. We just finished up a big case at work, so I’ve got a bit more free time at the moment.”

“Oh. Good. You still like being an Auror, then?”

He raises one eyebrow, blue eyes laser-focused on her. “Hermione.”

She feels herself coming unglued under the scrutiny, but she meets his gaze determinedly despite the tremor in her voice as she responds. “What?”

“That’s not why we’re here.” It’s not a question. It doesn’t need to be.

“No,” Hermione admits, “it’s not.”

They sit in silence for a moment before Ron speaks again. “You look…” He hesitates, searching for the right word. “Lost.”

It took him all of two minutes to cut right to the heart of how she’s feeling, summing up every doubt and insecurity swirling in her mind in a single word. Tears pool in her eyes, and Ron shifts forward in his seat.

“Fuck, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“No, it’s not—” Hermione shakes her head and almost smiles. This is exactly why she’s here, isn’t it? Because Ron has always known how to see through the bullshit to what’s real? “You’re right.”

His eyes sweep across the empty table. “Want a coffee?”

“Please.” Hermione reaches for her purse, but Ron waves her off as he stands.

“I got it.” He hands her a tissue, and she shoots him a grateful smile. “Be right back.”

He returns a few minutes later and hands her a hazelnut coffee with just the right amount of cream—no need to ask her coffee order, either—before he sits and waits, letting her speak first this time.

She takes a few soothing sips of the drink as she collects herself. “Do you ever think…maybe there’s a single moment…that if you could change just one thing that happened in the past, your whole life might be different?”

Ron weighs her question before answering. “Not really, I guess. I mean, there’s definitely moments that make more of a difference than others, but…” He pauses to fiddle with the paper sleeve on his cup. “I don’t think you can boil your whole life down to a single moment. Seems like a lot of pressure.”

“Maybe you’re right.”

“Maybe. But if you’re thinking about it, what would you change?”

She doesn’t want to answer. Even though she’s fairly certain she can trace the alternate path of her life back to the moment she left to find her parents in Australia. Looking back, nothing feels right after that point. But that would require admitting that the real mistake was leaving Ron. Or was it? She’s not even sure anymore. He didn’t come after her, either. What did she leave behind, really?

“You don’t have to answer that.” Ron gives her a reassuring smile. “But is it something you can change? Now?”

“I’m not sure.” She could move back to England, easy enough. Her parents have made clear that they’re not coming back, which is why she stayed in Sydney, but at some point she’s got to start living life for herself. Moving back won’t erase the last seven years, though. What good would it do her now to come back? “Did you love me?”

The words slip out before she can resist the temptation to ask him. Both of Ron’s eyebrows shoot up to his hairline, but she doesn’t take the question back even though she probably should. They really had something, she thought, until they didn’t, and she’s always wondered if maybe she made more of them in her head than what they really were.

“Does that matter, after all this time?” he asks softly. “Is that why you’re here?”

“No, it’s not why, but…” But maybe it does matter. Or maybe it doesn’t. It’s not like either answer will make her feel better. “Never mind. I didn’t mean to put you on the spot like that.”

“I don’t mind. But is anything I say going to be the answer you’re looking for?”

Hermione chuckles. “I see you’ve mastered Legilimency. I was just thinking the same thing.”

She stares across at him and Ron meets her gaze without wavering. These aren’t the answers she came for, but if he’s willing to give them to her, is she really just going to leave well enough alone? Leave without the truth she so desperately needs, in whatever form it’s offered?

“Okay,” she says, the word escaping her on an exhale. “Sure. What the hell. Did you love me?”

At least if he puts words to what she’s long-suspected—that she was just a Hogwarts crush, that he hasn’t thought twice about her that way since she packed her bags and moved down under—then maybe she can stop wondering what if and put that part of her life to rest for good.

Ron’s head tips back with a laugh, but he’s serious when he looks back at her. “Yeah,” he replies simply. “Fuck, Hermione, of course I did.”

Hermione draws in a long breath, then lets it back out with a laugh of her own. “Nope, that didn’t make me feel any better.”

“So…” Ron smiles at her over his coffee cup. “New topic, then?”

They get lost in easy conversation after that, talking and laughing and catching up while the cafe clientele turns over and over around them. The bright daylight shifts to a murky evening grey, and finally to a dark night lit only by the streetlights above them as the cafe shuts down and forces them out to the sidewalk. Hermione hesitates to voice a goodbye; once she says it, she’s not sure how long it will be before their next hello.

“So, how long are you in town for?” Ron asks, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he too makes no move to leave.

“Just a couple of days. I’ve got to get back to work.” The words feel heavy in her mouth. Wrong. But until she figures out what to do next, she has a routine, and responsibilities.

Ron nods, still not moving. “Well, don’t be such a stranger, okay? Did this…did I…help?”

“You did. Thanks.”

She reaches for him then, folding herself into his open arms. It’s the first time they’ve touched all afternoon, and Hermione doesn’t want to let go.

“I hope you’re happy, Hermione,” Ron murmurs, his voice muffled into her still-too-bushy hair as he holds her tight. “And if you’re not, I hope you find whatever you’re looking for.”

She just nods against his chest, not saying what she knows now to be true. Even though she’s maybe always known it deep down. That she found what she was looking for a long time ago. That it would’ve been fun—would’ve been great—with Ron. That he should’ve been the one.

He turns his head to place a kiss on her temple, his lips searing against her skin, before he pulls away and sets her at arm’s length. “Take care of yourself.”

“You too.” She turns away before Ron can catch the tears in her eyes, but only makes it a couple of steps before her name stops her. When she turns back to Ron, he’s looking at the ground, toeing a pebble with his shoe.

“This probably isn’t what you want to hear, but…” He sighs and then presses on. “Australia. That’s your moment, I think. If that one thing had been different, then…” He doesn’t finish, but he doesn’t have to. Then everything would be different today.

She doesn’t have the words to argue; he’s right. She just needed to hear it from someone that isn’t the voice in her own head.

“If that’s my one thing…do you think it’s too late to change it now?”

It’s a loaded question, but Ron doesn’t flinch. “I’d like to think it’s never too late to start over on the things that really matter.”

His answer is just as loaded, but now she’s the one who’s not in the right headspace for this. For them. And she thinks they both know it, because neither of them have made any move to snog the other right there on the sidewalk even though she wants to, even though she sees the same desire reflected back at her in his eyes. But they can both read between the lines. It’s a start.

“Then…I guess I’ll see you soon.”

Hermione gives Ron one final smile and wave as she turns away again. He doesn’t stop her this time, but there’s a lightness, a hopefulness in her heart that wasn’t there a few hours ago.

Maybe the greatest love of all time isn’t over, after all.

#romione #ron weasley #hermione granger #ron x hermione #cruel summer fic fest #second chances