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mirrortouchedsea · 9 months

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I belong to the salt and the sea and the stones (save them all for me)

Chapter 2

Pairings: Hakaze Kaoru/Shinkai Kanata, Hakaze Kaoru & Sakuma Rei

Summary: Kaoru must deal with being a young teenager and his royal duties while trying to convince himself his childhood friend wasn't real.

Word counts: 3,870

Read on AO3

---

As summer turned to fall, and fall to winter, Kaoru’s father sat him down to discuss the changes he would be experiencing in the coming years.

Not puberty, mind you; that was still a few years off and not something his father would actually care about. One of the servants would take care of that talk when the time came.

This talk was about Kaoru’s changing responsibilities. He would have to start making more public appearances and couldn’t just spend his summers at their cottage anymore. He might be able to get one or two weeks out there, but nothing more than that.

“You also need to start making connections in the royal court, Kaoru. There are some boys your age who belong to families that may be conspiring against us. I need you to befriend them and learn about their true intentions,” His father said very matter-of-factly.

Kaoru just grumbled and kicked the leg of his chair. He really didn’t want to do that, but maybe he could at least try to make some new friends. Especially if he wasn’t going to be able to meet Kanata again that summer.

He just wanted someone to chase away the loneliness that hung over his head.

So when he met Rei while their fathers were in a very secret, very important meeting (so his father told him), Kaoru…

Kaoru froze. He didn't say anything and pretended to be aloof, like his silence meant something more than it does.

Rei is only a year or two older than him, and his birthday is the day before his (Kaoru thinks this is funny for no discernable reason), but he smiled at Kaoru and Kaoru can’t figure out Rei’s intent.

Rei told him about the other boys their age in court, a rough and tumble boy named Koga and a more soft spoken boy named Adonis. He’d meet them in due time, but Kaoru needed to know Rei better first.

Kaoru mumbled something under his breath and crossed his ankles and fiddled with his fingers. Rei leaned in closer to try and hear what Kaoru was saying, which made Kaoru’s face light up in embarrassment.

“I-it’s nothing, Rei,” he said, not looking the other boy in the eye.

“Fufufu, I don’t think you’d be acting like this if it was, little Kaoru. But I won’t press you on it,” Rei responded, backing off again.

Kaoru was relieved and had to do his best not to sigh in relief when the black haired boy sat back down. Kaoru noted that the other boy’s teeth were unnaturally sharp when he smiled.

It was probably nothing.

It had to be nothing. Kaoru couldn’t take it if it were anything else.

“Now, let’s get to know each other a little bit. I suspect we’ll be working together quite a bit in the future, so it’s best to at least try and get along,” Rei said, relaxing back in his chair and kicking his legs up on the table.

Why was this boy so casual? Kaoru would get his legs cut off if he dared do something like that around his father.

“And…how do you want to do that?” Kaoru asked, leaning back as well, though not as relaxed as Rei was.

“Why don’t we start with asking each other questions? Start with something easy and we can go from there.”

Sounded simple enough.

“Okay, that doesn’t sound too bad. Who’s going first?”

“You can if you’d like, or we can flip a coin.”

Kaoru didn’t want to take initiative and ask first, but he didn’t know how that would reflect on him either. Would Rei judge him for jumping at the bit to ask first? Or would it be worse to leave the decision to fate?

“Why don’t we flip a coin?” He asked before he could dwell on it longer.

Rei grinned and pulled out a coin and held it out for Kaoru to feel. It wasn’t weighted in any way, so it should be fair.

“I’ll be heads then, and you can be tails.”

Kaoru nodded and took the coin in his hand like he knew how to flip it.

He did not know how to flip a coin. Such frivolous methods of decision making were not allowed by his father and he and Kanata had never needed to do as much.

He tried to act like he knew what he was doing and balled up his fist and put the coin on top of his thumb. He flicked upwards and it did not spin very well, but Rei seemed satisfied enough when the coin clattered on the table.

“Looks like its tails. Lucky you, Kaoru.”

Rei put the coin back in his pocket as Kaoru tried to come up with a question. He should start small like…

“What’s your…favorite color?” he asked tentatively, unsure if that was too small.

Rei just chuckled.

“Deep red,” he replied. “What do you do to relax?”

“I like to read, I guess. Uhm… Do you have any siblings?”

“Fufufu, you should know that I have a younger brother, about your age. We don’t quite see eye to eye though. Unfortunate, really.”

Kaoru filed that away for later. Maybe it would be useful?

They went back and forth for a while, questions getting more complicated as they felt out the other’s interests, likes and dislikes. Kaoru learned that Rei didn’t like going out in the sun or loud and noisy places, and Kaoru told Rei about the ocean and its importance to him.

The two boys quickly fell into comfortable conversation, all pretenses about gathering intel on the other abandoned in earnest of ranting about their childhoods, their lives, their everything.

Before they knew it, their fathers were done with their meeting and ushered the kids away. Kaoru’s father leaned over and asked him about what he had learned.

Kaoru remembered that that was what he was supposed to do during that conversation, and nothing they talked about felt like it had any political weight.

“Uhm…he said that he and his brother don’t really get along well?”

Kaoru’s father hummed in something that felt like disappointment.

“Well, we had a suspicion that there was something between them. It is good to have verbal confirmation of it though,” his father said, gently patting his back. “Now let’s get you to your new lessons.”

“New lessons?”

“Yes, you’ll need proper education in politics if you want to continue working like this. This was simply a test of your natural talent.”

“Oh… okay.”

“Cheer up, Kaoru. You’ll be doing an unparalleled good for the kingdom and yourself.”

Kaoru just hummed in agreement. He didn’t want to betray Rei’s trust in him, though he knew that Rei likely had similar orders from his father to try and tease out secrets on the royal family.

It was going to be a long day.

---

A few weeks later Kaoru was banging his head on his desk when his tutor left the room. Everything went in one ear and out the other. He retained enough to get by, but it was very overwhelming.

Who cared if some 13-year-old kid knew the ins and outs of land trade in the kingdom and what that meant for the domestic economy (Kaoru only had a vague idea of what those words meant)?

Kaoru closed his eyes for a brief moment of rest before he heard the footsteps of his tutor approaching again. He lifted his head from the table again and blinked the tiredness out of his eyes as best he could.

“Alright, so what did we learn today Kaoru?” they asked, sitting back down across from him.

He dully repeated a summary of that day’s material like he had every day this week. In one ear, out the other.

If his tutor noticed this, they didn’t say anything.

“Excellent. Today you’ll be having another meeting with the Sakuma boy and you’ll be expected to apply what you’ve learned this week and report back to your father. You’ll be having these meetings once a week starting today so we can monitor your growth.”

Crap.

Kaoru was not ready for another test like that so soon. He knew they’d have to keep scheduling meetings but he didn’t realize they would be this frequent. Once a week? This was going to be a long few months, or possibly even longer.

He was shuffled out of the library and told to meet Rei outside the same meeting room that they had met at last time. Simple enough.

He made his way over to the hallway and greeted Rei with a curt wave. Rei waved back and the two began walking side by side down the halls.

Last time they had sat at a table together, but Kaoru didn’t want to sit down again after all that studying and he figured Rei could probably use a breath of fresh air as well.

“So uh…” he started, not sure how to begin the conversation.

“Fufu, no need to be so awkward, Kaoru. Our fathers want us to be friends, do they not?”

“I mean, I guess so. I’m just not used to talking with kids my own age.”

“I was told as much. You spent an awful lot of time on the beach the past few summers and isolated yourself the rest of the year.”

“How did you know about that?”

“I have my ways, little Kaoru,” Rei winked at Kaoru. “Besides, anyone could tell the youngest Hakaze son wasn’t keen on public appearances at the very least.”

Kaoru still had questions about how Rei knew he had been spending most of his summers on the beach, but figured it would be best to leave it be for now.

“Yeah, I had a hard time after my mom passed. Guess I just needed to feel closer to her.”

Not a complete lie. He often spent time talking to his mom when Kanata wasn’t around.

“I understand. The death of a loved one is never easy…” Rei trailed off and looked away from Kaoru.

“Have you…?”

“A long time ago, yes. Though I don’t want to re-open old wounds, so to speak.”

Kaoru hummed in agreement.

“Changing the subject,” Rei started, coming to a stop in front of the library doors (When did they get here?). “Do you like to read, Kaoru?”

“Yes, though my father has been trying to get me to read more about politics, which…” he trailed off, grimace obvious on his face.

Rei chuckled and opened the door.

“I don’t believe anyone truly enjoys that dull political talk, but I was thinking more along the lines of… this.”

Rei had walked ahead of Kaoru and pulled a book from the shelf. The speed and ease of which he found it amazed Kaoru, though Kaoru could do the same with any of the books his mother used to read to him.

The book had a plain black cover with just the title written in a cursive gold font.

Rei opened it and thumbed through the pages before settling on a series of images with some text.

“Do you believe in vampires, little Kaoru?” he asked, turning the book to face him.

Kaoru looked at the image, which was a print of a man with fangs going in to bite someone’s neck. It also looked like his pupils weren’t the right shape, though the dark shading made it hard to tell exactly.

“Not really, no. Father says these things are silly…” he trailed off, thinking about Kanata’s mermaid tail.

He hadn’t just made up Kanata all those years, had he?

“I thought so. Most people don’t, but what if I told you…” Rei trailed off, grinning in a way that made Kaoru nervous.

He could see Rei’s teeth clearly, and how it seemed like he had the same fangs as the man in the book.

Rei laughed at Kaoru’s evidently scared expression.

“I jest, Kaoru.”

Kaoru let out a nervous chuckle. Yeah, it's just a joke. Right.

Did he--

His thoughts were cut off as Rei grabbed Kaoru’s arm and pulled him down. It took a moment to register what was going on as Rei stalked to the other end of the bookshelf and gestured for Kaoru to follow.

As he crept closer, he heard his father’s voice, along with one that sounds vaguely familiar but just slightly off. It must be Rei’s father.

He couldn’t entirely understand what they were saying, but it seemed important, if the hushed voices are anything to go by.

He heard something about ocean trade and ships being capsized before reaching port in a part of the bay that had never had problems before. Sabotage?

That’s all he can glean before Rei pulls him back again and they crawl to the other side of the library.

Rei sighed.

“Nothing interesting today,” he says, leaning against the wall now. “Though I’m sure little Adonis’ family is having trouble with these wrecks.”

Kaoru tried to remember which family Adonis belonged to. He still hadn’t met the boy himself, but he knew that his father was important in negotiating trade relations. At least something from his lessons had stuck, even if it was just who his father’s advisors were.

Kaoru slumped against the wall. What could he even do? It’s not like Kaoru could tell his father that he and Rei had eavesdropped on them (assuming that he didn’t already know and hadn’t set the whole thing up as a trap. Why was everything so complicated?), and it’s not like either of them, being the young teenagers they were, could do anything about the problem anyway.

“How do you feel about all…” Kaoru waved his hands above his head. “All the politics stuff.”

“You’re awfully bold today little Kaoru,” Rei chuckled and shifted to be next to Kaoru. “I think our fathers need to keep their children out of it.”

“Agreed.”

Kaoru pulled his knees to his chest and placed his head on them.

“Do you ever wish you were a normal kid, Rei?” he asked.

“Sometimes, though I do appreciate some of the things this position has allowed me to do.”

Kaoru raised an eyebrow.

“I do like being able to travel between nations, believe it or not.”

“I’ve never left the kingdom…” Kaoru muttered under his breath.

Rei chuckled again.

“Maybe someday we can go with little Adonis to his home country together.”

“That…would be nice, I guess.”

The thought of traveling away from the only place he had ever known scared Kaoru, but it was also an exciting one. It would only be temporary, he knew that, but it would feel nice to get away from the suffocation he felt whenever his father talked to him.

He must have been smiling, because Rei poked his cheek and grinned at him.

“I think little Kaoru likes that idea more than he lets on.”

Kaoru felt his face heat up and buried it back in his knees. He heard Rei chuckle again as he laid an arm across Kaoru’s shoulders.

“Don’t give up on your dreams, Kaoru.”

---

He was fourteen when he realized that his father expected him to begin showing interest in courting one of the ladies in waiting. Kaoru thought this was stupid and had told Rei as much, to which Rei agreed.

Kaoru didn’t really have a preference for any girl in court over another, and so picked one at random. She was pretty in her own right, dark hair tucked up in an intricate updo that must have taken hours and deep brown, almost black eyes to match.

They had taken a walk around the garden, Kaoru showed her some flowers that had recently bloomed and tucked one into her hair. She really was breathtaking but Kaoru couldn’t help but picture Kanata in her place; the boy he hadn’t seen in almost three years still haunting his memories.

The two of them ate dinner provided by his father and made more small talk, but they were missing that spark. Kaoru would mention something about the ocean, just something simple about how beautiful it sparkled in the sun, and she would nod and say something about a recent horse race she had watched.

There wasn’t very much common ground between the two of them, and they both agreed that they would just leave it at one date. No hard feelings, of course.

He tried again with another girl, with light hair in a simpler style that was soft to the touch and eyes that looked like the sea if the light caught them just right, but the same thing. They would try to have a conversation and found little to talk about besides court life, which Kaoru found to be the worst thing to discuss over dinner with another teenager when he was supposed to be on a date. Most teenagers didn’t want to talk about politics on their dates, right?

It was only after the fifth first date he went on that he told Rei how he was feeling about the whole ordeal.

“I just…don’t think we get along very well. It’s hard to find something to talk about.”

Rei hummed and leaned his head into his hand.

“Well, you wouldn’t be making them nervous, would you? Girls tend to get flustered around royalty.”

“I try not to mention it but it’s hard to avoid and you know that.”

“Do you remember our first meeting? We played a game where we asked each other questions, and that might help you find something to talk about. Family drama will get anyone going too, I suppose.”

Kaoru grimaced. He would rather not tell random court girl number 58 the petty drama between him and his siblings, but he could try the question game. He had tried asking questions, but they had been stiff and didn’t really allow for a true conversation to flow.

“Yeah, you’re probably right. I’ll try that next time.”

---

Kaoru had decided to take his next date on a walk around the kingdom, bringing her to what he called his favorite spots, though most of them he had only heard about second hand from his siblings or Rei. Not that it mattered, as they were all busy and he was able to piece together enough information from passersby to not seem totally incompetent. They’d just walk around, maybe hold hands a little bit if he was feeling adventurous.

He could do this. Deep breaths.

They started in town, walking through the different stores, getting snacks and making small talk. Rika, as he had quickly learned was her name, had garnered a few shopping bags before midday. He discovered that she loved all of the different food stalls and introduced him to his kingdom’s street food culture, which wasn’t nearly as bad as his father had made it seem.

“So…what do you do in your free time besides harassing the vendors?” he joked, taking a seat at a small table tucked away from the growing crowds in the streets.

“Me and my friends like to make music together,” she replied, sliding into a chair across from him. “It’s a lot of fun, but it hasn’t been very successful so far.”

“What kind of music are you making?” Fourteen-year-old musicians were probably not going to be the talk of the town, but the fact that she had found something like that to actually enjoy doing was something Kaoru admired.

“Oh we’re kind of experimental, but it gets people moving! Well, when they listen anyway.” She danced a little in her seat, very careful not to drop her food.

“You’ll have to show me sometime then. And let me properly meet your friends.” He took another bite.

She hummed for a moment in thought. “I don’t know if you’d like it. It doesn’t seem like your style, but you can definitely come watch anyway!”

Kaoru wasn’t sure how Rika knew what type of music he liked, but just nodded along anyway. Rika quickly went on to describe one of their most recent performances, which had been a little impromptu street performance to try and promote one of their favorite taverns which was at risk of shutting down. Kaoru tried to pay attention, but his eyes kept drifting to the ocean just behind her. They were so close to the beach that he couldn’t help it.

Rika snapped her fingers. “Hellooooo? Kaoru, are you there?”

He blinked. Right. Date.

“Sorry, I was just…thinking about how I’d like to take you for a walk along the beach?” His voice cracked. Great.

Rika’s face lit up at least. “That would be great!”

She scarfed down her food faster than Kaoru had ever seen anyone eat. He took a few more bites of his own and slid the plate to the side. He wasn’t that hungry anyway.

Rika was almost more excited to go to the beach than Kaoru was. He hadn’t been to the beaches in town very frequently and was used to having them to himself at their cottage, but it could still be nice to dip his toes in the water.

They kicked off their shoes and tucked their socks and garters in them before running down to the water. The cool water and wet sand felt good against his skin. Rika splashed him with some water and giggled as Kaoru splashed back.

They played in the water, splashing and tackling each other for hours. When they had started, the sun had just passed its peak, and by the time they finished it was ducking beyond the horizon.

Rika was breathing as hard as Kaoru was as she laid down on the sand.

“That was fun!”

“Yeah, it was.” He laid down next to her and saw a faint blue dot dip below the sea. Why did it feel so familiar? “We should head home before it gets too dark. Do you…need me to walk you home?”

“How gentlemanly of you to offer! I’d love it if you walked me home.”

He pulled Rika up off the ground and she brushed the sand off her body. They decided to just carry their socks and shoes with them rather than try to put them on their wet feet.

Rika pointed out her family’s home and he walked her to the door and they said their goodbyes.

“Does that mean we’ll have a second date?” He asked as she set her shoes on the floor.

“I think you’ve earned it.” She smiled at him and he turned to walk back to the castle. He had told his father he’d be back before dark, but it seemed like he wasn’t going to keep that promise. As long as he got back safe he’d probably be okay, though.

As he crept through the hallways of the castle, careful to avoid slipping on the wood floors, he heard another conversation coming from his father’s quarters.

“...a blue haired one seemed to be watching your son today. Do you think--”

“No. No it cannot be connected. He must not know the truth. Do not let him get close to the water again.”

“Yes sir.”

Kaoru ran back to his room before the light was extinguished.

#shay writes #enstars #ensemble stars #kaokana #kanakao #kaoru hakaze #rei sakuma #kanata isnt really in this chapter sowwy but he'll be relevant again later #i have a vision of where i want this to go now so hopefully i can get chapters out a little bit quicker ahaha #anyway. woo! got it posted ahaha

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becca-alexa · 1 year

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Ride the Lightning

Chapter One: Prelude

Read on AO3!

01 ┋ 02 ┋ 03 ┋ 04 ┋ 05 ┋ 06 ┋ 07 ┋ 08 ┋ 09 ┋ 10 ┋ 11 ┋ 12 ┋ 13

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Original Female Character

Summary: Eddie Munson hated Veronica Windsor, the newest student at Hawkins High, and she hated him just as much. When a situation arises that brings them together, will they both emerge unscathed? Will things forever change between them?

Word Count: 3.3K

Content Warnings: [N/A]

Author's Note: I tried to be cool and name the chapters after songs that would have been around in '86 - mainly Metallica, W.A.S.P, Mötley Crüe, Judas Priest, and The Smiths. I might make a playlist with all the songs once this is over, just for fun. Let me know if you liked this! I'm excited to get this going!

Nestled somewhere between the preps, jocks, and goths, stretching far across the expanse of laminate tabletops and trays of barely-edible slop sat the familiar members of the Hellfire Club, all enthralled in conversations over their latest campaign, the excitement in their voices clear and carrying over those of the students around them. Dustin’s head snapped back with pealing laughter at a comment Gareth had made; Jeff and Thomas were both hunched around Will, staring in awe as he flipped through a handful of drawings from his sketchbook - designs for their newest D&D characters. And, arguably the most “normal” among their rag-tag band of outcasts, Mike and Lucas both ate their pitiful excuses for lunches in a mutual silence, picking up bits and pieces of the discussions around them, answering when needed - but, for the most part, listening.

And watching.

The only one seemingly out of character was Eddie, quiet as he picked at his bag of pretzels, his gaze locked onto… something, his attention consumed, entranced, by whatever - or whoever - had caught his eye - and, by the look of him, he wasn’t very happy about it.

“Guys, who…?” Lucas twisted himself around, nearly falling from his seat as he tried to follow Eddie’s apparent line of sight, asking the rest of the group, “Who is he staring at?”

Their conversations ground to an abrupt halt at his question, everyone’s attention turning toward their fearless leader - who was still painfully oblivious to their odd looks. “Do you even have to ask?” Dustin offered in response, rolling his eyes, smirking as he shoved a handful of soggy fries into his mouth.

Lucas replied with a shrug, hands raised in confusion, “I don't-”

“It’s Veronica, dude.” Jeff graciously chimed in, giving Lucas a nudge toward his left, pointing out the girl in question from among the crowd - she was sitting across from a fierce-looking Max, her back to them, her shoulders shaking in laughter at something Robin had said.

“Oh.”

“Yeah, ‘Oh’ - and you better cut it out, man.” Dustin turned to Eddie, a frown etched into his soft features as he swat at his arm. “Max keeps giving us the stink eye.”

Eddie blinked, as if only now hearing what they were saying, and he frowned. “If you’re all so curious, I am not staring at her - I’m glaring. Menacingly.” He stuffed a few pretzels into his mouth, his gaze never leaving the back of Veronica’s head. “There’s a difference.”

“Why don’t you like her?” Will asked, ever the innocent one, his head falling to the side in confusion as he poked a straw through his juice cup. “She’s really nice.”

“Yeah, man.” Mike quickly agreed, nodding as he added, “She’s pretty cool, plus she's never mean to us."

Eddie groaned, throwing his hands up in exasperation. “What, like I’m just supposed to like everyone?” he snapped, eyes narrowed as he turned to the table, jaw tight, lips pressed into a frown.

“I mean, technically, no - but you’re the only one who doesn’t like her.” Dustin pointed out, his observation serving only to worsen Eddie’s mood; the others all nodded in agreement - and he could only stare at them in disbelief - in betrayal. His mouth thinned in annoyance at their sudden interrogation - and over Veronica Windsor, of all people.

“Whatever, dudes…” He’d already listened to more than he could stomach; rising from his seat, he gathered his things, stuffing his baggie of pretzels into his pocket as he made for the door.

“You’re leaving?” Gareth shouted after him, confusion clear in his voice. “Hey, lunch isn’t over yet!”

“I lost my appetite.” Eddie said, his frown evident in his voice.

“C’mon, Eddie…” Dustin said, his voice urging the older man to come back. “Promise we’ll stop-”

“I’ll be in the theatre room.” He didn’t bother turning around. “Just scream if you need me.”

The group watched in pained silence as he disappeared into the ever-present sea of students, all wondering why he was so sensitive when it came to her.

And they weren’t the only ones watching.

“And… He’s gone.” Max announced, stretching her neck to see over the crowd, her eyes following Eddie out of the lunch room.

“Finally.” Veronica said with a sigh, her hands tucked between her knees, shoulders hunched forward as she slumped into her seat, an unwanted shiver coursing through her. “I swear to God, it's like I can feel him staring holes into the back of my head.”

“That’s just Eddie being… well, Eddie.” Nancy offered with a smile, but it did little to reassure her.

“I swear, he’s usually not like this, though.” Most days, Robin tried her best to keep her friend from thinking that Eddie was a complete lunatic, but even she couldn't dispel Veronica's doubts entirely. “At least, I don’t think he is. He probably doesn’t mean anything by it-”

“Sure, and I’m Barbara Walters.”

“Why does he hate you so much?” Max asked, a full-mouthed El nodding at her side in agreement, eyes wide and bright with curiosity.

“Hell if I know!” Her head dropped into her hands with a frustrated groan, shaking as she added, “I bumped into him in the hall one day and, bam - sworn enemies.”

“He’s usually a sweetheart-” Robin began, but was quickly silenced by the piercing look Veronica threw her way.

“Munson? You're telling me that Edward J. Munson is a sweetheart?” She couldn't help but bark out a laugh, cynical and dry, her bland excuse of a lunch long since forgotten. “Please. Might as well have told me Satan lives under the town or something.”

“Well, technically-”

“Anyway,” Max interrupted, shooting Robin a chastising look that, luckily, went unnoticed by Veronica. “Are we still meeting up later?”

It was the first Friday of the month, which meant their group gathered at Nancy Wheeler’s for a slumber party - a tradition they’d long since held, and one that Veronica found herself joining into seamlessly, almost as if she’d been with them since the very beginning.

“I promised Mr. Clayborne I’d help him clean up after school.” Veronica answered, fumbling with something in the bag at her side.

Max struggled to hide her disappointment. “O-Oh.”

“Let me guess - extra credit?” Nancy asked, rolling her eyes dramatically, knowing that, wherever those golden words were involved, Veronica would always be the first on the scene.

“Every point counts, right?” Looking up, Veronica softened at the sadness lying just behind Max’s eyes, a tightness settling in her chest. “Hey, I’ll go straight over once I’m finished, alright?” At her reassurance, the redhead seemed to perk up, even if only a little. “It shouldn’t take too long, I promise.”

"Pick up the pace, Henderson! We only got an hour before the guys start showing up!"

Eddie and Dustin rounded the corner to the empty hallway, each holding a box filled nearly to overflow with stuff the older boy had gathered to add to their setup - candles, strings of holiday lights, plastic skulls he'd found at the bottom of the discount bin at Melvald's that he'd repainted to look decrepit and aged.

"Didn't you finish this last week?" Dustin asked, adjusting his grip on the box, nearly tripping over his own shoelaces as he tried to keep pace with him.

"I need to add some final touches - then it’ll be perfect." Eddie replied with an easy smile, having already planned out the placement of each of the items. But, as they neared the drama room, he slowly came to a stop, with Dustin struggling to balance the heavy box atop his hip.

“Dude, what gives?” the younger boy asked, already feeling a layer of sweat begin to bead underneath the brim of his cap. “Why’d you stop?”

Eddie slowly approached the door, straining to listen to the music coming from inside the drama room, frowning as he recognized the song - Can’t Fight This Feeling by REO Speedwagon. Had Mr. Clayborne left the radio on? Just as he’d taken a step forward, the soft melody of someone’s voice demanded his attention; it was gentle, sweet, and it made his stomach flip, twist, wrench as a familiar heat began to boil deep within his gut.

Only one person would ever stay at school this late - and on a Friday afternoon, no less.

Eddie all but jumped for the door, throwing it open with a single hand, the wooden thing crashing against the wall, nearly clipping Dustin on its backswing.

"Oh, for the love of- Windsor!"

At the sudden slam, Veronica let out an ear-piercing shriek, the handle of the broom she’d been holding clutched almost painfully against her chest as she spun around, long braids wrapping around her, skirt still billowing about her knees as she shouted, "For Christ's sake, Munson!" Chucking the damned broom aside, she marched up to where he was standing, a nervous-looking Duston only paces behind him. "What the Hell is wrong with you?"

"With me?" he shouted back, voice loud booming, chest expanding in anger at having come across her, of all people. "What's wrong with you? And what are you doing in our room?" Looking around, his face fell at the sight of… everything, stacked, sorted, and neat about the space - and out of the arrangement he’d worked so hard to perfect. Chairs were pushed back against the wall, tables folded and stored away.

"Uh… Cleaning? This place was a mess." Her rolling eyes only incensed him further, and Dustin could tell he was veering toward the Danger Zone.

"O-Oh, no…"

"Mr. Clayborne asked me to organize in here." She took a step back, leveling herself with him, hands planted firmly on her hips as she leaned toward him in pure challenge - and, to add insult to injury, she batted her eyes. "Why? Is that a problem?"

"Yeah, it's a problem - you touched our shit!” Eddie exclaimed, waving an arm toward where their Hellfire setup had once sat, now empty and cold.

"First of all, this is the school's shit, which I received express permission to touch.” Setting aside his mounting panic for but a moment, Dustin couldn’t help the admiration he held for Veronica - if anyone could hold their own against Eddie’s temper, it was her. “And, secondly - I didn't throw any of your junk away. Your dolls-"

Eddie blinked once, twice, the inner mechanisms of his mind all but visibly working to understand what she’d said, his voice quiet as he repeated, "Dolls…?"

"Shit, shit, shit, shit-" Dustin hissed, dragging his hands down his face, watching in horror through his slotted fingers, his gaze following the searing wave of red scaling up the pale column of Eddie’s throat.

"Dolls?" He screamed, the sound echoing through the room as he took a step forward, forcing himself into Veronica’s personal space, his face a mere breath away from hers. She could feel the heat radiating from him, unfiltered rage at having had his passion mocked so openly, so bluntly. "Look, Windsor-"

Dustin pushed himself between them, grabbing Veronica by the wrist and all but dragging her toward the door, making sure to pick up her bag on their way out, voice quaking as he exclaimed, "H-Hey, Veronica! Can I talk to you for a sec? Great, thanks!"

"Dustin, what-" Veronica pulled herself free of his grasp; she tried to go back into the room, only to be stopped by the youngling, his body physically blocking the doorway.

"You need to leave."

"Excuse me?" She couldn’t believe what she was hearing - Eddie was the one who showed up and caused a massive scene over what was, arguably, nothing, and she was the one being told to leave?

"You. Need. To leave - before Eddie goes full Death Star on both of us."

Veronica raised her hands in equal parts exasperation and confusion. "What does that even mean-"

"I'll explain later! Just, please…!" Dustin begged, shoving her bag into her arms and pushing her down the empty hallway.

Veronica took in a breath, closing her eyes as she brought her rising temper in check, all while Dustin was practically having kittens at her indecision. "Fine - but if that room's a mess tomorrow morning, I'm blaming it on you guys!"

“Henderson!” Eddie screamed, his patience obviously worn thin.

Pleading, Dustin shouted, "F-Fine! Okay! Just go!" Watching as she disappeared down the hall, he took in what he’d hoped was a calming breath before jumping back into the lion’s den that was their Hellfire room, praying he was prepared enough to deal with Eddie’s blackened mood.

He walked in slowly, cautiously, nerves wracked as he watched Eddie drag the massive wooden table back to its rightful place in the center of the room. "H-Hey, man, it's okay-"

"What part of this looks okay to you?" he shouted, face still red, his voice quaking as he spoke. "It took me three weeks to get this place perfect, Dustin! Three weeks! And she ruined everything-"

"Eddie! Eddie, listen to me! It's fine!" Dustin insisted, grabbing his mentor by both arms, giving him a settling shake in hopes of clearing his mind - or, at least, distracting him. "We'll get everything set up again. It's not that big a deal, man-"

"Whoa, what happened here?" Gareth's voice echoed through the space, the rest of the group following closely behind him, all staring at the empty room; Eddie rolled his eyes, tugging himself free of Dustin's grasp as he went to grab a stack of chairs.

"Veronica." Dustin confessed, lifting his cap as to drag a hand through his errant curls. "Mr. Clayborne asked her to clean things up and she put everything away."

"She shouldn't have been in here." mumbled Eddie, digging through one of the stacked boxes nearby, his arm shoved inside nearly to the elbow as he tried to find the stacks of terrain maps he’d left behind after their last session. "This is our space."

"She was just doing what he asked her to do!" Dustin groaned, pinching the space between his eyebrows as he felt a headache coming on.

"Honestly, though, it was getting kinda grody in here." Thomas added, moving to help Eddie search for their things.

Mike and Will both chimed in, "Agreed."

And their responses only further upset Eddie, who rolled his eyes as he grumbled, "Whatever."

"Yeah, dude - and you really shouldn't have yelled at her like that."

At Dustin’s words, the room seemed to still, everyone turning to look at Eddie, matching expressions of surprise frozen onto their faces. "Hold up, you were yelling at her? At Veronica?" Lucas asked, clearly stunned that anyone - including Eddie - would ever think to raise their voice at her at all, especially considering the circumstances. They all knew how deeply Eddie’s disdain for the girl went, but to yell at her? "Like, how loud are we talkin'?"

"Sinclair-"

Jeff stepped forward, his grip rough as it landed on Eddie’s shoulder, squeezing as he shook his head in… disappointment? Eddie couldn’t tell. "Dude, did you at least apologize?"

"Well, she was yelling right back-" he tried to defend, but to no avail.

"Because you did it first!" Dustin shouted, clearly having had enough of his nonsense. "Honestly, you two should just kiss and make up already…"

Eddie turned to stare at him, as did the rest of their group, eyes wide with unfiltered shock, a seething heat - one that always seemed to appear whenever Veronica was involved - coursing through him, rattling him, his body all but seizing at the thought of… "Henderson, I swear to God, if I ever hear you say something that moronically idiotic again, I’m suspending you for a month."

"Alright, sorry, my bad." Dustin mumbled, setting the last of their figures onto the table, sliding into his seat beside Will. "I was just saying…"

Looking over their table, Eddie let out a sigh, conceding that things were as good as they were going to get, at least for now. With his voice booming, he announced with a clap of his hands, "Alright, gentlemen - are we getting this campaign started or not?"

"...And then he yelled at me!" Veronica exclaimed, earning a gentle swat from Nancy, who was seated behind her and undoing the tight braids in her hair. "Can you believe that? And over a bunch of little dolls-"

"Figures." Nancy conceded, placing a bright pink elastic onto Eleven’s outstretched hand. "Mike says they're figures, not dolls."

"Whatever!" Veronica groaned, dragging her hands down her face. “He was acting like I’d burned the room down-”

"Hey!” Robin poked her head into Nancy’s bedroom, a bowl of popcorn and a bottle of soda balanced in her hands. “Are we talking about Eddie?"

"Who else?” Max chimed in with a laugh. “I swear, he’s cool but he’s totally weird.”

Eleven smiled as Nancy passed her the brush, the pair switching places atop her bed - Eleven always liked brushing out Veronica’s lengthy hair, silky between her fingers. "Why don't you like him?"

“He hasn’t really given me a reason to, has he?”

“Eddie is nice, though.” Eleven continued, head falling to the side. “It confuses me, why he’s so mean to you.”

At her words, Veronica went quiet, her gaze falling onto her lap, fingers pulling at the hem of the shirt Nancy had let her borrow. Just from what his friends had so often claimed of him, she knew that Eddie Munson was kind, loyal, protective of those in his life nearly to a fault. She knew that he could be sweet, could be gentle - she’d seen that side of him firsthand, yet it always disappeared the moment she got too close. She’d never admit to it aloud, but his treatment of her… stung, even if only a little. She gave a smile, the melancholy still clear behind her eyes, and she shrugged her shoulders as if to say "Your guess is as good as mine".

Nancy was the first to break the silence. “Alright, moving on - I have three new colors of nail polish and I just bought a new set of curlers.” she announced, and the warmth of the room seemed to return tenfold. “Who wants to go first?”

Eddie groaned into his pillow, his face pressed into it as he laid atop his stomach, sleep evading him as he tossed and turned beneath his blankets. Flipping onto his back, he stared holes into the ceiling, the events of the last few hours still fresh in his mind, still raw, still aching.

The week’s session had gone through without incident, the group successfully defeating the rabid band of werewolves he’d set in their path and moving onto their next objective. Still, Jeff’s words echoed through his mind, souring in his throat, settling uncomfortably in the pit of his stomach.

"Dude, did you at least apologize?"

Should he apologize? Thinking back, now alone with his thoughts, Eddie admitted that he may have overreacted - had she even known that the room was theirs? That they would be using it that day? All she’d done was follow Mr. Clayborne’s instructions, and he’d exploded at her. It certainly hadn’t been one of his proudest moments, he thought.

But, what bothered him the most was what Dustin had said - that he and Veronica should just kiss and make up already.

Reaching over to his nightstand, he grabbed the mixtape she’d left behind after Dustin had all but dragged her away from him; he traced over her neat handwriting with his finger, felt the raised bumps of the stickers she’d used to decorate it. He flipped it over in his grasp, holding the plastic thing close to his chest. His other hand moved up toward his face, his touch soft as he grazed over his lips.

Kiss and make up-

In a flash, he’d put the cassette back on the nightstand, hands fisted at his side as he willed away the heat boiling in his stomach, his head spinning. He forced himself to sleep, eyes clenched together, his breathing deep and slow as her distant singing fluttered through his raging thoughts.

He didn’t return it, and he didn’t apologize.

#ride the lightning #stranger things #eddie munson #eddie munson x original character #my first stranger things fic!!#this is going to be an enemies to lovers slow burn so get ready y'all #and steve's not relevant in this chapter but he'll show up later i swear #feedback is greatly appreciated!!!#AAAAAAAAAAA i'm so excited for this #eddie munson fic #enemies to lovers #slow burn #this can be eddie x y/n if you want my smooth brain just needs a name in there to write #also want to add that Grant Goodman's character is Thomas in this fic since he was never formally given a name #becca.fic

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oc-cinematic-universe · 9 months

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i like joe because if he was like 5% more unhinged and unfeeling he'd probably start resorting to mass murder but because he's a semi normal amount of hinged, he smiles so politely and sweetly while vividly imagining people bleeding to death instead

#unfortunately he has empathy and compassion so he's not gonna do that #but he'll think about it. oh he'll think about it so hard every time #he'd be such a good antagonist. he would be Such A Good Antagonist #there is something. wrong with him #and hes already got everyone wrapped around his fingers. it wasnt even hard #everyones soo lucky this joe only uses that to make people like him if he wasnt a good person with morals and a code of ethics hed be so fun #and by fun i mean emotionally devastating everyone around him just cause he can #but his moral code is so strong even i couldnt find a way to push him into it even tho i tried really hard 😔#he is simply. not a prick #its fun to think about tho <3 and will become relevant later one way or another

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sneakyfox55 · 2 years

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we always have stories of Sans looking up to Papyrus because he’s the coolest (and smartest) ever--which are very wholesome and cute by themselves--but i want to normalize Papyrus looking up to Sans for being the strongest ever

#this is relevant to what i'm writing but shhhh #it's also just something i want to see #him just being like #MY BROTHER IS SO AWESOME AND AMAZING AND TOUGH!! HE ONLY HAS ONE HP--#--WHICH IS WHY HE'S SO TIRED AND LAZY ALL THE TIME BUT HE STILL GETS UP EVERY MORNING JUST TO TRY MY COOKING!!#PLUS HE HELPS ME WITH MY PUZZLES EVEN WHEN HE *IS* VERY VERY TIRED!#AND HE'S NOT SCARED OF ANYTHING!!!#BUT SOMETIMES I HAVE TO HELP REMIND HIM TO DO THINGS AND BE ALL STRICT ABOUT IT--#--OR ELSE HE'LL JUST BE EVEN MORE TIRED LATER AND WON'T WANT TO DO ANYTHING AT ALL #BUT I ACTUALLY DO ADMIRE HIM A LOT!!!!#JUST BETWEEN YOU AND ME I THINK HE'S VERY STRONG!!!!!#OH BUT DON'T TELL HIM I SAID ANY OF THAT IT WOULD GET TO HIS HEAD #and he would brag about him to anyone who would listen (after Sans is nowhere in sight)#and if Sans shows up he'd just automatically go back to being like WHAT NO I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT ANYTHING GO PICK UP YOUR SOCK SANS.

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alchemistc · 10 months

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Child popstar Steve Harrington finally finishes out his label contract and spends five years off the grid. Most ppl just assume the label didn't know what to do with him and that he didn't have enough auto tune to keep himself relevant.

Meanwhile Steve's been off writing the most devastating folk album to be released since Stick Season. It's a departure, to say the least, but his fans have aged with him so all that poppy angst from their tweens finds a new home with his smooth, crooning voice and his clever lyrics and the subtle use of wind instruments that shouldn't work but somehow DO and But Tammy's A Girl goes TikTok viral overnight.

Eddie Munson, looking to assuage his PR teams worries about his ever escalating internet feud with Ronnie Radke, starts reviewing music in non-metal genres as kind of a cute little schtick, except he's really insightful and KNOWS HIS SHIT where music is concerned so the videos he puts out get more and more popular, to the point that a lot of ppl unwilling to bounce genres eventually find themselves streaming Eddie's albums to get a sense of his own musicality.

When Steve releases Be Kind Rewind, Eddie adds it to his list and doesn't think about it for a few weeks, anticipating based on the longevity of BTaG that it'll still be relevant by then.

When he actually gets to it he goes about it how he always does -- pulls up his research right there on the Live and reads out anything of significance. He'll edit it down later.

Only this time he sits and stares for a good minute because "Sorry guys, I had this guy's poster hanging over my bed when I was like twelve - when the hell did he step away from label approved pop?"

He loves the album. Everyone loves the album but Eddie specifically waxes lyrical about the poetry of the lyrics and the way they work with the melody and the quiet sense of LOSS it evokes even as it forges a new path and the narrator finds a new muse. The final edit of the reaction video is three times longer than the album.

Eddie gets a call from his publicist three days later. "I have a Robin Buckley on the line?"

"Who - "

"Trust me I'm just gonna patch her through."

The Munson Harrington Collab breaks the internet for a week.

#steddie ficlet #steddie #inspired hthaze and posty nerding tf out over noah kahan

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rookieloveskashi · 16 days

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This Is How It Starts

Relationship: Hatake Kakashi x fem!Reader

Rating: Explicit - Minors DNI

Warnings: smut, dubcon? (sex pollen), porn with plot, confessions of feelings, voyeurism, masturbation, nipple play, 69, oral sex, cunnilingus, blow jobs, cum swallowing, vaginal sex, unprotected sex, creampie, multiple orgasms, POV Kakashi

Word Count: 9.3k (i have no excuse)

Summary: Kakashi is surprised to learn he'll be bringing you—a civilian—on his next mission. He takes every precaution he can think of, but what will he do when a strange new jutsu has an effect that he couldn't predict?

AO3 Link

Kakashi tucked his hands deep in his pockets as he waited for Tsunade’s office door to open. The report from his latest solo mission was stored in one of the front pouches of his flak vest, and he hoped he would manage to get in and out without a new mission scroll replacing it.

It had been nearly four months since Tsunade had been welcomed as Hokage to a village short on shinobi, and Kakashi hadn’t had an hour of free time since. At first, he had worried that his defeat at Itachi’s hands—or eyes, rather—would mean he’d lost some of the new Hokage’s confidence. But by this point, he wished that had been the case.

He leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eye, figuring he may as well catch a few minutes of sleep while he had the chance. So when the door opened only a moment later, Kakashi chose to keep his head reclined and his eye closed, savoring a few more seconds of peace.

“She finally ready for me?” he asked, expecting to hear Shizune sigh before inviting him in.

“I think so…”

The voice that responded did not belong to Shizune. Kakashi finally opened his eye and there you were: the last person he expected to see coming out of the Hokage’s office.

You also happened to be the last person he would mind seeing, but that was another matter entirely.

“Y/N.” Kakashi felt his cheeks heat up as he fixed his posture and rubbed his sore neck. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“First time for everything I guess,” you smiled. “You getting back from a mission?”

Kakashi held up the scroll containing his mission report. “Turn in one, get assigned another.”

A genuine look of empathy colored your face. “I’m sorry.”

“Maah, it isn’t your fault,” he shrugged. “It’s just the way it is right now.”

“Kakashi!” Tsunade shouted from inside her office. “You just gonna stand out there all day?!”

“Duty calls,” he sighed.

“Good luck on your next assignment,” you offered.

“Thank you.”

Kakashi lingered beside the door, watching for just a moment as you made your way toward the exit down the hall. His curiosity got the better of him, which he quickly made known as he walked into the Hokage’s office.

“What was Y/N doing here?”

Tsunade wore an unamused expression, keeping quiet as Kakashi approached her desk. The two spent a few seconds in a charged silence before she rolled her eyes. “Normally, I would say it’s none of your business, but it happens to be relevant to your next mission.”

Kakashi didn’t even have a chance to make a smart comment about being assigned yet another mission without rest. The fact that you were somehow involved nullified his exhaustion. “What’s going on?”

“We’ve gotten reports that suggest evidence of a forbidden jutsu being developed in the Land of Rivers. All we really know so far is that it’s explosive-based. I need you to go and learn everything you can about it; who’s behind it? What does it do? Is it something that requires a specific chakra nature, or does it have the potential to be more of a widespread problem? I want all the information you can get.”

“Okay… but what does that have to do with Y/N?”

“She’s going with you.”

His brow furrowed. “Excuse me?”

“We don’t have any sensory-type shinobi available.”

He would need to have a medic-nin check his hearing. Or maybe he had recently suffered an untreated blow to the head and just forgotten about it, because Tsunade’s statements just weren’t adding up. “I still don’t see what that has to do with Y/N. She isn’t any type of shinobi.”

“But she could have been.” Tsunade shuffled the papers that were stacked slightly haphazardly on the corner of her desk. “I’ve been looking over her files from her time at the Academy. She outclassed all her peers in terms of sensory skills; but she never took to combat, so the old regime considered her to be too much of a liability.”

That made sense with everything he knew about you. His own time at the Academy was so short, it didn’t overlap yours at all. He remembered hearing about a potential sensory-type dropping out, but at the time, he really hadn’t given it a second thought. Some people just weren’t made for the shinobi lifestyle, and while he could now recognize that fact without bitter judgment, the same couldn’t be said of his opinions back then.

Over the last year or two, he’d gotten to know you as someone kind and considerate, who was easily startled and prone to daydreaming. It made perfect sense that you were content living a civilian’s life; working at a tailor shop, which Kakashi just so happened to frequent with his arms full of battle-torn clothes. Every visit had caused his fledgling attraction to grow into the undeniable crush that he hadn’t yet figured out how to act on.

Admittedly, he’d been looking for an excuse to spend more time with you, but taking you on a mission wasn’t what he had in mind.

“I discussed it with her, and she’s willing to give it another try,” Tsunade continued. “In the future I see her as more of a specialized ninja anyways, probably doing more work with the Intelligence Department than actually going into the field. And that makes this mission basically perfect for her.”

“Right, if you ignore the part where you are sending her out in the field.”

“You’re only meant to gather information, not get into a fight,” she countered. “And even if something happens, who better to handle it than you?”

Kakashi leveled his most unimpressed stare at her, letting her know he wouldn’t be won over by cheap flattery.

“Hey, we have to work with what we’ve got. Assigning you to escort her was actually better than I could have hoped for. Flattery aside, you know you’re a strong shinobi. I have complete faith in you.”

“I still don’t feel right about this. She may have the makings of a great sensory-type, but she’s still a civilian.”

“Well, when you’re Hokage, it’ll be your call.”

“Don’t even joke,” he deadpanned.

“Just, look out for her, okay? I appreciate that she’s even willing to go out there. If she hates it and she never wants to consider being a ninja again, I’ll respect that and back off. But I want to give her the chance to make that decision for herself this time.”

On that—at least—Kakashi agreed.

Not to mention, if he didn’t take the mission, that wouldn’t stop Tsunade from sending you out there with the next clown who was available. He didn’t want any other shinobi to be assigned if it was your well-being on the line.

“I’ll protect her.”

“Great. I told her to meet you at the gate tomorrow morning at 7:00. We want to make a good impression, so don’t be late.”

Kakashi arrived at the gate a half-hour early, his weapons pouches full of sharp, polished kunai and shuriken, as well as explosive tags, smoke bombs, food pills, and anything else that could possibly be useful. Taking a civilian on a mission was even riskier than taking a team of brand-new genin; at least they had the basic skills taught at the Academy. You were coming to him with an affinity for sensing chakra, but that was about it. Instead of sleeping, he’d spent the night checking, double-checking, and triple-checking everything; he would not be caught unprepared for anything that might threaten you.

You arrived with Tsunade about twenty minutes later. Tsunade must have given you a spare uniform; the dark blue outfit looking out of place on your figure. You didn’t wear a flak vest, and Kakashi wondered if Tsunade seriously withheld that just because you weren’t properly ranked.

“Good morning,” you greeted him with a self-conscious smile. Kakashi could practically feel the nervousness rolling off of you in waves; from the way you toyed with your hair to the way you shifted your weight where you stood.

He didn’t want you to feel nervous. He wanted you to feel safe.

Safe with him, specifically.

“Alright, good luck on your first mission, Y/N!” Tsunade smiled, standing beside Kakashi and clapping her hand down on his shoulder with arguably too much force. “We’ve got you with the best of the best here, so just focus on identifying the chakra, and let this guy deal with everything else.”

Kakashi brushed Tsunade’s hand away, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. “I didn’t realize you held me in such high regard.”

“Of course I do! Besides, you guys aren’t even going through any enemy territory. It’ll be a breeze.”

You remained skeptical, looking back and forth between them. “If you say so.”

She may have been overdoing it, but Tsunade was trying to calm your nerves, and he should be doing the same. “She’s right,” he addressed you. “I can understand that you’re nervous, but I swear: I won’t leave you to handle anything on your own.”

Your eyes met his, and Kakashi actually felt his heart skip a beat. There was no way he would let anything get to you.

Kakashi counted himself lucky that the mission was technically all within the Land of Fire’s borders, but he still kept a vigilant watch. Your nervousness abated with every mile that passed without incident, and by the time you arrived at the town near the Land of Rivers’ border, you were almost too carefree.

“Wow,” you gaped at the unfamiliar surroundings. “This place is way different from Konoha. Ah, look! So cool!”

While you took note of the various shops and food stalls lining the busy street, Kakashi only focused on the way certain men in the crowd were noticing you. He stepped up to your side, putting his hand on your lower back and guiding you away from your gawking admirers. “Stay close.”

“Hm? I thought this wasn’t enemy territory.”

“It isn’t,” he conceded, “but it isn’t guaranteed to be friendly either.”

“Oh, of course. That makes sense.”

Kakashi tried not to feel proud of the way you nudged yourself just a little closer to him. “I didn’t say that to scare you,” he added. “It’s just best to stay cautious.”

“Understood.”

“Let’s find a place to rest. Tsunade’s given us a stipend for food and lodging.”

“Oh, that’s not a bad deal.”

“I have to be honest; this isn’t typical. It depends on the rank of the mission, among other things. Normally, a mission like this would mean sleeping outdoors and living on shinobi rations.”

Your mouth flattened in a tight line. “I see.”

Tsunade would punch my lights out if she could hear me talking like this. “They aren’t that bad,” he hurried to add. “It’s only on the really long missions that I get tired of them. And of course we have bedrolls so it isn’t completely uncomfortable…”

“It’s alright,” you smiled. “You don’t have to sell me on the whole shinobi thing, even though I wouldn’t be surprised if Lady Tsunade asked you to.”

Kakashi nervously rubbed the back of his neck. “Not in so many words…”

“I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but I wish she hadn’t laid it on so thick. I mean, what good is this mission as a trial run if she sets me up with all this extra stuff that I wouldn’t normally get?”

“You make a good point,” Kakashi agreed. “If you want, we could skip the inn, and spend this mission the way I assume it would really go.”

“Nah, let’s use it. I’m sure you don’t get the chance to take advantage of stuff like this too often. You might as well benefit from her scheming while you can.”

“If you insist,” he smirked.

He kept his hand on your back the rest of the way to the nearest inn, where he rented the cheapest room, knowing he would feel guilty if he used the opportunity to splurge. He realized his mistake as soon as he opened the door, internally screaming when he found that the room only contained one narrow bed.

Jiraiya would have a field day with this.

Kakashi immediately offered you the bed, laying out his bedroll before you felt pressured to start a charitable back and forth. He was the senior on this mission; it was his responsibility to make sure you were comfortable. And that did not include having him share the bed, much as he might wish differently.

As you both settled in, Kakashi tried just to focus on the mission ahead. According to Tsunade’s intel, all those who’d witnessed the jutsu had passed through the woods located southwest of the town. You two would search that area tomorrow in case the jutsu caster left any trace. With any luck, the search would turn up evidence quickly.

“This way.”

Kakashi gestured for you to follow him, but he was impressed with how little he seemed to actually need to direct you. It didn’t feel like he was leading a civilian. True, an experienced shinobi would be able to read his movements and anticipate the orders before he gave them, but you were keeping up much better than he expected. Maybe it had to do with your sensory skills. Either way, Tsunade’s plans for you might just pan out after all.

He would have to examine his mixed feelings on that, later.

“I think I feel something,” you said. “A concentrated mass of chakra, but it feels strange. Not like when I can feel a person’s chakra.”

“It might be some kind of trap. Be careful where you step.”

You nodded and continued on your way through the forest, keeping your gaze low to the ground. Kakashi had told you what to look for, explaining how to spot wires and other hidden obstacles, and while you would need to get quicker at it, he was pleased to see you’d taken his lesson to heart. Your sensory skills would only help you if the tools were chakra-infused, so familiarity with basic traps would be vital.

“I think it’s coming from this plant.”

Kakashi headed toward you, watching as you started reaching toward a large bell-shaped flower. Just as he was about to reach you, the flower petals unfurled, revealing a small sphere covered in tags.

A paper bomb!?

Kakashi grabbed you by the waist and jumped away only a fraction of a second before the bomb exploded. You landed on your back, Kakashi hovering over you to shield you from the blast. But the explosion wasn’t the type he had been predicting. Where he thought it would be all heat and shrapnel, there was instead a thick cloud of translucent mist, shimmering like dew on a fragile spiderweb. A dud?

Maybe I shouldn’t have tackled her, then.

He couldn’t even feel the density of the mist; if it weren’t for the way it refracted light, he might not have known the bomb had done anything at all.

Kakashi looked down at you. Your eyes were locked on him, your chest rising and falling as you caught your breath. “Are you alright?” he asked.

“I think so,” you muttered. “Thanks.”

He scrambled to his feet, then held out his hand to help you up. “This is the chakra I felt,” you said, looking around. “Is it dangerous?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve never seen this before.” Kakashi lifted his hitai-ate and opened his Sharingan to inspect the mist. It was difficult to make sense of what he was seeing. The substance hung in the air, a strange chakra aura hovering like fog. It had expanded in a thirty-meter radius from the source of the explosion—much wider than he had anticipated when he jumped backward. Something about seeing that cloud of chakra made his skin crawl. Even his mask felt too tight against his face.

Looking at you, he noticed some of the chakra had settled on your clothes and your face like pollen. He could even see it pass through your lips as you inhaled. Normally, it was instinctual for Kakashi to limit his breathing in the wake of an explosion. But he’d been so worried about protecting you, his instincts had failed him. He hadn’t even thought to warn you to hold your breath, either.

Whatever it was, it was in both of your systems now.

“We need to get out of it.” Kakashi scooped you into his arms, carrying you out of the cloud of chakra as quickly as he could. He was much faster than you were—it only made sense for him to carry you. At least, that’s what he told himself as he ran, trying to ignore the placement of his hands on your body. When he was clear of the mist and you could both breathe freely, he put you back on your feet. “How much did you inhale?”

“I don’t know… too much, probably. Oh Gods… I feel really warm. Is that bad?”

“I don’t know exactly; but don’t worry. We’ll figure it out.” He smiled at you, hoping to calm your nerves. “Let’s just get back to the inn, and regroup from there, okay?”

You nodded, putting on a brave face and following him on the way back into town. He could tell you felt guilty, but he didn’t know what else he could say. This jutsu was completely new to him.

Kakashi wished he had more medical training beyond bandaging his own wounds. Maybe there was some way he could be proactive. But with every step closer to the inn, he started to feel his own temperature rising. His flak vest felt gradually heavier on his shoulders and chest, causing his breathing to become more of a chore. He wiped his brow with his forearm and turned to look at you.

Your face was noticeably flushed, and you were panting despite the relaxed pace. You just looked so uncomfortable, tugging at your clothes as you tried to keep up.

“Is it getting worse?” he asked.

“Yeah,” you admitted. “I’m really hot now, and lightheaded… dizzy… You don’t feel any of that?”

“I’m a bit warm too,” he agreed, “but I probably didn’t inhale as much as you.”

“I guess that’s an advantage of your mask,” you offered, lightly smiling before your face twisted into a grimace and you doubled over, clutching your stomach.

“What is it??”

“Cramp—” You took a few sharp breaths as you let the pain pass. He waited as patiently as he could until you turned and looked up at him with your eyes open wide, pupils so dilated he could barely see any color. Your face was red and your lips were parted, like you still couldn’t catch your breath.

“We’re almost back,” he encouraged you. “I’ve got you.”

He said it with the best of intentions, but by the time he got you back to town, you were pulling at the front of your shirt and fanning yourself with the fabric. Your skin had gone from flushed to feverish, and the dizziness had progressed to a point where you were unsteady as you walked. Kakashi tried to steady you by putting his hands on your waist, but you had tensed up so much in response that he shoved his clammy hands in his pockets for the rest of the trip.

As soon as you got in the room, you curled yourself onto the bed in the fetal position. You were rubbing your thighs together and running your hands up and down your sides. Kakashi felt hot under the collar as well, and seeing you writhe on the bed like that certainly wasn’t helping.

“D-do you need water?” he asked, trying to think of any way to help.

“No,” you groaned as you pressed your face into the mattress.

“What can I do—”

“Nothing.”

“Y/N, you have to talk to me. Tell me what you’re feeling.”

You whined. “It’s embarrassing.”

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed abo—”

“I’m horny, okay!??” you hissed. “It’s so bad I can’t even think straight. I feel like I’m going to boil out of my skin. I feel like I’m going to explode if I don’t…”

You trailed off with a groan, seemingly still in enough control of yourself to stop before finishing that sentence. But it was more than clear what you were about to say, and hearing you voice even that much of the truth forced Kakashi to acknowledge: that was exactly how he felt, too. The heat, the unsteadiness, the tightness in his groin. Loathe as he was to believe it, he understood what you both were up against.

Aphrodisiac.

Kakashi had heard of this type of technique before, but he never knew of anyone using it or being hit by it before. Honestly, he never even thought it was real. But his discomfort was already shifting into insistent pain, and he probably had less of the pollen in his system than you did. If this is how he felt, you had to be going insane.

Bigger problem: he had no idea what would happen if you didn’t do something about it. Is there any treatment other than…

Kakashi cleared his throat. “If you need to… take care of it, you can.”

Your cheeks burned even redder from embarrassment, but Kakashi noticed the way your fingers twitched like you’d been waiting for his permission. “Yeah?”

“I’ll just… watch. I mean—! Keep watch! From—” he frantically pointed to the door, “out there. I will go and guard the door.”

He waited for your answer, only recognizing your thighs rubbing together and the impatient look on your face five seconds too late.

“Right, sorry.” Kakashi slipped out of the room and quickly closed the door, sighing out a nervous exhale and letting his back hit the dense wood.

Idiot.

He brought his hands to his face, still warm from guilt and irritation at himself for saying such a stupid thing. But no wonder—there was so much blood swelling his dick that there was none left for his brain. The feeling between his legs was completely overbearing; heavy, tight, sensitive. Just the way his clothes were brushing against his dick had him biting his lip.

He tried to clear his mind, putting his arms rigidly at his sides and taking another heavy breath. Unfortunately for Kakashi, that turned out to be a huge mistake. His sharp nose caught a hint of you inside the room, the scent of your arousal making his mouth water and his cock throb.

With that, his self-control went out the window.

His hand slipped under his waistband without command, his fingers wrapping around his shaft and beginning to slowly pump. His eyebrows pinched together, failing to process how his actions brought him twice as much desire as it relieved.

Knowing in the back of his mind how wrong it was, Kakashi pictured you as he touched himself; thinking of how fucking sexy you probably looked.

Would you lie on your back? Legs spread and fingers pumping in and out of your needy hole? Or maybe you’d straddle a pillow and take it for a ride, rubbing that swollen clit against the fabric. Fuck, what if you were in such a rush that you grabbed his pillow? Stuffed it between your legs and rode it into the mattress until you were out of breath and exhausted, leaving your scent saturated in the fabric so he could bury his nose in it later. Like a wild fucking animal.

Shame made his cheeks hot. It was so wrong, but he still couldn’t stop imagining all the ways you might be pleasuring yourself right now; right on the other side of the door. And what dirty thoughts might be running through your head? Was your need so strong that you didn’t have to have anything on your mind? Or could he dare to hope that your time in close proximity meant that he was on your mind? Kakashi pumped a little faster and imagined your pretty flushed face, eyes screwed shut and head full of thoughts of him.

Knowing how twisted and perverted it was, he put his ear to the door and listened. He could hear the low creaking of the bed; the headboard lightly tapping against the wall in a precise rhythm. You were clearly trying to stay quiet, but your desperation had you huffing out muffled gasps and unsatisfied whines that made his cock ache in his grasp.

He could make you feel so much better. He could have you moaning and crying out his name. Kakashi… Kakashi—

“Kakashi…?”

His eye snapped open and he pulled his hand away from himself in a guilty rush. “A-are you finished?” he asked, sounding breathless and spent even though his dick was still painfully hard and twitching for attention.

“It’s not working,” you groaned, frustration and anxiety in your voice.

He slowly pushed the door open, giving you time to shout or throw something if he was about to stumble into a scene he shouldn’t see. But you were just sitting cross-legged on the bed, your pants on the floor and your lap covered by a pillow that he couldn’t help but be jealous of. He forced himself to ignore the now overpowering scent of your sex permeating the air; as if he needed more proof of your efforts.

“It isn’t enough.” You looked up at him with red, desperate eyes. “What’s happening?”

Kakashi moved without thinking, kneeling down in front of you at the foot of the bed and cupping your jaw in his palm. “It’s gonna be okay.”

“How?” You nuzzled into his palm, visibly calmed by his touch. Your cheek was so soft, so smooth… He stroked your skin with his thumb, forgetting for a second that he had no right to touch you—especially not with the hand he’d just had shoved down his pants.

Kakashi moved to pull his hand away from you, but you reached up and held him in place. “Don’t…” you breathed. “It feels good.”

“Y/N…” he warned.

“I’m sorry,” you whined, although you hardly seemed sorry with the way you reached your other hand forward and grabbed the front of his vest, pulling him closer. “It just… fuck, Kakashi, it hurts. I don’t know what to do.”

You looked him in the eye. “I think… I think I need you.”

The pained tone of your voice cut him deeper than any blade ever had. But he didn’t know what to do, either. He was responsible for you. It was his own fault this was happening to you in the first place. He should have protected you and prevented it, but he had failed. Miserably. Completely blown it.

So… the least I can do at this point is try to help, right?

No. It would be wrong. It would be so incredibly despicably wrong. Despite the lewd way he’d already thought about you, and the painful throbbing between his own legs.

“I can’t.” He leaned slightly back. “I can’t take advantage of you like that.”

“You breathed it in too,” you said. “It’s not taking advantage.”

“It is,” he insisted. “Even if I tell myself it’s just to help you… it won’t be that for me.”

“Kakash—”

“I have feelings for you, Y/N.” He blurted the truth before he could stop himself. “And I hate to see you in pain but I can’t pretend like I’d be sleeping with you just to get whatever the hell this is out of our systems. I want you. For a while now; not just because of some stupid airborne—”

“Kakashi.” You put both hands on either side of his face. “I want you too.”

Could that be true? Or was it just the poison talking? Why would you want someone like him, who would only complicate your life?

“Y/N, you don’t—”

“Please,” you begged. “Just listen. I won’t have the courage to admit this later.”

You renewed your hold on his jaw, making sure he gave you his full attention. “I like you. I’ve liked you for a long time. I didn’t even think I was any good at hiding it; I thought that might have been one of the reasons Lady Tsunade assigned you to the mission with me; because she knew I had a crush on you and she probably figured I would be more likely to do this if it meant being around you. Which, honestly, if that was her plan then she was right. I was too scared to come out here until she said I’d be going with you.”

“R-really?”

“Really, Kakashi. I don’t want to be a shinobi. I didn’t even really want to when I was a kid. I was relieved when I left the program. And I was terrified when Lady Tsunade asked me to do this. I only agreed because I wanted to be with you. And I thought maybe—best case scenario—I could help you in some way and impress you because, I mean, I’m nobody and you’re you. You could have anybody you want, and if you’re saying that it’s me… Kakashi, you have me. You’ve had me the whole time. So at the risk of sounding like an Icha Icha character, just take me already.”

He laughed; caught off guard that someone so funny and bright and beautiful would ever feel that way about him. But the way you apparently felt about yourself was even harder to believe. “You aren’t nobody, Y/N,” Kakashi promised. “And I would tell you everything that’s incredible about you if I weren’t so distracted by how badly I want to kiss you.”

You blushed, your eyes shifting down to his covered mouth. “Can I take off your mask?”

Kakashi nodded. You adjusted your hold on him, gently hooking your fingertips under his mask and slowly tugging it down. He noticed your body start to tremble impatiently, and it made his heart melt; how you still moved slowly, prioritizing his comfort over yours. Your eyes roamed over every centimeter of skin you exposed, taking it in bit by bit until his mask was fully down.

You let the material fall from your fingers, your eyes lingering on his lips. “You’re sure?” you whispered.

“I want you, Y/N. Nobody else.”

He let you look for two more seconds, until he couldn’t hold back any longer. Urgently, he used his grip on your jaw to pull you forward, bringing your mouth to his and kissing you with hunger. You moaned against him, dipping your fingers into his hair and tugging to get him closer, shifting your legs to wrap them around his torso. In turn, he dropped his hands to your waist and hugged you close, kissing you over and over and over again. He couldn’t get enough. The feel and taste of your lips had him going out of his mind; even just the sound of each kiss drew him back in.

“Mmm, Kakashi…” You hummed between kisses, sighing his name into his mouth and running your fingers through his hair.

He put his hand on your shoulder and steadied you as he pulled back—only an inch. “I need to know this is real,” he panted. “I don’t want you to regret anything.”

“The only thing I regret is not telling you how I feel sooner,” you smiled. “Sounds like we could have been doing this for a while now.”

Like a force that only nature itself could produce, you and Kakashi came back together, his tongue snaking its way into your mouth as you tugged at his shirt. He crawled forward, causing you to lie flat on the bed. He grabbed the pillow you’d held between your legs and tossed it across the room. He may have been fantasizing about that pillow before, but now it was only an object in his way.

Nothing was going to keep him from you anymore.

He prowled over you, letting his heavy bulge press against your clothed core. Your body was warm to the touch, and he felt the heat between your legs as you rubbed against him. You each moaned into the other’s mouth at the contact. Despite the layers of fabric between you, rubbing himself between your legs still brought him a thousand times more relief than his hand had. He could only imagine how good your bare cunt would feel.

Soon, he would do so much more than imagine. And it seemed you had the same idea.

“Take off your clothes,” you grinned as you unzipped his vest.

Kakashi hummed as he shrugged off the garment without breaking the kiss. “The mask wasn’t enough?” he teased.

“Not even close.”

Kakashi gripped the front of his shirt and tore it over his head, admiring the way you blushed even harder at the sight of more of his skin, your eyes enjoying everything from his collarbones to his silver happy trail. He raised an eyebrow, silently asking for permission to undress you as well. You nodded, letting him lift your shirt off over your head and giving him access to your gorgeous tits that he’d thought about on more than one occasion; when he couldn’t fall asleep without getting himself off.

He leaned down to suck harsh kisses into the soft flesh of your exposed cleavage. It felt so right to have you on his lips. He couldn’t resist the urge to bite down, leaving teeth marks all across your chest while you giggled and squirmed in his hold.

With every ounce of skill he had, Kakashi reached around your back to unhook your bra, flinging it away from your chest and groping your breasts like the shallow pervert he didn’t want you to think he was, in spite of his actions. But he didn’t stand a chance. Back home, you’d nearly caught him (more than once) ogling your chest in the midst of casual small-talk. Denying himself now—with you so beautiful and willing underneath him—would have been out of the question. And they were just so soft, reacting eagerly to the feeling of his rough palms and fingertips. If not for the influence of the pollen, he would have been happy to play with your tits all day.

Your nipples pebbled under his touch, creating the perfect peak for him to suck into his mouth. His name continued to tumble off your lips like a prayer. He never wanted you to stop saying it. It sounded so good in your breathless voice. Kakashi tested your limits by trapping your nipple between his teeth, biting down with more and more pressure until you were pulling on his hair and trembling below him.

“Shhhhh.” He licked your nipple to soothe it, apologizing for the rough treatment. “Just needed to see how much you could take.”

You laughed. “What exactly are you planning to do to me?”

His answer came in an emphatic groan. “Everything you’ll let me do.”

You pulled his mouth back to yours, kissing him harder and rolling your hips into him. “Pants—” you gasped. “Off.”

Kakashi chuckled against your lips, reluctantly pulling away and sitting up on his knees. He flicked open the button of his pants and grabbed the waistband of both his pants and his briefs, pulling them down slowly. It had less to do with teasing you and more do with making sure he didn’t cum in his pants, but the tortured and hungry look on your face was certainly a bonus.

Your eyes darkened as he exposed himself inch by inch; his skin taut and sensitive, veins standing out prominently all the way down his shaft. Finally, he took pity on you, bringing the elastic down past his engorged head. His cock sprang up and smacked into his stomach, a wet glob of precum sticking to his abs.

“Gods… Kakashi…” Your lips parted, your tongue darting out to wet them. “You’re so big.”

You started crawling forward, eyes hungrily glued to his dick. It twitched for your attention with the same persistent need he felt throughout his whole body. His fingers twitched with the ache to touch you; his lips tingling—needing contact with your skin.

Desperately, he reached out and pulled you to your knees to kiss you. You giggled and slid your hand down his chest, cupping his hot, weeping cock with a gentle grip that turned him into putty.

You maneuvered your hand around him, touching and stroking to familiarize yourself with his size and weight. Kakashi’s head tilted back as he let out a deep groan from deep in his chest.

“Feel good?” you whispered, kissing your way from his jaw down his neck.

Kakashi was so turned on, he was afraid to speak—afraid that he wouldn’t be able to make a sound beyond a pathetic mewl. Instead, he settled for vigorously nodding his head. Shivers erupted along his skin. The only thing on his mind was the need for more relief. His hand flew up to envelope yours, urging you to pump faster. “Keep touching me,” he exhaled. “Fuck.”

Teasingly, you started moving your mouth down the planes of his chest. “I want to taste it.”

Kakashi threaded his free hand into your hair, pulling your mouth back to his a bit more roughly than he would have if he’d been in his right mind. “Wanna taste you too,” he moaned. “Need to.”

He tossed you back onto the bed, crouching down and positioning his face between your legs. The center of your panties was drenched, and his eyes dilated like a predator locked on its prey.

Kakashi pressed his face against your panties, inhaling your scent and exhaling in a shaky groan. You smelled like something to be devoured, and he would be damned if he let it go to waste. His mouth watered, nearly as wet as your cunt. “You smell so fucking good.”

He couldn’t wait anymore. Kakashi flattened his tongue and licked along the drenched fabric, too impatient to think to take them off. You squirmed and tugged on his hair, breathless moans and pleas falling from your lips. He rutted into the mattress, kicking his pants and boxers off as he yanked your panties to the side and lapped at the mess between your legs.

It was incredible, but those panties were gonna be the death of him. Kakashi reached into his pile of discarded clothes, hooking the end of a kunai on one finger. He spun it around the digit to adjust his grip before cutting your panties down to shreds so he could finally have full access to your heat.

Now that there was no pesky underwear in his way, he hooked his arms under your thighs and rubbed your pussy over his face until he was covered in your juices. You squirmed, but there was no way he was letting your cunt get away from his mouth. Kakashi feasted on you like a man who’d lived on nothing but bread and water his whole life.

Dumb lustful indecision fogged his brain and made his muscles clench with impatience. If he had his way, he would go slowly. Enjoy himself. He would savor you; kiss and lick and suck until your cute little cunt was prepped to handle him. But the influence of the chakra pollen was too strong. His cock was no longer begging for attention—it was demanding. And humping the mattress wasn’t gonna cut it.

Not that he would settle for that, anyway. His aching hardness would only be soothed by the softness of your body.

Kakashi huffed in frustration, summoning the strength to tear his face from between your legs in order to climb fully on top of you. He pushed his thumb into your mouth, gripping your jaw and urging it open before rubbing his thumb over your tongue. “Need this.”

You looked so fucking cute, nodding with your wide eyes and your pink cheeks, and Kakashi wished he was in the right mind to take his time with you. He was as careful as he could manage, rolling onto his back and manhandling you into position above him—on all fours, your cunt poised just over his face and your mouth inches from his dick.

“There we go,” he proudly grinned, grabbing two handfuls of your ass and pulling you down to smother himself.

You moaned as you rolled your hips into him, desperate to ride his face. You bit down on his hip before licking one long trail from his navel down to his lap and up the length of his throbbing cock.

His hips automatically lifted off the mattress to follow you. Kakashi shuddered as his head slipped past your lips and found its home in the warmth of your mouth. The long-awaited pleasure was indescribable; he only knew that nothing had ever felt this good, and he would be lucky to last five minutes.

Kakashi buried his face in your dripping cunt, wasting no time before running his tongue and nose through your slippery folds. You whimpered, grinding down on his face and forcing your own mouth further down his shaft while you pumped the base with your hand to make up for what you couldn’t fit.

He snarled against your folds when he felt you take his tip into your throat, gagging and sputtering while saliva drooled from your mouth. He lapped at your clit with frenzied licks, desperate to make you cum before he blew his load down your throat. Your clit throbbed, still so unsatisfied despite your earlier struggle.

You said you needed him. He had to prove how good he could make you feel.

Kakashi focused all his efforts on your clit, expertly reading your reactions and memorizing what was too much and what made you search for more. When he felt your thighs tremble, he locked down his pace and pressure, single-mindedly working you to an orgasm that left his face a sopping mess.

He kissed your hole like it was your mouth, lazily licking up your juices from your still-quivering cunt. Even at the height of your orgasm, you were still spoiling his cock—sucking and licking and pumping—and now that he’d finally gotten you off, he was more than ready to do the same.

Kakashi threaded his fingers up your scalp and through your hair, gripping you and bracing you before he started thrusting into your mouth. He felt more of your saliva drooling down his shaft and dripping onto his balls, easing his frenzied movements. With only his own pleasure on his mind, he felt his nerves race to the edge almost immediately.

“Shit… I’m gonna cum…” he panted. “Will you swallow it for me?”

You responded by humming around his dick, massaging his balls to encourage him.

“Fuck—” he grunted, “Get ready, ahh—”

The first pulse was almost blindingly satisfying. Kakashi quickly let go of your head so he wouldn’t drown you, too relieved to be embarrassed by how much cum was spurting from his tip. It felt like it would never stop, making his eyes roll back in euphoric bliss.

He wrapped his arms around your hips and hugged to bring your cunt back to his face, pressing a flurry of kisses over your folds while you drank down everything he gave you. Rather than feeling overstimulated as his cock twitched one last dry time, he instead felt his body giving itself back over to the pleasure of your mouth. It still just felt good, and he could tell from the way you were riding his face that your satisfaction was short-lived, too.

It took more willpower than he was willing to admit to pull himself away from you. “Y/N. Hold on—come here.”

You crawled your way up his body, leaving wet kisses trailing from his pelvis up to his jaw. Kakashi positioned you to lay on top of him, pulling your mouth to his and indulging in another set of deep, passionate kisses.

He smirked against your lips when he felt you start to roll your hips into him. “You want more, sweetheart?”

“Please,” you whined. “I’m sorry; it felt better at first, but…”

Kakashi settled you with another kiss. “It’s okay. I know what you mean.”

“You too?”

He reached between your bodies, gripping his cock and sighing at the pleasure. “It shouldn’t be possible for me to still be this hard.”

You looked away bashfully. “I’m sorry I got us into this.”

“I’m not.” Kakashi rolled over to put you on your back. “True, I didn’t imagine it would happen quite like this,” he blushed, “but I did imagine this more often than I should admit.” He kissed you again, hoping he could explain himself without his greedy dick undermining his words. “I’ve imagined a whole life with you. And if this is how it starts… I’m not sorry at all.”

“Kakashi…” you whispered, blinking up at him before wrapping your arms around his shoulders and clutching him close. You pulled him into another kiss, your fingers burrowing into the roots of his hair. “In that case, neither am I.”

Kakashi cupped your head in his hand and cradled you as he deepened the kiss. He could feel your body humming with anticipation below him. He ran his other hand down the outline of your body, taking his time as much as he could stand.

“You’re so beautiful,” he exhaled. “So fucking beautiful.”

“Please…” You whined against his mouth, titling your hips for friction. “Kashi, I need you.”

He smirked, kissing you one more time before sitting back on his calves. His eyes roamed your body hungrily as he gripped his cock. “Normally, it would hurt my pride that you still needed more…” He stroked himself once, twice before slapping his cock down on your tummy. “…But hearing you beg for my cock definitely makes up for it.”

You blindly reached forward and dug your nails into his thighs. “Gods, please put it in…”

His dick throbbed, a pearly string of precum dripping onto your stomach. You were absolutely gorgeous, and he had you pinned to the mattress, begging him to destroy you.

He rubbed his cock along your slippery folds, his sticky precum mixing with your arousal. The relief from that alone was nearly indescribable. But still, Kakashi felt like if he didn’t get to sink his cock inside your perfect little hole, he wouldn’t survive.

You shamelessly squirmed beneath him, and he knew you felt the same as he did.

“You need this cock, baby?”

“I do Kakashi I need it so bad…”

“Don’t worry,” he cooed. “I’ll give you anything you ask for.”

Kakashi lined himself up with your entrance; something in his brain snapping at the sight of being so close. His hips thrust forward, burying nearly his entire length in one shot. You shrieked, clawing at his back while wrapping your legs around his hips. Your plush walls sucked him in, the pleasure so immediate that he collapsed down onto your chest, his hips instinctively rearing back and plunging forward to feel more and more.

Kakashi forced himself to slow down, peppering soothing kisses over your shoulder. “Sorry,” he huffed, unable to suppress the grin spreading over his face. “It’s just so hard to hold back. I’ve wanted to do this for so long.”

“Me too,” you panted, thrusting up to meet him. “Keep going. Please.”

Your mouth had felt incredible. But your cunt—it was where his dick belonged. It was designed for him. Even with all the teasing and foreplay, you were still so tight. And soft. And warm. And wet. Walls gripping him, suction pulling him in, drawing him deeper; he couldn’t fight it. He was only human. But in that moment, he could swear you were something more.

“Fuck… you feel so good, better than I even—hgnh, Y/N baby…”

Your breath passed by his ear in overwhelmed whimpers that were lost in the loud smacks of his skin against yours. He was reaching so deep, he swore he felt the tip of his cock prodding at your cervix.

“T-tell me if I’m hurting you,” he panted, letting his hips continue to slam into yours. “If it’s too much, I’ll…”

You’ll what? …Stop?

Even the thought of stopping made him grind his teeth in protest. His hips thrust even harder, proving that he had no say in the matter.

Stopping was not an option. He was gonna fuck your needy, precious little cunt until it was ruined. And maybe then some.

Your nails dug deeper into his back, his name rolling off your lips in desperate gasps mixed with tiny sounds of frustration. “Kakashi, don’t stop, fuck, I…”

“Yeah?” he grinned, digging his hands into your hips and angling you perfectly to take his every thrust. He pressed his chest into yours and latched his lips to your exposed throat. Covetously, he sucked a hickey into your throat while he kept pounding away, claiming every last bit of you for himself. It was all for him. He would make sure of it, leaving his mark on you with his mouth and hands so that no one could question who you belonged to.

You babbled praises, tongue lolling out of your mouth as your eyes rolled back in your head. “Like that,” you gasped. “Just like that—”

Primal intuition guided his movements. He folded your left leg backward, grunting into your clavicle at the bone-deep gratification that raced along his nerves. You hiked your right leg a little higher on his hips. Desperately, he brought his mouth to yours, kissing you and panting, pulling away just for a glimpse of the cock-drunk look in your eyes before he quickly kissed you again.

He needed to feel you with every part of himself. It wasn’t enough to continuously stuff himself balls-deep inside you. He wanted to taste your lips and feel your body, leaving nothing untouched. He put his right hand over your breast, immediately rolling your nipple between his thumb and index finger as he pushed your leg back further and rubbed himself over the sensitive area behind your clit.

You tossed your head back with an indulgent cry, pleading for more. “There… don’t stop!”

“Right there?” Kakashi felt your walls flutter around him, and he buried his face in your neck. It was too good; he wasn’t gonna last, and once he came this time, it would be the last of his stamina. But you asked him not to stop, and he wouldn’t. Not until he gave you what you needed. “What else? I’ll do anything you want.”

“W-want you to cum with me.”

Kakashi gasped out a curse, pounding away at your sweet spot. “Tell me where you want it,” he groaned. “I’m close.”

“I-inside. Cum inside. Please.”

Kakashi moaned, feeling the muscles in his pelvis tighten with enthusiasm. “Haa, oh yeah?” He pressed his pelvis down harder, increasing the friction on your clit. “Want me to—ngh—fill you up?”

Instead of answering, you yanked his head back within reach of your mouth and kissed him, moaning into his mouth and clinging to him. Kakashi couldn’t keep his answering smile at bay; he was too lost in his own delirious happiness. If he could have held out forever—stayed just like this—he would have.

But he didn’t have to. These feelings were real. After this, he still had hours, days, years to spend exchanging kisses and breaths and affection with you.

Kakashi grabbed your ass with bruising strength as his orgasm hit. His stomach twisted and his balls contracted, signaling a rush of endorphins that made his toes curl and his thighs shake. You squeaked against his mouth, pulled directly over the edge with the first pulse deep at the base of his dick.

You broke away from his mouth, but your limbs clutched to him as your own orgasm sent tremors through your body. “K-ka-kashi-i!” The broken sound of his name slipped past your lips over and over in a desperate whisper.

“I’ve gotcha.” Kakashi held you close, riding out his intense high while giving you something to stabilize yourself. “I’m right here. I’ve gotcha.”

The muscles in your cunt repeatedly tightened around his cock to wring out every last drop of cum he still had to offer. The tug beneath his navel tugged beyond the point of pain, but his cock still pulsed; keeping pace with the demands of your cunt until you finally came down. It left him panting, his forehead resting on yours as he stared into your eyes.

No trace of the jutsu remained; leaving just the two of you in a bubble of heady, genuine affection that quieted the last of his fears. When his lungs relaxed, he titled his head to catch your lips in a sweet, devoted kiss. You hugged him to your chest and answered his kiss with the same promise.

He stayed like that, blissed-out and content, until your spent pussy started quivering from overuse. He leaned away to give you space, but he was surprised when you reached out and grabbed his thighs.

“Wait,” you whispered, your bent legs trembling on either side of him. “Slowly.”

Kakashi nodded at you, his eyes sleepy under heavy eyelids. But he was careful as he pulled out, blushing at the sight of the milky fluid dripping from between your legs. You shivered at the empty feeling and finally let your legs fall to the mattress.

Yes, the jutsu had worn off. But you looked so beautifully wrecked, he almost believed he was ready to go again.

He gently cleaned you off with the sheet, resolving to destroy the evidence a little later and leave the rest of the mission budget behind for replacement linens. It would have to be good enough; he was too exhausted to worry about a more discreet alternative.

The only thing he cared about was you; making sure you felt comfortable and safe, showing you that he meant every word.

Because he was already sure that he loved you—and when he inevitably told you sooner rather than later, he didn’t want there to be any room for you to doubt him.

Kakashi gently brushed your hair back from your warm face. You smiled up at him, nuzzling against his palm. He didn’t waste a second before leaning back down to sweep soft kisses over your cheek and neck. You giggled, then turned your head to catch his lips with your own, your fingers trailing along his sides and guiding his weight to press down into you.

Carefully, he rolled onto his side, cupping your jaw to make sure he didn’t break the kiss. You let him kiss you to his heart’s content until you eventually broke away, blushing and nuzzling into his neck.

Kakashi wrapped his arms around you. “You okay?”

“Mhmm, just worn out,” you sighed. “How about you? You alright?”

“Me?” He hugged you closer and kissed the top of your head. “I’ve never been better.”

You hummed warmly, returning his embrace and lightly kissing his collarbone. “I’m gonna be so sore tomorrow,” you guessed.

“I’ll carry you home if I have to.”

“What about the mission?”

“We learned more than enough about the jutsu for Tsunade to send a new team out here with some equipment to protect them from its effects. They’ll gather samples, and based on the way it worked, she should be able to develop an antidote.”

You snuggled closer into him, giving over to the intense wave of exhaustion left behind. “Oh, that’s good.”

“Get some sleep,” he whispered. “We’ll head back to Konoha when we wake up. And once we get back, I think I owe you a date.”

► masterlist

#kakashi smut #kakashi x reader smut #kakashi hatake smut #kakashi hatake x reader smut #x reader #kakashi x you #kakashi x y/n #kakashi fanfiction #kakashi imagine #cw dubcon #cw sex pollen #reader insert #reader insert smut #rookie wrote

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fancyfade · 2 months

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2009 era Damian reading

As I've been doing my 2009 era Damian reading, I'm trying to condense the good stuff and bad stuff, and things I believe are relevant for his character. These are in addition to what I assume is obvious (Batman and Robin 2009, the comic where he has a starring role).

Battle for the Cowl: this has how Damian becomes Robin. It's not necessarily good. Daniels really does not understand Damian, especially this early in his writing, but it does have some important context for things going down b/c Damian helps Squire save Tim's life, and we can see Dick viewing training Damian as something he is responsible for.

Secret Origins (2014) #4: This is a much more in character Damian becoming Robin, though fit for a condensed new 52 timeline that leaves some stuff out (like Damian's rocky intro with Bruce).

Batman #688 (Long Shadows part 1): Winick seems one of the early writers who does a Damian as he lines up with later characterization (views himself more as a professional assassin), so I think this one's good.

Batman: streets of Gotham #1-6: damian makes some minor appearances here.

Batgirl #5-7: Always take Damian's guest-starring stuff with a grain of salt, as often times writers just go with "how would an obnoxious 10 year old boy act here" without understanding he's a specific kind of obnoxious 10 year old boy... that said I do like some of his interactions with Steph, and I think it's incredibly important that we see Damian defends his competence based on his training, not on his blood.

Like he'll sometimes justify why he belongs based on his blood (which like... no one acts like they want him around), but he isn't going around saying "I'm better than you b/c I'm batman's son". he was trained intensely since birth (and that's why he should say he's better than you :P)

Batman #692-697: not a ton of Damian in this, and it is Daniel's writing, but he's a little better than he was in Battle for the Cowl. We see Dick training Damian some.

Batman: Streets of Gotham #7, #10-#11: love this plotline for him. Good show of competence and characterization.

Blackest night: batman: More focused on Tim and Dick, and Tomasi sucks at writing Babs, but at there is some Damian content that I remember enjoying.

Red Robin #11-15: as long as you read this one with your brain turned on, it's good for explaining some Tim and Damian stuff. Sadly some fans are like "woooo arrogant 10 year old gets beat up". Nicieza makes some missteps (frames Tim's thinking around Damian as coldly logical, when it is anything but and he is reacting from a place of emotion), but one can ignore those.

Batman #703: shows Damian's character pretty well in a default Batman and Robin adventure, and his relationship (or lackthereof) with Bruce and his dynamic with Dick and Alfred

Teen Titans #88-92 (including Red Robin #20 in a crossover plot): surprised by how well I liked this one. I think it portrays Damian pretty fairly, and we can see that he is trying hard, but hasn't been given a lot of support up until now (or even now, Dick kind of just drops him off with a bunch of older kids who all also have issues and are predisposed to disliking him XD). His dynamic with rose is fun and I think it is notable how quickly he does acquiesce to following Cassie's orders when she's like (at first) the only Teen Titan who is OK with him being there and assures him its not personal when she makes a comment he doesn't like.

Bruce Wayne: The Road Home: Batman and Robin: Has some nice Dick and Damian banter, showcases how they've worked together well

Batgirl #17: more damian and steph interactions.

I will probably add more (either editing this post or in a reblog) as I keep reading.

#dc comics #fade reads dc comics #damian wayne #robin #reading list #sort of #2009 era batfam stuff

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suzukiblu · 1 month

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WIP excerpt for Mango Bat; obligatory sugar baby Kon.

Tim, unintentionally, ends up in the Justice Cave Thursday night. Well–Robin does, anyway. There's some hard files Bruce needs that he left here last weekend, because Bruce never tells anyone he needs anything until he is literally physically incapable of avoiding it and so he didn't know not to leave them here.

Tim didn't get into being an emotional support sidekick expecting much aside from a less-vengeful Batman out of it, obviously, but it'd still be nice to occasionally get communicated with. Like, just for the novelty factor, if nothing else.

He collects the files, and while he's double-checking that he's got them all, a cloud of beige smoke spills into the room and materializes into Suzie before he can grab his rebreather. Tim knows, factually, that Suzie is gaseous and therefore not always in an obviously human shape, but after growing up in Gotham, land of fear gas and Joker gas, there's some instincts that are a little hard to shake.

“Robin!” she says delightedly while he's calming his heart rate, flying over to him with a surprisingly excited expression. He feels a brief flash of guilt remembering that she's probably been alone most of the week. Really, Suzie isn't in an ideal living situation either, but she also doesn't have any physical needs and can't pass for a normal human and is being actively hunted by a dubiously moral government organization, so . . .

Fuck, Tim thinks.

. . . maybe he can move Suzie into Kon's future cul-de-sac later, if he gets him one in a quiet enough area. Or maybe it'll be time to burn down the world as a supervillain before that and she can just live wherever she likes. Just–she's on his to-do list now, either way. And now that he’s thinking about it, maybe Cissie would be better off with a place to live that wasn’t either a boarding school or her mother, and–

Maybe he can just buy a whole neighborhood and move everyone he knows into it. Maybe that's an option.

He'll start some soft plans and go from there, Tim figures. Once he’s got things settled with Kon, at least, since he’s the one currently in the shitty cloning lab. At least Suzie’s not in a lab anymore.

God, why is this a concern in their lives, whether or not any of them are in labs or not? Also why was he not more concerned by this sooner, all things considered?

Or, like, why don’t any of the adults in Kon’s damn life care about him in any way that is even remotely visible from an outsider perspective. Or that.

Tim’s pretty sure any relevant “caring” wouldn’t even be visible from Kon’s perspective, given the way he talks and how sure he was that Robin wouldn’t think there was anything weird or wrong or straight-up ethically appalling about him professionally risking his life for a shitty cloning lab for room and board and literally nothing else.

#mango bat #wip: obligatory sugar baby kon

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swordsonnet · 10 months

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quick thoughts on the magnus protocol cast announcement (details here):

-lowri ann davies plays a character called celia ripley. in the magnus archives, lowri played lynne hammond (the woman from mag 100 who had an encounter with a burning ghost), who later returned as "celia", after she lost her identity in an apocalypse domain and took that name instead. i'm assuming celia ripley is lynne hammond's alternate universe counterpart?

-anusia battersby plays gwendolyn bouchard. i don't think i need to spell out the relevance of that surname.

-jonathan sims and alexander j. newall play [redacted]. makes sense not to reveal their characters here, since that would probably be going into spoiler territory. they could of course be playing completely unrelated characters, but i think that would be more confusing than anything else, so my money is on either og jon and martin from tma having landed in the protocol universe after mag 200, or the parallel universe versions of them.

-tim fearon is also playing a [redacted] character. this is interesting to me, because, to my knowledge, he hasn't voice acted in tma. does this mean he'll be playing a character from the tma universe whose voice we haven't heard before? the kickstarter update did say that some familiar characters would be returning.

#the magnus protocol #tmp #tmagp #rusty quill

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am-i-the-asshole-official · 2 months

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TW: Drugs --- WIBTA if I continued getting high🍃 even though someone in the building doesn't like interacting with high people?

🍃🍲 for finding later:)

Specific ages don't matter, just know that everyone involved is over 21 and under 30, and we're in a place where recreational weed is legal. Names changed for privacy.

Context:

My husband (Luigi) and I (Bowser) lucked into qualifying for a relatively large apartment. We converted one of the bedrooms into a DnD / TTRPG room and we own a lot of RPGs, so we have people over basically every other night to play. Our apartment is like, a hub for queer/ally TTRPG nerds.

Husband's brother (Mario) DMs a game in my apartment on Mondays- the end of my work week. I used to play in that campaign with them, but my job is extremely demanding both physically and mentally so late last year I dropped the game so I could have more time to relax. It was mostly with people I don't know, and I openly would take a nibble of an edible before we would start to help calm my severe social anxiety. Mario has partaken in edibles with Luigi and me, and everyone else at the table was ok with it / took edibles too.

Summer of 2023 Mario got a girlfriend (Peach). She randomly swings by to watch us/them play, and has been there on some of the Monday night games. She comes over sporadically due to her own work schedule, so there's no way to know if she'll be there or not. Luigi and I have partaken in front of her before and there were no issues that we knew of.

Now here's where I may be the asshole.

A couple weeks ago, Mario mentioned offhand that he'll never bring Peach over when we're high, because she doesn't like being around high people. He said she had some kind of trauma associated with it and not to ask her about it because it could trigger her.

Mortified, I was like 'we've used edibles while she was here before, is that a problem??' Mario responded saying she never noticed so it wasn't anything to worry about.

Now that I'm not a part of the Monday game anymore I use my very limited free time while that game is going to sit in the bedroom, get high, and play video games. Everyone in the group knows not to disturb me while I'm resting, and I won't disturb them. Due to having pets (and asthma) Luigi and I don't even own any smokables- it's all edibles, so there's no smell. They're securely locked away from pets so there's no way to accidentally take one either.

WIBTA if I continued getting high in my bedroom, even though Peach could possibly show up? We don't interact during Monday nights anyways, but I genuinely don't want to hurt anyone so I don't know if my casual weed usage would still be an asshole move.

Other possibly relevant details: there's a bathroom connected to the bedroom, so if I stock up on snacks I genuinely don't have to leave while people are over. She could literally never know I was there.

I don't take weed medicinally, it's just casual usage.

Monday nights are my only me-time, so that's why I kinda don't want to give up the option of taking edibles on the off chance that Peach might show up- but I don't know if it's a dick move to continue partaking even though I know she could be there.

Thanks!

What are these acronyms?

#aita #am i the asshole

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shikai-the-storyteller · 4 months

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People talk a lot about how Fit didn't want a kid when the Egg event happened, but I'm watching his Egg Event Day stream for the first time and picking up a few interesting things that both confirm and contradict what a lot of people say about Fit's perspective of the Egg event, So here are some notes from his VOD:

Fit immediately went over to Ramon when he saw him and cooed at his cute little mustache.

Fit repeatedly said to himself "I'm not a dad I'm not a dad I'm not a dad" while the informational videos were playing. HOWEVER--

When Ramon flashes the "Egg" sign repeatedly to them, Fit says he has eggs at his base and tells Ramon to wait with Spreen. Ramon chases after him, and Fit insists that he stays with Spreen, saying: "I will be right back, Ramon. Don't worry, I will return. I promise." ~ 1h 17m

Moments later when he's on his own, Fit says "Spreen better keep that Egg alive. I'm not emotionally attached to the Egg with the mustache, ok? I'm not emotionally attached." (Mirroring the things he often says these days about not having separation anxiety. Which is a lie). ~1h 18m

Fit says even though Ramon has a mustache, he doesn't know if Ramon is a boy, girl, or enby. (This isn't really relevant lore-wise, but I thought that was sweet). ~1h 20m

Foolish and Vegetta introduce Leonarda to Ramon, and Vegetta says "Look look, it's a friend, it's a friend! 😊" and then two seconds later says "Now fight to the death! 😊" ~1h 25m

(The QSMP admins also make a whoopsies here and call Fit "Feet" in chat LMAO)

Despite joking that he's going to build Ramon a dog house near his place, when Spreen asks if they should build a simple house or something nicer for Ramon, Fit says, "Well he is our kid, so he deserves only the best, right? Maybe we should make a big mansion." ~1h 31m

Ramon makes a beeline to Fit's starter house (which the admins poked fun at) and excitedly jumps on the bed

Spreen accidentally hits Ramon (again) and Ramon runs off, and Spreen apologizes while he and Fit chase him down. Fit says "He didn't mean to do that, he loves you very much!" ~1h 36m

Fit gifts Ramon a seashell. ~1h 42m

Fit jokes that there's no doubt he's the father because Ramon looks just like him -- bald as an egg

They put Ramon to bed, but Spreen and Fit introduce Roier, Jaiden, and Bobby to Ramon while he's asleep. ~2h 10m

Spreen says he left food for Ramon in case he gets hungry at night. They get worried about Ramon because he's been sleeping for a long time and check to make sure he's still breathing. ~ 2h 14m

Spreen says they'll be a really good team, and Fit says, "We will be very good parents together, I can feel it." (oof) ~ 2h 15m

Fit and Spreen say goodbye to each other, and Fit says "Being a father is not easy, that's why I've put off fatherhood for so long, I don't know if I'm ready." He says it doesn't seem so bad, but Ramon's sleeping a lot and he's kinda lazy, so he doesn't know how he feels about this child, but "We'll make it work." Right after he says this, he suddenly finds Ramon climbing up the hill towards him, and they go fishing together. ~2h 16m

Fit calls Ramon "Mi huevito." ~2h 19m

"I dunno how I got roped into this fatherhood thing" he says while waiting for Ramon to finish using the bathroom. Then he teaches Ramon how to cook the fish they caught (classic Dad behavior) ~2h 21m

Spreen tells Fit he's going out and to take care of Ramon. Fit teases him and says it's a shared responsibility, and Spreen says he has to go to work. ~2h 26m

IMAGES THAT AGED VERY VERY BADLY

The subtitles don't show it, but Spreen is saying "Don't worry, Ramon. You'll see me tomorrow." Fit says he'll teach Ramon how to grow crops, and Spreen says, "That's right Ramon, I want to hear all about how to grow crops when I get back."

Fit tells Ramon "You are my huevito" and sings him a lullaby. 2h 30m

"Spreen going out for cigarettes my ass! I'm not gonna see him for months now. See - someone's gotta step up and be a parent, and be there, and take the responsibility! That's me. That's me. It's weird though, I mean, I'm not used to this whole "fatherhood" thing, keeping a living thing alive. It's weird." ~ 2h 31m

Fit says he thinks he and Spreen will be a good parenting pair if Spreen comes back. But he's glad the child is doing well right now. ~ 2h 36m

Not related to Fit and Ramon, but these are some other funny moments:

Fit gets kicked for "flying" (he was jumping off a tall tower, but manages to clutch it) ~ 2h 43m

Fit meets JuanaFlippa! ~3h 12m

Slimecicle gives JuanaFlippa a landmine. ~ 3h 21m

#i talk #qsmp talk #sharing these things since it's been almost a year and I'm sure some people have forgotten / never saw this (like me)#it's interesting #Fit #FitMC #Ramon #qsmp info #QSMP analysis

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libraryofgage · 8 months

Text

Mermaid/Pirate Steddie Part Three

Part One | Part Two

I got side-lined by the Modern Steve in 80s Hawkins fic for a hot minute (that big boi is at, like, 73k; he hefty), but here's the next part!

As always, if you see any typos, no you didn't ;P

In the port city of Socotra, past the first big plaza and down a few side streets, is a small two-story shop with a sign that reads "C. C. Elixirs and Solutions." The shop is owned by a very nice young witch named Chrissy Cunningham who, currently, is doing her absolute best to not laugh in Eddie's face as he spins his tale of accidentally entering into courtship with a merman.

"Anyway," Eddie says, pacing in front of the counter with his hands splayed and his hair a mess, "I was wondering if you'd have anything that could help me."

Chrissy covers her mouth, swallowing down the bursts of laughter threatening to bubble up her throat. After a moment, she asks, "With what, exactly?"

Eddie turns to look at her, gesturing to the shop as a whole. "C’mon, Chrissy, you gotta have something here for me, right? Like, I don't know, a fucking manual or whatever."

"Of course I don't have a...," Chrissy trails off, frowning slightly as she looks at the storeroom door behind her. She's getting a very familiar feeling. It settles at the top of her spine like a shiver that's just waiting and waiting to happen but never does. Usually, this means something.

"Give me a second," she says, barely hearing Eddie's agreement before she heads into the back.

Her storeroom is a chaotic mess that only makes sense to Chrissy. Precarious stacks of books are randomly scattered across the floor, some of them holding plants or knickknacks on top. A few tables are filled with potion ingredients, magical artifacts that still need cataloging, half-filled notebooks, and dozens of pens. A few bookcases line the walls, and Chrissy wanders over to one of them.

She scans the spines, passing over books about fae marriage customs, common selkie family traditions, and in-depth essays analyzing Phoenix mating dances. Finally, her gaze lands on a thin, unassuming book. Its cover is made of sea-foam green leather, with waves etched into the spine instead of words. When Chrissy pulls it off the shelf, the front cover is blank. She doesn't remember getting this book, but this can happen in magic shops. Sometimes items just appear where they know they'll be needed.

Chrissy flips the book open, landing on the front page and grinning at the dedication that reads, "To all the hapless fools in love with a sea dragon's descendant. Here's to hoping you don't royally fuck it up."

Yeah, that's perfect.

She heads back to the front of the shop, immediately noticing that Eddie has placed trinkets and rocks on the counter. She recognizes a few of her protection charms (made of genuine silver, she'd like to add), some quartz of varying colors, and a ring set with a prismatic shard. Chrissy stares at the items before looking up at Eddie with a raised eyebrow.

"Stevie would love all of these," Eddie says, shrugging with absolutely no remorse or shame as he drops a coin purse onto the counter.

Chrissy sighs and digs a few coins out, ensuring they're all gold and all real by biting them before nodding. "You know, land-based magical items don't actually work on merfolk," she says, pushing the purse back to Eddie as she places the book on the counter as well. "So those protection charms and that prismatic ring won't do anything for him."

"Yeah, but they're pretty. He'll like them," Eddie insists. He then notices the book, and his eyes light up hopefully. "Did you find something?"

"Yep, seems to be exactly what you need," she says, sliding it closer to him and watching as he opens it to a random page.

"A common practice among merfolk is to collect trinkets during their pod's travels. Some trinkets won't be personally interesting to the merperson, but can be later used as courting gifts if they're relevant to the intended mate's interests or likes," Eddie reads, tilting his head slightly with a genuine interest that Chrissy usually only sees when he discusses new songs he's learned during his travels.

"Consider that one on the house. But I expect to meet this merman once you've finished your honeymoon phase," Chrissy says, pulling out a small velvet bag and placing the other items inside.

She gives it to Eddie, smiling once more when he nods, digs into his pockets, and drops another small pouch onto the counter. "Almost forgot. Here's some of that 500 year old ginseng you mentioned before," he says.

Chrissy blinks, staring at the pouch. Before she can say anything (like, for example, demanding to know how Eddie got his hands on so much of such a rare ingredient that only the most qualified of practitioners can even dream about seeing), Eddie has gathered his things and practically run out of the shop with a hurried goodbye thrown over his shoulder.

Excerpt from "The Lovelorn Fool's Guide to Merfolk Courtship"

The most important thing to know about courting merfolk is the levels of courtship, of which there are three. In order, they are:

Gift-giving: merfolk collect various trinkets throughout their life, including items they personally do not find interesting. Upon finding a potential mate, they will go through their collection and gift items they think the potential mate will like. To learn more about trinket collection, refer to Part II.

Harmonizing: unsurprisingly, singing is important to merfolk. In addition to being an enjoyable pastime, singing is another mode of communication. The ability to harmonize with a potential mate is vital, as it proves the two are well-matched. To learn more about song types, refer to Part III.

Pod Introduction: the final stage of merfolk courtship, pod introduction is the most important. Pods are sacred, and introducing a potential mate to the pod is an incredible show of trust and commitment. To learn more about pods and their structure, refer to Part IV.

Of these levels, gift-giving often takes the longest. Some merfolk give hundreds of gifts before moving to harmonizing, and others give one. Be patient and try to return each gift you receive.

While these are the levels of courtship, the actual establishment of mateship (consider this the merfolk equivalent of marriage, only it's far more permanent), involves the gifting of scales.

You can find more on this in Part V.

----

Steve stares longingly at the small window in Eddie's cabin, tracking the clouds and lingering on birds that soar by. He knows he can't be on the deck when they've docked, but scales, he's bored.

Are his guppies bored, too? Do they still play games, or are they too worried about Steve to sweep through the waters? Has Robin lost a few scales from exhaustion and stress? How quickly after hugging him is she going to kill him for being away for so long?

With a sigh, Steve drags his eyes away from the window and looks at his tail. Kelp is still wrapped around the wound, but he knows it's almost healed. He can flick his fins without hurting, and the wound has mostly scabbed over, fresh scales beginning to creep over the cut. Maybe a few more nights, and Steve will be ready to jump back into the ocean and find his pod and guppies again.

But that would mean leaving Eddie behind, and...Steve really doesn't want to do that. Because Eddie is the closest Steve has ever actually come to finding a potential mate.

He starts to sink into the water to submerge his head beneath the surface so his disgruntled and stressed air bubbles can rise from his gills. Before he can fully slide under the surface, though, Steve hears the familiar sound of Eddie's excited, hurried footsteps.

Steve perks up, gripping the edge of the tub as Eddie slams into the door, cursing at the pain as he opens it and stumbles inside. He looks at Steve immediately, his cheeks flushed and his eyes wide and a grin tugging at his lips to reveal dimples. He's carrying a small pouch in one hand and a book with a sea-foam green cover in the other.

"Stevie!" he says, kicking the door closed and walking over to the tub, "I got you stuff."

With that, Eddie crouches in front of the tub and holds the pouch out to Steve. He doesn't seem to notice how Steve's gills flutter, air pushing out in an excited, flustered pattern that would have made Robin tease him. Eddie doesn't know that, though, so Steve tries to ignore his gills and takes the pouch.

He opens it carefully, his gaze immediately caught on a ring set with a rainbow-colored stone. Steve's eyes widen, his mind swirling around the pretty color and how well it matches his tail and how it looks to be the perfect size and how it would still glitter even when Steve is deeper than the sun can reach.

He pulls the ring out, turning it over a few times before sliding it onto his left ring finger. He was right; it fits perfectly. It has a strange but ultimately harmless magic attached to it. Steve grins brightly, a small, barely noticeable hum bubbling from his throat as he looks back into the bag.

He pulls out each rock, studies them intently, and approves of their color and shimmer. With a nod, Steve places them carefully in the tub, clustering them on the left side of his tail, the side further from the door, for protection.

Finally, Steve pulls out a few of the protection charms. They're small and made of a material Steve immediately recognizes as something that tarnishes in water. He really likes them, though, and it would be a shame to not use them for something.

"Eddie," he says, looking up to see Eddie staring at him, his excited smile turning dopey.

"Yeah, sweetheart?" he asks, leaning forward and resting his arms on the tub.

Steve leans forward, taking a lock of Eddie's hair and studying it carefully. After a few seconds, he decides it's good enough. "Turn around?" he asks, his gills fluttering again when Eddie does so without question. After taking a second to calm himself, Steve asks, "Can I do your hair?"

Eddie hums, leaning his neck on the rim of the tub, giving Steve full access to his hair, the ends of which are dipping into the water. "Of course, Stevie. Whatcha wanna do?" he asks.

"It's a surprise," Steve tells him, moving some until he's partially sitting on his tail so he can properly face Eddie's hair. He places the pouch on the edge of the tub, letting it precariously balance, before running his fingers through Eddie's hair.

He's done this enough times for Max to know how to fix tangles without pulling. As he works, Steve relaxes, falling into a familiar rhythm, and starts to hum softly. It's a lullaby, one that he doesn't get to sing the guppies to sleep with anymore, but they tolerate it when he's caring for wounds or helping them scrub their tails or braiding their hair.

Steve divides Eddie's hair into sections and starts braiding. Every other inch, Steve takes one of the charms from the pouch and braids it into Eddie's hair. By the time he's done, the braid is decorated with silver charms, standing out nicely against Eddie's brown hair.

"Okay," he says, using a thin piece of kelp to tie off the braid, "It looks good."

Eddie hums, reaching back and carefully running his fingers over the braid. Steve watches, suppressing the urge to grab Eddie's hand. "Did you not like them?" Eddie asks, dropping his hand and turning around. The charms clink against each other, creating a quiet song that makes Steve's heart light and happy.

"I liked them," Steve says, pushing the pouch on the edge of the tub into Eddie's lap. "They tarnish in water, though. And their magic felt too strange. They look better on you."

"So, you gave me a gift?" Eddie asks, his smile hopeful and his eyes bright. Steve can't help returning the smile with a nod. In response, Eddie leans forward even further, like he's acting on impulse more than anything else, and presses his lips to Steve's cheek.

Steve's eyes widen, his gills burst, and his ear fins flare in response. To the untrained (human) eye, his reaction is similar to a cat puffing and bristling when faced with a threat. To the trained eye (Robin. And other merfolk, but mostly Robin), Steve's reaction is entirely common for especially flustered merfolk.

It's never happened to Steve before, and that just makes him feel more flustered. He doesn't want Eddie to see his flared fins, so he does the first thing he thinks of; Steve pushes forward and wraps his arms around Eddie's shoulders, hugging him tightly so he can't pull away. "Thanks," he mumbles, "for the gifts, I mean."

He hears Eddie laugh and feels Eddie's hands slide across his side and to his back to return the hug. "Of course, Stevie," Eddie replies, his breath warm against Steve's gills and sending a subtle shiver down Steve's spine. "I'm glad you like them."

Steve is gone. He can't imagine being away from Eddie. He can already see Eddie and the guppies meeting, and he can see Robin fucking with Eddie just to see how he reacts. Steve can see Eddie in the water with him, grinning as his hair floats around them. Steve can see Eddie and him lying together on a beach, warm on the sand and basking in the sun.

Most of all, Steve can imagine giving Eddie a necklace or bracelet of his scales. Maybe that should scare or worry him, but all Steve can feel is excited and warm, and he's more than happy to bask in that feeling for a while.

----

Tag List (the tag list is full! I wasn't able to fit everyone, so if you aren't on here, I'd suggest following #high seas steddie. I think you should still get updates on your dash if you do)

@mugloversonly, @raisedbylibrarians, @thegirlwiththelibrarybag, @savory-babby, @vankaar, @beckkthewreck, @itcanbepalped, @imfinereallyy, @finntheehumaneater, @mightbeasleep, @weekend-dreamer7

@whenindoubtb72, @troublemaker2azz, @just-a-tiny-void, @upallnightogetloki, @mxmakessense, @ellietheasexylibrarian, @haelreadsshit, @y4r3luv, @starman-jpg, @littlewildflowerkitten, @estrellami-1, @stevieschrodinger, @gaelicblue, @they-reap-what-we-sow

@5ammi90, @noodle-shenaniganery, @acrolius, @hallelujahimatheist, @rainbow-freckle, @desidrarry-wolfstarshipper, @goodolefashionedloverboi, @79chevyimpala, @aliea82, @hopefulcookieoperatorpersona, @sani-86, @queenie-ofthe-void, @goosesister, @hello-fellow-nerds, @luthienstormblessed, @xtkxkrzrizir, @potato-of-the-lord, @geekymagicalpotato, @child-of-cthulhu, @aizawa-emma, @m-owo-n, @newtstabber, @cartercaptainofthemoon, @spectrum-spectre, @a-little-unsteddie

#steddie #steddie fic #high seas steddie #merman steve harrington #pirate eddie munson #steddie fluff #steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things fic #chrissy cunningham #platonic hellcheer #in the first half tho but maybe more to come? kinda winging it ngl

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